With holes filled, this team is a top 10 club.

[Chuck 54]

Last season was abysmal.
Dallas fell from being an overachieving 10 win team to a flat 6 win abomination and black mark on Bill Parcells otherwise distinguished coaching career.

If you look back its easy to see why.

Holes galore.

Starting QB: Manned by a 40+ with a losing NFL record as a starter the team had no business relying on the pass. Yet it tried.
RT: We tossed out Kurt Vollers and Torrin Tucker. Workable guys but backups to be sure.
WR: Keyshawn played hurt and Glenn sat on the sideline watching Crayton grow up, Witten make plays and everyone else prove to be less then NFL caliber.
TE: Witten made the pro Bowl and is a top 3 Tight End. Still, losing Campbell really hurt the 2 TE package we had expected to be the staple and the running game suffered.
RB: Julius was a fresh faced 2nd rounder but he laps the track with last year's slow footed starter Eddie George. Julius got in enough play after injury to prove just how good he can be. George is a broadcaster.

CB: If you are reading this and didn't play cornerback last year for the Cowboys raise your hand. Pete Hunter was already a suspect replacement for Mario Edwards but when he got hurt we were down to very late draft picks and undrafted free agents.
DE: Dat Dude was a Sho Scrub. He was so bad I almost missed Ekuban. Almost. Greg Ellis is a warrior and a heck of a player but he was a lone gunslinger at DE.
DT: Glover is a Pro Bowler. Carson is a decent NFL backup. After that we had guys better suited to the Arena League.
Safety: Woody went down for the season and left a hole at FS as well as in the lockerroom. RW had his worst year as a pro both emotionally where some childish antics were at least rumored and on the field where he was asked to play 20 yards off the ball.

If you are keeping score at home that adds up to essentially every positoon on the team having problems last season. The 6 wins might have been 1 or 2 more than we had any business winning.

Fast forward one year and we added 2 NFL starting Cbs, a 3rd round RB, a legit veteran NFL RB, a Nose Tackle who is just below Pro Bowl level, a veteran QB with skins on the wall and his arm still in tact, the draft's best pure pass rusher, 3 3-4 DE's from the draft, a pro bowl RG to bolster the OL, and all the injured guys sans Woody return healthy.

You can't count on everyone staying healthy, and Spears is already banged up, but its hard to imagine having anywhere near the miserable luck of last season.

This is right now a top 10 team on paper. That's merely my declaration granted but do not mistake that this is the best talent we have had since 1995. Dallas has 2 fairly sure Pro Bowl offensive players in Julius Jones and Jason Witten. That sets up the same kind of offense that propelled a formally bad San Diego team to the playoffs. Add in the same switch to the 3-4 San Diego made with a similar fusion of young draft talent to man that 3-4 and there's a lot of similarities. Where Dallas may be even better than San Diego last season is Roy Williams. Roy is quite probably the most disruptive strong safety in the NFL. He doesn't just disrupt plays or alter games he removes guys from the other team from the playing field. Allowing him to play closer to the line of scrimmage move around will cause alot of headaches, pun intended, for Wide Receivers and Running Backs.

Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News is a ballyhooed football guy but he has Dallas rnaked 21 in his power poll this week. He actually moved than down one spot form his June ranking. Rick is flat wrong here. Rick pays a ton of attention to whats going on around the league but he obviously needs to focus a little more on what's going on here.

We added Bledsoe, Rivera, Ferguson, Henry, and Glenn....while I like the additions, they do not move this team into the top 10 imo....all the rest are rookies.

While I love the direction this team is headed, I still think making the playoffs and finishing better than 8-8 would be pleasant surprises. I think we're still 1-2 years, a couple of LBs and WRs away from being in the top tier.

 

[Banned_n_austin]

Very true statement.

On further reflection the rookies that may start won’t be in positions that require an element of seasoned experience to be effective. For example, Ware's position will require a lot less thinking and whole lot of attacking. I really like the Tuna's philosophy of getting him doing the things he is already good at and filling in the blanks as the season progresses.

I am completely geeked for this season and I am trying my best to temper my enthusiasm, but your post has made it that much harder.

Side Note: When I get back from Zona, I will pick up WOW, so I will lean on you to bring me up to speed.

Just curious ... what is WOW?

I know it's something JTerrel is addicted to, but what is it?

 

[adbutcher]

Just curious ... what is WOW?

I know it's something JTerrel is addicted to, but what is it?

Worlds of Warcraft. It is a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game), just the time waster I need since I am done with school.

 

[Rockytop6]

JT, I like your post very much. You make so real good points. I also like **'s post.

I don't think preseason will give us a correct reading on what we have. It will take some time. I do think we have the raw talent and the coaching to amke it all happen. If we stay healthy then around mid season we will know what we have. With few exceptions all of the pieces are there. If we can make it to the playoffs then we should make some noise because by then the rough spots will be smoothed out and the players will understand one another and have a better feel for one another and for their own responsibilities.

This should be a season to enjoy and to give us impetus for years to come.

 

[Manster68]

I think what many do not seem to realize is that there is one facet to this team in which, if improved significantly, can snowball into a frenzy of wins.

That facet is the PASS RUSH.

If that pass rush improves like I think it will, then Dallas will be playing many gmes downhill instead of uphill.

And that is the only advantage Parcells needs.

 

[smashmouth]

I think what many do not seem to realize is that there is one facet to this team in which, if improved significantly, can snowball into a frenzy of wins.

That facet is the PASS RUSH.

If that pass rush improves like I think it will, then Dallas will be playing many gmes downhill instead of uphill.

And that is the only advantage Parcells needs.

And I mentioned that before. When we had a great pass rush, we won super bowls. When Haley left, we had no pass rush, thus we didn't win. Now if we can produce a pass rush, then I see us doing this.

1.@ San Diego=(L) We will be trying to mesh, and it will give BP a reason to turn up the heat for the rest of the season.
2.Washington= (W) After what Gibbs said, we will take them apart.
3.@ San Francisco= (W)They have no chance because of our defense.
4.@ Oakland=(L) I'm still scared of Moss until we beat him.
5.Philadelphia= (W) Statement game, letting them know that the balance of power is about to switch.
6.New York=(W) They have no chance.
7.@ Seattle=(L) I don't see us going 13-3 so we have to lose somewhere.
8.Arizona= (W) They never have and never will be able to beat us.
9.@ Philadelphia= (W) A close shocker, that will be the demise for Philly.
10.Detroit=(W) This will be a close game could go either way.
11.Denver=(W) Nothing will work for them including bootleg play.
12.@ NY Giants=(W) This also could go either way, but we'll be too hot.
13.Kansas City=(W) I don't think we will lose at home.
14.@ Washington=(W) We own them.
15.@ Carolina=(L) We won't even try in this game, preparing for playoffs.
16.St Louis=(W) We win just cause we're at home.

I say 12-4 1st round bye, but will not home field through out. I say we lose in the NFC championship game to Panthers or Falcons.

 

[Dallas4ever]

Last season was abysmal.

Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News is a ballyhooed football guy but he has Dallas rnaked 21 in his power poll this week. He actually moved than down one spot form his June ranking. Rick is flat wrong here. Rick pays a ton of attention to whats going on around the league but he obviously needs to focus a little more on what's going on here.

I totally agree with you, Dallas is a top ten team with all of the improvements and BP coaching them. Parcells was able to take a team with very little talent to the playoffs 2 years ago. Granted the schedule is a little tougher, Parcells will get the most out of this group. The Cowboys haven't had this much talent in a while and the difference will be obvious.

 

[junk]

Maybe I am a pessimist, but I don't see this team as a top 10 team by any stretch yet. Frankly, I think double digit wins will be quite an accomplishment. People are ready to dismiss the skins and giants, but I think that will be a dogfight with those guys for second in the division.

The giants had a pretty solid offseason in my opinion. Their success will depend on the development of Manning, but he has some nice pieces to work with. Two solid receivers, a solid (but overrated) TE and a solid RB.

The skins had a tough defense last year. I think they might be the weakest team in the division, but they do have some talent and a pretty good coaching staff.

Dallas still has issues at FS. RT is still a question mark in my opinion. Bledsoe is probably an upgrade, but the QB position is questionable. Dallas is transitioning to a new defense and relying heavily on rookies. Is Ware a Charles Haley....or a Kavika Pittman?

They are on the upswing though.