2017 Cowboys: NoMo' Romo (or playoffs)

Greg29fan

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Pretty much word for word what Mike Lombardi said on his podcast this morning while also adding that Garrett has no idea how to adjust if he's missing a key player or two. His conclusion is Jerry Jones must like the way he claps on the sideline.
He doesn't say anything if Jerrah or Stephen want to do some meddling, which is the biggest plus a coach in the Jones era can get.
 

Bosoxen

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Any early word on whether Lee or Smith will be playing next week?
Not officially but reading the tea leaves I'd guess Smith plays and Lee doesn't.
To expand on this, I saw a report yesterday on CBS that suggested he's likely to miss at least the next two games. The short week leading up to Thanksgiving would really cut into his recovery time, meaning we'll get to see Melvin Gordon run roughshod over the defense. The bright side (if there is one) is, those of us who care, will get to eat more after the game because it's unlikely we'll be able to keep anything down watching that "defense".

Update: Just heard on the radio Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News saying that Lee will likely be out at least three games. Judging by how generally slow he is to recover, it's probably a safe assumption he'll miss somewhere between 3-5 games. In other words, this season is probably toast.
 
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TFisNEXT

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What's sad is the defense was actually playing pretty respectable this season when Lee was on the field. The difference in numbers with and without him are pretty staggering. So it's a bummer that he's going to miss time again. Just one of those guys who has trouble staying healthy.

While Lee is an all-pro talent, no team should ever have the type of dropoff based on one player. It does speak poorly against the coaches that they cannot adjust to this. If Zeke was playing the next few games, I'd give them a fighting chance to control the tempo enough to overcome it. They nearly beat Green Bay and the Rams like that...if not for some "questionable" play calling and coaching decisions. But with him out, the running game goes from elite to merely above average.

The coaches have really been exposed this year. They very well might end up the difference between a playoff spot and sitting at home by January. I say this too while actually liking Garrett as a motivator/locker room type coach. I also like how he is generally aggressive on 4th downs in opponents territory. But the lack of in-game adjustments and questionable clock management seems to be an ongoing theme for the coaching staff.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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Pretty much word for word what Mike Lombardi said on his podcast this morning while also adding that Garrett has no idea how to adjust if he's missing a key player or two. His conclusion is Jerry Jones must like the way he claps on the sideline.
Smart guy, that Lombardi.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Adam Schefter‏Verified account @AdamSchefter 3m3 minutes ago
Ezekiel Elliott withdrew his appeal because, legally speaking, the case was unlikely to be resolved before the six games were served. So now he will take them and return Dec. 24.
Confirms how crazy the district judge was here. Making him serve the suspension while appealing was always the effective equivalent of denying his appeal. To the point where once he didn't get his emergency stay, there was nothing to fight for except his reputation. Which exactly was his point all along. And he wasn't just saying it. Now, he's walking the walk.

I think he got a really raw deal here. If he did the things he's accused of, who cares? Screw him. But we'll never know and as a procedural matter, this was awful. Everything got wrapped up in the legalese, but just looking at it from 36,000 feet above this was really unfair and hard to explain to a layperson.
 

edmunddantes

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Confirms how crazy the district judge was here. Making him serve the suspension while appealing was always the effective equivalent of denying his appeal. To the point where once he didn't get his emergency stay, there was nothing to fight for except his reputation. Which exactly was his point all along. And he wasn't just saying it. Now, he's walking the walk.

I think he got a really raw deal here. If he did the things he's accused of, who cares? Screw him. But we'll never know and as a procedural matter, this was awful. Everything got wrapped up in the legalese, but just looking at it from 36,000 feet above this was really unfair and hard to explain to a layperson.
"Look at it this way.

Do you think Elliott got railroaded? Do you think NFL gave him a raw deal with the arbitrator choice? How the arbitrator selectively chose evidence?

You think 'what kind of moron signs up for that type of kangaroo court, I'd never do it"?

Guess what? You've signed up for that with almost every agreement with your cable, car, bank, credit card, software, computer, phone, hardware, etc provider too.

Have fun!

P.S. Congress just voted to make it so your banks can do this to you do (they were going to be barred from it until Congress overturned the CFPB)."
 

RedOctober3829

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The rest of the story is behind the paywall but wow.

The National Football League accused Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones of trying to sabotage its contract negotiations with commissioner Roger Goodell.

The tension has grown so severe that the topic of removing Mr. Jones has been discussed by at least some owners, according to people familiar with the matter. That type of drastic action would require the league showing conduct detrimental to the league—which is exactly the language the league used in a letter sent to Mr. Jones’s attorney, David Boies, on Wednesday.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/nfl-accuses-cowboys-owner-jerry-jones-of-damaging-the-league-1510789249?mod=e2tw
 

Bosoxen

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What % of cowboys fans would be in favor?
<SSS Warning>
That depends. If the Jones family can retain control with Jerruh being banished, I'd be 100% in favor of it. But if it means a forced sale, then I'm of the mind the league office can go screw. Jerry has his many flaws as a GM but, as an owner, it could certainly very easily get much, much worse. I realize that separating Jerry the GM from Jerry the owner is a fool's errand but I'm more inclined to roll the dice with the devil I know than the one I don't.

I look at it this way: the days of dealing with Jerry are mercifully numbered but a new owner could potentially lead the team to become the new Browns. No fucking thanks.
</SSS Warning>
 

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I feel like the Jerrah stuff has kind of died down. There was the Manziel stuff a few years ago but the Cowboys have really been a pretty well-run organization for a while now. The league is more fun with Jerry around. I’d hate to see him go.
 

Hoya81

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That depends. If the Jones family can retain control with Jerruh being banished, I'd be 100% in favor of it. But if it means a forced sale, then I'm of the mind the league office can go screw. Jerry has his many flaws as a GM but, as an owner, it could certainly very easily get much, much worse. I realize that separating Jerry the GM from Jerry the owner is a fool's errand but I'm more inclined to roll the dice with the devil I know than the one I don't.

I look at it this way: the days of dealing with Jerry are mercifully numbered but a new owner could potentially lead the team to become the new Browns. No fucking thanks.
</SSS Warning>
I wonder if Cuban would submit a bid.
 

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I wonder if Cuban would submit a bid.
Not after everything he's said about the NFL being a titanic approaching its iceberg. Plus, everyone now knows how outspoken he is, you think the conformist / militaristic NFL would really consider him as an owner for a second?
 

Super Nomario

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Confirms how crazy the district judge was here. Making him serve the suspension while appealing was always the effective equivalent of denying his appeal. To the point where once he didn't get his emergency stay, there was nothing to fight for except his reputation. Which exactly was his point all along. And he wasn't just saying it. Now, he's walking the walk.

I think he got a really raw deal here. If he did the things he's accused of, who cares? Screw him. But we'll never know and as a procedural matter, this was awful. Everything got wrapped up in the legalese, but just looking at it from 36,000 feet above this was really unfair and hard to explain to a layperson.
I'm disturbed by the whole sequence. The NFL lost in Peterson, they lost in Ray Rice, they lost (initially) in Brady, and then they won the appeal (by split decision) in Brady and now it seems like they can use that to get rubber-stamped on everything forever. They can have Goodell hear the appeal on his own ruling. If they suspect an appeal is coming, they can preemptively file for confirmation in New York. As long as they frame the decision in terms of "conduct detrimental" and don't explicitly contradict anything bargained for, the league can do whatever it wants. Will players even bother appealing from now on?

<SSS Warning>
That depends. If the Jones family can retain control with Jerruh being banished, I'd be 100% in favor of it. But if it means a forced sale, then I'm of the mind the league office can go screw. Jerry has his many flaws as a GM but, as an owner, it could certainly very easily get much, much worse. I realize that separating Jerry the GM from Jerry the owner is a fool's errand but I'm more inclined to roll the dice with the devil I know than the one I don't.

I look at it this way: the days of dealing with Jerry are mercifully numbered but a new owner could potentially lead the team to become the new Browns. No fucking thanks.
</SSS Warning>
I wouldn't worry about it. My reading is that the league is about as likely to sue for this as Jerry is to sue the league; i.e., they're not. It's a proportional hollow threat.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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I'm disturbed by the whole sequence. The NFL lost in Peterson, they lost in Ray Rice, they lost (initially) in Brady, and then they won the appeal (by split decision) in Brady and now it seems like they can use that to get rubber-stamped on everything forever. They can have Goodell hear the appeal on his own ruling. If they suspect an appeal is coming, they can preemptively file for confirmation in New York. As long as they frame the decision in terms of "conduct detrimental" and don't explicitly contradict anything bargained for, the league can do whatever it wants. Will players even bother appealing from now on?
Yup -- I think the only chance to avoid the problem would be to litigate all the way to conclusion in the Second Circuit and then seek review from the Supreme Court of the Second Circuit's apparent decision that "fundamental fairness" is not a requirement in LMRA arbitrations. But that would take at least 3 years and if the Second Circuit isn't going to grant injunctive relief, why bother -- unless maybe you're a player making $20 million and six paychecks is worth fighting for.

The only other way to do it would be to somehow outmaneuver the league by having someone literally waiting in the clerk's office of the 5th Circuit or some other circuit ready to file the moment the arbitration decision gets announced and hope that the league takes an extra hour two, so that you can have the first filed petition while their New York lawyers are stuck in a cab. Of this entire thing, that is what bothers me most about the NFL's tactics here. And it was what bothered me most in Brady. The NFL does not even bother to make a pretense of trying to be fair. The NFL gets the benefit of the doubt on suspensions in every circuit just some not as strongly as CA2. If it's correct, it shouldn't be afraid of review. The part where it gets its lacky arbitrators (or Goddell himself) to tell them exactly when they should be ready to run to the SDNY is really repulsive and too much gamesmanship for me. Maybe those kind of tactics are ok when you're in civil litigation and two companies have highly priced litigators trying to squeeze every advantage out of the rules of civil procedure. But when you're supposedly wearing the white hat to root out domestic violence or unfair competition or bounties, that's just really unseemly to me. But of course it's not really about domestic violence or underinflated balls or even bounties. It's about naked power and always has been. I guess the only happy thing here is that it is apparently exposing Jerry Jones' obvious hypocrisy.
 

InstaFace

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I thought there was an existing circuit split that the Brady ruling created. 2nd circuit vs 5th (Texas) or 8th (Minnesota / Katz) or something. No? Or was his the first COA ruling?
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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I thought there was an existing circuit split that the Brady ruling created. 2nd circuit vs 5th (Texas) or 8th (Minnesota / Katz) or something. No? Or was his the first COA ruling?
There is arguably a circuit split. But to get the supreme court to resolve a circuit split, you need a case. How do you get a case ripe for them now? If you get suspended the NFL will rubber stamp it and run to SDNY where you can't get relief and won't get a stay and have to serve your suspension any way. Unless you're prepared to litigate to the end -- even though it won't keep you from being suspended and you'll almost certainly lose in the 2d Circuit and also the chance of the Supreme Court taking any case is very low to start with -- it's very hard to see how this will even get to them.
 

Bosoxen

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I wouldn't worry about it. My reading is that the league is about as likely to sue for this as Jerry is to sue the league; i.e., they're not. It's a proportional hollow threat.
Oh I'm not worried about it. I was merely answering the hypothetical.
 

InstaFace

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There is arguably a circuit split. But to get the supreme court to resolve a circuit split, you need a case. How do you get a case ripe for them now? If you get suspended the NFL will rubber stamp it and run to SDNY where you can't get relief and won't get a stay and have to serve your suspension any way. Unless you're prepared to litigate to the end -- even though it won't keep you from being suspended and you'll almost certainly lose in the 2d Circuit and also the chance of the Supreme Court taking any case is very low to start with -- it's very hard to see how this will even get to them.
A fair point, and why your remedy of "have someone waiting at the courthouse" may be something we see the NFLPA try.

But a player would have issues that are ripe even if they are denied a stay and made to serve the suspension. They lost paychecks, not to mention reputation, from the suspension, and relief would give them both back. I guess that's your "litigate to the end" angle.

Then there's the matter of the composition of SCOTUS and when the timing is right for that, which could easily change a lot between now and the next CBA.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Yes, you could get to the Supreme Court and lose. Very possible.

Right -- you have to have a player that is going to let it be part of his life for at least 3 years even though he's served his suspension. Probably would have to be a very highly paid player who loses a big number of games.
 

Oil Can Dan

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So big game Sunday night. On paper and with the suspension/recent injuries the Cowboys seem over matched, but they have to know what's on the line and will probably come out fired up. Always beware of a desperate team.

I don't really know what to expect from the Cowboys offensive game plan. On the one hand, no Zeke and banged up OL vs the #1 rush D in the league (66 yards per game) indicates they probably won't be able to run the ball, but on the other the banged up OL coming off the eight sack game vs Atl indicates that a pass-heavy game plan may not be the best idea either. I'm left with a quick-hitting short passing attack with lots of fast throws to Beasley and/or Witten or screens to the Rod Smith guy. Short of that, I don't know.

I expect the Eagles offense to pretty much be the same offense they've been all year, which is to say a pretty balanced approach. It'll be interesting to see how the RB rotation plays out and whether or not Ajayi gets more and more of the carries. With Sean Lee apparently out the running game should be pretty productive.

If the Cowboys lose they're looking at 5-5 overall and 4-4 in the NFC. That 4-4 in the NFC would be pretty tough to overcome from a tiebreaker perspective on the Wild Card hunt, with losses to Atlanta, GB and the Rams already on the books. This is pretty close to a must win for them, and I think they're going to play accordingly.
 

Greg29fan

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Tyron didn't practice all week so I assume the Chaz Green Experience will get another show Sunday
 

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I'm ready to start beating the Fire Garrett drum. That's two really bad losses in a row and the third one this year (and one might even argue the LA loss belongs with those three, since the entire second half was a complete give up). You couple that with the weird Beckett-style odd year/even year roller coaster the team seems to be on and you have a recipe for the seat to start warming up.

I know there was a discussion in the game thread about the effects of losing three of your best players but they had no such excuse in Denver or against Green Bay. And, as odd as this statement is, the crappy roster construction isn't really his fault. But he's still awful at the things he can control - most notably his clock management - and now the team appears to be in total free-fall. They look completely rudderless and were exposed for the paper tiger they are.

When they finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs again, it is my sincere hope that ownership takes the next step in its transformation and allows an actual coach to take over the team. I'll be over here not holding my breath.

Finally, it's completely fitting that the emergence of Miles Austin has resulted in the team forgetting how to catch the damn ball - that goes for receivers and defenders, alike. Special shoutout to Dumbass Dez Bryant for doing his best Austin impersonation and drifting away from the ball, rather than coming back to it, on Prescott's second interception last night. I know Darby gave him a little shove but if you want to consider yourself a "big, physical receiver" you can't let yourself get manhandled like that.

But hey, at least they survived losing Dan Bailey. Hooray for moral victories.
 

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To start? Garrett's gotta go. He's not a good coach and he cannot handle any kind of adversity. There are no adjustments or game plans, he just hopes Dak and Zeke can get it done. And without Zeke and a dependable line, he's lost.
 

Bosoxen

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To start? Garrett's gotta go. He's not a good coach and he cannot handle any kind of adversity. There are no adjustments or game plans, he just hopes Dak and Zeke can get it done. And without Zeke and a dependable line, he's lost.
Honestly, I've been patient because they were winning despite his deficiencies. I gave him a pass for 2015 due to the pupu platter at QB after Romo went down. But besides that, I didn't have any faith in ownership hiring the right person for the job. There is now the possibility that Stephen's growing influence (along with a re-focused Jerry?) will allow them to move beyond the puppet head coach and hire a real coach who could put together a team like it's supposed to be done. With depth and everything.
 

Greg29fan

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Adding to the coaching staff pile-on, I saw a stat on Twitter last night that against teams with winning records they are being outscored 100-37 in second halves this year. That tells me either no halftime adjustments are being made, or the ones that are being made are not good. To some extent the coach is always going to be a stooge in Dallas, but it's probably time for a new stooge.

I am also concerned that Dak Prescott might not be "the guy." He didn't have much help v. Atlanta, but boy did he look like crud last night.
 
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Dak sucked out loud yesterday but I've seen enough of him to know that the odds of the Cowboys finding a better QB than him are really low. My thoughts on the Cowboys are the following:

1. I know Tyron Smith is out but what the hell is wrong with the rest of the line? They look like crap. He might be the best LT in the game so somehow most other NFL teams are able to survive without a guy like him. If your offense shuts down every time your QB doesn't have 10 seconds to throw, you have a problem.

2. Cowboys' secondary is junk, which had to have been a fear for Cowboys fans entering the season. That dropped INT right before the half was a pretty big momentum change.

3. Is it me or does Dez look really slow out there? I feel like he's turned into Anquan Boldin overnight. That's obviously still a good WR but the Cowboys are paying him to be an elite one. Only $4M cap hit in 2019 so next year could be his last in Dallas without some kind of re-negotiation.

4. Jason Garrett just doesn't impress me. His teams routinely melt down under any kind of adversity and very rarely show any kind of ability to adapt. I'm not sure who the right coach is for this team but I'm not sure it's him.
 

Bosoxen

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I am also concerned that Dak Prescott might not be "the guy." He didn't have much help v. Atlanta, but boy did he look like crud last night.
I've been on the fence about Dak from Day One. He's good enough to not kill you most of the time - last night being the obvious exception - but he doesn't strike me as the type to ever make anyone's top 10 list. He's a high floor, low ceiling type of guy who's good for a few years here and there but will never be able to put a team on his back and carry them through a rough patch like Aaron Rodgers. I don't mean for a single game, I mean for several games. I'd have far more faith even in a young QB like Carson Wentz to turn this 5-5 turd into a playoff contender than Dak.

Then again, that lack of faith extends to the skill position players. That shit last night would have sunk a Romo in his prime-led team. But Prescott still deserves his share of the blame because his passing was atrocious.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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Is there a chance Garrett squeaks by because Jerry is preoccupied with this Goodell shit, and Jerrah doesn't want to fight a war on both fronts?
 

Greg29fan

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There's always a chance he survives for previously-stated reasons (Jerrah loves him, he doesn't protest if ownership meddles in things, etc.)
 

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Think it's possible that Jerrah puts 100% of the blame on Goodell so I could see Garrett skating by because of that. I don't expect a change this year. If 2018 goes south, I think Garrett is gone.
 

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They have been completely mauled in two straight games in the second half. Toss in the Green Bay and LA Rams games and the failure to counter the adjustments made by the opposing coaching staff is glaring. Toss in the offense's same inability to move the ball and make adjustments, it really seems that the coaching staff is over matched. The Chiefs game seems like a real outlier until they got bead by the damn Giants yesterday. This is a poorly coached, mediocre team with no roster depth. Smith, Lee and Elliot are fantastic players, but their injuries shouldn't lead to a complete collapse in every phase of the game. Injuries are a reality in the NFL and the failure to cope with them is a function of poor coaching and team management. Now Hitchens is hurt on a short week and we get to see the offensive line try and pass protect against Bosa and Gilbert on Thanksgiving Day. I'm sure the Chargers secondary is licking their chops after watching that crap last night and let's not even talk about Melvin Gordon's impending career game. Note to self, start drinking early. Last night's capitulation reminded me way too much of the 44-6 debacle against the Eagles in a win to get in the playoff game back in 2008. Garrett's decision to punt on 4th and 2 from their own 45 after watching the Eagles score on two long TD drives of the second half was ridiculous (almost as ridiculous as the 3rd down play call to Smith right before it). The offensive play calling on the whole was shit too. Morris was running very well and they continually went to the passing game when it was clear Dak was having bad night. This team is successful when the offense is run first and run often. Dak is simply not good enough on his own to pass the ball 40 times a game.

This is basically a lost season at this point. Even if we back door our way into the playoffs, we're not a good enough team to do anything about it. They need to make a serious effort to get some depth on this roster and improve at WR, LB and in the secondary this offseason.
 

TFisNEXT

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- Dak has quite a good track record for a guy who has started only 26 games. I don't think he is the primary problem despite his pathetic game last night. I would agree it definitely doesn't mean he's going to end up in the top 5 or 10 QBs in the league, but he should be more than adequate given a typical career path. I do think he needs to learn to throw the one on one jump ball to Dez. I made a comment in the game thread last night on how he always seems to throw the ball too low like a line drive and often too far to give Dez any chance to make a play on the smaller CB. Romo made this throw a key part of his arsenal after a season or two with Dez and often got a PI call too when it was not a completed pass. He's seemed to have lost a step since his broken leg, but he's still gonna be a force on one on one balls given his size...they need to incorporate that more into the offense and it starts with Dak learning to throw that type of ball.

- They need a #2 receiver. Williams is just way too inconsistent. Preferably a guy who can stretch the field some.

- Linebacker play is pretty bad when Lee is out. They need another above average LB.
 

Super Nomario

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I've been on the fence about Dak from Day One. He's good enough to not kill you most of the time - last night being the obvious exception - but he doesn't strike me as the type to ever make anyone's top 10 list. He's a high floor, low ceiling type of guy who's good for a few years here and there but will never be able to put a team on his back and carry them through a rough patch like Aaron Rodgers. I don't mean for a single game, I mean for several games. I'd have far more faith even in a young QB like Carson Wentz to turn this 5-5 turd into a playoff contender than Dak.

Then again, that lack of faith extends to the skill position players. That shit last night would have sunk a Romo in his prime-led team. But Prescott still deserves his share of the blame because his passing was atrocious.
Dak ain't perfect, but he's 24 so he's got plenty of time to improve, and his performance through 25 games stands with anybody. I don't know if I would put him ahead of Wentz / Watson / Goff / Mariota / Winston / Carr among his generation, but I might. The question with all these guys is how much they improve from now on.
 

Bosoxen

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Dak ain't perfect, but he's 24 so he's got plenty of time to improve, and his performance through 25 games stands with anybody. I don't know if I would put him ahead of Wentz / Watson / Goff / Mariota / Winston / Carr among his generation, but I might. The question with all these guys is how much they improve from now on.
Sure. But you didn't really disprove my point, if indeed that's what you were trying to do. If you can that easily rattle off six under 27 QBs you might consider better than him, doesn't that sort of support my point that he wouldn't make any top 10 lists?

I'm not saying he's a bum. I just don't think, when it's all said and done, anyone will consider him an elite level QB. There's plenty of room in that middle ground to be a serviceable QB who can produce a lot of wins. To me, that's his most likely career trajectory.
 

Super Nomario

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Sure. But you didn't really disprove my point, if indeed that's what you were trying to do. If you can that easily rattle off six under 27 QBs you might consider better than him, doesn't that sort of support my point that he wouldn't make any top 10 lists?

I'm not saying he's a bum. I just don't think, when it's all said and done, anyone will consider him an elite level QB. There's plenty of room in that middle ground to be a serviceable QB who can produce a lot of wins. To me, that's his most likely career trajectory.
We probably see his present performance similarly: Prescott is a QB that most teams would be thrilled to have, but he's not a great QB at this stage of his career. I guess I'm objecting to your characterization of his ceiling. I don't really understand why his ceiling is lower than the other players I mentioned when he's arguably outplayed all of them at this stage of their respective careers.
 

Oil Can Dan

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On what basis are you determining that he’s outplayed them? I feel like the knock on Dak is that he does perfectly well with a stud OL and stud RB, but when you try to consider Dak as an individual QB there’s maybe not as much to like vs some of those other QBs mentioned above. We’re starting to see how he does without that stud RB and a still very good OL, and he’s off to a shaky start.
 

Super Nomario

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On what basis are you determining that he’s outplayed them? I feel like the knock on Dak is that he does perfectly well with a stud OL and stud RB, but when you try to consider Dak as an individual QB there’s maybe not as much to like vs some of those other QBs mentioned above. We’re starting to see how he does without that stud RB and a still very good OL, and he’s off to a shaky start.
That's all fair. Dak has the best career numbers of the group, but he's also had the best supporting cast. I was careful to put "arguably" in there. I'm not sure he is the best QB of that sextet; I'm not sure he isn't, either. That kind of circles back to my original point; hell, it is hard enough to tell who has been the best of these guys in the past; I'll be damned if I can figure out who is going to be the best in the future.
 

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@Oil Can Dan pointed out the basis of my argument before I could. There's probably some chicken vs egg element to this because one person is going to see the O-line/RB combo as the driver of Dak's performance, while another is going to see that Dak puts up his numbers and aids in the performance of the machine. Neither argument is necessarily wrong, per se, but I fall more on the Dak being helped along side of the argument. With the caveats that I don't think he's all the way on the bus driver end of the spectrum and he is young and can/will improve, I don't necessarily see him as a peer of the top QBs @Super Nomario listed. I'd say he's closer to the back end of that list, fighting it out with Mariota and Winston for spots 5-7.

At this point, the cake is mostly baked and there's no turning back, so they'd be better off spending the resources to get him help (like receivers who can actually catch) rather than replacing him. But my hope is that if it turns out he's not looking like a top half QB in 1-3 years, they don't double down and stick it out at the expense of wasting the prime years of Zeke and the O-line.
 

TFisNEXT

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@Oil Can Dan pointed out the basis of my argument before I could. There's probably some chicken vs egg element to this because one person is going to see the O-line/RB combo as the driver of Dak's performance, while another is going to see that Dak puts up his numbers and aids in the performance of the machine. Neither argument is necessarily wrong, per se, but I fall more on the Dak being helped along side of the argument. With the caveats that I don't think he's all the way on the bus driver end of the spectrum and he is young and can/will improve, I don't necessarily see him as a peer of the top QBs @Super Nomario listed. I'd say he's closer to the back end of that list, fighting it out with Mariota and Winston for spots 5-7.

At this point, the cake is mostly baked and there's no turning back, so they'd be better off spending the resources to get him help (like receivers who can actually catch) rather than replacing him. But my hope is that if it turns out he's not looking like a top half QB in 1-3 years, they don't double down and stick it out at the expense of wasting the prime years of Zeke and the O-line.
Agreed on the bolded. I think Dak will be a very good QB based on his performance so far. I'm still a little cautious like you (though prob not quite to your level), but either way, I think we will know if he's legit within the next 20-25 games. It would definitely be a shame to waste a few peak years of a transcendent player like Zeke with that O-line.

On a side note, I think the defense could be actually good if they get some linebacker help. They have what appears to be a legit pass rushing core developing in Irving and Lawrence (jury's still out on Taco). Jaylon Smith doesn't look like the answer right now at LB...though maybe in a year that changes. But even if he does come back to 1st round level, they'll need another backer who can cover. Sean Lee is amazing, but he can't stay healthy and no reason to hope he's all of the sudden going to. I don't think the young corners are all that bad...though they could maybe use a good ball hawk in center field. Byron Jones is a nice versatile piece, but he isn't a ball hawk type play maker.
 

Bosoxen

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On a side note, I think the defense could be actually good if they get some linebacker help. They have what appears to be a legit pass rushing core developing in Irving and Lawrence (jury's still out on Taco). Jaylon Smith doesn't look like the answer right now at LB...though maybe in a year that changes. But even if he does come back to 1st round level, they'll need another backer who can cover. Sean Lee is amazing, but he can't stay healthy and no reason to hope he's all of the sudden going to.
And Lee isn't getting any younger either.

Letting Bruce Carter walk was a huge mistake. He may not be the type of player to set the world on fire but he was a valuable piece of depth at LB when he was here. That 2014 defense, though not all that great overall, was pretty damn good at LB. And that was without Sean Lee. That's the model they need to follow.
 

LondonSox

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Bottom line the cowboys take that star to heart.
They have nearly always had teams with stars but limited depth, if they get the injury bug to the QB they never have a good back up (since Romo WAS the backup). The line is great but they really haven't shown much ability to add depth for the future/ injury.
Shaun Lee is injury prone, I mean he's great but he get's hurt a lot. Yet they never really seem to have much backup.

They also have a real habit of having suspension issues, which also screws up depth.

It's not going to change under Jerry. So what you get is years where the team stays healthy and do well, and then other years....
 

TFisNEXT

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Bottom line the cowboys take that star to heart.
They have nearly always had teams with stars but limited depth, if they get the injury bug to the QB they never have a good back up (since Romo WAS the backup). The line is great but they really haven't shown much ability to add depth for the future/ injury.
Shaun Lee is injury prone, I mean he's great but he get's hurt a lot. Yet they never really seem to have much backup.

They also have a real habit of having suspension issues, which also screws up depth.

It's not going to change under Jerry. So what you get is years where the team stays healthy and do well, and then other years....
Unfortunately this sums it up fairly well...good health years are where they become a legit threat. When things go wrong either with injuries or suspensions, they are unable to compete with the lack of depth. I also put some of it on the coaches. In fairness, this year is pretty brutal...well at least the last 2 games. It is hard for any team to replace 3 guys of that talent. They aren't marginal probowlers either. Still, years like 2015 were pretty inexcusable. The fact that they had seen how awful Weeden was in 2014 in his only full start should have been a red flag that they need a real backup QB, but they didn't address it. The result was 3-1 with Romo and 1-11 without him. That's on Jerrah.

And Lee isn't getting any younger either.

Letting Bruce Carter walk was a huge mistake. He may not be the type of player to set the world on fire but he was a valuable piece of depth at LB when he was here. That 2014 defense, though not all that great overall, was pretty damn good at LB. And that was without Sean Lee. That's the model they need to follow.
Carter was a playmaker too. Yeah, he would get out of position sometimes, but he made some big interceptions over the years. The Cowboys have usually not really paid their linebackers to stay. You go back through the years even into the 1990s and very few have been signed long term. Ken Norton, Darrin Smith, Randall Godfrey, Bruce Carter, etc. I'm not really counting the outside DE types like Ware. Really only Sean Lee and Bradie James were kept around more than 4-5 seasons.
 

Bosoxen

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Carter was a playmaker too. Yeah, he would get out of position sometimes, but he made some big interceptions over the years. The Cowboys have usually not really paid their linebackers to stay. You go back through the years even into the 1990s and very few have been signed long term. Ken Norton, Darrin Smith, Randall Godfrey, Bruce Carter, etc. I'm not really counting the outside DE types like Ware. Really only Sean Lee and Bradie James were kept around more than 4-5 seasons.
That's a symptom of what London mentioned. Jerruh is all about the flashy star player and there's very little that's sexy about what linebackers and defensive tackles do. But you look at what a Sean Lee or Luke Kuechly can do for your defense (or what effect they have when they're not there) and it's inexcusable to so consistently ignore those positions for such a long time. Granted, a lot of the lack of longevity is partially due to the general lack of stability within the coaching ranks but that's on Jerry too.

Funny thing is, though, I was against the Bradie James extension when it happened. I thought they overpaid him and that would be a big, unnecessary drain on the cap in his older years. Same goes for the Andre Gurode extension. Jerry just doesn't seem to follow Kenny Rogers' advice.
 

Oil Can Dan

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I think it warrants mentioning the drafting of Jaylon Smith here. They spent the 34th overall pick on him, so it’s not like they’ve just completely ignored LB.