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Cowboys need to look beyond their next game as the season nears an end
COLUMN By GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News
gfraley@dallasnews.com
IRVING – When the Cowboys return to practice today, it will mark the first time since the final week of the 2004 season that they will prepare for a meaningless game.
The newness of it all explains why the Cowboys do not grasp the possibilities.
Their game against Washington on Sunday at Cowboys Stadium matches a pair of also-rans. The result will have zero impact on the structure of the playoffs.
Given that lack of importance, the Cowboys would have a no-risk, high-reward situation by giving time to younger players.
The Cowboys can find a few series for developmental quarterback Stephen McGee and young offensive linemen Phil Costa, Jermey Parnell and Sam Young . They can road-test safeties Barry Church, Danny McCray and Andrew Sendejo. Inside linebacker Sean Lee can get extended playing time. Outside linebackers Victor Butler and Brandon Williams can get on the field.
It's the equivalent of out-of-the-picture baseball teams using September to start learning which prospects can play and which prospects are suspect. The Cowboys could get a head start on next season.
They could, but they won't. The Cowboys' vision does not extend beyond the final three games of this lost season.
Owner-general manager Jerry Jones and interim head coach Jason Garrett insist they will play out the string with the sole intent of winning out to finish at a glittering 7-9. The organizational stance is the best possible record is more valuable than player development.
'We want to win," Jones said after the loss to Philadelphia on Sunday night. "I want to [play] anybody we can to help us win the games."
Said Garrett: "The goal each week is to try to win football games. That's what we're going to try to do. We're going to try to put our best football forward to that end."
This happens when multiple considerations are involved.
Jones, the huckster, needs to sell luxury boxes and tickets for next season. He can lessen the blow of this terrible season with a marketing campaign based on a strong finish to this season. Jones prefers having injured starting quarterback Tony Romo return for the final two games to fan the sales pitch rather than see McGee get playing time.
Garrett, the aspiring head coach, wants this job. The better his record, the more likely he is to return on a full-time basis. For Garrett, there is little incentive to develop young players for the next coach.
From a pure football standpoint, using young players makes sense in many ways.
With the playoffs out of reach, a better record impedes the player-development process. A 4-12 season, the Cowboys' record if they were to lose out, brought the fourth and fifth overall picks in last year's draft. A 7-9 record brought picks Nos. 10-12.
The Cowboys also need to work youngbloods into the mix, as teams such as Philadelphia have done. In Sunday's win over the Cowboys, the Eagles had nine starters with three seasons or fewer of experience. The Cowboys have five starters with three seasons or fewer of experience.
An injury to tackle Marc Colombo forced the Cowboys to use Doug Free last season, and they learned he could play. Free, at left tackle, has been the club's most consistent offensive lineman this season.
A 4-9 record is the equivalent of an injury to all 22 starters.
"We're always evaluating players, and you're always wanting opportunities to see players," Garrett said. "But the goal is to win football games."
Nothing says the Cowboys cannot win by using the younger players. Look at Tampa Bay.
The Bucs went 3-13 a year ago. They returned this season with the league's youngest roster, which includes 26 players with three seasons or fewer of NFL experience. The Bucs are 8-5 and chasing a playoff spot.
Garrett did leave himself a bit of wiggle room on playing time, saying, "If it's appropriate to give someone an opportunity, we'll certainly do that." What's more appropriate than a team proclaimed legally finished?
Feeling the draft
The possible final records for the Cowboys range from 4-12 to 7-9. A look at what each record would mean for their spot in the first round of next year's draft, based upon NFL results from the last five seasons:
Record................No. of teams.............Avg. draft spot
4-12..........................15............................4.5
5-11..........................12............................7.4
6-10...........................9............................10.2
7-9............................14...........................11.5
COLUMN By GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News
gfraley@dallasnews.com
IRVING – When the Cowboys return to practice today, it will mark the first time since the final week of the 2004 season that they will prepare for a meaningless game.
The newness of it all explains why the Cowboys do not grasp the possibilities.
Their game against Washington on Sunday at Cowboys Stadium matches a pair of also-rans. The result will have zero impact on the structure of the playoffs.
Given that lack of importance, the Cowboys would have a no-risk, high-reward situation by giving time to younger players.
The Cowboys can find a few series for developmental quarterback Stephen McGee and young offensive linemen Phil Costa, Jermey Parnell and Sam Young . They can road-test safeties Barry Church, Danny McCray and Andrew Sendejo. Inside linebacker Sean Lee can get extended playing time. Outside linebackers Victor Butler and Brandon Williams can get on the field.
It's the equivalent of out-of-the-picture baseball teams using September to start learning which prospects can play and which prospects are suspect. The Cowboys could get a head start on next season.
They could, but they won't. The Cowboys' vision does not extend beyond the final three games of this lost season.
Owner-general manager Jerry Jones and interim head coach Jason Garrett insist they will play out the string with the sole intent of winning out to finish at a glittering 7-9. The organizational stance is the best possible record is more valuable than player development.
'We want to win," Jones said after the loss to Philadelphia on Sunday night. "I want to [play] anybody we can to help us win the games."
Said Garrett: "The goal each week is to try to win football games. That's what we're going to try to do. We're going to try to put our best football forward to that end."
This happens when multiple considerations are involved.
Jones, the huckster, needs to sell luxury boxes and tickets for next season. He can lessen the blow of this terrible season with a marketing campaign based on a strong finish to this season. Jones prefers having injured starting quarterback Tony Romo return for the final two games to fan the sales pitch rather than see McGee get playing time.
Garrett, the aspiring head coach, wants this job. The better his record, the more likely he is to return on a full-time basis. For Garrett, there is little incentive to develop young players for the next coach.
From a pure football standpoint, using young players makes sense in many ways.
With the playoffs out of reach, a better record impedes the player-development process. A 4-12 season, the Cowboys' record if they were to lose out, brought the fourth and fifth overall picks in last year's draft. A 7-9 record brought picks Nos. 10-12.
The Cowboys also need to work youngbloods into the mix, as teams such as Philadelphia have done. In Sunday's win over the Cowboys, the Eagles had nine starters with three seasons or fewer of experience. The Cowboys have five starters with three seasons or fewer of experience.
An injury to tackle Marc Colombo forced the Cowboys to use Doug Free last season, and they learned he could play. Free, at left tackle, has been the club's most consistent offensive lineman this season.
A 4-9 record is the equivalent of an injury to all 22 starters.
"We're always evaluating players, and you're always wanting opportunities to see players," Garrett said. "But the goal is to win football games."
Nothing says the Cowboys cannot win by using the younger players. Look at Tampa Bay.
The Bucs went 3-13 a year ago. They returned this season with the league's youngest roster, which includes 26 players with three seasons or fewer of NFL experience. The Bucs are 8-5 and chasing a playoff spot.
Garrett did leave himself a bit of wiggle room on playing time, saying, "If it's appropriate to give someone an opportunity, we'll certainly do that." What's more appropriate than a team proclaimed legally finished?
Feeling the draft
The possible final records for the Cowboys range from 4-12 to 7-9. A look at what each record would mean for their spot in the first round of next year's draft, based upon NFL results from the last five seasons:
Record................No. of teams.............Avg. draft spot
4-12..........................15............................4.5
5-11..........................12............................7.4
6-10...........................9............................10.2
7-9............................14...........................11.5