Video: TheHerd: Dak and the Dallas Cowboys have taken a step back

[CowboyoWales]

If you're looking at names and say we've lost Coop and Gregory and replaced them with Washington and Fowler well stop the press ...of course we've taken a step back...on paper.
In reality, both players were overrated Coop for the money and Gregory for the production.
This is the Cowboys way, look great in print whilst underachieving on the field.
The whole picture is that we're going into an uncertain draft with CAP money to spend on whatever holes are left.

 

[Adreme]

If you're looking at names and say we've lost Coop and Gregory and replaced them with Washington and Fowler well stop the press ...of course we've taken a step back...on paper.
In reality, both players were overrated Coop for the money and Gregory for the production.
This is the Cowboys way, look great in print whilst underachieving on the field.
The whole picture is that we're going into an uncertain draft with CAP money to spend on whatever holes are left.

The thing is having extra cap space is only valuable if you use that space on good players, but if you have cap space and do not do that, and considering most of the good players have already signed deals doing that seems unlikely, it seems almost certain that the Cowboys have taken a step back.

 

[CowboyoWales]

The thing is having extra cap space is only valuable if you use that space on good players, but if you have cap space and do not do that, and considering most of the good players have already signed deals doing that seems unlikely, it seems almost certain that the Cowboys have taken a step back.

What's the point in spending the CAP now when we're a month away from a draft which is characterised by it's uncertainty.

Taking Wagner as an example, why spend your whole CAP when you've a chance that at 24 the BPA is Dean or Lloyd.

Just like last year (Surtain and Horn) we can't focus on LG and trust that Green or Johnson are there and in any case isnt it better to look at your board and BPA. In effect you're restricting our draft to focus on need.

Don't buy yourself a present before Christmas, you dont know what Santa's bringing.

 

[Adreme]

What's the point in spending the CAP now when we're a month away from a draft which is characterised by it's uncertainty.

Taking Wagner as an example, why spend your whole CAP when you've a chance that at 24 the BPA is Dean or Lloyd.

Just like last year (Surtain and Horn) we can't focus on LG and trust that Green or Johnson are there and in any case isnt it better to look at your board and BPA. In effect you're restricting our draft to focus on need.

Don't buy yourself a present before Christmas, you dont know what Santa's bringing.

Except in the Christmas analogy all the best toys are guaranteed to be gone and your best bet is to buy the used hand me downs if you do not get what you wanted for Christmas. There is no scenario right now where the Cowboys are stronger on opening day than they were last year which is a shame because the NFC is significantly weaker than last year overall.

 

[CowboyoWales]

Except in the Christmas analogy all the best toys are guaranteed to be gone and your best bet is to buy the used hand me downs if you do not get what you wanted for Christmas. There is no scenario right now where the Cowboys are stronger on opening day than they were last year which is a shame because the NFC is significantly weaker than last year overall.

You still didnt answer the question about spending your remaining CAP on a player who may block the BPA on the board.

We were always taking a step backwards, just the reality of our 2022 AND 2023 CAP. If we were one player away then sure i'd be calling for signings, but we've got so many holes I agree with approach to cover all weaknesses with Tier 2/3, draft and spend the CAP on upgrades.

 

[Swagger]

You still didnt answer the question about spending your remaining CAP on a player who may block the BPA on the board.

We were always taking a step backwards, just the reality of our 2022 AND 2023 CAP. If we were one player away then sure i'd be calling for signings, but we've got so many holes I agree with approach to cover all weaknesses with Tier 2/3, draft and spend the CAP on upgrades.

I disagree in the sense that the roster last season had a load of holes - it was a strong roster with a few weaknesses but no team is strong with depth at every position. In the play off game vs the 49ers, Prescott underperformed, there were too many penalties and we needed the defense to make the huge interception to bail out the failings of the offense. Yet, we still had the ball with more than enough time and timeouts to win the game but the offense again failed to execute despite all the resources pumped into it. We narrowly lost against a team who went onto beat the #1 seed away and narrowly lost out very late against the eventual Superbowl champions. The NFC has got weaker as a conference with the likes of Wilson, Ryan, Adams and Watson moving over to the AFC.
On the face of it, this would have been a season to commit more resources and take more risks in order to push for more success in the play offs. Unless they hit another home run or two in the draft (no guarantees whatsoever) then they likely reach the play offs but lose to the first good team they play again.

 

[Adreme]

You still didnt answer the question about spending your remaining CAP on a player who may block the BPA on the board.

We were always taking a step backwards, just the reality of our 2022 AND 2023 CAP. If we were one player away then sure i'd be calling for signings, but we've got so many holes I agree with approach to cover all weaknesses with Tier 2/3, draft and spend the CAP on upgrades.

First off there is no player who would take up the remaining cap. They have far more room then you realize, but they are not using it. If the doomsday scenario is that you suddenly have a very strong position group then that is not a bad thing especially when the likely downside is multiple holes considering that at this point they are going to be relying on either 3rd round picks to start or players that no one else wanted to start. Though I guess Dallas will have a lot of cap space so that is a win for them I guess. About the only positive thing that can be said because they certainly will not have quality players who they would have spent said cap on.

 

[CowboyoWales]

First off there is no player who would take up the remaining cap. They have far more room then you realize, but they are not using it. If the doomsday scenario is that you suddenly have a very strong position group then that is not a bad thing especially when the likely downside is multiple holes considering that at this point they are going to be relying on either 3rd round picks to start or players that no one else wanted to start. Though I guess Dallas will have a lot of cap space so that is a win for them I guess. About the only positive thing that can be said because they certainly will not have quality players who they would have spent said cap on.

But we arent relying on 3rd Rd picks starting. We have the CAP money to spend. You just think, like a child, I need to spend it now.....the fact is that THIS YEAR the draft is so unpredictable that we may be drafting any possible position.

There's no telling what the ramifications of the draft are going to be, or who's released, (again due to the unpredictability of this draft). Similarly, I dont know why we made a decision on La'el before the draft, who knows whats available at the time.

Both yourself and @Swagger show what you would of done?

 

[Swagger]

But we arent relying on 3rd Rd picks starting. We have the CAP money to spend. You just think, like a child, I need to spend it now.....the fact is that THIS YEAR the draft is so unpredictable that we may be drafting any possible position.

There's no telling what the ramifications of the draft are going to be, or who's released, (again due to the unpredictability of this draft). Similarly, I dont know why we made a decision on La'el before the draft, who knows whats available at the time.

Both yourself and @Swagger show what you would of done?

To be fair, I will qualify anything by stating that we do not know what goes on behind closed doors. They might have had very valid reasons to dispose of both Cooper and Collins. I would have kept both but even if they got rid of them, they could have surely got more than what they did for both players. Cooper is a very good receiver who runs intelligent routes. 27 years old, former top 5 draft pick that has been to 4 Pro Bowls. For a start I would have brought in Kyzir White and O J Howard for relatively modest risk for the potential reward.

Will Gallop be ready to start the season? It has been shown how much Prescott struggles in the passing game without Cooper but I guess the flip side of the coin is that he wasn't fully utilised for various reasons (lack of quality from Prescott, play calling, etc) so why pay him on the roster? In that case, if they intend to beef up the offensive line and build around a running game then I can understand that to a degree. I still keep Cooper as he's a genuine #1 receiver whereas for me the jury is still out on Lamb especially given how many drops he has had at what seemed like key moments.

Gregory will either end up being a very fortunate escape or he will have a career season and we will think why on earth didn't the front office just sign him with regulation language in the contract. Either way, they will now need to draft a DE and hope he develops.

 

[CowboyoWales]

To be fair, I will qualify anything by stating that we do not know what goes on behind closed doors. They might have had very valid reasons to dispose of both Cooper and Collins. I would have kept both but even if they got rid of them, they could have surely got more than what they did for both players. Cooper is a very good receiver who runs intelligent routes. 27 years old, former top 5 draft pick that has been to 4 Pro Bowls. For a start I would have brought in Kyzir White and O J Howard for relatively modest risk for the potential reward.

Will Gallop be ready to start the season? It has been shown how much Prescott struggles in the passing game without Cooper but I guess the flip side of the coin is that he wasn't fully utilised for various reasons (lack of quality from Prescott, play calling, etc) so why pay him on the roster? In that case, if they intend to beef up the offensive line and build around a running game then I can understand that to a degree. I still keep Cooper as he's a genuine #1 receiver whereas for me the jury is still out on Lamb especially given how many drops he has had at what seemed like key moments.

Gregory will either end up being a very fortunate escape or he will have a career season and we will think why on earth didn't the front office just sign him with regulation language in the contract. Either way, they will now need to draft a DE and hope he develops.

My pet peeve is why we let La'el go when we did knowing he's a June cut....I'm sure he'd have a better market after the draft.
I know about Coop, but every GM knew we needed to cut CAP and with a deep WR class I suppose we were always going to struggle....to be fair our strategy of opening him up to the whole league to start a bidding war (amongst teams that thought he wouldn't sign with as a FA).... problem was it appears only Brown's were interested.
As for WR, I'd be wary of spending heavily in case of lack of chemistry with Dak....you'd think that Coop was ideal, the routes creating separation....maybe the WR by committee is the way to go (for Dak).
I can see fan's concern that Jerry had money for 'his guy', but didn't have the same money to chase Smith, Wagner and it does make him seem inconsistent.

Whether by design or more likely accident I think free agency will once again pick up after the draft as I'm not convinced many teams are set on their strategy (and could see a flurry of cuts).

 

[Blitzen]

A team with the best talent does not always win the Super Bowl. In fact it’s usually just the opposite. It’s about great coaching putting your players in position for the best skill set. We haven’t had that since Jimmie Johnson. Tom Landry. In my personal opinion until ownership realizes someone’s out there smarter than them this is what we’re going to be.

Please…It’s about good coaching coaching great talent. Both QB’s in the Super Bowl last February were number one overall draft picks.

The Cowboys were fortunate to even get the chance to draft Troy Aikman number one overall.

 

[Blitzen]

People are complaining what the dolphins traded for Hill . I mean he should’ve been the MVP of the Super Bowl for Kansas City. The Quarterback throws up a hail Mary, Hill runs 30 yard sideways 10 yards back to catch the football. 49ers lose. That’s the true MVP of Kansas City.

Alex Smith would have won a Super Bowl if he had just stayed with KC.

 

[kskboys]

My pet peeve is why we let La'el go when we did knowing he's a June cut....I'm sure he'd have a better market after the draft.
I know about Coop, but every GM knew we needed to cut CAP and with a deep WR class I suppose we were always going to struggle....to be fair our strategy of opening him up to the whole league to start a bidding war (amongst teams that thought he wouldn't sign with as a FA).... problem was it appears only Brown's were interested.
As for WR, I'd be wary of spending heavily in case of lack of chemistry with Dak....you'd think that Coop was ideal, the routes creating separation....maybe the WR by committee is the way to go (for Dak).
I can see fan's concern that Jerry had money for 'his guy', but didn't have the same money to chase Smith, Wagner and it does make him seem inconsistent.

Whether by design or more likely accident I think free agency will once again pick up after the draft as I'm not convinced many teams are set on their strategy (and could see a flurry of cuts).

Collins was overpaid. Lucky to get anything for high salaried players, especially if they're not living up to contract. This aspect must always be considered when looking at trading player. If Collins were making, say, 5 mil/season or so, we'd have gotten a 2nd for him.

 

[kskboys]

To be fair, I will qualify anything by stating that we do not know what goes on behind closed doors. They might have had very valid reasons to dispose of both Cooper and Collins. I would have kept both but even if they got rid of them, they could have surely got more than what they did for both players. Cooper is a very good receiver who runs intelligent routes. 27 years old, former top 5 draft pick that has been to 4 Pro Bowls. For a start I would have brought in Kyzir White and O J Howard for relatively modest risk for the potential reward.

Will Gallop be ready to start the season? It has been shown how much Prescott struggles in the passing game without Cooper but I guess the flip side of the coin is that he wasn't fully utilised for various reasons (lack of quality from Prescott, play calling, etc) so why pay him on the roster? In that case, if they intend to beef up the offensive line and build around a running game then I can understand that to a degree. I still keep Cooper as he's a genuine #1 receiver whereas for me the jury is still out on Lamb especially given how many drops he has had at what seemed like key moments.

Gregory will either end up being a very fortunate escape or he will have a career season and we will think why on earth didn't the front office just sign him with regulation language in the contract. Either way, they will now need to draft a DE and hope he develops.

Of course they did. Salary cap. This one is very very easy to figure out, don't need to know anything about closed door discussions. Both players had underperformed relative to their salaries, and we were up against the cap and clearly needing to upgrade the team in general.

 

[kskboys]

I disagree in the sense that the roster last season had a load of holes - it was a strong roster with a few weaknesses but no team is strong with depth at every position. In the play off game vs the 49ers, Prescott underperformed, there were too many penalties and we needed the defense to make the huge interception to bail out the failings of the offense. Yet, we still had the ball with more than enough time and timeouts to win the game but the offense again failed to execute despite all the resources pumped into it. We narrowly lost against a team who went onto beat the #1 seed away and narrowly lost out very late against the eventual Superbowl champions. The NFC has got weaker as a conference with the likes of Wilson, Ryan, Adams and Watson moving over to the AFC.
On the face of it, this would have been a season to commit more resources and take more risks in order to push for more success in the play offs. Unless they hit another home run or two in the draft (no guarantees whatsoever) then they likely reach the play offs but lose to the first good team they play again.

It was an even better offseason to dump salaries and build a team that can compete for the title.

 

[Swagger]

Of course they did. Salary cap. This one is very very easy to figure out, don't need to know anything about closed door discussions. Both players had underperformed relative to their salaries, and we were up against the cap and clearly needing to upgrade the team in general.

Cooper another wide receiver casualty along with Cole Beasley and Dez Bryant in the past. Strange..either three Pro Bowl wide receivers are not good enough or perhaps there was another problem with their production...I'm racking my brain...ah yes it must have been the coaching

 

[Swagger]

It was an even better offseason to dump salaries and build a team that can compete for the title.

We will see how the team does when they play good teams

 

[kskboys]

We will see how the team does when they play good teams

In 2023/2024.

When you do a reset, it generally takes a year or two. We'd be better off losing this season.

 

[kskboys]

Cooper another wide receiver casualty along with Cole Beasley and Dez Bryant in the past. Strange..either three Pro Bowl wide receivers are not good enough or perhaps there was another problem with their production...I'm racking my brain...ah yes it must have been the coaching

Personnel mgmt is a huge weakness w/ this FO.

 

[atlantacowboy]

He is absolutely correct. This team is worse than it was at the end of last season. Instead of plugging holes, we have new holes on the DL, OL, and at WR. There seems to be no plan to target any new free agents that might improve the talent on the roster. But, this is what happens when nobody really cares and complacency sets in.