Would the Seahawks be better with the Cowboys’ roster?
Nov 9, 2010, 4:54 PM | Updated: Apr 4, 2011, 7:52 pm
By Michael Simeona, MyNorthwest.com intern
With one of the more talented rosters in all of football, the Dallas Cowboys have struggled to their worst start in 21 years.
Head coach Wade Phillips couldn’t mold a superstar roster into a Super Bowl contender, and was subsequently fired by the team on Monday. The Cowboys are tied for last in the NFC, as their 1-7 start is their worst since finishing 1-15 in 1989.
While injuries have plagued them all season, nobody argues that the Cowboys have one of the most star-studded rosters in the league.
Quarterback Tony Romo – out indefinitely with a broken left clavicle – is a three-time Pro Bowler and one of the most recognizable athletes in all of sports. Defensive end DeMarcus Ware is widely considered one of the most feared pass rushers in the game today.
Though the Cowboys have been one of the bigger disappointments in recent memory, would it be considered an upgrade if the Seahawks traded their roster for the Cowboys’ straight up?
Mike Salk and Ray Roberts discussed that on Tuesday’s show. Salk was adamant that the Seahawks would be better off by trading for the Cowboys’ roster. While the players should be held accountable for their dreadful start, Phillips’ firing was the solution to the problem, according to Salk.
“That’s why they fired their coach. They’ve got a terrible coach, they’ve got an owner who’s a mess… but they’ve got the talent,” Salk said.
Roberts countered: “If they’re so much more talented than everyone else, then why can’t they just go out and win? Sometimes you have to perform in spite of your coaching, in spite of your teaching.
“You have to perform regardless.”
The Seahawks have outperformed preseason expectations in being tied for the NFC West lead halfway through the regular season. Coach Pete Carroll has sped up the rebuilding process by constantly revamping the roster to fit his philosophy of ‘competing everyday’.
“The Seahawks roster has nobody,” Salk said. “I’m saying they’ve overachieved. That’s a credit to Pete Carroll.”
Heading into the season, the Cowboys returned nine Pro Bowlers. Replacing the Seahawks with players from the Cowboys roster may look good on paper, but their current state of affairs doesn’t seem enticing to Roberts.
“They (the Cowboys) are grossly underperforming. If it could come with a little asterisk that they were going to come mentally and psychologically ready to get after it then absolutely you trade it. But if I’m just taking it like they are right now, and with the mentality they have right now, then absolutely not.”
