This fan base never ceases to amaze. A fairly critical essay means doom and gloom. This roster and staff are pretty darned good. Personnel department is pretty good as well.
Having a chance every year is a heck of a lot better than the alternative.
Too many people forget the QB situation between Aikman and Romo.
Remember when Jerry Jones drafted Quincy Carter to be our QB of the future? Good times!
I think my big issue is the Cowboys just had one of the most embarrassing playoff performances in NFL history...and there were absolutely no consequences for anyone. Like, that was the most winnable playoff game a team could ask for, and McCarthy was literally hired because Jones wanted an HC with a proven track record of playoff success...how does he keep his job after that? And Dak will almost certainly get a big extension, and Lamb is about to become the highest paid WR in the NFL, and those two figuratively and literally dropped the ball against the Packers...why would anyone think next year will end any differently?
There may be a more disingenuous way to frame the situation as "one bad game after three straight 12 win seasons," but I'm having a hard time thinking of one.
The Cowboys have now exited the playoffs in three straight seasons with McCarthy's Cowboys being unprepared and getting outcoached in each loss. This includes two home losses, and the lone win was against a Bucs team with a losing record. And again, he was brought in for the specific purpose of playoff success. Four years in and we're no better off than during the Jason Garrett era, unless one thinks that more frequent early playoff exits is a positive development.
One can forgive two close losses to Shanahan's 49ers, but they just got blown out at home by a rookie QB on a team that wouldn't have even qualified for the playoffs a few seasons ago. And it wasn't the first time this season the Cowboys got blown out in a big game (49ers, Bills).
Yes, this fuck up was so monumental that McCarthy absolutely should have lost his job over it. But Jones has once again declined to hold a coach responsible, and seems perfectly content to set up the Cowboys for yet another playoff appearance and early round loss.
My friend, I assure you, my grip is just fine here...
I think my point was pretty clear, actually. McCarthy was brought in to achieve the playoff success Garrett never achieved. Garret, in 9.5 seasons, made 3 trips to the playoffs and went 2-3, never advancing past the divisional round. McCarthy, in 4 seasons, has made 3 trips to the playoffs and went 1-3, never advancing past the divisional round. Hence, he's done no better than Garrett at the thing he was brought in specifically to fix. He's certainly gotten them to the playoffs more frequently, but the results have been the same. Except I don't recall Garrett's Cowboys ever getting blown out at home in the playoffs...
I think if there was something that was a heartbreaking example of their ultimate priority it would be the freaking curtain. Jerry would honestly, week after week, season after season, jeopardize the actual game being played on the field with their pretty stadium built in the wrong direction and the sunlight shining through. That decision might be the closest one to the field of play. To sabotage your own team repeatedly for aesthetics.
That lack of window dressing, if you will, is the thing that I hate the most about this ownership. The rest of it is bad too, but the sun in the players eyes is a safety issue. Goodell has the power to make them address it, but he's either ignorant of the problem or doesn't care.
Bob: Sorry your feelings were hurt. You definitely deserve better. The consistent quality of your pieces is literally "incomparable" on the web, IMO. The list for this last week is a good example of a diverse menu for sports fans of every persuasion. The Cowboys are "an accident waiting for a place to happen", thanks to the egomaniacal management style of their owner. That's sad; but I appreciate the optimistic, thorough, & detailed approach you always exhibit. Please don't make any changes in your style, attitude, or approach. Thanks for another winner of an article.
Another great Mailbag, thank you. On the subject of the future of the Boys, I've not seen anything that speaks to the future ownership, only the leadership. Right now there is one owner. When he's passed that on to others, do we know that it will go to a single heir, or with a no-sale condition? Will the possible dynamic of, for example, three owners with equal shares bring a new dynamic to the discussion?
Jeff: Great question. Dynasties often don't survive the passing of the founder. Perhaps some family difficulties could make needed changes to the Cowboy's management style & personnel.
Thanks, Bob. To be clear - I’m not anticipating or hoping for “family difficulties” in any way. Just think there’s the possibility for diverse viewpoints and goals once there are more voices at the table.
The estate tax is the silent but deadly killer to family dynasties. That said, I have no doubt that Jerry has had the world's highest-paid tax lawyers beavering away for the past 20 years setting things up to keep this asset whole with the family. So the Jones stink will remain on the franchise for at least another generation or two . . .
I’m no expert on estate planning, but I do know there are tools like generation-skipping trusts, so it may be another 20 years before a new generation is forced to deal with the tax burdens of inheritance.
Cowboys fans should NOT ignore the mismanagement in the Front Office (FO) and the F.O. must be considered the cause of the woes of the Dallas Cowboys for the past 26 years. I concur with Bob on everything mentioned in his Q and A including: (1) the thought that Cowboys players are influenced through their philosophical association with Jerry and his philosophy of getting every dollar, instead of getting the trophy. One example of Jaylon Smith come to mind and his mention of getting enough money to make his family very comfortable “over generations”, and then underperforming afterwards. (2) Also, Stephen Jones can be easily linked to mismanagement of players’ contracts. For example, in the case of managing the salary cap, a job which Stephen oversees, the Cowboys continually work on ways to restructure contracts. Dallas’ FO has too often restructured contracts on a regular basis, deferring a cap hit into the future. Restructuring practices might be plausible once in a while, when a Super Bowl contender is borrowing a future cap hit in order to obtain a reasonable chance to get the SB ring. However, restructuring is oftentimes the practice of unsuccessful teams done by a GM who is trying to save face because the GM had initially structured a bad contract. The profit margin of the current NFL system where the Cowboys clear more than they spend on their payroll every year, does suit the Cowboys ownership just fine. But sooner or later, the bad contract catches up with the Dallas Cowboys, and the blame tends to be well disguised by then.
Bob, excellent mailbag, maybe best one yet. You really tied it all together with this. It never occurred to me in your 3 point reply part 1. that the Jaylon contract was a negotiating ploy. That is unbelievable to me that you would spite yourself that way. And I think 3. comes down to how they defy a 98% probability. If you wanted to randomly avoid a conference championship for 30 years, you would do what Jerry did since he fired Jimmy.
Yeesh, i wait for a few days to check on *one mailbag and sure enough, it's the one i stumble into... Responding to Bob's 3 points
1) Sadly, using Jaylon's deal to shape the talks with Zeke is totally believable and is exactly the kind of thing that bothers me. That facet of the deal is completely new to me, so I better understand the criticism of it.
2) I fully agree that there was a disagreement and that Jerry loved the idea of drafting a flashy A&M kid to play for the Cowboys. But 90% of people out there believe that it was 100x more dramatic than it was because of a made-up story. I just want to settle on the facts, and then base our criticisms and discussions on those instead of propagating a fairy tale.
3) Yeah, this ties in with #1. If you want to delay contracts and use the tag - do that. If you want to lock up deals early - do that. If you want to move on from pending free agents a year too soon (Belicheck) - do that. If you want to retain your own guys - do that. But jumping between ideas like this on a whim (such as a ploy on someone else's deal) is just stupid.
On the first comment re priorities, kicking the salary cap can down the road is actually reflective of the priority being on earnings over wins in that their approach promotes fielding the best roster they can each year that does not (1) set them up for an obvious step back the following season (via going "all in" and knowing your roster will eventually feel it regardless of if you succeed in your all-in) or (2) put the fate of the season in the hands of an unknown quantity. They don't take risks on free agents, trades or coaches even though it could be the difference that has been missing for 30 years because they are desperately clutching the lightning in a bottle of popularity they have accumulated and terrified to lose it by rocking the boat. Hence their obsession with the bargain bin home grown contracts and guys who have worked here before on the staff where they have complete visibility. Obviously, the owner's age only greases those wheels even further but you would expect someone of that age whose #1 priority is one more ring to actually be too quick to pull the plug (a la my dear Chelsea) rather than act out the definition of insanity.
Your old radio mate has always attacked them for having no set of core beliefs; I would counter that the only core belief is to maximize the team's relevance in any given 24-month window. They can withstand one-off bad years (2010, 2015, 2020) but two bad years is legitimately scary to the income statement for any team, even the Death Star. This is why they will absolutely extend Dak when it is becoming apparent that it is not going to happen here (I say here because I actually think Dak going elsewhere and being relieved of the burden he wears here could enable him to ascend to the heights he is capable of).
I agree that eventually they will break through, but it will not happen in a year like 2023 where the stars align and everyone expects it. They are going to have to stumble in and win a couple surprise games in the playoffs to get the monkey off the back without the pressure, probably with a new core without scar tissue. And the inability to get past that is not unique to them being Cowboys, it's the story of the NFL.
“They could literally go 2-deep with the best at every position and double up the league’s payroll. We see this at Manchester City or PSG and it works pretty well to always have more great players.”
Man City doesn’t really do this to the extent people think…….
As always, love the thoughtfulness behind all of your work. I think Jerry wants to win a Super Bowl at all costs...provided he will get the credit as the mastermind behind the championship. If you could somehow guarantee him a title within five years if hires a proper GM...Aikman or otherwise...he'd pass on the deal and take his chances.
I do think if there was no cap, and he could spend his way into a title, he would try his darndest to do so. He could still then claim he's the football genius he thinks he is, and just conveniently gloss over that he also outspent everyone, too.
Well Bob, I think this about the Cowboys in general: they are fairly consistently competitive, have some talent on the roster, have a better than average HC and QB, are not elite at HC and QB, are consistently lacking in game plan, performance, and grit against better competition, and are a reasonably entertaining bunch to follow (drinking the Koolaid) until we all once again get PO'd at the realization that its here we go with the same ol same ol. Oh, and glad you can keep up the optimism for us and help keep us from wallowing in the pity of almost three decades of playoff futility. At least we're still at 98/2. If we hit 100/0 well I just don't know. :-)
IMO, to understand Jerry’s approach, you have to understand his wildcatter background. It worked wonders for him. Why change. He is a billionaire, for crying out loud…
I don’t think Jerry still uses the wildcatter approach like he did at one time. He does change his approach over time. When he saw a reward for spending big money for the Haley and Sanders contracts, he thought he knew how to build teams—the wildcatter approach. He continued that modus operandi after many st of the talent from the Super Bowl teams was gone, and took big swings on trades and contracts that turned out notoriously wrong.
Then, when the idea of drafting and retaining your own seemed to bear fruit, he became increasingly timid, and refused to pull the trigger on deals that might have pushed a team over the top. Maybe his age has made him hesitant to do anything that might damage good teams instead of taking a calculated chance on pushing the team to the next level.
The trades this year for Woods and Gilman might be a sign he is regaining some of his aggression , but I guess we’ll have to see what he means by making big changes this offseason.
It was written late at night by a 71-year old brain that can remember events from nearly 70 years ago, but seems to often have a dead spot for names, even for people I’ve known all my life. With a little time, the name will come, but I haven’t found any way to go back and edit once something is posted.
I understand the common denominator piece, but that implies that the jones haven't or won't change. I see a difference vs the previous decade....yes many of the same results, but the path has been different. The drafting has been well above average and I believe they let McCarthy run this team for the most part. The Clayton drop, Romo fumble, Dez catch....A-rod holding onto the ball after that sack.....lots of bad football god moments for sure....and I'm not saying the Jones commentary (ie this is the most talented squad we've had since......) helps, but its just too simple to put 30 years on any one thing. We lost this year because McCarthy and Quinn did not have the team prepared and our QB continues to show that you can win with him but he cannot take that next step. Didn't mean to sound so harsh....you're my favorite writer in the world....just thought this piece was written without enough objectivity.
This fan base never ceases to amaze. A fairly critical essay means doom and gloom. This roster and staff are pretty darned good. Personnel department is pretty good as well.
Having a chance every year is a heck of a lot better than the alternative.
Too many people forget the QB situation between Aikman and Romo.
Remember when Jerry Jones drafted Quincy Carter to be our QB of the future? Good times!
I think my big issue is the Cowboys just had one of the most embarrassing playoff performances in NFL history...and there were absolutely no consequences for anyone. Like, that was the most winnable playoff game a team could ask for, and McCarthy was literally hired because Jones wanted an HC with a proven track record of playoff success...how does he keep his job after that? And Dak will almost certainly get a big extension, and Lamb is about to become the highest paid WR in the NFL, and those two figuratively and literally dropped the ball against the Packers...why would anyone think next year will end any differently?
How awful to have 3 straight 12 win seasons and nobody gets fired!
Get a grip. Yes, it was a horrible game but to throw out the body of work because of 1 game?
There may be a more disingenuous way to frame the situation as "one bad game after three straight 12 win seasons," but I'm having a hard time thinking of one.
The Cowboys have now exited the playoffs in three straight seasons with McCarthy's Cowboys being unprepared and getting outcoached in each loss. This includes two home losses, and the lone win was against a Bucs team with a losing record. And again, he was brought in for the specific purpose of playoff success. Four years in and we're no better off than during the Jason Garrett era, unless one thinks that more frequent early playoff exits is a positive development.
One can forgive two close losses to Shanahan's 49ers, but they just got blown out at home by a rookie QB on a team that wouldn't have even qualified for the playoffs a few seasons ago. And it wasn't the first time this season the Cowboys got blown out in a big game (49ers, Bills).
Yes, this fuck up was so monumental that McCarthy absolutely should have lost his job over it. But Jones has once again declined to hold a coach responsible, and seems perfectly content to set up the Cowboys for yet another playoff appearance and early round loss.
My friend, I assure you, my grip is just fine here...
You call me disingenuous then say they're no better off than under Garrett.
I think my point was pretty clear, actually. McCarthy was brought in to achieve the playoff success Garrett never achieved. Garret, in 9.5 seasons, made 3 trips to the playoffs and went 2-3, never advancing past the divisional round. McCarthy, in 4 seasons, has made 3 trips to the playoffs and went 1-3, never advancing past the divisional round. Hence, he's done no better than Garrett at the thing he was brought in specifically to fix. He's certainly gotten them to the playoffs more frequently, but the results have been the same. Except I don't recall Garrett's Cowboys ever getting blown out at home in the playoffs...
I think my point was pretty clear. To fire mccarthy would have been one of the stupidest moves possible.
AIKMAN for GM! Hoorah!
I think if there was something that was a heartbreaking example of their ultimate priority it would be the freaking curtain. Jerry would honestly, week after week, season after season, jeopardize the actual game being played on the field with their pretty stadium built in the wrong direction and the sunlight shining through. That decision might be the closest one to the field of play. To sabotage your own team repeatedly for aesthetics.
I’m open for better examples.
That lack of window dressing, if you will, is the thing that I hate the most about this ownership. The rest of it is bad too, but the sun in the players eyes is a safety issue. Goodell has the power to make them address it, but he's either ignorant of the problem or doesn't care.
Bob: Sorry your feelings were hurt. You definitely deserve better. The consistent quality of your pieces is literally "incomparable" on the web, IMO. The list for this last week is a good example of a diverse menu for sports fans of every persuasion. The Cowboys are "an accident waiting for a place to happen", thanks to the egomaniacal management style of their owner. That's sad; but I appreciate the optimistic, thorough, & detailed approach you always exhibit. Please don't make any changes in your style, attitude, or approach. Thanks for another winner of an article.
Another great Mailbag, thank you. On the subject of the future of the Boys, I've not seen anything that speaks to the future ownership, only the leadership. Right now there is one owner. When he's passed that on to others, do we know that it will go to a single heir, or with a no-sale condition? Will the possible dynamic of, for example, three owners with equal shares bring a new dynamic to the discussion?
Jeff: Great question. Dynasties often don't survive the passing of the founder. Perhaps some family difficulties could make needed changes to the Cowboy's management style & personnel.
Thanks, Bob. To be clear - I’m not anticipating or hoping for “family difficulties” in any way. Just think there’s the possibility for diverse viewpoints and goals once there are more voices at the table.
The estate tax is the silent but deadly killer to family dynasties. That said, I have no doubt that Jerry has had the world's highest-paid tax lawyers beavering away for the past 20 years setting things up to keep this asset whole with the family. So the Jones stink will remain on the franchise for at least another generation or two . . .
I’m no expert on estate planning, but I do know there are tools like generation-skipping trusts, so it may be another 20 years before a new generation is forced to deal with the tax burdens of inheritance.
Cowboys fans should NOT ignore the mismanagement in the Front Office (FO) and the F.O. must be considered the cause of the woes of the Dallas Cowboys for the past 26 years. I concur with Bob on everything mentioned in his Q and A including: (1) the thought that Cowboys players are influenced through their philosophical association with Jerry and his philosophy of getting every dollar, instead of getting the trophy. One example of Jaylon Smith come to mind and his mention of getting enough money to make his family very comfortable “over generations”, and then underperforming afterwards. (2) Also, Stephen Jones can be easily linked to mismanagement of players’ contracts. For example, in the case of managing the salary cap, a job which Stephen oversees, the Cowboys continually work on ways to restructure contracts. Dallas’ FO has too often restructured contracts on a regular basis, deferring a cap hit into the future. Restructuring practices might be plausible once in a while, when a Super Bowl contender is borrowing a future cap hit in order to obtain a reasonable chance to get the SB ring. However, restructuring is oftentimes the practice of unsuccessful teams done by a GM who is trying to save face because the GM had initially structured a bad contract. The profit margin of the current NFL system where the Cowboys clear more than they spend on their payroll every year, does suit the Cowboys ownership just fine. But sooner or later, the bad contract catches up with the Dallas Cowboys, and the blame tends to be well disguised by then.
Bob, excellent mailbag, maybe best one yet. You really tied it all together with this. It never occurred to me in your 3 point reply part 1. that the Jaylon contract was a negotiating ploy. That is unbelievable to me that you would spite yourself that way. And I think 3. comes down to how they defy a 98% probability. If you wanted to randomly avoid a conference championship for 30 years, you would do what Jerry did since he fired Jimmy.
Yeesh, i wait for a few days to check on *one mailbag and sure enough, it's the one i stumble into... Responding to Bob's 3 points
1) Sadly, using Jaylon's deal to shape the talks with Zeke is totally believable and is exactly the kind of thing that bothers me. That facet of the deal is completely new to me, so I better understand the criticism of it.
2) I fully agree that there was a disagreement and that Jerry loved the idea of drafting a flashy A&M kid to play for the Cowboys. But 90% of people out there believe that it was 100x more dramatic than it was because of a made-up story. I just want to settle on the facts, and then base our criticisms and discussions on those instead of propagating a fairy tale.
3) Yeah, this ties in with #1. If you want to delay contracts and use the tag - do that. If you want to lock up deals early - do that. If you want to move on from pending free agents a year too soon (Belicheck) - do that. If you want to retain your own guys - do that. But jumping between ideas like this on a whim (such as a ploy on someone else's deal) is just stupid.
On the first comment re priorities, kicking the salary cap can down the road is actually reflective of the priority being on earnings over wins in that their approach promotes fielding the best roster they can each year that does not (1) set them up for an obvious step back the following season (via going "all in" and knowing your roster will eventually feel it regardless of if you succeed in your all-in) or (2) put the fate of the season in the hands of an unknown quantity. They don't take risks on free agents, trades or coaches even though it could be the difference that has been missing for 30 years because they are desperately clutching the lightning in a bottle of popularity they have accumulated and terrified to lose it by rocking the boat. Hence their obsession with the bargain bin home grown contracts and guys who have worked here before on the staff where they have complete visibility. Obviously, the owner's age only greases those wheels even further but you would expect someone of that age whose #1 priority is one more ring to actually be too quick to pull the plug (a la my dear Chelsea) rather than act out the definition of insanity.
Your old radio mate has always attacked them for having no set of core beliefs; I would counter that the only core belief is to maximize the team's relevance in any given 24-month window. They can withstand one-off bad years (2010, 2015, 2020) but two bad years is legitimately scary to the income statement for any team, even the Death Star. This is why they will absolutely extend Dak when it is becoming apparent that it is not going to happen here (I say here because I actually think Dak going elsewhere and being relieved of the burden he wears here could enable him to ascend to the heights he is capable of).
I agree that eventually they will break through, but it will not happen in a year like 2023 where the stars align and everyone expects it. They are going to have to stumble in and win a couple surprise games in the playoffs to get the monkey off the back without the pressure, probably with a new core without scar tissue. And the inability to get past that is not unique to them being Cowboys, it's the story of the NFL.
Diatribe over!
“They could literally go 2-deep with the best at every position and double up the league’s payroll. We see this at Manchester City or PSG and it works pretty well to always have more great players.”
Man City doesn’t really do this to the extent people think…….
They did until FFP got involved
Fine
As always, love the thoughtfulness behind all of your work. I think Jerry wants to win a Super Bowl at all costs...provided he will get the credit as the mastermind behind the championship. If you could somehow guarantee him a title within five years if hires a proper GM...Aikman or otherwise...he'd pass on the deal and take his chances.
I do think if there was no cap, and he could spend his way into a title, he would try his darndest to do so. He could still then claim he's the football genius he thinks he is, and just conveniently gloss over that he also outspent everyone, too.
Well Bob, I think this about the Cowboys in general: they are fairly consistently competitive, have some talent on the roster, have a better than average HC and QB, are not elite at HC and QB, are consistently lacking in game plan, performance, and grit against better competition, and are a reasonably entertaining bunch to follow (drinking the Koolaid) until we all once again get PO'd at the realization that its here we go with the same ol same ol. Oh, and glad you can keep up the optimism for us and help keep us from wallowing in the pity of almost three decades of playoff futility. At least we're still at 98/2. If we hit 100/0 well I just don't know. :-)
IMO, to understand Jerry’s approach, you have to understand his wildcatter background. It worked wonders for him. Why change. He is a billionaire, for crying out loud…
I don’t think Jerry still uses the wildcatter approach like he did at one time. He does change his approach over time. When he saw a reward for spending big money for the Haley and Sanders contracts, he thought he knew how to build teams—the wildcatter approach. He continued that modus operandi after many st of the talent from the Super Bowl teams was gone, and took big swings on trades and contracts that turned out notoriously wrong.
Then, when the idea of drafting and retaining your own seemed to bear fruit, he became increasingly timid, and refused to pull the trigger on deals that might have pushed a team over the top. Maybe his age has made him hesitant to do anything that might damage good teams instead of taking a calculated chance on pushing the team to the next level.
The trades this year for Woods and Gilman might be a sign he is regaining some of his aggression , but I guess we’ll have to see what he means by making big changes this offseason.
1 - not for nothing, but it is Cooks and Gilmore. This was a wildcatter move that bore fruit.
2 - Mike McCarthy is a wildcatter move.
3 - Sean Lee, Jaylon Smith, Bruce Carter, etc were wildcatter moves.
4 - Rob Ryan and Bones were wildcatter moves.
The difference now, is that he has huge amounts of money to make moves. These moves are usually big names, instead of smarter moves.
All these modern coaches (e.g. McVay, Shannahan, LaFleur, etc) would’ve been wildcatter moves as well, but were not big names at the time.
This new DC seems like it will be a big name that would not bear fruit (Mike Nolan). I hope I’m wrong.
Yes, I’m aware it is Cooks and Gilmore.
It was written late at night by a 71-year old brain that can remember events from nearly 70 years ago, but seems to often have a dead spot for names, even for people I’ve known all my life. With a little time, the name will come, but I haven’t found any way to go back and edit once something is posted.
I hope you feel extra intelligent.
I understand the common denominator piece, but that implies that the jones haven't or won't change. I see a difference vs the previous decade....yes many of the same results, but the path has been different. The drafting has been well above average and I believe they let McCarthy run this team for the most part. The Clayton drop, Romo fumble, Dez catch....A-rod holding onto the ball after that sack.....lots of bad football god moments for sure....and I'm not saying the Jones commentary (ie this is the most talented squad we've had since......) helps, but its just too simple to put 30 years on any one thing. We lost this year because McCarthy and Quinn did not have the team prepared and our QB continues to show that you can win with him but he cannot take that next step. Didn't mean to sound so harsh....you're my favorite writer in the world....just thought this piece was written without enough objectivity.