CFZ Will McClay is the real GM in the shadows

[Diehardblues]

The Dallas Cowboys are very lucky to have Will McClay in their front office. Though McClay doesn’t have the official GM title, in reality he handles most of the actual duties that has made this team’s drafts and roster competitive for playoff glory. I shudder to think what this organization would look like without him.

Without McClay, the Cowboys were wandering in a draft wilderness exemplified by the pitiful Jerry-centric drafts like 2009- one of the worst drafts in NFL history. McClay is the primary architect of the improved. roster building we’ve seen over the last decade. His steady hand in finding talent through all 3 days of the draft speaks for itself. Jerry re-upped McClay’s contract in Jan, 2022 and we should be grateful for that.

The actual duties of a real GM in the NFL is not what Jerry Jones does. All he wants to do is be in the spotlight, look like he’s in charge and talk, talk, talk. It’s his drug of choice. He does a good job with the business side of things obviously. But being an NFL GM requires discipline, hours in film rooms, oversight and coordination of team scouting, and a work ethic requiring a strong commitment. In other words, nothing Jerry or Stephen actually do.

BUT- I’ll give Jerry some of that much craved credit he lives for- he continues to recognize Will McClay’s talent and pays him well to do it. For that, I tip my cap to Jerry. Because without McClay there’s no good rosters in Dallas. Period.

So remember the next time Travon Diggs makes an interception or Micah Parsons dominates or Tony Pollard makes a huge play that Zack Martin and Terrance Steele made the key block for- Will McClay is the man we can actually thank for that.

Will McClay is the real GM in Dallas.

Fans need to make up their minds. First it was Stephen now it’s Will.

Nothing has changed. Will and Stephen both have their rolls. Much like Mike. But the buck continues to stop with Jethro .

Some fans just want to feel better about where we are with the success we’re having . But they’ll be front and center when we fall on our face again in the playoffs blaming Jethro the GM.

 

[charron]

Hes not the gm. He is the personnel man though who goes out and finds some of the best possible players within what stephen jones will allow him pay.

 

[Diehardblues]

When it’s good it’s McClay… When it’s bad it’s Jerry and Sons. Question is… Are you not entertained?

I’m afraid this is right. Nothing has changed except for having a little more success , so far.

Fans are so fickle. Seems I’ve seen this all before

 

[Bobhaze]

Fans need to make up their minds. First it was Stephen now it’s Will.

Nothing has changed. Will and Stephen both have their rolls. Much like Mike. But the buck continues to stop with Jethro .

Some fans just want to feel better about where we are with the success we’re having . But they’ll be front and center when we fall on our face again in the playoffs blaming Jethro the GM.

All I’m saying is Will McClay is doing the heavy lifting of traditional GM work. Scouting, making draft recommendations, etc. Whatever anyone thinks about JJ and SJs roles, there is no contender in Big D without McClay.

And yes Greg, Jerry is STILL in charge. Makes all final decisions, and MOST important to him, gets all the camera time, radio time and titles. But he’s not doing the legwork that GMs do.

 

[Diehardblues]

Hes not the gm. He is the personnel man though who goes out and finds some of the best possible players within what stephen jones will allow him pay.

Yep, Will is finding the talent. That’s what Director of talent scouts do.

 

[morat1959]

The OBJ stuff is going to highlight this again in my opinion.

Jerry will use the media hype to keep the team in the headlines as much as possible but in the end, Stephen and Will are not going to let Jerry dish out the money it is going to take to sign him.

Good for them.

 

[Diehardblues]

All I’m saying is Will McClay is doing the heavy lifting of traditional GM work. Scouting, making draft recommendations, etc. Whatever anyone thinks about JJ and SJs roles, there is no contender in Big D without McClay.

And yes Greg, Jerry is STILL in charge. Makes all final decisions, and MOST important to him, gets all the camera time, radio time and titles. But he’s not doing the legwork that GMs do.

But it’s been this way for years. Nothing new. Will finds the talent. That’s what talent scouts do. Guess who signs off on it. That’s the GM.

Is Jethro just a part time GM, absolutely. He is not your typical 70 hours a week watching film, etc GM. But if you have the final word then guess what . You’re the man.

Jethro deserves credit for keeping Will on board. And deserves credit for Mike as well. But this thing can still end as badly as last year and we’ll still all be blaming Jethro.

So, it’s only fair that if we do eventually get over the hump ,Jethro will deserve his due. He signed off on these Cap moves, draft choices, etc,

 

[Whyjerry]

So we blame Will for the worst RB contract in NFL history?

 

[eromeopolk]

Not signing Dak after 2018 to a FOUR year deal( which is the only deal Dak would have signed) has worked to our advantage. Dak is currently the 17th highest paid QB..... sounds like a BARGAIN. Next year and the year after is only 31, then 34 million. So Jerry NOT signing Dak was a huge WIN for us.

We have 3 losses this year. Wed still have 3 losses with Cooper. Our offense is number 1 since Dak returned, I guess wed be higher if we still had Cooper? Getting rid of Cooper was a win.
The Cowboys lost a 70 million dollar DE that has been out almost the entire season and replaced by ROOKIE contracts at a fraction of the cost and the defense leads the league in Sacks. Again, a WIN by ANY METRIC you want to use.

But keeping talking your nonsense, maybe some will believe the garbage.

Go look up the definition of Net Present Value then rethink your point regarding paying Dak in 2019 vs. 2021. The 4 year demand was in 2020. Go look it up. So after the 2018 season you would have had a longer deal or because a lot of you hate Dak this would be the final year on his contract. No pleasing Arlington Jonesboys fans.

Regarding Cooper, and Gregory, I was pointing out that McClay liked those players and wanted them on the roster. There is a lot I cannot tell you but those moves were Jerry Dumbo GM Moves. Look at all the DE's McClay had to bring in to find replacement for 1 player. How many DE's we have on the roster and hardly no DTs?

Cooper's contract is cheap compared to what WRs got in 2021 and 2022. Keeping him insured that Dallas would have the fire power to respond to fire power. Finally, who has your no.1 offense played lately that had a no.1 or top 10 defense? They played 2 top ten defenses and they lost both games (Eagles and Bucs). You did not have the fire power to beat the 27th rank Packers defense. As I posted, in November and December you must run the ball and stop the run to win.

Since I am a Dallas Cowboys fan that has seen every Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl contending team since 1968, I know a Super Bowl bound Cowboys team when I see it. I will let you know when the Arlington Jonesboys become the real Dallas Cowboys. 27 years is proof that what I say in not nonsense but makes sense. He that hath ears let him hear.

 

[JBell]

Water is wet

 

[Doomsday101]

The Dallas Cowboys are very lucky to have Will McClay in their front office. Though McClay doesn’t have the official GM title, in reality he handles most of the actual duties that has made this team’s drafts and roster competitive for playoff glory. I shudder to think what this organization would look like without him.

Without McClay, the Cowboys were wandering in a draft wilderness exemplified by the pitiful Jerry-centric drafts like 2009- one of the worst drafts in NFL history. McClay is the primary architect of the improved. roster building we’ve seen over the last decade. His steady hand in finding talent through all 3 days of the draft speaks for itself. Jerry re-upped McClay’s contract in Jan, 2022 and we should be grateful for that.

The actual duties of a real GM in the NFL is not what Jerry Jones does. All he wants to do is be in the spotlight, look like he’s in charge and talk, talk, talk. It’s his drug of choice. He does a good job with the business side of things obviously. But being an NFL GM requires discipline, hours in film rooms, oversight and coordination of team scouting, and a work ethic requiring a strong commitment. In other words, nothing Jerry or Stephen actually do.

BUT- I’ll give Jerry some of that much craved credit he lives for- he continues to recognize Will McClay’s talent and pays him well to do it. For that, I tip my cap to Jerry. Because without McClay there’s no good rosters in Dallas. Period.

So remember the next time Travon Diggs makes an interception or Micah Parsons dominates or Tony Pollard makes a huge play that Zack Martin and Terrance Steele made the key block for- Will McClay is the man we can actually thank for that.

Will McClay is the real GM in Dallas.

I agree McClay is for the most part the GM, in acquiring talent, he does not handle contract but when it comes to bringing in players he plays a critical role. Having said that the having our cake and eat too gets old. If a player fails that is on Jerry and if they have success that is McClay? is BS. I give credit to the organization from Jerry to McClay for doing a good job and when they fail on a player I put blame on the organization

 

[RonnieT24]

I agree McClay is for the most part the GM, in acquiring talent, he does not handle contract but when it comes to bringing in players he plays a critical role. Having said that the having our cake and eat too gets old. If a player fails that is on Jerry and if they have success that is McClay? is BS. I give credit to the organization from Jerry to McClay for doing a good job and when they fail on a player I put blame on the organization

Very reasonable take.. and as you know.. reasonable has no place here.. You shall be banned for life very soon.

 

[Doomsday101]

Very reasonable take.. and as you know.. reasonable has no place here.. You shall be banned for life very soon.

It is not a 1 man show these are organizational issues. Jerry is at the top so I get it he will get blame but it becomes comical when people will not give him credit for things that have been successful. Jerry relies on those around him and listens to their views to base in own.

 

[rambo2]

So we blame Will for the worst RB contract in NFL history?

You don't like the current roster?

 

[G2]

I think if we as fans are going to take issue with job titles, it should probably come from those in the organization. Many people are responsible for acquiring talent. I've yet to see one of these threads break down the actual responsibilities.

 

[75boyz]

It just occurred to me IF the Cowboys did not have this one of a kind unique group GM set up...
it would be so much easier blaming the ONE guy whose job it is to carry out the job description of the position held.

Now it's become just another CZ hot potato blame game of choosing who to scapegoat as the actual or behind the scenes title holder.

Wonder what the other "actual" 30 NFL GMs would say, lol.

 

[Brax]

The Dallas Cowboys are very lucky to have Will McClay in their front office. Though McClay doesn’t have the official GM title, in reality he handles most of the actual duties that has made this team’s drafts and roster competitive for playoff glory. I shudder to think what this organization would look like without him.

Without McClay, the Cowboys were wandering in a draft wilderness exemplified by the pitiful Jerry-centric drafts like 2009- one of the worst drafts in NFL history. McClay is the primary architect of the improved. roster building we’ve seen over the last decade. His steady hand in finding talent through all 3 days of the draft speaks for itself. Jerry re-upped McClay’s contract in Jan, 2022 and we should be grateful for that.

The actual duties of a real GM in the NFL is not what Jerry Jones does. All he wants to do is be in the spotlight, look like he’s in charge and talk, talk, talk. It’s his drug of choice. He does a good job with the business side of things obviously. But being an NFL GM requires discipline, hours in film rooms, oversight and coordination of team scouting, and a work ethic requiring a strong commitment. In other words, nothing Jerry or Stephen actually do.

BUT- I’ll give Jerry some of that much craved credit he lives for- he continues to recognize Will McClay’s talent and pays him well to do it. For that, I tip my cap to Jerry. Because without McClay there’s no good rosters in Dallas. Period.

So remember the next time Travon Diggs makes an interception or Micah Parsons dominates or Tony Pollard makes a huge play that Zack Martin and Terrance Steele made the key block for- Will McClay is the man we can actually thank for that.

Will McClay is the real GM in Dallas.

Bob, Jerry is the real GM period. You can fantasize all you want but we get it all the good picks were WM the bad Jerry, the only wandering were picks like Taco, Hill, Randy G, Jaylon , Bossman those were all Jerry right, trading down 2 spots and lucking into MP was all planning by WM . Sometimes I can’t but laugh at the Jerry isn’t the GM , does he put in the work , probably not but he says who is drafted who is signed and approves all contracts if you don’t believe that then you don’t listen to Jerry good or bad he’s in full control.

 

[Captain-Crash]

Naw, Jerry is the GM and team leader. Read it and weep.

 

[Havic]

Its one thing to let McClay do his job, its another to follow his advice on draft day. We have been doing both over the past couple of years and its paying off.

 

[blueblood70]

I don’t get your contradictory view on the front office. You can’t on one hand say this organization was a personnel mess in the prime Jerry years 97-2012 while also saying McClay hasn’t done squat.

Either you believe Jerry and Stephen smartened up and started building better rosters themselves or you, falsely as I may add, believe that the current rosters aren’t any better than those in the time frame mentioned above.

My question to you is, is it not obvious that this team is better built the last 5-6 years than the teams in early to mid 2000’s generally were? And as a follow up because it’s pretty obvious that the team is built better and drafts better now than before, who do you give the credit to for the personnel competency?

And before you respond that we haven’t won a SB so it’s all the same I’ll say it here so you can’t cop out. Obviously the teams are better now than they generally were in the 2000’s, even if it’s not by significant leaps and bounds it’s definitely better and more competitive.

Either you think Jerry and Stephen improved or you credit McClay, would be curious to see what alternatives you come up with.

alternative, its bit of both , WM made them better but also humans do learn from mistakes over time and take little wisdom from each experience. look at that stat going all the way back to 2000, DC FO has produced the most Pro bowlers from home grown draftees.

But yes WM is the GM without the title and has helped this FO tremendously. No doubt. However, take the good with the bad, those 2nds round misses, the passing up of say Watt and others, the never looking to high safety or NT in the draft, WM has to take some blame, Right?
Like my alternative?