My Case Against Re-signing Spencer

[CowboysLaw87]

It is scary going into the unknown, and it is sad to lose a player via FA who has been a lifetime Cowboy and has grown into a very productive player. That said, there is more good than bad when it comes to letting #93 leave. Many of this has been said before, but some things some people are not fully aware of. Here we go...

1. Spencer turned 29 last week. If we made the Super Bowl next season, he'd play the game at 30 years old. Handing out massive, long-term contracts to players who are around age 30 is just not smart. He's been durable, but has a lot of wear and tear because of it (career snap count). If we re-signed him, our potential starting 4 DL would ALL be 30+, with the exception of Spencer (29). We need to focus on getting younger, not guarantee that we'll be extremely old along the front for years.

2. While his sack totals rose, his total pressures did not (or not significantly). He played really well this year, no doubt. But all he really did was convert the near-misses he'd been having in prior years. It's not like he became a pass-rushing terror. Now, his sacks are clutch and his overall pressure very good. I just think that his "improvement" is a bit overrated.

3. The big question... will he remain motivated after getting the huge deal? He very well may shut it down. There's so much precedence for this on our own team, whether it's a motivation issue or otherwise (Free, Austin, Hamlin, Barber, Ratliff, etc.). Of all those guys, I think you can argue that Spencer might love football the LEAST and be motivated by the paycheck the MOST.

4. We're in a terrible salary cap situation. We'd be compounding the issue both now and in the future if we sell out to resign Spencer. Might be smarter to simply bite the bullet, not take on the contract, and have more flexibility for years to come. Which leads to...

5. We'll need to resign Romo, Lee, Dez, Murray, etc. in the near future. Would be nice to go into those offseasons with a little less financial strain already on us.

6. We'd get a very nice compensatory pick in the 2014 Draft for losing him. Like a 3rd rounder. That's extremely significant, as I think we can all agree that a late 3rd round pick has the potential to be a starter.

Add it all up and I think it's just better to bring in a guy via the draft and let him compete with Crawford for the LDE job this year. If it results in subpar play, we can always make DE a higher priority next year. Just my thoughts, and thanks for reading.

[dantheman41]

Agree completely. I think he would be more missed if we were still in the 3-4

[DFWJC]

Lots of legit issues in there.

My main issue is whether or not he will fit well enough in the Kiffin's 4-3 to warrant what is going to get paid.
SAM LBs should not be paid huge dollars generally and although he has played DE in a non Tampa 4-3, that was in college.

[da_whiz_kid]

I'm in the middle when it comes to Spencer. I think if he comes at a reasonable price he is worth keeping, as he may not play great all the time, he puts up on above average performance and is good at certain aspects of the games. At the same time I wouldn't be mad with him leaving and the the 'Boys receiving a 3rd for him. Any amount of early picks for the draft next year should be used for getting that beast they call Clowney.

[CowboysLaw87]

Originally Posted by dantheman41

Agree completely. I think he would be more missed if we were still in the 3-4

Very true. If we stayed in the 3-4 I'd be signing a different tune. He's a very good 3-4 SOLB. Those guys are a bit harder to find and he'd undergo no transition.

[DBOY3141]

I'm not for re-signing Spencer. Use the money to fix the OL. We can compete with a better OL and half the injuries we had this year.

[AbeBeta]

Originally Posted by CowboysLaw87

6. We'd get a very nice compensatory pick in the 2014 Draft for losing him. Like a 3rd rounder. That's extremely significant, as I think we can all agree that a late 3rd round pick has the potential to be a starter.

This is faulty logic. You don't get picks just for losing a guy.

[da_whiz_kid]

Originally Posted by AbeBeta

This is faulty logic. You don't get picks just for losing a guy.

Please explain AbeBeta.

[jobberone]

I think u do get a comp pic but it'll be for 2014.

[CowboysLaw87]

Originally Posted by AbeBeta

This is faulty logic. You don't get picks just for losing a guy.

Compensatory picks are given on a case-by-case basis, based on a balancing scale of what was lost v. what was gained via free agency.

Assuming we won't be adding much in FA this year, losing Spencer would be extremely significant (former 1st rounder, key contributor, big money FA), and wouldn't be offset by much FA-related gains. I think his loss would result in a 3rd round comp pick.

For that matter, add Jenkins, Felix, Victor Butler and John Phillips as FA losses and I think we'd get multiple comp picks (highest being that 3rd rounder).

[LarryCanadian]

Tough decision. I think it comes down to whether the coaches and players think we have a legitamite shot to do anything in playoffs in next couple years OR if this is a true rebuild team - which means the window is also closed for Ware, Romo, Witten (and Rat - although he is a big ?).

Hard to replace Spencer's production and VERY risky - without him we would have likely lost a few more games for sure - he was very solid and also made big plays at big times this season.

Draft picks often don't pan out, no guarantee the money we use on free agent or the compensatory draft pick ever produces...

[Erik_H]

Originally Posted by DFWJC

Lots of legit issues in there.

My main issue is whether or not he will fit well enough in the Kiffin's 4-3 to warrant what is going to get paid.
SAM LBs should not be paid huge dollars generally and although he has played DE in a non Tampa 4-3, that was in college.

If Spencer were resigned, it would be as a DE. He's not even in the running for SLB.

[TheCoolFan]

Changing scheme to the 4-3. I'm not sold on Spencer's ability to be a true bookend edge rusher opposite Ware. I'm not concerned about Ware's ability to switch to a 4-3. He's one of the best pass rushers of the last 10 years, he'll transition fine. Great pass rushers like him will fit in any scheme. However for Spencer, he's more of a jack of all trades type player. The 3-4 is perfect for his skillset while the 4-3 isn't. I'd let him walk and start from scratch at that position via the draft or free agency, with Crawford as depth.

[AbeBeta]

Originally Posted by da_whiz_kid

Please explain AbeBeta.

Comp picks are a balance of who you sign vs. who you lose.

The only way your argument works is if we don't sign guys to fill any needs. And that is an insane proposition.

Given the obvious holes we have we are going to need to sign at least one DL, an offensive lineman, a safety (this would likely be the big money target), an SLB to replace Connor, possibly a backup running back and a blocking TE.

We'll likely sign more than we lose.

[Shinywalrus]

Originally Posted by CowboysLaw87

2. While his sack totals rose, his total pressures did not (or not significantly). He played really well this year, no doubt. But all he really did was convert the near-misses he'd been having in prior years. It's not like he became a pass-rushing terror. Now, his sacks are clutch and his overall pressure very good. I just think that his "improvement" is a bit overrated.

3. The big question... will he remain motivated after getting the huge deal? He very well may shut it down. There's so much precedence for this on our own team, whether it's a motivation issue or otherwise (Free, Austin, Hamlin, Barber, Ratliff, etc.). Of all those guys, I think you can argue that Spencer might love football the LEAST and be motivated by the paycheck the MOST.

These two points seem to conflict a bit. On the one hand you argue that this last season wasn't really all that much better than his prior ones, but that line of logic says that Spencer was always quite good, we just didn't see it because we're focusing on sacks instead of pressures.

If that's the case, then why worry about motivation?

Seems to me Spencer has always been effective and among the most consistent players on our defense. I don't think the motivation issue is any more relevant for him than it is for any FA or even draft pick, for that matter.