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By Bob Sturm and Jon Machota 5h ago
Managing editor Or Moyal pitched an idea to us for this holiday week, something to occupy Cowboys fans’ attention before we shift our focus to the 2020 team. The premise is for the two of us to draft against each other, attempting to create the best all-time Cowboys team possible. The franchise’s rich history certainly presents some amazing choices, and that is the point. Could we both put together 53-man NFL rosters while paying attention to each position, drawing from the greatest players and coaches in team history, in hopes of designing one roster superior to the other? It sounded like fun, so we both jumped on the change of pace and the general idea. Here is Part One of the project. Check back all week as we expand on today’s introduction!
Bob: This project would really be fascinating with any franchise, but I assume the greater the franchise, the easier the process would be. I can’t imagine trying to find 100 Atlanta Falcons to split up, but with Dallas, we know it is much easier — at least at first. Imagine a franchise where we debate about whether Danny White, Dak Prescott or Don Meredith are even in the top five at their position! That seems so ridiculous — and it isn’t just at QB, of course. It is everywhere on this roster. Yes, the Cowboys have 60 seasons of rich history, but the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions (sorry, Jon) can’t come close to his. I am curious how we both decide to tackle this, since I assume we will both be able to build powerhouses stacked with quality as well as depth. Any initial thoughts on how you are thinking you might build?
Jon: At the beginning of the month, I decided to go through the history of the Cowboys and put together an all-time 53-man roster. So I completely agree with you, Bob, on just how incredibly loaded this franchise has been over the last 60 years. But I found that some positions were a little more top-heavy than others. To me, that included defensive tackle, linebacker and cornerback. With the goal being to build the best Cowboys football team across all eras, I wanted to focus on those three position groups. I was fine with either Roger Staubach or Troy Aikman. I was fine with either Emmitt Smith or Tony Dorsett. I was fine taking either Larry Allen or Rayfield Wright. I was OK with you drafting one of those players, but I was going to make sure I got the other if possible. My main strategy leaned towards building the defense, particularly in the front seven. I knew I could find offense a little later. What about you? What was your strategy going in?
Bob: We probably felt the same way on that general premise; there is no wrong answer on many spots. There were a few where the top talent was taken quickly, but in some cases, that seemed to match up with the less important positions on the field, so it is a bit of a contortion exercise.
Now, let’s discuss the general methodology we agreed upon: We wanted to attempt to normalize for era. That simply means that while I do believe that the 1966 Cowboys would lose to the 2019 Cowboys by 28, we aren’t going to attempt to figure out how the advances of the human species have impacted the discussion. Elite players in 1965 and elite players in 2015 are equal for this exercise. Great is great across all eras. I know it is also a projection, but for the purposes of this exercise, we won’t try to say that Michael Gallup is clearly better than Bob Hayes. Agreed? What else did we discuss?
Jon: Agreed. One of my favorite things about this project was how it started as only being starting lineups, then it included a few bench players and then we finally decided to draft an entire 53-man roster and three coaches. The coaching staff was particularly interesting because it was set up as a head coach, defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator. The head coach obviously had to be one of the Cowboys’ former head coaches, but the two coordinators could be a former assistant or head coach, whatever their area of expertise. We did a random drawing, which Bob won, to decide the first pick. I would then get back-to-back picks at the end of the first round and to start the second round. The rest of the draft was structured like a typical fantasy football snake draft, if you had only two participants in the league. Am I leaving anything out?
Bob: One last thing: We decided the way to rate each player was on his peak NFL season. This, of course, paints guys like Sean Lee or Herschel Walker in the most favorable light despite not having great longevity with injuries, but this is our hypothetical, so we might as well go all the way. So we are rating our players free from trying to penalize for era and also not docking anyone for a short prime. With that in mind, I think perhaps in this first place, Jon, we can take people through the top 10 picks of the draft. In the days to come, each of us can walk through our rosters and what we perceive our strengths and weaknesses to be when game day comes around. Why don’t you briefly analyze my decision at No. 1 overall and we can take it from there.
TOP 10
1.1 (Bob) Larry Allen, Guard
JON: I was interested to see who you had in mind here. I thought you might pick Bob Lilly, Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman or Emmitt Smith. But I can’t criticize your decision. You start off with the best offensive lineman in franchise history, and that’s saying something. And it got me to thinking about how, although it’s only one pick, this could determine the direction of each team. Somewhat similar to Jason Garrett and Co. drafting Tyron Smith No. 9 overall over J.J. Watt in 2011. An offensive-minded coach decides to build his offensive line. A defensive-minded coach might have taken Watt and built around the D-line.
Photo of Larry Allen: Sporting News via Getty Images
1.2 (Jon) Bob Lilly, DT
BOB: To be fair, I didn’t love taking Larry Allen first overall because I believe the premium spots in a draft go higher, but I think we have to adjust for a normal draft allowing you one pick every 32 selections. Here, I get another pick at No. 3, so I took the rarest player I could find in Larry Allen. Now, I sort of thought you would go with someone who would touch the ball, but you come back with Mr. Cowboy himself, Bob Lilly. This is who I was taking third if you did go elsewhere, so I have no disagreement here. Lilly is probably a marginally better player than Randy White, so I liked your decision. He is a legend and a difference-maker.
1.3 (Bob) Deion Sanders, CB
JON: After taking Lilly, all I was thinking about was Randy White and the possibility of getting those two together. When you took Sanders, I was happy for a second because I knew I’d get White, but then I realized you had one of the top two corners, a position I considered thin after the top two. This pick makes a lot of sense. He’s one of the most dominant defenders to ever play the game. This also told me that you might not be focusing on offense alone early on, instead going for overall balance.
1.4 (Jon) Randy White, DT
BOB: Well, since this is not us against the rest of the league, but rather against each other, this pick would go on to affect my future thought process. I entered the draft thinking I would modernize things and get one of the two best arms and throw the ball 40 times a game. When you took DT and DT with your first two picks, adding two Hall of Fame tackles who lived in the backfield, I altered my general view toward needing a great offensive line. Manster and Lilly together? Geez. I have to worry about that, I think. I was counting on my worthy adversary going elsewhere – not doubling up!
Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
1.5 (Bob) Emmitt Smith, RB
JON: I figured this pick was coming soon. It’s tough to beat the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he was picked first overall. Now I find myself dealing with Smith running behind a line that already includes Larry Allen. This made me think I probably need to pull the trigger on Tony Dorsett pretty soon. I mean, Bob wouldn’t draft both of them back to back, right?
1.6 (Jon) Lee Roy Jordan, LB
BOB: This one shocked the heck out of me, Jon. I honestly did not have Jordan in my top 15. I respect his career, but I do think that given his position and his general standing in the pantheon of league legends, this felt like a bit of a reach. That said, I am not the jury here, and you may know more about his impact to your side than I do. But this pick, with so many Pro Football Hall of Famers available, shocked me a bit. You got your guy, though!
1.7 (Bob) Mel Renfro, CB
JON: I probably should have picked Renfro with my previous pick. After getting White and Lilly, I was set on adding Jordan and Chuck Howley because I knew there was a significant drop-off at the position after those top two linebackers. Had there been other options I thought were on their level, I certainly would not have taken Jordan as soon as I did. Knowing now that you didn’t think as highly of them, I’m thinking about how crazy my defense could have been with Jordan, Howley and Renfro!
1.8 (Jon) Chuck Howley, LB
BOB: Wow, Jon really went DT, DT, LB, LB. He just wants to turn the screws on my offense. Will it work if I roll out 11 personnel and try to stretch him right off the field? I guess we are about to find out. I think Howley is the best LB in Cowboys history and certainly can help in coverage, as well as keeping up with someone like Emmitt. He was the rare Cowboy to be a 1st Team All-Pro five times in a row! That list must be very short. Nothing wrong with this pick, but you might need some offense eventually.
1.9 (Bob) Michael Irvin, WR
JON: I figured if I kept drafting defense, Bob was going to continue loading up on offense. And he did. Another great pick; the best wide receiver in Cowboys history. But that wasn’t going to change my plan. I was committed at this point. I knew there would still be elite offensive players available in the next round.
1.10 (Jon) Darren Woodson, S
BOB: You are staying on brand. I assume Woodson is probably in the mix for best safety available, but at this point, I am thinking that you have no corners and I am going to be passing the ball against a defense that can stop the run. I love Woody, so this is more of a conceptual disagreement, but as they say, styles make fights and we will have two very different, contrasting styles.
JON: At this point, I feel great about my defense. I’m fine with not addressing the offense yet because I know there’s still plenty of talent out there. My corners aren’t going to be as good as Bob’s, but I know there are still playmakers available on the back end. And I feel great about how much better my defensive tackles and linebackers are than whatever he will be able to land with the players remaining.
BOB: I think it is hilarious that we have totally avoided quarterbacks to this point — because there is no shortage whatsoever and no clear advantage for taking one before the next. I love my first five selections, but the roster is 53 deep where we will probably be able to find an advantage over our opponent. Jon, I wish you luck. I think you are going to need it!
NEXT: Jon reveals his full 53-man roster and game-plan thoughts tomorrow!
Managing editor Or Moyal pitched an idea to us for this holiday week, something to occupy Cowboys fans’ attention before we shift our focus to the 2020 team. The premise is for the two of us to draft against each other, attempting to create the best all-time Cowboys team possible. The franchise’s rich history certainly presents some amazing choices, and that is the point. Could we both put together 53-man NFL rosters while paying attention to each position, drawing from the greatest players and coaches in team history, in hopes of designing one roster superior to the other? It sounded like fun, so we both jumped on the change of pace and the general idea. Here is Part One of the project. Check back all week as we expand on today’s introduction!
Bob: This project would really be fascinating with any franchise, but I assume the greater the franchise, the easier the process would be. I can’t imagine trying to find 100 Atlanta Falcons to split up, but with Dallas, we know it is much easier — at least at first. Imagine a franchise where we debate about whether Danny White, Dak Prescott or Don Meredith are even in the top five at their position! That seems so ridiculous — and it isn’t just at QB, of course. It is everywhere on this roster. Yes, the Cowboys have 60 seasons of rich history, but the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions (sorry, Jon) can’t come close to his. I am curious how we both decide to tackle this, since I assume we will both be able to build powerhouses stacked with quality as well as depth. Any initial thoughts on how you are thinking you might build?
Jon: At the beginning of the month, I decided to go through the history of the Cowboys and put together an all-time 53-man roster. So I completely agree with you, Bob, on just how incredibly loaded this franchise has been over the last 60 years. But I found that some positions were a little more top-heavy than others. To me, that included defensive tackle, linebacker and cornerback. With the goal being to build the best Cowboys football team across all eras, I wanted to focus on those three position groups. I was fine with either Roger Staubach or Troy Aikman. I was fine with either Emmitt Smith or Tony Dorsett. I was fine taking either Larry Allen or Rayfield Wright. I was OK with you drafting one of those players, but I was going to make sure I got the other if possible. My main strategy leaned towards building the defense, particularly in the front seven. I knew I could find offense a little later. What about you? What was your strategy going in?
Bob: We probably felt the same way on that general premise; there is no wrong answer on many spots. There were a few where the top talent was taken quickly, but in some cases, that seemed to match up with the less important positions on the field, so it is a bit of a contortion exercise.
Now, let’s discuss the general methodology we agreed upon: We wanted to attempt to normalize for era. That simply means that while I do believe that the 1966 Cowboys would lose to the 2019 Cowboys by 28, we aren’t going to attempt to figure out how the advances of the human species have impacted the discussion. Elite players in 1965 and elite players in 2015 are equal for this exercise. Great is great across all eras. I know it is also a projection, but for the purposes of this exercise, we won’t try to say that Michael Gallup is clearly better than Bob Hayes. Agreed? What else did we discuss?
Jon: Agreed. One of my favorite things about this project was how it started as only being starting lineups, then it included a few bench players and then we finally decided to draft an entire 53-man roster and three coaches. The coaching staff was particularly interesting because it was set up as a head coach, defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator. The head coach obviously had to be one of the Cowboys’ former head coaches, but the two coordinators could be a former assistant or head coach, whatever their area of expertise. We did a random drawing, which Bob won, to decide the first pick. I would then get back-to-back picks at the end of the first round and to start the second round. The rest of the draft was structured like a typical fantasy football snake draft, if you had only two participants in the league. Am I leaving anything out?
Bob: One last thing: We decided the way to rate each player was on his peak NFL season. This, of course, paints guys like Sean Lee or Herschel Walker in the most favorable light despite not having great longevity with injuries, but this is our hypothetical, so we might as well go all the way. So we are rating our players free from trying to penalize for era and also not docking anyone for a short prime. With that in mind, I think perhaps in this first place, Jon, we can take people through the top 10 picks of the draft. In the days to come, each of us can walk through our rosters and what we perceive our strengths and weaknesses to be when game day comes around. Why don’t you briefly analyze my decision at No. 1 overall and we can take it from there.
TOP 10
1.1 (Bob) Larry Allen, Guard
JON: I was interested to see who you had in mind here. I thought you might pick Bob Lilly, Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman or Emmitt Smith. But I can’t criticize your decision. You start off with the best offensive lineman in franchise history, and that’s saying something. And it got me to thinking about how, although it’s only one pick, this could determine the direction of each team. Somewhat similar to Jason Garrett and Co. drafting Tyron Smith No. 9 overall over J.J. Watt in 2011. An offensive-minded coach decides to build his offensive line. A defensive-minded coach might have taken Watt and built around the D-line.
Photo of Larry Allen: Sporting News via Getty Images
1.2 (Jon) Bob Lilly, DT
BOB: To be fair, I didn’t love taking Larry Allen first overall because I believe the premium spots in a draft go higher, but I think we have to adjust for a normal draft allowing you one pick every 32 selections. Here, I get another pick at No. 3, so I took the rarest player I could find in Larry Allen. Now, I sort of thought you would go with someone who would touch the ball, but you come back with Mr. Cowboy himself, Bob Lilly. This is who I was taking third if you did go elsewhere, so I have no disagreement here. Lilly is probably a marginally better player than Randy White, so I liked your decision. He is a legend and a difference-maker.
1.3 (Bob) Deion Sanders, CB
JON: After taking Lilly, all I was thinking about was Randy White and the possibility of getting those two together. When you took Sanders, I was happy for a second because I knew I’d get White, but then I realized you had one of the top two corners, a position I considered thin after the top two. This pick makes a lot of sense. He’s one of the most dominant defenders to ever play the game. This also told me that you might not be focusing on offense alone early on, instead going for overall balance.
1.4 (Jon) Randy White, DT
BOB: Well, since this is not us against the rest of the league, but rather against each other, this pick would go on to affect my future thought process. I entered the draft thinking I would modernize things and get one of the two best arms and throw the ball 40 times a game. When you took DT and DT with your first two picks, adding two Hall of Fame tackles who lived in the backfield, I altered my general view toward needing a great offensive line. Manster and Lilly together? Geez. I have to worry about that, I think. I was counting on my worthy adversary going elsewhere – not doubling up!
Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
1.5 (Bob) Emmitt Smith, RB
JON: I figured this pick was coming soon. It’s tough to beat the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he was picked first overall. Now I find myself dealing with Smith running behind a line that already includes Larry Allen. This made me think I probably need to pull the trigger on Tony Dorsett pretty soon. I mean, Bob wouldn’t draft both of them back to back, right?
1.6 (Jon) Lee Roy Jordan, LB
BOB: This one shocked the heck out of me, Jon. I honestly did not have Jordan in my top 15. I respect his career, but I do think that given his position and his general standing in the pantheon of league legends, this felt like a bit of a reach. That said, I am not the jury here, and you may know more about his impact to your side than I do. But this pick, with so many Pro Football Hall of Famers available, shocked me a bit. You got your guy, though!
1.7 (Bob) Mel Renfro, CB
JON: I probably should have picked Renfro with my previous pick. After getting White and Lilly, I was set on adding Jordan and Chuck Howley because I knew there was a significant drop-off at the position after those top two linebackers. Had there been other options I thought were on their level, I certainly would not have taken Jordan as soon as I did. Knowing now that you didn’t think as highly of them, I’m thinking about how crazy my defense could have been with Jordan, Howley and Renfro!
1.8 (Jon) Chuck Howley, LB
BOB: Wow, Jon really went DT, DT, LB, LB. He just wants to turn the screws on my offense. Will it work if I roll out 11 personnel and try to stretch him right off the field? I guess we are about to find out. I think Howley is the best LB in Cowboys history and certainly can help in coverage, as well as keeping up with someone like Emmitt. He was the rare Cowboy to be a 1st Team All-Pro five times in a row! That list must be very short. Nothing wrong with this pick, but you might need some offense eventually.
1.9 (Bob) Michael Irvin, WR
JON: I figured if I kept drafting defense, Bob was going to continue loading up on offense. And he did. Another great pick; the best wide receiver in Cowboys history. But that wasn’t going to change my plan. I was committed at this point. I knew there would still be elite offensive players available in the next round.
1.10 (Jon) Darren Woodson, S
BOB: You are staying on brand. I assume Woodson is probably in the mix for best safety available, but at this point, I am thinking that you have no corners and I am going to be passing the ball against a defense that can stop the run. I love Woody, so this is more of a conceptual disagreement, but as they say, styles make fights and we will have two very different, contrasting styles.
JON: At this point, I feel great about my defense. I’m fine with not addressing the offense yet because I know there’s still plenty of talent out there. My corners aren’t going to be as good as Bob’s, but I know there are still playmakers available on the back end. And I feel great about how much better my defensive tackles and linebackers are than whatever he will be able to land with the players remaining.
BOB: I think it is hilarious that we have totally avoided quarterbacks to this point — because there is no shortage whatsoever and no clear advantage for taking one before the next. I love my first five selections, but the roster is 53 deep where we will probably be able to find an advantage over our opponent. Jon, I wish you luck. I think you are going to need it!
NEXT: Jon reveals his full 53-man roster and game-plan thoughts tomorrow!