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Cowboys Mailbag
Is the core group of Cowboys players and coaches overrated and not good enough to win a Super Bowl?
(Editor's Note: Each day we will take the 2 best questions for our staff writers to answer from the Mailbag. "Click here" to email questions now.)
SHAWN CAIN - SAN FRANCISCO, CA: I'm starting to come to the conclusion that this core group of Cowboys players and coaches have always been overrated and aren't good enough to ever have a legit shot at winning the Super Bowl. Is this assessment fair?
Nick: It just depends on who is doing the rating. I guess on a national level, yes the Cowboys have been considered a favorite to win the Super Bowl two of the last three years. But I don't know they aren't good enough to have a shot. I think a lot of teams in the NFL have a shot. It's about staying healthy, racking up wins against a soft schedule, having the right players for your scheme, having solid depth - just lots of factors involved. But no, I don't agree that they aren't good enough to have a shot.
Rob: We heard this same argument a week before they beat the Saints last December, and two weeks ago most people thought this team should be considered among the NFC contenders. It's a knee-jerk league - if they find a way to beat Houston on the road, the perception will change again. Personally, I need more than two games' worth of evidence. But if they don't start executing better than these last two games, you're right, they won't be in the conversation.
Josh: Well, you've got to keep in mind that people predicting the Super Bowl before the season is akin to throwing darts with a blindfold on. Considering they're one of the two or three winningest teams of the last five years and won the division last year, it wasn't a stretch to see them as a contender before the year. They do have time to get it back together.
KACEY ROYER - MCKINNEY, TX: What do you think we should do about the field goal kicker?
Nick: Let him kick this week. If he misses anything under 40 yards I think it's time to move on for sure. I'm not saying cut him at all, but you have to bring in someone at least for the shorter field goals and extra points. I know the Cowboys want him to get through this and maybe that 48-yarder he made with his job on the line, will turn it around. I give him one more game.
Rob: He should get another chance. If he struggles against Houston, they'll have to start looking at alternatives during the bye week. It's a tough situation because I think David Buehler can and will be a good NFL kicker. But he's working his way into the job, and the Cowboys can't afford to wait if it costs them games. So many NFL games are decided by single digits, they'll need him to make clutch kicks throughout the season. But if they really believe in his potential, they don't want to give up on him too soon - and once again, they really don't want to carry two kickers.
Josh: I think If he performs well against the Texans then he keeps the job, and they/we quit talking about it. If they feel good about him going into the bye week, it should be a case closed. That is to say, a miss here and there as the season continues shouldn't bring up the discussion of whether or not they ought to get a new kicker. John Kasay's been Carolina's kicker since the franchise started in 1995, and his career percentage is 81.7 percent. You've got to live with some misses.
Is the core group of Cowboys players and coaches overrated and not good enough to win a Super Bowl?
(Editor's Note: Each day we will take the 2 best questions for our staff writers to answer from the Mailbag. "Click here" to email questions now.)
SHAWN CAIN - SAN FRANCISCO, CA: I'm starting to come to the conclusion that this core group of Cowboys players and coaches have always been overrated and aren't good enough to ever have a legit shot at winning the Super Bowl. Is this assessment fair?
Nick: It just depends on who is doing the rating. I guess on a national level, yes the Cowboys have been considered a favorite to win the Super Bowl two of the last three years. But I don't know they aren't good enough to have a shot. I think a lot of teams in the NFL have a shot. It's about staying healthy, racking up wins against a soft schedule, having the right players for your scheme, having solid depth - just lots of factors involved. But no, I don't agree that they aren't good enough to have a shot.
Rob: We heard this same argument a week before they beat the Saints last December, and two weeks ago most people thought this team should be considered among the NFC contenders. It's a knee-jerk league - if they find a way to beat Houston on the road, the perception will change again. Personally, I need more than two games' worth of evidence. But if they don't start executing better than these last two games, you're right, they won't be in the conversation.
Josh: Well, you've got to keep in mind that people predicting the Super Bowl before the season is akin to throwing darts with a blindfold on. Considering they're one of the two or three winningest teams of the last five years and won the division last year, it wasn't a stretch to see them as a contender before the year. They do have time to get it back together.
KACEY ROYER - MCKINNEY, TX: What do you think we should do about the field goal kicker?
Nick: Let him kick this week. If he misses anything under 40 yards I think it's time to move on for sure. I'm not saying cut him at all, but you have to bring in someone at least for the shorter field goals and extra points. I know the Cowboys want him to get through this and maybe that 48-yarder he made with his job on the line, will turn it around. I give him one more game.
Rob: He should get another chance. If he struggles against Houston, they'll have to start looking at alternatives during the bye week. It's a tough situation because I think David Buehler can and will be a good NFL kicker. But he's working his way into the job, and the Cowboys can't afford to wait if it costs them games. So many NFL games are decided by single digits, they'll need him to make clutch kicks throughout the season. But if they really believe in his potential, they don't want to give up on him too soon - and once again, they really don't want to carry two kickers.
Josh: I think If he performs well against the Texans then he keeps the job, and they/we quit talking about it. If they feel good about him going into the bye week, it should be a case closed. That is to say, a miss here and there as the season continues shouldn't bring up the discussion of whether or not they ought to get a new kicker. John Kasay's been Carolina's kicker since the franchise started in 1995, and his career percentage is 81.7 percent. You've got to live with some misses.