CFZ “Credit”: Types, How to grade it and when to dole it out

[Pass2Run]

You have to define a time frame.

Talent acquisition in the McCarthy era looks like an A+.

Talent acquisition acquisition in the McClay era (2014 to present) is an A, especially talent relative to the cap. In March 2013 they were completely Maxed out against the cap. They had restructured all possible contracts to push max cap dollars into future years while working on a new contract for Romo.

McClay & Stephen Jones increased the talent and cleaned up the cap mess starting in 2014.

All teams have failed draft picks. The Cowboys have been very good relative to other teams. They never meet fan expectations of perfection.

Obviously the only real grade is win/loss results.

Regular season B
4 time division winner in 8 seasons from 2014 to 2021.

Playoffs F
2 wins in 8 seasons (2014 to 2021).

Yeah, you pretty much nailed it.

I'd say it only matters going back to 2016, when you decided to move on from your franchise QB.

We hardly have any players from before that, DLaw, Martin, Smith aside.

 

[75boyz]

I can give credit for how they have managed to stay in the thick of the playoff race at the midway point.

But still, I struggle with that same old sarcastic funny punchline saying.

You know the one..."This year just feels different", lol

Here's to hoping it finally does actually mean some playoff success this year.

 

[Bobhaze]

I can give credit for how they have managed to stay in the thick of the playoff race at the midway point.

But still, I struggle with that same old sarcastic funny punchline saying.

You know the one..."This year just feels different", lol

Here's to hoping it finally does actually mean some playoff success this year.

When you’ve been a Cowboys fan for about 60 years, the statement “this year feels different” makes me immediately think, “Compared to what?”

 

[75boyz]

When you’ve been a Cowboys fan for about 60 years, the statement “this year feels different” makes me immediately think, “Compared to what?”

Lol, Yep.

 

[Verdict]

We are basically at the halfway point of the season, and there’s no doubt, our Cowboys have performed surprisingly well. The entire organization deserves some credit for this 6-2 start (including JJ and SJ) but I believe there are types of “credit” to give (or not give) and an appropriate time to give it.

In my book, there are four types of credit to give the leaders of a pro football team based on performance. Below are the four areas and what grade I would give each based on recent and past performance. Some “credit” grades should wait until the end of the season but I issued them anyway.

• 1. Stability and profitability- having stable ownership and cash flow. (Grade: A+. No owner in pro sports does profitability better than Jerry. And his “structure” will not change. This is certainly a stable franchise) Credit can be given now for sure.

• 2. Talent acquisition- the ability to draft and develop talent as well as acquire appropriate free agents. Also includes hiring the right coaches. (Grade: B+. Credit to JJ for hiring and keeping Will McClay as the primary influence on drafting. McClay has proven to be great at identifying talent. We could be a little bolder with some free agents and JJ could be less risky in the 2nd round, lol. Hiring McCarthy was way better than the ten year roller coaster of Jason Garrett) Credit should be given at the end of each year when performance is complete.

• 3. Culture- the attitude and commitment of the entire organization toward winning along with a mental and physical toughness. (Grade: C-. If we’re being honest, this team has been soft the last decade, especially in the playoffs when facing more physical teams. It’s been fairly good in the regular season) Credit should be given at the end of each year based on performance.

• 4. On-field Performance- in two areas.
  • A. Regular season performance- over the last decade, we have played well in the regular season, only having 2 losing seasons, winning 4 divisional titles and making the playoffs 4 times. (Past Grade: B. The Cowboys have played well in the regular season overall) credit should be given at the end of each season.
  • B. Playoff performance- Since our last SB in the ‘95 season the Cowboys are 4-11 in the playoffs. The last decade, we are 2-4. (Past Grade: D. It’s been almost bizarre how well our regular season play has been only to fall flat most playoff games- is it culture?) Credit should be given at end of each season.

As I said at the beginning, most credit should be issued at the end of season when performances are judged against the context of a whole season. We’ve had an excellent first half considering the way this season started. But there’s a lot of football left to be played.

Here’s hoping we finally are able to give some credit for playoff performance!

I agree with most of your post but I think the grade on winning is far too low. The Cowboys win and win a lot. They just haven’t had much post season success.

Part of the above is poor coaching. But part of that is also insisting on winning as much as possible in really poor years. We haven’t experienced many really bad years so we are seldom picking high enough to really add can’t miss premium talent.

I also think all these busted 2nd round draft picks are also holding us back.

 

[Bobhaze]

I agree with most of your post but I think the grade on winning is far too low. The Cowboys win and win a lot. They just haven’t had much post season success.

Part of the above is poor coaching. But part of that is also insisting on winning as much as possible in really poor years. We haven’t experienced many really bad years so we are seldom picking high enough to really add can’t miss premium talent.

I also think all these busted 2nd round draft picks are also holding us back.

I gave the “B” grade on regular season winning because in the last decade, we have not made the playoffs in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. That’s only half the time. We have certainly done well the last season and a half.

The Cowboys are 88-65 in the regular season the last decade. I see that as a B. We are 2-5 the last decade in the playoffs. I graded that as a D.

 

[Verdict]

I gave the “B” grade on regular season winning because in the last decade, we have not made the playoffs in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. That’s only half the time. We have certainly done well the last season and a half.

The Cowboys are 88-65 in the regular season the last decade. I see that as a B. We are 2-5 the last decade in the playoffs. I graded that as a D.

The Dallas Cowboys remind me of the New York Yankees of the 1980s. The Yankees were the winningest team in all of baseball but did not win their division in the 1980s. I think they finished second in their division every year during the 1980s.

 

[Bobhaze]

The Dallas Cowboys remind me of the New York Yankees of the 1980s. The Yankees were the winningest team in all of baseball but did not win their division in the 1980s. I think they finished second in their division every year during the 1980s.

Yeah the Cowboys are mystifying. They have played well in the regular season but are 4-11 in the playoffs since 1995. It’s the inability to even win a divisional playoff game that has kept us from being a true competitor for a championship.

 

[atlantacowboy]

We are basically at the halfway point of the season, and there’s no doubt, our Cowboys have performed surprisingly well. The entire organization deserves some credit for this 6-2 start (including JJ and SJ) but I believe there are types of “credit” to give (or not give) and an appropriate time to give it.

In my book, there are four types of credit to give the leaders of a pro football team based on performance. Below are the four areas and what grade I would give each based on recent and past performance. Some “credit” grades should wait until the end of the season but I issued them anyway.

• 1. Stability and profitability- having stable ownership and cash flow. (Grade: A+. No owner in pro sports does profitability better than Jerry. And his “structure” will not change. This is certainly a stable franchise) Credit can be given now for sure.

• 2. Talent acquisition- the ability to draft and develop talent as well as acquire appropriate free agents. Also includes hiring the right coaches. (Grade: B+. Credit to JJ for hiring and keeping Will McClay as the primary influence on drafting. McClay has proven to be great at identifying talent. We could be a little bolder with some free agents and JJ could be less risky in the 2nd round, lol. Hiring McCarthy was way better than the ten year roller coaster of Jason Garrett) Credit should be given at the end of each year when performance is complete.

• 3. Culture- the attitude and commitment of the entire organization toward winning along with a mental and physical toughness. (Grade: C-. If we’re being honest, this team has been soft the last decade, especially in the playoffs when facing more physical teams. It’s been fairly good in the regular season) Credit should be given at the end of each year based on performance.

• 4. On-field Performance- in two areas.
  • A. Regular season performance- over the last decade, we have played well in the regular season, only having 2 losing seasons, winning 4 divisional titles and making the playoffs 4 times. (Past Grade: B. The Cowboys have played well in the regular season overall) credit should be given at the end of each season.
  • B. Playoff performance- Since our last SB in the ‘95 season the Cowboys are 4-11 in the playoffs. The last decade, we are 2-4. (Past Grade: D. It’s been almost bizarre how well our regular season play has been only to fall flat most playoff games- is it culture?) Credit should be given at end of each season.

As I said at the beginning, most credit should be issued at the end of season when performances are judged against the context of a whole season. We’ve had an excellent first half considering the way this season started. But there’s a lot of football left to be played.

Here’s hoping we finally are able to give some credit for playoff performance!

Profitability is almost a foregone conclusion in the NFL. All the teams make a ton of money thanks to the equal distribution of TV revenue. Even a poorly managed team like the Commanders is worth 5 Billion. Its almost impossible to lose money in the traditional sense.

 

[Bobhaze]

Profitability is almost a foregone conclusion in the NFL. All the teams make a ton of money thanks to the equal distribution of TV revenue. Even a poorly managed team like the Commanders is worth 5 Billion. Its almost impossible to lose money in the traditional sense.

Absolute truth. And this is the reason I usually support the players in labor negotiations. They are literally risking their health to play the game that makes the owners exponentially richer forever. An average players career is about 5 years to make their money. The owners’ ability to make huge wealth is multi-generational at almost zero risk.

 

[tunahelper]

Great post and I agree with your assessments, except for culture. I would give them a F. MM has helped with structure and he seemingly has a clue in this area, however Jerry ruins it.

Country club atmosphere makes it hard to build a winning culture. Dallas players are treated as if they have won already and the meddling of JJ continues to undermine any coach not named Jimmy Johnson or Bill Parcells.

 

[Bobhaze]

Great post and I agree with your assessments, except for culture. I would give them a F. MM has helped with structure and he seemingly has a clue in this area, however Jerry ruins it.

Country club atmosphere makes it hard to build a winning culture. Dallas players are treated as if they have won already and the meddling of JJ continues to undermine any coach not named Jimmy Johnson or Bill Parcells.

I agree that the country club atmosphere has killed this team for years. I’m wondering (hoping) if Mike McCarthy has made some headway in changing that. This team has been Charmin soft mentally for years. Even excuses were acceptable. If the coaches can make this team mentally tougher maybe there’s hope.