LONDON -- Part 2 of the Dallas Cowboys' Twitter mailbag is ready.
In it we discuss:
Protecting Tony Romo
Running the ball
Bruce Carter’s future
2015 draft needs
Joseph Randle’s situation
Away we go:
@toddarcher #cowboysmail If Romo does play do they add extra protection on the line and if so will that limit the offense?
— Philip (@rowdypiper74) November 6, 2014@toddarcher: I'm guessing you're wondering if they would leave Jason Witten in protection more since they're not going to bring in a sixth offensive linemen. I do think the Cowboys will protect Romo but they will do it with scheme. The idea will be to get the ball out quickly so he doesn't have to hang on to the ball and possible open himself up to some shots from a Jacksonville pass rush that has recorded 27 sacks. They need Witten to be a viable part of the passing game. They need Dez Bryant to play better as well. I think the return of Doug Free and Ronald Leary from injury will help a great deal too. But I don't think they can go into a shell offensively.
@toddarcher Does Linehan get back to what got the #Cowboys on their 6 game win streak and that being RUN.THE.BALL? #cowboysmail
— Brad Green (@B_Ryan_Green) November 7, 2014@toddarcher: Well, it's not like DeMarco Murray has been a forgotten man. He's had 19 carries in each of the past two games. I know everybody likes to get hung up on him getting 20 carries. Not me, He had 17 carries after three quarters last week against Arizona. He carried it on two of their first six snaps of the fourth quarter. By the time the Cowboys got the ball back again they were down 21-10 with six minutes to go. Running the ball there didn't make sense. Scott Linehan is running it enough. He leads the NFL with 225 carries, so you can't criticize him. To me, the biggest issue the last two games has been the poor passing game. They need to get some big plays going there to open things up for Murray on the ground.
@toddarcher #cowboysmail Dallas has a lot of options at LB next year. Pecking order wise, Carter behind fellow FAs McClain and Durant?
— Sherrell McMillan (@rellevent21) November 6, 2014@toddarcher: Bruce Carter might be behind Tim Dobbins by the end of the season. I kid. I kid, but it's clear the Cowboys are not showing a lot of patience with Carter so he would be well below Rolando McClain and Justin Durant in the pecking order. I was surprised to see Anthony Hitchens play in the nickel defense with McClain last week and then he barely played in the base defense too with Kyle Wilber getting the snaps. The Cowboys have been frustrated by his lack of consistency and lack of high effort all the time. That'll cost a player not only on the field but also off. Unless things change dramatically in the final seven games, I don't see Bruce Carter back in 2015.
@toddarcher At this point who do you see Dallas potentially taking in the first round/what is their biggest need? D-Line? #cowboysmail
— Reece Waddell (@ReeceTapout15) November 6, 2014@toddarcher: I'm starting on the defensive line. The Cowboys need to rebuild it the way they rebuilt the offensive line. They need to make substantial commitments there. Taking DeMarcus Lawrence in the second round, via a trade, was a good start. Remember, Henry Melton, Anthony Spencer, George Selvie and Nick Hayden could all be free agents after the year. They'll need to replenish that group. But I can't ignore linebacker (Carter, Durant, McClain are free agents) or cornerback (Brandon Carr carries a big cap figure. Morris Claiborne coming off injury). They can go a ton of ways next spring to help the defense.
@toddarcher what do the Cowboys need to do about the Randle situation? Would it be worth it to cut him loose? #cowboysmail
— Weston Jameson (@WestonJameson) November 7, 2014@toddarcher: If nothing has happened yet, then I don't think anything will happen. I was a proponent for moving on; not for his arrest, but for what he said about the legal issues of his teammates. He was flippant and disrespectful to the police employees at his booking, showing clearly he was not aware how serious the issue was. The Cowboys have Ryan Williams on the practice squad, so they could have called him up. But since nothing happened and Randle apologized, I don't think anything will happen now.
