What do the Cowboys need to get over the hump?
by EMSfan9 on Dec 15, 2009 6:15 PM CST
Email
PrintAfter the losses we all want to place blame on this or that and it's never the same (except those of us who have blind hatred towards one player or coach.) I have come to the conclision that maybe the 2009 Dallas Cowboys are just an average to above average team.
Good teams beat who they are supposed to. Great teams find ways to beat those they aren't supposed to. Right now we are 7-0 against teams with .500 records or worse and 1-5 against teams with winning records. Average, maybe a little better.
But if we determine the Dallas Cowboys are average, the question becomes: what's missing? Where are we lacking the player we need to get us over the hump?
As I began thinking of some of the better teams over the past few years and what put them over the top here is what I came up with:
You can point to quarterback but we have a great one in Tony Romo. Some point to running back but we have one of the best trios in the league. At wide receiver we have a very solid one-two punch, we could possibly need that back breaking slot guy, ala Wes Welker, but don't really have to have one.
On the defensive side of the ball we have the great pass rusher in DeMarcus Ware. A beast at the Nose position in Ratliff. A solid remaining linebacker corps with Bradie James, Keith Brooking and Anthony Spencer. Cowboys may need more depth at LB because Bobby Carpenter isn't cutting it. Marcus Spears is one of our best run stoppers at DE. So consider the starting LBs and DL good enough to win.
That brings us to the secondary. First up is corner. Terrence Newman is an average to above average corner, not a play-maker but not Jaques Reeves either. He is solid just gets burned a little to much for my liking. Mike Jenkins is a good corner with the potential to be great. Orlando Scandrick still has my vote after his outstanding play last season. Our top three corners should be good enough to win.
Then comes the safety position. We are currently running with Alan Ball at FS and Gerald Sensabaugh at SS. Plug in Ken Hamlin in place of Ball and we obviously improve but there is still much to be desired at the safety position. This is probably the Cowboys weakest "Skill" position and what the Cowboys need to improve on most.
In my opinion, the safety is the position the Cowboys need to fix to get over the proverbial hump. Look at some of the best teams over the past few years.
The Steelers have Troy Polomalu (not this season and look how they've done). The Ravens have Ed Reed. The Colts have Bob Sanders. The Saints were an average squad before they picked up Darren Sharper and now they are undefeated. Broncos improved immensely since getting rid of Jay Cutler and adding Brian Dawkins. The Eagles have been inconsistent without him. The Cardinals have improved as their safety play by Adrian Wilson has. Look at the 90's Cowboys, Darren Woodson.
That's my take, the Cowboys need a play-making safety to get over the hump. What do you think is missing?
Another user-created commentary provided by a BTB reader.
49 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I have to agree.
An elite FS would really help. However I think we need a dominate LT probably more. Someone to drive DE’s and LB’s into the turf and run over them. Someone to seal off the left side, and protect Romo from the blind hits. Someone who can be a leader on that OL. If Ihad my druthers, I’d take both, an elite FS and a really smart, killer LT. Of course, wouldn’t everyone?
The tribulations of Winter...
90% of Americans say 'OH SHIT!' before going into the ditch on a slippery road.
The other 10% are from TEXAS and they say, 'HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS!!!'
dawkins has immensely helped the broncos D
But his departure is hardly the reason for the Eagles inconsistency. I would put that blame on our weak LB corps.
RIP Jim Johnson. You will truly be missed.
by Igglesfan13 on Dec 15, 2009 7:08 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Can you even read?
That is an Eagles fan talking about their defense.
If I had a nickel for every Super Bowl the Eagles have won, I would have zero nickels.
by Cowboyfan729 on Dec 15, 2009 8:21 PM CST up reply actions
I wanted the Cowboys to beat the Saints on Saturday anyway, but making this guy eat crow will make it all the sweeter
On the other hand, what are the odds he comes back if Dallas wins, 1,000:1?
Lifetime Cowboys Fan from the Swamps of Jersey
I was responding to White Wolf Fool
What you want and what you get will be two different things. But………………….If we lose, I will be back. I also will be back when we win so I have your seanrude handle down so I can look you up to either eat crow or talk crap about your Cowboys. You know, just a little smack to make it interesting. I do have to say, ya’ll dont take it so good but I understand…………….I remember being a fan of a shitty team at one time.
Oh, bye the way………………..Brees will be our QB and you do remember what he did to your Cowboys in 07. Well, it’s gonna happen again with even more fury. Ya’ll take care now and I’ll see ya next week.
No J@ckA$$, you were responding to Igglesfan
and I am always here, win or lose
Lifetime Cowboys Fan from the Swamps of Jersey
and you are right, what I want and get might well be two different things
If I were a betting man, I’d probably put money down on the saints. I have not seen much, but what I have seen of NO looks pretty damned good.
So if Dallas loses, as they are expected to, you can come here with your attempts at witty colloquialisms, and most if not all of us will take it in stride.
But god damn do I hope Dallas wins, because I am guessing you are one of these internet tough guys who cannot believe his good fortune at (a) having a Saints team that does not totally suck eggs and (b) having it occur in the internet age so you can talk smack on other teams boards.
Please God, if you exist, please let Dallas win this weekend so this troll will go back under the levee that he crawled out from under
Lifetime Cowboys Fan from the Swamps of Jersey
Damn son,Thats not good for your health
Just cool off………………I’ll leave you alone. Man, we have had to take it for years and ya’ll cant take one game. Get your paper sacks ready.
No, no, no
Don’t leave me alone. I will be here on saturday night whether Dallas wins or loses. You on the other hand will only be here if the Saints win (which I expect them to by the way).
Seriously, is there any place I can buy futures in this guy not showing up if the Saints lose on Saturday? I could use some scratch to buy christmas gifts.
And you never answered my question, “Fool” (that’s what you called me right?) If Brees is playing the Eagles, who are the Saints going to line up under center against the Cowboys?
Lifetime Cowboys Fan from the Swamps of Jersey
I would love to find the market for futures like that...
There would be some really interesting options hahaha
If I had a nickel for every Super Bowl the Eagles have won, I would have zero nickels.
by Cowboyfan729 on Dec 15, 2009 11:50 PM CST up reply actions
that futures market could singlehandedly revive the economy
Lifetime Cowboys Fan from the Swamps of Jersey
Saints aren't going anywhere...undefeated or not...
Cuz they’re the Saints! The more things change the more they stay the same…any way you cut it. So enjoy your regular season prosperity.
by TheCowboyFan on Dec 16, 2009 7:51 AM CST up reply actions
What is it with you, Saint Sly?
It’s not enough to be undefeated? You have to run around talking smack? After your team has been the laughing stock of the league for 40 years? Everyone here can see you were replying to Igglsfan and then pretending you weren’t when you got caught in your mistake. You sound like you’re about what, 13? Mommy letting you use her computer? Do you really think anyone around here cares what you think before OR after the game? Grow up.
The tribulations of Winter...
90% of Americans say 'OH SHIT!' before going into the ditch on a slippery road.
The other 10% are from TEXAS and they say, 'HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS!!!'
White Wolf stop picking on Sly
He commented in another thread how the Saints have the best win % in the past 12 years in the NFL (with a 92-97 record) and that the Saints win this week gave them the most for an NFC team ever.
Go easy on the poor kid. :)
how old are you saint?
My guess is early 20’s….Hey, we don’t go on your site and talk smack, so it would be appreciated if you would be a little more polite? Not trying to get into an argument with you, but can we just talk football and not get into smack talk?
No way 20s
I would say 12?
The Knights season may have just ended, but the Cowboys year is just begining!
by aussie_cowboy on Dec 16, 2009 7:41 PM CST up reply actions
Fine with me if Brees plays the Eagles on Saturday
Who is the Saints backup QB that will get the start against the Cowboys?
Lifetime Cowboys Fan from the Swamps of Jersey
LMAO
The tribulations of Winter...
90% of Americans say 'OH SHIT!' before going into the ditch on a slippery road.
The other 10% are from TEXAS and they say, 'HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS!!!'
What do they need?
An owner that doesn’t undermine a coach, so that there is a possibility of the players having any sort of accountability for their actions.
Toughness and students of the game
Especially in the secondary. Too many key 3rd down and long conversions against this pass defense.
we need a better run blocking OL
and as you pointed out, better safeties. that being said, I think the Cowboys are a good team, but not great.
They are much better than average. Teams like the Falcons and 49ers are average, we’re better than that.
In Romo we Trust
I agree on Both
Safety and OLine
"No matter where you go, you are what you are playa"-Jay Z
Twitter Account
To borrow a phrase from Raf
I wouldn’t mind the Cowboys carpet bombing the OL/DL for about 2 drafts. If a top notch safety fell in to our laps in the draft, that too.
On the safety note
Kerry Rhodes is having issues in New York and doesn’t expect to be back. Would you want him on the backside of our defense?
"We have to find a way to play better, there's no doubt. Overall. I'm not pointing fingers at anybody. Offense, defense, pitching -- we have to find a way to play better. The reality of this is, coming here to Pittsburgh and being swept -- personally, I feel embarrassed." -- Carlos Beltran
Just curious
Why would we want a saftey that won’t be brought back to a team because of how bad he plays?
I honestly hadn't really followed him
It was more about me just throwing a name out there as a stop-gap
"We have to find a way to play better, there's no doubt. Overall. I'm not pointing fingers at anybody. Offense, defense, pitching -- we have to find a way to play better. The reality of this is, coming here to Pittsburgh and being swept -- personally, I feel embarrassed." -- Carlos Beltran
From the few times I've watched
and from the talk he is a little above average
"We play to win the game" - Herm Edwards
by nicholas.rodriguez on Dec 16, 2009 1:44 AM CST up reply actions
what type of issues is Rhodes having?
I guess it depends on that.
I doubt this team goes FA, cause Ken Hamlin is signed through 2011, so I think draft will scratch this itch, but Rhodes was excellent the last two years.
I have only seen the Jets once this year, so tell me what’s going on with him there?
by Rafael Vela on Dec 16, 2009 10:59 AM CST up reply actions
Rhodes has played better after he got benched.
Sounds like he wants out of New York though so I’m sure the Cowboys will take a look if hes available.
by houseofprime on Dec 16, 2009 1:18 PM CST up reply actions
While I agree that all 3 RB’s are good none of them get to play regularly. Barber hasn’t looked that good the last few weeks and only has 1 game with over 20 carries and 1 game with over 100 yards rushing plus he’s only scored 4 TD’s.
I would rather we started Chioce and Jones to get ahead early in the game because both are more of a game breaker then Barber plus they are better receivers and blockers. Then bring Barber in in the second half to wear teams down and keep the ball away. I think he would be much more effective playing against a tired defense then against a fresh one.
on offense, oline
on defense….a safety would really help. Or better linebacker depth to allow us to rotate guys and keep everyone fresh. I think we wear down late in games – the Giants, Broncos, Packers and Chargers had outplayed us down the stretch.
I don’t think we’ll be an elite team will we have that.
But we could be a winning team thats a threat in the playoffs with just the talent we have now.
Honestly, weve lost so many close games to winning teams the last two years. We just have to get that confidence back. We need to win a couple of games and get over this hump. I hate this explanation because its too simplistic, but this team just doesn’t know how to win these games right now. We shoot ourselves in the foot constantly on offense. When Ware went down, it was like here we go again and then we were slaughtered the last 10 minutes.
OL and FS
Hamlin doesn’t seem to be the greatest roaming safety, he is in the right position all the time to make the tackle but always a second off from getting the INT, also Hamlin is very good in run support, I wonder what would happen if Wade switched up Sensi and Hamlin’s position and let Sensi be the roamer and last line of defense. Our Oline is decent, but has gotten progressively worse, we have to bolster that group. I think next year when our 2 young LBs Hodge and B. Williams get healthy and J. Williams and Butler have a year under their belt our LB core will be much deeper because they will finally be counted on
"We play to win the game" - Herm Edwards
by nicholas.rodriguez on Dec 16, 2009 1:50 AM CST reply actions
Smarter more disciplined offensive lineman.
by beautifultyrant on Dec 16, 2009 8:03 AM CST reply actions
I somehow mixed in your name with your post
So at first glance I read ‘smarter more beautiful offensive linemen.’ :/
The weakest position is definitely
our owner, Jerry Jones…then the Michelin Man in the puffy coat.
"The Most Dangerous Man in the world is the one with nothing to lose"
by SaratogaRacing on Dec 16, 2009 10:34 AM CST reply actions
What do they need?
Offense
1. A young LT. Flo ain’t getting any younger or less penalty prone. Pat McQuistan’s freshness date has long passed.
2. A LG. Cross your fingers and hope Brewster is the guy. I’m trying to get some info on his rehab. If he’s working out, the solution here may be in house already. His injury is the only reason Cory Proctor is still on the roster.
On defense
1. A FS. Hamlin runs hot and cold. He’s getting older. They were scouting FSs hard last year and they were all snatched before them.
2. DL. I’ll take a NT or DE, but think DE gets the nod because ’10 will have a deep, deep crop of talented DL.
3. ILB. One reason this team has trouble with TEs is that neither Brooking nor James is that good in coverage. You see all the shallow crosses Norv Turner last week with Vincent Jackson and his fullback to convert 3rd-an- 5s and 3rd-and-6s? He was going after Bradie James.
Jason Williams is in house already, and I think he’s gonna replace one of them, probably Brooking, soon. If he can crack the lineup in ’10 he solves one big defensive problem.
Don’t be surprised if you see them take another guy like him in the 3rd or 4th this year.
by Rafael Vela on Dec 16, 2009 11:23 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
Good Stuff
I printed this out, I am going to keep an eye on these positions during the bowl games.
Too bad we don’t need a RB-Ryan Matthews is going to be a steal.
"No matter where you go, you are what you are playa"-Jay Z
Twitter Account
I get the feeling we're going to see a lot of crossing routes on Saturday.
May have to play Barbie a little bit more.
by houseofprime on Dec 16, 2009 1:16 PM CST up reply actions
Hamlin's problem isn't about age
Hamlin is just not that good. Polamalu is the same age, and Hamlin is younger than Ed Reed, Adrian Wilson and Bryan Dawkins who are all effective players. Jason Williams has the best physical ability we’ve had the inside linebacker position. Let’s just hope he can understand the game, he could be very effective. Definitely need a LT in the draft in the first or second round. I would consider cutting looking very closely at what might be available at FA as well on the o-line. We need more playmaking ability from the Defensive End position to take some pressure off of Ratliff. It seems like he’s been wearing down over the past few games. Isnt it interesting though that teams not necessarily with the best talent (Green Bay, e.g) are so effective defensively. That tells me something might be wrong schematically with what the Cowboys do on Defense. What about John Fox as a potential HC? He’ll probably get blown out of Carolina but he’s a good coach.
by DatNguyenNguyenScenario on Dec 16, 2009 12:01 PM CST reply actions
John Fox?
4-3 guy for starters.
Has this annoying habit in Carolina. His teams go up or down a minimum of four games per season.
Win 7
Win 12
Win 6
Win 10
A total yo-yo. Would drive the fans here crazy.
by Rafael Vela on Dec 16, 2009 12:05 PM CST up reply actions
Can't a good coach adapt to the personnel he has?
If the Cowboys players are best fit for a 3-4, then I think a guy who might be in favor of 4-3 would stick with a 3-4. Leslie Frazier has been mentioned as guy people want as the next coach and he runs a 4-3. If a guy was qualified to be a head coach would you really not pick him because hes a 4-3 guy?
by houseofprime on Dec 16, 2009 1:21 PM CST up reply actions
A few thoughts........
A few thoughts 1. In my opinion this season is over for the Cowboys. I’m not a pessimist or an optimist; just a realist.
2. There’s alot of talk about a new coach and potential candidates. My wish is that we get a coach who can light a fire under this team. Remember a team is a reflection of its coach. From Wade Phillips’ demeanor, you can see that he is too laid back. He does not get after his players like other coaches in this division. I read a story the other day that the Eagles head coach is forcing his players to practice all week in pads so as to improve their tackling since they tackled so poorly against the Giants. This is something that Wade would never do. He would probably give his players a few days off instead. Also, someone on this blog mentioned Jason Garrett as a potential candidate for the next Cowboys head coaching job. Just ask yourself one question: is he capable of motivating this team of underachievers to play upto their level???? I don’t know….
3. My wish for the 2010 NFL draft for Dallas: CJ Spiller. This team lacks a true offensive threat. Someone who scares opposing defenses. The one player in this draft who can truly change the complexion of the game is CJ Spiller. To me, if the Cowboys drafted him, he would be the Dallas’ version of Desean Jackson. Desean Jackson is a game changer. Just look at what he did to the Giants!!!!!! I don’t understand why we drafted Martellus Bennett instead of him last year. This was a bad decision by Jerry. Just remember one thing if the Giants get CJ Spiller (as is predicted by many of the draft gurus), the Cowboys will not be going to the playoffs for another decade. I hope they do the smart thing and draft this guy. It will pay hefty dividends since he can play rb, hb, flanker, wr, kick returner and punt returner. He is a mult-purpose threat. To me a kid like CJ Spiller comes once in a decade. He is more important than drafting a wr or ot.
My other wishes for the upcoming draft:
2. Jacoby Ford (speed, speed and more speed)
3. Jordan Shipley (the next Wes Welker)
4-7 BPL (either OT, NT S, CB) you choose
Jerry I hope you read this and draft CJ Spiller and make sure that the Giants don’t get him…..
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
SBNation.com Recent Stories
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Jim Irsay says he would welcome Peyton Manning back … at the right price
- Roddy White isn’t thrilled with Roger Goodell’s $20 million salary
- Could concussions actually kill football?
- J.T. Thomas arrested for possessing some marijuana
- Bucs hire Butch Davis as ‘special assistant,’ have no issue with his double-dipping
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
