CFZ The big gamble this organization continues to make

[Bobhaze]

A big red flag that waves 24/7 over everything that is the Cowboys can't be ignored. Jerry Jones thinks he is the smartest man in the room. How anyone can't see that as a huge issue is beyond me.

Not building the Cowboys by using any means possible is crazy. Like Bob said "our FO chooses to place all its chips on one of the three parts of team building." He is putting the Cowboys behind the 8 ball from the start.

Well said BD. And what’s frustrating is the Cowboys are good enough in the draft to have enough talent to be competitive in the regular season. But without the other two pieces of team building, the Cowboys are limited. So in essence, our ability to really compete is hamstrung by our owner. Which 31 other teams don’t have as a liability.

 

[Bobhaze]

There are only 4 other teams besides the Cowboys who have yet to appear in a conference title game THIS CENTURY.

You can conjure up whatever excuses and cope, but Dallas has been bottom five worst playoff teams in the 21st century.

It has not worked at all.

THIS ^^^^^ is the real bottom line.

 

[Whyjerry]

They draft well and then by year 3 the soft serve ice cream culture takes hold and ruins lots of players.

 

[mahoneybill]

A big red flag that waves 24/7 over everything that is the Cowboys can't be ignored. Jerry Jones thinks he is the smartest man in the room. How anyone can't see that as a huge issue is beyond me.

Not building the Cowboys by using any means possible is crazy. Like Bob said "our FO chooses to place all its chips on one of the three parts of team building." He is putting the Cowboys behind the 8 ball from the start.

He wants to remove the Jimmy J debacle from his results. His I did it my way schtick is wearing thin.

Us long time fans ( 60’) had faith in Tex S that we would get there and we did.

 

[TequilaCowboy]

Agree with all that you said.... except it is NOT a gamble when it comes to Bozo and Chuckles.....they got nothing to lose.

 

[thunderpimp91]

What the Cowboys are is a statistical anomaly in the playoffs, similar to the Chiefs from the early 90s to 2019. All the numbers say they should have made multiple SB runs but **** happens. The goal is to be consistently competitive and make the playoffs year over year and eventually the bounces in the single elimination format will go your way. There will be a reversion to the mean if the Cowboys continue winning 10-12 games a year and posting top 5-10 passing efficiency metrics. Any arguments to the contrary rely entirely on magical, superstitious thinking and run counter the totality of NFL and professional sports data across generations.

The data nerd in me wants to agree, but I simply don't believe this to be true. There was a time in my life when I did, but I'm more and more convinced that if you build a team to make the playoffs consistently that's what you'll get but the odds are against you making a deeper run. The Cowboys for years now have build up really good teams with fatal flaws that get exposed by better teams in the league, which is what you see come playoff time. This teams issues go beyond bad luck as Jerry refuses to address an issue until it bites him in the butt.

The real issue is the 10th best team in the league will make the playoffs every time, but that team is one of the worst in their conference once the playoffs start.

 

[Creeper]

+1 .........this is where Stephen's refusal to sign a few quality free agents hurt.

I also think free agency is made for DT. Why wait 3 years for a DT to reach his potential when you can sign one in free agency after some other team developed him? Rookies can contribute at most positions but DT is one that takes time.

 

[DallasEast]

We all know most teams in today’s cap era NFL that build serious contenders for playoff success use a three pronged approach to improving their rosters from year to year. It requires several key components:

• Savvy scouting, drafting and developing young players to become your primary pipeline of talent.
• A few key free agent or trade acquisitions that provide an immediate upgrade at certain positions. (Sometimes you can’t wait for all the young talent you drafted to develop. Otherwise you lose whole seasons)
• Free agent moves are only a serious option when your front office has meticulously managed the salary cap so you have the flexibility to make the FA moves you need after you have signed some of your cornerstone pieces.

Our front office gets at least 1/3 of the above parts done pretty well. The Cowboys are in the top third of the league when it comes to drafting talent to build around. Unfortunately when it comes to the free agency and cap management parts of team building, our FO is ham fisted.

So in essence, our FO chooses to place all its chips on one of the three parts of team building: The draft and development piece. It’s good that we are fairly good at that. But it’s not enough if you’re serious about competing for a championship NOW. To put it even simpler, our front office gambles every year on the hope that our drafts and development of players will be enough to beat all the good teams using free agency and trades too.

Not surprisingly it’s a gamble only those executives with lifetime contracts regardless of results can afford to make. And it’s a gamble they created because they are so poor at managing the cap, making acquisitions of some key free agents not a realistic option.

So as we go into 2024, our FO has placed all their chips on guys we HOPE will develop - Sam Williams, Jalen Tolbert, Damone Clark, Mazi Smith, Luke Schoonmaker, DeMarvion Overshown, Tyler Guyton, Marshawn Kneeland, and Cooper Bebee, and some other youngsters.

Don‘t get me wrong, I like those players. I believe in drafting and developing players. But that’s a big gamble that all those guys are going to be able to carry a ton of responsibility this upcoming season if we expect to be another playoff contender in 2024.

It’s a gamble. But it won’t matter if it doesn’t work because the only people held accountable for the results didn't make those decisions.

Excellent post.

 

[Diehardblues]

Well said BD. And what’s frustrating is the Cowboys are good enough in the draft to have enough talent to be competitive in the regular season. But without the other two pieces of team building, the Cowboys are limited. So in essence, our ability to really compete is hamstrung by our owner. Which 31 other teams don’t have as a liability.

Yep. We have the core problem figured out.

But it doesn’t matter because we can’t remove him and most fans are unwilling to take the action necessary to force the issue.

 

[Bobhaze]

I also think free agency is made for DT. Why wait 3 years for a DT to reach his potential when you can sign one in free agency after some other team developed him? Rookies can contribute at most positions but DT is one that takes time.

Agreed. If the team identifies two positions that are keeping us back from taking it to the next level, why not add a key FA or make a trade to get someone? By pinning all our hopes on all your draft picks becoming what you hoped is like a boxer using one arm.

 

[Redline360]

One of the best things to happen to this organization in the longest time was Jimmy. However at the same time it unleashed Jerrys ego and the unfortunate aftermath.

Will still stand on the belief that without Jimmy(yes Jerry wrote the checks and authorized the "trade") Jerry would argurably go down as one of the worst worst owner(GM) ever. Jimmy got the whole America's team rolling

But back on topic we draft extremely well however as many have said in today's game you cannot win without picking up pieces in FA. Then we hold onto our guys to long. Puts us behind right off the bat

 

[DallasEast]

A big red flag that waves 24/7 over everything that is the Cowboys can't be ignored. Jerry Jones thinks he is the smartest man in the room. How anyone can't see that as a huge issue is beyond me.

Not building the Cowboys by using any means possible is crazy. Like Bob said "our FO chooses to place all its chips on one of the three parts of team building." He is putting the Cowboys behind the 8 ball from the start.

^ This. It is that simple and a reminder of what has always been the negative catalyst all this time. And it has not been the greed argument.

Jones has the most profitable NFL franchise due to a past rich history and marketing machine. Its popularity has not been based upon championship contending consistency for over three decades.

If Jones permitted a new managerial direction in his front office separate from his decision making, the team could possibly return to serious Super Bowl contention on a more regular basis. That change would make the team more popular. More popularity would make the franchise even more profitable than it has been.

That is the variable often ignored or dismissed. Jones desires more profitability. What business owner does not? Jones' business skills have helped make the league overall billions.

So. If an individual knows how to make money, knows what it will take to generate more money, but does not seize upon taking that particular course of action, making more money is not what is stopping that individual from creating more money from their business.

Jones has been the franchise's general manager for decades. He knows he should have stepped down decades ago. And he knows he could have made more money over these past decades if he had allowed someone else to manage football operations.

The space between Jones' ears has always been the only problem for the team succeeding beyond his self-centered style of leadership. It has never been his wallet.

 

[Diehardblues]

Agreed. If the team identifies two positions that are keeping us back from taking it to the next level, why not add a key FA or make a trade to get someone? By pinning all our hopes on all your draft picks becoming what you hoped is like a boxer using one arm.

Im not sure they are identifying the weaknesses like we do. At least publicly they often over sell or hype talents.

And their arrogance and lack of accountability doesn’t hold them responsible.

But the fact they have had some success in the draft along with misses in FA drives some of these decisions.

Their overall priority is resigning the Star players. Pursuing potential impact FA prospects can limit resigning their guys which they have built a following from the fanbase.

 

[Bobhaze]

^ This. It is that simple and a reminder of what has always been the negative catalyst all this time. And it has not been the greed argument.

Jones has the most profitable NFL franchise due to a past rich history and marketing machine. Its popularity has not been based upon championship contending consistency for over three decades.

If Jones permitted a new managerial direction in his front office separate from his decision making, the team could possibly return to serious Super Bowl contention on a more regular basis. That change would make the team more popular. More popularity would make the franchise even more profitable than it has been.

That is the variable often ignored or dismissed. Jones desires more profitability. What business owner does not? Jones' business skills have helped make the league overall billions.

So. If an individual knows how to make money, knows what it will take to generate more money, but does not seize upon taking that particular course of action, making more money is not what is stopping that individual from creating more money from their business.

Jones has been the franchise's general manager for decades. He knows he should have stepped down decades ago. And he knows he could have made more money over these past decades if he had allowed someone else to manage football operations.

The space between Jones' ears has always been the only problem for the team succeeding beyond his self-centered style of leadership. It has never been his wallet.

Yes!!! Been saying this for years - the greatest marketing strategy in sports is winning playoff games. You don’t have “sell” a winner to the fan base.

 

[Bobhaze]

One of the best things to happen to this organization in the longest time was Jimmy. However at the same time it unleashed Jerrys ego and the unfortunate aftermath.

Will still stand on the belief that without Jimmy(yes Jerry wrote the checks and authorized the "trade") Jerry would argurably go down as one of the worst worst owner(GM) ever. Jimmy got the whole America's team rolling

But back on topic we draft extremely well however as many have said in today's game you cannot win without picking up pieces in FA. Then we hold onto our guys to long. Puts us behind right off the bat

I agree except for one statement- “Jimmy got the whole America’s team rolling.”

Actually the 70s Cowboys, who won 14 playoff games in a decade was what actually started the whole”America’s Team” thing. I believe it officially started in 1977 or ‘78 with former GM Tex Schramm using it in the team’s official video. Jimmy certainly rekindled the America’s Team thing but it was started years before Jerry ever bought the team.

 

[DallasEast]

Yes!!! Been saying this for years - the greatest marketing strategy in sports is winning playoff games. You don’t have “sell” a winner to the fan base.

Exactly. Jones knows it as well. Simply put, he will not allow his fans, media or anyone else see another GM oversee getting his team to an NFC Championship or Super Bowl. He is literally taking his narcissist approach to the grave. That is both selfishness and shortsightedness to the extreme.

 

[Diehardblues]

^ This. It is that simple and a reminder of what has always been the negative catalyst all this time. And it has not been the greed argument.

Jones has the most profitable NFL franchise due to a past rich history and marketing machine. Its popularity has not been based upon championship contending consistency for over three decades.

If Jones permitted a new managerial direction in his front office separate from his decision making, the team could possibly return to serious Super Bowl contention on a more regular basis. That change would make the team more popular. More popularity would make the franchise even more profitable than it has been.

That is the variable often ignored or dismissed. Jones desires more profitability. What business owner does not? Jones' business skills have helped make the league overall billions.

So. If an individual knows how to make money, knows what it will take to generate more money, but does not seize upon taking that particular course of action, making more money is not what is stopping that individual from creating more money from their business.

Jones has been the franchise's general manager for decades. He knows he should have stepped down decades ago. And he knows he could have made more money over these past decades if he had allowed someone else to manage football operations.

The space between Jones' ears has always been the only problem for the team succeeding beyond his self-centered style of leadership. It has never been his wallet.

Fans have too often misinterpreted Jethro’s priority which is being the face of the franchise and celebrity football guy.

Generating revenue and remaining popular , etc provides him not needing to be more accountable for the product on the field.

The fact he could generate additional revenue if he didn’t remain in place doesn’t interest him . Once you reach his level of monetary success his arrogant ambitions supersede.

 

[Diehardblues]

Exactly. Jones knows it as well. Simply put, he will not allow his fans, media or anyone else see another GM oversee getting his team to an NFC Championship or Super Bowl. He is literally taking his narcissist approach to the grave. That is both selfishness and shortsightedness to the extreme.

Unfortunately our fanbase has allowed it to continue with our addiction along with those continuing to buy into the hype.

Such a shame we never forced the issue. And to his credit he’s made the most of it. He’s living the dream all on our agony.

 

[DallasEast]

Fans have too often misinterpreted Jethro’s priority which is being the face of the franchise and celebrity football guy.

Generating revenue and remaining popular , etc provides him not needing to be more accountable for the product on the field.

The fact he could generate additional revenue if he didn’t remain in place doesn’t interest him . Once you reach his level of monetary success his arrogant ambitions supersede.

Bold> I almost completely agree but would interject Jones' super-wealth has grown steadily through the years. What he is worth now is markedly more than what he used to be worth.

There was a slow decline from Super Bowl XXX to the end of the Campo 5-11 regular season trifecta. Jones' GM job performance mandated a change in position. He refused. He was rich then too but far less than he is now.

Jones' inflexibility is the hallmark of a narcissist. It has always been in him to prove to the world just how irreplaceable he is in managing his franchise to Super Bowls championships. In short, he has and will continue doing so or die trying.

 

[Diehardblues]

Yes!!! Been saying this for years - the greatest marketing strategy in sports is winning playoff games. You don’t have “sell” a winner to the fan base.

In an interview with Jethro by Dale Hansen years ago the question was pursued “ was he doing everything within his power to win”which Dale called out by not willing to hire a GM.

Jethro replied if you can guarantee he’d win a SB, he’d step aside. But added you can’t.

Fans have been debating this for decades but the evidence couldn’t be clearer beginning with split up with Jimmy as winning championships wasn’t enough unless he received his share of credit and celebrity status.

It’s never going to be enough winning championships unless he’s the man. Jimmy became the man and he had to go.