Archer - Goof Son: We can compete for a championship

[boozeman]

VP Jones: We can compete for a championship

June, 13, 2013

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys have finished 8-8 the last two seasons, have missed the playoffs in three of the last four seasons and have one playoff victory since 1996, but optimism is never far away.

“We really feel like we have a team that can compete for a championship,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said.

Jones belief is not just on a roster that has talented players at key spots, but how the NFL landscape has changed over the years.

“The last three teams that won championships barely got into the playoffs and did something about it,” Jones said. “You’re probably not being realistic if you don’t think things have changed in the last 10 years. There’s probably a lot of people who feel they have a chance to win a championship based on the level playing field and how the cap has affected the game. We feel like we have an opportunity to compete for a championship.”

The Cowboys signed quarterback Tony Romo to a six-year extension in the offseason but did not make any high-profile free-agent signings. The Cowboys have changed defensive systems, moving from a 3-4 to a 4-3 with coordinator Monte Kiffin, changed offensive playcallers from Jason Garrett to Bill Callahan and changed special teams coaches.

By the end of last season the Cowboys were without six regulars on defense because of injury, including Sean Lee, Bruce Carter and Jay Ratliff, but were in a position to win the NFC East with a victory in the final game at Washington.

“I feel like the teams that won championships last year, we can compete with them and were right there competing with them maybe without a full deck,” Jones said. “We have confidence that this team will win a championship.”

 

[Smitty]

If they had invested properly in their OL the past two offseasons, he'd be right.

 

[boozeman]

IRVING – Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones is confident in the players and coaches on the team’s current roster.

How much confidence does he have?

Well, enough to say on Thursday that the Cowboys currently have a team “that can win a championship.”

“I feel like the teams that won championships last year, we could compete with them and we were right there, and I felt like we competed with them even without a full deck,” Jones said, “and so we have confidence that this team will win a championship.”

Of the 12 teams that reached the postseason last year, the Cowboys played five of them. In those six games — two against Washington — Dallas went 1-5, losing to Baltimore (31-29), Seattle (27-7), Washington (twice, 38-31 and 28-18) and Atlanta (19-13). The Cowboys’ lone victory came against Cincinnati (20-19).

Jones went on to point out how the three previous Super Bowl winners barely made the playoffs. The Green Bay Packers went 10-6 in 2010, the New York Giants were 9-7 in 2011 and the Baltimore Ravens finished 10-6 last season.

“You’re probably not being realistic if you don’t think things haven’t changed in 10 years,” Jones said, “in terms of, there is probably a lot of people who feel like they have a chance to win a championship based on the level playing field and how the cap has affected our game.

“We really feel like we have an opportunity to compete for a championship. We need to stay healthy and we think we have good football players and we think we’ve improved our team this year. We’ve put some systems in place that benefit our personnel on both sides of the ball and we have a new special teams coach. We expect to get better there. I think everybody has to get better if we want to win a championship and that’s our goal.”

Jones spoke after watching all of Thursday’s mini camp, which was the final day of over a month of off-season workouts. The team will not work together again until training camp next month in Oxnard, Calif.
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[Cotton]

Stephen Jones: Pieces In Place To Compete For Championships

Posted 1 hour ago

Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer

IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys have missed the playoffs the last three seasons. But that doesn’t mean confidence isn’t high around Valley Ranch.

Stephen Jones, the Cowboys’ vice president and director of player personnel, told reporters Thursday this team isn’t far off from the ultimate goal, despite two straight 8-8 seasons.

“We really feel like we have a team that can compete for a championship,” Jones said after the Cowboys’ wrapped up a three-day minicamp on Thursday. “The last three teams that won championships barely got into the playoffs and did something about it.”

Jones is referring to a Ravens team the Cowboys nearly beat earlier in the 2012 season, the 2011 Giants, a squad the Cowboys had on the ropes in an early December game, and the 2010 Packers, who entered the playoffs 10-6 as the sixth seed in the NFC.

Jones said the playing field is so leveled these days that just getting into the playoffs gives teams a legitimate chance to win. Obviously, the Cowboys were on the cusp the last two years, losing to the Giants and Redskins on the final week of the season, with a playoff berth and NFC East title on the line.

“You’re probably not being realistic if you don’t think things have changed in the last 10 years,” Jones said. “There’re probably a lot of people who feel they have a chance to win a championship based on the level playing field and how the cap has affected the game. We feel like we have an opportunity to compete for a championship.”

Last year, the Cowboys played the second half of the season with as many as six key defensive players either on injured reserve or out for a lengthy period of time because of injuries. Players such as Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, Jay Ratliff and Barry Church were sorely missed, along withOrlando Scandrick and Kenyon Coleman. The Cowboys also played the last few games with a less-than-healthy DeMarcus Ware, who had offseason shoulder surgery.

“I feel like the teams that won championships last year, we can compete with them and were right there competing with them maybe without a full deck,” Jones said. “We have confidence that this team will win a championship.”

To get there, changes have to be made and the Cowboys have had their fair share this offseason, starting with the play-callers.

On defense, Monte Kiffin takes over for Rob Ryan as the Cowboys switch to a 4-3 scheme. Offensively, Bill Callahan is expected to have a greater role in the game plan and could be calling most of the plays. Tony Romo, who signed a long-term contract, is also expected to have a greater voice in the pregame preparations.

Free agency didn’t provide a lot of new faces, although the Cowboys made sure to keepAnthony Spencer around, giving him the franchise tag for the second straight year.

The changes aren’t major, but could be just enough to get this team over the hump. And according to a key member of the front office, major changes aren’t exactly needed to get there.

 

[Cotton]

 

[junk]

The old "Let's cross our fingers and hope we squeak into the playoffs then get lucky and go all the way" strategy. Brilliant.

 

[Lotuseater]

If they had invested properly in their OL the past two offseasons, he'd be right.

I believe its possible as well. Then again, its also possible that the moon is hollow and full of reptiles.

 

[Smitty]

Then again, its also possible that the moon is hollow and full of reptiles.

I think that's actually NOT possible.

 

[Cujo]

God damn. He's just like his father.

 

[Lotuseater]

I think that's actually NOT possible.

Check again, cupcake. It's likely hollow or has large hollow areas. Like a giant hive kinda. It rang like a bell for like 12 hours when the lander hit it. That has been duplicated many times too.

I made up the reptilians though.

 

[Smitty]

Check again, cupcake. It's likely hollow or has large hollow areas. Like a giant hive kinda. It rang like a bell for like 12 hours when the lander hit it. That has been duplicated many times too.

I made up the reptilians though.

That's the part that I was really saying was not possible.

But as far as the moon being hollow, that's pretty much not true either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow_Moon

 

[Lotuseater]

That's the part that I was really saying was not possible.

But as far as the moon being hollow, that's pretty much not true either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow_Moon

There is a lot more to it than a friggin Wikipedia page.

 

[boozeman]

Schmitty is arguing that the moon isn't hollow.

 

[L.T. Fan]

Schmitty is arguing that the moon isn't hollow.

Wait! Don't use all the bullets. Others may want to join you.

 

[boozeman]

God damn. He's just like his father.

To anyone who has been paying attention that has been obvious for a while.

 

[mcnuttz]

I had so much hope for Stephen.

Now it's quite clear that even if/when Jerry dies it's going to be the same ol' deal.

 

[Smitty]

Schmitty is arguing that the moon isn't hollow.

Is that somehow worse than arguing that the moon IS hollow?

 

[boozeman]

Is that somehow worse than arguing that the moon IS hollow?

The point is you will argue anything....even the patently absurd.

Me: I think Obama is actually a reptilian overlord.

You: I am pretty sure that is not true.

 

[Carp]

 

[Simpleton]

My only hope for Stephen is that if (when) him taking over the role of his father doesn't work, he'll implement a more traditional football structure. He's a football idiot like his father but I don't think he's as egotistical or has a chip on his shoulder like Jerry does, he seems more pragmatic and likely to make a change instead of stubbornly digging his heels in.