Jason Garrett, Will McClay, and the Future

[AbeBeta]

Do you trust Jason Garrett, Will McClay, the scouting department, and really the organization as a whole in regards to finding Romo's successor?

On one hand, we have the organization that took 10 years to go from Troy Aikman to Tony Romo. We have the complete lack of even trying to get a guy in here to develop. We also have a lack of using any respectable amount of resources on drafting at this position, or even acquiring someone through Free Agency.

On the other, we have Will McClay, who has really been drafting well. We also have Jason Garrett, who showed interest in drafting Andy Dalton in 2011. He was picked by Cincinnati 5 picks before the Cowboys picked, who wound up drafting Bruce Carter. I remember Jason Garrett really having wanted Andy Dalton. One could argue that Andy Dalton is the best quarterback in the last 5 years not drafted in the first round, except for Russell Wilson.

Where is the truth here? Are we really inept at finding talent, or are we actually good at finding talent and haven't found the right guy yet?

Are we not even looking because we put too much faith in Romo's body and it's ability to hold up?

This is one of the more interesting dynamics and discussions for this team in my opinion, and probably the most important for the future success of the organization.

Do you think the Cowboys can see quarterback talent and want the right guy, or do you think they're rolling the dice against the future?

I'm not writing this to give an opinion. I want to hear yours. Everyone's.

If we look at some of the leaked draft boards, you can see that maybe we are lucky we haven't taken a guy. In 2013 our top QB was Ryan Nassib (2nd round), Barkley, and Geno Smith were next (in the 2nd). EJ Manuel was ranked correctly - a 4th rounder. And we had Tyler Wilson, Mike Glennon, and Landry Jones as 5-6 round guys. Those last three would have been good picks where we had them slotted but they all went in the 3rd or 4th. So I think there is an eye toward developing a younger guy but realistically we know that drafting QBs is a total crapshoot and if you are using lower round picks they have about as much chance as UDFAs.

I do think that so long as Romo is here we are more likely to spend mid range money on a backup QB. I expect if Cassel does OK that we'll ink him for a couple of years.

When it is time to replace Romo, I expect we will try to go big. Dez will still be here, so we don't want to mess with garbage QB play. I think our next QB is starting right now for another team.

 

[kiheikiwi]

I also think that if Cassel can win a few games, he will be the veteran backup next year. I don't think Showers will be the guy here. Moore is the one I think this team needs to figure out. Is he just this years Vaughan, or do they see something similar to Romo, that can be coached up over the next year or two. While having the vet. backup behind Romo.
If the answer is no, then we will need (either this year or next) to find a 2nd or 3rd rounder that can sit for a year or two ala Rogers. And be ready. I kinda trust McClay, not sure I trust Garrett.
Very interesting question, because I don't think they will take a first round QB to sit behind Romo - unless they feel he is about to come apart at the seams.

 

[RS12]

I was surprised to see Hundley drop the 5th round.

I wasnt. Not overly accurate, that was the knock on him coming out.

 

[RS12]

I also think that if Cassel can win a few games, he will be the veteran backup next year. I don't think Showers will be the guy here. Moore is the one I think this team needs to figure out. .

Thats all ready been figured out. He is not the guy, not even the back up.

 

[Beast_from_East]

Hate to say it, but after the way this group botched both the RB and QB positions this year, my confidence is not really that high right now.

90% of this board knew that Weeden sucked and that we would not win a game that he started. I stated that many times, go look at my post history if you don't believe me.........so why did myself and the vast majority of this board could tell Weeden was a scrub, but Garrett and company couldn't?

Same deal with RB..........me and about 80% of this board said from day one that McFadden was Raider trash and Randle was a backup and neither could be the lead dog. It has apparently taken Garrett and company till week 7 to figure this out when most fans knew this in training camp.

And this is not me trying to pat myself and other fans on the back here because what we predicted turned out to be true, this is about why the vast majority of the fan base was better at talent evaluation at the QB and RB position this year than Garrett and company. That is why my confidence is not very high right now.


My .02

 

[lostar2009]

I think they choose NOT to spend quality picks on qbs. They said JJ wanted Cam if he fell to us at 9. Right now Cam is looking real good. As stated in the article Garret had interest in Dalton but we miss out on him. The way I see it its hard to find diamonds in the ruff if that is all your looking for versus spending quality picks on qbs. Qbs are out there but some teams will ruin qbs by putting them in bad systems and sub par talent. Imagine Andrew Luck playing for us with a nice running game without having to throw the ball +50 times a game. Look how good Nick Foles look before he was traded out of Philly. There are so many variables in the equation and that is why I always believe a GOOD team is ALWAYS in search of quality qb depth.

 

[noshame]

We have to draft one because it will take 3 years to get Tony's salary off the cap, so a free agent is out of the question.

 

[Eddie]

Romo signed his 6 year extension in 2013. The extension didn't go into effect until after the 2013 season so he will be the starting QB through the 2019 season. That's four more seasons folks. How long do we need to groom his replacement? I think only a couple of seasons is long enough to groom a guy that's really going to be any good. So we don't need to get that guy in here until the 2017 season. Until then, stop with the Romo replacement talk... it's way too early.

ha ha. Do you really think Romo is going to last 4 full seasons? I can almost guarantee that he's going to get injured again ... THIS YEAR.

 

[Idgit]

Hate to say it, but after the way this group botched both the RB and QB positions this year, my confidence is not really that high right now.

90% of this board knew that Weeden sucked and that we would not win a game that he started. I stated that many times, go look at my post history if you don't believe me.........so why did myself and the vast majority of this board could tell Weeden was a scrub, but Garrett and company couldn't?

Same deal with RB..........me and about 80% of this board said from day one that McFadden was Raider trash and Randle was a backup and neither could be the lead dog. It has apparently taken Garrett and company till week 7 to figure this out when most fans knew this in training camp.

And this is not me trying to pat myself and other fans on the back here because what we predicted turned out to be true, this is about why the vast majority of the fan base was better at talent evaluation at the QB and RB position this year than Garrett and company. That is why my confidence is not very high right now.

My .02

We did handicap Weeden with Cassel right away, and did reportedly express interest in Shaun Hill, and added Kellen Moore, both of whom had familiarity with the system. That's after giving Vaughan enough rope to hang himself in preseason (as the team was reportedly high on him). If you're going to knock the Cowboys fro botching the QB position, you have to provide a better option for what they should have done, and at what cost. Personally, I wanted them to make a move on Cassel of all players in the offseason, but only if he were available for no compensation. And Weeden actually played better than I expected other than in the NE game. I believe he'd still be starting if he had either Dez or had the defense given him more help. I know we all want to pretend he was the problem--and to be fair, he was exposed by NE, for sure--but the problems were deeper than that.

Same goes for RB. Just because a handful of posters won't let it drop, it doesn't mean the RB position was botched. Throw in a QB/WR combination that can back people off. Give us a QB who can change the play at the line to get into more advantageous situations. Block a little more consistently, and stay out of games like ATL/NOLA/NE where you're not running in the 4th quarter, and people probably aren't complaining about the RB. Especially if Dunbar were still in the lineup and still effective to the point where he's the team's best offensive weapon. Throw in the relatively low compensation to handicap the position with Christine Michael--a player a lot of y'all couldn't talk enough about this summer, and I don't see all that much to complain about.

Of course, we're on the back end of a three game losing skid. I'm not going to win any popularity contests explaining that it's not reasonable to expect our b-team to be the other guys' a-teams. Or that we can't just "coach 'em up" and beat them that way. But it's the truth. There's going to be a point this season where we realize we actually do have a good, deep, young team capable of winning a lot of games, and that the front office did a great job putting it together this offseason.

 

[JoeKing]

ha ha. Do you really think Romo is going to last 4 full seasons? I can almost guarantee that he's going to get injured again ... THIS YEAR.

I do honestly believe he will play out his contract. And I doubt Romo will miss anymore games due to injury once he returns from his clavicle healing. I'm sorry you're such a hater.

 

[big dog cowboy]

We did handicap Weeden with Cassel right away, and did reportedly express interest in Shaun Hill, and added Kellen Moore, both of whom had familiarity with the system. That's after giving Vaughan enough rope to hang himself in preseason (as the team was reportedly high on him). If you're going to knock the Cowboys fro botching the QB position, you have to provide a better option for what they should have done, and at what cost.

Same goes for RB. Just because a handful of posters won't let it drop, it doesn't mean the RB position was botched. Throw in a QB/WR combination that can back people off. Give us a QB who can change the play at the line to get into more advantageous situations. Block a little more consistently, and stay out of games like ATL/NOLA/NE where you're not running in the 4th quarter, and people probably aren't complaining about the RB. Especially if Dunbar were still in the lineup and still effective to the point where he's the team's best offensive weapon. Throw in the relatively low compensation to handicap the position with Christine Michael--a player a lot of y'all couldn't talk enough about this summer, and I don't see all that much to complain about.

Well said.

 

[ShiningStar]

We did handicap Weeden with Cassel right away, and did reportedly express interest in Shaun Hill, and added Kellen Moore, both of whom had familiarity with the system. That's after giving Vaughan enough rope to hang himself in preseason (as the team was reportedly high on him). If you're going to knock the Cowboys fro botching the QB position, you have to provide a better option for what they should have done, and at what cost. Personally, I wanted them to make a move on Cassel of all players in the offseason, but only if he were available for no compensation. And Weeden actually played better than I expected other than in the NE game. I believe he'd still be starting if he had either Dez or had the defense given him more help. I know we all want to pretend he was the problem--and to be fair, he was exposed by NE, for sure--but the problems were deeper than that.

Same goes for RB. Just because a handful of posters won't let it drop, it doesn't mean the RB position was botched. Throw in a QB/WR combination that can back people off. Give us a QB who can change the play at the line to get into more advantageous situations. Block a little more consistently, and stay out of games like ATL/NOLA/NE where you're not running in the 4th quarter, and people probably aren't complaining about the RB. Especially if Dunbar were still in the lineup and still effective to the point where he's the team's best offensive weapon. Throw in the relatively low compensation to handicap the position with Christine Michael--a player a lot of y'all couldn't talk enough about this summer, and I don't see all that much to complain about.

Of course, we're on the back end of a three game losing skid. I'm not going to win any popularity contests explaining that it's not reasonable to expect our b-team to be the other guys' a-teams. Or that we can't just "coach 'em up" and beat them that way. But it's the truth. There's going to be a point this season where we realize we actually do have a good, deep, young team capable of winning a lot of games, and that the front office did a great job putting it together this offseason.

we didnt handicap Weeden, he should have never been here to begin with. I dont blame Weeden, i blame management, its that simple.

 

[Eddie]

I do honestly believe he will play out his contract. And I doubt Romo will miss anymore games due to injury once he returns from his clavicle healing. I'm sorry you're such a hater.

Why is believing Romo will get injured again considered a Hater? Because I believe an oft-injured 35 year QB will get injured again is wrong?

If you think Romo will play out his contract then I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. Run Forrest Run !!!

 

[Dodger12]

Thats all ready been figured out. He is not the guy, not even the back up.

And you know this how RS? My avatar will stay and he'll prove you and those like minded wrong.

 

[JoeKing]

Why is believing Romo will get injured again considered a Hater? Because I believe an oft-injured 35 year QB will get injured again is wrong?

If you think Romo will play out his contract then I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. Run Forrest Run !!!

So we have different opinions. Way to be a jerk about it.

 

[Beast_from_East]

I have to concur that one good season amid a few mediocre ones and one hanging in the balance does not suggest that anything has or is being built. Others have made legitimate points about the talent being seemingly better than in the past but without a consistent string of winning seasons that is just an indictment of the coaching.

Of course, I do hope that Garrett and McClay are amassing the pieces to make the team competitive over the next few years, but we need to actually win games for me to heartily endorse that proposition.

I agree my friend, at the end of the day it all comes down to winning.

That is how coaches are judged in professional sports..............what was the win/loss record of the team during their tenure. The great coaches, be it in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, ect....are considered great because of what the team won under their guidance, usually championships.

As it looks right now, Garrett is going to have 1 season out of 5 where the team won double digit games. I know this may piss off the Garrett supporters, but if a head coach can only manage 10-6 or better one time out of 5 seasons, that is not anything special. Even Cleveland puts together a 10 win season every 5 years or so.

 

[Alexander]

We have to draft one because it will take 3 years to get Tony's salary off the cap, so a free agent is out of the question.

Excellent, excellent point. Will get ignored, but so spot on.

 

[Alexander]

Why is believing Romo will get injured again considered a Hater? Because I believe an oft-injured 35 year QB will get injured again is wrong?

Because it is the intellectually insecure way out of it. Hater!

So much easier than actually thinking logically.

That term especially speaks to how dumb someone is.

Use the term "hater"? I automatically put your IQ into two digits. And no matter how hard you try thereafter, there is no escape from diluting something down to that idiotic level.

 

[casmith07]

I also think that if Cassel can win a few games, he will be the veteran backup next year. I don't think Showers will be the guy here. Moore is the one I think this team needs to figure out. Is he just this years Vaughan, or do they see something similar to Romo, that can be coached up over the next year or two. While having the vet. backup behind Romo.
If the answer is no, then we will need (either this year or next) to find a 2nd or 3rd rounder that can sit for a year or two ala Rogers. And be ready. I kinda trust McClay, not sure I trust Garrett.
Very interesting question, because I don't think they will take a first round QB to sit behind Romo - unless they feel he is about to come apart at the seams.

Showers is a long shot prospect. He showed some flash and some potential - that's all.

 

[cowboyuptx]

Why is believing Romo will get injured again considered a Hater? Because I believe an oft-injured 35 year QB will get injured again is wrong?

If you think Romo will play out his contract then I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. Run Forrest Run !!!

Because you put it in all caps, "THIS YEAR"... To me, that type of an attitude kinda seems like you hope he'll get injured, or at the very least that you're ready to put a fork in Tony Romo's career... And I just don't understand how or why you would think like that... Of course he COULD get injured again this season, but we've never seen anything from Romo that leads me to believe that he's an injury waiting to happen...

Romo had missed 15 possible starts in his career prior to this season, and a few of those were a result of him being shut down early in 2010 because we were already out of contention... Assuming Romo returns on Nov. 22, he'll have missed 7 starts this season, that will make 22 missed starts for his career... Which means Romo will have started in 137 out of 159 possible games for his career... 17 of those 22 missed starts will be because of broken clavicles, with a 5 year span separating the injuries...

Romo is 35, Tom Brady is 38... I know about Romo's back, but I also know that last season which was immediately coming off his surgery, he had a MVP worthy season, and he was only one year younger than now... Why should I assume that his body is suddenly falling apart? Because a huge guy landed on him and he unluckily broke his collarbone? I see no reason at this point to think that Romo's not capable of playing at a high level for the duration of his contract, at the end of which he would be 38, the same age Tom Brady is now... What, is Tom Brady such a better athlete than Romo? I don't think so... Romo's a superb athlete, and even at 35yo he's one of the more elusive QB's in the world.

Okay, if you don't think Romo will play another 3 seasons, I guess I can understand that, not a lot of QB's make it to 38yo and still starting... But to "almost guarantee" that Romo can't even make it through his next 9 games, especially after what a warrior he's proven himself to be, I'm sorry but I can't think of any better word for it than "hater"... And if using the word "hater" makes me "intellectually" insufficient in the eyes of a pompous few, then so be it... And I suppose using the phrase "run Forrest run" was taking the intellectual high ground... In the words of Forrest, that's all I have to say about that...