CCBoy
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Are there hidden dangers to the Cowboys long view approach to the 2016 offseason?
http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2016/3/28/11315824/the-dangers-of-the-long-view
The Cowboys' decision making triumvirate of Stephen Jones, Will McClay, and Jason Garrett has drawn a great deal of praise from fans and media alike for their approach to building the Cowboys roster. Spending three first-round picks in four years on offensive linemen, laying low in free agency, and avoiding the "splash" moves that Jerry Jones was so well known for through the first 20 years or so of his ownership of the team. These decisions are the ones that led to the team's successful 2014 season, and had them considered Super Bowl contenders going into 2015.
As the 2016 offseason has progressed, many fans, bloggers, and media members have pointed to things like needing to re-sign those same offensive linemen as the reason for the lack of early free agent activity, claiming the team is playing the "smart" long-view on these decisions. The thought behind this is that making moves in free agency, or other moves geared towards helping the team win in the short-term will somehow, financially or otherwise, prevent them from being contenders for the long-term, and that the risks of perhaps parting with a young studly offensive lineman, although unlikely, present too high a cost to justify an aggressive move towards seeking more immediate returns.
But is this approach ignoring other costs, and other risks that could be even more detrimental to the short- and long-term success of the team?
Let's imagine for a moment that the Cowboys are looking long-term at the year 2018 as the start of their run of success with the players they've recently acquired. How many players seen now as key contributors, even Pro Bowlers or All-Pros will no longer be a key aspect of the winning formula for the team by that point? The following table lists a group of players, all likely to be either a) no longer with the team, or b) experiencing significant declines in performance due to age, by the year 2018.
Player/Position/2016 Age/Free Agent Year/2018 /Age
Tony Romo/QB/36/2020/38
Jason Witten/TE/34/2018/36
Doug Free/OT/32/2018/34
Sean Lee/LB/30/2020/32
Brandon Carr/CB/30/2017/32
Orlando Scandrick/CB/29/2020/31
Cedric Thornton/DT/28/2020/30
Barry Church/SS/28/2017/30
Dez BryantWR/27/2020/29
Terrance Williams/WR/27/2017/29
(Ages are as of Week 1 of the Regular Season)...
http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2016/3/28/11315824/the-dangers-of-the-long-view
The Cowboys' decision making triumvirate of Stephen Jones, Will McClay, and Jason Garrett has drawn a great deal of praise from fans and media alike for their approach to building the Cowboys roster. Spending three first-round picks in four years on offensive linemen, laying low in free agency, and avoiding the "splash" moves that Jerry Jones was so well known for through the first 20 years or so of his ownership of the team. These decisions are the ones that led to the team's successful 2014 season, and had them considered Super Bowl contenders going into 2015.
As the 2016 offseason has progressed, many fans, bloggers, and media members have pointed to things like needing to re-sign those same offensive linemen as the reason for the lack of early free agent activity, claiming the team is playing the "smart" long-view on these decisions. The thought behind this is that making moves in free agency, or other moves geared towards helping the team win in the short-term will somehow, financially or otherwise, prevent them from being contenders for the long-term, and that the risks of perhaps parting with a young studly offensive lineman, although unlikely, present too high a cost to justify an aggressive move towards seeking more immediate returns.
But is this approach ignoring other costs, and other risks that could be even more detrimental to the short- and long-term success of the team?
Let's imagine for a moment that the Cowboys are looking long-term at the year 2018 as the start of their run of success with the players they've recently acquired. How many players seen now as key contributors, even Pro Bowlers or All-Pros will no longer be a key aspect of the winning formula for the team by that point? The following table lists a group of players, all likely to be either a) no longer with the team, or b) experiencing significant declines in performance due to age, by the year 2018.
Player/Position/2016 Age/Free Agent Year/2018 /Age
Tony Romo/QB/36/2020/38
Jason Witten/TE/34/2018/36
Doug Free/OT/32/2018/34
Sean Lee/LB/30/2020/32
Brandon Carr/CB/30/2017/32
Orlando Scandrick/CB/29/2020/31
Cedric Thornton/DT/28/2020/30
Barry Church/SS/28/2017/30
Dez BryantWR/27/2020/29
Terrance Williams/WR/27/2017/29
(Ages are as of Week 1 of the Regular Season)...
