Verdict
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I have been trying to figure out exactly what this team is and how far are we away. It is a very difficult exercise .... maybe impossible to figure out until after changes are made. Here are my thoughts on the matter:
Glass half full: This team has already won 7 games and has positioned its self to go to the playoffs. Regardless whether we lose to the Bears tonight (looks like we will) if we win out we are still in. Realistically speaking as long as we win/lose the same amount of games as Philly in the next two games we control our own destiny to the playoffs by beating Philly in the last game.
More importantly, we have played the Broncos to the very end, lost to Kansas City in a nail biter, should have beat the Lions (coaching is the culprit in that game in my opinion), and could have easily beat San Diego. The Broncos and Chiefs are two of the better teams in the entire NFL.
So if you look at the glass as half full, we have the ability to win the SUPER BOWL THIS YEAR. But realistically, not many would take that view and rightly so. Despite having a franchise QB, great skill position players and a revamped (and more competent offensive line) we seem to be mired near .500. The trouble is that not all .500 teams are created equal.
If you take the glass half empty approach, we aren't even close. We will need several players on the defensive line. It is decimated. Ware doesn't seem to be anywhere near his old self. Our linebackers can't seem to stay healthy. Our pass defense seems atrocious, despite investing a #6 pick overall in a CB and paying $50 Million to a corner. We can't seem to get quality safety play despite spending draft picks on the position in several successive drafts. Our players seem to have repetitive injuries. Our cap number is high, and we have lots of dead money and more dead money to come. All of those arguments are equally valid.
Monte Kiffen's Cowboy's defense seems as porous as it was in USC. Is it the players or the scheme? Maybe it is a little of both. I just don't get why we don't gamble just a little and try to make something happen rather than go with the steady bleed out.
Play calling still seems suspect and probably cost us the Detroit game. I don't know if you can point to a game during the Garrett tenure and say .... now great coaching WON that game for us. Maybe we have had one, but I sure don't remember it.
For those of you who say let's fire Garrett, do you really want to go in a different direction yet again? I don't. I don't think that lack of continuity is the answer. I would probably keep Garrett one more year, if for no other reason than he seems to be acquiring talent and stockpiling it. Lest year's draft was productive. I don't know about the Escobar pick, but time will tell. I'm willing to give them a bit of a pass since The Beard and Williams have played so well. You aren't going to hit on every pick, and Escobar may yet become a player.
So what is on the wish list? I think defensive line must be addressed. But how much different might this team look if Crawford had been healthy. I hate Spencer, but what if he had been healthy? Personally, I would let Spencer walk, but what if we give Spencer a one year "prove it" deal and he reverts back to his form of last year? It is really hard to judge what this team might have had with those two players.
Personally, I think Callahan and Kiffen should both go. I think Callahan is getting less done with more. Kiffen's defense sucks, but what sort of defense will he field with healthy players? I can see the argument either way as pretty reasonable.
The bottom line is that we should use this next draft to stockpile talent. Be smart and draft well. I don't think that any position should be overlooked because we already have a player in place (probably other than QB in the first round). The only caveat I would say is that I would lean more towards proven talent rather than projects with upside. Also draft players with talent and make the scheme fit the player rather than making the player fit the scheme (within reason). How much better would this team be this year with Warford be at guard rather than Escobar riding the pine? Those are the type of calls that define a franchise over the long haul.
Glass half full: This team has already won 7 games and has positioned its self to go to the playoffs. Regardless whether we lose to the Bears tonight (looks like we will) if we win out we are still in. Realistically speaking as long as we win/lose the same amount of games as Philly in the next two games we control our own destiny to the playoffs by beating Philly in the last game.
More importantly, we have played the Broncos to the very end, lost to Kansas City in a nail biter, should have beat the Lions (coaching is the culprit in that game in my opinion), and could have easily beat San Diego. The Broncos and Chiefs are two of the better teams in the entire NFL.
So if you look at the glass as half full, we have the ability to win the SUPER BOWL THIS YEAR. But realistically, not many would take that view and rightly so. Despite having a franchise QB, great skill position players and a revamped (and more competent offensive line) we seem to be mired near .500. The trouble is that not all .500 teams are created equal.
If you take the glass half empty approach, we aren't even close. We will need several players on the defensive line. It is decimated. Ware doesn't seem to be anywhere near his old self. Our linebackers can't seem to stay healthy. Our pass defense seems atrocious, despite investing a #6 pick overall in a CB and paying $50 Million to a corner. We can't seem to get quality safety play despite spending draft picks on the position in several successive drafts. Our players seem to have repetitive injuries. Our cap number is high, and we have lots of dead money and more dead money to come. All of those arguments are equally valid.
Monte Kiffen's Cowboy's defense seems as porous as it was in USC. Is it the players or the scheme? Maybe it is a little of both. I just don't get why we don't gamble just a little and try to make something happen rather than go with the steady bleed out.
Play calling still seems suspect and probably cost us the Detroit game. I don't know if you can point to a game during the Garrett tenure and say .... now great coaching WON that game for us. Maybe we have had one, but I sure don't remember it.
For those of you who say let's fire Garrett, do you really want to go in a different direction yet again? I don't. I don't think that lack of continuity is the answer. I would probably keep Garrett one more year, if for no other reason than he seems to be acquiring talent and stockpiling it. Lest year's draft was productive. I don't know about the Escobar pick, but time will tell. I'm willing to give them a bit of a pass since The Beard and Williams have played so well. You aren't going to hit on every pick, and Escobar may yet become a player.
So what is on the wish list? I think defensive line must be addressed. But how much different might this team look if Crawford had been healthy. I hate Spencer, but what if he had been healthy? Personally, I would let Spencer walk, but what if we give Spencer a one year "prove it" deal and he reverts back to his form of last year? It is really hard to judge what this team might have had with those two players.
Personally, I think Callahan and Kiffen should both go. I think Callahan is getting less done with more. Kiffen's defense sucks, but what sort of defense will he field with healthy players? I can see the argument either way as pretty reasonable.
The bottom line is that we should use this next draft to stockpile talent. Be smart and draft well. I don't think that any position should be overlooked because we already have a player in place (probably other than QB in the first round). The only caveat I would say is that I would lean more towards proven talent rather than projects with upside. Also draft players with talent and make the scheme fit the player rather than making the player fit the scheme (within reason). How much better would this team be this year with Warford be at guard rather than Escobar riding the pine? Those are the type of calls that define a franchise over the long haul.
