The 4-year plan

[xwalker]

Good to see that there are others besides myself holding out hope for Jerry to step back and allow others aggressive talent acquisition. I'm seeing some hints that suggest the same. There have been at least some indications that Jerry is allowing McClay some measure of freedom to strongly recommend, if not actually select, player talents that appeal to him. Hopefully, that might continue to be the case.

Twenty years of frustration over missing the boat on fielding championship teams should rightfully call for a change in philosophy. I'm also somewhat encouraged that Jerry has recently promised that he won't be amenable to welcome players that seem likely candidates to miss considerable time before taking an active role on the team. Perhaps our lack of immediate success with early round injured players has awakened a realization in him that there may be a more desirable route to take in the future. We'll soon see if this intention materializes. Let's hope so.

The real first evidence of Jerry backing off was when they cut Ware. That was not the type of move that Jerry would have done in the past other than the years Parcells/Jimmy were running the show.

Then there was the Zack Martin over Manziel decision.

I'm sure Jerry is still involved with things like the current Romo situation, but even non-GM owners would often be involved in that type of issue.

I think it required all of Stephen, McClay and Garrett working together to minimize Jerry's involvement. Stephen's involvement has been key. Jerry gave him more authority than he would have given to a guy like McClay. Stephen in turn, empowered McClay.

 

[bsbellomy]

These are interesting times wrapped in quizzical discussions about unknown intentions. Oh, to be a fly on the proper wall somewhere in that pristine practice palace in Frisco...

With the quarterback page almost turned over, suddenly this puppet show has turned from panicked urgency to a comfortable purr. Timelines and turnover have a whole new meaning. What exactly that is is anyone's guess.

This much we know. In four years, Dak Prescott is going to get paid handsomely if he becomes what they're banking he will. Gonna make Tony's deal look like a down payment on a used Chevy. And to make that investment, this time the roster has to arrive in unison. Lessons were learned, you've got to think, with the last franchise QB.

And so, this draft has to be real, and it has to be spectacular. Next year, too, and the one after. Money has to be carved and cleared for some ripe expensive free agents at the proper time, which they clearly don't believe in their belly is right now.

By my count, when that day arrives, only about nine of the current guys will suit up for it. Dak, Zeke, Tyron, Frederick, Martin, Jaylon, Byron, Brown, and Bailey. There'll be a couple of others that will survive, and LP will probably be long-snapping into the 22nd century, but those are the likely core.

So if 80 percent of this roster turns over by the time Dak is in his full-tilt prime, Will McClay must continue his brilliance off the radar in that broom closet they hide him in. It's not that they can't win a bunch of games until then, even play around in the playoffs, but their recent actions don't speak to that being the focused plan right now.

A big part of me is just so tickled that a plan actually exists. Duct tape and super glue didn't work while they threw darts in the dark campaign after campaign, and I grew so tiresome of it all.

So I'm willing to wait and watch and be realistic as they hatch their plans before our eyes. Stephen will pay Dak one day, but perhaps no one else. The Patriots way fascinates him, I suspect.

I won't be surprised if the draft doesn't yield a tight end or receiver in the first round. I won't surprised if they go all defense. Nothing would surprise me because I don't think they're that dug in. They want to add core plays for the future, not band-aids for right now.

The Pats do let a lot of their guys walk but they are also active in FA. I guess there's not much you can do but wait and watch.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Please start including TLDR's.

You write these all the time.

Were you aware if you're not interested in a post, you can just exit out of it and choose another one?

 

[big dog cowboy]

Good to see that there are others besides myself holding out hope for Jerry to step back and allow others aggressive talent acquisition.

Johnny Football is all the proof I needed.

 

[Bullflop]

Johnny Football is all the proof I needed.

If nothing else, it was surely a step in the right direction. Hopefully, there'll be lots more of that to come on an ongoing basis.

 

[Diehardblues]

Jerry never had any intention of taking Manziel.

On draft day he addressed this and said drafting a QB in 1st round would be admitting the Romo era was coming to an end. He expanded this by saying drafting Manziel would be like starting over that he had no intention believing Romo had several years left .

Jerry's early remarks about Manziel were simply to cover his butt if Manziel turned out to be stud he wanted it to be known he thought he had potential .

 

[LatinMind]

These are interesting times wrapped in quizzical discussions about unknown intentions. Oh, to be a fly on the proper wall somewhere in that pristine practice palace in Frisco...

With the quarterback page almost turned over, suddenly this puppet show has turned from panicked urgency to a comfortable purr. Timelines and turnover have a whole new meaning. What exactly that is is anyone's guess.

This much we know. In four years, Dak Prescott is going to get paid handsomely if he becomes what they're banking he will. Gonna make Tony's deal look like a down payment on a used Chevy. And to make that investment, this time the roster has to arrive in unison. Lessons were learned, you've got to think, with the last franchise QB.

And so, this draft has to be real, and it has to be spectacular. Next year, too, and the one after. Money has to be carved and cleared for some ripe expensive free agents at the proper time, which they clearly don't believe in their belly is right now.

By my count, when that day arrives, only about nine of the current guys will suit up for it. Dak, Zeke, Tyron, Frederick, Martin, Jaylon, Byron, Brown, and Bailey. There'll be a couple of others that will survive, and LP will probably be long-snapping into the 22nd century, but those are the likely core.

So if 80 percent of this roster turns over by the time Dak is in his full-tilt prime, Will McClay must continue his brilliance off the radar in that broom closet they hide him in. It's not that they can't win a bunch of games until then, even play around in the playoffs, but their recent actions don't speak to that being the focused plan right now.

A big part of me is just so tickled that a plan actually exists. Duct tape and super glue didn't work while they threw darts in the dark campaign after campaign, and I grew so tiresome of it all.

So I'm willing to wait and watch and be realistic as they hatch their plans before our eyes. Stephen will pay Dak one day, but perhaps no one else. The Patriots way fascinates him, I suspect.

I won't be surprised if the draft doesn't yield a tight end or receiver in the first round. I won't surprised if they go all defense. Nothing would surprise me because I don't think they're that dug in. They want to add core plays for the future, not band-aids for right now.

only 9?

I can add
L Collins
M Collins
D Irving
D Wilson
J Heath
C Green

 

[Idgit]

Jerry never had any intention of taking Manziel.

On draft day he addressed this and said drafting a QB in 1st round would be admitting the Romo era was coming to an end. He expanded this by saying drafting Manziel would be like starting over that he had no intention believing Romo had several years left .

Jerry's early remarks about Manziel were simply to cover his butt if Manziel turned out to be stud he wanted it to be known he thought he had potential .

Don't know why this doesnt stick. Tony came out draft weekend and said he wasn't worried about Manziel because he knew which direction they were going to go ahead of time.

The Jerry/Manziel thing was to have people talking about the Cowboys during that whole part of the first round. It was free PR, and its gotten traction for years now. Jerry does this stuff all the time, and people think he's crazy. Sometimes the opposite is true. Not always though.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Teams reevaluate after every season. I don't see a X year plan as much as an order of priorities that is revisited every offseason while you try and retain cost efficient talent.

For starters the team clearly values offense over defense. This makes sense given how the league clearly favors offense in pretty much every regard. Then you have position groups with QB and OL at the top of the heap.

One thing that really helped was TWill coming back on the cheap. We no longer have to concern ourselves with receivers. We have issues at OL and blocking TE depth but we still have Witten and Collins and frankly Free's level of play from last year is not a high hurdle to overcome.

If Jaylon can play and really if he cannot either the top needs are talent at EDGE and in the secondary. The draft literally has well over a dozen prospects at each spot that can help us. There are about 2 dozen DBs that can.

The time is now and the year after that and then the year after that. Good teams don't rebuild. They reload.