News: Focus on fourth pick, but entire class will determine Cowboys' success

[CCBoy]

Focus on fourth pick, but entire class will determine Cowboys' success

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas-cowb...t-entire-class-will-determine-cowboys-success



...This will be the ninth time in franchise history the Cowboys have had a top-five pick and the third time since Jerry Jones has been the owner and general manager. In 1989 he inherited the top pick of the draft and took Troy Aikman. In 1991, he made a trade with the New England Patriots for the No. 1 overall pick and selected Russell Maryland.

But the Cowboys also landed Daryl Johnston (second round), Mark Stepnoski (third round) and Tony Tolbert (fourth round) in 1989. In 1991, they added Alvin Harper (first), Dixon Edwards (second), Godfrey Myles (third), Erik Williams (third), Leon Lett (seventh) and Larry Brown (12th) after they took Maryland.

All of those players were starters or key contributors in the Cowboys' Super Bowl runs of the 1990s.

In 1975, the Cowboys selected Hall of Famer Randy White with the second overall pick, but the entire draft class earned the "Dirty Dozen" nickname in replacing key holdovers from Tom Landry's teams of the 1960s....

 

[Eddie]

Name any post Johnson draft that Jerry Jones has run that has netted us a plethora of top quality players? Jerry's lucky to find 1 or 2 average players, a few backups, and a boatload of nothings. It's the same for the past 20 years.

 

[CCBoy]

Name any post Johnson draft that Jerry Jones has run that has netted us a plethora of top quality players? Jerry's lucky to find 1 or 2 average players, a few backups, and a boatload of nothings. It's the same for the past 20 years.

Blaming everything on Jerry, including the pregnancy of an ex-wife, just doesn't cut it...

Smith, Collins, Frederick, Martin, Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, Lawrence, Gregory, Jones...

 

[Doomsday101]

Blaming everything on Jerry, including the pregnancy of an ex-wife, just doesn't cut it...

Smith, Collins, Frederick, Martin, Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, Lawrence, Gregory, Jones...

Don't you know that does not count, those were other peoples picks. Only player who fail are Jerry's picks. Get with the agenda I mean program. lol

 

[CCBoy]

Don't you know that does not count, those were other peoples picks. Only player who fail are Jerry's picks. Get with the agenda I mean program. lol

 

[Doomsday101]

Nothing wrong with being critical of Jerry or anyone but some take it to extremes where on moves or picks they do like they are just unwilling to give him credit.
If Jones does something I disagree with I will say such as getting players like Hardy or the Terry Glenn trade but by the same token when we draft a Dez Bryant or Tyron Smith, Frederick, Zack Martin and a whole host of others then why shy away from giving him credit on good moves? Would I like to see someone else hold the title of GM? sure I would, but I know that is not going to happen so what I hope for is football people who are in place are given full attention by Jerry to pick up quality players.

 

[BigStar]

We have to find quality prospects beyond rounds 1 and 2 (or at the least, major role players). We get little to nothing in returns from mid to late picks (T. Craw/Scan exceptions)The UDFAs don't make up for the lack of talent during rds 3/4-7 though UDFAs Collins, Leary. Church would be a STer on most teams due to his lack of speed/athleticism. Hitchins is young so will give him time to develop though he also lacks athleticism/speed. Beasley is a nice but easily replaceable niche player.

Fans and the organization have seemed to give a pass on the wasted picks 4-7 by pointing to the great UDFA pickups that came our way; mainly Collins and Leary @ the time. That's not a legitimate excuse to waste those picks year after year..."BUT, we got lucky in UDFA...".

 

[CCBoy]

Nothing wrong with being critical of Jerry or anyone but some take it to extremes where on moves or picks they do like they are just unwilling to give him credit.
If Jones does something I disagree with I will say such as getting players like Hardy or the Terry Glenn trade but by the same token when we draft a Dez Bryant or Tyron Smith, Frederick, Zack Martin and a whole host of others then why shy away from giving him credit on good moves? Would I like to see someone else hold the title of GM? sure I would, but I know that is not going to happen so what I hope for is football people who are in place are given full attention by Jerry to pick up quality players.

This free agency period and draft will be one of the most important since he purchased the Cowboys.

 

[Doomsday101]

This free agency period and draft will be one of the most important since he purchased the Cowboys.

I agree this is very important. In my view I think this franchise needs to look at LAR (Life After Romo) and take the top QB. With the remainder of the draft and FA I think they will still be able to fill needs as well and I expect them to compete this coming season but when you have the chance to make a move that can have big benefits to the future of the team I think you do it.
2 or 3 years ago if we had that 4th overall I would not say draft a QB but now with a 36 year old QB who has been dealing with injury I think now is the time to address the future, not just next year

 

[DC Cowboy]

Blaming everything on Jerry, including the pregnancy of an ex-wife, just doesn't cut it...

Smith, Collins, Frederick, Martin, Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, Lawrence, Gregory, Jones...

for the sake of argument, and I am not blaming JJ, but the article, to me, focuses on picks 2-7. If I read it correctly the author is stating that the Cowboys should hit on the 4th pick BUT the rest of the draft is just as important, compared to the draft classes he referenced. If we had one of those historical drafts with the young pieces we have in place already, we could be set for a while.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Name any post Johnson draft that Jerry Jones has run that has netted us a plethora of top quality players? Jerry's lucky to find 1 or 2 average players, a few backups, and a boatload of nothings. It's the same for the past 20 years.

Do you follow the Cowboys or do you just scheme through them?

 

[Stash]

Here's an amazing stat:

36% of the starting players in this year's Super Bowl were Day Three or later draft picks. Meaning that they were either drafted in round 4 or later or undrafted entirely.

And while we have certainly done a great job in the first round or two in recent years, we need to do better after those two rounds.

 

[DandyDon52]

I think street was a bad pick, he has dont almost nothing in last 2 seasons.

 

[conner01]

If you can hit on one elite player, 2 or 3 very solid starters and a couple of good role players you've had a nice draft
The boat load of stars drafts are very rare

 

[CCBoy]

In another thread- I was challenged on the prior bad blood that Jerry has walked through in ownership, and also the focus that this man carries with him even today...oh, he hasn't forgotten bad blood from the past:

As hard as this might to be accept, Jerry Jones is now closer to being enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame than Jimmy Johnson. I'm not necessarily saying that should the case, but Jerry's enormous influence in clearing the way for the Rams' return to Los Angeles has likely put him a step ahead of Johnson.

There had been a recent narrative suggesting Jones was ceding some control over the Dallas Cowboys to son Stephen and daughter, Charlotte Jones Anderson. And while there might be a shred of truth to that, Jerry reminded the NFL over the past year that he still has a powerful voice. He basically stared down Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, a former NFL player, and Disney CEO Bob Iger, while brokering a deal that will that will allow Rams owner Stan Kroenke to build a $2.7 billion stadium in Inglewood.

Maybe this is how Jones held up so well in the midst of a disastrous 4-12 season. In an interview that was filmed last August but didn't air until Wednesday on something called the Audience Channel, Jones came across as an emotional wreck. He'd just had the first of two hip replacement surgeries, which may have explained some of the tears. But over the next few months Jones found his sea legs and reminded everyone of the 45-year-old guy who took the league by storm in 1989.

In a fascinating story for ESPN The Magazine by Don Van Natta and Seth Wickersham, Jones emerges as the driving force behind the Rams returning to Los Angeles. We'd already heard bits and pieces of Jerry's entertaining comments in closed-door meetings, but this story gives a clearer picture of how vital he was to the process.

"Going into the meeting [Dec. 2, 2015 in Irving], most believed Carson had more votes. But one moment, many would later recall, seemed to halt its momentum. Michael Bidwill, president of the Cardinals and a Carson supporter, argued that the NFL doesn't exist just to make rich owners richer. Owners needed to consider what would be best for the league, and ...

Jones cut him off: "When you guys moved the team from St. Louis to Phoenix -- it wasn't about the money?"

As Bidwill tried to answer, Jones moved in for the kill: "You did it for the money."

Time and time again, Jones comes across like a veteran trial attorney. He pounced each time he saw an opening. And while Richardson reportedly flew around the country trying to lobby for the Carson project on behalf of the Chargers and Raiders, Jones worked the phones from Valley Ranch. I recall having a conversation with Stephen Jones two years ago during which he told me that Kroenke's bid would eventually win. What I didn't realize is that Stephen's father would be privately spearheading the effort. Even though Kroenke is the opposite of Jerry personality-wise, there's mutual admiration because both men were willing to spend so much of their own fortunes to finance stadiums. Jerry made his admiration clear during another meeting, according to Van Natta and Wickersham.

"Before the meeting ended, Jones, as would be his habit, took control. He delivered a rollicking, profanity-laced eight-minute endorsement of Kroenke's monumental vision, saying in his Arkansas drawl that whichever owner returned to Los Angeles, he needed to have 'big balls.'

It was awkward and hilarious. Everyone, including Kroenke, tried not to laugh. But it was also a welcomed sentiment for the new-money owners such as Dan Snyder of the Commanders and Jeffrey Lurie of the Eagles, who backed Inglewood. 'If you want to do it right,' Jones continued, 'you have to step up.'"

As has already been reported, Jones would later torpedo Iger after he cracked a joke about how much money he'd spent on the NFL.

"He said he paid us," Jones reportedly said of Iger. "Last time I checked, that money is coming from Disney shareholders, not him."

A few hours later, owners announced that the Inglewood plan by a vote of 30-2. Jones had his victory. And if Kroenke's new stadium is as spectacular as advertised, it will become part of Jerry's legacy.

There's a chance he could follow former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. into the Hall without winning another playoff game. And given his track record the past 20 years, it's a good thing.

http://sportsday.***BANNED-URL***/d...ts-jerry-jones-closer-hall-fame-jimmy-johnson

 

[Toruk_Makto]

If you can hit on one elite player, 2 or 3 very solid starters and a couple of good role players you've had a nice draft
The boat load of stars drafts are very rare

A nice draft?

You would have hit the cover off the ball.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

In another thread- I was challenged on the prior bad blood that Jerry has walked through in ownership, and also the focus that this man carries with him even today...oh, he hasn't forgotten bad blood from the past:

As hard as this might to be accept, Jerry Jones is now closer to being enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame than Jimmy Johnson. I'm not necessarily saying that should the case, but Jerry's enormous influence in clearing the way for the Rams' return to Los Angeles has likely put him a step ahead of Johnson.

There had been a recent narrative suggesting Jones was ceding some control over the Dallas Cowboys to son Stephen and daughter, Charlotte Jones Anderson. And while there might be a shred of truth to that, Jerry reminded the NFL over the past year that he still has a powerful voice. He basically stared down Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, a former NFL player, and Disney CEO Bob Iger, while brokering a deal that will that will allow Rams owner Stan Kroenke to build a $2.7 billion stadium in Inglewood.

Maybe this is how Jones held up so well in the midst of a disastrous 4-12 season. In an interview that was filmed last August but didn't air until Wednesday on something called the Audience Channel, Jones came across as an emotional wreck. He'd just had the first of two hip replacement surgeries, which may have explained some of the tears. But over the next few months Jones found his sea legs and reminded everyone of the 45-year-old guy who took the league by storm in 1989.

In a fascinating story for ESPN The Magazine by Don Van Natta and Seth Wickersham, Jones emerges as the driving force behind the Rams returning to Los Angeles. We'd already heard bits and pieces of Jerry's entertaining comments in closed-door meetings, but this story gives a clearer picture of how vital he was to the process.

"Going into the meeting [Dec. 2, 2015 in Irving], most believed Carson had more votes. But one moment, many would later recall, seemed to halt its momentum. Michael Bidwill, president of the Cardinals and a Carson supporter, argued that the NFL doesn't exist just to make rich owners richer. Owners needed to consider what would be best for the league, and ...

Jones cut him off: "When you guys moved the team from St. Louis to Phoenix -- it wasn't about the money?"

As Bidwill tried to answer, Jones moved in for the kill: "You did it for the money."

Time and time again, Jones comes across like a veteran trial attorney. He pounced each time he saw an opening. And while Richardson reportedly flew around the country trying to lobby for the Carson project on behalf of the Chargers and Raiders, Jones worked the phones from Valley Ranch. I recall having a conversation with Stephen Jones two years ago during which he told me that Kroenke's bid would eventually win. What I didn't realize is that Stephen's father would be privately spearheading the effort. Even though Kroenke is the opposite of Jerry personality-wise, there's mutual admiration because both men were willing to spend so much of their own fortunes to finance stadiums. Jerry made his admiration clear during another meeting, according to Van Natta and Wickersham.

"Before the meeting ended, Jones, as would be his habit, took control. He delivered a rollicking, profanity-laced eight-minute endorsement of Kroenke's monumental vision, saying in his Arkansas drawl that whichever owner returned to Los Angeles, he needed to have 'big balls.'

It was awkward and hilarious. Everyone, including Kroenke, tried not to laugh. But it was also a welcomed sentiment for the new-money owners such as Dan Snyder of the Commanders and Jeffrey Lurie of the Eagles, who backed Inglewood. 'If you want to do it right,' Jones continued, 'you have to step up.'"

As has already been reported, Jones would later torpedo Iger after he cracked a joke about how much money he'd spent on the NFL.

"He said he paid us," Jones reportedly said of Iger. "Last time I checked, that money is coming from Disney shareholders, not him."

A few hours later, owners announced that the Inglewood plan by a vote of 30-2. Jones had his victory. And if Kroenke's new stadium is as spectacular as advertised, it will become part of Jerry's legacy.

There's a chance he could follow former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. into the Hall without winning another playoff game. And given his track record the past 20 years, it's a good thing.

http://sportsday.***BANNED-URL***/d...ts-jerry-jones-closer-hall-fame-jimmy-johnson

Jones is a surefire HoFer.

 

[Junglist]

Blaming everything on Jerry, including the pregnancy of an ex-wife, just doesn't cut it...

Smith, Collins, Frederick, Martin, Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, Lawrence, Gregory, Jones...

Those are you only examples out of 20 years?

 

[Jarv]

Nothing wrong with being critical of Jerry or anyone but some take it to extremes where on moves or picks they do like they are just unwilling to give him credit.
If Jones does something I disagree with I will say such as getting players like Hardy or the Terry Glenn trade but by the same token when we draft a Dez Bryant or Tyron Smith, Frederick, Zack Martin and a whole host of others then why shy away from giving him credit on good moves? Would I like to see someone else hold the title of GM? sure I would, but I know that is not going to happen so what I hope for is football people who are in place are given full attention by Jerry to pick up quality players.

I guess i would criticize his management style and lack of respect for a chain of command moreso than any individual personal decisions.

 

[KJJ]

Your first pick usually makes or breaks your draft especially when you're picking in the top 5. If you don't come away with a real impact player in the top 5 pick you're going to have to nail most of your other picks to make up for it or everyone will look back at your draft being a failure because your top pick didn't pan out.