Stephen Jones: TE a priority in the draft

[America's Cowboy]

Oh I get what you're saying. But had a big dt slowed down Anderson and GURLEY the Ram's still hang 30+ points on us through the air.

The rams made LVE and Jaylon look like mediocre lbs and they were all pro and pro bowl caliber until the high powered scoring offense sliced and diced them up . That game could have easily been 42 to 20

We're still gonna need an offense capable of Scoring 30-35 points to beat the Ram's Patriots or chiefs.

The best defense in NFL History is not gonna stop these teams from Scoring 30-35 points. I thought holding the Ram's to 30 points was pretty good considering they pretty much scored on every possession. Had they not drooped a couple of TDS and that pick 6 they might have hung 50 points on our top defense

Theyre gonna slice and dice the Saints d at home tomorrow for 30+ points so Brees and co better plan on a shootout. It may be on the ground or through the air but they are gonna score at will

There is no way to stop these top offenses come playoff time. They got weapons that cannot be stopped by anybody.

I hear what you're saying, but the Cowboys don't need another project TE in the 2nd or later rounds. They have plenty already who actually have shown signs of progress. WR Cedrick Wilson will be back this upcoming sophomore season to assist Michael Gallup in helping out Amari. The bigger concern is at the slot and kick/punt return spots since Beasley is likely gone. A big NT/DT lined up next to Antwaun Woods and Maliek Collins inside would seriously help our defense out. I know you don't want that, but it would help our D against most other opponents. A monster NT/DT would actually free up our DEs and LBs, while making life easier playing a dime package where we could line up 5 DBs to cover the pass, as well as clog up the run inside.

 

[CowboysExchange]

I thought Garrett wasn’t trying to bring Witten back last year...

He was Wittens biggest fan outside of romo. Witten played an everydown te role at a high level for years. His last 5+ years was skiddish but he was a stud for a long time. You can't blame him for retiring. Hes like antonio gates who is well past his prime to carry a team to a championship as a starting te. Football is a Scoriing man's game. Once you've lost your abilities to make the big plays and score then you're just a detriment to the success of the team .He played forever. Both of these players will always be a fan fave but not because they're winning Superbowls. You don't win championships and Superbowls with everydown skilled players that are mediocre at best but are getting a high % of targets.

He would have made a great backup te but he created a legacy as an everydown player so he made the right choice to retire versus having another subpar season as an everydown player. It either cut snaps or retire .He made 40 million dollars past his prime and his mnf gig and endorsements are very lucrative.

But there is no chance to win a Superbowl w a te like Gates or Witten at this stage of this career unless they just have a small # of snapcounts or a backup role

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Thats a ridiculous point. Team forums are not primary sources of information.

No other team in the NFL has executives or coaches or anyone else employed by the team going to the media and declaring their primary draft targets. Even the teams at the top of the draft who have very little competition for those selections rarely ever declare what they intend to do.

It's January 19th.

Get back to me the day before the draft and give me a run down of what team execs say about there respective teams when it comes to the draft and we'll see if not a single one of them talked about their teams needs.

OK?

 

[CowboysExchange]

I hear what you're saying, but the Cowboys don't need another project TE in the 2nd or later rounds. They have plenty already who actually have shown signs of progress. WR Cedrick Wilson will be back this upcoming sophomore season to assist Michael Gallup in helping out Amari. The bigger concern is at the slot and kick/punt return spots since Beasley is likely gone. A big NT/DT lined up next to Antwaun Woods and Maliek Collins inside would seriously help our defense out. I know you don't want that, but it would help our D against most other opponents. A monster NT/DT would actually free up our DEs and LBs, while making life easier playing a dime package where we could line up 5 DBs to cover the pass, as well as clog up the run inside.

I'm not against a big dt or a safety. I'd like to have a steak at every position .

The problem is I don't believe that any of our tes have any promise. I don't see steak at te. All I see is chopped liver.

The Cowboys play an everydown te scheme that requires a steak at the position or the defense is gonna force you to beat them with chopped Liver.

Where was all that te promise in black n white this year? How about for the previous 5+ years?

I'd be happy with another steak at wr to replace Beasely in the slot and I'd like to
have another steak at rb in a tandem.

But Jerrah and Jason have proven that they are gonna leave the sorry tes out there regardless of how little impact they make at winning games.

So as long as I don't have to watch a bunch of practice squad level tes who are chopped liver on paper then I would be happy watching more 2 rb sets and dual slot wr formations but what are the odds of that happening in our Lifetime?

We haven't seen a dual rb threat or any 10 personnel in 15 years so what are the odds this scheme is gonna change next year.

Our offense is not gonna improve unless we get more steak out there in the skilled position

Swaim is chopped liver and he played Every passing snap for 15 games and put up losing stats and zeros all year and they still played him until they ran him into the ground trying to make a backup guy an everydown player.

That's what happens when you don't have a steak. Those mediocre guys break down trying to be something they arent

 

[CowboysExchange]

We've had no steak at te and no substitution for steak at rb or slot receiver in years .Just the same everydown te scheme with a bunch of Jag tes who couldn't win a Superbowl if all of the players around them were prime steak .
That's what I've been watching I don't know what you guys are seeing but these Jag tes are too much to overcome without substitution or limiting their snaps

Amari Steak
Gallup steak
Zeke Steak
Dak steak
We have 4 Steaks on our team and we need 6 steaks to average 30+ points per game .

We need 2 more steaks with Beasely gone. We're going into next season with zero steaks at te and slot wr positions.

It takes a rookie wr or te at least a year to become a starter.

Better find someone in free agency to replace Beasely, or add rb or te depth but we're not gonna win any superbowls without at least 2 impactful skilled players minimum.

 

[America's Cowboy]

I'm not against a big dt or a safety. I'd like to have a steak at every position .

The problem is I don't believe that any of our tes have any promise. I don't see steak at te. All I see is chopped liver.

The Cowboys play an everydown te scheme that requires a steak at the position or the defense is gonna force you to beat them with chopped Liver.

Where was all that te promise in black n white this year? How about for the previous 5+ years?

I'd be happy with another steak at wr to replace Beasely in the slot and I'd like to
have another steak at rb in a tandem.

But Jerrah and Jason have proven that they are gonna leave the sorry tes out there regardless of how little impact they make at winning games.

So as long as I don't have to watch a bunch of practice squad level tes who are chopped liver on paper then I would be happy watching more 2 rb sets and dual slot wr formations but what are the odds of that happening in our Lifetime?

We haven't seen a dual rb threat or any 10 personnel in 15 years so what are the odds this scheme is gonna change next year.

Our offense is not gonna improve unless we get more steak out there in the skilled position

Swaim is chopped liver and he played Every passing snap for 15 games and put up losing stats and zeros all year and they still played him until they ran him into the ground trying to make a backup guy an everydown player.

That's what happens when you don't have a steak. Those mediocre guys break down trying to be something they arent

Sorry but you're wrong. Jarwin and Schultz show very good promise. Rico is still a project with potential. We can't be drafting TEs every year while neglecting other positions of need that continue to haunt this team. I usually agree with Stephen Jones, but he's wrong if TE is a bigger need than a monster, hole-plugging 1-tech DT.

 

[America's Cowboy]

We've had no steak at te and no substitution for steak at rb or slot receiver in years .Just the same everydown te scheme with a bunch of Jag tes who couldn't win a Superbowl if all of the players around them were prime steak .
That's what I've been watching I don't know what you guys are seeing but these Jag tes are too much to overcome without substitution or limiting their snaps

Amari Steak
Gallup steak
Zeke Steak
Dak steak
We have 4 Steaks on our team and we need 6 steaks to average 30+ points per game .

We need 2 more steaks with Beasely gone. We're going into next season with zero steaks at te and slot wr positions.

It takes a rookie wr or te at least a year to become a starter.

Better find someone in free agency to replace Beasely, or add rb or te depth

You're another Romoholic where all you want is a gunslinging, pass happy Offense. Sorry but that experiment was tried for 10 seasons, and all it gave us was 2 playoff victories.

Dak along with Zeke and a much more balanced attack has already yielded 2 playoff victories in 3 seasons. I'll stick to the more balanced attack offense while seriously shoring up our inside DT position on the Dline.

 

[CowboysExchange]

You're another Romoholic where all you want is a gunslinging, pass happy Offense. Sorry but that experiment was tried for 10 seasons, and all it gave us was 2 playoff victories.

Dak along with Zeke and a much more balanced attack has already yielded 2 playoff victories in 3 seasons. I'll stick to the more balanced attack offense while seriously shoring up our inside DT position on the Dline.

I don't have a problem with running the ball but we need a tandem at rb.. Dak adds some running but is not enough .

The Rams have a rb tandem
Ne has a rb tandem
Saints have a rb tandem

The only team kc w no tandem at rb has a steak at every skilled position and an MVP QB who can run like dak

All those teams average 30-35 points a game except the saints. But the saints do have a great defense.

 

[America's Cowboy]

I don't have a problem with running the ball but we need a tandem at rb.. Dak adds some running but is not enough .

The Rams have a rb tandem
Ne has a rb tandem
Saints have a rb tandem

The only team kc w no tandem at rb has a steak at every skilled position and an MVP QB who can run like dak

T

Agreed about needing a better backup to Zeke.

 

[CowboysExchange]

Agreed about needing a better backup to Zeke.

We need a better rb core than Zeke alone. Zeke is the league leader in yards but he only has 6 TDS.

Gurley had 17tds and Anderson had a couple

Their rb core is way more elite

I'm sure most of these tandems are more potent than Zeke alone

When a running back has 135 yard game in the first playoff game chances are he's gonna hit a wall at some point .

These tandems don't hit the same walls like a 1 single back does.

They put up better avgs and score more points and have more potency.

 

[CowboysExchange]

If the cowboys had Bo jackson he'd be waiting for Zeke to get hurt in order to play . The cowboys don't believe in a rb tandem. It's a system that relies on one player way to often.

One player is gonna hit a wall more often than a fresh tandem with different skillsets generally.

The cowboys have some edge because they have a QB who can run but QBs aren't consistent at running like a rb.

 

[Sandyf]

The things to remember is what we all tend to forget this time of the season. First, anything Stephen, Jerry or Jason say about a need is far more smoke than fire. Second, we are some 100 days until the draft and no one has any idea what the Cowboys board is going to look like. Third and maybe most important is McClay, he has the influence and will present what he and his staff believe is the best player available when we draft whether at 58 or later or with a trade up.

The Cowboys will not pass on a guy they rank in their top 20 should he fall to the top of the second, they will try to trade up to pick. And if by some stretch of the imagination a guy that they have ranked in their top ten (not any of the boards out there or the Kipers of this world) they will at least explore the options of trading next year's number 1 to get in the first round to take him late especially if they believe he will be a difference maker on either side of the ball. Say for some reason that something (God forbid) happens to a Nick Bosa and it would keep him out maybe half the season then you can expect teams to shy away and if so say he fell to the 20 spot, betting Jerry would pull the trigger to get.

It is early, free agency should be interesting well at least for the 31 other teams, then the combine will help start to see who ranks where at least for us, and then the draft where we all know stupid things like 4 QBs going in the 1st round will change the dynamics of the draft. Is our need a TE? I could see it but could also make the case for a couple of DT or starting caliber OT or a free safety or a slot WR, lots to think, lots of things will change and it will be a great ride.

 

[CowboysExchange]

Like I said I'm all about controlling the Los and running the ball but I'm all about putting a steak out there in all the skilled positions.

When we don't have a steak at te give us some more steak at rb and slot wrs. But don't leave chopped liver on the field for 15 games and expect fans to accept the next man up theory

The next man up theory doesn't work because you lose competition and freshness at that position.

Tandems maximize talent. The you're gonna be the sole rb or te only works if we got a steak at the position.

We got the best rb in the league but not the best rb core by a longshot

It's best to have the best tandems and spread the production around so when one guy hits the wall he doesn't lose the game for ya

Everytime Zeke hits a wall we lose 75% of the time.

Too much reliance on one player only gets a front row seat at watching the Playoffs on tv

 

[CowboysExchange]

I hope one of these tes step up and can lead this team to a Superbowl. It's gonna require a guy that can score a minimum of once every 3 games minimum so if we can't get some winning production I'm gonna be talking smack for another 5 years.

We never had a 22 year drought w Tom Landry or Jimmy Johnson and this is pathetic that we're so gosh darn inept at passing the ball or running consistently. When we had the best oline in football we still hit the wall and went home early

Changes in scheme is a necessity because we've had no relevance in 22 years .

None.

This is not a winning formula or a winning tradition. It's an embarrassment. 22 years we've been rooting for subpar teams who can't win beans.

Tom Landry would Step down before he'd field a bunch of scrub tes for 15games with 1 td and that's what I expect from this coaching staff also.

Win or throw in the towel but no more every down tes until we get a capable guy

 

[Eddie]

DT, TE, FS, SS

 

[OmerV]

I'm not saying any of these guys were losers. I'm just saying the way the cowboys were playing #82 on every passing snap was ignorant after he lost his ability to make critical down and distance plays and Scoring ability.

82 was a great te. But he wasn't an everydown receiving te that warranted playing every passing snap of his entire career. He has no big play capabilities for the last 5 years

I guarantee you plug an 8 TD a year te into our offense he's gonna get open and score every other game .

I'm proud that the tes improved. The problem is that they only scored in 2 out of 17 games drawing the worst defenders. The good tes are winning battles and Scoring poi against better defenders. It's been a long time since our tes took over a game as a receiver or drew top defenders

Peeps have been arguing that 82 has been serviceable for the last 5 years but not playing every snap he wasn't. He was serviceable yes. But he still couldn't score the game winning TD or make many downfield winning plays consistently enough. He wasn't leading any fantasy leagues as a receiver He had a good game every year against each divison rivals as long as the season WASNT on the line.

All this about Witten really doesn’t have anything to do with what I had been saying, which had nothing to do with whether Witten was still a top TE or whether he still should have been getting as many snaps as he was. If asked, my answer would be no to both things, but that’s I rrelevant to what I had been talking about.

I understand your point that the TEs didn’t score enough this year, but my point was that if you are going to call them proven losers for not having top years as rookies or first year starters, then you would have had to have called some of the best TEs in history proven losers after they were rookies or first year starters. History shows you can’t fairly make that kind of judgement with a rookie or first time starter

 

[DuncanIso]

Yeah, no mention of Rico guys lol. Stephen gave Jarwin a pat on the back, and I kinda like Shultz but he wasn't mentioned much.

So looks like their drafting a TE1 with Jarwin as the TE2.

I think we have our TE. Jarwin is good.

 

[cowboyfan4lyfe]

Unless there's a stud that drops to the second round I would rather get a free agent. The Colts struck gold with Eric Ebron. Need a vet and a replacement for Colt Beasley.

 

[Mr_437]

I think we have our TE. Jarwin is good.

Maybe, but if they draft one he should be better than Jarwin day 1 or they might as well have drafted another need.

 

[CowboysExchange]

All this about Witten really doesn’t have anything to do with what I had been saying, which had nothing to do with whether Witten was still a top TE or whether he still should have been getting as many snaps as he was. If asked, my answer would be no to both things, but that’s I rrelevant to what I had been talking about.

I understand your point that the TEs didn’t score enough this year, but my point was that if you are going to call them proven losers for not having top years as rookies or first year starters, then you would have had to have called some of the best TEs in history proven losers after they were rookies or first year starters. History shows you can’t fairly make that kind of judgement with a rookie or first time starter

Swaim has been w the team for 2-3 years and they handed him an everydown role as if he earned that spot. He didn't put up any kind of numbers that resembled a good NFL te and the eye tests say hes a backup at best.

I get that Jarwin and Schultz are newbies and I know it takes time to acclimate to the NFL but there is just not a good excuse for not having a better te core in place.

I didn't like Hanna or Escobar either. We watched those guys play for 3-4 years and we heard the same lame duck excuses on why Tony and Dak couldn't get them the ball consistently .

I think they caught 5 balls in 4 years.

And Hanna played as a starter for 2+ years

The Te core has been trash for 5+ years but instead of a little substitution for better rbs and slot wrs we continue to send out these pathetic tes that are not worthy of any passing snaps

Until which time we start getting some black n white production there's no reason to use all these 11&12 personnel groups on critical passing downs .

Jarwins has muffed an offsides kick and been responsible for at least 3 interceptions Schulz isn't consistent and Rico is non existent.

If a te is playing every passing snap w no substitution then he better be getting 40 yards per game and a TD every 3 games and moving the chains effectively.

None of these tes are doing anything similar so until which time they do start succeeding then the answer is not to play them every snap

We've wasted thousands of snapcounts on non producing tes like Hanna Escobar Witten, Gathers Schulz and Jarwin so at some point you have to change the scheme.

We've had a shot to sign Good tes like graham etc but we never do. And our te drafts haven't planned out in 10 years so it's a tad frustrating

Until which time there's black n white production Everything these tes do as receivers is nothing but hype imo

If he caught 2 passes for 12 yards in a game and got 1 first down but no scores against the worst defenders playing every snap then he's not worthy of a bunch of passing snaps

If he's not making critical plays on critical passing downs and is just catching gimme passes and not beating his man consistently that's a pretty good indication that he's not going to amount to much