By Bob Sturm Follow @sportssturm sturm1310@aol.com
Question: How hot of commodities can we expect Linehan and Marinelli to be if the season continues as is?
Bob Sturm: Both have tried to be head coaches and I am not positive if they desire to have another go of it (Linehan in particular). But, as great as the offense has been this year, opportunities will be available for both of them. There is no doubt about that.
Question: All Jerry has ever wanted is credit, but all his talk of how he wanted Manziel instead of Zack Martin tells us that the credit for this great OL belongs to someone else. Had he just kept his mouth shut, we’d all be singing his praises right now.
Bob Sturm: That has crossed my mind quite a bit. I wonder if he ever considers that he is often his own biggest enemy with sound bites that haunt him and his legacy.
Question: The Cowboys’ defense avg yards/play is about the same as last year. The defense has given up less TDs and less first downs. I believe it’s a better D than last year, but the avg. yards/play is probably due to some outlier big-yardage plays. Your thoughts?
Bob Sturm: I think there are plenty of stats that still tell us the Cowboys need more talent infused into this defense to step up into the top half of the league. But, I also think this entire team is built around the offense keeping the defense more protected by keeping the plays down. They are down 12 snaps a game so by virtue of 6.5 yards a snap, that is 78 fewer yards per game right there. That adds up quite a bit.
Question: Had the Cowboys not taken Claiborne in 2012; who would have been the best fit on the current roster?
Bob Sturm: Dontari Poe or Fletcher Cox were the two I wanted back then if you traded up. If you didn’t, then maybe Quinton Coples and Peter Konz were the next two on my list.
Question: As someone who spends at much time as anybody studying the Cowboys, do you now go back and wonder what the heck did I miss? I guess no one could have foreseen this start but do you look back and re-evaluate some things that you were certain about at the time?
Bob Sturm: Absolutely. I bet everyone who does this for a living wants to be right every year and wants to understand what they missed. But, you know, sometimes, it is what makes sports special. We study and study to try to understand what is about to happen, but in the end, you just never really know until you see it play out. I love football. I study football. But, there is no correlation between the amount of time I invest in the sport and my ability to predict the future. We are all guessing. Including the coaches and general managers in the sport.
Question: It seemed like you really disliked the Cowboys taking Martin to play a position he didn’t play in college. Now that Doug Free is hurt, should they move Martin to the RT to get him ready for next year? Who is better, the backup RT or backup Guard?
Bob Sturm: I did not advocate taking Martin in the 1st round as I don’t think taking guards at #16 is a historically sound idea. That said, he is playing great and even if many of us think solid guards are always around in Round 3 (Trai Turner, LSU and Gabe Jackson, Mississippi State were my favorites), we can’t quibble about who they got. Jermey Parnell has been a heavy investment and is actually one of the longest tenured Cowboys on the roster. So, they surely have been holding him all this time for just this moment.
Let’s see how he does. I am guessing he will be fine.
Question: How hot of commodities can we expect Linehan and Marinelli to be if the season continues as is?
Bob Sturm: Both have tried to be head coaches and I am not positive if they desire to have another go of it (Linehan in particular). But, as great as the offense has been this year, opportunities will be available for both of them. There is no doubt about that.
Question: All Jerry has ever wanted is credit, but all his talk of how he wanted Manziel instead of Zack Martin tells us that the credit for this great OL belongs to someone else. Had he just kept his mouth shut, we’d all be singing his praises right now.
Bob Sturm: That has crossed my mind quite a bit. I wonder if he ever considers that he is often his own biggest enemy with sound bites that haunt him and his legacy.
Question: The Cowboys’ defense avg yards/play is about the same as last year. The defense has given up less TDs and less first downs. I believe it’s a better D than last year, but the avg. yards/play is probably due to some outlier big-yardage plays. Your thoughts?
Bob Sturm: I think there are plenty of stats that still tell us the Cowboys need more talent infused into this defense to step up into the top half of the league. But, I also think this entire team is built around the offense keeping the defense more protected by keeping the plays down. They are down 12 snaps a game so by virtue of 6.5 yards a snap, that is 78 fewer yards per game right there. That adds up quite a bit.
Question: Had the Cowboys not taken Claiborne in 2012; who would have been the best fit on the current roster?
Bob Sturm: Dontari Poe or Fletcher Cox were the two I wanted back then if you traded up. If you didn’t, then maybe Quinton Coples and Peter Konz were the next two on my list.
Question: As someone who spends at much time as anybody studying the Cowboys, do you now go back and wonder what the heck did I miss? I guess no one could have foreseen this start but do you look back and re-evaluate some things that you were certain about at the time?
Bob Sturm: Absolutely. I bet everyone who does this for a living wants to be right every year and wants to understand what they missed. But, you know, sometimes, it is what makes sports special. We study and study to try to understand what is about to happen, but in the end, you just never really know until you see it play out. I love football. I study football. But, there is no correlation between the amount of time I invest in the sport and my ability to predict the future. We are all guessing. Including the coaches and general managers in the sport.
Question: It seemed like you really disliked the Cowboys taking Martin to play a position he didn’t play in college. Now that Doug Free is hurt, should they move Martin to the RT to get him ready for next year? Who is better, the backup RT or backup Guard?
Bob Sturm: I did not advocate taking Martin in the 1st round as I don’t think taking guards at #16 is a historically sound idea. That said, he is playing great and even if many of us think solid guards are always around in Round 3 (Trai Turner, LSU and Gabe Jackson, Mississippi State were my favorites), we can’t quibble about who they got. Jermey Parnell has been a heavy investment and is actually one of the longest tenured Cowboys on the roster. So, they surely have been holding him all this time for just this moment.
Let’s see how he does. I am guessing he will be fine.
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