Dallas Cowboys News

[DC_fan]

Scott Linehan will be staying with the Cowboys

Hired in January 2014, Linehan served as the passing game coordinator and play-caller this past season, when the Cowboys’ offense scored the second-most points in the league and was more balanced than it had been in any previous campaign during head coach Jason Garrett’s tenure.

Linehan, who had close ties to Garrett that were developed during a stint when they were assistants in Miami, was instrumental in establishing Dallas’ dormant running game and turning DeMarco Murray into an All-Pro.

Murray rushed for 1,845 yards — the most in the NFL and the highest total ever produced in a single season in franchise history.

Because of the offense’s success, the Oakland Raiders expressed interest in Linehan before hiring Denver defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio on Wednesday.

Hours later, the Cowboys locked up Linehan — ensuring that they will have their offensive architect in the fold alongside their defensive mastermind,Rod Marinelli, the 65-year-old coordinator who came to terms on a three-year deal Tuesday. Both will continue to help Garrett, who agreed to a new five-year contract worth approximately $30 million earlier this week.

With the embers of their 13-5 season still smoldering, the Cowboys got down to business and kept their most prominent coaches.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2015/01/source-dallas-cowboys-play-caller-scott-linehan-reaches-new-agreement-with-cowboys.html/

 

[DC_fan]

Frank Pollack announced as new offensive line coach

The Cowboys have announced that former OL assistant coach Frank Pollack will be OL coach. He will replace the departed Bill Callahan.

Pollack's assistant could be former Cowboys OL Marc Columbo who was a member of the teams personnel department this season.

 

[DC_fan]

Here is a full list of the Cowboys’ free agents for 2015 and what I believe will happen with them

Unrestricted Free Agents
James Anderson LB did not make the stats sheet this season not even on special teams. Should be released.
Dez Bryant WR had an outstanding season. Will be re-signed.
Bruce Carter ILB had an inconsistent season, but finished with 70 tackles, 1 sack and 5 ints. Should be re-signed at the right money.
Tyler Clutts FB doesn't touch the ball much but can block. Will be re-signed at the right cost
Justin Durant OLB placed on IR around about halfway through the season. Was solid but not sure if he will be re-signed.
Doug Free RT has played well this past two seasons. If he comes at the right price should be re-signed.
Dwayne Harris WR disappointing season, both as a receiver and kick returner. In my opinion he is gone.
Nick Hayden DT the Cowboys one-technique DT. Not a star but solid. Team should be looking for an upgrade here. Could re-sign but as nothing more then backup.
Tony Hills OT spent little time on the field. been in the NFL a few years but has played little. Gone.
Henry Melton DT signed as the teams 3-technique tackle. Hasn't lived up to expectations. Finished with 5 sacks but missed a few games with injury. Could be re-signed but it will have to be for the right money and he will have to convince staff he can remain fit.
Rolando McClain ILB had a really good year finishing with 81 tackles and 2 ints. More renowned for his tackling then for his pass rush. Should be re-signed.
DeMarco Murray RB was his success this year from his own ability or more from the offensive line? Cowboys would like to re-sign him if they can, but my feeling is that he will be gone.
Jermey Parnell RT showed when he filled in for the injured Free he can play. It really depends on whether Free stays or goes as to what happens with Parnell. There is a few teams who would want him.
George Selvie DE form dropped off from 2013 where he had 7 sacks compared to 3 this season. Solid especially against the run. Could go either way here.
Anthony Spencer DE made a comeback after a major injury, but inconsistent. The team may want to give him another year. Not sure if there will be a huge demand for him in free agency.
CJ Spillman S nothing more then a specials team player, but a very good one at that. For the right money the Cowboys will keep him.

Restricted Free Agent:
Cole Beasley WR clearly the teams #3 receiver. He will be a Cowboy next season.
Lance Dunbar RB Cowboys #3 back. A lot depends on what happens with Murray.
Chris Jones P solid but not great punter who averaged 45.4 yards per punt. He should be re-signed.
Sterling Moore CB always around the ball, but does not get interceptions. Need an upgrade here and will not be re-signed.

Exclusive Rights Free Agent:
Cameron Lawrence OLB will be in training camp.
Ronald Leary LG will be a Cowboy in 2015 and many more years to come.
Darrion Weems OL a huge man who spent the season on IR. Not sure about him.

 

[DC_fan]

Numbers analysts: Cowboys' Tony Romo a second-tier quarterback

According to ESPN's Five Thirty Eight, Tony Romo, Teddy Bridgewater, Matt Schaub, Andrew Luck and Tony Romo are all in the same class of quarterback.

Noah Davis and Michael Lopez of Five Thirty Eight looked at different density curves to see which quarterbacks performed well consistently.
The top tier "The Elites" consisted of Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

The second tier "The Southerners" consisted of Drew Brees and Matt Ryan.

The third tier "The second-tiers" consisted of Romo's group.

Romo and the others listed above had more strong games than poor ones over the course of their career, but had fewer dominant performances than those ranked above them.

"This would suggest that if you’re going to call one of these quarterbacks “elite,” you need to at least consider that all of them are or were," wrote Davis and Lopez. "Even though the narrative around Kaepernick, Schaub and Romo is that they’re inconsistent, their curves suggest otherwise."

The two groups below Romo's had some familiar faces.

The "On-the-cusps" consisted of Ben Roethlisberger, Nick Foles, Phillip Rivers, Russell Wilson.

The "Mixed bags" were Cam Newton, David Garrard, Donovan McNabb, Eli Manning, Jay Cutler, Joe Flacco and Robert Griffin.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-cowboys/headlines/20150117-numbers-analysts-cowboys-tony-romo-a-second-tier-quarterback.ece

 

[DC_fan]

The season is over, unfortunately, and the Dallas Cowboys offseason is underway.

A successful season yes, but not the one the Cowboys and their fans thought was possibly with the way the team was playing.

Who knows what would have been if Dez Bryant’s “no catch” would have actually stood as called on the field in the Lambeau Field last Sunday.

A 13-5 total record though is pretty good if you ask anyone, especially after the three-straight 8-8 seasons the Cowboys have endured through leading up to this year.

Now it is time to re-load and get even better; which is the goal for most teams around this time of year. There’s always next season, as the saying goes.

If the Cowboys play their cards right, next season may very well be THAT season. With most of the coaching staff coming back for a couple more years, this team can continue to jell under the same leadership, something that cannot be taken for granted.

Head coach Jason Garrett who was once heavily scrutinized by many, including myself, had solidified himself as the Cowboys’ coach for at least five more years. Years of mediocrity almost forced Jerry’s hand on the young head coach, but he was patient and it paid off. Garrett took his team from middle-of-the-road to division champ in less than four years.

Garrett’s long “process” of taking days one at a time and game by game, not looking ahead, staying in the moment and so many more Garrett-ism’s, have led to the team he has always wanted.

He has always been soft spoken and frankly, boring, in the way he addresses the media in his weekly press conferences. But the man doesn’t need to make headlines with any guarantees or anything of that sort. He is only focused on building a great team and winning.

He might be very close.

Yes, DeMarco Murray AND Dez Bryant are unrestricted free agents this offseason. A thought that may make some of you cringe. But no need to worry, Dez isn’t going anywhere as stated by Jerry Jones himself. Either contract or franchise tag, this team is keeping their elite wide-out.

Murray on the other hand, will be a tough situation.

The running back had a breakout year; one where he broke the Cowboys’ franchise record for most rushing yards in a season and less than 200 shy of 2,000 rushing yards for the season.

The Cowboys don’t have a ton of cap space to work with so will be limiting their offer to Murray substantially. In a way, DeMarco would have to take a pay cut to stay with the Cowboys after having a career year.

Not likely.

Murray will most likely test the open market and find a new home in 2015.

But do not fear, Cowboys’ fans. With the way the front office has drafted over the past four years, the Cowboys are set up for a great future.

The offensive line saw three players go to the Pro Bowl this year and two of them were first-team All-Pros, left tackle Tyron Smith and rookie guard Zack Martin.

One of the best lines in the league and a very young one too, which means the core of this line, Smith, Frederick and Martin, will only get better with more experience, coaching and training.

You saw for yourself, Joseph Randle had his way with opposing defenses as well when his number was called mainly because of that big line opening gaping holes for him to run through.

So don’t worry about the running back situation. The Cowboys will stick with their same, newly discovered identity on offense, and continue to run the rock. The system worked so well for Murray because of how good the offensive line has become. Not to sell these running backs’ abilities short, but they will thrive and be able to use their talents even better because of the line.

The draft will have a lot of good running backs to choose from if Murray is to leave, and you would think that whoever they draft will have to compete with Joseph Randle if he wants to become the starter.

As long as the Cowboys stick to what works, all will be good in Big D for a long time.

via @LakeCougar2012

http://cowboysnation.com/2015/01/dallas-cowboys-2015-outlook.html

 

[shiznit]

Numbers analysts: Cowboys' Tony Romo a second-tier quarterback

According to ESPN's Five Thirty Eight, Tony Romo, Teddy Bridgewater, Matt Schaub, Andrew Luck and Tony Romo are all in the same class of quarterback.

Noah Davis and Michael Lopez of Five Thirty Eight looked at different density curves to see which quarterbacks performed well consistently.
The top tier "The Elites" consisted of Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

The second tier "The Southerners" consisted of Drew Brees and Matt Ryan.

The third tier "The second-tiers" consisted of Romo's group.

Romo and the others listed above had more strong games than poor ones over the course of their career, but had fewer dominant performances than those ranked above them.

"This would suggest that if you’re going to call one of these quarterbacks “elite,” you need to at least consider that all of them are or were," wrote Davis and Lopez. "Even though the narrative around Kaepernick, Schaub and Romo is that they’re inconsistent, their curves suggest otherwise."

The two groups below Romo's had some familiar faces.

The "On-the-cusps" consisted of Ben Roethlisberger, Nick Foles, Phillip Rivers, Russell Wilson.

The "Mixed bags" were Cam Newton, David Garrard, Donovan McNabb, Eli Manning, Jay Cutler, Joe Flacco and Robert Griffin.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-cowboys/headlines/20150117-numbers-analysts-cowboys-tony-romo-a-second-tier-quarterback.ece

I don't wanna sound like a butthurt raiders fan but...

:lol:

That metric is so flawed it's ridiculous...

No disrespect to Romo... He's an MVP candidate IMO...

But how the f**k is Derek Carr considered Uh-Oh and Teddy Bridgewater in that group with Romo... I mean they even put Matt Schuab in that Romo group...

Did Reggie McKenzie come up with this?? :lol:

 

[DC_fan]

I don't wanna sound like a butthurt raiders fan but...

:lol:

That metric is so flawed it's ridiculous...

No disrespect to Romo... He's an MVP candidate IMO...

But how the f**k is Derek Carr considered Uh-Oh and Teddy Bridgewater in that group with Romo... I mean they even put Matt Schuab in that Romo group...

Did Reggie McKenzie come up with this?? :lol:

The writer is someone I and most others have never heard of trying to justify his salary.

 

[Russell Crowe's Band]

How is Roethlisberger on the cusp..,if he has won two superbowls and played on a third?


Lol

 

[DC_fan]

Mel Kiper's first mock draft has a Sooner going to the Cowboys, Texas DT headed north

ESPN's NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. released his first mock draft Thursday morning, and there was some local flair involved.

For one thing, he projected Oklahoma defensive tackle Jordan Phillips to go to the Cowboys with the 27th overall pick, filling a need for Dallas.

No. 27: Jordan Phillips, Oklahoma DT, to the Dallas Cowboys:
Kiper writes: "... At 6-foot-6, when you see him run you can barely fathom that he's carrying more than 330 pounds. Put a kid like this under the tutelage of Rod Marinelli and you could end up with something truly special. Dallas needs to prioritize defense in this draft after getting the offense where it needs to be, and Phillips is a reasonable upside play."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/headlines/20150115-mel-kiper-s-first-mock-draft-has-a-sooner-going-to-the-cowboys-texas-dt-headed-north.ece

 

[DC_fan]

NFL.com mock draft has Cowboys making contingency plans if key free age

It's the beginning of mock draft season, and things will surely change.

But at least one mock - by NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah - has the Cowboys making contingency plan in case they aren't able to get free agent running back DeMarco Murray back in the fold.

Dallas holds the 27th spot in the first round and has numerous needs on defense, but Jeremiah's mock has the Cowboys selecting Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon.

Hey, Dallas hit it big a couple of years ago with another Badger - center Travis Fredrick.

Jeremiah writes: The Cowboys have a big decision to make about re-signing DeMarco Murray. Gordon would be a nice fallback plan.

Here's some NFL.com analysis on Gordon, who set the NCAA Div. I FBS single-game rushing yardage record with 408 yards against Nebraska on Nov. 14, 2014 (the record was broken by OU's Samaje Perine the following week).

Bottom line: Angular, talented open-field runner who combines outstanding burst with a long stride to gain separation and hit the home run. He won't be able to outrun NFL defenders like he did in college and must develop more feel between the tackles. Gordon shines when his track runs over tackle or around the end and can put a defense to sleep around the corner. Not trustworthy enough to be a three-down back, but his pass-catching improved enough to utilize him out of backfield as a receiver.

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper's first mock has Oklahoma defensive tackle Jordan Phillips to go to the Cowboys at 27.

Both mocks had Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston going first overall to Tampa Bay.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-cowboys/headlines/20150115-nfl.com-mock-draft-has-cowboys-making-contingency-plans-if-key-free-agent-departs.ece

 

[DC_fan]

DeMarco Murray and actress Heidi Mueller have announced their engagement. They have a young daughter.

Mueller 32, best known for her work as Kay Bennett Crane on the soap opera “Passions"

 

[nick87]

Good time to get engaged with DeMarco. Dude about to get paid

 

[DC_fan]

Good time to get engaged with DeMarco. Dude about to get paid

hahahhahahahahahhahahhaha

She probably earns more then he does.

 

[Russell Crowe's Band]

hahah. passions.
had the doll in it.....

lol

 

[nick87]

hahahhahahahahahhahahhaha

She probably earns more then he does.

Not impossible, he is a RB after all.
How many high school RB's do you think are currently lobbying their coaches to give them a crack at DB right now? :lol:

 

[DC_fan]

Cowboys coaching staff gets early look at free agents at Pro Bowl; three to consider

Free agency doesn’t begin until early March. The Cowboys coaching staff doesn’t dive into the detailed evaluation of their own personnel until they return from the Pro Bowl.

That doesn’t mean they can’t do a little advance work this week in the desert.

There aren’t many free agents on the Pro Bowl rosters. But there are two or three that merit discussion for the Cowboys.

First of all, no official recruiting will take place over these next few days.

The time in Phoenix is week is a reward more than it is a business trip. And while the practices the coaching staff puts these players through is far from intense, the coaches can still get a feel for a player’s personality and approach and strike up a rapport.

Here are three free agents to keep in mind:

Ndamukong Suh, DT _ He will come at a high price. He should, since he’s arguably the most dominant defensive tackle in the league. He may be out of the Cowboys price range. But Suh’s talent is too great, and the Cowboys needs on that side of the ball are too obvious, to dismiss him without a discussion.

Antonio Cromartie, CB _ He took Richard Sherman’s place on the Pro Bowl roster since Seattle is back in the Super Bowl. He doesn’t fit into the Cowboys youth movement _ he turns 31 in April _ but he’s still obviously very effective. If Brandon Carr doesn’t take a pay cut to return the Cowboys must address this position with a quality acquisition, even if it’s for the short term.

Mark Ingram, RB _ He took Marshawn Lynch’s place in this game. If the Cowboys are unable to resign DeMarco Murray, Ingram is the name to keep in mind. He will command much less than Murray on the open market but is cut out of the same, physical cloth. Ingram missed three games with a broken hand but still carried the ball 226 times for 964 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s 25.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2015/01/sneak-peek-cowboys-coaching-staff-gets-early-look-at-free-agents-at-pro-bowl.html/

 

[DC_fan]

Cowboys likely to restructure Romo’s contract for cap space
By Drew Davison
ddavison@star-telegram.com


MOBILE, Ala.
In an effort to create more salary cap space, the Cowboys are expected to restructure Tony Romo’s contract at some point this offseason.

That’s how the Cowboys designed their six-year, $108 million contract for Romo two years ago, a deal that has $55 million guaranteed. Essentially, the Cowboys will convert his base salary into a signing bonus to create cap room.

Romo is scheduled to make $17 million in 2015 with his cap number coming in at $27.7 million, something that will be significantly reduced assuming the Cowboys restructure his deal for the second consecutive offseason. Last year, the Cowboys created about $10 million in cap space by doing so.

That decision gives them more flexibility to re-sign their own free agents, as well as pursue others on the market. The Cowboys can clear additional space by doing a similar thing with left tackle Tyron Smith’s contract.




“We all realize that anything you push forward that if you don’t use it it’ll cost you cap space that you could use for other players,” owner Jerry Jones said this week at the Senior Bowl. “On an older player, the farther you put it out in the future the less likely you are to use it. That’s the point. That is the trick.

“On the other hand, the effort is to right now put together the best value we can using those dollars and that’s the art of the deal. I will tell you when I look at Tony I certainly do see four or five more years, so nothing scares me four or five years out.”

Jerry Jones, as well as executive vice president Stephen Jones, each stated the importance of building a team capable of winning it all with Romo. They know that window isn’t going to stay open for too many more years, making it a priority to have the necessary cap space to add the final pieces.

“This was carefully thought out when we made our agreement with Tony,” Jerry Jones said. “We knew that as we moved along there will be reallocation is the best way to say it with his salary, moving it around so that at a given time we could put the best group together with his supporting cast.”

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article7965012.html#storylink=cpy​

http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article7965012.html

Would certainly help free up some salary cap space

 

[DC_fan]

Cowboys sign two defensive players, one of which faces sentencing

The Cowboys announced Friday they signed defensive end Lavar Edwards and safety Keelan Johnson to reserve-future contracts.

Edwards appeared in four games with the Cowboys this past season, making one tackle. He was cut three times and re-signed twice before being assigned to the practice squad and landing on injured reserve in December after hurting his groin.

Johnson appeared in two games with Philadelphia in 2013 before he was released last August. On Friday, the Associated Press reported he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault stemming from a July 2014 incident involving a Tempe, Ariz., police officer. Johnson, 25, is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 25.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2015/01/cowboys-sign-two-players-to-reserve-future-contracts.html/

 

[DC_fan]

George: Why restructuring Romo's deal is risky business; Cowboys may decide against it

MOBILE, Ala. — After fighting their way through a tight salary cap situation the last few seasons, the Cowboys are finally in decent shape fiscally. And they’d like to keep it that way.

That’s why executive vice president Stephen Jones said “it’s not a given” that the Cowboys will restructure quarterback Tony Romo’s contract again this offseason.

Romo has the NFL’s highest 2015 cap hit at $27.773 million. But the Cowboys can create $12.8 million of cap room by converting $16 million of Romo’s $17 million base salary into a signing bonus. That’s money that could be spent to help sign receiver Dez Bryant and running back DeMarco Murray to extensions.

Here’s the quandary: Pushing more possible dead money down the road on a soon-to-be 35-year-old quarterback coming off two back surgeries is risky business.

“Obviously you don’t like to mortgage your future if you can help it,” Jones said Wednesday at the Senior Bowl. “We started making the move toward being a younger team and going a different direction in terms of pushing money out, so we’d prefer not to do that, but at the same time every situation has ramifications and you have to make tough decisions sometimes.

“I don’t think there’s an exact science, ‘Hey, we’re going to do it or not do it.’”

The Cowboys know they’ll eventually have to pay big for their credit card approach with Romo. But do they pay off more of their Romo debt now or increase their pain for later?

The Cowboys restructured Romo’s contract last offseason, freeing up $10 million in cap space to help them climb out of a $25 million hole. But converting $12.5 million of Romo’s $13.5 million base salary into a signing bonus last year increased his cap hit over the next five years by $2.5 million a season.

Romo is signed through 2019. Restructuring his contract again this offseason would increase his next four cap hits by $4 million apiece, making 2016’s cap hit $21.6 million, 2017 at $25.5 million, 2018 at $26 million and 2019 at $24.5 million.

“We all realize that anything you push forward that if you don’t use it it’ll cost you cap space that you could use for other players,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said this week at the Senior Bowl.

“On an older player, the further you put it out in the future the less likely you are to use it. That’s the point. That is the trick. On the other hand, the effort is to right now put together the best value we can using those dollars, and that’s the art of the deal.

“I will tell you when I look at Tony I certainly do see four or five more years, so nothing scares me four or five years out.”

Dallas is under the projected salary cap for 2015, so unlike last year, restructuring Romo’s contract isn’t a must.

But the Cowboys also know they must win now because Romo’s window for reaching a Super Bowl is closing fast. That means Dallas must continue to add key pieces to improve a team that reached the divisional round of the playoffs in 2014. And that costs money and cuts into a team’s salary cap.

“We’d like to have guys play under their contract at their cap numbers. But it’s also a unique window for the Cowboys right now,” Stephen Jones said.

“At the end of the day there have been a couple of teams that have gone from a great quarterback to another great quarterback — maybe that’s [Green Bay’s Brett] Favre and [Aaron] Rodgers and [Indianapolis’] Peyton [Manning] and [Andrew] Luck – but after that there’s not many.

“After Troy [Aikman] retired, we went through a time there where we didn’t necessarily need the type of cap space you might need, and you kind of are thinking that way in terms of ultimately if Tony did retire and we had to take a cap hit then we’d probably be playing with a less-expensive quarterback than what we are doing with Tony.”

From Quincy Carter to Chad Hutchinson to Vinny Testarverde, the Cowboys know what less-expensive quarterbacks get you.

The Cowboys also knew what they were getting into with Romo when they signed him to a six-year, $108 million contract extension two years ago.

“This was carefully thought out when we made our agreement with Tony,” Jerry Jones said, “and we knew that as we moved along there will be reallocation — is the best way to say it — with his salary, moving it around so that at a given time we could put the best group together with his supporting cast.”

On Twitter:
@DMN_George

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-cowboys/headlines/20150122-george-why-restructuring-romo-s-deal-is-risky-business-cowboys-may-decide-against-it.ece
http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/da...ky-business-cowboys-may-decide-against-it.ece

 

[DC_fan]

Jimmy Graham: Jason Witten is my idol

IRVING, Texas -- Throughout the years, we have heard countless teammates rave about Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.

This past season, we heard Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray talk about Witten’s impact on them as players and men. We heard Tony Romo say Witten might be the best Cowboy of all time. Jason Garrett called Witten the best tight end in football for the past decade.

On Thursday, I pulled aside New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham after a Pro Bowl practice and asked about Witten.

During the practice, Witten, who was added to the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement for Denver’s Julius Thomas, took the first-team snaps over Graham. I wondered if it was Graham deferring to a tight end who will be playing in his 10th Pro Bowl.

"The first thing I told him is, you know, he’s my idol and he always has been," Graham said. "I try to emulate everything he does on the field and off the field. Not only does he do everything right on the field, and he’s been consistent for the past forever, but he does so much in his community. So I’ve tried to emulate myself just like him as a man, just because of the type of individual he is."

Graham and Witten have played in Pro Bowls before. They share the same agent, Jimmy Sexton. How they play tight end is different. Graham is more athletic, almost a wide receiver playing the position. Witten is the more traditional tight end.

"He is what I know I will be or what I try to be each and every year," Graham said. "And I strive to be the type of tight end that he is."

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4740091/jimmy-graham-jason-witten-is-my-idol