Right move... Simple math

[Chuck 54]

1. TO was the best and most productive receiver on the team last year.

2. TO was less productive and less consistantthan at any time in his Cowboys run.

3. TO often disappeared, and it wasn't always double coverage.

4. TO has to sign with a West Coast offense...I think it's his only shot at being a productive receiver again. He can't excell in a traditional offense.

5. Crabtree is over-rated and is also viewed by many as a West Coast style receiver who was controlled by teams who pressed him.

6. If Roy Williams (11) steps up this year with an offseason and camp under his belt, he will be the #1 receiver and should easily produce a mediocre, non-probowl season as good as TO put up last year. Anyone can then produce what our #2 receiver did last year. We're not going in the tank.

7. I was never a TO fan, but I supported him and cheered for him. He was a decent Cowboy despite the media frenzy...his influence was not as bad as I'd expected. However, he is going downhill fast...he is not the receiver we brought in under Parcells, and he certainly wasn't worth the money he was scheduled to make, including the bonus. He seldom ran routes that sprung him open...most of his plays were the result of Romo extending the play and hitting him on crossing routes or behind defenders on broken plays.

8. The Cowboys do NOT need to make a huge splash at WR with a goofy trade or a ridiculous move up high for Crabtree or Macklin. This is Roy W's offense now, and he's going to get a lot of balls thrown his way and have every opportunity to produce TO's #'s. Miles Austin may be ready to take #2 by the throat and become a real effective player...the coaches would know this better than the fans. In addition, there will be plenty of solid receivers available in round 2 if that's the direction we decide to go.

It was time to move on, get younger, extend our window of opportunity. Tying our wagon to TO again this season would have been a mistake. He cannot be the superstar, uncoverable receiver he once was...he could still put up decent numbers and have the recently infrequent huge game.

But for super star money and a roster bonus, he wasn't going to be the straw that stirred the offense any longer...and his personality (mostly in control during his Cowboys years) began to show the frustration last season...he would not have been happy being #2 if the plan was to begin focusing the offense on #11 this season.

TO could have possibly repeated a season like last year's, which wasn't poor but didn't take us anywhere....But the traditional wisdom in this league has proven it's better to get rid of a player a year too early than a year too late.

GO COWBOYS !!!! :starspin

 

[Yeagermeister]

8. The Cowboys do NOT need to make a huge splash at WR with a goofy trade or a ridiculous move up high for Crabtree or Macklin. This is Roy W's offense now, and he's going to get a lot of balls thrown his way and have every opportunity to produce TO's #'s. Miles Austin may be ready to take #2 by the throat and become a real effective player...the coaches would know this better than the fans. In addition, there will be plenty of solid receivers available in round 2 if that's the direction we decide to go.

Trading up for Crabtree would be as crazy as trading up for McFadden last year.

 

[cowboyed]

1. TO was the best and most productive receiver on the team last year.

2. TO was less productive and less consistantthan at any time in his Cowboys run.

3. TO often disappeared, and it wasn't always double coverage.

4. TO has to sign with a West Coast offense...I think it's his only shot at being a productive receiver again. He can't excell in a traditional offense.

5. Crabtree is over-rated and is also viewed by many as a West Coast style receiver who was controlled by teams who pressed him.

6. If Roy Williams (11) steps up this year with an offseason and camp under his belt, he will be the #1 receiver and should easily produce a mediocre, non-probowl season as good as TO put up last year. Anyone can then produce what our #2 receiver did last year. We're not going in the tank.

7. I was never a TO fan, but I supported him and cheered for him. He was a decent Cowboy despite the media frenzy...his influence was not as bad as I'd expected. However, he is going downhill fast...he is not the receiver we brought in under Parcells, and he certainly wasn't worth the money he was scheduled to make, including the bonus. He seldom ran routes that sprung him open...most of his plays were the result of Romo extending the play and hitting him on crossing routes or behind defenders on broken plays.

8. The Cowboys do NOT need to make a huge splash at WR with a goofy trade or a ridiculous move up high for Crabtree or Macklin. This is Roy W's offense now, and he's going to get a lot of balls thrown his way and have every opportunity to produce TO's #'s. Miles Austin may be ready to take #2 by the throat and become a real effective player...the coaches would know this better than the fans. In addition, there will be plenty of solid receivers available in round 2 if that's the direction we decide to go.

It was time to move on, get younger, extend our window of opportunity. Tying our wagon to TO again this season would have been a mistake. He cannot be the superstar, uncoverable receiver he once was...he could still put up decent numbers and have the recently infrequent huge game.

But for super star money and a roster bonus, he wasn't going to be the straw that stirred the offense any longer...and his personality (mostly in control during his Cowboys years) began to show the frustration last season...he would not have been happy being #2 if the plan was to begin focusing the offense on #11 this season.

TO could have possibly repeated a season like last year's, which wasn't poor but didn't take us anywhere....But the traditional wisdom in this league has proven it's better to get rid of a player a year too early than a year too late.

GO COWBOYS !!!! :starspin

Very solid assessment. Great post.

 

[RoboQB]

This thread oozes with intellegence and common sense.

 

[sbark]

good orginal post.....Jeremey Schocky was all those things for the Giants also......

but once he was gone via injury, they recognized they were a better team, for a number of reasons...

time will tell

 

[CATCH17]

TO is still one of the top receivers in the game and we did an absolutely poor job of trying to get him the ball and taking advantage of the underneath routes when he was double covered.

Some team wont be ******** enough to think that every route he has to run needs to be 15 yards down field.

We used him poorly. Hes like Marion Barber at receiver. Just get the ball in his hands and he will make a play but we failed to do that.

Im so upset about the move we made. Its one of Jerry's top 3 worst decisions since he has been the GM.

The fact that we paid him last year and now have to eat the contract is just nuts.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Trading up for Crabtree would be as crazy as trading up for McFadden last year.

Even more so, really, because it would take a WHOLE lot more to get up there for Crabtree this year than it would have to have gotten up there for McFadden last year.

Unless Dallas somehow becomes the owners of a 1st round pick, that is fairly high, from some team that for some reason doesn't want theirs, there is zero shot that Crabtree will be playing in Dallas.

 

[McCordsville Cowboy]

TO is still one of the top receivers in the game and we did an absolutely poor job of trying to get him the ball and taking advantage of the underneath routes when he was double covered.

.

Why dont people see that~!~!~!~!~!!!!!!!!!!

 

[big dog cowboy]

Great post Wayne.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Trading up for Crabtree would be as crazy as trading up for McFadden last year.

Yes, but Harvin might be another story.

 

[mldardy]

TO is still one of the top receivers in the game and we did an absolutely poor job of trying to get him the ball and taking advantage of the underneath routes when he was double covered.

Some team wont be ******** enough to think that every route he has to run needs to be 15 yards down field.

We used him poorly. Hes like Marion Barber at receiver. Just get the ball in his hands and he will make a play but we failed to do that.

Im so upset about the move we made. Its one of Jerry's top 3 worst decisions since he has been the GM.

The fact that we paid him last year and now have to eat the contract is just nuts.

TO did a poor job of getting himself a open. He couldn't get off the line, he ran poor routes, he dropped passes. The Cowboys did above and beyond trying to get this guy the ball even creating special plays for him. Running reverses, lining him up in the backfield and other trick plays. Trying to force him the ball to me didn't help the offense. WR's don't make your team. What wins in this league is a good defense, a solid running game and protecting the football. Not having a top notch WR.

 

[jterrell]

A few things.

I generally agree with your overall body of work there but certainly not all of it.

Crabtree is definitely not overrated but it would be insane to trade up for him. Crabtree was also never covered as a collegian period. No one could handle him period. He played this season hurt and still won the Biletnikoff. I do not encourage drafting Wrs high but there a few exceptions and Crabtree is as close to Fitz as it gets. He is big, super strong for his size and can jump. The guy single-handedly cost Texas the national championship.

Cutting T.O. works if we do see better team chemistry and we can replace his production even if that replacement is Felix Jones and Tashard Choice. I just know we can't see what we have seen the 3 years T.O. was here and was out... i.e. the offense wilting like a flower on sun-baked concrete.

RW11 is a good player but he has never had 1000 yards and 10 TDS in a season. T.O. did that all 3 years he was here. And Romo to T.O. was the most prolific QB/WR combo over the course of his 3 years here in the entire NFL. So Romo will be asked to do more now, not less. Not sure this really makes the game more Romo-friendly. UNLESS, it means a lot more running plays.

 

[DaBoys4Life]

Cutting TO was stupid.

 

[jterrell]

TO did a poor job of getting himself a job. He couldn't get off the line, he ran poor routes, he dropped passes. The Cowboys did above and beyond trying to get this guy the ball even creating special plays for him. Running reverses, lining him up in the backfield and other trick plays. Trying to force him the ball to me didn't help the offense. WR's don't make your team. What wins in this league is a good defense, a solid running game and protecting the football. Not having a top notch WR.

the only problem I have with your assessment is recent history indicates otherwise.

the sb teams this year had fitz/boldin and holmes/ward at wr.
last years sb teams had moss/welker and burress/smith at wr.

the key late plays in both super bowl games we remade by WRs.

pitt is a running team and defense... well until this year. they have been building that wr corps considerably including recent first round pick santonio holmes.

is rw11/austin/crayton enough? i simply do not think so.
UNLESS ... Felix Jones becomes the guy who sucks up much of that production. I think Felix can get us 10 TDs this year and 1000 yards of total offense.

 

[DaBoys4Life]

the only problem I have with your assessment is recent history indicates otherwise.

the sb teams this year had fitz/boldin and holmes/ward at wr.
last years sb teams had moss/welker and burress/smith at wr.

the key late plays in both super bowl games we remade by WRs.

pitt is a running team and defense... well until this year. they have been building that wr corps considerably including recent first round pick santonio holmes.

is rw11/austin/crayton enough? i simply do not think so.
UNLESS ... Felix Jones becomes the guy who sucks up much of that production. I think Felix can get us 10 TDs this year and 1000 yards of total offense.

IF that's all he does I'd be disappointed.

 

[Manster54]

Nice post

:thankyou:

 

[The Great Number 8]

is rw11/austin/crayton enough? i simply do not think so.
UNLESS ... Felix Jones becomes the guy who sucks up much of that production. I think Felix can get us 10 TDs this year and 1000 yards of total offense.

I think they see Felix/Witten/RW all getting more touches without TO. But I'd add that Owens and Crayton were enough to go 13-3 a couple of years ago. TO was invisible in many games last year. Although I think he was hurt, when the Giants played single coverage against him in the playoffs last year and held him in check, and teams found out he wasn't as scary as he used to be, that was the beginning of the end of TO's dominance as a receiver.

 

[NeonNinja]

I agree with the OP.

 

[jterrell]

I think they see Felix/Witten/RW all getting more touches without TO. But I'd add that Owens and Crayton were enough to go 13-3 a couple of years ago. TO was invisible in many games last year. Although I think he was hurt, when the Giants played single coverage against him in the playoffs last year and held him in check, and teams found out he wasn't as scary as he used to be, that was the beginning of the end of TO's dominance as a receiver.

in 2007 when to/crayton were enough to had perhaps the best season ever by a cowboys wr.

rw11 simply did nothing here last year so its hard to assign him a #1 Wr spot in my mind. austin is a speed threat but he runs only a couple of routes and hasn't been able to run them very often.

ideally we'll move to a more run oriented scheme and use felix like westbrook.

 

[jobberone]

Cutting TO makes no sense unless he's creating problems in the locker room which obviously happened. It had nothing to do with failing abilities although I admit he's not the player he was 3 years ago. But then at that age nearly no one is. He's still a #1 WR in the league who draws enemy resources his way.