What we cannot see yet

[TexasHillbilly]

And now we have accomplished SSLB Gary, rotational stud Von, and two very promising young guys in EZ and Malachi. And a middle that will collapse the pocket. And a nasty blitzing MLB in Bar.

Complete changeover.

Looking promising. Can't wait until the season starts. Lots of positive changes.

 

[kskboys]

There is also a reason why some coaches have success from season to season.

Even though they don't get to draft the most talented players because of where their team is finishing every year.

Coaches like Tom Landry and Bill belichick who had success season after season. Were elite leaders once in a lifetime leaders that knew how to make the absolute best out of the talent that they had even though they were unable to draft the best talent because of finishing so well and making the playoffs

You could throw a guy like Jason Garrett all the talent in the draft year after year and you're still going to get mediocre results because he is not a leader he does not have good leadership qualities he cannot get the most out of his men and that was proven year after year

Both Landry's and Belly's teams were loaded w/ talent. And yes, Belly had this freakish way of maximizing the talent of his players. I've never seen anything like it.

Belly/Brady's first 3 super bowls had a veritable who's who on D. They were loaded.

Bob Lilly? Randy White? Not the best talent? Staubach? Dorsett? That's just not how it went.

First of all, the Cowboys. They were so far ahead of their time, using computers and such to evaluate talent and find it where no one else was looking. And mercy sakes alive, how in the world are you saying the Cowboys weren't talented? Holy Larry, I have to admit I've never heard anyone say that before. Sure you want to stick w/ that? The Doomsday D was stacked all the way across the line. Staubach is a top 10 all time QB, Dorsett is top 5 all time, Drew Pearson was a stud. Come on.

Belly: Only had a top 5 all time QB. Plus, Belly was stealing D talent because he was drafting for the 3-4 when most weren't doing it.

And think about this. If their super bowls were won on leadership, then why didn't they win every season? Why the gaps w/ no super bowls? Did their leadership fade for several seasons?

Come on, guys, y'all are taking this to and extreme. It takes talent/coaching/leadership/and a pile of other things. Absolutely no reason to polarize.

 

[RodeoJake]

Bottom line is if they are healthy they should win. They have the players and the coaches. They have the talent.

The talent is there. Can they play as a cohesive unit? All the talent in the world gets you nowhere if all that talent goes stat hunting.

 

[shabazz]

Too many solid comments to quote but as to talent and coaching look no further than last season with the ascension of the Bears and Patriots when a boss HC arrived.

And if coaching does matter this much what does it say that we have an unproven, inexperienced HC here?

I'm not saying that he can't be an effective HC but the question should be why was he hired when Vrabel and Ben Johnson weren't even interviewed?

Only our "GM" can answer that question.

 

[kskboys]

Not the best example stopping the run has a lot to do with physicality and a player sacrificing his body sticking his nose in there and taking on a runner with a full head of steam.

Leadership leads men to do things they can do but may not want to do.

We have all heard the saying his teammates would walk through the fire for him.

A better example I think would be an offensive lineman who has poor lateral movement and bad feet leadership is not going to fix those negative physical traits.
He is still going to get beat by a more talented defensive lineman.

That said take a guy like trayvon diggs.
The guy was talented then evolved into everything I hate about today's football players avoided anything physical didn't want to tackle.
With the right kind of leadership around him he might still have a career that attitude would never have flown on Tom Landry's defense. With Cliff Harris or Ronnie Lott's defense or Ray Lewis's defense.

It's better than you think. Stopping the run has to do w/ lateral agility and burst. No, it's not just sticking his nose in there, w/o talent they will get by him. If that's all it was, the Vanillla Gorilla would've been the best DT of all time. Huge effort, great attitude. So, question: Since you are claiming all he has to do is stick his nose in there, why wasn't he good?

 

[foofighters]

There is little question that the 2026 Dallas Cowboys have improved their overall talent, especially on defense. That’s exciting at the time of year when optimism is highest. And it’s not un-reasonable to expect improvement in the upcoming 2026 season.

But here’s the one key element that mini-camps, training camp, and pre-season games cannot show us yet: How will this team handle adversity?

When the real bullets begin to fly on September 13th, we will begin to see what this team is truly made of, and how strong the revitalized culture that so many have talked about. And it will take more than a game or two to see what this team is. It may be November before we really know what this team can be.

Adversity is something that measures every football team every season. The question is not whether or not you will face adversity. The real question is, “How well will our team handle the adversity that will come its way?

So I’m glad to see the glowing reports I’ve heard all summer saying, “This team is different.” Do we know that yet? No. Not yet.

But we will begin seeing this team’s potential when they are faced with rebounding from a tough loss, overcome an injury, or stick together through all adversity.

Adversity is what measures all great football teams. We haven’t seen any adversity yet. But when we do, how this team responds will decide its ultimate fate.

Using the past to predict because of the unescapable pattern that has long been established, how have the Jerry Jones teams of the past handled adversity? There's your answer.

 

[foofighters]

Bottom line is if they are healthy they should win. They have the players and the coaches. They have the talent.

Drinking the Jerry Jones Kool Aid.

you've completely dismissed the one constant that the team still has around...

 

[kskboys]

Using the past to predict because of the unescapable pattern that has long been established, how have the Jerry Jones teams of the past handled adversity? There's your answer.

Depends. Has Jerry stepped back as all the signs show, or is it an illusion? The pattern was shattered this offseason, w/ a completely unJerry-like draft and FA period. For the first time since 07, we now have competent S's and DT's.

So, since you think everything is the same, how do you explain the massive changes?

 

[kskboys]

Drinking the Jerry Jones Kool Aid.

you've completely dismissed the one constant that the team still has around...

Better than missing facts staring you in the face.

 

[foofighters]

Depends. Has Jerry stepped back as all the signs show, or is it an illusion? The pattern was shattered this offseason, w/ a completely unJerry-like draft and FA period. For the first time since 07, we now have competent S's and DT's.

So, since you think everything is the same, how do you explain the massive changes?

We've long been the paper champions. I'll watch, however; I am no longer as invested as I once was. This isn't entirely on the Cowboys fault as the NFL as whole is morphed into something I don't enjoy much. All week long, pregame and halftime are all programed to the casual fan. More humor and less X's and O's. But back on topic, I focus on patterns and until that pattern is no longer a pattern, then I'll continue to see this team as it's always been. Jerry is the master of Smoke and Mirrors. So are these "massive changes" actual improvements and a move into the right direction or is it just more Smoke and Mirrors. History says it's just Smoke and Mirrors.

My heart that is 3x times too small did actually buy T Shirt Jerseys (#4) for my 3yr old and 1 yr old Grandsons. They are coming over this fall to watch games with me as I teach them the game. Yes, I am jaded but I still have a bit of soft spot for this team. I do hope these changes are actual real changes. I really do but I no longer am the fan that says, "THIS IS THE SEASON, I CAN FEEL IT!!"

 

[Blackrain]

Both Landry's and Belly's teams were loaded w/ talent. And yes, Belly had this freakish way of maximizing the talent of his players. I've never seen anything like it.

Belly/Brady's first 3 super bowls had a veritable who's who on D. They were loaded.

Bob Lilly? Randy White? Not the best talent? Staubach? Dorsett? That's just not how it went.

First of all, the Cowboys. They were so far ahead of their time, using computers and such to evaluate talent and find it where no one else was looking. And mercy sakes alive, how in the world are you saying the Cowboys weren't talented? Holy Larry, I have to admit I've never heard anyone say that before. Sure you want to stick w/ that? The Doomsday D was stacked all the way across the line. Staubach is a top 10 all time QB, Dorsett is top 5 all time, Drew Pearson was a stud. Come on.

Belly: Only had a top 5 all time QB. Plus, Belly was stealing D talent because he was drafting for the 3-4 when most weren't doing it.

And think about this. If their super bowls were won on leadership, then why didn't they win every season? Why the gaps w/ no super bowls? Did their leadership fade for several seasons?

Come on, guys, y'all are taking this to and extreme. It takes talent/coaching/leadership/and a pile of other things. Absolutely no reason to polarize.

First of all I never said that the Patriots and the Cowboys had no talent I said that where they drafted did not give them access to the absolute best talent.

In theory the best talent was drafted in the top 10 of the first round when you're a playoff team every year you don't get to draft there.

Landry and belichick were elite leaders and talent evaluators of their time and were able to get talent from later rounds and Coach them up.

Your last statement squares things away perfectly talent coaching leadership and a bunch of other things like culture front office.
And you're exactly right there is no reason to polarize which is kind of what you did in Post 104 that prompted this whole discussion

Super bowl success does not hinge on talent alone


There are quite a few other things that go into the equation to build a Super bowl team.

 

[Blackrain]

The talent is there. Can they play as a cohesive unit? All the talent in the world gets you nowhere if all that talent goes stat hunting.

Great post and all true it's like the dog that hunts for himself.

They go stat hunting to get the big contract and then they go into career protect mode trying to get every last year and dime out of their time in the NFL.

A team with great leadership and a mindset to win the Super bowl doesn't tolerate that type of player and they either change their attitude or they have to go.

Micah and diggs are gone and hopefully we have rebuilt our defense with guys that have winning a championship as a priority

 

[kskboys]

We've long been the paper champions. I'll watch, however; I am no longer as invested as I once was. This isn't entirely on the Cowboys fault as the NFL as whole is morphed into something I don't enjoy much. All week long, pregame and halftime are all programed to the casual fan. More humor and less X's and O's. But back on topic, I focus on patterns and until that pattern is no longer a pattern, then I'll continue to see this team as it's always been. Jerry is the master of Smoke and Mirrors. So are these "massive changes" actual improvements and a move into the right direction or is it just more Smoke and Mirrors. History says it's just Smoke and Mirrors.

My heart that is 3x times too small did actually buy T Shirt Jerseys (#4) for my 3yr old and 1 yr old Grandsons. They are coming over this fall to watch games with me as I teach them the game. Yes, I am jaded but I still have a bit of soft spot for this team. I do hope these changes are actual real changes. I really do but I no longer am the fan that says, "THIS IS THE SEASON, I CAN FEEL IT!!"

If you truly focus on patterns, then you are aware that the pattern has changed.

 

[kskboys]

First of all I never said that the Patriots and the Cowboys had no talent I said that where they drafted did not give them access to the absolute best talent.

In theory the best talent was drafted in the top 10 of the first round when you're a playoff team every year you don't get to draft there.

Landry and belichick were elite leaders and talent evaluators of their time and were able to get talent from later rounds and Coach them up.

Your last statement squares things away perfectly talent coaching leadership and a bunch of other things like culture front office.
And you're exactly right there is no reason to polarize which is kind of what you did in Post 104 that prompted this whole discussion

Super bowl success does not hinge on talent alone


There are quite a few other things that go into the equation to build a Super bowl team.

Don't agree.

I said w/o talent none of that matters. Then a strawman was created that insisted I said talent is all it takes. And then people started claiming talent didn't matter that it was all just leadership.

 

[kskboys]

Easy answer. Talent. Leadership is irrelevant w/o a talented team.

Leadership is one of those grey buzzwords that really doesn't mean much. Same as calling a player a "winner". Just BSPN garble, that's all it is.

Here is the post in question.

Talent is the #1 factor. W/o out talent, none of the other factors matter.

Now, coaching is needed to pull that talent together, no doubt.

Is Mahomes a leader? Then why did he only win 6 games last season?

 

[kskboys]

I know you're on here a lot with special priveledges....but you actually keep track of everything everyone says?

My search privilidges aren't very extensive (in fact kinda sucks tbh!), but if I can find some positive comments....do we change the tone or double down?

Ah...never mind on that. I'm gonna focus on the positive! Complaining about the negative (especially in a hyperbole manner) seems...quite negative. {shrug}

Agree.

Not only do I not keep track of what everyone says, I'm completely not interested in doing so.

Complaining about others is the biggest negative on this site. I know it can't be done away w/, but I sure wish it could be minimized.

 

[Blackrain]

Using the past to predict because of the unescapable pattern that has long been established, how have the Jerry Jones teams of the past handled adversity? There's your answer.

I can see where you're at and it certainly makes sense to use the past to predict what's going to happen.

But circumstances do alter cases and in this case I think Jerry has actually made much more effort than usual to improve the team.

Granted we don't have proven coaching we have very little leadership I do think the culture is trending in a positive way.

But we have thrown some talent at this project whether it's enough remains to be seen.

The amount of talent and effort thrown at this season is at least reason to be hopeful that we can advance further it doesn't mean we're going to win a Super bowl but we could win a playoff game or two

 

[kskboys]

I can see where you're at and it certainly makes sense to use the past to predict what's going to happen.

But circumstances do alter cases and in this case I think Jerry has actually made much more effort than usual to improve the team.

Granted we don't have proven coaching we have very little leadership I do think the culture is trending in a positive way.

But we have thrown some talent at this project whether it's enough remains to be seen.

The amount of talent and effort thrown at this season is at least reason to be hopeful that we can advance further it doesn't mean we're going to win a Super bowl but we could win a playoff game or two

To add, it also blatantly screams that there is a huge change in the air.

 

[DallasEast]

Talent. Much more important than grit. And it's not close. And we just added a ton of it.

ha. I cannot say how often I have watched games, matches, bouts, races, etc., during my life, where greater talent was bested by lesser talent with more grit. Certainly, greater talent provides the better advantage, but it is never a guarantee for victory unless greater talent meets and exceeds whatever the opponent throws at it.

Otherwise, the word 'upset' would not exist in competition. Hey. Sports.

 

[phildadon86]

Bottom line is if they are healthy they should win. They have the players and the coaches. They have the talent.

You said this last year too.

Do you have a notes app with everything to copy and paste on here?

Just asking.

And before you get all bothered by my comment.

The Cowboys have 0 currency with me until they prove it on the field.

Not in training camp, not in OTAs, on the field.

That is their fault. .

Not mine.