Norm Hitzges 2014 plan sucks

[Wood]

His plan...

Don't restructure Romo

Cut DeMarcus Ware
Cut Miles Austin in June
Essentially cut Kyle Orton (he said to trade him for a 7th, not sure that Orton wouldn't have a no trade policy)
Cut Costa
Cut Durant

Restructure Witten and Lee

.

I got news for you...his plan is whole lot better than one Jerry will force-feed on cowboy fans.

 

[theSHOW]

Note that I said we should cut Ware, and note how I've explained that not restructuring Romo means not be able to afford to do ANYTHING this year. Mission one is to get under the cap, and mission two generally means replacing players that you cut in order to do so. If you can't recognize that I really can't help you.

Could we get you in congress for the deficit.

 

[Bluefin]

I mean last year, we were told, oh, we have to extend Romo to get under the cap for the 2013. Now you say we have to restructure to be able to do whatever it is you want to do this year. And that will force us to commit further in time to a declining player.

That is the choice the team made with Tony Romo.

The upcoming planned 2014 restructure will create $10.036M in needed cap space.

The planned 2015 restructure can create up to $12.824M in cap space (they may opt to not lower his base salary to the minimum).

Dallas is counting on Romo being able to play at a high level through this time period.

Even if the team pushes $20.351M in pro-rated bonus money into 2016 and beyond with the above restructures, it would still be possible to release Romo as quickly as 2016, should it become necessary.

The Cowboys would have to use the June 1 designation to make the move in 2016 and would have to be able to carry Romo's cap number ($20.85M) until June 2nd when the move would take effect on the cap. If that was possible, the team would recoup Romo's base salary ($8.5M) with only his yearly bonus pro-ration ($12.35M) hitting the '16 cap.

The remaining bonus money ($19.636M), which would now be "dead money," would come due in 2017.

The team would save $5.079M versus Romo's cap number that year ($24.715M) minus the cost of a minimum salary taking Romo's roster spot.

 

[Galian Beast]

I guess I look at rebuilding not as a salary number but as a roster strategy - I can see removing Ware because we can get more impact from the same salary elsewhere and improve short term and long term competitiveness. When I read "rebuild" I see "screw this mess, it all has to go cause we ain't winning with any of it"...

Look at how much roster churn we have had in the last 3 years. We've already been rebuilding, but it has been a quiet and slow rebuild.

Releasing Ware and distributing that money across the defensive line while focusing the draft on the defensive line will allow us to completely rebuild the line within a year.

2015, we should be pretty significantly rebuilt, to the point that we can address small holes rather than big ones.

Moving towards 2015, the biggest moves we have to make will be whether or not we resign Dez Bryant, Tyron Smith, DeMarco Murray, and Bruce Carter. There are a few restricted rights free agents that year as well like Beasley and Dunbar.

We have no pressing resigning needs in 2016.

That should tell us how this team has been rebuilt. In 2015 and 2016 and on, there is very little standing in our way unlike the last few years where there has been a gluttony of dead money hindering us and bad contracts.

The last two really bad contracts on this team are Ware and Austin. And to an extent Brandon Carr, whose contract I think is salvageable if we have a great pass rush.

 

[KB1122]

What is the punishment for ignoring the cap?

 

[Eddie]

hope for what?
high draft picks that will only get you to cap hell again by the time they are actually franchise caliber football players?

there are plenty of NFL teams that suck.
thankfully Dallas isn't one of those.

and if it becomes one where exactly is the hope?

not sure i understand how people who feel jerry can't build a mediocre team into a good one think he can build a terrible team into a great one?
maybe we should re-hire campo as head coach too.

Ok, you got me there. I have no arguments against that. Jerry won't be able to rebuild a terrible team into a bad one. That's 100% correct.

But now what? More of the same? The only team $31 million over the cap? No one else remotely close?

I agree though ... Jerry won't be able to save this franchise. He's proven his inability.

 

[tm1119]

NOT restructuring Romo has to be at least considered. Passing on restructuring isn't giving up on him. He probably has 3 years left regardless, not restructring him would be to limit it to only those 3 years.

 

[big dog cowboy]

That is the choice the team made with Tony Romo.

The upcoming planned 2014 restructure will create $10.036M in needed cap space.

The planned 2015 restructure can create up to $12.824M in cap space (they may opt to not lower his base salary to the minimum).

Dallas is counting on Romo being able to play at a high level through this time period.

Even if the team pushes $20.351M in pro-rated bonus money into 2016 and beyond with the above restructures, it would still be possible to release Romo as quickly as 2016, should it become necessary.

The Cowboys would have to use the June 1 designation to make the move in 2016 and would have to be able to carry Romo's cap number ($20.85M) until June 2nd when the move would take effect on the cap. If that was possible, the team would recoup Romo's base salary ($8.5M) with only his yearly bonus pro-ration ($12.35M) hitting the '16 cap.

The remaining bonus money ($19.636M), which would now be "dead money," would come due in 2017.

The team would save $5.079M versus Romo's cap number that year ($24.715M) minus the cost of a minimum salary taking Romo's roster spot.

Thank you!

 

[ragman]

While I'm not an expert on the cap by any stretch of the imagination, here's what I would do to get under the cap:

1. Restructure Romo.

2. Restructure Lee.

3. Restructure Carr.

4. Cut Austin.

5. Cut Ware if he doesn't accept a pay cut.

6. Let Spencer and Hatcher go.

 

[Wood]

While I'm not an expert on the cap by any stretch of the imagination, here's what I would do to get under the cap:

1. Restructure Romo.

2. Restructure Lee.

3. Restructure Carr.

4. Cut Austin.

5. Cut Ware if he doesn't accept a pay cut.

6. Let Spencer and Hatcher go.

and your team would be under-performing .500 team for a long long time.

 

[Nightman]

While I'm not an expert on the cap by any stretch of the imagination, here's what I would do to get under the cap:

1. Restructure Romo.

2. Restructure Lee.

3. Restructure Carr.

4. Cut Austin.

5. Cut Ware if he doesn't accept a pay cut.

6. Let Spencer and Hatcher go.

Actually that's a good start.
Restructure Witten and Scandrick as well
Cut Costa and Durant.
Tender Bailey and Jones
Make Austin a June 1st cut
Sign or draft 3 DT/DE
Sign or draft a FS
Draft LB and OL depth
Extend TSmith and Dez

 

[ShiningStar]

So everyones plan is to pay the guys you want to keep...than keep restructuring to compensate for the lack of money...oh yea...I want to play for a .500 team and hope to keep getting restructured. ..my agent will be the happy one

 

[ragman]

and your team would be under-performing .500 team for a long long time.

So, what's your plan to get the Cowboys under the cap?

 

[trueblue1687]

Even if Romo isn't the same player when it comes back from this, he would still give you a better chance than floating it up on a chance at getting a QB who is better than him. And let's not say two back surgeries in the same year as if they were related. One was a cyst and the other was herniation. For now there is no reason to believe Romo won't come back and be himself. So until then you have to plan accordingly. I'd rather have Orton play 16 games and fix the defensive line, than draft a qb in the first round with the crew we have at our disposal.

Herniated disk repair = Tony will not be himself. His niche is more mobility and play extending than game manager/technician. When you remove or dilute his ability to extend plays, what you'll probably get is more mistakes...not less. I hate to say it, but Tony is probably on the wrong side of his career. I would love to be proven wrong, but I have to be realistic. His injury is not a minor one. Of course the team and his doctor are going to say he'll be as good as new...what would you expect them to say??

However, I'm not sold on drafting his replacement this year. PROBABLY next year though. At some point, this team is gonna have to stop pushing off these contracts and carrying dead money. That time will suck, but the day of reckoning is coming. I agree it shouldn't be this year that we do it though.

 

[casmith07]

Releasing Ware constitutes rebuilding. Giving up on Romo constitutes placing this team in purgatory for the foreseeable future. You don't give up on franchise quarterbacks. You've seen this with Chicago's recent move. Finding a good quarterback let alone a franchise one is very difficult.

The best time to draft Romo's replacement is after we've addressed the needs on the offensive and defensive line. Namely 2015 or 2016.

By removing DeMarcus Ware, it gives you a large percentage of salary cap room necessary to remold the defense. Releasing Austin does the same on the offensive side of the ball. What a lot of people have to realize is that we have for the most part already rebuilt this team. Other than Scandrick who is the long time member of our secondary? Other than Free who is the long term member of our offensive line? Other than Austin who is the long term member of our wide receiver corps? Murray has really only been our starter for what two years now? He is the oldest running back we have. Linebacker corps? Sean Lee hasn't even been here long.

The last part that needs to be rebuilt is this defensive line, and we're at the door step.

This was a good post.