A new idea I had in order to help me go through the NFL team’s rosters and examine all the personnel and coaching changes, etc., one-by-one. I’m going to look at two teams head-to-head in seven key categories (my bias on what is ‘key’). The team that gets my vote in each category gets a ‘win’…the first team to 4 wins moves on to the next round. Just a quick, hopefully fun, way to take the temperature of each team heading into the 2023 preseason.
The seven categories…it’s actually six because one category is so important that it’s worth double:
1-2) The quarterbacks comparison…the winner of this gets 2 wins, or if too close to call it could be a 1-1 split.
3) O-Line -- Judging which team has the better O-Line…the most critical aspect of a team after the QB.
4) Cornerbacks -- After O-Line, I think the most critical position is shutdown corners (or not having any).
5) Head Coach/Organization -- A battle of which coaches will get in the way less, to some degree but also an edge given to teams that will attract free agents or be a desired destination in trades…and what teams are filling the stadium for home games, etc. Everything rolled into one judgment call.
6) Offensive Weapons -- Which team has the better, scarier RB-WR-TE group.
7) Kicker -- If it comes down to #7, of course the kicker should make the determination...as the kicker often determines the winner of a 59+ minute war prior with a last second make/miss.
As we lead into each category and tap a winner -- I’m also listing the major add/loss for each team in the offseason so far, just to eyeball it as a list.
Is this a brilliant way to judge teams over another? Who knows! But it struck me as something fun to do while studying each team this preseason, after the majority of offseason moves have been made.
DAL major adds: CB Gilmore, WR Cooks, DT Mazi Smith, TE Schoonmaker, LB Overshown, CB, E Scott, FB Luepke
DAL major losses: OG McGovern, TE Schultz, WR N. Brown
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NYG major adds: TE D. Waller, OC J.M. Schmitz, WR J. Hyatt, CB Banks, WR P. Campbell, LB Okereke
NYG major losses: SAF Love, CB R. James
QB (2x): You have to give the lean to Dak…even though Dak started fading (may have been injury) last season. Dan Jones improved last season, but DJ isn’t putting a team on his back to win games; he’s just a game manager. Dak can win games…or he used to. Lean Dak but it’s getting a little tenuous.
Dallas takes a (2-0) lead.
O-Line: The NYG O-Line is improving but it’s not better than the Dallas O-Line.
Dallas leads (3-0).
CBs: Dallas now has Gilmore-Diggs as their outside CB tandem…and they have to be deemed as better than Adoree-Banks. And the bonus is DaRon Bland as the slot corner is really good/emerging too.
Cowboys sweep to the (4-0) victory.
HC/Organization: Brian Daboll is the way, WAY better coach in this scenario…but Dallas is the much, MUCH more attractive place to play. I’ll give the total org. nod to Daboll/the NYG coaching over the Jerry Jones constant intervening and messing things up problem in Dallas.
Dallas leads (4-1).
Weapons: Weird contest/comparisons…
Who is really that wonderful on either team among the offensive weapons? Saquon, I guess is the best…after one good season going into contract time, but has been empty/injured the prior seasons?
NYG has more WR volume, but Dallas has better actual top WRs…but I don’t love CeeDee Lamb all that much. Waller at TE is way ahead of the Dallas group…if he can stay healthy.
NYG edge at RB and TE, and then I think I’d rather have the NYG collection of decent WRs than Dallas’s bigger name guys. So, NYG takes this battle here…but I could go either way.
Dallas is up (4-2).
Kicker: Graham Gano is one of the top best, most consistent kickers in the league and Dallas doesn’t even really have a kicker. Easy win NYG.
Dallas finishes with the (4-3) win/edge, but it was a lot closer than expected/than it started out. If Dak is fading -- then NYG should’ve gotten the win. These two teams are closer in this contest and in reality than the consensus thinks.
