Cowboys Nostalgia Thread

Chocolate Lab said:
Liar.

I think people are waaaay too high on Parker. He's never even called a defense.

I think we all liked the process of hiring him, but that doesn't mean he's some guarantee to be good, especially his very first year.

And yes booze, we know this isn't nostalgia.
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I don't even think the optimism is about Parker, at least not for me. I think the fact that he's establishing a a philosophy that feels modern and more equipped to handle what offenses are doing today will go a long way.

Just the idea of what they're trying to do is appealing, Parker or not.

It doesn't take a whole lot of squinting to see that there's at least a plan right now. You definitely couldn't say that last year.
 
ravidubey said:
2025/2026 brought the biggest change I’ve seen in Dallas in 30 years.

A real elite DT in Quinnen Williams we can build a defense around.
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This had nothing to do with McCarthy and has nothing to do with Schotty.

The Jones' decided they didn't want pay Micah so they traded him, and because they traded him, they knew they had to get something for him in return so they got Clark and later Williams.

But NONE of that was a fault of McCarthy's nor a credit to Schotty, so I'm not really sure what your point is here.
 
Chocolate Lab said:
Not sure what people expect, but we've been one of the three or four (at best) worst in the entire league the last two years. And we added the Cards FA safety, an older Gary, and the Rams CB. Unless Downs is Ed Reed right away, I don't see how we're even a good defense yet. I'm still hoping for average this year. Maybe next year we're "good."
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I mean I can see how we could be a good defense. I could see how we might not be a good defense. I don't think anyone should be expecting a top 10 defense from the jump. But I also think it's fair to expect a better defense than we have had the last two years.

There are just unknowns right now. Will EZ be the player we thought he'd be when we drafted him? Or is he a 2-4 sack guy again? Will Lawrence take a year like most pass rushers, or is he ready to make an impact? We all have no idea what Revel is. We have no idea what Blands foot is right now. How long will it take for these guys to really get comfortable in a new complex scheme?

If a bunch of those go in the positive direction I could see a really good defense. But they could also go in the wrong direction. Of course the positive is we have pretty good depth on defense. Like if Revel sucks or isn't ready, Durant is a solid player. If EZ doesn't develop we have a really talented player in Lawrence. You know you'll get damn good play from Clark and Williams. If Barham isn't ready, we have a solid player in Winters. Like we have the upside guys, but we also did a good job of backing those up with guys you know should at least be solid.
 
Chocolate Lab said:
Not sure what people expect, but we've been one of the three or four (at best) worst in the entire league the last two years. And we added the Cards FA safety, an older Gary, and the Rams CB. Unless Downs is Ed Reed right away, I don't see how we're even a good defense yet. I'm still hoping for average this year. Maybe next year we're "good."
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Eh, I think that’s missing the forest for the trees. You have a full year of Quinnen Williams. You have new starter at 3-4 DE, whether that is Bullard or Ogbonino. That’s probably at least an upgrade against the run.

You have Dee Winters which is probably an upgrade at ILB. If Barham is a hit, I feel like that’s a a bonus too. You have Gary, Malachi Lawrence and a sophomore, and likely improved, Ezieraku. That trio of rushers is clearly better than last year’s group.

At corner, Revel is probably improving, and Durant is probably an upgrade over what Diggs was giving us. And safety with Downs and Thompson is a massive upgrade.

And I think it all fits together better, plus the defensive coordinator is likely an upgrade.

I could see solidly middle of the pack. You are lacking a real ace Micah Parsons level pass rusher, another 3-4 DE, and maybe one more depth DB, before I’d feel like they could be top 10.

And hell, LT Overton could be the 3-4 end you need by end of the year.
 
Smitty said:
I could see solidly middle of the pack.
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This is pretty much what I'm saying. To me, middle of the pack isn't "good." It's just mediocre. Which of course is much better, it just isn't good yet.
 
Chocolate Lab said:
This is pretty much what I'm saying. To me, middle of the pack isn't "good." It's just mediocre. Which of course is much better, it just isn't good yet.
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10-20. If it's close to 10 I think that's good. If its closer to 20 it's not really good. But I'll bet on something in that range. By year two I could see top 10, but that's just pure speculation and my faith in CP.
 
Chocolate Lab said:
Wait, what?

If this is even remotely true, we should be amazing defensively this year, not the mid-pack we're all realistically hoping for.
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Every Dallas team the last 30 years has been fundamentally flawed in the middle of the DL

Forgetting the futility that was 1997-2005, look at the next twenty years…

Ratliff undersized playing fucking NT, Brandon Noble, Nick Hayden, Ty Crawford, Terrell McCalin, Maliek Collins, Antuan Collins, Neville Gallimore, Carlos Watkins, Quinton Bohanna, Mazi Smith, Chauncey, Golston, an ancient Johnathon Hankins plus undersized Osa,— a.k.a. the scrubs of the year from 2005-2024, (besides 5 minutes of David Irving).

Basically the foundation was and has been rotten.

Not much else matters if we can’t apply interior pressure vs the best teams and in the playoffs.
 
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Texas Ace said:
This had nothing to do with McCarthy and has nothing to do with Schotty.

The Jones' decided they didn't want pay Micah so they traded him, and because they traded him, they knew they had to get something for him in return so they got Clark and later Williams.

But NONE of that was a fault of McCarthy's nor a credit to Schotty, so I'm not really sure what your point is here.
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The main point is no coach could make a serious impact in Dallas until the defense was fixed, as in rebuilt completely the right way.

That’s the change that really mattered most. Even a decent coach could win with a mature QB like Dak if the team actually committed to building a proper defense. The HC can’t actually tackle folks no matter who they are.
 
Genghis Khan said:
I think modernizing the defensive philosophy will help a lot.

Talent wise, I think people are getting a little carried away, although I don't think it's bad.

I think the ceiling for this defense will depend on Gary, Ezeiruaku, and Lawrence. If they can get pressure and take some of the attention from Quinnen Williams, we might have something.

I think the scheme with it's multiplicity and ability to disguise what they're doing will establish the floor at around the back end of the middle of the pack.
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We have one top 20 defensive player true, but he allows players like Ezeiruaku, Gary, Lawrence, Clark, Barham, and Overshown to reach their potential faster. This guy is the real deal, at last
 
Cujo said:
Big E!


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Three things:

1. I really miss watching Big E play. He was just so damn dominate. People talk about Larry all the time, but E was just about as good.

2. Irvin's bit about "motherfucker, you gonna gettin' in the way of takin' care of my momma" was funny.

3. They need to teach that AI how to properly pronounce Strahan.
 
Cotton said:
Three things:

1. I really miss watching Big E play. He was just so damn dominate. People talk about Larry all the time, but E was just about as good.

2. Irvin's bit about "motherfucker, you gonna gettin' in the way of takin' care of my momma" was funny.

3. They need to teach that AI how to properly pronounce Strahan.
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Dude, that fucking car accident when he injured his knee kept us from winning the SB that year (1994). I will die on that hill.
 
Cujo said:
Dude, that fucking car accident when he injured his knee kept us from winning the SB that year (1994). I will die on that hill.
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I don't think there is any question.
 
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