The Sky Is NOT falling... Review of First Quarter of Season

The_Slamman · Joined: 07 Feb 2005 Posts: 11669 Location: Las Vegas, NV

A poster yesterday posted this rant after the game...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wD-sRPcxXuM

I don't know who Shango is, but it appears that he is fairly popular among Cowboys fans. In this rant, he is clearly a member of the DCRA. He says all of the same things that many of us have been saying for a long time... You win in the trenches. Jerry Jones the GM is too busy looking for splash and flash that he ignores what matters most... dominating the offensive and defensive lines. Clearly, he paints a very doom and gloom portrait of the Cowboys' hopes this season.

This may sound strange coming from me, but I'm here to say that the sky is NOT falling. I'm sure this may come as a surprise to many of you. You may think that I or Plan9 take a secret joy in watching the Cowboys fail for all of the reasons we said they were going to fail. I can't speak for him, but I hate watching the Cowboys lose. So, I actually did a little research to prove to everyone that the sky is not falling...

Let's start with the offense...

The Dallas Cowboys rank in the top 2 teams in the NFL in offensive inefficiency. TOP 2!!! Clearly, when the only team better in the NFL at being inefficient is the Jacksonville Jaguars, the sky is NOT falling down. And, they only score .8 PPG less than the Cowboys. I don't want to get anybody's hopes up, but it's very possible we could be #1 by the end of the year.

There's more. The Cowboys rank #1 in the NFL in both INTs and TOs.

WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1

The Cowboys are also top 4 in the NFL in penalties.

When we compare these stats to last years stats, the improvement is obvious...

For example, last year, the cowboys only ranked 18th in offensive inefficiency. The Cowboys have gone from middle of the pack to clearly being one of the best offenses at being inefficient and the Cowboys average 7 PPG less than last year. #winning

Last year, Romo had a 102 QB rating, 31 TDs, 10 Ints, and 3 lost fumbles. Not bad if you are into that kinda stuff. This year, however, he has really elevated his level of inefficiency. In 4 games, he already has 8 INTs and 2 lost fumbles. And it shows up in his QB rating of 78.5. But for 4 rookie QBs, Romo could almost be top 5 in the NFL!!! I don't care who you are but that major improvement at being inefficient.

The running game is also holding it's own. The running game got off to kind of a rough start in week 1 but has really come into form the last 3 weeks.

For the season, Dallas is top 3 in rushing inefficiency with 67.8 ypa and an impressive 3.4 YPC. With the return of Rashard Mendenhall this week, it's very possible the Cowboys can challenge for #1.

By assembling an offense in the top 3 in rushing inefficiency, top 4 in penalties, and #1 in TOs, Jerry Jones has lived up to his promise of making the offense more Romo friendly. Kudos!!!

On to the defense...

All we've heard after the draft is that fixing the secondary was the top priority of the offseason. The Cowboys spent big money on a FA CB and used the top 2 draft picks for another CB. The results have really paid off. Dallas gives up the fewest passing yards per game in the NFL. Woo Hoo.

WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1 WE'RE #1

And, other teams average 22 PPG against the Cowboys which ranks 14th in the NFL. See last year, with trashy CBs, Dallas gave up 21.7 PPG. While it's close, we still improvement in giving up more PPG. Sure, some will say that the defense didn't give up a lot of points off turnovers. But, taking such a short sighted view would really be a disservice to Cowboys management who had the foresight to make the Cowboys offensive so Romo friendly this year. It's a yin/yang thing.

Let's not forget Special Teams...

Last year, Dallas was the 13th most inefficient team in kick returns. This year, the Cowboys are the 8th most inefficient team in kick returns. Last year, the Boys were the 5th most inefficient team in punt returns. This year we're 4th. #SteadyImprovement

See my friends, some people choose to look at the glass as half empty. Other choose to look at it as half full. Others still choose to drink down the Jerry Juice in the glass. The point is that the sky is not falling!!! technically, the sky would have to rise before it fall.
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Quote from May 7, 2013...

Texas_OutLaw7 · Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:58 pm Post subject:

There is going to come a moment in your life when you grow up and actually act like an adult. I just know it will happen. I believe in you. I have hope.

When you do grow up, you will realize how childish it is to constantly try and divide everyone and classify people into groups. We should be above labels.

Especially considering that the vast majority of us want a real GM and want trench warfare to be a staple. Regardless of your little tirades and distractions, most of us feel the same way. But that's not convenient for your narrative.
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The_Slamman · Joined: 07 Feb 2005 Posts: 11669 Location: Las Vegas, NV

atran35 · Joined: 22 Dec 2007 Posts: 2521

I don't believe this is a good team. I believe the issues are in the trenches. The OLINE and DLINE. It was not upgraded this year and seem to be worst than last year. The Dline gets bullied on running plays only pressure is coming from WARE...the Oline cannot run or pass block. We cannot win in the trenches on either side of the ball. Not even on SPECIAL TEAMs.

The_Slamman · Joined: 07 Feb 2005 Posts: 11669 Location: Las Vegas, NV

So, T_O7, if the vast majority agree that we need a real GM and want to win with trench warfare... Are the Cowboys moving in the right direction as an organization?
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Quote from May 7, 2013...

CT Cowboy Fan · Joined: 12 Mar 2011 Posts: 444 Location: Connecticut

This guy Shango clearly needs to be on the coaching staff
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CowboysTilIDie · Joined: 09 Jan 2012 Posts: 2375 Location: Amarillo, TX

Seriously Slam? I haven't been here as long as some but I feel as though I've made enough contribution to voice my opinion that you are better than that post. Reading that was as bad as watching that game last night.
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The_Slamman · Joined: 07 Feb 2005 Posts: 11669 Location: Las Vegas, NV

Tony7188 · Joined: 02 Jan 2011 Posts: 2519 Location: Baltimore, MD

That was a brillant post slam. Great use of sarcasm
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CowboysTilIDie · Joined: 09 Jan 2012 Posts: 2375 Location: Amarillo, TX

Texas_OutLaw7 · Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 6:25 pm Post subject:

Tony7188 · Joined: 02 Jan 2011 Posts: 2519 Location: Baltimore, MD

CowboysTilIDie · Joined: 09 Jan 2012 Posts: 2375 Location: Amarillo, TX

Desperado82 · Joined: 20 Feb 2010 Posts: 18747 Location: Maryland

TheStarStillShines · Joined: 12 Oct 2004 Posts: 8283

CowboysTD, as others have mentioned, Slam is just being pulling chain. He's basically referencing how people tell him to shut his hole when he has a dissenting opinion.

Anyway, back to the OP, it's really concerning that the Boys' offence has regressed badly. It's not just the OL play but pretty much everyone on offence has underachieved. The playcalling has been atrocious. JG needs to give up the playcalling duties because this team is struggling to put points on the board, and this has been a recurring theme for a few years now. The offence generates a lot of yards, but doesn't produce points consistently enough.

The defence has been a positive, though. Using PPG isn't a good barometer of a defence's effectiveness because a lot of points are the products of turnovers. For instance, the Boys' defence at least twice (maybe 3 times) had held the opposition to a FG despite the offence turning the ball over in the red zone. And yesterday, the Bears' defence scored 14 points, and the Seahawks had a blocked punt for a TD. Take away those 27 points, and the defence has only allowed 61 points in 4 games. That's 15.25 PPG. Unless the defence can play offence and special teams, it's a disservice to this a poor stat to assess their performance to date.

The one area to be critical of the defence is turnovers. This team is still one of the worst teams at generating turnovers, which creates long fields for the offence.
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