Zach Martin is real MVP of this team

[T-RO]

Martin isn't even our best lineman.

Get yourself a caffeinated drink on me. Of course he is the best OL. Team MVP, of course not.

 

[xwalker]

With everyone shuffling their support for Murray and Romo as league MVP. I place my bet with Zach Martin, who without his overnight transformation of OL would not have allowed Murray and Romo to have career years. Lets be honest, Murray is same guy who's best year was 1,121 yards. Romo is same guy who had poor record in elimination games for his career. So what happend?

Dallas got lucky. Really lucky. Dallas was targeting in draft Ryan Shazier LB (who btw was injured most of year for Pitts and was not given starting job back). Jerry also was considering Manziel. Collectively they decided on Zach Martin. Performing like a 10 year veteran from day 1, the entire OL looked different. Linehan too one look at this group and knew this would be running team in 2014. Now Leary ability to pull was also big factor in line success but it was ultimately Martin pick that solidified the line into better ones in league and catapulted this team into playoffs. On sunday we get to watch power on power with Martin matchup with Suh. Sometimes it just best to be lucky.

I love Zack (with a k) Martin, but he was not the only change from last year to this year. Both Fred and Leary started this season with a year of NFL starting experience under their belt. They started 2013 with zero NFL experience. Linehan came in as the new play-caller and made a commitment to the running game. It was clear in the off-season that the Cowboys organization was going to commit to the running game because Stephen, Jerry and Garrett all talked about it often. Murray started all 16 games for the first time in his career. His backups were clearly better than they were in 2013. Randle looked like a completely different player.

 

[Jenky]

Romo is MVP of the team, if not the league.

 

[CoCo]

Yup. Love Martin. Silly, silly, silly to utter his name in discussing MVP.

 

[Eddie]

I was buying into the hype about Manziel.

Glad it never happened.

 

[VACowboy]

that was because they didn't trust the OL. Without room & time to operate...Murray is on sideline with pulled hammy and Romo is getting 3rd procedure. The impact of OL is so dramatic that every team in the division is scrambling to adopt Dallas philosophy of building it.

How does does any of that logic work? Murray was tearing it up when they gave him the ball. His YPA was higher in 2013 than it was this year, so the OL was obviously giving him somewhere to run--none of which had anything to do with his hamstring.

I never heard once from anybody that the coaches didn't trust the OL. I'm not sure what that means, anyway. 5.2 yards a carry wasn't good enough for them to run the ball more?

 

[VACowboy]

I love Zack (with a k) Martin, but he was not the only change from last year to this year. Both Fred and Leary started this season with a year of NFL starting experience under their belt. They started 2013 with zero NFL experience. Linehan came in as the new play-caller and made a commitment to the running game. It was clear in the off-season that the Cowboys organization was going to commit to the running game because Stephen, Jerry and Garrett all talked about it often. Murray started all 16 games for the first time in his career. His backups were clearly better than they were in 2013. Randle looked like a completely different player.

 

[VACowboy]

No it's not.

This offense would have failed in 2013. It isn't just the YPC number that is important/impressive. It's the total number of totes.

Uh, yeah. That's play calling. Kind of my point. The Dallas OL was doing a great job run blocking last year too. 5.2 YPA doesn't happen without it. Had Murray been healthy last year and Callahan/Romo given him as many chances to run the rock as Linehan/Romo did this year, 2013 might have been completely different.

 

[SDCowboy]

that was because they didn't trust the OL. Without room & time to operate...Murray is on sideline with pulled hammy and Romo is getting 3rd procedure. The impact of OL is so dramatic that every team in the division is scrambling to adopt Dallas philosophy of building it.

So let me get this straight...you honestly think Martin is more important to this team than Romo? Ask that question to yourself out loud and let me know if it doesn't sound asinine.

 

[Nation]

There is nobody I want to see playing less meaningful snaps than Brandon Weeden. That's how I'm determining my non-existent MVP vote.

 

[xwalker]

No it's not.

This offense would have failed in 2013. It isn't just the YPC number that is important/impressive. It's the total number of totes.

When I see these types of posts, it makes me think of this:

 

[Risen Star]

There is nobody I want to see playing less meaningful snaps than Brandon Weeden. That's how I'm determining my non-existent MVP vote.

Right. It's most valuable player. Not necessarily the best player.

The Cowboys would be most hurt losing Romo and there isn't even a close 2nd.

 

[Race Bannon]

Ironic our MVP knocked out our best defensive player in the preseason, hmmm perhaps he knocked Lee out on purpose thereby thinning the competition.

 

[percyhoward]

Cowboys' NFL Rank
Conversion Percentage by Run
2011-2013
Short Yardage 21st
Goal Line 15th

2014 (games 1-8)
Short Yardage 4th
Goal Line 1st

This turnaround in the first half of the season is what changed the way defenses play our offense. Without this improvement in short yardage and goal line situations that earned the respect of defenses, we wouldn't have the opportunities for big plays in the passing game that we have now.

The high level of performance by the OL in the running game is the key to it all. There couldn't have been any change to a ground-based attack without it.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

When I see these types of posts, it makes me think of this:

 

[manster4ever]

With everyone shuffling their support for Murray and Romo as league MVP. I place my bet with Zach Martin, who without his overnight transformation of OL would not have allowed Murray and Romo to have career years. Lets be honest, Murray is same guy who's best year was 1,121 yards. Romo is same guy who had poor record in elimination games for his career. So what happend?

Dallas got lucky. Really lucky. Dallas was targeting in draft Ryan Shazier LB (who btw was injured most of year for Pitts and was not given starting job back). Jerry also was considering Manziel. Collectively they decided on Zach Martin. Performing like a 10 year veteran from day 1, the entire OL looked different. Linehan too one look at this group and knew this would be running team in 2014. Now Leary ability to pull was also big factor in line success but it was ultimately Martin pick that solidified the line into better ones in league and catapulted this team into playoffs. On sunday we get to watch power on power with Martin matchup with Suh. Sometimes it just best to be lucky.

Yeah, I love Zach and shouted to anyone that would listen before the draft last April that we should take him...stunned and gratified we did the right thing there obviously. Manziel is a tool and Shazier was severely overrated out of OSU.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Cowboys' NFL Rank
Conversion Percentage by Run
2011-2013
Short Yardage 21st
Goal Line 15th

2014 (games 1-8)
Short Yardage 4th
Goal Line 1st

This turnaround in the first half of the season is what changed the way defenses play our offense. Without this improvement in short yardage and goal line situations that earned the respect of defenses, we wouldn't have the opportunities for big plays in the passing game that we have now.

The high level of performance by the OL in the running game is the key to it all. There couldn't have been any change to a ground-based attack without it.

But Murray's YPC was impressive last year!

Oh wait...we only ran when Romo saw favorable matchups?

 

[percyhoward]

Uh, yeah. That's play calling. Kind of my point. The Dallas OL was doing a great job run blocking last year too. 5.2 YPA doesn't happen without it.

5.2 ypa did indeed happen last year on a team that wasn't nearly as good in obvious running situations as it was in the first half of this year. It's one thing to run for a big chunk when the defense is expecting pass, as Murray had done up until this year. But that's not necessarily a sign of an OL imposing its will.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Uh, yeah. That's play calling. Kind of my point. The Dallas OL was doing a great job run blocking last year too. 5.2 YPA doesn't happen without it. Had Murray been healthy last year and Callahan/Romo given him as many chances to run the rock as Linehan/Romo did this year, 2013 might have been completely different.

No you missed the point completely.

See above.

 

[Wood]

I love Zack (with a k) Martin, but he was not the only change from last year to this year. Both Fred and Leary started this season with a year of NFL starting experience under their belt. They started 2013 with zero NFL experience. Linehan came in as the new play-caller and made a commitment to the running game. It was clear in the off-season that the Cowboys organization was going to commit to the running game because Stephen, Jerry and Garrett all talked about it often. Murray started all 16 games for the first time in his career. His backups were clearly better than they were in 2013. Randle looked like a completely different player.

I actually saw DTs adjust to FredBeard this year. If they could go chest-to-chest with him - he was having trouble at times anchoring. If he gets his arms extended he excels. Smith was better in '13 than he was in '14. From what I saw it was Martin and Leary who really took big steps forward. Martin was best guard I watched this year. Many of us under-valued the guard spot as you usually don't draft guards early. Martin has changed my mind entirely about the position because as we saw the guard position was main reason for this team going to playoffs.