Time for a Dallas thread

[sirensong 111]

It seems like every year, the Dallas faithful say "this is our season". And 5 months later, we're all banging our collective head into the wall. Is this year going to be any different? It's easy to be optimistic in the offseason, as we look back and say "well, they only have to fix a couple of areas". But let's be real--we haven't made a ton of actual, tangible progress where it counts. Sure, we can point to last season and say that we were a competitive 8-8, and played top teams tough. But we also got swept by the only 2 real football teams in our division (and if you're the type who gets butthurt about a fan saying "we", just ask your life partner to hold you for a while).

 

So what are those couple of areas, as you see them? I look at 2011, and see three glaring weaknesses:

 

-coverage

-offensive line

-red zone offense, particularly the running game (related to the above)

 

Now, there's no question JJ and JG addressed the first two by acquiring talent. Watching film of Carr shutting down C. Johnson inspires a lot of optimism, but a lot of scouts out there said that Dallas paid for potential, not production. And drafting Claiborne was certainly an aggressive move, but one has to wonder if DeCastro wouldn't have been a more solid pick. This has been highlighted by an injury to one of or shiny new FA acquisitions at guard. The loss of Bennett hurts a lot, also. Last season, we scored three rushing TDs. Three (or was it two?). There's no question that Murray can run, but can he hold up?

 

So what I'm wondering is how well the Cowboys can actually match up against the rest of the division? The SB isn't even worth thinking about right now--the only thing that matters is winning the East. How do Carr and Claiborne match up against Nicks and Cruz? How do Lee and Carter match up against Vick, McCoy, and the PHI interior line? And from a team management standpoint, did JJ make the right call by putting such a strong focus on the defense during the talent acquisition phase?

 

To my mind, I think he did--the offense was competitive, while the defense just hasn't performed at a playoff level for several years. I think that along with Tyron Smith, DeCastro would have been a pick that would have stabilized a top-quality OL for a number of years. But I also think that those years would have been filled with offensive highlights, but no championships.

 

What do you guys think?

[ralphster 274]

Good post. Addressing the defense was badly needed, but you have to wonder how the O Line is going to hold up with new starters at guard and the same underwhelming center. Silva's ranked them 16th going into this year, but I'd be surprised if they finish that high. Dallas threw for a very high percentage of their scores last year and I don't see that dropping much this year simply because of shoddy interior line play. That caps Murray's value a bit in my eyes since he'll have trouble scoring in the red zone.

 

Prognostication: Dallas offensive skill players in the passing game (Romo, Austin, Bryant, Witten) put up better numbers than their average draft positions making them value plays, while the running game stays about the same making Murray a solid RB2. Felix remains the same frustrating mix of potential and injury.

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

First of all, I hate Dallas like poison, but I'll try to be polite.

 

The Cowboys have been one of the most interesting teams the last couple of years and will be again. They have all world caliber skill talent, and a great pass rush.

 

Is this the year a coach or team leader steps up and makes this group of talent play like a team? If they do, they are a contender. If not, its another borderline playoff team.

 

Should be fun to watch.

[Little Rusty 17]

As long as Romo & Murray stay relatively healthy, i think they make a great run this year. I'm looking forward to it.They lost way too many games last year because of the weak secondary, i believe they'll be vastly improved and it'll result in many more Wins.

 

[sportswear13 0]

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[WhiteWonder 2,171]

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definitely be a regular viewer.

 

can we focking ban this guy already?

[sirensong 111]

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definitely be a regular viewer.

 

ESL student?

[Gepetto 979]

(KFFL) Dallas Cowboys CB Mike Jenkins will not attend organized team workouts that start Tuesday, May 22, and wants the team to trade him. A trade involving Jenkins could be difficult because the team will be looking for significant compensation in return and Jenkins likely would look to get a new deal from his new team.

 

Good riddance. I really hate this guy.

[sirensong 111]

(KFFL) Dallas Cowboys CB Mike Jenkins will not attend organized team workouts that start Tuesday, May 22, and wants the team to trade him. A trade involving Jenkins could be difficult because the team will be looking for significant compensation in return and Jenkins likely would look to get a new deal from his new team.

 

Good riddance. I really hate this guy.

 

i don't hate him--he put up a pretty gutsy season in '11, fighting through a ton of injuries. i honestly think he's underappreciated, and to a degree i can understand why he's upset. then again, he created this situation by his less than gutsy rookie year, and then his terrible '10 campaign.

 

ultimately, he isn't going to get traded because it wouldn't make sense for the cowboys or any potential suitors. his contract is very cap-friendly for dallas, he has to play hard because this is a contract season for him, and they're not going to let a former 1st rounder and pro bowl player go without getting something serious in return.

 

so it's going to be really interesting to see how things shake out in the sub-packages, especially with scandrick having gotten the extension last season.

[jgcrawfish 232]

ESL student?

 

Please do the needful.

[GreenTD 56]

(KFFL) Dallas Cowboys CB Mike Jenkins will not attend organized team workouts that start Tuesday, May 22, and wants the team to trade him. A trade involving Jenkins could be difficult because the team will be looking for significant compensation in return and Jenkins likely would look to get a new deal from his new team.

 

Good riddance. I really hate this guy.

 

Yeah, not sure if he was always in the right place at the right time the year he made the Pro Bowl, but he's been awful the past couple years. He gets repeatedly burned by opposing wideouts on a weekly basis. That's why Jerry Jones went out & paid Brandon Carr in free agency & made the bold move to trade up for Morris Claiborne.

 

Dallas's secondary has been their Achilles heal & no matter how good their pass rush is, if their corners can't play man coverage, Rob Ryan's defense can't function correctly. With their offseason additions, it'll be interesting to see if they can make a run in the playoffs like every Cowboys fan proclaims this time of year.

[Joey Gladstone 33]

I just started my yearly mocking rituals. I've seen Murray sneaking up into the late 1st in 12 team mocks. Being an owner of him last year I can get on board with this. Hopefully he can avoid injury this year.

 

Any word on Bryant being less of a knucklehead? He was frustrating to own last year but If I'm staring at him around his ADP the talent is too hard to pass up.

 

I find that teams that I mock getting Eli or Romo in the 5 to 6 round range look pretty damn good.

[sirensong 111]

 

Any word on Bryant being less of a knucklehead? He was frustrating to own last year but If I'm staring at him around his ADP the talent is too hard to pass up.

 

 

watched some video of broaddus' film work on him, and according to the scout, dez progressed a lot in the back half of last season WRT route discipline and knowing where he fits in the offense. he has been a regular at the ranch offseason program, which is a good sign. today is the first OTA that the press gets to see, so there may be more news tonight or tomorrow.

[GreenTD 56]

I just started my yearly mocking rituals. I've seen Murray sneaking up into the late 1st in 12 team mocks. Being an owner of him last year I can get on board with this. Hopefully he can avoid injury this year.

 

Any word on Bryant being less of a knucklehead? He was frustrating to own last year but If I'm staring at him around his ADP the talent is too hard to pass up.

 

I find that teams that I mock getting Eli or Romo in the 5 to 6 round range look pretty damn good.

 

Murray in the 1st? I'm viewing him like Richardson. Immense talent but not proven enough to draft in the 1st round. If I'm drafting in the 6-12 range & can land them in the 2nd round, then I'm all for it. Both guys will probably go earlier than I'd like so I'll wait another year before I can select them in the 1st.

 

As for Bryant, I agree. He's burned me last year but due to his lackluster previous 2 years his stock has dropped. Getting him as a high upside WR2 or WR3 would be too hard to pass on.

 

I've only taken a quarterback once in the 1st round in my 15 years of playing fantasy football. It worked out alright during the regular season but got bounced in the 1st round due to lack of depth at other positions. This year is a great year to wait on the quarterback position. I'd rather get a RB1 in the 1st & pair him with a Eli, Romo or Rivers in the mid-rounds instead of a Rodgers/Brady paired with a Willis McGahee or otherwise RB2's or 3's found in the mid-rounds.

[sirensong 111]

Murray in the 1st? I'm viewing him like Richardson. Immense talent but not proven enough to draft in the 1st round.

 

As for Bryant, I agree. He's burned me last year but due to his lackluster previous 2 years his stock has dropped. Getting him as a high upside WR2 or WR3 would be too hard to pass on.

 

agreed on both points. unfortunately, i live in DFW where both guys will be overvalued (though dez will be less so). differ on draft strategy for murray though--value-wise, i think of him as an RB2 for a guy who's drafting out of the 1 or 2 spot to pick up at the 2/3 turn. one thing that is going to bear close watching is the FB situation. the local press has been talking about how well murray and fiametta worked together last season--they were really on the same page WRT reads. things might not be as smooth this season, but we won't know until they get to camp.

 

pre-mocks, i'm thinking about murray at the bottom of 2, and dez anywhere in the 6th. but like i said, they won't last that long in my leagues, so i probably won't have to worry about it.

[sirensong 111]

here is the initial OTA report from broaddus. he's an experienced NFL scout, so his opinions are more valuable than a lot of press guys:

 

broaddus blog

 

this brings forward an interesting question--all 3 of dallas' top corners (carr, claiborne, and jenkins) normally play the right side, and their 4th corner is a slot guy. this may sound trivial, but a lot of corners play distinctly better on one side.

 

i also like that garrett clamped down on the jenkins issue, saying very firmly that he isn't going to be traded. JJ is capable of anything, but i don't see JG making that kind of statement without the blessing of the front office.

[Fantasy Noob 10]

I wonder if they have the talent at safety to do what the lesser Ryan wants on defense. Namely man up the corners and do crazy blitz schemes, if they could pull this off it would make a dramatic jump in their defense and a possible boost to scoring and interceptions by the defense.

 

They will need a strong leader in that secondary and some better safeties to do what the Jets do. I think this defense is still a year away and a couple of key players short, namely a safety good in coverage and a strong run support/blitz safety along with a secondary pass rush threat. There close and they should improve but I just don't think they have the personnel to do what Ryan wants on defense currently.

 

If they could get some stable O-line play this team could make a dramatic jump rather quickly. I am not a Cowboys fan but I think it comes down to them and the Eagles in this division and the Giants suffer a Superbowl hangover. If RGIII played like Newton out of the gate this could be one of the most fascinating divisions to watch.

[sirensong 111]

 

Any word on Bryant being less of a knucklehead? He was frustrating to own last year but If I'm staring at him around his ADP the talent is too hard to pass up.

 

 

an update on this, from DC.com:

 

Off the field, Bryant has had to come a long way in his punctuality, attention to detail in the classroom, devotion to the playbook and commitment to bettering himself physically.

 

Slowly but surely, after two years of not being the absolute sensation he has been the rest of his life, Bryant has made progress.

 

it's a team source, but ellis isn't usually a rah-rah writer.

[Joey Gladstone 33]

an update on this, from DC.com:

 

 

 

it's a team source, but ellis isn't usually a rah-rah writer.

 

Yeah, I've been reading a lot of good stuff on Dez. I'd draft him again.

[GreenTD 56]

If he falls to me in the 5-6th rounds, he's worth the headache.

[polecatt 399]

As a diehard Cowboys fan I must say this season will come down to a few things.

 

1. Obviously they have to stay healthy. Nothing ruins a season like injuries.

 

2. The interior OL has to play better and mostly stronger. They got pushed around way too easy last year and Romo had no time.

 

3. Jason Garrett has to improve. No icing his own kicker or any of the other blunders he had last year that cost the team dearly. This definitely includes play calling.

 

4. More pass rush from someone not name DeMarcus Ware. Once teams dodged the wave that Ware brings the QB could move around wherever he wanted for as long as he wanted. That has to improve.

 

 

Those are the main things I see that could derail them this year. They have a lot of talent but a lot of holes. They definitely have filled some of the holes in the secondary which will help tremendously, hopefully with #4. I'm not so sure about the interior OL. I'll have to wait and see if the new guys they brought in make any difference or if anyone improves. I think it will be better though, just not sure how much. If these things happen the team will be in contention come playoff time. I don't mean for a playoff spot I mean for a Super Bowl Title. They may not be the favorites but they will definitely be the team no one wants to play.

[jgcrawfish 232]

I'm somewhat refraining from commenting on the Cowboys, who I would normally rag on, because I honestly see this as the year they turn it around. Their biggest problem was addressed in the secondary, where a weakness has become a strength. With health to Austin, Bryant and their RB stable this is as explosive a team as anybody in the league. Romo will be a great value in FF leagues. Their biggest obstacle is mental mistakes and the fact that their division is loaded, particularly if RGIII comes into Washington and makes them competitive. I don't have much bad to say about the Cowboys yet this year.