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Jerry Jones' belief that Jason Garrett would be his Tom Landry is fading
Staff Reports
Published: 05 February 2014 05:30 PM
Updated: 05 February 2014 05:30 PM
Columnist Kevin Sherrington answered questions in a chat Tuesday. Here are some highlights.
Question: Did Dez hurt his leverage in contract negotiations by saying, "I'm Dallas forever"?
Kevin Sherrington: If you've been a great player for the Cowboys, it seems like you could never hurt your leverage with Jerry. He has a history of rewarding productive players. Look at the deal he just gave his kicker. Bailey probably was the best player at his position of any of the Cowboys last year. But can a mediocre team with big-time cap problems afford to tie up valuable cap space on a kicker? Given the fact that Jerry has such a bad history of spending otherwise, it probably doesn't hurt. He'd just waste on someone who wasn't as productive.
Question: Garrett has coached as many games now as Wade Phillips in Dallas, and has a lower winning percentage and no playoff appearances. Why would Jerry believe Jason can turn it around?
Kevin Sherrington: Because everyone told him what a smart hire Garrett was, and he was hoping that Garrett would be his Tom Landry. I think that hope is fading now. But until they start to turn this team around, he's not going to attract any top-level talent, either. He's certainly never demonstrated any ability to identify the next great head coach.
Question: Will the NFLPA finally agree to HGH testing so we can get the dope out of the NFL?
Kevin Sherrington: No one seems to care about PEDs in football. Just baseball. And I think the reasons are simple enough. People see football as such a violent, dangerous game, which it is. They think you probably need those drugs just to survive it. In baseball, it's not the same. Players used PEDs to break records, which were greatly valued. Even the most casual fans could tell you that the home run records were numbers like 61 and 714 and 755. Who knows any records in football? Fans don't care about the athletes as much as the records. Look at the comments section under any story that talks about football players and concussions. Ninety percent are from people who say that players should have known better, they get what they deserve.
Question: Will Jerry Jones start a new team in LA?
Kevin Sherrington: The Rams' owner just bought 60 acres in Inglewood, spurring talk that he might move them back to their roots. Probably just trying to buy leverage with St. Louis to get improvements to the dome. And LA has proven time and again that it's not an NFL town. People always try, though.
Question: Hi, over-under on the round in which we'll pick a QB in the draft - 5th?
Kevin Sherrington: Kristen, I hate to say this, but I'd bet Jerry doesn't draft a QB at all. And that would be a mistake.
Question: Cowboys fans may disagree, but do you think Jerry Jones deserves a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Kevin Sherrington: Curley, I don't think that's the way you want to start out a chat, in front of all these people. But I'll give you this: His fellow owners would certainly support Jerry. He's made them an awful lot of money, and he's not exactly dominating the Super Bowl festivities.
Question: Do you think that the Fact that Haley was a recent (late) entry and that Jimmy Johnson has yet to be selected for our Ring of Honor, factored into their non-selection into the NFL HOF?
Kevin Sherrington: I don't think that's much of a factor at all. I'm not even sure the HOF voters are aware of who's in the Cowboys Ring of Honor, other than the local voters.
Question: Do you agree with Cowlishaw? Is Pro Football HOF voting flawed?
Kevin Sherrington: I don't like the fact that it's such a small group, made up only of writers. Tim supports a voting membership more along the lines of the baseball HOF or Heisman, where you have hundreds of voters. I'd prefer that over what the NFL has. I'm uncomfortable giving voters that much power in the selection of a player to something so prestigious. I don't think that's our job.
Question: Cowboys at 40/1 for 2015 Super Bowl champs. You putting some money down? (Hypothetically of course, a fine journalist like yourself would never stoop as low as gambling on anything let alone sports)
Kevin Sherrington: I'd never stoop to such a thing. Besides, no matter what the odds, you're just throwing that money away.
Question: If '13's record-setting awful D hasn't already, has the dominant showing by the Hawks in the SB shocked the FO into realizing that a vast disparity exists between what we have on D and what a SB-calibre team has? Hard to imagine we haven't been moved enough to decide to use all of our highest draft picks on D.
Kevin Sherrington: There's no question that the Cowboys' defense has the biggest needs, and it was a crime that Jerry didn't spend a single pick on the DL last year. He said that was the strength of the team before everyone got hurt, but that wasn't the entire issue, either. With the exception of Tyrone Crawford, all were 29 or over, and two were in last year of contracts. Having said that, this team has shortcomings still in OL, at WR and Jerry also needs to draft a QB. In the first round, especially, you have to be aware of what falls to you. If that's a great offensive player, either make the pick or trade down.
Question: We all know that the offensive line has improved: I believe that Jerry Jones has a short memory and will consider that problem fixed, instead of further improving it, whether via draft or free agency. I believe that he would do this even if all other areas were fine, and that this is part keeping this team from developing long term strengths. Gone are the days where we develop great depth, with good rotations, until that philosophy changes. Your thought?
Kevin Sherrington: I agree wholeheartedly. The Cowboys could use a guard or tackle. You always base what you're going to do in the draft on the board and what's sitting in front of you. But, in terms of need, I think the Cowboys need a couple of DL, an OL, S, WR, QB and a wild card, to be filled in later.
Question: How is Tony Romo doing since having back surgery?
Kevin Sherrington: He's been pretty much in seclusion ever since, but the word is that it's going well. Still, that's two back surgeries in the span of a year. Not a good sign for a QB his age. And another reason the Cowboys should draft a QB.
Question: Pete Carroll said if you can't run and hit, then you can't play for our defense. We have guys that run (Claiborne) but can't hit; and guys that hit (church) but can't run. How do we solve this?
Kevin Sherrington: Donny, your only solutions are better coaching or better drafting. They can't solve anything with free agents, because they'll never have enough cap room. Rod Marinelli did an excellent job with a bag of candidates at DL last year. Maybe he can scheme well enough to cover up the Cowboys' deficiencies. But they have to do a better job drafting. Seattle picked up much of its roster in the later rounds. The Cowboys need to pick up two starters in this draft and maybe three, and then they have to accumulate some significant depth with the rest.
Question: We need draft picks to improve like we did in early 1990s. Who can we trade for picks? Mo? Costa? Carter?
Kevin Sherrington: None of the players you mentioned are coming off good years. In the cases of Claiborne and Bruce Carter, you'd be trading them for less than what they should bring, given where they were drafted. Everybody else has film, too, so they know how they've been playing. There's some depth in this draft, and the Cowboys need players. I could see them trading down to pick up another third if a team is desperate behind them and a player falls that the Cowboys aren't interested in.
Question: Speed kills and we have none. Look how Dunbar change the offense when he was healthy. We need speed. Your thoughts?
Kevin Sherrington: The Cowboys love Dunbar. Two problems: He's been a little turnover prone, and he can't stay healthy. But you're right, he gives them a dynamic that Murray doesn't.
Question: Seattle and the Niners look to be as dominant during the next few years in the NFC as the Cowboys and Niners were in the 90's. Stuff happens, but hard to fathom an NFC East team surpassing both. Agree?
Kevin Sherrington: The Seahawks, in particular. They're the youngest team in the league. They're not going to be losing any significant parts, and the guy who built the team is still there. So, yes, this is going to be very difficult, especially when you have an old team and you haven't demonstrated any particular ability to build a team through the draft or free agency in the last 20 years.
---------------------
Sherrington just moved to the top of Hostile's "People who need to die" list.
Staff Reports
Published: 05 February 2014 05:30 PM
Updated: 05 February 2014 05:30 PM
Columnist Kevin Sherrington answered questions in a chat Tuesday. Here are some highlights.
Question: Did Dez hurt his leverage in contract negotiations by saying, "I'm Dallas forever"?
Kevin Sherrington: If you've been a great player for the Cowboys, it seems like you could never hurt your leverage with Jerry. He has a history of rewarding productive players. Look at the deal he just gave his kicker. Bailey probably was the best player at his position of any of the Cowboys last year. But can a mediocre team with big-time cap problems afford to tie up valuable cap space on a kicker? Given the fact that Jerry has such a bad history of spending otherwise, it probably doesn't hurt. He'd just waste on someone who wasn't as productive.
Question: Garrett has coached as many games now as Wade Phillips in Dallas, and has a lower winning percentage and no playoff appearances. Why would Jerry believe Jason can turn it around?
Kevin Sherrington: Because everyone told him what a smart hire Garrett was, and he was hoping that Garrett would be his Tom Landry. I think that hope is fading now. But until they start to turn this team around, he's not going to attract any top-level talent, either. He's certainly never demonstrated any ability to identify the next great head coach.
Question: Will the NFLPA finally agree to HGH testing so we can get the dope out of the NFL?
Kevin Sherrington: No one seems to care about PEDs in football. Just baseball. And I think the reasons are simple enough. People see football as such a violent, dangerous game, which it is. They think you probably need those drugs just to survive it. In baseball, it's not the same. Players used PEDs to break records, which were greatly valued. Even the most casual fans could tell you that the home run records were numbers like 61 and 714 and 755. Who knows any records in football? Fans don't care about the athletes as much as the records. Look at the comments section under any story that talks about football players and concussions. Ninety percent are from people who say that players should have known better, they get what they deserve.
Question: Will Jerry Jones start a new team in LA?
Kevin Sherrington: The Rams' owner just bought 60 acres in Inglewood, spurring talk that he might move them back to their roots. Probably just trying to buy leverage with St. Louis to get improvements to the dome. And LA has proven time and again that it's not an NFL town. People always try, though.
Question: Hi, over-under on the round in which we'll pick a QB in the draft - 5th?
Kevin Sherrington: Kristen, I hate to say this, but I'd bet Jerry doesn't draft a QB at all. And that would be a mistake.
Question: Cowboys fans may disagree, but do you think Jerry Jones deserves a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Kevin Sherrington: Curley, I don't think that's the way you want to start out a chat, in front of all these people. But I'll give you this: His fellow owners would certainly support Jerry. He's made them an awful lot of money, and he's not exactly dominating the Super Bowl festivities.
Question: Do you think that the Fact that Haley was a recent (late) entry and that Jimmy Johnson has yet to be selected for our Ring of Honor, factored into their non-selection into the NFL HOF?
Kevin Sherrington: I don't think that's much of a factor at all. I'm not even sure the HOF voters are aware of who's in the Cowboys Ring of Honor, other than the local voters.
Question: Do you agree with Cowlishaw? Is Pro Football HOF voting flawed?
Kevin Sherrington: I don't like the fact that it's such a small group, made up only of writers. Tim supports a voting membership more along the lines of the baseball HOF or Heisman, where you have hundreds of voters. I'd prefer that over what the NFL has. I'm uncomfortable giving voters that much power in the selection of a player to something so prestigious. I don't think that's our job.
Question: Cowboys at 40/1 for 2015 Super Bowl champs. You putting some money down? (Hypothetically of course, a fine journalist like yourself would never stoop as low as gambling on anything let alone sports)
Kevin Sherrington: I'd never stoop to such a thing. Besides, no matter what the odds, you're just throwing that money away.
Question: If '13's record-setting awful D hasn't already, has the dominant showing by the Hawks in the SB shocked the FO into realizing that a vast disparity exists between what we have on D and what a SB-calibre team has? Hard to imagine we haven't been moved enough to decide to use all of our highest draft picks on D.
Kevin Sherrington: There's no question that the Cowboys' defense has the biggest needs, and it was a crime that Jerry didn't spend a single pick on the DL last year. He said that was the strength of the team before everyone got hurt, but that wasn't the entire issue, either. With the exception of Tyrone Crawford, all were 29 or over, and two were in last year of contracts. Having said that, this team has shortcomings still in OL, at WR and Jerry also needs to draft a QB. In the first round, especially, you have to be aware of what falls to you. If that's a great offensive player, either make the pick or trade down.
Question: We all know that the offensive line has improved: I believe that Jerry Jones has a short memory and will consider that problem fixed, instead of further improving it, whether via draft or free agency. I believe that he would do this even if all other areas were fine, and that this is part keeping this team from developing long term strengths. Gone are the days where we develop great depth, with good rotations, until that philosophy changes. Your thought?
Kevin Sherrington: I agree wholeheartedly. The Cowboys could use a guard or tackle. You always base what you're going to do in the draft on the board and what's sitting in front of you. But, in terms of need, I think the Cowboys need a couple of DL, an OL, S, WR, QB and a wild card, to be filled in later.
Question: How is Tony Romo doing since having back surgery?
Kevin Sherrington: He's been pretty much in seclusion ever since, but the word is that it's going well. Still, that's two back surgeries in the span of a year. Not a good sign for a QB his age. And another reason the Cowboys should draft a QB.
Question: Pete Carroll said if you can't run and hit, then you can't play for our defense. We have guys that run (Claiborne) but can't hit; and guys that hit (church) but can't run. How do we solve this?
Kevin Sherrington: Donny, your only solutions are better coaching or better drafting. They can't solve anything with free agents, because they'll never have enough cap room. Rod Marinelli did an excellent job with a bag of candidates at DL last year. Maybe he can scheme well enough to cover up the Cowboys' deficiencies. But they have to do a better job drafting. Seattle picked up much of its roster in the later rounds. The Cowboys need to pick up two starters in this draft and maybe three, and then they have to accumulate some significant depth with the rest.
Question: We need draft picks to improve like we did in early 1990s. Who can we trade for picks? Mo? Costa? Carter?
Kevin Sherrington: None of the players you mentioned are coming off good years. In the cases of Claiborne and Bruce Carter, you'd be trading them for less than what they should bring, given where they were drafted. Everybody else has film, too, so they know how they've been playing. There's some depth in this draft, and the Cowboys need players. I could see them trading down to pick up another third if a team is desperate behind them and a player falls that the Cowboys aren't interested in.
Question: Speed kills and we have none. Look how Dunbar change the offense when he was healthy. We need speed. Your thoughts?
Kevin Sherrington: The Cowboys love Dunbar. Two problems: He's been a little turnover prone, and he can't stay healthy. But you're right, he gives them a dynamic that Murray doesn't.
Question: Seattle and the Niners look to be as dominant during the next few years in the NFC as the Cowboys and Niners were in the 90's. Stuff happens, but hard to fathom an NFC East team surpassing both. Agree?
Kevin Sherrington: The Seahawks, in particular. They're the youngest team in the league. They're not going to be losing any significant parts, and the guy who built the team is still there. So, yes, this is going to be very difficult, especially when you have an old team and you haven't demonstrated any particular ability to build a team through the draft or free agency in the last 20 years.
---------------------
Sherrington just moved to the top of Hostile's "People who need to die" list.
