2020 Season | Week 3 | Gameday Chatter | Cowboys at Seahawks | 9/27/2020

[Rev]

He can bring them back, but I'm talking about being behind and having the ball last and getting them into the endzone.

How many times has that happened?

I'm genuinely curious because it doesn't feel like many.

The 14 is game winning drives.

 

[Simpleton]

I get that, but Dak had the ball last in both of our losses despite all of that and still didn't get it done.

Honestly, he didn't even get all that close either.

I just feel like a true franchise QB finds a way to overcome the odds. Maybe not all the time, but at least some of them. And if Dak is really capable of being elite, he has to have the ball last and win more than he has up to this point in his career in those situations.

I want to see the guy make a play in that scenario and he just hasn't done it.

To be fair he kind of did make the play against the Rams and it was called back on some ticky tack bullshit.

With that said, I thought he was really bad on that last drive yesterday. There were several times where he had plenty of space to push up in the pocket, buy time and look to make a play downfield and he just sat there at the back of the pocket until he was pressured or sacked. It's like he got complacent knowing the Seahawks were only rushing 3.

 

[Texas Ace]

The 14 is game winning drives.

So all 14 times they Cowboys were behind and Dak had the ball last in a situation where they absolutely had to score or they'd lose?

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I might a little more objective than most because the Garrett tenure damaged my fanhood so badly that I'm not emotionally invested anymore... but I really feel like this team is fine. The Rams and Hawks are probably two of the best teams in the NFC, so losing close games to them isn't that bad. Losing to Atlanta would've been a disaster, but at least they managed to win that one no matter how ugly.

The truth is, this division is easily the worst in football, so the Cowboys will make the playoffs. Only question is can they get these things ironed out by December, and I think they will. This offense is going to be crazy good once the OL is patched up a bit. And I think the defense will at least be okay. There are some decent signs, really. Diggs is going to be very good, the corners will be back, and obviously Aldon is showing what a real pass rusher looks like. Maybe LVE's exploding neck will even return.

 

[data]

I get that, but Dak had the ball last in both of our losses despite all of that and still didn't get it done.

Honestly, he didn't even get all that close either.

I just feel like a true franchise QB finds a way to overcome the odds. Maybe not all the time, but at least some of them. And if Dak is really capable of being elite, he has to have the ball last and win more than he has up to this point in his career in those situations.

I want to see the guy make a play in that scenario and he just hasn't done it.

Didn’t Dak just do this last week?

The lofty level of QB play you’re aspiring for...maybe only 20 QBs in NFL history. I don’t even think Aikman qualifies. How many games did he win with the ball last?

And if you wanna say Aikman rarely put us in the positionto force a comeback, fine, find me a situation where Aikman’s defense allowed 35+ points.

 

[Rev]

So all 14 times they Cowboys were behind and Dak had the ball last in a situation where they absolutely had to score or they'd lose?

It said 4th quarter game winning drives. I take that as meaning they were behind and he led them back and had the last TD. Does it really matter if there was no time on the clock or 2 mins?

 

[Simpleton]

The real conundrum with Dak, as many have alluded to, is that he is generally a good to really good QB, but he's just missing that extra gear guys like Mahomes/Wilson and Rodgers/Brees/Brady in their younger days could hit.

He can make elite plays/throws here and there but he just doesn't do it consistently enough, week in and week out, and in the biggest moments like the top tier guys do. He's basically a solid top 7ish QB who I don't think will ever be a top 2-3 QB.

Can you really afford to let that walk?

I don't think so, but it's going to be a real balancing act if you make him a top 2-3 paid QB in terms of building out the rest of the roster because he doesn't have that ability to win games on his own consistently. He'll often get you 90% of the way there, like he did yesterday, but he's just missing that last gear.

 

[Texas Ace]

It said 4th quarter game winning drives. I take that as meaning they were behind and he led them back and had the last TD. Does it really matter if there was no time on the clock or 2 mins?

Fair enough.

Maybe it's just human nature to think of the failures, but I can recall quite a few instances over the last 2 seasons where Dak was given the ball last and we were losing and he didn't get it done.

At New Orleans, vs Minnesota, at New England, at Philly, at Rams, at Seattle.

That's 6 games in the last 2 seasons where we were losing and Dak had a chance to get the final score but couldn't.

That's just too many failures for my liking.

 

[Texas Ace]

The real conundrum with Dak, as many have alluded to, is that he is generally a good to really good QB, but he's just missing that extra gear guys like Mahomes/Wilson and Rodgers/Brees/Brady in their younger days could hit.

He can make elite plays/throws here and there but he just doesn't do it consistently enough, week in and week out, and in the biggest moments like the top tier guys do. He's basically a solid top 7ish QB who I don't think will ever be a top 2-3 QB.

Can you really afford to let that walk?

I don't think so, but it's going to be a real balancing act if you make him a top 2-3 paid QB in terms of building out the rest of the roster because he doesn't have that ability to win games on his own consistently. He'll often get you 90% of the way there, like he did yesterday, but he's just missing that last gear.

That's exactly it.

He's a very good NFL QB, but not an elite one.

Unfortunately, you can't let that walk because it's not easy to replace. There are at least 20 NFL teams who would trade places with us at QB.

Like I said yesterday, I guess you just have to live with the fact that you're always going to have to help him. And I don't mean in obvious ways, I mean that he's always going to need to have certain pieces in place for him to get you where you want to go that the truly elite don't always need.

 

[Simpleton]

That's exactly it.

He's a very good NFL QB, but not an elite one.

Unfortunately, you can't let that walk because it's not easy to replace. There are at least 20 NFL teams who would trade places with us at QB.

Like I said yesterday, I guess you just have to live with the fact that you're always going to have to help him. And I don't mean in obvious ways, I mean that he's always going to need to have certain pieces in place for him to get you where you want to go that the truly elite don't always need.

Yea, and I was hoping that bringing in a real HC would make things easier for him, not just necessarily from an offensive design standpoint but just from a total team perspective.

I'm not going to pass judgment on McCarthy in that regard after 3 games just yet, especially not with the mountainous list of injuries, but so far it's not looking great with the team looking unfocused and undisciplined to start games each and every time out.

 

[Simpleton]

Random stat, over the first 180 minutes played we've had the lead for about 11 minutes total.

That's probably one of the main reasons things feel so shitty even though we generally played two 3-0 teams to a standstill. Of course the Falcons debacle is another big reason despite the miraculous win.

 

[Texas Ace]

Yea, and I was hoping that bringing in a real HC would make things easier for him, not just necessarily from an offensive design standpoint but just from a total team perspective.

I'm not going to pass judgment on McCarthy in that regard after 3 games just yet, especially not with the mountainous list of injuries, but so far it's not looking great with the team looking unfocused and undisciplined to start games each and every time out.

That's how I feel about it too.

We are only 3 games in and there's still a ton of football left to play. Then you have the offseason being so weird because of Covid, so there's legit reasons to believe that the coaching impact has been hindered.

Still, the coaching through said 3 games has been very disappointing and I honestly did not expect to see it be such an issue for the team.

It definitely has to get better.

 

[Stasheroo]

I get that, but Dak had the ball last in both of our losses despite all of that and still didn't get it done.

Honestly, he didn't even get all that close either.

I just feel like a true franchise QB finds a way to overcome the odds. Maybe not all the time, but at least some of them. And if Dak is really capable of being elite, he has to have the ball last and win more than he has up to this point in his career in those situations.

I want to see the guy make a play in that scenario and he just hasn't done it.

How about that throw to Gallup against the Rams? Did Dak 'do his part' there?

 

[Texas Ace]

Last thing -- go sign Earl Thomas already.

The pass defense is absolute disaster. It is amazing how many receivers are all alone in all areas of the field when they catch the ball.

Doesn't matter if it's a drag route underneath, a screen pass, a slant, in the post, down the field.....everywhere.

So many guys are all alone and the Cowboys seem to have no idea on how to deal with misdirection. They need guys who can cover, but you also need a guy who can direct players where they need to go and they do not have that in their secondary.

Even if Earl Thomas is a step or two behind from where he was as a player, he can still help the team via his ability to read the offensive looks and put guys where they need to be.

They are just way too bad and look way too lost in pass coverage right now to not bring him in.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Last thing -- go sign Earl Thomas already.

The pass defense is absolute disaster. It is amazing how many receivers are all alone in all areas of the field when they catch the ball.

Doesn't matter if it's a drag route underneath, a screen pass, a slant, in the post, down the field.....everywhere.

I don't understand these safeties letting guys behind them the way they do. This is college level stuff, if not high school. You shouldn't need Earl Thomas to not blow coverages wide open.

 

[Stasheroo]

Last thing -- go sign Earl Thomas already.

The pass defense is absolute disaster. It is amazing how many receivers are all alone in all areas of the field when they catch the ball.

Doesn't matter if it's a drag route underneath, a screen pass, a slant, in the post, down the field.....everywhere.

So many guys are all alone and the Cowboys seem to have no idea on how to deal with misdirection. They need guys who can cover, but you also need a guy who can direct players where they need to go and they do not have that in their secondary.

Even if Earl Thomas is a step or two behind from where he was as a player, he can still help the team via his ability to read the offensive looks and put guys where they need to be.

They are just way too bad and look way too lost in pass coverage right now to not bring him in.

I think Earl Thomas has some mental health issues, and that's why neither the Cowboys nor any other team has signed him.

 

[Simpleton]

These coaches should be embarrassed trying to convince people rolling out Darian Thompson would work out just fine. Even aside from Thomas there are legitimate starting safeties sitting at home, Eric Reid in particular.

There's no way anybody could convince me that Darian Thompson is better than Eric Reid right now. Maybe he "knows the scheme" since he's been through camp and everything but that's on the coaches, they should've gotten someone like Reid in here earlier and got him up to speed.

 

[Cotton]

I hate to use this excuse, but if ever there was a time it fits, it is this game. The refs fucked us big time in this game. So much that I feel pretty safe in saying they lost us the game. I'm still fucking livid over that game.

 

[bbgun]

I think Earl Thomas has some mental health issues, and that's why neither the Cowboys nor any other team has signed him.

that didn't stop Jerry from signing Spellman or Griffen

 

[Simpleton]

I might a little more objective than most because the Garrett tenure damaged my fanhood so badly that I'm not emotionally invested anymore... but I really feel like this team is fine. The Rams and Hawks are probably two of the best teams in the NFC, so losing close games to them isn't that bad. Losing to Atlanta would've been a disaster, but at least they managed to win that one no matter how ugly.

The truth is, this division is easily the worst in football, so the Cowboys will make the playoffs. Only question is can they get these things ironed out by December, and I think they will. This offense is going to be crazy good once the OL is patched up a bit. And I think the defense will at least be okay. There are some decent signs, really. Diggs is going to be very good, the corners will be back, and obviously Aldon is showing what a real pass rusher looks like. Maybe LVE's exploding neck will even return.

I agree that because the division is so shit the only thing that really matters is whether or not McCarthy has the team firing on all cylinders late in the year. I'm fairly sure 9-7 will take the division this year, maybe even 8-8, and I just can't imagine us not getting to at least 8 or 9. If by December these guys are still fucking up kick returns, missing XP's, turning the ball over 2-3 times in the first half, and so forth on a regular basis I'm going to be 100% out on McCarthy.

As far as the defense, I don't care what happens but Nolan and the rest of the coaches need to figure out some way to keep these fucks from giving up 400+ yards and 30+ points every week. If we can get Smith/Collins back the offense will put up 27+ at least 80% of the time, so the defensive coaches have three months to figure out how to keep the defense from shitting all over themselves every 5th play, whether that means dumbing down the coverages, letting Lawrence/Griffen play in a 3-point stance 100% of the time or whatever, I don't really care.

Like I said previously, not only is the defense in general a shit show, but the personnel isn't structured to where we're building something for the future. We aren't a young team defensively where the coaches are trying to teach them how to play in the scheme and we'll reap those rewards 2-4 years down the line. There are literally no long-term building blocks on defense aside from Diggs, LVE (if healthy) and maybe Hill/Gallimore. Maybe someone random like Anae turns into a building block but he isn't even playing at this point.

Almost every single one of Woods/Awuzie/Lewis/Thompson/Poe/Worley/Lawrence/Griffen and probably even Aldon/Jaylon Smith will be gone in 3 years, so just do whatever it takes to get the most out of them right now and fuck trying to build something for the future, schematically speaking.