2013 Official Dallas Cowboys Thread (1 Viewer)

[DevilDog919]

Wow, no mention of Sean Lee's 6 year extension?

Hope he stays healthy.

So, Doug Free at guard now, eh? What is this, 10 guys they've worked out at the position. ####### Jerry.

Romo better have worked out with Usain Bolt this offseason. Otherwise, this is shaping up to be a disaster.

And some guys, not sure if you were one of them or not, was pretty upset that we passed on DT Floyd and traded down to get Frederick. Just think what our Oline would look like right about now if Frederick weren't on the team, not nearly as bad as our Dline looks right now without Floyd.

I love the Lee signing. From the sounds of it the contract has language that saves the Cowboys a bunch if Lee remains injury prone, shows his character to allow that in the contract and to sign now, rather than to play out this season and show what he can do. I think the Cowboys saved themselves by locking him up now, and have one of the top ILB's in the game secured for his prime years. Love it!

Floyd in the 1st

Frederick in the 2nd

Duh

Frederick in the 1st...Glad we got him, sure, but not at the opportunity cost lost elsewhere. Escobar in the 2nd...completely unbelievable selection. Could have taken Floyd, gotten Frederick, and we ace this draft.

There is no guarantee that Frederick would have been there in the 2nd round. Jerry has gotten too cute in other drafts trading down and lost out on players they wanted. I'll stand behind that as a quality pick.

Escobar is one that I'll agree is questionable, too many other needs and available players that could have stepped in and helped this year.

Good value on the Lee contract!!! Only gets full amount if he plays 80% of snaps, here's to hoping he gets every dollar

BTW, when has a Cowboys thread been stuck on one page for so long, since June 3 on page 12??? I'll take the glass is half-full attitude that the 'boys are taking care of business and staying out of the news.

I'll take the glass is 3/4 empty approach and suggest that it's the result that we've seen this all play out before. Just waiting for the inevitable collapse. Not even sure there will be disappointment, which would presuppose hope.

Can't speak for everyone, but this is a big reason that I've never posted in this thread much. There is no winning with some of these guys.

We've upgraded the O-line this year. Our defense is mostly healthy. Miles finally seems healthy. Dez has matured. New defensive coach that I believe to be an upgrade over Ryan (I believe our current players fit this scheme more + think Ryan is over-rated).

I'm personally looking forward to this coming season.

 

[cobalt_27]

Wow, no mention of Sean Lee's 6 year extension?

Hope he stays healthy.

So, Doug Free at guard now, eh? What is this, 10 guys they've worked out at the position. ####### Jerry.

Romo better have worked out with Usain Bolt this offseason. Otherwise, this is shaping up to be a disaster.

And some guys, not sure if you were one of them or not, was pretty upset that we passed on DT Floyd and traded down to get Frederick. Just think what our Oline would look like right about now if Frederick weren't on the team, not nearly as bad as our Dline looks right now without Floyd.

I love the Lee signing. From the sounds of it the contract has language that saves the Cowboys a bunch if Lee remains injury prone, shows his character to allow that in the contract and to sign now, rather than to play out this season and show what he can do. I think the Cowboys saved themselves by locking him up now, and have one of the top ILB's in the game secured for his prime years. Love it!

Floyd in the 1st

Frederick in the 2nd

Duh

Frederick in the 1st...Glad we got him, sure, but not at the opportunity cost lost elsewhere. Escobar in the 2nd...completely unbelievable selection. Could have taken Floyd, gotten Frederick, and we ace this draft.

There is no guarantee that Frederick would have been there in the 2nd round. Jerry has gotten too cute in other drafts trading down and lost out on players they wanted. I'll stand behind that as a quality pick.Escobar is one that I'll agree is questionable, too many other needs and available players that could have stepped in and helped this year.

Good value on the Lee contract!!! Only gets full amount if he plays 80% of snaps, here's to hoping he gets every dollar

BTW, when has a Cowboys thread been stuck on one page for so long, since June 3 on page 12??? I'll take the glass is half-full attitude that the 'boys are taking care of business and staying out of the news.

I'll take the glass is 3/4 empty approach and suggest that it's the result that we've seen this all play out before. Just waiting for the inevitable collapse. Not even sure there will be disappointment, which would presuppose hope.

Can't speak for everyone, but this is a big reason that I've never posted in this thread much. There is no winning with some of these guys.

We've upgraded the O-line this year. Our defense is mostly healthy. Miles finally seems healthy. Dez has matured. New defensive coach that I believe to be an upgrade over Ryan (I believe our current players fit this scheme more + think Ryan is over-rated).

I'm personally looking forward to this coming season.

I'm just saying we've all been down this road year after year. It's like Charlie Brown thinking maybe this will be the year he finally kicks the football. We've had this discussion about the OL being better. Every year. Remember 2009 when we had so many problems on special teams the year before, traded all our picks to move down repeatedly, accumulated a bunch of special teamers, and we thought this was the missing piece, and how none of those guys remain on the team today? Remember how excited we were about the new defense with Wade Philips? Remember the excitement about the new defense with Rob Ryan? Remember how excited we were by the discipline Garrett would bring to the team as the new head coach?

And, forgive me, I love Miles Austin. But guys with hamstring problems always have hamstring problems. It's a matter of time before they sproing out of joint again.

We will win games we shouldn't this year. We will lose games we have no business of losing. Until the culture changes, this will be a 7-9 to 9-7 team. Nothing has changed.

I look forward to the season as well because its football and all is right with the world when there is football on my tv screen and when I can make a trip to Dallas to see my beloved team play in a gorgeous football venue. Don't misinterpret my cynicism as anything more than just that. I'm just sick of watching this team drive in neutral and how much is made over nothing but small changes manufactured around the margins.

 

[Bankerguy]

I see both sides.

I don't see a deep playoff run or anything. Oline will be our downfall again.

Like everyone else, I am super pumped to watch the Cowboys. We are a little better then last year and with some solid play and a few breaks we will win our share of games. That will be fun.

Really hope the Oline gets fixed at some point.

 

[Manster]

Until otherwise proven, this is an 8-8 team. They lack the depth to withstand an entire NFL season. This is a mediocre NFL franchise.

That said, I'll be watching closely. Cant wait to see Lee and Carter. D.Ware and Spencer @ D end.

 

[Bob Magaw]

Isaac Bruce is a player that had bad hammies early, but managed to figure out a stretching regimen that prevented this from recurring later... though he was probably younger when he turned the corner...

 

[B-Deep]

aren't people tired of arguing the draft yet?

 

[B-Deep]

I think the boys can be better than 8-8, because i think Garrett costs us a couple of wins a year. I am hopeful that not claling the plays will mean a more consistent offense and perhaps he'll stop screwing up game management

plus if the defense improves (which I believe they will) that could make a huge impact. It would be nice if Romo did not have to come from behind all of the time, and a tougher defense could help there

 

[Bankerguy]

aren't people tired of arguing the draft yet?

Not sure anyone is arguing. However, as a fan it can be annoying watching management continually ignore certain positions like Guard/Safety/RT and draft TE's in the second round. Yes, Escobar may turn into a decent player, however it's safe to say that taking one of the available Guards would really have helped us more "now".

It's all good.

Let's get this season rolling.

 

[cobalt_27]

Looks like Leary is our 2013 LG. Yay.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4713266/jerry-jones-hints-nate-livings-has-serious-knee-issue?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

[cobalt_27]

But, at least Dez is the #1 rated WR in some fantasy publications. With his injury and maturity issues 100% undeniably no longer a question whatsoever in anyone's mind at all... I suppose this is defensible.

Or lunacy.

 

[EBF]

As an outsider, I wonder about the Cowboys scouting department. They drafted a bunch of guys this year who have suspect tools on paper (Williams, Randle, Escobar). It makes me wonder if their scouting department is too old school and not lending enough weight to factors besides subjective scout evaluations.

Williams led the NCAA in receiving.

Randle is basically a carbon copy of Murray so if Murray does get hurt...

Not sure what you are talking about.

A month late, but...

All three of those guys don't score very well from a height/weight/speed/explosiveness standpoint.

They're the type of prospects that the scouts love based on game film, but who don't really stand out on paper.

The fact that the Cowboys drafted all three of them suggests that the team emphasizes subjective scout opinions pretty strongly in their decisions rather than putting a strong emphasis on workout numbers, as many teams seem to do (for example the Colts using first round picks on workout warriors Joseph Addai and Donald Brown).

 

[Ariakis]

The problem is for now that all 3 of these skill position guys appear to be behind expectations and creating a bit of a roster albatross in that they are too good to try to stash on the PS and not good enough yet that we'd want to get on the field. To win in 2013 had they taken another OL, S, and DL with those 3 picks I'd feel more comfortable about THIS season.

 

[Ridgelake]

Not sure if Williams is behind schedule. he's in line to be the #3 WR, beating out Harris. Not a trivial accomplishment.

Randle was a 5th round pick. Expecting great things out of that round seems optimistic. Give some credit to Dunbar for really stepping up and taking the #2 spot.

Escobar, well, he's got some work to do.....

 

[fasteddie_21]

Can't watch the game til tomorrow on DTV here, so some input would be appreciated tonight, fellas.

 

[Bankerguy]

Game thoughts

-Dez 1-1 is almost uncover able.

-loved loved loved Romo chewing out Escobar. Thats what I'm talking about.

-Austin looks smooth.

-Thought the Oline had a decent game, far from perfect.

-We still suck on ST's

-Nice to us get some turnovers

-Garrett benches Murray for a fumble for the first half. Murray comes out in the 3rd quarter with some urgency. Good coaching.

-Tanner looks good too. We have depth at RB for sure.

-Lee is worth every penny he got.

Good game...lots to be happy about

Edit- Frederick, we got a heck of a center.

 

[BassNBrew]

Not sure if Williams is behind schedule. he's in line to be the #3 WR, beating out Harris. Not a trivial accomplishment.

Randle was a 5th round pick. Expecting great things out of that round seems optimistic. Give some credit to Dunbar for really stepping up and taking the #2 spot.

Escobar, well, he's got some work to do.....

Who is the back up in Dallas? Pre-season stats show Randle getting more carries and success.

 

[Concept Coop]

Not sure if Williams is behind schedule. he's in line to be the #3 WR, beating out Harris. Not a trivial accomplishment.

Randle was a 5th round pick. Expecting great things out of that round seems optimistic. Give some credit to Dunbar for really stepping up and taking the #2 spot.

Escobar, well, he's got some work to do.....

Who is the back up in Dallas? Pre-season stats show Randle getting more carries and success.

Dunbar. Randle started to look good yesterday, but was pretty bad up to it. Him getting more carries doesn't mean much, imo, as Dunbar was always the first or 2nd back in, when he played.

 

[Bankerguy]

Free to stay at OG. Hopefully we run a lot of 12 to help Parnell.

 

[cobalt_27]

Free to stay at OG. Hopefully we run a lot of 12 to help Parnell.

Yes.

Hell, Hanna might be our best run blocker. Put him at guard. It can't be worse than the slugs we have as options now.

 

[Bankerguy]

So....

Smith Leary "The beard" Free Parnell

 

[Ridgelake]

So....

Smith Leary "The beard" Free Parnell

I think its more like:

Smith, Leary, Fred, Bernie, Free.

or in case of Leary not being ready: Smith, Bernie, Fred, Free, Parnell.

Bernie is a better guard than Parnell is OT. They are trying to get their best 5 on the field.

 

[Ridgelake]

Jay Ratliff is on PUP now. Out the first 6 weeks of the season, at least. Let the "We shoulda taken Floyd!" brigade begin.

 

[jkruppe]

Lotta' moves the last couple of days. Waters finally in.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2013/09/source-dallas-cowboys-agree-to-terms-with-six-time-pro-bowl-og-brian-waters.html/

 

[Bankerguy]

Lotta' moves the last couple of days. Waters finally in.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2013/09/source-dallas-cowboys-agree-to-terms-with-six-time-pro-bowl-og-brian-waters.html/

Hearing not ready until week 2

 

[Ridgelake]

Lotta' moves the last couple of days. Waters finally in.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2013/09/source-dallas-cowboys-agree-to-terms-with-six-time-pro-bowl-og-brian-waters.html/

Hearing not ready until week 2

Yes. But 15 weeks of what hopefully is above-avergae guard play is 15 weeks better than we had before.

This appears to be a material upgrade, overall, to the whole OL. On the inside, Leary, Fred, Waters versus Livings, Cook, Bernie last year. And an improved Free at RT. And a Tyron without major off-field distractions.

I am encouraged about this and am hopeful that it will translate into improved run lanes and time for Romo to throw. It is clear to me that Garrett recognizes the OL problems and is trying to fix it.

 

[jkruppe]

Lotta' moves the last couple of days. Waters finally in.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2013/09/source-dallas-cowboys-agree-to-terms-with-six-time-pro-bowl-og-brian-waters.html/

Hearing not ready until week 2

Yes. But 15 weeks of what hopefully is above-avergae guard play is 15 weeks better than we had before.

This appears to be a material upgrade, overall, to the whole OL. On the inside, Leary, Fred, Waters versus Livings, Cook, Bernie last year. And an improved Free at RT. And a Tyron without major off-field distractions.

I am encouraged about this and am hopeful that it will translate into improved run lanes and time for Romo to throw. It is clear to me that Garrett recognizes the OL problems and is trying to fix it.

Agreed. And having the strong guy next to Fred will help with his development as well. This is a good signing. Dude just doesn't like training camp. He's earned that.

 

[Bankerguy]

Gotta say the Oline could be decent. Weird.

 

[infantsam]

Are you guys working an entirely new interior OL?

What is the premature verdict?

 

[Bankerguy]

We upgraded an awful o-line. The interior could be dramatically better.

Last year was Smith Livings Cook/Costa Bernadeau Free.

This year is Smith Waters Frederick Leary Free.

1/ Smith gets his second year at LT and should continue to develop.

2/ The recently signed Waters is 36 year old former pro bowler. He is coming off 18 months away from the game. I don't expect Pro Bowl caliber play, but he is significant upgrade over Livings who was craptastic. Waters should have a calming influence on rookie center Frederick.

3/ Frederick has been extremely impressive in camp and in preseason. Massive upgrade. Smart, physical and already showing leadership qualities. Love this guy.

4/ Leary was a highly touted prospect until developing a bad knee. He is not flashy but can be solid, steady and serviceable. Health is a concern. He is a small upgrade if healthy.

5/ Free had one of the worst years I can remember from Cowboy o-line in history of the franchise. Penalties, sacks and mental errors galore. This camp he appears to have improved. He had a stint at guard as well. If he can cut down his penalties and sacks by 30 percent....we got a top 15 line.

 

[Manster]

Apparently, Stephen Jones is saying the O-line problems are solved by signing Waters. He hasnt played in over a year and he's older than dirt.

Forgive me if I'm not super optimstic. I wanna see how these guys perform as a group against real life competition, before annointing them anything.

I understand we look better off than last season. I'm excited to see Beard in regular season action. Smith has been gettin schooled by D.Ware=making him better. He should be solid. Free cant be worse than last season, right? Reports are he's been working hard and it shows.

O-lines operate best as a cohesive unit that has time together in the trenches.

Cant wait for Sunday night! Bring on the G-men!

 

[jkruppe]

It's a good thing the O-line is fixed because Ben Bass dislocated his shoulder today in practice and will be out 2-4 weeks. We're down to Hatcher, a couple of walk-on's and a ball boy at DT. Cobalt should have a field day with this.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2013/09/source-dt-ben-bass-will-likely-miss-first-month-of-regular-season-with-a-dislocated-shoulder.html/

 

[cobalt_27]

It's a good thing the O-line is fixed because Ben Bass dislocated his shoulder today in practice and will be out 2-4 weeks. We're down to Hatcher, a couple of walk-on's and a ball boy at DT. Cobalt should have a field day with this.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2013/09/source-dt-ben-bass-will-likely-miss-first-month-of-regular-season-with-a-dislocated-shoulder.html/

Karma.

Oh and #### you, Jerry.

 

[cobalt_27]

Gotta say the Oline could be decent. Weird.

I suspect top-20 ranking by the focus guys. Splendidly mediocre, which is an improvement.

Now, about that DL. Can you imagine Floyd and Fred with picks 1 and 2? Now, THAT'S how you maximize talent, draft position and the perfect marriage with need. Fred-Escobar, however..I don't believe I will ever let it go. I just won't. I can't.

 

[Ridgelake]

Gotta say the Oline could be decent. Weird.

Now, about that DL. Can you imagine Floyd and Fred with picks 1 and 2? Now, THAT'S how you maximize talent, draft position and the perfect marriage with need. Fred-Escobar, however..I don't believe I will ever let it go. I just won't. I can't.

Well, at least you've moved to recognizing that Fred appears to be a decent player. That's progress. But unless and until you realize that he would not have been available with our 2nd pick, you're right, you won't let it go.

Not that it matters to you, but I've done enough research and seen enough comments and links to have a high degree of confidence that Fred would not have made it to our 2nd pick.

Garrett chose to fix the OL first. And he appears to have made a significant amount of progress. Kiffen and Marinelli didnt seem all that high on Floyd. Perhaps next draft someone will catch their fancy.

 

[cobalt_27]

Gotta say the Oline could be decent. Weird.

Now, about that DL. Can you imagine Floyd and Fred with picks 1 and 2? Now, THAT'S how you maximize talent, draft position and the perfect marriage with need. Fred-Escobar, however..I don't believe I will ever let it go. I just won't. I can't.

Well, at least you've moved to recognizing that Fred appears to be a decent player. That's progress. But unless and until you realize that he would not have been available with our 2nd pick, you're right, you won't let it go.

Not that it matters to you, but I've done enough research and seen enough comments and links to have a high degree of confidence that Fred would not have made it to our 2nd pick.

Garrett chose to fix the OL first. And he appears to have made a significant amount of progress. Kiffen and Marinelli didnt seem all that high on Floyd. Perhaps next draft someone will catch their fancy.

I've never suggested anything at all about not liking Fred at all. I think he is likely going to be a serviceable, if not outright good, center. I just hate the spot where we selected him, and I have done enough research of my own to conclude that he absolutely would have been available in the second and this intel about other teams snatching him up before us is just manufactured nonsense designed to help us cope with the cognitive dissonance.

Regardless, we had to take Floyd in the 1st and didn't. Looking at our board, its difficult to make sense of Kiffen and Marinelli not liking Floyd. unless they changed their minds when we got on the clock. See, this is the problem with revisionist history storytelling. While your version helps mitigate the buyer's remorse, it does nothing to change the reality of the fact that we ####ed up and that's likely due to the fact that Jerry can't help but want to wheel and deal, always thinking he's the smartest one in the room. Most likely scenario is Floyd was our highest rated player on the board, Jerry got impulsive, and here we are. Then he compounds the problem by taking Escobar in the 2nd.

So yes here we are. At least this isn't 2009. I'm assuming Fred and maybe Williams will amount to good NFL players. So, at least we got something.

 

[B-Deep]

jesus christ i am sick of hearing about floyd already

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Floyd is going to be an average DT and nothing more. No thanks.

 

[DevilDog919]

Cobalt, can you please like another team and take your negativity to their thread? Thanks.

LOL at you've done your extensive research about Fred "absolutely" being there for our 2nd. Google tell you that? Did you question all other 31 teams in the league? If not then you have "absolutely" no idea what you are talking about. He was the next highest ranked offensive lineman on the board, came from a school known for producing lineman, and was one of the smartest kids in the draft. I doubt he would have lasted a whole round later, but at this point we will never know. What we do know, is he looks like a solid pick even at the spot we took him in.

Maybe you like the Broncos and their explosive offense? Maybe the Pats? Someone. Please. You are ruining this thread.

 

[cobalt_27]

Cobalt, can you please like another team and take your negativity to their thread? Thanks.

LOL at you've done your extensive research about Fred "absolutely" being there for our 2nd. Google tell you that? Did you question all other 31 teams in the league? If not then you have "absolutely" no idea what you are talking about. He was the next highest ranked offensive lineman on the board, came from a school known for producing lineman, and was one of the smartest kids in the draft. I doubt he would have lasted a whole round later, but at this point we will never know. What we do know, is he looks like a solid pick even at the spot we took him in.

Maybe you like the Broncos and their explosive offense? Maybe the Pats? Someone. Please. You are ruining this thread.

We didn't have to wait a whole round to get him in the 2nd. And, I am not ever going to apologize for hating the mismanagement of the team I love. But, if you'd like rosé colored glasses and team-can-do-no-wrong talk, there are plenty of Cowyboy fans who will give you exactly that.Predictions for tonight's game? I think is is one of the 8 we win this year.

31-24 Cowboys

 

[cobalt_27]

Will take a freebie 3 pts but still. Tyron with a FS and Bernie letting the rush in on romo limits the damage against the giants.

 

[cobalt_27]

Will Allen with awesome safety help on the Nicks play. That's awesome.

 

[cobalt_27]

We get three early TOs and...this. Tied 3-3. So dumb.

 

[cobalt_27]

Love that secondary

 

[cobalt_27]

Terrance Williams is just awesome.

 

[cobalt_27]

So, let's discuss this improved OL. Anyone?

 

[Bankerguy]

Stop Cobalt you are better then this.

It is not pretty though.

 

[cobalt_27]

Stop Cobalt you are better then this.

It is not pretty though.

no one else seems to be around. Opening night. Kind of weird, no?

 

[cobalt_27]

The pressure has been awesome, I will say

 

[cobalt_27]

Thank god for David Wilson. Wow.

 

[DevilDog919]

Stop Cobalt you are better then this.

It is not pretty though.

no one else seems to be around. Opening night. Kind of weird, no?

Hmm. Wonder why?