Are we good?

[junk]

This offseason could be interesting.

The team is actually in OK cap shape. Not great, but ok. However, for the first time in awhile they have a lot of free agents and quite a few of them may generate interest on the open market

Plus you have a high dollar option on Melton and this is the first year you could conceivably move on from Carr

 

[cmd34(work)]

Melton's deal might not be that bad. I was looking at the contract. It had a pretty low signing bonus. Works out to$250K prorated bonus over the 3 seasons left, if they pick up the option. The tough part is the $9 million base salary in 2015. I have a feeling that contract was set up to where if they do pick up his option, they immediately restructure it, give him like $6M signing bonus, bringing his base down to $3M, and bringing his 2015 cap number down to $6.25 (down from $9.25M). Cowboys do it because it immediately frees up $3M in cap room (another starter) and Melton does it because he gets $6M guaranteed and immediately and then $3M over the season, versus $9M spread out over 17 weeks.

Best & Worst Contracts 2014: Dallas Cowboys

 

[peplaw06]

DeMarco didn't practice today... he's sick. #hesgottheEbola

 

[Omegasupreme]

DeMarco didn't practice today... he's sick. #hesgottheEbola

He's got the runs.

 

[SixisBetter]

He's got the runs.

Very nice.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

You know when you made a funny when it forces sixisbetter into an appearance.

 

[Doomsday]

 

[junk]

Some random thoughts since I don't know where else to put them:

- So glad the team is committing to the run. It makes me wonder what could have been, especially in 2007, but really the last three years, had this team had an even somewhat functional offensive coordinator. Maybe Crayton and Owens weren't really just bitter about leaving and had legit complaints.

- That was a great, great win. The biggest one Dallas has had in years. If they can beat Seattle in Seattle, it makes me think they can beat anyone left on the schedule.

- Having said that, Seattle didn't look like Seattle. In fact, they looked more like Dallas of years past. There were some huge holes for Murray, but there certainly seemed to be a lot of missed tackles. They went away from Lynch (like they did in their other loss) and their offense was out of sync and looked horrible.

- I do have to give Garrett some credit. This team, as a whole, feels different than in years past. How many times would they quit after things started to go against them?

- I wonder how big of a factor some other things play into performance this year. Dallas has always had the rep as a country club atmosphere. Have a good year, get your contract and you're set. Maybe cutting Ware let people know that there were no more sacred cows. Maybe the sheer quantity of people in contract years is resulting in better play as they gun for those contracts. I think these are low probability things, but I'm really struggling to figure out how this team can look so much different (I guess other than the obvious "Don't run a dumb shit offense that is ineffective and consistently hangs your defense out to dry")

- Although Garrett has to get some credit as HC, doesn't the offense under Linehan make him look really bad too? He clung to his offensive duties and we see a below average OC like Callahan, who only got marginal control, comes in and dramatically improves scoring and then an average OC like Linehan comes in and the offense is lights out.

- I also hate this mentality that this OL rebuild was somehow part of some plan by Garrett. Tyron, ok. Frederick? He supposedly wanted Eifert and was visibly angry/perplexed in the war room. Shazier was Plan A for this year. Martin was a fall back. Doesn't anyone remember the attempts with Nagy, Livings, Bernadeau, Waters, etc.? They tried to get by on the cheap for years.

Anyway, this is great to see. The only thing I hate is it is going to result in a Garrett contract extension and is going to embolden Jerry to think he knows what he is doing. Not good if you're a Cowboys fan.

 

[Doomsday]

Seattle didn't look like Seattle. In fact, they looked more like Dallas of years past. There were some huge holes for Murray, but there certainly seemed to be a lot of missed tackles. They went away from Lynch (like they did in their other loss) and their offense was out of sync and looked horrible.

Their coach was saying this too. Newsflash, coach - you didn't look like yourself because of those guys with stars on their hats. They were hitting you in the mouth repeatedly and bullying you. Something you haven't seen.

 

[Omegasupreme]

Great thoughts Junk. Just wanted to comment on this part.

- Having said that, Seattle didn't look like Seattle. In fact, they looked more like Dallas of years past. There were some huge holes for Murray, but there certainly seemed to be a lot of missed tackles. They went away from Lynch (like they did in their other loss) and their offense was out of sync and looked horrible.

- I do have to give Garrett some credit. This team, as a whole, feels different than in years past. How many times would they quit after things started to go against them?

Seattle missed some very open receivers and/or the receivers missed the ball. It did seem like Seattle panicked with their own running game and forgot the stats or the footage of Dallas not really being able to consistently stop a run before 4 yards. It seemed like Marinelli won the chess game because he seemed to gamble his emphasis on pass coverage over stacking the box. He had his DL contain the sides at least initially - I'm sure Marinelli didn't intentionally avoid sacks, but there was enough pressure to put some tension on Wilson.

But...Romo's fumble, Harris muff and the blocked punt for a TD are all unusual individually. They all happened in the same game and caused a score that made the game closer than it should have been. The blocked punt was good coaching and Carroll taking advantage of how naive and vulnerable Jason is. (Parcells or Jimmy Johnson or most peewee coaches would not let that happen). That blocked punt and that first drive into the third quarter (as well as needing Romo and T-Willy to rescue the team from a game on the line 3rd and 20) is still why Jason should not get credit for the recent successes. He has repeatedly allowed the team to be in such desperation and from special teams to wide receiver routes to who the QB throws to is entirely in the hands of the "professional NFL players yada yada yada". The reality is Jason is still overmatched and does not see the whole field or the whole game. Linehan, Callahan and Marinelli are being head coaches within their responsibilities because Jason doesn't have a grasp of how a coach causes each phase of the game to dominate another team. Look at the contrast: Pete Carroll saw a Dallas weakness and took advantage. Jason waits to see what sort of first strikes and strategies the opponent has and then hopes his players avoid those strikes and strategies.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

If Carter doesn't shit the bed the rest of the season, he deserves a re-up (assuming he isn't asking for big money). McClain should be re-upped now. He gets more expensive every day and less likely to accept contract stipulations on his off-field behavior.

Durant? Maybe a one-year deal if it's reasonable. We have younger, cheaper guys in Wilber, Hitchens, and Toomer that need to develop and handle reserve roles.

2015 should be ....Carter @ SAM, McClain @ MIKE, Lee @ WILL.

That was the lineup I was thinking. I feel that Lee will hold up better at WILL than at MIKE.

 

[Doomsday]

I feel that Lee will hold up better at WILL than at MIKE.

I agree.

 

[ZeroClub]

- Having said that, Seattle didn't look like Seattle. In fact, they looked more like Dallas of years past. There were some huge holes for Murray, but there certainly seemed to be a lot of missed tackles. They went away from Lynch (like they did in their other loss) and their offense was out of sync and looked horrible.

For what it is worth - We know that the Seahawks were on a short week; Seattle played on Monday night (on the east coast) just before playing the Cowboys.

Maybe it had an impact ....

 

[Dodger12]

For what it is worth - We know that the Seahawks were on a short week; Seattle played on Monday night (on the east coast) just before playing the Cowboys.

Maybe it had an impact ....

I think we have to admit that it was a solid game plan that the defense perfectly executed. I never thought that they could contain Wilson but they did and they were physical in the process. Gotta tip your hat to the D.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

Good post, junk.

I think the short week might have affected them, but I also think they're a little banged up. Chancellor wasn't himself -- there were several times he wasn't moving well at all out there (look at the Randle run). We now know Okung has had a bad shoulder. Unlike some, I'm guessing... But I suspect they went away from the run because Lynch was hurt -- look at the week before vs the Skins when he sat out a lot. I think the lack of a taller, big-play WR (not counting Harvin) like so many teams have now hurts them.

Most of us with a functioning frontal lobe know this wasn't all some huge plan from Garrett. We've changed coordinators every year on both sides of the ball. If it were up to him he'd still be the OC and calling every play, mostly passes, with his stupid count the box and check system. Every single credible journalist who covers the team has said he never wanted to give that up. Running the ball the way we are is probably 60% Linehan, 30% Tony's back, and I'll say 10% that first game when we had a 3rd and 2 and Tony checked to a pass play that was incomplete. Linehan is new here and maybe he saw that and realized that he needed to make the check a second run play instead of a pass, something he said in preseason he would do.

I think our year is a function of having a pretty good team with a really good QB, and being healthy. This is today's NFL. If you have decent personnel and a top QB, and you have better injury luck than others, you should be a playoff team. We should have won 10 games last year if not for Garrett spitting the bit against Detroit and Green Bay.

As far as some grand building plan, we could easily be an 8-8 team again next year with a combination of a few injuries, a few new contracts, an offseason of everyone telling them how great they are, a first place schedule, etc.

 

[SixisBetter]

I think our year is a function of having a pretty good team with a really good QB, and being healthy. This is today's NFL.

Yep.
I certainly like the way the team is playing,but today's NFL assures worst to first is far more common than it used to be.

 

[Everlastingxxx]

This Giants game might be a bigger test than the Seahawk game. Giants are a good team. They ran all over the Texans. They were embarrassed and will play better. Cowboys are banged up. Seahawk game took a toll on them physically and probably mentally. Too many guys missed practice this week. If the Cowboys are contenders they need roll the Giants and put them out of their misery. Cowboys need an easier win this week.

 

[UVAwahoos]

Good post, junk.

I think the short week might have affected them, but I also think they're a little banged up. Chancellor wasn't himself -- there were several times he wasn't moving well at all out there (look at the Randle run). We now know Okung has had a bad shoulder. Unlike some, I'm guessing... But I suspect they went away from the run because Lynch was hurt -- look at the week before vs the Skins when he sat out a lot. I think the lack of a taller, big-play WR (not counting Harvin) like so many teams have now hurts them.

Most of us with a functioning frontal lobe know this wasn't all some huge plan from Garrett. We've changed coordinators every year on both sides of the ball. If it were up to him he'd still be the OC and calling every play, mostly passes, with his stupid count the box and check system. Every single credible journalist who covers the team has said he never wanted to give that up. Running the ball the way we are is probably 60% Linehan, 30% Tony's back, and I'll say 10% that first game when we had a 3rd and 2 and Tony checked to a pass play that was incomplete. Linehan is new here and maybe he saw that and realized that he needed to make the check a second run play instead of a pass, something he said in preseason he would do.

I think our year is a function of having a pretty good team with a really good QB, and being healthy. This is today's NFL. If you have decent personnel and a top QB, and you have better injury luck than others, you should be a playoff team. We should have won 10 games last year if not for Garrett spitting the bit against Detroit and Green Bay.

As far as some grand building plan, we could easily be an 8-8 team again next year with a combination of a few injuries, a few new contracts, an offseason of everyone telling them how great they are, a first place schedule, etc.

Great post.

In fact, this has been a 10-win team at least three years in a row. Let us not forget that even with a shitty oline, Ginger has been blowing games annually with such golden antics as icing his own kicker and giving Tom Brady the ball back for a two minute drill.

What kind of player would buy in to a coach that is this big of a clown?

The only difference this season is that Marinelli and Linehan have come in and actually coached at a professional level. Those guys are legit coaches who just got boned into terrible head coaching situations.

 

[UVAwahoos]

- I do have to give Garrett some credit.

Should have stopped typing right before this, amigo.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

you ******s are making up excuses for wins.