Whether any of us like it or not, we are stuck with two things most of us are very tired of:
- Jerry Jones as GM (and his cheap son)
- Dak Prescott
There are a hundred threads about how and why Dak needs to go. A million more about nearly three decades of Jerry failures and repeated stupid mistakes. Yada, yada, yada. I’m as frustrated as anyone. But folks they’re both going to be back next year. Dak’s here at least two more seasons. Jerry will be the face of this organization until he takes a dirt nap.
So what could be done if we’re stuck with both? Essentially it’s the old idea about what to do when you don’t have enough apples to go around. You make applesauce.
The two ideas I believe this team desperately need are centered around finding new voices in both the front office and in the ear of Dak Prescott.
IDEA #1
- HIRE A NEW FRONT OFFICE ADVISOR (An Assistant GM) I know Jerry will never step aside, but what if he hired an advisor? A shadow GM. A guy who could whisper to Jerry and Stephen a modern blueprint for this organization to follow to build a winner.
- JJ and SJ simply play fantasy football. They don’t get it. The only thing separating us from disaster is Will McClay. He is a great talent evaluator but he doesn’t get to sign FAs. Maybe Will McClay could be that guy who modernizes this FO to become more aggressive In FA. Or someone else.
- BOTTOM LINE: We need some new talent and a voice in the front office. WE LOST THE SF GAME THIS PAST OFFSEASON. The way we do things DOES NOT WORK. WE NEED NEW DIRECTION.
IDEA #2
- HIRE A NEW OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/QBs COACH: Hire a new OC. Someone who can coach Dak back to who he really is. A good but not great QB who is definitely not transcendent. He will never ever be a gunslinger who carries a team. He needs help. And good coaching. Kellen Moore ain’t that guy.
- I believe Dak IS someone you can win multiple playoff games with, but in the mold of someone like Mark Rypien, Phil Simms or Jim Plunkett. Good enough but not transcendent. Dak must be surrounded by a good OL and a strong running game that keeps the defense honest. And get back to being a guy he was early in his career- careful with the ball.
- Also, Dak has forgotten who he really is as a QB. He stopped being that careful QB he was when he came into the league and started believing he was a gunslinger, which he clearly is not. In his rookie year, Dak only threw 4 picks in 16 games.
- In this current era of pro football where the passing game has become the coin of the realm, many of our fans have been lulled into thinking only a top shelf gunslinger, who can carry a team on his arm is capable of winning SBs. But guys like that- Mahomes, Brady, Rodgers…maybe a couple more…are really one in a million. Dak clearly is not one of those guys.
- BOTTOM LINE: We need a new offense and OC. And more offensive weapons besides Pollard and Lamb.
ADDITIONAL IDEA:
- Draft a QB every other year to always have a young guy not just as a backup but someone who could possibly be the next starter.
- Look at what SF did this year-drafting Brock Purdy when they already had Trey Lance as their future and Jimmy G as insurance. It was a wise move we never make.
Finally- we need to have an aggressive off-season. It’s great to have good drafts but in today’s NFL, it‘s not enough. If we go into this off-season with the same approach we’ve had the last several years, don’t expect different results.
@Bobhaze I think we have the first one. This one isn’t on Jerry. It’s not on the coaches. It’s not on Dak. Will McClay is the de facto GM. Jerry talks and sells snake oil, but that’s about it.
I think Stephen’s method of accounting in the use of the cap is problematic, for sure. The practical use of the cap is also an issue. Why pay Schultz $10m per on the tag? You could sign a couple of players like Kearse for the cap that Schultz used this past year.
Dak is the problem. You can stack the team around him but then you end up with no defense. We have tried that formula. It doesn’t work.
Dak just can’t process the game or see the field. He locks on to one receiver, telegraphs his passes, and then throws into triple coverage. I don’t know what OC is going to solve that.
I think the best way to win with Dak is to eliminate Dak from the equation. No, we probably can’t trade him, but we can run the ball and take the decision making out of his hands. That would take: a really strong OL, a good stable of RBs and a running game coordinator (we don’t have one in Kellen).
I would look to do the following:
1. Trade Diggs for a first round pick and a player or a 3rd round pick. We should not pay him.
2. Trade Tyron. Get salvage value out of the player’s contract and a pick and save cap.
3. Cut Zeke outright (June 1).
4. Let Pollard walk in free agency. Get a comp pick for his services. If we can get Pollard for less than $5m per then he can stay.
5. Sign McGovern as cheap insurance. If he won’t sign cheap then let him walk.
6. Spend money on Payne if he hits the market. Sign him.
7. Keep Armstrong.
8. Trade Tank get a pick and save cap.
9. Resign LVE on the cheap.
10. Re-sign Wilson and Kearse to reasonable contracts.
11. I would also look to flip Z. Martin for 1 first and a player or a pick.
That leaves you with the following:
DT is shored up with Payne. Keep Hankins and sign another run stuffer or get one late in the draft. Run stuffing specialist fall in the draft.
If you were able to trade Diggs and Tyron (and I think you can) you should end up with 1 first and a pick or player for Diggs. You replace Diggs with a first round pick. You keep your cap healthy. You eliminate the business decisions. The player that you receive fills a hole at another position or you use the draft pick to fill another hole. That player or pick needs to be a 3rd round comp pick or higher value.
If you can get a second round pick for Tyron, that’s gold. A third is less valuable but it’s still a positive trade overall. You use that pick to trade up in a target move, or fill a hole with it.
If the above happens you will need from the draft or FA the following:
1. Replacement for diggs
2. Swing OT (Tyron)
3. Replacement for Tank
4. Linebacker
5. 2 RBs
6. OG
7. Center
If it were me I would be looking to replace Biadasz as OC. If you are going to dominate you will need an impact center. Trade Biadasz to a team that needs a center for salvage value pick (4th-6th).
Your OL looks like this:
LT- Smith
LG (replacement) McGovern/Farniok as backup
C. (Replacement) McGovern/Farniok
RG. Martin (I would replace him too for the right compensation)
RT. Steele (backup new swing tackle).
Ideally, you could trade Diggs for a player like Creed Humphrey and a 2nd round pick due to the positional value of Diggs. Digg’s value in a trade depends on how you value Diggs obviously.
