I was a self proclaimed tanker last year

J12B

J12B

Well-Known Member
Messages
7,237
Reaction score
22,255
Thinking about last season right now, and I just remembered my mentality last season after Dak went down.

I wanted the team to tank and lose for the best draft position possible.

Well, I was wrong and I'll never want this team to tank again.

The team did string together some wins last year and perhaps got lucky this draft by getting Parsons at #12. There was some great talent that went before him, like Surtain and offensive players, but Parsons was the player this team so desperately needed.

I'll never root for another Cowboys loss. Maybe I'll take some solace in a loss knowing it will help improve the draft order.

But I learned my lesson. Always play to win because you never know who is going to fall in the draft.

Go Cowboys.
 
AsthmaField

AsthmaField

Outta bounds
Messages
26,326
Reaction score
43,954
Good job my man.

I feel like the team growing and learning itself was important to this season. They came together some as they played much better ball down the stretch.

That growth and togetherness that was formed last season is absolutely part of this season’s team. A winning coach coming in to a new team always improves as the year goes on. The team responds to the coaching and, like a battleship changing directions, the franchise begins its slow turn towards respectability.

That is what was happening in the second half of 2020, and it is (IMO) more important to the following season than a lot of fans think.
 
AsthmaField

AsthmaField

Outta bounds
Messages
26,326
Reaction score
43,954
Also, it is important for the whole team… from the players to the trainers… to always fight like heck to win. Always scratch and claw to get a victory. Even if nobody says the team is tanking, the players will know what is really going on. Just like the Philly players knew they weren’t really trying to win their last game last year. They knew taking out Hurts at QB was to make sure they lost.

Not trying to win simply isn’t cool with anyone, the players included.

Losing was never acceptable last year to McCarthy, Moore, Or anyone in the Dallas front office. I know some disagree, but I feel that is very important.
 
darthseinfeld

darthseinfeld

Groupthink Guru
Messages
32,004
Reaction score
36,442
CowboysZone LOYAL Fan
J12B said:
Thinking about last season right now, and I just remembered my mentality last season after Dak went down.

I wanted the team to tank and lose for the best draft position possible.

Well, I was wrong and I'll never want this team to tank again.

The team did string together some wins last year and perhaps got lucky this draft by getting Parsons at #12. There was some great talent that went before him, like Surtain and offensive players, but Parsons was the player this team so desperately needed.

I'll never root for another Cowboys loss. Maybe I'll take some solace in a loss knowing it will help improve the draft order.

But I learned my lesson. Always play to win because you never know who is going to fall in the draft.

Go Cowboys.
Click to expand...
Tanking creates a losers mentality and culture. Yes you will add better talent, but what good is when you have created a loser culture around your team
 
plymkr

plymkr

Well-Known Member
Messages
9,437
Reaction score
14,003
J12B said:
Thinking about last season right now, and I just remembered my mentality last season after Dak went down.

I wanted the team to tank and lose for the best draft position possible.

Well, I was wrong and I'll never want this team to tank again.

The team did string together some wins last year and perhaps got lucky this draft by getting Parsons at #12. There was some great talent that went before him, like Surtain and offensive players, but Parsons was the player this team so desperately needed.

I'll never root for another Cowboys loss. Maybe I'll take some solace in a loss knowing it will help improve the draft order.

But I learned my lesson. Always play to win because you never know who is going to fall in the draft.

Go Cowboys.
Click to expand...
I also was on team tank. I enjoyed the wins at the end of the season but when the season was over and draft day came around I was wishing we lost those games. What's funny is everything fell into place for us. We lost out on the CBs but we got Parsons and then Dighs takes the jump from above average rookie to DPOY candidate. Everything worked out in or favor.
 
TheMarathonContinues

TheMarathonContinues

Well-Known Member
Messages
74,727
Reaction score
69,369
TheCoolFan said:
The losing season was necessary to re-stock the talent on this team that had grown thin since the last time they had a bad season and high picks (2016 Draft). I was happy with losing as long as it resulted in a Top-10 pick, which it did.
Click to expand...
Yeah but I think with the Op is saying is had they lost more games or tanked the season…they may end up with a offensive linemen or a tight end with that pick. It’s why you don’t tank.
 
Irvin88_4life

Irvin88_4life

Well-Known Member
Messages
22,442
Reaction score
26,292
With a higher draft pick Dallas takes Horn or Surtain and would lose Parsons, Joseph and Gholston......... im glad it fell the way it did
 
BotchedLobotomy

BotchedLobotomy

Wide Right
Messages
14,818
Reaction score
22,044
J12B said:
Thinking about last season right now, and I just remembered my mentality last season after Dak went down.

I wanted the team to tank and lose for the best draft position possible.

Well, I was wrong and I'll never want this team to tank again.

The team did string together some wins last year and perhaps got lucky this draft by getting Parsons at #12. There was some great talent that went before him, like Surtain and offensive players, but Parsons was the player this team so desperately needed.

I'll never root for another Cowboys loss. Maybe I'll take some solace in a loss knowing it will help improve the draft order.

But I learned my lesson. Always play to win because you never know who is going to fall in the draft.

Go Cowboys.
Click to expand...
You’re forgiven
 
Kolemmitt

Kolemmitt

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,288
Reaction score
4,649
Agreed. Tanking might work in the NBA, but its just not worth it in the NFL.
As you said, we may have ended up the getting the best defensive player in the NFL at #12. The history of the draft is full of examples extremely high talent that falls and high picks that fail.
Plus, the building of a culture is incredibly important. Players will know when the coaches and front office is "calling it in." Too much of that and you end up the Jets or the Lions. Think about how our defense was playing at the end of last season - not lockdown, but it was getting a bunch of turnovers that helped an offense that was down several key pieces, but still producing decently. I have to believe the momentum from last season carried over, at least a bit.
 
JoeKing

JoeKing

Diehard
Messages
35,513
Reaction score
31,000
We cheated ourselves out of some very good draft talent by not tanking.
 
John813

John813

Well-Known Member
Messages
22,169
Reaction score
33,952
I didn't mind losing when Dak was ruled out for the year and Dalton/DiNucci/Whoever showed they couldn't do enough to win games vs decent teams.

Tanking though is another topic. If the coaches actually tried to lose that would of not been good
 
sunalsorises

sunalsorises

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,894
Reaction score
4,600
Even in the NBA tanking doesn’t really turn a franchise around. I was looking at the list of number one picks back to LeBron. LeBron is clearly worth a tank job, even if he did not bring a title to his drafting team until after leaving them and returning. The jury can still be out on Zion Williamson and possibly Ben Simmons (if he can get back on track), though signs aren’t trending well for them. Blake Griffin helped give some legitimacy to the Clippers so one could say he worked out.

Disclaimer: I am not saying any team picking number one in the NBA tanked. I’m simply looking at who was picked number one and how much that player helped his franchise. The lottery makes tanking imperfect in the NBA so it is possible a tanking team picked third one year and came out better for it. There is also the whole Sixers “process” mess that is on the verge of failure (if it has not already).
 
charron

charron

Well-Known Member
Messages
13,358
Reaction score
13,721
CowboysZone LOYAL Fan
I have no problem tanking to get the best pick you can if you can't get to the playoffs. Now what you do with that pick is a different story.
 

baltcowboy

Well-Known Member
Messages
14,991
Reaction score
16,760
J12B said:
Thinking about last season right now, and I just remembered my mentality last season after Dak went down.

I wanted the team to tank and lose for the best draft position possible.

Well, I was wrong and I'll never want this team to tank again.

The team did string together some wins last year and perhaps got lucky this draft by getting Parsons at #12. There was some great talent that went before him, like Surtain and offensive players, but Parsons was the player this team so desperately needed.

I'll never root for another Cowboys loss. Maybe I'll take some solace in a loss knowing it will help improve the draft order.

But I learned my lesson. Always play to win because you never know who is going to fall in the draft.

Go Cowboys.
Click to expand...
I will admit it too. I wanted Lawrence, Wilson or trade down to get more picks. I even wanted us to trade down and draft Matt Jones and commit to a full rebuild. I thought Dak was good but I thought 35+ for a quarterback was crazy when it comes to team building. Plus I went over to the draft zone and got obsessed with rebuilding the team. The funny thing is the Cowboys did trade down and got more assets. Dak is great. We have a top 3 quarterback. The best one we have since Aikman.
 
DallasEast

DallasEast

Cowboys 24/7/365
Staff member
Messages
58,407
Reaction score
55,996
CowboysZone ULTIMATE Fan
lGnn6XJ.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top