What made the team get worse in the off season?

[big dog cowboy]

We had three major injuries on the DL... two to starters. The rest was a combination of not having sufficient depth and dumpster diving. Of course those guys working at Home Depot in the offseason aren't going to be in playing shape. Using those injuries as excuses is lame.

EDIT: Actually, using any injuries as excuses is lame. You can't just assume we're going to be healthier this year.

I'll take that bet in a NY minute. There is NO WAY we go through 20 DL this year.

 

[TwoDeep3]

For the life of me I just don't get this. I've tried looking at this several ways and each time I see a better defense. Our day 1 defense will be better than anything we put on the field the last few games by a lot not a little.

I usually don't make predictions this early because of the very debate you wish to pursue.

I am offering my opinion. Regardless if you see it or not doesn't change what I see. At this point, I need more information. But with what they have drafted and added, I do not believe the front will create enough pressure to protect the backs of this defense.

Which is why they stunk last year.

 

[OhSnap]

You seem to suggest that 2010 marked a low point for the franchise--it had bottomed out to a 6-10 club, fired its HC, and has since been "systematically" reversing trends that led to that lowpoint--investing in the trenches and jettisoning over priced and over aged vets.

Although not popular, I see things a bit differently. I see the team as having been built into a burgeoning contender during the Parcells era, a missed opportunity to capitalize on that in 2007, and then the inevitable decline of a franchise that lacks an overall vision of how to build a successful contender (i.e., Jerry 2.0).

From that viewpoint, the question isn't what has the team done to get worse, its what have they done to stop the downward trajectory. The answer is at best mixed; that they have not done enough to change the trajectory in 2014, but may have laid the foundation to get better in the future.

I don't see how you can think gettin rid of old under performing overpaid players every year and drafting the consensus best player at the position they drafted for(1st rd) is continuing downward for the last 3 years and 4 drafts. Would you rather have the team thats taking the field this year or the one that finished out the 010 season?

This team would already have shown improvements in the win column if the 010 team wasn't so lacking of talent and depth that every single position has had to be restocked from the starters down to the back ups. That was a good team in 07 but it wasn't killed by bad drafting.

 

[BHendri5]

I'm not worried about Romo's health at all , not one bit. In my opinion the media and any fan that keeps harping on his health is a negative nancey, a debbie downer, a gloom and doomer. As bad a our defense was lat season it cannot get any worse, so the only thing is to get better, but I am stating right here and now that our defense will be not just better because it is the only thing they can do, but that they will be much much better than anyone other than myself believe they will be.

 

[peplaw06]

If you want to place a bet on if the Cowboys are going to use 20 defensive lineman again... I'll take the under.

There's a difference between having a "normal" amount of injuries and having an unprecedented number of injuries.

We didn't have 20 DL solely because of injuries. We had 20 DL because we didn't have a contingency plan for losing 2-3 guys on the DL.

 

[peplaw06]

I'll take that bet in a NY minute. There is NO WAY we go through 20 DL this year.

Nice strawman... and couching it in terms of a bet makes it even more useless. Guess I'm a chicken for not taking you up on your ridiculous "bet?"

 

[MichaelWinicki]

We didn't have 20 DL solely because of injuries. We had 20 DL because we didn't have a contingency plan for losing 2-3 guys on the DL.

Do I think the team lacked depth?

You bet, but the once the dominoes started falling, they didn't stop.

There's simply no way any team could stock that high a quality of depth that deeply.

A 7-round draft, on top of a limited roster size combined with a salary cap and lenient free agency rules makes it virtually impossible to have 4 high quality defensive linemen backed up with 4 more high quality defensive linemen.

 

[Venger]

One more year of Jerry's long spiral into dementia...

 

[Bullflop]

Cap woes will surely damage a team's roster in the longrun -- it's just a shame it took the FO so long to discover as much. Their longtime habit of paying exorbitant amounts to over-the-hill vets and mediocre players has finally taken its toll. Hello, stagnation!

 

[peplaw06]

Do I think the team lacked depth?

You bet, but the once the dominoes started falling, they didn't stop.

There's simply no way any team could stock that high a quality of depth that deeply.

A 7-round draft, on top of a limited roster size combined with a salary cap and lenient free agency rules makes it virtually impossible to have 4 high quality defensive linemen backed up with 4 more high quality defensive linemen.

Jerry set the dominoes up that way by saying DL was a strength of the team and ignoring the glaring holes that everyone else recognized. It's a matter of the depth not being high quality and not able to withstand regular NFL play. If we had even mediocre depth on the DL, then we wouldn't have had the issues we did.

Teams stock quality depth on DL routinely... That's why you don't see the revolving door of DLinemen with every team. Even here, it's never happened before.

I'm not denying the DL was an issue... Not sure if you recognize that. My point is that the team didn't put an emphasis on DL which led to the injury issues and the parade of linemen coming in here. Your point appears to be that injuries were the cause... My point is the lack of foresight was the cause and the injuries were the effect.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Jerry set the dominoes up that way by saying DL was a strength of the team and ignoring the glaring holes that everyone else recognized. It's a matter of the depth not being high quality and not able to withstand regular NFL play. If we had even mediocre depth on the DL, then we wouldn't have had the issues we did.

Teams stock quality depth on DL routinely... That's why you don't see the revolving door of DLinemen with every team. Even here, it's never happened before.

I'm not denying the DL was an issue... Not sure if you recognize that. My point is that the team didn't put an emphasis on DL which led to the injury issues and the parade of linemen coming in here. Your point appears to be that injuries were the cause... My point is the lack of foresight was the cause and the injuries were the effect.

Oh I think only drafting 3 DL in 5 years was a mistake and yes it did contribute to the lack of depth.

The ridiculous number of injuries combined with the Ratliff eye-poke to the Cowboys compounded the problem to a ridiculous level.

But hopefully we're past some of that now.

 

[visionary]

You seem to suggest that 2010 marked a low point for the franchise--it had bottomed out to a 6-10 club, fired its HC, and has since been "systematically" reversing trends that led to that lowpoint--investing in the trenches and jettisoning over priced and over aged vets.

Although not popular, I see things a bit differently. I see the team as having been built into a burgeoning contender during the Parcells era, a missed opportunity to capitalize on that in 2007, and then the inevitable decline of a franchise that lacks an overall vision of how to build a successful contender (i.e., Jerry 2.0).

From that viewpoint, the question isn't what has the team done to get worse, its what have they done to stop the downward trajectory. The answer is at best mixed; that they have not done enough to change the trajectory in 2014, but may have laid the foundation to get better in the future.

Duck
Pointing out facts will only get you labelled
Jones and Garrett have worked together to win nothing with a top 10 QB and HOF TE and WDE