News: ESPN: Archer Chat leftovers - 03/26/14

[NewsBot]

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IRVING, Texas -- It's time for some leftovers from Wednesday's hour-long chat with you guys. We had more than 120 questions posted during that time and it's impossible to handle all of them, so we'll choose five extra questions for the weekly "leftovers" post. Quick question for the house: Best leftover, pizza or Chinese food? In the best player available strategy, I'm leaning toward pizza. Anyway, away we go:

David Huffman. Connecticut: How many failed attempts at assembling a roster capable of playing good football deep into the postseason will it take for Jerry to say, "OK, I don't have the ability to properly evaluate the players I'm drafting and signing to this team?"

Todd Archer: I wouldn't hold your breath on this one, David. You might turn purple. But I will point out that the Cowboys had what was considered some of the best personnel in the game for a stretch from say 2007-10 and if Jerry is responsible for the state of the personnel right now, then he was responsible for the personnel then. And, yes, I realize Bill Parcells had a huge influence on the roster in those years, but he didn't get everything he wanted. As I see it, the problem is the Cowboys missed their window. They had pretty good shots in 2006-09 and won one playoff game. The one that hurts the most is the 2007 season. It was set up for them to take the NFC and they failed. Wade Phillips gave them the out late in the '07 season by letting up. The team did not react the right way, and I'm not talking about a trip to Cabo or anything like that. After the Cowboys beat the Green Bay Packers that year they lost their momentum and couldn't get it back, losing to the Giants at home. If they win that game -- or the Seattle playoff game the previous year -- and I think a lot of these narratives that have come about are entirely different. Since the Cowboys missed that window, they have been chasing it ever since without success and the personnel has not been as good the last three or four years, despite the proclamations from those far away that the Cowboys have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. They haven't had that. They have had good 'name' players but spots 15-53 on the roster have been lacking.

Casey (Boise, ID): So what exactly are Callahan's duties with Linehan now in town? Will he have any influence with the play calling? Is he only in charge of the OL group? All the titles confuse me? Passing game coordinator but will call all the offensive plays???

Todd Archer: Sorry I missed this one, Casey. This is a good question. Bill Callahan goes back to being the offensive line coach and run game coordinator, which is essentially what he was in 2012. He will give Scott Linehan options with running plays but make no mistake about it, Linehan will be calling the shots. The Cowboys will try to gloss over all of this of course and Callahan will publicly say all the right things, but how the Cowboys handled this maneuvering in the offseason is as baffling as how they handled the playcalling duties last offseason. They should have let Callahan go to Cleveland or Baltimore or wherever once the playcalling was taken away from him.

Continue reading...

 

[WoodysGirl]

Rich (New Jersey)


Hi Todd - With the three additional picks the Cowboys got yesterday and all that's happen in the free agency will Dallas go for mostly offense or defense help in the draft ?

Todd Archer
(12:02 PM)


Rich, I think it needs to be a heavy defensive draft. I'm all for drafting the best player available, but if there is a tie or if the grades are separated only by a fraction, then I'm leaning defense. There should be a balance, however, because the draft is not just for 2014. It's for 2014-18 and you have to foresee a lot of change across the roster over the next 3-5 years.

Brett (Washington DC)


Todd, am I the only person in America who views head coach Jason Garrett as a puppet for owner Jones?

Todd Archer
(12:04 PM)


You're hardly the only person who believes that. I think most people believe that to be the case. In fact, every coach not named Johnson or Parcells was viewed that way. It's part of what comes with the dinner as coach of the Cowboys when you don't have the cred coaches like Johnson/Parcells had/have. But I do think Garrett has been able to get his way this year more than people think. At the top of the list is the addition of Scott Linehan.

Todd (Lubbock,Tx) [via mobile]


Do you think the Cowboys could go safety in the first round?

Todd Archer
(12:06 PM)


I think they could, but I don't know that they would. A lot of people say, Look at Seattle's safeties. Go get guys like that.' Well, there aren't a lot of guys like Earl Thomas around. They aren't easy to find. Kam Chancellor was a fifth round pick, I believe. But here's something to consider: who were Rod Marinelli's safeties in Chicago? They weren't All-Pro types. They were average players. I suspect the Cowboys put more value in the other spots than safety, so I would think they would pass on taking a safety in the first round if it's a guy they don't love. And love a lot. Kenny Vaccaro was a guy they loved last year, but he was gone.

Rico (Jersey )


Yo Todd, How many draft picks you think the 'Boys will use on this draft? I think they should at least draft 4 defensive players

Todd Archer
(12:07 PM)


They should use all 11 of them. Will they? Probably not. I can see them moving up a pick or two in the middle rounds to get a guy they target. What I don't see is a big move up in the first round. That just costs too much.


Read the rest of the chat: http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/50275/cowboys-with-todd-archer

 

[Stash]

Good, even keel stuff from Archer. He supports all of his answers with facts and that's something that doesn't happen with these writers as often as I would like.

Good stuff.

 

[OhSnap]

Todd Archer: I wouldn't hold your breath on this one, David. You might turn purple. But I will point out that the Cowboys had what was considered some of the best personnel in the game for a stretch from say 2007-10 and if Jerry is responsible for the state of the personnel right now, then he was responsible for the personnel then. And, yes, I realize Bill Parcells had a huge influence on the roster in those years, but he didn't get everything he wanted. As I see it, the problem is the Cowboys missed their window. They had pretty good shots in 2006-09 and won one playoff game. The one that hurts the most is the 2007 season. It was set up for them to take the NFC and they failed. Wade Phillips gave them the out late in the '07 season by letting up. The team did not react the right way, and I'm not talking about a trip to Cabo or anything like that. After the Cowboys beat the Green Bay Packers that year they lost their momentum and couldn't get it back, losing to the Giants at home. If they win that game -- or the Seattle playoff game the previous year -- and I think a lot of these narratives that have come about are entirely different. Since the Cowboys missed that window, they have been chasing it ever since without success and the personnel has not been as good the last three or four years, despite the proclamations from those far away that the Cowboys have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. They haven't had that. They have had good 'name' players but spots 15-53 on the roster have been lacking.

Perfect description if there ever was one but the only thing he left out is a bigger dose of criticism for the drafting that let the talent on that team dry up. I don't think they were ever good enough to beat Minnesota during that span either, it was a good team but the 3-4 never became that dominant.

 

[Idgit]

Good, even keel stuff from Archer. He supports all of his answers with facts and that's something that doesn't happen with these writers as often as I would like.

Good stuff.

I agree, Archer does a good job.

 

[Risen Star]

Good, even keel stuff from Archer. He supports all of his answers with facts and that's something that doesn't happen with these writers as often as I would like.

Good stuff.

Except the part about Parcells, which I thought was idiotic.

So let me get this straight, the guy who took a dynasty and drove it down into the dirt to the tune of being a 5-11 laughing stock every year suddenly found the personnel touch when Bill Parcells arrived? Jerry's responsible for the state of the personnel then?

You'd have to be a real melvin to believe that.

 

[WoodysGirl]

I agree, Archer does a good job.

...at not being controversial.

He gives it to you plain...with occasionally a bit of salt and pepper added.

Tim MacMahon, Watkins are the lightening rods of the DFW reporters.

 

[Stash]

Except the part about Parcells, which I thought was idiotic.

So let me get this straight, the guy who took a dynasty and drove it down into the dirt to the tune of being a 5-11 laughing stock every year suddenly found the personnel touch when Bill Parcells arrived? Jerry's responsible for the state of the personnel then?

You'd have to be a real melvin to believe that.

I took it to mean that his intention was that Jerry deserves credit for hiring Parcells, which helped to make the roster better.

And while the team was better for having Big Bill here, he wasn't Midas. Not everything he touched turned to gold.

 

[Stash]

...at not being controversial.

He gives it to you plain...with occasionally a bit of salt and pepper added.

Tim MacMahon, Watkins are the lightening rods of the DFW reporters.

Timmy Mac is starved for attention, and a failed comedian!

 

[Risen Star]

I took it to mean that his intention was that Jerry deserves credit for hiring Parcells, which helped to make the roster better.

And while the team was better for having Big Bill here, he wasn't Midas. Not everything he touched turned to gold.

But that wouldn't make sense, Stash. He said it in defense of Jerry still overseeing personnel. Hey, he was responsible for a pretty talented team a few years back. Yeah, but the guy who did that for him is no longer here so your point is pointless.

 

[Stash]

But that wouldn't make sense, Stash. He said it in defense of Jerry still overseeing personnel. Hey, he was responsible for a pretty talented team a few years back. Yeah, but the guy who did that for him is no longer here so your point is pointless.

I see what you're saying and I agree with you. This team was better and more talented when they had accomplished coaches (Johnson, Parcells) calling the shots and handling personnel. Whether Jerry was supposedly in charge or not. I agree with you that it was more about decisions Johnson and Parcells made than anything Jerry did.

I (and I assume Archer) credit Jerry for getting out of the way during those times.

 

[Kevinicus]

Except the part about Parcells, which I thought was idiotic.

So let me get this straight, the guy who took a dynasty and drove it down into the dirt to the tune of being a 5-11 laughing stock every year suddenly found the personnel touch when Bill Parcells arrived? Jerry's responsible for the state of the personnel then?

You'd have to be a real melvin to believe that.

I think Parcells was very fortunate in a lot of ways. He had a top 5 pick when he started, then he lucked out and had Witten fall to him in the 3rd. If he had his way, we would not have had Ware either. He had a good draft in 2005, but he missed on a lot too. His drafts surrounding that 2005 draft were pretty terrible.

 

[Risen Star]

I think Parcells was very fortunate in a lot of ways. He had a top 5 pick when he started, then he lucked out and had Witten fall to him in the 3rd. If he had his way, we would not have had Ware either. He had a good draft in 2005, but he missed on a lot too. He drafts surrounding that 2005 draft were pretty terrible.

Yeah, Parcells made a career out of being lucky.

 

[Stash]

Yeah, Parcells made a career out of being lucky.

I don't think he's saying that. But Parcells did have a few misses too.

 

[Kevinicus]

Yeah, Parcells made a career out of being lucky.

I just don't see the great difference in talent that Parcells brought. Looking at his time here, you can only say 2 drafts were any good, and the first one he had a top 5 pick and had a guy fall, and the 2nd one, the best player was one we wouldn't have got if he had his way.

 

[Risen Star]

I just don't see the great difference in talent that Parcells brought. Looking at his time here, you can only say 2 drafts were any good, and the first one he had a top 5 pick and had a guy fall, and the 2nd one, the best player was one we wouldn't have got if he had his way.

You're right. The team he left in 2007 was exactly like the team he took over after 2002.

 

[Kevinicus]

You're right. The team he left in 2007 was exactly like the team he took over after 2002.

I wouldn't compare the talent acquisition post Parcells to that of pre Parcells.

 

[Risen Star]

I wouldn't compare the talent acquisition post Parcells to that of pre Parcells.

I'm talking about any talent acquisition post-Parcells. I'm talking about the team Parcells left vs. the team he took over.

If you don't see much difference in that maybe football is not the sport for you.

 

[Kevinicus]

I'm talking about any talent acquisition post-Parcells. I'm talking about the team Parcells left vs. the team he took over.

If you don't see much difference in that maybe football is not the sport for you.

I'm talking about the talent acquisition during Parcells to that of post Parcells. That's where I don't see much difference. He took over a team without a QB and without many big stars. He had lots of room to grow. He had high draft picks, and Jerry willing to go big in FA. His drafts were not demonstrably better than those after he left though, with the exception of 2009.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Yeah, Parcells made a career out of being lucky.

Whatever.