Cowboys trade for DET Roy Williams

[Schmidty]

I just heard about this trade. I am ecstatic for the Lions.

The Cowboys just got ripped off royally. He's got talent physically, but aside from the occasional spectacular catch, he can't catch the routine ball.

Now that Millen's not there, the extra picks will hopefully mean something.

[JeeberD]

Wait...what? Why the fuck didn't I hear about this on the radio earlier?!?

That said, I think I'm good with this deal if Roy v2 can stay healthy.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by fantom1979

The top eight playoff finishers from the previous season would be allowed to sign free agents only at the rate at which they lose them
.

parity at its best

[thealmighty]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Again, Roy in Dallas makes sense, but the teams problem isn't scoring, it's stopping people from scoring.

Actually, I would say their problem is that they are a spoiled, undisciplined bunch of whiners (yes, I am still a Cowboys fan, but let's get real here).

[stevew]

Originally Posted by fantom1979

Not sure how much Dallas would benefit from a salary cap removal (at least in 2010). All of these conditions kick in if 2010 is not capped:

• The top eight playoff finishers from the previous season would be allowed to sign free agents only at the rate at which they lose them.
• Players would need six NFL seasons to be eligible for free agency, rather than four.
• Each team would be allowed to restrict two eligible free agents with "franchise" or "transition" player tags, rather than one.

I would assume that they will just start trading for really good players, and then overpay them. Cause there will be no repurcussions whatsoever, other than cash. And have you seen the price of PSL's at the new Dallas stadium?

Plus, who really needs a draft when you can just keep players around as long as you want. Now you basically draft for impact or need, or both, because you know you can't afford everyone. Not so much, anymore.

[Mr. Olympia]

I think this is a great trade for Dallas as it will allow them to play hardball with T.O.

Now they can afford to suspend him or sit him if his bad behavior keeps up. This could signal the end of T.O.'s time in Dallas.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Alright, reading it from the Dallas paper now.

Lions: Roy Williams, and a 2009 7th Rounder

Cowboys: 1st, 3rd, and 6th for 2009

Wow. I don't think Matt Millen would have made this deal......for the Cowboys.

That's less than the price of moving from where the Cowboys expect to pick in this years draft (24+) to the 1.7 pick, which is where Williams was picked. Considering the "hit" rate of first round WRs, and the fact that you know Roy Williams is surely a "hit" I don't think its that bad a deal.

It is odd though, this seems like an offseason 2009 deal, made in the middle of the 2008 season.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

aside from the occasional spectacular catch, he can't catch the routine ball.

The best QB he has ever played with was Jon Kitna. When, exactly, has he had routine balls thrown at him?

He has dropped fewer catchable balls than TO, that's for sure.

[molson]

Draft picks are overrated in the NFL.

Look at the history of late 1st-rounders - the odds of getting a Roy Williams type player are remote. A 3rd and a 6th are filler, with an outside chance of getting something serviceable.

[bulletsponge]

agreed with Molson. 2 years from now the lions will be cursing this trade, because we all know thet will piss away the picks and Roy will become a real good reciever now that hes been unbanished

[DaddyTorgo]

having been playing FOF lately I saw this thread title as "Cowboys trade for DE T Roy Williams" and it took me clicking on the thread to realize what was up. true story

[Anthony]

Roy Williams in Dallas is overkill. what team with 2 Pro Bowl calibre WRs has ever won a Super Bowl in the last 10 years? I can think of only one off the top of my head (Colts: Harrison and Wayne). You really need one standout WR and a bunch of guys who can catch the ball when thrown to. You need that one guy everyone knows you're going to target and yet you still throw to him and yet he still catches it. there are other teams where Williams would've made a bigger impact - Jaguars and Falcons namely. what more is Williams gonna do on the Dallas with a clear #1 in front of him that he couldn't do in Detroit with Calvin Johnson the obvious man on that team?

[flere-imsaho]

This is great news for my fantasy team, where I just got Williams as filler in a much bigger trade. Bonus!

The downside is I already had Crayton as one of my backup WRs on this team, so I think he'll be hitting the waiver wires real soon now....

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Roy Williams in Dallas is overkill. what team with 2 Pro Bowl calibre WRs has ever won a Super Bowl in the last 10 years? I can think of only one off the top of my head (Colts: Harrison and Wayne).

Erm. The Rams?

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Please let he Cowboys implode........ 7-9 would make this trade look a bit better!

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Erm. The Rams?

all right, 2 teams in 10 years. point is more often than not simply sticking 2 awesome WRs together doesn't result in championships, or else the Colts, Cardinals and Bengals would've been meeting each other in the playoffs every year.

and the Rams had Marshall Faulk, btw, who would make anyone around him look good. fucking Ricky Proehl looked like a worldbeater on that team. RICKY PROEHL!

defense wins championships. look up the 2007 Super Bowl winning Giants to see what a championship roster looks like. they didn't even have anyone on that team that resembled the talent of one TO, let alone a TO and a Roy Williams.

[Kodos]

Plexiglass is pretty good.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by bulletsponge

agreed with Molson. 2 years from now the lions will be cursing this trade, because we all know thet will piss away the picks and Roy will become a real good reciever now that hes been unbanished

The Lions will not be cursing this trade 2 years from now.

Roy Williams already is a "real good reciever." He went to the Pro Bowl. He led the NFC in receiving yards as well. There's no question the Williams is a talent. That said, the Lions already have Calvin Johnson. He was the 2nd pick overall and is being paid accordingly. In order to retain Williams - whose contract was up at the end of this year - they Lions would have had to either franchise him or sign him to a massive, long term contract. That would have been just too much money poured into one position. It wouldn't have made any sense. It would have hamstrung the Lions' efforts to improve other areas of the team. (And, yes, the Lions' brass really should have thought this one through a couple of years ago, but "thinking" was not something the Lions' execs did much of during the Millen Era.)

That said, draft picks are over valued. The draft is a gamble. The Lions can only hope that by the time the draft rolls around they have new, compotent leadership in place who will actually be able to evaluate talent and will make the right calls. Even the best in the business miss on draft picks, but an extra 1st and 3rd round pick just might turn into something.

So, at the end of the day, the chance that the Lions will hit on one of those two picks, even getting servicable NFL player (not at Williams' level) is much better than the alternatives which would have been either: (1) Williams walks and the Lions get nothing or (2) the Lions invest an insane amount of money into the WR, leaving them with less cash to spend addressing all the areas of need (and they are legion).

[Anthony]

draft picks are currency, and 1st and 3rd rounders are the $100 dollar bills of football. they already have their one standout WR in Calvin Johnson, they can surround him with some role players and their receiving corps is done. they can parlay that 1st and 3rd into current NFL talent via trade if need be. they need an obvious upgrade over Orlovsky at QB, that's for sure. their RB situation with Kevin Smith and Rudi Johnson is locked down. they just need to begin working on their defense, all facets of it.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Samdari

That's less than the price of moving from where the Cowboys expect to pick in this years draft (24+) to the 1.7 pick, which is where Williams was picked. Considering the "hit" rate of first round WRs, and the fact that you know Roy Williams is surely a "hit" I don't think its that bad a deal.

It is odd though, this seems like an offseason 2009 deal, made in the middle of the 2008 season.

While I agree with the logic to a degree. . . I still think this is a horrific move for the Cowboys. When healthy, offensive weapons aren't a problem. They have a top 5 NFL WR in Owens. They have the NFL's best TE. They have a very solid #1 RB and an electrifying rookie RB who needs to touch the ball more, not less.

Now you have to integrate a starting WR into the offense in the middle of the year when your starting QB is down for a month. Then, when he comes back, he not only has to find a way to get Williams involved despite not having any chemistry with him, he also has to keep TO happy on the other side. We all know what TO does here. He comes unglued.

Now it's a three ring circus.

Next year after they dump TO? Maybe the trade is good. But you have such a short window in the NFL to win championships. (my reasoning in GB about Favre) The Cowboys best bet wasn't to panic. It was to get through the next few weeks, get healthy, work Felix into the offense more, and address the secondary issues. Then gel about the 10 game mark and steamroll through the playoffs. Could it have happened? I dunno. But I'd certainly have given it better odds than them going through now.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Anthony

draft picks are currency, and 1st and 3rd rounders are the $100 dollar bills of football. they already have their one standout WR in Calvin Johnson, they can surround him with some role players and their receiving corps is done. they can parlay that 1st and 3rd into current NFL talent via trade if need be. they need an obvious upgrade over Orlovsky at QB, that's for sure. their RB situation with Kevin Smith and Rudi Johnson is locked down. they just need to begin working on their defense, all facets of it.

The Lions are going to be able to upgrade their roster considerably over the next couple of years. The only problem is there isn't really a franchise QB available this year. Their search for a real NFL QB will still go on. . .

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by TroyF

The Lions are going to be able to upgrade their roster considerably over the next couple of years. The only problem is there isn't really a franchise QB available this year. Their search for a real NFL QB will still go on. . .

This is why the Lions' season will likely follow this path. With Kitna on IR, the Lions will start Orlovsky again this week. If he plays well, he will continue to start. If he flames out, Stanton will get the nod. Given that it's very unlikely that the Lions will be successful and that Orlovsky will be really good, Stanton is going to start at some point this season. The only question is when and that depends on how Orlovsky, and to a lesser extent, the Lions in general perform.

The Lions need to know what they have in Stanton. I don't think he's the answer at QB (thus their search for a real NFL QB will continue...), but they invested a 2nd round pick on the guy, so they have to know whether he is at least servicable, if not as a starter, than as a back-up.

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by Mr. Olympia

I think this is a great trade for Dallas as it will allow them to play hardball with T.O.

Now they can afford to suspend him or sit him if his bad behavior keeps up. This could signal the end of T.O.'s time in Dallas.

If you are talking about the rumored TO-Romo rift, it's was blown way out of proportion.

[ArlingtonColt]

How can anyone view this deal as anything other than a "Win" for the Cowboys? Roy Williams is a proven YOUNG (He's only 26) receiver who has had KITNA throwing to him. How are there ever too many weapons on a team? I don't understand how anyone can bash a team for being "too loaded" Call me stupid, but I'd rather be the Cowboys than the freakin Chiefs.

How are teams going to be able to double T.O, Witten, and Williams? They can't... Why do you think Barber had so many catches this past week? Because Romo's primary two targets were being DOUBLED! Imagine those 12 balls going to Roy Williams instead? That's easily more yardage and that means MORE FIRST DOWNS, which keeps drives alive and KEEPS THE DEFENSE OFF THE FIELD!

This sets the Cowboys up with a nucleus of Romo who is 28, Witten who is 26, Williams 26, and Barber 25.... thats a pretty stout nucleus if you ask me. Their ENTIRE Defense (Other than Ellis, Henry, and Thomas who all are backed up by recent #1 picks) are under 30 YEARS OLD!

Oh and we have 9 picks in next years draft.... we didn't sell off the future either.

[Lathum]

I am amazed anyone can think this is a bad trade for the Lions.

They arent going anywhere for another 3-5 years until they build up their roster. In order to do that they need draft picks so while draft picks are an unknown commodity, the more they get the better.

IF they kept Williams by the time they were good again he would be 31 and making a ton of money.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by ArlingtonColt

How can anyone view this deal as anything other than a "Win" for the Cowboys? Roy Williams is a proven YOUNG (He's only 26) receiver who has had KITNA throwing to him. How are there ever too many weapons on a team? I don't understand how anyone can bash a team for being "too loaded" Call me stupid, but I'd rather be the Cowboys than the freakin Chiefs.

diminishing return
A point beyond which the application of additional resources yields less than proportional increases in output.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by ArlingtonColt

How can anyone view this deal as anything other than a "Win" for the Cowboys? Roy Williams is a proven YOUNG (He's only 26) receiver who has had KITNA throwing to him. How are there ever too many weapons on a team? I don't understand how anyone can bash a team for being "too loaded" Call me stupid, but I'd rather be the Cowboys than the freakin Chiefs.

How are teams going to be able to double T.O, Witten, and Williams? They can't... Why do you think Barber had so many catches this past week? Because Romo's primary two targets were being DOUBLED! Imagine those 12 balls going to Roy Williams instead? That's easily more yardage and that means MORE FIRST DOWNS, which keeps drives alive and KEEPS THE DEFENSE OFF THE FIELD!

This sets the Cowboys up with a nucleus of Romo who is 28, Witten who is 26, Williams 26, and Barber 25.... thats a pretty stout nucleus if you ask me. Their ENTIRE Defense (Other than Ellis, Henry, and Thomas who all are backed up by recent #1 picks) are under 30 YEARS OLD!

Oh and we have 9 picks in next years draft.... we didn't sell off the future either.

I watched Shawn Springs cover TO in man-to-man coverage for an entire half. After he went out with an injury, Carlos Rogers was able to cover him with some help over the top from Laron Landry. If Springs is healthy he can cover TO and Rogers/Landry can cover Williams. And the Redskins do not have the best secondary in the league. TO is not unstoppable. The Cowboys are not unstoppable. This has been shown several times this season, even with wins by the Cowboys. If they were, they wouldn't have made this trade.

Now, to hedge my bets a little bit, I'm just saying it is possible. This is the NFL, and people don't always play up to their abilities/etc.

[Anthony]

adding Williams means less targets for TO and especially Witten. which means you need to overcompensate by passing more to make more use out of your receiving weapons, which would be good if they had Lawrence Maroney as a RB, but they don't - they have Marion Barber who now will have less carries per game. even less so for Felix Jones, who they spent a 2nd round pick on. when you have Witten, TO, Romo and Barber - your offense is not your problem. now they have to make unnecessary changes to justify aquiring Williams.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by ArlingtonColt

How can anyone view this deal as anything other than a "Win" for the Cowboys? Roy Williams is a proven YOUNG (He's only 26) receiver who has had KITNA throwing to him. How are there ever too many weapons on a team? I don't understand how anyone can bash a team for being "too loaded" Call me stupid, but I'd rather be the Cowboys than the freakin Chiefs.

How are teams going to be able to double T.O, Witten, and Williams? They can't... Why do you think Barber had so many catches this past week? Because Romo's primary two targets were being DOUBLED! Imagine those 12 balls going to Roy Williams instead? That's easily more yardage and that means MORE FIRST DOWNS, which keeps drives alive and KEEPS THE DEFENSE OFF THE FIELD!

This sets the Cowboys up with a nucleus of Romo who is 28, Witten who is 26, Williams 26, and Barber 25.... thats a pretty stout nucleus if you ask me. Their ENTIRE Defense (Other than Ellis, Henry, and Thomas who all are backed up by recent #1 picks) are under 30 YEARS OLD!

Oh and we have 9 picks in next years draft.... we didn't sell off the future either.

Great nucleus, great team. . . on paper. How do they gel? That's the key. The Rams had a group of highly unselfish players. Faulk, Bruce, Holt and the rest didn't complain about their numbers.

The Patriots last year had incredible chemistry, even with Randy Moss. Guys like Stallworth and Welker and Faulk did the little things without complaining about how many times a game they did or didn't touch the ball. And Brady, along with the coaching staff, game planned to use all of the weapons and made sure everyone was involved.

Will that happen with the Cowboys? I'm not sure. TO is going to implode. I cannot see him being there next year. Is a 27 year old Williams next year better than the 34 year old TO of this year. Most certainly. But does it make them a lot more dominant offensively than what they are now? Not really.

Look, Dallas is 3rd in the league in yards for and points scored. They were 2nd in the league last year in points. Does Williams make them jump from 29 points a game to 36 (what the Patriots averaged last year) I don't think he does. Especially not while he's still learning the offense.

Two or three years down the road, I think this is a great trade for both teams. But the Cowboys want a title this year and I think this lessons the chance they'll get it. We'll find out in a few months if I'm wrong or right on that.

[DeToxRox]

Roy gets 20 mil garaunteed from Dallas.

Again, Roy helps their offense, but seriously, Dallas D is PATHETIC. Who is going to play DB for them?

They turn the ball over still, and they don't get many takeaways.

You do not win titles that way.

[DeToxRox]

Dola,

Dallas through 7 games is a minus 2 in turnover margain. That number will only get worse with Brad Johnson at QB, and no Adam Jones in the secondary.

You cannot win titles that way.

[JAG]

There's a lot of humorous stuff in this thread, but the bottom line is the deal looks win-win to me.

Detroit clearly wins because they need draft picks to rebuild their mess of a roster. Roy Williams is going to be 30ish before they can compete again and they have much bigger and more important problems to deal with on their roster than WR, which they can begin to address with the extra draft picks.

Dallas wins because they get an upgrade at WR, a guy who can actually be a #1 WR, who is ready to play right now. Going into the draft this year, WR was going to be a top need for them, but not only is drafting a WR a crapshoot (heck, ask Detroit about that), unless you get lucky and get the one guy a draft who is ready to play immediately, you usually have to wait 2-3 years before they hit their groove. Dallas' core stars are all about in their primes now (exception of TO), it makes a lot more sense to get a good WR in their prime now to allign with everyone. Yes, they already have plenty of weapons on offense, but this just makes them more difficult to defense.

That said, it's a risk because with Dallas paying so much in cap space to their stars and more needing to be allocated to Ware in the near future, draft picks are going to be a lot more valuable to them as cheap labor (unless 2010 is an uncapped year, which maybe factored into the decision). Admittedly they still have 9 picks next season and probably a decent compensatory pick coming for Julius Jones, their big offensive issue is their OL is starting to get creaky and their defense needs another pass rusher. That's on paper. Besides that, they could really use some better leadership from the top.

I think this move for Dallas was made with future seasons in mind, not just this one. Honestly Dallas won't be able to play its best ball til towards the end of the season when they start to get players back from injury, so the time it takes to integrate WR Roy into the offense doesn't much matter...and they didn't give up any resources from this season to acquire him.

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by TroyF

TO is going to implode.

This is not going to happen. And yes, I look forward to you calling me all sorts of names if it does.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

This is not going to happen. And yes, I look forward to you calling me all sorts of names if it does.

I think it's too late, Sach...

I mean, take a look at him....



If this is not the look of a man whose implosion is imminent, then I don't know what is. And this was before the Roy Williams trade.

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I think it's too late, Sach...

I mean, take a look at him....



If this is not the look of a man whose implosion is imminent, then I don't know what is. And this was before the Roy Williams trade.

those clothes are to hide the tears.

[MrDNA]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Well played Detroit. I wonder what they'd have given up with Millen negotiating.

Fixed it for you.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I think it's too late, Sach...

I mean, take a look at him....



If this is not the look of a man whose implosion is imminent, then I don't know what is. And this was before the Roy Williams trade.

Am I the only one who likes this look?

Romo question: If he does play with a broken pinky, what is the over/under on fumbles? Or does he actually hold on to the ball for a change, prompting Cowboy fans to break one finger every season?

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I think it's too late, Sach...

I mean, take a look at him....



If this is not the look of a man whose implosion is imminent, then I don't know what is. And this was before the Roy Williams trade.

They were making an Outkast video at the time?

[Mr. Olympia]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Dallas through 7 games is a minus 2 in turnover margain. That number will only get worse with Brad Johnson at QB, and no Adam Jones in the secondary.

Why would you say this? Romo is a major cause of their turnovers, so Johnson should be an improvement. With Romo out I also think Dallas will run the ball more.

[Balldog]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

This is why the Lions' season will likely follow this path. With Kitna on IR, the Lions will start Orlovsky again this week. If he plays well, he will continue to start. If he flames out, Stanton will get the nod. Given that it's very unlikely that the Lions will be successful and that Orlovsky will be really good, Stanton is going to start at some point this season. The only question is when and that depends on how Orlovsky, and to a lesser extent, the Lions in general perform.

The Lions need to know what they have in Stanton. I don't think he's the answer at QB (thus their search for a real NFL QB will continue...), but they invested a 2nd round pick on the guy, so they have to know whether he is at least servicable, if not as a starter, than as a back-up.

This makes me interested in actually watching Lions games again.

My concern is there are no great QBs in the upcoming draft, might get stuck trying to deal for Derek Anderson from the Browns.

[Eaglesfan27]

Romo has told Dallas today that he is ready to start this Sunday and doesn't plan on missing any games. Will be interesting to see how Dallas responds.

[Anthony]

not everyone can be Brett Favre. by the time Favre developed his Iron Man status, playing through injuries that would sideline other QBs he had his consecutive starts streak to maintain. it became more of "is this injury worth breaking my streak for?". Romo has more miles left on him, no need to risk serious injury that'd sideline him longer for a month just to look tough. not like the Cowboys are serious Super Bowl contenders this year. having to break in a new WR who figures to be a prominent part of their offense means it's gonna be a bumpy ride. he's being selfish and i hope it backfires on him.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Originally Posted by Anthony

not everyone can be Brett Favre. by the time Favre developed his Iron Man status, playing through injuries that would sideline other QBs he had his consecutive starts streak to maintain. it became more of "is this injury worth breaking my streak for?". Romo has more miles left on him, no need to risk serious injury that'd sideline him longer for a month just to look tough. not like the Cowboys are serious Super Bowl contenders this year. having to break in a new WR who figures to be a prominent part of their offense means it's gonna be a bumpy ride. he's being selfish and i hope it backfires on him.

How is it being selfish? If Eli said "My chest hurts a little bit, I need to take some time on the bench. NY, meet David Carr!" would you support the move?

If you can play well, the injury doesn't get worse and you can avoid the injury affecting your play in a serious way, why not try and help the team?

[Anthony]

yes, i wouldn't want Eli to play cuz while a chest injury is vague - QBs get sacked. multiple times in a game. i don't have a prob with David Carr, he was a starting QB for a handful of years. i'd take Carr over Matt Cassell. Romo went from being out up to a month to wanting to start the very next game. at the very least don't you think he should at least sit out a week? what's the harm in that? Brett Favre, while a great QB, has now made it hard for other QBs cuz everyone else gets compared to him and his longevity and ability to play through pain. the last several years Favre has been a mid-30s HOF-bound QB with nothing to prove. not some QB who has his whole career ahead of him on a non-Super Bowl caliber team. Romo is gonna risk further injury just so his team can miss the playoffs?

[ArlingtonColt]

A non-Super Bowl caliber team??? I must be missing something here...

[Matthean]

Favre has also been known to go overboard with painkillers so let's not pile on too much praise for that streak.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by ArlingtonColt

A non-Super Bowl caliber team??? I must be missing something here...

yes, apparently you missed the last 3 weeks of Cowboys football.

Sun, Sep 28 WASHINGTON L 26-24
Sun, Oct 5 CINCINNATI W 31-22 (this was against a Bengals team without Carson Palmer, btw)
Sun, Oct 12 @ Arizona L 30-24

a defense that is allowing 21+ points a game isn't gonna win a game of Yahtzee, let alone a Super Bowl.

[Taur]

Originally Posted by ArlingtonColt

A non-Super Bowl caliber team??? I must be missing something here...

LOL... I am going to let you in on a little secret.


What wins Championships? DEFENSE.


And, right now the Cowboys have one of the worst Defenses in the league. So, unless Roy Williams is going to start at CB, the Cowboys are in big trouble.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Anthony

yes, apparently you missed the last 3 weeks of Cowboys football.

Sun, Sep 28 WASHINGTON L 26-24
Sun, Oct 5 CINCINNATI W 31-22
Sun, Oct 12 @ Arizona L 30-24

a defense that is allowing 21+ points a game isn't gonna win a game of Parcheesi, let alone a Super Bowl.

Last years NY Giants gave up 21.9 points per game, gave up over 30 points in a game 5 times during the season and seemed to do OK in the playoffs.

The Cowboys have Super Bowl talent. And last I checked, they were 4-2.

Now we'll see how they get through this next stretch of games. They play the Rams and then face the Bucs at home and the Giants/Redskins on the road. That will tell us more about where they are going. The Cowboys do have some major issues to deal with. And I don't think Roy Williams is pushing them over the top to the Super Bowl like some do. But let's not make snap judgments off of a three game stretch either. This is still a pretty good team.

[JAG]

Dallas isn't playing horribly defensively (you're really going to pin the 14 special teams points AZ scored on Dallas' defense?), just inconsistently. They have two rookies and Pacman (who hadn't played in a couple years, albeit he's gone now) contributing in nickel / dime sets, with two missing starters in the secondary (admittedly one of them being Roy Williams) and a backup in the secondary, using their #2 pass rusher to cover TE's (has worked somewhat, but Dallas isn't getting enough pressure), and with their #3 pass rusher out amid other various minor injuries.

I'm not particularly confident they'll get over their coaching / leadership (or chemistry if you will) issues this season, but getting players back from injury should help them on the field at least. Outside of their punter and possibly Sam Hurd (special teams), they haven't had a lot of people added to IR.