p1_
DCC 4Life
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2013
- Messages
- 26,705
By: K.D. Drummond | 7 hours ago
How much a dollar really cost?
The question is detrimental, paralyzin’ my thoughts – Kendrick Lamar
Remix… How much does a distraction really cost?
Jerry Jones shocked most of the football world on Monday afternoon, acquiring wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Oakland Raiders. He didn’t, however, shock anyone who has been paying attention to the man who runs the Dallas Cowboys and how his calculated, non-impetuous nature drove Dallas to making this move.
You know what the national conversation is on Tuesday morning about the Dallas Cowboys? That their maverick owner went out and whether or not he made a bad trade.
You know what the conversation isn’t about? Whether or not Jason Garrett should be fired or Dak Prescott benched. How the team, for the second time in three weeks, failed to show any semblance of an aggressive spirit with the chance to win a game sitting right in front of their face.
Two weeks ago, it was sitting on the 41-yard line of the opponent, in overtime, with a fourth-and-one in between them and a lead and choosing to punt. On Sunday, it was having a chance to complete an epic comeback, sitting on the opponent’s 46-yard line with 52 seconds and a timeout and making absolutely no effort to score a winning touchdown.
A “look over here, not over there” was needed. Desperately.
The price of that distraction? A first-round pick.
Talent-wise, Cooper is certainly worthy of a first-round pick. Him accruing 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons to start his career, and still being just 24 years of age warrant that. It’s other things that make him less worthy.
Despite the spin many are putting on the trade, most prominently that Dallas was planning to spend a first-rounder on a wideout in 2019’s draft, they don’t flesh out.
Yes, Cooper will be further along in his progress than a rookie would, but he’ll also be four years of NFL-level collisions and impact closer to the end of his career.
The draft is about obtaining value, and inherent in that value is getting a player who does not have a ton of mileage, in exchange for a lack of experience, and getting said player for a low cost. Trading a first for a veteran player is a risky proposition because two of those perks are removed.
There are of course merits to Dallas making the trade, and this is likely the part of the discussion – in addition to the high value of distraction – that cemented the move for the Cowboys.
Dallas’ front office simply have to know what they have in Prescott. They released Dez Bryant and trotted out narratives about not needing a No. 1 receiver and how it would make Prescott better. That was an abject failure of epic proportions.
Prescott will be a free agent following the 2019 season. Dallas has to know whether or not they should be hitching their wagons to Prescott’s abilities, or cutting bait. They now have a No. 1 receiver, around his age, who could potentially grow with him.
That addition, and the ability to fully evaluate Prescott is worth a surcharge for Cooper’s services. The team now has nine games this season to watch Prescott with a true No. 1, a rookie in Michael Gallup who is currently the Dallas WR with the most snaps, and an unguardable slot presence in Cole Beasley.
There’s even an outside chance Tavon Austin returns from his groin injury to play again this season, giving Dallas a truly versatile stable of receivers.
The issue? They’ll all still be playing in a Scott Linehan offense.
That’s where the second part comes in. Jones and family will now have nine games to truly evaluate whether or not this coaching staff is capable of leading a 2018 offense. They have yet to show they have. Whether it’s adapting to philosophical changes in the profession (risk/reward, fourth-down attempts, etc) or actual scheme, Dallas seems woefully behind the times.
Getting Cooper will allow the front office to proclaim they did everything the coaching staff asked for, including releasing the trouble maker in Dez Bryant, and bringing aboard the seemingly abject failure of an offensive line coach in Paul Alexander. The QB coach might as well be Linehan’s step son and Prescott is not showing progress on the mechanical or mental issues that continue to plague him.
Nothing has really worked. So the coaching staff, even with a strong chance Jason Garrett survives any purge because of the front office’s affinity for how he conducts the team every day but gameday, will now have evidence of whether they can make it with the No. 1 receiver the Cowboys haven’t had in years, according to Jones.
If they can’t get it done, the team can bring in a brand new coaching staff in the offseason and see if they can figure out how to make the offense go.
That, too, is worth a surcharge on what should have been a second-round pick offered to Oakland.
Dallas got assurances from Cooper that he’d be fine with playing out the remainder of his contract, 2018 plus the team-controlled 2019 fifth-year option.
Getting Cooper in without an extension works for Jones, even as it will appear terrible if they spent a first for what amounts to a rental. There are outs. The Cowboys could theoretically recoup draft compensation from trading Cooper after this season or slapping a franchise tag on him to retain control and trade him for a first after 2019. They could allow him to walk in free agency after either 2018 or 2019 and get a year-removed compensatory pick for him.
None of those are ideal, but they do mitigate giving up a first-rounder in what is shaping up to be an average draft.
Why? If it all falls apart, the Cowboys will be in rebuild mode and that will hardly be the main taking point of they have a new coach and new quarterback.
Down the line, sure it will be mentioned along with Roy Williams and Joey Galloway trades if it doesn’t work. However, Dallas will possibly be working with a brand new head coach and brand new quarterback, drafted in 2020. The trade will be looked at as a last-ditch effort to save this current regime that was the final straw before…
A Dallas rebuild.
So either the trade works, Cooper plays like a No. 1 receiver and the offense finally is potent, or the team starts over from scratch.
There is a lot to be said about the Cowboys, who have established themselves as the best early-round drafting team in the league, giving up such a huge asset. Bryant, Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Byron Jones, Leighton Vander Esch… Dallas normally wins when it comes to first rounders.
The rest of the league, not so much. So in Jones’ mind, he can easily justify giving up the pick by saying to himself, we’ll knock it out the park with next year’s pick, and be right at the NFL average of hitting on one of every two first rounders. No big deal.
Is he right? Probably not. Things are probably going to go the route of other gambles meant to fix the team but doing more damage than good.
But this seems to be the method to Jones’ madness.
After all, we just spent another 1,200 words talking about a guy who hasn’t suited up for the Cowboys for one snap instead of the embarrassment the current on-field product has caused.
How much does a distraction really cost? A first.
How much a dollar really cost?
The question is detrimental, paralyzin’ my thoughts – Kendrick Lamar
Remix… How much does a distraction really cost?
Jerry Jones shocked most of the football world on Monday afternoon, acquiring wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Oakland Raiders. He didn’t, however, shock anyone who has been paying attention to the man who runs the Dallas Cowboys and how his calculated, non-impetuous nature drove Dallas to making this move.
You know what the national conversation is on Tuesday morning about the Dallas Cowboys? That their maverick owner went out and whether or not he made a bad trade.
You know what the conversation isn’t about? Whether or not Jason Garrett should be fired or Dak Prescott benched. How the team, for the second time in three weeks, failed to show any semblance of an aggressive spirit with the chance to win a game sitting right in front of their face.
Two weeks ago, it was sitting on the 41-yard line of the opponent, in overtime, with a fourth-and-one in between them and a lead and choosing to punt. On Sunday, it was having a chance to complete an epic comeback, sitting on the opponent’s 46-yard line with 52 seconds and a timeout and making absolutely no effort to score a winning touchdown.
A “look over here, not over there” was needed. Desperately.
The price of that distraction? A first-round pick.
Talent-wise, Cooper is certainly worthy of a first-round pick. Him accruing 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons to start his career, and still being just 24 years of age warrant that. It’s other things that make him less worthy.
Despite the spin many are putting on the trade, most prominently that Dallas was planning to spend a first-rounder on a wideout in 2019’s draft, they don’t flesh out.
Yes, Cooper will be further along in his progress than a rookie would, but he’ll also be four years of NFL-level collisions and impact closer to the end of his career.
The draft is about obtaining value, and inherent in that value is getting a player who does not have a ton of mileage, in exchange for a lack of experience, and getting said player for a low cost. Trading a first for a veteran player is a risky proposition because two of those perks are removed.
There are of course merits to Dallas making the trade, and this is likely the part of the discussion – in addition to the high value of distraction – that cemented the move for the Cowboys.
Dallas’ front office simply have to know what they have in Prescott. They released Dez Bryant and trotted out narratives about not needing a No. 1 receiver and how it would make Prescott better. That was an abject failure of epic proportions.
Prescott will be a free agent following the 2019 season. Dallas has to know whether or not they should be hitching their wagons to Prescott’s abilities, or cutting bait. They now have a No. 1 receiver, around his age, who could potentially grow with him.
That addition, and the ability to fully evaluate Prescott is worth a surcharge for Cooper’s services. The team now has nine games this season to watch Prescott with a true No. 1, a rookie in Michael Gallup who is currently the Dallas WR with the most snaps, and an unguardable slot presence in Cole Beasley.
There’s even an outside chance Tavon Austin returns from his groin injury to play again this season, giving Dallas a truly versatile stable of receivers.
The issue? They’ll all still be playing in a Scott Linehan offense.
That’s where the second part comes in. Jones and family will now have nine games to truly evaluate whether or not this coaching staff is capable of leading a 2018 offense. They have yet to show they have. Whether it’s adapting to philosophical changes in the profession (risk/reward, fourth-down attempts, etc) or actual scheme, Dallas seems woefully behind the times.
Getting Cooper will allow the front office to proclaim they did everything the coaching staff asked for, including releasing the trouble maker in Dez Bryant, and bringing aboard the seemingly abject failure of an offensive line coach in Paul Alexander. The QB coach might as well be Linehan’s step son and Prescott is not showing progress on the mechanical or mental issues that continue to plague him.
Nothing has really worked. So the coaching staff, even with a strong chance Jason Garrett survives any purge because of the front office’s affinity for how he conducts the team every day but gameday, will now have evidence of whether they can make it with the No. 1 receiver the Cowboys haven’t had in years, according to Jones.
If they can’t get it done, the team can bring in a brand new coaching staff in the offseason and see if they can figure out how to make the offense go.
That, too, is worth a surcharge on what should have been a second-round pick offered to Oakland.
Dallas got assurances from Cooper that he’d be fine with playing out the remainder of his contract, 2018 plus the team-controlled 2019 fifth-year option.
Getting Cooper in without an extension works for Jones, even as it will appear terrible if they spent a first for what amounts to a rental. There are outs. The Cowboys could theoretically recoup draft compensation from trading Cooper after this season or slapping a franchise tag on him to retain control and trade him for a first after 2019. They could allow him to walk in free agency after either 2018 or 2019 and get a year-removed compensatory pick for him.
None of those are ideal, but they do mitigate giving up a first-rounder in what is shaping up to be an average draft.
Why? If it all falls apart, the Cowboys will be in rebuild mode and that will hardly be the main taking point of they have a new coach and new quarterback.
Down the line, sure it will be mentioned along with Roy Williams and Joey Galloway trades if it doesn’t work. However, Dallas will possibly be working with a brand new head coach and brand new quarterback, drafted in 2020. The trade will be looked at as a last-ditch effort to save this current regime that was the final straw before…
A Dallas rebuild.
So either the trade works, Cooper plays like a No. 1 receiver and the offense finally is potent, or the team starts over from scratch.
There is a lot to be said about the Cowboys, who have established themselves as the best early-round drafting team in the league, giving up such a huge asset. Bryant, Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Byron Jones, Leighton Vander Esch… Dallas normally wins when it comes to first rounders.
The rest of the league, not so much. So in Jones’ mind, he can easily justify giving up the pick by saying to himself, we’ll knock it out the park with next year’s pick, and be right at the NFL average of hitting on one of every two first rounders. No big deal.
Is he right? Probably not. Things are probably going to go the route of other gambles meant to fix the team but doing more damage than good.
But this seems to be the method to Jones’ madness.
After all, we just spent another 1,200 words talking about a guy who hasn’t suited up for the Cowboys for one snap instead of the embarrassment the current on-field product has caused.
How much does a distraction really cost? A first.
