Dallas Cowboys 2018 offseason thread

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, DougO said:

I agree with your idea, but in practice the Cowboys haven't been terribly willing to spend a lot on safeties. I think they would have opened the pocket book a little a couple of months ago if they were going to make an upgrade. There were a few guys out there that would have really helped, but they passed.

Cross them off, then. 

[Patrick Bateman 3851]

20 minutes ago, DougO said:

I agree with your idea, but in practice the Cowboys haven't been terribly willing to spend a lot on safeties. I think they would have opened the pocket book a little a couple of months ago if they were going to make an upgrade. There were a few guys out there that would have really helped, but they passed.

I think the rationalization is we're a little thinner at the position now with Woods' injury and Frazier's clotting issues.  Also, unlike Thomas, Iloka doesn't cost anything but money.  However, I understand your point.  Stephen generally uses a budgeted positional allocation except for what the consider true difference makers, so it'll depend on much Iloka wants.  I've read the Raiders will be interested in him.

Regarding Connor.  He was always going to take some time.  He doesn't have the optimal strength and power at the POA.  He has a tackle's feet and lower half with a guard's arms and shoulders.  It's going to take him some time to get a little stronger and polish his technique inside to combat his inadequacies.  This doesn't seem like a Zack Martin situation, who was a bit more mature.  A little bigger and almost 24 by the time the season rolled around vs Connor who is a little lighter and a young 21.  He'll get there but it may take half a season... or a full season for him to really get good....

 

[Vic Mackey 46581]

1 hour ago, DougO said:

I agree with your idea, but in practice the Cowboys haven't been terribly willing to spend a lot on safeties. I think they would have opened the pocket book a little a couple of months ago if they were going to make an upgrade. There were a few guys out there that would have really helped, but they passed.

It still baffles me why Dallas does not value safeties and DTs. You'd think after all these years they would learn those positions are pretty important. 

[C-Man 26535]

18 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

We definitely should try and sign him. Safety is still a huge need.

 

Quit fucking around. Make the deal for Earl.

[Patrick Bateman 3851]

This isn't the report we wanted.....

 

[Patrick Bateman 3851]

On the safety position.....

Showers replacement.... camp body.

On Iloka....

 

Edited August 20, 2018 by Patrick Bateman

[Vic Mackey 46581]

Of course the Cowboys are going the bargain route. Never fails. And this dude is worse than Heath. 

Edited August 20, 2018 by Vic Mackey

[kingkoopa6 8263]

"kris richard is very familiar with his work" hmmm....if only there was someone else he's familiar with....

[Junior Miller 1502]

That Frederick shit is bad. No one in sports gets a 2nd opinion unless they didn't hear good things on the first one. 

He's a smart dude too. If his spine is jeopardized long term I could see him bowing out. 

[DougO 5223]

38 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:

Of course the Cowboys are going the bargain route. Never fails. And this dude is worse than Heath. 

Don't worry, they just showed their willingness to invest in the future by picking up Cauron Reed, who will be on his sixth NFL team. At least he's a DT. Maybe the defensive wizard can get something out of him.

[DougO 5223]

NFL doin' NFL justice. Gosh, a whole game. Pretty harsh.

 

NFL suspended free agent QB Trevone Boykin one game.

Boykin was let go by the Seahawks in March following allegations of domestic violence. He's been arrested numerous times since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015. Boykin has likely played his last NFL down.

 

 

All he did was get in a bar fight, break his girlfriend's jaw and hit some cops...all on video.

wikipedia:

Legal troubles

On December 31, 2015, two days prior to the 2016 Alamo Bowl, which was to be Boykin's final college game, he was arrested in San Antonio, Texas after a bar fight in which he threw a punch that hit a patrol officer. He was charged with assaulting a public servant, a third degree felony, assigned a $5,000 bond, and suspended from the game. He also was charged for public intoxication and resisting arrest. Boykin pleaded no contest, and received a year of probation. As part of his probation, he was ordered to attend alcohol awareness sessions and anger management classes. He was also fined $1,500, and ordered to undergo 80 hours of community service.^[19][20]

On March 27, 2017, Boykin was arrested in Dallas, Texas for misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and public intoxication. At around 2:10 A.M., he was in the passenger seat of a car driven by Shabrika Bailey that, while backing up at high speeds, struck pedestrians on a nearby sidewalk and then the side of a local bar. The driver was charged with two counts of felony intoxication assault with a vehicle. Boykin was held on a $500 bond at the Dallas County Jail.^[21][22]

On April 6, 2017, Boykin was arrested in Texas for a possible violation of his probation.^[23]

On March 27, 2018, a report was made that Boykin had broken his girlfriend's jaw during an altercation the previous week. Subsequently, Boykin was released by the team.^[24]

 

 

[DougO 5223]

5 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

It still baffles me why Dallas does not value safeties and DTs. You'd think after all these years they would learn those positions are pretty important. 

They haven't had a really good safety since Darren Woodsen retired.

[kingkoopa6 8263]

what about evil roy?

 

thats what we called him right ? no remembero

Edited August 21, 2018 by kingkoopa6

[Vic Mackey 46581]

Yeah I'd love to have Roy Williams right about now. He wasn't perfect by any means but he's light years ahead of what we got.

The point of cutting Dez when we did was to free up cap space. So what are we doing with this space? Are we going to preach the dry powder like the Mavs used to? Go get someone who can make a difference. And yes, those guys will cost more than a cheap, bargain contract but that's the price you pay. We have zero issue doing it on offense but not on defense. Even though that has been our achilles heel forever now.

[futureman 22324]

41 minutes ago, DougO said:

They haven't had a really good safety since Darren Woodsen retired.

woodson.  

are you familiar with him?

[Nicole44 21941]

I guess what concerns me would be lack of depth on the O-line. I mention this because there are still two preseason games left. Our backup Qb was getting killed by Cincinnati. No time to throw and getting picked up off the turf on a consistent basis. Two preseason games left and we can’t throw our starters out there to back up Connor...my fucking two cents there. 

[Patrick Bateman 3851]

Evil Roy is a relic in today's football.  Didn't have the foot speed nor the the coverage ability and with the crackdown on hard hits and leading with the head, he doesn't have nearly the value.  A huge box safety who can't cover, has stiff hits, marginal straight line speed and who'd rack up penalties doesn't work in today's NFL.  He would probably be transitioned into a LB like Thomas Davis was if he came out today.

 

[Patrick Bateman 3851]

4 minutes ago, Nicole44 said:

I guess what concerns me would be lack of depth on the O-line. I mention this because there are still two preseason games left. Our backup Qb was getting killed by Cincinnati. No time to throw and getting picked up off the turf on a consistent basis. Two preseason games left and we can’t throw our starters out there to back up Connor...my fucking two cents there. 

Definitely been beat up on the OL thus far.  Zack out with knee injury.  Frederick with stinger issues which seem to be more serious than thought last week.  Marcus Martin out for the year.  Chaz Green is still here (why?).  Cameron Fleming looking like shit.  Your concern is justified.  Our backup QBs have looked like shit too....

 

[kingkoopa6 8263]

Bring Joe Thomas in.. what are the retirement rules?

[Patrick Bateman 3851]

2 minutes ago, kingkoopa6 said:

Bring Joe Thomas in.. what are the retirement rules?

Joe Thomas is definitely retired..... already lost 50 lbs and probably a little more.  

['stache 21489]

This team stinks. But at least they keep their blacks in line, amirite?

[Nicole44 21941]

1 minute ago, Patrick Bateman said:

Definitely been beat up on the OL thus far.  Zack out with knee injury.  Frederick with stinger issues which seem to be more serious than thought last week.  Marcus Martin out for the year.  Chaz Green is still here (why?).  Cameron Fleming looking like shit.  Your concern is justified.  Our backup QBs have looked like shit too....

 

The backup QBs also might be rendered useless after the next two preseason games. Shit. What QB free agents out there would we be able to find? There would be one that would be almost unthinkable from Jerry’s viewpoint if it comes down to that. Fuck the preseason damnit. 

[Trey3216 15298]

52 minutes ago, Patrick Bateman said:

Evil Roy is a relic in today's football.  Didn't have the foot speed nor the the coverage ability and with the crackdown on hard hits and leading with the head, he doesn't have nearly the value.  A huge box safety who can't cover, has stiff hits, marginal straight line speed and who'd rack up penalties doesn't work in today's NFL.  He would probably be transitioned into a LB like Thomas Davis was if he came out today.

 

Correct on stiff hips and swivel, but absolutely wrong on straight line speed 

[Vic Mackey 46581]

Maybe the coaches are finally getting their heads out their asses and giving Rico a legit shot. There is no reason the other 3 guys should all make the same. They are all the same exact player. We need variety and versatility. Who cares if Rico can't block. Line him up and let him go down the field and create mismatches. Leave the blocking to the other 2.

 

[EvilCaseMcCoy 684]

1 hour ago, Vic Mackey said:

Maybe the coaches are finally getting their heads out their asses and giving Rico a legit shot. There is no reason the other 3 guys should all make the same. They are all the same exact player. We need variety and versatility. Who cares if Rico can't block. Line him up and let him go down the field and create mismatches. Leave the blocking to the other 2.

 

Does this mean we're getting ET too?  Vic can only get so enchubbend. 

[Trey3216 15298]

7 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

Maybe the coaches are finally getting their heads out their asses and giving Rico a legit shot. There is no reason the other 3 guys should all make the same. They are all the same exact player. We need variety and versatility. Who cares if Rico can't block. Line him up and let him go down the field and create mismatches. Leave the blocking to the other 2.

 

Right, just have ZM tell him his blocking assignment and Dak tell him where to line up and what route he’s running if you have to.   Let him create and upfield mismatch in the passing game, and there’s no way his frame can’t at east adequately disrupt a lineman on running downs.  

[babysdaddy 2708]

Jerrah was on 105.3 this morning and said Frederick received good news yesterday from the second opinion.  Expects both him and Martin to play week 1

[C-Man 26535]

6 minutes ago, babysdaddy said:

Jerrah was on 105.3 this morning and said Frederick received good news yesterday from the second opinion.  Expects both him and Martin to play week 1

David Moore intimated that he's getting a second and possibly third opinion to potentially back up what the first guy -- apparently, the preeminent ortho spine guy out of LA said he simply needs to rest it for a bit -- recommended as treatment. Hope it's nothing as he's probably my favorite Cowboy until we make the ET deal..

[Viper 11918]

11 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

Maybe the coaches are finally getting their heads out their asses and giving Rico a legit shot. There is no reason the other 3 guys should all make the same. They are all the same exact player. We need variety and versatility. Who cares if Rico can't block. Line him up and let him go down the field and create mismatches. Leave the blocking to the other 2.

 

or they're trying to up his trade value. I'm just not sure that they keep 4 TE's.

[Patrick Bateman 3851]

50 minutes ago, babysdaddy said:

Jerrah was on 105.3 this morning and said Frederick received good news yesterday from the second opinion.  Expects both him and Martin to play week 1

Also doesn't want Elliott or Dak to play the rest of the preseason.  Also expects M Collins to be ready for the opener as well....

[Gene Parmesan 3951]

Why do the coaches play anyone if the games are pointless?  Every year preseason injuries take their toll on some teams and everyone concludes that it's stupid, so why are they playing at all?  I know why the games are being played (money to the owners) but why are starters playing?  Are they pointless or are reps valuable?

[gsoda3 3187]

1 hour ago, C-Man said:

David Moore intimated that he's getting a second and possibly third opinion to potentially back up what the first guy -- apparently, the preeminent ortho spine guy out of LA said he simply needs to rest it for a bit -- recommended as treatment. Hope it's nothing as he's probably my favorite Cowboy until we make the ET deal..

yeah they said the first specialist in LA told him it was good news, that it wasn't anything serious and to just rest it.  ostensibly they're just getting confirmation from second opinions.  the original specialist's opinion was released either the same day or the next day.  

[futureman 22324]

ticket update just said frederick undergoing more tests, hasn’t ruled out surgery.  

[kingkoopa6 8263]

[babysdaddy 2708]

26 minutes ago, futureman said:

ticket update just said frederick undergoing more tests, hasn’t ruled out surgery.  

goddamnit.  

[Patrick Bateman 3851]

Here's the latest on Rico...... reads like he continues to make mental mistakes and they can't trust him to make basic plays.

https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article217069430.html

Quote

“He’s blocking well when he’s blocking the right man. He’s got enough there, but the angst comes when you’re sitting there looking at the guy who is not on the roster because you kept him on the roster.”

Coach Jason Garrett delved further into Gather’s challenges in his third year of playing the game after stopping in the eighth grade to focus on basketball.

Garrett lauded Gathers for making a big-time athletic play on the underthrown ball from White. He also acknowledged that Gathers might have run a bad route on the play by releasing inside instead of outside.

He also ran into a teammate on a route earlier in the game.

More pointedly, Garrett said Gathers struggles with understanding his assignments when the defense changes and he has to make a decision on the fly.

“Typically, it is fronts and assignments,” Garrett said. “When you have a real clear idea of what the front is and you know you have this guy, he can do a pretty decent job. He still has to work on his technique. But oftentimes in this game the front change, this guy slides over, the ball is snapped. For a guy just starting to play again after a long, long time, those times can be challenging situations that causes him to be hesitant and not use his physical abilities.”

Reads like he needs another year on the PS, but that may not be an option....

 

[gsoda3 3187]

if he's that much of a liability i don't see how you can play him.  the risk completely outweighs the reward.

[futureman 22324]

1 hour ago, gsoda3 said:

if he's that much of a liability i don't see how you can play him.  the risk completely outweighs the reward.

I don’t know.  I think he has tremendous value at least as a red zone target.  he may not know much but he knows how to fight for the ball in traffic.  

[Lucid 1]

18 hours ago, Nicole44 said:

I guess what concerns me would be lack of depth on the O-line. I mention this because there are still two preseason games left. Our backup Qb was getting killed by Cincinnati. No time to throw and getting picked up off the turf on a consistent basis. Two preseason games left and we can’t throw our starters out there to back up Connor...my fucking two cents there. 

Cowboys have no depth anywhere, why should the o line be any different

[Vic Mackey 46581]

More on the Frederick situation.

"... But when the Cowboys sent him to see Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles, all sorts of alarms went off. After all, why would Frederick be seeing a neck specialist if it was just a minor stinger? Also, Dr. Watkins is a SURGEON, and not just any surgeon. He is the specialist Peyton Manning saw for his neck issues a while back. In Manning’s case, Dr. Watkins removed a problem disc, inserted a bone graft, and fused the neck vertebrae on either side."

"At the same time, reports emerged that Frederick was experiencing “strength loss” in his arm, and I immediately went to DEFCON 1 and quickly contacted a friend of mine who’s also a Cowboys fan, and is a medical professional in real life."

Medical expert: "My best guess is that Frederick has a herniated cervical disc. The doctors will try to manage it conservatively with therapy and steroids injections. But if the arm weakness does not improve in two months, Frederick will undergo surgery. Research supports that weakness from a compressed nerve in the cervical spine has a greater chance to become a permanent disability if not surgically repaired within three months (13 weeks). If the Cowboys wait until the offseason to address this, Travis may never be the same center."
 

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2018/8/21/17763270/why-travis-fredericks-back-injury-could-be-more-than-just-a-stinger

[Vic Mackey 46581]

43 minutes ago, Lucid said:

Cowboys have no depth anywhere, why should the o line be any different

Exactly. Our depth is horrendous. Especially on defense.

The thing about the OL is that the guys we have as starters are so damn good, that the backups are going to seem terrible because of what we are used to. I think some of them are serviceable (besides Chaz) but the drop off is so big its glaring when they have to fill in. That is going to happen when you invest so heavily in one position. The guys behind them are going to be really cheap and not even close to their level.

LB, QB and safety depth is also very poor.

[kingkoopa6 8263]

Will Cain show said boys need to bring in Eric Reid. 

[conVINCEd 21468]

4 minutes ago, kingkoopa6 said:

Will Cain show said boys need to bring in Eric Reid. 

Pick a dollar amount.  I will bet you whatever you like that the Cowboys (Jerry) will not sign Reid (kneeler).

[DougO 5223]

The Cowboys settled for Jeron Johnson from Dollar Tree.

[Vic Mackey 46581]

5 minutes ago, DougO said:

The Cowboys settled for Jeron Johnson from Dollar Tree.

A 30 year old washed up safety? Awesome. Oh but he played at Boise...

Edited August 21, 2018 by Vic Mackey

[Patrick Bateman 3851]

30 minutes ago, DougO said:

The Cowboys settled for Jeron Johnson from Dollar Tree.

He's camp body I would guess..... probably doesn't make the final roster unless we have another injury.

But the Frederick information is very worrisome.  I'm gonna guess he'll have to opt for surgery.

 

[Gucci_Suit 2568]

1 hour ago, Vic Mackey said:

A 30 year old washed up safety? Awesome. Oh but he played at Boise...

Dude, they beat OU one time. And a dude proposed to his girlfriend right afterwards. Do you want a fairytale ending or don’t you?

[Vic Mackey 46581]

I enjoy these from Deadspin

Why Your Team Sucks 2018: Dallas Cowboys

https://deadspin.com/why-your-team-sucks-2018-dallas-cowboys-1828486223?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow&utm_source=deadspin_facebook

[Patrick Bateman 3851]

I don't think he'll start but he may be in the 2 deep if he can get in shape.  He was pretty gassed after about 5 plays the other night.

 

[Vic Mackey 46581]

Gregory is definitely making the team and will have an impact as he gets going. It was never about talent. It was about him staying focused. If he has finally got his head right, he will be fine. It will take a little time to get back into game shape but athletes always do.