What was the plan this offseason?

[MichaelWinicki]

Even with the time not on the carpet, the team has only lost about $3 million in salary from the suspensions. That, and some valid football players are still very much Dallas Cowboy types, and are ready to compete.

Maybe, just maybe, many are over valuing the projections of a second year player who has yet to get a sack, a linebacker who's desire to play in the NFL is still very much in question, and a defensive end who is not a dominant player, yet.

Agreed.

I still like the potential of Gregory, but that's all it is at this point.

Yep, Lawrence is a good player, but not yet dominant and he'll be back after 4 games.

And they have Durant to help mitigate the loss of R McClain.

If they lost a DE for the season who had 14 sacks last season, I'd be much more concerned.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Yet, we did virtually nothing to improve the team for this year

Believing that is your first mistake.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Maybe, just maybe, many are over valuing the projections of a second year player who has yet to get a sack, a linebacker who's desire to play in the NFL is still very much in question, and a defensive end who is not a dominant player, yet.

A thousand likes for you!

 

[LocimusPrime]

Man, did the Star practice facility take too much of Stephen and Jerry's time, that they really didn't take the effort to look around at FAs?

I know it's a big project (1.5 billion estimated) so their attention could have been diverted a bit because it makes no dang sense to throw out this Dline, even with Lawrence and Gregory in the line up.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I think its pretty obvious that the team wants to build through the draft and be modest in utilizing FA. Gregory is a colossal disappointment but they drafted another DE this year and by all accounts would have selected one in the 2nd had they not been snatched up right before us.

They shored up what I thought was by far the weakest position on the defense with Thornton. We drafted multiple DL as well. Trench warfare certainly seems high on the priority list.

I also think the strategy is to be the top running team in the league. The Zeke pick while I don't agree with it spells that out pretty clearly.

The Prescott pick also indicates to me that the strategy from here on out until we hit on a guy is to look for Romo's replacement through the draft.

 

[DandyDon52]

The plan was is:
Go cheap, dont spend much.
Build thru the draft, especially the 2nd rounders !!!! lol

Look for steals/ good deals with troubled or injured players & former round 1 picks, like hardy, gregory, rolando, weeden,J. Smith

buy more fight ! and compete! T shirts, and get another mannequin.

Convince Tony he has 10 years left !! ...... they did this !

have randy moss work with beasely, a slot guy, but not with the WR dez and willams.

Overhaul the tape machine so they can watch tape and get better..... again

Figure out how to hit the 5 billion mark by 2017

Get more Art for the stadium, get a new party bus.

 

[DandyDon52]

To say nothing of adding the right coach in the right role.

That was a key, wade is a good DC, I dont know about kubiak though.

 

[DandyDon52]

Man, did the Star practice facility take too much of Stephen and Jerry's time, that they really didn't take the effort to look around at FAs?

I know it's a big project (1.5 billion estimated) so their attention could have been diverted a bit because it makes no dang sense to throw out this Dline, even with Lawrence and Gregory in the line up.

That is another money maker, they want to hit 5 billion in 2017
Their focus will always be making money ,making their pile bigger, the franchise value gets better every year, but not the team
itself.
having a winning team is just icing on the cake, and they want that too, but the cake itself is the priority.
Or you could say they make a great cake, but their icing sucks ??

 

[Stash]

That was a key, wade is a good DC, I dont know about kubiak though.

He did enough to win a Super Bowl, including being smart enough to hire Wade to run his defense. I give him credit for that. And he cobbled together enough offense with a shot Manning and green Osweiler to do it.

But I credit coaches like Kubiak and Scottenheimer for hiring guys like Phillips and Norv Turner to do the jobs their best suited for. Too often, it seems as though we're hiring coaches 'over their heads'.

 

[DandyDon52]

He did enough to win a Super Bowl, including being smart enough to hire Wade to run his defense. I give him credit for that. And he cobbled together enough offense with a shot Manning and green Osweiler to do it.

But I credit coaches like Kubiak and Scottenheimer for hiring guys like Phillips and Norv Turner to do the jobs their best suited for. Too often, it seems as though we're hiring coaches 'over their heads'.

yes if a HC is allowed to hire his coaches and staff, then what he does there makes a big difference, and he would get credit for that,
I forgot he worked with wade in houston.

 

[the_h0wey]

I cannot remember a more directionless offseason. We had 4th pick in every round. We had no key free agents of our own to sign. We were out of salary cap hell. And we no doubt knew of looming suspensions to Gregory, Lawrence, and McClain. And the division is there for the taking with easiest schedule (on paper) in the league... Yet, we did virtually nothing to improve the team for this year (Ezekiel Elliot notwithstanding). Our only external signings were Cedric Thornton, Alfred Morris, and Justin Durant. We let premier players at need positions, like Olivier Vernon and Josh Norma,n go to our division rivals. And we did not even jump into negotiations for reasonable contracts like the ones Mario Williams and Jason Pierre-Paul got. Then, in the draft, we take a flier on a guy in the 2nd round that may never play football at the level he previously did, if at all, rather than getting a guy who could help immediately, like Myles Jack. Nor did we do much of anything to improve the backup QB situation, a main reason we were 4-12 last year.

This is not a rant, but a serious question: what was the plan?

Drafting Zeke after acquiring Alfred Morris in free agency shows we truly had no real plan

 

[DC Cowboy]

Tell that to Denver, who signed Demarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, TJ Ward and won a super bowl.

i would have like a good FA or two but I understand not wanting to spend the money. I want to keep our O-line together. I want to see what Collins and Tapper can add to the Defense first.
1.) If Zeke is gone then Bosa or Ramsey. I'm sure.
2.) tried to trade back into 1st for Lynch, didn't work.
3.) had 2 D linemen targeted in 2nd, lost out on both.
4.) took a reach on LB in 2nd.
5.) Went D line with next 2 picks.

I won't go over board and say they aren't trying. Maybe there was a better route to go with the 2nd pick.

 

[DC Cowboy]

i would have like a good FA or two but I understand not wanting to spend the money. I want to keep our O-line together. I want to see what Collins and Tapper can add to the Defense first.
1.) If Zeke is gone then Bosa or Ramsey. I'm sure.
2.) tried to trade back into 1st for Lynch, didn't work.
3.) had 2 D linemen targeted in 2nd, lost out on both.
4.) took a reach on LB in 2nd.
5.) Went D line with next 2 picks.

I won't go over board and say they aren't trying. Maybe there was a better route to go with the 2nd pick.

I guaranteed you that if you take this same team we are complaining about and give it to the NE/Denver/Seattle/Ari. coaching staff they get 11-13 wins out of it. I would put money on it.

 

[TX Cowboy]

I cannot remember a more directionless offseason. We had 4th pick in every round. We had no key free agents of our own to sign. We were out of salary cap hell. And we no doubt knew of looming suspensions to Gregory, Lawrence, and McClain. And the division is there for the taking with easiest schedule (on paper) in the league... Yet, we did virtually nothing to improve the team for this year (Ezekiel Elliot notwithstanding). Our only external signings were Cedric Thornton, Alfred Morris, and Justin Durant. We let premier players at need positions, like Olivier Vernon and Josh Norma,n go to our division rivals. And we did not even jump into negotiations for reasonable contracts like the ones Mario Williams and Jason Pierre-Paul got. Then, in the draft, we take a flier on a guy in the 2nd round that may never play football at the level he previously did, if at all, rather than getting a guy who could help immediately, like Myles Jack. Nor did we do much of anything to improve the backup QB situation, a main reason we were 4-12 last year.

This is not a rant, but a serious question: what was the plan?

The plan? is the sabotage of Jason Garrett by making him look incompetent
while Jerruh waits on the Saints to make a move on Sean Payton for 2017?
makes sense if you ask me, NO real huge moves, Romo will be Payton's
- Drew Brees, Elliot, Reggie Bush you fill in the pieces as you go along
and Jerruh is already at the podium accepting the Lombardi title for his
Cowboys winning the super bowl

 

[kiheikiwi]

My bet is that the problem at QB wasn't the low-ball. I think they wouldn't hand the QB2 position over to anybody and they wanted them to compete with Kellen Moore. Rightly or wrongly.

The CB deal, they wanted either Carr to take a cut, Mo to come back, or they needed a replacement for one of the two. When Mo re-upped and Carr took the cut, they had what they wanted. I don't mind that so much.

Not adding rotational pass rushers other than Mayowa was a gamble. And with Gregory screwing up, we rolled snake eyes. That's the single biggest hole in the roster and it's at one of the very most important positions.

I don't mind them keeping the FA spending way down. We're going to need that cash to pay the good players we already know are a scheme fit for us. But to do that, we've got to be developing players faster. You can't do that if you're also speculating wildly using your high picks, or trading up with your 2s and 3s to get players and then not replacing those losses somewhere else. It's resulted in us not having another 4-5 capable starters sprinkled across the defense, and that's really painful.

This ! All day this !

 

[CCBoy]

This ! All day this !

The player development just got set on a top burner...!

 

[CCBoy]

He did enough to win a Super Bowl, including being smart enough to hire Wade to run his defense. I give him credit for that. And he cobbled together enough offense with a shot Manning and green Osweiler to do it.

But I credit coaches like Kubiak and Scottenheimer for hiring guys like Phillips and Norv Turner to do the jobs their best suited for. Too often, it seems as though we're hiring coaches 'over their heads'.

Norv Turner was first a last resort that Jerry hired, because Jimmy screwed up the OC and almost lost Troy Aikman in the process.

 

[kiheikiwi]

Even with the time not on the carpet, the team has only lost about $3 million in salary from the suspensions. That, and some valid football players are still very much Dallas Cowboy types, and are ready to compete.

Maybe, just maybe, many are over valuing the projections of a second year player who has yet to get a sack, a linebacker who's desire to play in the NFL is still very much in question, and a defensive end who is not a dominant player, yet.

Maybe, however - a linebacker who's desire to play is in question is fine - if you have a plan for if/when his desire outweighs his production/availability. Long term, we may have that in Smith - short term like now, nada. The DE's - its not so much about their productivity to this point, as it is the availability or lack there of due to drug problems, on a team that seems to have the culture right now. AND absolutely no accountability for any of them !
Also, comes word today that the NFL will fine the Cowboys up to $250,000 for having 3 players suspended.
Take that Jerry !

 

[CCBoy]

Maybe, however - a linebacker who's desire to play is in question is fine - if you have a plan for if/when his desire outweighs his production/availability. Long term, we may have that in Smith - short term like now, nada. The DE's - its not so much about their productivity to this point, as it is the availability or lack there of due to drug problems, on a team that seems to have the culture right now. AND absolutely no accountability for any of them !
Also, comes word today that the NFL will fine the Cowboys up to $250,000 for having 3 players suspended.
Take that Jerry !

That, a fine, was in the works, and I'm sure that Jerry doesn't cry when he has to cover for misconduct of his own players. He has always had their backs.

The linebacker position was already taken care of in the draft. All 'rooks' have to develop any way. But Durant was added for immediate help. He is very good in packages. But the entire linebacker group from last season, is back. The only one missing, is Rolando McClain. In reality, not so dumb to begin with.

Oh, as to accountability, there is always accountability, depending upon the degree of mess left behind. Ask Hardy about that.

Three strong, not great, performers is all that is needed at defensive end, to have a successful season. I am confident that Lawrence will be among the functional, shortly. But as to two more defensive ends...Irving, Mayowa, Russell, and Tapper present a picture that at least I feel will cover two players on the outside.

It doesn't hurt my sensibility to lose the prospects of Gregory and McClain...now, or for good. They are simply out of the picture, now.

Oh, accountability and discipline is still the guiding force in this franchise. NO matter the degree of chest pounding or ash cloth and ash thrown about.

McClain was a question as to desire, from the start. Gregory was a naïve and unstable person from the start...but young. So? So long to them, for all accounts in the present...

 

[Idgit]

This ! All day this !

It's frustrating, because it feels like they've curbed a lot of their historical bad habits. Now they just need to hit on the haymakers they've already thrown (talking to you, Jalon Smith), or they just need to settle down and be smarter about adding talented guys where they have picks to do so. Just a couple more good young players on defense, and this team could be formidable.