Bill Barnwell: Jerry's Broken Toy

[TrailBlazer]

Jason said in January 2011 that he planned to give up play calling to Calahan. Jerry went on for a year that he wanted Garrett to call plays. A year later, Garrett give up play calling. Those are all facts that can be backed up by years worth of articles and quotes. Your opinion that Jones stripped him is simply that - an opinion. It is based on no facts relating to this situation.
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Funny. That is one way to position the teams transformation under Garrett. Of course, the other is that Garrett has done a very good job of building and developing talent as we as acquiring a great group of coaches around him. You also havent sensed a theme in the draft picks lately? Do you feel the Cowboys still "feel" like they did under Phillips? They interview/talk the same? Take trips to cabo? Quit on their coach? Splintered? Have separate meetings to complain about other coaches?

Give me a break. If you dont see the difference in the roster, than you are choosing to turn a blind eye.
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And? He is a second year player who missed all of camp and got injured the first week of the season. If you didnt think he would struggle, maybe you were being unrealistic? And just because he sucked for the first 5 games of 2013, that doesnt make it a bad pick.
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I didnt name coaches with just first bad years. I named coaches who got fired because there was no critical thinking being done in the organization. Hence why I didnt name Landry. Landry is a great example of sticking with the process until it bares fruit. Cower as well.
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Not at all. I wanted Phillips gone. I thought the game (coaching wise) had passed Parcells. I think Garrett is going to be our best HC since Jimmy. And its not because of hype. Its because of the clear changes he has made.

The clear changes have lead us to mediocrity. If we end up 8-8 again, would you really want him back next year?

 

[TrailBlazer]

I don't think ware will be here past 2014

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

A competent GM would not half paid exhorbitant amounts to Ratliff and Romo and kept Spencer and Austin around to take up air.
We keep halfing this conversation: We need a GM. Jerra needs to be an owner and not a coach/GM. The Cowboys don't get the most out of their drafts. We keep marginal players around 3 or more years past their expiration dates.
I don't see this changing anytime soon.
If history half taught us anything it is that Jerra is in control, he's hardheaded and consumed by ego.
Cowboy fans get ready for a long, long slog through 8-8 seasons.
The maddening thing is that with these mediocre teams, we will stay mired in mexiocre drafts with mediocre players. We have gotten diamonds in the rough but that is the exception. Ferguson is a good player but he's not 1st-round material. Romo was a find and is a brilliant QB except when it counts the most. Our secondary is serviceable but is strictly second tier. So is our defense and our O-line (we have not met really great teams save the Broncos) and on and on.
I have no illusions we can make the Super Bowl anytime soon or any time in the future as long as Jerra, the owner who will not go, hangs on.
All we can do is hope for miracles on the field and in the playoffs because Jerra's hand has been in the personnel aspect of it too long and with dismal results.

 

[Matts4313]

The clear changes have lead us to mediocrity. If we end up 8-8 again, would you really want him back next year?

HE got us to mediocrity with bottom tier talent on the field. So yeah, I would want him back. Im amazed that weve been an 8-8 team, frankly. This type of complete rebuild normally involves several sub .500 years.

 

[Hoofbite]

Jason said in January 2011 that he planned to give up play calling to Calahan. Jerry went on for a year that he wanted Garrett to call plays. A year later, Garrett give up play calling. Those are all facts that can be backed up by years worth of articles and quotes. Your opinion that Jones stripped him is simply that - an opinion. It is based on no facts relating to this situation.

Callahan coached for the Jets in 2011 so 2012, perhaps?

I'm not sure you've really made a strong argument in any event. Sounds like this,

"Jerry didn't strip Jason of power in 2013 by taking the play calling duties from him. He did it in 2012 by forcing Jason to be the play caller even though Jason wanted Callahan to call the plays".

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Probably an overstatement, but he's been terrible and lost his starting spot to Scandrick (he doesn't play in the base 3-4 anymore, but does take over his old spot in the Nickel/Dime when Scandrick plays the slot).

Good thing Nickel is our base defense.

 

[TrailBlazer]

HE got us to mediocrity with bottom tier talent on the field. So yeah, I would want him back. Im amazed that weve been an 8-8 team, frankly. This type of complete rebuild normally involves several sub .500 years.

Bottom tier talent? We had the talent to be better than .500 then just as we do now. The same core players are here, so its not a complete rebuild as you say. There is no excuse for his poor game management. We shouldn't settle for a .500 head coach.

 

[jubal]

Because it's impossible to precisely control how money lost gets stacked on top of each other in later seasons. I don't think the team intended to eat all of Ratliff's contract next year, for example, which means that something else will unintentionally get pushed back into the future, and who's to say that money doesn't have another unintended consequence, and so on? 2015 or 2016 may be the year that it all finally adds up, but it has to happen at some point.

Also, consider this:

The team created about $28 million in cap space this year by "borrowing" $7 million from 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 each. They still have to account for the missing $7 million next season on top of about $24 million in either dead money or commitments. They'll cut some players, for sure, but they'll still likely have to "borrow" another $30-40 million just to field a competitive team and stay cap compliant. So they'll borrow it from 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Let's say that adds an extra $9 million per season to the cap for those years.

Now we're looking at $16 million a season for 2015, 2016, and 2017, and that's not counting dead money from releases or trades. 2015 looks like another cap nightmare, especially with new contracts for Dez and Tyron. They will probably need to "borrow" more money from future caps that year as well (2016-2019). Let's split the difference between the previous two loan amounts and just say $8 million per season. Now you're dealing with $24 million in added commitments for 2016 and 2017 ($7 + $9 + $8 million), $17 million in 2018 ($9 + $8 million), and that last $8 million for 2018. Somewhere in these years you're also going to have to deal with the dead money that will come from all of the back-end bonuses in the contracts of players like Romo, Ware, and Carr. This could easily turn into an Aikman-like situation.

I know that there are plenty of factors that could come into play here -- a big boost to the cap in 2015 could give the team some breathing room, but the point is there doesn't seem to be an end in sight to these restructures until the team pays the piper in regards to the current core of highly paid players. And it's going to be really, really ugly.

Reminds me of the way our government operates.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Bottom tier talent? We had the talent to be better than .500 then just as we do now. The same core players are here, so its not a complete rebuild as you say. There is no excuse for his poor game management. We shouldn't settle for a .500 head coach.

The offensive line was good?

 

[Nightman]

You're forgetting that the team has $145 million committed to the 2014 salary cap for only 45 players. Once you factor in the rookie class, performance escalators, and the rest of the roster, the team will be at least $29 million over.

You don't account for any of that until the season actually starts in Sept. I said it was around 145m for the Top 51 already. That is still only 18m over the projected cap. They get under that with Romo and Ware alone. The post June 1st cuts cover the draft picks, the full 53 man roster, the IR guys and the practice squad.

 

[Cowboysfan1975]

Here is a good write up on why the cap situation isn't quite as bad as it's being made out to be.

http://thelandryhat.com/2013/10/24/dallas-cowboys-2014-cap-situation-better-think/

 

[Common Sense]

You don't account for any of that until the season actually starts in Sept. I said it was around 145m for the Top 51 already. That is still only 18m over the projected cap. They get under that with Romo and Ware alone. The post June 1st cuts cover the draft picks, the full 53 man roster, the IR guys and the practice squad.

What are you talking about? You don't field a 45-man roster. The $18 million or $16 million or whatever figure you want it to be is completely irrelevant to anything we're talking about.

 

[Matts4313]

Bottom tier talent? We had the talent to be better than .500 then just as we do now. The same core players are here, so its not a complete rebuild as you say. There is no excuse for his poor game management. We shouldn't settle for a .500 head coach.

So take the roster... then minus:
Waters
Leary
Fredrick
Williams
Church
Wilcox
Selvie
Hayden
Durant

Then add to that a playing, but hurt:
Bryant
Austin
Ware

And now you have the "same roster" - - if you dont count that almost half of the starters are different. And thats just one year, even bigger gap if you take it back to 2010.

 

[Miller]

Your brother attended high level meetings at Valley Ranch that impacted the football team? Because from my vantage point it still seems like a lot of hearsay.

dude, his bro sold tickets for the cowboys. That's the type of insider Adam Schefter would kill for. That's... That's like some Ed Werder inside access.

take anything this source says at face value, for sure.

No but he worked out of and officed at the stadium where they had their offices and had meetings with Jerry and the rest of the Jones' weekly. He got to see weekly the inner workings of the organization and he spent weekly time with ex-players who had an ear on how things were run. Not hearsay if he told me his direct observations. It wasn't like he was a box office guy. This was high level sales to some of the wealthiest people in DFW when the stadium needed to sell suites. Jerry was very involved. I guess private jetting to away games with the Jones' is just b.s. time. If you want to hide your head in the sand and wait for one year out of 8 that one day shows we can get above .500, go for it. I've been following since 1975 and am used to excellence, not mediocrity. The fact that you are buying into the same "process" that failed Saban, a protege, in the NFL, shows you have zero clue. It's amazing that the Chiefs are undefeated after being one of the worst teams in the league just because of a new coach. Where is the rebuild? But, but...

 

[Nightman]

What are you talking about? You don't field a 45-man roster. The $18 million or $16 million or whatever figure you want it to be is completely irrelevant to anything we're talking about.

I don't know what you are missing. Teams have to be under the salary cap when the league year starts in March. They only count the Top 51 contracts at that time, not the entire 53 man roster or practice squad or draft picks. The Top 51 for Dallas for 2014 right now is around 145m. That is around 18m over where the cap is expected to be. News media keeps reporting that Dallas is 31m over the cap, but I haven't seen any reports that backs up that number. The numbers I have seen puts Dallas at 18m over the cap.

Before the league year starts, Dallas will restructure Romo and Ware and gain almost 20m in cap space. That puts them under the cap. They will then restructure guys like Carr, Witten, Lee and Orton. That will create another 12-15m. That will allow them to re-sign Hatcher and Waters or sign some FAs. They can cut guys like Costa, Parnell and Durant if they need another 4m. They will then have the Draft. I think they cut Miles Austin and Bern after June 1st and get another 7m in cap space. That should leave them will approx 10m after signing the draft picks. When the Season actually starts in Sept, they have to account for the full 53 and the practice squad, but that only costs around 2m. They can then start thinking about extending Dez and Bryant. It won't go exactly like this, but that is blue print.

 

[jobberone]

Bottom tier talent? We had the talent to be better than .500 then just as we do now. The same core players are here, so its not a complete rebuild as you say. There is no excuse for his poor game management. We shouldn't settle for a .500 head coach.

Not so sure about that. Last year the defense got decimated and again the offense failed to score enough points. The fact we had a chance to win the division week 17 could be interpreted as Garrett doing a good job although player wise I would give Romo, Bailey, and Dez a lot of credit. We didn't have a very good OL.

 

[Common Sense]

I don't know what you are missing. Teams have to be under the salary cap when the league year starts in March. They only count the Top 51 contracts at that time, not the entire 53 man roster or practice squad or draft picks. The Top 51 for Dallas for 2014 right now is around 145m. That is around 18m over where the cap is expected to be. News media keeps reporting that Dallas is 31m over the cap, but I haven't seen any reports that backs up that number. The numbers I have seen puts Dallas at 18m over the cap.

The top 51 for Dallas in 2014 is not $145 million because they DON'T HAVE 51 PLAYERS UNDER CONTRACT. $145 million is an arbitrary, meaningless number because it only reflects a portion of the 2014 roster as it is projected to stand. The $31 million figure is a projection based on what the final roster would look like once you factor in the rookie class, contract escalators, and the rest of the roster.

I could easily pick out the cheapest 20 contracts for Dallas next year and say "Look! We're way under the cap!" But that's ridiculous, isn't it? So is saying that the team will only be $18 million over when you're only looking at 45 of the 51 projected contracts.

I have a feeling I know where you're going to go with this next, so before you respond, think long and hard about what a projection is, what purpose it serves, and how it is determined.

Before the league year starts, Dallas will restructure Romo and Ware and gain almost 20m in cap space. That puts them under the cap. They will then restructure guys like Carr, Witten, Lee and Orton. That will create another 12-15m. That will allow them to re-sign Hatcher and Waters or sign some FAs. They can cut guys like Costa, Parnell and Durant if they need another 4m. They will then have the Draft. I think they cut Miles Austin and Bern after June 1st and get another 7m in cap space. That should leave them will approx 10m after signing the draft picks. When the Season actually starts in Sept, they have to account for the full 53 and the practice squad, but that only costs around 2m. They can then start thinking about extending Dez and Bryant. It won't go exactly like this, but that is blue print.

Restructuring Ware is a bad, bad idea. And like I said before, even if those two moves "put them under the cap," it's with 45 players under contract, so it's entirely irrelevant where the team stands in relation to the cap at that point. Carr and Lee will no doubt be restructured, but Orton and Witten would also make for questionable restructures because they will have to be released sooner rather than later.

The moral of the story? Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD, which is part of what I think you're missing about this situation. No one said the team can't get under the 2014 salary cap. You are arguing against a point that no one ever made in the first place.

 

[Corso]

It appears a lot of things you write are clearly media induced. You do not appear to be digging in further than face value on any of these subjects. For example:

They contradicted each other. AND Jason did get stripped of his play calling <== Proof? There is none. In fact, every one involved has said it was Jason decision. Taking it a step further **JASON SAID IT WHEN HE HIRED CALLAHAN A YEAR AGO**

My displeasure is with Garrett and the "direction" AND "PROCESS" so many here seem to give him credit for yet ignore the fact that all of these little victories they somehow claim have added up to .500 ball. Could you point out what withing the organization points out otherwise. <== Sure. How about in the last 3 years Garrett has cut almost every bloated contract and the underperfoming players behind it. That has lead to a total turnover of ~80% of our roster the last few years. On top of that, the *VAST* majority of our starters right now are young players developed under Garrett. That is signs of a process. Cut old players, replace with young developing talent that fits your philosophy.

Morris is a Top 10 pick that we gave up top picks for and was mediocre his rookie year and is 90th this year. <== ... You are seriously using the PFF grades? The same grades that have Colin Kaepernick as the 3rd **WORST** QB in the NFL? Behind Ponder, Freeman, Weeden, etc etc. I highly suggest that you consider how much stock you put into them.
Intensity and Direction? What direction at .500 <== This type of results oriented thinking is completely flawed. You have to use critical thinking skills here and look past the results. Thats the type of logic that got Belichik, Reid, Marty Schot, Dungy and others fired.

Terrific, a formidable poster bringing the goods every time. I am going to be following you, buddy.

Not in a creepy way though... don't get any ideas.

 

[Corso]

Callahan coached for the Jets in 2011 so 2012, perhaps?

I'm not sure you've really made a strong argument in any event. Sounds like this,

"Jerry didn't strip Jason of power in 2013 by taking the play calling duties from him. He did it in 2012 by forcing Jason to be the play caller even though Jason wanted Callahan to call the plays".

I don't have a link, but I distinctly remember the subject of playcalling the day Callahan was hired. Garrett stated that Callahan would need a year or so of learning the playbook and philosophy before that would happen, but it was in the picture.

All you Cowboys fans that obsess over every little thing and nobody can remember this...

No. Garrett was stripped. Let's keep things lazy around here.

 

[Nightman]

The top 51 for Dallas in 2014 is not $145 million because they DON'T HAVE 51 PLAYERS UNDER CONTRACT. $145 million is an arbitrary, meaningless number because it only reflects a portion of the 2014 roster as it is projected to stand. The $31 million figure is a projection based on what the final roster would look like once you factor in the rookie class, contract escalators, and the rest of the roster.

I could easily pick out the cheapest 20 contracts for Dallas next year and say "Look! We're way under the cap!" But that's ridiculous, isn't it? So is saying that the team will only be $18 million over when you're only looking at 45 of the 51 projected contracts.

I have a feeling I know where you're going to go with this next, so before you respond, think long and hard about what a projection is, what purpose it serves, and how it is determined.



Restructuring Ware is a bad, bad idea. And like I said before, even if those two moves "put them under the cap," it's with 45 players under contract, so it's entirely irrelevant where the team stands in relation to the cap at that point. Carr and Lee will no doubt be restructured, but Orton and Witten would also make for questionable restructures because they will have to be released sooner rather than later.

The moral of the story? Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD, which is part of what I think you're missing about this situation. No one said the team can't get under the 2014 salary cap. You are arguing against a point that no one ever made in the first place.

You are projecting the finished product, not the starting point. The only important number until the 2014 season starts in Sept is the Top 51. To go from 45 to 51 only adds 2.4m to the 143m under contract right now. That's still 145-146m. Restructuring Romo and Ware HAS to happen and those 2 alone will get them under the cap. Everything after that is dependent on what they do with Hatcher and Waters and the Draft. But there are plenty of moves to make to keep those guys and even add a few FAs.