JasonKGME
I'm a uncle's monkey??
There are a couple of things in my opinion that need to happen before the end of the regular season, then a few things that need to happen before the draft, and finally a few things that need to happen prior to June 1st.
During the season:
#1 - Shipp needs to run the ball! I was allways concerned that signing Emmitt would mean shipp would be thrown to the side almost completely. Alot of people who defended the Emmitt signing kept saying that Ship would still get a third of the carries so not to worry. Right now we have rushed 89 times. Take out Blakes rushes of 7 and that means we have had 82 rushing plays. Emmitt has rushed 59 times or 72% of the time. Shipp has had 15 carries or 18% of the carries. Or to really break it down he has averaged under 4 carries a game. Sorry for a guy that had 188 carries last year with a 4.4 avg against alot of 8 and 9 man fronts, that is simply pathetic. I like Emmitt, but give Shipp the rock folks!
#2 - It was good to see Josh McCown in to finish the game yesterday, I'm glad the coaching staff is finally realizing when the game starts to get out of reach let the backup play and get some experience so you have a better idea where you are at backup. By the end of the year a decision on McCown HAS TO BE MADE! Either he is the starter of the future and its looking bright, or he'll be nothing more then a backup QB in the league so you have to get someone better. No offense to Blake but Blake is not an elite QB, and we need an elite QB. For those of you who want to throw up the "Brad Johnson"'s and "Trent Dilfer"'s of the NFL superbowls, I want you to remember that part of the equation for this team is to not only win games, but to win over the fans, and I think we need a STUD QB to make some people pay attention so when we do start to win people understand its because we have improved not because we are getting lucky.
#3 - make the decision on who should stay with the team after this year and who should go. This is the one I definitly think will happen no matter what, and that is we will spend the $12 mil left in cap space on some of our restricted & unrestricted free agents before the end of the year. Shelton, Thompson, Barrett, etc. This team needs ot figure out who is a player and who is a backup. Not saying dont sign the backups because depth is good, just remember they are backups and still need a starter if thats what your signing.
After the season but before the draft:
#1 - Coach Mac. Anyone who says this guy is not a great person should be taken outside and horse whipped. Now I do think you have the right to question wether or not he is a good game day coach however. And this really is the biggest offseason move that can be made one way or the other. Can Mac go from being a good players coach to becoming a SUPER BOWL COACH. Its not as easy as some might think. The single most important part of being a head coach I think is to have the right people around you and to hand out responsibilities appropriatly. I think Mac is a little to loyal to the people around him. There comes a point where you have to try something different, if mac can't accept the fact that some people around him need to change and he doesnt activally make the decision to make those changes then I think managment has to make the decision to change Mac. Now question becomes who do we get to replace him???
#2 - How do we want to approach the draft? This year we waited and waited on a lot of free agents because we didnt want to sign someone when we might get a player in the draft (i.e. we didnt get any WR"s because we were targeting a couple of them in the draft). I for one hate this approach. two reasons 1st you limit yourself on draft day to picking a position which is not good to me. And 2nd you also let some decent players sign with other teams while your waiting which isnt good either. We need to head twords the draft with an aggressive free agency stance. And when I say agresssive I mean agressive dammit. Take this year for example. Rather then bring in Colvin, then lose out on him then bring in Holliday, then lose out on him, what we should do is use the players same way they use the Cardinals. Bring in Colvin, Holliday, Coleman, Okiafor, and every other d-line or pass rusher that is even a marginal player in free agency and bring them all in within a week or two of each other and let players like Colvin know sorry we can't wait for you here is a damn good offer, the best you'll find out there, but you need to get it signed because if in the meantime I saign Holliday, Coleman and Okiafor then I'm afraid we would be full at my defensive position and we'd have to pull or lower the offer. And thats not just at defensive position, I mean bring in players at all positions even ones we dont need to fill. bring in a free agent RB that we might not sign, but get him in here and use him to show other players that your gonna do what it takes to improve.
#3 - Draft with authority. If the deal isnt good dont trade. I for one am extatic we ended up with Boldin, but we got lucky with that pick, where are we at if Boldin got picked before we did, then we end up with Pace(still waiting for him to wow me) and Johnson who looks better every week bt still isnt a real threat, and some 2nd rounder that we dont know about, but since no 2nd rounder has produced like Boldin then I know that it wouldnt be as good a choice. We traded down thinking we would get one of the DE we had in our sites and then low and behold a run happened and we did reach a little for Pace. To me that says shame on us. I mean to me I think we would have taken Suggs with our 1st pick, ogtten Bryant Johnson with our second rounder and then packaged our 3rd and 4th for that late 2nd rounder and still have gotten Boldin. Then only real difference would have been to have Suggs instead of Pace. And I'm not saying this would be a better player for us, what I will say is it would have been more flashy, it would have been more impressive to the media and to borderline fans looking for a reason to believe.
#4 - If we have to then throw some Boston/Plummer money at one of the big name free agents. I understand we offered more money then anyone else to Colvin. but when he turned it down we should have immediatly increased the offer. Make it so good he can't see past the #'s at the record of the team. We must get at least 1 true name FA from the free agent pool this year. This would include if need be grabbing a restricted player from another team and giving up a pick!!! I'd much rather grab a proven DE/DT that we know for a fact can play and give up a 1st rounder that we would spend on Pace/Bryant that we hope will mature into the position.
Things to do after the draft but before June 1st
#1 - Spend all the cap money. Do not hold out $3+ million hoping for a good cut from June 1st. If there ends up being a good cut after june 1st, then if need be cut one of our players to free up the money to get the post June 1st cut. This year was unique in the idea we tried to spend the money but didnt. I dont want that to happen again. I want us to spend the money unless there isnt another option. I mean if we throw $48 million twords a Colvin in the off season and he still doesnt come then fine we sck I'll suck it up. If we just throw the most money at a player but not a truly significate amount more twords the player then I'm gonna be pissed!!!
#2 - Make sure everyone knows going into June 1st that there is no such thing as a guarenteed starting spot. This goes back to Emmitt. Sorry Emmitt I thank you for signing here, but dammit you'll have to beat out the other RB's playing for a starting position if you want to be the starter. Mr. Colvin I know we just gave you a $48 million contract, but those incentives built into the contract that will make it worth $48 mil will have to be earned, we aint just giving it to ya. You play, you perform, your rewarded, end of statement. We dont reward simply because you "are Emmitt Smith".
Final portion of my rant here is simply this. I have seen chanes in the philosophy of the team this year. I have seen creative things done with contracts to get draft picks signed. I have seen moves to get contract extensions done before free agency, I have some decent money thrown at free agents to try to lure them here and some success at that. I have seen a do not quit attitute from the team and coaches and office and management and ownership that makes me believe we will continue to improve. But I need to see MORE. I need to see that this team isn't just getting to 100% like the average team in the league in things they will do to make a winner. I need to see 120%. I need to see money thrown around like its on trees even though we know its not. I need to see coaches getting truly ticked off when things they are trying dont work and the flexibility to try something different if needed.
And lastly I need to see more commitment from the fans! No matter what happens if the fans do not rally behind this team in support, purchasing tickets, and paraphanalia then this team is not going to be able to do some of the above things simply because they are not getting the support needed.
During the season:
#1 - Shipp needs to run the ball! I was allways concerned that signing Emmitt would mean shipp would be thrown to the side almost completely. Alot of people who defended the Emmitt signing kept saying that Ship would still get a third of the carries so not to worry. Right now we have rushed 89 times. Take out Blakes rushes of 7 and that means we have had 82 rushing plays. Emmitt has rushed 59 times or 72% of the time. Shipp has had 15 carries or 18% of the carries. Or to really break it down he has averaged under 4 carries a game. Sorry for a guy that had 188 carries last year with a 4.4 avg against alot of 8 and 9 man fronts, that is simply pathetic. I like Emmitt, but give Shipp the rock folks!
#2 - It was good to see Josh McCown in to finish the game yesterday, I'm glad the coaching staff is finally realizing when the game starts to get out of reach let the backup play and get some experience so you have a better idea where you are at backup. By the end of the year a decision on McCown HAS TO BE MADE! Either he is the starter of the future and its looking bright, or he'll be nothing more then a backup QB in the league so you have to get someone better. No offense to Blake but Blake is not an elite QB, and we need an elite QB. For those of you who want to throw up the "Brad Johnson"'s and "Trent Dilfer"'s of the NFL superbowls, I want you to remember that part of the equation for this team is to not only win games, but to win over the fans, and I think we need a STUD QB to make some people pay attention so when we do start to win people understand its because we have improved not because we are getting lucky.
#3 - make the decision on who should stay with the team after this year and who should go. This is the one I definitly think will happen no matter what, and that is we will spend the $12 mil left in cap space on some of our restricted & unrestricted free agents before the end of the year. Shelton, Thompson, Barrett, etc. This team needs ot figure out who is a player and who is a backup. Not saying dont sign the backups because depth is good, just remember they are backups and still need a starter if thats what your signing.
After the season but before the draft:
#1 - Coach Mac. Anyone who says this guy is not a great person should be taken outside and horse whipped. Now I do think you have the right to question wether or not he is a good game day coach however. And this really is the biggest offseason move that can be made one way or the other. Can Mac go from being a good players coach to becoming a SUPER BOWL COACH. Its not as easy as some might think. The single most important part of being a head coach I think is to have the right people around you and to hand out responsibilities appropriatly. I think Mac is a little to loyal to the people around him. There comes a point where you have to try something different, if mac can't accept the fact that some people around him need to change and he doesnt activally make the decision to make those changes then I think managment has to make the decision to change Mac. Now question becomes who do we get to replace him???
#2 - How do we want to approach the draft? This year we waited and waited on a lot of free agents because we didnt want to sign someone when we might get a player in the draft (i.e. we didnt get any WR"s because we were targeting a couple of them in the draft). I for one hate this approach. two reasons 1st you limit yourself on draft day to picking a position which is not good to me. And 2nd you also let some decent players sign with other teams while your waiting which isnt good either. We need to head twords the draft with an aggressive free agency stance. And when I say agresssive I mean agressive dammit. Take this year for example. Rather then bring in Colvin, then lose out on him then bring in Holliday, then lose out on him, what we should do is use the players same way they use the Cardinals. Bring in Colvin, Holliday, Coleman, Okiafor, and every other d-line or pass rusher that is even a marginal player in free agency and bring them all in within a week or two of each other and let players like Colvin know sorry we can't wait for you here is a damn good offer, the best you'll find out there, but you need to get it signed because if in the meantime I saign Holliday, Coleman and Okiafor then I'm afraid we would be full at my defensive position and we'd have to pull or lower the offer. And thats not just at defensive position, I mean bring in players at all positions even ones we dont need to fill. bring in a free agent RB that we might not sign, but get him in here and use him to show other players that your gonna do what it takes to improve.
#3 - Draft with authority. If the deal isnt good dont trade. I for one am extatic we ended up with Boldin, but we got lucky with that pick, where are we at if Boldin got picked before we did, then we end up with Pace(still waiting for him to wow me) and Johnson who looks better every week bt still isnt a real threat, and some 2nd rounder that we dont know about, but since no 2nd rounder has produced like Boldin then I know that it wouldnt be as good a choice. We traded down thinking we would get one of the DE we had in our sites and then low and behold a run happened and we did reach a little for Pace. To me that says shame on us. I mean to me I think we would have taken Suggs with our 1st pick, ogtten Bryant Johnson with our second rounder and then packaged our 3rd and 4th for that late 2nd rounder and still have gotten Boldin. Then only real difference would have been to have Suggs instead of Pace. And I'm not saying this would be a better player for us, what I will say is it would have been more flashy, it would have been more impressive to the media and to borderline fans looking for a reason to believe.
#4 - If we have to then throw some Boston/Plummer money at one of the big name free agents. I understand we offered more money then anyone else to Colvin. but when he turned it down we should have immediatly increased the offer. Make it so good he can't see past the #'s at the record of the team. We must get at least 1 true name FA from the free agent pool this year. This would include if need be grabbing a restricted player from another team and giving up a pick!!! I'd much rather grab a proven DE/DT that we know for a fact can play and give up a 1st rounder that we would spend on Pace/Bryant that we hope will mature into the position.
Things to do after the draft but before June 1st
#1 - Spend all the cap money. Do not hold out $3+ million hoping for a good cut from June 1st. If there ends up being a good cut after june 1st, then if need be cut one of our players to free up the money to get the post June 1st cut. This year was unique in the idea we tried to spend the money but didnt. I dont want that to happen again. I want us to spend the money unless there isnt another option. I mean if we throw $48 million twords a Colvin in the off season and he still doesnt come then fine we sck I'll suck it up. If we just throw the most money at a player but not a truly significate amount more twords the player then I'm gonna be pissed!!!
#2 - Make sure everyone knows going into June 1st that there is no such thing as a guarenteed starting spot. This goes back to Emmitt. Sorry Emmitt I thank you for signing here, but dammit you'll have to beat out the other RB's playing for a starting position if you want to be the starter. Mr. Colvin I know we just gave you a $48 million contract, but those incentives built into the contract that will make it worth $48 mil will have to be earned, we aint just giving it to ya. You play, you perform, your rewarded, end of statement. We dont reward simply because you "are Emmitt Smith".
Final portion of my rant here is simply this. I have seen chanes in the philosophy of the team this year. I have seen creative things done with contracts to get draft picks signed. I have seen moves to get contract extensions done before free agency, I have some decent money thrown at free agents to try to lure them here and some success at that. I have seen a do not quit attitute from the team and coaches and office and management and ownership that makes me believe we will continue to improve. But I need to see MORE. I need to see that this team isn't just getting to 100% like the average team in the league in things they will do to make a winner. I need to see 120%. I need to see money thrown around like its on trees even though we know its not. I need to see coaches getting truly ticked off when things they are trying dont work and the flexibility to try something different if needed.
And lastly I need to see more commitment from the fans! No matter what happens if the fans do not rally behind this team in support, purchasing tickets, and paraphanalia then this team is not going to be able to do some of the above things simply because they are not getting the support needed.
