gimmesix
Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life
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This is sort of a companion piece to "How we go from good to great."
Assuming Dallas doesn't make any changes to its starting lineups next season, other than at place-kicker, I think we saw reason for the Cowboys to play better overall based on progress made from the beginning of the season. Certain things developed that made Dallas a better team up until the fiasco in Minnesota.
In a sense, this was a building season as some of the puzzle pieces weren't figured out until the stretch run in December. The things that developed, and should give us hope for a brighter tomorrow are:
1) A feel for Felix Because of injuries and the talent in the backfield, it took Dallas until nearly the season's end to get comfortable getting the ball in Felix Jones' hands more than 10 times a game. He rewarded them by consistently making plays, including some breakaway runs. We should never again expect the Cowboys to not hand Jones to ball at least 10 times in a game. The division of labor between Marion Barber and Tashard Choice still has to be decided, but Jones established himself as the lead horse. Dallas won't overwork him, but isn't likely to underwork him anymore, either.
2) More than just a blocker Another player who established his value during the stretch run was rookie John Phillips. He got a chance to shine some when No. 2 tight end Martellus Bennett got hurt, but more important, showed he can handle the blocking demanded of the fullback position while also being a receiving option out of the backfield. His time in this role increased, and he can be expected to receive considerable playing time at the position next season. He's no Moose, but he's the closest Dallas has to one.
3) Reliable Romo Other than in the Minnesota game when he was pounded ceaselessly, Romo progressed from his carefree way with the ball in the first New York Giants game to a great caretaker of the ball. He made fewer and fewer impulse decisions as the season progressed and was probably at his best at playing wisely during the December run. This is the kind of growth Dallas needed to see from its franchise quarterback, and bodes well for the future.
4) Miles of production It took Dallas until the fifth game of the season to figure out that Miles Austin is a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver. He played a limited role in the Cowboys' 2-2 start, and that almost makes you wonder how Dallas was able to win without him. Next year, Dallas will have him in the right role from the start, and he likely still isn't a finished product as a receiver, which should be a scary thought for defenses the Cowboys will face.
5) Free reigns Although this doesn't necessarily affect the starting lineup next season, Free showed that the Cowboys have at least one future starting lineman on the team ... and he might already be a better option than the tackles he's backing up. There is no doubt still work to do for Free to maximize his ability, but he showed little reason to dread when Flozell Adams and Marc Colombo are unable to go.
6) Spencer's sacks The Cowboys kept saying sacks would eventually come for Anthony Spencer because he kept getting close. But not only did the sacks come, but Spencer's game elevated as the season wore on and he grew more comfortable with all he was being asked to do. Now, we have two of the most complete 3-4 linebackers in the game, and the duo should be even better when DeMarcus Ware gets back to full health.
7) Middle mixup Remember the first game of the season against Tampa Bay when Keith Brooking and Bradie James said they were having trouble with the blitzes because they hadn't used them in the preseason? Well, the play of James and Brooking meshed from there and they became part of the reason Dallas played so well against the run. These defensive players became comfortable with each other, and that should help the Cowboys start off on the right foot next season.
8) Hot corner When Dallas opened the season, it did so with a rotation plan in mind at right cornerback. That quickly went away when Orlando Scandrick struggled in his turn to start against the Giants in Week 2. Mike Jenkins took over full time from there and became one of the top corners in the league, getting more and more comfortable week by week. It took Scandrick a little while to bounce back in his nickel role, but he got it back together and the top three corners will all go into next season knowing their roles.
Now, there are some things Dallas will still have to see develop next season. They include:
1) Who's No. 2? Although there were times when it clicked, Roy Williams was never able to fully establish himself as an option in this offense. The Cowboys will give it another go next season, trying to figure out how to best use Williams to make him a real threat. And Williams will have to figure out how to make himself more reliable, which should include concentrating on making the catch instead of trying to turn every pass into a big play to prove the doubters wrong. Now, it's possible no progress will be made on the Williams connection next year, and if that's the case, Dallas needs to quickly pull the trigger on allowing someone like Kevin Ogletree a chance to be that threat.
2) Bringing up Bennett If there is one player who showed the potential for a bigger role, then failed to meet that potential, it would be Martellus Bennett. Bennett had people envisioning a two-tight end scheme that would be difficult to stop, but he never became the threat he appeared to be in the preseason. It's clear in a lot of ways that Bennett is an immature player, but if Dallas can get him focused, it can make the two-tight end set what it dreamed it would be.
3) Raw rookies A lot has been said about Dallas having a healthy season, but that wasn't so for the rookie class. Linebackers Brandon Williams and Stephen Hodge were lost before the season started, as was offensive lineman Robert Brewster. Linebacker Jason Williams and safety Mike Hamlin also had injury setbacks at the start of the year. This didn't help the transition several of these players had to make to new positions. Brandon Williams and Victor Butler were making the transition from defensive end to outside linebacker. Hodge and Jason Williams were learning inside linebacker in this defense after both playing sort of hybrid roles in college. But each of these rookies showed promise that could lead to better depth and key roles for them. There are also players who went on the practice squad like guard Travis Bright who could continue to develop and help the team, and young players like Curtis Johnson who will have an offseason to get comfortable with what's being asked of them.
4) Ain't that a kick in the head Nobody expected it to all fall apart for Nick Folk. One of the most reliable kickers in the league his first two seasons suddenly couldn't find the space between two goal posts. One thing Dallas did figure out is that it doesn't need to have Mat McBriar holding, but in the process, the Cowboys ended up with a huge question mark at place-kicker with Shaun Suisham showing he had lost it just as much as Folk had.
Now, we don't know if what Dallas has, the coaching staff it has in place, etc., will be able to take the next step, but what happened this season is we saw Dallas develop a team that can contend, one that can overcome its past and provide hope for its future.
As I wrote in the other thread, there are things Dallas could change to get better, but we should recognize that the Cowboys have already changed from the team we saw at the beginning of the season into one that makes envisioning a Super Bowl not an impossible dream.
Assuming Dallas doesn't make any changes to its starting lineups next season, other than at place-kicker, I think we saw reason for the Cowboys to play better overall based on progress made from the beginning of the season. Certain things developed that made Dallas a better team up until the fiasco in Minnesota.
In a sense, this was a building season as some of the puzzle pieces weren't figured out until the stretch run in December. The things that developed, and should give us hope for a brighter tomorrow are:
1) A feel for Felix Because of injuries and the talent in the backfield, it took Dallas until nearly the season's end to get comfortable getting the ball in Felix Jones' hands more than 10 times a game. He rewarded them by consistently making plays, including some breakaway runs. We should never again expect the Cowboys to not hand Jones to ball at least 10 times in a game. The division of labor between Marion Barber and Tashard Choice still has to be decided, but Jones established himself as the lead horse. Dallas won't overwork him, but isn't likely to underwork him anymore, either.
2) More than just a blocker Another player who established his value during the stretch run was rookie John Phillips. He got a chance to shine some when No. 2 tight end Martellus Bennett got hurt, but more important, showed he can handle the blocking demanded of the fullback position while also being a receiving option out of the backfield. His time in this role increased, and he can be expected to receive considerable playing time at the position next season. He's no Moose, but he's the closest Dallas has to one.
3) Reliable Romo Other than in the Minnesota game when he was pounded ceaselessly, Romo progressed from his carefree way with the ball in the first New York Giants game to a great caretaker of the ball. He made fewer and fewer impulse decisions as the season progressed and was probably at his best at playing wisely during the December run. This is the kind of growth Dallas needed to see from its franchise quarterback, and bodes well for the future.
4) Miles of production It took Dallas until the fifth game of the season to figure out that Miles Austin is a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver. He played a limited role in the Cowboys' 2-2 start, and that almost makes you wonder how Dallas was able to win without him. Next year, Dallas will have him in the right role from the start, and he likely still isn't a finished product as a receiver, which should be a scary thought for defenses the Cowboys will face.
5) Free reigns Although this doesn't necessarily affect the starting lineup next season, Free showed that the Cowboys have at least one future starting lineman on the team ... and he might already be a better option than the tackles he's backing up. There is no doubt still work to do for Free to maximize his ability, but he showed little reason to dread when Flozell Adams and Marc Colombo are unable to go.
6) Spencer's sacks The Cowboys kept saying sacks would eventually come for Anthony Spencer because he kept getting close. But not only did the sacks come, but Spencer's game elevated as the season wore on and he grew more comfortable with all he was being asked to do. Now, we have two of the most complete 3-4 linebackers in the game, and the duo should be even better when DeMarcus Ware gets back to full health.
7) Middle mixup Remember the first game of the season against Tampa Bay when Keith Brooking and Bradie James said they were having trouble with the blitzes because they hadn't used them in the preseason? Well, the play of James and Brooking meshed from there and they became part of the reason Dallas played so well against the run. These defensive players became comfortable with each other, and that should help the Cowboys start off on the right foot next season.
8) Hot corner When Dallas opened the season, it did so with a rotation plan in mind at right cornerback. That quickly went away when Orlando Scandrick struggled in his turn to start against the Giants in Week 2. Mike Jenkins took over full time from there and became one of the top corners in the league, getting more and more comfortable week by week. It took Scandrick a little while to bounce back in his nickel role, but he got it back together and the top three corners will all go into next season knowing their roles.
Now, there are some things Dallas will still have to see develop next season. They include:
1) Who's No. 2? Although there were times when it clicked, Roy Williams was never able to fully establish himself as an option in this offense. The Cowboys will give it another go next season, trying to figure out how to best use Williams to make him a real threat. And Williams will have to figure out how to make himself more reliable, which should include concentrating on making the catch instead of trying to turn every pass into a big play to prove the doubters wrong. Now, it's possible no progress will be made on the Williams connection next year, and if that's the case, Dallas needs to quickly pull the trigger on allowing someone like Kevin Ogletree a chance to be that threat.
2) Bringing up Bennett If there is one player who showed the potential for a bigger role, then failed to meet that potential, it would be Martellus Bennett. Bennett had people envisioning a two-tight end scheme that would be difficult to stop, but he never became the threat he appeared to be in the preseason. It's clear in a lot of ways that Bennett is an immature player, but if Dallas can get him focused, it can make the two-tight end set what it dreamed it would be.
3) Raw rookies A lot has been said about Dallas having a healthy season, but that wasn't so for the rookie class. Linebackers Brandon Williams and Stephen Hodge were lost before the season started, as was offensive lineman Robert Brewster. Linebacker Jason Williams and safety Mike Hamlin also had injury setbacks at the start of the year. This didn't help the transition several of these players had to make to new positions. Brandon Williams and Victor Butler were making the transition from defensive end to outside linebacker. Hodge and Jason Williams were learning inside linebacker in this defense after both playing sort of hybrid roles in college. But each of these rookies showed promise that could lead to better depth and key roles for them. There are also players who went on the practice squad like guard Travis Bright who could continue to develop and help the team, and young players like Curtis Johnson who will have an offseason to get comfortable with what's being asked of them.
4) Ain't that a kick in the head Nobody expected it to all fall apart for Nick Folk. One of the most reliable kickers in the league his first two seasons suddenly couldn't find the space between two goal posts. One thing Dallas did figure out is that it doesn't need to have Mat McBriar holding, but in the process, the Cowboys ended up with a huge question mark at place-kicker with Shaun Suisham showing he had lost it just as much as Folk had.
Now, we don't know if what Dallas has, the coaching staff it has in place, etc., will be able to take the next step, but what happened this season is we saw Dallas develop a team that can contend, one that can overcome its past and provide hope for its future.
As I wrote in the other thread, there are things Dallas could change to get better, but we should recognize that the Cowboys have already changed from the team we saw at the beginning of the season into one that makes envisioning a Super Bowl not an impossible dream.
