Cowboys need to stop faking, let Will McClay do his job in free agency

[Stash]

I wouldn't disagree with that- whatever he is, he was a bad investment based on how the Cowboys wanted him to be used

We're in complete agreement on that.

 

[Alexander]

I promise you moving money around to sign a big name free agent is easily achievable without sending them into the abyss or saying goodbye to their young stars after their rookie deals. If you aren't capable of doing the math for it, I can see why you refuse to acknowledge this as a legitimate position. I often forget I have to spell out the cap management in every single article I write or ppl respond like you are.

Conceptually, of course it is possible. And yes you could go to the player contracts and bank off that forever. That is just simply not healthy and sustainable. Eventually you have to wean away from it. You will always be able pay your stars but will lose the ability to keep the middle layer of the roster if you are any good. Look at teams like the Saints, Broncos and Steelers. All have lost or had to trade players they would have wanted to keep if things were all equal. Just because something is conceptually possible does not make it sound fiscally. Eventually, there will be hard decisions to make. And sometimes they are not always the best ones to have to struggle with.

 

[Mr Cowboy]

I guess this will be another, "you can't fix the whole defense in one off-season," years, like the past 5 years! LOL

 

[KD Drummond]

Conceptually, of course it is possible. And yes you could go to the player contracts and bank off that forever. That is just simply not healthy and sustainable. Eventually you have to wean away from it. You will always be able pay your stars but will lose the ability to keep the middle layer of the roster if you are any good. Look at teams like the Saints, Broncos and Steelers. All have lost or had to trade players they would have wanted to keep if things were all equal. Just because something is conceptually possible does not make it sound fiscally. Eventually, there will be hard decisions to make. And sometimes they are not always the best ones to have to struggle with.

One of the things I regret about moving up in the big chair is I don't have the chance to really flesh out every article idea I have. I could do the entire exercise of signing a big name free agent and keeping all the young stars when their contracts are up and being ok based on the forward projections of cap growth. I promise if I could spend two days writing a single article I could prove it to people. There are tough decisions to make with signing players to market value no matter the cap situation. That's just being prudent.

 

[CF74]

I can't call who was the driving force behind that move, but look at it in the context of how it was done. It wasn't during the first wave of FA, when teams are bidding for players. It wasn't really 2nd wave iirc. They waited til they could prove they weren't bidding against anyone and then constructed a deal with more outs than an extra inning ballgame.

People always mistake Hardy's situation. The problem with spending big on a free agent is the amount of guaranteed money which goes along with the deal. When you sign a player to a lot of guaranteed money, it locks you into said player for basically three years. That's what you should always look at in a deal, the g'teed money the team is committed to. With Hardy, there was a one-year deal and very little of it was guaranteed. Yes, it reached $9.8 million, but they could've walked away paying much less if they chose to. Regardless, if he turned out to be a dirtbag, which he did, they could walk away from it and not see any remnants of him on future year's cap.

Here's where I broke down everything about the Hardy contract right after he was signed, in my best Skip Bayless impersonation.

http://www.scout.com/nfl/cowboys/story/1528984-cowboys-hardy-incentive-deal-at-a-cost

The last player they committed to long-term from someone else's roster was Brandon Carr in 2012.

Sounds to me like they learned their lesson and have been playing it smart.

 

[KD Drummond]

I'm not as low on the DT situation as some others. Actually I think it's a decent group.

DE is a "car-wreck".

I want McClain back at DT, but they painted themselves into a corner with a bad signing in Thornton. He's at $4.5m and is the backup to their free agent who is appreciably better. McClain won't get $5 million on the open market (I don't think) but he is he going to sign for less than his backup. Collins gives a lot of hope, Crawford as a backup is cool except for the money. Irving as the 2nd 3T for nickel works.

You are 100% correct. They need the exterior racecars to go with their bulldozers.

 

[KD Drummond]

Sounds to me like they learned their lesson and have been playing it smart.

Their performance in the Divisional Round has a different opinion about how smart they played it.

 

[Stash]

Their performance in the Divisional Round has a different opinion about how smart they played it.

What's your opinion of the playcalling for that one? There's a continuing debate around here about whether it was good enough or not and if the loss was just all about an undermanned defense.

 

[CF74]

Their performance in the Divisional Round has a different opinion about how smart they played it.

Are we still talking about throwing money at free agents or play calling lol

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Misses like those play a big part in how we got here. And in defensive end being far and away this team's biggest need. Maybe a 1a and 1b level need.

Yeah but every team has needs. Some of these guys just need to step up. There's no excuses when guys inferior to them are playing better.

 

[Stash]

Yeah but every team has needs. Some of these guys just need to step up. There's no excuses when guys inferior to them are playing better.

No offense, but I remember hearing that same mantra about guys "stepping up" in this area prior to the 2016 season too.

 

[skinsscalper]

First off, thanks for reading- I appreciate any time someone takes the time to click. I didn't discuss who McClay is exactly supposed to get because, for the purposes of the article that's somewhat irrelevant. The Cowboys have passed on any and all major pass rushers on the market when it comes to long-term deals. They are afraid of wasting their money. The point of the article is that based on the players Will McClay has been able to find in the bargain bin, he deserves the opportunity to try his hand at identifying a top-tier free agent who can be the difference maker Rod Marinelli has failed to find in the draft. Who MY opinion of that guy is, for this article, irrelevant. The entire point is that McClay is the guy I want having a chance to figure out who that player is.

Do you not think he's a much better evaluator to do that than the previous regime?

Wait, so let me get this straight. You want McClay to work the magic in FA that he has in the draft and UDFA but the failures in the draft in regards to the defense are Marinelli's failures all of a sudden?

Not exactly the machinations of the sharpest tool in the shed.

 

[NorthTexan95]

if this is in reference to me, here's what I wrote in the "we drafted Lawrence" initial article when I was with BTB:

Personally, I had Lawrence as my 19th rated player for the Cowboys; the first player ranked with a second round grade after 18 first rounders. He was right smack in the middle of a swarm with Timmy Jernigan, Rashede Hageman, Will Sutton, Allen Robinson and a few others. If Lawrence turns into what Dallas thinks he is, then it doesn't matter much what the trade was. However, with so many players rated similarly, plus the fact that they gave up a top-80 pick to snare him and lost the value of a mid-fourth rounder; I cannot get behind this trade in the throes of the offseason. Maybe training camp will change that opinion.
http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2014...nfl-draft-grade-scouting-report-defensive-end

So no, I wasn't happy with giving up 2 picks for Lawrence, and I've written several articles about it since. I still hold out hope, but I don't think the Cowboys should say "we're good because Lawrence will break out".

Cheers.

My post wasn't really in response to anyone specific. I think Will McClay does a great job but even he has some misses. You're right up mirrors my own opinion when he was drafted. It was a "I hope the Cowboys got it right" feeling. So far it doesn't appear they have.

 

[KD Drummond]

Wait, so let me get this straight. You want McClay to work the magic in FA that he has in the draft and UDFA but the failures in the draft in regards to the defense are Marinelli's failures all of a sudden?

Not exactly the machinations of the sharpest tool in the shed.

Hey guy, whatever is going on in your life you feel the need to attack someone who had no clue you existed before this moment right now- I hope it all works out for you lmao.

 

[Idgit]

We reportedly were interested in Robert Ayres last season. He got 3/$22MM from Tampa.

 

[Nightman]

I promise you moving money around to sign a big name free agent is easily achievable without sending them into the abyss or saying goodbye to their young stars after their rookie deals. I often forget I have to spell out the cap mgmt in every article I write or ppl respond like it isn't possible.

have fun....they love being intentionally obtuse about the cap......it has been explained and explained and explained but they still think restructures are bad and paying full price is smart

the cap has gone up 45m since 2013 and yet they act like it is still 2009 with a 123m cap.......it will be closer to 170m this year.........the Cowboys have 60m in space available....it is just a question of when and how much of that they activate........they should maximize the cap every year but they have sold the "paupers" story line for too long and that is their preferred identity

They could keep Romo, Leary, Church, Mo Claiborne and sign Chandler Jones if they wanted to but they don't.......but a WDE is the biggest need and they should spend the money if they spot one or draft one in the first and sign a cheaper vet to bridge the gap

 

[KD Drummond]

Are we still talking about throwing money at free agents or play calling lol

They are all related. Marinelli's track record is that he can command a great defense with veteran talent. He hasn't been good at developing young talent. Therefore, if the Cowboys want to have a good defense, they need to stop listening to Marinelli about which players in the draft he can turn into big talents, and just give him the already proven talent.

 

[skinsscalper]

Hey guy, whatever is going on in your life you feel the need to attack someone who had no clue you existed before this moment right now- I hope it all works out for you lmao.

You still failed to address the point of my post. How is McClay the draft genius except when it fails then it's Marinelli? Then all of a sudden McClay is the man that should run FA? How are you certain McClay isn't already instrumental in the FA process and (possibly) an influential presence in avoiding overpaying in FA? And what was the last defensive guy we "should have gone out and got" in FA that we missed out on?

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

http://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/201...ng-let-will-mcclay-do-his-job-in-free-agency/

McClay has hits. And misses.
Let us not idolize him, yet, stout fellows.

 

[stilltheguru88]

I want McClain back at DT, but they painted themselves into a corner with a bad signing in Thornton. He's at $4.5m and is the backup to their free agent who is appreciably better. McClain won't get $5 million on the open market (I don't think) but he is he going to sign for less than his backup. Collins gives a lot of hope, Crawford as a backup is cool except for the money. Irving as the 2nd 3T for nickel works.

You are 100% correct. They need the exterior racecars to go with their bulldozers.

What's the cost to cut Thornton?