CFZ The fastest way we could build a real contender

[Diehardblues]

What he's saying is there's no chance if we need to add six "excellent" players. We know the Joneses are not going to do that in free agency, so what's the probability of six draft picks turning out to be excellent?

Yea, look at our top picks last year. Mazi a bust so far at DT and prob a wasted pick on a TE we didn’t need. Hopefully our 3rd pick at LB which was hurt can rebound. Basically a wash out so far in draft. But yet we expect this year to be different .

At some point we need to call out our drafting which overall , especially on defense, has had far too many misses. We’ve missed on 3 DL with our first pick in recent years.

 

[gimmesix]

I meant misusing him by making him the lead back. Never thought he was strong enough to carry the load.

Hes not a between the tackles type of RB which starters have to be to some extent.

I’m not denying the blocking or play schemes could have been better but I thought it was a poor decision.

Clearly, if McCarthy's plan was to run Pollard up the middle as much as he did, it was a poor decision where McCarthy tried to fit a square peg in a round hole. I liked some of the things McCarthy changed about the passing game, but what he did to the running game was atrocious. And yes, the GM deserves part of the blame for not bringing in help for a player coming off injury who had never been a starting back. The Ronald Jones fiasco is just another example of the Joneses' poor use of free agency. There were backs who had good years available for around $3 million or so, but the Joneses cheap, one-year philosophy resulted in us getting Jones instead.

 

[gimmesix]

Yea, look at our top picks last year. Mazi a bust so far at DT and prob a wasted pick on a TE we didn’t need. Hopefully our 3rd pick at LB which was hurt can rebound. Basically a wash out so far in draft. But yet we expect this year to be different .

At some point we need to call out our drafting which overall , especially on defense, has had far too many misses. We’ve missed on 3 DL with our first pick in recent years.

Hopefully, Zimmer brings a new perspective to which linemen we look at.

 

[gimmesix]

Yea, look at our top picks last year. Mazi a bust so far at DT and prob a wasted pick on a TE we didn’t need. Hopefully our 3rd pick at LB which was hurt can rebound. Basically a wash out so far in draft. But yet we expect this year to be different .

At some point we need to call out our drafting which overall , especially on defense, has had far too many misses. We’ve missed on 3 DL with our first pick in recent years.

It was definitely a poor draft for us so far. Usually, if you get a couple of excellent players, though, and maybe a couple of contributors, it was a great draft. Too many fans expect you to land excellent players in virtually every round. That's not realistic.

 

[Diehardblues]

Hopefully, Zimmer brings a new perspective to which linemen we look at.

Our lead scout might be part of the problem defensively. Will has had some good drafts but he’s had far too many misses especially on defense which is at the core of our weaknesses.

 

[rambo2]

Since we are SO good at it.

The have been. That's why they have been averaging 12 wins a season.

 

[Diehardblues]

It was definitely a poor draft for us so far. Usually, if you get a couple of excellent players, though, and maybe a couple of contributors, it was a great draft. Too many fans expect you to land excellent players in virtually every round. That's not realistic.

In Cap era you have to hit at least on your 1st round pick every year. And maybe closer on your second . Can’t expect to hit on mid round picks every year.

But we’ve missed on our 1st pick 3 times on DL in recent years. Not a better place to start in explaining our defense weaknesses.

 

[gimmesix]

Our lead scout might be part of the problem defensively. Will has had some good drafts but he’s had far too many misses especially on defense which is at the core of our weaknesses.

I just don't know how much input the defensive coordinator has. I believe the excuse when we draft Charlton over Watt was that Charlton was a better fit for our scheme. These coaches go to pro days, get involved with the workouts. What the coaches want could be a tiebreaker when a couple of players are pretty evenly graded, which a lot of players are after you get past the first few picks. It becomes a matter of preferences. If your coach's preferences are wrong, though, then you are going to make the wrong choice.

 

[Diehardblues]

I just don't know how much input the defensive coordinator has. I believe the excuse when we draft Charlton over Watt was that Charlton was a better fit for our scheme. These coaches go to pro days, get involved with the workouts. What the coaches want could be a tiebreaker when a couple of players are pretty evenly graded, which a lot of players are after you get past the first few picks. It becomes a matter of preferences. If your coach's preferences are wrong, though, then you are going to make the wrong choice.

I’m not sure how much our coaches have input. But I know that Will receives much credit for our good picks.

He has to be held responsible for the misses as well.

They are at the core of our weaknesses. Imagine if we had missed on our last 3 1st round picks on OL.

 

[gimmesix]

In Cap era you have to hit at least on your 1st round pick every year. And maybe closer on your second . Can’t expect to hit on mid round picks every year.

But we’ve missed on our 1st pick 3 times on DL in recent years. Not a better place to start in explaining our defense weaknesses.

I don't know if you have to hit on your first-rounder, but you need at least a couple of players in each draft to play like first-rounders. A Daron Bland, for instance, can make up for missing on a Kelvin Joseph. Ideally, you'd like to hit on both, but again, that's not the reality.

Our problem is that we often fill holes with bargain FAs and then try to improve the position in the draft. That's a poor philosophy because the draft is a crap shoot.

 

[gimmesix]

I’m not sure how much our coaches have input. But I know that Will receives much credit for our good picks.

He has to be held responsible for the misses as well.

They are at the core of our weaknesses. Imagine if we had missed on our last 3 1st round picks on OL.

No doubt he needs to be held accountable. When you've missed on DL picks the way we have, then you need to make changes to your draft room to try to correct that. Doing the same thing and hoping it turns out differently is the definition of insanity. Not saying that the team needs to fire McClay because he's made some very good picks, but if there's an area of weakness like that, then as the head over scouting, he needs to step up and say we're failing in this area, what changes do I need to make to improve that? Whoever led us to Taco, Hill and Mazi needs to not be allowed any input on DL.

 

[Cowboyny]

Most of us watched that SB game Sunday night and thought, “As currently constructed, our roster isn‘t nearly good enough to compete with these teams.” We have quite a ways to go to be on that level.

So what would be the fastest way we could be able to build a roster that is complete enough to compete for a championship? (I didn’t say “BEST” way. I said “fastest“ way) I know many Cowboys fans will say “Get a new QB”, but we know that isn’t happening. Others will say, “Get a new GM.” Sadly, that isn’t happening anytime soon either. So what can we do this off-season?

Here are two things we must first understand:

• Without a great QB, you must have a great defense. Period. Or at least one that can get critical stops in critical moments. Dak is a good QB IMO, just not a great one. You can win playoff games with him with a great defense. Without it, forget it.
• Without a great QB, you must also have a very good running game. Thats a non-negotiable. A good running game takes a lot off your QB and also allows your defense to rest while your offense eats some clock.

So…with that in mind, here’s what we must do this off-season to get to that next level:

• Either by draft or FA- acquire at least 2 excellent starting LBs. Big enough to stop the run but quick enough to drop back into some coverages. We cannot go into 2024 with small LBs anymore.
• Either by draft or FA- acquire at least 2 excellent DTs. Big, strong run stuffers than can start and be effective immediately. No Day 3 developmental projects. Either first or second rounders that are plug and play and/or one stud FA. I Know lots of people like Hankins as a re-sign FA but he’s just ok. We like him because he’s better than anything we’ve had but that doesn’t make him great or indispensable.
• Either by draft or FA- acquire at least 1 excellent starting OL. Our OL is aging and injury prone (Tyron, Zack Martin and Terrance Steele have all missed games last two years) and we are probably losing Tyler Biadaz to FA. We need to either draft a good C or develop one who’s already here and draft another young starter.
• Either by draft of FA- acquire an excellent starting RB- Pollard is likely gone (too expensive) and they misused him last yr anyway. He’s best when he has 12-15 touches max. I would draft a RB in rounds 3-5 that can play right away and pair him with an affordable vet FA in a committee approach. Our current guys like Rico Dowdle, Malik Davis and Deuce Vaughn are not worth much IMO. Maybe keep one.
• Make some key June 1 cuts to save cap space.
  • Cut Michael Gallup. No brainer.
  • Cut Cooper Rush. Trey Lance is now the backup and will need lots of preseason action.
  • Cut LVE. He’s a big injury risk and won’t cost much to cut but will save some.
  • Cut Nashon Wright. He’s terrible. That simple.
  • Several others not mentioned

So in short, in order for this team to put together a true contender that can seriously compete in the playoffs, we need to get much better on defense, (need 2 top notch LBs and 2 quality DTs that are ready to play NOW) and much better in the running game (add a quality OL and 2 good RBs that can start and play well NOW) Add improved coaching too.

The changes above give us a chance. Running it back without the above changes? Not a chance.

It's not an unrealistic plan if the Cowboys decide to open up their books: DT, LB, RB in fa. Center, DT, LB in the draft.

 

[TequilaCowboy]

Great post and totally agree with your things to do list......that little nugget you threw in at the end...."add improved coaching too." That is the FIRST and most important thing that needs to be done and Jerry is already failing on that. Should have fired MM, DQ and some of the assistants and gone after that improved coaching ASAP. Coaches that will take that talent and mold it into one solid, disciplined, mentally and physically tough, conditioned football team. Complementary team. Can't have even great talent with their own agendas, podcasts, interests, goals as we found out it don't work. Need to be team oriented. With the HC calling all the shots and each single coach held accountable for their job.

But yes, the players needed which you have pointed out i do agree with and a GREAT FO should be able to find these pieces quickly by scouring the field through the draft, trades, free agency and coaching up those already on the roster. Jerry and Stephen are not at all qualified for this part and so this needs to be given to the scouts, coaches and McClay to get done.

 

[Bobhaze]

Our lead scout might be part of the problem defensively. Will has had some good drafts but he’s had far too many misses especially on defense which is at the core of our weaknesses.

McClay certainly deserves both some credit and some accountability for the Cowboys talent acquisition. But remember, he and his team do the scouting, but JJ and SJ make the picks. It would be different if McClay was actually the GM with final say but he isn’t.

My understanding is he sorts players and ranks them with certain value attached. Sometimes he may over value a player or undervalue a player but again, he is not making the draft selection. If he was, he would certainly deserve more of the blame. He may agree or disagree with a choice but he is not responsible for that choice.

 

[kwcool619]

Usually I begin with the culture issue. But I will stick to the topic:

The OL and DL lines need strengthening.
Excellent special teams play: blocking kicks/punts, and a lethal return unit. It will make a difference.
Who are the scouts in this organization? Who are the talent evaluators? This has to be addressed.
Bigger bodies not pee-wees.
The RB situation has to be addressed. What's the plan?

 

[rambo2]

Usually I begin with the culture issue. But I will stick to the topic:

The OL and DL lines need strengthening.
Excellent special teams play: blocking kicks/punts, and a lethal return unit. It will make a difference.
Who are the scouts in this organization? Who are the talent evaluators? This has to be addressed.
Bigger bodies not pee-wees.
The RB situation has to be addressed. What's the plan?

They plan on drafting a running back. They will be getting some new dtackles and linebackers. I think there is a good chance that they draft a new center.

 

[kwcool619]

They plan on drafting a running back. They will be getting some new dtackles and linebackers. I think there is a good chance that they draft a new center.

Brooks from Texas is solid. Shipley from Clemson is a good one to. But can he stay healthy? Estime from Notre Dame is a banger. I guess I will wait until the combines too see who is the best RB out there.

 

[fivetwos]

The core problem is we are paying our QB like he’s the strength of the team and offense is going to carry us.

Which Dak much like Romo did. The problem is they aren’t great enough to carry us deeper in playoffs without a great defense.

Both QB’s were over evaluated and paid as such and not great enough to carry a defense we couldn’t invest as much in.

We had a window while Dak was on his Rookie contract but we didn’t recognize soon enough Dak needed more support. Now it’s too late if he’s not enough.

We will go as far as he can take us. That’s something we are going to have to live with.

There was a second window when Lamb and Parsons were on rookie deals and Quinn was getting a lot out of some fringe guys like Kearse.

That’s just about over, but at least we have been saving up to sign them like a college fund…..or just an excuse to be cheap…and we STILL have cap problems. Awful.

They DO not know what they are doing and refuse to change in any way.

 

[rambo2]

Brooks from Texas is solid. Shipley from Clemson is a good one to. But can he stay healthy? Estime from Notre Dame is a banger. I guess I will wait until the combines too see who is the best RB out there.

Braelon Allen from Wisconsin

 

[Diehardblues]

McClay certainly deserves both some credit and some accountability for the Cowboys talent acquisition. But remember, he and his team do the scouting, but JJ and SJ make the picks. It would be different if McClay was actually the GM with final say but he isn’t.

My understanding is he sorts players and ranks them with certain value attached. Sometimes he may over value a player or undervalue a player but again, he is not making the draft selection. If he was, he would certainly deserve more of the blame. He may agree or disagree with a choice but he is not responsible for that choice.

Then please explain how Will receives so much credit for our good drafts but not any blame for the bad ones.

If he’s teeing it up the good picks for our owners selections then he’s certainly doing it for the misses as well.

Will could be as much of the problem as Jethro & Son . It’s a collective effort.