Yet another, Are We Being Too Optimistic?

[NotForLong]

Maybe not at the beginning of the season, when I'm sure there will be many calling them busts because they gave up a completion to OBJ in the 1St quarter. But, by the last 1/4 of the season the defense will be better, and in some statistics much better.
.

Thats what all this is about now. They are trying to build up some type of told you so.

 

[CaptainCreed]

REACH is harsh considering Cowboys only have 16 guys with 1st rd grade. Reach no,

More like investment in the future of this franchise duh they didnt trade down and theyvchose him over other highly rated prospects at the same postion

But you got your beliefs and I got my beliefs

The way teams grade, there are not going to be 32 players with a 1st round grade. I thought I read we had 23 1st round grades, certainly could be wrong. I'm only saying reach because Stephen said Taco was a 2nd round graded pass rusher by us. Some sources said King had a first round grade for us. Other said our only first round graded player was Dalvin Cook. We will never know unless our board leaks...again. I like Taco's measurables, except 40, maybe he just ran an off time. Like you are saying, can't be too picky at 28.

 

[MileyDancer]

And they arent? Why because you dont think

No, because history says that rookie corner backs don't come in and immediately become shut down.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Levity is a good thing. At the same time keep in mind that once it was all said and done we had one of the hardest schedules in opponent winning percentage in 2016. Given the level of parity it is hard to predict which teams will be good this year.

The main issue with the 2015 team was losing Murray. Leary is the closest approximation to that. I can see a similar decrease in production in the running game if one of Green, Cooper, Ball, or Cleary cannot earn a starting role with the 4 entrenched players.

That being said, the 5th OL is not nearly as important as the RB is for this team given how balanced we are on offense.

I just don't see Dak as an injury risk. He doesn't hold the ball like Romo was wont to do and is more sturdily built. With Witten, Beasley, Dez, Zeke, and all the other weapons he should have easy reads.

The only other concern I have is that Witten falls off the proverbial cliff. It is a real concern but OTOH, players generally improve the most between season 1 and 2. Dak and Zeke are in that exact position.

Zeke can be utilized more in the passing game than screens and checkdowns. Dak really can expand his game utilizing more routes downfield, anticipating throws a tick faster, improve his rapport with Dez on jump balls and fades, clean up those slow starts, and figure out what it was that the Giants were doing to him that gave him such fits.

The offense has real potential to get better.

On defense none of the few playmakers we have were lost. McClain was the best of the bunch but he plays perhaps the least important role on the unit.

Church and Wilcox contributed but they were limited and had to be schemed around. Church for his lack of range and Wilcox for his mental mistakes.

Carr and Claiborne were much the same. Claiborne was unreliable and Carr lacked the quickness and instincts to play zone coverage. He was very limited in cover 3 looks having to overcompensate to keep a lid over the top.

What was very telling to me was that outside of Carr, all of those guys missed significant time over the season and the defense just carried on. That tells me not a one of them were difference makers.

There is a lot of youth on the defense as well. I don't think it unreasonable to expect improvement from any of Irving, Collins, Mayowa, Thornton, Wilson, Nzeocha, Brown, Jones, or Frazier. IF we see that from several of them, have Tapper and Smith return from injury and throw in the rookies then we could also see an improvement on defense.

The main concerns for me are a regression from Lee or Scandrick but I see a lot more paths for improvement than I do regression.

 

[RS12]

Vegas isnt overly optimistic. Over/under at 9.5 wins.

 

[jday]

Levity is a good thing. At the same time keep in mind that once it was all said and done we had one of the hardest schedules in opponent winning percentage in 2016. Given the level of parity it is hard to predict which teams will be good this year.

The main issue with the 2015 team was losing Murray. Leary is the closest approximation to that. I can see a similar decrease in production in the running game if one of Green, Cooper, Ball, or Cleary cannot earn a starting role with the 4 entrenched players.

That being said, the 5th OL is not nearly as important as the RB is for this team given how balanced we are on offense.

I just don't see Dak as an injury risk. He doesn't hold the ball like Romo was wont to do and is more sturdily built. With Witten, Beasley, Dez, Zeke, and all the other weapons he should have easy reads.

The only other concern I have is that Witten falls off the proverbial cliff. It is a real concern but OTOH, players generally improve the most between season 1 and 2. Dak and Zeke are in that exact position.

Zeke can be utilized more in the passing game than screens and checkdowns. Dak really can expand his game utilizing more routes downfield, anticipating throws a tick faster, improve his rapport with Dez on jump balls and fades, clean up those slow starts, and figure out what it was that the Giants were doing to him that gave him such fits.

The offense has real potential to get better.

On defense none of the few playmakers we have were lost. McClain was the best of the bunch but he plays perhaps the least important role on the unit.

Church and Wilcox contributed but they were limited and had to be schemed around. Church for his lack of range and Wilcox for his mental mistakes.

Carr and Claiborne were much the same. Claiborne was unreliable and Carr lacked the quickness and instincts to play zone coverage. He was very limited in cover 3 looks having to overcompensate to keep a lid over the top.

What was very telling to me was that outside of Carr, all of those guys missed significant time over the season and the defense just carried on. That tells me not a one of them were difference makers.

There is a lot of youth on the defense as well. I don't think it unreasonable to expect improvement from any of Irving, Collins, Mayowa, Thornton, Wilson, Nzeocha, Brown, Jones, or Frazier. IF we see that from several of them, have Tapper and Smith return from injury and throw in the rookies then we could also see an improvement on defense.

The main concerns for me are a regression from Lee or Scandrick but I see a lot more paths for improvement than I do regression.

Good stuff Fuzzy! I am of the cautiously optimistic ilk. But I certainly see how it could go right. I mentioned last year that Jaylon Smith would be the equivalent of a high draft pick, if he played again. That seems to be certainty at this juncture. I have always been a big supporter of the youth movement and am stoked about the potential of them as unit. Ultimately, if the right attitude takes hold of the team in training camp, they could turn out to be special. From what I have read and watched of the draftees, they all have superb attitudes, extremely focused, play with an edge. So, if the veterans set the right approach, it will be evident early on. The good news is we have five preseason games to get prepared.

 

[windward]

I agree in terms of the overwhelming optimism. NFC east Champs don't tend to repeat and haven't since 2005. Coupled in with the points you made about having failure seasons following a successful one, I still think we go 6-10/7-9. It won't be Dak's fault but he'll get the blame a la Romo.

We struggled the next season after successful ones because Romo got hurt in each of those seasons.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Free, in his tenure, was likely the least favorite of the 5 offensive lineman, otherwise known as the Great Wall of Dallas. He was, in many ways, the weak link

Many? In every way.

 

[LocimusPrime]

No, because history says that rookie corner backs don't come in and immediately become shut down.

Exactly! Rookies need time to develop

 

[tyke1doe]

Hope springs eternal in the off season.

 

[jday]

Many? In every way.

As a collective, they dubbed him their leader.

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

Vegas isnt overly optimistic. Over/under at 9.5 wins.

Favorites for the Super Bowl as well.

New England Patriots 18/5
Dallas Cowboys 11/1
Green Bay Packers 12/1
Seattle Seahawks 12/1
Atlanta Falcons 13/1
Houston Texans 15/1
Oakland Raiders 15/1
Denver Broncos 18/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 18/1

 

[Beast_from_East]

I don't have a crystal ball so I have no idea what the future holds.............I feel optimistic about this team, but that does not always translate to wins on the football field. We could very well be a better team this year, yet have a worse record simply due to our schedule being difficult.

The one thing that is disturbing is that the NFC East winner typically does not repeat. In fact, the last team to repeat as division champs was the Eagles in 2003 and 2004.

 

[Silver N Blue]

Get back to me when this organization can win in the playoffs. Unrealistic to have aspirations of a SB right now when they have a mental blow out like last year and previous years. 16's draft is proven for the most part. 17 is still a wait and see what they do on the field before I can get all hog happy. Great draft though...optimistic for sure...unrealistic optimism no. I am still probably one of the few who wants to see Dak do it again before I hop on the train. The arrow is pointing up and there is no question about that!

 

[haleyrules]

If you are feeling hot air, you need to get your fan checked in your computer.

Thanks for reading and the kudos.

 

[haleyrules]

The club took steps in the right direction. This season will be tougher than last year. The club is not there yet..but it is getting closer. This was a solid draft...it will take some time to see where it goes. The FO drafted for need and considering the draft position did a very competent job that will improve the defense.

 

[IrishAnto]

How high is too high when it comes to our expectations for this year?

It has been pointed out; it merits pointing out again. This place is hardly recognizable from previous years following the draft. The degree of optimism in this place is almost unsettling. And I’m not sure the Cowboys draft was as good as we are making it. I do wonder a little bit if last year’s draft has infused in us fans an unfair and unrealistic confidence. Surely we don’t expect a repeat of last year’s drafting success…especially considering where we were picking then (fourth overall throughout) versus where we were picking this year (28th overall throughout, along with a missing 5th round pick; thanks Matt Cassell). Four starters were found; 2 on offense (Dak & Zeke), 2 on defense (Collins & Brown). Add to that the 2 who redshirted, and there is potential to find 2 more starters from the same draft in Jaylon Smith and Charles Tapper (obviously, the likely scenario is 1 starter in Jaylon Smith, and a situational pass rusher in Charles Tapper, most likely in obvious passing situations).

So, the responsibility falls to me to be the wet blanket. So be it; it is usually I who feels the need to inspire confidence and hope into our Cowboys when the going gets tough, but I am no stranger to being a Debbie Downer. In 2015, I had a similar feeling; that maybe our success in 2014 was not as sustainable as many seemed to believe (especially with the departure of Demarco Murray). And sure enough, disaster struck in the form of a Romo injury and 2015 went down in flames. Of course, there was a silver-lining to that epic fail of a season. We were awarded the fourth overall pick and were afforded the ability to rejuvenate the ranks in the form of those aforementioned starters. That luxury did not extend to this year.

This year we were 28th in line and as such, we were not able to get the best options at every positions. It was leftovers across the board. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and that proves true even in the NFL as schematic fit can often times trump a player’s individual talent. Take for instance a guy best suited for the 3-4 at defensive end. He might be the most dominant DE in college, but if you run the 4-3, unless you are planning on converting him to DT, chances are you field trade offers for someone to trade up and use those additional picks to find guys that actually fit your scheme.

Some will tell you, despite the Cowboys picking position, they were able to accomplish just that and get a large majority of their favorite targeted players. On that point, I’m not so sure. Don’t get me wrong…I really liked this draft where the Cowboys actually picked up a few of my very own pet cats in Awuzie and Woods. Nevertheless, we would be setting ourselves up for a significant letdown if we simply chose to ignore the positions they were unable to address.

Free, in his tenure, was likely the least favorite of the 5 offensive lineman, otherwise known as the Great Wall of Dallas. He was, in many ways, the weak link, particularly against speed rushers. But being the weak link on a great offensive line likely means you are still above average, as what I believe Free was. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, this was not the draft to find a viable replacement. The Cowboys did pick up some UDFA’s, but none are of the caliber UDFA the Cowboys lucked into with La’el Collins. As of right now, the Cowboys have Chaz Green penciled into the vacancy left by Free. I do not believe that would qualify as addition by subtraction.

Worst case scenario, the Cowboys have to routinely slide help to the RT side to help in blitz pick up and/or send the RB in that direction for the occasional chip whilst moving into a route. So, it’s not necessarily season-damning to not have All Pro’s across the board. But it is noteworthy to point out that the Cowboys identity as a whole, starts up front on offense. So even the slightest chink in that armor could cascade into bigger problems as the season progresses, especially if one of the stronger links in that chain miss any amount of time due to injury.

Youth is wasted on the young. This old cliché is pontificating on how much more an old mind could accomplish without the physical limitations of an old body. Imagine if science afforded us the ability to take an old consciousness and place it in the physical trappings of a youngster. Trust me when I say I have given this idea much thought. To do it all over again knowing what I know today…it’s kind of scary.

As Cowboys fan’s, we have to hope youth is not wasted on our new-fangled defense. Because aside from Sean Lee and Orlando Scandrick, this is a very young defense. As a result, they are going to make mistakes young players make. Truth be told, this defense very well could be epically bad. I honestly don’t think so. I believe what will in retrospect make this year’s draft special is the overall attitude this bunch brings; that intangible quality that forces everyone to play above their ability due to the standard that is set and kept. Having said that, I’d be foolish to dismiss the potential for it to go in a completely different direction with a bunch of look-at-me’s and pointing fingers on the field playing the blame game when someone misses a coverage. I suspect regardless of what the overall impression is of this draft class, we have to expect to see a little bit of both good and bad. And we have to hope in the end, it doesn’t really matter.

But beyond what has already been discussed, the one thing that fills me with the most trepidation for the upcoming season is the following statistic: Since 2007, seasons that ended in the playoffs for the Cowboys were followed by terrible letdown seasons. In 2007, the Cowboys went 13 & 3 followed by 9 & 7 in 2008 and 3rd place in the East. In 2009, the Cowboys won the East with an 11 and 5 record followed by 2010, where they ended with 6 and 10 and 3rd place in the East. This was followed by 3 straight season of 8 and 8. Then, in 2014, the Cowboys went 12 and 4 earning another NFCE title, only to follow that up with the poor returns of 4 and 12 and last place in the East in 2015.

Now for those who recall those years in detail, there were certainly always extenuating circumstances that surrounded those terrible seasons, most notably injuries to several key positions on both sides of the ball and a Head Coaching change in 2010. Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out that this has been happening like clockwork for just under 10 years. What makes this year any different?

I’ll answer for you. Youth. It is no secret that the older a player gets, the more susceptible they become to injury. Fortunately for the Cowboys, there very few over-thirties left and (outside of Sean Lee maybe) none would be considered mission critical. But injuries are not the only thing that can derail a season. How about that 2017 schedule? The NFCE, I suspect, is going to be a monster this season. Each of our divisional foes not only had the luxury of picking before our Cowboys in the draft, they also took much more active approaches to improving through Free Agency. The Cowboys will be facing largely revamped units that many were overhauled simply to compete with the Cowboys. Add to that the Packers, Raiders, Seahawks, Falcons, Broncos, Cardinals and a Chiefs team that is slowly but surely making strides towards becoming dominant, and you should certainly be able to understand the misgivings I have about the upcoming season.

As for as the next several years, not so concerned. I still believe the Cowboys are on the cusp of greatness….I’m just not so sure that greatness begins this season.

Thoughts?

Good write-up and can’t say I would disagree with anything you’ve written.

I will add a few points.

As good as Jaylon Smith might become, if he takes the field next season he will still be a rookie in all but name, so expectations should be set accordingly.

And for all the secondary’s faults last year they were part of a team that went 13-3 and the experience and chemistry that they had is now gone.

It will take time for the defence to build up a level of trust and chemistry so if we are to stand a chance of avoiding our good season/bad season routine then the offence had better come out firing on all cylinders from the “go get”.

 

[CowboyRoy]

How high is too high when it comes to our expectations for this year?

It has been pointed out; it merits pointing out again. This place is hardly recognizable from previous years following the draft. The degree of optimism in this place is almost unsettling. And I’m not sure the Cowboys draft was as good as we are making it. I do wonder a little bit if last year’s draft has infused in us fans an unfair and unrealistic confidence. Surely we don’t expect a repeat of last year’s drafting success…especially considering where we were picking then (fourth overall throughout) versus where we were picking this year (28th overall throughout, along with a missing 5th round pick; thanks Matt Cassell). Four starters were found; 2 on offense (Dak & Zeke), 2 on defense (Collins & Brown). Add to that the 2 who redshirted, and there is potential to find 2 more starters from the same draft in Jaylon Smith and Charles Tapper (obviously, the likely scenario is 1 starter in Jaylon Smith, and a situational pass rusher in Charles Tapper, most likely in obvious passing situations).

So, the responsibility falls to me to be the wet blanket. So be it; it is usually I who feels the need to inspire confidence and hope into our Cowboys when the going gets tough, but I am no stranger to being a Debbie Downer. In 2015, I had a similar feeling; that maybe our success in 2014 was not as sustainable as many seemed to believe (especially with the departure of Demarco Murray). And sure enough, disaster struck in the form of a Romo injury and 2015 went down in flames. Of course, there was a silver-lining to that epic fail of a season. We were awarded the fourth overall pick and were afforded the ability to rejuvenate the ranks in the form of those aforementioned starters. That luxury did not extend to this year.

This year we were 28th in line and as such, we were not able to get the best options at every positions. It was leftovers across the board. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and that proves true even in the NFL as schematic fit can often times trump a player’s individual talent. Take for instance a guy best suited for the 3-4 at defensive end. He might be the most dominant DE in college, but if you run the 4-3, unless you are planning on converting him to DT, chances are you field trade offers for someone to trade up and use those additional picks to find guys that actually fit your scheme.

Some will tell you, despite the Cowboys picking position, they were able to accomplish just that and get a large majority of their favorite targeted players. On that point, I’m not so sure. Don’t get me wrong…I really liked this draft where the Cowboys actually picked up a few of my very own pet cats in Awuzie and Woods. Nevertheless, we would be setting ourselves up for a significant letdown if we simply chose to ignore the positions they were unable to address.

Free, in his tenure, was likely the least favorite of the 5 offensive lineman, otherwise known as the Great Wall of Dallas. He was, in many ways, the weak link, particularly against speed rushers. But being the weak link on a great offensive line likely means you are still above average, as what I believe Free was. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, this was not the draft to find a viable replacement. The Cowboys did pick up some UDFA’s, but none are of the caliber UDFA the Cowboys lucked into with La’el Collins. As of right now, the Cowboys have Chaz Green penciled into the vacancy left by Free. I do not believe that would qualify as addition by subtraction.

Worst case scenario, the Cowboys have to routinely slide help to the RT side to help in blitz pick up and/or send the RB in that direction for the occasional chip whilst moving into a route. So, it’s not necessarily season-damning to not have All Pro’s across the board. But it is noteworthy to point out that the Cowboys identity as a whole, starts up front on offense. So even the slightest chink in that armor could cascade into bigger problems as the season progresses, especially if one of the stronger links in that chain miss any amount of time due to injury.

Youth is wasted on the young. This old cliché is pontificating on how much more an old mind could accomplish without the physical limitations of an old body. Imagine if science afforded us the ability to take an old consciousness and place it in the physical trappings of a youngster. Trust me when I say I have given this idea much thought. To do it all over again knowing what I know today…it’s kind of scary.

As Cowboys fan’s, we have to hope youth is not wasted on our new-fangled defense. Because aside from Sean Lee and Orlando Scandrick, this is a very young defense. As a result, they are going to make mistakes young players make. Truth be told, this defense very well could be epically bad. I honestly don’t think so. I believe what will in retrospect make this year’s draft special is the overall attitude this bunch brings; that intangible quality that forces everyone to play above their ability due to the standard that is set and kept. Having said that, I’d be foolish to dismiss the potential for it to go in a completely different direction with a bunch of look-at-me’s and pointing fingers on the field playing the blame game when someone misses a coverage. I suspect regardless of what the overall impression is of this draft class, we have to expect to see a little bit of both good and bad. And we have to hope in the end, it doesn’t really matter.

But beyond what has already been discussed, the one thing that fills me with the most trepidation for the upcoming season is the following statistic: Since 2007, seasons that ended in the playoffs for the Cowboys were followed by terrible letdown seasons. In 2007, the Cowboys went 13 & 3 followed by 9 & 7 in 2008 and 3rd place in the East. In 2009, the Cowboys won the East with an 11 and 5 record followed by 2010, where they ended with 6 and 10 and 3rd place in the East. This was followed by 3 straight season of 8 and 8. Then, in 2014, the Cowboys went 12 and 4 earning another NFCE title, only to follow that up with the poor returns of 4 and 12 and last place in the East in 2015.

Now for those who recall those years in detail, there were certainly always extenuating circumstances that surrounded those terrible seasons, most notably injuries to several key positions on both sides of the ball and a Head Coaching change in 2010. Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out that this has been happening like clockwork for just under 10 years. What makes this year any different?

I’ll answer for you. Youth. It is no secret that the older a player gets, the more susceptible they become to injury. Fortunately for the Cowboys, there very few over-thirties left and (outside of Sean Lee maybe) none would be considered mission critical. But injuries are not the only thing that can derail a season. How about that 2017 schedule? The NFCE, I suspect, is going to be a monster this season. Each of our divisional foes not only had the luxury of picking before our Cowboys in the draft, they also took much more active approaches to improving through Free Agency. The Cowboys will be facing largely revamped units that many were overhauled simply to compete with the Cowboys. Add to that the Packers, Raiders, Seahawks, Falcons, Broncos, Cardinals and a Chiefs team that is slowly but surely making strides towards becoming dominant, and you should certainly be able to understand the misgivings I have about the upcoming season.

As for as the next several years, not so concerned. I still believe the Cowboys are on the cusp of greatness….I’m just not so sure that greatness begins this season.

Thoughts?

Its honestly a futile proposition to say anything concrete before camp is over. Injuries or lack there of will play the biggest role in the success of this season. And we have no idea how the rookies are going to look. THAT being said I would think we could expect to make the playoffs and be the favorite over the Giants for the NFC East title. The Giants will be hard to handle this season.

 

[DFWJC]

The way teams grade, there are not going to be 32 players with a 1st round grade. I thought I read we had 23 1st round grades, certainly could be wrong. I'm only saying reach because Stephen said Taco was a 2nd round graded pass rusher by us. Some sources said King had a first round grade for us. Other said our only first round graded player was Dalvin Cook. We will never know unless our board leaks...again. I like Taco's measurables, except 40, maybe he just ran an off time. Like you are saying, can't be too picky at 28.

They said they had 18 1st round grades and Taco was at the top (assume top 2-3) of the next group.
So, he was the rated somewhere in the 19-21 range when we where picking 28th.

 

[Doomsday101]

How high is too high when it comes to our expectations for this year?

It has been pointed out; it merits pointing out again. This place is hardly recognizable from previous years following the draft. The degree of optimism in this place is almost unsettling. And I’m not sure the Cowboys draft was as good as we are making it. I do wonder a little bit if last year’s draft has infused in us fans an unfair and unrealistic confidence. Surely we don’t expect a repeat of last year’s drafting success…especially considering where we were picking then (fourth overall throughout) versus where we were picking this year (28th overall throughout, along with a missing 5th round pick; thanks Matt Cassell). Four starters were found; 2 on offense (Dak & Zeke), 2 on defense (Collins & Brown). Add to that the 2 who redshirted, and there is potential to find 2 more starters from the same draft in Jaylon Smith and Charles Tapper (obviously, the likely scenario is 1 starter in Jaylon Smith, and a situational pass rusher in Charles Tapper, most likely in obvious passing situations).

So, the responsibility falls to me to be the wet blanket. So be it; it is usually I who feels the need to inspire confidence and hope into our Cowboys when the going gets tough, but I am no stranger to being a Debbie Downer. In 2015, I had a similar feeling; that maybe our success in 2014 was not as sustainable as many seemed to believe (especially with the departure of Demarco Murray). And sure enough, disaster struck in the form of a Romo injury and 2015 went down in flames. Of course, there was a silver-lining to that epic fail of a season. We were awarded the fourth overall pick and were afforded the ability to rejuvenate the ranks in the form of those aforementioned starters. That luxury did not extend to this year.

This year we were 28th in line and as such, we were not able to get the best options at every positions. It was leftovers across the board. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and that proves true even in the NFL as schematic fit can often times trump a player’s individual talent. Take for instance a guy best suited for the 3-4 at defensive end. He might be the most dominant DE in college, but if you run the 4-3, unless you are planning on converting him to DT, chances are you field trade offers for someone to trade up and use those additional picks to find guys that actually fit your scheme.

Some will tell you, despite the Cowboys picking position, they were able to accomplish just that and get a large majority of their favorite targeted players. On that point, I’m not so sure. Don’t get me wrong…I really liked this draft where the Cowboys actually picked up a few of my very own pet cats in Awuzie and Woods. Nevertheless, we would be setting ourselves up for a significant letdown if we simply chose to ignore the positions they were unable to address.

Free, in his tenure, was likely the least favorite of the 5 offensive lineman, otherwise known as the Great Wall of Dallas. He was, in many ways, the weak link, particularly against speed rushers. But being the weak link on a great offensive line likely means you are still above average, as what I believe Free was. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, this was not the draft to find a viable replacement. The Cowboys did pick up some UDFA’s, but none are of the caliber UDFA the Cowboys lucked into with La’el Collins. As of right now, the Cowboys have Chaz Green penciled into the vacancy left by Free. I do not believe that would qualify as addition by subtraction.

Worst case scenario, the Cowboys have to routinely slide help to the RT side to help in blitz pick up and/or send the RB in that direction for the occasional chip whilst moving into a route. So, it’s not necessarily season-damning to not have All Pro’s across the board. But it is noteworthy to point out that the Cowboys identity as a whole, starts up front on offense. So even the slightest chink in that armor could cascade into bigger problems as the season progresses, especially if one of the stronger links in that chain miss any amount of time due to injury.

Youth is wasted on the young. This old cliché is pontificating on how much more an old mind could accomplish without the physical limitations of an old body. Imagine if science afforded us the ability to take an old consciousness and place it in the physical trappings of a youngster. Trust me when I say I have given this idea much thought. To do it all over again knowing what I know today…it’s kind of scary.

As Cowboys fan’s, we have to hope youth is not wasted on our new-fangled defense. Because aside from Sean Lee and Orlando Scandrick, this is a very young defense. As a result, they are going to make mistakes young players make. Truth be told, this defense very well could be epically bad. I honestly don’t think so. I believe what will in retrospect make this year’s draft special is the overall attitude this bunch brings; that intangible quality that forces everyone to play above their ability due to the standard that is set and kept. Having said that, I’d be foolish to dismiss the potential for it to go in a completely different direction with a bunch of look-at-me’s and pointing fingers on the field playing the blame game when someone misses a coverage. I suspect regardless of what the overall impression is of this draft class, we have to expect to see a little bit of both good and bad. And we have to hope in the end, it doesn’t really matter.

But beyond what has already been discussed, the one thing that fills me with the most trepidation for the upcoming season is the following statistic: Since 2007, seasons that ended in the playoffs for the Cowboys were followed by terrible letdown seasons. In 2007, the Cowboys went 13 & 3 followed by 9 & 7 in 2008 and 3rd place in the East. In 2009, the Cowboys won the East with an 11 and 5 record followed by 2010, where they ended with 6 and 10 and 3rd place in the East. This was followed by 3 straight season of 8 and 8. Then, in 2014, the Cowboys went 12 and 4 earning another NFCE title, only to follow that up with the poor returns of 4 and 12 and last place in the East in 2015.

Now for those who recall those years in detail, there were certainly always extenuating circumstances that surrounded those terrible seasons, most notably injuries to several key positions on both sides of the ball and a Head Coaching change in 2010. Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out that this has been happening like clockwork for just under 10 years. What makes this year any different?

I’ll answer for you. Youth. It is no secret that the older a player gets, the more susceptible they become to injury. Fortunately for the Cowboys, there very few over-thirties left and (outside of Sean Lee maybe) none would be considered mission critical. But injuries are not the only thing that can derail a season. How about that 2017 schedule? The NFCE, I suspect, is going to be a monster this season. Each of our divisional foes not only had the luxury of picking before our Cowboys in the draft, they also took much more active approaches to improving through Free Agency. The Cowboys will be facing largely revamped units that many were overhauled simply to compete with the Cowboys. Add to that the Packers, Raiders, Seahawks, Falcons, Broncos, Cardinals and a Chiefs team that is slowly but surely making strides towards becoming dominant, and you should certainly be able to understand the misgivings I have about the upcoming season.

As for as the next several years, not so concerned. I still believe the Cowboys are on the cusp of greatness….I’m just not so sure that greatness begins this season.

Thoughts?

My thoughts I expect Dallas to compete for a championship. They were in a position last year to do so with a rookie QB and RB now both have a year under the belt and will have the full off season and up coming training camp to improve as players. I think the moves made on defense and my believe that Jaylon Smith and Charles Tapper will be difference makers on defense along with some of the draft picks I expect the defense to be improved from the bend but don't break defense we have seen for a while now.

As for the NFC East foes, I don't know what they will do but seems to me each year they are active in spending in FA and the end results have been avg at best.