Archer: Comparing Cowboys, Pats take on QBs

boozeman

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Comparing Cowboys, Pats take on QBs

May, 26, 2014


By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com


IRVING, Texas -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was one of Peter King’s subjects in his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback column, and there are a couple of nuggets worth relating to the Dallas Cowboys.


The Patriots took quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the draft's second round and he is viewed as Brady's successor. Brady turns 37 in training camp and has been the starter since early in the 2001 season.

I’m sure Ryan Mallett was viewed by some as Brady’s potential successor when New England took him in the third round in 2011, but he has played little as he enters a contract year.

“I had a pretty good idea we’d take a quarterback,” Brady told King. “Coach Belichick doesn't care who the quarterback is here. He’s always going to play the guy who he thinks gives him the best chance to win. It’s not my role to choose players here, thankfully. And this is not the first time they’ve taken another quarterback either. There’s no entitlement in the NFL. I don’t expect to be given anything. I just hope I’m the one most entitled to play that position for a long time here.”

It was different from how the Cowboys worked.

The Cowboys had a chance to select Johnny Manziel in the draft's first round on May 8 but passed in part because they knew the type of circus the aura of Johnny Football would bring once Tony Romo has a poor throw/series/quarter/half/game/month.

The Cowboys even informed Romo before the draft they would not take Manziel.


The Cowboys also have a sizable investment in Romo with the six-year, $108 million extension he signed last year. They ended up passing on quarterbacks altogether in the draft. Part of their reasoning is their belief in Romo and part of it is they don’t want to develop a quarterback for another team.

The Cowboys’ thinking on not picking Manziel was not incorrect. It had the opportunity to be a big distraction made even bigger because of the national attention the Cowboys receive. Roger Staubach saw the potential pitfalls of a Manziel/Cowboys marriage and suggested a quarterback controversy can tear a team apart.

The other quote from Brady that stood out had to do with his offseason work.

“Sometimes we’ll be watching tape and [offensive coordinator] Josh McDaniels will say to me, 'What happened on that play?' And I’ll say, ‘I missed it. I just missed it.' Throwing a football is a very, very tough to thing to do consistently well. Other sports too. You think when LeBron tries a three-pointer he’s aiming for the back of the rim, hopes he hits the back of the rim? Of course not. On an approach shot in golf, are you trying to miss by four feet? No -- you want to get it in, or within two inches. That’s why, to me, it’s so important to work in the offseason perfecting mechanics. Say you’re off 1 percent on your mechanics of throwing in one week, and you don’t fix it. Over four weeks, if you keep going, that’s 4 percent that you’re off. And you say, ‘Why am I not throwing the ball as crisply as I need to? I was the 199th pick in the draft for a reason. I need to maximize my efficiency, my mechanics and my reps to be sure I stay on top of my game.”

In talking to Romo last week, he referenced the importance of working in the offseason. Last year he could not take part in the organized team activities or the minicamp because of surgery to remove a cyst from his back. While his final 2013 stats -- 31 touchdowns, 10 interceptions in 15 starts -- look really good, Romo did not have the same freedom of movement that he had in previous years. His 7.2 yards per attempt were a career low (the previous low had been 7.6).

Was that a product of missing the offseason? Perhaps.

Romo said he is close to 100 percent and will take part in the OTAs, which start Tuesday, and June minicamp, but be on a “pitch count.” He likes the offseason because he can tinker with his mechanics to speed up his delivery or footwork. He also has his third different playcaller in as many years in Scott Linehan.

There is a difference between watching and doing when you are learning new things. Last year he had to watch. Now he can do.

"It's amazing how much you can improve in an offseason as an athlete, a football player, a quarterback," Romo said last week. "I think one of the great joys is attacking your craft and being a better player than when you left. This offseason has started off that way."
 

jsmith6919

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It shows how dysfunctional an organization we are that Romo's feelings were given a thought at all
 

L.T. Fan

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I would have loved for Dallas to pick up a viable QB candidate this draft but I am glad they didn't opt for Manzeil.
 

boozeman

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He likes the offseason because he can tinker with his mechanics to speed up his delivery or footwork.
Oh goody. Maybe this is the year he does that one magical thing that takes him up to the next level.
 

Bob Roberts

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Jerry thought as long as we had a broken down Aikman we could still win, so there's no telling how long he will ride that Romo horse
 

Cotton

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Jerry thought as long as we had a broken down Aikman we could still win, so there's no telling how long he will ride that Romo horse
Aikman's last contract was a killer. We were tied to him just like we are Romo now. In short, yeah, I agree.
 

Carp

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I'm just glad that McCarron is not sitting on the sidelines as the heir apparent.
 

Stars

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part of it is they don’t want to develop a quarterback for another team.
I'm going to keep pointing this out every time I see it in an article. This is literally the dumbest management strategy I've ever heard of. Do you know what happens when you are afraid to develop a quarterback for another team? You also don't have a chance to develop one for your own team. So then when Romo finally can't play anymore because his fucking spine exploded, you get to spend another decade or longer looking for a quarterback that's worthy of being a starter.

I just don't understand the logic at all. Hell I've seen kids manage their Madden franchises more efficiently.
 

1bigfan13

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I'm going to keep pointing this out every time I see it in an article. This is literally the dumbest management strategy I've ever heard of. Do you know what happens when you are afraid to develop a quarterback for another team? You also don't have a chance to develop one for your own team. So then when Romo finally can't play anymore because his fucking spine exploded, you get to spend another decade or longer looking for a quarterback that's worthy of being a starter.

I just don't understand the logic at all. Hell I've seen kids manage their Madden franchises more efficiently.
It's an idiotic stance to take on the QB position.

The general rule of thumb with high-priced NFL players is that it's better to get rid of them a year early than a year too late. The Cowboys' policy on developing QBs ensures they'll be holding on to a broken down, ineffective QB longer than they should.
 

hstour

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It's an idiotic stance to take on the QB position.

The general rule of thumb with high-priced NFL players is that it's better to get rid of them a year early than a year too late. The Cowboys' policy on developing QBs ensures they'll be holding on to a broken down, ineffective QB longer than they should.
I don't see where it "ensures" it.

There is still time to find a QB and I like the fact that they didn't do it this year. They would have spent a 5th-7th round pick. Not much chance in that panning out. Brady's don't come around often. Next year you spend a 2nd-4th, depending on who falls where. If that fails, then you spend a 1st-2nd on a QB in 2016. Cutting Romo after the 2015 season gets you $8.5M of cap space.

That being said, his contract has to become off limits for re-structuring, like they did with Carr this year.
 

Cotton

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I don't see where it "ensures" it.

There is still time to find a QB and I like the fact that they didn't do it this year. They would have spent a 5th-7th round pick. Not much chance in that panning out. Brady's don't come around often. Next year you spend a 2nd-4th, depending on who falls where. If that fails, then you spend a 1st-2nd on a QB in 2016. Cutting Romo after the 2015 season gets you $8.5M of cap space.

That being said, his contract has to become off limits for re-structuring, like they did with Carr this year.
Who says they won't take this same mentality into next year's draft?
 

ravidubey

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I'm going to keep pointing this out every time I see it in an article. This is literally the dumbest management strategy I've ever heard of. Do you know what happens when you are afraid to develop a quarterback for another team? You also don't have a chance to develop one for your own team. So then when Romo finally can't play anymore because his fucking spine exploded, you get to spend another decade or longer looking for a quarterback that's worthy of being a starter.

I just don't understand the logic at all. Hell I've seen kids manage their Madden franchises more efficiently.
It's an idiotic stance to take on the QB position.

The general rule of thumb with high-priced NFL players is that it's better to get rid of them a year early than a year too late. The Cowboys' policy on developing QBs ensures they'll be holding on to a broken down, ineffective QB longer than they should.
It rarely gets done at the QB position anymore. It's a fiction, just like Madden.

Last time I saw it work was Aaron Rodgers-- and he waited four full seasons before getting to start. That was a fluke-- no franchise has that kind of patience and if you could have told the Packers they'd have to wait four years before Rodgers started they'd never have drafted him. Who knows how many playoff runs from 2005-2008 would have been boosted with a 1st round pick who actually contributed?

Philadelphia fucked around for years with Kolb and Vick before landing Cole to (maybe) replace Donovan McNabb. SF flat out drafted Kaepernick to replace Alex Smith because Smith sucks.

More than likely you have a Peyton Manning get hurt, tank, then draft his replacement.

When it comes to the QB position, there's no way around getting worse before you get better.
 

Cotton

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It rarely gets done at the QB position anymore. It's a fiction, just like Madden.

Last time I saw it work was Aaron Rodgers-- and he waited four full seasons before getting to start. That was a fluke-- no franchise has that kind of patience and if you could have told the Packers they'd have to wait four years before Rodgers started they'd never have drafted him. Who knows how many playoff runs from 2005-2008 would have been boosted with a 1st round pick who actually contributed?

Philadelphia fucked around for years with Kolb and Vick before landing Cole to (maybe) replace Donovan McNabb. SF flat out drafted Kaepernick to replace Alex Smith because Smith sucks.

More than likely you have a Peyton Manning get hurt, tank, then draft his replacement.

When it comes to the QB position, there's no way around getting worse before you get better.
So, it happened just a few years ago. So noted.
 

Cotton

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Once. Among 32 teams times 10 seasons worth of rosters since then. Great odds...
And, if it's a 5th-7th it's worth the chance it could work if the right player is there.
 

L.T. Fan

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Who says they won't take this same mentality into next year's draft?
Depends on Romo. If he survives the season and has a good year QB will probably not be a priority with Jones.
 

Cotton

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Depends on Romo. If he survives the season and has a good year QB will probably not be a priority with Jones.
Which is dumb, and is my point of this ongoing debate.
 

L.T. Fan

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Which is dumb, and is my point of this ongoing debate.
Don't disagree but the team is married to Romo as long as he is upright and functional. If things remain status quo look for activity in two years.
 
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