MacMahon: ESPN Insider NFL future rankings: Cowboys No. 24

[boozeman]

ESPN Insider NFL future rankings: Cowboys No. 24

June, 19, 2013


By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com


The Cowboys might have only one playoff win in the last 16 seasons, but the franchise’s future is bright, right?

Probably not, according to the ESPN Insider NFL Future Power Rankings.

The Cowboys came in at No. 24 in the rankings compiled by the committee of Herm Edwards, Mel Kiper, Mike Sando, Gary Horton, Matt Williamson and Field Yates. The rankings were based on grading each franchise from 1-10 in five categories – roster (with an emphasis on youth), quarterback, draft, front office and coaching -- that were applied in a weighted formula.

The committee's grades for the Cowboys, with my take on each category:

Roster – 5.8
I’d have bumped this grade up a bit based on the young talent that the Cowboys have compiled in the previous few drafts. The Cowboys have potential blossoming stars in WR Dez Bryant, LT Tyron Smith, MLB Sean Lee, OLB Bruce Carter and CB Morris Claiborne. There aren’t many teams that have that many young players with such high potential.

Quarterback – 6.5
Ten teams got higher grades at quarterback. That seems about right for Romo, considering his age (33) and 1-6 record in win-and-go-home games. But Sando smartly notes in the Insider piece that the anti-clutch Romo narrative ignores his remarkable efficiency late in games, citing the fact that only Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees rank higher in fourth-quarter Total QBR since 2008. Romo doesn’t have the playoff results to prove it, but the bottom line is he’s good enough to give the Cowboys a chance to contend.

Draft – 4.5
Mel Kiper has huge concerns about what he considers a major reach for Travis Frederick in the first round. The Cowboys were thrilled with a draft that looks great based on their board. They got three guys graded among the top 25 – Frederick, Terrance Williams and Gavin Escobar – as well as No. 47 B.W. Webb, No. 50 J.J. Wilcox and No. 67 Joseph Randle. We’ll re-visit in a few years to determine whether this means the Cowboys got great value or did a poor job scouting.

Front office – 4.7
This is a pretty generous grade, given that Jerry Jones and the dysfunction he creates has been the one constant during the Cowboys’ long spell of mediocrity. The GM deserved to lose his job long ago.

Coaching – 4.5
If Jason Garrett doesn’t prove himself capable of coaching a playoff team this season, the Cowboys will almost certainly search for the eighth head coach of Jones’ ownership tenure. It’s time for the process to pay off.
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Grumble...grumble...BSPN...mediots...grumble...grumble...[/Zone]

 

[Lotuseater]

Roster grade needs to be higher. The author just realized my conundrum, that he couldn't very well give Dallas an accurate roster score, which is no question better than his score, when all the others were below average besides qb, which I think should have been one half point higher too.

For all jj's buffoonery in player acquisition, he has put together a very nice roster of players. It shouldnt really be possible, but there it is. I havent figured out how yet.

Just trying to be fair.

 

[Carp]

The weak link is Jason Garrett.

Agreed.

 

[Smitty]

Roster grade needs to be higher. The author just realized my conundrum, that he couldn't very well give Dallas an accurate roster score, which is no question better than his score, when all the others were below average besides qb, which I think should have been one half point higher too.

For all jj's buffoonery in player acquisition, he has put together a very nice roster of players. It shouldnt really be possible, but there it is. I havent figured out how yet.

Just trying to be fair.

He's put together such a nice roster that it's being held together by aging Bill Parcells acquisitions in Witten, Ware, Romo, Ratliff, and Austin, and the rest of the team is rotten.

He's gotten Bryant, Lee, Carter, Carr, and Claiborne. Not exactly the backbone of a champion.

 

[Lotuseater]

He's put together such a nice roster that it's being held together by aging Bill Parcells acquisitions in Witten, Ware, Romo, Ratliff, and Austin, and the rest of the team is rotten.

He's gotten Bryant, Lee, Carter, Carr, and Claiborne. Not exactly the backbone of a champion.

How can you even talk without slapping yourself?

How do you know it isnt the "backbone of a champion"? Those are all fine players who may well be amongst the best in the NFL at their respective positions NOW, and you just blithely dismiss them as incapable of doing anything. That makes no logical sense on any plane of existance. They could very well be the "backbone" of something great, and there are several other players on this team getting ready to become more effective.

When its all put together, this is a roster of great talent with a good mix of vets and young players. I dont like JJ and fam any more than any of you, and there are still a few pieces missing I think, but this is a damn fine roster of players.

 

[mcnuttz]

So you've made some decent draft picks in the last few years.

That don't impress me much.

You got the moves, but ain't got the touch.

Now don't get me wrong, I really liked those 3 SB's...but that hasn't kept me warm for the last 18 years.

 

[Carp]

Did you just drop some freestyle up in this bitch?

 

[mcnuttz]

I Weird Al'd Shania Twain, biznatch.

 

[Carp]

I Weird Al'd Shania Twain, biznatch.

Oh...way to keep it current.

You got any Loretta Lynn smack you want to lay down?

 

[Deuce]

The weak link is Jason Garrett.

Agreed.

He got a lower grade that Jerry Jones.

 

[Lotuseater]

Oh...way to keep it current.

You got any Loretta Lynn smack you want to lay down?

Nice!

 

[mcnuttz]

Oh...way to keep it current.

You got any Loretta Lynn smack you want to lay down?

I'll not be bound to current event-driven mockery.

Don't push me, for I am close to the edge.

 

[Angrymesscan]

I'll not be bound to current event-driven mockery.

Don't push me, for I am close to the edge.

Down by a river...?

 

[mcnuttz]

Down by a river...?

on a Friday night, pyramid of Lombardi's in the pale moonlight.

talkin bout ReShards and dreamin bout winnin,

never had a plan, just a livin for the minute.

 

[Angrymesscan]

on a Friday night, pyramid of Lombardi's in the pale moonlight.

talkin bout ReShards and dreamin bout winnin,

never had a plan, just a livin for the minute.

Living his life from day to day
If you want it, then take it
He said:
That's the rules
If you wanna play

 

[Smitty]

How can you even talk without slapping yourself?

You've got it a lot harder than I do; maybe you should explain it.

How do you know it isnt the "backbone of a champion"?

The team that has missed the playoffs three straight years and is going into a fourth with deficiencies at OL and DL that make it impossible for them to compete? How do I know that team isn't a championship team?

I didn't say Dez Bryant can't ever be part of the backbone of a championship team. I said the pieces that are here now do not aggregate up to a championship team.

but this is a damn fine roster of players.

This is not a damn fine roster, it's an average roster that could do better if Tony Romo goes off the charts or Dez Bryant turns into a superhuman.

It's a seriously flawed roster that 90% of coaches in this league cannot win with unless a bunch of things turn out in our favor.

 

[Carp]

When he takes the time to split your posts up into sections and answer them individually you know you have arrived.

 

[ravidubey]

Then I guess Dallas should be underdogs in 3 out of every 4 every games they play. Fine by me.

FootballLocks.com believes almost the exact opposite. They have 19 teams with worse odds than Dallas to win the Superbowl while Pittsburgh and the world champion Ravens are even with the Cowboys at 35-1. Seahawks, 49ers, Saints, Pats, Texans, Packers, Giants, Broncos, Bears, and Falcons have better odds.

 

[Carp]

Using betting odds as a reference is terrible. The Cowboys have decent odds because oddsmakers know that no matter what, money will come in on Dallas, thus driving their odds down.

 

[ravidubey]

Using betting odds as a reference is terrible. The Cowboys have decent odds because oddsmakers know that no matter what, money will come in on Dallas, thus driving their odds down.

The same can be said for many popular teams. The answer is somewhere in between, and you can never trust ESPN when ranking/judging the Cowboys. None of them seem to be able to separate their evaluation from their own agenda. Credit Sando for propping Romo's skills while others dwell on his "elimination game" record.

The sequence Crayton-drop/Davis PF/Shanked Punt with Romo in a rhythm connecting on what should have been clutch passes tells much of the story.

My knocks on Romo are a lack of elite arm strength and not throwing the ball away enough. That said, he's done more than enough to help lift the Cowboys to elite status. Most of the rest of the team is just unable to follow him there.