Cowboys Sacred Cows

[GhostOfPelluer]

It's been said but Dez has been hurt - and often playing through it. He hasn't earned his big paycheck, but I give him a little benefit of the doubt because of the injuries. However, he still commands attention from defenses and more often than not he's getting safety attention in addition to the guy lined up in front of him. He's getting #1 receiver respect from opposing D-coordinators, and that almost justifies that big salary when it comes to game-planning.

As for Witten, he's a guy that coaches and players can point to with the young guys and say "do what he does" when it comes to practice and preparation. That speaks to the young guys who pride themselves on hard work, you don't want to be showed up by Old Man River. That's not enough by itself to justify his salary, but he's still a security blanket for the QB. He still caught 69 balls. When the ball hits his hands, it doesn't move. He's still a good blocker, particularly in the run game. I can't count how many times Zeke ripped off a 10+ yard run and Witten's seal or second-level block sprung him.

It's fair to say both contracts haven't been the most shrewd investment. But they are far from poor deals. There is still plenty of value being provided by each player.

 

[Idgit]

You like you some Jason Witten... guess you like his consistent penalties and running a 9 yard route when we needed 10. He's the absolute worst at fighting for that last yard... especially when it's 3rd down.

I can legitimately say I don't know what you're talking about here. Except on the penalties. The penalties are annoying.

Other than that, there's literally nothing not to like with the play of Jason Witten. He gets open, catches everything, blocks well inline and in space, and never misses a game. It's gotten to the point where I expect the baseless criticism, but it still makes no sense.

 

[robjay04]

He did have a nice playoff game I agree. His speed and passion have seemed to been lost however. Remember this dude returned punts?? Not sure if it's maturity on his part, but he doesn't even seem like the same guy on the sidelines anymore.

You obviously do not watch a lot of the sound fx and mic'd up portions of our team if you think Dez isn't just as intense. Maybe the cameras were just focused on the rookies this season and not Dez?

http://cowboyszone.com/threads/inside-the-nfl-for-all-of-our-wins.369271/

I invite you to watch these if you haven't. Dez has never been a speedster but I was amazed watching this at how many of his touchdowns were deep throws. The guy still has it, it takes awhile for a QB and WR to develop chemistry. ABrown is considered the best in the league but he doesn't look the same playing with a backup either.

 

[WoodysGirl]

And the offseason has just begun... Thought we could make it to the beginning of the new league year before these types of threads.

 

[IrishAnto]

Well dallas could have aquired cook, but had no interest, we could use a te like him. Keep witten for 3rd downs,
but thing is witten wants to play full time.
So until they resolve that issue it is pointless to get another good TE.
And Dez is paid as a # 1 so they will continue to see him as a # 1.
And if they did get a good # 2 it would help dez and the team, but I think they resign TW lol.

Spot on.

Again many on this board want us to spend yet another high pick on a TE while ignoring that simple fact and the fact the coaches have yet to show they're capable of getting value out of said pick.

While Witten is obviously not the player he was, when Swaim got injured he had to stay in to block more as he was the only remaining decent blocking TE.

In addition we had a new rookie QB and I'm sure that has an effect as well.

 

[Fletch]

He was called for a whopping 5 penalties in 2016, cut him immediately!

Yeah, but those were 5 YUUUGE penalties. YUUUUGE!

 

[LandryFan]

Exactly my point. If all our active player were flagged at that rate we would have 15 per game just on our team... that's double the current NFL rate.

Huh? I may not be Isaac Newton or Archimedes when it comes to math, but there are 22 starters on a team per game (excluding P, K, and LS). If each of those 22 starters got 5 penalties per year, that would come to 110 penalties, total...(I think even Isaac Newton would back me on that figure). 110 (total penalties)/16 (total reg season games) = 6.875 total penalties per game, on average. That's nowhere close to the 15 you claim. The team actually totalled 111 penalties during the season, which is right at 7 per game. Based on that, JW committed slightly fewer penalties per game than the overall average.

 

[pete026]

The OP giving Romo the "out" vs Witten and Dez is all you have to say about "Sacred Cows". If the OP is strictly considering recent "Pay for Play", Romo is more a sacred cow than the other two combined. But to only consider "on the field" attributes is not something I condone. NFL teams should consider it high on the list though.

 

[RS12]

The OP giving Romo the "out" vs Witten and Dez is all you have to say about "Sacred Cows". If the OP is strictly considering recent "Pay for Play", Romo is more a sacred cow than the other two combined. But to only consider "on the field" attributes is not something I condone. NFL teams should consider it high on the list though.

Great avatar. I'd like your post just for that, but I didnt.

 

[erod]

Witten is not overpaid. Especially when you consider that every player on the team looks at him like a god.

 

[xwalker]

I find it interesting that certain players seem immune to criticism by Cowboys fans and members of this board in particular.

Dez Bryant and Jason Witten immediately come to mind. Both are arguably underperforming their contracts and their best days may be behind them, especially in the case of Witten.

I find it very interesting that any realistic criticism of them (and others) can lead to melt downs of epic proportions, calling detractors not real fans or worse.

These guys seem to be beyond criticism among many. I personally think both of these guys are good players and have value to the team, but my chief complaint is that both are underperforming their contracts and Dez' mental lapses and/or the perception that he is a bit weak minded.

Many seem to believe that based on what they have done previously that they essentially walk on water and cannot be criticized.

Some would say that Romo also fits into this category, and he may for some. Romo has arguably done more to keep this organization relevant than Dez and Wiiten have done combined. Yet many of those same people vilify Romo.

I would argue that Romo still has more value than Dez and Witten have combined. I understand that whether Romo or Dak is better, etc. is the subject of legitimate debate. The value of trading Romo, etc. is also a legitimate exercise. I just think that it is funny how much different the standard is for Romo than Witten and Dez.

That's not really what happened in regards to Witten.

You created a thread about Witten's contract and claimed it was a bad contract. That was completely false. It was a very reasonable contract and based on the original contract they could have moved on after 2015 at no cost.

He will be overpaid in 2017 but not by a huge amount when you consider his reliability and the fact that they don't have a replacement.

You are correct that people cry like babies when Dez gets criticized.

 

[Roadtrip635]

MOOOOOOOOO........

 

[Cowboys_22]

Yep, because 1 good season and several below average seasons are what the team needs from its #1 WR

Looks like 1 below average season to me, the guy was injured, goes with the territory.

Still worthy of his hire

 

[pete026]

Great avatar. I'd like your post just for that, but I didnt.

Not that I agree with the OP premise but under that premise, you believe Romo's "on field" performance over the last year is more valuable relative to his compensation than Witten's and Dez's? Because that was his statement.

Gotta love a player who wins the SB MVP as a defensive player on the losing team. Better is that he was my favorite player before that performance!

 

[LocimusPrime]

Dez and Romo get slaughtered with criticism.
Witten not so much.
I won't enter the fray--in this thread--on who deserves what, but that's how I see it.

Stay on the sidelines w me bro

 

[DallasEast]

I wish Romo and Bryant were sacred cows--with emphasis on the word sacred. Perhaps then, some of their more zealous critics would critique their opinions more carefully before voicing or publishing them.

 

[JoeKing]

I can legitimately say I don't know what you're talking about here. Except on the penalties. The penalties are annoying.

Other than that, there's literally nothing not to like with the play of Jason Witten. He gets open, catches everything, blocks well inline and in space, and never misses a game. It's gotten to the point where I expect the baseless criticism, but it still makes no sense.

So then it is your opinion the OP had it right in calling JW a sacred cow.

 

[JoeKing]

Huh? I may not be Isaac Newton or Archimedes when it comes to math, but there are 22 starters on a team per game (excluding P, K, and LS). If each of those 22 starters got 5 penalties per year, that would come to 110 penalties, total...(I think even Isaac Newton would back me on that figure). 110 (total penalties)/16 (total reg season games) = 6.875 total penalties per game, on average. That's nowhere close to the 15 you claim. The team actually totalled 111 penalties during the season, which is right at 7 per game. Based on that, JW committed slightly fewer penalties per game than the overall average.

48 players on the active game day roster multiplied by 5 penalties per season is 240 penalties divided by 16 games is 15 penalties per game on one team.

 

[Aven8]

You obviously do not watch a lot of the sound fx and mic'd up portions of our team if you think Dez isn't just as intense. Maybe the cameras were just focused on the rookies this season and not Dez?

http://cowboyszone.com/threads/inside-the-nfl-for-all-of-our-wins.369271/

I invite you to watch these if you haven't. Dez has never been a speedster but I was amazed watching this at how many of his touchdowns were deep throws. The guy still has it, it takes awhile for a QB and WR to develop chemistry. ABrown is considered the best in the league but he doesn't look the same playing with a backup either.

800 yards at his salary is not good for the team though. I like Dez, I just need more for that amouny of money. No different then what we clamored for when Carr got 50 million. Cut his salary in half and I'm a fine with him.

 

[Verdict]

I can certainly see how Witten's contract vs. performance could be viewed as him not playing up to his contract. Looking at it from a simple black and white perspective (Pay vs. Production), it looks out of whack. However, football teams deal in many shades of gray and things aren't always clear cut. What Witten means to this franchise goes well beyond his on-field production... and I'm not talking about sentimental aspects either. I mean the leadership and work ethic that he brings to the team. The stability and the precision. The pressure he puts on defenses to just keep an eye on him helps those around him and his run blocking is still near the top of the league for TE's.

There are a ton of things that he does that helps Dallas win games and none of them have anything to do with legacy.

Can he stretch a defense down the seam much? No. Can he get yards after the catch? Hell no. But there are so many things that he does that helps the W/L column... in the locker room. At practice. And still on the field.

Now, would I like to see what an O.J. Howard could do with Dak and Elliott? Oh, hell yeah. The passing game would be harder to stop with that kind of athleticism at TE. However, his run blocking wouldn't be as good as Witten's. His leadership would be a tiny fraction of what Jason brings to the huddle, and his reliability would be much less for Dak at least for a couple of seasons.

Bottom line is, I would love an athletic TE too but fans don't see everything that Witten brings to the table and his significant contributions that can't be quantified are all too often overlooked or forgotten about entirely.

And I consider you to be a pretty well informed fan verdict, so I'm not putting down anything you said... just giving my perspective on this subject.

As for Dez... I'm too sleepy to get into that one. Maybe another day, lol.

That is a very good post **. Actually I agree with everything you said about Witten, except his value vs the cap. I have never said Witten can't play anymore, or that Witten doesn't have value, or that I'm not glad he is here. I know you haven't implied I have said that either.

I think the intrinsicvalue that Witten brings to the team is important. I just don't think you pay a premium for being the right kind of guy. That should be a given that you bring players like that in and keep them. Paying a slight premium to keep one of them is fine but not double what production says you should be worth.

I guess the one thing you and I may differ on may be the current assessment of Witten's blocking ability. I think he is living on reputation more than actual ability or performance in terms of blocking. His lack of spped may be part of that deficiency as well. I'm not sure. I just know he isn't the same player he was if you are honest about it. Thank you for your well reasoned, informed reply to my post. It is a breath of fresh air on this over reactive board.