The Dallas Cowboys | Return of the Lone Star State [M16 Franchise]

[Noestar]

The Dallas Cowboys | Return of the Lone Star State

After a season with championship expectations, the Cowboys ended up with a disappointing 4-12 finish after a slew of injuries. A team that was expected to try and make a push to finally get their franchise quarterback Tony Romo a ring went down in flames after he went down with an injury. An explosive offense last year couldn't recover after their three top starters on offense were out of commission. Romo went down with another collarbone injury, some were fearing retirement, Dez Bryant missed most of the season with a foot injury, and between Brandon Weeden and Kellen Moore throwing him the ball he didn't look the same, and finally Demarco Murray the leagues leading rusher last year left to the rival Philadelphia Eagles and led the league in disappointment, he just didn't look like himself at all.

The Cowboys were very quiet in free agency, not going after any of he big free agents, but they did accumulate up to $50 million in contracts, adding small pieces and depth all over the team. The Cowboys brought in DT Cedric Thornton, DE Benson Mayowa, RB Alfred Morris, and OL Joe Looney. In addition, they re-signed TE James Hanna, LB Rolando McClain, LB, Kyle Wilber, CB Morris Claiborne, RB Lance Dunbar, OT Charles Brown, and CB Josh Thomas, and also tendered OG Ronald Leary and S Jeff Heath.

Last but not least Jason Garrett resigned to take a place in the front office as Assistant GM. Garrett has had a big role in building the team with Stephen Jones, and they believe that a new coach could take them to the next level.
Enter Robert Starr, a very surprising candidate out of Texas University. Starr had been the driving force on the Longhorns resurgence, and has both offensive and defensive coordinator experience. With a modified spread/pro-style offense an attacking 4-3 he hopes to give the Cowboys the spark they need. The Cowboys are hoping this young coach can lead them to a championship within their tight window, and if not he can be the coach who helps rebuild the Cowboys.

This franchise will start on the eve of the 2016 draft, with big players like FSU's Jalen Ramsey, Mississippi State's Laremy Tunsil, Cal's Jared Goff, Ohio State's Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliot, and UCLA's Myles Jack.

Difficulty: All-Madden
Time: 13 minute quarters
Runoff: 14 seconds

[Noestar]

2016 Official Draft Order Announced!

I'll be doing the first 3 round of the 2016 draft by 9:30 EST, if you have any suggestions on who your team should draft let me know via PM or Comment. If you didn't say anything and you don't like who I drafted I'm sorry.

[Noestar]

2016 NFL Draft Results:

Round 1:

1. Tennessee Titans: Laremy Tunsil | OT Mississippi State | 6'5", 310 lbs
2. Cleveland Browns: Jalen Ramsey | DB Florida State | 6'1" 209 lbs
3. San Diego Chargers: Deforest Buckner | DL Oregon | 6'7" 291 lbs
4. Dallas Cowboys: Myles Jack | LB UCLA | 6’1" 245 lbs
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Joey Bosa | DL Ohio State | 6'4" 279 lbs
6. [Trade] Los Angeles Rams: Carson Wentz | QB North Dakota State | 6'5" 235 lbs| Trade to swap 1st round picks + one of their 2nd round picks, and 4th
7. San Francisco 49ers: Jaref Goff | QB, UC Berkeley | 6'4" 215
8. Philadelphia Eagles: Vernon Hargreaves III | CB Florida | 5'11" 204
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Shaw Lawson | DL Clemson | 6'3" 269
10. New York Giants: Ezekiel Elliot | RB Ohio State | 6'0" 225
11. Chicago Bears: Ronnie Stanley | OT Notre Dame | 6'6" 312
12. New Orleans Saints: Andrew Billings | DT Baylor | 6'1" 311 lbs
13. Miami Dolphins: Mackenzie Alexander | DB Clemson | 5'11" 190 lbs
14. Oakland Raiders: Jack Conklin | OT Michigan State | 6'6" 308 lbs
15. Baltimore Ravens: Laquon Treadwell | WR Ole Miss | 6'3" 212 lbs
16. Detroit Lions: Taylor Decker | OT Ohio State | 6'7" 310 lbs
17. Atlanta Falcons : Darron Lee | LB Ohio State | 6'2" 235 lbs
18. Indianapolis Colts: Leonard Floyd | LB Georgia | 6'4" 231 lbs
19. Buffalo Bills : Robert Nkemdiche | DL Ole Miss | 6'3" 294 lbs
20. New York Jets: Paxton Lynch | QB Memphis | 6'7" 245 lbs
21. Washington Redskins: A'Shawn Robinson | DL Alabama | 6'3" 308
22. Houston Texans: Corey Coleman | WR Baylor | 5'11" 190 lbs
23. Minnesota Vikings: Josh Doctson | WR Texas Christian | 6'3" 202 lbs
24. Cincinnati Bengals: Michael Thomas | WR Ohio State | 6'2" 212 lbs
25. Pittsburgh Steelers Emmanuel Ogbah | LB Oklahoma State | 6'3" 267 lbs
26. Seattle Seahawks: Sheldon Rankins | DT Louisville | 6'1" 299 lbs
27. Green Bay Packers: Reggie Ragland | LB Alabama | 6'2" 245 lbs
28. Kansas City Chiefs: William Jackson III | CB Houston | 6'0" 189 lbs
29. Arizona Cardinals: Ryan Kelly | OL Alabama | 6'3" 311
30. Carolina Panthers: Noah Spence | DL Eastern Kentucky | 6'2" 250 lbs
31. Denver Broncos: Jason Spriggs | OL Indiana | 6'5" 301 lbs

Round 2:

1. Cleveland Browns: Jaylon Smith | LB Notre Dame
2. Tennessee Titans: Cody Whitehair | OG Kansas State
3. Dallas Cowboys: Kevin Dodd | DL Clemson
4. San Diego Chargers: Jarren Reed | DL Alabama
5. Baltimore Ravens: Shon Coleman | OT Auburn
6. San Francisco 49ers: Will Fuller | WR Notre Dame
7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Keanu Neal | DB Florida
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jeremy Cash | DB Duke
9. New York Giants: Darian Thompson | FS Boise State
10. Chicago Bears: Vonn Bell | DB Ohio State
11. Miami Dolphins: Germain Ifedi | OG Texas A&M
12. Baltimore Ravens [From Rams]: Eli Apple | CB Ohio State
13. Oakland Raiders: Karl Joseph | DB West Virgina
14. Los Angeles Rams: Nick Martin | OL Notre Dame
15. Detroit Lions: Shillique Calhoun | DL Michigan State
16. New Orleans Saints: Jonathan Bullard | DL Florida
17. Indianapolis Colts: Derrick Henry | HB Alabama [I know, I know...]
18. Buffalo Bills: Su'a Cravens | LB/DB USC
19. Atlanta Falcons: Vernon Butler | DL LA Tech
20. New York Jets: Le'Raven Clark | OT Texas Tech
21. Houston Texans: Chris Jones | DL Mississippi State
22. Washington Redskins: Tyler Boyd | WR Pittsburgh
23. Minnesota Vikings: Vadal Alexander | OG LSU
24. Cincinnati Bengals: Kenny Clark | DT UCLA
25. Seattle Seahawks: Willie Beavers | OT Western Michigan
26. Green Bay Packers: Hunter Henry | TE Arkansas
27. Pittsburgh Steelers: Austin Johnson | DT Penn State
28. Kansas City Chiefs: Sterling Shepard | WR Oklahoma
29. New England Patriots: Artie Burns | CB Miami
30. New England Patriots: Christian Westerman | OL Arizona State
31. Carolina Panthers: Miles Killebrew | DB Southern Utah
32. Denver Broncos: Connor Cook | QB Michigan State

Partial Round 3

1. Tennesee Titans: Will Redmond | DB Mississippi State
2. Cleveland Browns: Christian Hackenberg | QB Penn State
3. San Diego Chargers: Landon Turner | OL North Carolina
4. Dallas Cowboys: Kendall Fuller | DB Virginia Tech
5. San Francisco 49ers: Braxton Miller | WR Ohio State
6. Jacksonville Jaguars: Josh Perry | LB Ohio State
7. Baltimore Ravens: Alex Collins | HB Arkansas
8. New York Giants: Nick Vannett | TE Ohio State
9. Chicago Bears: Pharoh Cooper | WR South Carolina
10. Miami Dolphins: Kenneth Dixon | HB LA Tech
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Reshard Robinson | DB LSU
12. Oakland Raiders: Devontae Booker | HB Utah

[I realized halfway through that the roster didn't have enough rookies, sorry for the remaining teams.]

[Noestar]

Cowboys 2016 Draft Analysis:

Myles Jack | UCLA Bruins | 6'1" 245 lbs

One of the most versatile players in college football the past three seasons, Jack earned a reputation as a dynamic defender and a contributor on offense. In fact, he earned both the Pac-12 Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2013, as well as being named finalist for Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. A second-team All-Pac 12 defender as a freshman (75 tackles, two interception, 11 passes defended), he had seven rushing touchdowns on the year as well. Pac-12 coaches voted him second team all-conference again in 2014, as he made 88 tackles, eight for loss, intercepted one pass and broke up seven others. He also contributed as a runner, as well, carrying the rock 28 times for 113 yards and three scores. (Via NFL)

The Cowboys plan to use Myles Jack wherever they can, the UCLA linebacker showed excellent cover skills in college as well as a nose for the ball. They will play him in a SS/LB "STAR" role similar to Deone Buchanon and Tyrann Matheiu even though they have a different range of skill sets.

Kevin Dodd | DL Clemson | 6'5" 277 lbs

The Cowboys picked up DE Kevin Dodd in the beginning of round 2.
The 6-foot-5, 280-pound fourth-year junior got his first chance to start this season with the Clemson Tigers. Dodd made the most of it, finishing with 23.5 tackles for loss this season to rank second in the FBS behind Lawson. Dodd had 12 sacks this year, also second on team to fellow Clemson lineman Shaq Lawson, who is also entering the draft. He had a dominant National Championship game against Alabama, registering 5 tackles for a loss as well as two sacks.

The Cowboys just drafted Randy Gregory last year in the third round, but with his suspension over the first 4 games they're going to need him to contribute right out of the gate. DL coach Rod Marinelli has always said you can't have enough rushmen, and when Gregory comes back the pass rotation will be fresh and dangerous.

Kendall Fuller | CB Virginia Tech |5'11" 187 lbs

Fuller was the fourth Fuller brother to suit up for Virginia Tech, and will be the fourth to play in the NFL, and may be the most talented of them all. Kendall, a high school All-American, simply came into Virginia Techs' defense as a true freshman, starting 12 games, intercepting six passes, and garnering Freshman All-American, second-team All-ACC and Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Fuller continued to impress in his sophomore year, earning second team All-American notice from multiple outlets and first team all-conference nods from coaches and media alike (4.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, 15 pass breakups) -- all while playing with a fractured wrist on which he had surgery after the season. Unfortunately, the injury bug bit Fuller again before the 2015 season, as he tore the meniscus in his right knee during preseason camp. He attempted to play through the injury, but decided to hang it up after three games (seven tackles, sack) to have it repaired.

The Cowboys took a gamble in the third round on this talented but injury prone player, and they're hoping it pays off. Kendall could develop into a key contributor on the outside cornerback position, allowing Orlando Scandrick to move back into the slot. With a Brandon Carr cut in the possible future, the Cowboys need to be prepared.

[Noestar]

Cowboys 2016 Depth Chart

Dallas Cowboys Depth Chart - 2016
Regular Offense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
WR	Dez Bryant	Cole Beasley	Lucky Whitehead
TE	Jason Witten	Gavin Escbar	Geoff Swaim
LT	Tyron Smith	Charles Brown
LG	La'El Collins	Ronald Leary
C	Travis Frederick
RG	Zach Martin	Chaz Green
RT	Doug Free	Darrion Weems
WR	Terrence Williams	Brice Butler	Devin Street
QB	Tony Romo	Kellen Moore	Jameill Showers
FB	Tyler Clutts
HB	Alfred Morris	Darren Mcfadden	Lance Dunbar	Robert Turbin
Base 4-3 Defense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LDE	Demarcus Lawrence	David Irving
LDT	Cedric Thornton	Terrell McClain
RDT	Tyrone Crawford	Casey Walker
RDE	Kevin Dodd	Randy Gregory	Benson Mayowa
WLB	Myles Jack	Anthony Hitchens
MLB	Sean Lee
SLB	Rolando McClain	Andrew Gachkar
CB	Orlando Scandrick	Kendall Fuller
SS	Barry Church	Jeff Heath
FS	Byron Jones	J.J. Wilcox
CB	Brandon Carr	Terrance Mitchell	Brandon McGee
Special Teams
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
K	Dan Bailey
P	Chris Jones
H	Kellen Moore
PR	Lucky Whitehead
KR	Lucky Whitehead

With this I will start the regular season! Enjoy and please tell me what you think!

[Noestar]

Cowboys rout Giants, Romo near perfect in 34-3 win.

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
New York Giants (0-1)	0	0	0	3	3
Dallas Cowboys (1-0)	10	7	10	7	34

Team Stats Comparison
	NYG	DAL
Total Offense	176	384
Rushing Yards	50	100
Passing Yards	126	284
First Downs	7	19
Punt Return Yards	0	73
Kick Return Yards	22	21
Total Yards	198	478
Turnovers	2	0
3rd Down Converstion	3	9
4th Down Conversion	0	0
2-Point Conversion	0	0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0/1	4/2
Penalties	1	0
Posession Time	20:20	31:40

New York Giants PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Tony Romo 23/30 293 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Alfred Morris 20 55 2.8 0 Darren Mcfadden 14 44 3.1 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Dez Bryant 5 66 13.2 1 Terrence Williams 4 87 21.8 0 Jason Witten 8 68 8.5 1 Cole Beasley 4 47 11.8 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Sean Lee 6 0 0 0 Kevin Dodd 3 .5 0 2 Byron Jones 6 0 1 1 Myles Jack 5 0 0 1 Demarcus Lawrence 2 1.5 0 0 Barry Church 8 0 1 1 Tyrone Crawford 3 1 0 0

Dallas Cowboys PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Eli Manning 11/32 159 0 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Rashad Jennings 15 50 3.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Odell Beckham Jr. 1 24 24 0 Larry Donnell 4 46 11.5 0 Victor Cruz 3 78 26 0 Rashad Jennings 2 9 4.5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Walter Thurmond III 13 0 0 0 J.T. Thomas 13 0 0 2 Jasper Brinkley 12 0 0 0 Trevin Wade 8 0 0 1

(TD in the defense column are tackles for loss)

The Cowboys defense came out of the gates strong, with 2 pass breaks up on the first drive and limiting Eli Manning to no yards on the first drive.
And to compliment that, the Cowboys offense was perfect on the first drive, Romo was 3/3, hitting Dez for the eventual touchdown.
Morris looked good on the first drive, but after that looked indecisive, often times getting stuffed at the line. Romo was able to find Terrence Williams for a huge 54 yard gain on the second drive, and punctuated it with a Cole Beasley touchdown in the flat.
Despite that the Cowboys were putting a beating on the giants, up 17-0 by the second quarter, Manning was looking really off is game.
Going into the end of the third Alfred Morris continued to struggle, averaging less than 3 yards per carry, luckily a healthy Romo was tearing the Giants pass defense apart, throwing his third touchdown to Old Faithful Jason to put them up 24-0.
Eli Manning continued to struggle compared to his NFC East counterpart, as he threw another interception, this time to FS Byron Jones, his first being to Barry Church. Odell Beckham was visibly frustrated after facing double coverage all day by Byron Jones and Brandon Carr, he finished the game with one catch for 24 yards. The Cowboys put Darren McFadden in in the fourth quarter and he put a punctuation mark on the the blowout by running in the final score, making it 34-3. Next weeks game will not be so easy.

[Noestar]

Cowboys stomped 24-10 by Eagles, Romo sacked 5 times in loss

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Dallas Cowboys (1-1)	0	3	0	7	10
Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)	3	0	7	14	24

Team Stats Comparison
	DAL	PHI
Total Offense	231	297
Rushing Yards	21	120
Passing Yards	210	177
First Downs	11	15
Punt Return Yards	10	3
Kick Return Yards	39	18
Total Yards	280	318
Turnovers	3	1
3rd Down Converstion	1	8
4th Down Conversion	1	0
2-Point Conversion	0	0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0/1	3/1
Penalties	0	0
Posession Time	14;42	29:18

Dallas Cowboys PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Tony Romo 16/30 232 1 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Alfred Morris 8 21 2.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Cole Beasley 6 64 10.7 0 Dez Bryant 5 76 15.2 0 Terrance Williams 3 26 8.7 0 Jason Witten 2 66 33 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Sean Lee 17 0 0 6 Barry Church 13 0 0 0 Byron Jones 10 0 0 1 Myles Jack 5 1 0 1 Rolando McClain 4 0 0 1

Philadelphia Eagles PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Sam Bradford 16/19 183 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Darren Sproles 27 98 3.7 0 Ryan Mathews 5 30 6.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Zach Ertz 4 32 8.0 2 Rueben Randle 4 43 10.8 0 Riley Cooper 3 28 9.3 0 Jordan Mathews 4 67 16.8 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Malcolm Jenkins 6 0 0 0 Ed Reynolds II 5 .5 0 0 Vinny Curry 3 2 0 0 Eric Rowe 4 0 0 0 Brandon Graham 4 .5 0 0

You know that feeling when it seems like the other team knows what's going to happen before the play even starts? That's how the game went for the Cowboys against the Eagles. Alfred Morris for the second straight game was unable to get it going, this time averaging less than three yards a carry before the Cowboys were forced to abandon their running game. The Eagles knew that the Cowboys were going to lean on the arm of Romo, and they threw everything they had at him. This was bad news for Tony Romo, as the Cowboys were harassed all day by the Eagles pass rush, the Eagles sacked Tony Romo 5 times, and intercepted him 3.

Vernon Hargreaves III got his welcome to the NFL as Jason Witten stiff armed him to the ground on his way to a 58 yard touchdown.
Sam Bradford looked like a star today, missing on only 3 of his 19 passes, with 3 touchdowns to match. Sam Bradford seemed liked he had all day to throw, the Cowboys defense only got to him one 1 time, by rookie Myles Jack. TE Zach Ertz is starting to look like the dominant force many projected him to be coming out of Stanford, torching the Cowboys defense for 2 touchdowns.

The Cowboys lone bright spot was linebacker Sean Lee, who finished the game with a whopping 17 tackles, including an amazing 6 tackles for loss, yes you read that right! Sean Lee and the defense were on the field the majority of the game, and looked exhausted by the end of the game.
The question that needs to be asked is, will we see more McFadden or Dunbar next game?
The Cowboys take on the 2-0 Atlanta Falcons next week.

Cowboy Star: Sean Lee LB- 17 tackles, 6 TFL
Cowboy Killer: Sam Bradford QB- 16/19, 183 yards, 3 TD
Cowboys Rookie Star: Myles Jack LB- 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Sack

[Noestar]

Cowboys survive late surge by Falcons, Romo out duels Matt Ryan 27-20

Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Atlanta Falcons (2-1)	3	0	0	17	20
Dallas Cowboys (2-1)	7	10	2	7	27

Team Stats Comparison
	ATL	DAL
Total Offense	303	280
Rushing Yards	61	70
Passing Yards	242	210
First Downs	16	14
Punt Return Yards	0	53
Kick Return Yards	49	62
Total Yards	352	395
Turnovers	0	0
3rd Down Converstion	5	5
4th Down Conversion	0	0
2-Point Conversion	0	0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/1	3/2
Penalties	0	0
Posession Time	22:28	21:32

Atlanta Falcons PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Tony Romo 20/28 226 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Alfred Morris 16 70 4.4 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Jason Witten 8 94 11.8 1 Dez Bryant 6 83 13.8 1 Terrance Williams 3 21 7.0 1 Alfred Morris 2 13 6.5 0 Cole Beasley 1 15 15 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Barry Church 9 0 0 1 Myles Jack 8 0 0 2 Byron Jones 4 0 0 0 Kevin Dodd 3 2 0 0 Sean Lee 4 0 0 0 Demarcus Lawrence 2 1.5 0 0

Dallas Cowboys PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Matt Ryan 22/32 275 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Devonta Freeman 10 54 5.4 0 Tevin Coleman 2 7 3.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Jacob Tamme 7 102 14.6 1 Eric Weems 5 46 9.2 1 Julio Jones 4 62 15.5 0 Devonta Freeman 4 46 11.5 0 Mohamed Sanu 2 19 9.5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Ricardo Allen 9 0 0 0 Kemal Ishmael 9 0 0 0 Paul Worrilow 6 1 0 0 Vic Beasley 2 1 0 0

It was truly a battle of the quarterbacks, as neither defense was able to stop the opposing teams air attack. The first half was all Cowboys, as Tony Romo and Jason Witten turned the clock back, totaling over 60 yards of offense together the first couple drives. Romo was a man out to prove something after his 3 interception game against the Eagles. He connected with two of his favorite targets in Witten and Bryant to put the Cowboys up early, by the end of the first half it was 17-3 and the Falcons looked deflated.

The Cowboys defense hasn't had a 100 yard receiver against them this season, but Jacob Tamme the Falcons TE was the first to break that mark. Matt Ryan saw the work that Jason Witten was putting in against them and decided why not do the same thing? Rookie linebacker Myles Jack struggled in coverage all day against Tamme, who totaled 7 receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown. This helped the Falcons come right back into the game the second half, the Falcons scored a whopping 17 points in the fourth quarter pushing the score to 20-20 after a late Cowboys field goal. Then the unexpected happened!...

Cowboys running back Alfred Morris showed a little bit of life. Morris helped pound the ball in the fourth quarter, at the end of the game he only had 70 yards on 16 carries. But his 4.4 average per carry was much better than his previous games, and he came through when they needed it. The Cowboys pass rush finally showed up as rookie LE Kevin Dodd had his first two sack game, he was aided by Demarcus Lawrence who chipped in a sack and a half. The Cowboys scored in the closing minutes as Romo found Terrance Williams on a 13 yard end zone fade. The Falcons got the ball back with a minute left, but weren't able to move the ball past a couple of failed hail marys.

The Cowboys play the 2-1 Saints next week! Stay tuned for the quarter league report!

Cowboys Star: Jason Witten TE- 7 receptions, 94 yards, 1 TD
Cowboys Killer: Jacob Tamme TE- 7 receptions, 102 yards, 1 TD
Cowboys Rookie Watch: Kevin Dodd DE, 3 Tackles, 2 sacks
Myles Jack LB- 8 tackles, 2 TFL