Friday Free Mailbag: Your Questions/My Answers

What position makes the most sense for Micah Parsons? Luka, Klopp, DQ, and more!

Free Friday Mailbag is our somewhat weekly tradition of giving every paid subscriber here at #SturmStack a chance to tackle our weekly "Group of 10" questions.

We moved it to Saturday this week, but I appreciate your flexibility on specifics of release. As tradition dictates, we put 100 minutes on the clock and give 10 different subscribers each week roughly 10 minutes of my time to see where that takes us as the FA Cup plays in the background.

It's the least I can do, and all I ask is that perhaps you consider joining us here at our little start-up newsletter to keep us going!

Ok, before we get to our “Group of 10” that were selected from this week’s bag, here is “this week’s thing I discovered that I want you to know about”:

THING DISCOVERED THIS WEEK THAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT:

This is an easy one, with friend of #SturmStack Dan Campbell coaching one game for a chance to win the Super Bowl. I was reminded of this video earlier this week by a friend as we were discussing his excellence as a coach. He has such a way of emotionally connecting with a region about what a sports team can mean to all of us that I do think it is remarkable. In the end, all the public (us!) want from anyone in these games is to know how much it matters. Is this important to you?

Not this game. Not even this season. Do you know how important this "thing" is in our lives? How our mental calendars revolve around these occasions. We work hard in our jobs so in our free time, we can spend time with our teams at our places with our people. Do you get that?

Dan Campbell gets it. This video is everything. There is a responsibility to being a steward of something as important as "our football team," whichever football team that is. Yes, it is just sports, but to some of us, that could inspire a tattoo, the name of a first-born son, or both!

Here:

It's okay to let us know you get it. So many coaches don't. They think it's a job, and they focus on tactics, schemes, and contracts. That's fine, but it is so much more than that. It's enough to make a grown man cry or run around a room like nothing else on the planet.

So, when you get 60 seconds of knowing your coach feels like you do, the connection is tough to ignore.

Dan Campbell and Jurgen Klopp are on my mind as I write this to you. Maybe that's because, despite there being a real chance they have never heard of one another, they seem a lot alike. They get what this means to us because it means it to them, too.

It may seem corny, but I wish coaches could show that more to us. Not all the time, but once in a while, show us what it means to you.

Ok, let’s get to the group of 10, 100 minutes on the clock, please!

From David Anderson: Recent draft history would suggest that DAL misses way more on DEF scouting than offensive, why is that?!

Well, for us to fully agree or disagree, we probably need a sample size here, so let’s use the last 5 years to establish offensive vs. defensive busts. I would also say that only Top 100 picks can truly be “busts” as Day 3 guys generally have a low hit rate.

So, in the last 5 years - offensive busts: Connor McGovern is still in the league but never really a full Cowboys-quality starter, and Jalen Tolbert is getting very close. I refuse to call Luke Schoonmaker a bust after one season. He had a pretty normal 1st season for an NFL rookie.

Defensive busts: Trysten Hill, Neville Gallimore, Kelvin Joseph, Nashon Wright, Chauncey Golston (borderline), and Mazi Smith is also just a rookie, so let’s be careful there. Anyway, that tells us that the team has spent only five of the 16 “top 100” picks on offense in the last five years. So, 11 have been on defense, and they have missed on about half. I do think if the Cowboys front office has a fatal flaw, it is that they allow someone like Rod Marinelli or Dan Quinn to have an enormous say in the draft room. I get it; you want the coaches to have the types of players they want, but just like letting scouts call plays, I am not sure I need my coaches to try to be scouts. Heck, I would not allow players to be scouts, either (Troy Aikman and Tony Romo both have famous whiffs when asked for their opinions). The trouble is we have seen this too many times. Butch Davis, Larry Lacewell, Barry Switzer, and who knows who else will say something to Jerry, and it influences him to fall in love with a player like Bruce Carter or Felix Jones and push him well above his proper slotting. Hearing Marinelli was interested in Trysten Hill or that DQ loved Nashon Wright and Mazi Smith is either giving way too much authority to someone who shouldn’t have it or it could be the way they always assign blame to someone else when a pick goes poorly. I wouldn’t rule that out. If the GM can sell out an assistant coach and make him “eat the sin”, then you get mad at Butch Davis instead of Jerry for not doing his own work. Ah yes. Full circle again.

From Jordan Wotila: 73? You were ready to trade him yesterday.

Let me be extremely clear here because I think you missed this one, Jordan.

I have never supported the idea of trading Luka Dončić. When I do, I will be clear about how I feel. You don’t trade guys like that until it is your last resort (before he leaves for free). My support is to continue to be unsatisfied with where this thing currently is and therefore I remain a believer that it is probably time to try a new coach – that said, in season coaching changes in this situation would not really be a smart playing of the odds to save this particular season.

But, I would not have Jason Kidd back next year unless something drastic occurs.

From Billy Beasley: Can you break down what sports life looks like post Super Bowl? Beyond local teams, what events do you have circled for the next couple of weeks and what should us 'sports on tv' guys have marked on our calendars prior to March Madness?

For me? Well, I feel pretty busy because the Stars/the Mavs/the Rangers are all in the news every day now, and then we add to that the NFL Draft season. I am also oddly into college basketball again right now, watching soccer as I type this, just finished the Australian Open Women’s final, and looking forward to the golf year.

What is circled? I believe I am going to the Masters for the first time in my life in April, so that is the big circle. Otherwise, just digging into everything, all the time!

But, beyond the local teams and before March Madness? I would say that this is possibly one of the most interesting Premier League seasons in years. Manchester City is trying to become the first 4-peat champion EVER, and they are chasing down Liverpool, who just had Jurgen Klopp say this is the end. Liverpool has a small lead and 17 matches to go between here and the finish line, with Arsenal and Aston Villa close by as well. If you have never lived through a Premier League title race, there is nothing like it. Nothing.

From Brent: Bob, you look at the two best teams, and certainly defenses, of the 4 remaining and they’ve been phenomenal at LB all season, both with ILBs who can play the run and pass effectively and impact-fully. It seems like a tall task for the Cowboys to replicate that kind of magic in the short term. But could the solution to shoring up some of the primary issues on defense (namely rush D) be actually playing Micah more primarily at off-ball LB? He’s undersized anyway as an Edge, and 3 years in a row we’ve seen his impact wane down the stretch as it is. And no reason you couldnt still deploy him at Edge in pass rushing situations. But having him play more LB seems like it could keep him fresher, and allow you to focus more on improving the interior DL this offseason with Micah as an incumbent/huge LB upgrade that gives you the kind of impact in the run game and athleticism in the pass game that the 49ers and Ravens both thrive on. Then you potentially get the long term advantage of not having him bang quite as much as a down lineman throughout the season, and maybe hes fresher for the stretch run and playoffs? Curious if you think that needs to be part of the solution on D. Ok, I’ll hang up and listen.

The Micah conversation - not helped by all his family posting their thoughts – is easy and complex at the same time. It is easy because seldom do you get the chance to decide where your superstar can help you the most. But, as usual, money complicates things, and Micah is 100% committed to playing edge because that is where the sacks are, and therefore that is where the money is.

It doesn’t make him a bad guy at all. It doesn’t make him selfish. He is objectively great at playing edge, and we could honestly argue he is not objectively great at linebacker, although nobody doubts he could get there. But, if the question is: would some GMs rather have Micah than the best edges in the league? Could he be grabbed before TJ Watt and Nick Bosa by some neutral experts? Yes.

Okay, how about that same question versus Fred Warner or Roquan Smith? I am going to say no, but maybe he could get there. Also, edge is a premium position, and even though the game is always evolving, run and hit LB is not. So, yes, it is self-serving to put him at edge and could be an extra $10m per year on his salary. But, it is also smart, despite his limitations against the run. And, by the way, I agree with you that “both” should be an option where he switches to edge on pass-rush downs and plays LB in those other spots, but that is a lot to ask of a defense, and teams will play tempo to keep you from subbing if they are smart.

From Walton Wilson: My question is: Is JKidd a better HC now than in his earlier stops? How has he improved? What does he still need to work on (tactics, time management, communication skills, etc.)? Is his coaching talent substantial enough to warrant another season after this?

It's a fine question, Walton, and I am not going to pretend that I can easily dissect his scheme. But, where I am left wanting is mostly in his ability to build a discernible spirit or culture. Do we see the players respond to him in a way that is elevating the whole? Do they come out flat too often? Does the head coach fight for them and maybe argue on their behalf with refs so their superstar doesn’t spend so much energy on that? I just see Kidd unable to seem to gather the team emotionally well enough, and I think they might need that type of guy. Also, they probably need someone willing to challenge his best players if he thinks they are capable of better. I had some hopes for Kidd, but I just don’t think I see a great fit anymore. It stinks, but I think the Mavericks need to try again at head coach. Huge bummer.

From Jay Beerley: Ok Bob, I know this has been talked about on the radio before but we need an official SturmStack ruling: adults wearing jerseys in public, not at games. Yay or Nay? If Nay, does the NHL sweater get a pass during winter as a practical option?

I don’t want to get in trouble here because I realize I am not able to speak for everyone or pass some rule from on high. So, speaking for me, I am done with jerseys, I think. Seeing my son wear them seems proper and a sign that I should pass them down. So, I did. But, I am 51. When you start watching the grown-up sons of the athletes you enjoyed, it is probably time to stop wearing jerseys for me. But, my view as I get older is that sports people should enjoy sports in whatever way makes them happy – as long as I don’t catch them bandwagon hopping or front-running. Haha.

From Dalton Cook: Bob who would you say is your best relationship that currently works for the cowboys? Player, coach, front office, or support staff

I would probably love to avoid this one because my friends remaining anonymous is best. But, I will tell you that I don’t believe I have any big friendships that would be a major shock to anyone. Some folks have thought I must be friends with Mike McCarthy. Nope. I just think he is a very solid head coach and the best and most capable coach since Bill Parcells around here.

From Michael Snapp: I'm sure there are numerous legal reasons why you likely can't, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on what happened with Dan and Jake. Not from a Ticket/Cumulus/lawsuit perspective, but more from the 'My dear friends are gone/Change is hard/This is how I feel about their current path/This is what my relationship with them is like now' viewpoint. Your appearance on the Musers the day it was officially announced D&J were leaving was pretty telling, but I wonder how you feel about it several months later. I'm sure you're getting tired of being asked about this, but there are many fascinating angles to the whole situation, and the human/friendship element is very compelling.

Well, as you probably know, this has been a fun week at the Ticket, and we are very proud of our present tense and our 30th birthday. There have been big changes at my radio station, and two of my closest friends on the planet no longer work there as of last July. When you work with your friends for a few decades, you form bonds that will last forever. I love those two guys, and I always will. I wish they didn’t decide to go off on their own, but I also understand the attractiveness of “doing your own thing”, because that is what I am doing right here. I don’t want to write for any company or share the proceeds of my labor or have someone above me veto an idea just because it doesn’t sound right to their ears. So, I get it.

Michael Hogue - DMN

I also wish it didn’t happen and that I still worked with my buddies every day. But, we all have to choose a path and believe in our choice. I am happy to work for my radio company and predict I will retire without ever having another radio gig but this one. They wanted to bet on themselves, and from talking to them frequently, it sounds like they are reenergized with what could be next for them.

So, yes, we are still good friends, but it is different. Like when you and your great friends leave college and go your separate ways, you plan on always staying in touch, but life does pull the friendship apart a bit. It is different and not always what you would have hoped. But, we are all going to be okay. I love my friends, and I love my radio station. Both can be true! I hope that answer is better than nothing.

From Blake: What documentaries would you recommend watching?

This is a perfect offseason post idea. I love documentaries and used to review them and post lists for people to cheat off of, but I have clearly allowed that to fall off. Let me put this into development, but obviously, there is so much grey area now with reality tv and docu-series now blurring the lines. This non answer will serve as a motivation to get this going again.

From John: Salah is gone after this season, correct? Isn't that what came out of all the Middle Eastern flirtations last summer? Come back for 23-24 and run it one last time? Give Liverpool time to figure out the next step? Am I remembering that correctly?

Edit: KLOPP!!!!!!!

Yes, John, I think we all need to edit any thoughts of where Mo Salah plays next season now that we know that Jurgen Klopp is leaving Liverpool. I said yesterday that I am not sure there is a sports story that could bum me out more (save for a tragic death or something) than maybe my favorite coach in any sport leaving the club that loves him so much. He is just 56, but he has been with Liverpool since 2015 and is exhausted. He wants to take a year off before his next challenge and said that he knew he wanted to make sure he left before he felt his performance drop. I know that those who don’t know him or even those that cheer against him might not get this, but this feels like a massive turn of events. Usually, an icon leaves because he is very old, or fortunes have turned. But, Klopp is not old and his team is at the top of the table. And yet, for those of us who love that club, we are somewhat amazed he made it this long.

I am doing a full post on Klopp soon – when my brain processes everything – but this must feel like how it felt when Vince Lombardi left the Packers. I wasn’t alive, and I realize that Lombardi had many more championships, but Klopp is the rare coach or manager where he is the main character of the story, and there is almost nobody in that club’s following that has a single bad thing to say about the man. He is larger than life in so many ways and seems universally loved. That seldom happens in sports, and when it does, you want it to last forever. But, in sports, it never does.

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Ok, I am off to Stars-Caps today and will possibly write that game up before reports on both games tomorrow. I think I like San Francisco and Baltimore to advance, but both point spreads seem too much for me. On the other hand, the odds of both games being close and riveting is possibly wishing upon a star.

Either way, it is a fun weekend ahead. Enjoy.