Twitter mailbag: Will Trader Jerry move up in the draft? - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
Archer won't put it past Jones to move up a spot or two but thinks the Cowboys are more likely to move down than up.
The Cowboys have been conservative in free agency. They’re getting guys at their prices, not the players’ prices. The Cowboys have to find a lot of help in the draft. It’s not worth giving up a pick or picks to move up for a great player. Could they move up a spot or two? Maybe, but I actually think trading down makes more sense for the Cowboys at this point.
Stephen Jones Talks Melton, Draft, Need At Receiver - David Helman, DallasCowboys.com
In what reads a little like a State of the Union address, Stephen Jones touches on many different issues. One of those is the Cowboys' approach to free agency, where Jones said Jones said the defensive line acquisitions so far by no means satisfy the Cowboys' defensive line needs, but give them flexibility in the upcoming draft.
"To me, that's what free agency is about. You certainly can't build a football team around free agency, and I think you're going in the wrong direction if you look at it that way," he said. "What it hopefully does is fill glaring needs so that you can take the best player available. I think when you start reaching for a particular position you start to make mistakes."
Jerry Jones has lots of voices in his head — it's method, not madness | David Moore, DMN
Very interesting read by David Moore in which he describes Jerry Jones' management style and the difficult balancing act between the roles of owner and general manager. Many will simply see this as another article with which to confirm their biases - in either direction - but Moore presents a nuanced and differentiated picture of Jones that we don't often find. Moore summarizes:
He’s not as intrusive and overbearing as most portray, although Jones admits he’s taken a more active role these last two years with head coach Jason Garrett. He concedes he listens to those outside the organization more than most general managers and wrestles with whether he collects too many opinions.
Pick Your Favorite Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Calendar Girls! - DallasCowboys.com
The Cowboys are giving fans the opportunity to help chose who makes the 2015 DCC sideline calendar. Follow the link to pick your favorite photos to create your own 12 month calendar!
Could the Philadelphia Eagles cut DeSean Jackson? - Bleeding Green Nation
Yes. [And you'll probably get a kick out of the comment section too.]
New York newspapers welcome Mike Vick with dog puns - CBSSports.com
The New York Post and the New York Daily News predictably both brought dog pun headlines to the party for the Jets signing of Michael Vick.
Giants needed as many free agent bandaids as possible - Dan Graziano, ESPN New York
Imagine reading this next sentence in your best Jack Palance voice from the mid-eighties edition of Ripley's Believe It or Not: You may not know this, but the New York Giants have signed a grand total of 19 free agents in the past two weeks. What does that mean?
Theirs was a roster in such an extensive state of disrepair that they had to go out and apply as many free-agent band-aids as possible. No way the draft was going to fix all of their immediate needs. No one has enough picks for that.
NFL Prospect Focus: Caraun Reid and Dan McCullers | National Football Post
Greg Gabriel breaks down the two projected mid- to late-round picks, who both could be of interest to the Cowboys as one-techniques.
Sabermetric Research: ESPN quantifies clubhouse chemistry - Phil Birnbaum
"ESPN the Magazine" says they've figured out how to measure team chemistry, using a proprietary formula that combines three factors -- clubhouse demographics, trait isolation and stratification of performance to pay - that evaluate team chemistry.
When I read that, I couldn't help but think of this quote from an article titled "The Problem with Data Journalism":
"I applaud the increased use of data in journalism. But they can’t just hire graphic designers to make pretty pictures. Making sense out of raw data requires more analytic firepower and more willingness to do independent research than journalists have traditionally been comfortable with. But it also requires a new set of ethics about how to responsibly use data. That conversation hasn’t started yet."
Does Winning Free Agency Matter? - DuelingData.com
Does making a big splash in free agency correlate to winning in NFL? In short: no. Follow the link if you want to play around with a dashboard that looks at free agency over the last 5 years and every team's change in record.
Report: Most NFL Teams Just 1 Or 2 Overpriced Free Agents Away From Super Bowl Victory | The Onion
I chuckled.
"As we’ve seen time and time again, an NFL general manager can be assured of a Super Bowl championship solely by recklessly blowing a colossal amount of cash on a high-profile washed-up veteran or two. Especially if those way-past-their-prime players are expected to switch from their natural positions."