NFC East

[Cactus Jack]

Both options suck, by the way. Tying up so much value in one player when you have so many holes is not good. And now they don’t have any pass rushers or cornerbacks. You can survive in today’s NFL without stopping the run, but it’s practically impossible if you have bad pass rushers and a bad secondary.

Ezeiruaku is going to be a nice player for them. But they definitely need to add a pass rusher or two.

Quinnen Williams is a top 3-ish three technique. Those guys don't come cheap. The Hawks acquired Leonard Williams, 2 years ago, for a 2nd round pick & he's been well worth the investment. Has played like a borderline All-Pro for them. Between him & Byron Murphy they probably have the best interior duo.

Having a good pass rush is most definitely a key component. But if you can't stop the run, teams will just gash you. The best defenses are able to do both.

IMO a bigger issue for Dallas as far as their run D goes, has been their LB play. It's been poor for a good while now.

[therealbig3]

Eh, I'd love to hate on the Cowboys too, but I agree, paying Micah Parson QB-level money is insanity in my opinion. He's a defensive player, and he's one guy. You're much better served investing that money into multiple players. And it's not like the players they got as a result of the Micah trade are bums, they're Pro Bowlers in their own right (Williams and Clark).

I feel the same way about Myles Garrett, who's even more dominant than Micah. I just don't think he's ever going to impact a game enough to rival a good QB, but that's how he's being paid.

[El Turco]

Both options suck, by the way. Tying up so much value in one player when you have so many holes is not good. And now they don’t have any pass rushers or cornerbacks. You can survive in today’s NFL without stopping the run, but it’s practically impossible if you have bad pass rushers and a bad secondary.

Ezeiruaku is going to be a nice player for them. But they definitely need to add a pass rusher or two.

Quinnen Williams is a top 3-ish three technique. Those guys don't come cheap. The Hawks acquired Leonard Williams, 2 years ago, for a 2nd round pick & he's been well worth the investment. Has played like a borderline All-Pro for them. Between him & Byron Murphy they probably have the best interior duo.

Having a good pass rush is most definitely a key component. But if you can't stop the run, teams will just gash you. The best defenses are able to do both.

IMO a bigger issue for Dallas as far as their run D goes, has been their LB play. It's been poor for a good while now.

You want to do both if possible, and you’re not going to have lawn chairs for your run defense, but in a world with finite resources pass rush and pass defense should be the priority when you’re building your defense. If you already had a great defense, you could invest in a run stopper to strengthen it but when you have very little talent in both the front and back of the defense, investing most of your cap space into interior linemen is a disaster waiting to happen. In the end, teams get gashed through the air far more often than on the ground.

Last year Washington had the worst run defense in the league, but they still made it to the conference championship largely because of an excellent pass rush and pass defense. The Chiefs generally have a league-average run defense, but they always invest heavily in elite pass rushers and the secondary. Even the Patriots had bad to terrible run defenses during their last Super Bowl runs, IIRC.

Seattle can stop the run, but they’re hovering right outside the top ten on defense. They’ve drafted very well in the secondary, but they’re going to need a better pass rush to be among the elite defenses.

[El Turco]

I like Ezeiruaku by the way, also I believe Dallas is generally very good at drafting. That's why I would have held on to those picks and use the cap space on a veteran pass rusher or two.

Caleb Downs-David Bailey-Ezeiruaku would have been a helluva starting point. Add maybe Hendrickson type of player that's a scary defense.

[Mr B]

Interesting question. As good as Micah is at rushing the passer I have to I’d still go with option A.

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=3KaI_3QT7XTTm5N8gt4yQg

They still have to pay George Pickens.

Right now without any restructuring, Williams' and Clark's contracts combined equal that of Micah.

They’re not going to resign him right now without any restructuring.

[Mr B]

He torpedoed a young Finals team. For his own safety Nico should move far away from Dallas and never come back.

But you were perfectly happy to blow up a team of Finals LOSERS.

Huh? What are you talking about?

[Mr B]

Got the receipts:

Lakers fans should actually be more upset than Mavs fans, because Luka is a loser while Davis is a winner.

That’s what I’ve been saying. There’s no question the Mavs are better today than they were before trading Luka.

Clearly I was wrong. Lol

That’s the difference between you and me. I can admit when I’m wrong.

[Mr B]

Both options suck, by the way. Tying up so much value in one player when you have so many holes is not good. And now they don’t have any pass rushers or cornerbacks. You can survive in today’s NFL without stopping the run, but it’s practically impossible if you have bad pass rushers and a bad secondary.

Ezeiruaku is going to be a nice player for them. But they definitely need to add a pass rusher or two.

Quinnen Williams is a top 3-ish three technique. Those guys don't come cheap. The Hawks acquired Leonard Williams, 2 years ago, for a 2nd round pick & he's been well worth the investment. Has played like a borderline All-Pro for them. Between him & Byron Murphy they probably have the best interior duo.

Having a good pass rush is most definitely a key component. But if you can't stop the run, teams will just gash you. The best defenses are able to do both.

IMO a bigger issue for Dallas as far as their run D goes, has been their LB play. It's been poor for a good while now.

The Cowboys have 3 FRP’s over the next two seasons to find a pass rusher. Don’t rule out that trade for Maxx Crosby this off season.

[Cactus Jack]

Seattle can stop the run, but they’re hovering right outside the top ten on defense. They’ve drafted very well in the secondary, but they’re going to need a better pass rush to be among the elite defenses.

You can never have enough pass rushers. But their pass rush hasn't been an issue for them at all. They're damn near elite at creating pressure. They're also like 2nd in sacks behind only Denver. They have a really good D-line group. They're able to rush mostly with just 4. But a lot of their success is created by Mike Macdonald & his scheme. He's just so good at cooking up pressure. They're really good defending the run. Which keeps teams in 3rd & long situations.

When fully healthy & everything is clicking, they are borderline elite.

[El Turco]

Seattle can stop the run, but they’re hovering right outside the top ten on defense. They’ve drafted very well in the secondary, but they’re going to need a better pass rush to be among the elite defenses.

You can never have enough pass rushers. But their pass rush hasn't been an issue for them at all. They're damn near elite at creating pressure. They're also like 2nd in sacks behind only Denver. They have a really good D-line group. They're able to rush mostly with just 4. But a lot of their success is created by Mike Macdonald & his scheme. He's just so good at cooking up pressure. They're really good defending the run. Which keeps teams in 3rd & long situations.

When fully healthy & everything is clicking, they are borderline elite.

You’re sixth in rush defense but fourteenth in pass defense, which is skewing your overall defensive ranking toward good rather than elite. Still got some holes to fill.

[Cactus Jack]

Seattle can stop the run, but they’re hovering right outside the top ten on defense. They’ve drafted very well in the secondary, but they’re going to need a better pass rush to be among the elite defenses.

You can never have enough pass rushers. But their pass rush hasn't been an issue for them at all. They're damn near elite at creating pressure. They're also like 2nd in sacks behind only Denver. They have a really good D-line group. They're able to rush mostly with just 4. But a lot of their success is created by Mike Macdonald & his scheme. He's just so good at cooking up pressure. They're really good defending the run. Which keeps teams in 3rd & long situations.

When fully healthy & everything is clicking, they are borderline elite.

You’re sixth in rush defense but fourteenth in pass defense, which is skewing your overall defensive ranking toward good rather than elite. Still got some holes to fill.

They we're the #1 rush D at one point. They're also 6th in scoring defense. But this is a top 5 unit.

The Bucs game was the outlier that has skewed things a little. They we're pretty banged up that game & we're stuck playing a bunch of backups (secondary). But playing guys without a ton of experience can be an issue because it's such a complicated scheme. It takes a lot of reps to fully grasp & to be on the same page.

There aren't a lot of holes to fill.

[QB_Eagles]

Got the receipts:

That’s what I’ve been saying. There’s no question the Mavs are better today than they were before trading Luka.

Clearly I was wrong. Lol

That’s the difference between you and me. I can admit when I’m wrong.

I admit when I'm wrong, too. Chip Kelly, Carson Wentz, for example.

It just happens rarely because I base my opinions on observable reality. Remember how I wanted the Wentz trade to happen before it got done? Because Hurts was the better QB.

[QB_Eagles]

Eh, I'd love to hate on the Cowboys too, but I agree, paying Micah Parson QB-level money is insanity in my opinion. He's a defensive player, and he's one guy. You're much better served investing that money into multiple players. And it's not like the players they got as a result of the Micah trade are bums, they're Pro Bowlers in their own right (Williams and Clark).

I feel the same way about Myles Garrett, who's even more dominant than Micah. I just don't think he's ever going to impact a game enough to rival a good QB, but that's how he's being paid.

They'd be better off paying Micah QB money than Dak.

In a vacuum I don't even think Micah was a bad trade. It's the fact that Jerry is trading away a player who is Top 3 at his position while making 6th-10th best at their position the highest paid that puts his roster building into question.

Also I disagree that getting two DTs for Micah is *clearly* the better option, as Cowboys fans are claiming now. I could agree if the argument was about marginally better. But marginally better doesn't make me want to praise Jerry like some of his fans are doing.

[Duke4life831]

Eh, I'd love to hate on the Cowboys too, but I agree, paying Micah Parson QB-level money is insanity in my opinion. He's a defensive player, and he's one guy. You're much better served investing that money into multiple players. And it's not like the players they got as a result of the Micah trade are bums, they're Pro Bowlers in their own right (Williams and Clark).

I feel the same way about Myles Garrett, who's even more dominant than Micah. I just don't think he's ever going to impact a game enough to rival a good QB, but that's how he's being paid.

Ya to be clear, if there is a non QB that is worth QB money in my eyes, its Garrett. Dude is a legit freak. But with that said, if my team isnt contending, Im not paying Garrett.

Because you get exactly what you get right now in Cleveland. Now obviously you cant overlook the Watson contract. But if youre going to give out QB money to a non QB, you better have the roster in place to compete right now. If not, youre going to be pretty strapped for cash to build out your roster. Same thing goes for the Bengals. Most teams can afford to pay 1 big time offensive weapon (non QB), because usually thats around 8-10% of the cap. But now you add 2 high paid WRs, well now you got 15-20% of your cap tied up in WRs. Then you add in Burrow's cap hit, you got 30-40% of your cap taken up by 3 guys, all on the offense. Good luck trying to fix one of the worst defenses in the league, while also trying to fix a bad O line with that much of your cap taken up.

I know it sounds crazy, but if I was Cleveland, I wouldve traded Garrett. But Im sure there was also pressure from the owner to keep Garrett. Because on the business side of things, things couldve gotten real bad up in Cleveland if they traded him away. Dallas doesnt ever have to ever really worry about that because its Dallas. They're receive a lot of initial media hate. But the fans arent ever going anywhere.

[Cactus Jack]

[QB_Eagles]

Cowboys played a bunch of cupcakes, are 4th worst in point allowed but "competitive"

[Duke4life831]

I love this because my father is a diehard Washington fan for his entire life. I just love rubbing it in about the drop off by that team this year.

But damn the NFL can be so hard to predict sometimes. Washington with a rookie stud QB makes it to the NFC championship. They spend some money in the offseason and boom. They're one of the worst teams in the league this season. I get Jayden got hurt, but even when he was healthy that team was rough to watch. And he's another one of these young QBs that lit the world on fire as a rookie, then saw a soph slump. And ya that defense is just a bunch of traffic cones at this point

[Mr B]

Eh, I'd love to hate on the Cowboys too, but I agree, paying Micah Parson QB-level money is insanity in my opinion. He's a defensive player, and he's one guy. You're much better served investing that money into multiple players. And it's not like the players they got as a result of the Micah trade are bums, they're Pro Bowlers in their own right (Williams and Clark).

I feel the same way about Myles Garrett, who's even more dominant than Micah. I just don't think he's ever going to impact a game enough to rival a good QB, but that's how he's being paid.

They'd be better off paying Micah QB money than Dak.

In a vacuum I don't even think Micah was a bad trade. It's the fact that Jerry is trading away a player who is Top 3 at his position while making 6th-10th best at their position the highest paid that puts his roster building into question.

Also I disagree that getting two DTs for Micah is *clearly* the better option, as Cowboys fans are claiming now. I could agree if the argument was about marginally better. But marginally better doesn't make me want to praise Jerry like some of his fans are doing.

Micah not everything you think he is. He’s a 1 dimensional player. Great at rushing the passer and below average as a run stopper and in coverage. If the Cowboys can generate as many sacks as they did with Micah while also being able to stop the run, then the trade was absolutely worth it.

[Mr B]

Eh, I'd love to hate on the Cowboys too, but I agree, paying Micah Parson QB-level money is insanity in my opinion. He's a defensive player, and he's one guy. You're much better served investing that money into multiple players. And it's not like the players they got as a result of the Micah trade are bums, they're Pro Bowlers in their own right (Williams and Clark).

I feel the same way about Myles Garrett, who's even more dominant than Micah. I just don't think he's ever going to impact a game enough to rival a good QB, but that's how he's being paid.

Ya to be clear, if there is a non QB that is worth QB money in my eyes, its Garrett. Dude is a legit freak. But with that said, if my team isnt contending, Im not paying Garrett.

Because you get exactly what you get right now in Cleveland. Now obviously you cant overlook the Watson contract. But if youre going to give out QB money to a non QB, you better have the roster in place to compete right now. If not, youre going to be pretty strapped for cash to build out your roster. Same thing goes for the Bengals. Most teams can afford to pay 1 big time offensive weapon (non QB), because usually thats around 8-10% of the cap. But now you add 2 high paid WRs, well now you got 15-20% of your cap tied up in WRs. Then you add in Burrow's cap hit, you got 30-40% of your cap taken up by 3 guys, all on the offense. Good luck trying to fix one of the worst defenses in the league, while also trying to fix a bad O line with that much of your cap taken up.

I know it sounds crazy, but if I was Cleveland, I wouldve traded Garrett. But Im sure there was also pressure from the owner to keep Garrett. Because on the business side of things, things couldve gotten real bad up in Cleveland if they traded him away. Dallas doesnt ever have to ever really worry about that because its Dallas. They're receive a lot of initial media hate. But the fans arent ever going anywhere.

That’s what Cowboys fans have been saying about Micah. Is Micah great at rushing the passer? Absolutely. But they already had Micah and had one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Let’s see where the Cowboys end up in defense by the end of the season. My guess is they will be better with Williams/Clark than they were with Micah.

[Mr B]

Cowboys played a bunch of cupcakes, are 4th worst in point allowed but "competitive"

That’s pre-trade right?