To me it seems like this:
Dallas has definitely turned a corner of sorts. They are no longer doing things the way they have since free agency came to be... i.e. paying older vets like Ware and Hatcher big dollars long past their prime. Plus, they seem to be targeting youth in free agency, for the most part, not big names. They are undoubtedly taking a much smarter approach than they ever have before, and I love it.
Those were two of my biggest complaints in how the front office did things, and I'm thrilled, frankly, to see them now doing it the way they are. IMO it is the best thing that could have happened to this franchise.
As Cowboy fans, we hated to see Ware losing his effectiveness and getting old. It is a sad time for any franchise to see former all-pros getting too old to be superstars anymore. That situation is going to end on a sour note no matter which way you decide to tackle it. If you keep them, then you're getting half the player for just about as much as you were paying for them in their prime. It makes no fiscal sense and is devastating to your cap situation. On the other hand, if you let them go, then you have to suffer the indignation of watching them sign with another team and wear a different jersey. That's hard to do because at one point he was this fan bases pride and joy. Cowboys fans loved Ware, and rightly so.
Still, Watching Ware in a Denver jersey is the lesser of the two evils, by far. Ware might have a good season, or he might only have a decent season... but either way, DeMarcus isn't going to live up to that contract they paid him. There is no way he will. He just doesn't have the physical ability any more to dominate offensive tackles. His physical edge is, for the most part, non-existent anymore. It might be the right decision for Denver, you never know... but paying Ware the millions we would have had to in order to keep him would have definitely been the wrong decision for Dallas.
Maybe Dallas was in cap hell this offseason, or maybe they weren't. I'm not even going to attempt to nail down that definition here. What we do know though, is that they made very smart decisions since the end of the 2013 season and they aren't in cap hell now.
It has been a very long time since I have agreed with pretty much everything the front office has done, but that is how I feel now. Just look:
As sad as it was, letting Ware go was the smart thing to do. Not just long term either. DeMarcus wasn't going to help us very much no matter how much we paid him. At $12 M last year, he has less of an impact than George Selvie, who only cost around $600K. We lost Ware this year, but we lost All-Pro Ware in 2011.
Letting Hatcher go to Washington is exactly what the old Dallas would have never done. It would have been the Cowboys sweating out a 32 year old's knee scope, not Washington. However, with Dallas now playing it smart, it is a division rival who is wondering if Hatcher will be effective in 2014, and two years from now it will be them on the hook for millions for a 35 year old 3-4 DE who has only had one good season... and that was as a 3-tech in a 4-3 scheme. I tend to giggle every time I think about it.
Low balling an offer to an aging J. Allen is another example of them doing it right. Give him a relatively cheap offer and if he doesn't want to play for that, then see you later because you don't fit what the team is trying to do now and you aren't worth big dollars to this franchise.
Bringing in 27 year old Melton on such a smart contract. It isn't just the contract that impresses so much, although it is a really smart piece of work. Getting the player is a very nice job. If you were to draw up a 3-tech for Marinelli, you would end up with Melton. He is exactly what this defense needs, and he has done it before in a Marinelli defense. Now days, pretty much everyone comes back just fine from ACL's, so the risk is minimal that he wont be the same guy, and even if he isn't, the contract is so well done that it won't hurt Dallas. Last year when Dallas switched to a 4-3 scheme, I looked at Melton and thought that he was exactly what the Cowboys were missing for that scheme. I was hoping that somehow Dallas could find a player like him. Here we are a year later and a 27 year old Melton is a Cowboy. Well done.
Getting McClain is precisely the kind of move I was hoping we would make too. I wanted some solid, inexpensive players to platoon on the DL. Guys who are young, energetic, and willing to rotate in and give 110% on each play they're in for. A really smart move IMO. Plus, I think that McClain might be even better than a lot of people think. Marinelli's scheme is more simplified than a lot of NFL defenses are and it allows young players to come in and play well very quickly. McClain was out of position last year with Houston, so his cost was pretty low, and expectation from Dallas fans are pretty low also. I think he will surprise a lot of people playing in both the 1 and the 3 tech spots. The real point I'm trying to make about him though, is that it was the type of move that I was hoping Dallas would make. Smart, and with a plan.
Mincey sort of falls into that category too, but he is a little older than I was hoping we'd sign. However, in the NFL, there typically isn't a bunch of 27 year old DE's who can play floating around. At 30 Mincey still has a few years left and he comes pretty cheaply. He isn't the guy you want to tab as your starting DE who is going to come in and save your defense... but he is a solid player who can contribute in a rotation and can give a team some solid snaps. Again, it is a simple system and Marinelli just asks that you give him your all when he puts you in. I think that Mincey can provide solid play in a rotation at either DE spot and is the type of cheap depth that Dallas sorely needed last year. He didn't excite fans, but he is a piece of the puzzle and he is only part of the plan. But that is what was the most exciting to me... they are following a plan.
The draft is yet another solid draft in a line of solid drafts since 2010. To me it has been clear that the team changed its drafting around the time that Garrett took over as head coach. They have gotten solid players each year since then. Players who love to play, who the game is important to, and who want to succeed. I still see them tweaking things but overall they have been one of the best drafting teams for the last few years. They have tried to shy away from players with injuries for the last couple of drafts and this year I saw them make a concentrated effort to find tough, hard hitting guys who play with an edge. That's what they need and it was good to see them making an effort to bring in that type of player.
They are looking more for substance than flash and seem to be building from the trenches. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to see the kind of offensive line they've built, and it is easy to see that the next position on their agenda is the defensive line.
Just skipping Manziel shows a lot about the front office, what they want to do, and how they're going to go about building the team from now on. Zack Martin was a fantastic pick. He's exactly the type of guy we needed on the OL and he will shore up right guard for the next decade. Any front office that put together a 25 year old Martin, with a 25 year old Frederick, and a 25 year old T Smith has direction and knows what it is doing.
I really like Lawrence a lot too. He plays with an edge and has a natural pass rushing ability that Marinelli is really going to be able to utilize. WDE is the second most important position in Marinelli's defense (behind 3-tech) and they filled it with a very good candidate. He has traits that should make him successful in Marinelli's defense very early on.
The rest of the draft was well done too. Hitchens caused a stir when they took him in the 4th, but he fits the mold of what they wanted at that position: Really athletic and fast with toughness and grit. Marinelli I think saw a void in the toughness and hard nosed attitude on the defense, and they went to work bringing in his type of guy... and that is Hitchens. Street was a steal IMO, and the 7th round guys all have a chance to stick.
It was overall an outstanding off season and it got Dallas much closer to what it wants to be. They are now one of the younger teams in the league and they are really in good shape with the salary cap. They're going to be flying around the field in the 4th quarter with older, over-priced players a thing of the past. I'm thrilled with the direction and with the salary cap situation the team is in.
So, if we were in cap hell, then the team has done a great job of getting themselves out without blowing it up and going 2-14 for a year or two. On offense, they are going to play behind what very well might be the best OL in the game, and on defense, they are going to have a bunch of young guys, rotating in and flying around the field hitting anything that moves.
Frankly, this team is the most fun to pull for team that we've had since the early 90's super bowl teams. I love how they're building it and for a change, it is nice to agree with everything the team is doing.
