If I'm Scott Linehan I'm running a strict 58-42 pass/run ratio all season long and playing super-vanilla, common sense plays the whole way. It probably won't work any better but it would probably look like genius relative to recent years.

Lot of cooks in the kitchen these days. I don't see it ending well, but probably for the better than it doesn't.

I really feel like Garrett somehow caused this. Think about it. Callahan had playcalling responsibility at the start of 2013, then Garrett decided that managing the game, patting players on the ass & shoving them, and clapping no matter what happens on a drive was too boring. So he somehow became the middleman in the relay between Callahan/Romo, and Callahan needed a QB coach up in the booth with him to identify coverages (lol). He's still the golden boy for at least one more season. Here's to us never going for it on 4th down (3 attempts in first 14 weeks last year) and playing the field position game by punting from the opponent's 40 on 4th and 1.

Also, a game of Telephone before every snap.

Doesn't really matter. Most of the staff and core group of older players are lame ducks. They'll go all in again, put up another mediocre or bad season again (two at most), and then have to start over. I think the only reason Garrett's still HC is because they don't want to change the offensive system on Romo during his last hurrah.

Funny thing is, I could see Garrett being a successful HC in a better environment. Right now given talent level I don't think any coach can help them out of their hole. Too few good players, too little money, not enough depth or consistency. No matter what system you run guys are still going to have to be able to read plays, make tackles, stay healthy, and so on. A coach still needs to have some flexibility to bring in competent free agents.

There are at of things to like about Garrett... But he can be such a complete idiot about 4th downs and clock management that it makes me sick.

Thank god the Skins have no 1st, and the Giants have more flaws than us. It's literally the only reason we go 8-8. Hmm maybe that's not a good thing, but at least some Sundays we can cheer.

I actually don't disagree with you on that Yeota. I actually am of the mindset that Garrett might be the best of a bad situation (You know who), since who knows what would happen with the staff if we got rid of him. At the very least, there's some element of trust between him and Jerruh, and our 2011/2013 drafts were, more or less, pretty damn good, though 2013 expectations weren't great with what we picked at the time. It just sucks that I don't know who's behind this Linehan move. Is Jerry trying to Zorn Callahan? Is it Garrett? Does everyone think adding another cog to the offense helps? Are we really just pressing buttons after having a well ranked offense (though it seemed to operate only be necessity)?

Oh well. At least it's not Jerry completely running the draft show. That's how you get Felix Jones, because he used to play at Jerruh's alma mater.

Think Garrett's in the middle somewhere as far as NFL coaches go. 8-8's decent with that roster last year. Has better than average offensive weapons (Romo+Dez) and pathetic defensive talent/depth. Pretty much how it played out.

Marinelli named DC. Kiffin still on staff. Things didn't get "uncomfortable" in Valley Ranch this year. They are just strange. I like Rod as DC though

7-9

lol

Intriguing article about Garrett as HC, why he's not a "puppet"

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/...et-jerry-jones

Overall, I liked it. This "Jerry and friends" (what I called them) pair of coordinators is now downgraded. Linehan is a guy that Garrett has worked with, and Garrett probably said Kiffin was no-go at DC after that LOL season. However, one of the statements in the article is definitely false:

Garrett copies the approach Aikman used with the media in his playing days -- be as boring as possible.

"Then he became an announcer and people wanted to know where all this personality came from," Garrett said last summer of Aikman. "He always had it; he just didn't show it to everyone."

Is "perpetually concussed" a personality? That's the only thing I can think of with Aikman.

I'm glad you liked it but I just auto-close any article written by JJT or Watkins, they're both terrible.

Aikman was the consummate interview pro and master of boring. I was one of those people that was surprised he went into broadcasting at the time because I never saw much of a personality either. They were kind of a circus in those days (as far as personalities on the team) so it was a good approach. I think the same of Garrett now in spite of other shortcomings.

Liking this Aaron Donald fellow. Name to keep an eye on.

Small but at least interesting. Productive and all but even with a bunch of great intangibles he'd be pretty risky in the first round. Someone like Hageman seems like a better fit for what they want to do. Quarles another guy later on they're probably scouting pretty hard right now. They should be scouting every DT and DE in the draft given that they need so many of them though. Smaller guys would probably struggle in the NFCE too. I guess it depends on where they could pick him. Looks he won't make it to their 2nd if current mocks are to be believed.

Given where the DTs are graded maybe they could move down again this year and get some help. I don't see a clear target they'd want to move up for at least.

Still I see like 50% of mocks saying safety, either Pryor or Clinton-Dix, which seems clueless. Church is a respectable enough starter. For the other spot they've got a healthy competition of super-young prospects to compete. Not that any of Wilcox, Hamilton, Johnson or Heath are blue-chips but 3 of 4 were rookies last year and Matt "MIA" Johnson may as well be. Let Jerome Henderson do his job and see if he can't develop a couple first. And if he can't then what good is another rookie going to be?

I could see if they had 2012's d-line situation, back when Spencer, Hatcher, Ratliff were around and Ware looked decent, Spears was in the rotation, with Lissemore and Brent looking like decent depth. And they still took Crawford and Wilber in the middle rounds and signed Bass besides. Now 6 of them are gone, 1 was moved to LB, 2 are returning from a full season IR, and who knows what's going to happen with Ware who just had surgery himself.

Do the people making these mocks know that the Cowboys have maybe 4 credible guys toward an 8-9 man defensive line rotation? And that's being generous and counting Crawford, Bass and Selvie along with Ware. And I'm not counting Nick Hayden because frankly he looked worse in his 6th season than Wilcox and Heath did as rookies.

Only reason I am not feeling Donald is because he can get washed out hard in the run game. He is an aggressive single gap penetrator who is very feast or famine at the point of attack. I feel we would have to double up on DT in round 2-4 to make up for that (I think we should double up on DT days 1-2 myself).

I count four DTs on the roster and I can't make an honest argument that any even belong in the league. I think we saw enough of Hayden. Kearse is on his 3rd team since August and barely touched the field with Dallas last year, Irvin's another guy that spent most of his journeyman career inactive. Of course then there's Ben Bass, undrafted mystery man who has spent all but two games off of IR in his first two seasons.

For the purposes of counting up what they have and figuring needs, I'd say they have about 1 backup-grade DT out of that lot. Pick whichever one you like best. But you want two starters and preferably 3 reserves total and they're fairly key positions.

So I don't think they can pick too many or too high this draft. They could probably spend every single pick on DT from the first rounder to the last compensatory 7th, and be better off than whatever they actually wind up doing.

Also people have them considering a WR up high too. What? You can't have too many wideouts but really? Dez/Williams/Harris/Beasley + two receiving backs + Jason Witten + receiving TE. You can find 4th or 5th receivers anywhere in the draft or on the street at any time. We saw them without Miles for most of last year and the passing game was effective. BPA applies if the next Calvin Johnson is there when they pick, obviously you take him and not a B+ DT just because you need, but mocking a 1st round WR to Dallas? You may as well just give a list of your best players in order and ignore the teams draft order if you're going to do that.

Yeah, its very obnoxious but that's what draft coverage is, lots of nonsensical babble. DT is the ldo top choice for us and it is not even close. Some people have suggested DE, and that could make sense, but the only 4-3 DEs that I have top 20 grades on is clowney and maybe ealy. I really don't get the safety talk, and suggesting WR to us in a deep class on day 1 is just plain ******ed

Was anyone else secretly hoping that JFF would have a second round grade and the Cowboys would pick him?

No.

Love me some Ware, but if he can't stay healthy, this is the best thing for the team. It's probably also the best thing for Ware.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...-cap-casualty/

Please please go to the AFC. Some nice place like Indy or Denver, go get a rang on your way to the HOF.

I just don't want him on an NFC BEAST team or the lolstealers if we do dump him.

You scared me there. I had a look, nobody in the beast can afford him. Thank god.

Obv doesn't surprise anyone here as we've been talking about it for months. JJ actually saying it doesn't seem like a negotiation tactic (a player like Ware doesn't have to sweat being released). But you still can't rule out JJ doing one more restructure to keep him. Which would be at best a questionable decision if you knew he was a fully healthy and dominant player. When you don't even know that much I don't think it's a decision at all.

I don't know about that. They all have some obvious cuts to make yet and more than enough space and any one of them could use Ware. Philly could use some help in their new 3-4 scheme. WAS is loaded with cap space and Orakpo doesn't have a contract plus you know how they love aging free agents. NYG would be the least likely because of the players they have and will probably resign Justin Tuck, and they have JPP manning the RDE spot. But they could sign Ware if they wanted to scare the piss out of people.

Ware's been terrorizing those teams for a long time and they know him as well as anyone. If released I think PHI would be a very strong possibility. And WAS not far behind depending on their other decisions.

I thought the Eagles had to empty most of their piggy bank on wideouts soon for Chips offence. I didn't know they could afford that kind of a deal on D.

Honestly didn't know the Skins had space, I thought they were effed like us. I dunno, something tells me he doesn't want to go lose in DC.

I figure he goes to a winner if he goes anywhere.

3rd article I see on Cowboys drafting Donald.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas-cowbo...ce=twitterfeed

Is he even supposed to be there at 16? Would have to trade up a few spots?