The Dallas Cowboys are the Alex Smith-era Chiefs

[baltcowboy]

Sure, right now some of them are not. However, I think with McCarthy, you can (much like with Mahomes and Reid) teach a QB with traits that suit your offense how to perform at the best of their abilities. I think Mike is doing this with Dak, and I think he can do this with a rookie. However, and I made this clear in my OP, I think it's important to both extend Dak AND get his successor on the roster (the latter within the next two drafts). I think we need to extend Dak and have an out when we would expect the QB to take over.

For this draft, as far as potential prospects go, I think if Michael Penix falls to us like I believe he should and what I've read suggests he might, then he is one of the QBs that I can see (and prefer) this year being drafted in round one by us as the successor to Dak. Now, just because you draft a QB in round one does NOT mean you have to start them straight away. Rodgers, Love, and Mahomes didn't. Mike would know this very well that sometimes, if you have the luxury of a very good QB in Dak, you can use the first round pick's contract as a benefit and let him sit a year or two while he develops. If you can do this, you have a chance of developing something special. So, while Michael Penix, for example, is not currently better than Dak, I think he has the tools to learn how to operate McCarthy's system how Mike McCarthy wants him to do it.

This is not unlike the QBs that I mentioned. If Mahomes ended up in Chicago instead of Trubisky, he probably struggles because the system didn't fit him. He had the exact coach that he needed to succeed in Reid. However, he needed a year to sit to learn how to function in Reid's offense. Reid was perfect for Mahomes, and Mahomes has been perfect for Reid.

Aaron Rodgers had to sit a few years behind Brett Favre. While this was going on, Mike McCarthy was able to teach him how to run his system. When he took over, it likely became easier for him to succeed rather than if he had started when he was drafted. Hence why I said that Mike McCarthy knows this concept well. Aaron Rodgers was perfect, for a while, for McCarthy, and McCarthy was who Rodgers needed early on.

Jordan Love had to sit a few years behind Rodgers. Similar situation to Rodgers with LaFluer. And this is a concept that some teams really benefit from if they have the luxury that we have. The difference is that I don't know if the FO recognises this luxury that we have. I think, just with Dak being 31 soon (im 31 funny enough), it's time to start exploring potential successors.

I think a QB like Penix or someone we draft next year that fits McCarthy's offense really well could be the answer. Plus, assuming Dak is on a 4 year deal with an out after 3, then he's likely about 33 or 34 when the time for the successor to be ready. If this is the case, then this is a reasonable age to make this change. I don't think extending Dak and drafting his successor are mutually exclusive. I think we have the luxury to be able to do it, and it should be done.

Well Jerry thinks we have the quarterback prospect in Lance. Trey is actually the same age or younger then any of the other draft prospects not named Caleb or May. Big offseason for Lance. Cavanaugh does not think the Cowboys believe he is the answer because of some article David Moore wrote.

 

[DFWJC]

I’ve seen Penix as high as 2 to the Commanders. It’s funny though I like Penix but he too is coming off his own choke job…..

Wow, that would be a shocker.
I've also seen him not make the first round.

Would be very surprised if Williams and Maye aren't the top 2 QBs. Then the LSU kid is rising fast as well.

 

[calicowboy54]

Sure, and hey, if the QB we need isn't there this year, that's fine. We can probably wait until next year while we go oline, running back, linebacker, and NT this year. Then, with the prospects that I see likely to enter the draft next year, we can then take a QB next year if needed. That is fine by me.

yeah i agree, and like your plan. i personally like Bo Nix if we Go this year and if we dont id wait a few years next years crop are not going to be as good as this years.

 

[Aven8]

I’ve been saying this all week. If a Caleb or Maye fall to 10 (highly unlikely) fall to 10 in the draft do whatever you have to do to go up and get them just like KC did with Mahomes.

Pipe dream!

 

[DFWJC]

Right, but that's why I'm saying that the Joneses might accidently end up in a position where they find the next QB and can develop him similar to how the Chiefs developed Mahomes. If they can, who knows what happens.

That's kind of how the Packers got Love. He fell to the late first round and they had him graded much higher...so they moved up from 30 to 26 and pulled the trigger.
Of course Rodgers was 37 years old

 

[Vtwin]

I'm saying maybe see if we can get a 4-5 year deal that is sort of winged to where there's decent cap money in years one and two, but, in year 3, it's fairly light, that way, you have a spot there that can be used as an out. It'd be a deal that can give us a way out. And even if it is a full 3 year deal, that's why it's critical then that we draft a QB in round one this year or next year. That's why I was saying in there that I was stressing that we have to extend Dak AND draft his replacement. Ideally this year, but next year works too.

I get that. I just don't see how that happens without Dak settling for a very team friendly deal. How would your scenario play out assuming Dak gets a top market deal with the typical guaranteed portion? The cap hits you would have to take in years 1 and 2 in order to free up year three wouldn't be any better than the cap hits you take the next two years by releasing him. How do you absorb the remaining cap responsibilities, add the new ones and not be in the same position we're in now?

To put some numbers on it, let's say Dak accepts a deal of 4 years 200 million with a 100 million guaranteed. You now have four years to spread the existing cap responsibilities plus the 100 million (minimum) Dal will receive. Isn't that close to 40 million per year on average? Even if you front load (or backload) the deal at some point you're coming up against a situation where the chickens come home to roost and you're stuck with the same decision of take a huge cap hit or extend him yet again.

I don't see how that's any better than not resigning him and spreading the 59 million over the next two years?

I believe all Dak's guaranteed money has been paid out as of this season. Jerry could release him without owing him any cash, take the 30ish million cap hits over the next tow seasons, or extend him and take those same cap hits, either now or later.


I understand your premise to be that Dak is not the future and he should be extended purely for cap relief while we find the next guy. If that is the case it makes no sense to me to invest more in him just to end up in the same, or worse place just when you have the heir apparent ready to take over a team hamstrung by cap constraints. Rip the bandaid off now, get a placeholder while you try and find the next guy, building the areas that need attention to give those guys the best chance to succeed.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

yeah i agree, and like your plan. i personally like Bo Nix if we Go this year and if we dont id wait a few years next years crop are not going to be as good as this years.

If Bo Nix is there when we are picking, I'm fine with taking him and letting him sit behind Dak as well. Regardless, whoever the QB is, we have the luxury where we can extend Dak and take one of them knowing we can install them in a few years. It should be up to Mike as to which one fits his offense best.

 

[links18]

So, we should be landing a generational QB any draft now? Great to hear....

 

[Captain-Crash]

I couldn't sleep at night if dak wasn't a Cowboy.

 

[MikeT22]

That's kind of how the Packers got Love. He fell to the late first round and they had him graded much higher...so they moved up from 30 to 26 and pulled the trigger.
Of course Rodgers was 37 years old

And Rodgers fell to GB at 24 when they still had Favre. But these moves take planning ahead which is something Jerry is oblivious to.

 

[MikeT22]

So, we should be landing a generational QB any draft now? Great to hear....

No, we don’t draft QBs in the first three rounds.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

Well Jerry thinks we have the quarterback prospect in Lance. Trey is actually the same age or younger then any of the other draft prospects not named Caleb or May. Big offseason for Lance. Cavanaugh does not think the Cowboys believe he is the answer because of some article David Moore wrote.

Sure, but just because we have Lance also does not preclude the Cowboys from taking a QB anyway either. Plus, if you look on page 1, I examined moves and found that, based on history, they might just go QB anyway. Indeed, given the emergency QB situation, I could see them making Lance QB2, and have the rookie be the emergency QB while sitting. Doing this gives us an even bigger advantage at QB.

 

[blueblood70]

The Dallas Cowboys are the Alex Smith-era Chiefs. I stated this as a comment in a post, and, as I've been digging more into it, the more I can see similarities between the Cowboys, as currently constructed, and the Alex Smith-era Chiefs, specifically circa 2016. If the Cowboys see the similarities that I see, then thats great, because I think there's a way to build this team for great success in the near future. If I am right, which, from what I see, I think is probably close, then I think I have a vision for how to make the Cowboys similar to the current Chiefs. It won't be identical, but we can be similar IF the Cowboys see what I see. Below are some of the many similarities that I see. For the sake of this thread, I will limit the comparisons to three major ones.

Part I - Comparisons

Coaching - Andy Reid vs Mike McCarthy
Andy Reid and Mike McCarthy have a lot more in common than you might think. There was a time when Reid was thought to have poor clock management skills. A lot of the criticisms thrown at Mike McCarthy were once thrown at Andy Reid, who I think we'd all see as a great coach. I won't go into too many details of this as I have a thread about this. However, I will compare a few things. Firstly, they're from a similar Bill Walsh WCO (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Walsh_(American_football_coach)). This means that they have similar philosophies. Secondly, if you watch the offenses of the 2016 Kansas City Chiefs and the 2023 (as this is the first year of Mike calling the plays) Cowboys, you can see some similarities. Below, I will show you week 1 of the Kansas City Chiefs game playing the then-San Diego Chargers and our week 4 game against the Patriots. I showed these videos to one of my roommates, who is a Chiefs fan. Observe the offenses:





If you notice, there are similarities in the ways these offenses are run. Specifically, notice the run patterns and some of the route combinations used. There are similarities that I see. My roommate who is a Chiefs fan noticed some of the similarities that I saw.


QB: Dak Prescott vs. Alex Smith
The QBs are very similar. Like Alex Smith, Dak is the type of QB who will keep you relevant, but will not lead you to much in the way of playoff success. You'll make the playoffs more often than not, but it will be frustrating because you expect more. Dak isn't the only QB to have a great record and blow a top seed. Alex Smith did too in 2016.

Tight Ends: Jake Ferguson vs Travis Kelce
I think Jake Ferguson has proven to be quite similar to Travis Kelce. If you watch the way he plays, he has a similar skillset. The measurables are similar with Jake (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Ferguson) is 6'4" and 244 lbs, while Travis Kelce is 6'5" and 250 lbs. If you watch the two of them play, they're quite similar, and not just because they wear the same number.

The important thing is that we have pieces in place that, if you put the tape on of the 2016 Chiefs and the 2023 Cowboys, you can see similarities. So, now for why this is a good thing.

Part II - How to Fix it!
So, now comes my vision on how to fix the problem. How to turn the Cowboys into a "similar to Patrick Mahomes" era. Firstly, and I know some of you are going to hate this but please read the entirety of this so you understand what I'm saying. This is not to embrace mediocrity as some of you might say. Rather, it is like planting a seed that can grow into a tree. We must extend Dak's contract. I know a lot of you hate this, but, for the cap, we must. However, and I stress however, I would either make it a 3 year deal OR make it a deal that is long BUT has an out after 2-3 years AND allows for trades (just as the Chiefs did with Alex Smith when they dealt him to Washington). This allows us to extend the cap AND gives us an out for the important part. We then draft a QB to develop like the Chiefs did with Patrick Mahomes. The QB that I'm thinking is Michael Penix from Washington. I would let him sit behind Dak for a year or two to develop, sort of like what the Chiefs did with Mahomes behind Alex Smith. Oh, and I should note (in the interest of symmetry) the Chiefs also went a long time, prior to Mahomes, without drafting a QB in the first round. Their last 1st round QB was Todd Blackledge of Penn State (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kansas_City_Chiefs_first-round_draft_picks) in 1983. They drafted Mahomes in 2017. Our last first round draft QB was Troy Aikman in 1989. It is now 2024. The time would uncannily similar (+- a few years) if do it this year. But, as it stands, let us go further with this.

I would have Penix sit for a year or two and develop. Given that he'd be a first round pick, he would have the 5th year option built into his contract. Plus, by having Dak, you don't have to tear down the team in a rebuild and have shoddy records. So, we could have a QB that a lot of teams would like to have, and we'd have the QB of the future on the roster. While we do this, we also should look at what we have. We have a player in Turpin who, if used creatively, can be similar to Tyreek Hill. We have actually an upgrade at WR in Lamb. We have a TE similar to Kelce. What we would need is a QB like Penix to develop. Once he's ready, we get him on the field, use the fact that we'd have an out in Dak's contract to try to trade him, and turn the offense over to Penix. In doing this and, if my vision (and I hope it is McCarthy's vision too) for the team ends up like I think it does, we could become the NFC version of the Chiefs.

I think this is how we go from where we are now to a team who is consistently competing for a championship. The best part for Jerry? He wouldn't have had to wait very long to build the roster, and he'd be able to pad his ego by saying his patience led to us finding a similar coach to Andy Reid, while he rakes in the money for having a champion.

i really don't have time to read all that yet but let me tell you this , are we talking about a franchise that....there super bowl appearances and wins??? i wonder how their fans responded to that's twice as long as jerry's drought mmm

i mean but thanks for bringing it up since.... this fan base is upset over 28 years , and waiting on 5 when they were waiting on which number for 51years??

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I’ve been saying this all week. If a Caleb or Maye fall to 10 (highly unlikely) fall to 10 in the draft do whatever you have to do to go up and get them just like KC did with Mahomes.

Pipe dream!

If Caleb falls to 10, the Cowboys should 100% jump up and take him.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

That's kind of how the Packers got Love. He fell to the late first round and they had him graded much higher...so they moved up from 30 to 26 and pulled the trigger.
Of course Rodgers was 37 years old

Sure, and that's why I'm saying that it's our turn to take advantage of the luxury that we have at QB.

 

[Vtwin]

The contract negotiations will be interesting. There is a right decision. A wrong decision. And a realistic decision.

Dak playing on his 59 million hit is the right decision but hurts us this year.

Wrong decision is extending him on a deal making him the highest paid QB.

The realistic decision is they will probably re-sign him and make him the highest paid QB lol.

lol. You got that right!

I would add another option of just releasing him and spreading that 59 out over the next two years. Having him play out the last year of his deal as a lame duck could have unintended consequences. We already have MM's lame duck status to contend with.

But you're right. Jerry isn't upsetting the apple cart at this stage. Dak will be resigned and we'll have a another three year window to get it done with this crew.

 

[mardwin]

This team has been 1 QB away from going to another Superbowl.
Been posting the above since 2016.

The next HC will have the ability to pick his own QB

 

[Captain-Crash]

you wish we were that good. we are like the garrett years, nothing different.

 

[mardwin]

Sure, and that's why I'm saying that it's our turn to take advantage of the luxury that we have at QB.

37 y/o Rogers was far superior than 31 y/o Dak. There's no debate about it.

 

[chagus]

The Dallas Cowboys are the Alex Smith-era Chiefs. I stated this as a comment in a post, and, as I've been digging more into it, the more I can see similarities between the Cowboys, as currently constructed, and the Alex Smith-era Chiefs, specifically circa 2016. If the Cowboys see the similarities that I see, then thats great, because I think there's a way to build this team for great success in the near future. If I am right, which, from what I see, I think is probably close, then I think I have a vision for how to make the Cowboys similar to the current Chiefs. It won't be identical, but we can be similar IF the Cowboys see what I see. Below are some of the many similarities that I see. For the sake of this thread, I will limit the comparisons to three major ones.

Part I - Comparisons

Coaching - Andy Reid vs Mike McCarthy
Andy Reid and Mike McCarthy have a lot more in common than you might think. There was a time when Reid was thought to have poor clock management skills. A lot of the criticisms thrown at Mike McCarthy were once thrown at Andy Reid, who I think we'd all see as a great coach. I won't go into too many details of this as I have a thread about this. However, I will compare a few things. Firstly, they're from a similar Bill Walsh WCO (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Walsh_(American_football_coach)). This means that they have similar philosophies. Secondly, if you watch the offenses of the 2016 Kansas City Chiefs and the 2023 (as this is the first year of Mike calling the plays) Cowboys, you can see some similarities. Below, I will show you week 1 of the Kansas City Chiefs game playing the then-San Diego Chargers and our week 4 game against the Patriots. I showed these videos to one of my roommates, who is a Chiefs fan. Observe the offenses:





If you notice, there are similarities in the ways these offenses are run. Specifically, notice the run patterns and some of the route combinations used. There are similarities that I see. My roommate who is a Chiefs fan noticed some of the similarities that I saw.


QB: Dak Prescott vs. Alex Smith
The QBs are very similar. Like Alex Smith, Dak is the type of QB who will keep you relevant, but will not lead you to much in the way of playoff success. You'll make the playoffs more often than not, but it will be frustrating because you expect more. Dak isn't the only QB to have a great record and blow a top seed. Alex Smith did too in 2016.

Tight Ends: Jake Ferguson vs Travis Kelce
I think Jake Ferguson has proven to be quite similar to Travis Kelce. If you watch the way he plays, he has a similar skillset. The measurables are similar with Jake (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Ferguson) is 6'4" and 244 lbs, while Travis Kelce is 6'5" and 250 lbs. If you watch the two of them play, they're quite similar, and not just because they wear the same number.

The important thing is that we have pieces in place that, if you put the tape on of the 2016 Chiefs and the 2023 Cowboys, you can see similarities. So, now for why this is a good thing.

Part II - How to Fix it!
So, now comes my vision on how to fix the problem. How to turn the Cowboys into a "similar to Patrick Mahomes" era. Firstly, and I know some of you are going to hate this but please read the entirety of this so you understand what I'm saying. This is not to embrace mediocrity as some of you might say. Rather, it is like planting a seed that can grow into a tree. We must extend Dak's contract. I know a lot of you hate this, but, for the cap, we must. However, and I stress however, I would either make it a 3 year deal OR make it a deal that is long BUT has an out after 2-3 years AND allows for trades (just as the Chiefs did with Alex Smith when they dealt him to Washington). This allows us to extend the cap AND gives us an out for the important part. We then draft a QB to develop like the Chiefs did with Patrick Mahomes. The QB that I'm thinking is Michael Penix from Washington. I would let him sit behind Dak for a year or two to develop, sort of like what the Chiefs did with Mahomes behind Alex Smith. Oh, and I should note (in the interest of symmetry) the Chiefs also went a long time, prior to Mahomes, without drafting a QB in the first round. Their last 1st round QB was Todd Blackledge of Penn State (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kansas_City_Chiefs_first-round_draft_picks) in 1983. They drafted Mahomes in 2017. Our last first round draft QB was Troy Aikman in 1989. It is now 2024. The time would uncannily similar (+- a few years) if do it this year. But, as it stands, let us go further with this.

I would have Penix sit for a year or two and develop. Given that he'd be a first round pick, he would have the 5th year option built into his contract. Plus, by having Dak, you don't have to tear down the team in a rebuild and have shoddy records. So, we could have a QB that a lot of teams would like to have, and we'd have the QB of the future on the roster. While we do this, we also should look at what we have. We have a player in Turpin who, if used creatively, can be similar to Tyreek Hill. We have actually an upgrade at WR in Lamb. We have a TE similar to Kelce. What we would need is a QB like Penix to develop. Once he's ready, we get him on the field, use the fact that we'd have an out in Dak's contract to try to trade him, and turn the offense over to Penix. In doing this and, if my vision (and I hope it is McCarthy's vision too) for the team ends up like I think it does, we could become the NFC version of the Chiefs.

I think this is how we go from where we are now to a team who is consistently competing for a championship. The best part for Jerry? He wouldn't have had to wait very long to build the roster, and he'd be able to pad his ego by saying his patience led to us finding a similar coach to Andy Reid, while he rakes in the money for having a champion.

Heck of post! Yes, please and thank you. Sounds like a great plan.