Realistic changes to get back to playoffs.

The Cowboys are a decent team who was a couple plays away from the playoffs this past season. In order to get to the playoffs and win a couple playoff games next year they need to make some key additions and changes.

Offense:
 We are set at the starting QB position. Romo proved this past season that he was a top 5-7 qb in the league. To those of you who say get rid of this guy or blame him for our problems, did you watch football this year? He was clearly the MVP of the offense and could be the MVP of the entire team. He had the team in position to win most weeks and either the defense let him down, the special teams let him down or his recievers let him down. He was one of the few bright spots on the team this past season.
I do think that we need to bring in a veteran QB to back him up. McGee isn't ready yet and I am sure Kitna will retire.

I think our run game will be much better year. Murray will have another camp under his belt and he showed how deadly he can be. I like Felix as a third down back and i really like Tanner. I do think with the injury concerns we have had that it might be smart to carry 4 backs this year. I would seriously consider drafting someone in the fourth or fifth round or bring in a free agent. Maybe someone who can double as a kick/punt returner.

Bringing Fiametta back should be one of the top priorities in free agency. Chapas has potential but unless he has a fantastic camp he will be on the practice squad again.

Witten is one of the best TE's in the game and a hall of fame type player. Bennett should not return to the team, Phillips is a better player and I am looking forward to seeing more of him next season. I do see us bringing in someone in the draft or free agency to man that third TE position.

We are very deep at WR and if we bring Robinson back we will have one of the best receiving corps in the league. Ausitn is fantastic when healthy and a true game breaker. If Dez can get his ass in shape and keep his concentration in the second half he could develop into a great WR. If we can't bring Robinson back we will need to go out and get a real slot reciever and back up reciever. Ogleetree should not return, I had hoped he would develop into a Kevin Williams type player but he hasn't done enough. I do like Harris and am glad he made it through waivers last season. I do think he can develop into a pretty good player.

The oline is the area on offense that needs the most work. Smith is a stud. He was definetly worth all the hype. Free struggled some this year but wasn't horrible. We should swap these two players around and I think they will. Costa was so-so this year at center and if an upgrade can be found we need to pursue it. At the very least they need to bring someone in to push him.  I think Nagy and Arkin have potential but we need to bring someone in that has the potential to start in either in the draft or in free agency. I would like to see us invest a first or second round draft pick on a gaurd. Kosier is a pretty good player but he is aging and won't be around for ever.

Defense is where the biggest changes need to be made. They let Romo and the offense down throughout the entire season.

I know we have talked about it the last few offseasons but I really think for a 3-4 to be dominate and operate right we need a big space eating NT. Ratliff is awesome but I think he would be a lot better at DE and our defense would function better with a mountain in the middle.  If we can't find someone in the draft, there needs to be a big name brought in through free agency. I really like Hatcher, Spears, Lissmore and Brent. Only a few minor tweaks are needed here.

I am ok with bringing Spencer back next year but it has to be at the right price and we still need to bring in another pass rusher to spell Spencer on obvious passing downs.  Ware is the best in the game, nothing else needed to say.  It's time to say goodbye to Brooking. He is too old and slow and I am tired of watching him chase after who ever he is supposed to cover. I feel the same about James as I do about Spencer, bring him back only if the price is right. He is no longer a starter on this team but I feel he still has a role on the team. If Carter is as good as everyone thinks he is we will be set at ILB. Lee is an absolute stud and will develop into the next great ILB in this league.

I think we should only bring back three players from this seconday. Sensebaugh, Scandrick and Jenkins. When healthy Jenkins is a damn good corner but he is rarely healthy.  Scandrick is better suited in the slot and plays pretty well there. We need to invest a high draft pick on a corner or a safety or both.  We need two new starters in the secondary this year, I don't care how we get them as long as they can play. Church and McCray are solid backups in the secondary and pretty good special teams players.

I like our kicking game and we must bring back McBriar.  We do need to improve our return game and that can be done in the draft.

I am not opposed to trading back to the end of the first round if we can pick  up an extra second rounder.  In the draft we need a CB, SS, G, NT and depending if Robinson comes back a WR.

The Cowboys are a decent team who was a couple plays away from the playoffs this past season. In order to get to the playoffs and win a couple playoff games next year they need to make some key additions and changes.

I disagree the Cowboys are an 8-8 team and thats why were ot in the play offs period. But Hey look at Denver @ 8- 8 their a playoff team.

Offense:
We are set at the starting QB position. Romo proved this past season that he was a top 5-7 qb in the league. To those of you who say get rid of this guy or blame him for our problems, did you watch football this year? He was clearly the MVP of the offense and could be the MVP of the entire team. He had the team in position to win most weeks and either the defense let him down, the special teams let him down or his recievers let him down. He was one of the few bright spots on the team this past season.
I do think that we need to bring in a veteran QB to back him up. McGee isn't ready yet and I am sure Kitna will retire.

I agree Romo is a serviceable QB and Kitna will retire. As far as MVP of the offense well thats debatable but I agree.  McGee did nothing to say he's a back up QB. Just look at the Texans 3rd stringer compared to ours.  We need to daft a future QB and get rid of McGee. As far as a backup to Romo..?

Witten is one of the best TE's in the game and a hall of fame type player. Bennett should not return to the team, Phillips is a better player and I am looking forward to seeing more of him next season. I do see us bringing in someone in the draft or free agency to man that third TE position.

I wouldn't say that.. he's goos but to easy to bring down and doesn't fight for extra yards much.

I'm tired now and will post to the rest of your lengthy post later... 
   


   

I wouldn't say that.. he's goos but to easy to bring down and doesn't fight for extra yards much.

Are we talking about the same Jason Witten, fconers? The guy with no helmet and blood coming out of his nose as he "fights for extra yards?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEXblEAdoG4

I disagree the Cowboys are an 8-8 team and thats why were ot in the play offs period.

He only said they were "a couple plays away." If Bailey makes that kick in Arizona, or Miles Austin makes that catch against the Giants, they make the playoffs.

That said, i don't think they would have gone anywhere if they had made the playoffs.

Well, they are kinda going in the right direction by announcing that Dave campo will not be back.

That said, i don't think they would have gone anywhere if they had made the playoffs.

I think that we could have beat Atlanta, but we would lose to Green Bay.

Are we talking about the same Jason Witten, fconers? The guy with no helmet and blood coming out of his nose as he "fights for extra yards?"

What? Witten is great at fighting for those extra yards. Maybe Gronk and Graham are better pass catching TE's but Witten is a better blocker and would have had better stats if he wasn't asked to stay back and block so much.

What? Witten is great at fighting for those extra yards. 

That's exactly what i'm saying. Witten is amazing.

Cajun.....i think we need alot more than just a tweak and i am not talking about offense....i agree with most of what you say on the offense...up grade at center,  switching the tackles around which they have already stated they were going to do several weeks ago....i would'nt bring in a veteran QB they need to draft a young guy and quit fooling around with old guys....McGee is never going to be the guy here...as a matter of fact his ability to be a NFL QB is very much in question and a replacement needs to be found...and i certainly wouldn't use a second round pick on a OG/C as we need to much defensive help.....oline quality is fairly deep this draft so i think you could wait on that.....i certainly agree with you on Robinson and as far as the skilled position players on offense we are set there.....i will state that i thought bennett shown something this season that he hasn't previously...especially lining up on the outside wide....i think Dallas will keep him if the price is right and i believe it will be....

i agree with that Robinson, Fiametta are must resigns and also Jenkins, outside of that i don't see any must resigns.....

defensively they need to draft early and often the entire draft....the offense as you say needs tweaking...the defense needs a overall....

i am not excited about Spencer he is a #1 bust in my mind....we need a pass rusing OLB and there are several this draft....in addition ILB can wait as James is still signed through 2012 and won't be resigned after that....that gives you Carter and Lee to work with...so its not imperitive to draft one.....at least not early...

The one thing i disagree with you on was the dline.....yes i agree with you concerning ratliff going to DE i have been a big proponet of that for two years now....but Brent was anything but good this year he couldn't make any tackles if you spotted him several...look at his terrible stats...he was a non effect in the run defense game.... Spears just didn't get any pressure....at all period..... and he got run on alot more than the previous season and Lissmore just isn't consistant enough however OK for a 7th rounder..., we really need a starting calibur NT and a big wide body.....with that said we need better depth at DE because if you move Ratliff there and Hatcher is on the other side we really have no quality in the rotation....there is much better out there in the draft this year...sowith that said thats really the only area i disagree with you on...

on one other thing on D backs, i don't like the fact that we have two special teams guys that can't cover in Church and McCray...somewhere down the lien you have to get someone who can provide quality depth and give you good special teams play.

anyway nice post i enjoyed reading your thoughts on that.

I actually don't think our Dline was that bad.  I think getting a big NT and moving Rat to end will make everyone on the line play better.  I also think Spencer is under-rated, yes he is inconsistent and yes he doesn't put up big sack numbers but he's good against the run and pretty good in coverage. That being said,  I dont think he will be back. He will want too much money and the team will either see what Butler can do or bring some one else in.

Yes Bennett played better as the season went along but he is lazy and was playing for a contract. I would much rather see what Phillips has and give him the plays.

Some one said Romo was serviceable? I'm sorry but 4k yards 31 tds and 10 picks isn't servicable. Its elite. IF Romo had a defense we would be winning championships.

you could be right about better play by the DE's if we get the right NT, but i just believe we could get a very good 3rd DE in the rotation in this draft.  As for spencer at times he was very good against the run, but you saw what happens when there is no respect for the other bookend from Ware.  Ware gets doubled and they can take him out of the game....thats why i just am not going to be happy with spencer and neither are the Cowboys...your right i think he will want to much money to make it fesiablr to stay.  i for one agree they need to give Butler more playing time.  he just isn't given enough oportunities and he has great opotenial as a pass rusher....with that all said i like for dallas to draft another pass rushing OLB this draft....at least as a rotation guy with Ware and Butler.....

Bennett can be lazy but he is young and imature...i think he will be OK....for now.....

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tired of this Romo bashing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  i could just power vomit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  he is the 4th highest rated QB in this league...and he is certainly never been the problem here with winning...................

I am right there with you on that................and i agree if we would have had just a decent pass defense we would have made a run in the playoffs.....i just don't understnad why people on this board don't get that.....

one other thing we have at least three guys if not one or two more to resign and if you remember we have those signing bonuses from our dearly departed players in Davis, Barber and Williams hitting our cap this off season....plus some other cap hits from last season...so i am wondering where that puts us....i know by cutting newman his salary will offset alot of this....but this off season will be interesting.

 "I think Nagy and Arkin have potential but we need to bring someone in that has the potential to start in either in the draft or in free agency."

 Very much agree here, Cajun. The interior of the o-line was dismal, though I think that with a full off-season in the weight room with Mike Woicik that at least one of the rookies of David Arkin, Kevin Kowalski, and Bill Nagy may develop into a NFL starting-caliber offensive guard. I don't think the Cowboys will bring Derrick Dockery back, and it's iffy on Montrae Holland, though I would bring back Holland for at least back-up duty or to start in place of OG Kyle Kosier. Kosier tended to ge tossed around like a rag doll by the bigger DT's this year, and as Emmitt would say, is getting 'long in the mouth'. Most people want the Cowboys to select a CB with the 14th pick of round 1, which I would be on board with if a true #1 CB is available at that pick (someone like Morris Claiborne). However, I also believe that the game of Football is won or lost in the trenches, so with the Cowboys' glaring need on the interior of the line I hope the Cowboys take OG David DeCastro from Stanford if he is available at that slot. DeCastro is an athletic, big, powerful and highly intelligent player who could step in on day one at the LG position next to future LT Tyron Smith and form a wall on the left side of the Cowboys' O-Line for the next decade. Something tells me that 'Killer' Kevin Kowalski will blow up with a year in the weight room and develop into a darn good Center, so our O-Line next year could be:LT-Tyron Smith, LG-David DeCastro, C-'Killer' Kevin Kowalski, RG-Montrae Holland (or Bill Nagy, David Arkin), RT-Doug Free. Look at that line- that could be the best O-Line that Romo has ever had and the best O-Lne since the glory days of the early to mid 90's. 

 "Ratliff is awesome but I think he would be a lot better at DE and our defense would function better with a mountain in the middle."


 Very much agree here again. Unfortunately, finding the massive 'mountain men' to man the nose of a 3-4 Defense is very difficult. I don't know of any Free Agents to-be that are out there that the Cowboys could sign, meaning if they want a true 3-4 NT, they will have to get him in the draft. NT Dontari Poe from Memphis comes to mind, but once the scouting combine is over and the draft approaches, he will become a mid 1st round pick much like Baylor DT Phil Taylor became last year. So to get him, the Cowboys would have to select him at #14, and miss out on DeCastro. DeCastro is as much as a sure-thing as there is in the draft, so at this point I would take him over Poe. Well, the only other 3-4 NT"s  I can think of  are the Washington Huskies' Alameda Ta'amu, and Alabamas' Josh Chapman- but to get one of them the Cowboys will have to spend their 2nd round pick to get 'em. I would be happy with that, definitely!


 OG David DeCastro in Round 1 and say NT Alameda Ta'amu in Round 2. Cowboys get stronger in the trenches, where games are won and lost.
 So what about the Secondary needs??
 Like I have said in another thread, the Cowboys need to sign Free Agent SS LaRon Landry if AT ALL POSSIBLE. Jerry needs to go to Newman and talk to him about his market value if he were released, and have him renegotiate his contract so the Cowboys can sign a few Free Agents to make them a legit Super Bowl Contender next season. At this stage of is career, I think Newman would renegotiate for a chance to win a Ring. Keep Newman as the 3rd or 4th CB, and also sign CB Carlos Rogers in Free Agency. Then the secondary would be LCB-Mike Jenkins, FS-Gerald Sensabaugh, SS-LaRon Landry, RCB-Carlos Rogers, Nickle and Dime Defense CB's- Orlando Scandrick, Terence Newman, and Alan Ball.

 I think this would be possible and greatly improve the Cowboys next season.

 Man, this is going to be a VERY important off-season, that will either get the Cowboys going towards a championship or down the spiral to being a perennial sub-.500 team.

 Hope JJ doesn't screw it up.

the Cowboys to select a CB with the 14th pick of round 1, which I would be on board with if a true #1 CB is available at that pick (someone like Morris Claiborne). However, I also believe that the game of Football is won or lost in the trenches, so with the Cowboys' glaring need on the interior of the line I hope the Cowboys take OG David DeCastro from Stanford if he is available at that slot. DeCastro is an athletic, big, powerful and highly intelligent player who could step in on day one at the LG position next to future LT <span style="color: #3b5998;">Tyron Smith and form a wall on the left side of the Cowboys' O-Line for the next decade. the

I agree that football is won in the trenches but if Dre Kirpatrick is sitting there along with Decastro at 14, that's a very tough choice.  I like kirpatrick ALOT because not only can he cover, he can actually tackle.

BTW Oline,

Mike Jenkins signed a 5 year contract in 2008 so he is not a free agent in 2012

There are a few pieces on the team we need to contenders (lock down cb, big man nt, pass rusher opposite ware, etc.) But what we need more than anything else to get to and through the playoffs is that winning attitude.  To many games i've seen guys on offense and defense give up on a play or give up playing altogether and have yet to see that back against the wall aggression that teams like the Giants, Steelers, Ravens, etc. show.  We have much talent onpaper but I believe we have a lay laxadazical (sp?) attitude.  That won't when regardless of who's on the team.

PS- On a side note Romo is top5  

I think we will have enough wiggle room in the cap to bring in a few players and bring back Robinson. I see no reason not to cut Newman, we should have gone after Johnathon Joseph, not Namdi last year.

Bee... i wondered about that i thought Jenkins had a 4 year contract but i guess it was 5 years?  only because they resigned Scandrick early and he was drafted at the same time Jenkins was.....

BEE Kirkpatrick is a no brainer if he is sitting there at #14...however most mock drafts have him going between #9-16

This is a corner deep draft. I really think we should trade back in the first round to  around 20-25 and pick up an extra second and third.  We need five picks in the first three rounds.

Yes Jerry has made some mistakes in the draft, 2009 was retarded but he also has been very good with the undrafted guys and some late rounders.

This does appears to be a deep CB draft...wish i could say the same about the safety canidates; however it gets back to drafting defense early and often that i will agree with..

Trading back is alot easier said than done at 14.  That is where we will be picking. 


With that said, I ask you to take a look at the Giants season to figure out what is the #1 priority for the Cowboys in this draft.  This team got torched through the air all season until what happened?   That huge defensive front got healthy and they were wreaking havoc in the opponents backfield.  All of a sudden, that secondary doesn't look so bad anymore.   Hopefully Spencer didn't buy a house in Dallas, because he should be gone, making #1 priority, a high motored pass rushing OLB to play across from Ware.   If Ingram is available at 14, I would be elated with that pick. 

If both Ingram and Upshaw are gone, Poe from Memphis would also be a great pick, but this may be a bit high for him, but let's face it, guys that can play NT in the 3-4 are always drafted higher than their projected worth because they are few and far between.  If we don't take him, and he drops into the 20's, Mike Tomlin will send a thank you note to Jerry. 

I am probably on the other side of the fence when it comes to the secondary.  I don't think we should expend this 14th pick on a corner, unless Kirkpatrick somehow drops to 14, then possibly, but as I stated earlier, a good pass rush will make this secondary look alot better.

Of course, if Decastro is there at 14, I would mind a flier there either. 

As for the original poster stating if we re-sign Robinson we would be stacked at receiver.  I ask you all this question, unless Dez Bryant actually steps up and is the #1 receiver he is supposed to be, did this team ever really replace TO? I think the answer to that question is a resounding NO.  Say what you want about stats and yardage, Miles Austin is NOT a #1 receiver in this league, and will never play up to the contract he signed.  Don't get me wrong, I love Miles, but there is no way he plays up to that contract, and Robinson definately is not a #1.  Dez has the body type, and ability to be, but he also needs to win over the trust of his QB, because right now, I don't think he has it.   If Robinson commands more than 3mil a year because of the year he had, I believe he will be sent packing.  And I wouldn't want this team to commit more than that to him. 

Another problem I see with this team is we went a whole year, a whole fn year, with 2 tailbacks that supposedly are supposed to be good out of the backfield, and neither of these guys had a receiving TD all year long? 

Also, and I hope this was just a down year on this side, but for those of you that think Witten did a good job blocking this year, and think that Martellus Bennett is easily expendible, I beg you to go back and watch the games, or go to PFT and check out Witten's blocking stats.  He was not very good for a guy that is said to be an "all-around TE".  I would like to see Bennett back, but I think he will get a better deal elsewhere.  I am not bashing Witten by any means, but thinking Witten is anywhere close to the TE he was in 2007 is an incorrect statement. 

WOW .... nice to see nothing but intelligent thinking, throughout this thread so far!

Everyone is making good cases for their choices. I am torn between getting a mean Safety or NT myself with that first pick.  Before this season started, I'm pretty sure it was oline78 that said it would take 2 good drafts to turn this around, and he's right. We have to compete with all the rest of the league for those few top players, we have capped out the bank and we still need to flush a couple players out of the system. This past draft was the first decent one we've had in a long time.

And yes, Romo IS a top 6 QB, you could not ask more than to have that, the rest of the team has to play better football.

Go Cowboys!

I think that Miles has definetly replaced TO and  produced as much when healthy without the headache. His problem is staying on the field. When he is out there is a threat. The past two seasons he has started out on fire but the injuries caught up to him and slowed him down.