Sheesh, the dead part of the offseason started early..smh
Dallas having draft success, mainly with their 1st Rders is well documented. If anyone is surprised by this, well.. they haven’t been following that closely.
Taco is the only disappointment and that has been well regurgitated also. The fact is, Dallas has truely gotten the most out of their draft picks, definitely more than most other teams. I’m not sure what people want other than perfection.. and that’s not draft reality.
Yes, a few have gone on to have a couple good years after they left, but there’s plenty of variables that play into this.. I.e.- salary cap casualties. As others have mention, DeMarcus Ware (My Cowboy of all time) had health concerns and was straining the Cap. Unfortunately, a business decision had to be made. Not that the FO wanted him to leave, but Ware didn’t want to take a paycut(don’t blame him) and the Cowboys had to make the tough decision to let him go. And yes, Ware had a couple more good seasons while being surrounded by a great defense in Denver.
Secondly, I don’t subscribe to Micky Spags mantra of “There’s a reason a player is available in free agency, if they were good why didn’t their team sign him?” ..insinuating the player is less of a player.
Of course there are reasons.. Salary Cap being the main reason. Scheme fit(see Taco), attitudes(see Bennett), or even a players play. Example: A player like Hitchens, Dallas knew was really good and wanted him back, but his play priced him out of negotiations. WE CANT PAY EVER GOOD PLAYER TOP DOLLAR. (See Byron Jones this offseason). Trust me.. if there was no Salary cap, Jerry wouldn’t let any good player leave the building. Hence, the reason for the cap. It’s suppose to create fair and competitive play from all teams.
What the FO finally figured out is.. pay who you can, budget the cap, and find quality players at a reduced price that fit your scheme.
The real caveat here is.. Coaching. Coaching makes a world of difference on the perspective of players and the stats they produce. It’s no surprise, Bill Belichick, maybe one of the best coaches ever, can produce championships without having the big salary players. As a matter of fact, typically when a NE player is due for said “Big Payday”, he either let them walk or trade them away for more picks. He is ahead of the curve.
That said, time will tell what McCarthy can do and how our players and draft picks respond. Good news is, he’s done it before and Will McClay has proven he will obtain good talent to mold.
