Barstool Jon Gruden: The Top Three Free Agent Running Backs Matter

[Kolemmitt]

Another example of our FO being reactive instead of understanding the game In advance. Five years ago, we set the RB market by paying Zeke at the top of the RB market.

They realized they overpaid for a guy who was already in decline and instead of recognizing THAT they over-reacted by acting like RBs don’t matter. There are examples like this throughout the history of the Jones FO where they are reacting to the times and the mistakes they make by over-reacting.

YES!!! Jerry has been a very reactive GM. Always over-responding to trends too late. Unlike most of the Schramm/Landry years or the Jimmy Johnson years when we were dynamic and innovating and not simply overreacting blindly to trends started by other clubs.

Their thinking also lacks nuance or even reason. We reacted to overpaying for a declining running back five years ago by paying a little to the guy who was already declining five years ago, but we refused to pay a fair market price for vets with juice left!! It boggles my mind.

 

[blueblood70]

Good Point,Each Of The 3 Left Bad Teams.

Rico Dowdle will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025 So I wonder If Rico Will Leave This Bad Cowboys Team And Go On To a Successful Career With Another Team?

He might and he's probably angry because Mike McCarthy iced his career last year I'll argue he was better than Tony Pollard the way Tony was used should've been rico's carries and vice versa Tony would have been better here last year had he been used like he has been behind zeke all these years not turned into the number one back and I'll tell you right now I think Rico is as good as Tony.. And now this year running back by committee that might have been the thought process going in but after that Pittsburgh game Rico could have three 100 yard games already he got iced he got put on the bench far too often he should have been getting the ball much like Kareem hunt or naji Harris and just all game and he would have changed fans minds about our run game I'm not saying he's dynamic we need to draft a dynamic running back like jameer Gibbs that's what we need in this draft I don't think it is Jeanty, I mean I wouldn't be unhappy with Jeanty, but we need a a faster back in my opinion... And no I'm not talking about a change of pace back or a third down back I'm just talking about a faster more impact like top end speed guy with more cuts you know someone who has some juice cause rico's a really good back we could work with him the problem has been this scheme and our play caller but we could use a guy like gifts more than a guy like jeanty. From what I hear there's at least three or four of those in this draft the running backs are there we need to draft one we don't need a free agent running back making a bunch of money...

 

[blueblood70]

Good Point,Each Of The 3 Left Bad Teams.

Rico Dowdle will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025 So I wonder If Rico Will Leave This Bad Cowboys Team And Go On To a Successful Career With Another Team?

Well, here's the problem with that how much are you willing to pay Rico??

James Connor who's gonna be 30 by the way in may ,who's not doing anything special this year, just got a two year $19 million extension with the Cardinals,

I don't see that kind of production right now... I'd say they're very similar running backs and rico is probably younger...

I mean you're gonna pay Rico that kind of money no you just draft 2 new running backs I'm not giving Rico $9 million a year... At least I don't think he's worth it unless we have a coaching staff that uses him like a $9 million running back but James Connor is not lighting up the NFL and he just got an extension I think it's not worth it I think you need to go into the draft to get your guys you should have a guy like Rico on your roster but not when it comes to a second contract not when it comes to a big c/..ontract those guys can be had in the NFL in most a lot of places if you have the right coaching staff and scheme

 

[thunderpimp91]

Has the Notre Dame linebacker in round 3 done anything?

That’s where I thought we should’ve got a guy.

Not really, he barely sees the field. Nothing against Liufau, its not his fault Jerry over drafted him, but I would completely agree they could have used a 3rd rounder better there. Its why you dont make draft picks to appease coaches on 1 year deals.

 

[Verdict]

Oh the horse they matter but you don't need one of those three guys to make your run game better I can name a bunch of teams like the Kansas City Chiefs are using Kareem hunt who is not better than Rico they're about the same and somehow they have the best record in the NFL that you were using a seventh round draft pick before him the Pittsburgh Steelers use a guy that barely get you 4 yards of carry you know like Rico the problem here is our scheme and our run game was flawed from the beginning because of our offensive coordinator yeah we don't need to use deuce maybe we didn't even need to use Elliot maybe this should have been about 100 the full back and Rico getting most of the carries and then using dalvin cook or someone else but yes the choices were bad from the beginning we already see the proof that it was not the names on the back of their jersey more the scheme to play calling in the offensive line which all look better now all of a sudden...

So yes I'm on board you draft a running back in the first 3 rounds you go get one of the better running backs someone with a little juice that can be used with a guy like Rico Rico already proved he could be a solid running back in this league his problem was his coaches and his offensive line in the schemes his offensive line coach it's more important to have those because I've seen the San Francisco 49ers back up running back have a couple 100 yard games it wasn't about Christian McCaffrey they were already good before he got there in a running back by committee they were very successful..

The mistake wasn't getting one of those free agents not even keeping Tony they were all smart not to go do that for our situation we needed a new young running back with juice.. I just keep bringing up a guy like Gibbs that's what this Cowboys team needs we have the running backs that can move the ball we need the ones that can actually take the top off and make an impact play deep long runs touchdowns..

Our biggest mistakes are paying players like Martin top of the position money for has been play. Martin hasn’t been a too shelf player for several years now. He was at one time but we are paying for past performance which gets you no where.

 

[kskboys]

Wow! Breaking news!

Great players leave old team who wasnt a playoff caliber team for playoff teams last year.

Amazing how the bad teams remain bad! But elite teams remain elite

Even more amazing is how the elite teams value the RB position!!!!!!

 

[kskboys]

Our biggest mistakes are paying players like Martin top of the position money for has been play. Martin hasn’t been a too shelf player for several years now. He was at one time but we are paying for past performance which gets you no where.

That is by far not our biggest mistake. Ahem..........Mazi/Joseph/Trysten/Schoonmaker/TreyLance/Mingo/contracts........

 

[fivetwos]

Does any of it really matter when our celebrity “GM” thought that Elliott could be a top RB?

Neither him or his kid are any good at building a roster, yet they swear they are great at it. The “oblong ball sometimes doesn’t bounce the right way.” True, but it’s a difference maybe within ONE game, not three more playoff wins in a given season.

They happen to own the team so I guess I’m screwed. I have a problem with those that have a problem with me having a problem with that.

I fully deserve to complain and it will continue within the confines of the rules around here. Don’t like it? Block me.

 

[Chasing6]

They definitely matter. We also proved that by starting Zeke Week 1

Well when you let your Owner/GM pick the starters what could go wrong?

 

[Chasing6]

Fair point.

But how much better are the teams than prior year.

But how much better are we after letting Pollard go and trading for phenom Trance???

 

[KingintheNorth]

It difficult to even call them bad at it when they don’t even participate.

Was Brandon Carr all that bad? He wasn’t Prime but is that what they expected?

What about Leonard Davis? That wasn’t a bad signing.

This is all about Stephen gaining more control, which I suspect happened around the time of the Martin vs Manziel draft pick, and he looks at every single situation as a free agent not being worth it dollar for dollar vs a cheap draft pick. Yeah we know that, but consider the caveats, and the fact that no one hits enough of them to operate that way and expect to win.

The most frustrating part is that they don’t at all seem to get that their MO doesn’t work. Successful teams are wheeling and dealing picks and signing players, and he just moans about the cap being real, and his major goal is to keep together a team that isn’t good enough. It’s maddening.

Stephen has been embarrassed and even laughed at by agents with his offers and negotiating. He has lowballed people. There’s more of this but some of the public ones were Bobby Wagner, Zay Jones, and Shaq Leonard. One agent actually told him he will not deal with him anymore and advises his clients against signing in Dallas because of Stephen’s tactics and arrogance.

The Randy Gregory ordeal exposed him as well.

Stephen is bad at this. The non-participation is a fake attempt to show that this is all a “plan” when in reality it’s Stephen quietly knowing players won’t accept his offers. This the over reliance on draft picks, the franchise tag, and UFL players. All guys with zero negotiating power.

McCarthy and others will keep leaking the details. The next few years will be interesting.

 

[fivetwos]

Stephen has been embarrassed and even laughed at by agents with his offers and negotiating. He has lowballed people. There’s more of this but some of the public ones were Bobby Wagner, Zay Jones, and Shaq Leonard. One agent actually told him he will not deal with him anymore and advises his clients against signing in Dallas because of Stephen’s tactics and arrogance.

The Randy Gregory ordeal exposed him as well.

Stephen is bad at this. The non-participation is a fake attempt to show that this is all a “plan” when in reality it’s Stephen quietly knowing players won’t accept his offers. This the over reliance on draft picks, the franchise tag, and UFL players. All guys with zero negotiating power.

McCarthy and others will keep leaking the details. The next few years will be interesting.

Even if he does back off and hire a GM after Jerry is gone, he still holds the checkbook and will expect that GM to operate “his way.” Sounds all too familiar.

We had our day and it’s more than likely over.

 

[Chasing6]

Even if he does back off and hire a GM after Jerry is gone, he still holds the checkbook and will expect that GM to operate “his way.” Sounds all too familiar.

We had our day and it’s more than likely over.

At least you would have another voice of influence in the room. That actually spent time evaluating current NFL players.

 

[quickccc]

Do we see any Barkley,... Henry ..or Jacobs in this coming FA pool ?

- In what's supposed to be a strong RB class, i'll take my chances with drafting a young budding star with fresh legs.

- and then get that Mongomery (Lions) type in FA .

- Rico would be my 3rd back, not my No.2

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

But how much better are we after letting Pollard go and trading for phenom Trance???

Oh I agree. My point wasn't that they are not better...but there is only so much room for playoff teams to get better...

 

[Proof]

But to be fair the teams they joined were all pretty good and the teams the left were all pretty bad already.

right. gales were 10-1 vs 9-2 last year. giants were 3-8 vs 2-9

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

Was told we didn’t have the funds to afford any of those guys.

 

[loublue22]

Bunch of other good ones too like Mixon and Aaron Jones.

 

[DuncanIso]

More and more, the Jones philosophy of avoiding free agency is being exposed as a flawed strategy in team building.

Because you are bad at something is not a good reason to not participate in it. Get better at it. Or more specifically, remove the people that are bad at it from their role.

To be fair, we don’t have the cap $$$.

we just don’t.

 

[sunalsorises]

Oh heavens forbid. I mean a guy that lived his life in football uses off color remarks in a “private” conversation. What a monster.

That "private" conversation also got leaked. It's still a good lesson on being careful what you put in writing and who is around when you want to have a private conversation.