The best DEs I could find still avaible not named Hardy

[DavidS]

Kroy Biermann isn't much in pass rush, but is pretty good as a run stopper, and probably an upgrade over Spencer.

That's a ridiculous statement

 

[endersdragon]

That's a ridiculous statement

Are we talking 2012 Spencer or 2014 Spencer (who had 0 sacks compared to Biermanns 4.5) in any measurable stat Biermann crushed Spencer last year, he just does not have anywhere near as much potential.

 

[Nightman]

Personally, I think its a little more complicated than that.

A bad contract results in a "hole" on the field as well plus you get stuck with that player because he's too expensive to cut (loss of flexibility), cap dollars are lost, it stops the progress of other players and all the risk is placed on one player who having just received a fat contract may not have the same hunger he had when he was striving for that big contract.

Additionally the player a team has to utilize in lieu of the high priced free agent won't be completely worthless (if you're in the NFL, you have some level of talent).

For example, lets say the high price free agent gets assigned a value of 100 on a scale of 0-100 and has reached his ceiling performance-wise and the team hopes it will continue for the duration of his contract. Whereas the player you'd have to settle on if you don't acquire the free agent scores a 70 on the scale but has a contract that can be gotten away from easily, has the potential to improve and frees up additional cap dollars to devote among other players which effectively diversifies the risk and might allow you to improve other areas of the team.

So in my example, the question becomes do you invest in one player to potentially achieve 30 percentage points higher production than the alternative player in exchange for not being able to address other areas with cap dollars saved by not signing the high priced free agent, lose flexibility due to contractual obligations, hinder progress of other players and put all the risk on one high priced free agent.

Perhaps you should, perhaps you shouldn't, these are decisions for the experts but I totally agree, there is risk in either scenario because there are no guarantees in life and especially in the NFL.

The current system, more than any other time in the NFL imo, shows how important it is to build a team that gets contributions from as many players as possible and it seems to me when too many cap dollars are devoted to too few players, success never ensues.

IMHO, it comes down to managements ability to identify, acquire and develop talent and then to creatively and efficiently assign cap dollars to those players. It appears the current staff might be on a roll at doing these very things and success going forward will depend upon this continuing, not making the biggest splashes in free agency.

I think they are over-reacting to their limited successes with being frugal. Dallas is a large revenue, high profile team that needs to sell seats at the Taj Mahal of stadiums. Obviously winning is the best way to maintain interest, but a little bit of sizzle is needed as well. We aren't the GB Packers. We have tons of cash and the ability to manipulate the cap at will. A few bad contracts are easily maneuvered around.

We've made one large FA purchase and while it hasn't been a success, it is far from a crippling failure. Besides Carr we have to go back to Leonard Davis and TO and they were pretty worthwhile as well. Some of our bigger problems came from the second and third contracts given to our own draft picks. TNew, Flozell, Gurode. MBIII, Ausitn, Hamlin, Ratliff, RW11, RW31. Free Agency was never the problem. It was betting on the wrong guys to maintain or improve.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Kiwanuka is available

 

[ConstantReboot]

What was your prediction for how we would finish the year last year? Furthermore which of those guys were elite free agents that were signed before the 4th day of free agency. Spencer, Melton, and McClain were all signed after the draft. Moore was an undrafted free agent. Durant was a guy most here didn't want and still was a 2nd tier guy. Carter was drafted by us and his replacement (Hitchens) probably was as well. We can find replacements for each and every one of these guys.

LOL Durant was our most productive linebacker until he got hurt. I'd take Carter over Hitchens because of his ability and talent. Carter also lead the team in INTs. Moore is beat out Claiborne and was a ball hawk. On top of that, we still need a passrusher. Your silly to think we can find replacements that easily. We are really, really stretching it on defense right now.

 

[darthseinfeld]

I think they are over-reacting to their limited successes with being frugal. Dallas is a large revenue, high profile team that needs to sell seats at the Taj Mahal of stadiums. Obviously winning is the best way to maintain interest, but a little bit of sizzle is needed as well. We aren't the GB Packers. We have tons of cash and the ability to manipulate the cap at will. A few bad contracts are easily maneuvered around.

We've made one large FA purchase and while it hasn't been a success, it is far from a crippling failure. Besides Carr we have to go back to Leonard Davis and TO and they were pretty worthwhile as well. Some of our bigger problems came from the second and third contracts given to our own draft picks. TNew, Flozell, Gurode. MBIII, Ausitn, Hamlin, Ratliff, RW11, RW31. Free Agency was never the problem. It was betting on the wrong guys to maintain or improve.

I never understood why some view the Davis signing as a failure. Im pretty sure he went to a couple Pro Bowls here and was a huge reason for the OLs resurgence in 2007

 

[endersdragon]

LOL Durant was our most productive linebacker until he got hurt. I'd take Carter over Hitchens because of his ability and talent. Carter also lead the team in INTs. Moore is beat out Claiborne and was a ball hawk. On top of that, we still need a passrusher. Your silly to think we can find replacements that easily. We are really, really stretching it on defense right now.

Carter is a big loss, I will admit that, but I think Lee coming back and Hitchens improving will be able to replace his affect on this team well.

Durant wasn't on our team the last 10 games, yea he was great in the 6 games he played, but the guy has played 16 games once in his career. He also played 10 games in 2013 and played quite poorly in them. If you buy that the Cowboys had a good last month of the year (how can you not?), then you have to buy that we can do it again without Durant.

Moore is the definition of a JAG and can be replaced by several guys in the draft (I personally like Kevin White out of TCU) or several guys in free agency so far, including himself, as he isn't drawing much interest so far. Though generally, don't ballhawks have more than 1 INT over 4 years of time?

We didn't have much of a pass rush last year either, but as the season went on it got better, and as someone here noted, you can't judge DEs based on how many sacks they get their rookie year, and D-Law got to the QB several times late in the season but wasn't able to get the sack until his biggest play of the year. Really we lost Melton, who was a 2 down player (at best) last year due to his bad run defense, and Spencer (maybe) who had 0 sacks last year, from our pass rush... not exactly the more irreplaceable guys.


I am not saying we have lost no one, I am saying we have lost no one who isn't replaceable, often from guys already on this team.

 

[ConstantReboot]

Carter is a big loss, I will admit that, but I think Lee coming back and Hitchens improving will be able to replace his affect on this team well.

Durant wasn't on our team the last 10 games, yea he was great in the 6 games he played, but the guy has played 16 games once in his career. He also played 10 games in 2013 and played quite poorly in them. If you buy that the Cowboys had a good last month of the year (how can you not?), then you have to buy that we can do it again without Durant.

Moore is the definition of a JAG and can be replaced by several guys in the draft (I personally like Kevin White out of TCU) or several guys in free agency so far, including himself, as he isn't drawing much interest so far. Though generally, don't ballhawks have more than 1 INT over 4 years of time?

We didn't have much of a pass rush last year either, but as the season went on it got better, and as someone here noted, you can't judge DEs based on how many sacks they get their rookie year, and D-Law got to the QB several times late in the season but wasn't able to get the sack until his biggest play of the year. Really we lost Melton, who was a 2 down player (at best) last year due to his bad run defense, and Spencer (maybe) who had 0 sacks last year, from our pass rush... not exactly the more irreplaceable guys.


I am not saying we have lost no one, I am saying we have lost no one who isn't replaceable, often from guys already on this team.

I would take Moore over Claiborne any day. If Moore don't come back burnt toast Mo will be giving up big play after big play. That hardly happen ed to Moore.

But the situation right now on defense is dire. We have already lost several starters on defense and were sitting back like as though we cruising in paradise. We should be out looking for top defensive players. Sheard has already signed with NE. We could have gotten him in here for cheap.

Now is the time to make improvements to the defense and I don't see us having that urgency to do so. We are just a passrusher away. Its time to spend some bucks on defense and find talented players. So far, all of them have been jags.

 

[endersdragon]

I would take Moore over Claiborne any day. If Moore don't come back burnt toast Mo will be giving up big play after big play. That hardly happen ed to Moore.

But the situation right now on defense is dire. We have already lost several starters on defense and were sitting back like as though we cruising in paradise. We should be out looking for top defensive players. Sheard has already signed with NE. We could have gotten him in here for cheap.

Now is the time to make improvements to the defense and I don't see us having that urgency to do so. We are just a passrusher away. Its time to spend some bucks on defense and find talented players. So far, all of them have been jags.

Who, that was that played a down in week 17, not named Carter, did we lose that is that huge of a loss? If Moore is your only guy, I am sorry for you as he really is a JAG and still hasn't been signed by anyone else.

 

[ConstantReboot]

Who, that was that played a down in week 17, not named Carter, did we lose that is that huge of a loss? If Moore is your only guy, I am sorry for you as he really is a JAG and still hasn't been signed by anyone else.

Moore is my only guy? Are you kidding? We lost a lot on defense and our front office isn't doing squat to replace them. Im being real that we need to do something on the defensive side while some here seem to think its all fine and dandy. I don't know about you but if we don't get more talented people here this year on defense we won't be going far.

 

[AmericanCowboy]

We have lost a lot on defense.

The biggest issue we have had as a team is not free agency- the path we are taking now is a great one, and will lead to a very well run organization.

Our issue has been the second round of the draft where we are probably the worst in the league...

 

[Rogerthat12]

Kiwanuka is available

I know there are only slim pickings so this is not to pound the idea but I looked up his sack stats and they are not good, last year 2.5 sacks, his highest was 8 in 2008 and 6 in 2013 but he averaged like 3-4 for a decade roughly speaking (38.5 career, 10 years).

Not sure if he has much left at 32!

 

[endersdragon]

Moore is my only guy? Are you kidding? We lost a lot on defense and our front office isn't doing squat to replace them. Im being real that we need to do something on the defensive side while some here seem to think its all fine and dandy. I don't know about you but if we don't get more talented people here this year on defense we won't be going far.

Oh sorry, we lost a guy who didn't play 10 games last year, a guy who couldn't start ahead of Nick Hayden, and a guy who had 0 sacks last year. I said not named Carter so don't use him, and the other 3 guys just weren't that good for more than 6 games last year. Sorry I am not buying that this defense lost that much.

 

[Floatyworm]

We're screwed

No we're not.....

My prediction for opening day........

LDE- Crawford/Spencer

RDE- Owamagbe Odighizuwa /Lawrence

Find some Dts.......

 

[JBS]

No we're not.....

My prediction for opening day........

LDE- Crawford/Spencer

RDE- Owamagbe Odighizuwa /Lawrence

Find some Dts.......

Crawford is our DT..he isn't going back to DE

 

[Stash]

No we're not.....

My prediction for opening day........

LDE- Crawford/Spencer

RDE- Owamagbe Odighizuwa /Lawrence

Find some Dts.......

That's great, but how many sacks can you count on from the rookie? They just don't get them fresh out of the box. And if he's not, how does that help correct by far our biggest weakness?

 

[ConstantReboot]

Oh sorry, we lost a guy who didn't play 10 games last year, a guy who couldn't start ahead of Nick Hayden, and a guy who had 0 sacks last year. I said not named Carter so don't use him, and the other 3 guys just weren't that good for more than 6 games last year. Sorry I am not buying that this defense lost that much.

Believe what you want. I'm grounded in the real world. If we had to play a game today with the defense we had now how do you think we would do?

 

[Kolemmitt]

No we're not.....

My prediction for opening day........

LDE- Crawford/Spencer

RDE- Owamagbe Odighizuwa /Lawrence

Find some Dts.......

I think:
LDE Spencer/OO/Gardner, J Crawford

1T - McClain, Brent, Bishop, Okoye

3T - Crawford, McClain,Whaley, Okoye

RDE Lawrence/ Mincey

Is what we are looking at. I think Spencer could be replaced by a guy like Wooton that has had some success with Rod in the past. I can see this group turn into a nice 8 man rotation with Crawford and Lawrence being our studs. I am a little surprised that a Boise fan had Lawrence sitting for a rookie. I think Lawrence is going to be a very solid RDE and I think he is a big part of the reason we are not throwing down big money on a FA. I am also intrigued about the idea of sliding Mincey to the LDE and letting two young guys develop behind Mincey and Lawrence.

 

[RamziD]

We have a long ways to go yet but right now it's pretty thin

Mincey-Crawford-Brent-DLaw
.......Rivers-Hitchens-Lee......
Carr-Church-Wilcox-OScan

I don't get the enamoration with Brent. He's done absolutely nothing to pencil him in as a starter. T. McClain is your starter right now. The LBs I think will be Hitchens-Brinkley-Lee (at this point).

 

[Silver N Blue]

I'm still disgusted that we're not going after Hardy, but I guess we should look at Michael Johnson

Being reported he will decide between vikes and cincy.