Clayton: The best play in NFL free agency is to be in position to pass

[The Natural]

John Clayton wrote a very good article saying that the best teams in the NFL don;t go spend crazy in the NFL during FA. This is why I keep my mouth shut about the cowboys lack of activity in FA.

Underlined the operative word

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

Problem is, when you are 4-12 are you in a position to "pass"?

They need to be. Dallas has traditionally not been good at acquiring upper level talent from other teams. Most of those guys will not live up to their contracts and could end up being an issue come time to sign guys like Fredbeard, Martin and Lawrence. They need to keep going for the young talent in the draft and keeping that talent when they pan out.

 

[kazzd58]

Problem is, when you are 4-12 are you in a position to "pass"?

No QB No WR= 4-12

 

[Aven8]

All I know is the Gents, Jags, and Texans teams got better. They excited there fan bases, saw there weaknesses, and went after it. What more could you ask for?

 

[DFWJC]

If your top 5 qb and top 5 WR are out for most of the season.. Yes.

You'd think that very basic fact would not be lost on some here, but it certainly is.
Some seem to get a cozy, warm feeling about saying 4-12 under odd circumstances...then give no validly to the 12-4 the year before when we did have those players.
Not saying 12-4 is expected (Murray had the epic year) but nobody in their right mind should think if Dez and Romo are back that Dallas is a 4-12 team.

I still say no excuse for being THAT bad last year, but otherwise, I think you get the point better than some of these guys.

 

[Clarkson]

This article would make me feel better if we were one of the teams who were in that "position to pass", but we aren't.

We don't have enough talent on this roster to sit back and see how free agency pans out.

If we want to win, we need more talent. Sitting back and doing nothing will keep us drowning in mediocrity.

who did you want to sign, and to what contract?
you want a name like Janoris Jenkins, just because he's a name you know? He isn't good. And it will be a poopy contract after a year. He won't last two years there.

 

[gmoney112]

What you're seeing now may not be the reality of the situation come training camp.

You may be right. The irony is just funny to me.

I do think it's pretty telling though when they'd rather restructure a contract than release either one when they're both making at least double market value.

I can understand a possible "Carr renegotiation" in the works, but after he balked at the idea last year does anyone really think he's going to accept anything other than an overly generous offer? We have two massive cap charges for mediocre players on the dawn of FA, and we try and tell ourselves how smart we're being.

I'd be surprised, shocked even, if we release Barry. And really, well run organizations don't pay a mediocre SS 4+ million a year. They get guys like Chung, Harper, mid round draft picks. If my instinct is wrong and they do release him, I'll be the first to admit that we're being smart.

 

[Clarkson]

the cowboys don't have enough talent to pass but they don't have the cap space to engage in the top of free agency. its really about the money or the lack of it for dallas.

they have plenty of cap space, or could have plenty of space, to do anything they want.

Signing Janoris Jenkins to a ridiculous contract just to do it is exactly what they don't need to do.

 

[Clarkson]

not enough money.

false.
do people really still not understand how the cap works in the NFL?

If we wanted to pay Lamar Miller $6.5M, we could have. I'm glad we didn't. We can pay a younger version $1M in the 3rd round.

 

[davey999]

who did you want to sign, and to what contract?
you want a name like Janoris Jenkins, just because he's a name you know? He isn't good. And it will be a poopy contract after a year. He won't last two years there.

Leodis Mckelvin at 3 mill would have been good. Jaye Howard and Matt Forte. All those deals are fair.

 

[Sydla]

they have plenty of cap space, or could have plenty of space, to do anything they want.

Signing Janoris Jenkins to a ridiculous contract just to do it is exactly what they don't need to do.

Very true on Jenkins.

But there is probably a happy medium between Janoris Jenkins and say Nolan Carroll being signed as a big piece in your apparent fixing of the secondary.

 

[Sydla]

Leodis Mckelvin at 3 mill would have been good. Jaye Howard and Matt Forte. All those deals are fair.

McKelvin would have been a good signing but I think he wanted to play with Schwartz again in Philly. Howard? ehhh, I think with Thornton, we are OK there.

Forte............ would have been a very good signing IMO. I think he got a really fair deal.

 

[Clarkson]

All I know is the Gents, Jags, and Texans teams got better. They excited there fan bases, saw there weaknesses, and went after it. What more could you ask for?

pretty much all i need to know about this poster, and glad i wholeheartedly disagree with him.

 

[Clarkson]

And really, well run organizations don't pay a mediocre SS 4+ million a year. They get guys like Chung...

Chung was dreadful in Philly. Dreadfully bad. That's why he came cheap and he happened to play well.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

You may be right. The irony is just funny to me.

I do think it's pretty telling though when they'd rather restructure a contract than release either one when they're both making at least double market value.

I can understand a possible "Carr renegotiation" in the works, but after he balked at the idea last year does anyone really think he's going to accept anything other than an overly generous offer? We have two massive cap charges for mediocre players on the dawn of FA, and we try and tell ourselves how smart we're being.

I'd be surprised, shocked even, if we release Barry. And really, well run organizations don't pay a mediocre SS 4+ million a year. They get guys like Chung, Harper, mid round draft picks. If my instinct is wrong and they do release him, I'll be the first to admit that we're being smart.

I think right now is the time to start negotiating with Carr... as slots for corners start filling in across the league and teams are tightening up what they'll spend.

The Church signing (for that amount) was probably as much to do with desperation and need at the position as much as anything else.

 

[Sydla]

Chung was dreadful in Philly. Dreadfully bad. That's why he came cheap and he happened to play well.

He was pretty bad in Philly, but some of that was the scheme that exposed safeties pretty badly.

Doesn't change the fact that I think a lot of Cowboys fans can't stomach another year with Barry Church starting at SS for us but it appears there is no indication from the Cowboys they are ready to move on from him.

 

[Clarkson]

Leodis Mckelvin at 3 mill would have been good. Jaye Howard and Matt Forte. All those deals are fair.

McKelvin never made it to us, remember? What did you want to do, have Jerry run in on his meeting in Philly (with his old coach, Schwartz)?

 

[Clarkson]

He was pretty bad in Philly, but some of that was the scheme that exposed safeties pretty badly.

Doesn't change the fact that I think a lot of Cowboys fans can't stomach another year with Barry Church starting at SS for us.

Oh, I can't stomach that either. He needs to go yesterday.

 

[davey999]

McKelvin never made it to us, remember? What did you want to do, have Jerry run in on his meeting in Philly (with his old coach, Schwartz)?

I thought that Jerry got every player he wanted? Somebody asked who I wanted, I answered.

 

[Sydla]

I just have the feeling that Church is a guy that Marinelli likes. Works hard, student of the game, Marinelli can trust him to know what the alignments should be, etc ignoring the fact Church just simply isn't that good when the ball is snapped.

It's the same logic that gave us Nick Hayden at the 1 tech for a few years.