It's time for a brutally honest roster talent evaluation

[FuzzyLumpkins]

we need him for all of the games, not part time. AS GREAT as he is, when healthy, we need him all the time.

No, you want that. Fact is that football is an attrition sport and him averaging 14.5 games per season is better than all but a handful of teams in terms of production. If you want to win, all you need to do is perform better than the competition.

Tyron and a quality swing tackle is better than all but a few teams in terms of production. Also he only makes $10m AAV which is better than all the rest.

 

[Rayman70]

And I want to marry a rich super model...sometimes you have to settle.

Find me a guy that can play 16 games, only let up 1 sack and be a great run blocker. When you can do that I’ll entertain the idea...but you’ll be looking for a LONG time. Until then it’s a ridiculous notion that we have to replace a great LT. Tyron will definitely be a case of people not realizing what we have until it’s gone.

so, are we accepting mediocrity or is this reality? MAYBE SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE? I am just posing these questions because he's hurt almost every year...and one must wonder how much longer we can hang our success on our LT who happens to protect the face of the franchise whom we are about to invest a mega-deal with. SO yeah, its kinda important. Just my opinion.

 

[gimmesix]

What games are ya’ll watching that makes you think Tyron Smith is anywhere near needing to be replaced? There are less than 5 human beings on earth that can play LT better than Tyron, I’ll gladly sacrifice the 2-3 game a year that he misses due to injury over having an inferior player protecting the QB’s blind side

I think it's more about being prepared because his back problems aren't going to get any better. I would hope no one is talking about replacing him BEFORE he's lost to injury. We'll ride with him as long as he's able, but there are clear health problems there that indicate that might not be long. If he makes it another three or four years, we should all be very happy about that.

The contingencies are about preparing for when we do lose him for a couple of games and preparing for what happens if he reaches that point where his back won't let him go anymore.

 

[Rayman70]

not only that he cant move like he used to and he compensated by getting called for costly penalties. I dont think we need to move on from him but we definitely need a plan for when it happens.it will be sooner than we think. Back injuries and now the knee

^^^this^^^ 100% fact.

 

[Rayman70]

I think it's more about being prepared because his back problems aren't going to get any better. I would hope no one is talking about replacing him BEFORE he's lost to injury. We'll ride with him as long as he's able, but there are clear health problems there that indicate that might not be long. If he makes it another three or four years, we should all be very happy about that.

The contingencies are about preparing for when we do lose him for a couple of games and preparing for what happens if he reaches that point where his back won't let him go anymore.

yup backs don't magically repair themselves as we all know. He has a ton of miles on him. Its just prudent I think to have options.

 

[blueblood70]

I'm not sure I want to mess with Collins at all. He's gotten adjusted to RT, plus his skills seem to be a better fit for that side to me because I think speed gives him more trouble than power. I think Williams is a better fit at LT because he's the opposite of that.

Cwill I cant be 100% but he doesnt have very long arms and thats a priority of LT IMO..still I was simply offering a better option.. I think Lc could easily adjust over to the left with a full offseason..

 

[Rayman70]

Cwill I cant be 100% but he doesnt have very long arms and thats a priority of LT IMO..still I was simply offering a better option.. I think Lc could easily adjust over to the left with a full offseason..

im excited about the new blocking scheme and having Philbin onboard. I wouldn't be shocked to see Collins shuffled around some. Camp will be fun I think.

 

[gimmesix]

Cwill I cant be 100% but he doesnt have very long arms and thats a priority of LT IMO..still I was simply offering a better option.. I think Lc could easily adjust over to the left with a full offseason..

I'm not saying I would be opposed to it. If we lost Tyron, then it's whatever it takes to field the best five.

 

[blueblood70]

im excited about the new blocking scheme and having Philbin onboard. I wouldn't be shocked to see Collins shuffled around some. Camp will be fun I think.

I dont believe thats happening this season. other then LG everything stays as is..i was talking 2 seasons from now TS contract gets cut friendly.. add age etc thats a good time to make some changes.

but yes new era brings new hope..

 

[armadillooutlaw]

Mike McCarthy is a good hire. He gives us a realistic chance to maximize the talent we have, but perhaps more importantly, he gives us the opportunity to have a fresh set of eyes to evaluate this team’s roster. This team needs a really good offseason to evaluate its talent and upgrade where needed.

One of the weaknesses of our organization the last two decades is too often having a rosy estimate of our talent. The best NFL GMs are willing and able to look at players critically and determine how much tread is on the tire of a player and their true value in a hard salary cap.

I’m of the opinion that most of us as fans, and sadly even the Jones power brokers, tend to overvalue our talent. That’s normal for fans. It’s not normal for a good front office.

With that in mind, here are some positions and roster spots (in no particular order) I believe need some real scrutiny:

• LT- Truly one of the 3 most important positions on a team includes LT. From 2011-2018, Tyron Smith was one of the best players in the NFL and perhaps even the best player on the Cowboys roster. But back and knee injuries have made Ty Smith a lot more human. We need to consider that his days as a top LT are winding down.

• Safety- a no brainer. We haven’t had great talent at this position for too long. It’s time for this team to invest in a premium draft pick at a long time position of need.

• DT- a close second to safety in obvious need. Another position where we have settled for mid-late round draft picks or cheap retreads. It’s past time to address this position early in the draft.

• WR- Amari Cooper is a great talent and he certainly helped this team for two years. But I don’t believe in investing huge cap space on a position that is one of the easiest to find talent. Michael Gallup’s emergence also makes giving huge cap dollars to Cooper less attractive. I favor moving on from him and saving some cash.

• LB- I still believe a healthy LVE is a great talent. I’m a little concerned about Jaylon after his big contract but he’s still certainly a talent. This team still needs LB talent. We should probably say goodbye to Sean Lee though. Love the guy and what he has meant to this team. But it’s better to cut a guy a year early than too late.
  
  
• Guard- I’m not convinced that Connor Williams is a starter. He’s ok at best. Maybe Connor Macgovern is an upgrade and Williams just becomes a decent backup. But this position needs to be addressed.
  
  
• TE- Jason Witten needs to go. He’s a HOFer but he’s done. We need another TE probably from the draft to complement the emergence of Blake Jarwin.

There are probably more positions of need not mentioned above. But it’s certainly clear this team needs upgrades at multiple positions. In general, I would say the defense has the most glaring needs. But I also hope Coach Mac is able to bring a more discerning eye on this roster. And that we can stop being married to a player too long because “we love them”.

Good post, Bobhaze.
Think they need to keep or add quality depth to the OL and give Williams a serious look at left tackle in camp.
If he shows out, I'd consider trading Smith if he would fetch a second round pick.
Yes, he's still a very good player when healthy, but he's missed three games each, four years in a row.
Rather than throw big money at Cooper, why not sign Cobb to a reasonable deal (if he'll take it) and also sign a real good TE like Hooper from Atlanta with the same money?
Also agree VERY MUCH that S and DT are huge needs and require significant investment.

 

[tm1119]

so, are we accepting mediocrity or is this reality? MAYBE SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE? I am just posing these questions because he's hurt almost every year...and one must wonder how much longer we can hang our success on our LT who happens to protect the face of the franchise whom we are about to invest a mega-deal with. SO yeah, its kinda important. Just my opinion.

Sorry but I don’t think you have a clue what you’re talking about. He let up 1 sack all year. Committed 8 penalties, minimum of 2 we all saw were bogus. There was nothing mediocre about his game.

 

[Rayman70]

Sorry but I don’t think you have a clue what you’re talking about. He let up 1 sack all year. Committed 8 penalties, minimum of 2 we all saw were bogus. There was nothing mediocre about his game.

calm down bud. Don't resort to BS. Its not a sin to debate a guy that's always hurt and has a bad back. Its not against the rules man lol.

 

[Sydla]

this has truth to it he may not have been a football guy 30yrs ago professionally speaking but after 30 years as a GM , hes has to be pretty darn close to it lol..

how many on here have been NFL Gms? how about a player in college? in the HOF now?

Im pretty sure Jerry knows a ton more then any of us about even football matters..hes had OTJT for 30years and really hes fielded some talented teams that feel short but they've been good enough to make a Sb..maybe MM can finally get us over the top

on a side note Jerrys stance has been over 30years like the other teams around the nfl , how many GMs would he have fired anyway? most likely 3 of them or more? theres no proof we would be in any better position given jerry still would have the final say. he cut out the middle man in his own words..

Im not saying I wish we would have a true GM here but its no lock it would have helped..

Many GMs have coaching, playing or at least trained for years under player personnel people before becoming GMs. And there aren't a ton of really, really good GMs anyway.

Our GM's qualification for being GM is................ he was a millionaire and bought a NFL franchise. He made himself GM because he overvalued his skills in player scouting and development.

I mean the evidence is pretty strong. The moment Johnson left and that great team that was built in the 90s became old and split, this franchise, under this GM, has been one of the bottom third worst franchises in the NFL. That's not hyperbole. That's fact. They have 4 playoff wins starting the season after our last SB win. 4. That's not a made up number. It's real.

If I were to list just the Commanders, Lions, Dolphins, Bills, Browns and Bengals with no caption or information...... if I literally just wrote those 6 names down in a post with no other words at all, the majority of people would look at that list and say, "whew, what a sad sack of franchises right there..........." and laugh.

Jokes on us. We are in that same company. They are one of only 7 teams to not make a conference title game since 1995. The others are the 6 teams I listed above.

Jones has been a mediocre, at best, GM. He's OK in some areas of GM work, poor in others. But the proof is the results and no GM would ever be thought of as having done a great or even good job if that GM led a team for over 20 years and all he could muster a team with 4 playoff wins.

 

[blueblood70]

Many GMs have coaching, playing or at least trained for years under player personnel people before becoming GMs. And there aren't a ton of really, really good GMs anyway.

Our GM's qualification for being GM is................ he was a millionaire and bought a NFL franchise. He made himself GM because he overvalued his skills in player scouting and development.

I mean the evidence is pretty strong. The moment Johnson left and that great team that was built in the 90s became old and split, this franchise, under this GM, has been one of the bottom third worst franchises in the NFL. That's not hyperbole. That's fact. They have 4 playoff wins starting the season after our last SB win. 4. That's not a made up number. It's real. They are one of only 8 teams to not make a conference title game since 1995. The others are the Commanders, Lions, Dolphins, Bills, Browns, Bengals.

If I were to list just the Commanders, Lions, Dolphins, Bills, Browns and Bengals with no caption or information. Just wrote those 6 names down in a post, the majority of people would look at that list and say, "whew, what a sad sack of franchises right there..........." and laugh.

Jokes on us. We are in that same company.

Jones has been a mediocre, at best, GM. He's OK in some areas of GM work, poor in others. But the proof is the results and no GM would ever be thought of as having done a great or even good job if that GM led a team for over 20 years and all he could muster a team with 4 playoff wins.

lets keep it in the 2010-2020 a lot of improvement 2016 to now even more.. he may have held onto Garett too long but hes not been a horrible GM, he is now a football guy, there is no way you are around football from aplayer to a owner/GM and spend time with Jimmy, Billp, Switzer, and others and not have learned a lot..

he made a lot of mistakes but the argument is football guy or not..i say he is..sure go back to some of those first 5 years post Jimmy it was horrible.. I wanted him gone for a long time as GM but of late I see a lot of changes and improvemtn.

IMO we are not PART OF THAT LIST.. have your its not mine..

BTW the quote not a lot of Good to great GMs available supports Jerrys claim he would have fired them all anyway and it wouldn't have got us any further..not saying I fully agree but there are some truth to that..

 

[cowboy_ron]

Copy Pasty -

Name one HOF voter that says Jerry knows nothing about football and the football side had zero to do with his HOF election. Because that was the claim several others have made in this thread and you are backing up.

Whatever you want to believe

 

[Sydla]

lets keep it in the 2010-2020 a lot of improvement 2016 to now even more.. he may have held onto Garett too long but hes not been a horrible GM, he is now a football guy, there is no way you are around football from aplayer to a owner/GM and spend time with Jimmy, Billp, Switzer, and others and not have learned a lot..

he made a lot of mistakes but the argument is football guy or not..i say he is..sure go back to some of those first 5 years post Jimmy it was horrible.. I wanted him gone for a long time as GM but of late I see a lot of changes and improvemtn.

IMO we are not PART OF THAT LIST.. have your its not mine..

BTW the quote not a lot of Good to great GMs available supports Jerrys claim he would have fired them all anyway and it wouldn't have got us any further..not saying I fully agree but there are some truth to that..

It really doesn't support Jerry's point of view at all.

And this improvement from 2010-2020 is overstated. We have two playoff wins in those 10 years. In fact, you can argue this franchise is no further than either of Wade Phillips' teams that won 13 and 11 games in two of his 3.5 seasons here in 2007 and 2009.

It's also not just the first five years post Jimmy. If you give Jimmy credit for 1995 (since he built the team Switzer won with), the Cowboys made the playoffs 3 times in the next five years (1996-2000). The next five years after that (2001-2005)? We made the playoffs once. The fact he kept Garrett longer than he should have is another strike against this concept that he's learned and was a competent GM.

He's a mediocre GM. History has proven that. However, if what is being reported is true about McCarthy being given way more leeway here (like being able to pick his own staff, etc.) then maybe Jerry is seeing the light and letting people better equipped to make certain decisions actually make those decisions. Maybe the realization that he won't live forever has made him desperate and he knows he has to give up some of his powers.

PS - I am not sure what you mean when you said "we are not part of that list". Yes we are. It's a grouping of the last teams to play in a conference title game. That's simply a fact. 26 other teams in the NFL have made a conference title game since we last did. We absolutely are part of that list. Also, if you look at our 4 playoff wins since 1995? We rank in the bottom of the league there as well. You can deny it all you want but this franchise has been WAY CLOSER to the ineptitude of the Skins and Browns and Bengals than we are to the successes of the Pats or Steelers or Packers over the last two decades.

 

[tm1119]

calm down bud. Don't resort to BS. Its not a sin to debate a guy that's always hurt and has a bad back. Its not against the rules man lol.

Lol I’m perfectly calm. And what BS?? I’m just stating facts, I apologize if it doesn’t fit your narrative.

 

[Aviano90]

Based on Garrett coaching? Marinelli's terrible defensive scheme and coaching?

This same thing was said about the Rams in Jeff Fisher's tenure there. They said Goff was god awful and a bust. That they had little talent. McVey steps in and immediately improves it and they win the West. Then go to the Super Bowl the next season. Coaching matters a lot in this league. You see it in sports at all levels.

Great. Maybe Zeke can become “generational” next year under new coaching.

 

[stinkface]

Lets get real folks. We obviously have a pretty decent rooster, although we need DT's and Safeties who can actually make plays. That said, with our roster we really underachieved. Our coaches let us down hands down. Our special teams coach in particular has done zero for years and we kept letting him show to work. Won't even get into Garrett because he made the same mistakes on clock management his entire HC experience here. I do like the fact that McCarthy is getting to hire the folks he wants and we are getting some of the better coaches out there.

 

[Rayman70]

ignore is a cool feature