Mac "White Flag" Engel: Pay Dez Because Everyone Else Sucks

bbgun

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Dez should not take a pay cut. Who else are the Cowboys going to throw to?


By Mac Engel
tengel@star-telegram.com
March 10, 2018 10:19 AM


When the Sheriff Stephen Jones leads the Dallas Cowboys into trying to guilt, and or bully, Dez Bryant into a pay cut, he needs to think about an old teammate first.

No, not DeMarcus Ware. Not Doug Free.

Dez, before you have your meeting about taking that pay cut, think about Brandon Carr.

In March 2012, the Cowboys signed the free agent Carr to a five-year, $50.1 million deal. Three years later, the Cowboys wanted a do-over.

The Cowboys had successfully re-negotiated to lower the contract figures for Ware and Free, so doing the same with Carr should not have been hard.

Carr is a good guy, and he knew he was overpaid. He also knew it's not about what you're worth, but what you can get.

In the spring of 2015, Carr knew what everyone else did: He might have been overpaid, but there was no one else behind him on the depth chart. He had leverage.

The Cowboys liked Carr, and Carr liked the Cowboys. The Cowboys just didn't like Carr at that number. But that was not Carr's problem.

When the Cowboys approached Carr that spring to reduce his $8 million base salary, the man did not blink. He dared the tough-talking Cowboys to cut him.

The Cowboys blinked, and Carr remained on the team at his contracted figure for 2015. The following year, the Cowboys again approached Carr about accepting a pay cut. Then he knew it was time. He agreed to lower the figure.

Not long after the Cowboys asked Carr to take his cut, in the summer of 2015, the Cowboys signed Bryant to a five-year, $70 million extension. Three years later, the Cowboys want a do-over on that deal, too.

Led by Sheriff Stephen and deputy coach Jason Garrett, the Cowboys are talking tough with the man whose production has dropped in three consecutive seasons, yet he still is their best wide receiver.

Led by Stephen, the Cowboys have embraced the philosophy of not paying age, of avoiding high-price free agents, and getting tough on under-performing players. The doctrine embraced by the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots is solid, provided there are better, cheaper options available.

Meanwhile, Jerry Jones said at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis that he wants Dez on the team. Of course, Jerry will always say that he "reserves the right to change my mind."

Dez, it's not your problem your team does not like you at $12.5 mil. This is one of those 50/50 balls you are so good at catching, so go get it.

At $12.5 million due in 2018, Dez is overpaid but, like Carr in 2015, there is no one else behind him on this team, or elsewhere.

There are no guarantees in free agency, and none as a rookie in 2018.

You want Terrance Williams as your No. 1? The Cowboys tried that in 2015 and the results were terrible. Do you want Cole Beasley as your No. 1?

Antonio Brown ain't coming to town, either.

The Miami Dolphins are reportedly dealing Jarvis Landry to the Cleveland Browns for a pair of draft picks, so that option is gone. If it ever was an option.

The draft? The learning curve for rookie wide receivers is such that no team, with few exceptions, can plan for that player to be a top-end threat in his first season.

Trades? Don't plan on it.

Free agency? The Cowboys have intentionally avoided the high-end neighborhood of free agency since the Carr contract.

Jacksonville wide receiver Allen Robinson, 24, is the type of player who could appeal to Stephen's conservative preference on free agents.

And Robinson could be better than Dez Bryant. Focus on "could."

Between 2015 and '16 combined, Robinson had 153 receptions for nearly 2,300 yards and 20 touchdowns. But he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in Week 1 of the '17 season, and now his Buyer Beware status should reduce his asking price.

Are any of these types of options better than Dez?

The Cowboys' passing game was awful in 2017, and Dez must accept part of the blame. He can whine and cry about it, but as his team's designated go-to, big-cash receiver, he was a thunderous dud of ish.

His production has been off for three consecutive years, and that can't all be because his relationship with Dak Prescott isn't as chummy as it was with Tony Romo.

Dez is getting older, and he's not winning one-on-one routes as often as his quarterback needs.

He was never the best route runner in the league, but can still go get it. He was never the type of receiver who was going to age as well as a Larry Fitzgerald.

Dez is not a bum, and he's not worth $12.5 million. But like Brandon Carr in 2015, that's not Dez's problem.
 

BipolarFuk

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Would it be too much to ask to get Robinson here on a deal like the Eagles did with Jeffery?

We're not that good or lucky I guess.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Would it be too much to ask to get Robinson here on a deal like the Eagles did with Jeffery?

We're not that good or lucky I guess.
Why do that when you can just have Dez count 17 mil against your cap and get your 800 yards?
 

bbgun

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The Fins got rid of Landry, age 25 and one of the best slot receivers in the game, yet we just have to retain Dez? If they can survive, why can't we?
 

ravidubey

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Exactly what I’ve been saying. Dez ain’t going anywhere and isn’t taking a paycut.

This front office is incapable of replacing him.

And don’t give me BS stats like “we’d only be replacing 800 yards”. It’s never that simple.
 

Cujo

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I don't give a tin shit if there's no one behind him and I damn sure wouldn't let him punk me out. This is the part that gets me:


Dez, it's not your problem your team does not like you at $12.5 mil. This is one of those 50/50 balls you are so good at catching, so go get it.

Fuck that. It is his problem because he's not living up to his end of the deal. What a liberal douche thing to say. If Dez dared me to cut him, I'd do it immediately.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I don't give a tin shit if there's no one behind him and I damn sure wouldn't let him punk me out. This is the part that gets me:


Dez, it's not your problem your team does not like you at $12.5 mil. This is one of those 50/50 balls you are so good at catching, so go get it.

Fuck that. It is his problem because he's not living up to his end of the deal. What a liberal douche thing to say. If Dez dared me to cut him, I'd do it immediately.
There are WRs to be had. You can't be deathly afraid to replace one guy for another. It might be different if Dez was highly productive. But he isn't. Which should make the decision easy.
 

UncleMilti

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I seem to remember the offense being pretty good when Dez was out with his foot injury.
Draft a couple WRs, send Dez packing. He simply isn’t worth 12 million per year.
 

Cujo

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I seem to remember the offense being pretty good when Dez was out with his foot injury.
Draft a couple WRs, send Dez packing. He simply isn’t worth 12 million per year.
Exactly.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I seem to remember the offense being pretty good when Dez was out with his foot injury.
Draft a couple WRs, send Dez packing. He simply isn’t worth 12 million per year.
Absolutely correct. I think some people just have such an emotional connection to Dez it's hard to see past.
 

Cotton

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I seem to remember the offense being pretty good when Dez was out with his foot injury.
Draft a couple WRs, send Dez packing. He simply isn’t worth 12 million per year.
Like I have said many times, Dez is holding this offense back. The offense has been so glaringly better when he isn't on the field, I'm not sure how anyone can argue against him being gone.
 

deadrise

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I don't give a tin shit if there's no one behind him and I damn sure wouldn't let him punk me out. This is the part that gets me:


Dez, it's not your problem your team does not like you at $12.5 mil. This is one of those 50/50 balls you are so good at catching, so go get it.

Fuck that. It is his problem because he's not living up to his end of the deal. What a liberal douche thing to say. If Dez dared me to cut him, I'd do it immediately.

What the hell does liberal have to do with it? That's a conservative douche thing to day. It's just business -- that's all. Totally nonpartisan and neutral. It's a question of who's got the leverage. As of now, it's not Bryant's problem that he's not worth $12.5 mil. A deal's a deal. I got a contract. Pay me. Tough shit.

If Jerry doesn't like the deal, he's got remedies. He can cut Dez. That's his leverage. But Mac is right in that as of now, there's nobody better on the roster. That's Bryant's leverage. But with some FAs or draft picks that could change -- not likely but maybe.

But here's the leverage Bryant really has. Jerry is scared shitless that if he cuts Dez and takes the cap hit, Dez might wind up with another team with actual coaches and an innovative scheme and do really well. And that makes Jerry look stupid.

Or, if Jerry's half-wit coach, with his ho-hum offense, guides the team to another mediocre season, Jerry will get blamed for getting rid of Bryant.

Some other teams shed players and don't look back. Jerry will want it both ways. He'll want Dez to take less money and stay with team. Dez says, sorry. I got a contract. Pay me or cut me.
 

UncleMilti

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But here's the leverage Bryant really has. Jerry is scared shitless that if he cuts Dez and takes the cap hit, Dez might wind up with another team with actual coaches and an innovative scheme and do really well. And that makes Jerry look stupid.
Unfortunately for Jerry that happened years ago and continues to happen. Most guys that leave end up looking like All Stars when they get to their new teams void of dysfunction at the FO level. Getting to play for coaches that understand how to use their abilities as a player also helps too.
 

ravidubey

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I seem to remember the offense being pretty good when Dez was out with his foot injury.
Draft a couple WRs, send Dez packing. He simply isn’t worth 12 million per year.
In 2015? Uhhh, no. That offense was terrible.

The three games he missed in 2016:
- Cincy and the 49ers, two teams that finished 6-9-1 and dead last in the NFL.
- Green Bay where we had a couple of miracle plays Like Lucky's break and run followed by Dak's deepest pass of the game when the CB fell down.

Besides in 2016, everything went right for this team. Perfect OL and RB play plus a string of average opponents.

The next Green Bay game was in the playoffs, and Dez was the one to get the offense going after a sputtering first half.

He simply isn’t worth 12 million per year.
I agree his production last year doesn't justify that salary, but there are few better options.

If there are specific options, no one on this board has listed them besides "Draft a couple"-- we can do that and keep Dez.

Absolutely correct. I think some people just have such an emotional connection to Dez it's hard to see past.
It's exactly the opposite. If you read the posts, the emotional reactionis from those trying to dump him. They are fed up with the offense and looking for someone to blame.

Folks are reaching for stats and pointing to his sideline screaming, which is completely irrelevant other than it keeps getting caught on camera.
 

Genghis Khan

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Like I have said many times, Dez is holding this offense back. The offense has been so glaringly better when he isn't on the field, I'm not sure how anyone can argue against him being gone.
Do we have numbers to that effect? I remember the offense wasn't particularly worse, but I don't remember the offense being glaringly better.
 

ravidubey

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Do we have numbers to that effect? I remember the offense wasn't particularly worse, but I don't remember the offense being glaringly better.
People are too emotional to actually bring up relevant information. It's all general terms.

Dez is holding the offense back, because it's too scary to blame the QB or coaches.
 

Cowboysrock55

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People are too emotional to actually bring up relevant information. It's all general terms.

Dez is holding the offense back, because it's too scary to blame the QB or coaches.
:lol

Every stat shows we are far worse when throwing to Dez than anyone else. I think you're confused on whose eyes are shut. Imaging that it's still 2014 and Dez is in his prime is the epitome of closing your eyes to the truth.
 

Cotton

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People are too emotional to actually bring up relevant information. It's all general terms.

Dez is holding the offense back, because it's too scary to blame the QB or coaches.
Don’t think for a minute that I don’t blame that dickhead robot for some of the reason our offense sucks. He is a major part of the blame. But, so is Dez. You can’t seem to recognize both parts of the blame. I can.
 

bbgun

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The next Green Bay game was in the playoffs, and Dez was the one to get the offense going after a sputtering first half.
Thanks to an injury-riddled GB secondary that got scorched again in Atlanta the following week. Michael Irvin won the majority of his match-ups with an elite corner like Green, whereas Jenkins and Norman make Dez invisible.
 

Genghis Khan

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In 2015? Uhhh, no. That offense was terrible.

The three games he missed in 2016:
- Cincy and the 49ers, two teams that finished 6-9-1 and dead last in the NFL.
- Green Bay where we had a couple of miracle plays Like Lucky's break and run followed by Dak's deepest pass of the game when the CB fell down.

Besides in 2016, everything went right for this team. Perfect OL and RB play plus a string of average opponents.

The next Green Bay game was in the playoffs, and Dez was the one to get the offense going after a sputtering first half.



I agree his production last year doesn't justify that salary, but there are few better options.

If there are specific options, no one on this board has listed them besides "Draft a couple"-- we can do that and keep Dez.



It's exactly the opposite. If you read the posts, the emotional reactionis from those trying to dump him. They are fed up with the offense and looking for someone to blame.

Folks are reaching for stats and pointing to his sideline screaming, which is completely irrelevant other than it keeps getting caught on camera.
Yep, yep and yep.

I mean, who the hell has an emotional connection to Dez? Certainly no one here for the most part.

The emotions mostly seem to be coming from the"dump him" side.

Personally, I'm looking at this logically. If we were presented with the opportunity to replace him with a roughly equivalent caliber player who is younger and/or cheaper, I'm all for it.

But this emotional outburst narrative that claims that he is lazy, slow, and can't get separation is simply false. He's certainly flawed but he can still make plays and he still draws coverage, and he can still be pretty productive if the QB connects with him.

The money argument is the best argument against keeping him, but someone would have to convince me that we'd use that money savings in a way that would benefit the team more than simply keeping him would. I just don't see us using the money savings in any better way.

My overall point though, is that if people think dumping Dez will cure all or even most or much of what ails this offense, they are in for a rude awakening. This offense won't improve without the QB improving.
 
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