How do we avoid another giant whiff in free agency?

[Jake]

Give it a rest. Both drafting and FA has been better than average since McCla arrived.

McClay is definitely an asset, but there's only so much he can do in the Cowboys organization.

 

[Sydla]

Give it a rest. Both drafting and FA has been better than average since McCla arrived.

I won't quibble with the draft. I think they've done a good job there. I don't have much of an issue with McClay at all in that sense. I think it would be a mistake if he ever left.

But FA has not been good. Even operating within a limited budget, they've made some pretty poor decisions. Thornton. Carroll. Moore. Etc. Other than Cooper, who was a reclamation project, their FA success is limited, at best. Now whose fault is that?

 

[jobberone]

Maybe but then again, I immediately have to question anyone that thought Nolan Carroll was a good signing. Now was McClay on board with that or was that simply a Marinelli override?

I get the notion that Stephen Jones apparently has yanked the purse strings in FA the last few years. But even within such a tight budget, who is the one who has made calls on guys like Moore, Carroll, Thornton, etc?

We picked up a castoff because we had no experience back there. Turns out the new guys were hits and Carroll wasn't needed but that's hindsight. It was insurance that turned out not necessary but that doesn't make it a bad move.

 

[jobberone]

I won't quibble with the draft. I think they've done a good job there.

FA has not been good. Even operating within a limited budget, they've made some pretty poor decisions. Thornton. Carroll. Moore. Etc. Other than Cooper, who was a reclamation project, their FA success is limited, at best.

You're going to miss more FAs than hit because you're picking (mostly) from he bottom of the barrell.

 

[GORICO]

Fire and replace Will McClay?

Fire and replace his staff?

Both?

Discuss.

.....i would not fire him for picking in draft...but he needs major help in free agent pick ups

 

[Proof]

Step one: don’t let entire position groups walk at the same time. (Also don’t let league leading, mvp candidate skill players walk)

Step two: use the dumpster for throwing away trash, do not bring a shopping cart.

 

[_sturt_]

Inconvenient fact, as much as any of us, including myself, think highly of McClay and his player assessment staff...

Those MILLIONS of dollars spent on THOSE players last off-season could have served us well if, instead, they had been spent on players who ACTUALLY PLAYED... ie, well enough to MERELY stick on the roster.

So, nonsense. You'd have to be convinced that chronically filling gaps with undrafted free agents is a good thing in order to defend the giant W-H-I-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F, and to suggest it's nothing. (Someone convinced of that???)

It was, of course, something.

 

[unionjack8]

McClay isn't the problem and this notion that free agency is the cure all, may I direct you to the NY Giants who spent over 120 million on contacts to fix their defense and it's been getting worse over the last two years.. You build through the draft and re-sign your own free agents you want to keep....you only sign a free agent piece if you're missing that one key part but Dallas isn't anywhere close to needing just one main piece...

So why didn't we just that 1 piece last off season. We'd just gone 13-3 . We were close. But unstead we went dumpster diving.
Point is they have it set in stone not to get better via free agency.....

 

[xwalker]

Fire and replace Will McClay?

Fire and replace his staff?

Both?

Discuss.

Garrett's brother is or was the Director of Pro Scouting (scouting free agents or possible trade targets).

 

[Sydla]

Jacksonville signed 3 starters in FA who all looked really good imo. You're very rarely missing just one part in free agency, you have to be aggressive in improving the team, something we refuse to do.

And traded for Dareus who had an immediate impact in their run D.

The reality is that FA can and should be used to supplement a team with a few holes. It doesn't mean one should just throw away cash like candy on guys but this franchise has taken the exact opposite approach and signed trash hoping that they might strike gold and one or two actually turn into something.

It hasn't worked. They have a bit more flexibility this offseason and they clearly have holes. If there is ever a year to spend a little and try to bring in some good, solid, mid-tiered free agents, this is the year.

 

[fairviewfarmer]

Alfred Morris will be gone I assume?

 

[gimmesix]

Fire and replace Will McClay?

Fire and replace his staff?

Both?

Discuss.

I still believe in the personnel department. It has done good things when the team has let it., but you can't shop off the scrap heap and expect to turn trash into treasure. We fix free agency by letting McClay and his staff identify a few choice players and then going after them aggressively.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Will has done a fine job over the past few years. While most will call his last FA haul a whiff, he didn't cripple us either.

Guess what your little guy is up to Son.

 

[_sturt_]

Garrett's brother is or was the Director of Pro Scouting (scouting free agents or possible trade targets).

Okay.

And so where does that buck stop? (... ie, before it gets to the owner who, self-evidently, isn't going to fire himself).

With the Director of Pro Scouting, or with the Senior Director of Player Personnel?

 

[Sydla]

We picked up a castoff because we had no experience back there. Turns out the new guys were hits and Carroll wasn't needed but that's hindsight. It was insurance that turned out not necessary but that doesn't make it a bad move.

This is revisionist history.

For one, Carroll wasn't "insurance". They thought he could play. They gave him a two year deal. They were hot after him two years ago when he was a FA. Marinelli was said to love him because he thought he was an ideal fit for his zone schemes. Further, the young guys didn't really gel until later in the season. We struggled at times earlier in the season largely because they couldn't count on a guy like Carroll.

It's the same thing with Paea. They brought him in as the starting 1 Tech. There was no "bridge" here. They didn't have some young, stud DT that needed a few games seasoning before he would take over. They followed their plan at the 1 Tech............. bring in cheap, off the street guys because they don't believe they need to invest anything in that position. That was Paea.

FA has been an issue for a few offseasons now. It's mind numbing that people are actually arguing that our FA plan has been sufficient. And FWIW, I am not hanging it all on McClay. I think our FA foibles are tied to Jones' strategy of bargain bin shopping and then having a guy like Marinelli lobbying for guys like Carroll and Paea and Jones and Garrett giving him those guys.

Maybe we should just stop listening to Marinelli when it comes to player acquisitions. Just tell him to focus on coaching and McClay and others will deal with the personnel.

 

[_sturt_]

You're going to miss more FAs than hit because you're picking (mostly) from he bottom of the barrell.

I could agree with "middle" of the barrel... or, at least, what was perceived at the time as the middle.

 

[The Quest for Six]

So why didn't we just that 1 piece last off season. We'd just gone 13-3 . We were close. But unstead we went dumpster diving.
Point is they have it set in stone not to get better via free agency.....

if you watched this team closely last year, you knew This team was not close enough defensively and certainly not one players away and it was evident by this years play and record!,

 

[Blast From The Past]

Jacksonville signed 3 starters in FA who all looked really good imo. You're very rarely missing just one part in free agency, you have to be aggressive in improving the team, something we refuse to do.

Will those 3 still look good next year? They got lucky and that is about all it is. FA signings are a gamble. You either spend way to much vs the service you get in return or you spend less on lesser signings and get more or less than you bargained for.

 

[Sydla]

Will those 3 still look good next year? They got lucky and that is about all it is. FA signings are a gamble. You either spend way to much vs the service you get in return or you spend less on lesser signings and get more or less than you bargained for.

Why is it luck if a FA actually plays well and becomes a key component for a team?

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Maybe but then again, I immediately have to question anyone that thought Nolan Carroll was a good signing. Now was McClay on board with that or was that simply a Marinelli override?

I get the notion that Stephen Jones apparently has yanked the purse strings in FA the last few years. But even within such a tight budget, who is the one who has made calls on guys like Moore, Carroll, Thornton, etc?

Carroll was simply the cheapest, biggest CB with experience and knowledge of the division. Moore is Linehans call 100% Thornton wasnt horrible, to me.