Ware Watch 2014

Texas Ace

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Not really. He could easily be feeling guilty about Hatcher's money like he did Ratliff and reward him for "past service". FML
But Hatcher just had one good season at the age of 32 whereas Ratliff was a stud for about 3 years when Jerry decided to "reward" him.

How could he come to the same conclusion about Hatcher? He was a bit player for his entire career.
 

mcnuttz

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But Hatcher just had one good season at the age of 32 whereas Ratliff was a stud for about 3 years when Jerry decided to "reward" him.

How could he come to the same conclusion about Hatcher? He was a bit player for his entire career.
Because he was the draft pick who Jones snuck ahead of New England to nab.
 
D

Deuce

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Nobody in the organization is going to pay attention to "only one good year" out of Hatcher. His one year came in the only year we played this new scheme so the coaches are going to be convinced that this is the perfect setup for him to suceed.
 

Genghis Khan

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Ayuh. But what is funny is that I bet Ware ends up being the bad guy here because he doesn't want to take a severe pay cut.

Good for him I guess. I figured he would be the one guy they could manipulate into doing it since he's kind of passive and has deep roots in the area.

Should be interesting to see who blinks first.
That's exactly what this is - a staring contest.

The FO is talking through Archer and Ware is talking through Watkins.

I don't particularly believe either side.
 

1bigfan13

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Yep. Jones has a long history of hanging on to declining players due to their past accomplishments. It shouldn't be shocking.
Which is way I don't think Ware will be going anywhere. It's not in Jerry's nature.
 

bbgun

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Which is way I don't think Ware will be going anywhere. It's not in Jerry's nature.
Sentimentality is indeed a problem in Dallas, but Jerry probably doesn't want to create another hole on an already weak defensive line.
 

Cotton

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Per source, Ware will listen to Cowboys offer of reduced deal; but knows he will be coveted as FA

Per a source, former Pro Bowl defenseive end DeMarcus Ware doesn't want to take a pay cut but will listen to the Dallas Cowboys thoughts about a reduced deal.

He also hopes for a quick resolution.

The Cowboys informed Ware and represensatives earlier this week about their need to lower his salary and cap figure for next year by either a pay cut or a release from the roster.

Ware is due a base salary of $12.25 million in 2014 with a salary cap hit of $16 million. The Cowboys would save $7.8 million if they cut Ware.

However, the Cowboys say they want the team's all-time leading sacker back in 2014 but at a reduced salary, pointing to his age, declining numbers and injury history.

Ware will be 32 next season and recently underwent surgery for second consectuive off season. He had a career-low six sacks in 2013 when he has hampered by neck, quad and elbow injuries.

According to source, Ware expects to be back to his old dominant ways after surgery to repair nerve damage in his elbow last month. He will listen to the Cowboys thoughts on a reduced deal but remains hesitant about aking a major shave in salary.

Ware, who is shoo-in for the Cowboys' hallowed Ring of Honor and likely future Hall of Famer, is expecting to draw a lot of intereted on the free-agent market if he is released.

No hard and deadline has been given but a quick decision would be best for both sides, per a source.

The Cowboys must shave another $600,000 to get under their 2014 salary cap of $134.25 million by March 11. They can make other moves to clear space but a decision on Ware would allow them to get under as well as set a game plan for the start of free agency.

The Cowboys must address the defensive end position in the draft and free agency. Without Ware, it makes the situation even more acute because there are no players on the roster with talent or production.

Even during an injury-plagued and limited 2013 campaign, Ware was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the ninth-most productive 4-3 defensive end as a pass-rusher and third in run-stop percentage.

Ware was picked 11th overall by the Cowboys in 1995. He has 117 sacks in nine years to rank first in team history and 18th in NFL history.

Clarence Hill
 

Cowboysrock55

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but knows he will be coveted as FA
Did he see what Free Agent pass rushers were going for last offseason? Those guys were younger and coming off better seasons. I'm not going to be mad at Ware if he doesn't want to take a paycut here but I think he would be making a huge mistake if he thinks he is going to get a big 30 mil + deal in free agency. He would probably be looking at something more in the 2 year, 15 mil range.
 

UncleMilti

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Everyone is blowing smoke right now, but even an armchair footballer like me knows Ware is smoking some good stuff if he believes another NFL team is going to break the bank for him. Do they want him? Sure. Do they want him at his perceived number? Nope.

The Suggs deal sets the tone for Ware moving forward.
 

hstour

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He's on a 4 year deal now worth $52M. If it's done smartly, then you take the $52M and cut it down to $21M over 3 years. Give him $15M up front so now you have cap hits of $5M per year. Then give him escalators to make up more of the money. Roster bonus, workout bonus, Pro-Bowl bonus, All-Pro bonus (make this one big). If he makes all the bonus' then you got the old Ware back and will make up the money in playoff revenue. If not, you haven't lost anything and have cut your cap expense by 59.6%

If he won't take it, then make him a June 1 cut.
 

Cotton

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He's on a 4 year deal now worth $52M. If it's done smartly, then you take the $52M and cut it down to $21M over 3 years. Give him $15M up front so now you have cap hits of $5M per year. Then give him escalators to make up more of the money. Roster bonus, workout bonus, Pro-Bowl bonus, All-Pro bonus (make this one big). If he makes all the bonus' then you got the old Ware back and will make up the money in playoff revenue. If not, you haven't lost anything and have cut your cap expense by 59.6%

If he won't take it, then make him a June 1 cut.
Post more. Seriously.
 

Clay_Allison

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Ware we can afford to cut now, no need for more dead money next year.
 

boozeman

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He's on a 4 year deal now worth $52M. If it's done smartly, then you take the $52M and cut it down to $21M over 3 years. Give him $15M up front so now you have cap hits of $5M per year. Then give him escalators to make up more of the money. Roster bonus, workout bonus, Pro-Bowl bonus, All-Pro bonus (make this one big). If he makes all the bonus' then you got the old Ware back and will make up the money in playoff revenue. If not, you haven't lost anything and have cut your cap expense by 59.6%

If he won't take it, then make him a June 1 cut.

Welcome to the board.

Now that is over with, I would as soon cut him and use the money now. That is the intent. I strongly doubt they are starting this dialogue now just to designate him a June 1st cut.

Besides, most of the time with long time veterans, they want to let them go when there is a market. Dumping Ware then would really be a screw job and while Jerry is an imbecile, he's not into dick moves like that.
 

hstour

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Welcome to the board.

Now that is over with, I would as soon cut him and use the money now. That is the intent. I strongly doubt they are starting this dialogue now just to designate him a June 1st cut.

Besides, most of the time with long time veterans, they want to let them go when there is a market. Dumping Ware then would really be a screw job and while Jerry is an imbecile, he's not into dick moves like that.
Yes, and I totally admit it is a dickish move, but designating him a June 1 cut gives you leverage for him to accept the deal.
 

boozeman

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Yes, and I totally admit it is a dickish move, but designating him a June 1 cut gives you leverage for him to accept the deal.
Jerry? Leverage? No comprende.
 

boozeman

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Sherrington: Not time to get sentimental with DeMarcus Ware; instead, time to let go


Kevin Sherrington



ksherrington@dallasnews.com

Published: 08 March 2014 02:37 PM

Updated: 08 March 2014 09:29 PM


If he hasn’t already, you couldn’t really blame DeMarcus Ware when his general manager asks him to take a pay cut and he says, “You first.”

Ware has been a little off his Hall of Fame pace the last two years, but it sure beats the standard set by Jerry Jones the last couple of decades.

Ware reportedly wouldn’t reject any proposal out of hand, but let’s face it: He’s not Doug Free. He won’t take a significant pay cut. Not only does he possess considerable pride, but he also would generate the same level of interest from suitors eager to provide him the chance to bounce back. And the Cowboys should afford one of them the opportunity.

As great as Ware has been — and as good as he may yet be — now’s not the time to get sentimental.

Time to let go.

As difficult as it was for me to write the words above, it will be a far more difficult proposition for the Cowboys to act on it.

Jerry loves his superstars. He’s overpaid them most of his tenure with the Cowboys. Once a player proves himself Pro Bowl worthy, Jerry writes him into the will. This is why the player formerly known as Jay Ratliff will count nearly $7 million in dead money this fall while playing for the Bears.

Cutting Ware would save the Cowboys $7.8 million against the cap this year and give them room to plug a few of the holes in their SpongeBob SquarePants defense. But it’s not as simple as that.

You could understand why Jerry would resist the idea. Except for Larry Allen, no Cowboy of the post-Jimmy era has been better. He’s a marquee name at the game’s second-most important position.

Jerry must also ask himself two questions if he lets Ware go:

What if he comes back from elbow surgery and plays at his previous level?

And who in the world takes his place?

Ware has played through a multitude of injuries over his career. If finally healthy, does he make everyone forget his half-dozen sacks last year and return to a level to which we’ve grown accustomed?

The Cowboys were already short on linemen as is. Subtracting bodies doesn’t seem like an intelligent option, particularly given Jerry’s draft history.

Now that we’ve laid out all the reasons why it would be difficult to let Ware go, let’s study why the Cowboys should.

First, let’s look at an organization that had to make a similar decision in 2012.

Peyton Manning had just missed the 2011 season after two neck surgeries. His career seemed in jeopardy at 36. Not only that, the Colts owed him a $28 million option if he was still on the roster March 8, 2012. So the Colts cut one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. What made the decision smart a little less was the fact that they were in a position to draft Andrew Luck, a potential franchise quarterback.

Exactly two years later, Manning is coming off one of the greatest seasons in NFL history, leading his team to slaughter at the last Super Bowl.

Does it mean the Colts made the wrong decision?

Not hardly.

Without Manning in 2011, the Colts were a poor team with an aging, expensive roster. They needed help at more places than quarterback. New management let several key players go besides Manning and reshaped the team.

Under Luck, the Colts rebounded from 2-14 in ’11 to 11-5 in 2012, and they went to the playoffs again last year.

Even if the Cowboys let Ware go, they’d be hard-pressed to have the same luck the Colts did. Unless Jadeveon Clowney does a cannonball through the draft board, no college defensive end will be available with the 16th pick who can rival Ware in his prime.

There’s also the probability that Ware no longer can perform as he did in his prime, either. Expecting a dozen or more sacks at 32, considering his injury history, seems a little far-fetched.

Even if he comes back with that kind of season, could he do it again the next season, and the season after that?

If the Cowboys can’t count on him at that level with a salary of $16 million — and he’s only good to go on a part-time basis, as appears likely — is he worth the price?

Yes, Jerry believes his window for a Super Bowl closes a little more every time Tony Romo winces, and a productive Ware moves them closer to that goal. But the Cowboys don’t need to be thinking short-term.

They’ve got to become more fiscally responsible so they can make free-agent moves that are necessary when the team really is close, as it was when Jerry acquired Charles Haley in the Super Bowl days. This team isn’t in the same league, which isn’t exactly a revelation.

What Jerry needs to do now is cut ties, draft a little better and stop investing in older players. Be realistic for a change. Maybe it would break the cycle of mediocrity. Who knows? Might even force the boss to give him a raise
 

boozeman

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Cowboys have $2M in cap space, cutting Ware would make it $9.4M

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 9, 2014, 1:00 PM EDT


Cowboys owner and General Manager Jerry Jones loves to make a splash in free agency, but at the moment he doesn’t have the salary cap space to do it.

Even after the Cowboys’ recent moves — including cutting center Phil Costa and restructuring the contracts of guard Mackenzy Bernadeau, quarterback Tony Romo, linebacker Sean Lee and cornerback Orlando Scandrick — the Cowboys only have about $2 million in cap space, according to ESPN.com.

Before Jones could make a splash with an addition, he would need to make a splash with a subtraction. And so the big question facing the Cowboys is whether they’ll release DeMarcus Ware, the defensive end they’re hoping will take a pay cut. If Ware doesn’t play ball on a restructured deal and Dallas releases him, the Cowboys will get $7.4 million in cap savings, which would put their total cap space at around $9.4 million.

There’s likely more cap relief coming for the Cowboys, as they can release receiver Miles Austin with a post-June 1 designation and free up another $5.5 million in cap room, but that cap room won’t be available until it’s time for the Cowboys to start using some of their cap space to sign their rookie class.

Basically, the Cowboys’ free agency plans hinge on what happens with Ware. If they release him or get him to take a new contract that provides immediate cap relief, Jones may be able to sign a key player in free agency. If things stay as they are, the Cowboys will mostly be observers while other teams are spending.
 

Cotton

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