Day after thoughts, season ender

[Joe_Fan]

Maybe it was a poor choice of words on my part. I guess my point is that this year is over, we're basically stuck with the guy and we have to hope for the best. Hopefully he can earn Romo's trust again and become a more viable part of the offense.

It's never going to happen.

Jerry needs to just suck it up that it was a waste of draft picks and a waste of money, swallow his pride for once, and cut the dead weight since it's an uncapped year.

 

[Oh_Canada]

To me coaches like Norv and Wade showed why they can't win the big one by coaching scared. In both games they had fourth and short inside the other teams forty early on and neither one went for it. Wade decided to kick a field goal from forty eight yards when he already determined his kicker had 45 yd range that day, the other punts at home against a team with a subpar offense. Pathetic really and shows no confidence in your team.

 

[jimmy40]

Last time people, on the sack, Free blocked down instead of peeling out as he was supposed to.

didn't look like Witten was expecting that to happen.

 

[TNCowboy]

It was obvious after the 2 teams sparred around in the first quarter that the Vikings wanted it more. They hit harder, played faster, and had more guys running to the ball. You could really see it in all 4 games this weekend. In each game, one team looked like they were laying it all on the line, the other didn't.

A playoff game is really special when you see both teams playing that way. I hope we have a couple of them this weekend.

Minnesota isn't 31 points better than Dallas. For that matter, theyr'e not - on a regular basis - 31 points better than any NFL team. They're a better, more talented team, but on Sunday, they wanted it way more. Which is disappointing. I think a great # of players on the Cowboys were satisfied that they'd won a playoff game. There's still a lot of fat needs to be cut from this roster, starting on the OL.

And as for Roy Williams, he should be fighting for a job next training camp. He's no better than our 3rd WR, and I have a feeling he'd be #4 if they gave Ogletree legitimate playing time.

 

[Gaede]

excellent post...I agree with pretty much everything...Especially #3. I really hope we keep Choice though. He's such a good player, team guy that seeing him go elsewhere would really hurt. I'd cut Barber before I trade Choice, but if the coaches aren't going to use him, I'd like to see him get a shot somewhere else.

 

[dboyz]

Your post is spot on and I agree with almost everything you say. Which means you must be pretty smart.

1) I guess the word is Wade will be back, and he's probably earned it. The team did have progress this year on both sides of the ball. They won the division and beat Philly 3 times. They played hard and played good at the end of the year, which is a huge difference from past years. The defense seemed to turn the corner and the offense set alot of team records. We have a good coaching staff in place, despite what some of you cry and whine about with Wade and Garrett. DeCammilis was a coup this past offseason. With another yr to implement his ideas and upgrade the players there, we could easily have the best ST in football next year.

2) I read how everyone is citicizing Wade over not going for it on 4th and 1+. Lets face it, picking up short yardage has not been our strong suit this year. Wade is a defensive coach and probably believes the game is going to be low scoring, so taking the 3 makes sense to him. I have no problem with it. A FG kickers job is to make field goals. 48-49 yarders arnt gimmee's outside in the elements, but they should be made more often than not inside a dome if your kicker has a decent leg, and Suisham does. I'm hopeful the plan all along was for Folk to get 100% and come back in the offseason and TC, and hopefully regain the form he had in 07 and 08 when he was arguably the leagues best kicker. If it isnt him, its gotta be somebody else. Suisham is awful.

Generally I agree. It probably in hindsight wasn't the best decision, but if the worst thing you can say about a coach is that he didn't go for it on 4th down in the first quarter, then that didn't cost you the game. You have to be able to bounce back. The game was not decided by a missed field goal in the first quarter.

3) I dont know if Barber's days in Dallas are done, but he has been a pretty significant disappointment since the day he got that large contract. It isnt all his fault, but he has been injury prone, has had some fumbling problems and has become almost useless in short yardage. I know he has absolutely no trade value, but he is taking reps away from Choice, who is a far better RB at this point IMO. If it were me, I'd strongly consider cutting Barber and then drafting a 3rd RB later in this draft. Let Jones and Choice split time. Felix Jones is a potential star and needs to be a focal point of the offense. If they cant cut Barber, then I'd consider trading Tashard Choice for the right offer. Unlike Barber, Chocie DOES have trade value and this draft appears to be very weak at RB. I'd hate to see him go, but if they have no intention to use him as anything other than a 3rd down back/wildcat player, he'd better serve us with as a tradable commodity so we can improve another area of the team.

I do think it is probably time to cut Barber. I really like the guy and I actually think he had a solid year, but when you have two alternatives behind him that are cheaper and are as good or better, then it is time to move on. Felix is a special player and we need to have him on the field A LOT. It is no different than when Westbrook for the Eagles was healthy. When he is in the game he makes a big difference. When he is not in the game as an opponent I can breathe a sigh of relief.

4) The OL lost the game yesterday, period. End of discussion. The staff for the most part has done a good job in covering up the weakness for some time, but if they want to take the next step and become a dominant, championship calibar team the OL has to be addressed. For those that have been making idiots of themselves saying Adams needed to be the one to go, well you saw a preview yesterday of what that was like. Colombo and Kosier played terrible yesterday and both guys looked like guys who needed to be upgraded. Davis has been up and down all year but he has a massive cap charge, so he's gonna be here for awhile. Gurode has been hurt all year but is a very good player, especially when he's 100%. Free has upside and looks like a future starter at one tackle spot, but they need one or two new starters up front IMO. Maybe Brewster has a future at one spot on the OL, that would be a huge bonus. I wouldnt sign any high priced free agents, but I would invest a premium draft pick (1st or 2nd rd) and probably another middle to late rounder as well.

5) We have a very good defense. Until we start forcing turnovers and dramatically effecting games because of them, it wont be a dominant defense. We dont force alot of turnovers for one reason IMO, and thats because the two guys starting at safety are lousy at it. They have no feel or instincts for playing the ball in the air. Hamlin got no interceptions and only 2 passes defensed all year. He had 1 pick and 2 passes defensed last year. That is horrendous from a FS. He has no role other than to play centerfield, and never makes a play. Sensabaugh isnt much better and his no play on that TD was just awful yesterday.. We are getting ZERO production from the two safety spots the last 2+ seasons. If it were me, we'd have two new safeties in the starting lineup next year. As good as our CB's are, the safeties in this defense should be having a field day making plays. Hamlin's deal is the worst contract we've ever given a player IMO. We've gotten NOTHING from it.

I generally agree. I would say that our safeties are solid; they just are not playmakers. I would not cut either guy, but we need to look at upgrading the position and finding a guy who can ballhawk a little bit.

Regarding offensive line, we definitely need competition, real competition for Kosier and Columbo. InmanRoshi suggested moving Adams to left guard with free moving to left tackle. I'm intrigued by this idea, but I would also like to see Columbo get some competition with someone who is more athletic.

6) Roy Williams will be back at WR. I'm willing to give him somewhat of a pass for this year. But if in TC, preseason and certainly by early next season he isnt showing he can be a consistent threat, his playing time has to decrease or disappear altogether. Austin, like Felix Jones is a star in the making. We're set there. Crayton is a very dependable player and is one of the best slot WR's in football, and vastly improved his punt return skill this yr. I like Ogletree's upside and he seems to be heading towards a significant role here. Hurd can be upgraded.

We will keep Roy Williams and he will get another chance even though he probably does not deserve it. I just want Ogletree to have a chance to win a starting position. He has the ability to be a very good player and I think Romo will like having a guy that can create separation. I just hope if the other guys step up that we go ahead make the call and cut Roy Williams in training camp. Just like Greg Ellis he will be a big distraction as a disgruntled back up.

7) Like Choice, we have another young player who will have significant trade value in Martellus Bennett. I'd hate to see us part with the guy, because he has tremendous upside. He played well yesterday and was part of the passing attack for the first time in awhile. I have no doubt he could be a 40-50 catch TE here even with Witten getting his share. He's a tremendous blocker and has the speed to stretch the field in the seams. But if they have no intent of using him, (like Choice, above) he might be more valuable in terms of what we can get via trade. I wouldnt trade him for anything other than a late first however.

I would like to keep Bennett and keep working with him. Sometimes it takes guys a few years. It took Spencer three years. Miles Austin a lot expected him to break out in year three, but it took until year 4 and look at him. I woul like to see some patience.

Bennett has a chance to be a special player. He is more dangerous after the catch than Witten and more athletic than Witten. He had a couple nice little plays in the playoff game. I want to see more. The two tight end set could be special for us in the future.

8) I wouldnt be surprised if Hudson Houck retires, if so its the end of a great coaching career. He's had a tremendous impact on the development of a ton of bigtime players. If he does, somebody has big shoes to fill.

Houck has had a very nice career. To be honest I think it is time to make a change in the OL coach. We may need some new personnel and maybe it is time for a switch over.

 

[wileedog]

Nice post dbair, some thoughts:

2) I read how everyone is citicizing Wade over not going for it on 4th and 1+. Lets face it, picking up short yardage has not been our strong suit this year.

Kicking 48 yard FGs hasn't been a signature of the 2009 Cowboys either.

And what's makes it worse is Jerry's admission that they watched him in pre-game warmups and decided his maximum range on Sunday was going to be 44-45. To decide to push that envelope with a December pick up kicker is ludicrous.

I agree with you about Wade 's thinking on the call, but its also part of the reason I don't like having DC pretending to be a HC either. This is not the first decision he's flubbed this season because he doesn't see the bigger picture beyond his defense.

3) I dont know if Barber's days in Dallas are done, but he has been a pretty significant disappointment since the day he got that large contract.

Barber's just finished the 2nd year of a 7 year deal with $16 guaranteed. Barring what happens with the cap next year I don't think he can be outright cut yet, and he certainly has no trade value with that deal.

But he should be the highest paid 3rd string back in history. I'd rather get Choice on the field next season and showcase him some then deal him now while his value is low.

4) I wouldnt sign any high priced free agents, but I would invest a premium draft pick (1st or 2nd rd) and probably another middle to late rounder as well.

If we don't go OL heavy the first day I'll go nuts, but we are in a bit of a bind here financially too. Jerry's handed out some serious money to these guys too the past couple of years.

If it were up to me I would turn over all 5 in the next couple years if possible. They were a weak link last season when Kosier went down, and if Free hadn't come up big this year I think we would have missed the playoffs this year when Columbo went down. We need better starters, and better depth than never-will-be's like Proctor and McQ.

5) We have a very good defense. Until we start forcing turnovers and dramatically effecting games because of them, it wont be a dominant defense. We dont force alot of turnovers for one reason IMO, and thats because the two guys starting at safety are lousy at it.

Great point, and I agree 100%.

Big Ben occasionally has days like Romo did yesterday, but his defense has been able to get the ball back to bail him out. Until we start creating turnovers we are a notch below an elite D.

We're set there. Crayton is a very dependable player and is one of the best slot WR's in football,

I don't think he's close to one of the 'best' in football. He's a good dependable guy who is very adept at finding holes in the zone and usually has good hands, but I wouldn't mind seeing an upgrade here to someone much quicker, who can also add some speed to the PR game.

But if they have no intent of using him, (like Choice, above) he might be more valuable in terms of what we can get via trade. I wouldnt trade him for anything other than a late first however.

No one is giving a 1st for Bennett. He was only viewed as 2nd round talent in the draft, and he's hasn't done near enough on the field to raise that score.

I'd take whatever I could get for him, because at the end of the day he's just never going to put up good numbers in this offense as long as Romo and Witten are in it.

 

[MachPilot]

Great post DBair. My only contention with what you wrote is Witten being the best tight end in football. I love JW. I really do, but I think the years have caught up ot him. Hes a premier receiver, but YAC are non-exsistent. Ive never seen such a huge physically imposing frame on a man go down do easily.

I'd love to see a larger rold for Bennett (assuming he looks at the playbook) or even Phillps next year. Young fresh talent. We likely only have Witten for 2 more years imho.

 

[bbgun]

Those examples are few and far between over the long haul.

True, but we were on a similar type of roll. Or so we thought.

The Jets shouldnt even be in the playoffs, and beat SD because their probowl calibar kicker inexplicably missed 3 FG's.

One of them was from 55+. And even if he makes the other two, that doesn't necessarily mean they win. The Jets would have been much more aggressive in other drives had he made those kicks.

Minnesota having homefield Sunday had a significant impact on this game IMO.

Except that we dominated the Saints in an equally loud Superdome. Ultimately, it comes down to the players and coaches, and nothing I saw in that game makes me think we would have defeated a talented, well rested Vikings team in Dallas. Playing at home is not going to make an overmatched Marc Colombo catch up to Ray Edwards.

http://img683.*************/img683/7544/vlcsnap2010011901h36m05.jpg

 

[Seven]

My two observations for team needs.............

A return man. (Ogletree perhaps)

A secondary coach.

 

[802dave]

David, I don't think this team needs to be blown up but I do think some changes need to be made.

Also, I have to disagree with you, I don't think this game was very close at all. It was extremely clear early on who wanted to play in the NFC Championship Game and who didn't. I really believe the way the team played in Minnesota is almost as embarrassing 44-6. The only difference is that in Minnesota, only 1 unit quit.

I do agree that we are stuck with Roy Williams but at some point, I believe Jerry Jones and the Coaching Staff have to look past his Contract and start paying more attention to his production, especially if you are only going to throw the ball to him 1 time in a Playoff Game.

Amen!

You've got to, at some point, play the guys that produce in games. At some point you've got to realize that all the hard work in practice doesn't amount to a hill of beans if he isn't capable of following through in games.

Someone failed this guy in pop warner or high school ball by not sitting his butt and making him build some desire to win a job through production - not potential.

That job now falls to this team to sit his butt until he gets his mind right.

 

[dbair1967]

didn't look like Witten was expecting that to happen.

Free's did though. He looked like he immediately recognized he went the wrong way and by the time he tried to get back, it was too late.