With The Success of Dallas, How Will The League Respond

[TwoDeep3]

This has been a surprising year for the Cowboys, and the NFL. One might argue the brain trust had a plan mapped out to get to this spot with perhaps the best offensive line in the game. But regardless of this being a brilliant maneuver, or serendipity, they have assembled the great Wall of Dallas that has reaped the top running back and top passer in the league.

If I had a dollar for every time it is said this is a copycat league on this board, I'd have a bunch of dollars. So how does the league respond?

Will the lesser teams reach for offensive linemen to recreate what Dallas has?

Will some team offer Murray close to quarterback money to get some of the mojo Dallas has put on the field?

Will there be a run on running backs in the draft? In free agency?

Does this mean defenders will drop as the league rushes to catch lightning in a bottle?

Since Dez is a free agent, will a number of teams court him to ramp up the price tag to steal him, or at worse scuttle the cap of Dallas?

There are repercussions for having the type of success Dallas has enjoyed during this season. The closer to the NFCC game this team gets, the more other teams will take notice. Plans will be made to control the clock with the run game, thus requiring the construction of great offensive lines.

And if Dallas were to get into the Super Bowl and win it all, the league will stand on its head to get some of this magic they performed.

Not to mention every team will be scouring film to find the weakness in the Dallas schemes.

So in your opinion, how will this play out in regard to the influence Dallas will wield on the league after this season's showing?

 

[Don Corleone]

The scheme isn't all that complicated, and neither is the script. The talent on offense makes the difference. This is what frustrated opposing teams in the 1990s. If these are the problems the Cowboys face in the offseason, then it means a deep playoff run.

 

[BoysfanfromCanada]

I'm glad we have a blueprint that other teams would want to copy, rather than us being the copiers. However signing/drafting the right OL players is incredibly difficult, especially picking the right ones with the right chemistry. There are so many that fail to live up to expectations. This is where the cowboys execs deserve a ton of credit

 

[Cowboyz88]

I think RBs and OL will fly off the board in the draft.

 

[Eric_Boyer]

I don't see what trend we set necessarily.

OL have been moving up the charts. Guards going in the top 10 without GM's blinking an eye. RB's like Murray going in the 4th.

We happened to get the right ones, but we didn't innovate IMO

 

[Jerryrage]

It all starts with that swag the offense line has.

 

[Gridiron Man]

I think RBs and OL will fly off the board in the draft.

If this comes about, we will have a nice group of defensive players still on the board for the choosing.

 

[daveferr33]

Not sure this is new at all.

I have been clamoring for high draft picks on the offensive line for years. In my mind at the time, San Francisco was the team I wanted to be modeled after and they had three first rounders (Davis, Iupati, Staley). In fact, I believe Iupati and Davis were drafted in the same first round.

Again, I don't think its a secret blueprint that building a strong offensive line is the way to achieve success in the NFL. This fact just always seemed to escape GM Jones. But Good GM's know this. Just look at the premium placed on linemen in the draft the last decade.

 

[perrykemp]

Didn't the 49ers basically start this trend with drafting three offensive line in the 1st round during a 4 year stretch with Staley, Iupati, and Davis?

It's basically what allowed Harbaugh to implement their power running game that got them to 3 NFC championship games and a Superbowl appearance in the past 3 seasons (2011-2013).

 

[mahoneybill]

I'm glad we have a blueprint that other teams would want to copy, rather than us being the copiers. However signing/drafting the right OL players is incredibly difficult, especially picking the right ones with the right chemistry. There are so many that fail to live up to expectations. This is where the cowboys execs deserve a ton of credit

Well stated. FredBeard, Tyrone, Zack all work well together, and learn from the vets on the team...

 

[gdogg24]

Building in the trenches isn't really a new concept, but I think next season we need to get a DE that can play. If that pick works out, with the guys we have coming back we could have a really good unit next year. We probably need to get us a mercenary at corner but that's about it.

 

[WV Cowboy]

I love to run the football, ... I love to be a team that runs the football.

That was one of the things that I loved, and was so proud of during our 90's run.

I have hated seeing Romo throw it 40, 45 or 50 times in a game.

This is not anything new in the NFL, .. just for us.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

I think it's all about luck, really. Just because you try to address a position, doesn't mean you fix the position. We went hard at addressing the secondary. Went out and got the top dollar free agent and sold the farm for the best corner in the draft. The secondary got even worse. Seattle went out and got some big corners on the cheap and late in the draft, went on to win the Super Bowl, and everyone was saying "let's copy their blueprint." We're not the first team to address the O-line. St. Louis has been doing it forever. Spent top 2 picks on Jason Smith like 6 years ago and the big guy from Auburn this year, and went out and spent big money on former #1 overall Jake Long. Their O-line still struggles. Tennessee built a pretty good O-line with a mixture of veterans and highly regarded rookies. Their O-line is good but it doesn't matter because they have no QB. It's more than just building the perfect O-line. It's having a great QB and RB. And it's more than just spending 1st rounders on O-linemen. We spent a #9, a #16 and a #31 on O-linemen, while other teams have been spending top 3 and trading for former top 3 players for years.

 

[Jenky]

They can copy all they want, but they'll still have to draft the right guys. There's always the possibilities of busts and other variables.

 

[waving monkey]

Possibly the OP is saying that the latest trend is passing around the league and the pendulum
may be swinging back to the run game because of our success.

 

[Eddie]

OL has been a premium pick for the past several years. Fredbeard was supposed to be a 2nd 3rd rounder ... we had to take him because of the run on OL in the 1st round.

It's nothing new. Jerry just finally learned the secret to his previous success was the OL. Maybe he'll stop drafting backup RB's, and give up multiple picks for CB's.

 

[Fletch]

This has been a surprising year for the Cowboys, and the NFL. One might argue the brain trust had a plan mapped out to get to this spot with perhaps the best offensive line in the game. But regardless of this being a brilliant maneuver, or serendipity, they have assembled the great Wall of Dallas that has reaped the top running back and top passer in the league.

If I had a dollar for every time it is said this is a copycat league on this board, I'd have a bunch of dollars. So how does the league respond?

Will the lesser teams reach for offensive linemen to recreate what Dallas has?

Will some team offer Murray close to quarterback money to get some of the mojo Dallas has put on the field?

Will there be a run on running backs in the draft? In free agency?

Does this mean defenders will drop as the league rushes to catch lightning in a bottle?

Since Dez is a free agent, will a number of teams court him to ramp up the price tag to steal him, or at worse scuttle the cap of Dallas?

There are repercussions for having the type of success Dallas has enjoyed during this season. The closer to the NFCC game this team gets, the more other teams will take notice. Plans will be made to control the clock with the run game, thus requiring the construction of great offensive lines.

And if Dallas were to get into the Super Bowl and win it all, the league will stand on its head to get some of this magic they performed.

Not to mention every team will be scouring film to find the weakness in the Dallas schemes.

So in your opinion, how will this play out in regard to the influence Dallas will wield on the league after this season's showing?

So what do we do next offseason (shut yo mouth)? We cinch up the trenches on the D-line. Powwwww!!!!

 

[Fletch]

Great post TwoDeep3! Does this mean Chip Kelly's offense becomes obsolete? It's all about eating the clock on offense, not the opposite.

Sounds like the "Chunky Genius" may need to go back to the drawing board.

 

[TwoCentPlain]

I think RBs and OL will fly off the board in the draft.

RBs won't be flying off the board this year either. Look at the success 2nd rd RBs have had recently Lacy, Bell, Bernard, Hill, Mason, etc. And OL have been flying off the boards the past several years. Difference is that the Cowboys got the best OLs in Frederick and Martin later in the draft after the top several OL had been picked. Other teams missed (Fisher, Robinson, Warmack, Cooper, etc) or didn't get as good a player.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Will the lesser teams reach for offensive linemen to recreate what Dallas has?

Do you not follow the NFL draft? Lineman routinely are amongst the most well represented players in the first round yet alone the first 3.

It was just last year that we had two guards went in the top 10.

Since Dez is a free agent, will a number of teams court him to ramp up the price tag to steal him, or at worse scuttle the cap of Dallas?

Dez will never hit the open market.