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SportsDayDFW.com writer Rick Gosselin chatted with fans on Thursday and answered questions about the Dallas Cowboys. Here are some highlights:
How do the Patriots consistently win with a stunning lack of talent, and yet the Cowboys, who have arguably great talent, lose?
The Patriots are 10-2 because they have the best quarterback in football. The Cowboys won Super Bowls in the 1970s because they had the best quarterback in football and won again in the 1990s because they had another franchise quarterback. I long thought that quarterback was 70 percent of a championship equation. But after watching last February, I now believe a franchise quarterback is 80 percent of a football solution.
The New Orleans Saints won their first Lombardi Trophy with statistically the worst defense and worst special teams in Super Bowl history. But they had a quarterback in Drew Brees who had a career year. The Colts had a pedestrian defense and special teams last season but reached the Super Bowl because their quarterback was the league MVP. If you have a quarterback, you have a chance. If you don't have a quarterback, everything else in your game needs to be perfect -- and over the last two decades, the salary cap has not allowed for any such perfection.
Is Tony Romo a franchise quarterback? That's what the next coach -- Jason Garrett or whoever it may be -- must decide. We know he's not Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Drew Brees. Just how good is he? That's the first question the Cowboys must answer this offseason.
What should be first priority for the Cowboys: fixing the offensive line, defensive line or secondary?
Like I mentioned above, quarterback is the key. But to be a playoff contender I believe you must become dominant up front. Look at the Steelers of the 1970s, Giants of the 1980s and Cowboys of the 1990s. They dominated on both sides of the ball up front. I love what Jacksonville has done. The Jaguars used their first two draft picks in 2009 on offensive tackles and a third-rounder on a defensive tackle. They came back and took a defensive tackle with the 10th overall pick of the 2010 draft. They have put themselves in a position to become a physically dominating team. That translates to victories. All four of those draft picks have started from Day 1.
You may be surprised that Jacksonville leads the AFC South -- but you shouldn't be surprised that the Jaguars are becoming a team that dominates the line of scrimmage. Win up front, win on the scoreboard. There's a premium on size in every draft. If you're in a position to draft big, then you draft big. A great pass rush will allow you to succeed with an average secondary.
If Sean Lee, who was the Defensive Player of the Week, continues to play well during the remaining games, do the Cowboys let Keith Brooking go?
I think the Cowboys will trend toward becoming a younger team with Jason Garrett as their coach. If you have an old team, you're rebuilding every season. Young players give you a present and a future. The 1992 Cowboys that won the Super Bowl were the youngest team in the NFL. Their youth allowed the Cowboys to mount a four-year run as the best team in football.
Sean Lee gives you a future. His best years are still ahead of him. Keith Brooking's best years are all behind him. The Patriots have one of the youngest starting lineups in the NFL. You can win with youth. The Cowboys are long overdue to field a young team. It will start in 2011.
SportsDayDFW.com writer Rick Gosselin chatted with fans on Thursday and answered questions about the Dallas Cowboys. Here are some highlights:
How do the Patriots consistently win with a stunning lack of talent, and yet the Cowboys, who have arguably great talent, lose?
The Patriots are 10-2 because they have the best quarterback in football. The Cowboys won Super Bowls in the 1970s because they had the best quarterback in football and won again in the 1990s because they had another franchise quarterback. I long thought that quarterback was 70 percent of a championship equation. But after watching last February, I now believe a franchise quarterback is 80 percent of a football solution.
The New Orleans Saints won their first Lombardi Trophy with statistically the worst defense and worst special teams in Super Bowl history. But they had a quarterback in Drew Brees who had a career year. The Colts had a pedestrian defense and special teams last season but reached the Super Bowl because their quarterback was the league MVP. If you have a quarterback, you have a chance. If you don't have a quarterback, everything else in your game needs to be perfect -- and over the last two decades, the salary cap has not allowed for any such perfection.
Is Tony Romo a franchise quarterback? That's what the next coach -- Jason Garrett or whoever it may be -- must decide. We know he's not Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Drew Brees. Just how good is he? That's the first question the Cowboys must answer this offseason.
What should be first priority for the Cowboys: fixing the offensive line, defensive line or secondary?
Like I mentioned above, quarterback is the key. But to be a playoff contender I believe you must become dominant up front. Look at the Steelers of the 1970s, Giants of the 1980s and Cowboys of the 1990s. They dominated on both sides of the ball up front. I love what Jacksonville has done. The Jaguars used their first two draft picks in 2009 on offensive tackles and a third-rounder on a defensive tackle. They came back and took a defensive tackle with the 10th overall pick of the 2010 draft. They have put themselves in a position to become a physically dominating team. That translates to victories. All four of those draft picks have started from Day 1.
You may be surprised that Jacksonville leads the AFC South -- but you shouldn't be surprised that the Jaguars are becoming a team that dominates the line of scrimmage. Win up front, win on the scoreboard. There's a premium on size in every draft. If you're in a position to draft big, then you draft big. A great pass rush will allow you to succeed with an average secondary.
If Sean Lee, who was the Defensive Player of the Week, continues to play well during the remaining games, do the Cowboys let Keith Brooking go?
I think the Cowboys will trend toward becoming a younger team with Jason Garrett as their coach. If you have an old team, you're rebuilding every season. Young players give you a present and a future. The 1992 Cowboys that won the Super Bowl were the youngest team in the NFL. Their youth allowed the Cowboys to mount a four-year run as the best team in football.
Sean Lee gives you a future. His best years are still ahead of him. Keith Brooking's best years are all behind him. The Patriots have one of the youngest starting lineups in the NFL. You can win with youth. The Cowboys are long overdue to field a young team. It will start in 2011.
