Lets do a Comparison

[tyke1doe]

How do you know his best days are behind him?

Players don't tend to get better when they age. And he's been injured. Players tend to start getting more injuries as they age.

 

[Big_D]

If the Cowboys give up more than a 2nd, they'll never learn.

 

[Aviano90]

Isn't "stats" the reason people want Thomas? Do you think if he had horrible stats people would be wanting to trade for him? Lets not forget the d-line and the LBers and the rest of the secondary Thomas had to play with, did Jones have that?

Joseph Randle averaged 4.1 ypc in 2015, same as Zeke did last year.
Joseph Randle scored 4 touchdowns in only 76 rushing attempts. Zeke scored 7 TDs in 242 attempts.

Joseph Randle played the majority of his snaps with Brandon Weeden as QB and with Dez hurt.

"Stats" say Randle and Zeke are comparable, right? Yet, Randle is a joke associated with "meat on the bone" and "anyone can run behind this line" and Zeke is a "generational talent".

 

[big dog cowboy]

Byron Jones is terrible.

Comon' man.

He isn't terrible.

 

[Whyjerry]

Earl Thomas one of the best S in the league. Byron Jones so bad that he is no longer a S. This is the dumbest post of the day.

 

[erod]

Example #1,000,000 as to why stats are dumb.

 

[GreenMean69]

Earl Thomas one of the best S in the league. Byron Jones so bad that he is no longer a S. This is the dumbest post of the day.

He might be , but you take him out of current system and current team mates you might not know what ya get. Big safety busts past few seasons were Byrd and Ward . But were underwhelming. How many players from the Glorius Legion of Poon came out and did squat because not having same surround cast.

 

[CyberB0b]

Compare his 2017 stats with Jeff Heath's stats if you want something else to ponder. Thomas is a far superior player to either Heath or Jones, but the talk of giving up 2nd and 4th round picks for the guys is nothing but foolishness.

2nd and 4th is doable, especially with the comp picks we have.

 

[Big_D]

He might be , but you take him out of current system and current team mates you might not know what ya get. Big safety busts past few seasons were Byrd and Ward . But were underwhelming. How many players from the Glorius Legion of Poon came out and did squat because not having same surround cast. Its about your team and its depth . Thomas has missed games every season with injuries since 2013

That's also true. The Seattle front 7 was pretty stout. I'm not sure he's as productive in this D. Helpful, probably. But you really can't expect the same things he was doing in Seattle to translate here.

 

[jwooten15]

He played just as well as Thomas did over the last 3 seasons, and that was changing positions. So how is it laughable?

Stats don't prove your point here, sorry. Byron Jones is continuously a step behind and 90% of his tackles come from him having to use his speed (one good quality) to track down the guy who just beat him. He has no football instinct and no ball skills. And he is soft. Very soft.

 

[jwooten15]

People are missing the point, if we are going after a safety why not trade up and get a young guy that is going to cost half as much as Thomas, it's as simple as that!

That is a legitimate point that's worthy of discussion. But it's hard to interpret your post in an objective way when you say Jones has played as well as Thomas

 

[CF74]

Come on, man. You can't be seriously comparing Earl Thomas to Byron Freaking Jones.

Stats aside, this is a laughable and insulting comparison. Byron Jones is not even a real football player.

Welcome to The Stat Zone, where average players can be Superstars...

 

[GreenMean69]

That is a legitimate point that's worthy of discussion. But it's hard to interpret your post in an objective way when you say Jones has played as well as Thomas

you get a young guy and a stud Vet to groom the pup . Of course thats in a perfect world . The cost ET will demand will be silly. Dallas loves to waste moeny though .... Think about how much depth or nice FA's the team could sign with Romo and Dez's dead cap this year 16.9 million

 

[CT Dal Fan]

The Cowboys may already have two safeties- Xavier Woods and Kavon Frazier- that are better than Byron Jones; who is moving back to corner anyway.

As much as I would like to have Earl Thomas on the team, I hate the idea of giving up premium picks for a ninth year player that has an injury history. Scares me, as a matter of fact.

 

[DHCBF66]

Earl Thomas has missed 7 games over the last 2 years. Give him another half season of stats and it's not close.

Earl Thomas has missed 7 games over the last 2 years. Give him another half season of stats and it's not close.

Jones hasn't missed any games, point for Jones.

 

[Jake]

Here is the question. Is Earl Thomas a football player with skills and leadership qualities or not?

Simple question. Now this.

Would his skill set help the Dallas defense win games or not?

Another simple question.

Notice neither requires stats to answer.

In a capless world with unlimited draft picks that "simple" analysis is sufficient. With limited draft picks and limited cap space the price of acquisition and retention matters.

A guy on the back side of his career wanting to be the highest paid at his position - that's paying for past performance - is a bad investment. It's even worse when he's not even a free agent, and his current team also wants compensation.

"Let's pay premium prices for diminishing returns!", said no prudent investor ever.

 

[Jumbo075]

Example #1,000,000 as to why stats are dumb.

Stats aren't dumb. Stats are neutral. They are just facts.

Knowing how to interpret statistics correctly is the key factor. This OP didn't use statistics correctly in this case.

 

[TwoDeep3]

In a capless world with unlimited draft picks that "simple" analysis is sufficient. With limited draft picks and limited cap space the price of acquisition and retention matters.

A guy on the back side of his career wanting to be the highest paid at his position - that's paying for past performance - is a bad investment. It's even worse when he's not even a free agent, and his current team also wants compensation.

"Let's pay premium prices for diminishing returns!", said no prudent investor ever.

I guess you have a crystal ball.

My condolences on frigid days.

 

[kskboys]

Looks like someone got into the sauce again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

Jones hasn't missed any games, point for Jones.

Earl Thomas was sorely missed when he was missing from the lineup. Byron Jones was sorely missed when he was IN the lineup.

Point for Thomas.