The Athletic: Cowboys conversation - Evaluating Year 1 of the Mike McCarthy era in Dallas

[ravidubey]

This defense would have been horrific even without changing a thing. They don't have any players even when healthy. And don't forget the injuries over there also... Signing defensive lineman and corners off the street and playing them the next week.

We were not really worse off on defense beyond losing Jones and Quinn. Certainly not 473 points worth. The DT personnel was bad, but the biggest factor was the whole front didn’t know what they were doing. An insane number of blown assignments in the secondary. Continuity on defense stops all that.

They would not have been good by any stretch, but they’d have won games that became unnecessary shootouts and put Dak at risk, Cleveland in particular.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

The division sucked then too: 9-7, 7-9, 6-10 besides us.

I honestly don't get the anger, rav. This year was going nowhere anyway. Say we win one more game because of a different dc... We win the worst division in history and still get blown out first round.

If we're decently healthy with Dak back and still look hapless, I'll be with you.

 

[NoDak]

Ravi making excuses for Jason Fucking Garrett.

 

[Cotton]

Ravi making excuses for Jason Fucking Garrett.

No doubt. Does he not remember the last 10 years? I damn sure do.

 

[Genghis Khan]

We were not really worse off on defense beyond losing Jones and Quinn. Certainly not 473 points worth. The DT personnel was bad, but the biggest factor was the whole front didn’t know what they were doing. An insane number of blown assignments in the secondary. Continuity on defense stops all that.

They would not have been good by any stretch, but they’d have won games that became unnecessary shootouts and put Dak at risk, Cleveland in particular.

"We weren't really worse off except for being worse off."

Remember also Poe was garbage, Worley was garbage, Griffin was invisible, McCoy (who we were apparently counting on) got hurt in camp, LVE got hurt, Brown got hurt, Lee got hurt, Awuzie was out for a while, Diggs got hurt for a while, Hill got hurt early, we lost both Woods at various points. We were starting street free agents in the secondary at times.

But yeah, no worse off.

 

[ravidubey]

Ravi making excuses for Jason Fucking Garrett.

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Hell no, that's not at all what I'm saying.

McCarthy has been as bad as Garrett-- AND he tried to change the whole defense on top of it.

 

[NoDak]

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Hell no, that's not at all what I'm saying.

McCarthy has been as bad as Garrett-- AND he tried to change the whole defense on top of it.

Sorry. You lose any and all credibility when you claim that McCarthy is as bad as Garrett.

I don’t make the rules.

 

[ravidubey]

"We weren't really worse off except for being worse off."

Remember also Poe was garbage, Worley was garbage, Griffin was invisible, McCoy (who we were apparently counting on) got hurt in camp, LVE got hurt, Brown got hurt, Lee got hurt, Awuzie was out for a while, Diggs got hurt for a while, Hill got hurt early, we lost both Woods at various points. We were starting street free agents in the secondary at times.

But yeah, no worse off.

Teams have injury issues every year and the Joneses have really hurt us regarding DTs. We also lost Byron Jones and Quinn. We KNEW we were going to be bad, and I said we would be. C-rock tried to reassure we'd be fine, and my only consolation was Poe and McCoy though each was aging.

But the biggest reason for the drop from being middle of the pack in 2019 to being historically bad-- as in off the scale bad-- in 2020 was the half-assed change in defensive philosophy.

 

[ravidubey]

Sorry. You lose any and all credibility when you claim that McCarthy is as bad as Garrett.

I don’t make the rules.

No, you just revised what I posted :)

And McCarthy is as bad as Garrett.

-- Game day gaffs vs the Rams and Giants, the latter one eliminating us from the playoffs
-- Continuing the complete defensive overhaul despite knowing the COVID situation made that impossible--
-- Worthless Crony as DC
-- Same OC

Where was this great supposed lift from McCarthy? He made 2020 just as if Garrett had never left ... AND he fucked up the whole defense with Nolan and his "multiple" semi 3-4 bullshit.

Meanwhile Green Bay has gone 13-3 and 13-3 in his absence.

 

[ravidubey]

So Genghis, what did McCarthy do that proved to you he was actually better than Garrett?

 

[Cotton]

So Genghis, what did McCarthy do that proved to you he was actually better than Garrett?

He won 6 games while losing half his starters to injuries at the same time implementing a new scheme in the middle of a pandemic.

 

[ravidubey]

He won 6 games while losing half his starters to injuries at the same time implementing a new scheme in the middle of a pandemic.

Implementing that new scheme was the biggest reason the team was historically bad. The pressure on Dak to win became much greater. Where he is scoring 31 in a comeback against Seattle, and they are casually a TD ahead of whatever we did. He was pressing on that last drive to do more than he should have had to.

Same thing happened vs the Giants when we should have been comfortably ahead and handing the ball off.

If the defense has it's shit even half way together Dak doesn't have to press and get hurt. We likely beat the Rams outright and are rolling-- even with a merely below average D. But historically bad-- McCarthy wasn't accountable enough IMO.

 

[Genghis Khan]

So Genghis, what did McCarthy do that proved to you he was actually better than Garrett?

Are you serious Clark?

 

[ravidubey]

Enough, about Garrett.

Point is based on the shitshow of 2020 we are treading water with McCarthy at best.

You all can give him a pass, I do not.

 

[Rev]

So you cant implement a new scheme when you come in?

 

[Cowboysrock55]

He won 6 games while losing half his starters to injuries at the same time implementing a new scheme in the middle of a pandemic.

Literally I can't remember the last time we had this much cap sitting hurt. We have been relatively lucky with health in the past and it's like it all came back to balance this year. Garrett has never been able to deal with injuries, especially not of this magnitude.

There is literally a 0% chance Garrett wins 6 games with that team.

 

[Genghis Khan]

McCarthy obviously made a mistake hiring Nolan.

Yet, if just the QB doesn't go down even assuming all other injuries, they're probably a 10 win team and won the division running away. Hell they were down to their 3rd and 4th string QBs

He's a clear upgrade over Garrett.

Good enough? We'll see. Plenty of things need to get better.

As for what GB has done since McCarthy left? That's a dumb argument. They changed GMs and finally started signing free agents. It's apples and oranges from when McCarthy was there. I mean, McCarthy won a superbowl there and went to multiple championship games so it's not like he didn't literally prove he could win when given the personnel.

 

[ravidubey]

I want for Dak what Daboll has been for Allen. Kellen Moore isn't doing that, and neither is McCarthy

 

[Rev]

I want for Dak what Daboll has been for Allen. Kellen Moore isn't doing that, and neither is McCarthy

You do know that he was on record pace for all kinds of numbers before he got hurt?

Dak and his development wasnt the problem. It was the all time crapfest we saw on the other side of the ball.

 

[Genghis Khan]

I want for Dak what Daboll has been for Allen. Kellen Moore isn't doing that, and neither is McCarthy