The cost of winning: What the Cowboys stand to lose by finishing the season on a winning streak

[kskboys]

Here's the thing. We probably are NOT "in the hunt" for a super bowl. BUT...we are in the hunt to teach the team to WIN. It's more important than a phantom fairy dust draft pick.

Actually, the "teach the team to win" thingie is the phantom fairy dust.

 

[kskboys]

I want to win, I don't care. This is the worst draft in YEARS to pick high and pay possibly average players top $$ on rookie contracts. Winning after a tumultuous season may do wonders for the younger players going forward also. To me I feel there is more benefit to winning. I was team-tank but going out not being a bunch of losers would be nice....

That stuff doesn't carry over. Fan myth.

 

[Jake]

The NFL rewards failure in the name of competitive balance. Fans pay a lot of money to go to games (in normal years) and players get paid millions to play them.

The incentive should always be to play as well as you can and to win the game. If/when it is not then you have a messed up system.

 

[FiveSuperBowls]

While it feels good to enter the regular-season finale with a chance for bonus football, there is another side of that coin that weighs heavily on the mind of many Cowboys fans - botching up their draft position. For a while now, there has been a line drawn in the sand between “Team Tank” and “Team Just Win Baby.”

As you can see, the Cowboys currently hold the no. 11 overall spot in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. Of course, that’s likely to change after Sunday. There are three likely outcomes that will move the Cowboys draft pick around, and they are as follows:

• 7th-10th = if they lose against the Giants
• 11th-15th = if they beat the Giants, but Washington wins and takes down the NFC East
• 19th = if they win the NFC East

Now, this is helpful in preparing our minds for what’s coming. While most fans are pulling for a division crown and playoff football, a loss guarantees a the Cowboys a top 10 draft pick. There are silver linings in both of those scenarios.

As far as the playoffs go, this team is playing its best football at the right time. Nobody is expecting it to amount to anything special, but if Andy Dalton continues to play well and the defense keeps taking the ball away, this team can end the year with something to build off. They’re not likely going to go on some miraculous run and strike down all of games top quarterbacks as that’s nothing more than a pipe dream.

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...e-by-finishing-the-season-on-a-winning-streak

I'm not drinking the cool aid. Picking 7th -10th is the team's best path moving forward. Let's be real. But yea, I am rooting for the youngsters to continue their good play. Just wish Anae would have played.

 

[kskboys]

The NFL rewards failure in the name of competitive balance. Fans pay a lot of money to go to games (in normal years) and players get paid millions to play them.

The incentive should always be to play as well as you can and to win the game. If/when it is not then you have a messed up system.

For the players, absolutely. For the GM, no. The GM must absolutely be constantly looking to the future and what it takes to build a contender.

For instance, Belly has traded star players such as Asante Samuel, Richard Seymour, Chandler Jones, and Jamie Collins. And others. This made them a worse team, but allowed the team to remain in contention. Yes, it sorta helps having Tom Brady!!!! However, the fact remains, sometimes you have to get worse to get better. MIA is currently showing us how, though I believe they went w/ the wrong QB.

 

[sideon]

It's just gonna suck when Dallas beats the Giants only to see Washington beat the breaks off of the Eagles.

It wouldn't shock me if the opposite happens.

 

[ColoradoCowboy]

I can see both sides. But if we weren't going to go tank-tastic starting with the Cincy game and end up with the No. 3 pick with everything else being equal then what does it matter now, really? The 3 pick was the best position for trading down to get more picks, possibly to a QB-desperate team who wanted one of the best of the rest QBs or one of the top 2 inexplicably falling. That's a real good opportunity to fill the multiple holes we have with good talent, and maybe picks next year too. At the same time, starting as bad as we did, trying hard does reveal team character and who is or is not giving their all when faced with adversity, which you are going to get with a team whether you're a high flyer or marginal a marginal team. Just hope the new coaches were paying attention to stuff like that or that too was for naught.

This summarizes my feelings on the matter too. I was firmly on "Team Tank" too. But the prize of Team Tank was the #3 overall pick. That's gone now. A chance to win the Division and go to the playoffs (where ANYTHING can happen) is not something that you simply pass up.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Dont know CR.

This draft is quite weak. The player we get at 10 may be about what we get at 19.

There doesnt seem to be many defensive studs at all, and players with similar grades will likely be chosen ranging from 8-20.

Agreed that usually 10 spots is a big deal, but not this year.

How about 15 spots? Im not buying that excuse. Getting first shot at who you want over 10-15 teams is huge in any year.

 

[75boyz]

I wouldnt say most fans are rooting for a win.

Personally, I am rooting for a loss. Its really the ONLY way to salvage the season. And if they win, fine, great job and will pull for them to win a playoff game.

Build off? This team was better last year, they dont need to learn to build anything. Half of the guys starting will either be gone or back to the bench next season. They would have gotten the experience either way whether we won or lost games.

Its not like a young QB is learning how to play in the league. We have old man Dalton in there.

Yep.
Your Build off? paragraph especially captures my feelings as well. Nice post.

 

[fivetwos]

How about 15 spots? Im not buying that excuse. Getting first shot at who you want over 10-15 teams is huge in any year.

Not sure how its possible for tomorrows outcomes to move us up or down 15 spots.

Unless they start winning playoff games...

This draft first off isnt good, and the players more unpredictable than ever.

Looks like 7th is as high as they could be, more likely in the 10-12 range vs 19 if they get in.

Not enough difference the way I see it.

If it meant adding a blue chip defensive player then sure, but I dont see many of those, if any, in this draft....anywhere.

 

[jterrell]

The reality is nothing has changed about this all year.
Dallas played a lot of really bad teams late and we all knew that coming in.
WAS found a QB for like 6 games it appears that will be enough to win the division.

But Cincy was always going to be tough to out-tank and other games on sched were tough to lose.

Dallas could have written off the season and let DiNucci run this thing into the ground and probably drafted 3rd.
BUT that also has a very real cost.

Right now Dallas since week 6 has found:
Donovan Wilson is a very legit small ball 4-3 Box safety.
Jourdan Lewis can play some safety and is an interesting Honey Badger clone.
Randy Gregory can be your starting RDE next year.
Neville Gallimore can handle 50% of the snaps in a game without drop off.
Michael Gallup can be a legit WR2 man to man killer with a QB not named Dak.
Amari's quiet focus and consistently great route running make him a lock WR1.
This defense as a whole can still play a 4 down, 1 gap scheme and be slightly below average versus the trash can they were trying to play 3 down 2 gap.
Kellen Moore can call plays and games.
This Dallas defense has some young play-makers who really go after the ball: Wilson/Diggs.
Interior OL has held up OK minus Zack.
OTs have steadied themselves to a normal back up level from grabbing dues out of the stand caliber.
also found:
Chido doesn't make plays on ball or take man away.
LVE can't stay healthy.
Sean Lee sees game great but is physically over-matched.
XWoods is basically a replacement level FS.
Ankou/Hamilton are likely not NFL DT answers.
Aldon Smith doesn't need to start at his age/rust level.
DiNucci is pretty far from NFL level.


End of day I've learned so much about my team which far exceeds anything I'd gain in picking slightly higher.
Everyone would choose to draft higher versus lower is all things are equal but those things are never equal.
And we always couch these discussions as if the only answer is in playoff games or Super Bowls and not answers that make you better able to draft and teambuild properly.
And team building is what it is is all about if you are talking next year as tankers inevitably are.

 

[Bob-Lillys-War]

Tank the season .

I Can't believe jerry/stephen dont have a long term winning strategy .

 

[garyv]

While it feels good to enter the regular-season finale with a chance for bonus football, there is another side of that coin that weighs heavily on the mind of many Cowboys fans - botching up their draft position. For a while now, there has been a line drawn in the sand between “Team Tank” and “Team Just Win Baby.”

As you can see, the Cowboys currently hold the no. 11 overall spot in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. Of course, that’s likely to change after Sunday. There are three likely outcomes that will move the Cowboys draft pick around, and they are as follows:

• 7th-10th = if they lose against the Giants
• 11th-15th = if they beat the Giants, but Washington wins and takes down the NFC East
• 19th = if they win the NFC East

Now, this is helpful in preparing our minds for what’s coming. While most fans are pulling for a division crown and playoff football, a loss guarantees a the Cowboys a top 10 draft pick. There are silver linings in both of those scenarios.

As far as the playoffs go, this team is playing its best football at the right time. Nobody is expecting it to amount to anything special, but if Andy Dalton continues to play well and the defense keeps taking the ball away, this team can end the year with something to build off. They’re not likely going to go on some miraculous run and strike down all of games top quarterbacks as that’s nothing more than a pipe dream.

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...e-by-finishing-the-season-on-a-winning-streak

Well I think we will be in the 11th to 15th range

 

[Captain-Crash]

it doesn't matter what they lose. You could give these idiots one of New England's Superbowl winning teams and they would mess it up.

 

[Captain43Crash]

Actually, the "teach the team to win" thingie is the phantom fairy dust.

Hilariously true!

 

[CowboyRoy]

Not sure how its possible for tomorrows outcomes to move us up or down 15 spots.

Unless they start winning playoff games...

This draft first off isnt good, and the players more unpredictable than ever.

Looks like 7th is as high as they could be, more likely in the 10-12 range vs 19 if they get in.

Not enough difference the way I see it.

If it meant adding a blue chip defensive player then sure, but I dont see many of those, if any, in this draft....anywhere.

Before the win streak, we had the 3rd pick.

 

[visionary]

So what is the cost of teaching player to lose?

this team is 6-9

these players already know how to lose

 

[Typhus]

Not sure how its possible for tomorrows outcomes to move us up or down 15 spots.

Unless they start winning playoff games...

This draft first off isnt good, and the players more unpredictable than ever.

Looks like 7th is as high as they could be, more likely in the 10-12 range vs 19 if they get in.

Not enough difference the way I see it.

If it meant adding a blue chip defensive player then sure, but I dont see many of those, if any, in this draft....anywhere.

I usually jump in on early pre draft evaluations, but Im not even attempting to do so this year.
With a gimp college season, what are you basing your pre determination that the 2021 draft isnt good?
If anything, this draft is a swimming pool of talent, and a good drafting staff that is prepared, and actually has some professional insight can find great players even in the shallow end.

 

[buybuydandavis]

While it feels good to enter the regular-season finale with a chance for bonus football, there is another side of that coin that weighs heavily on the mind of many Cowboys fans - botching up their draft position. For a while now, there has been a line drawn in the sand between “Team Tank” and “Team Just Win Baby.”

As you can see, the Cowboys currently hold the no. 11 overall spot in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. Of course, that’s likely to change after Sunday. There are three likely outcomes that will move the Cowboys draft pick around, and they are as follows:

• 7th-10th = if they lose against the Giants
• 11th-15th = if they beat the Giants, but Washington wins and takes down the NFC East
• 19th = if they win the NFC East

Now, this is helpful in preparing our minds for what’s coming. While most fans are pulling for a division crown and playoff football, a loss guarantees a the Cowboys a top 10 draft pick. There are silver linings in both of those scenarios.

As far as the playoffs go, this team is playing its best football at the right time. Nobody is expecting it to amount to anything special, but if Andy Dalton continues to play well and the defense keeps taking the ball away, this team can end the year with something to build off. They’re not likely going to go on some miraculous run and strike down all of games top quarterbacks as that’s nothing more than a pipe dream.

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...e-by-finishing-the-season-on-a-winning-streak

The WFT wants to win, and the Eagles seem to be on #TeamTank.

Getting wins this year under Dalton is of dubious value to us next year under Dak. Makes Dalton some money, gets us a better comp pick for Dalton, at the cost of multiples more lost draft value from a worse draft position. Yay?

 

[vicjagger]

I hope we win this game by a wide margin.

Then, queue the Doris Day theme song.