I'm in the camp that mazi will show out next year once he gets stronger and has a full off season in the weight room, and can work on his technique more. Playing any line position takes a lot of time to adjust to the level of competition he's facing now.

I tend to agree with this. However, it is incredibly disappointing that he's not trusted to be on the field at all right now. It's not a bad thing to draft more of a project player high in the draft, especially where the Cowboys have been drafting in recent years, but even if they are project players they are still asked to produce and play to some level. Mazi Smith is second to last in snap count for defensive lineman on the team with only 215 for the season (in front of Gallimore by 1).

To be fair, we have had an incredibly deep and healthy DLine this year. I'm not completely out on Mazi just yet

I'm not either, just disappointed how far behind he really was when we drafted him.

Woods Ag said:

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Unless he's just completely undeveloped from strength/conditioning perspective, which I find really hard to believe given the talk on this guy was that he was an ox, then I don't know how much stronger he's going to get. Technique is huge, and maybe it helps him improve, but at that NT position, you're either an ox or you're not.

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I think this is it. He was just stronger than everyone in college and now he's facing really strong guys every play.

I think a year of technique work will do wonders. Don't help much right now though.

He looks awful light in the ass on TV.

98Ag99Grad said:

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He looks awful light in the ass on TV.

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Yeah, for a dude who is listed 6'3" 340, he does not look anywhere near that big. Thought that from the first time I saw him in preseason

Looks like he weighed in at 323 at the combine. I question whether he's even maintaining that. Long training camp, long season. Some of these dudes have trouble keeping weight off, while others have trouble keeping it on

Mazi had 34 reps on the bench press at the combine, so he's got real deal strength, but I could hear an argument that he needs to transform his body into more functional strength. I think Mazi's biggest issue right now is that he is slow to react to the movement of the ball and has poor technique to keep lineman off of him.

jr15aggie said:

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The only thing I can say about Mazi is that just about every time I've seen a clip of the guy, he's literally half a second slower than EVERYBODY ELSE when the ball is snapped.

I've never seen anything like it... the dude is just sitting there, still in his stance, while everybody around him is already moving. I can't say how often it happens because I have no desire to study the guys film, but I've noticed it a lot. No to mention, it happened again last night on the one play that Collinsworth was talking about him. It's embarrassing to watch considering he lines up right over the ball.

IMO, he's a bust and will probably follow Taco's career path.

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Michigan skunked us twice.

34 reps on bench press doesn't mean anything. It's explosion and strength in his ass. How much can he deadlift/squat. We need him to be able to eat up blocks and not bend. We need him to be able to push a solo center or guard into the backfield.

Theres a case to be made that he's got **** technique and quality centers are getting leverage and messing him up. If that's not the case he's a bust. Stronger than the 280lb linemen he was facing in college, but below avg against his size pros

Tend to agree with j15, unfortunately. Hes probably a bust

Hard to buy the "bad technique" angle when the head coach of Michigan is Harbaugh, who was a very successful NFL coach and has a brother who still is a successful head coach. Hard to imagine he doesn't know what good technique looks like. I'd bet it's the opposite. I bet those guys are well coached with good technique. Between that and a slight physical advantage at the college level they look amazing. But in the NFL everyone had good technique and the physical advantage is gone. So they're JAGs. Just another guy like anyone else

I just don't understand how the cowboys continue to whiff drafting true DT's. Osa Odighizuwa has been a big hit, but he's not the traditional run stuffing DT that we have lacked forever. We can draft guys to get penetration and rush the passer for days, but haven't hit on a guy to sit there in the middle in a bit.

They whiff on Michigan DLinemen. As Ramblin said, they've always had really good defensive coaches there at Michigan, so they may have a tech advantage.

A general rule I would have if I were in a decision making position. If you don't put up stats in college, I'm not expecting you to put them up in the pros. That would have eliminated Taco. Would have eliminated Trayvon Walker with the jags... Mazi is a bit different because he was a run stuffer, but still.. I just lean away from Michigan guys unless the jump off the tape.

Outside of Mazi and Taco the cowboys haven't gone up in the draft for a defensive lineman since Anthony Spencer? We drafted Micah as an offball LB and he turned out to be the one of the best pass rushers in the league. We get developmental guys and they become good after 3-4 years. I was happy to see us get a DT, and a real run stuffer, but this dude doesn't appear to be the one.

This dolphins team looks very beatable.

Macarthur said:

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This dolphins team looks very beatable.

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Did you see what happened to Tyreek? Ankle injury I think but I'm not sure... I'm not mad if it's a 2-3 week recovery time.

Phins haven't lost at home yet.

For sure.

Fergie with a pair of smoke show twins dancing in his jersey. This guy!

Jake Ferguson winning on and off the field pic.twitter.com/vVWRAhxnct

— Dallas Texas TV (@DallasTexasTV) December 11, 2023

jr15aggie said:

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Macarthur said:

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This dolphins team looks very beatable.

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Did you see what happened to Tyreek? Ankle injury I think but I'm not sure... I'm not mad if it's a 2-3 week recovery time.

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NOOOOOO!!! he's on my fantasy team and the playoffs are next week! I have crawled back from 1-5 to 8-6 to take the 4 seed. I need him!!

Some bad football being played tonight. Both these games are brutal

Dolphins are all show. You bring physicality to them and they fold. We should be able to get after Tua.

gigem1223 said:

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Dolphins are all show. You bring physicality to them and they fold. We should be able to get after Tua.

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I have a feeling that the boys are going to lay a bigger smack down on the phins than they did against the birds

Baby Billy said:

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Fergie with a pair of smoke show twins dancing in his jersey. This guy!

Jake Ferguson winning on and off the field pic.twitter.com/vVWRAhxnct

— Dallas Texas TV (@DallasTexasTV) December 11, 2023

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When's the last time you saw an optometrist?

Is that not fergie? I watched and was like "oh, that's what fergie looks like.."

This made my morning.. this is real?

Woods Ag said:

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This made my morning.. this is real?

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Yes its all over social media, and memes are FANTASTIC

I'm hearing a lot of the talking people of the world (who are not affiliated with the Cowboys) all saying they finally believe this is a Cowboys team that can win the whole damn thing.

A lot of them agree that, right now, it's SF / Dallas and then everybody else. Still a long ways to go, but it's nice to have a team in that discussion again.

This has been a different team since the SF beat down and every week we are finding ways to get better. Philly just found out... they caught some breaks a few weeks ago but the Dallas train kept moving and rolled right over them on Sunday.

Anyone that knows ball knows this team is capable.

The issue, of course, is that SF has been their kryptonite.