Cowboys Offensive Line Shaping Up as Perhaps Greatest in NFL History

It’s way, way, way too soon to declare the current Cowboys offensive line to be among the greatest in NFL history.

We should wait until at least February 5. 

By then we will know if the Cowboys won the Super Bowl, reached the Super Bowl or (let’s say) surrendered six sacks in a playoff loss, making this December opinion look like premature adulation. We’ll also know how many major awards Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott split between them.

At the very least, we should wait until New Year’s Day. By then we will know what rookie records Prescott and Elliott set, whether Elliott won the rushing title and by what margin, whether the Cowboys finished 15-1 or a disappointing 13-3, and whether Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin all earned first-team All-Pro status or settled for a trio of NFC Pro Bowl berths.

So we’re really jumping the gun here by mentioning the 2016 Cowboys among the great lines of history. But let’s say Elliott breaks Eric Dickerson’s rookie rushing record, Prescott wins Rookie of the Year and the Cowboys reach the NFC Championship Game before perhaps falling short in some offensive shootout.

Then it may be time to declare the Cowboys offensive line the greatest in history.

Now, before fans in Washington don their pig snouts and granny dresses to compose the angriest comment posts in history, we should take a moment to ask a simple question: What makes an offensive line great?

Super Bowls: Of course. But great lines don’t always win Super Bowls, and Super Bowl winners don’t always have great lines.

Pro Bowl Berths and All-Pro selections: The Cowboys line has already collected seven Pro Bowl berths and two first-team All-Pro selections since Smith arrived in 2011. Those numbers will grow to 10 and at least three in a few weeks. But you cannot judge lines by Pro Bowl selections alone, because balloting is often more about reputation than performance, especially for older players.

Offensive statistics: Great lines generate thousands of rushing yards, high yards-per-rush figures, low sack totals and awards for their quarterbacks and running backs. But be careful: Under this criterion, Peyton Manning and Jim Brown’s offensive lines were the best in history. Great skill-position players can make their lines look better, as well as vice versa.

Offensive statistics by different sets of skill-position players: Bingo. A great offensive line should make multiple quarterbacks and running backs look good, not just established superstars. This is what qualifies the Cowboys line for a spot among the best ever.

As soon as the Smith-Frederick-Martin nucleus came together in 2014, DeMarco Murray won the NFL rushing title and Offensive Player of the Year honors. Tony Romo led the NFL in completion percentage, touchdown percentage and quarterback rating; he had not led the NFL in any positive categories since 2006 before that. The Cowboys won 12 games after four years mired around .500 and came within some controversial calls of reaching the NFC Championship Game.

Murray left, and Romo got hurt last year. The Cowboys tanked due to incompetent quarterbacking and mediocre defense. Cowboys haters along the I-95 corridor whispered that the offensive line was overrated.

Nonsense. Darren McFadden, after three straight years of averaging 3.3-3.4 yards per carry in Oakland, rushed for 1,089 yards and 4.6 yards per …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com