Stephen Jones' comments at owners meeting

[PJTHEDOORS]

The Cowboys refuse to declare publicly that Greg Hardy won't return, but executive vice president Stephen Jones conceded Sunday that the two sides haven't had any discussions.
This means they still might try to sign him after the draft. Also it gives them some leverage if he has no other offers, and it lowers
his asking price.
I think it is still a option they might use.

Why would he resign here? He can wait for better offers during the season when teams need a backup DE.

 

[DandyDon52]

So was this the year we all decided to build through the draft?

I would have thought this would have been, I don't know, kind of a given.

All along.

Since Jones bought the team and Johnson got him his three trophies based on the draft.

Suddenly now, we just remembered?

johnson got extra picks and players thru trades. Castillo was from Atlanta on some trade.
Jimmy also hit on most of his draft picks.
The trend has been shifting more to the draft, now that they have had some success with it.

Thing is you can only build thru the draft if you draft the right guys, if you get busts and so so players,
then it doesnt help much.
FA is a tool they have to use, and they are just trying to be smarter about it, and so far I think they have done ok
in the FA, except for Murray and Miller, should have got one of those, since they didnt, the need to get elliot.

 

[DandyDon52]

Why would he resign here? He can wait for better offers during the season when teams need a backup DE.

Well he might not sign here, and they may not try to sign him, I think whatever happens will happen later on.
They are keeping the door open by not saying they are done with him.
He has millions, so he can wait it out too.

 

[Alexander]

Weddle. We we're one of the two finalists.

Stephen Jones came right out and said that was more or less false.

 

[noshame]

Draft a quarterback in the first and I'll be convinced Jerry is continuing to build this team to win in 2 to 3 years which is exactly what he should be doing

 

[visionary]

Well, it is pretty clear that 'the stupidity gene' does not skip a generation

 

[superonyx]

He's acknowledging that personnel is important. And saying new personnel is going to have to come at the end of FA and then through the draft.

Really, he's saying nothing that wasn't perfectly clear already. This is just a chance for some to complain about that fact some more.

It wasn't perfectly clear when Long stood them up...or when Jason Garrett was on the phone selling Weddle to take the contract they offered him, or when they spent 2 days trying to sign Carroll. Or when they were going back and forth with Murray and Forte...

Why pretend our offseason has gone as planned when it obviously has not...the FO has attempted to sign players but for whatever reason they failed to do so and now it's caused the team to shift focus and pin their hopes on the draft.

 

[superonyx]

A few comments by Stephen, and almost an entire first page of negativity toward his comments.as well as anything else...wow, but normal...
I'll skip the rest of the mega...or Negathread....

We have a Rant zone...
Maybe they will open a Sunshine and Rainbows Zone for you.

 

[TwoDeep3]

The DE that went to the Cardinals from the Patriots seems like a pretty interesting player. Wonder why no one here mentions that trade when discussing the season for acquiring talent?

I'd bet the word got out about the Pats seeking to trade the kid,. And he appears to be a player. And wouldn't that have made a difference?

Not much this team has done interests me this season.

And I agree they will draft for need instead of the future.

Being relevant doesn't seem to matter much.

 

[Chuck 54]

If we dont draft Wentz/Goff, this offseason will be 2012 level bad

Again....that's only true if those guys are franchise QBs.
If the talent evaluators say these QBs are nothing special and have other guys rated higher, then drafting a QB at 4 due to Romo's age and injuries is a disaster, like drafting any position for need by reaching. We can't make flat out comments about any position that must be picked at 4 unless we are privy to evaluations and the board.

 

[Stash]

So what would you say is our two biggest OMGRIGHTNOW needs? Or scratch that. What do you think the front office believes are the two top needs?

I'd say DE and CB.

And there is your first two rounds next month. Bosa/Fuller, Ramsey/Dodd, something like that. I'd bet a week's worth of likes on it.

Work week. Weekend doesn't count.

Oh yeah, and then the idiotic follow up "we'll just get a quarterback later" when each and every one of them has already proven without a shadow of a doubt that they can't. Can't identify quarterback talent, can't develop quarterback talent, and can't "coach 'em up" either.

But yeah, follow up a lousy free agency period by going for 'instant impact' from the draft. Follow up one mistake by making another.

 

[Stash]

Yep.

Great question.

Yeah. A "great question" where fans will simply cut down any response with the standard "we didn't want him enough to overpay", towing the company line as usual.

The Cowboys can get anybody they want. And when they fail? They simply didn't want the guy. A picture-perfect, no-lose scenario painted by adoring fans eager to take whatever they're given.

 

[pansophy]

Actually, it's not.

Yeah everyone says the right thing like drafting BPA available, but then freak out when we don't draft a RB or DT. So just expect more of it come draft time.

 

[Stash]

Didn't want to commit additional resources to the player.

And there's the built in excuse for each and every player the team doesn't get!

The Joneses don't even have to make the effort to make excuses.

 

[Stash]

QB is such a tough call. Especially at #4. My heart is saying "oh hell yeah" about drafting a QB this season. My head just isn't informed enough to say "we can't miss with this guy".

None of these guys are "Andrew Luck" locks. Honestly, none of them have distinguished themselves to be anything more or less than Christian Ponder, either. I hate the draft and FA this year because it's the first time since 89 that we actually "earned" this draft position and there isn't a lock to be found within the 1st 5 picks. We picked the worst season EVER to end up 4-12. I'm hating every minute of this off-season.

I think you're way off base in your assessment here.

Jared Goff broke Aaron Rodgers' passing records at Cal as a freshman and then continued to put up bigger and better numbers every year. Why he's suddenly 'questionable' makes no sense to me, just like it didn't when 23 teams passed on Rodgers himself.

 

[Stash]

It was.

Applauded by many.

No doubt. A huge upgrade over Nick Hayden. Very happy with that one.

 

[JohnsKey19]

Stephen Jones came right out and said that was more or less false.

That's interesting. I'd have to say in this scenario the player has less incentive to lie than the GM.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

That's interesting. I'd have to say in this scenario the player has less incentive to lie than the GM.

But did Weddle actually name the Cowboys?

I thought he said "two teams" and left it at that.

 

[Stash]

The guys are clearly idiots

The likelihood of drafting enough game changers to make an impact in 2016 is not favorable

Do these guys think you can just find 5 game changers in one draft?

They got not one, not two, but three first round talents last year. All were very good players, with at least two being considered as the best at their respective positions, how did the three of them impact the team's record in 2015?

That fact usually shuts up any knuckleheads clamoring for 'instant impact' from the draft. Hopefully it has also occurred to the knuckleheads in charge.

 

[Stash]

Agreed, to a certain extent. My point was that none of them are a lock to be anything more than pedestrian signal callers. Jamarcus Russell was pretty impressive in college too. Same with Vince Young. In fact both were more highly regarded than ANY QB in this class. How'd they end up working out?

Yeah, and you can't say this about any other position either.

Only first round quarterbacks miss...