Where are we now?

[Doomsday101]

Because counting on your offense to also be your defense is not sustainable. Nor should it have to be. The defense needs to be completely overhauled. Period.

I agree, Cowboys need to get this defense playing to a much higher level. As good as the 90's offense was that defense was still a key component of winning championships.

 

[Pessimist_cowboy]

Right in Jason Garrett purgatory . 8-8 is smiling. "How we doing guys"...

 

[SDCowboy]

I agree, Cowboys need to get this defense playing to a much higher level. As good as the 90's offense was that defense was still a key component of winning championships.

I mean, the prospect that our defense could very likely be just as bad, if not worse next season, is terrifying.

 

[jjktkk]

Because counting on your offense to also be your defense is not sustainable. Nor should it have to be. The defense needs to be completely overhauled. Period.

And you were expecting the defense to be overhauled in one off season? I expect improvement, but I also think you're poo pooing how dominant the Cowboy's offense is, nd how effective their strategy was last year.

 

[jjktkk]

How's that ledge you're on?

 

[Doomsday101]

I mean, the prospect that our defense could very likely be just as bad, if not worse next season, is terrifying.

I agree but on the other hand I am focused on who the Cowboys bring in during FA and the draft to help this defense.

 

[SDCowboy]

And you were expecting the defense to be overhauled in one off season? I expect improvement, but I also think you're poo pooing how dominant the Cowboy's offense is, nd how effective their strategy was last year.

Where did I say that? All I said is our offense being our defense isn't sustainable. At the end of the day, no offense should be expected to also be the defense. I don't care how you want to justify it.

 

[dallasfan4lizife]

The fact we haven't won a super bowl, or even advanced to a championship game in 22 years, tells me our front office hasn't done well enough.

You don't want to "build" a team in free agency. But it can shore up some immediate holes in a team without sacrificing a season or two by waiting.

 

[jjktkk]

I agree, Cowboys need to get this defense playing to a much higher level. As good as the 90's offense was that defense was still a key component of winning championships.

You can't compare those 90s Cowboy's teams to this era. Free agency dictates there never will be a team like again.

 

[jjktkk]

Where did I say that? All I said is our offense being our defense isn't sustainable. At the end of the day, no offense should be expected to also be the defense. I don't care how you want to justify it.

You justify it because it worked.

 

[SDCowboy]

You justify it because it worked.

It worked until we hit the playoffs, and then it didn't. There is no justifying allowing our defense to be this awful, or thinking we can slip by with it again, just because we got away with it in one regular season.

 

[Irvin88_4life]

Haha the same ones every time have to complain and whine and say we are garbage etc. Etc. Etc.

Go back last year and read what yall wrote...........none of you were right. We went 13-2 with rookies leading the team. Can Dak play poorly his 2nd season, sure but he can hand the ball to that all pro running back and OL. Leary gone......who cares Collins can fill in just fine and in my opinion better anyway.

Defense.......yall said was terrible so what we lose Church. He missed games last year and Wilcox and Heath played very well.

How about we let things play out first. Goodness I can't imagine breaking down and crying the sky is falling as much as you folks do. Bad thing is its the same folks on every subject with these Cowboys

 

[tyke1doe]

Every year we rue not being major players in free agency.
Every year we hand either the Commanders, Eagles or the Giants the off-season Super Bowl because of their signings.
Every year we anoint the Commanders, Eagles or Giants because of their signings, they promptly fall short of making the playoffs or are bounced if they do make it.
Every year for the past few years we moan and complain about who we drafted, whether too early, too late, because he's not the value for that position, etc.

And every year - except for 2015 when Romo was injured, and even then, we end up getting Zeke AND Romo's successor - we seem to be okay.

It's too early for rueage. I have confidence in Will McClay. He has shown he has an eye for talent and has basically restocked this team with young, talented, hungry players.

This will be a defining draft for him and the Cowboys. We are on the brink of a nice, possibly long, run.

I'm not panicking.

 

[jjktkk]

It worked until we hit the playoffs, and then it didn't. There is no justifying allowing our defense to be this awful, or thinking we can slip by with it again, just because we got away with it in one regular season.

I'm sorry, I didn't read anywhere that the Cowboys were satisfied with their defense and were just going to go status quo with their defense this season. Didn't Stephen Jones repeatedly stress fixing the pass rush was the teams #1 priority this off season? I assume addressing the secondary departures of Church, Wilcox, and possibly Claiborne, and/or Carr hasn't gone unnoticed either. Lets wait and see what the teams off season plan is to improve this defense is.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

We had a very good season in 16 but 17 looks a lot tougher on paper. Granted it's early and we don't know what is going to happen with the roster but here is what we think we know so far:

1. Romo is gone. Overall strength of QB position just declined.

It doesn't matter if Dak is healthy. If Dak plays better than last year, then the overall QB position has improved. If he plays worse, then the overall QB position has declined. This isn't like WR where you have more than 1 WR playing.

2. First place schedule = tougher road

You can never really tell what the schedule is like until you actually play the schedule. We only play 2 different teams than the Eagles, Giants and Skins play. So the 'tougher schedule' will depend on each of those 2 teams and how they improve or regress going into next year.

3. We appear to be losing several significant starters/role players: Church, Wilcox, Leary. Carr, Mo, Durant, McFadden, Williams, McClain and Free the turnstile is still around.

4. We won't be big players in Free agency.

I don't want us to be players in FA. We'll get replacements for these players. Leary for example can already be replaced by Collins who is a better run blocker and has more upside than Leary. The others we'll have to see where they go and who replaces them.

5. We are drafting late so we will be getting what is left in each round.

Just like we drafted late in 2013 and picked up Frederick who is arguably the best center in the league. Or we drafted early to get Claiborne and he's never come close to playing up to his draft pick (and he was rated on many boards as the #1 defensive player in the draft).

We drafted late in 2010 and got....Dez Bryant.

I don't like what I am seeing so far. Hopefully Tapper, Jaylon and Lawrence are healthy this year and Heath becomes a viable starter.

We are thin at RB and one or two injuries could really derail this season. Teams have film on Dak and will try to make him do things he isn't as good at doing. 10 and 6 might be hard to attain this year.

Dak has film on teams and can use that to get better at what teams are trying to do. The only team that gave Dak fits is the Giants. The other teams struggled against Dak because the only thing that seemed to work was these very exotic blitz looks and so few teams show them these days because of the hurry up offenses. So trying to go into exotic blitz looks when you don't typically practice them is something teams don't feel comfortable in doing.

And a year means that the coaching staff should get more comfortable with Dak and what he can do and design an offense to fit what he does best and shy away from his weaknesses. Not to mention that EE is likely to just get better and another year will help Dak and Dez be better on the same page.

I don't think the Giants are better than us. And I think in all likelihood, if you look at the history of FA, their defense will get much worse and I don't see Eli getting better and he was awful last season.

The Skins are now a mess, they lost McVay who is a brilliant play designer and hopefully the refs catch on to Josh Norman holding every play and Jamison Crowder offensive PI'ing every play.

The Eagles still have a very unproven QB and HC and still have a ton of personnel issues due to the Chip Kelly years. Their defense is really nice, but with defenses in the NFL, they usually don't last that long.




YR

 

[SDCowboy]

I'm sorry, I didn't read anywhere that the Cowboys were satisfied with their defense and were just going to go status quo with their defense this season. Didn't Stephen Jones repeatedly stress fixing the pass rush was the teams #1 priority this off season? I assume addressing the secondary departures of Church, Wilcox, and possibly Claiborne, and/or Carr hasn't gone unnoticed either. Lets wait and see what the teams off season plan is to improve this defense is.

Fair enough. Here's hoping the D is markedly improved next season.

 

[GhostOfPelluer]

Most people agree that our pass defense and our No. 2 outside wideout were two of our biggest weaknesses last year. Well, we're losing members of our secondary, DLine and our No. 2 outside wideout. Not something to lose sleep over. The only loss we could feel is Leary but we actually have a more talented replacement lined up there, so we should be good. Because of this draft we should go into 2017 more talented than 2016, even if we won't be as experienced.

 

[Pessimist_cowboy]

Most people agree that our pass defense and our No. 2 outside wideout were two of our biggest weaknesses last year. Well, we're losing members of our secondary, DLine and our No. 2 outside wideout. Not something to lose sleep over. The only loss we could feel is Leary but we actually have a more talented replacement lined up there, so we should be good. Because of this draft we should go into 2017 more talented than 2016, even if we won't be as experienced.

That's a lot of starters to replace in one offseason...a starting RDE , 1 tech , 2 CB's , a SS almost half the starters...that's a lot to lose in one offseason.

 

[GhostOfPelluer]

That's a lot of starters to replace in one offseason...a starting RDE , 1 tech , 2 CB's , a SS almost half the starters...that's a lot to lose in one offseason.

It is, and I'm not saying it's ideal. But statistically it's not coming from an area of strength so it shouldn't be that hard to replace.

 

[JoeKing]

When the #1 thing on your list is "Romo is gone" I stop reading because, sorry to break the news to you but he has been gone for basically two seasons now. He had nothing to do with last season and you liked that so he's not the #1 consideration when listing "where are we now". Had he been much lower on the list I might have kept reading but at #1, the list loses all credibility.