Archer: Why the Cowboys didn't draft a QB

[Cotton]

Why the Cowboys didn't draft a QB

May, 12, 2014

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com


IRVING, Texas – For all of the talk about the Dallas Cowboys drafting a quarterback, they never really considered selecting one.

After the first round, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said picking Johnny Manziel, “wasn’t even a thought,” despite loving the former Texas A&M quarterback who ended up with the Cleveland Browns.

The Cowboys liked several lower-round quarterbacks, like Tom Savage, but passed on all of them. The Cowboys have not drafted a quarterback since takingStephen McGee in the fourth round of the 2009 draft. Since 1989, the Cowboys have drafted only four quarterbacks: Troy Aikman, Bill Musgrave, Quincy Carter and McGee. Steve Walsh was taken in the first round of the 1989 supplemental draft.

With Tony Romo coming off his second back surgery and Kyle Orton’s future in question, many thought the Cowboys would take a shot at a quarterback.

“We feel in signing Brandon Weeden, he can be viewed as that developmental guy,” coach Jason Garrett said. “A first-round pick a couple of years ago, coming from a baseball background, has all the physical tools you want. We view him as in that role right now, so we wanted to be selective about anybody else we wanted to bring in here.”

So no Savage, no Aaron Murray, no AJ McCarron. The Cowboys did sign Dustin Vaughan as an undrafted free agent and he was on their draft board.

At quarterback, “the best players who play typically come from the top rounds,” Garrett said. “I do think with how the league has changed, there is a demand to play those guys earlier and that changes the dynamic of taking your time to develop guys year after year and they play in years four and five. The thing you’re concerned about is developing them for somebody else. You develop them for two, three, four years and he goes and plays for another football team. We don’t think that’s a worthwhile thing. There’s been a theory around the league, teams like Green Bay for years always took a guy late and if that player develops into something that was a good thing for their team or to trade to somebody else. There were some examples of them doing that. It’s a philosophy a lot of teams, they agree with that. But when you have other issues on your team I think it becomes a little bit of a luxury to do that. When you feel good about your starter and you feel good about your backups, we feel it’s better to take a position player, a guy we know can contribute on special teams, instead of trying to develop that guy (quarterback).”

_____________________________________________

“We feel in signing Brandon Weeden, he can be viewed as that developmental guy,” coach Jason Garrett said. “A first-round pick a couple of years ago, coming from a baseball background, has all the physical tools you want. We view him as in that role right now, so we wanted to be selective about anybody else we wanted to bring in here.”

 

[Smitty]

No, the reason is that they don't want to hurt Romo's feelings, which itself might actually be a cover story for "We personally are too attached to Romo to give him the boot and don't want him to be pushed by a legitimate young developing QB."

 

[data]

I didn't know Weeden played baseball. That makes me feel much better. Hope he can fill Drew Henson and chad hutchinsons shoes.

 

[data]

And in another thread, the 49ers completed their haul from the Alex smith trade, enabled by the drafting of kaepernick.

 

[Cotton]

I didn't know Weeden played baseball. That makes me feel much better. Hope he can fill Drew Henson and chad hutchinsons shoes.

The deja vu is horrifying.

 

[Bluestar71]

I can't wait for another ten year QB search when Romo finally gets dragged off the field for the final time.

 

[p1_]

I didn't know Weeden played baseball. That makes me feel much better. Hope he can fill Drew Henson and chad hutchinsons shoes.

Chutch Redux.....

 

[Texas Ace]

No, the reason is that they don't want to hurt Romo's feelings, which itself might actually be a cover story for "We personally are too attached to Romo to give him the boot and don't want him to be pushed by a legitimate young developing QB."

Exactly.

That is the one and only reason why they didn't go after a QB and for them to suggest otherwise is an insult to our intelligence.

 

[Cotton]

Garrett says pressing needs make Cowboys draft players who can help now, rather than developmental QB

For the fifth straight year, the Cowboys did not draft a quarterback.

The only new quarterbacks on the roster are Brandon Weeden, drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round two years ago, veteran backup Caleb Hanie and undrafted free agent Dustin Vaughan of West Texas A&M, signed after the draft in part to help with the rookie mini-camp this weekend.

Coach Jason Garrett said the Cowboys know some teams like to draft a quarterback every year and develop them, either for themselves or to trade. But he said the Cowboys would rather take a player who can contribute much sooner.

“There’s been a theory around the league that teams like Green Bay, for years, always took a guy late, and if that player developed into something, that was a good thing for their team or to trade to somebody else,” Garrett said Saturday after the Cowboys completed a draft of nine players, two on offense, seven on defense. “And there are some examples of them doing that. And that’s a philosophy a lot of teams, they agree with that. But when you have other issues on your team, I think it becomes a little bit of a luxury to do that when you feel good about your starter and you feel good about your backups. We feel like it’s better to take a position player or a guy we know can contribute on special teams instead of trying to develop that guy.”

The Cowboys have drafted only five quarterbacks since Jerry Jones bought the team – Troy Aikman with the first pick of the first round in 1989, Bill Musgrave in the fourth round in 1991, Quincy Carter in the second round in 2001 and Stephen McGee in the fourth round in 2009.

Before the Aikman draft, the first under former coach Jimmie Johnson, the Cowboys drafted quarterbacks in six out of nine drafts – 1988 (Scott Secules), 1987 (Kevin Sweeney), 1986 (Stan Gelbaugh), 1984 (Steve Pelleur), 1983 (Reggie Collier) and 1980 (Gary Hogeboom).

-- Carlos Mendez

____________________________

So, it's more important to draft a ST contributor than it is to draft a QB to try and develop? Really?

 

[data]

In the last ten years, we've drafted the same amount of kickoff specialists (Buehler)

 

[Angrymesscan]

Garrett says pressing needs make Cowboys draft players who can help now, rather than developmental QB

For the fifth straight year, the Cowboys did not draft a quarterback.

The only new quarterbacks on the roster are Brandon Weeden, drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round two years ago, veteran backup Caleb Hanie and undrafted free agent Dustin Vaughan of West Texas A&M, signed after the draft in part to help with the rookie mini-camp this weekend.

Coach Jason Garrett said the Cowboys know some teams like to draft a quarterback every year and develop them, either for themselves or to trade. But he said the Cowboys would rather take a player who can contribute much sooner.

“There’s been a theory around the league that teams like Green Bay, for years, always took a guy late, and if that player developed into something, that was a good thing for their team or to trade to somebody else,” Garrett said Saturday after the Cowboys completed a draft of nine players, two on offense, seven on defense. “And there are some examples of them doing that. And that’s a philosophy a lot of teams, they agree with that. But when you have other issues on your team, I think it becomes a little bit of a luxury to do that when you feel good about your starter and you feel good about your backups. We feel like it’s better to take a position player or a guy we know can contribute on special teams instead of trying to develop that guy.”

The Cowboys have drafted only five quarterbacks since Jerry Jones bought the team – Troy Aikman with the first pick of the first round in 1989, Bill Musgrave in the fourth round in 1991, Quincy Carter in the second round in 2001 and Stephen McGee in the fourth round in 2009.

Before the Aikman draft, the first under former coach Jimmie Johnson, the Cowboys drafted quarterbacks in six out of nine drafts – 1988 (Scott Secules), 1987 (Kevin Sweeney), 1986 (Stan Gelbaugh), 1984 (Steve Pelleur), 1983 (Reggie Collier) and 1980 (Gary Hogeboom).

-- Carlos Mendez

____________________________

So, it's more important to draft a ST contributor than it is to draft a QB to try and develop? Really?

First thing you need if you plan to draft QB's to develop is having a coach able to do so... Once you have that guy you can start drafting them.

 

[dallen]

I didn't know Weeden played baseball. That makes me feel much better. Hope he can fill Drew Henson and chad hutchinsons shoes.

That's why he was a 45 year old rookie

 

[boozeman]

\
So, it's more important to draft a ST contributor than it is to draft a QB to try and develop? Really?

It just goes to show you that we don't value much beyond what we can see instantly, right in front of our nose.

A developmental QB requires a plan and a commitment to making that something you do.

Dallas will never have that as long as Jason Garrett is around, or even maybe as long as Jerry is in charge.

We are much more apt to give whatever ST coach we have instant gratification each year than have a program that is built on using the commodity of QB as a chip.

It is what Ron Wolf and the old Packers did. It is what Andy Reid does every year still.

 

[Smitty]

Dallas will never have that as long as Jason Garrett is around, or even maybe as long as Jerry is in charge.

Most coaches would draft to fill their pockets for the upcoming season because that is their job, to maximize wins in a current season. You won't have the necessary team building foresight, that might sacrifice immediate wins for long term wins, until you have a franchise-building head coach like Parcells or Holmgren who can split coach and GM roles.

Or, you know, just get a GM.

I'm actually kinda pleased that Garrett is very clearly forcing an organizational philosophy of building the OL on Jerry.

Now if he'd only utilize it on gamedays.

 

[boozeman]

Most coaches would draft to fill their pockets for the upcoming season because that is their job, to maximize wins in a current season. You won't have the necessary team building foresight, that might sacrifice immediate wins for long term wins, until you have a franchise-building head coach like Parcells or Holmgren who can split coach and GM roles.

Or, you know, just get a GM.

I'm actually kinda pleased that Garrett is very clearly forcing an organizational philosophy of building the OL on Jerry.

Now if he'd only utilize it on gamedays.

So why didn't Garrett "enforce" this when we were starting turds like Costa and Nagy? Why didn't we draft replacements for Colombo, Gurode and Davis sooner?

Oh yeah, he doesn't value it normally more than anything else.

It just makes me chuckle to hear about his bullshit lip service about a run game and the OL when in previous years we marched out complete crap and paid for it.

 

[Smitty]

So why didn't Garrett "enforce" this when we were starting turds like Costa and Nagy? Why didn't we draft replacements for Colombo, Gurode and Davis sooner?

Oh yeah, he doesn't value it normally more than anything else.

It just makes me chuckle to hear about his bullshit lip service about a run game and the OL when in previous years we marched out complete crap and paid for it.

Well, we've taken OLs in the first three out of the last four years so something changed. It just so happens those are the four years he has been head coach. And yes, head coaches do get more of a say than coordinators.

 

[boozeman]

Well, we've taken OLs in the first three out of the last four years so something changed. It just so happens those are the four years he has been head coach. And yes, head coaches do get more of a say than coordinators.

And when Wade was here, we took a lot of linemen and linebackers. The head coach is going to get more on his side of the football early.

That still does not speak to the fact he does not show that he values linemen or specifically the run game. He values the passing game. That means he's fine with a LT here or there, but it was an act of Congress for them to realize we needed interior help and had since the minute he took over as the head coach. This is still a guy that was okay with Costa and crap inside since he took over.

 

[Smitty]

You can value the passing game and still value building the OL. It's clear that Garrett does... more than Jerry ever did.

That's my only point.

You can now feel free to go back to bashing him for not running the ball enough, even though that wasn't the point of this discussion.

 

[Cotton]

Most coaches would draft to fill their pockets for the upcoming season because that is their job, to maximize wins in a current season. You won't have the necessary team building foresight, that might sacrifice immediate wins for long term wins, until you have a franchise-building head coach like Parcells or Holmgren who can split coach and GM roles.

Or, you know, just get a GM.

I'm actually kinda pleased that Garrett is very clearly forcing an organizational philosophy of building the OL on Jerry.

Now if he'd only utilize it on gamedays.

Did you watch the war room cam? Garrett wasn't forcing anything on anyone. He looked more like he couldn't wait for it to be over.

 

[Smitty]

Did you watch the war room cam? Garrett wasn't forcing anything on anyone. He looked more like he couldn't wait for it to be over.

I didn't say he forced anything on draft day. He can influence the organizational direction (and clearly has on this issue) before draft day actually rolls around.

Unless it's just coincidence that Jerry changed his mind about drafting OLs as soon as Garrett became head coach. Yeah, he must have learned it from Wade.

Frankly, it is sad if you guys have such an aversion to saying anything nice about Garrett that you can't even admit that he is clearly behind our drafting 3 OLs in the first round in 4 years.