10 things I think I think

[xwalker]

They have a complete team, so they just have to be able to sustain the spending for 2018 and 2020. They have to do some restructuring in 2019, but there are at least 3 big contracts that are available.
If you look at 2020, they have almost $30M of cap space right now. Assuming some restructuring in 2019, let's say they have $20M of cap space for 2020.
The major contracts for them in 2020 is Wentz and their LT.
Lets look at a 5 year $35M AAV contract and $75M signing bonus.
year--Year 1---Year 2---Year 3---Year 4---Year 5
base----$1M----$25M---$25M----$25M----$25M
bonus--$15M---$15M---$15M----$15M----$15M
cap hit--$16M---$40M---$40M---$40M----$40M

So Wentz's 2020 cap hit is $16M - no problem to fit his contract and even the LT contract in 2020. THAT IS BEFORE ANY RESTRUCTURING

In 2021, if you need space, you then restructure again to give him a restructuring bonus of $20M that will be split 4x to $5M/yr. Then his 2021 cap hit would be $15M+$1M+$5M = $21M. That is still manageable.

So we are now into 2022, and you can keep playing this game.

You will have to play the piper sooner or later, but that could well be 2023 or later.
At that point, who cares.

And as I have advocated, have a year or 2 of tanking, and you just reloaded with young talent players all timed with the cap explosion that will come much later.

They have 500K of space in 2019 and that is with less than 53 players under contract, without a practice squad, without 2018 and 2019 draft picks replacing minimum wage players and without the next QB/LT contracts that you mentioned.

The 63M over 3 years is the 2nd smallest of all 32 teams and #3 has over 100M.

The Jags spending spree the past couple of years has them with the smallest amount of space over 3 years.

The Seahawks who are claiming cap problems have 250M.

 

[Proof]

I wonder if all the people running around here shrieking "The sky is falling" ever stopped to think that the Cowboys may have to see how the dust settles a little bit before acting.

Given the fact they have a limited budget, wouldn't it be smart to see who they're losing so they don't fill holes unnecessarily and, in doing so, spend the money they need to fill the real holes in their roster?

The limited budget is the mirage they point to to justify not improving the team. As far as anyone stopping to think that they may have a reasonable plan to not be acting, they lost the benefit of the doubt as this is the same song and dance for years now. Did you see the list of FA's they've signed over the past 5 years? It's deplorable and embarrassing. We've reached the tipping point where the sky is falling crowd has more justifiable reason to feel that way then their counterparts.

 

[Proof]

This is a Cowboys hope edition.
If you are prone to crying fits and being miserable this thread may help you either feel better or throw more fits.

1. Most interesting thing I've seen this off-season was a Chief's GM stating he called last off-season about Antony Hitchens. He named the guy he called. Will McClay. If you didn;t know Will McClay was essentially GM, now you should. He has as much personnel control as Jimmy Johnson ever did. That makes him the GM.
1a. A lot of people have job duties that go well beyond their title. The ones who really don't much care the ones who are paid for the duties and not the title. If you are McClay this is kind of perfect. Teams can keep offering him jobs and maybe he takes the ideal one or he can keep getting raises because until he has an official title Dallas has to allow him to interview for that position.

2. Honey Badger is a fun player to watch and a guy who turned a season kicked out of LSU into a legit pro career. But not all players are equivalent. Saying we don't like Earl Thomas at 11m per year and a 1st so we just go to the next best thing with HB is rather goofy. Totally different players. The position has the same name but it is not actually the same. ET s a one man umbrella over the defense who can also play the run. Think of him like a missile defense system.HB is just one missile.
2a. But 7m is nothing... The deal Sammy Watkins signed which most deem utterly insane costs 8m in year 1 cap hit. That is basically the Cowboys total free agent budget. 7-8M. I know they CAN do more, but unless a bargain jumps at them smart money is on 7-8M being their total outside FA spend.

3. The teams who jump early and are ultra aggressive can land key players. But history says those guys who sign that first week are mostly overpaid. Players are a finite resource but so are places to play. A safety like Eric Reid or Sonny Vaccaro may well end up playing for 4-5m a year on a 2 year deal that allows Dallas to pay a 3m cap hit. Patience in FA can be rewarded.

4. The Eagles are being run like a Madden franchise. That team has been full tilt boogie for a year now. And that title was sweet for them. But now they find out how hard defending a title is and how valuable the draft is for adding quality cheap talent. They just literally do not care to draft. It's bananas. They aren't just cap strapped in 2018. They are by and far the most cap strapped team for 2019 already. But it'll all work out because Wentz will play for cheap come 2020 right? Watching them that implode over the next two years is going to be delicious.

5. Dallas official visits list has Ridley and Hernandez. Guessing Dallas would be quite happy with those two guys at 19 and 50. I actually like Hernandez more. As a guy who knocks his man off the ball every play is more important to me than a guy who runs silk smooth routes. At least for this offense.

6. It's been a tough few months for Dallas fans. All the Zeke drama and the 9-7 to no where and Sodom city title. But our time comes draft day. Like many a team who fell short the reward comes Draft weekend. The event is being held here in Dallas and that will be a time to maximize this roster and salary cap. Dallas has a very good cache of draft picks and they've been using them well under McClay.

7. Dez Bryant is one of my favorite Cowboys. He plays with his heart of his sleeve and he's a competitor.
I do think he was at risk of cut at one point but the failed deal for Sammy Watkins and the overall insane contracts given to WR's likely mean he is back. The smart money has always pointed to an extension that creates a Watkins like deal going forward that costs far less this season.

8. Which player do you want?
Player A: Prior 3 seasons: 13.5 sacks, 91 tackles, 46 games played.
Player B: Prior 3 seasons: 11.5 sacks, 52 tackles, 35 games played.
As you may have guessed Player B is David Irving. A guy the entire fan base seems to have confused. He's shown immense flashes but his body of work has been pretty sparse.
Player A is Tyrone Crawford, resident fan whipping boy.
This is just context to hopefully shape some more sensible discussions.

9. Dak-friendly. This does not mean you have to rebuild the entire offense. This basically means maybe you could block for the guy. Especially on his blind side? Abebeta has done a masterful job breaking down Dak's numbers with 5 starting NFL OL in front of him and with the retreads we used at back up last year. Dak has to improve personally but simply giving him a legit LT makes him a top 10 QB statistically.

10. The Process. I am not sure if anyone has ever participated in process reviews or major ITIL/Six Sigma training but the first thing you learn is processes only work if followed to completion. You can't skip steps and pick and choose. If Dallas was going to overhaul the overpaid Romo-led star-driven team into a blue collar, young, hungry team they were going to have to draft and PLAY young guys. You should see the benefit of that process this year on the field as Dak, Zeke and those young DBs will be joined by more young, talented players.

I appreciate the optimism, and the effort into this post. Good stuff. I like the point you made about McClay also, and the fact that other teams recognize his position even if it's not advertised that way. To some of your other earlier points

2. Earl is clearly the better player and the more perfect fit. Pivoting to HB as a consolation isn't about him being Earl light, it's about us needing help at both safety spots regardless. He would help. He would help tremendously at that price. On his own merits, irrespective of Earl, HB would have been a huge get

3. Yes lots of players get overpaid at the start of free agency. I don't necessarily advocate overpaying players, and I'm sure Dallas can find some decent values, but decent values have gotten us nowhere. I'd be ok with overpaying at times even if it didn' t pan out. I can't fault aggression. I CAN fault squandering opportunity. I'd much rather have quality players signed at reasonable deals with creative structuring, but barring that if it can only be one or the other, I'd much rather over pay than to pick through scraps year after year. Doubly so when said scraps aren't on the team a month into the season and leave behind dead money/cap hits.

All in all though, solid post. Thanks

 

[waldoputty]

They have 500K of space in 2019 and that is with less than 53 players under contract, without a practice squad, without 2018 and 2019 draft picks replacing minimum wage players and without the next QB/LT contracts that you mentioned.

The 63M over 3 years is the 2nd smallest of all 32 teams and #3 has over 100M.

The Jags spending spree the past couple of years has them with the smallest amount of space over 3 years.

The Seahawks who are claiming cap problems have 250M.

While I want you to be right, it is wishful thinking.
Go to: http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/yearly/cap/
Take a look and see whose contract is up from 2019 to 2020.
There are not many other than the LT and Wentz in 2020
and there may be a couple more starters in defense.

You will see that have >10 large contracts that can be used to restructure to fit things in 2019.
That would be a trivial job even for someone like me to do.
They can easily open up more than $60M of cap space for 2019 if they wanted to.

Yes restructuring in 2019 would make 2020 a little more difficult.
But there are still 10 large contracts that can be restructured in 2020.

They will not have a problem in 2019, 2020 or 2021.
Sucks for us.

 

[waldoputty]

The limited budget is the mirage they point to to justify not improving the team. As far as anyone stopping to think that they may have a reasonable plan to not be acting, they lost the benefit of the doubt as this is the same song and dance for years now. Did you see the list of FA's they've signed over the past 5 years? It's deplorable and embarrassing. We've reached the tipping point where the sky is falling crowd has more justifiable reason to feel that way then their counterparts.

the sky is not falling. we will be a good team next year, injuries/suspensions not withstanding. it is just we will be one step below the real contenders and the FO is not trying to bet on the team in 2018.

 

[Proof]

the sky is not falling. we will be a good team next year, injuries/suspensions not withstanding. it is just we will be one step below the real contenders and the FO is not trying to bet on the team in 2018.

I'm not saying the sky is falling, but if someone thinks it is I don't have a lot to dissuade them. The second part of your post is the same I feel, and the troubling part.

 

[waldoputty]

I'm not saying the sky is falling, but if someone thinks it is I don't have a lot to dissuade them. The second part of your post is the same I feel, and the troubling part.

i know you are not saying the sky is falling. i feel roughly the same in terms of where we are.

 

[Section446]

Serious question, 444. Where are we weaker? Other than Leary I really don't see it but I'm open to hear your honest assessment.

Sorry if I'm lacking in optimism...

- Dak was bad last year, really bad... I recall sitting there during the first game of the year and telling the guy sitting next to me that Dak doesn't look the same as he did last year... unfortunately, I was right. Unless something drastic changes, he will continue to be bad and it will continue to cost us games.
- Dez has been bad for a few years now and he's a year older, he will likely continue to be bad.
- Tyron Smith isn't getting any younger, neither is his back, he's now on the Sean Lee list.
- We lost Hitchens, we just got worse. He may not have been our best LB when Lee was healthy, but he was definitely one of our top over-all defenders. We can talk about how overpaid he was, and there's no denying it, but there's a reason that KC saw it fit to overpay him... the guy is good.
- I'd venture to say that there are more questions marks in the secondary going into this season than there were in 2016. Granted, I think the ceiling is higher now by virtue of having younger players, but there are questions marks everywhere.
- Not having Leary is a MASSIVE issue and we saw it all year last year. I was admittedly against letting Ron Leary go, I believe I said we'd rue the day we let him walk when we did, and sure enough, I couldn't have been more right. He was the nasty streak that our OL was missing all year last year.
- We've done absolutely nothing to improve our team this off-season, all we've done is get a year older, and Jason Garrett is still our HC. I'm sorry if I have no confidence in Garrett or Jerry's willingness to can Garrett if we see a repeat of 2017.
- Unfortunately, with the OL no longer being a strong point on our team, I'm not sure that Zeke will enjoy the running lanes that made him an MVP candidate in 2016. Unfortunately for him, he's going to have to put the team on his back.
- My biggest issue with the Cowboys in general isn't even that we don't appear to be trying, it's that we don't want to overpay FA's (which I'm okay with), but we continue to allow overpaid, under-performing players to stay on our team. Why is Dez Bryant still here? Why is Jason Witten still here (it's time to move on, he's from a time we want to forget)? We have an accountability issue that you don't see with teams that win year-in-and-year-out.
- Our coordinators suddenly forgot how to coordinate in 2017, I have zero faith that they'll get back to a more diverse offense/defense in 2018.
- Overall, I think it's fair to say that we are not as good a team going into this season as we were in 2016.

 

[RS12]

The smart money has always pointed to an extension that creates a Watkins like deal going forward that costs far less this season.

Says you.

 

[CCBoy]

This is a Cowboys hope edition.
If you are prone to crying fits and being miserable this thread may help you either feel better or throw more fits.

1. Most interesting thing I've seen this off-season was a Chief's GM stating he called last off-season about Antony Hitchens. He named the guy he called. Will McClay. If you didn;t know Will McClay was essentially GM, now you should. He has as much personnel control as Jimmy Johnson ever did. That makes him the GM.
1a. A lot of people have job duties that go well beyond their title. The ones who really don't much care the ones who are paid for the duties and not the title. If you are McClay this is kind of perfect. Teams can keep offering him jobs and maybe he takes the ideal one or he can keep getting raises because until he has an official title Dallas has to allow him to interview for that position.

2. Honey Badger is a fun player to watch and a guy who turned a season kicked out of LSU into a legit pro career. But not all players are equivalent. Saying we don't like Earl Thomas at 11m per year and a 1st so we just go to the next best thing with HB is rather goofy. Totally different players. The position has the same name but it is not actually the same. ET s a one man umbrella over the defense who can also play the run. Think of him like a missile defense system.HB is just one missile.
2a. But 7m is nothing... The deal Sammy Watkins signed which most deem utterly insane costs 8m in year 1 cap hit. That is basically the Cowboys total free agent budget. 7-8M. I know they CAN do more, but unless a bargain jumps at them smart money is on 7-8M being their total outside FA spend.

3. The teams who jump early and are ultra aggressive can land key players. But history says those guys who sign that first week are mostly overpaid. Players are a finite resource but so are places to play. A safety like Eric Reid or Sonny Vaccaro may well end up playing for 4-5m a year on a 2 year deal that allows Dallas to pay a 3m cap hit. Patience in FA can be rewarded.

4. The Eagles are being run like a Madden franchise. That team has been full tilt boogie for a year now. And that title was sweet for them. But now they find out how hard defending a title is and how valuable the draft is for adding quality cheap talent. They just literally do not care to draft. It's bananas. They aren't just cap strapped in 2018. They are by and far the most cap strapped team for 2019 already. But it'll all work out because Wentz will play for cheap come 2020 right? Watching them that implode over the next two years is going to be delicious.

5. Dallas official visits list has Ridley and Hernandez. Guessing Dallas would be quite happy with those two guys at 19 and 50. I actually like Hernandez more. As a guy who knocks his man off the ball every play is more important to me than a guy who runs silk smooth routes. At least for this offense.

6. It's been a tough few months for Dallas fans. All the Zeke drama and the 9-7 to no where and Sodom city title. But our time comes draft day. Like many a team who fell short the reward comes Draft weekend. The event is being held here in Dallas and that will be a time to maximize this roster and salary cap. Dallas has a very good cache of draft picks and they've been using them well under McClay.

7. Dez Bryant is one of my favorite Cowboys. He plays with his heart of his sleeve and he's a competitor.
I do think he was at risk of cut at one point but the failed deal for Sammy Watkins and the overall insane contracts given to WR's likely mean he is back. The smart money has always pointed to an extension that creates a Watkins like deal going forward that costs far less this season.

8. Which player do you want?
Player A: Prior 3 seasons: 13.5 sacks, 91 tackles, 46 games played.
Player B: Prior 3 seasons: 11.5 sacks, 52 tackles, 35 games played.
As you may have guessed Player B is David Irving. A guy the entire fan base seems to have confused. He's shown immense flashes but his body of work has been pretty sparse.
Player A is Tyrone Crawford, resident fan whipping boy.
This is just context to hopefully shape some more sensible discussions.

9. Dak-friendly. This does not mean you have to rebuild the entire offense. This basically means maybe you could block for the guy. Especially on his blind side? Abebeta has done a masterful job breaking down Dak's numbers with 5 starting NFL OL in front of him and with the retreads we used at back up last year. Dak has to improve personally but simply giving him a legit LT makes him a top 10 QB statistically.

10. The Process. I am not sure if anyone has ever participated in process reviews or major ITIL/Six Sigma training but the first thing you learn is processes only work if followed to completion. You can't skip steps and pick and choose. If Dallas was going to overhaul the overpaid Romo-led star-driven team into a blue collar, young, hungry team they were going to have to draft and PLAY young guys. You should see the benefit of that process this year on the field as Dak, Zeke and those young DBs will be joined by more young, talented players.

To this fan, one should look to situational play and focus upon ramifications in that arena...as to player drafts/pickups.

Dallas is too set upon a method or scheme, that is more preventive than pro-active.

It has been shown, in the playoffs and top records during the recent regular seasons...teams just don't respect Dallas and their approach when all is on the line. They challenge the Cowboys in every situational point of a game. With all on the line, they do not fear an ability to shut down Dallas or even to score upon them.

With all on the line, the Cowboys' offense and defense attempts to slowly rely upon a general approach...that does not gamble.

To me, the top wide receiver and offensive guard would guarantee again, and even in the changed NFC East, a dominant element once again.

 

[AbeBeta]

This is a Cowboys hope edition.
If you are prone to crying fits and being miserable this thread may help you either feel better or throw more fits.

1. Most interesting thing I've seen this off-season was a Chief's GM stating he called last off-season about Antony Hitchens. He named the guy he called. Will McClay. If you didn;t know Will McClay was essentially GM, now you should. He has as much personnel control as Jimmy Johnson ever did. That makes him the GM.
1a. A lot of people have job duties that go well beyond their title. The ones who really don't much care the ones who are paid for the duties and not the title. If you are McClay this is kind of perfect. Teams can keep offering him jobs and maybe he takes the ideal one or he can keep getting raises because until he has an official title Dallas has to allow him to interview for that position.

2. Honey Badger is a fun player to watch and a guy who turned a season kicked out of LSU into a legit pro career. But not all players are equivalent. Saying we don't like Earl Thomas at 11m per year and a 1st so we just go to the next best thing with HB is rather goofy. Totally different players. The position has the same name but it is not actually the same. ET s a one man umbrella over the defense who can also play the run. Think of him like a missile defense system.HB is just one missile.
2a. But 7m is nothing... The deal Sammy Watkins signed which most deem utterly insane costs 8m in year 1 cap hit. That is basically the Cowboys total free agent budget. 7-8M. I know they CAN do more, but unless a bargain jumps at them smart money is on 7-8M being their total outside FA spend.

3. The teams who jump early and are ultra aggressive can land key players. But history says those guys who sign that first week are mostly overpaid. Players are a finite resource but so are places to play. A safety like Eric Reid or Sonny Vaccaro may well end up playing for 4-5m a year on a 2 year deal that allows Dallas to pay a 3m cap hit. Patience in FA can be rewarded.

4. The Eagles are being run like a Madden franchise. That team has been full tilt boogie for a year now. And that title was sweet for them. But now they find out how hard defending a title is and how valuable the draft is for adding quality cheap talent. They just literally do not care to draft. It's bananas. They aren't just cap strapped in 2018. They are by and far the most cap strapped team for 2019 already. But it'll all work out because Wentz will play for cheap come 2020 right? Watching them that implode over the next two years is going to be delicious.

5. Dallas official visits list has Ridley and Hernandez. Guessing Dallas would be quite happy with those two guys at 19 and 50. I actually like Hernandez more. As a guy who knocks his man off the ball every play is more important to me than a guy who runs silk smooth routes. At least for this offense.

6. It's been a tough few months for Dallas fans. All the Zeke drama and the 9-7 to no where and Sodom city title. But our time comes draft day. Like many a team who fell short the reward comes Draft weekend. The event is being held here in Dallas and that will be a time to maximize this roster and salary cap. Dallas has a very good cache of draft picks and they've been using them well under McClay.

7. Dez Bryant is one of my favorite Cowboys. He plays with his heart of his sleeve and he's a competitor.
I do think he was at risk of cut at one point but the failed deal for Sammy Watkins and the overall insane contracts given to WR's likely mean he is back. The smart money has always pointed to an extension that creates a Watkins like deal going forward that costs far less this season.

8. Which player do you want?
Player A: Prior 3 seasons: 13.5 sacks, 91 tackles, 46 games played.
Player B: Prior 3 seasons: 11.5 sacks, 52 tackles, 35 games played.
As you may have guessed Player B is David Irving. A guy the entire fan base seems to have confused. He's shown immense flashes but his body of work has been pretty sparse.
Player A is Tyrone Crawford, resident fan whipping boy.
This is just context to hopefully shape some more sensible discussions.

9. Dak-friendly. This does not mean you have to rebuild the entire offense. This basically means maybe you could block for the guy. Especially on his blind side? Abebeta has done a masterful job breaking down Dak's numbers with 5 starting NFL OL in front of him and with the retreads we used at back up last year. Dak has to improve personally but simply giving him a legit LT makes him a top 10 QB statistically.

10. The Process. I am not sure if anyone has ever participated in process reviews or major ITIL/Six Sigma training but the first thing you learn is processes only work if followed to completion. You can't skip steps and pick and choose. If Dallas was going to overhaul the overpaid Romo-led star-driven team into a blue collar, young, hungry team they were going to have to draft and PLAY young guys. You should see the benefit of that process this year on the field as Dak, Zeke and those young DBs will be joined by more young, talented players.

That's for the shout out.

However, I'm pretty sure I didn't do that analysis

 

[Verdict]

I would be very surprised if Hernandez makes it all the way to fifty. We are not the only team showing a lot of interest in him.

I would be very surprised if he makes it to 50, but stranger things have happened.

 

[DakBringMeBack]

I liked your post. I'll go nuts if we get Calvin Ridley.

 

[waving monkey]

I wonder if we aren't trying to get better because it creates an excuse to keep Garrett around longer. There's no way you can blame this upcoming season on Garrett, he is now in a spot where he doesn't have a team capable of winning from a talent standpoint.

?

 

[waving monkey]

I would be very surprised if he makes it to 50, but stranger things have happened.

1st round now

 

[jterrell]

I wouldn't call this a bad thread but is most definitely about a month too early.
The guys Dallas drafts will determine that 2019 outlook and no one knows who those guys are or what positions they play yet.

You can likely guess 4-5 guys will be on the 2019 2 deep from this draft but that's still just a guess.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Why is Jason Witten still here

You do realize he only counts a little over 3% of the total salary cap?

People act like he is paid $25M and taking up 50% of the salary cap sometimes.

 

[Melonfeud]

To this fan, one should look to situational play and focus upon ramifications in that arena...as to player drafts/pickups.

Dallas is too set upon a method or scheme, that is more preventive than pro-active.

It has been shown, in the playoffs and top records during the recent regular seasons...teams just don't respect Dallas and their approach when all is on the line. They challenge the Cowboys in every situational point of a game. With all on the line, they do not fear an ability to shut down Dallas or even to score upon them.

With all on the line, the Cowboys' offense and defense attempts to slowly rely upon a general approach...that does not gamble.

To me, the top wide receiver and offensive guard would guarantee again, and even in the changed NFC East, a dominant element once again.

What is more embarrassing,,? ,having one O.L. out of the starting line up & it's like the barn collapsing on every pass play OR the opponent's punter is injured & they don't sweat it,knowing they'll AVG. 4 out 5 4th down attempts being successful,,,

 

[skinsscalper]

Sorry if I'm lacking in optimism...

- Dak was bad last year, really bad... I recall sitting there during the first game of the year and telling the guy sitting next to me that Dak doesn't look the same as he did last year... unfortunately, I was right. Unless something drastic changes, he will continue to be bad and it will continue to cost us games.
- Dez has been bad for a few years now and he's a year older, he will likely continue to be bad.
- Tyron Smith isn't getting any younger, neither is his back, he's now on the Sean Lee list.
- We lost Hitchens, we just got worse. He may not have been our best LB when Lee was healthy, but he was definitely one of our top over-all defenders. We can talk about how overpaid he was, and there's no denying it, but there's a reason that KC saw it fit to overpay him... the guy is good.
- I'd venture to say that there are more questions marks in the secondary going into this season than there were in 2016. Granted, I think the ceiling is higher now by virtue of having younger players, but there are questions marks everywhere.
- Not having Leary is a MASSIVE issue and we saw it all year last year. I was admittedly against letting Ron Leary go, I believe I said we'd rue the day we let him walk when we did, and sure enough, I couldn't have been more right. He was the nasty streak that our OL was missing all year last year.
- We've done absolutely nothing to improve our team this off-season, all we've done is get a year older, and Jason Garrett is still our HC. I'm sorry if I have no confidence in Garrett or Jerry's willingness to can Garrett if we see a repeat of 2017.
- Unfortunately, with the OL no longer being a strong point on our team, I'm not sure that Zeke will enjoy the running lanes that made him an MVP candidate in 2016. Unfortunately for him, he's going to have to put the team on his back.
- My biggest issue with the Cowboys in general isn't even that we don't appear to be trying, it's that we don't want to overpay FA's (which I'm okay with), but we continue to allow overpaid, under-performing players to stay on our team. Why is Dez Bryant still here? Why is Jason Witten still here (it's time to move on, he's from a time we want to forget)? We have an accountability issue that you don't see with teams that win year-in-and-year-out.
- Our coordinators suddenly forgot how to coordinate in 2017, I have zero faith that they'll get back to a more diverse offense/defense in 2018.
- Overall, I think it's fair to say that we are not as good a team going into this season as we were in 2016.

Fair enough, my friend. Can't say that I have a strong disagreement with some of those points, either. I appreciate the candid response.

 

[DFWJC]

You're going to try and say that this team right now has more talent than the team in 2016? You doing a bit?

I know that wasn't me 446, but yes, given the young talent infusion into the secondary and what Lawrence is this year vs 2016 and possibly Irving as well......yes, they have a bit more talent (especially young talent) now than in 2016.

I'm saying this while saying that Dak is Dak talent-wise. I don't think he is LESS talented now than in 2016...just maybe more exposed. His results were better but whatever level of talent he really has did not decline at this young age.
Fingers crossed on him improving.

Btw, I saw your list after I posted this...some good point in there--especially with Leary and Hitchens.
This year's version still does have it's FA additions or draft picks though. To make it equal, you will eventually have to include that