Back to the wait-and-see offseason marathon

[erod]

So I took a bit of a hiatus from all things Cowboy, partly to absorb the realities of another hum-ho 8-8 thud of a season, but admittedly also to avoid the deluge of half-baked illogical gibberish that no doubt wasted perfectly good bandwidth around here in recent days.

I won't even bother thumbing through it. I can write the headlines blind, because most sports opinions are like TV in China. Predictably predetermined and void of substance.

For those left that I haven't offended, here's a few thoughts as we trudge into another offseason abyss of self-loathing and fix-it strategies.

• Tempting as it may be, you don't mess with the coaching staff much at all. The truth is, this team plays hard for Garrett, and there is value in continuity, even if 8-8 keeps churning as a result. No coach in NFL history has won Super Bowls with multiple teams, so bare that in mind. Big names don't solve bigger problems. Last year didn't fall on the coaches as much as a roster bereft of the necessary depth. I him-haw about this all the time, but when you take out the emotion and look at it objectively, this is the right path for this team and this GM. Cleveland, Buffalo, Oakland, Washington....they switch coaches constantly, and look where it gets them.
• I would be interested in adding Norv Turner as the OC. He believes in running the ball and works great with quarterbacks. Garrett trusts and knows him. It's a great fit.
• Fire Kiffin, and you lose Marinelli. Kiffin is the only reason Marinelli came here. Therefore, keep them both. Losing six defensive lineman wasn't their fault last season anyway, and it's nice to have them versus Rob Ryan, who was more interested in campaigning for a HC gig than showing up on time.
• Watching these games, I'm not sure defense is the sure-fire way to approach the draft. Defense is illegal in the NFL now, and the scores of these playoff games, this year and last, show that it's offense that gets you places nowdays. Yes, I'd focus on building a pass rush, but never mind the rest. It's about scoring 40, and the Cowboys need to keep an eye on scoring more, too. Keep beefing up that much-improved offensive line.
• I've got this gut-punch feeling that Jerry is going to maneuver his way into Johnny Football, which will set this franchise back another decade. That guy will get maimed in the NFL. He's not build like Russel Wilson. I hope and pray the Texans or somebody else take him before Jerry trades the next 10 first-rounders to move up and get JF.
• I'm about ready to part with Ware altogether, paycut or not. He can still play, but he can't still last a season. That's three years running that he's broken down. Do we really expect that trend will reverse. This isn't unlucky; it's just who he is.
• I reluctantly can't wait to see Romo play again. I'm uber-concerned about his back situation, which has ended many careers. Hopefully, his falls in the nerve-only area, and that the surgery will relieve that pressure so he can move on. Back problems are crippling to mind, spirit, and body, and we'll just have to wait and see how this has effected him as an athlete and new daddy. Life changes folks, and priorities even more.

And so here we ago. Life with Jerry marches on in futile lock step, as we reduce ourselves to hoping this blathering fool can somehow strike gold in the darkness before dawn.

That's just what being a Cowboys fan is these days. Drudgery, frustration, and inhuman patience.

 

[Dhragon]

While I think Johnny Football would indeed tempt Jerry if he fell close to our draft position, I seriously doubt he will move up more than a few spots, if that, to get him.

Continuity is great in coaching only if you have great coaches to continue with. Garrett hasn't proven to be a vey fast learner.

 

[erod]

While I think Johnny Football would indeed tempt Jerry if he fell close to our draft position, I seriously doubt he will move up more than a few spots, if that, to get him.

Continuity is great in coaching only if you have great coaches to continue with. Garrett hasn't proven to be a vey fast learner.

Garrett hasn't had a team good enough yet to do anything. All coaches make blunders, but Garrett has zero room for error. Jim Harbaugh routinely makes clock errors and misjudgments. So does Pete Carroll, Andy Reid, Mike Tomlin, etc. They've judge had teams that made it inconsequential.

And regarding Manziel, Jerry is deathly afraid that he will be good and in a Texans uniform. He'd lose the entire young football fan market in Texas if so. But I see a short, uneventful career for Manziel, so hopefully Jerry never has the chance.

 

[Zimmy Lives]

erod, I don't always agree with you ( Beasley ) but I always enjoy reading your posts! Thanks!

 

[TTexasTT]

Who gives a crap if Marinelli leaves... Him and Kiffin can both kick rocks. Some guys take shots at Garrett and his "culture" but what about Mr WoseSeasonInNFLHistory and his culture?


LOL there is no way that Jerry will draft Manziel, but youre spot on about him getting injured in the NFL. You probably noticed this by him missing all those games throughout his college career.

 

[Bullflop]

Jerry made it a point to assure one and all he won't be inclined to take a QB early in the upcoming May draft. While it's possible he may have been blowing smoke and intending otherwise, I'm inclined to believe him in this instance. It would be incredibly foolhardy to make such a decision in view of the fact that other priorities are so drastically more desperate. Moreover, I seriously doubt Johnny Manziel will live up to his lofty expections in professional football. We've already seen evidence of what happens to that type of QB in Michael Vick.

Additionally, I must beg to disagree with the defense not being our most needed area of attention in the next upcoming draft. Hopefully, that and most of our many most pressing needs will be resolved. If Jerry and the rest of the staff fail to give this horrible defense the attention that has been widely seen as what ails us, there could be a storm of outrage within Cowboys Nation that'd rightly shake the team and the entire organization as well.

 

[Direwolf63]

Garrett hasn't had a team good enough yet to do anything. All coaches make blunders, but Garrett has zero room for error. Jim Harbaugh routinely makes clock errors and misjudgments. So does Pete Carroll, Andy Reid, Mike Tomlin, etc. They've judge had teams that made it inconsequential.

And regarding Manziel, Jerry is deathly afraid that he will be good and in a Texans uniform. He'd lose the entire young football fan market in Texas if so. But I see a short, uneventful career for Manziel, so hopefully Jerry never has the chance.

I agree with most of your writings, but I have to take issue with Garrett.

All coaches make mistakes, but Garrett has literally blown entire seasons. The other coaches you mentioned never iced their own kicker. The other coaches never ran the ball 7 times in a half when they had a 23 point lead. He has literally given away 2 games to the Lions in recent years because of his incompetance.

Sure, Jim Harbough makes mistakes. But he's taken his team to one Super Bowl and may do so again this year. So overall, his presence is a net benefit to his team. Same for Carroll, Reid and Tomlin. Despite the odd goof-up they help their team more than hurt them.

That's very different from Garrett. A halfway competant coach would have had this team in the playoffs these past 2 years, even with all the injuries. Garrett's coaching gaffes makes him a net liability to his team, unlike the other coaches mentioned.

 

[ShiningStar]

oh goody, another other people are wrong, but im going to defend keeping 8-8. Lovely. Well if losing Marinelli is worth 8-8, you sir are in for the season of a lifetime. I on the other hand would have no problem firing everyone and cutting tons of players to overhaul this franchise and burn it down to start a new. If we go less than 8-8 at least we have a new bench mark for the following season. New faces, new contracts, new schemes and new direction , i personally am all for it. I would love to get younger coaches and give it a ride. Compared to staying with a stable 8-8 season in and season out.

Lets run it up the flagpole and see what happens.

 

[Dhragon]

I agree with most of your writings, but I have to take issue with Garrett.

All coaches make mistakes, but Garrett has literally blown entire seasons. The other coaches you mentioned never iced their own kicker. The other coaches never ran the ball 7 times in a half when they had a 23 point lead. He has literally given away 2 games to the Lions in recent years because of his incompetance.

Sure, Jim Harbough makes mistakes. But he's taken his team to one Super Bowl and may do so again this year. So overall, his presence is a net benefit to his team. Same for Carroll, Reid and Tomlin. Despite the odd goof-up they help their team more than hurt them.

That's very different from Garrett. A halfway competant coach would have had this team in the playoffs these past 2 years, even with all the injuries. Garrett's coaching gaffes makes him a net liability to his team, unlike the other coaches mentioned.

Agree. And while Garrett will undoubtfully improve somewhat as the years go by (if he remains HC), I doubt the improvement will be more than marginal any one year.

I figured he would have to learn on the job when he got hired, which is a main reason I was against him, but I figured he'd be much further along than he is by now.

 

[ShiningStar]

Agree. And while Garrett will undoubtfully improve somewhat as the years go by (if he remains HC), I doubt the improvement will be more than marginal any one year.

I figured he would have to learn on the job when he got hired, which is a main reason I was against him, but I figured he'd be much further along than he is by now.

kindergarten kids do make it to the first grade, I wish we made that jump.

its a process, eat a cookie

 

[xwalker]

So I took a bit of a hiatus from all things Cowboy, partly to absorb the realities of another hum-ho 8-8 thud of a season, but admittedly also to avoid the deluge of half-baked illogical gibberish that no doubt wasted perfectly good bandwidth around here in recent days.

I won't even bother thumbing through it. I can write the headlines blind, because most sports opinions are like TV in China. Predictably predetermined and void of substance.

For those left that I haven't offended, here's a few thoughts as we trudge into another offseason abyss of self-loathing and fix-it strategies.

• Tempting as it may be, you don't mess with the coaching staff much at all. The truth is, this team plays hard for Garrett, and there is value in continuity, even if 8-8 keeps churning as a result. No coach in NFL history has won Super Bowls with multiple teams, so bare that in mind. Big names don't solve bigger problems. Last year didn't fall on the coaches as much as a roster bereft of the necessary depth. I him-haw about this all the time, but when you take out the emotion and look at it objectively, this is the right path for this team and this GM. Cleveland, Buffalo, Oakland, Washington....they switch coaches constantly, and look where it gets them.
• I would be interested in adding Norv Turner as the OC. He believes in running the ball and works great with quarterbacks. Garrett trusts and knows him. It's a great fit.
• Fire Kiffin, and you lose Marinelli. Kiffin is the only reason Marinelli came here. Therefore, keep them both. Losing six defensive lineman wasn't their fault last season anyway, and it's nice to have them versus Rob Ryan, who was more interested in campaigning for a HC gig than showing up on time.
• Watching these games, I'm not sure defense is the sure-fire way to approach the draft. Defense is illegal in the NFL now, and the scores of these playoff games, this year and last, show that it's offense that gets you places nowdays. Yes, I'd focus on building a pass rush, but never mind the rest. It's about scoring 40, and the Cowboys need to keep an eye on scoring more, too. Keep beefing up that much-improved offensive line.
• I've got this gut-punch feeling that Jerry is going to maneuver his way into Johnny Football, which will set this franchise back another decade. That guy will get maimed in the NFL. He's not build like Russel Wilson. I hope and pray the Texans or somebody else take him before Jerry trades the next 10 first-rounders to move up and get JF.
• I'm about ready to part with Ware altogether, paycut or not. He can still play, but he can't still last a season. That's three years running that he's broken down. Do we really expect that trend will reverse. This isn't unlucky; it's just who he is.
• I reluctantly can't wait to see Romo play again. I'm uber-concerned about his back situation, which has ended many careers. Hopefully, his falls in the nerve-only area, and that the surgery will relieve that pressure so he can move on. Back problems are crippling to mind, spirit, and body, and we'll just have to wait and see how this has effected him as an athlete and new daddy. Life changes folks, and priorities even more.

And so here we ago. Life with Jerry marches on in futile lock step, as we reduce ourselves to hoping this blathering fool can somehow strike gold in the darkness before dawn.

That's just what being a Cowboys fan is these days. Drudgery, frustration, and inhuman patience.

Jerry has drafted very few QBs and only 1 in the 1st round. I'm not sure why people think drafting Manziel would be a predictable Jerry move.

 

[Zimmy Lives]

kindergarten kids do make it to the first grade, I wish we made that jump.

its a process, eat a cookie

Don't agree with you but I thought that was funny.

 

[Zordon]

• I've got this gut-punch feeling that Jerry is going to maneuver his way into Johnny Football, which will set this franchise back another decade. That guy will get maimed in the NFL. He's not build like Russel Wilson. I hope and pray the Texans or somebody else take him before Jerry trades the next 10 first-rounders to move up and get JF.

If Jerry refuses to invest multiple picks into the dline then this would be great for the franchise and the morale of a depressed fanbase. This franchise needs a spark. We're tired of seeing Romo, hunchbacked sulking face, at the end of games. Manziel would be a jolt of energy to swagless, stale locker room. East Texas kid, Heisman Winner, Dallas Cowboys Quarterback.....deep down even the most ardent Romo stan has to be tempted by that. It's time to turn the page.

 

[Direwolf63]

If Jerry refuses to invest multiple picks into the dline then this would be great for the franchise and the morale of a depressed fanbase. This franchise needs a spark. We're tired of seeing Romo, hunchbacked sulking face, at the end of games. Manziel would be a jolt of energy to swagless, stale locker room. East Texas kid, Heisman Winner, Dallas Cowboys Quarterback.....deep down even the most ardent Romo stan has to be tempted by that. It's time to turn the page.

Johnny Football may bring glitz, glamour, morale boost and all that other intangible stuff for sure. That't the knid of stuff Jerry loves. More than actually winning football games, actually.

If you don't fix that defense, Johnny isn't going to help you. All he will accomplish is keeping the turnstiles churning at AT&T, which is really what Jerry is all about anyway.

I'd prefer to actually win though.

 

[Zimmy Lives]

If Jerry refuses to invest multiple picks into the dline then this would be great for the franchise and the morale of a depressed fanbase. This franchise needs a spark. We're tired of seeing Romo, hunchbacked sulking face, at the end of games. Manziel would be a jolt of energy to swagless, stale locker room. East Texas kid, Heisman Winner, Dallas Cowboys Quarterback.....deep down even the most ardent Romo stan has to be tempted by that. It's time to turn the page.

Technically (geographically) he hails from Central Texas, a region rich in with QBs such as Bree and Foles.

 

[Mr Cowboy]

Just a couple of weeks until the Senior Bowl and Jerry will come out and tell us how the OL has come together, and with Livings and Ryan Cook coming back, and Costa with another year under his belt, the OL is a position of strength. He will tell us how injuries to the DLIne did us in, but some of those players will be coming back, Crawford, and Bass will be better than ever. He will tell us the safeties struggled, but Matt Johnson is coming back and we will improve. He will tell us that Kiffin was trying to install his defense while short handed and next year he will have a healthy Ware and Lee to make the defense better. Garrett will have another year of on the job training. Jerry will say that this team will be playing deep into January next year.

People here will be starting post after post about how great this off season will be and start talking Super Bowl for next year. This past season will be forgotten like it never happened. This happens every year.

 

[erod]

I agree with most of your writings, but I have to take issue with Garrett.

All coaches make mistakes, but Garrett has literally blown entire seasons. The other coaches you mentioned never iced their own kicker. The other coaches never ran the ball 7 times in a half when they had a 23 point lead. He has literally given away 2 games to the Lions in recent years because of his incompetance.

Sure, Jim Harbough makes mistakes. But he's taken his team to one Super Bowl and may do so again this year. So overall, his presence is a net benefit to his team. Same for Carroll, Reid and Tomlin. Despite the odd goof-up they help their team more than hurt them.

That's very different from Garrett. A halfway competant coach would have had this team in the playoffs these past 2 years, even with all the injuries. Garrett's coaching gaffes makes him a net liability to his team, unlike the other coaches mentioned.

Harbaugh doesn't make some mistakes. He makes lots of them. It just doesn't cost him because his players are so good. Reid is the worst. Tomlin is a close second.

But yes, Garrett has to improve here.

 

[erod]

Jerry made it a point to assure one and all he won't be inclined to take a QB early in the upcoming May draft. While it's possible he may have been blowing smoke and intending otherwise, I'm inclined to believe him in this instance. It would be incredibly foolhardy to make such a decision in view of the fact that other priorities are so drastically more desperate. Moreover, I seriously doubt Johnny Manziel will live up to his lofty expections in professional football. We've already seen evidence of what happens to that type of QB in Michael Vick.

Additionally, I must beg to disagree with the defense not being our most needed area of attention in the next upcoming draft. Hopefully, that and most of our many most pressing needs will be resolved. If Jerry and the rest of the staff fail to give this horrible defense the attention that has been widely seen as what ails us, there could be a storm of outrage within Cowboys Nation that'd rightly shake the team and the entire organization as well.

I'm not saying don't invest in the defense. Got to. But better offense is cool, too, and if a true stud falls in your lap that plays guard or running back, you take him over just some defensive tackle that you're not sure about.

Best player. Always take the best player available.

 

[erod]

Jerry has drafted very few QBs and only 1 in the 1st round. I'm not sure why people think drafting Manziel would be a predictable Jerry move.

Not predictable in that sense, but rather the notion that he'd look for a big splash over needed substance, a la Dez Bryant or Mo Claiborne. Especially after taking a "boring" center last year.

I think he genuinely fears the huge PR swing in Texas if Houston took Manziel. Kids, A&M fans, and casual Cowboys fans would flock that direction, at least at the beginning. (I think Manziel fails in the NFL due to injury and attitude anyway.)

What is encouraging is that considerable power seems to be directed to Will McClay to run the draft and personnel. Jerry may be easing up a bit, although he'll never give up that title.

 

[egn22]

Just a couple of weeks until the Senior Bowl and Jerry will come out and tell us how the OL has come together, and with Livings and Ryan Cook coming back, and Costa with another year under his belt, the OL is a position of strength. He will tell us how injuries to the DLIne did us in, but some of those players will be coming back, Crawford, and Bass will be better than ever. He will tell us the safeties struggled, but Matt Johnson is coming back and we will improve. He will tell us that Kiffin was trying to install his defense while short handed and next year he will have a healthy Ware and Lee to make the defense better. Garrett will have another year of on the job training. Jerry will say that this team will be playing deep into January next year.

People here will be starting post after post about how great this off season will be and start talking Super Bowl for next year. This past season will be forgotten like it never happened. This happens every year.

fantastic post. spot on. this is the year i'm committing to not letting myself buy into that hype. i won't do it.