Watkins: The Cowboys don’t have an elite receiver anymore. How much does that matter?

[Angrymesscan]

None. The closest was NE at 41. And, they were the only team over 40.

Yeah, but... There were no elite offenses last year... right...?

 

[data]

None. The closest was NE at 41. And, they were the only team over 40.

Did this differentiate 25+ yards in air, or are 5-yard slants with YAC included in this tally?

 

[ravidubey]

None. The closest was NE at 41. And, they were the only team over 40.

And they went to the Superbowl and would have won we’re it not for a miracle game from the Eagles and refs.

There will be off games, of course, accounting for stats being below 48, and these are pass plays, period, the ball doesn’t have to travel far.

In 2016 the top three were Washington, Atlanta, and New England.

If you build your team around the offense, then it had better be explosive and not rink-a-dink bullshit.

Playoff defenses are a different challenge than in the regular season. Predictable, find the open WR offenses don’t do well unless you also have a great defense.

We don’t.

 

[Cotton]

Did this differentiate 25+ yards in air, or are 5-yard slants with YAC included in this tally?

No, that's just pass plays that resulted in 25+ yards gained. Pro Football Reference is good, but it doesn't let you dig that deep.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Playoff defenses are a different challenge than in the regular season. Predictable, find the open WR offenses don’t do well unless you also have a great defense.

We don’t.

So wait, throwing to the open receiver is now considered predictable? I mean doesn't that seem a little like common sense. Guy is open, get him the ball? So to be unpredictable you should throw the ball to the well covered guy? That may be unpredictable but it's also retarded.

 

[NoDak]

It's pretty obvious that what we need to compete is a timing-based WCO that throws the ball to the well covered guy and gets AT LEAST three 25+ yard pass plays per game. Then, and only then will we be considered elite.

How can you guys not see this?

 

[p1_]

Seeing as this season is pivotal for Garrett and Lenehan, do you guys have any faith that Linehan can come up with something new, creative and effective for Dak and this new crew of receivers and tight ends? It can't be the same old shit that its been these last 2 years. And it can't be just a one dimensional Zekefest.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Seeing as this season is pivotal for Garrett and Lenehan, do you guys have any faith that Linehan can come up with something new, creative and effective for Dak and this new crew of receivers and tight ends? It can't be the same old shit that its been these last 2 years. And it can't be just a one dimensional Zekefest.

I'm guessing it will be much closer to what we saw in 2016 than what we saw in 2017. But if you're hoping for something drastically different than 2016 I doubt it. Of course if you combine the 2016 offense with the talent we now have on defense, you might actually have something. This defense in my opinion at least is much more talented than the one we saw in 2016.

 

[ravidubey]

So wait, throwing to the open receiver is now considered predictable? I mean doesn't that seem a little like common sense. Guy is open, get him the ball? So to be unpredictable you should throw the ball to the well covered guy? That may be unpredictable but it's also retarded.

WRs who aren’t dominant still get open all the time. So is the check down back. It doesn’t mean you feed them the football.

You get the ball to your playmakers, and yes, they will be covered. Hell, Antonio Brown is double-covered.

Ben still throws him the ball. Dak can’t do it. At least not yet. He’s Mr. Safe. Except when he tries to get the ball to covered playmakers. That’s when he fucks up.

 

[mcnuttz]

2014 & 2016 should be a model for this team.

With an improved defense, this team has a chance with teh strong running game and hungry WRs stepping up and getting open.

 

[Cotton]

WRs who aren’t dominant still get open all the time. So is the check down back. It doesn’t mean you feed them the football.

You get the ball to your playmakers, and yes, they will be covered. Hell, Antonio Brown is double-covered.

Ben still throws him the ball. Dak can’t do it. At least not yet. He’s Mr. Safe. Except when he tries to [STRIKE]get [/STRIKE] force the ball to [STRIKE]covered playmakers[/STRIKE] Dez. That’s when he fucks up.

FIFY

 

[ravidubey]

FIFY

So Dak’s weakness was all because of Dez. Wow. Well, every Cowboy WR coincidentally fell off the map in 2017. Must have been some kind of bug or something.

Or or maybe the ordinary QB suddenly lost his extraordinary LT and RB and was f’ing exposed. Same things happened to Carson Wentz, btw. He’s very overrated as Nick Foles proved, but he didn’t curl into a fetal position like Dak.

 

[Cotton]

So Dak’s weakness was all because of Dez. Wow. Well, every Cowboy WR coincidentally fell off the map in 2017. Must have been some kind of bug or something.

Or or maybe the ordinary QB suddenly lost his extraordinary LT and RB and was f’ing exposed. Same things happened to Carson Wentz, btw. He’s very overrated as Nick Foles proved, but he didn’t curl into a fetal position like Dak.

Where did I say all of his struggles were because of Dez? Oh, and the rest of the receivers did fairly well last year, as has been comprehensively noted by C-Rock.

And, yeah, if a QB gets smoked for 8 sacks in a game, I bet it does have a bit of a head game effect.

 

[jsmith6919]

So Dak’s weakness was all because of Dez. Wow. Well, every Cowboy WR coincidentally fell off the map in 2017. Must have been some kind of bug or something.

Or or maybe the ordinary QB suddenly lost his extraordinary LT and RB and was f’ing exposed. Same things happened to Carson Wentz, btw. He’s very overrated as Nick Foles proved, but he didn’t curl into a fetal position like Dak.

If Dez is so good why is he still available?

 

[boozeman]

So Dak’s weakness was all because of Dez. Wow. Well, every Cowboy WR coincidentally fell off the map in 2017. Must have been some kind of bug or something.

Bryant has been turd since his peak prime in 2014.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Where did I say all of his struggles were because of Dez? Oh, and the rest of the receivers did fairly well last year, as has been comprehensively noted by C-Rock.

And, yeah, if a QB gets smoked for 8 sacks in a game, I bet it does have a bit of a head game effect.

Yeah and Dez hasn't been shit in multiple years. But it's always got to be about Dak.

 

[ravidubey]

Bryant has been turd since his peak prime in 2014.

Besides the point, really.

We’re running a RB led offense without a strong defense.

 

[L.T. Fan]

So Dak’s weakness was all because of Dez. Wow. Well, every Cowboy WR coincidentally fell off the map in 2017. Must have been some kind of bug or something.

Or or maybe the ordinary QB suddenly lost his extraordinary LT and RB and was f’ing exposed. Same things happened to Carson Wentz, btw. He’s very overrated as Nick Foles proved, but he didn’t curl into a fetal position like Dak.

I would like to think that Dallas was in fact leaning on the running game as their strength but the way it unfolded last season Dallas couldn’t structure a run reliant offense because Elliot was either awaiting for the hammer to drop and Dallas tried to make the passing game work but Dak wasn’t quite there. Elliot eventually did serve his suspension and the running game really didn’t shine. The passing game couldn’t overcome some critical games and Dallas fell out of playoff contention again.

Bottom line is that neither the passing game or running game gained much ground last season to be able to identify either side as one you could rely on.

 

[Smitty]

2014 & 2016 should be a model for this team.

With an improved defense, this team has a chance with teh strong running game and hungry WRs stepping up and getting open.

I go back and forth.

On one hand, I feel like because of the improvements to the run game (Elliott back full time), the OL (Connor Williams over Cooper, Tyron being healthy, better depth with Martin and Fleming), and the defense (2nd year jumps from Woods, Awuzie, Lewis, Byron Jones to corner, adding LVE to LB), it means that we don't need an elite passing game, just an opportunistic and effective one. I feel like Bryant's raw numbers are easily duplicable or can even be improved on (really low end catch% for a #1 WR, only 69 catches, only 800 yards, only 6 TDs; so why can't Hurns do that?). Hurns actually posted a pretty stellar completion percentage of 69% compared to Bryant's 52%, though with only 39 catches instead of 69, but it's not like Hurns had a great QB down there in Jacksonville either, giving him all easy to catch balls. So why can't Hurns, plus Gallup, who seems like he's gonna be good, duplicate what Bryant did? Why can't our passing game be even better despite losing Bryant, who was inconsistent, and Witten, who was extremely consistent, but completely non-explosive?

Then on the other hand, I think, no matter how deadly your running game, unless you have a really top notch defense like the Jaguars did (and we probably don't, it's probably good for Cowboys standards but not THAT good), passing is still vital in today's league. Can an offense QB'd by Prescott with no #1 WR to draw attention (Bryant got all the double teams still) and no respected veteran TE to draw attention (Witten was still a main draw of opposing defenses), and featuring a mish-mash of 2/3 WR types at best in Hurns, Williams, Beasley and Gallup, really present more than a mediocre passing game? It would be one thing to have that WR group if Peyton Manning was throwing them open. It's another thing when it's Prescott, a QB who probably needs some sort of help to really thrive.

So the best I can say is, we'll see. I can't see us winning the division as the Eagles are probably in charge for the foreseeable future with Wentz at the helm, as he's a stud.

Can we get a wild card berth and make noise in the playoffs? I dunno. There are at least 2 playoff caliber teams in every division in the NFC, so wild card competition will be ferocious. We'll see.

 

[Smitty]

For the record, I wouldn't feel that much better about our WR core this year even if it was Hurns/Williams/Beasley/Ridley, instead of Hurns/Williams/Beasley/Gallup. Either way, the rookie is gonna be at the low end of the totem pole for most of the season as he learns.

I have always liked Terrance Williams but he is really mucking up the WR depth chart at this point. Progress stopper. Hurns I feel like can be more explosive and more reliable, and he can also play inside or outside, he can do everything. Gallup has potential to be very good. Beasley has shown that he can be deadly in the slot to the tune of 70+ receptions, and even if he doesn't get that many, he can make you pay.

Williams is just kind of there. He's just kinda gonna slog his way to 40-50 catches for 500-700 yards and low TD production. He doesn't have the upside of Gallup, the dual threat use of Hurns, or the elite slot potential of Beasley. He can't be a #1, but he's kinda blocking Beasley and Hurns as ideal #2s. But given how much cap space we currently have, how much better would you feel if we had cut Terrance Williams and traded our 2018 4th rounder (Dorrance Armstrong) and our 2019 7th to the Dolphins for Jarvis Landry? That's what the Browns gave up. Landry is no dynamite explosive WR either, but you'd sure feel like he's capable of exceeding what Bryant gave us last year for sure.

If we were rolling into 2018 with an WR corps of

Landry
Hurns
Beasley
Gallup

I'd actually be downright enthusiastic. Landry is not explosive, but he replaces the short and slant dependency stuff that Witten and Bryant were actually still good for.

Hurns is then a big improvement on Williams as far as getting downfield and being multidimensional.

Beasley is Beasley.

Witten is gone, but Gallup as the 4th WR gets way more looks than we previously gave to our fourth WR, so it eats up those TE touches, and then it doesn't really matter if our TE is just a blocking TE.

You'd feel good about that.