waving monkey
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When Jason Garrett took over as the Cowboys head coach, one of his foremost goals was to get younger. He inherited an old team made up of declining players with bloated contracts. At the end of the 2010 season, the Cowboys had 15 players 28 or older on their roster, including seven who were 30 or older. Dallas' greybeard status was most evident on the offensive line, where Doug Free was the only starting lineman under 30.
And look at the roster overhaul: at the end of the 2014 campaign, the Cowboys' average age is 25.4, and they average a mere 2.9 years of experience. Whereas they has 15 players who were 28 or older in 2010, that number currently stands at six - a 60% decline. And, of course, Dallas' youth movement is most evident on the offensive line. These days, Free is the only offensive line starter who's 30.
Although Dallas' youth movement has been taking place for several years, the most impactful offseason in this regard happened in 2014: the team cut Miles Austin (29) and DeMarcus Ware (31), two of their longest-tenured stars; lost Jason Hatcher (31) to free agency; released veteran backup QB Kyle Orton (29) and chose not to re-sign veteran LB Ernie Sims (29). A cursory study at the start of the season showed that, thanks in no small measure to this purge, the 2014 Cowboys boasted the league's fourth-youngest roster, after coming in 15th in 2013. That's some special sauce.
link/http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2015...d-the-cowboys-2014-season-no-1-youth-movement
And look at the roster overhaul: at the end of the 2014 campaign, the Cowboys' average age is 25.4, and they average a mere 2.9 years of experience. Whereas they has 15 players who were 28 or older in 2010, that number currently stands at six - a 60% decline. And, of course, Dallas' youth movement is most evident on the offensive line. These days, Free is the only offensive line starter who's 30.
Although Dallas' youth movement has been taking place for several years, the most impactful offseason in this regard happened in 2014: the team cut Miles Austin (29) and DeMarcus Ware (31), two of their longest-tenured stars; lost Jason Hatcher (31) to free agency; released veteran backup QB Kyle Orton (29) and chose not to re-sign veteran LB Ernie Sims (29). A cursory study at the start of the season showed that, thanks in no small measure to this purge, the 2014 Cowboys boasted the league's fourth-youngest roster, after coming in 15th in 2013. That's some special sauce.
link/http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2015...d-the-cowboys-2014-season-no-1-youth-movement