My Thoughts Half way through season

[MichaelWinicki]

Agee with the others in that I don't believe Tyron Smith's back issue is a surgery-fix kind of thing.

 

[Corso]

Agee with the others in that I don't believe Tyron Smith's back issue is a surgery-fix kind of thing.

I just washed my hands and getting the healing ready...

 

[MileyDancer]

Dez is not not going to give up any money. Its clear on how he flaunts it on social media. And Dallas structured his contract that most of his guaranteed money be paid by age 30. As Stephen Jones said they didnt want to end up having to pay alot of money to a Wr in his 30s.

He's not going to give up any money because he has to pay for all the family members that don't work, and mooch off him. He's also just TERRIBLE with his money.

 

[LatinMind]

And you feel like the Cowboys can find someone to take his contract and give them something in return?

yes. A team can always redo his contract and lower that base salary.

 

[LatinMind]

Very good post. However, I would:

1. Give Tyron time to heal and take it day by day. He is too valuable to write off the year.
2. Wait to see more of Woods before developing an opinion. I'm not sold on him yet.

Hasnt this been the storyline the last 2 yrs? Started early in the yr last yr. Been alot of day by days. Is 8 games worth risking long term chronic problems?

 

[LatinMind]

Agee with the others in that I don't believe Tyron Smith's back issue is a surgery-fix kind of thing.

Then just give it the rest. He's far too important to risk over 8 games. You can tell its limiting him

 

[Big D]

Why? Dallas doesnt run that type of offense. Dallas wants to pound you until u give up. Oldschool type of game. Boring some say but anybody who became a football fan before the Peyton Manning rules came into the league would appreciate

I don't think they want to do that at all. If they did, they'd play to dez's strength and use his physicality in the run game. They'd run sweeps to his side and let dez beat up the cb. Instead, they let punks like norman in washington rough dez up. Even Mike Irvin himself said in an interview that he would try to maul who was covering him early in the game so that when he began running his pattern he had little to no resistance. That's not how JG's cowboys roll.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Then just give it the rest. He's far too important to risk over 8 games. You can tell its limiting him

He went through the same thing last season.

He can rest after February.

 

[jrumann59]

Very good post. However, I would:

1. Give Tyron time to heal and take it day by day. He is too valuable to write off the year.
2. Wait to see more of Woods before developing an opinion. I'm not sold on him yet.

He needs surgery, my guess those herniated discs have not gotten worse enough yet to warrant it but he will need surgery.

 

[Verdict]

He needs surgery, my guess those herniated discs have not gotten worse enough yet to warrant it but he will need surgery.

Possibly. We care about his long term health most. He is too important to ruin for short term gain. However, he is also too important to write off for the year unless it is clearly warranted..

 

[jrumann59]

Possibly. We care about his long term health most. He is too important to ruin for short term gain. However, he is also too important to write off for the year unless it is clearly warranted..

I am not saying surgery now but eventually those discs will need it. It is all about pain management right now discs do not heal on their own, symptoms may come and go but the herniation remains.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

I used to be a huge Dez fan. But I cant say that anymore, and its got more to do with the Cowboys Franchise then Dez Bryant. And i mean that in, I will always choose the team over any player. Here is a stat thats going to suprise alot of you, in Bryant's last 30 games he has 119 rec 1636 yrds 15 tds. Thats his stats from 2015 season to now. He's not worth the contract anymore. I hear some say the team doesnt play to his strengths, A elite receiver can fit into any scheme and succeed. He has size, and is probably more athletic than anybody in the NFL but the guy has no technique and he bottles up the passing game because a certain amount of space has to be dedicated to him. We have seen everytime he is out Dallas has WRs running open all over the field and the offense is virtually unstoppable. Bryants peak came in 2012-2014, and some fans are holding on to the past hoping it comes back. Dallas could trade him next yr and save 8.5mil on the cap. And get compensation for him. He's a progress stopper, like Witten has been for TEs. Only difference is Witten has earned the right to be THE GUY at TE for this team.

Dallas needs to get Tyron Smith right. His body is breaking down. As much as its crazy to say IR'n him and letting him get his back fixed with surgery or whatever it needs IMO is the right way to go. Chaz Green has shown he can handle LT. Losing Tyron for 8 games is alot better then having a hobbled giant yr after yr. He get thru it and does it good but sooner or later somethings gonna give.

Jonathon Cooper No.7 overall draft pick has arrived. The guy is settled in and has cemented himself as the LG for yrs to come. Now it is gonna cost Dallas some this offseason, and you just gotta hope they dont go the Leary route and let him walk because they have Chaz Green.

Terrance Williams had a great game but lets not think he will do that all of the sudden every week. He does look like he cant be covered on them crossing and slant routes tho. instead of us fans mad Dez doesnt see more of these routes maybe we should be mad TW doesnt see these routes instead. He makes much more out of these routes than Dez does.

David Irving has made Maliek Collins a forgotten memory it seems. That just shows how much better of a player and how much more impact he is. Collins is okay, but doesnt have consistency. Irving is a beast every play. The guy has zero technique but he just basically mauls his way through. And it seems like he's just too strong to stop.

Taco finally got his first sack. And he's coming along slowly, but you see better recognition from him now. There's a saying "you gotta learn how to crawl before you walk".

Sean Lee is showing just how great he is. The guy is literally at a spot where the play is going most of the time before the guy with the ball is. Its a shame his first few yrs in the league were full of injuries. This guy is special.

Think Dallas' secondary played better because of better Safety play. Xavier Woods showed alot of play recognition and made stops that prevented first downs. Showed some nice tackling something he wasnt showing.

Elliots situation still looms and that situation is either going to make or break the season. Dallas might compete in games but i think without Elliot they lose them tough games down the stretch. So this is an important week for this team.

Here is what you and other people need to understand about NFL contracts. Quite often players are rewarded for what they have DONE...not what they are going to do. Why? Because plenty of players are on very cheap contracts that cannot be torn up for 4 - 5 years. When Dez WAS performing like a 12m/year WR...he was probably making around 1 - 2m. You might see other teams get by with cheaper talent at the WR position...but there passing game is probably different. This offense needs a dominant physical presence like Dez. Keep thinking this passing game would be fine without him...and you will find out the hard way. Not saying no one else can come in and replace him...but you are kidding yourselves if you think Terrance or Brice or a similar type talent can fill in for Dez. If Dez walks...and we continue to employ this same passing offense...you would still need a dominant #1 WR on the team.

Its like with Leary....Leary performed like a Pro Bowler...but was paid like an undrafted free agent. Once it came time to pay him...Dallas did not want to. Demarco Murray gave you 1800 yards...performing like a 8m/year RB...but being paid like a 3rd rounder...once it was time to pay him...Dallas did not want him. I do NOT blame these guys for seeking the compensation they deserve...because their window to get it is short. I highly doubt Dez will take a paycut...because he was underpaid for many years...and the rules did not allow the team to fix that situation. He will be cut...will pick a team that allows him to play to his strengths...get paid more than Dallas is willing to pay him...and be productive. I do not have a short memory...I have seen what Dez can do. This passing offense has asked him to make some miraculous catches over the years. I believe Jon Kitna called him the most violent player he has ever seen. Well all of that violence may have slowed him a bit. So I actually hope he goes to a team that gets him a the ball in open space...and let him use his run after catch ability.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Nice post. I agree on most of it. Taco has to show more then one sack before I will start giving him any props. As far as Chaz Green he can absolutely not be counted on from an injury standpoint. He does have talent, he can play. But he is an injury waiting to happen.

Martin will be our next left tackle when the time comes for Smith to put the cleats down. We will pay him like a LT and he will move over there I am sure of it. Cooper has played well. Let him stay there. Maybe move Collins to martins guard spot and put Chaz over at RT. But you will need to draft someone for when he gets hurt. It will happen.

It sucks with Green because when he filled in for Tyron last year he looked like a legit NFL LT

 

[Alexander]

Possibly. We care about his long term health most. He is too important to ruin for short term gain. However, he is also too important to write off for the year unless it is clearly warranted..

Just don't practice him the rest of the year and cross your fingers. But, as soon as the season is over, look at seriously addressing it and if surgery makes a difference.

What the worst thing to do is wait too long in the offseason to have surgery, like having it in the spring instead of right after the season concludes.

That has happened with other players like J.J. Watt before where they don't heal in time and end of missing the year after playing a short time.

It is all about making decisions and timely decisions, not putting it off if it is deemed beneficial.

 

[Verdict]

Smart teams don't pay for past production. Smart teams make an investment of cap dollars in contracts of players that will earn their money.

Jason Witten is one of my all time favorite Cowboys players but he is being paid for past performance and it is a poor allocation of cap space. You could cut his salary in half and he would still be over paid. Same with Dez.

If you paid them what they are worth you could have Leary, for free. You could have kept Demarco Murray. Hell you could have Lawrence for free. That's the kind of cap dollars we are pissing off on those two players alone.

In terms of salary cap dollars the Cowboys made a reasonably good call on Leary and Murray. The Cowboys would have been much better off tagging and trading Dez based on the numbers he ultimately received.

I suspected Dez wouldn't hold up his end of the contract at the time it was signed but no one really knew for sure. We could have received at least a first in trade for him at the time he signed his contract.

We could have easily used that first to select a receiver better thanDez, without the headaches and at a much lower cap fee. That cap savings could have been used on a guy like Hankins.

 

[Cowboysfan917]

Dez isn't worth the money anymore but it is because of how this team is built. If Romo was still the QB, Dez is probably still a beast. It was clear even by what Romo was pointing out during the broadcast how Dak doesn't put it where Dez wants it to take advantage of his abilities.

We should try to trade Dez for all we can get if we want to stick with Dak/Zeke style of offense.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

I used to be a huge Dez fan. But I cant say that anymore, and its got more to do with the Cowboys Franchise then Dez Bryant. And i mean that in, I will always choose the team over any player. Here is a stat thats going to suprise alot of you, in Bryant's last 30 games he has 119 rec 1636 yrds 15 tds. Thats his stats from 2015 season to now. He's not worth the contract anymore. I hear some say the team doesnt play to his strengths, A elite receiver can fit into any scheme and succeed. He has size, and is probably more athletic than anybody in the NFL but the guy has no technique and he bottles up the passing game because a certain amount of space has to be dedicated to him. We have seen everytime he is out Dallas has WRs running open all over the field and the offense is virtually unstoppable. Bryants peak came in 2012-2014, and some fans are holding on to the past hoping it comes back. Dallas could trade him next yr and save 8.5mil on the cap. And get compensation for him. He's a progress stopper, like Witten has been for TEs. Only difference is Witten has earned the right to be THE GUY at TE for this team.

Dallas needs to get Tyron Smith right. His body is breaking down. As much as its crazy to say IR'n him and letting him get his back fixed with surgery or whatever it needs IMO is the right way to go. Chaz Green has shown he can handle LT. Losing Tyron for 8 games is alot better then having a hobbled giant yr after yr. He get thru it and does it good but sooner or later somethings gonna give.

Jonathon Cooper No.7 overall draft pick has arrived. The guy is settled in and has cemented himself as the LG for yrs to come. Now it is gonna cost Dallas some this offseason, and you just gotta hope they dont go the Leary route and let him walk because they have Chaz Green.

Terrance Williams had a great game but lets not think he will do that all of the sudden every week. He does look like he cant be covered on them crossing and slant routes tho. instead of us fans mad Dez doesnt see more of these routes maybe we should be mad TW doesnt see these routes instead. He makes much more out of these routes than Dez does.

David Irving has made Maliek Collins a forgotten memory it seems. That just shows how much better of a player and how much more impact he is. Collins is okay, but doesnt have consistency. Irving is a beast every play. The guy has zero technique but he just basically mauls his way through. And it seems like he's just too strong to stop.

Taco finally got his first sack. And he's coming along slowly, but you see better recognition from him now. There's a saying "you gotta learn how to crawl before you walk".

Sean Lee is showing just how great he is. The guy is literally at a spot where the play is going most of the time before the guy with the ball is. Its a shame his first few yrs in the league were full of injuries. This guy is special.

Think Dallas' secondary played better because of better Safety play. Xavier Woods showed alot of play recognition and made stops that prevented first downs. Showed some nice tackling something he wasnt showing.

Elliots situation still looms and that situation is either going to make or break the season. Dallas might compete in games but i think without Elliot they lose them tough games down the stretch. So this is an important week for this team.

I agree with you regarding Dez. I think even the team is living in the past. His time has gone. he is not elite any more and is more a complimentary receiver at this point. WR is on the top of the list for next year's draft IMHO. In general I am not happy with our WR group. Williams, God bless his heart is a 3rd WR, trying to be a 2nd WR. Beasley is slot receiver only and he needs the outside WRs to be at least dangerous for him to have success. Evident from KC game, that Williams had a great game, which allowed Beasley to operate underneath.

I understand the concern for Smith, I think they need to manage his load for the rest of the year. the problem is Chaz Green is also injury prone.

Cooper has solidified the OL, specially in running game, but he is still #5 OL man on the team. more than any unit, the OL works together like a single organism. when one part doesn't do its job, things break down. Cooper has helped the line to come together, but as good as he has been, he is far below Martin or Fredrick in the middle.

the problem with Williams is he is hit and miss. he disappears for stretches (games) and then he has a big game. inconsistent. Butler is a 5th WR on any other team. he has deep speed. average hands and doesn't run all the routes.

I think there is more focus on Collins this year, based on his performance last year, thus we feel like he has dropped off, but he is playing very well and its the whole DL that's coming together. its nice to see. but I agree, Irving is a monster.

 

[CowboyRoy]

It sucks with Green because when he filled in for Tyron last year he looked like a legit NFL LT

Very frustrating.