Your 2014 Dallas Cowboys fan obituaries....

[Carp]

I bet the Bears thought this also when he left Chicago.

Big difference between having Smith and Trestman as your coach.

 

[VA Cowboy]

I keep telling myself that we likely would've lost to Seattle anyways now that they are healthy and it'd be impossible to win there twice in a season. And it feels even worse to lose the closer you are to the SB.

 

[UncleMilti]

Wilcox whiffed a couple tackles and got left with his feet stuck in the FROOZZEN TUNDRA (Berman voice) on that catch and run TD.

We need safety help, CB help, and DL help. The bulk of it is gonna have to be thru FA, as I don't see anyone in the Cowboys draft slots that might be impact players.

 

[Texas Ace]

I keep telling myself that we likely would've lost to Seattle anyways now that they are healthy and it'd be impossible to win there twice in a season. And it feels even worse to lose the closer you are to the SB.

I actually think we could have and would have beaten them again.

What I'm telling myself is that we would've gotten shredded by Brady and it is better to have lost now than in the Super Bowl.

 

[VA Cowboy]

I actually think we could have and would have beaten them again.

What I'm telling myself is that we would've gotten shredded by Brady and it is better to have lost now than in the Super Bowl.

That was next. If not Seattle then probably NE in the SB. Either way I think it would've sucked more. Obviously you want to get the chance but I think we would've had an extremely hard time beating either of them, especially with our defense and the mounting injuries.

 

[Carp]

Wilcox whiffed a couple tackles and got left with his feet stuck in the FROOZZEN TUNDRA (Berman voice) on that catch and run TD.

We need safety help, CB help, and DL help. The bulk of it is gonna have to be thru FA, as I don't see anyone in the Cowboys draft slots that might be impact players.

The bad thing is that Wilcox looked like he was starting to be a player. However, his angles are horrific. I'm sure he has great make up speed in Div III games...not so much in the NFL.

 

[VA Cowboy]

I keep seeing too many mock drafts having us take PJ Williams CB in the first. We do need everything on defense except LB, but tell me we aren't going CB at the top again.

 

[jsmith6919]

I keep seeing too many mock drafts having us take PJ Williams CB in the first. We do need everything on defense except LB, but tell me we aren't going CB at the top again.

 

[E_D_Guapo]

The bad thing is that Wilcox looked like he was starting to be a player. However, his angles are horrific. I'm sure he has great make up speed in Div III games...not so much in the NFL.

I like him on the team as a backup safety and special teams player. I'm not sure he's ever going to be good enough to feel good about as a starter.

 

[boozeman]

I keep seeing too many mock drafts having us take PJ Williams CB in the first. We do need everything on defense except LB, but tell me we aren't going CB at the top again.

Then we deserve whatever losing season we get next year.

CB is NOT important in this scheme especially. How many Tampa 2 CBs were first round draft choices? Oh yeah, none.

So if Marinelli stays, no reason.

Now if Eberflus gets the gig, it could get ugly. He could be from the Rob Ryan "I am just here to see the cornerbacks" school.

 

[VA Cowboy]

Then we deserve whatever losing season we get next year.

CB is NOT important in this scheme especially. How many Tampa 2 CBs were first round draft choices? Oh yeah, none.

So if Marinelli stays, no reason.

Now if Eberflus gets the gig, it could get ugly. He could be from the Rob Ryan "I am just here to see the cornerbacks" school.

If the OL hasn't taught them to build from the inside out then they'll never get it. I still have hope from the Stephen quote last year that it's time for the DL to get the OL treatment.

 

[22cowboysfan22]

Alright, I've had 24 hours to digest the loss, so here are my priorities for the offseason:

1. Sign Dez Bryant to a long-term contract

It's clear that Dez is an elite playmaker in this league, and WRs like him are tough to find. He's stayed out of trouble off the field the past couple years while averaging 90+ receptions for 1300+ yards and nearly 14 TDs over the last 3 seasons, and he still hasn't peaked IMO. Guys like him don't come along very often, so locking him up should be priority #1.

2. Draft an impact DL with our first round pick (and another in round 2 or 3)

Anyone watching this year's team knows that DL is by far our biggest weakness. There have been way too many instances where QBs have been able to just sit back in the pocket without any pressure while waiting for a receiver to get open.

At DE, I think Lawrence can develop into a solid pass rusher and Mincey came on towards the end of the year, but we still need at least 1 more top-tier DE. I'd be looking at Dante Fowler in the first round. In the second round I like Alvin Dupree from Kentucky.

At DT, I'm pretty excited about Tyrone Crawford's future (and we should lock him up with an extension sooner rather than later), but everyone else in our rotation is a JAG. Melton disappeared down the strech before getting hurt and isn't worth bringing back. In the first / second round I like Eddie Goldman, Danny Shelton, Michael Bennett and Malcolm Brown. Not a big fan of Mario Edwards Jr., seems like he really underachieved at FSU and his motor / work ethic are questionable.

3. Part ways with DeMarco Murray and Brandon Carr

Murray is going to be far too expensive to be worth keeping IMO. He's 27 (most NFL RBs are spent by age 30 if not earlier), just had 400+ carries this year including the playoffs, has an injury history, and fumbled way too often this year. With our OL, we can plug in an average RB and get decent production. Given our salary cap situation and the number of free agents we have, the best long term solution is probably to go cheap at RB. Give Randle a shot at the job, maybe draft a guy in the 4th round or sign a cheap free agent. I do have to admit that the thought of Adrian Peterson with a chip on his shoulder running behind this OL is intriguing, but I'm not sure if he'd be worth it at age 30 with over 2000 career carries (he'd certainly have to either get a release from Minnesota and sign a new contract, or restructure his current contract).

Carr did play better down the stretch and in the playoffs, but he's still way overpaid for what he brings to the table. If he's willing to take a substantial pay cut he might be worth bringing back, otherwise he can hit the road. I wouldn't be opposed to drafting a CB as long as it's not in the first round (and probably not the second either). Haven't had a lot of time to look at CB prospects, but Ifo Ekpre-Olomu will be interesting. He should drop in the draft due to his ACL tear, but if he's able to recover, he has the skills and athleticism to be a top corner.

4. Resign Rolando McClain to a reasonable deal

Something like 3 years, $10 million seems worthwhile for both parties. I wouldn't want to commit to anything long-term (at least not guaranteed) given his past issues. If we can bring back McClain, I'd let Carter go and try to sign Durant to a reasonable short-term deal. A starting LB corps of Lee, McClain and Durant with Hitchens as a sub that can play all 3 spots if needed would be solid. I'd draft another guy to develop and for depth in the mid-to-late rounds.

5. Upgrade the safety position

It feels like it's been forever since we've had a true ballhawk at safety. The problem is that Church and Wilcox are basically the same player: solid in run support but very limited in pass coverage. Wilcox in particular looked really bad yesterday and unless he develops a ton in the offseason, I'd rather see him as a special teams player and backup next year. I doubt we have the cap space to do so, but I'd love to sign Devin McCourty (though the Patriots probably will go all out to resign him). He's superb at playing the ball in the air and has enough versatility to play CB if needed. Unfortunately since that's probably a pipe dream, we'll need to look to the draft. Don't really have a handle on the safety prospects yet.

Other things:

Get rid of Weeden and sign a decent backup. Bringing Matt Moore back would be nice.

Extend Doug Free. I was actually in favor of moving on from Free and giving Parnell a shot, but in the two playoff games he was really poor and I don't want him to ruin our excellent OL. Parnell is also a free agent so I'd probably just let him walk and look for another swing tackle.

Of our restricted FAs, I'd definitely bring back Beasley and Moore. Dunbar can come back for cheap, and I'd let Jones go and look elsewhere at punter. If Jones comes back, I would definitely bring in some competition for the job.

Harris can come back if he's cheap, otherwise I'd just as soon look for another return man. He really regressed this year.

At FB, Clutts is a FA and he's another JAG. I'd like to bring in a pet cat in Michael Burton from Rutgers as a UDFA. If you haven't heard of him, watch some video of Rutgers running all over North Carolina in their bowl game.

As far as coaching staff goes, I'm guessing Callahan and Marinelli are gone. I'd keep Linehan and move him to OC, not sure of the best choice to replace Callahan as OL coach. On the defensive side, Raheem Morris would be a solid hire with Tampa 2 experience. Dennis Allen would also be a great hire. I would hate to see us just hand the job to Eberflus.

 

[boozeman]

On the defensive side, Raheem Morris would be a solid hire

Great post until this. Ruined it for me.

 

[data]

Most enjoyable season since the 90s teams. That win in Seattle, destroying Philly, NFC East title, beating Detroit. Great, great stuff.

Murray should be gone. Draft is loaded at RB and there is the AP factor as well.

From Stephen's radio interview today, sounds like the team is ready to focus its efforts on the d-line, which is sorely needed. Crawford is a great piece, and D-Law showed a flash or two in the last couple of games. Need to really go heavy on the front 7 in the draft and free agency.

welcome back...door's been locked behind you and key is in one of Newt's fat rolls. Good luck finding it.

http://www.dallascowboyscentral.com/showthread.php?4199-MMQB-Bedard-This-Play-Didn-t-Decide-the-Game&p=172696&viewfull=1#post172696

 

[townsend]

I'd like to believe this season wasn't just a great stand alone year. That the locker room has been transformed by guys like Dez and Scandrick. I think it's possible, through what seems to be a pretty good group in the war room (possibly the sum of Stephen and JG's vision) we saw the Dallas Cowboys not make any of their old mistakes. Murray's departure from this team might signify the end of big money contracts to iffy players based on a single season (a la Miles Austin, Doug Free). Ware was allowed to walk at exactly the right time instead of being held on to for 3 years of mediocrity (like Barber, Newman, Ratliff, Austin, Colombo). We managed to trade peanuts for a starting middle linebacker, instead of just going into the season with our fingers crossed. We didn't draft Johnny Manziel and took a pro bowl guard instead.

I'm really encouraged by the drafting that's been happening. Over the last few years I'm seeing a lot more hits, kinda reminiscent of the good Parcells drafts. If we continue to evaluate talent at this level, I can't believe we'd just give up our newly found, winning ways. I'd like to believe this is the start of a Baltimore Ravens like, winning culture in this organization.

 

[Clay_Allison]

I'd like to believe this season wasn't just a great stand alone year. That the locker room has been transformed by guys like Dez and Scandrick. I think it's possible, through what seems to be a pretty good group in the war room (possibly the sum of Stephen and JG's vision) we saw the Dallas Cowboys not make any of their old mistakes. Murray's departure from this team might signify the end of big money contracts to iffy players based on a single season (a la Miles Austin, Doug Free). Ware was allowed to walk at exactly the right time instead of being held on to for 3 years of mediocrity (like Barber, Newman, Ratliff, Austin, Colombo). We managed to trade peanuts for a starting middle linebacker, instead of just going into the season with our fingers crossed. We didn't draft Johnny Manziel and took a pro bowl guard instead.

I'm really encouraged by the drafting that's been happening. Over the last few years I'm seeing a lot more hits, kinda reminiscent of the good Parcells drafts. If we continue to evaluate talent at this level, I can't believe we'd just give up our newly found, winning ways. I'd like to believe this is the start of a Baltimore Ravens like, winning culture in this organization.

The Canary in that particular coal mine is the coaching staff. We need to get a top DC and build a staff around him. If we promote Eberflus and treat the defensive coaching staff as an afterthought, I think we get the disaster we all expected a year later than expected.

 

[townsend]

The Canary in that particular coal mine is the coaching staff. We need to get a top DC and build a staff around him. If we promote Eberflus and treat the defensive coaching staff as an afterthought, I think we get the disaster we all expected a year later than expected.

The old way we did things was to sit on our thumbs until all the coaches worthwhile had already been snapped up. Which is why the acquisition of Rob Ryan seemed so amazing at the time. If we do the same this year it'll be a dead on sign of 2010 style regression.

 

[Carp]

I want to shit all over Eberflus if he is named the new DC, but I really can't because I don't know how and what he will do next year. I was very happy with the LB play this year and hope that he has enough vision to expand that all across the defense. Been mentioned he is buddies with Henderson, which sucks because I would like an upgrade at DB coach.

The big fish out there for us is Jim Schwartz though...he'd be a home run pick.

 

[fortsbest]

I'm going to reiterate that we overcommitted to the run this year. For example... Today... 145 yards rushing, 170 yards passing.

Couldn't get the ball to Bryant all game long.

In focusing on the run, we showed a lot of flaws in our passing game design that was hid in previous years simply on volume.

Absolutely. There were times I couldn't believe the empty backfield thing. Simply horrid.

I doubt he was actually recovered from the concussion last week. He rushed back and aggravated it. Hopefully with a full offseason he will be ok

I agree with this. I think it was him coming back to soon. I hope he is signed to a good contract and stays to combine with Lee and Durant and Hitch.

I want to shit all over Eberflus if he is named the new DC, but I really can't because I don't know how and what he will do next year. I was very happy with the LB play this year and hope that he has enough vision to expand that all across the defense. Been mentioned he is buddies with Henderson, which sucks because I would like an upgrade at DB coach.

The big fish out there for us is Jim Schwartz though...he'd be a home run pick.

Thankfully, this is a non-issue now and for the next 3 years. Go draft us some monster D line guys and let Lett and Marinelli teach them how to do it!

 

[L.T. Fan]

Statistically the empty backfield formation is one of the most successful and productive setups the Cowboys have on offense.