2023 Season | Week 16 | Gameday Chatter Thread | Cowboys @ Dolphins | 12/24/2023

[Stoneman]

Um, last year?

What was the final score? Ummm

 

[Stoneman]

@Simpleton is right.

The sober view is that this was a coin flip game against a team that's probably very similar to us quality-wise, and we were on the road. They had to make 3 50+ yard FGs to beat us by two points. They're about a top 5-6-7 team in the league and so are we. Is that a reason to cry that everything sucks, everyone is a loser, etc.? I don't think so. Of course it would be more fun to be a top 2-3 team, but we're slightly below that. It's just what we are.

My disappointment is I'm afraid everything has been squeezed out of Dak that we can get. He's good to very good, but he just isn't the guy to carry a good but flawed team -- and most are -- to a Super Bowl against top defenses. I'd hoped that the new system, etc. would work through these periods he has where his brain locks up, and I think he has made progress, but it looks like it's not enough.

I've already said, they are who they are. And Dak is what he is. Only a poster on here keeps dreaming in technicolour and thinks somehow everything is going to change in the playoffs. That's not how it works in real life. And certainly hasn't with this team.

 

[Clff15701]

I mean our owner traded for a QB without telling the head coach. I just don’t see us getting a better coach without Jerry giving up control. I could see Jerry screwing it up though and turning us into the Giants.

 

[Stoneman]

Everything would be so much better if we could just play Carolina, the Giants and the Commanders all the time, and pad our stats.

 

[NoDak]

Can’t wait for that second round playoff exit again.

We’re winning in the first round?

 

[Clff15701]

We’re winning in the first round?

No joke I’d take a first round win right now. I just don’t see how you get around the fact that we’re small on defense and we have no RB. How do you win when you give up at least 50+ pounds to the other team. We have safeties trying to take on lineman and shed blocks.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

No joke I’d take a first round win right now. I just don’t see how you get around the fact that we’re small on defense and we have no RB.

The RB situation is one thing that's pretty infuriating considering most of us thought we at least needed a better backup to go along with Pollard. It's borderline unacceptable, really. Seems like most teams have a few RBs who can at least play and contribute, and plenty have two pretty good RBs. They aren't even that expensive these days.

 

[Clff15701]

The RB situation is one thing that's pretty infuriating considering most of us thought we at least needed a better backup to go along with Pollard. It's borderline unacceptable, really. Seems like most teams have a few RBs who can at least play and contribute, and plenty have two pretty good RBs. They aren't even that expensive these days.

It’s crazy. If the 10 million RB scores like any other top back it’s a different game. He’s not good enough. Even with old Zeke this team prob wins this game and maybe things are different. We have a team full of midgets that the GM handpicked.

 

[p1_]

This team is just ass.

And don't get me wrong, we fight and other such shit.

But we are ass at the end of the day.

Thank you for keeping it real.

 

[kidd]

It’s not really possible to stop offenses wholesale in today’s NFL.

As a general rule if you score only 20 it’s your offense’s fault and that was the case today with us.

Disagree. Not saying the defense didn’t play well. I’m saying that didn’t play well when they were needed.

 

[Simpleton]

Who says we're going to be sitting 9-6 at halftime in San Fran. Where do you pull this crap out of?

That's what it was last year, I was implying that we're more or less the same team as last season in terms of the ups and downs and I'd roll the dice on a similar set of circumstances.

 

[chevycowboys]

Can’t wait for that second round playoff exit again.

They won’t win the first round

 

[p1_]

No joke I’d take a first round win right now. I just don’t see how you get around the fact that we’re small on defense and we have no RB. How do you win when you give up at least 50+ pounds to the other team. We have safeties trying to take on lineman and shed blocks.

I said the same thing during the week. And I’m still saying it.

 

[p1_]

Disagree. Not saying the defense didn’t play well. I’m saying that didn’t play well when they were needed.

We rarely come up with a critical stop.

 

[Texas Ace]

Assuming Quinn is back next year we need to retool the defense a bit. Rushing the passer is great but you can’t let them run in down your throat on third and two to end the game and you can’t give up so many easy yards in the middle. Fat Mikes offense seems to be good we need bigger players on D and to do something about RB.

That's the problem, though -- we really haven't gotten after the QB much over the second half of the season.

That's a big difference between this defense and last year's defense. We had our ups and downs last year too but we were better about getting after the passer.

So if you're not stopping the run and now you're giving the QB time the throw the ball too, you get what happened today where you didn't get enough stops when you really needed them.

And if Quinn is coming back, he needs to be open-minded enough to make adjustments to his philosophy.

We need to get bigger and bulkier in some areas and this Safety at LB experiment needs to stop.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Postgame show just said that we haven't had a single holding call on our pass rushers in the last four weeks. Not one.

For one of the best pass rushing teams in the league.

 

[p1_]

One sack today doesn’t cut it.

 

[Simpleton]

That's the problem, though -- we really haven't gotten after the QB much over the second half of the season.

That's a big difference between this defense and last year's defense. We had our ups and downs last year too but we were better about getting after the passer.

So if you're not stopping the run and now you're giving the QB time the throw the ball too, you get what happened today where you didn't get enough stops when you really needed them.

And if Quinn is coming back, he needs to be open-minded enough to make adjustments to his philosophy.

We need to get bigger and bulkier in some areas and this Safety at LB experiment needs to stop.

One of the underrated problems on defense is that Parsons is really the only guy who can consistently win with traditional rushes off the edge. The other guys are mostly getting pressure off stunts/twists, Fowler might be our second best pure edge rusher since Williams hasn't taken a step.

So that's another spot I'd look to upgrade if possible in the draft.

 

[Simpleton]

Postgame show just said that we haven't had a single holding call on our pass rushers in the last four weeks. Not one.

For one of the best pass rushing teams in the league.

This seems very normal and not fishy at all, especially when you combine it with Parsons not getting a holding call in about 10 games.

 

[chevycowboys]

I didn’t care that the game is in Dallas next week. They will lose to the Lions. They are mentally fragile right now and the Lions will also be too physical for them