JD_KaPow
jimnabby
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Ben Muth writes about offensive line play over at Football Outsiders. Every year, he picks three teams to focus on and writes a weekly column that alternates in-depth discussion of those teams. His write-ups are always tremendously interesting and educational.
This year (for the second time in three years), the Cowboys are one of those teams.
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/word-muth/2015/word-muth-2015-season-preview
There's a nice GIF and description of a single play over there that you should take a look at. (And it's a play where Parnell was in, so heads-up, xwalker!)
This year (for the second time in three years), the Cowboys are one of those teams.
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/word-muth/2015/word-muth-2015-season-preview
There's a nice GIF and description of a single play over there that you should take a look at. (And it's a play where Parnell was in, so heads-up, xwalker!)
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys' offensive line may be the most hyped-up OL unit of my life. Notice I didn't say overhyped, just hyped up. Living in Dallas, I can tell you that people talk about this line with a reverence that I thought was reserved for Staubach, Aikman, and Nolan Ryan. And with good reason -- the Cowboys put together a nice season last year largely on the backs of the guys up front, and it seems like they should be even better this year.
I covered the Cowboys two seasons ago, and the guy that blew me away was Tyron Smith. I thought he was the best tackle in the NFL. He's an incredible athlete with maybe the strongest pass protection punch in the game. Between him and Joe Thomas, it should be a heck of a year writing about left tackles.
The other two stars of the line are Zack Martin and Travis Frederick. Martin was a rookie last year and an All-Pro caliber player his first year in the NFL. He's already a dominant run blocker and should become a dominant pass blocker on the inside as well. Frederick is one of the best in the league at reaching play-side shades on outside zones, which is the hardest thing to do as a center. The crazy thing about the three guys I've mentioned so far is that they are all 24 years old and should be getting better.
The other two first-teamers are above-average NFL starters at their positions. Ronald Leary is a good run blocker and a serviceable pass blocker. It looks like he's going to hold off La'el Collins; that is impressive, and it shows how solid of a player he is. Doug Free has had a bit of a roller coaster of a career where his play varies widely from year to year, but he has been good recently. If he stays healthy, I imagine he'll have a nice season.
