Off-season 101 (The basics for a great off-season)

[Diehardblues]

When was last time we had a good offseason?

Our off seasons are about resigning key players, cap casualties and the draft.

 

[acr731]

When was last time we had a good offseason?

More recently? 2020 when Garrett was finally kicked to the curb. Before that you have to go back almost 30 years to the time when Deion Sanders was signed as a free agent.

 

[john van brocklin]

Building a quality NFL roster that is capable of competing for a championship is not easy. But there are some basics that I believe great NFL front offices follow that I wish our FO would learn and practice. We are about to find out if they have learned anything lately or if they somehow believe they just need to get lucky.

THE BASICS:
HAVING A CLEAR GUIDING PHILOSOPHY AND METHODOLOGY FOR ROSTER BUILDING

• You must have a guiding philosophy. Know exactly what kind of team you are now vs what kind of team you want to be in the coming season and beyond.
• Draft and acquire players that align to the team’s guiding philosophy.
• Be proactive. Take a calculated risk once in a while.
• Being too conservative is just as bad as being too risky.
• If you know the players you want to keep long term, extend them EARLY. Waiting costs more and hurts your ability to make other moves. If you’re not sure about committing to a player that has current value, trade them while they still have value.
• If you feel you have a team that has a realistic shot to compete for a championship, TAKE SOME RISKS; forget about 3 years from now, focus on NOW.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GREAT SCOUTING AND COACHING

• Make sure you hire a great head coach who aligns with the team’s guiding philosophy. Great coaching matters in the NFL. Otherwise you are just playing fantasy football.
• Invest lots of resources into acquiring outstanding talent scouts. (There is no cap on what you can spend on coaches or scouts) Having great scouts along with great coaches is a very wise investment.
• Use every available source of talent acquisition: draft, free agency, even spring leagues like the XFL to find talent.
• Do not rely solely on the draft to build your team. Why? It takes too long in today’s NFL. You must have good drafts PLUS some key, quality free agents to build a top roster.

FINALLY: LET YOUR COACHES AND STAFF DO THEIR JOBS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE

There are no guarantees that doing these things will build a top notch roster and bring a championship. But I can guarantee that if this front office continues doing what it always does we cannot expect different results.

We are about to find out very soon if our leaders have learned anything from their decades of mistakes.

Waiting for Jerry to step down, and hoping Stephen is better.
That's the realistic hope.
Anything else is wishful thinking.

 

[CCBoy]

When was last time we had a good offseason?

Our off seasons are about resigning key players, cap casualties and the draft.

Drafting has usually been completely top shelf in the first.

 

[Bobhaze]

Waiting for Jerry to step down, and hoping Stephen is better.
That's the realistic hope.
Anything else is wishful thinking.

I’m hoping Stephen knows he would suck too and hires a real GM. May be a faint hope.

 

[Diehardblues]

More recently? 2020 when Garrett was finally kicked to the curb. Before that you have to go back almost 30 years to the time when Deion Sanders was signed as a free agent.

I’m not sure letting a HC walk falls under the typical description of FA offseason moves. And it’s not like it transformed anymore success. At least not the postseason success we were aspiring to.

Maybe fans felt better with losing in playoffs with a better coach.

 

[Coogiguy03]

And make sure my glass is never empty.

this all makes sense now, thanks for the truth!

 

[Bobhaze]

When was last time we had a good offseason?

Our off seasons are about resigning key players, cap casualties and the draft.

That’s a great question. In 2023, we had a decent off-season, trading for Gilmore, signing Brandin Cooks in FA….it wasn’t earth shattering but it was better than most years.

What’s crazy is watching Jerry over the last 30 years go from super aggressive in the off-season to super passive.

 

[Diehardblues]

Drafting has usually been completely top shelf in the first.

The list of 1st round bust or disappointment this era is arguably a major contributing factor to the lack of building a better team, especially on defense.

And that doesn’t include the bust and risk taken in 2nd round . Another laundry list.

The Cowboys have had some success in drafts which has enabled them to present a formidable playoff contender most seasons. But I’d argue these bust and disappointments have held them back from more success.

 

[Bobhaze]

The list of 1st round bust or disappointment this era is arguably a major contributing factor to the lack of building a better team, especially on defense.

And that doesn’t include the bust and risk taken in 2nd round . Another laundry list.

The Cowboys have had some success in drafts which has enabled them to present a formidable playoff contender most seasons. But I’d argue these bust and disappointments have held them back from more success.

Especially when you consider that our FO wants to build only through the draft, with almost no impactful FA signings outside their own players.

Two things crystal clear about building a championship roster at this point in the NFL:

1. The owner needs to hire a GM. (The winning owners of the last 29 SBs all hired someone else to be their GM)
2. Championship roster building requires a combination of good drafts, strategic free agents that have impact, and wise cap management,

 

[ArtClink]

Alexander the Great's body ended up in Alexandria. The greatest warrior of all time. He was under study of Aristotle at one time.

Applied to football, measure of greatness changes with time.

And Jimmy was the only greatness Jerry produced.

 

[ArtClink]

Especially when you consider that our FO wants to build only through the draft, with almost no impactful FA signings outside their own players.

Two things crystal clear about building a championship roster at this point in the NFL:

1. The owner needs to hire a GM. (The winning owners of the last 29 SBs all hired someone else to be their GM)
2. Championship roster building requires a combination of good drafts, strategic free agents that have impact, and wise cap management,

"We're lucky to have continuity at the GM position".

 

[CowboyoWales]

Building a quality NFL roster that is capable of competing for a championship is not easy. But there are some basics that I believe great NFL front offices follow that I wish our FO would learn and practice. We are about to find out if they have learned anything lately or if they somehow believe they just need to get lucky.

THE BASICS:
HAVING A CLEAR GUIDING PHILOSOPHY AND METHODOLOGY FOR ROSTER BUILDING

• You must have a guiding philosophy. Know exactly what kind of team you are now vs what kind of team you want to be in the coming season and beyond.
• Draft and acquire players that align to the team’s guiding philosophy.
• Be proactive. Take a calculated risk once in a while.
• Being too conservative is just as bad as being too risky.
• If you know the players you want to keep long term, extend them EARLY. Waiting costs more and hurts your ability to make other moves. If you’re not sure about committing to a player that has current value, trade them while they still have value.
• If you feel you have a team that has a realistic shot to compete for a championship, TAKE SOME RISKS; forget about 3 years from now, focus on NOW.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GREAT SCOUTING AND COACHING

• Make sure you hire a great head coach who aligns with the team’s guiding philosophy. Great coaching matters in the NFL. Otherwise you are just playing fantasy football.
• Invest lots of resources into acquiring outstanding talent scouts. (There is no cap on what you can spend on coaches or scouts) Having great scouts along with great coaches is a very wise investment.
• Use every available source of talent acquisition: draft, free agency, even spring leagues like the XFL to find talent.
• Do not rely solely on the draft to build your team. Why? It takes too long in today’s NFL. You must have good drafts PLUS some key, quality free agents to build a top roster.

FINALLY: LET YOUR COACHES AND STAFF DO THEIR JOBS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE

There are no guarantees that doing these things will build a top notch roster and bring a championship. But I can guarantee that if this front office continues doing what it always does we cannot expect different results.

We are about to find out very soon if our leaders have learned anything from their decades of mistakes.

Im sure we've had this conversation before, but we're discussing this a year too late. From the starting point we find ourselves, we arent in a realistic chance of a Championship in 3 years.....and we can put that blame on: Jerry, Roster, CAP allocation, culture.
You say to "LET THE COACHES DO THEIR JOBS"....well ok, I agree, but id want to see a year of what they can produce, before we "TAKE THE RISKS". Taking a punt on this team, especially with (yes) the injury to Dak and the recent draft picks that just havent panned out.....is suicidal, especially when even if we went AL-IN, our likely ceiling is a 7th Seed Play-off spot.

I just think we need some realism as to where we are atm.

 

[CCBoy]

And Jimmy was the only greatness Jerry produced.

Oh, there has been much more. Tell me how many in the Hall of Fame came up under his team's leadership.

 

[CCBoy]

Especially when you consider that our FO wants to build only through the draft, with almost no impactful FA signings outside their own players.

Two things crystal clear about building a championship roster at this point in the NFL:

1. The owner needs to hire a GM. (The winning owners of the last 29 SBs all hired someone else to be their GM)
2. Championship roster building requires a combination of good drafts, strategic free agents that have impact, and wise cap management,

No it boils down to the team and it's leadership and then game changers to go their way in games in the playoffs.

 

[CCBoy]

That’s a great question. In 2023, we had a decent off-season, trading for Gilmore, signing Brandin Cooks in FA….it wasn’t earth shattering but it was better than most years.

What’s crazy is watching Jerry over the last 30 years go from super aggressive in the off-season to super passive.

He still accumulates top shelf talents.

 

[ArtClink]

Oh, there has been much more. Tell me how many in the Hall of Fame came up under his team's leadership.

Jimmy did acquire and produce many a hall of famer. Remember Jimmy had it in his contract to have the last word in all football decisions.

 

[CCBoy]

Jimmy did acquire and produce many a hall of famer. Remember Jimmy had it in his contract to have the last word in all football decisions.

Then he applied for another job while his team prepared for the Super Bowl. No, where did his loyalty and trust go?

The owner is not insulted purposely. That ended that.

 

[CCBoy]

Great coaching and this makes a great team.

McClay’s very first draft in 2014 would start a streak of three seasons where his 1st round picks all became All-Pros or Pro Bowlers. The Dallas Cowboys’ drafting of RG Zack Martin at 16th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft set the tone for what would become one of the most impressive runs of draft success in the league.

McClay’s keen eye for talent resumed in 2016 with the selection of RB Ezekiel Elliott at fourth overall. Elliott’s impact was immediate. As a rookie, he won the NFL rushing title with 1,631 yards, teaming up with fellow rookie QB Dak Prescott to lead the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and the #1 seed in the conference.

Two years later in 2018, the Cowboys went to the defensive side of the ball with the selection of LB Leighton Vander Esch at 19th overall from Boise State University. He made an immediate impact in his rookie season, earning Pro Bowl honors after an impressive campaign in which he recorded 140 tackles.

In 2020, McClay made a bold move by selecting WR CeeDee Lamb with the 17th overall pick.
2020 NFL Draft began perhaps the greatest three-year stretch of first round selections in franchise history. The following season, the Cowboys drafted LB Micah Parsons from Penn State University with the 12th overall pick.To complete the hat-trick of All-Pro players, McClay selected OL Tyler Smith from Tulsa University with the 24th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.

https://insidethestar.com/will-mcclays-track-record-in-the-1st-round-puts-him-a-cut-above-the-rest

Stephen insures they stay around...and does a good job of building and retaining.

 

[CCBoy]

With the [re]addition of Matt Eberflus in Dallas, this time as the team's defensive coordinator, the scheme normally attached to the talented defensive coach is one that uses the 3-tech (right of center) as the "engine", in his words, for everything else that takes place on defense.

https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/...s-defense-projected-length-of-nfl-career-more

Point to start watching for.



It also bodes well for all involved that, to this point, Odighizuwa has been one of the most durable players in the entire league, one of few in North Texas able to avoid the bite of the injury bug last season, missing only one game in his entire four-year career, as a rookie.

His regimen, one that includes boxing and pilates in combination with an inhuman amount of hours spent in the weight room, lends largely to that achievement.