Every good front office should have a clear plan in advance of every season

[Motorola]

In the NFL, waiting to sign players you know you will eventually sign to a new contract is crazy. Prices for players you want (and other teams would want too) will not go down unless an unforeseen major injury or serious crime occurs. Waiting is expensive. Time is literally money.

Heres my big point: Every good front office should have a plan in advance of every season, knowing exactly which players are in their plans and which ones are not. Jerry is famous for saying he’s “comfortable with ambiguity“, which is great for an entrepreneurial business, but bad for running a pro football team.
Does the Jones front office even know what they want? This idea of “waiting to see what happens” before deciding whether or not to sign guys for the future is bad planning. As the old saying goes, “Those who fail to plan are planning to fail.”

Here‘s some examples of planning and decisions this FO should have made by now:

• Do you want Cedee Lamb to be a Cowboy in the next 4-5 years? If the answer is yes, sign him now. If not trade him. We know exactly what his market value is. He will get either exactly what Jefferson got or more. NOT LESS. It’s not complicated. Stephen Jones will not win some negotiation war in this. Period. Want Lamb or not?
• Is Dak in this team’s future plans or not? If not trade him. (Yes I know the no trade clause is there but if Dak knows he’s not in their future he WILL accept a trade and make a ton of money elsewhere) This team has 8 years of evidence of what Dak is and isn’t. Make a freaking decision. If he is in the team’s plans, extending him actually gives them cap maneuverability. If he’s not in their plans, move on and start planning for the next franchise QB. Truth is they don’t know how to do this.
• You want Parsons in the future? He would be a lot cheaper to extend now than in a year or two.

What the Jones boys are doing this off-season is just stupid. You either have a clear plan or not. If these guys knew what they were doing, we would have had a very different off-season.

I would amend your thread title to read:
'EVERY NFL front office should have a clear plan in advance of each season'.

A select number of teams have demonstrated that over the last half-dozen years; a few others have attempted it with varying results (= some inconsistency)...and some franchises seem to have no clue on how to get out from under a long \ ongoing mess.

The Cowboys' regular season successes of late have masked internal discordance (e.g. coaching staff decisions) - and now those clashes of different directions has exploded in the front office face this offseason.

 

[Chasing6]

In the NFL, waiting to sign players you know you will eventually sign to a new contract is crazy. Prices for players you want (and other teams would want too) will not go down unless an unforeseen major injury or serious crime occurs. Waiting is expensive. Time is literally money.

Heres my big point: Every good front office should have a plan in advance of every season, knowing exactly which players are in their plans and which ones are not. Jerry is famous for saying he’s “comfortable with ambiguity“, which is great for an entrepreneurial business, but bad for running a pro football team.
Does the Jones front office even know what they want? This idea of “waiting to see what happens” before deciding whether or not to sign guys for the future is bad planning. As the old saying goes, “Those who fail to plan are planning to fail.”

Here‘s some examples of planning and decisions this FO should have made by now:

• Do you want Cedee Lamb to be a Cowboy in the next 4-5 years? If the answer is yes, sign him now. If not trade him. We know exactly what his market value is. He will get either exactly what Jefferson got or more. NOT LESS. It’s not complicated. Stephen Jones will not win some negotiation war in this. Period. Want Lamb or not?
• Is Dak in this team’s future plans or not? If not trade him. (Yes I know the no trade clause is there but if Dak knows he’s not in their future he WILL accept a trade and make a ton of money elsewhere) This team has 8 years of evidence of what Dak is and isn’t. Make a freaking decision. If he is in the team’s plans, extending him actually gives them cap maneuverability. If he’s not in their plans, move on and start planning for the next franchise QB. Truth is they don’t know how to do this.
• You want Parsons in the future? He would be a lot cheaper to extend now than in a year or two.

What the Jones boys are doing this off-season is just stupid. You either have a clear plan or not. If these guys knew what they were doing, we would have had a very different off-season.

I agree with a majority of your post.

1. We don't have a good FO. So the rest is mute.
2. Dak is not going to approve a trade period.
3. The problem is not whether Jerry wants Dak or CD to return. He obviously does. The issue for him is at what cost. He can't seem to figure that out.
4. He should have negotiated early and he would have known what it would take to sign them. Then he can make a decision. Trading a player in this years draft is more valuable than next years draft.
5. Extending a player this year is cheaper than signing a player next year.

This has really nothing to do with good FO. This is common sense. Nevermind for an Owner/GM going on year 35.

 

[Brax]

In the NFL, waiting to sign players you know you will eventually sign to a new contract is crazy. Prices for players you want (and other teams would want too) will not go down unless an unforeseen major injury or serious crime occurs. Waiting is expensive. Time is literally money.

Heres my big point: Every good front office should have a plan in advance of every season, knowing exactly which players are in their plans and which ones are not. Jerry is famous for saying he’s “comfortable with ambiguity“, which is great for an entrepreneurial business, but bad for running a pro football team.
Does the Jones front office even know what they want? This idea of “waiting to see what happens” before deciding whether or not to sign guys for the future is bad planning. As the old saying goes, “Those who fail to plan are planning to fail.”

Here‘s some examples of planning and decisions this FO should have made by now:

• Do you want Cedee Lamb to be a Cowboy in the next 4-5 years? If the answer is yes, sign him now. If not trade him. We know exactly what his market value is. He will get either exactly what Jefferson got or more. NOT LESS. It’s not complicated. Stephen Jones will not win some negotiation war in this. Period. Want Lamb or not?
• Is Dak in this team’s future plans or not? If not trade him. (Yes I know the no trade clause is there but if Dak knows he’s not in their future he WILL accept a trade and make a ton of money elsewhere) This team has 8 years of evidence of what Dak is and isn’t. Make a freaking decision. If he is in the team’s plans, extending him actually gives them cap maneuverability. If he’s not in their plans, move on and start planning for the next franchise QB. Truth is they don’t know how to do this.
• You want Parsons in the future? He would be a lot cheaper to extend now than in a year or two.

What the Jones boys are doing this off-season is just stupid. You either have a clear plan or not. If these guys knew what they were doing, we would have had a very different off-season.

Dak is the only one Jerry isn’t totally sold on and rightfully so based on history, so I think CD is on hold and there’s always the franchise tag. MP is next years problem, if Dak chokes again CD and MP will be extended and Dak will be playing elsewhere, Dak plays great and shows up big in playoffs Dak gets extended and CD also, and MP is traded as Jerry is a offense first and defense is a afterthought. Should be a fun season

 

[john van brocklin]

In the NFL, waiting to sign players you know you will eventually sign to a new contract is crazy. Prices for players you want (and other teams would want too) will not go down unless an unforeseen major injury or serious crime occurs. Waiting is expensive. Time is literally money.

Heres my big point: Every good front office should have a plan in advance of every season, knowing exactly which players are in their plans and which ones are not. Jerry is famous for saying he’s “comfortable with ambiguity“, which is great for an entrepreneurial business, but bad for running a pro football team.
Does the Jones front office even know what they want? This idea of “waiting to see what happens” before deciding whether or not to sign guys for the future is bad planning. As the old saying goes, “Those who fail to plan are planning to fail.”

Here‘s some examples of planning and decisions this FO should have made by now:

• Do you want Cedee Lamb to be a Cowboy in the next 4-5 years? If the answer is yes, sign him now. If not trade him. We know exactly what his market value is. He will get either exactly what Jefferson got or more. NOT LESS. It’s not complicated. Stephen Jones will not win some negotiation war in this. Period. Want Lamb or not?
• Is Dak in this team’s future plans or not? If not trade him. (Yes I know the no trade clause is there but if Dak knows he’s not in their future he WILL accept a trade and make a ton of money elsewhere) This team has 8 years of evidence of what Dak is and isn’t. Make a freaking decision. If he is in the team’s plans, extending him actually gives them cap maneuverability. If he’s not in their plans, move on and start planning for the next franchise QB. Truth is they don’t know how to do this.
• You want Parsons in the future? He would be a lot cheaper to extend now than in a year or two.

What the Jones boys are doing this off-season is just stupid. You either have a clear plan or not. If these guys knew what they were doing, we would have had a very different off-season.

Bob, we have business men running the team and not a professional GM.
The skill sets, while having some overlap are completely different.
The Jones have shown over the past 28 years that they don't have what it takes.

 

[JoeKing]

In the NFL, waiting to sign players you know you will eventually sign to a new contract is crazy. Prices for players you want (and other teams would want too) will not go down unless an unforeseen major injury or serious crime occurs. Waiting is expensive. Time is literally money.

Heres my big point: Every good front office should have a plan in advance of every season, knowing exactly which players are in their plans and which ones are not. Jerry is famous for saying he’s “comfortable with ambiguity“, which is great for an entrepreneurial business, but bad for running a pro football team.
Does the Jones front office even know what they want? This idea of “waiting to see what happens” before deciding whether or not to sign guys for the future is bad planning. As the old saying goes, “Those who fail to plan are planning to fail.”

Here‘s some examples of planning and decisions this FO should have made by now:

• Do you want Cedee Lamb to be a Cowboy in the next 4-5 years? If the answer is yes, sign him now. If not trade him. We know exactly what his market value is. He will get either exactly what Jefferson got or more. NOT LESS. It’s not complicated. Stephen Jones will not win some negotiation war in this. Period. Want Lamb or not?
• Is Dak in this team’s future plans or not? If not trade him. (Yes I know the no trade clause is there but if Dak knows he’s not in their future he WILL accept a trade and make a ton of money elsewhere) This team has 8 years of evidence of what Dak is and isn’t. Make a freaking decision. If he is in the team’s plans, extending him actually gives them cap maneuverability. If he’s not in their plans, move on and start planning for the next franchise QB. Truth is they don’t know how to do this.
• You want Parsons in the future? He would be a lot cheaper to extend now than in a year or two.

What the Jones boys are doing this off-season is just stupid. You either have a clear plan or not. If these guys knew what they were doing, we would have had a very different off-season.

You're mistaken again. But it's not surprising that you think you know better than people smarter and better qualified on this subject than you. It's what you do. The front office most certainly has a plan for the coming season. It just so happens that the course of action that best addresses what they face is mostly inaction to this point. Keeping the powder dry and playing the waiting game for more information is better. It requires discipline and patience that most people don't possess. Bob, you are overthinking it. Taking action now is not the priority you think it is. I certainly think they intend to resign CeeDee. Be patient for that to happen. Dak's performance this coming season will determine his future with the Cowboys. The FO is looking for him to bring them championships. If he can't do that after being paid top dollar for several seasons, then why resign him? The front office has a timeline that you disagree with. Bob, you are showing you don't have the temperament required to make these decisions so I am thankful you're not in a position to make them. Patience.

 

[zekecowboy]

Jerry is completely indecisive and that is proof he’s not capable.

Maybe Jerry is having some cognitive decline.

 

[Motorola]

Maybe Jerry is having some cognitive decline.

I think it's more so the father trying to hold on being in control of the football operations from his eldest son - who's pushing hard to take over.

 

[plasticman]

Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan. - Tom Landry

The successful teams have a specific philosophy on how they will operate and then they consistently adhere to that plan. Their season plans are more specific to events and situations of that particular year but is still based on that overall philosophy.

You can always identify the successful GM's and coaches because they will explain up front, what that philosophy is. The classic Cowboys emphasized draft value, they always went for BPA. Parcells beleived in mistake free football with an aggressive defense. Jimmy Johnson loved speed at skill positions and productive college careers.

Jerry Jones doesn't have a plan. He is into the "trend du jour". He copies what other successful teams do after it is no longer new and innovative.

 

[Motorola]

Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan. - Tom Landry

The successful teams have a specific philosophy on how they will operate and then they consistently adhere to that plan. Their season plans are more specific to events and situations of that particular year but is still based on that overall philosophy.

You can always identify the successful GM's and coaches because they will explain up front, what that philosophy is. The classic Cowboys emphasized draft value, they always went for BPA. Parcells beleived in mistake free football with an aggressive defense. Jimmy Johnson loved speed at skill positions and productive college careers.

And let's us longtime NFL Fans not remember Bill Walsh___
● Discipline
● Attention to Detail
● Commitment to Continuous Improvement

 

[plasticman]

And let's us longtime NFL Fans not remember Bill Walsh___
● Discipline
● Attention to Detail
● Commitment to Continuous Improvement

Steve who?

Wasn't he the guitarist for the Eagles with the solo hit "Rocky Mountain Way?"

I have a difficult time remembering that particular era of NFL football.

Fans are frustrated with Cowboys playoff losses these days? Try losing three consecutive NFC championship games, I know there are many here that remember. That's why it's unsettling when someone invokes the name of "You-know-who."

 

[Chasing6]

And let's us longtime NFL Fans not remember Bill Walsh___
● Discipline
● Attention to Detail
● Commitment to Continuous Improvement

How come we have no idea what GM Jethro's plan is?

 

[Motorola]

Steve who?

Wasn't he the guitarist for the Eagles with the solo hit "Rocky Mountain Way?"

I have a difficult time remembering that particular era of NFL football.

Fans are frustrated with Cowboys playoff losses these days? Try losing three consecutive NFC championship games, I know there are many here that remember. That's why it's unsettling when someone invokes the name of "You-know-who."

I witnessed '80 - '81 - '82.
No less excruciating than '78, '75, '70...was around for three also.
And my immersion into Cowboys lost championships began in 1967 -- losing twice in one calendar year.

 

[plasticman]

I witnessed '80 - '81 - '82.
No less excruciating than '78, '75, '70...was around for three also.
And my immersion into Cowboys lost championships began in 1967 -- losing twice in one calendar year.

Speaking of that,

I would think that most people are disappointed more by losing a Super Bowl than they are losing an NFC championship game but that isn't true for me. I think that losing a conference game is worse. It's not that I attach more importance to the conference game. It's just my personal reaction to each type of loss.

I guess it's because the Cowboys don't get to play in the last possible game left to play. I think another reason is because there is a consolation prize to losing a Super Bowl. They were there and got to play and people generally remember both teams that played in the Super Bowl. Plus, they are a conference champion.

When they lose a conference championship game then they really have nothing to show for the entire playoff run. It took one or two playoff victories to get there but they end up in the same boat as 29 other teams.

However, I was cruelly disappointed after Super Bowl 5 when they lost to the Colts. I wasn't as disappointed after the 1975 season, losing Super Bowl 10 because they had far exceeded my expectations after going 8-6 the season before. This wasn't true for the 1978 Super bowl 13. I knew what was at stake. The "team of the 70's."

 

[Bagman]

This organization is run by Jerry Jones’ ego, which right now is bruised because he probably feels as if he hasn’t gotten enough return on rewarding players so he isn’t currently up for extensions. No argument from the kid in that regard. He would rather keep the signing bonus money longer and count the interest.

If the plan is to not sign these guys, then fine, but they should be traded if that’s the case (with Parsons and Lamb anyway).

What’s really going on? They have no idea WHAT to do, so they do nothing.

This is exactly why I'm lost when it comes to the Front Office. These are guys who own and operate a professional football team at the highest level of the sport. It just seems like they don't know what to do to make the team better.

 

[Bobhaze]

Dak is the only one Jerry isn’t totally sold on and rightfully so based on history, so I think CD is on hold and there’s always the franchise tag. MP is next years problem, if Dak chokes again CD and MP will be extended and Dak will be playing elsewhere, Dak plays great and shows up big in playoffs Dak gets extended and CD also, and MP is traded as Jerry is a offense first and defense is a afterthought. Should be a fun season

You‘re right about having the tag option for Cedee. There are however two big problems with doing that:

1. If you tag him this year, at a very high price btw, and you still want him next year, it’s going to cost more.
2. Tagging him won’t allow much cap wiggle space because it’s a one year salary amount so the contract can’t be deferred.

In other words, if the Cowboys want Lamb to be here for several years more, it makes way more sense to sign him for market value now. Later WILL cost more.

 

[Quickdraw]

And every good team should have a true GM.

 

[75boyz]

The failure to effectively plan has gone well beyond one season at this point.
It's referred to as the Cowboy culture.
And that is usually the owner hires the GM. They're not the same person.

Next the GM hires the coach.

Once chosen, the GM and coach advance plan on a shared team offensive/defensive philosophy and player identity for all player acquisitions.

This NFL process is carried out by the majority of team GM/HC pairings on a yearly basis.

Dallas has a hierarchy and philosophy based on groupthink sessions but that are ultimately decided by an 80 yr old figurehead GM who also happens to be the owner.

That's not good NFL advance planning or strategy in how to win trophies for any one year or otherwise.

And here we are.

 

[Bobhaze]

You're mistaken again. But it's not surprising that you think you know better than people smarter and better qualified on this subject than you. It's what you do. The front office most certainly has a plan for the coming season. It just so happens that the course of action that best addresses what they face is mostly inaction to this point. Keeping the powder dry and playing the waiting game for more information is better. It requires discipline and patience that most people don't possess. Bob, you are overthinking it. Taking action now is not the priority you think it is. I certainly think they intend to resign CeeDee. Be patient for that to happen. Dak's performance this coming season will determine his future with the Cowboys. The FO is looking for him to bring them championships. If he can't do that after being paid top dollar for several seasons, then why resign him? The front office has a timeline that you disagree with. Bob, you are showing you don't have the temperament required to make these decisions so I am thankful you're not in a position to make them. Patience.

I have never claimed to be anything more than a Cowboys fan with opinions on an opinion forum about the Cowboys. I appreciate that you disagree with my opinion. No problem at all Joe.

 

[zrinkill]

Patience.

After 28 years ......... Patience is the last thing this front office should be asking for.

 

[MyFairLady]

People are losing faith in our fearless 81 year old drunken clown show leader? Inconceivable.