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Cowboys Season Report Card - Offense


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Another 8-8 season is in the books! The Cowboys have become so predictable, I've made a fortune betting the line in Vegas (just bet against the Cowboys anytime the spread is over 4; bet for them anytime their an underdog over4.)

 

I plan on breaking down this report card by offense, defense, and coaching staff (more than likely after someone's been fired.)

 

The Offense, needless to say, was highly erratic. Depending on the temperature and five star hotel, Dallas at various times during the season neither run nor pass, and at other times they did both splendidly. Never in the same game, mind you; that would be too easy.

 

The offense did suffer injuries, but nothing like the defense did this year or even compared to last year. The offensive line, forcibly churned by Jason Garrett (possibly at his own expense) began to jell nicely and looks to be a young formidable squad down the road.

 

 

Offensive Line

 

C Travis Federick - B+ - The first round draft pick everyone hated started every game for the 'Boys and solidified the center of the line; no longer could a team rush linebackers into the A gap willy-nilly, as they did against Costa. Frederick's score at ProFootballFocus.com makes him a top 5 center in the NFC, and his run blocking and physicality gave this line a new identity. There were some hiccups, hince the score.

 

LG Ronald Leary - C+ - Solidified a position that has been mediocre for a long while. Although he grades out below average, and struggles against the pass, this was essentially his rookie year, and his nasty run blocking in the latter part of the year shows promise. If you've seen Leary drive a DT or LB 10 yards down the field before body slamming him, you what I mean.

 

LT Tyron Smith - A+ - He's a top 3 left tackle, he's 23, and he basically shut down every elite pass rusher he faced outside of Tamba Hali. Jerry Jones will have to throw a ridiculous 10 year contract at him soon.

 

RG Brian Waters - C+ - Waters didn't stand out in any particular way, but he didn't make many mistakes, and he might have taught the young linemen something in his brief time. His contract wasn't a waste it seemed, but he shouldn't be brought back.

 

RG Mackenzie Bernandau - B+ - A light went on for Bernie this year. During the 2nd part of the year he turned into a nasty, physical run blocker and was the main ingredient in the Cowboys new Wisconsin zone scheme. On successful runs Bernie often left a trail of fallen defenders in his wake. His pass defense is better, but he still gets fooled with quickness and gets off-balance.

 

RT Doug Free - B+ - Was the best right tackle in the NFL for much of the first half of the season; Free played stellar. His play tapered off during the second part of the year but was still well above average. Free truly becomes an enigma; his had two really good years, and two forgettable ones. Which player gets the 7 mil payday next year? Dallas might save money cutting him this year.

 

RT Jeremy Parnell - C- - He saw action on Jumbo sets and didn't do badly, but didn't stand out either.

 

RT Darrion Weems, Ryan Cook (IR), C Phil Costa - INC

 

 

Running Backs

 

HB DeMarco Murray - A- - Am I being too generous? Outside of another injury, Murray had his best year. He led all NFL backs with yardage after contact. He got his fumble issue under control. A good pass blocker. Fans that scream for the team to use him more are right.

 

FB Tyler Clutts - D - Remembered for his fumble that helped lose the game against Green Bay. Had some really good blocks that sprung Murray; had many others where he ran down the field and failed to block anyone.

 

HB Lance Dunbar - C+ - Injured most of the season, and struggles when in pass protection. Dallas still hasn't figured out how to use him effectively in the passing game outside of screens. However, the offensive staff seemed to have an epiphany while using him against the Raiders and changed their blocking scheme around it; too bad he did get to benefit from it afterwards.

 

HB Phillip Tanner - D - Never stood out on offense outside of being a short yardage back. Only real value came on special teams (where he saved Ernie Sims' bacon twice.)

 

HB Joseph Randle - C+ - Showed some toughness, pass blocking, and when the run game improved up front, he started getting yardage. Didn't get many chances behind Murray.

 

Tight Ends

 

TE Jason Witten - A- - He's the Senator. Had a pretty good year. Has a big cap number next year; something needs to be done here.

 

TE Gavin Escobar - C- - Seemed to be on the rise when he ran a bad route against Denver, failed to block out a linebacker, and it resulted in Romo's famous late pick. He was in the doghouse after that until recently. When Dallas actually uses him, he seems to shine.

 

TE James Hanna - F - By far their worst run blocker, and for some reason or another never shows up in the passing game. Is he underutilized? Cowboys have a history of drafting good tight ends, and then letting them leave without ever figuring out how to use them.

 

Wide Receivers

 

WR Dez Bryant - B+ - Everyone's got a pretty good idea what kind of player he is. There's the magnificent, and there's also the mistakes.

 

WR Miles Austin - F - He's hurt again. He comes back and provides absolutely nothing. His success rate on his targets are so abysmal that you're begging to go 3 and out just to use him. During the last few games Dallas benched him for Cole Beasley on important 3rd downs; Austin was used in the 3 wide for run blocking, which is actually his best feature. He's a post June 1st cut.

 

WR Terrance Williams - C+ - Extremely hot and cold. His catches were electric; so were his drops.

 

WR Cole Beasley - B- - The best hands on the team, and showed it time after time. 3rd down target extrordinaire. Needs an expanded role next year.

 

WR Dwayne Harris - B+ - Good things happen around 'The Predator'. He returns kicks and punts, saving games in the process. He recovers fumbles. Blocks like a beast. Catches touchdowns. Needs an expanded role on offense; Dallas experimented with using him in the backfield.

 

Quarterbacks

 

QB Tony Romo - Discussing Romo seems to be an issue unto itself and shouldn't high-jack the thread; Everybody already has a pretty good idea what they think of him. For myself, there were things to like (1.9% INT percentage, 97 passer rating, few fumbles), and things not to like (63% completion percentage, lower AY/A, various drops and misfires). The offense didn't seem to suit him well at times when they got too conservative. How long the back injury has been bothering him this season remains a mystery, and clouds the future.

 

QB Kyle Orton - C- - Am I being too hard on the Beard? With the defense stepping up to make the playoffs, Orton seemed to shy from big moments in a way Romo didn't, to the ire of fans and media. Orton checked down and seemed to welcome field goals early, and then when the game was handed to him by stellar defensive play, he fell into the "it's safe to throw to Miles" trap.

 

Special Teams

 

K Dan Bailey - A+ - Great year. Pro Bowl worthy.

 

LS LP Ladouceur - A+ - The only time you think of him is when you marvel at how a guy can make a million dollars for long snapping, and how NFL teams struggle replacing him with any cheaper, random guy.

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Much has been written about this defense already and doesn't need repeating. This was a unit that needed every good player they had to stay healthy the whole year. Fat chance, said the Football Gods.

 

 

Defensive Line

 

DE DeMarcus Ware - B- - Played excellent during the first of the year, when he was healthy. As injuries piled up, and after missing his first gave ever, he started to disappear. The stinger in his shoulder and injured back robbed him of power; his quad injury robbed him of speed. The question is: can the Cowboys expect him to be healthier than this at any point in the future? He ties up alot of cap money.

 

DE George Selvie - B+ - A stellar find, and saved the Cowboys defense (such as it is) from Anthony Spencer's injury. Strong against the run, and a strong pass rusher. Disappeared in the middle of the season. Signed for next year.

 

DT Jason Hatcher - B+ - Had a contract year to remember. Wasn't great against the run, but good. When healthy, he terrorized guards. Suffered a stinger at the midpoint, and disappeared for several games when the Cowboys absolutely needed him most. Returned with a vengeance in the season finale. He tapered off so badly at the end that there was a window where Dallas might have kept him around; he's surely gone now.

 

DT Jay Ratliff - F - He's healthy. No, he's hurt. He'll be back soon. Well, midpoint of the year, at least. Wait, HE'S NOT INJURED? Heard an interesting story about Ratliff; when his grandparents that raised him burned to death in a fire, Jay was devestated. Jerry Jones made sure Jay and his entire family got to attend the funeral ( using his Lear Jet and overall wealthiness.) He essentially stayed by Ratliff's side during the whole ordeal and never rushed him back to the team before he was ready. Jones handled it with alot of class. Ratliff told Jones he would never quit him after that; he had a friend for life. Jones gave him a "lifetime Cowboy" type deal. Eventually Ratliff got over it; he should be sued.

 

DT Nick Hayden - D - Everybody likes Nick Hayden; he hustles like he was running from the FBI. Still, he's a fumble-recovery-for-a-TD away from a F here; he's slow, has no pass rush, and isn't terribly great holding the middle. According to ProFootballFocus, he's one of the worst starting DT in the NFL.

 

DT Corey Irvin - F - Remember this guy? No? He essentially split time with Hayden for the latter part of the season. Has a nickel rusher no less. I'll give you a hint; he's the guy that fell on his face when Josh McCown sort of gingerly ran into the endzone standing up during the Bears mugging. The Cowboys actually cut Drake Nevis to play this guy. It's no wonder Garrett infuriates fans.

 

DE/DT Jarius Wynn - C- - Why can't he play every game like he's playing the Eagles? Wynn must have a special kind of hate for Philly management after they cut him.

 

DT Drake Nevis - C- - Seemed like a pretty good find. Not much use against the run, but had pass rush. Eventually lost time to Irvin and Wynn, and even Hayden. Cut to keep Irvin.

 

DT Frank Kearse - D - Seemed to have good power to hold against the run the few games he played. Then he would leave his gap and let in a big run. No pass rush.

 

DE Edgar Jones - D - Was hurt most of the year. Looked like a nickel rusher at first, but after injury did nothing but special teams.

 

DE Anthony Spencer - INC - A team that's pretty bad in pass defense loses their best defender from last year after a handful of snaps. The door's now open for his return, and he's in his prime, but he has a degenerative knee condition and his career is up in the air.

 

DE Everette Brown - C- - Showed some ability and was a decent midseason find. Got to the quarterback on occasion and wasn't horrible against the run. Didn't really stand out too often.

 

DE Martez Wilson - D - Dallas tried to band their head against the wall and turn Wilson into a pass rusher; supposedly the best thing he did. While he showed remarkable ability to bullrush large left tackles into the backfield, he never figured out how to do anything after that. Dallas tried this for several games before going back to using Everette Brown as a primary backup.

 

DE Ben Bass (IR), DT Tyrone Crawford (IR), DE Caesar Rayford, DT Marvin Austin(IR), DT Justin Long - INC - Dallas sure could have used Bass and Crawford.

 

Linebackers

 

WLB Bruce Carter - C- - Carter was extremely hot and cold all year. He looked stout in some games. In others he looked, basically, distracted. Garrett attempted to bench him for Ernie Sims; it probably hurt Kiffin more than Carter. After such a positive rookie year, Carter is an enigma, and isn't guranteed to be a starter next year.

 

MLB Sean Lee - B- - He does so many things well, that it isn't pointed out what he struggled with; namely, pass defense. Lee can do well in limited space, but teams found success when they could stretch him out; he's got limited range. Still, he seems to be the only linebacker who can catch interceptions. Injuries continue to be an issue; Dallas just gave this guy a big contract, and it's up in air if he can play enough to earn it. When Dallas needed him most, he's hurt.

 

SLB Justin Durant (IR) - C+ - He played as advertised; stout against the run, not much against the pass. He's gone after this year; there are cheaper options.

 

SLB/DE Kyle Wilber - C+ - Wilber played the run well and occasionally pressured the passer. Always left everything on the field. Went from a bust to an up-and-comer.

 

SLB/MLB DeVonte Holloman - C+ - Spent most of the year hurt, and they're was alot of talk that his spine injury was career threatening. He came back at the end of the year, was thrown into the Mike role when everyone else was hurt. He made mistakes, but made some great plays as well (2 sacks vs. Philly). Could be a starter next year.

 

LB Kyle Bosworth - C- - A great special teamer who gives you nothing on defense. Dallas was in trouble when they were forced to use him.

 

LB Cameron Lawrence - D - A great special teamer who gives you nothing on defense. Dallas was in trouble when they were forced to use him. They did. It was awful.

 

MLB Ernie Sims - F- - Ernie apparently has an aptitude for talking himself into situations he can't possibly succeed in; he's like a former boss we've all had. He talked his way into being a first round pick. He talked his way into a starting role with the Eagles. He talked his way onto the Dallas team, and then talked Garrett/Kiffin/Eberflus into STARTING him. Suffice it to say, Kim Kardashian would make a better Mike linebacker than Ernie. Most uttered line about Dallas defense after giving up a big run "That Ernie Sims sure knows how to get out of the way." His special teams play and pass defense were pretty nauseating, too. As soon as Sims entered the game, quarterbacks began pointing and loudly shouting, "RUN AT THIS GUY!"

 

LB Orie Lemon - D - He's that guy that hangs around on your team and seems to have talent but never seems to get anywhere. Dallas played Ernie Sims over this guy, which actually isn't fair to Lemon, or linebackers in general.

 

Secondary

 

LCB Brandon Carr - C- - Had his best moments against divisional foes, which is nice. Against other foes, he had moments - many, many moments - that caused Dallas fans to vomit uncontrollably and cause traffic accidents anytime somebody on ESPN uttered "Megatron".

 

CB Orlando Scandrick - B- - An impressive slot corner who has toothpicks for hands. Would shut down Wes Welker, be talked about as a possible Pro Bowler, win starting job, and then proceed to turn into an average guy who helped lose games against Detroit, Chicago, and Green Bay.

 

RCB Morris Claiborne - C- Started off injured in training camp and didn't play well when the season started. Fans labeled him a bust. Then he intercepted Peyton Manning, his footwork improved, and his play got better. He gained confidence. He shut down Riley Cooper in Philly when Dallas gave up 3 points and actually looked like a good defense. Then he got hurt. His father died. He did decent in the finale but it's hard to tell what Dallas has in him.

 

CB/S Sterling Moore - C- - He has moments, just not enough of them.

 

CB BW Webb - F - He just looked lost and isn't ready for a big role. Lost his job to Sterling Moore.

 

CB Micah Pellerin - D - Didn't really do much while he was here.

 

CB Bruce Greenwood - INC - Nobody even remembers he was here.

 

DB Jakar Hamilton - F - Had a jarring rookie experience and now suffers from PTSD.

 

FS Jeff Heath - C- - Never underestimate the ability of Jeff Heath to poorly play a ball in the air. He was also a very hot and cold tackler. Garrett-rage ran unabated when Dallas apparently cut Will Allen for this guy, and then started him over JJ Wilcox. Was promptly pulled in the season finale (a few games too late) and things immediately got better.

 

FS Will Allen - C+ - Was cut for Jeff Heath. He was signed to provide a veteran presence on the field and help get guys lined up in a new defense; he seemed to do a decent job but only just so. Was awful against the run, but Dallas badly needed somebody that could play the pass down the road when Jakar Hamilton and Jeff Heath were getting destroyed.

 

SS Barry Church - B+ - Church sometimes infuriates with bad run angles, but he was solid all the way around, and for much of the first half of the season was a top 5 safety. His one major failing appeared to be that he couldn't cover the FS role or for the mistakes of Ernie Sims. It is possible he freelances too much.

 

FS/SS J.J. Wilcox - C+ - Really showed alot of promise his rookie year. Still raw; he took bad run angles and often missed on intercepting passes or deflecting the ball. Had several interceptions taken away, laid some jarring hits, and overall did the best job out of all the free safeties.

 

SS Danny McCray - D - You didn't know he was still on the team, did you?

 

FS Matt Johnson - INC - Showed some actual range and ability during preseason. Was injured by a stiff breeze and lost for the year, for the second time in a row, and has missed two training camps now.

 

Special Teams

 

P Chris Jones - C- - Had some good days, some really bad ones, and very few great ones. Really the weakest aspect of the special teams.

 

PR/KR Michael Spurlock - INC - He had that one punt return that was pretty good.

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Now, for the coaching staff, with a new feature; exectuve admonishing! Somewhere in Texas at least five of these guys are burning in effigy.

 

Executives

 

Owner/GM Jerry Jones - F - The Devil himself. Hated by Texans and Conneticut WASPs for being too hillbilly and too rich. Everything he does right was credited to someone else. Everything that went wrong comes right back to the man at the top. There's only one point in time when fans love their owners; Those few days after a Super Bowl win, but just before they hike ticket prices.

 

Asst. GM Stephen Jones - D - Seems to have a knack for dabbling with salary cap meteor doom and pulling the Cowboys back out of the fire. Has stood up to his father on several occasions, and doesn't share his (or Garrett's) flippant optimism most times.

 

Executive Vice President Jerry Jones, Jr. - F - Yes, there's another Jerry Jones helping to run the team. This team is doomed. I believe it's in Revelations somewhere.

 

Charlotte Jones Anderson - INC - I don't know if the normal Dallas Cowboys fan feels about her one way or another. She's in marketing apparently; I suppose she does a decent job. It's possible she's on that DC Cheerleaders reality show, but I wouldn't know.

 

Coaching Staff

 

HC Jason Garrett - C- - If I liked Garrett before, I have extremely mixed feelings about him this time around, whether he's fired or not. He's completely re-made the team from the Wade Phillips days, and seemingly for the better. He drafts well, and his team plays hard when they're made up guys that were formally working smoothie stands. However, he can be maddeningly oblivious. There's the countless clock management snafus. He seems placid when trying to work over the refs. He benches Carter for Ernie Sims to disastrous results, and again benched Wilcox for Heath (the reason why is still unknown) with the same effect. He seems extremely slow to adapt to his players and find winning matchups.

 

OC/Offensive Line coach Bill Callahan - C+ - I'll break it down like this; Callahan's only saving grace is the Cowboys' redzone efficiency and his work with the revamped offensive line. That is literally it. He should not be offensive coordinator from here on out.

 

DC Monte Kiffin - D - He is literally stuck in the same position Rob Ryan was last year. Fans were furious with Ryan for his placid, uninventive playcalling, but they largely understood he had nothing to work with for much of the year. Kiffin is in the same boat; when he fielded more starters than not, things weren't horrible. When he was left with only 2 starters, things were terrible.

 

Running Backs coach Gary Brown - A- - Murray had his best year. He got the most out of the rest of the backs.

 

Wide Receivers coach Derrick Dooley - B - - Bryant seemed to continue to grow; he even worked out of the slot at times. Nearly all the starting wideouts had issues with drops. He got the most out of unheralded Cole Beasley, and turned Terrance Williams into a viable deep threat. He couldn't save Austin's career, but I'm not sure anyone can.

 

Defensive Line coach Rod Marinelli - B+ - Managed to pull off an impossible task with all the defensive lineman Dallas' used. Hatcher had a career year, as did George Selvie.

 

Linebackers coach Matt Eberflus - C- - Nearly all the linebackers struggled in the new scheme, and Eberflus didn't seem to have any answers. Carter regressed, and Eberflus seemed to think Ernie Sims was the answer to any injury. He'll probably be back with Rob Ryan next year.

 

Wide Receivers/Offensive Quality control Keith O'Quinn - F - Self scouting was a constant problem for Dallas. When something worked, they didn't use it again for long stretches. They struggled to fix issues with the run and the pass game.

 

Tight Ends coach Wes Phillips - F - Phillips was moved up from quality control just this past year. He did nothing with the two backup tight ends. He was actually removed from the coaches' booth back to the sideline, where he apparently roamed around and sipped Gatorade.

 

Secondary coach Jerome Henderson - D - He's a Rob Ryan holdover, and he hasn't done especially since he's been here.

 

Linebackers/Quality control Ben Bloom - D - Self-scouting and linebacker play were a recurring problem.

 

Quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson - B + - Seemed to do well developing Alex Tanney. Offense seemed to improve when Wilson was moved to the coach's booth.

 

Asst. Offensive Line Frank Pollack - A- - While Callahan was busy finding ways to make the offense worse, Pollack was working with the offensive line.

 

Asst. Defensive Line Leon Lett - C+ - Lett was learning from Marinelli just as much as actually coaching. He's just beginning his career.

 

Asst. Secondary Joe Baker - F - Didn't do much with the youngsters outside of Wilcox.

 

Special Teams coach Rich Basaccia - A+ - He was thrown out of San Diego for poor special teams. He was given a core group of good special teamers in Dallas and did wonders.

 

Asst. Special Teams Chris Boniol - A- - Kicker did well.

 

Strength and Conditioning coach Mike Woicik - C- - It is a little much to blame the rash of injuries on him. He's been such a good strength coach for so long, that it just seems like a run of bad luck. The guys healthy enough to get stronger, did.

 

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I think some ofcghe defensive grades are pretty genourus.

 

I tended to lean on ProFootball Focus and see how many games a player rated positively, or made "splash plays". Players that at the very least positively affected one game got a C-. Others that couldn't break above average got a D, and those that never graded average got an F. I tried to take injuries into account as well.

 

You have anyone particular in mind?

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IMO Garrett can't be given anything above a D-...and that's generous. Despite the whole world seeing they need to run the ball more and even himself declaring he will weekly, he has no intention to do the intelligent thing. Just to put an exclamation point on his F grade is that in the final game with a backup QB the Cowboys threw 46 times and ran it 17. Proof positive they have no intention of ever pounding the ground game. Jerry & Jason deserve each others company

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IMO Garrett can't be given anything above a D-...and that's generous. Despite the whole world seeing they need to run the ball more and even himself declaring he will weekly, he has no intention to do the intelligent thing. Just to put an exclamation point on his F grade is that in the final game with a backup QB the Cowboys threw 46 times and ran it 17. Proof positive they have no intention of ever pounding the ground game. Jerry & Jason deserve each others company

 

 

I dropped the - and + when I got to D. Seemed redundant.

 

F's and D's, to me, seem like grades that belong in 3 to 5 wins a season territory. You're right about the run game; it's a problem, and this team needs an offensive coordinator (or some member of the offensive staff) that can actually push that across. Callahan needs to go back to being an offensive line coach, and they need somebody, generally, to fix the efficiency on 3rd downs; this is a bigger problem to me than any run/pass mix; Dallas was #2 in the league for both yardage gained on 1st and 2nd down.

 

I also saw an article where if Dallas could have controlled the clock for even a few minutes more per game, the defense averages 20.6 points per game, rather than 27.8.

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This season I would seriously give Romo an (A-) and Garrett a (D). Garrett came in with playoff expectations and failed again. The only reason he would get above an (F) from me is for the mere fact that he did change his play calling to a more balanced attack in the end, and they started playing better as a team with better ball control. However, I strongly believe the games where he failed the put the ball in RBs arms early in the game doomed them early in the season. This seriously could have been the worst 11-5 team in the history of the NFL, however, Garrett brought it back to light with his playcalling to lose 3 of those and relish in mediocrity once more.

 

Romo maybe had his best season to date. Sure, there was that one game with the INTs late to lose it, where he audibled out of the run. However, Romo was on point, fairly careful with the ball, and I believed proved that he is not the problem with this team this season.

 

On another note, I believe the late stand by the offense in Dallas also proved that the O Line is better than we expected. They can run and pass block, they just forgot how since Garrett called pass 80% of the time last season.

 

Defense as a whole gets an F. Few standouts, but I can't name them.

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I tended to lean on ProFootball Focus and see how many games a player rated positively, or made "splash plays". Players that at the very least positively affected one game got a C-. Others that couldn't break above average got a D, and those that never graded average got an F. I tried to take injuries into account as well.

 

You have anyone particular in mind?

Not specifically. There was just a lot of c's for one of the worst defenses in Cowboy history.

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I dropped the - and + when I got to D. Seemed redundant.

 

F's and D's, to me, seem like grades that belong in 3 to 5 wins a season territory. You're right about the run game; it's a problem, and this team needs an offensive coordinator (or some member of the offensive staff) that can actually push that across. Callahan needs to go back to being an offensive line coach, and they need somebody, generally, to fix the efficiency on 3rd downs; this is a bigger problem to me than any run/pass mix; Dallas was #2 in the league for both yardage gained on 1st and 2nd down.

 

I also saw an article where if Dallas could have controlled the clock for even a few minutes more per game, the defense averages 20.6 points per game, rather than 27.8.

When is the last time they gave D's the 70's ? It's a failure if you fail to make the playoffs. Winning 8 of 16 football games is an F. The only team in my opinion that should be given an A+ is a Super Bowl Champion, because they aced the final exam. As for individual players the only A+ players should be All Pro's, and even a player that is elected to the Pro Bowl could still only be given a C+, but this year I don't see a Pro-Bowler that deserves that grade. The Cowboys only had 2 Pro Bowl players this year with Dez Bryant and Tyron Smith and I'd give them both A- this year.

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Winning 8 of 16 football games is an F. The only team in my opinion that should be given an A+ is a Super Bowl Champion, because they aced the final exam. As for individual players the only A+ players should be All Pro's, and even a player that is elected to the Pro Bowl could still only be given a C+, but this year I don't see a Pro-Bowler that deserves that grade. The Cowboys only had 2 Pro Bowl players this year with Dez Bryant and Tyron Smith and I'd give them both A- this year.

 

I'm splitting hairs a bit with the grades. I didn't put much in Pro Bowl grading; I used FootballOutsiders and ProFootballFocus. I didn't mesh out a team grade; if you're speaking of Garrett, I figured it was variable for anyone I thought might be fired.

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Not specifically. There was just a lot of c's for one of the worst defenses in Cowboy history.

 

I actually dropped all the corners down a notch; they had more positive grades game to game on ProFootballFocus, but their bad moments were really bad. I also believe part of the problem with the defense was that they spent most games with over 40 minutes on the field; if that had come down even a few minutes, almost a whole 7 points is taken off of their average.

 

This team also had a great run of takeaways that got squandered by the offense and lost games. I value takeaways more than yards. Unfortunately, the takeaways nearly vanished in the 2nd half of the season (they finished 14th).

 

Also some of the C's go to guys that spent most of their time on Special Teams and didn't play defense much (Bosworth, E. Jones).

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Fire Kiffen and Callahan. Promote Marinelli to DC and hire Norv Turner for OC. Thats a start at least. Turner is a damn good OC and can help bring Garrett along as well.

 

The head coach (Garrett) doesn't need to be "brought along" he needs to be fired. If a head coach needs to be "brought along" he shouldn't be a head coach.

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The head coach (Garrett) doesn't need to be "brought along" he needs to be fired. If a head coach needs to be "brought along" he shouldn't be a head coach.

 

I agree with your statement, but in reality Garrett and Jerry Jones are gonna be back regardless so we would definitely be better off with somebody that can "bring him along"

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The head coach (Garrett) doesn't need to be "brought along" he needs to be fired. If a head coach needs to be "brought along" he shouldn't be a head coach.

Thanks Captain Obvious! Im not disagreeing with you but the owner of the Cowboys is.

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