Offseason Priorities
by jdg4660 on Feb 16, 2012 9:44 PM CST
The challenge for Jerry Jones, or any general manager, is living within parameters. One parameter is the salary cap. Another is the free market where free agents can decide where to go. Another parameter is the likely football lifecycle of key players, like Tony Romo. Jerry Jones and every other GM can't control those parameters. Rather, it's a matter of what to do about them.
For the Cowboys, those parameters mean having to define your priorities. After all, we can all see areas of need. We need to shore up the interior of the offensive line. We need to get more pressure on the QB. We need better play from our defensive backfield. If all of our free agents left, we would have some additional areas of need, including wide receiver, TE, OLB, and so on.
Then there's the very big question of how the core players will perform next year. Is Witten on the decline? Will Austen shake the injury bug? Will Bruce Carter step up? Will Lissemore become a bigger force on the defensive line? Can McGee be a legit number 2? Can Phillips fill the void left by the departure of Bennett?
So what would your priorities be if you were Jerry Jones?
More after the jump.
Jason Garrett: From Process to Promise
by Michael IceBone Sisemore on Feb 16, 2012 7:19 PM CST
After frantically searching and digesting everything that is Draft/ Free Agency related, IceBone is exhausted so unfortunately this article will not be Part III in my latest Mockery Posts. Instead this article is about the man in charge of carrying the Star to it's next chapter.
After reading Tom Ryle's post in which he compared Jason and Jimmy, I was pretty excited. Excited because I feel the exact same way. However, that post didn't inspire me to write this piece. It was the Fan Post section where another post that took offense to Tom and in their part scorched him for being a drinker of the Blue and Silver Kool-aid, which inspired this article.
More after the Jump.....
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Considering Mario Williams and the 4-3
http://sturminator.blogspot.com/2012/02/considering-mario-williams-in-dallas.html
another topic he raised
Then the counter might be, "Bob, can't we just switch back to a 4-3, then?"
Sure. But then, I need to change all sorts of things that I have already done to this defense. I will need to release a bunch of DEs like Marcus Spears and Kenyon Coleman, as they don't fit my new scheme. I need to find linebackers. Spencer is gone, Bradie James and Keith Brooking don't run well enough anymore, and I am not sure what Bruce Carter can do, but I do know he was drafted with the 3-4 in mind. Chicago has a great 4-3 front, but it works because they have two exceptional linebackers who can do wonderful things from the "Mic" and the "Will" positions. Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs have been running sideline to sideline for years at All-Pro levels in that scheme. I think Sean Lee could handle Briggs' role on a reasonable level, but I am not sure who my 260-pound beast like Urlacher would be in the middle. So, to accommodate Mario Williams, I need to open up several new holes that might make this counterproductive on top of a $100 million deal for your new 4-3 end opposite Ware. Oh, and I am not sure my coaching staff believes in a 4-3 at all.
Other than the MLB I don't know what the problem is here. Brooking and Bradie James are done so we have to replace them anyway. Coleman isn't young and he can't pass rush so he could be replaced , Spears is just a run stopper.
Switching over to the 4-3 might the Cowboys to get rid of marginal players , but isn't that what you want to do anyway?
wouldn't you want to upgrade them anyway on a defense where the pass rush is DeMarcus Ware against the league?
Starters, dominant players, and BPA
by boyman on Feb 16, 2012 4:07 PM CST
Thanks to the debate on this page which has helped sharpen my thinking on a host of issues, bringing in stats and opposing viewpoints on the various Cowboys "needs."
Based on what I've been reading, I've decided to take Jerry and JG at their word: we are looking to draft the BPA. In a way, this gives us the best chance to gather in people who are dominant at their position--or have a chance of being dominant at their position.
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The Anthony Spencer Debate
Interesting (and very long) article from Bob Sturm about the Anthony Spencer debate.
I lean more toward letting him go, but he makes a good point about having to fill a hole you just created.
And his conclusion is to franchise him as others have said
Some highlights:
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The point of this exercise is to readily admit that you can do better than Anthony Spencer by acquiring a true #1 Linebacker opposite DeMarcus Ware. Of course, the costs will be substantial and we must remember that this is not fantasy football. In fantasy football, you acquire "pass rush specialists" at every spot an think you will get 100 sacks. But, in real football, if you don't have a player setting the edge and shutting down strong side rushing plays, then you get beat. Spencer, of all outside linebackers in the 3-4 in the last two seasons has more tackles than anyone. 53 in 2010 (ranked 2nd behind James Harrison) and 53 in 2011 (ranked 2nd behind Calvin Pace).
Is Pace available? No. Is Harrison available? No. Is Kerrigan? No. Is Orakpo? No.
And yet, I have people telling me that Victor Butler, Alex Albright, or "anyone" can do what Spencer has done?
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Spencer's sacks, pressures, QB hits, and tackles combine to show you a much more balanced view of his performance and while it is easy for a reader or fan to simply marginalize everything he does for this team, it is imperative for the brains in the Cowboys war-room to either upgrade him or remember what he brings to the table and keep him in the stable.
Now, I do not say all of this to say that he has been a great pick, or a suitable stud, or even someone who is not replaceable. But as I look at the draft and free agency, I do not see someone who is clearly better than him at the all-around game at his position. The only 3-4 outside linebackers that are on the market are Ahmad Brooks (a player that San Francisco is happy to replace), Eric Walden (discarded by Green Bay), and Clark Haggans (35 years old). Further, if I use pick #14 on another outside linebacker, then I cannot use that pick on a defensive lineman, defensive back, or offensive lineman - where I clearly still have holes.
So, do I take Courtney Upshaw or Melvin Ingram at #14 to fill a hole I just made? I don't think you make any progress letting a solid linebacker go if there is another alternative.
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I slap the franchise tag on him. The tag this year is $8.8 million and keeps him in a Cowboys uniform for another season so the franchise can fill their other holes and find his replacement.
Therefore, I am not married to him, and yet I do not open up another major hole. If he performs well in 2012, we talk extension. If I think he is holding me back, we move along.
But, I cannot fix this defense by subtracting a reasonable piece while adding another. That is called running in place while the clock continues to tick on the primes of Ware, Jay Ratliff, Tony Romo, Jason Witten, and Miles Austin.
"Cowboys' Sean Lee Is A Pro Bowler" And Other Things We Learned In Mike Mayocks Conference Call
by One.Cool.Customer on Feb 16, 2012 2:18 PM CST
in Dallas Cowboys 2012 Draft
The NFL Network’s lead NFL Draft Analyst and Scouting Combine head honcho Mike Mayock took part in a conference call with national media members yesterday in the lead up to the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine.
Mayock does these calls every year prior to the Combine, but unlike last year, the NFL Network didn't provide a transcript of the call this time, so you'll have to make do with my hastily scribbled transcript below - or listen to a 45 minute part of the call here.
While members of the Dallas media may have been in attendance, no specific questions were asked about the Cowboys in the segment, so Mayock didn't address the Cowboys specifically, but he did talk about a couple of players and topics that are of interest to Cowboys fans.
The soundbite of the day (for me) may have come when he mentioned Sean Lee as a Pro Bowler when he talked about Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly:
Think about Sean Lee. That’s the best comparison. Sean Lee went in the second round to Dallas but has become a Pro Bowl inside linebacker, and I think [Luke Kuechly] is very similar, has none of the knee issues Sean had and is a slightly better athlete.
After the break, find out what Mayock has to say about depth along the defensive line, offensive linemen and a selection of players that have been (at times) hotly debated on these boards.
What we need is for Jerrah to act like a GM and be proactive and fix the team with $17M under the cap resources
by Pacerman on Feb 16, 2012 12:37 PM CST
Yes, I'm SICK AND TIRED of Jerrah playing the role of Michael Jordan (i.e. DUMB ex-JOCK) while the Cowboy fans spend their hard earned money and time watching the SAME OLD STORY!!!!
Wes Bunting Mock Draft No. 3: Dre Kirkpatrick To Cowboys
by One.Cool.Customer on Feb 16, 2012 11:00 AM CST
in Dallas Cowboys 2012 Draft
Hot on the heels of yesterday's Mel Kiper mock draft comes Wes Bunting's latest offering, mock draft version 3.0.
Bunting, of course, knows how to deliver a mock draft that gets people talking, and in his third iteration of his mock draft, he offers the third prospect for the Cowboys after having the Cowboys select David DeCastro in v 1.0 and Peter Konz in v 2.0. But what makes this third version highly auspicious is what happened last year:
After mocking Robert Quinn to the Cowboys in his mock v 1.0 and Prince Amukamara in v 2.0, he hit the nail on the head in v 3.0, mocking Tyron Smith to the Cowboys. Will Bunting be able to repeat that feat this year?
With the 14th pick in the 2012 draft, the Bunting has the Cowboys taking Dre Kirkpatrick. Bunting writes:
The Cowboys have to be thrilled with both Kirkpatrick and Stanford OG David DeCastro still on the board. However, I see them opting for the big corner because of the overall priority of the position.
So this year's mock 3.0 is doubly auspicious, not only because of last year's pick, but also because both Kirkpatrick and DeCastro are available for the Cowboys - and if those two drop that far, other prospects must have taken their place in the top 13. After the break, we look at who those players are.
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