Cowboys "Neglected" QBs before/after Aikman retired

[AzorAhai]

This rhetoric is an oversimplification of what actually happened. People have long been claiming the Cowboys just neglected to find Aikmans replacement before he was retired, when the reality is actually that even if they did try, the overwhelming odds say they wouldn't have been able to replace him as easily as people seem to think anyways.

Here is where I will show how things played out in the years prior to when Aikman retired and several years following his retirement. I'll start in 1997 which is still far too early to have considered his replacement. For this I will only do the top 3 Rds while mentioning any notable exceptions.

QBs taken between 1997-2004

1997
1st Rd
None

2nd Rd
42- Jake Plummer

3rd Rd
None

Nothing to see here. Plummer was a decent QB, but nothing worth complaining about missing out on.

1998

1st Rd
1 Peyton Manning
2 Ryan Leaf

2nd Rd
60 Charlie Batch

3rd Rd
86 Jonathan Quinn
91 Brian Griese

6th Rd
186 Matt Hasselbeck

The Cowboys had a high pick this year, but Indianapolis wasn't trading the top pick. Griese had some good years, but not what I would call a franchise QB. Hasselbeck was a good QB for a good stretch. Hard to fault the Cowboys since this is still too early to be looking for Aikmans replacement with the circumstances at the time.

1999

1st Rd
1 Tim Couch
2 Donovan McNabb
3 Akili Smith
11 Daunte Culpepper
12 Cade McNown

2nd Rd
50 Shaun King

3rd Rd
77 Brock Huard

The Cowboys were never in a position to take McNabb and theres nobody else of note to really mention. Culpepper had some decent seasons, but IMO he wasn't a franchise QB and he eventually proved it. Regardless, they still wouldn't have been in position to take him

2000 Draft

1st Rd
17 Chad Pennington

2nd Rd
None

3rd Rd
65 Giovanni Carmazzi
75 Chris Redman

6th Rd
168 Marc Bulger
199 Tom Brady

The Cowboys missed out on Brady. So did every other team. He is the exception, not the rule. Hard to knock a team for not being the team to draft a 6th Rd gem.

2001

1st Rd
1 Michael Vick

2nd Rd
32 Drew Brees
53 Quincy Carter
59 Marques Tuiasosopo

3rd Rd
None

This is the only year I can really find fault in the Cowboys. This is the year Aikman retired. It's also a year they didn't have a 1st Rd pick because of the Galloway trade. Not having it resulted in no shot at Brees and then they compounded that problem by taking Quincy.

2002

1st Rd
1 David Carr
32 Patrick Ramsey

2nd Rd
None

3rd Rd
91 Josh McCown

No commentary needed

2003

1st Rd
1 Carson Palmer
7 Byron Leftwich
19 Kyle Boller
22 Rex Grossman

2nd Rd
None

3rd Rd
88 Dave Ragone
97 Chris Simms

Palmer. Thats it. Even in a year they had a top 5 pick, if it wasn't Palmer it's a wasted pick. It's all moot because this is the year Romo came to be a Cowboy.

2004

1st Rd
1 Eli Manning
4 Phillip Rivers
11 Ben Roethlisberger
22 J.P. Losman

2nd Rd
None

3rd Rd
90 Matt Schaub

Heck of a year to have a high pick if you're looking for a QB. Unfortunately(or is it fortunately?) the Cowboys didn't. This is the last year I'm going to do because the coacheshad an idea of who Romo was by this point.

Bottom line is people are chastising the Cowboys for not looking for Aikmans replacement or getting prepared for life after Aikman. Who exactly were they supposed to take? Plummer? Griese? It would have been a complete waste. Brees is the only one that the team can honestly look back on and say "dang, we really screwed the pooch there." Thats it, abd thats after Aikman. Do they trade way up in a draft while Aikman is still playing? Essentially screwing any chance to get better in the last years of the big 3. They simply weren't in a position to trade up for any QB that wouldn't have cost a giant sum of picks. The pre retirement and even post retirement wasn't some crappy handling of the situation. It was you had the 1st pick in 1998 or took a flier on Hasselbeck in the 6th. Seeing this, are you really going to point to the Cowboys not "addressing" the position even though "addressing" basically means throwing picks away?

 

[Alexander]

Wait, so the idea here is to look at the organization's failure in the past to secure a QB to do what---provide a soft cushion for when it happens again?

I understand retroactive peeks into the past to wish what we could have done, but to look back only to provide excuses for what we didn't do?

What?

 

[AzorAhai]

Wait, so the idea here is to look at the organization's failure in the past to secure a QB to do what---provide a soft cushion for when it happens again?

I understand retroactive peeks into the past to wish what we could have done, but to look back only to provide excuses for what we didn't do?

What?

Since you point to the failure in the Aikman years, tell me what they should have done? Who were they supposed to take to address the position?

 

[Alexander]

Since you point to the failure in the Aikman years, tell me what they should have done? Who were they supposed to take to address the position.

Well, for one, I would not indulge in the flavor of the moment in Donovan McNabb and delude myself into thinking the next one was Quincy Carter.

I do not think Jerry Jones should have been clairvoyant, but that was not smart. Especially when we maneuvered more than once within the second and third rounds in that draft and then panicked giving up choices that were gained in the first place to get that.

At this stage it does not matter. And it certainly has zero to do with what this organization should do now.

I stress "should" since the same person has the final say.

 

[Zekeats]

Waste of time

 

[Spectre]

QB
Has more to do with personality and leadership than pretty much any measurable.
Drafting doesn't ever follow this line of thinking.
Once teams figure that out, or are forced to somehow luck into it, they find they're QB. Some it takes longer than others. We can thank Parcells & S. Payton for that- Romo.

 

[AzorAhai]

Well, for one, I would not indulge in the flavor of the moment in Donovan McNabb and delude myself into thinking the next one was Quincy Carter.

I do not think Jerry Jones should have been clairvoyant, but that was not smart. Especially when we maneuvered more than once within the second and third rounds in that draft and then panicked giving up choices that were gained in the first place to get that.

At this stage it does not matter. And it certainly has zero to do with what this organization should do now.

I stress "should" since the same person has the final say.

Thats the one real failure in my eyes. The whole situation. Lacking a 1st, taking Carter and missing Brees.

It probably will be the same until after Romo is gone unless there is a Rodgers like slide. QBs are just too hard to find so even taking one guarantees absolutely nothing. If one of the elite prospects is available, you have to take them whenever you can. Problem is, they usually aren't available unless you're picking really high. I definitely don't want to force a pick on a QB in the hopes of being prepared for life after Romo. Give me the elite QB prospect or none at all.

 

[Trendnet]

Thats the one real failure in my eyes. The whole situation. Lacking a 1st, taking Carter and missing Brees.

Considering Brees performance over the first three years of his career, Cowboy fans would have run him out of town. There is a reason why the Charger selected Rivers when they still had Brees.

 

[Nightman]

Considering Brees performance over the first three years of his career, Cowboy fans would have run him out of town. There is a reason why the Charger selected Rivers when they still had Brees.

He couldn't beat out Doug Flutie.

 

[Spectre]

QB
Has more to do with personality and leadership than pretty much any measurable.
Drafting doesn't ever follow this line of thinking.
Once teams figure that out, or are forced to somehow luck into it, they find they're QB. Some it takes longer than others. We can thank Parcells & S. Payton for that- Romo.

There should be an option to like one's own post. This is me doing that. I like this.

 

[Bullflop]

If nothing else, this provides an interesting exercise in realizing just how risky the odds are in obtaining a truly exceptional QB in most drafts. The level of risk far outweighs the level of success, so it seems (and to think we're probably headed straight for these treacherous paths in the near future.) It's a path that must be traveled, though.

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

Waste of time

What else does one do on the internets forums?

 

[AzorAhai]

If nothing else, this provides an interesting exercise in realizing just how risky the odds are in obtaining a truly exceptional QB in most drafts. The level of risk far outweighs the level of success, so it seems (and to think we're probably headed straight for these treacherous paths in the near future.) If nothing else, it's an eye opener.

I had always believed it was just the Cowboys screwing the pooch right before/after Aikman. In reality, they weren't going to be able to even if they tried early and often. It shows exactly what you said.

Replacing a franchise QB may very well be the hardest thing to do for a sports franchises front office. It also gives people who want to draft Romos replacement next year an idea just how difficult that can be, even though recently there's been a couple taken later who are good enough to win with in Wilson and Dalton the odds are you're not getting that next guy for at least a few years. We're likely in for some painful years in the near future regardless of what they do at the position in the next year or two.

 

[jobberone]

Wait, so the idea here is to look at the organization's failure in the past to secure a QB to do what---provide a soft cushion for when it happens again?

I understand retroactive peeks into the past to wish what we could have done, but to look back only to provide excuses for what we didn't do?

What?

Read the thing. It shows how hard it is to get a franchise QB. Anyone else can interject their own thoughts and share them from there. I thought it was a good read.

 

[jobberone]

Waste of time

No, it's a waste of time for you to tell everyone else it's a waste of time.

Don't come into a thread and kill it with BS.

 

[lostar2009]

The problem isn't the recent qb drafts never pan out its the fact we really did anything to secure the position besides sign known scrubs. A Jake Plummer, Donte Culpper, Kyle Boller, Josh McCown, or Matt Schaub was light years ahead who we had on the roster then. Yeah none of those guys were all pro but they may have pan out and been solid for Dallas until a Tony Romo took the job. JJ could have invested more talent for those guys and maybe their careers could have change for the best. We just don't know and yes I do blame JJ for not having an adequate heir at that point or at the least aggressively trying to find the next guy. In my book Drew Brees should have been it. Trade your 2, 3 and a future 1 or 2 nd for him. But we took Quincy Carter aganist the wishes of the scout. That my friend is on JJ all the way. It doesn't cost much to spend a 4th or 5th rounder on a ab to see what he can do but we don't do that.

 

[burmafrd]

you can't unscrew the top of someone's head and look inside. That is why the draft is truly a lottery. ESPECIALLY FOR QBS. You need so many things to get a top one
1) football instincts
2) courage to stand and take hits
3)ability in a second to read a D correctly
4)dedication beyond great
5) ability to sense pressure and move without thinking
6)and the necessary physical attributes- Pennington had just about all of that but such a weak arm it did not matter.

 

[ShiningStar]

oooo i hope we do because it worked out so well the first time. I think the team shoud just assume the player will live and play for eternity. Because you know , hey QBs never die right? Nor get hurt or anything bad happen.

and before anything thinks they are smart and ask "what would you do?"

Simple you blathering moron, you keep drafting Qbs til you hit. Thats whaty they did before, thats what you keep doing. Because draftng TEs in the second round keeps paying off. Yes, no matter how little draft picks you have, 1 has to go to a qb. Deal with it. Like the mere fact the sun will come out tomorrow, I know, this still shocks people, Qb in the draft.

 

[Corso]

oooo i hope we do because it worked out so well the first time. I think the team shoud just assume the player will live and play for eternity. Because you know , hey QBs never die right? Nor get hurt or anything bad happen.

and before anything thinks they are smart and ask "what would you do?"

Simple you blathering moron, you keep drafting Qbs til you hit. Thats whaty they did before, thats what you keep doing. Because draftng TEs in the second round keeps paying off. Yes, no matter how little draft picks you have, 1 has to go to a qb. Deal with it. Like the mere fact the sun will come out tomorrow, I know, this still shocks people, Qb in the draft.

I went ahead and liked this, even though it wasn't on my like-bomb page because of the lack of replying recipient.
And "blathering moron". lol.

Aren't we all guilty of being that from time to time?
Me more than many...

 

[Derinyar]

Drafting a QB when you don't have a proven one is a no brainer. Drafting a QB when one you have highly rated falls to you is a no brainer(Rodgers). Reaching for a QB when you have a franchise QB is frequently a way to limit what your current team is able to do in the 2-3 year window. There's no right answer.