Tanking would have been the right strategy

[KB1122]

People talk about it never being helpful to lose on purpose, but we've been struggling to get to 8-8 every year for 15 years. If overcoming adversity to get to middling were actually such a character builder, we would have won many Super Bowls by now.

We're picking 10th. Which is OK. But we could have been picking 3rd or 4th or something in every round. So that's 40-50 spots of surrendered draft capital. And we didn't make the playoffs, so that flurry of wins at the end of the year did nothing but set us back long-term.

Also, signing a veteran backup quarterback - unless you're a serious contender, not a Jerry Jones magical-thinking contender - is a waste of resources. We got Andy Dalton. At the end of the year, our backup quarterback was better than the backup quarterbacks for other teams with injured starters. So we won a few games. It didn't help us. It hurt us. See paragraph 2.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

x 100

We should never, ever, say Cowboys have the smartest fans in the NFL....

 

[Tangle_Foot]

I don't have a problem with the team trying to win, I take more of an issue with the franchise when they blow early draft picks "Taco Charlton" or when they allow themselves to be taken hostage by a player "Ezekiel Elliott" or when they can't tell the difference between pyrite and gold "Jaylon Smith" there are many worse things that a franchise can do to derail their future chances, trying to win ball games isn't one of them.

 

[Jeffkills]

Nah....

We could've hosted a home playoff game.

We did the right thing, but failed to execute...

 

[Flamma]

I don't have a problem with the team trying to win, I take more of an issue with the franchise when they blow early draft picks "Taco Charlton" or when they allow themselves to be taken hostage by a player "Ezekiel Elliott" or when they can't tell the difference between pyrite and gold "Jaylon Smith" there are many worse things that a franchise can do to derail their future chances, trying to win ball games isn't one of them.

Agreed. It's also a bit more entertaining watching a team at 8-8 over 1-15. However, I think the point was picking from 1-4 is better than picking from 15-18. Neither team made the playoffs. If you're constantly going 8-8 you are never going to get a franchise QB unless you get lucky.

 

[Aviano90]

I didn’t want the team to lose on purpose, I just wanted them to continue sucking like they did most of the season. Unfortunately we ran into a few teams that sucked more than we did. But, at least we choked in week 17 again. That’s becoming a Dallas Cowboys specialty.

 

[DogFace]

“You play to WIN THE GAME... Hello? You play to win the game”

 

[MWH1967]

There is really not a super pick after pick#3 that is a need for Dallas that you can't get at pick#10. I would rather back up a few spots and get who's left between Farley and Surtain II . Dallas needs a lot of help on Defense.

 

[JoeKing]

Wouldn't it be great to have the first pick in the coming draft? Instead, we have 6 wins that don't amount to anything. Here is a tip, the Cowboys are going to suck in 2021 also so stop trying to be something you're not. Lose and build a better team through the draft. The 5 or 6 wins you get trying to win aren't worth it.

 

[kevm3]

If we picked in the top 3, we would have had a lot of options, but now that Fields and Lawrence will be off the board, you pretty much have no option but to resign Dak and we'll get to see the likes of Philly potentially snag a guy we want ahead of us. All of that character building stuff NEVER carries over. When we went 8 and 8 a few years ago under Romo, it was followed by 2 more 8 and 8 years. Mediocrity is almost perpetual and 8 and 8 years are more often followed by more 8 and 8 years here.

When we went 4 and 12, we followed that up buy 13 and 3. Just by the coaches we fire, we are a talent dependent organization and the only place we actually grab talent from is the draft. Our FA record is terrible.

 

[Majic]

People talk about it never being helpful to lose on purpose, but we've been struggling to get to 8-8 every year for 15 years. If overcoming adversity to get to middling were actually such a character builder, we would have won many Super Bowls by now.

We're picking 10th. Which is OK. But we could have been picking 3rd or 4th or something in every round. So that's 40-50 spots of surrendered draft capital. And we didn't make the playoffs, so that flurry of wins at the end of the year did nothing but set us back long-term.

Also, signing a veteran backup quarterback - unless you're a serious contender, not a Jerry Jones magical-thinking contender - is a waste of resources. We got Andy Dalton. At the end of the year, our backup quarterback was better than the backup quarterbacks for other teams with injured starters. So we won a few games. It didn't help us. It hurt us. See paragraph 2.

I've changed my mind on this to a point. I was all for trying to win every game to try and build for 2021. But that was if we were bringing back the same defensive philosophy and coaches. We are not carrying any momentum over. Philadelphia being ahead of us is a big disadvantage also

 

[CouchCoach]

One major difference in tanking teams of the past and the Cowboys this season, the Cowboys were fighting for the division right to the very end, not for the 1st pick.

Want to see the effects of tanking, take a good look at PHL. Can't tell me the blowback from that fiasco didn't add straws to that camel's back.

But there is another problem with tanking specific to this team and only this team. This is still America's Team, regardless of the record this is the team that America likes to watch and no way that team can even make it look like anything else but going down swinging because that's what America does.

What do you think would have happened had the Cowboys done what the Eagles did in that game? Pederson didn't make that decision but millions of football fans are glad he was canned as the HC.

Bad enough the players from the great Cowboys teams of the past have to watch this cluster, picture them watching their team losing by set up. It's OK to lose, as long as they lose trying to win.

 

[RodeoJake]

While I would prefer the higher draft position, taking a dive is just flat out wrong. It ruins any shred of integrity a team has. A reputation like that is hard to live down. As long as there was a chance to win the division, they owed it to the players to try.

That said, I wouldn't have had any problem giving young guys more playing time and resting vets more. Still, you want those youngins to give it their all. Why send guys out there to go half speed and make business decisions? That's not getting experience. That's experiencing being a loser.

 

[Carson]

Washington was a play or two away from playing this weekend.

You play to win and anything can happen.

 

[Bizwah]

I really want to see how to "tank".

Do you ask the players not to try? Do you ask the coaches put in a terrible game plan? Do you play your backups?

What happens when both teams in a game try to tank? That would make for a fun game. Two teams fumbling on purpose, two coaches putting in their ball boys as quarterback.

Philadelphia did this. Their coach played along and got fired. There was tremendous backlash. Players on the Eagles were angry. Philly may have done itself more harm.

But I go back to my original question. How do you tank?

 

[Carson]

I really want to see how to "tank".

Do you ask the players not to try? Do you ask the coaches put in a terrible game plan? Do you play your backups?

What happens when both teams in a game try to tank? That would make for a fun game. Two teams fumbling on purpose, two coaches putting in their ball boys as quarterback.

Philadelphia did this. Their coach played along and got fired. There was tremendous backlash. Players on the Eagles were angry. Philly may have done itself more harm.

But I go back to my original question. How do you tank?

The only time teams tank are like Washington in week 17 last season against us. They just played all backups and were clearly inferior. Landed them Young

 

[kevm3]

I think all of those fans will forget about the integrity of the game talk and be jumping with glee when they can nab the guys they want. Peterson got fired moreso for the benching of Wentz than the tanking. The tanking just made it easier to get rid of him. You can't put your 34 million dollar qb on the bench.

 

[cern]

I will remember andy for his finale against the giants. A very poor performance. Prefer to see him not return to dallas. Tanker rhymes with chancre and wanker. Play to win.

 

[sunalsorises]

This isn’t the NBA. One top three pick is not changing the fortune of the franchise and there are more than a few stars in the draft to be had.

 

[atlantacowboy]

People talk about it never being helpful to lose on purpose, but we've been struggling to get to 8-8 every year for 15 years. If overcoming adversity to get to middling were actually such a character builder, we would have won many Super Bowls by now.

We're picking 10th. Which is OK. But we could have been picking 3rd or 4th or something in every round. So that's 40-50 spots of surrendered draft capital. And we didn't make the playoffs, so that flurry of wins at the end of the year did nothing but set us back long-term.

Also, signing a veteran backup quarterback - unless you're a serious contender, not a Jerry Jones magical-thinking contender - is a waste of resources. We got Andy Dalton. At the end of the year, our backup quarterback was better than the backup quarterbacks for other teams with injured starters. So we won a few games. It didn't help us. It hurt us. See paragraph 2.

I've been making that argument for months and it wouldn't even have to be as blatant as what Philly pulled in the last game. There is no reason we couldn't have started Nooch in many of those games as the franchise pivoted toward the future. Getting Nooch real game experience would have made a lot more sense for the 2021 version of the cowboys than letting Dalton play out his contract and move on for a better payday. In reality, we served the interests of Andy Dalton not the Dallas Cowboys. Now, we go into the 2021 season with a question mark, again, at back-up QB.