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2021 Dallas Cowboys - SIZZLER Open for a limited time. SF @ DAL (3 Viewers)

I'm pretty much bracing for a year from hell here. I can't imagine being worse than the Giants but still...feels like we actually could finish last in the division.

 
Y’all can put away the seppuku swords now. Sounds like he’s fine.

”Dak Prescott (shoulder) participated in 11-on-11 drills at Wednesday's practice.

He fired off 12 passes, completing 11 of them, and some were 20-plus yards down the field. It sounds like Prescott's shoulder is about as close to 100% as it can be, and he's very much on track to play Week 1. Nobody around the organization has seemed concerned about Dak's availability for the real games.”

 
Lol, Wut? 
McCarthy is a bottom 5 coach. We'd been assuming Dak comes back fine (idk maybe) even without mystery shoulder. The defense is still bad but at least that coaching should be an upgrade.

I'd rather be a pleasantly surprised pessimist than a disappointed optimist. Won't make me cheer any less hard on Sundays!

 
McCarthy is a bottom 5 coach. We'd been assuming Dak comes back fine (idk maybe) even without mystery shoulder. The defense is still bad but at least that coaching should be an upgrade.

I'd rather be a pleasantly surprised pessimist than a disappointed optimist. Won't make me cheer any less hard on Sundays!
Well for the time being at least you can remove Dak from your doom & gloom list. 
👍🏼

 
McCarthy is a bottom 5 coach. We'd been assuming Dak comes back fine (idk maybe) even without mystery shoulder. The defense is still bad but at least that coaching should be an upgrade.

I'd rather be a pleasantly surprised pessimist than a disappointed optimist. Won't make me cheer any less hard on Sundays!
I don’t want to fight with a fellow Cowboys fan but I disagree across the board. 
 

I keep looking for reasons to dislike McCarthy but other than hiring Mike Nolan as DC, I haven’t seen him do anything that upsets
 

I don’t think the defense is going to be bad at all. At worst, they had an average defense two years ago. That was with Marinelli who’s scheme was the ancient Tampa 2. Then last year we had the overly complicated Mike Nolan who set everything back because nobody knew WTF to do. Now we have a modern era coach with enthusiasm and a good scheme. 
 

I do worry about OL depth. I also worry that Lael Collins will be too light in the pants and might struggle. (He’s come into camp in great shape but in worry he lost too much weight). 
 

 
LOVING what I’m seeing from CeeDee and Cooper on Hard Knocks. Seeing the young buck asking the old head about technique and talking smack with Parsons made my night. 
 

 
McCarthy is a bottom 5 coach. We'd been assuming Dak comes back fine (idk maybe) even without mystery shoulder. The defense is still bad but at least that coaching should be an upgrade.

I'd rather be a pleasantly surprised pessimist than a disappointed optimist. Won't make me cheer any less hard on Sundays!
I'm trying to decide how I feel about McCarthy being a botton 5 coach. It does feel like all the obvious terrible coaches, Patricia, Lynn, Gase got canned last year. McCarthy exists in that group of coaches competent enough to hold on to the job for a long time but would need a ton of talent and good luck to really succeed. Zimmer, Gruden and Rivera are other examples. I call this the Marvin Lewis tier. 

Coaches I would rather have McCarthy over. Kingsbury, Taylor, Judge, Sirianni, Culley and also maybe Meyer, Gruden and Fangio. I think McCarthy being bottom 5 is a stretch.  

 
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I'm trying to decide how I feel about McCarthy being a botton 5 coach. It does feel like all the obvious terrible coaches, Patricia, Lynn, Gase got canned last year. McCarthy exists in that group of coaches competent enough to hold on to the job for a long time but would need a ton of talent and good luck to really succeed. Zimmer, Gruden and Rivera are other examples. I call this the Marvin Lewis tier. 

Coaches I would rather have McCarthy over. Kingsbury, Taylor, Judge, Sirianni, Culley and also maybe Meyer, Gruden and Fangio. I think McCarthy being bottom 5 is a stretch.  


Shocked to read this. Judge has impressed me and as a Cowboys fan Im terrified he will find success in NY. Im secretly hoping that he has to burn out in his first stop before "figuring it out" and finding success elsewhere. Unfortunately the NY Giants aren't the Browns and Belichick. 

 
Shocked to read this. Judge has impressed me and as a Cowboys fan Im terrified he will find success in NY. Im secretly hoping that he has to burn out in his first stop before "figuring it out" and finding success elsewhere. Unfortunately the NY Giants aren't the Browns and Belichick. 
Judge is also handcuffed to Gettleman right now, which hinders his capability to coach a successful team right now. Unless Gettleman is ousted after this season, Judge's time in NY could be cut short by having a bad GM.

 
Pats released Cam.  Call me crazy, but I'd take him over Rush as 2nd QB.


If we can get him 2 mil or less Im all on board - if they know he wont be an issue in the locker room. 

Ill take the former league MVP as my backup. 

 
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Honestly can't see how Dallas doesn't run away with this division this year (barring another Dak injury). Just having him back should allow at least 9 wins which should be enough. 

Anyway, I'll be keeping tabs because I got Zeke on my FF team. Absolute worst person I could have to root for being as he's a Cowboy and a Buckeye. But I do hope he has 150 total yards and 2 TDs every week. 

 
So what is the Cowboys plan at backup QB? The last I saw their only backup QB on the roster is Cooper Rush who has started no NFL games and completed 1 or 3 passes in his career. Are they planning to bring in a veteran backup?

 
So what is the Cowboys plan at backup QB? The last I saw their only backup QB on the roster is Cooper Rush who has started no NFL games and completed 1 or 3 passes in his career. Are they planning to bring in a veteran backup?


They also picked up Will Grier off of waivers (from Carolina). He's basically a better Rush. Has very good accuracy but lacks top level arm strength. (Im just parroting what ive read about him). 

Cooper Rush still has the advantage given that hes been in the same system for 2 or 3 years. 

ETA - Im perfectly happy with Cooper Rush. He is average but knows the system and hes cheap. I'd rather spend money elsewhere than backup QB. The cowboys don't have a great history of success with bringing in backups despite throwing plenty of resources at the position. 

 
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They also picked up Will Grier off of waivers (from Carolina). He's basically a better Rush. Has very good accuracy but lacks top level arm strength. (Im just parroting what ive read about him). 

Cooper Rush still has the advantage given that hes been in the same system for 2 or 3 years. 

ETA - Im perfectly happy with Cooper Rush. He is average but knows the system and hes cheap. I'd rather spend money elsewhere than backup QB. The cowboys don't have a great history of success with bringing in backups despite throwing plenty of resources at the position. 


I hear what you are saying. I just think in this season, with the Cowboys the clear favorites in the division and Dak coming off of a season of injury, they might want someone with more experience who could actually win a few games if needed in a pinch. Of course you guys just had Dalton, and he clearly wasn't worth the premium you guys were paying for a seasoned veteran, so maybe spending the resources elsewhere is a better way to go.

 
So what is the Cowboys plan at backup QB? The last I saw their only backup QB on the roster is Cooper Rush who has started no NFL games and completed 1 or 3 passes in his career. Are they planning to bring in a veteran backup?
Doesn’t matter. If Dak gets hurt they’re done

 
Not liking our odds if Martin is out. Just too much pressure up the middle. Depth again an issue. 

If you are the type of team who pays for stars, those stars have to be available. 

 
bad week for the 'Boys even with Martin. don't like the matchup. They have to figure out the dink-n-duck stuff because they need short passes to get around the pressure up the middle. 

I do like Dak to put up a lot of garbage pts but he'res the thing. TB is favored by 7.5?  thats a high o/u and a high pt spread. if/when TB pulls away in this game, do they sit Dak? I mean, is he benched midway through the 3rd quarter down 42-13?? no way you can start Dak this week.  

 
bad week for the 'Boys even with Martin. don't like the matchup. They have to figure out the dink-n-duck stuff because they need short passes to get around the pressure up the middle. 

I do like Dak to put up a lot of garbage pts but he'res the thing. TB is favored by 7.5?  thats a high o/u and a high pt spread. if/when TB pulls away in this game, do they sit Dak? I mean, is he benched midway through the 3rd quarter down 42-13?? no way you can start Dak this week.  
Bold prediction: Brady's COVID-scarred lungs have him out of the game by mid-2nd quarter. 'Boys shock the world with a 24-20 win.  :pickle:

 
bad week for the 'Boys even with Martin. don't like the matchup. They have to figure out the dink-n-duck stuff because they need short passes to get around the pressure up the middle. 

I do like Dak to put up a lot of garbage pts but he'res the thing. TB is favored by 7.5?  thats a high o/u and a high pt spread. if/when TB pulls away in this game, do they sit Dak? I mean, is he benched midway through the 3rd quarter down 42-13?? no way you can start Dak this week.  
Cowboys WRs >>> Buccaneers DBs. 

They’re going to lose, but it’s going to be like how they always lose, with a win within reach. 
 

 
Super annoying reading all the reactionary morons this morning.

Most annoying;

1) Run Zeke into a wall!!! He looks like he lost a step! 

2) The Cowboys defense is awful (Never mind they performed better than the SB champs winning defense last. If our defense sucks so bad, what’s that say about theirs? 

3) My favorite one - McCarthy sucks and this is connected to CeeDee lamb dropping passes. 

 

 
Super annoying reading all the reactionary morons this morning.

Most annoying;

1) Run Zeke into a wall!!! He looks like he lost a step! 

2) The Cowboys defense is awful (Never mind they performed better than the SB champs winning defense last. If our defense sucks so bad, what’s that say about theirs? 

3) My favorite one - McCarthy sucks and this is connected to CeeDee lamb dropping passes. 

 


Zeke looked great imo, but Pollard was sure on the field a lot.

Ceedee Lamb has always dropped passes.

eta - judging defenses week 1 is reactionary imo.  

 
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Zeke looked great imo, but Pollard was sure on the field a lot.

Ceedee Lamb has always dropped passes.

eta - judging defenses week 1 is reactionary imo.  
I also thought Zeke looked good in his limited touches. His best ability is always moving forward and he was able to do that a couple of times last night. 

That outside red zone run - I thought he should have went for the corner but after review he wasn’t going to make even if it was his rookie year. He had a couple carries for that he should have been stopped 3 yards into the backfield but he was able to squirm back to the LOS. 

Lamb will clean up those drops. He’s still so young. He seems like the type of player to want fix that. On the interception I think he had a case of alligator arms so that’s something to watch. 
 

Defenses -This defense is not going to be the same by the end of the year. I’m excited. 

 
Cowboys WRs >>> Buccaneers DBs. 

They’re going to lose, but it’s going to be like how they always lose, with a win within reach. 
 
Nice Prediction. Shows you know your team. I will be very surprised if the Cowboys are not the best of a bad bunch and win the NFC east. I think the Redskins, even with their potentially good defense, will have a hard time outscoring the Cowboys.

 
Super annoying reading all the reactionary morons this morning.

Most annoying;

1) Run Zeke into a wall!!! He looks like he lost a step! 

2) The Cowboys defense is awful (Never mind they performed better than the SB champs winning defense last. If our defense sucks so bad, what’s that say about theirs? 

3) My favorite one - McCarthy sucks and this is connected to CeeDee lamb dropping passes. 

 
Nobody runs on Tampa.  It was a solid game plan to throw it that many times. 

I'm not sure what you mean by performed better?  They capitalized on a couple boneheaded turnovers by RoJo, Fournette, and Godwin.  Not to mention the breadbasket dime Godwin also dropped.  But, they got very little pressure and really didn't stop Tampa's offense without the Bucs' help.

McCarthy throwing on that first down after getting into FG range late was the big mistake.  Had they run it 3 times there the Bucs likely don't have time to move it down the field for the winning kick.

 
Nobody runs on Tampa.  It was a solid game plan to throw it that many times. 

I'm not sure what you mean by performed better?  They capitalized on a couple boneheaded turnovers by RoJo, Fournette, and Godwin.  Not to mention the breadbasket dime Godwin also dropped.  But, they got very little pressure and really didn't stop Tampa's offense without the Bucs' help.

McCarthy throwing on that first down after getting into FG range late was the big mistake.  Had they run it 3 times there the Bucs likely don't have time to move it down the field for the winning kick.


Bucs D  gave up more yards and more points if the kicker doesn't miss a chip in. 

Im by no means suggesting the cowboys defense is very good, just saying the canned, hyperbolic line that the cowboys defense is going to be epically bad is not true. People just parrot what they have heard all offseason by analysts.

The defense will be better than average and thats all this offense needs. 

 
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Bucs D  gave up more yards and more points if the kicker doesn't miss a chip in. 

Im by no means suggesting the cowboys defense is very good, just saying the canned, hyperbolic line that the cowboys defense is going to be epically bad is not true. People just parrot what they have heard all offseason by analysts.

The defense will be better than average and thats all this offense needs. 
Lot of what ifs in that game.  I was very surprised by how sharp Dallas' offense was.  I did not expect that. 

Bucs are the first team in NFL history to lose the turnover battle -3, have over 100 yards of penalties, give up 450+ yards of offense, and still win the game...  Crazy.

 
Zeke had maybe 3 carries in the first half, they had no intention of trying to run vs the Bucks, Im not panicking on the run game..yet.  

Pass rush, need more pressure.  Parsons looked like a rookie.

That missed FG was brutal, but cant say it cost them the game.  If they had a 5 point lead, Brady still had a lot of time to get it in the end zone.  He just killed the clock at the end for the winning FG.  

Should be able to at least hang with the division foes this year. 

 
This team wins the East if they can get occasional stops and turnovers. Really fun team to watch. Wish McCarthy would have been more aggressive on 4th down, particularly the 4th and goal from the 3.

 
Not liking our odds if Martin is out. Just too much pressure up the middle. Depth again an issue.
he was clearly sorely missed last night. great game by the boys without him and you nailed it, depth will be a challenge for the season.

Dak looked great last night. I didn't look at the numbers but I'm guessing more than half of his completions were to whoever #35 was covering and he was all kinds of terrible and lost. I dunno if he's TB's normal starter or if he came in after that other corner got hurt, so kudos to the OC for recognizing this mismatch early and often.

Great opening game! Good luck cowboys fans.

 
This team wins the East if they can get occasional stops and turnovers. Really fun team to watch. Wish McCarthy would have been more aggressive on 4th down, particularly the 4th and goal from the 3.
yep. "McCarthy" is the antonym of "aggressive." it's really too bad, there is so much talent here to just hit the gas pedal all game.

 
My positive thoughts:

  • Pleasantly surprised by the defense - think I'm gonna like Quinn and Parsons!
  • Dak looked preeeeeeety good!
  • Ceedee is electric just like he's always been
  • Idk why I didn't get on the Amari Cooper bandwagon this year. Of course he's going to be good, TC injuries be damned. He's always playing through something and always great.
  • I love Gallup
Things I didn't like:

  • I think McCarthy is a bottom 5 coach and last night didn't change my mind. At least 3 fourth downs we should have gone for, and at least two sideline plays that we should have kept in bounds. Maybe that's all Moore, but I doubt it
  • Noooo Gallup got hurt makes me so sad
  • We won the turnover battle 4-1 and still lost. For a great offense...+3 in turnover margin should be a win every time
  • It felt like the first time Lewis had ever returned a kick or run back a turnover. No idea why he didn't cut across the field. Surely he and a bunch of DBs can outrun the angle of Tom Brady and a couple OL instead of trying to plow through them?
  • Ceedee gotta catch the damn ball
  • That interception was brutal and 95% receiver's fault on a perfect ball
 
Zeke had maybe 3 carries in the first half, they had no intention of trying to run vs the Bucks, Im not panicking on the run game..yet.  

Pass rush, need more pressure.  Parsons looked like a rookie.

That missed FG was brutal, but cant say it cost them the game.  If they had a 5 point lead, Brady still had a lot of time to get it in the end zone.  He just killed the clock at the end for the winning FG.  

Should be able to at least hang with the division foes this year. 
Better pass rush and better coverage by linebackers in space.  Gronk ran wild, but sometimes he be like that.

 
This is like a souped up version of the Romo era Cowboys.  Overall, better offensive weapons, and decent D, but still something is missing......I feel like the playcalling is going to get Dak killed.  I miss the days of pounding the rock to set up the pass......that was sposed to be the identity of this group.  It's great for FF, but in the long run, trying to boat race teams is going to fail, imo.

 
This is like a souped up version of the Romo era Cowboys.  Overall, better offensive weapons, and decent D, but still something is missing......I feel like the playcalling is going to get Dak killed.  I miss the days of pounding the rock to set up the pass......that was sposed to be the identity of this group.  It's great for FF, but in the long run, trying to boat race teams is going to fail, imo.
They don’t have road grading OLinemen though. 
 

Anybody else think Conner McGovern(so?) should taker over for Connor Williams? 

 
They don’t have road grading OLinemen though. 
 

Anybody else think Conner McGovern(so?) should taker over for Connor Williams? 
Yea I get that.  

I would just like to see Dak take less punishment.  Did Tom Brady take a hit on Thursday?  I get that Dak is not Brady, but I think getting the ball out of his hands quicker is good for long term viability

 
Now Collins suspended...
Ridiculous

Sep. 12: Collins is still fighting his suspension and is hopeful that the ban will be lifted or reduced, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes. Per La Canfora, Collins has been drug tested about 10 times per months for the last 18 months, and he did not test positive between October 21, 2020 and August 11, 2021.

However, as previous reports indicated, Collins’ suspension stems from missed tests, not positive test results. La Canfora says Collins has failed to appear for testing seven times, but Collins and his agent argue that there are good explanations for those missed tests. For instance, some of the testing dates were on days that the Cowboys sent players home due to a COVID-related issue.

At this point, Dallas can only hope that Collins and his reps will be able to convince the league to change its mind.

 
This is like a souped up version of the Romo era Cowboys.  Overall, better offensive weapons, and decent D, but still something is missing......I feel like the playcalling is going to get Dak killed.  I miss the days of pounding the rock to set up the pass......that was sposed to be the identity of this group.  It's great for FF, but in the long run, trying to boat race teams is going to fail, imo.
What's missing is a shut down corner.  As much as one game can, this game showed we can do adequate against the run.  Tampa wants to run the ball, but, they weren't able to any more than we were.  I think we've finally got enough big men and linebackers to do pretty well against the run.  IF we had a shut down corner so we could rotate the safety to the other side we'd have a formable defense, imo.  

I like that we recognized we weren't going to be able to run and still stood toe to toe with the world champs.  We will pound the rock against less formable defenses.  

 

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