Jerry Jones optimistic things will work out with Doug Free

[RS12]

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants offensive tackle Doug Free to take a pay cut. If Free refuses, he’ll get cut. And yet Jones says that’s not an indication that the two parties are headed for an ugly divorce.

In fact, Jones said today that he likes Free and is optimistic about his future in Dallas.

“I’d like to keep him,” Jones said. “We think that Doug Free can be an important part of the team. He’s been here. We know him. We think that with what we’re doing in other parts of our offense, certainly in the offensive line, that this will bode well for him. So we think he can really be an asset to us.”

Of course, thinking Free can be an asset and thinking Free is worth the $7 million base salary he’s owed this year are two different things. Jones did acknowledge that the $7 million number needs to come down.

“It’s no secret that we’re trying to renegotiate the contract,” Jones said. “But I think it’s a wrong assessment to say that anybody’s saying ‘take it or leave it’ or we’re at our wit’s end or those kinds of things. That’s just not the way I see it going.”

The way it will probably go is that Free will play for the Cowboys this season, for less than $7 million.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...g-free/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

[Redball Express]

If he can't play OT the way things are..move him inside and pay him what a good G gets..?

That way things are fair and everybody gets to start fresh and we could certainly use help at G as well as OT..? The whole line needs rebuilding.

I say keep him and redo the deal. It's not his fault Jones over paid him. He did it with Barber and Felix Jones and Austin and others.

Free was also tried at G early on when Parcells drafted him and played there. Why not revisit that..?

:starspin RedBaLL ExPreSS:starspin

 

[Little Jr]

No way can he play g. He gets pushed arounf by de. Dt would eat him alive. And did jones get a 2nd contract? I thought he was still on his rookie deal

 

[CaptainMorgan]

Just cut this lousy buffoon of a player and move on.

I dont care if he agrees to play for peanuts, I dont trust him to protect our highly paid franchise QB. Let Parnell sink or swim so we can see if he is our future at the position.

Free showed absolutely nothing at RT last year....nada!

 

[Beast_from_East]

Just cut this lousy buffoon of a player and move on.

I dont care if he agrees to play for peanuts, I dont trust him to protect our highly paid franchise QB. Let Parnell sink or swim so we can see if he is our future at the position.

Free showed absolutely nothing at RT last year....nada!

Agree.............I don't get this dog and pony show they got going on with him.


Cut bait and play Parnell so we can see what the guys got. If he totally sucks at RT then we need to know that now. If Parnell cant hack it, then sign Winstrom and draft a RT high next year.

 

[Wood]

Have another drink Jerry. You wiffed..the contract Free received was an abomination. Time to move on.

 

[CF74]

Epic fail... :bang2: :bang2: :bang2:

 

[Doomsay]

“I’d like to keep him,” Jones said. “We think that Doug Free can be an important part of the team. He’s been here. We know him. We think that with what we’re doing in other parts of our offense, certainly in the offensive line, that this will bode well for him. So we think he can really be an asset to us.”

The "he's been here, we know him" bit is interesting/ironic on two levels. In one sense it supports the idea that Jerry is so much more comfortable with his own players and tends to over-value them and overpay many of them in their waning years vs. seeing their trade potential or acknowledging their decline. Secondly, if You know him so well, why the heck did you so egregiously overpay for him in the first place?

What we are doing in other parts of our offense.......certainly the offensive line.... How can someone that speaks so incoherently have coherent thoughts?

“It’s no secret that we’re trying to renegotiate the contract,” Jones said. “But I think it’s a wrong assessment to say that anybody’s saying ‘take it or leave it’ or we’re at our wit’s end or those kinds of things. That’s just not the way I see it going.”

So you are publicly giving up leverage in a situation where a player has no leverage against the team other than the bad contract embarrassment factor.

The way it will probably go is that Free will play for the Cowboys this season, for less than $7 million.

The question is how much less than $7 mm will Jerry be able to tolerate? If he "only" costs $5 mm will Jerry couch it as a moral victory?

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

Agree.............I don't get this dog and pony show they got going on with him.


Cut bait and play Parnell so we can see what the guys got. If he totally sucks at RT then we need to know that now. If Parnell cant hack it, then sign Winstrom and draft a RT high next year.

And once again ignore our DL. Bravo.

 

[Doomsay]

And once again ignore our DL. Bravo.

Or fix both lines.

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

Or fix both lines.

But will Jerry.

 

[TheRomoSexual]

And once again ignore our DL. Bravo.

And once again, a fan think you need to use a fix round pick to "fix" something. Bravo.

 

[burmafrd]

If he can't play OT the way things are..move him inside and pay him what a good G gets..?

That way things are fair and everybody gets to start fresh and we could certainly use help at G as well as OT..? The whole line needs rebuilding.

I say keep him and redo the deal. It's not his fault Jones over paid him. He did it with Barber and Felix Jones and Austin and others.

Free was also tried at G early on when Parcells drafted him and played there. Why not revisit that..?

:starspin RedBaLL ExPreSS:starspin

yawn.

 

[conner01]

ust cut him and move on sounds good on the internet. but in the real world thats a very expensive option. even if you cut him to clabo money you save 3.5 mil this year and 4.5 next. if you cut him you lose 7 mil next year plus the salary of the guy you sign to replace him. we are already over the cap for next year so adding more money is not an option we can really afford. if he won't take a cut then you may have no option but sure worth trying to save money as opposed to spending it when you have to sign lee. those dollars could go along ways to being able to sign lee and down the road carter and dez

 

[CoCo]

It sure sounds like Jones is resolute that Free's $ will have to come down. There is no waffling there.

What doesn't appear certain is that there is a clearly better tackle on the free agent market. The same folks screaming Winston (and previously Clabo), rejects from other teams, will be the same ones complaining about sinking more $ into has beens.

Clearly, other choices considered, Dallas wants Free back - but at the right dollars. For all the Winston hype there are plenty of indications he's not all that.

I know its par for the course to act as if this is all black and white, obvious answers to all but Jerry, but the reality is that its not. It looks Dallas choice is to bring back both incumbents at the right price and let them compete. Not sure there is an obviously better choice out there at this point.

And yes, I wanted us to get MORE O-line help in this last draft so I am disappointed as well.

 

[DBOY3141]

Reduce his salary to 3m. Sign Brandon Moore to a 1 year deal to allow Leary 1 more year to learn.

Smith/livings/Fred/Moore/parnell

 

[Stash]

Sorry, but I think Winston is worlds better than Free in multiple categories.

 

[CF74]

yawn.

No Redball, Free at guard would be a two-fold Epic disaster....:bang2:

 

[Big Country]

Have another drink Jerry. You wiffed..the contract Free received was an abomination. Time to move on.

Remember Doug Free received LT money because his showing (albeit part time) at RT in place of injured Marc Colombo during the end of the 2009 season was good enough to warrant him moving to the other side of the line and trying his hand at protection from the premium pass rush side. His athleticism and abilities looked promising at best during his part time tenure.
Then JPP moved in permanently at the RDE spot in NYG and he proved to be an absolute monster with superior athleticism. He quickly proved to be more than what Free was able to handle. There was not going to be 7+ years of abuse from JPP vs Free so he was moved back to RT in favor of Tyron Smith.
I was hoping he would be able to return to the form he showed while filling in for Colombo but it doesn't look like it ever will at this point...

 

[Bleu Star]

Jerry Jones optimistic things will work out with Doug Free

Translation: Jerry Jones optimistic Doug Free will take a huge pay cut.