The irony is mistakes & injuries led to current success

[Idgit]

Every team has a trial of almosts and whoopses. There's nothing particularly interesting in ours. The important thing is we're playing the odds properly, developing players, and we got lucky at QB2. All during a time when many of us thought we were doing the exact opposite. It's fun, right?

 

[AsthmaField]

Well no one with the cowboys reads on this forum, I do give them some credit, but it isnt like they knew Dak would be great,
or that Elliot would not be a bust, or that brown could start this year.
I know the draft is partly luck, so I think they got lucky in 2016.
The most credit I give is for taking EE at the # 4, many teams would not pick a RB that high.
It was a gamble, maybe not a big gamble, but still if EE had been a bust, or blew a knee in TC,
people would go on and on about how stupid it was to use a 4 on a RB.

It was a little bit of a smart *** comment on my part. Apologies. I tend to do that sometimes when I feel it is warranted... and sometimes when it's not.

but it isnt like they knew [snip]that Elliot would not be a bust

Hell, I knew that Elliott wouldn't be a bust. The team said he had hall of fame traits, so they certainly didn't expect him to bust and rightly so. Really, I don't think anyone who really knows football expected him to. Barring injury, it was flat-out foolish to think Zeke would bust. And barring injury, the team was probably right about the hall of fame, although that is a long way off.

that brown could start this year.

Brown, they knew they had rated a lot higher than a 6th round pick, so they did what every good drafting franchise does and picked him up. Back when Witten was drafted, they almost took him a round earlier and just ended up going with someone else. When he surprisingly slipped to the 3rd, the team saw a guy (like Brown) that was rated higher than they could now pick him up, so they did. Good players always slip through the cracks. That doesn't mean that the team just hit the guy by pure luck. They had him rated much higher than a 6th.

Hell, back in the day Jimmy Johnson tried twice to trade up in round 1 to draft defensive players in the 1990 draft (James Francis and Ray Agnew). When that didn't work he noticed that a guy they had rated much higher in the first was sliding, so they moved up a few spots in the first and drafted Emmitt Smith. Had either of the trades gone through, Emmitt would have likely landed in Atlanta (who was set to draft him before Dallas jumped them... leaving them to draft Steve Broussard, lol) and who knows what happens with those 3 super bowls in the early 90's.

You definitely could say the same thing about Jimmy and that pick. Nobody ever brought that up though. Nobody called that luck and tried to lessen the franchise's credit for the pick. They just said Dallas had a hell of a RB and that Jimmy really knew talent when he saw it.

About Dak, I won't nit-pick with you. It was well documented that the team tried to get other QB's first... so call it luck if you wish. I won't argue with that... just like I won't argue if you say getting Emmitt was luck.

However, the team truly did like Dak and Wilson loved his intangibles (which is IMO what makes him special). So it wasn't a throw away pick and they did target him (albeit after trying for other's first).

Bottom line is, these things happen to every team that stockpiles good talent through the draft... But if you want to discuss it in a thread you made, then by all means...

 

[AsthmaField]

Every team has a trial of almosts and whoopses. There's nothing particularly interesting in ours. The important thing is we're playing the odds properly, developing players, and we got lucky at QB2. All during a time when many of us thought we were doing the exact opposite. It's fun, right?

Your post was much more succinct than mine... as they usually are.

One of the best posters on any football MB IMO. Kudos.

 

[Idgit]

Your post was much more succinct than mine... as they usually are.

One of the best posters on any football MB IMO. Kudos.

Aww..shucks.

You're probably right, though.

 

[AsthmaField]

Aww..shucks.

You're probably right, though.

95.6% sure I'm right. 4.4% chance that I just like your avatar.

 

[Idgit]

95.6% sure I'm right. 4.4% chance that I just like your avatar.

Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared fan?

 

[Reality]

Mistake again to bring tony back too soon , thinking he could win what 7 in a row?

This is one thing fans never understand. The minute a team goes 3-4 games under .500, they want the team to tank so they get a high draft pick. Teams don't think like that because they are businesses and you cannot run a business that way. Heck, even good athletes don't think that way. However, fans are the vocal majority and they tend to freak out the moment anything goes wrong.

Look no further than the Game Day Threads when the other team goes up by 7 or 10 points. A lot of fans give up and start wanting players cut, coaches fired and wondering aloud who we can draft next to fix the guilty player of the moment. As fans, that is our right, but if you run a sports team, especially an NFL team, you cannot think like that if you want to continue generating money that allows you to pay for those free agents you believe will solve all of your problems.

The reason they rushed Romo back early last year was because the team kept losing without him. If the team was winning 40-50%, or even 30%, of the games without Romo, they could have and likely would have let him take more time to recover.

As good as this team has been this year, there have been several plays near the end of games that if they did not happen could have vastly changed the outcomes of those games. Just because things seem great now does not mean things cannot change. Injuries can happen, off-the field issues can happen, players can get suspended, etc.

Fans are fickle and impulsive, which again, is our right as fans. We have nothing but our emotions invested in our favorite sports teams. Team owners, coaches and players have a lot of money invested in and affected by the operation and success of the team and they have to make decisions based on that. When it works out, we praise them and say, "Executive of the Year!", "Coach of the Year!", "Rookie of the Year!", "MVP!", etc. When it fails to work, we say, "Mistake!" and "I knew it!" along with "Retire!", "Fire!", "Trade!", "Bench!", "Cut!", etc.

Between the Madden and now Fantasy Sports generations, people think solutions are simple and if you are in the lead, you are a genius and if you are not in the lead, you might as well give up.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

His orthopedic surgeon.

I figured that the hypothetical of him being healthy was a given.

 

[DandyDon52]

This is one thing fans never understand. The minute a team goes 3-4 games under .500, they want the team to tank so they get a high draft pick. Teams don't think like that because they are businesses and you cannot run a business that way. Heck, even good athletes don't think that way. However, fans are the vocal majority and they tend to freak out the moment anything goes wrong.

Look no further than the Game Day Threads when the other team goes up by 7 or 10 points. A lot of fans give up and start wanting players cut, coaches fired and wondering aloud who we can draft next to fix the guilty player of the moment. As fans, that is our right, but if you run a sports team, especially an NFL team, you cannot think like that if you want to continue generating money that allows you to pay for those free agents you believe will solve all of your problems.

The reason they rushed Romo back early last year was because the team kept losing without him. If the team was winning 40-50%, or even 30%, of the games without Romo, they could have and likely would have let him take more time to recover.

As good as this team has been this year, there have been several plays near the end of games that if they did not happen could have vastly changed the outcomes of those games. Just because things seem great now does not mean things cannot change. Injuries can happen, off-the field issues can happen, players can get suspended, etc.

Fans are fickle and impulsive, which again, is our right as fans. We have nothing but our emotions invested in our favorite sports teams. Team owners, coaches and players have a lot of money invested in and affected by the operation and success of the team and they have to make decisions based on that. When it works out, we praise them and say, "Executive of the Year!", "Coach of the Year!", "Rookie of the Year!", "MVP!", etc. When it fails to work, we say, "Mistake!" and "I knew it!" along with "Retire!", "Fire!", "Trade!", "Bench!", "Cut!", etc.

Between the Madden and now Fantasy Sports generations, people think solutions are simple and if you are in the lead, you are a genius and if you are not in the lead, you might as well give up.

Ok your right in most of that, but my point was when they put tony back in the season was lost already.

The team was 2-7 which meant if they won all 7 games they would only finish 9-7.
But with Carolina and GB on the schedule, it was likely that they would lose at least 2 games, which would make them 7-9.
Not saying they would lose both those games, but would have lost at least 2.

I have a suspicion they did tank the last 4.
They could have just played kellen and see if he was worth keeping around.
Got to know when to fold em ??

 

[DandyDon52]

Hell, I knew that Elliott wouldn't be a bust. The team said he had hall of fame traits, so they certainly didn't expect him to bust and rightly so. Really, I don't think anyone who really knows football expected him to.

What about gurley, do you think he is a bust ? He was a highly touted first rd pick.

 

[Irvin88_4life]

From what I understand they were taking Dak no matter what. Wanted another QB to go with Dak

 

[DandyDon52]

From what I understand they were taking Dak no matter what. Wanted another QB to go with Dak

yes they may have , they for sure were interested, in him, but still they under estimated him like all the other teams ??
If you wait til 4th round and even your 2nd pick in that round, you are risking not getting that player.
Someone could easily have take Dak in the 3rd .

 

[bark]

I'll just add that one ironic twist to this saga is that the loss of Murray to the eagles added a 4th round comp pick to the 2016 draft........

 

[Irvin88_4life]

yes they may have , they for sure were interested, in him, but still they under estimated him like all the other teams ??
If you wait til 4th round and even your 2nd pick in that round, you are risking not getting that player.
Someone could easily have take Dak in the 3rd .

The dui and fight dropped him. I agree you risk it but I heard Dak was dropping and some even said 5th round. Can't remember the QB that was taken after Dak by the bills I think, but guys on this board wanted over Dak

 

[chagus]

I was thinking, and it all started (this current team) with not getting Murray signed before FA, and waiting too long to sign Dez.
Then Season starts, Dez gets injured, then Tony breaks collarbone.
Then the other mistake was having weeden as bkup, then throwing away a draft pick to get Cassel.
Add to that thinking Randle was going to be our star RB.
Also have to say the coaches were not able to win any games with what they had.
Mistake again to bring tony back too soon , thinking he could win what 7 in a row?

This all led to having a top draft pick in not only RD 1 but all rounds, so all those things that led to the
disaster of 2015 put the team in a good position for the draft.

That led to Elliot, and a return of a powerful run game, which if Tony went down again, was
designed to help any bkup win some games, so when Tony comes back they have a chance.

This also led to Dak in a very indirect and lucky way. They liked Dak , but he was way down
on their list of QB's to draft. So the Dak pick was at least 70% luck.
But they did get brown who is playing as a rookie.
So that is 3 Rookies starting the first year, and all are doing very good.
So over all we had a good draft even if it was partly luck.

Had Romo not been injured, none of these rookies might not have been Cowboys !
So This is the irony, Tonys injury (and some mistakes), led to the high draft position,
and the players we now have, and one of those guys just happened to be Super Dak,
who would maybe replace Tony.
Had Tony just threw that ball away before he got sacked, he would not be in his current
situation, and neither would the Cowboys!

So if you like this new team you need to thank Tony, as he was a big factor in it all
happening .

I have to credit JG for wanting a good RB, to get back to what they had with Murray,
and the FO for taking Elliot so high, which many thought was a mistake.
They did pick Dak, even if it was like a after thought, and this cb brown.
And not sure if Swaim is a rookie too, if so add him in.

So overall I have to credit the drafting, even though considerable luck was involved,
and the desire to return to a good run game again.
And getting Dak with that not only 4th round pick, but the compensatory pick !!!!!
Gee glad we had that compensatory pick !

More like 100% luck. Dak was dang near the bottom if the barrel.

 

[Garrettop]

More like 100% luck. Dak was dang near the bottom if the barrel.

Only to those less perceptive.

 

[chagus]

Only to those less perceptive.

Yeah. To everyone. Right now... a do over in the last the draft has Dak AT LEAST #2 overall. Right now. Could be different later. Who knows? Perception wasn't utilized for 4 Rds by PROSESSIONALS. Crazy. Well... three rounds. Lucky us.

 

[Proximo]

Generally speaking, the draft is more of a crapshoot than people like to admit. The same elements of "luck" that were in play for us are in play for all 32 teams. You scout a ton of players. Some fall to you, some don't. If it was a perfect science there wouldn't be so many busts. With that being said, the Cowboys (like any team) do deserve credit for drafting the guys that do work out in the long run. There's nothing "lucky" about sending that card in when you're on the clock. They're not spinning a roulette wheel in the war room.

I'm also a big boxing/MMA fan. Have been for as long as I can remember. This thread makes me think of the phrase "lucky punch", which is something fight fans like to say sometimes. But, in reality there is no such thing as a lucky punch. When two guys are in a fight and one throws a punch with the intention of scoring/hurting his opponent, and he actually DOES, that's not luck at all. It may have been unlikely, but that's not luck.

It's not like the Cowboys were on the clock in the 4th round and Jerry closed his eyes, threw a dart at the board, and it landed on Dak and they all said "never heard of that guy! Let's draft him!"

 

[Garrettop]

Yeah. To everyone. Right now... a do over in the last the draft has Dak AT LEAST #2 overall. Right now. Could be different later. Who knows? Perception wasn't utilized for 4 Rds by PROSESSIONALS. Crazy. Well... three rounds. Lucky us.

Nothing about Dak was bottom of the barrel. He was getting tied to Dallas in the 3rd days before the draft. I was pretty mad when we didn't pick him up in the 3rd, was afraid someone else would get him.

 

[Ren]

If Quincy Carter didn't go full ****** before the 04 season Romo probably never makes the team that year. For all the bad luck this team has had over the years they seem to hit the jackpot every now and then to ballance everything out