I called for a reboot of the secondary in 2015

[PJTHEDOORS]

DB's that left in fa were scrubs. Jeff heath will eclipse the church/wilcox sf combo. We obviously still have our starting fs, jones.. and scandrick and anthony Brown were our best 2 corners anyway. If those 4 start then they're already better. And younger. Draft Quincy Wilson out of florida and move scandrick or brown to slot db and it will be a massacre out there.

Greg Jackson was the reason some of these perennial clowns passed for football players this year and he's still around, so color me enthused about our future in the secondary.

The guy has to prove it as a full time starter with consistent production before I say he too isn't a scrub. If were gonna call Chuch a scrub.

 

[Alexander]

I can only add that l really hope the FO has something big planned before the season starts! Maybe a trade??

Don't count on it. Nobody trades with Dallas.

 

[jazzcat22]

If Scandrick was better then why didn't we play him over Carr last season?
If Heath was better than why wasn't he starting over Church/Wilcox?

Scandrick battled nagging injuries on and off almost all season long, as well as TC. And by the time he did show health improvement, Brown had already shown he can play.
Heath, agree. Heath is a very good ST's players, and has shown at times he can be in the right place at the right time for INT's and fumble recoveries. But starting quality, it remains to be seen.
Draft a SS in the 1st 2 rounds.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

I know what you mean, but no team is even close to the Patriots. They are 2 tiers above the rest of the league. They're the best run FO in the history of the NFL (if you take into consideration the effects of salary cap stuff).

As far as this being "reactionary", I actually disagree here. Dak is entering his 2nd year, it was impossible to know he was going to have the season he had, but he did.

In this case, they didn't waste any time and moved on. They could have signed Church/Carr or some other FA's, but they didn't. They're starting to build this defense now, as soon as they possibly could, and not hanging onto dead weight and stopgaps for a few more years.

This is Dak's 2nd year, and in his third we will have added a lot of talent in this draft, as well as having a ton of room under the cap next year.

Actually having a lot of space under the cap, a team full of young guys, with the youngest defense in the league and a season to find out who's got some game out of them without mediocre vets taking snaps. Then we have the FA period, and a new draft class.

That's not reactionary to me. That's trying to surround Dak with as much homegrown talent as possible, and putting in place a yearly competitor, not just a flash in the pan.

How successful it will be will depend on if they've learned anything about 2nd round risks.

My post wasn't meant to be a knock against the Cowboys. I think they've actually showed a lot of discretion in not resigning some of the players that ended up bailing, which is something they may have not have done just a few years ago.

Folks get bent out of shape seeing all the big-name signings our rivals have made but will forget the angst in a year or two after they're cut.

That said, I do think they got caught a bit with their pants down with four secondary contributors (3 starters/1 backup) all leaving. I can't imagine that possibly being all part of the plan because it now heavily dictates the direction (i.e. pigeon holing) they have to go into the draft when they still have other primary holes (DE/pressure player).

 

[ElGatoGrande]

http://cowboyszone.com/threads/rebooting-the-secondary.337051/

I think the deficiencies you've noted are all a consequence of drafting poorly and maintaining a circus environment that impedes player growth. They overpay and hold on to their starters too long because they don't have a strong roster. They're incapable of addressing more than one side of the ball at a time because only their premium picks pan out. It took them 4 years to fix the OL, one first round pick at a time, and in the meantime the defense sank to historic depths. I'm encouraged by last year's draft and the fact that Garrett is at least focusing on important areas of the team (like the OL) but I'm not convinced that they can string together enough good drafts to put a balanced/complete team on the field. In today's NFL you cannot build a contender solely through the draft unless you draft extremely well every single year.

 

[khiladi]

I think the FO has shown us that it is mostly inept. Outside of the draft, I don't think they've ever really done anything to impress the fans or the rest of the NFL. They never get value for players before they leave in free agency. We have a 4-time pro bowl QB that they refused to play more than one series, and now they can't get any value for him.

It's a very inept front office.

Judd GARRETT, part of that Garrett legacy in Dallas, is their Pro Scouting Director.. McClay does the draft and college...

 

[Doomsay]

Problem is that the FO is reactionary. They wait until the OLine got old and expensive. Then let everyone go. Result Phil Costa, Montre Holland, pat Mcquistan etc. then they have to spend first rounders catching up. They knew we were going to lose 4 players on the DB, 2 years ago. What they do draft druggies and nerves in the Second. Now they gotta do damage control. So we gonna wind up having Nick Hayden's in the backfield until we can shore it up.

Excellent take.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I'm all for rebuilding the secondary and the rest of the D...but Nolan Carroll makes 0 sense.

Zone coverage defense. Carroll > Carr. Makes perfect sense.

 

[NorthwestDallas40]

I think the FO has shown us that it is mostly inept. Outside of the draft, I don't think they've ever really done anything to impress the fans or the rest of the NFL. They never get value for players before they leave in free agency. We have a 4-time pro bowl QB that they refused to play more than one series, and now they can't get any value for him.

It's a very inept front office.

I don't know how you can say the FO is inept, except for the draft. That FO drafted TFred, Martin, Prescott, Anthony Brown, and Zeke. You may disagree with their free agent philosophy, but calling the FO inept is a huge reach.

 

[AsthmaField]

Judd GARRETT, part of that Garrett legacy in Dallas, is their Pro Scouting Director.. McClay does the draft and college...

McClay played a big part in bringing in Mayowa last year. He is very involved in free agency.

 

[xwalker]

If Scandrick was better then why didn't we play him over Carr last season?
If Heath was better than why wasn't he starting over Church/Wilcox?
It makes no sense and there is any logic to your argument .
It's just a bunch of hope....and hope isn't a plan.

Coaches choose starters.

Front Office chooses players.

Nick Hayden would have started last year if the Front Office allowed him to return.

 

[Galian Beast]

I don't know how you can say the FO is inept, except for the draft. That FO drafted TFred, Martin, Prescott, Anthony Brown, and Zeke. You may disagree with their free agent philosophy, but calling the FO inept is a huge reach.

How many playoff games have we won again?

 

[tm1119]

Zone coverage defense. Carroll > Carr. Makes perfect sense.

Ahh the miracle worker Rod and his outdated scheme...I'm tired of that narrative, it doesn't work. You need talent in the NFL and we don't have enough of it.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

Zone coverage defense. Carroll > Carr. Makes perfect sense.

Marinelli defense. Tapper > Watt. Makes perfect sense.

 

[Rockdoc]

if we are determined to play zone coverage, wouldnt we rather have a FS (rather than drafting a SS) with some tackling ability.
since jones is covering the TE, he essentially is the SS.
this gets us more speed on the field. its why its good we let church and wilcox go.

 

[Doc50]

Scandrick battled nagging injuries on and off almost all season long, as well as TC. And by the time he did show health improvement, Brown had already shown he can play.
Heath, agree. Heath is a very good ST's players, and has shown at times he can be in the right place at the right time for INT's and fumble recoveries. But starting quality, it remains to be seen.
Draft a SS in the 1st 2 rounds.

Agreed.

Heath came from a small school and was raw, but the instincts and talent have been showing; I think the coaches feel they can rely on him more, and Byron is already solid. Scandrick should now be 100%, and Brown is already reliable.

So, the FO assessed its current talent, their future costs and risks of their departure, and made a rational ROI decision. The departure of all 4 DBs has been predicted for some time, and even screamed for by some in this forum. As many expected, the lure of a bigger contract has drawn them away from the system they know; and appropriately, a negotiator will factor in those ill-defined costs of leaving. If a player chooses to stay, he can be commended for his loyalty and presumed chemistry with the team.

Conversely, if a player is a captain, cornerstone, foundational player and leader for the team -- the kind that may be destined for the ROH -- you match the big offers and keep them, unless age and injury have begun to taint the assessed value (DWare comes to mind).

So, I'll say it again -- it's all about return on investment, the intelligent evaluation of that, and the use of all such data to make the most prescient decisions. This includes the evaluation of athletic ability, football talent, coachability, intelligence, character, durabilty, system fit, etc. vs the contracted cost of said talent.

Some are better than others at this process, and we will never know the details (though all of us couch GM's want to be there).

I think the FO has shown yearly improvement, and I'm content to let them do their job without any trash talking. So, I'm going to be confident in their draft big board and the choices that it dictates they make as the draft unfolds. I'm simply anxious to see what athletes we get, and how the team looks by September.

I do hope we go SS and CB with the first 2 picks, but we'll see how it falls. Those positions are on the field more than an edge rusher, so I value them higher.

 

[CyberB0b]

A reboot, by its definition, means the machine is powered back on. We simply hit shut down and walked away. We have no viable replacements for a lot of the guys we let go. I was no fan of Brandon Carr, but the guy showed up for work everyday and for the most part, was pretty solid.

I have no issues with letting Carr, Mo, or Church walk, but you need some sort of plan to replace those guys. Jeff Heath and Nolan Carroll don't inspire a lot of confidence. We should have at least kept Wilcox. He showed some range and was the only person on the team who could set the tone with his physicality. I don't like him as a full time starter, but he plays special teams and could compete.

Scandrick and Brown are two of the smallest corners in the league. Scandrick has never started a full 16 games. Carroll is a scrub.

 

[Noclaf]

If Scandrick was better then why didn't we play him over Carr last season?
If Heath was better than why wasn't he starting over Church/Wilcox?
It makes no sense and there is any logic to your argument .
It's just a bunch of hope....and hope isn't a plan.

So many ifs, they have no plan, if this if that is stupid. This D will be a hot mess this year

 

[CyberB0b]

So many ifs, they have no plan, if this if that is stupid. This D will be a hot mess this year

It's the same thing people were doing last year with the defensive line. Lots of hope, with no plan.

 

[NorthwestDallas40]

How many playoff games have we won again?

Cant blame that on FO. Try Garrett.