CFZ The 2024 Cowboys are walking into a psychological trap

[Diehardblues]

The team started 1-5 with Romo, so I guess you could argue either way on whether the team quit on Wade.

Yea it was a combination of several factors.

The team had diminished by end of 2009. We had several bad drafts which simply didn’t add any talent after Wade took over in 2007.

That playoff blowout loss in Minnesota was beginning of the end for what was left of team Bill built.

Wade was only HC who had a losing record with Romo as QB in a season. And we didn’t begin having some better drafts again until 2011 with Garrett as a rebuild or retooling was in order

If that’s an interesting comparison to our situation now and could be set up for a similar scenario.

 

[Diehardblues]

I am curious what you think the odds are that Dak gets traded before the season starts? Not bringing in any talent to help Dak early on might help decide to waive that no trade clause, right? I’m just saying, that it’s at least a possibility.

No odds at all. I just can’t imagine any scenario Dak is going anywhere.

 

[Diehardblues]

IMHO they were just being themselves. Green Bay showed up ready to tear them apart and they folded almost instantly. Absolutely no reason not to expect the exact same thing to happen again.

It’s entirely possible there is some carryover from the debacle ending against Green Bay.

 

[Bobhaze]

I am curious what you think the odds are that Dak gets traded before the season starts? Not bringing in any talent to help Dak early on might help decide to waive that no trade clause, right? I’m just saying, that it’s at least a possibility.

It could happen but I would put the odds of it coming about very low. I think JJ and SJ know if they jettison Dak the odds of that turning into a better QB are lower than a snake’s belly.

Like most, I’m tired of watching Dak stink it up in big playoff games. But he’s better than most options out there which is exemplified by how much starting QBs get paid. Not STAR QBs - starting QBs. Like Cousins and Mayfield for example. They aren’t better than Dak but they are getting huge paydays anyway because finding even decent QB play is extremely difficult.

IMO the main problem with having Dak is he is good enough but not without the right kind of help. Which is true for about 95% of NFL QBs. Even Mahomes needed a great Defense to win this year. Anyone thinking the Chiefs championship this year was all Pat M didn’t watch that defense hold the niners to 22 in the SB and the ravens to 10 on the road in the AFC championship game. It takes a TEAM! Not just a star.

If I was Dak, I would have asked for a trade this off-season because the Jones boys don’t know how to build a team around anyone. They couldn’t with Romo and now with Dak. If Dak was serious about a ring he would ask to be traded.

 

[Diehardblues]

Your points here are logical and with a normal FO I could see this happening. But I don’t believe our FO is even capable of doing a strategic rebuild like that. I literally cannot think of a time when this GM has done a rebuild like that without a Jimmy or Parcells - in other words without a strong HC.

It appears that the Jones FO is only capable of building a roster two ways:

• The “draft and develop method”, where you draft well and slowly develop a strong nucleus to build around. (To JJ and SJs credit, they have drafted fairly well since about 2011) Problem is in today’s NFL that’s not enough to build a championship roster. You need some strategic FAs as well.
• The “accidental rebuild”.This happens when the Cowboys have a losing season like in 2015 when they went 4-12, followed by a high draft picks in 2016. That wasn’t strategic, it was dumb luck.

Yea I don’t have any confidence these Idiots with a total rebuild. 2015 was a collapse only cause Romo went down and our slew of backups were pitiful.

That provided us the opportunity to draft high in 2016. Similar to what happened in 2010 when Romo went down .

That might be our destiny in 2024. Dak could go down for the season and we get high draft pick in 2025.

 

[Chasing6]

When Jerry Jones decided in late January to bring Mike McCarthy back for the 2024 season, I immediately thought of the similar decision he made with Wade Phillips after the 2009 season, and all the ramifications that followed in the 2010 season.

In Jan, 2010 the Cowboys had been destroyed in the divisional round of the playoffs in embarrassing fashion by the Brett Favre led Vikings 34-3. Most believed Wade’s time in Big D as head coach was clearly at an end. It should have been. Jerry ran it back for the 2010 season. And that team went 1-5 to start the year, then they lost Romo for the season in mid-October and ended up 1-7 after that humiliating loss to GB on national TV where it was obvious the team had quit on Wade Phillips.

Jerry of course followed the bad decision to keep Wade on another year by hiring Jason Garrett for the next 9.5 seasons. But that’s a whole different story for another time.

What concerns me for the 2024 season is having Big Mac and his coaches all on essentially one year deals. Because it sets up a psychological trap for the players that inherently comes along with that:

• What if this team starts the season 3-5? Will the players begin to believe it’s all for nothing to keep fighting if they know Big Mac and staff are gone in 2025?
• This scenario puts more pressure on a team and its coaching staff to win early or the slide into a 2010 type scenario that could easily follow.
• If the front office extends Dak 2-3 more years, what happens to the future of this team if they fail early next year?

IMO, Mike McCarthy is a far better coach than Wade Phillips was and is more respected by the players. But how difficult will it be for the players to continue to fight for Mac if team gets off to a rough start knowing he has one leg out the door?

I respect Mike McCarthy and what he had done here. But this owner did him and the team no favors with this one year thing hanging over the season. Then follows that up with their usual standing pat routine while the rest of the league is reloading.

How do you expect players to fight when your Owner/GM/CEO are not fighting to make the team better in free agency?

 

[Bobhaze]

How do you expect players to fight when your Owner/GM/CEO are not fighting to make the team better in free agency?

It’s a great question. May explain why the NFL players survey ranked Jerry 19th among owners.

Former players like Marcus Spears (who is calling JJ out publicly as ”THE PROBLEM” in Dallas) Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Dalton Schultz have all recently made comments about Jerry and the circus he allows.

 

[Diehardblues]

How do you expect players to fight when your Owner/GM/CEO are not fighting to make the team better in free agency?

I don’t . We have a team friendly owner.

Country club atmosphere. The players love there’s no pressure to win. Checks are there every Tuesday. And opportunities for sponsorship money on the side. Lol

 

[75boyz]

This offseason looks like 2017 to me. Jerry will sign some low paid scrubs to fill out the roster and the Cowboys will have a down year. McCarthy will not be re-signed next year and Jerry will hire Bill Belichick as his new head coach. You all know this is what Jerry wants. Hiring BB would put Dallas on the front page for the entire season.

Great perspective.
Sounds very Jerry-like.

 

[Captain-Crash]

Bob, you're overthinking all this. Jerry will do what Jerry does. Be happy and positive.

 

[fivetwos]

The team started 1-5 with Romo, so I guess you could argue either way on whether the team quit on Wade.

It’s also out there that Garrett sabotaged the situation.

That’s what happens when the owner hires an OC before a HC instead of letting them build their own staff.

I just can’t for the life of me understand how these two don’t get it, but they lucked into a few stars and want to keep them at any cost and continue to market their product.

I’ve never bought into “they don’t care about winning,” but it’s beginning to sink in that marketing is much more important than filling the trenches.

How much longer can they get away with it?

 

[Diehardblues]

It’s also out there that Garrett sabotaged the situation.

That’s what happens when the owner hires an OC before a HC instead of letting them build their own staff.

I just can’t for the life of me understand how these two don’t get it, but they lucked into a few stars and want to keep them at any cost and continue to market their product.

I’ve never bought into “they don’t care about winning,” but it’s beginning to sink in that marketing is much more important than filling the trenches.

How much longer can they get away with it?

Their priorities are out of whack . They want to win but only their way. They have been getting away with it for almost 3 decades .


Remaining relative is enough to hype and limit the pressure off them making a change. Fans like stars to support . That’s entertainment!!

 

[fivetwos]

Their priorities are out of whack . They want to win but only their way. They have been getting away with it for almost 3 decades .


Remaining relative is enough to hype and limit the pressure off them making a change. Fans like stars to support . That’s entertainment!!

I’ve felt that way for a while, but I’m beginning to change to more of that they are very much in over their heads and can’t compete with competent GMs that are actively trying to win.

The kid seems to want a bargain on everything in every way so they can afford to overpay their own stars because those are the guys that support the business.

There’s genuinely no plan here to try to build a championship team. It’s hire a staff that doesn’t mind how Jerry acts, and try to collect players otherwise.

I had no problem in the second half of 1988 rooting against this team every week because I knew they desperately had to get Aikman for the greater good.

Am I ashamed of that? Nope. Same way one isn’t happy about disciplining their child, but it’s a necessary evil at times and usually pays off in the long run.

I’m about ready to get on the 0-17 wagon and watch these two be fully humiliated. I’d sign for that for five years if I knew it would make them admit they have no clue.

This is so easy to say, and it’s been said countless times over the years, but they truly do NOT know what they are doing. I have no confidence as a fan and realize that it’s going to have to get really, really bad if there’s going to be any change.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

When Jerry Jones decided in late January to bring Mike McCarthy back for the 2024 season, I immediately thought of the similar decision he made with Wade Phillips after the 2009 season, and all the ramifications that followed in the 2010 season.

In Jan, 2010 the Cowboys had been destroyed in the divisional round of the playoffs in embarrassing fashion by the Brett Favre led Vikings 34-3. Most believed Wade’s time in Big D as head coach was clearly at an end.

While I agree that this isn't setting up well for Mike... I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous revisionist history.

That team had just walloped the Eagles twice in a row to end the season. They had just gone 13-3, 9-7, and 11-5. Their defense just finished #2 in the league in scoring defense. They had just won their first playoff game in 13 years.

There is no way you fire the HC under those circumstances, nor did most people want it at that time.

 

[Jarv]

It’s also out there that Garrett sabotaged the situation.

That’s what happens when the owner hires an OC before a HC instead of letting them build their own staff.

I just can’t for the life of me understand how these two don’t get it, but they lucked into a few stars and want to keep them at any cost and continue to market their product.

I’ve never bought into “they don’t care about winning,” but it’s beginning to sink in that marketing is much more important than filling the trenches.

How much longer can they get away with it?

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[Chasing6]

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

So when GM Jeruh makes dumb decisions without talking to people it is not sabotage?

 

[Jarv]

So when GM Jeruh makes dumb decisions without talking to people it is not sabotage?

Let the HC hire his own staff is what I'm saying.

 

[Chasing6]

Let the HC hire his own staff is what I'm saying.

100%. Let the HC have at least an opinion on adding/subtracting players.

Or don't have a HC, because Jethro thinks he is HC, as well as the Owner and GM.

 

[Diehardblues]

I’ve felt that way for a while, but I’m beginning to change to more of that they are very much in over their heads and can’t compete with competent GMs that are actively trying to win.

The kid seems to want a bargain on everything in every way so they can afford to overpay their own stars because those are the guys that support the business.

There’s genuinely no plan here to try to build a championship team. It’s hire a staff that doesn’t mind how Jerry acts, and try to collect players otherwise.

I had no problem in the second half of 1988 rooting against this team every week because I knew they desperately had to get Aikman for the greater good.

Am I ashamed of that? Nope. Same way one isn’t happy about disciplining their child, but it’s a necessary evil at times and usually pays off in the long run.

I’m about ready to get on the 0-17 wagon and watch these two be fully humiliated. I’d sign for that for five years if I knew it would make them admit they have no clue.

This is so easy to say, and it’s been said countless times over the years, but they truly do NOT know what they are doing. I have no confidence as a fan and realize that it’s going to have to get really, really bad if there’s going to be any change.

It’s a very frustrating situation for fans to say the least. I’ve become very apathetic like many long time Cowboy fans I know personally.

We still root the team on but get some satisfaction when Jethro is ridiculed and embarrassed when his team comes up short. No doubt a mixed bag of emotions. And why the Cowboys remain the most popular local sports franchise and he is most hated sports personality in Dallas/Ft Worth area.

But losing won’t be enough to bring about the kind of change we are all looking for. Only a direct hit on revenue will bring about real change. That would take empty seats and revolt at the game. Tv viewership plummeting. Merchandise sales falling off and ultimately sponsors pulling out.

Which unfortunately I don’t see happening. He’s going to keep enough stars to maintain some sense of relevance he can hype and promote his iconic brand. And most of our casual fans across the country will be strung along. And he believes he’s only one who can stay front and center steering narrative in public perception.

I begun an effort over 15 years ago as a long time season ticket holder at Texas Stadium that refused to make move over to new stadium warning once was built, new season tickets and PSL’s committed. Game over.

So far I regrettably report I was right. I waved my white flag years ago, stopped by financial support and watch and follow from a distance. And hope I out live the arrogant egoistical SOB intent on living out his personal passion for the rest of his life of being a celebrity football guy all on our nickel.

 

[IceStar-D7]

Hey Bobhaze?? Don't you mean ,FANS are??????