Officially the best offseason ever?

[Doomsday101]

Pelleur already said this was a retaliatory thread to incredibly dramatic "Worst offseason ever" thread more so than a true breakdown, Dooms.

I understand why he posted it. Just pointing out things are not as bad as some feel and not as great as others feel. I was very proud of this team last season, they overcome a lot of doubt and proved a lot of nay sayers wrong. This coming season in my view is a critical year, with what looks to be a tough schedule where no opponent will take the game lightly and expectations as high as many of us have them the Cowboys must prove they are who some of us think they are. Cowboys have had too many let downs after promising seasons the year before. They have to turn the corner and show they are a legit contender. In my eyes that does not mean SB or bust it means playing like a team with a real chances of making it to the SB

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

I understand why he posted it. Just pointing out things are not as bad as some feel and not as great as others feel. I was very proud of this team last season, they overcome a lot of doubt and proved a lot of nay sayers wrong. This coming season in my view is a critical year, with what looks to be a tough schedule where no opponent will take the game lightly and expectations as high as many of us have them the Cowboys must prove they are who some of us think they are. Cowboys have had too many let downs after promising seasons the year before. They have to turn the corner and show they are a legit contender. In my eyes that does not mean SB or bust it means playing like a team with a real chances of making it to the SB

Pretty much. This team has to put forth back to back great seasons. It's been a long time since they did that.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Maybe not the best ever. But certainly a very good one. VERY.

 

[Trouty]

I understand why he posted it. Just pointing out things are not as bad as some feel and not as great as others feel. I was very proud of this team last season, they overcome a lot of doubt and proved a lot of nay sayers wrong. This coming season in my view is a critical year, with what looks to be a tough schedule where no opponent will take the game lightly and expectations as high as many of us have them the Cowboys must prove they are who some of us think they are. Cowboys have had too many let downs after promising seasons the year before. They have to turn the corner and show they are a legit contender. In my eyes that does not mean SB or bust it means playing like a team with a real chances of making it to the SB

Hell of a post, Dooms, as usual, brudda

 

[Trouty]

Maybe not the best ever. But certainly a very good one. VERY.

Woot!!!

 

[Idgit]

Listen, I hope I am wrong (in my competing post) and you are right. But in my gut, I feel like our magical run last year ended against GB and this offseason was an opportunity to build on it. We chose not to go the high-priced free agency route to do so. Not my preference when you have a 3-year window of Dak and Zeke on the cheap, but fine, I understand the other side of not spending big in free agency. But I think many are closing their eyes to the reality of the fact that, from a talent perspective, our NFC East rivals got better and we did not. No matter how you slice it, they got Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffrey, Terrell Pryor and we lost 3 starters in the secondary. While I agreed with letting those guys go, we replaced them with rookies and Nolan Carroll. That is risky because we don't know how the rookies will translate to the NFL and any upgrade from the rookies' talent will not be immediate. Likewise, while I am shedding no tears about losing Doug Free, Collins is playing a position he has not played in 3 years and Cooper for Leary is a big downgrade, period. That being said, what makes it the worst offseason to me is the suspension(s). Gregory gone for the year. I had tremendous hopes for Irving. And high hopes for Wilson. And possibly losing Elliot for a couple games on top of that? That is a lot of starter (or quasi-starter)-games lost that have to replaced in the midst of a 1st place schedule and in an improved NFC East. Again, I hope I am wrong. But at some point, all of this catches up with a team.

I hope you're wrong, too. And I know what you think might happen and what actually happen in any given year can be wildly different things. But I will say this. The idea behind signing your own is that it's safer long-term because you're only taking big risks on players you already know fit your system. And you're taking the little risks on players you're unsure about. Organizations that go this route have to play those younger players they've spend time developing, and that's what Dallas does. So, while we didn't go out and sign a big name S, for example, we elevated Jeff Heath. The progress for the draft-and-develop team comes from the young players all getting incrementally better as you let them work into starting jobs over time. Teams that take big risks and hit on them can outperform a draft-and-develop team, for sure. The Giants did a good job of this in year one of last year's big defensive overhaul. Teams that take big risks and lose have a hard time being competitive.

Over time, drafting and developing is safer. If you have a staff that can develop players properly. Since it's a rare team that can win a lot more often than it loses on the big FA signings, I have no problem with the more conservative route. It's less interesting in the offseason, but there's enough evidence of teams like PIT and GB and, now, DAL doing it well and fielding competitors with it every year. I'm disappointed we didn't use more of the resources we do have to do more on defense, but other than that, I think we're in pretty good position.

 

[NorthwestDallas40]

I hope you're wrong, too. And I know what you think might happen and what actually happen in any given year can be wildly different things. But I will say this. The idea behind signing your own is that it's safer long-term because you're only taking big risks on players you already know fit your system. And you're taking the little risks on players you're unsure about. Organizations that go this route have to play those younger players they've spend time developing, and that's what Dallas does. So, while we didn't go out and sign a big name S, for example, we elevated Jeff Heath. The progress for the draft-and-develop team comes from the young players all getting incrementally better as you let them work into starting jobs over time. Teams that take big risks and hit on them can outperform a draft-and-develop team, for sure. The Giants did a good job of this in year one of last year's big defensive overhaul. Teams that take big risks and lose have a hard time being competitive.

Over time, drafting and developing is safer. If you have a staff that can develop players properly. Since it's a rare team that can win a lot more often than it loses on the big FA signings, I have no problem with the more conservative route. It's less interesting in the offseason, but there's enough evidence of teams like PIT and GB and, now, DAL doing it well and fielding competitors with it every year. I'm disappointed we didn't use more of the resources we do have to do more on defense, but other than that, I think we're in pretty good position.

Very thoughtful and good post. And I tend to agree. My one disagreement -- and I've posted elsewhere-- is that we have a very unique window right now to spend in free agency, like the Seahawks did when they hit on Russell Wilson. We have franchise QB and RB on cheap rookie contracts. This is the only reason I strongly believed that we should have been aggressive in free agency and departed from the usual "draft and develop" strategy.

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

Very thoughtful and good post. And I tend to agree. My one disagreement -- and I've posted elsewhere-- is that we have a very unique window right now to spend in free agency, like the Seahawks did when they hit on Russell Wilson. We have franchise QB and RB on cheap rookie contracts. This is the only reason I strongly believed that we should have been aggressive in free agency and departed from the usual "draft and develop" strategy.

I think they wanted to but there wasn't really anyone worth it this year that filled a need. I wouldn't be surprised if they were more aggressive next year if they can structure a deal that limits the length of the cap hit. They've never really done either so Idk.

 

[Trouty]

Very thoughtful and good post. And I tend to agree. My one disagreement -- and I've posted elsewhere-- is that we have a very unique window right now to spend in free agency, like the Seahawks did when they hit on Russell Wilson. We have franchise QB and RB on cheap rookie contracts. This is the only reason I strongly believed that we should have been aggressive in free agency and departed from the usual "draft and develop" strategy.

I wanted to be aggressive, too. But there was no one available for the positions we needed.

 

[Trouty]

I think they wanted to but there wasn't really anyone worth it this year that filled a need. I wouldn't be surprised if they were more aggressive next year if they can structure a deal that limits the length of the cap hit. They've never really done either so Idk.

Maybe if Ingram wasn't extended, he would've been a nice add. Hopefully there's someone out there next year worth grabbing!

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

Maybe if Ingram wasn't extended, he would've been a nice add. Hopefully there's someone out there next year worth grabbing!

Kam?

 

[Idgit]

Very thoughtful and good post. And I tend to agree. My one disagreement -- and I've posted elsewhere-- is that we have a very unique window right now to spend in free agency, like the Seahawks did when they hit on Russell Wilson. We have franchise QB and RB on cheap rookie contracts. This is the only reason I strongly believed that we should have been aggressive in free agency and departed from the usual "draft and develop" strategy.

I agree with that, for the most part. We have some fairly big moving parts to work around--Zack Martin's deal being one of them, and the fact that Romo's deal isn't off the books, another.

We ought to have gone all-in on Olivier Vernon when he was available last season. Because those guys just never hit the market. But 5/$85MM with $52MM of that guaranteed....that was rough.

We've got a lot of good young players to extend and to keep paying. They can afford to take maybe one big shot to get a pressure player--because that's what it's going to take. But it'll probably have to happen this next offseason if it's going to happen at all. That'll be the sweet spot between Tony's deal and Dak's.

I don't know. If we hadn't had so much defensive turnover, I'd be pretty comfortable that we'd continue to get better on that side of the ball just drafting and developing. Now that the offense is set, we really ought to. As far as the DBs go, I'm comfortable with Heath replacing Church. And I don't mind a 2nd year player and a rookie taking the third safety snaps. I do wish we'd kept Carr or Mo. Especially since Mo signed for an inexpensive one-year deal. I do think the two CBs are going to both be pretty good players, but I'd rather we had more consistency back there for the first 8-10 games or so.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I wanted to be aggressive, too. But there was no one available for the positions we needed.

And overpaying is out of the question!

 

[Cowboy Brian]

Not close... lot of those points are reaches/basically giving us credit for not destroying what we already built

 

[Trouty]

Kam?

Oooooooh!!!!!!! Me likey!!

Gosh, ACF, that would be amazing. Probably a pipe dream. But so damn amazing.

 

[Trouty]

And overpaying is out of the question!

Especially for this last FA class.

But as ACF pointed out, I'd have no problem giving a large contract to Kam. Elite SS that is also a true-blue leader. And it weakens a conference rival.

I'd be alllllll over that!

 

[jaybird]

1. We rid ourselves from the albatross that was Romo's contract without him potentially playing against us on another team. One, we could have done a better job of handling this situation. We delayed the cap hit by another year by making him a June 1st hit. We had the room to take the entire hit now. None of this matters if they don't use the gained cap room to go out and acquire more talent, especially on defense.
2. We rid ourselves of the three aging secondary members - two of whom never lived up to their potential - and replaced them with uber-talented rookies."uber-talented"?? I like Awuzie and Lewis but they were late 2nd and 3rd round picks. Woods was a 6th rounder. I hope they all contribute, but let's not put them in the Ring of Honor just yet.
3. We upgraded from Lucky Whitehead to the best return man in the draft - who can also catch the ball and not fumble every time someone breathes on him. Agreed. Huge Switzer fan.
4. Our two most dynamic young offensive players return with a full offseason for the first time and a year's worth of playing experience at the highest level. Dak and Zeke do make the future look bright.
5. We rid ourselves of an aging, no longer replacement-level right tackle in favor of a top-10 OL prospect who has had two years in a professional offseason weights and conditioning program. Agreed.
6. We get a full offseason program for our best receiver who no longer has a nagging injury or a contract holdout to worry about. Dez's injuries are due to his reckless, all-out, aggressive playing style. Not a criticism.
7. We get to see a potential top-3-in-the-draft talent take the field after an injury redshirt year. Man I hope so.
8. We return almost our entire D-Line, which is young and developing and played as a top-10 unit the last five weeks of 2016. Oh, and we added a first-round talent to the equation. Ehh, we are talent deficient there. We need a menace. Taco is solid. Maliek is solid. Irving could be special but can't get out of his own way. Need to get better.
9. Our undrafted OL with a ticking time bomb in his knee will be replaced by either a former first-round pick or second-round pick. Leary played well and earned a big contract. I'm glad we weren't the team to give it to him though. I've always liked Jonathan Cooper so I'm extremely hopeful he pans out for us.

Chris you da man!

 

[DFWJC]

I think just the 2016 draft alone, made last offseason far better than this one.

Most would say this offseason was neither great,nor terrible.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

1. We rid ourselves from the albatross that was Romo's contract without him potentially playing against us on another team. One, we could have done a better job of handling this situation. We delayed the cap hit by another year by making him a June 1st hit. We had the room to take the entire hit now. None of this matters if they don't use the gained cap room to go out and acquire more talent, especially on defense.
2. We rid ourselves of the three aging secondary members - two of whom never lived up to their potential - and replaced them with uber-talented rookies."uber-talented"?? I like Awuzie and Lewis but they were late 2nd and 3rd round picks. Woods was a 6th rounder. I hope they all contribute, but let's not put them in the Ring of Honor just yet.
3. We upgraded from Lucky Whitehead to the best return man in the draft - who can also catch the ball and not fumble every time someone breathes on him. Agreed. Huge Switzer fan.
4. Our two most dynamic young offensive players return with a full offseason for the first time and a year's worth of playing experience at the highest level. Dak and Zeke do make the future look bright.
5. We rid ourselves of an aging, no longer replacement-level right tackle in favor of a top-10 OL prospect who has had two years in a professional offseason weights and conditioning program. Agreed.
6. We get a full offseason program for our best receiver who no longer has a nagging injury or a contract holdout to worry about. Dez's injuries are due to his reckless, all-out, aggressive playing style. Not a criticism.
7. We get to see a potential top-3-in-the-draft talent take the field after an injury redshirt year. Man I hope so.
8. We return almost our entire D-Line, which is young and developing and played as a top-10 unit the last five weeks of 2016. Oh, and we added a first-round talent to the equation. Ehh, we are talent deficient there. We need a menace. Taco is solid. Maliek is solid. Irving could be special but can't get out of his own way. Need to get better.
9. Our undrafted OL with a ticking time bomb in his knee will be replaced by either a former first-round pick or second-round pick. Leary played well and earned a big contract. I'm glad we weren't the team to give it to him though. I've always liked Jonathan Cooper so I'm extremely hopeful he pans out for us.

1) it doesn't matter at all if Romo was a June 1st or not. Cap rolls forward.

6) How is breaking a foot due to one's playing style?

8) Taco wasn't on my HoF list but I find it funny you call him solid and say Irving can be special... Taco has the better pedigree.

 

[DFWJC]

Kam?

He's one of those guys that always bugs me when mentioned because sevaral of us loved him on draft day.

5th round!

Meanwhile, we drafted Akwasi Owusu- Ansah a few spots before him


It happens. But man where we pissed.

Same draft that we took another scrub CB 1 pick before Antonio Brown in the 6th. Lol
Can't get them all.
We did land Dez and Lee that year.