Why do we suck so bad in free agency?

[Doomsday101]

Salaries were cheap all over the league, many players in the 60's had off season jobs, I'm pretty sure most GMs weren't altruistic, that's not how they got to where they were....

Salaries were overall low but Cowboys were some of the most under paid in the NFL. Tex just did not pay well.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Salaries were overall low but Cowboys were some of the most under paid in the NFL. Tex just did not pay well.

Worked though, didn't it?

Come on, even in the 1960's NFL teams were a business, "paying well" is relative, if Dallas paid Howley $75,000 a year (don't know, just an example) but some other team's weak side linebacker got $90,000, then yeah Howley was "underpaid" and Tex as "cheap", we don't know just how much "cheaper" he was...

 

[Doomsday101]

Worked though, didn't it?

Come on, even in the 1960's NFL teams were a business, "paying well" is relative, if Dallas paid Howley $75,000 a year (don't know, just an example) but some other team's weak side linebacker got $90,000, then yeah Howley was "underpaid" and Tex as "cheap", we don't know just how much "cheaper" he was...

Yeah because players had no choice, I think a lot of what Tex did was great for the Cowboys and the NFL. Tex was a show man and a promoter, it was Gil Brandt who was the personnel guy looking at talent and bring them in, not Tex.

When people are claiming Jerry is cheap? lol I don't think so, he is not going out and signing guys like Earl Thomas on big dollar contract and thank god he didn't. Cowboys are not looking to break the bank on FA that often times do not live up to the contracts they are getting. We have OL players who when they signed made them the highest paid, we have top paid WR, DE in Dlaw, RB in zeke and right now a lot of debate on the QB, there is a lot of things people can come down on Jerry about but being a cheapskate in my view is pretty far fetched.

 

[Pompey-Cowboy]

No. There is skill involved. No team hits on every player, for sure, and like with Brady teams do get lucky.

If it was just luck Dallas would have had more success in both, after all we're dealing with 26 YEARS of both...

We have drafted or signed plenty of good players in the last 26 years, we just haven't got anywhere near a super bowl. Having good players is important but so is having good owners and good coaches and good luck.

 

[DCCowboys11]

Because you get what you pay for. We use up our cap space overpaying our own guys to stupid contracts (see the Tyron Crawford, Jaylon Smith, and maybe even the Amari Cooper deals). We hang on to aging vets too long (Tyron Smith, Sean Lee). Then when it’s time to sign an impact player we can’t do it. We have to then sign cheap scrubs.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

No, we were given media driven hype to believe these were good off-season based on a pick here and there. This franchise does not draft well because it is ruled by incompetence in the front office. Starting with Jerry and his idiot spawn.

This is off based....two of our free agent acquisitions went on to get monster deals in Quinn and Cobb lol. And we got them for cheap. Those are great moves. This team drafts better than most teams in the league....now if you want to blame Stephen and Jerry that's fine because they do have issues but in that long list of issues....free agency and drafting is further down the list.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Because you get what you pay for. We use up our cap space overpaying our own guys to stupid contracts (see the Tyron Crawford, Jaylon Smith, and maybe even the Amari Cooper deals). We hang on to aging vets too long (Tyron Smith, Sean Lee). Then when it’s time to sign an impact player we can’t do it. We have to then sign cheap scrubs.

So you prefer us signing other teams players to stupid contracts lol?

 

[fivetwos]

When your typical GM is hired he needs to win within a certain time frame or they are gone.

Not in Dallas. No reason to spend to get better.

Then Jerry tells us what an advantage their structure is...yet apparently is never called out.

The fans keep buying jerseys and tickets anyway.

They have had a few good seasons in the last 25, but I haven't seen this team play at a level I saw yesterday since back then.

They are far from being average, and worlds away from the four teams that played yesterday.

 

[Doomsday101]

This is off based....two of our free agent acquisitions went on to get monster deals in Quinn and Cobb lol. And we got them for cheap. Those are great moves. This team drafts better than most teams in the league....now if you want to blame Stephen and Jerry that's fine because they do have issues but in that long list of issues....free agency and drafting is further down the list.

I agree. I do think because Dallas is not looking for long term high priced FA and deals then to be shorter and economical that it puts greater pressure on the draft. Cowboys likely will continue to look to mid level FA to fill areas of need then use the draft to find longer term solutions.

 

[fivetwos]

Because you get what you pay for. We use up our cap space overpaying our own guys to stupid contracts (see the Tyron Crawford, Jaylon Smith, and maybe even the Amari Cooper deals). We hang on to aging vets too long (Tyron Smith, Sean Lee). Then when it’s time to sign an impact player we can’t do it. We have to then sign cheap scrubs.

That's all sadly true.

A large part of that is Jerry wanting to be buddies with players.

This team is dysfunctional on several levels.

I don't know that it matters who is brought in as a coach....its next to impossible to win with this set up.

 

[tyke1doe]

Why do we suck at free agency?

Jocks and socks, gentlemen.

Jocks and socks.

 

[Vinnie2u]

We don't need no stinkin' free agents....

 

[LACowboysFan1]

We have drafted or signed plenty of good players in the last 26 years, we just haven't got anywhere near a super bowl. Having good players is important but so is having good owners and good coaches and good luck.

Correct, but that doesn't mean there isn't some skill involved. If the draft and free agency were totally luck every team would win a SB at least once.

But some have never even been there, and some like Dallas and New England and Pittsburgh, et al have been multiple times, can't get there by luck alone, drafting and free agent signing plays a big part...

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Because these guys will never be fired no matter how poorly they do their jobs.

Their philosophy just isn’t consistent. The Pats are known to be frugal and will let guys go rather than pay them. We have a similar approach but then we sign certain guys to ridiculous contracts (see Zeke and Jaylon).

 

[Silly]

It could be as simple as players do not want to sign in dallas. What can you win dallas?

 

[tyke1doe]

Because you get what you pay for. We use up our cap space overpaying our own guys to stupid contracts (see the Tyron Crawford, Jaylon Smith, and maybe even the Amari Cooper deals). We hang on to aging vets too long (Tyron Smith, Sean Lee). Then when it’s time to sign an impact player we can’t do it. We have to then sign cheap scrubs.

What made the Patriots competitive all these years (Brady aside) is that Bill Belichick knew when to let players go. Richard Seymour, Chandler Jones, Wes Walker, Lawyer Milloy, Damien Woody, Logan Mankin, Vince Wilfork etc. He got rid of them one way or another and brought critical pieces in to replace them.

Jerry falls in love with players and is reluctant to get rid of them. That's great if you're trying to establish a friend, possibly fatal to your franchise if you want to be a successful GM. Sad but true.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

I agree. I do think because Dallas is not looking for long term high priced FA and deals then to be shorter and economical that it puts greater pressure on the draft. Cowboys likely will continue to look to mid level FA to fill areas of need then use the draft to find longer term solutions.

I agree and they can get away with that if they pick the right players. Free agency is a crap shoot. You can't go into free agency year in and out signing Brandon Carr type deals to Brandon Carr type talents. It just doesn't work in the long term.

 

[Doomsday101]

I agree and they can get away with that if they pick the right players. Free agency is a crap shoot. You can't go into free agency year in and out signing Brandon Carr type deals to Brandon Carr type talents. It just doesn't work in the long term.

FA is a very high priced crap shoot. Personally I have no issue with taking a cautious approach in FA and look more to the draft to find longer term talent. This year will be interesting as cap number is scheduled to be lower and with so many teams over the cap or close to it what will the bidding on FA players look like this year.

 

[Flinger]

Reasons?

Failed FA strategy; Failed team system blueprint; Failed identity; Failed player performance assessment.

25 years of failure... one constant.

 

[Miller]

My answer is simple. The Jones family overestimates how much real talent we have and thinks C level fill ins are all we need. Kind of like that draft of backups. They are wrong every year