Dallas Cowboys Off Season News

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The change of the Cowboys coaching staff isn't the head coach or the offensive or defensive coordinators it is the assistant special teams coach. The Cowboys have not renewed the contract of Chris Boniol who has mentored place kicker Dan Bailey for the past 4 seasons helping to mold the guy into one of the best kickers in the NFL. DC.com is reporting that by mutual agreement Boniol's contract would not be renewed for 2014. I'm skeptical about this move because I whole heartedly believe if it ain't broke don't fix it. Bailey was 28 of 30 in his field goal attempts last season which included 3 of 4 from 50+ yards. Boniol holds the team record of most consecutive field goals in a row with 27 in 1996 came back to Dallas in 2010 under Joe DeCamillis and he stayed on last year under Rich Bisaccia. Boniol also worked with punter Chris Jones who is also one of the best punters in the league. Boniol hopes to connect with another team in the same capacity with an eye on becoming a special teams coordinator in the future.

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Dez Bryant is getting recognition for becoming a good man after such a horrific childhood could have led to something much different. In December it was reported that he bought the new PS4 game systems when they first came out for the other people waiting in line with him at Walmart the evening they were released to the public. Now, the Dallas-Ft Worth chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America have voted to award Dez the Good Guy Award for the Cowboys. The award is given to the player who has shown consistant and outstanding cooperation with the Cowboys beat writers.

 

Quote from DC.com; Bryant was lauded for having a consistent presence in the locker room this season. He was available to the press most weeks and often multiple times during the week. After controversies against Detroit and Green Bay, Bryant made himself available to address both.

 

 

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The finalists for the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame have been announced and former Cowboys Charles Haley is on the list for the 5th time. To me, there have been lesser players who have gone into the HOF than Haley and I don't understand why he hasn't been elected yet. There is a limited amount of former players who can enter the HOF each year. A maximum of seven finalists can go in but not every year do seven individuals get in. That said I find it hard to believe that a guy who was instrumental in helping his teams, the 49ers and Cowboys, win a total of 5 Super Bowls and was given credit by none other than Jerry Jones nearly 20 years ago as being the player that was the missing piece to propel the Cowboys to their dynasty of the 90's. The unwritten criteria for being a HOF'er is can the history of the league be told without this player. Charles Haley should be in the Hall. Hopefully, he makes it this time even though, IMO, he's way over due.

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Dallas' DT Jason Hatcher has been added to the Pro Bowl roster after Haloti Ngata withdrew for injury reasons. Hatcher will join teammates Dez Bryant and Tyron Smith for next week's game in Honolulu. Hatcher had his best season as a pro recording 11 sacks which was best among defensive tackles which was the most by a Cowboys tackle since Randy White's 12.5 sacks in 1984. He is the first person since 2004 other than DeMarcu Ware to win the team sack title. Hatcher is an unrestricted free agent this season and likely won't be back in Dallas next season unless Dallas puts the franchise tag on him.

 

Dallas has lost their second coach this off season when it was announced that Wade Phillips son Wes, who has been an assistant coach on the staff since his father was head coach, is leaving to accept the tight ends coaching position with the Washington Redskins. Phillips' contract expired at the end of the season and Phillips and, like Chris Boniol before him, moved on to a new job. Wes started out as a quality control man on his father's staff and moved up the ranks over his 7 year tenure with the Cowboys. He took over as tight ends coach for Dallas when Jason Garrett's brother John left for Tampa Bay after being let go by his brother last January. The announcement is not official as yet but both teams acknowledge the move and Phillips logo on his twitter account has been changed to a Redskins logo. Two other coaches have also left. Offensive assistant Dave Borganzi and assistant coach Mikal Smith both left for Tampa Bay. Smith is Lovie Smith's son who was just hired as the Bucs new head coach.

 

It's weird but special teams coach Rich Bisaccia is reported to be interviewing for the Browns head coaching job. This makes the third interview Bisaccia has had this off season. Last week he interviewed for the Titans and Redskins before both teams decided on someone else. Bisaccia one season in Dallas has been really good for Dallas' special teams as they were much improved over the units former special teams coach Joe DeCamillis fielded in previous years.

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Could the pipeline begun by Sean Payton be continued with the 2014 draft? Payton is an alum of Eastern Illinois and he pointed the Cowboys to a record setting QB from his alma mater way back in 2003 when Dallas signed Tony Romo. Romo chose Dallas over a couple of teams including Denver because of Payton and because it looked like he may have a better chance to play. Eleven years later Easter Illinois has another QB coming out of college this year. His name is Jimmy Garoppolo. Jimmy G has broken many of the records at EI including some by Romo. Dallas doesn't have a high enough draft pick to go after a Bridgewater or Manziel but they could get Garoppolo who is expected to go in the second round of the draft, higher if he has a good Senior Bowl and scouting combine. Romo will turn 34 in April and Dallas will need to be thinking of a guy who can step in when Romo is done with his career. He's a link to the article and video from ESPN.com about Garoppolo.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000314787/article/jimmy-garoppolo-lives-up-to-hype-in-eastwest-shrine-game

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There have been two more Cowboys added to the Pro Bowl roster. Earlier this week TE Jason Witten was added after Julius Thomas and his Denver Broncos earned their way into the Super Bowl and now RB DeMarco Murray has been added to replace Frank Gore who was injured in the game between his 49ers and the Seahawks. This bring the total Cowboys representation to 5 players. Witten and Murray join Dez Bryant, Tyron Smith and Jason Hatcher who were already selected. Dez and Smith were elected to the Pro Bowl and Hatcher was added when Baltimore DT Haloti Ngata withdrew due to injury.

This week's Pro Bowl will be the first game not to feature all stars from the AFC facing all stars from the NFC. There is a pool of players selected to be in the Pro Bowl and on Wednesday evening on the NFL Channel Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice will choose the teams out of the pro bowl pool that will play Sunday evening on NBC. I don't know if this is going to work long term but it will be interesting to see how this works.

 

This week Cowboys coaches, scouts and media join the other NFL teams reps in Mobile Alabama for the Reese's Senior Bowl which will be played Saturday. Here is some news from the Senior Bowl practices.

> Jerry Jones was asked about possible changes to his coaching staff and he said that Jason Garrett, OC Bill Calahan and DC Monte Kiffin will not be let go. Jones said he has coaches under contract and he doesn't see anything changing. Jones has stuck by head coach Jason Garrett this entire past season voicing his support of the Garrett on several occasions. Media and fans have clambored for the firing of Kiffin and to a lesser extend Callahan but Jones is sticking to his guns and maintaining continuity in the coaching staff.

 

> The Cowboys will be looking hard at D-line help in practices and the game this weekend. What was perceived as a strength prior to the 2013 season was decimated by injuries before the season began which necessitated the search for viable D-line help. This on-going search resulted in no less that 20 different players started on the line this past season. It's likely, unless they designate him the franchise player, that Jason Hatcher will be gone so DeMarcus Ware will be the only starter coming back. Anthony Spencer who had micro fracture knee surgery will be trying to come back but he's a free agent too. Tyrone Crawford should be back as is Ben Bass but they will have to compete for jobs with George Selvie and Nick Haden who the Cowboys like as rotational players rather than front line starters.

 

> Here's a link from Cowboys.com's Bryan Broaddus who gives his thoughts from Tuesday's Senior Bowl practice.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Scouts-Notebook-Random-Thoughts-From-Tues-Practice/e2c091d8-daed-4fca-af25-b57d41c134a4

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Remember Josh Brent? The D-tackle who got into a car wreck and his friend and teammate Jerry Brown who was a passenger in the car was killed? His trial for intoxicated manslaughter was concluded yesterday when he was found guilty. No shock there--the guy is guilty. The punishment phase of the trial begins today and Brent could get up to 20 years in prison or as little as probation. I don't know where I stand on this because I have driven drunk before and it's only by the grace of God I didn't kill someone or myself. I've learned my lesson and I won't drive intoxicated again but this crime has two victims. Jerry Brown and Josh Brent. Jerry Brown's victim status is obvious but he got into a car with his good friend knowing he was intoxicated and he paid for it with his life. Brent is a victim too because he has to live with being responsible for the death of a human being. Friend, teammate, it doesn't matter. If he has any descency at all taking a life creates a guilt prison he will never escape regardless of the punishment the court system decides on. Josh Brent now has to try to live his life carrying a burden that never goes away. The ghost of Jerry Brown will follow him until the day he dies. To their, the Cowboys, from Jerry Jones to Brent's teammates have supported their friend since the incident happened. Sean Lee actually was in court to support Brent on Tuesday and safeties Barry Church and Danny McCray testified in the trial. To the Cowboys, it hasn't been about whether or not Brent will ever play football again, it's been about helping him in whatever way he needs to cope with the tragedy of his situation from all aspects. For those who criticize Jerry Jones his loyalty to the people who work for him is unquestioned. That is likely why so many of his current and former players love the guy.

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The one player that Dallas seemed determined not to lose this off season was old reliable kicker Dan Bailey. Today the Cowboys signed Bailey to a deal that will keep him in the fold through the 2020 season. The 6 year extension will pay Bailey an average of $3.3 mm a year making him the 5th highest paid kicker in the NFL but the figure is low enough that his salary cap hit is more than manageable. Bailey has been a model of consistancy the past three seasons culminating in a 28-30 performance in field goal conversions in 2013. He also improved his kickoff length this past season as well.

 

The Cowboys have replaced their tight ends coach and as the player roster is getting younger the coaching staff is getting older. 72 year old Mike Pope who has been the tight ends coach in New York for the Giants is coming on board in the same capacity for Dallas. Pope has had a successful run of coaching tight ends in the NFL for past 14 years for the Giants. His employment with the Giants dates all the way back to 1983 when he worked for Bill Parcels and he coached Mark Bavaro. Between stints with the Giants Pope has coached with Cincinnati, New England and Washington. Pope replaces Wes Phillips who left for Washington after his contract was not renewed. He joins 73 year old Monte Kiffin and 64 year old Rod Marinelli as proof you are never too old to coach in the NFL.

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I posted the item about former Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent who was found guilty of intoxication manslaughter in the death of his good friend and teammate Jerry Brown. The punishment phase of the trial was completed today with Brent receiving a sentence of 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation. Theoretically, Brent would be out of jail in late June meaning he could be available to join an NFL team for training camp. That is assuming he is able to stay in some semblence of shape during his prison stay. Brent was showing promise as a defensive tackle in the Cowboys 3-4 and he is probably more suited to play DT in a 4-3 which Dallas runs now. He certainly would be a player the Cowboys could get cheap and it's not far fetched that Jerry Jones would show a big interest in a player he has publicly supported during the ordeal Brent has gone through since his accident.

Here's the article from NFL.com with more details about the verdict that was handed down today.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000317453/article/josh-brent-sentenced-to-180-days-in-jail-10-years-of-probation

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Dallas has successfully muddied the waters of the their coaching staff. NFL.com has reported that Jerry Jones has hired former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan who it is being speculated as being the man calling plays next season. What that leaves is current offensive coordinator Bill Callahan sort of in no-man's land. DallasCowboys.com is reporting that Callahan's role is totally up in the air because it's a foregone conclusion that Linehan will call plays. It may be a way to force Callahan to void his contract and quit leaving the OC job open for Linehan who currently doesn't have a job title. Or, it may be, according to Colin Cowherd, evidence that Dallas is officially the most disfunctional organization in the NFL. There is no doubt that Linehan can help because since he became Detroit's OC in 2009 taking them from the 32nd ranked offense to the #3 overall ranked offense in 2013. Under Callahan the Cowboys were the 14th ranked offense last season.

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Okay, Jerry Jones has even me saying WTF!!!! After hiring former Lions OC Scott Linehan to call plays last night the Cowboys announced that Bill Callahan is still on staff as OC and Linehan will be the official play caller. That's not all! On the other side of the ball offensive line coach Rod Marinelli is now the defensive coordinator BUT Monte Kiffin remains on the staff as the Assistant Head Coach/Defense. Again, WTF??????!!!!!!!! Hey Jerry, remember that old saying, 'too many cooks spoil the pot'? What the hell is Callahan going to do, play with pencils all the time? It's Jason Garrett's offense Dallas runs and if Linehan is calling plays exactly what is Callahan doing? The same thing with Marinelli and Kiffin. Fortunately, the NFL doesn't have a salary cap for coaches but I don't understand the dynamic at Valley Ranch.

The Cowboys web site reports that Kiffin will be like a coach emeritus overseeing the continued transition from the 3-4 to the 4-3. His job seems more like a consultant than a coach. Callaahan is being classified as OC/Offensive line coach which means he's still the de facto leader of the offensive side of the ball with Linehan as the passing coordinator. It's all a lot of double talk to me. Callahan had some interest by a couple of teams but Dallas refused to allow Callahan to interview (they have that right because he's under contract for one more year) which means Dallas wants him on the staff. This situation is crazy.

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Here is a link to a DallasCowboys.com article about the top ten prospects in this year's NFL draft. These players are all seniors and the prospects in the underclassmen group may be better than the seniors but it opens the door for the discussion about what the Cowboys need to address in the draft. Personally, I think the consensus is defense with particular attention to the D-line needed after a historically bad performance in 2013. It's February so we've got a long way to go before the May NFL draft but I'm going thru football withdrawal symptoms already so I'm keeping myself busy.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DallasCowboysReport/Top-10-Ranking-Early-Options-For-Cowboys’-Top-Pick/7d401538-f7cd-4fda-bfc5-024f36797bb7

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Earlier this week it was reported that DeMarcus Ware had surgery to relieve a nerve problem that caused Ware a lot of discomfort. He said that at the beginning of the year when he was so good his elbow was not a problem. But after he got hit on that elbow even padding over the elbow didn't help the pain he felt. A lot of people lately are talking about Ware losing a step a being past his prime. I think this may be wrong because of how dominating he was at the beginning of the year. I also look at how good Indianapolis' DE Robert Mathis was and he's 1-1/2 years older than Ware. The last two seasons Ware has been really slowed by a plethora of injuries. If he can get completely healthy and stay that way there's no reason Ware can't return to his old dominating form. The Cowboys may want to get some help so they can rotate him a little so he's not worn out at the end of the season. The really good news about this surgery is it is not expected to hamper any of his off-season work. Let's hope Ware gets right and stays healthy because Dallas really needs him.

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The Cowboys suffered a bucket load of injuries in 2013. With Dallas $24 mm over the salary cap they will definitely need to get production from many of these players because they won't be able to go hard in free agency and they don't have enough draft choices to fill all the holes in their roster. To be fair, few teams do have enough draft choices and the fact is most teams need the choices in rounds 1-4. Later round picks are hit or miss and even Seattle's hits in late rounds took 2-3 years to really pan out. Here's an article for DallasCowboys.com listing the top injury situations Dallas hope work themselves out as the off season progresses.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DallasCowboysReport/Top-10-Romo%E2%80%99s-Back-Rehab-Ranks-First-in-Injuries-to-Watch-/83c04e34-5ef9-4f2f-a037-b70467ee0d11

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Cowboys running backs coach Gary Brown has some more important worries than the state of Cowboys backs. He and his family are looking for a donor for a bone marrow transplant for his daughter, Malena. Malena is 15 years old and she was diagnosed with leukemia last year. Here's the link to the article on DallasCowboys.com.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/RB-Coach-Gary-Brown-Seeks-Donor-For-Daughter/52b00726-7fb6-4352-93fc-a96082d1a4f3

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A big event in the NFL calendar year takes place beginning Saturday when the top college prospects and representatives from all 32 NFL franchises meet in Indianapolis for the NFL scouting combine. Here's an article from DallasCowboys.com's Brian Broaddus and his take on who to keep an eye on in Indy. I guess I should clarify a little. There is stuff going on in Indy right now as the combine kicks off with interviews of players and medical evaluations and administrative stuff. The drills, 40 yard dashes and the shuttle runs begin Saturday.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Scouts-Eye-A-Few-Names-To-Watch-At-The-NFL-Combine/0b032fba-0bc2-49ad-883b-df7a849a858b

 

Dallas final draft position was determined today when the league did a coin flip at the NFL Scouting Combine to decide who gets the 16th and 17th picks in this year's draft. The coin flip was between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cowboys who ended the 2013 season with identical 8-8 records and the exact same numbers for strength of schedule. Dallas won the flip and they will make the 16th pick with the Ravens next with No 17. Here is the final 1st round draft order for this year's draft.

1. Houston

2. St. Louis (from Washington)

3. Jacksonville

4. Cleveland

5. Oakland

6. Atlanta

7. Tampa Bay

8. Minnesota

9. Buffalo

10. Detroit

11. Tennessee

12. New York Giants

13. St. Louis

14. Chicago

15. Pittsburgh

16. Dallas

17. Baltimore

18. New York Jets

19. Miami

20. Arizona

21. Green Bay

22. Philadelphia

23. Kansas City

24. Cincinnati

25. San Diego

26. Cleveland (from Indianapolis)

27. New Orleans

28. Carolina

29. New England

30. San Francisco

31. Denver

32. Seattle

 

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The NFL Scouting Combine is full swing with the workout portion of the process taking front and center over the next few days. So far the offensive linemen have gone through their forties and agility drills and tight ends are running their forties. Not very compelling stuff until you see the top OL-men are running their 40's in the low 4.8's. There's no way a man weighing 300+ pounds running that fast!

 

Here's an article from DallasCowboys.com senior writer Mickey Spagnola with his take on the Demarcus Ware situation. It makes me feel good that Mickey's take is similar to mine in that Ware is fully capable of playing at a high level if he can stay healthy. That's a big deal because Dallas salary cap issues can't take a lot of dead money if they cut Ware as many fans and a lot of pundit argue that Ware is over the hill and needs to go.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-1/Spagnola-Time-To-Weigh-In-On-DeMarcus-Ware/b7edc48c-1d47-49f3-b75c-c7299758ece6

 

Here's an article from DC.com about how excited new defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is going forward. It seems the best chance for Dallas to upgrade their league worst defense is to draft well. His goal is to upgrade the front seven because that is the backbone of the Tampa 2 defense.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/Marinelli-Excited-For-New-Role-Focus-On-Front-Seven/e89d1579-5c8b-4c97-b33e-40dea9b2e0fe

 

One last thing, can I get you all to start rolling your eyes giving your best Sheldon Cooper look of exasperated annoyance when someone starts talking about Tony Romo's recurring back issues? Romo had "A" back issue related to injury this past season. That's not to say the cyst he had removed this time last year didn't have something to do with his back injury this year. If you noticed, Romo didn't scramble as much as in the past and he often went down when the pocket collapsed instead of trying to get away. This could have been a residual effect of the cyst but not knowing the details I can't tell you it was or wasn't. All I can say is the surgery he had to repair a herniated disc is said to have gone fine and Romo is doing his rehab and is on schedule to begin workouts with the team when OTA's begin in May. On NFL.com Dr Oz was asked about the surgery and he said that he believes Romo's back should be good to go with no issues. Everything depends on how patient the Cowboys and Romo will be to make sure he's completely healthy before letting him step on a football field. With the money they have invested the Cowboys would be stupid to rush Romo back and believe me I don't think the Cowboys are stupid in this regard.

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"It was twenty years ago today. St Pepper taught the band to play. They've been going in and out of style but they're guaranteed to make you smile. So let me introduce to you, the act you've know for these years, St Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band!" This Beatles lyric could apply to the Cowboys with only slight changes to make it fit but what makes it more appropriate is yesterday was the 25th anniversary of Jerry Jones buying the Dallas Cowboys. It's been a wild ride which includes 3 Super Bowls in a 4 year stretch in the mid ninties. The ride has still been wild but not very successful since the 1995 season but Dallas is still referred to a America's Team because of the run Dallas enjoyed between 1966 and 1985. The Cowboys had twenty consecutive winning seasons in that 20 year span with with 18 playoff appearances. They played in 2 NFL Championships in '66 and '67 losing to Green Bay both times and 5 Super Bowls winning 2 and 3 additionl NFC Championship games in '80, '81 and '82 losing all three. No other team has had even close to the run Dallas enjoyed in those twenty years. That's when "America's Team" was born. It was perpetuated in the 1990's when Big D won 8 division championships, won 3 of 4 NFC Championships and 3 Super Bowls missing the playoffs in 1990 and 1997. Since the new millenium Dallas has fallen on hard times that have certainly been well documented. This has been a too long intro to a link to a Jerry Jones interview where he reminisces about that time 25 years ago.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/Jones-Recalls-Risk-Excitement-In-Purchasing-Cowboys-/b127071d-edf2-4d26-99d5-43311df89ce6

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The fact that this past week was the 25th anniversary of Jerry Jones buying the Cowboys the DallasCowboys.com senior writer, Mickey Spagnola, looks back on that time and I'm still not sure if it's fond memories or not. Warning, this is a fairly long article. Not War and Peace long but for a post on a web site it's a little long. But, it's a pretty good read.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-1/Spagnola-Looking-Way-Way-Back-25-Years/88b253d5-ed42-4277-994a-911c14cd4a31

 

Here's a point about Demarcus Ware being the most valuable piece of the current Cowboys defense and counter point about Jason Hatcher being more important.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/Point-If-All-Leave-Ware-Will-Be-Most-Missed-On-D-Line/d6982bb4-dec7-4ef0-979b-8ba564a4354e

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DavidHelman/Counterpoint--Hatcher-Is-a-Bigger-Need-For-2014/3826864e-0457-491a-b18c-16cb50ed911e

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Free agency will officially begin next week but yesterday was the final day teams could designate their frachise player if they so chose. For the first time in a couple of years no player was franchised by Dallas. The past two seasons Dallas franchised LB/DE Anthony Spenser but after undergoing micro-fracture knee surgery his stock has dropped considerably considering that the successful rehab rate from this type of surgery is not good. Spenser is an unrestricted free agent who will be looking for a big contract but a guy coming off a potentially career ending surgery isn't going to be paid much on the open market. Heck, Spenser might not be able to play football until 2015. Don't feel too sorry for Spenser in terms of his contract. The past two years being franchised Spenser pocketed about $20mm bucks. The downside was he didn't get the long term deal he was hoping for and it turns out it was a good move by Dallas who would've had to add Spencer to the list of guys who got LTD's and then didn't play up to their contract like Miles Austin, both Roy Williams' and Jay Ratliff with nothing but dead money to show for it.

 

Speaking of money before yesterday Dallas was about $24mm over the salary cap but after some contract restructures Dallas is only about $1mm over. Yesterday it was reported the Sean Lee and Orlando Scandrick redid their deals and will save Dallas $7.8mm of cap space and today Tony Romo restructured the deal he signed last year and will save Dallas $10mm on their cap. With these three moves Dallas is roughly only $1mm over the cap. All NFL teams have to be under the cap by March 11th when free agency begins. A lot of speculation about the release of players is flying around but nothing is certain until it happens. For sure Dallas will get under the cap limit, they always do but I would think at some point restructuring deals won't be an option for players who are too old to commit to long term.

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Okay, the Cowboys are under the salary cap. Today they released C/G Phil Costa and completed renegotiating G Mackenzy Bernadeau's contract so now Dallas will head into free agency, which begins next week, under the salary cap which is where lead rules say they need to be.

Costa started all sixteen games in 2011 but only appeared in 6 games the past two seasons. He started 3 games at center in 2012 before injuries cut his season short and Travis Frederick, who was Dallas' first round pick in last years draft has claimed the center position as his own. Dallas saves about $1.5 mm on their salary cap.

Bernadeau agree to redo his deal as he will compete for a starting job at guard this year. He finished the last 8 games last season as the starter at right guard after Brian Waters tore his bicep muscle.

The moves today put Dallas about $2 mm under the cap with contract issues with Demarcus Ware and Miles Austin looming like a black cloud in Dallas' near future.

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Free agency begins Tuesday and it's pretty much a given that Dallas won't be a player in free agency. At least to no great extent. With just a $2 mm bunch of money to play with it doesn't take long to figure out Dallas simply can't be big spenders because if you don't have it you can't spend it. The NFL does not give credit cards. Just to be able to pay for their draft picks this season it looks like Miles Austin will be released after June 1st so his $5.5 mm salary will become available. Personally, I wish they could keep Austin. I think he's pretty darn good and, when healthy, is another potent weapon for the Cowboys offense. The other big question is the status of Demarcus Ware. His base salary this coming year is over $12 mm and considering he's been injured and hardly his old self the Cowboys want him to take a salary cut. On Ware's side he's saying he won't take a pay cut. Sounds like a line is in the process of being drawn in the sand. I still think Ware has a lot of good football left and it'd be a shame if he played it somewhere else. After all, Indianapolis' Dwight Freeney is about a year and half older than Ware and he was in the discussion for defensive player of the year last season. Considering Dallas needs so much help to rebuild their defense the Avengers may not be able to help. Dallas really needs to keep Ware and hope he can remain healthy. That, and draft well. If you agree with the old cliché about success in football begins by winning in the trenches Dallas needs to restock their D-line. An impactful line that can cause pressure on quarterbacks and stop the run makes the rest of the pieces on defense all the better. Look at Seattle. Would Richard Sherman and the other DBs be so good without the pressure their front four is able to generate? If Austin has to go so be it, that's the football biz but I really think Ware has 2 to 3 good years left. I really hope one of the best players in Cowboys history finishes his career in that little ole town in north Texas.

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A recent post on NFL.com Tony Romo spoke with reporters for the first time since his back surgery a few days after his Week 15 win over Washington. Romo says that the procedure was a relatively minor one comparatively speaking and he is right on schedule to practice with the team when the first of the Cowboys off season OTA's begin next month. Romo and head coach Jason Garrett were in Durham, North Carolina to work with Duke QB guru David Cutcliff. Cutcliff worked with Peyton Manning in his rehab after his neck surgeries 2 seasons ago.

Romo was interviewed after they attended the Duke-North Carolina basketball game. Romo is quoted as saying, "We're getting close now to (returning). Usually takes three months, it's just (a) normal kinda roundabout date that they give ya and we're right on schedule. Really ahead in a lot of ways.

Romo even had a chance to play a game of "PIG" with Garrett and former Duke basketball star Jason Williams. Here's a link to the video of that shoot around in which Romo shows no evidence of a recent back surgery and a pretty good jumper.

 

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The Cowboys, just minutes ago released defensive stalwart DeMarcus Ware. Ware, a likely first ballot Hall of Famer, was let go primarily because of money. The discussion has been since the 2013 season ended has been Ware's salary. Under the terms of his contract, which had been renegotiated several times for previous year's salary cap reasons was going to be $16 MM with a $12 MM base salary and because Ware has struggle through the past two seasons Dallas wanted Ware to take a decrease in salary. Ware has said he won't take a pay cut so the line in the sand was drawn. By releasing him Ware aves Dallas $7.4 MM against the salary cap. Ware also asked that if a deal can't be worked out then he wanted the Cowboys to release before the free agency period began which Jerry Jones did do this afternoon. There could still be hope for Dallas to resign Ware if interest in him isn't what Ware hopes. Dallas, I'm sure, would be happy to pay Ware in 7 or 8 million dollar range if that's the best offer Ware gets he may decide to resign him. Here's the article from DallasCowboys.com about Ware's release.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/Cowboys’-Sack-Leader-DeMarcus-Ware-Released/83a977bd-70a5-4476-bff3-ce541ead7ce0

[eagle eye]

Dallas is still in the cut and slash mode. One day after releasing DeMarcus Ware they announced that Miles Austin is going to be cut as of June 1st. The reason for the delay allows Austin's cap hit to be spread over this season and next. Austin will still count $5.1 MM in 2015 but the oft injured wide receiver will save Dallas $5.5 MM on this year's cap after June 1. It's has been speculated that Austin would be a June 1st cut for months and today was the day. Before Tuesday Dallas was roughly $2 MM under the salary cap and with the cuts of Ware and Austin the Cowboys now have nearly $13 MM more to play with. Keeping in mind that Austin's cap savings won't be available until June 1st. It's being speculated that Austin's cap savings will be used to pay their draft choices.

 

Since early this morning on Mike and Mike the discussion has been that the Denver Broncos were showing a lot of interest in DeMarcus Ware and sure enough this afternoon the Broncos reached a 3 year deal with Ware for $30 MM with $20 MM guaranteed. Ware's base salary for 2014 will be $13 MM which a million more than his base salary with Dallas was going to be. There was an understanding between Ware and Jerry Jones that Ware would consider resigning with Dallas if a better deal was not forthcoming. Denver's deal blows that understanding out of the water. Now, all four of the defensive front four Dallas hoped they would be starting for them this time last year when Monte Kiffin was hired to bring his 4-3 Tampa 2 defense to Dallas. Two never played a down. Anthony Spencer was injured during training camp and Jay Ratliff played hurt during training camp and was released just a few weeks into the season claiming he would be able to play until 2014, or maybe 2015. Within weeks of his release he was signed by the Chicago Bears and was on the field against the Cowboys in Week 14. Jason Hatcher had his best season as a pro in 2013 and he's trying to capitalize on that in this year's free agency. The last one to go is Ware who would not agree to a pay cut the Cowboys wanted him to take and to be fair to Ware Dallas agreed to release before free agency began yesterday. Now Ware is a Denver Bronco. If you thought Dallas needed help on defense before.........sheesh. The Broncos are trying to take advantage of the narrow window of opportunity with Peyton Manning by bolstering their defense. Yesterday Denver agreed to terms with CB Aqib Talib to replace the aging Champ Bailey and today they sign DeMarcus Ware to help their pass rush to along with Vonn Miller. SS T J Miller was also signed today to further bolster their defensive backfield. So far, Dallas has made no signings.