Dear Fantasy Doctor X.

Cowboys off-season PLAN.

By Cameron Snow.

Introduction: Another season down, another first round playoff exit. After a hot 13-3 start all Cowboys fans are left to wonder is “what happened?” Many have taken the path of blaming Tony Romo’s trip to Mexico during his three day weekend. I think that’s a bit ridiculous. What happened was systemic and not the result of one man’s (actually TE Jason Witten was there too) actions.

At the same time offensive line coach Tony Sparano was “interviewing” for the Miami Dolphins. Maybe that distraction is what caused the awful offensive line play we witnessed from a group that had an otherwise solid season. Or maybe the fact that Jason Garrett was busy doing interviews explains why the Cowboys problems of starting games with a score continued. Or the fact that the wide receivers seemed unable to haul in passes when it mattered most.

Tony Romo was forced to scramble around and try to make plays on his own. Twice he probably should’ve thrown it away but in at least one of those two instances if he had time to set his feet it was a TD (assuming Austin Miles would have caught it).

But that’s really all irrelevant. The Cowboys lost and now they stare another off season of “fixing” in the face.

Step One

Step one is completed: retain Jason Garrett. Garrett got a hefty pay raise and a shiny new “Assistant Head Coach” title. With a season of experience under his belt Garrett should be a much more balanced OC next season and we’ll see a healthy dose of Marion “the Barbarian” and some “trickeration” next season.

I think he’ll be able to puzzle out why the Cowboys started so slow and I anticipate the Cowboys starting many games in a “hurry-up” offense. One more year of tutelage will give Garrett enough confidence in Romo to let him do it. Also, Barber starting the game will immediately force teams to respect the run (something they didn’t have to do with Jones) and open up some options in the passing attack.

Step Two

Step two is shoring up the rest of the coaching staff. It’s important to have a complete staff who understands (and believes in) the philosophy of the team. They’ll need to fill some holes as Tony Sparano (offensive line coach) is gone and it appears Todd Bowles (secondary coach) may be leaving too.

Hudson Houck seems to be on his way to coach the line. I expect the Cowboys will fill the rest of their voids quickly with some of Wade Phillips’ guys. Another thing the Cowboys have to look at is the organization of their scouting department.

The head of College and Pro Scouting, Jeff Ireland, left to be the GM in Miami and the Cowboys may want to fill that void. However, I understand it was created for Ireland and the Cowboys already have College Scouting and Pro Scouting heads so they may simply eliminate the position. Regardless, it’s important that the scouting department and coaching staff are on the same page and ready to go for the off season and especially the draft.

Step Three: Phase One

With the coaching staff and scouting departments set it’s important to look at what free agents are to be signed. Phase One is to look at your own free agents and make some decisions about them.

First, Marion Barber (RFA) will be resigned to a comfortable, multi-year deal. He’s the starter for next season and Cowboys fans expect great things from him. Can his physical running style hold up over an entire season? Isn’t that the same thing they said about Adrian Peterson?

Second, Ken Hamlin (UFA) had a great season. He’s made the Pro Bowl based on what he was able to do in the Cowboys secondary and was a pleasant surprise for fans like me. I’d like to see the Cowboys lock him up for a few more seasons and see if he can continue on the track he’s on. However, I wouldn’t break the bank for Hamlin and I believe the Cowboys will give him a conservative offer to remain in a good situation.

Third, Flozell Adams (UFA) the Cowboys have an interesting decision with Adams. While at times he simply dominates his opponents at other times he shows his age and appears slow. Also, his focus is sometimes questionable as he virtually guarantees one or two false starts a game.

The Cowboys have a number of options here. They could let him go and place Pat McQuinstan or Doug Free in his place. Both are highly regarded by Dallas coaches. Or, they could let him go and move Leonard Davis to left tackle. That means Cory Proctor (who was decent filling in for Gurode at times) could be put in at Right Guard. Finally, they could simply resign him and trust the line to play like it did last season.

I don’t have enough info to make this decision but I would like to see McQuinstan or Free take over. As much as I love Adams his false starts kill me. Besides that, he’s getting up there in age and another long term deal could have detrimental consequences over the next couple years.

Finally, Julius Jones is gone. Done. Good riddance. Jones did nothing after his rookie season and proved to be as soft as Bill Parcells predicted. He proved that if there wasn’t a hole big enough for a Mack truck then he couldn’t make it. He was slow getting around the edge and once he was hit his run was all over. Jones is a backup at best and it’s up to another team to somehow resurrect his dying career.

There are some other free agents but these are the most important. Most of the Cowboys important FA’s had been extended before the season and the others (like Canty) can be dealt with rather easily. Jaques Reeves is probably gone too but he was never more than a “maybe” nickel corner at best.

Step Three: Phase Two

Now, after you’ve decided which of your free agents are absolutely essential you begin to look at the free agent market. The Cowboys are about $16 million or so under the cap so they have ample room to maneuver. I think the most important issue they must address is their defensive secondary. They have a solid pass rush (off the edges anyway) and need to be able to shut teams down in man coverage (something they struggled doing). Safety help only comes from one side as Roy Williams regressed even further this year and, honestly, risked his job.

Therefore, I think the Cowboys should go for a home run here and throw a lot of money at premiere corner Asante Samuel. Since Samuel did so well this year the Pats can’t franchise him again the fact that he hasn’t already negotiated an extension says he’s willing to explore deals. The Cowboys can toss a lot of money at him and give him the chance to go from one great team to another. However, the Pats also have a lot of money and are sure to be right back in the hunt next year.

But if the Cowboys could some how convince Samuel to part ways with the Pats then they could solve many problems with this one move. First, it would give them another shutdown corner. With Samuel on one side and Newman on the other teams will be fearful of the Cowboys secondary (something they haven’t been since Darren Woodson retired). Also, the Cowboys need a solid nickel corner and Anthony Henry would fit that role well. He’s getting up in age but is still a solid corner and the extra rest would only help his game.

With those three corners the Cowboys could trust man coverage while allowing Ken Hamlin to float in the backfield. This would also free Roy Williams up to simply swarm the ball on every down. With more than capable corners in all three positions Williams’ coverage deficiency wouldn’t be as glaring and he could even earn a Pro Bowl spot.

Of course, Samuel is the biggest fish this offseason and will be hard for the Cowboys to reel in. After him I’d like them to go get Marcus Trufant. Easily the second best corner on the market he would slide into the number two spot on the Cowboys roster. While he wouldn’t necessarily inspire the fear Samuel would the Cowboys secondary would be seriously upgraded. Either way, the Cowboys need a known quantity in the backfield and that’s why I’d like to see them sign a vet instead of draft a top corner.

Depending who the Cowboys sign, they may want to pursue Bernard Berrian; especially if Terry Glenn retires. However, I think the Cowboys could avoid having to pay someone and draft an adequate receiver. But if they don’t get that home run in the defensive secondary then they may aim for one for the receiving corps.

Other than that the Cowboys could go big and sign Lance Briggs. He’s looking to be the lead linebacker on a team of his own (and that’s not happening any time soon in Chicago) and as well as Bradie James has done Briggs is better. Again, I doubt the Cowboys would go here but it’s a possibility. They desperately need a strong pass rush up the middle and a linebacker like Briggs or a tough NT could be possibilities.

Step Four

The draft. The Cowboys traded Brady Quinn to the Cleveland Browns for the Browns’ 2008 first round draft pick. At the time, I was certain it would be a top five pick, instead it’s number 22. Regardless, having two draft picks opens up a list of options and the Cowboys must be looking forward to the draft with eager anticipation.

So, I’ll assume for my own benefit that the Cowboys some how land Asante Samuel. If that’s the case then there are three positions they should look at on day one. In no particular order: Wide Receiver, Running Back, Nose Tackle.

As for Wide Receiver I’m not sure who will still be on the board by the times the Cowboys pick. WR is a difficult position to project and I’m not sure the Cowboys will use a first round pick on one. I think instead they’ll scoop up Felix Jones out of Arkansas and maybe someone like Kentwan Balmer who could play either NT or DE.

The Cowboys could pull any numbers of moves like trading up into the top five or ten, trading down, swapping a round one pick this year for one next year. But I anticipate they’ll try to load up for a Super Bowl run and use both round one selections. I am almost certain they’ll take a running back and depending what they do either a WR or DB after that.

Step Five

Intensity. The Cowboys have lacked intensity on both sides of the ball for a long time. I just don’t see anyone really stepping up with energy on a consistent basis. The closest I’ve seen is Marion Barber and now that he’s starting things could change. However, they need a leader on defense who will give that unit a spark. That’s why I believe signing someone like Asante Samuel is so important. Samuel gambles to make plays but is successful most of the time and his intensity would add a whole new dynamic to the Cowboys.

I think Jason Garrett will be spending his time this off season figuring out how to get the Cowboys scoring early (something they didn’t do despite their numbers). Meanwhile, Wade Phillips will be working on how to help the defense finish. Consistently the defense was stout early and then broke down as time went on. If the Cowboys defense can hold up throughout the game and the offense can start hot then the Cowboys will have a much better shot next year.

Conclusion

I happen to know for a fact that Jerry Jones checks this blog hourly so look for these things to happen. If they don’t then surely Mr. Jones T3 line must be down and the satellites he owns disabled (probably by Bill Belichick).

But these are things I would be doing if I were owner of the Dallas Cowboys and I sincerely hope Jerry Jones does something dramatic to return my team to greatness.

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