Watkins: Age not a factor for Cowboys

Cotton

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Age not a factor for Cowboys

February, 4, 2014

By Calvin Watkins | ESPNDallas.com

After a third consecutive 8-8 season, you have to say age isn't a factor with the
Dallas Cowboys.

The average age for the Cowboys in 2013 was 26.1, and that two veterans who didn't finish the season in Will Allen (31) and Brian Waters (36). In 2012, the Cowboys' average age was 25.9.

Coaching and a lack of quality depth hurt the Cowboys in most cases the last two seasons. You can blame Tony Romo's late interception against Washington in the 2012 regular-season finale or Kyle Orton's pick in the 2013 finale against Philadelphia as other issues.

But don't say the Cowboys were an old team.

If anything, the Cowboys should rebuild around some young pieces which include Sean Lee,Dez Bryant, Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Terrance Williams, DeMarco Murray, Orlando Scandrick, Dan Bailey and Barry Church.

Core veterans in their 30s such as Romo, DeMarcus Ware and Jason Witten, and other quality vets in their late 20s like Brandon Carr and Doug Free, are worth keeping around.

Finding quality backups is the key for 2014. When you have guys such as Corvey Irvin,Frank Kearse, Jarius Wynn and Everette Brown as backups along the defensive line, it doesn't bode well for success.

The Cowboys have to fix their issues with finding undrafted players who can't play consistently, which was the case with safety Jeff Heath, at key backup positions.

Drafting quality players in the middle rounds should also help the Cowboys. It was something Todd Archer pointed out but the reality is age isn't and shouldn't be a factor for this team.

You can worry about Romo and his age -- 34 when 2014 regular season starts -- and health, recovering from back surgery, but the quarterback has young players to help him move the offense.

Coaching is a problem at Valley Ranch. The Cowboys currently have three -- head coach Jason Garrett, offensive line coach Bill Callahan, and new play caller Scott Linehan -- who have been head coaches and play callers.

Too many cooks in the kitchen? Team officials will say no.

But can these coaches, offense and defense, get the young core of this team to the next level?

If they can't, the numbers of not reaching the postseason will move to five years and counting.
 

Carp

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The two guys that should be cornerstones though...Romo and Ware...are too old.
 

L.T. Fan

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The two guys that should be cornerstones though...Romo and Ware...are too old.
If Romo's back holds up I see up to three more productive years from him.
 

Bluestar71

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Romo may be able to come back and put up his usual impressive numbers but he's never going to lead this team where it needs to go. Relying too much on his arm is actually an impediment to building a team that can compete in a loaded NFC.
 

Cowboysrock55

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At this point I wish we could flip Ware for draft picks. His contract probably makes that impossible but I just think his tank may be near empty. 6 sacks out of your stud DE is just totally and completely unacceptable. Does anyone really have faith he will get healthy again this year? For anyone that thinks the switch to the 4-3 caused this I would argue that we started to see signs in 2012 that he was slowing down. Injuries plagued him that year too and his 11.5 sack that season were well below his career season average for sacks.

I think it's a downward trend. The problem is Dallas won't take getting an elite RE pass rusher seriously until Ware is gone. Even if we do draft one he won't see the field significantly at RE until Ware is gone.
 

Cowboysrock55

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The two guys that should be cornerstones though...Romo and Ware...are too old.
The funny thing is if you replace Romo with a young QB everyone would be talking about what a young team the Cowboys are.
 

UncleMilti

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Romo may be able to come back and put up his usual impressive numbers but he's never going to lead this team where it needs to go. Relying too much on his arm is actually an impediment to building a team that can compete in a loaded NFC.
Seattle proved that you don't need your QB to throw for 400 yards to win a big game. However, your QB needs to be able to make a play- legs or arm- at crucial times to be dominant. Wilson was just that...4-5 great passes on 3rd down, a couple scrambles on 3rd down, and buying time on 3rd down to get the ball out to make a play.

Romo has pimp moments, but he also has too many of the retard moments where he overthrows his guy when we need 6 yards, or takes sacks when we need 7 yards. You used to be able to count on him to run and scramble consistently, but I haven't seen that out of him for about 2 years. He will occasionally make the WOW play but its not consistent.

So yeah, you are 100% on the fact that relying on Romo is really rolling the dice. He just isn't consistent.
 

L.T. Fan

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Seattle proved that you don't need your QB to throw for 400 yards to win a big game. However, your QB needs to be able to make a play- legs or arm- at crucial times to be dominant. Wilson was just that...4-5 great passes on 3rd down, a couple scrambles on 3rd down, and buying time on 3rd down to get the ball out to make a play.

Romo has pimp moments, but he also has too many of the retard moments where he overthrows his guy when we need 6 yards, or takes sacks when we need 7 yards. You used to be able to count on him to run and scramble consistently, but I haven't seen that out of him for about 2 years. He will occasionally make the WOW play but its not consistent.

So yeah, you are 100% on the fact that relying on Romo is really rolling the dice. He just isn't consistent.
But according to his stats he is about as consistent as any the top echalishon of the NFL qbs.
 

L.T. Fan

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You're not having a stroke, are you?

I mean, I'll give you mouth to mouth if required, but I won't like it.
This spell check system has a mind of its own and if I back off on my diligence it sneaks one in on me. You know, like the Dawg working in a humor spot.
 
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Bluestar71

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But according to his stats he is about as consistent as any the top echalishon of the NFL qbs.
Nobody denies Romo is a great stat QB. His intangibles and tendency to shit the bed when the team can least afford it are what make him a liability, not his ability to put up impressive but ultimately meaningless numbers.
 

L.T. Fan

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Nobody denies Romo is a great stat QB. His intangibles and tendency to shit the bed when the team can least afford it are what make him a liability, not his ability to put up impressive but ultimately meaningless numbers.
It's not just Romo that caves in. Case in point Peyton Manning in the SB. No QB.can go very long without screwing the pooch when they have constant heat. I think Romo is a better choice than just about any option that would be available to Dallas. With the caveat that his back holds up.
 

Clay_Allison

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Seattle proved that you don't need your QB to throw for 400 yards to win a big game. However, your QB needs to be able to make a play- legs or arm- at crucial times to be dominant. Wilson was just that...4-5 great passes on 3rd down, a couple scrambles on 3rd down, and buying time on 3rd down to get the ball out to make a play.

Romo has pimp moments, but he also has too many of the retard moments where he overthrows his guy when we need 6 yards, or takes sacks when we need 7 yards. You used to be able to count on him to run and scramble consistently, but I haven't seen that out of him for about 2 years. He will occasionally make the WOW play but its not consistent.

So yeah, you are 100% on the fact that relying on Romo is really rolling the dice. He just isn't consistent.
He would have been a lot more consistent over the years if he had been asked to do that much less often. Look at Ben Roethlisberger's career. He was a pimp in playoff games and big division games when the Steelers were a running team that asked him to make 2-3 big plays a game. When their line degraded and they stopped having a good running game and started asking him to make a lot more plays just to move the ball how did that end up? They were 8-8 in 2013 just like us.

If Romo had been part of a tough, physical running team and asked to improvise a few times a game instead of every single drive I think his career would have worked out a lot better for him. His record is way better when he throws under 30 passes.

Now, I think Romo's shot. That back injury is probably a career ender, so this is all hindsight.
 
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Genghis Khan

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Nobody denies Romo is a great stat QB. His intangibles and tendency to shit the bed when the team can least afford it are what make him a liability, not his ability to put up impressive but ultimately meaningless numbers.
I think Romo certainly has his flaws, but I wouldn't say he's a liability.
 

ravidubey

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Exactly. If your QB is in his mid 30s, age is an issue.
John Elway won back to back Superbowls in his final two seasons. The QB must be able to execute, and Romo can execute well enough to win.

Romo and Elway were caught most of their careers trying to be a hero to compensate for average talent, stupidity, and poor play elsewhere on the team.

Elway finally got a dependable running game and suddenly dominated after years of mediocrity in his late career. His OL also started to play very well together under Alex Gibbs in those years and the net effect was his team was finally good enough to win, with or without him.
 

boozeman

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John Elway won back to back Superbowls in his final two seasons. The QB must be able to execute, and Romo can execute well enough to win.

Romo and Elway were caught most of their careers trying to be a hero to compensate for average talent, stupidity, and poor play elsewhere on the team.

Elway finally got a dependable running game and suddenly dominated after years of mediocrity in his late career. His OL also started to play very well together under Alex Gibbs in those years and the net effect was his team was finally good enough to win, with or without him.
Elway also got Shanahan who believed in running the football. Until Romo gets the hell away from Garrett, he's doomed.
 

junk

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Elway also got Shanahan who believed in running the football. Until Romo gets the hell away from Garrett, he's doomed.
Yep, you can win with Romo, but you have to rein him in and cater the offense to the things he does well and the things he does poorly. That isn't Garrett's offense.
 

Genghis Khan

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John Elway won back to back Superbowls in his final two seasons. The QB must be able to execute, and Romo can execute well enough to win.

Romo and Elway were caught most of their careers trying to be a hero to compensate for average talent, stupidity, and poor play elsewhere on the team.

Elway finally got a dependable running game and suddenly dominated after years of mediocrity in his late career. His OL also started to play very well together under Alex Gibbs in those years and the net effect was his team was finally good enough to win, with or without him.
I agree completely. I'm sayingRomo's age is an issue, not an insurmountable obstacle. It's something that should inform everything they do right now.
 
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