Warren Sapp: 'I like what I see' from Cowboys, but 'they're not a playoff team'

Warren Sapp: 'I like what I see' from Cowboys, but 'they're not a playoff team'

JON MACHOTA The Dallas Morning News Special Contributor
jmachota@dallas.com
Published: 07 May 2012 04:50 PM

Related Warren Sapp continues to claim that he’s been a Cowboys fan since he was a small child. Because of that and his outspoken nature, Sapp always seems to have something to say about the franchise that has missed the postseason the last two seasons.

Last week, during the NFL Network show Total Access , the seven-time Pro Bowl selection admitted that the Cowboys are headed in the right direction with the signing of free agent cornerback Brandon Carr and trading up to draft cornerback Morris Claiborne with the sixth overall pick last month. But he stopped short of saying the Cowboys fixed their problems on defense.

“Fix? No. Upgrade? They definitely did because Brandon Carr is definitely an upgrade and so is Claiborne, one of the better athletic corners that was coming out of the draft,” Sapp said.

However, Sapp doesn’t envision the secondary being much of a factor if the front seven fails to pressure opposing quarterbacks.

“Without the pressure up front the guys in the back can’t cover,” he said. “Even Deion [Sanders] can’t cover if the quarterback has enough time to find a receiver. But they did upgrade it, so we’ll see what the Cowboys have.”

Sapp added: “As a defensive player, I know you’re only as strong as your weakest link on the defense. Wherever that weakest link is, they’ll find it. It won’t be Claiborne and it won’t be Carr. So there’s going to be some other pieces they need to put with them and mesh together. But I like what I see so far.”

Since the Cowboys finished 8-8 last season, a game back of making the playoffs, Sapp must think they’ve improved enough to reach the postseason in 2012, right?

Not quite.

“They’re not a playoff team,” Sapp said. “They’re right on the edge where they were a year ago. They’re right at the edge. They need to put a couple pieces together. Tony Romo needs to play better going down the stretch. Find that running game with [DeMarco] Murray and some of the other guys they’re going to have in the backfield and go out and win games and get the Cowboys back to that shinning star on the side of their helmet.”

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God I hate agreeing with this POS.

Its not Romo that needs to play better tho. It's both lines that are garbage.

It's the same bullshit as always, Romo puts up record numbers, plays with broken bones and a punctured lung, but because he had a couple bad games *name a QB that didn't last year* it all is his fault they didn't make the play offs.

It's lazy uninformed commentary. These guys get paid to follow the sport, and it's sad because Sapp is supposedly a Cowboy fan, but has no fucking idea why the Cowboys missed the playoffs last year.

It has zero to do with the way Romo played down the stretch, and everything to do with the front office and their inability to correctly address problem areas with the team.

4/5ths of the oline is complete shit? Here, a first rounder and a bunch of other shit that hopefully sticks.

Newman, Ball, Sensabaugh, Scandrick, brooking, James, spencer all suck? Here, this is Rob Ryan. He talks a lot of shit.

:Jerry's worthless stamp of approval/fail:

They were 8-8 and pretty easily could have won the division over the team that ended up winning the super bowl.

This team, on paper anyway is considerably better than the one that lost at NYG to end the year.

As disappointing as the Cowboys were last year, they were only a play away from making the playoffs (a single play in any one of several close losses).

I do think that the Cowboys would have done better to address the OL in a more serious, aggressive way. I'm not convinced that the Cowboys get as much return on two premium CBs as they would have gotten with one premium CB and better upgrades on the OL. .... but it is difficult to argue that the defense won't be at least marginally better after the allocation of massive resources to the CB position.

The Cowboys have also had a lot of quit in them over the past several seasons, so addressing "character" and "motor" makes sense too.

dbair1967 said:

They were 8-8 and pretty easily could have won the division over the team that ended up winning the super bowl.

This team, on paper anyway is considerably better than the one that lost at NYG to end the year.

Keep reading...

I'd agree with "better," but not "considerably better."

IMO, the Cowboys offense isn't any better and is at significant risk of taking a step back. Robinson was an important part of last year and he's gone (too expensive to re-sign). Just because different spare parts are being thrown at the interior OL doesn't mean that the OL will be better.

ZeroClub said:

I'd agree with "better," but not "considerably better."

IMO, the Cowboys offense isn't any better and is at significant risk of taking a step back. Robinson was an important part of last year and he's gone (too expensive to re-sign). Just because different spare parts are being thrown at the interior OL doesn't mean that the OL will be better.

Keep reading...

I agree on Robinson, but I think the OL has a chance to be significantly better than last years unit for a few reasons. #1 is Tyron Smith being at LT. I think Free will perform better by moving back to RT. Whoever plays C, even it it were Costa is bound to play better than Costa did last year. Costa, even if he is no more than average this year would be "improved" over what we saw last year, especially early last year. Injuries also played a big part last year, and hopefully the team can stay healthier.

I am not sure we make the playoffs either.


We have to play a number of games against teams that are better than we are and Philly should win this division.

So if we were to lose to chicago, ny and Atlanta early those could be the tie breakers that keep us out of the wild card.

I think we will be better still don't think we are a playoff team yet. Beat ny, Seattle and Chicago and that could go a ,ong way to winning tie breakers for the wild card.

Theebs said:

I am not sure we make the playoffs either.


We have to play a number of games against teams that are better than we are and Philly should win this division.

So if we were to lose to chicago, ny and Atlanta early those could be the tie breakers that keep us out of the wild card.

I think we will be better still don't think we are a playoff team yet. Beat ny, Seattle and Chicago and that could go a ,ong way to winning tie breakers for the wild card.

Keep reading...

lol Atlanta

We're going to stomp the shit out of them. And I'll be there to see it.

dbair1967 said:

I agree on Robinson, but I think the OL has a chance to be significantly better than last years unit for a few reasons. #1 is Tyron Smith being at LT. I think Free will perform better by moving back to RT. Whoever plays C, even it it were Costa is bound to play better than Costa did last year. Costa, even if he is no more than average this year would be "improved" over what we saw last year, especially early last year. Injuries also played a big part last year, and hopefully the team can stay healthier.

Keep reading...

Nothing wrong with being optimistic, but this is a challenging situation --

Two new faces (both with mediocre pasts), two others switching sides, and the only holdover position from last year is last year's weakest link. At best, the OL is a work in progress.

The Cowboys are going to the playoffs this year.

They're going to win the division.

dbair1967 said:

I agree on Robinson, but I think the OL has a chance to be significantly better than last years unit for a few reasons. #1 is Tyron Smith being at LT. I think Free will perform better by moving back to RT. Whoever plays C, even it it were Costa is bound to play better than Costa did last year. Costa, even if he is no more than average this year would be "improved" over what we saw last year, especially early last year. Injuries also played a big part last year, and hopefully the team can stay healthier.

Keep reading...

As bad as Free played last year. Our biggest problem was the interior of the line and we are plugging two of those holes with cast off's from other teams. Our biggest area of need which would be center. That positiong remains the same. Hoping he will be better because he cannot be any worse is a reach

dbair1967 said:

lol Atlanta

We're going to stomp the shit out of them. And I'll be there to see it.

Keep reading...

i hope so. Monday night road games are always tough.

Eh, every team except maybe a few who had to let some of their best players go in free agency feels they're better right now than they were at the end of the year, because they're healthy and they've just signed and drafted players they feel are upgrades.

Do any of the Eagles, Skins, or Giants really feel they're worse off than they were last year?

dbair1967 said:

I agree on Robinson, but I think the OL has a chance to be significantly better than last years unit for a few reasons. #1 is Tyron Smith being at LT. I think Free will perform better by moving back to RT. Whoever plays C, even it it were Costa is bound to play better than Costa did last year. Costa, even if he is no more than average this year would be "improved" over what we saw last year, especially early last year. Injuries also played a big part last year, and hopefully the team can stay healthier.

Keep reading...

But the giants d-line is getting better too then

Oh, I dunno. 9-7 can get you into the playoffs these days.

MarionBarberThe4th said:

But the giants d-line is getting better too then

Keep reading...

Bill Callahan and Mike Woishinsky.

They have the players, we counter with coaching and trainers.

Cowboys 1 giants 0.

Sheik said:

Bill Callahan and Mike Woishinsky.

They have the players, we counter with coaching and trainers.

Cowboys 1 giants 0.

Keep reading...

They have 9-7 players, players that became the first team in league history to actually give up more pts than they scored and advance in the playoffs

Yea but prince amukmaru was out 6 weeks