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Cowboys Pulse
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Eff the Big 3, It's Only Big D, and There's Video Proof |
 Eff the Big 3, It's Only Big D: Offseason Breaking News Wrap-Up.Cowboys had a busy offseason; Still making splash moves.Written by Jerry Jones on July 15th, 2019
Former [1.1] Michigan Wolverine Frank Clark will join a revamped 34 Defense in Big D.
The Dallas Cowboys media department has been in turmoil since Superfan Skip Bayless was abruptly fired this offseason. We've had beat writers reporting on Discord all off-season and season... but those are intern, non paid positions. Which suck. So we've hired a scribe to keep some updates for the offseason and the first half of the season so we can get those sweet, sweet activity points. We're well aware nobody reads anything anymore, so we skimped on the graphics department. Here goes nothing. Enjoy.
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Discord Breaking News
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BREAKING NEWS: The Dallas Cowboys and HB David Johnson have agreed to a new 5 year contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Those close to DJ said he was offended last offseason when the team opted to restructure LT Laken Tomlinson and FS Quandre Diggs before they extended him. In a contract year playing for a new contract, however, DJ would have a career year - posting 1635 yards, 5.05 YPC, 12 Rush TD, and 2 Rec TD… all career bests. Surely, waiting a year cost owner Jerry Jones a pretty penny. Either way, the Cowboys are happy to secure the services of the homegrown talent for the next 5 seasons.
BREAKING NEWS: Dallas Cowboys WR Jonathan Baldwin, angered at not winning the Fountain of Youth, has been seen working out non-stop with speed specialists inside the Cowboys facility. Reports indicate he has already improved his SPD and ACC, and he continues to work this offseason to potentially max both out again. Jerry Jones is also considering agility drills, as Baldwin has never completed those workouts in the past. As for now, workouts put him at: WR Jonathan Baldwin | +1 SPD ( 98 ) *25k AP* | +1 ACC ( 98 ) *25k AP*
BREAKING NEWS: Contract terms have been leaked for ROLB Leonard Floyd: 7 years, $26.81m Salary, $10.71m Bonus. The deal gives him a raise from his rookie contract to about $2.5m annually in 2018. Floyd played better in year 3 than any season previously, and at just 24 years old, Floyd is expected to play out the entirety of the upcoming 7 years in Big D.
BREAKING NEWS: Also leaking is the contract restructure of SS Jayron Kearse. The team has worked and invested a lot in Kearse since he was acquired from Indy two years ago, and has been incredibly pleased with his growth. Coming off a career year, Kearse will restructure to a new 7 year deal worth $12.95m Salary, and $5.18m Bonus. The new deal will pay Kearse a little over a million in 2018.
BREAKING NEWS: The Dallas Cowboys have terminated the contract of C Stefan Wisniewski. The lifelong Cowboy made waves last offseason when he held out for a new contract following a Super Bowl win. Ultimately, he resigned for less money, but now finds himself unemployed a year later. The move saves Dallas $4M in cap space. The team has also agreed to send ROLB Mychal Kendricks to Detroit and WR Carlton Mitchell to Jacksonville - two moves that save the Cowboys nearly $10m in cap space. In legitimate “breaking news” (agreed upon as we type this press release), NT Brandon Williams has also been traded to Detroit. The lifelong Cowboy and fan favorite will be sorely missed, having anchored the championship 34 defense, but the $7m salary was a poison pill from Chiefs GM Rodany Mendez. These moves, with the already leaked trade that sends Cooper Kupp and Marlon Mack to Buffalo, the Cowboys have cleared roughly $25m in cap space, which should give them about $33m to approach Free Agency and the draft.
BREAKING NEWS: Denver and Dallas agree on blockbuster deal to make MLB Dont’a Hightower a Bronco.
BREAKING NEWS: In advance of being “the guy” at MLB now for former [3.3] pick Jake Ryan, the Dallas training staff has been seen working with Ryan and Cowboys legend CB Deion Sanders to maximize the Speed and Acceleration of Ryan. It was a costly 100k AP investment by owner Jerry Jones, but the move is expected to push Jake Ryan to 89 SPD, 88 AGI, and 92 ACC. The team is expected to work with Ryan some more before the preseason to max his agility from 88 -> 90, but reports indicate Jerry Jones is running low on AP following boosting WR Jonathan Baldwin to beat back Father Time. Expect Mock Drafts in the very near future, but don’t expect to see a MLB mocked to Dallas, even as the team looks to replace the 300+ tackles, 60 TFL, 8 sacks, 8 FF, 2 FR, 9 INT, and 50+ Deflections that the 28 year old Hightower has provided for that ‘Boys as the captain of the defense the last three seasons. The team will now very much lean on Ryan, who is smaller and more raw.. but did sign a 7 year, $24.71 million contract extension last offseason. Having backed up Hightower for so long, Ryan is actually now just one year younger than Hightower himself, but the move did save the Cowboys nearly $8 million in cap space. Asked if the Cowboys will continue to run the 34 without Hightower, GM Anthony Fernandez said, “We hope to. We really like backups Blake Martinez and Oren Burks, if we can get them some reps at MLB2. But as usual, we will run the defensive scheme that best sets our talent up for success… whatever that scheme may be.”
BREAKING NEWS: The Dallas Cowboys have come to terms with MLB Rolando McClain, RE Kendrick Ellis, and mentor CB Keenan Lewis. McClain is expected to slot right in as MLB2 behind new starter Jake Ryan in the revamped 34 defense, following the Hightower trade. The talented veteran will provide a couple year window for the Cowboys to get Blake Martinez and Oren Burks up to speed to take over. Veteran Kendrick Ellis is expected to compete with DL DJ Jones and RE Breeland Speaks for playing time at RE. Keenan Lewis will bring his championship pedigree over from Arizona, where he’s spent his entire career, and is expected to mentor sophomore CB JC Jackson.
BREAKING NEWS: The Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to a trade that will make OG Ryan Jensen and C Luke Bowanko both Dallas Cowboys. Both are expected to compete with sophomores LG Quenton Nelson and C Frank Ragnow to start.
BREAKING NEWS: Free Agent kicker Josh Lambo, who had no shortage of suitors, has decided to return to his home state of Texas to sign a 5 year contract with the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are expected to part ways with future HOF kicker Jake Scott today, with two teams already offering late draft picks to re-home him.
BREAKING NEWS: SS James Sample has chosen the backup SS position in Dallas over the starting position in Carolina. After an injury last year really exposed the Cowboys secondary, the coaching staff wanted to emphasize having a starting caliber player to backup stars Quandre Diggs and Jayron Kearse. The move likely means Dezmen Southward will bump over to FS, and last year’s skew bust [4.19] pick Tracy Walker will soon be on another team that might need a cheap contract on draft day.
BREAKING NEWS: After briefly flirting with New England, fellow sooner FB Aaron Ripkowski has signed a new 5 year contract to return to Big D. The deal is expected to pay #40 $15 million over the next 5 years to lead block for HB David Johnson.
BREAKING NEWS: Pro Bowl OL Trent Williams, who has spent the last 7 years in Arizona, has agreed to a new 3 year contract to join the Dallas Cowboys and block for Mike Glennon. Practically speaking, the contracts third year will operate as a VOID year, with the Cowboys paying Williams $2m cash to go away once he turns 34, if he doesn’t hang them up. For the time being, however, Trent will net nearly $20m over the next two years to try and win his 2nd Super Bowl… but this time in Dallas.
BREAKING NEWS: Future HOF kicker Jake Scott has been traded to the Cincinnati Bengals. DE Romeo Okwara has been traded to the Indianapolis Colts.
BREAKING NEWS: the Dallas Cowboys have acquired former [1.1] overall pick LE Frank Clark from the Detroit Lions for multiple 1st round picks.
BREAKING NEWS: In a corresponding move to the Frank Clark trade that broke this morning, the Dallas Cowboys and LG Ryan Jensen have agreed to part ways. Jensen, who was acquired this offseason in a trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars will enter free agency and try to get one last big pay day before he turns 30 this offseason (if he clears waivers). While the team was happy to add Jensen, he was always a one-year rental, as his contract expires at the end of the year and he would begin regression. The move cleared up nearly $4m in cap space, which allows the Cowboys to add Frank Clark and a replacement depth OG. Quenton Nelson, a 2nd round pick last year, will return to the starting role, and will split time with RG Jermaine Eluemunor at LG. The two players are clearly the future at LG+RG for Dallas, and both started last year the majority of the season. The team paid to bring in veterans to help out, but now reallocate some of that cap to the defensive line, where the team hopes to have landed their first IMPACT Defensive End in GM Fernandez’ entire tenure. One big appeal in adding Frank Clark is that he just signed a long term 5-year contract, which once the bonus is paid by Detroit, becomes quite the team friendly contract, assuming Clark reaches his potential. Clark is expected to stay at LE, while veteran Sam Montgomery is expected to play at RE until Breeland Speaks and Chris Wormley are a little more developed. Clark is expected to suit up this week for a clash with the New York Jets. While two 1st round picks IS a steep price to pay, those are never guaranteed. For example, the Cowboys had their best haul of draft collateral ever this offseason, and easily had their worst draft of GM Fernandez’ tenure. It’s a crap shoot, and they couldn’t pass on adding this sure fire talent. Dallas is expected to begin working Clark out with specialists right away to even further bolster his impressive speed, acceleration, and strength. |
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Forum Discussion
(by A_Fernandez on 07/15/2024)
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Replies - 2 :: Views - 35 |
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EXCELLENCE! DOMINANCE! (18-1) Cowboys SBLII DVD (Disc Two) |
WELCOME BACK! (DISC TWO)
EXCELLENCE!? DOMINANCE?! (18-1) Cowboys win Super Bowl LII!Pre-order your Super Bowl LII Champion DVD now to relive a season to remember! Could this team... repeat?Written by Skip Bayless on December 20th, 2017
  
Not only did the 2017 Cowboys win the Super Bowl in GM Anthony Fernandez' fifth season, they were also one last minute FG away from going undefeated. INSANE year!
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SEASON TO REMEMBER
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W eek Twelve (11-0)
 Oakland Raiders @ Dallas Cowboys 
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| WK12 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
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 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 28 |  | 3 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 31 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | K Jake Scott (3/3 FG | 2/2 XP)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "ELEVEN in a row! Wow. Unbelievable. Only one team in SFL history has ever done that. Nobody has ever started (12-0), so we're playing for history next week. More importantly? We have CLINCHED the NFC East! Back where it belongs. Kinda feels like three years in a row, right? Really solid game from our guys, vs. one hell of a team. If you're going to play Oakland, you WANT to play them healthy and at full strength, so we're happy Henne was out there. We really liked the pace in this one, big 2nd quarter from Glennon to allow us to play the 2nd half from ahead. We're good playing from behind, as we've seen... but damn that's stressful. Ultimately player of the game we went with Jake, the kicker. This game, in a lot of ways, came down to the kickers, and theirs missed one, and ours didn't. That was the difference. Jake drilled three long ones, and ultimately is just a guy that we've been able to count on so much. One of the greatest Free Agent signings in Cowboys franchise history. Let's go make history next week."
W eek Thirteen (12-0)
Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants 
| WK13 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
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| 3 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 30 |  | 0 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | QB Mike Glennon (36/57 | 497 YDS | 3 TD | 1 INT | 101.3 QBR)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "Historic! While that is one hell of a team that fought their asses off to try and beat us, there is now no dispute that this has been a season exemplified by EXCELLENCE. So proud of the guys, and how they have responded this year after we got called out by Washington last year. I'm not gonna lie, the Giants and GM Romeo Mendez is my favorite dude in the division. Ton of respect for how he builds his teams and what he brings to the field. This week - they PROBABLY should have played the rookie QB... they mathematically have an impossible journey to the playoffs. BUT... we're their division rival... and rightfully so, they don't want us celebrating (13-0) for the first time in the LONG history of SFL on their field. I get it. I respect that. And if it weren't for some more crazy end-of-the-game Glennon magic... maybe it doesn't happen. That Giants team is going in the right direction, and I'm not looking forward to playing them in a year or two. But for now? For NOW??? The story is about the (13-0) Dallas Cowboys, who have just clinched a FIRST ROUND BYE and cemented their place in the SFL history books as the first team to ever win their first 13 games. Tonight, we celebrate in the Big Apple."
W eek Fourteen (13-0)
 San Diego Chargers @ Dallas Cowboys
| WK14 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
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 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 41 | | 0 | 10 | 17 | 21 | 0 | 48 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | KR Craig Mager (8 ATT | 265 YDS | 33.13 AVG | 99 LONG | GW TD)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "Sorry for being late to this, obviously tensions were high after the game. Coach and myself were down there trying to break the fights up and get guys to the locker rooms. Obviously, former Cowboys Commish William Cook means a lot to these fans in Dallas, to this city, and he's got plenty of fond memories in this building. I really think winning this game, to be the first team to beat these guys and to stop the streak... that would have been special. And they had it. We were on the f-cking ropes. We were getting beat like a drum. But Glennon looked like an MVP in that 2nd half, got over 500 yards, got the 4 TDs, and we had a 21 point 4th quarter. Obviously the one we're going to remember is the LAST Play. The walk off Kick Return TD from savior Craig Mager to seal the game. We all thought we were going to OT, but Mager said no thanks. Obviously GM Cook wa shot - he put the bounty on Mager's head walking off the field. We're going to protect our guy and try to get him a Super Bowl ring. Tons of respect for Mr. Cook and all he does for this league. Hate to see him that emotional after a game. They needed this win. We probably should have been playing backups, we've wrapped up the division and the BYE spot. Not my smartest decision... but the players said they wanted to play, so they played. (13-0) - no team has ever done that before. No team probably will ever again. Let's go make it (14-0)."
W eek Fifteen (14-0)
Dallas Cowboys @ New Orleans Saints
| WK15 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
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| 13 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 30 |  | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | QB Josh Freeman (19/35 | 418 YDS | 2 TD | 1 INT | 104.2 QBR)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "Wow, (14-0)! I don't really want to talk about the potential to go (16-0)... because I'm not sure if that would be a blessing or a curse. First off though, props to QB Josh Freeman. Glennon wanted to go today, especially as he's trying to gear up for MVP consideration, but we just made the decision not to let him. If you read the news, all folks keep saying is that the only thing that could stop us is a Glennon injury. So while this may look like us holding Glennon out to prevent that... it's not. We wanted to get Freeman some reps to see what HE has got. And he showed up. He performed well vs. his old team, in the building where he made so many memories. Ironically because of injuries they were playing OUR old backup, Trent Edwards, and his 4 INT really helped us get to (14-0) as well, so thanks Trent. We'll mail you a ring. This win means we have clinched the NFC #1 seed. We have nothing else to play for. Do we rest starters the last two weeks... or go for (16-0)? The dirty truth about (16-0) is that there IS no such thing as going (16-0). Because there are more games after that. Winning 16 is yard enough, but then you have three more weeks where you can't lose. That's a lot of pressure. We'll see if we're up to it. Hats of to the Saints GM Nate Jones. I got to spend some time with him at GM meetings this summer in Green Bay. Just an awesome guy that I hope to connect with more in the future."
W eek Sixteen (14-1)
Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins 
| WK16 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
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| 0 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 20 |  | 0 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 22 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | HB David Johnson (21 ATT | 100 YDS | 4.76 AVG | 1 FUM)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "There it is. The first loss. Historically, it HAD to be against Washington, right? Even still, to be winning this game big... then to have them come back, and then get that BS penalty at the end to keep the game going... and then to score and get the 2 pt conversion... and then to convert on 4th & 20+ with no timeouts, only to get the kicker out on the field to make the game winning FG... it hurts. Oh wait, this is what EVERY OTHER team has felt like when they have played us all year. Ah, ok, yea that's fair. No way to sugar coat it... that sucks. Especially to lose to THAT team. This reminds me of a Dice Throne tournament I was at during our BYE week. I placed 5th... but the guy who WON it all, he went (7-1), with his only loss coming to ME. Afterwards, when the shop posted it on social media, he didn't talk about a SINGLE one of those 7 wins, not even the championship. He talked about that one loss to me. The Loki triple OT win he blew. I hope this game doesn't become that for me. Still a LOT of football left, and we have a Championship to win before we can talk about anything else. Maybe they did us a favor. NOBODY ever has went (19-0) and nobody EVER will. So maybe this was a blessing to get the L out of the way so we can focus on, according to their GM, the only thing that REALLY matters... winning the Super Bowl. In a game of inches, HB David Johnson was great today and outclassed their rookie runner again... but that fumble in FG range was the difference. He's got to step up."
W eek Seventeen (15-1)
 Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
| WK17 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
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 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | | 10 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 33 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | HB David Johnson (29 ATT | 143 YDS | 4.93 AVG | 1 TD)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "Sadly the last game of the Eagles tenure for GM Anthony C. I have enjoyed playing against him and wish him the best in his future endevours. We ended up playing our starters and going for the win... not because (15-1) was much more important than (14-2), although it is nice to secure the best regular season record of ALL TIME... but it was moreso the fear of the history of my tenure in the Cowboys. We're very streaky. We've started (7-1) and finished (9-7). Last year we had to win out the last MONTH to get in the playoffs. I didn't want to risk going (14-0) and then losing our last THREE to end the season. So we played to end strong, and we did. Now we take a week off, and we'll see what the playoffs hold. Great bounce back game from DJ, who I know felt like he lost the game for us last week. That's the 2nd time this year he's responded BIG after a bad performance. He's really proved he belongs here, and is earning a big payday from Jerry Jones in the near future."
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PLAYOFFS BEGIN!?!?!
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Week One Wildcard BYE
(NOT traveling to Cancun for this BYE. Resting up after a crazy year.)
W eek Two (Division Round) (16-1)
 St. Louis Rams @ Dallas Cowboys
| DR17 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
|---|
 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 | | 0 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | WR Jonathan Baldwin (9 CTH | 187 YDS | 20.78 AVG | 3 TD | 80 LONG)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "This Rams team went from being on the verge of looking for a new GM... to a team that really scared the crap out of us in the playoffs. Especially after how much I talked crap about that defense all year. Thankfully, my big mouth might have got canceled out by Felipe's big mouth. Yes, Felipe was waxing poetic about how he just can't imagine anyone better than Mike Evans. Who, is great, by the way. But the only problem is Mr. Santos forgot that Jonathan Baldwin still exists. THE gold standard for SFL WRs. Still. Proud of the team, and we're excited for our 2nd straight NFC Championship game. Hopefully this one has a happier ending."
W eek Three (NFC Championship) (17-1)
 Detroit Lions @ Dallas Cowboys
| CC17 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
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 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 22 | | 10 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 34 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | WR Jonathan Baldwin (6 CTH | 123 YDS | 20.50 AVG)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "WOW! Heading to the SUPER BOWL! So proud of these guys. What a weird game that was. A lot of scoring, but not a ton of offense. We were pretty much in control for most of it. Which says a lot, because that Lions team is GREAT. Love GM Herr, and very proud of the team he's built. Ultimately Baldwin gets the nod as player of the game, as not a bunch of players jump off the stat sheet, and Baldwin had a few HUGE 1st downs that iced this game vs. his old team. He proved this year he IS worth three 1st round picks. If only the Lions had traded a 2nd for TE Rudolph, then Baldwin would likely have been in Indianapolis, and the Lions could have potentially been playing someone else in the NFC Championship. Also worth noting that GM Justin Herr famously mocked the Cowboys for thinking they'd get the #1 seed! Receipts kept. Receipts cashed. On to the Super Bowl!"
W eek Four (Super Bowl LII) (18-1)
Dallas Cowboys VS Tennessee Titans 
| SB52 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
|---|
 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 | | 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | QB Mike Glennon (12/20 | 251 YDS | 60% | 3 TD | 0 INT | 6 SACKS | 143.8 QBR)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "Wow! THE PTI BOWL DID NOT DISSAPOINT! GM Apolo Shapiro, who is a lot of the reason I'm still in this league, is such an amazing GM. I admire how he builds, I admire how he coaches, and hopefully the connective tissue in how he builds a team is evident in the connective tissue in how we build ours. He had a ton of pressure on him in this game to go back-to-back Super Bowl wins... but now that will be our conquest! Hats off to GM Mike Glennon, who wins his first Super Bowl MVP as he was completely calm and poised while literally under siege all game. That Titans DL was hitting him on every play, and my guy still had the game of his life. Mike Glennon has arrived. The Dallas Cowboys have arrived. What an exclamation mark on an amazing season. No team ever has went (18-1), and no team ever will again. This team responded to a call for our dominance by having the MOST dominant season in SFL history. And the playoff run was pretty dominant, too. We were clearly the best team from start to finish in every playoff game, a big change from a regular season that depended so much on luck. We left no doubt. Excellence. Domination. WORLD CHAMPIONS! Time to run it back."
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AWARDS & ACCOLADES
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SFL MVP
QB Mike Glennon (16/19 votes)
15 Regular Season Games | 14 WINS (1st) | 296/555 | 4813 YDS (1st) | 40 TD (1st) | 13 INT | 19 SACKS | 96.9 QBR (4th)
Runner-Up
WR Jonathan Baldwin (1/19 votes)
107 CTH (1st) | 1844 YDS (1st) | 14 TD (3rd) | 13 DROPS
SFL Offensive Player of the Year
QB Mike Glennon (16/24 votes)
15 Regular Season Games | 14 WINS (1st) | 296/555 | 4813 YDS (1st) | 40 TD (1st) | 13 INT | 19 SACKS | 96.9 QBR (4th)
2nd Runner-Up
WR Cody Latimer (2/24 votes)
97 CTH (2nd) | 1783 YDS (3rd) | 15 TD (1st) | 6 DROPS
4th Runner-Up
WR Jonathan Baldwin (0/24 votes)
107 CTH (1st) | 1844 YDS (1st) | 14 TD (3rd) | 13 DROPS
GM of the Year
GM Anthony Fernandez (14/18 votes)
(18-1) (Best SFL Record EVER) | 1st SFL Super Bowl Win (6th Madden Super Bowl Win All Time) | (51-31) Regular Season Record | .622 Win % (#1 among active GMs) | (5-2) SFL Playoff Record
Big Award season for Dallas. I was surprised to be nominated, let alone win... so it means a lot. Just a magically year. The bet year one on Mike Glennon has finally paid off. I remember listening to that first radio show when I joined and hearing Peter and Breck and Will, and thinking this league was like nothing I've ever experienced. I was so excited. I wanted to take Glennon at the end of the 1st, but I didn't hear his name mentioned once on the entire show. I had a pick at the top of the 2nd, so risked missing him. Instead we got WR Theilen and TE Sims. Turns out some GMs felt Glennon was a reach, even in the 2nd. We put in the time, and now he's a CHAMPION. It's been SO long since I've won one of these. Feels like over a decade. I don't think my youngest son was born, or if he was he was very young. When you put as much time into these leagues as I do, I can't explain how great it feels to have it paid off. It's a feeling I'm hopeful that many of my friends here experience soon! Thank you all for an amazing year, and for providing such a great community where us nerds can spend so much time. Can't wait until the next SFL meet up!
THANKS FOR WATCHING!
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Forum Discussion
(by A_Fernandez on 03/04/2024)
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Replies - 4 :: Views - 39 |
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EXCELLENCE! DOMINANCE! (18-1) Cowboys SBLII DVD (Disc One) |
EXCELLENCE!? DOMINANCE?! (18-1) Cowboys win Super Bowl LII!Pre-order your Super Bowl LII Champion DVD now to relive a season to remember! Could this team... repeat?Written by Skip Bayless on December 18th, 2017
Not only did the 2017 Cowboys win the Super Bowl in GM Anthony Fernandez' fifth season, they were also one last minute FG away from going undefeated. INSANE year!
The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2017 year with expectations as high as ANY year in SFL history. Truthfully, there hasn't been more hype around a Cowboys team since pre-NFL/SFL merger - perhaps reaching back to some of those 90's NFL Championship teams coached by Jimmy Johnson. Heading into this year, coming off of a 2015 NFC East Division Championship... and then a de facto 2016 NFC East Division Championship after eliminating Washington from the playoffs last year in their house... it was Super Bowl or bust this year for the Cowboys. And much to GM Anthony Fernandez' credit, he leaned into it. Yes, the guy who normally is crazy superstitious and downplaying any small victory has been out front and very vocal about just HOW good he thinks these 2017 Cowboys COULD be. And the team who was famously mocked in Discord about when we'd finally see THEIR "excellence" or their "dominance"... finally showed it. Yes, just a few weeks after getting called out. Titans GM Apolo Shapiro is quick to point out that the Dallas Cowboys keep receipts. But this year wasn't necessarily about receipts. It was about COMING BACK. Yes, a famous wrestler has a great saying about, "finally, THE ROCK HAS COME BACK.... to (insert city here)!" For me, this year marked the validation I was chasing when I told Commish Will Cook that after years and years of being away from Madden leagues... that I'd come back. I didn't know at the time that I was agreeing to not just return... but to become just the 2nd GM in Dallas history, following in the footsteps of our beloved Commish, who I respect very much. That is a degree of difficulty that I probably would NOT have signed up with. I remember back to drafting messages begging to get the Rams or Falcons instead. In retrospect? It couldn't have worked out any better. Yes, I have won multiple Madden league Super Bowls in RZL and GZL, and had experience and success in leagues as far back as MFL. But this was the first time winning a Super Bowl in these leagues as an average Joe. Not a Commish. Not a Broadcaster. Just a guy who logs in and makes trades and sometimes gameplans. And for some reason, that was so much more fulfilling. I felt my GM career needed an exclamation point... and I went out and got it.
And don't get me wrong, it was never easy. I've been caught in the eye of Sauron more than a few times since my arrival here. I've been a dick at times to various GMs. I forgot how to act in a league like this, especially with this great new tool that was Discord. I spent my first season or two treating it like social media, rather than the community of like-minded, middle aged dudes that it is. I built walls when I should have built bridges. And that was all incredibly embarrassing. For a short time, I regretted coming back. I thought it would ruin the Madden legacy, not confirm it. But somewhere along the way, I grew up. I surely owe that to some conquering of inner-demons, but also some heart-to-heart talks with the previous Dallas Management. I think the turning point for me personally when I knew it was me, and not everyone else, was when Cooky told me after some (perhaps justified) blow-up with another GM that by his best estimation over EIGHTEEN GMs had reached out to him to tell him they want me gone from the league. 18. He said it might have been more. That was a staggering number for me. Over HALF the league wanted me gone? For what? For why? It really fucked with me. I'm human. I work hard in my real life as a father, as an educator... when I get on here, sometimes you just want to let off steam. I considered leaving. At one point I had even drafted my resignation for Will. A few times I'm sure he had my termination drafted for me. But after some soul searching... I came back. And it wasn't easy. It took a few seasons to prove I am the person I am outside of this place, and not the guy I presented the first couple seasons here. But I think over time of not only causing no real fires, but also actively working to PUT OUT some... I think the narrative around who I am began to change. And somehow, a few seasons later, we landed at a point where I won a Super Bowl here and I spent no less than two hours on Discord crafting lengthy thank you's and shout outs to GMs here that have meant a lot to me on this journey. And there was actually an upwelling of support and congratulations. It was pretty surreal to consider how far we'd come in such a short span. It was also surreal that on that journey of not only winning a Super Bowl, but to get more WINS in a single season than any GM ever... the win total? 18. Yes, one for each GM that wanted that other version of AF gone.
Looking at my situation now, I consider many of the folks here family. I can't imagine missing an SFL meetup. The pressure of having to win one here has been lifted, and my heart is actually full at the thought of seeing some of my buddies here lift the trophy. Now, that doesn't mean we aren't going to be gunning for a repeat... it's just not something I feel pressured to do anymore. But it's not lost on me that this one crazy 2017 season was DEFINED by the comeback. In MULTIPLE games, as you'll see below, we were down and out... defeated. And the team, led by SFL MVP Mike Glennon, found ways to win. We just... came... back. It was wild to watch, but it was such an exclamation point on what I was feeling at the time in regards to my involvement in Madden leagues and what SFL meant to me. I truly believe we'll never see a season quite like 2017 ever again. I was even voted 2017 GM of the Year by my peers, and have moved into 1st Place All-Time (among active GMs) with a .613 winning percent. That's above the next few on the list... Breck, Bryan Mellon, Apolo, Kevin, Neal... the cream of the crop. Those guys are THE BEST. And now I'm mentioned in the same breath. And while normally I'd be posting an article similar like this (probably filled with the exact Discord quotes I posted the night I won just to claim as much AP as possible)... this article will make us ZERO AP. Ok, well maybe like 1000. But we're basically capped out for the season, one of MANY rules that has been made in response to me or something involving me since my time here started five seasons ago. It's another unique challenge that I'll have to learn to navigate. But here we are anyway, writing a lengthy article... not for the AP, but for the love of the game. I genuinely think my contributions here in SFL greatly outweigh that one or two times you and I might have disagreed. And I hope you feel that way, too. And maybe nobody will read this, but it's an article that DESERVES to be on the Dallas Cowboys team page. And now it will be. Consider this akin to the 2017 DALLAS COWBOYS SUPER BOWL LII DVD! I still own one from both NFL Buccaneers Super Bowl wins, and all three NHL Lightning Stanley Cup Wins. Unfortunately, we don't make those for SFL... so this was as close as I could get. Enjoy!
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ENGRAVED IN HISTORY
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SEASON TO REMEMBER
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W eek One (1-0)
Dallas Cowboys @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
| WK1 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
|---|
| 7 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 30 |  | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | WR Cody Latimer (6 CTH | 121 YARDS | 20.17 AVG | 1 TD)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "This was a huge win for the team today. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a fantastic team that has talent at every position, and more so than that, they have THE GM who is the standard for success in this league. To be able to go into their building and not just win, but frankly manhandle them, was very encouraging to see. We didn't get the game we wanted from Glennon, but it was pouring out there. The guy on the red team struggled, too. That's always a possibility in Tampa, as I know as good as anyone, so we had simulated rainy practices all week with wet balls. At the end of the day, our 55 players just seemed a little more prepared than their 55 players. That's the level of discipline we're going to need all season if we're going to reach our potential. Big shout out to our defense who completely shut them down and held them to three points. I have a feeling this offense this year is going to be HISTORIC... so if our defense is going to give us performances like that, we're going to be very difficult to beat. Truly a performance today marked by excellence and dominance... two words we aim to use to define what we accomplish this season. Player of the game was close between Chimdi and Latimer... but in a day when most of our offense wasn't working, Latimer was uncoverable. Clearly he isn't intimidated by the addition of Jonathan Baldwin. Sorry, I know I'm rambling here and all you reporters gotta get out of here so you can write your stories, but this just feels really good. This is our 3rd shot at the GOAT... and if you ask me, we SHOULD have won the last two. We got robbed. It altered our seasons. So this time, we left no room for error. That was a Championship level effort today. We may see this team again, so we better be ready to bring it again in the playoffs."
W eek Two (2-0)
New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys
| WK2 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
|---|
| 0 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 32 | | 14 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 42 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | QB Mike Glennon (19/35 | 406 YDS | 6 TD | 2 INT | 111.4 QBR)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "Make no mistake... that is NOT a rebuilding Giants team. That is a team that was coming for our throats. I've been around long enough to remember when that team kicked our ass twice a year, so to get a win like that to move to (2-0) means a lot to me, and it better mean a lot to these players. Mike Glennon really bounced back and had a Franchise QB day. That was big, considering he wasn't going against the rookie... he was going against a legit Super Bowl winning QB in Jordan Palmer. And as good as Glennon was, hats off to Jonathan Baldwin. We knew he was dissapointed in himself after last week, and to bounce back with 232 yards and 3 TD is huge. Big win."
W eek Three (3-0)
 Carolina Panthers @ Dallas Cowboys
| WK3 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
|---|
 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 31 | | 9 | 3 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 34 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | WR Cody Latimer (11 REC | 217 YDS | 19.73 AVG | 1 TD)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "WOW! What a game! Not gonna lie, they had us in the first half. It was looking BLEAK, but Mike Glennon clutched up. Just an improbable ending that saw us convert TWO 2-pt conversions, and to somehow win in regulation. Eddie Lacy almost made us pay for trading him. We love David Johnson, and there's a reason we trusted him to be our starting RB, but he knows we need more effort from him than we got today. DE Terrance Knighton came up clutch with the two sacks, and none of this matters or happens if we don't get a safety from NT Brandon Williams, and a fumble return TD by youngster Leonard Floyd. Also an incredible KR from Craig Mager, who has been lights out all season. Amazing. Speechless."
W eek Four (4-0)
Dallas Cowboys @ Denver Broncos 
| WK4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 36 |  | 14 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 30 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | QB Mike Glennon (13/29 | 265 YDS | 3 TDS | 0 INT | 112.0 QBR)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "Another incredible, improbable 4th Quarter comeback for Glennon! He has been lights out, hasn't he? Speaking of lights out - this might have been the game that broke GM Tom Collins. An older version of me might have got some pleasure in that, but I was honestly pretty bummed to hear he is stepping away. That's a tough way to lose, especially when you have a Broncos team this talented. But I've felt that frustration before, so I know how Mr. Collins felt. But this year? Wow, everything that CAN go right seems to be going right for us. Glennon with another perfect game. The OLine doing their part to keep him clean each week. MUCH better effort from HB David Johnson, who did some soul searching after getting outplayed by Eddie Lacy last week. This week he had 140 yards and 2 TDs, really workhorsed for us. The only issue was the fumble, which he's going to work on. What a game. Also a great effort by the team to only have 1 penalty, to the 5 on Denver. Championship football. I just hope that the Broncos can fill this vacancy with a tenured GM, perhaps one with some Commish experience that could really step up this offseason if our current Commish gets a little burnt out and needs a break. If that's the case, then maybe this will be ok and in a roundabout way we may have saved the league. Maybe. But let's see who they hire to replace Mr. Collins first. Either way, Collins will be missed."
W eek Five (5-0)
Dallas Cowboys @ Kansas City Chiefs 
| WK5 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
|---|
| 0 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 19 |  | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | MLB Dont'a Hightower (7 TAK | 1 TFL | 1 SACK | 1 INT | 1 DFL)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "These wins continue to get more and more improbable! That is a super talented Chiefs team - my pick to win the Super Bowl, actually. Last year they went deep in the playoffs and they only got better in the offseason. They were effective shutting us down, but we found our stride late and Glennon had a little more 4th quarter magic. He got us to OT, and thankfully the Chiefs didn't get to hit that long FG to win it. Somehow we escape another week, and the streak continues. What a ride!" PERFECT TIME FOR A BYE WEEK! Let's get some rest.
Week Six BYE
(Still undefeated; Players travel to Cancun)
W eek Seven (6-0)
 Atlanta Falcons @ Dallas Cowboys
| WK7 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
|---|
 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | | 10 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 29 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | K Jake Scott (5/5 FG | 2/2 XP | 7 KO | 2 TCHBKS)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "We've had some exciting games this year that were back and forth, but this was the first time since Week 1 where every facet of the team was firing on all cylinders. That Falcons team is VERY talented, evident by them being a playoff team last year. It was very close to being Dallas-Atlanta in the playoffs last year, actually. This was a preview of what that might be like if we see them again THIS year on our pursuit of winning our first. Mike Glennon was amazing. Perfect, actually. He could do whatever he wanted from start to finish. Just an amazing season he's putting together. We went out and got him the weapons... paid a huge cost... but he's delivering. This 6th win was very important. Let's go get number 7."
W eek Eight (7-0)
 Seattle Seahawks @ Dallas Cowboys
| WK8 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
|---|
 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | QB Mike Glennon (28/42 | 301 YDS | 4 TD | 0 INT | 119.3 QBR)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "Statement victory right there! That Seahawks team is so good. They've ended our season the last TWO years in the playoffs. Psychologically, we overpaid for HB Eddie Lacy this offseason JUST to get him out of Seattle. GM Rock Hewko is one of the GMs I've known the LONGEST. So much respect for him and the teams he's built. So to come out here and play like this... that's what it's all about. I believe it was in the playoffs two years ago when they came into our house and ended our year GM Neal Wintermute said it best - the Cowboys are getting better and Mike Glennon (who had a really poor game) was not ALWAYS going to play like that. Flash forward a year later and he wasn't ready, either. This year.. I know it is regular season, but he sure LOOKS ready. 300+ yards again, 4 tuddies, no INTs? Yea, I can get used to these perfect QBR. The defense really played well, too."
W eek Nine (8-0)
Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles
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| WK9 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
|---|
| 0 | 28 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 41 | | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | QB Mike Glennon (18/25 | 340 YDS | 3 TD | 0 INT | 153.8 QBR)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "The Eagles are historically our stumbling block, but we performed amazing today. Glennon was on fire, nearly perfect. That 2nd quarter the flip just switched. The team was seeing red, there was no way they were losing this game. Props to those guys that are really starting to look like real Super Bowl contenders. Latimer continues to be really, really good. He's really shined with the addition of Baldwin. He was great last year, and who knows if we would have won a Super Bowl if he didn't get injured. This year, the fact that he is getting most teams 2ND best CB, he takes that personally."
W eek Ten (9-0)
Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers 
| WK10 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
|---|
| 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |  | 3 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | QB Mike Glennon (18/36 | 245 YDS | 4 TD | 2 INT | 86.0 QBR)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "WOW! Absolutely speechless after that game! Green Bay really wanted this game, and they BROUGHT it. They gave us their best punch in the mouth in the 2nd Quarter... and it didn't look good for us, but we got off the mat. We fought back, Glennon was far from perfect, but he did what he had to do to not only comeback and win, but to win it in regulation. Great, great team win. What a comeback! So proud of these boys to get a win like that in one of the most historic venues in the world. As good as the offense was coming back, it wouldn't have been possible without the defense showing up in the 2nd half and pitching a shutout. Hats off to the Green Bay Packers and one of my favorite people in SFL in Gary Hickman... that's a brutal way to lose. But our hats off to him for all he's accomplished and we are rooting for them the rest of the way!"
W eek Eleven (10-0)
Washington Redskins @ Dallas Cowboys
| WK11 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | FINAL |
|---|
| 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | | 14 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 31 |
PLAYER OF THE GAME | QB Mike Glennon (11/22 | 270 YDS | 3 TD | 1 INT | 115.5 QBR)
GM Recap | GM Anthony Fernandez said post-game... "TEN straight. That's a good team we just beat. They started (5-1), and while they've struggled the last few weeks, they really NEEDED that win. They needed it more than we did. But we WANTED it more! Hats off to our defense, who pitched another 2nd half shutout. It feels weird to say Mike Glennon was the player of the game with 11 completions, but he again did just what we needed to do to win. David Johnson had one of his better games of the season, but that rookie they have on the other side played great, too. If you look at the box score, the difference in this one was the play at QB for the two teams. Our defense really made Wenning suffer, while Glennon just kind of did what he wants. No team has ever started (12-0) in the lengthy history of SFL. We are close. Let's GOOOOO!"
PLEASE INSERT DVD #2 (coming soon)
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Forum Discussion
(by A_Fernandez on 02/21/2024)
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Replies - 7 :: Views - 76 |
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WELCOME TO TEXAS: Draft Day 2018 |
WELCOME TO TEXAS: Draft Day 2018 RecapThe Dallas Cowboys had TEN draft picks in the first four rounds, and every player has a real chance to last on the roster.Written by Skip Bayless on February 13th, 2018
Last year the Dallas Cowboys secured two future starters and a ton of solid depth pieces. How did they do THIS year?
Draft day is essentially CHRISTMAS, continuing to be a big deal in Dallas since hiring GM Anthony Fernandez, who is a big fan of building his team through multiple 1st - 3rd round draft picks. Since his arrival, the Dallas Cowboys have added players like QB Mike Glennon, WR Cody Latimer, WR Martavis Bryant, TE Dion Sims, WR Cooper Kupp, OG Laken Tomlinson, LE Sam Montgomery, DT Brandon Williams, MLB Jake Ryan, FS Quandre Diggs, CB Craig Mager, HB David Johnson, and most recently starting ROLB Leonard Floyd. The Cowboys have been SO successful in the draft since GM Fernandez arrived, that there is probably an interesting stand alone article to be written (at some point) about that consequential first draft in Dallas. The year AF arrived with ZERO picks in the first three rounds, but was able to spin veterans like QB Drew Brees and WR Braylon Edwards into enough ammo that would eventually form the CORE of this Dallas identity. Even more impressive, was the mental gymnastics performed by GM Anthony Fernandez in keeping that draft class TOGETHER, as SFL is notoriously hard to retain multiple players from the same class. Yes, that will be a fun article... one day. Despite how amazing that first draft was for GM Fernandez, those close to Jerry Jones are touting THIS draft, the 2018 crop, as THE best draft in Dallas Cowboys history. And while that's always good for the health of a franchise to have it's best year ever in the draft... it's kinda crazy for that best draft to come the offseason DIRECTLY after going (17-1) and winning the Super Bowl. Let's get into it.
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2018 SFL Draft Picks
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 /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59543341/usa_today_10437160.0.jpg)
Jackson was mocked all over the 1st round, as an undersized bulldog that projects to be an All Pro Nickel in SFL. What he lacks in size he makes up in grit.
[1.16] CB J.C. Jackson, Maryland 
88 OVR | 22 Years Old | 5'10" | 201 lbs
94 SPD (-2) | 93 AGI (0) | 99 ACC (+1) | 69 CTH (+1) | 72 STR (-4) | 67 AWR (+2) | 87 JMP (0) | 86 TAK (+1)
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How we got here:
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A few weeks before the draft the Cowboys traded their Future 1st to the Tennessee Titans for essentially pick [1.31] in this class. In an attempt to trade for CB Pierre Desir (Patriots), we actually needed the FUTURE 1st to facilitate the trade. We went back to our good buddy Apolo with our receipt to exchange the product, no big deal... and then he told us no refunds and that he "owns our soul." Then he traded [1.28] to Oakland (in the same conference as him) for essentially the Future Steelers 1st. On top of that, we offered Brad exactly what he was asking for, and Brad said he likes it but that he'll let me know in "a few hours." In that time span, Apolo swooped in and beat the offer by 2 spots. Very hurtful. So having to stay at [1.31], we decided to move up. Close to the draft we found the Chargers wanting to trade down from [1.16], and we moved UP to secure a CB since Desir talks were dead. The move cost us pick [2.17], which turned into DT Harrison Phillips.
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Internal Projections:
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I actually mocked J.C. Jackson to myself at 1.31 in my only mock draft, but after I did that I started to see Jackson posted higher and higher in the mocks that came after. Curiosity at an all time high, I ran the private workout and decided there was no way he was lasting to [1.31]. As I said before the draft, "CB is not really on my radar, but Jackson has fallen. And I get it, he's a midget. But he looks a LOT like a safety. He is a tackling machine, very strong, and if the private workout is nice, he has excellent quickness. Would be a total luxury pick for me, since I've got Milliner and Tye Smith locked in as my CB1 and CB2, and another year of Barnes playing at a VERY high level. Not to mention Craig Mager, Special Teams Ace, who has been playing dime CB for me, AND William Jackson III that I like a lot. So an embarrassment of riches for me at the position. But I'll probably stay put, and if Jackson drops because he's tiny, I'll probably take him, and I'll probably have Barnes mentor him because nobody would even give me a 2nd round pick for a starting caliber MENTOR CB, and then in two years Jackson is going to be the best Nickel CB in the league that has 80+ AWR at age 24, and I'm going to lock him down for a 7 year restructure that carries him until regression in his early 30s, and he'll almost never have to cover a guy who is taller than 6'1" because he stays in the slot, and everyone in the league will be mad at me because I got a great player... but really all folks had to do to avoid it was to trade me a 2nd for Barnes and send me a future 1st for this pick to take Jackson so I can trade for Pierre Desir. Honestly, I'm fine with either scenario. Love you guys!" And I mean most of that came true. I just had to move up to get him, but the price wasn't that crazy. I lost on the trade value chart, but not by much, it just looks like a steal of a trade because Breck got [2.11] to move down from [1.11] to [1.15] and [2.17] got from [1.31] to [1.6]. Still, I didn't like my man Norb openly lobbying on the radio show for Will (a stand up guy) to "squeeze" me for more juice ([2.12]) for the move up. But I guess I'd probably be mad if I wasn't me and I saw the league let the conquering, reigning, defending, undisputed champion of the World get the best CB in the draft class with the 16th draft pick. If the pick wasn't good enough as is, Jackson skewed UP in every category but SPD (which stayed at 94). He gained AGI, ACC, TAK, CTH, and AWR. He's going to be mentored for two years, and will also get +SPD AP boosts, and probably AGI, too. Is it a perfect pick? No, and perhaps if a team other than Dallas takes him it doesn't look as good on paper. He is 5'10", after all. But it's not like I'm EVER going to line him up across from 6'4" D.J. Chark Jr. In fact, for as talented as the young WRs are in the NFC East (Juju, Woods, Godwin, Diggs, etc), there are virtually NONE over 6'2". Expect Jackson to start 16 games this year in the slot for that rookie progression, and then perhaps get reps at CB1 as soon as Year 3. Not gonna lie, I was pretty bummed out the Pierre Desir trade fell through... and with the Patriots drafting a talented CB at [1.10]... they probably are, too. But in hindsight, I was able to get a talented CB that can be mentored and ALREADY has higher AWR, and the cost was only [2.17], rather than CB Craig Mager and another pick. I think that's what they call, "everything working out ok." We now pivot to the 2nd round, where we have two solid 2nd round picks ([2.7] and [2.12]). I get a rep of trading a lot, but MOST of my team is built on 2nd round picks I made. [2.3] QB Mike Glennon, [2.3] HB David Johnson, [2.13] WR Martavis Bryand, [2.16] WR Cooper Kupp, [2.16] Laken Tomlinson, [2.30] LG Michael Schofield, [2.10] Sam Montgomery, [2.12] Brandon Williams, and [2.9] ROLB Leonard Floyd. No pressure.
 
Harold Landry impressed in private workouts with the Cowboys and now looks in line to start, or at least get serious minutes at LOLB.
[2.7] OLB Harold Landry, Boston College 
86 OVR | 22 Years Old | 6'3" | 250 lbs
84 SPD (0) | 84 AGI (+2) | 84 ACC (+3) | 78 STR (+4) | 63 AWR (+1) | 60 CTH (-1) | 90 TAK (0)
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How we got here:
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This is essentially the pick we got with mentor CB Kevin Barnes from the Kansas City Chiefs for the Panthers 1st Round Pick last year, which I think ended up being [1.22]. Ironically, the Chiefs drafted OLB Tremaine Edmunds, and we of course took OLB Harold Landry. Size wise, they are very similar, and both are superb tacklers. Edmunds wins the physical attributes as 88/85/89 compared to 84/84/84... but Landry is +6 STR and +6 AWR. Very comparable players, and certainly worthy of the pick swap for CB Barnes, who helped us win a Super Bowl and now this year will mentor rookie CB JC Jackson.
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Internal Projections:
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Perhaps it was a rich Dallas history with Coach Landry, but Harold Landry turned into an absolute stud. We couldn't be happier to land him, especially after having to move on from JPP this year. We think he'll be an amazing 34 OLB with his size and strength, without sacrificing much at all in speed and quickness. His rookie OVR is so crazy high to start that we will not have to hold anything back and can begin showering him with AP right away. Longtime Cowboys OLB Kendricks will remain with the team another year, in large part due to a big bonus, but he'll be a worthwhile insurance option if Landry or Floyd get injured.
 
Quenton Nelson was an All Pro for Notre Dame, and was projected by many to be a 1st Round Pick, but fell to Dallas in the 2nd. Projected to start.
[2.12] LG Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame 
80 OVR | 21 Years Old | 6'5" | 3030lbs
66 SPD (-3) | 63 AGI (0) | 77 ACC (0) | 93 STR (0) | 55 AWR (0) | 80 PBK (0) | 92 RBK (0)
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How we got here:
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This is essentially the pick we got for trading lifelong Cowboy Russell Okung to Tennessee. While we are sad to see him go, we were able to do so much more with the cap space. Nelson will end up starting at OG, while current RG Laken Tomlinson is now developed enough to successfully kick outside (we hope).
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Internal Projections:
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Nelson is one of the best OGs in the NFL, which was what made me sad that he wasn't the best OG even in this class. But if he was, he probably wouldn't have been available for me to take in the 2nd, so I'm fine with that. At 21 years old, I think I've got a very good shell of a prospect that I can develop and groom to be a future Pro Bowler. I wasn't entering the draft thinking I was drafting a starter at OG, but after playing a rotation of Dozier and a rookie there most of last year, I knew that it was feasible to play a rookie LG and still compete at the highest level... if the right guy was available. And we think Nelson is that guy. We considered moving him to RG, but think LG is the perfect spot for him to start in Dallas for the next decade plus.
 /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59529067/852431582.jpg.0.jpg)
Frank Ragnow isn't as athletic as the Cowboys are used to, but he is game ready as a 3rd rounder and could become a starter as soon as next year.
[3.3] C Frank Ragnow, Arkansas 
81 OVR | 22 Years Old | 6'5" | 317 lbs
62 SPD (0) | 66 AGI (-1) | 65 ACC (0) | 98 STR (0) | 51 AWR (+1) | 88 PBK (0) | 89 RBK (0)
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How we got here:
==================
A few seasons ago we drafted C Cameron Erving with pick [3.3], and we loved his potential. Unfortunately, I never got a chance to develop him (I was concurrently developing C Wisniewski), so we ended up trading him to San Fran for a Future 3rd (much to the dismay of the Lions). We then made some other trades that got us pick [3.3] once again, and surprise... we drafted another center. This time we got one who is much less athletic than Erving, but someone who is a polished blocker and should be able to take over as the Starting Center for Glennon next year. We may even look to get him some spot starts this year.
====================
Internal Projections:
====================
The center class didn't have too many standouts, so we expected to be able to grab the guy we liked best at some point in the 3rd. Ragnow has about as good of blocking stats as you can hope for from a rookie. The odds are that Wisniewski, fresh off his holdout and new contract, will play one more season as the starter before passing the reigns off to Ragnow. It's also possible that Ragnow may get 3-5 starts this year, and maybe 8 NEXT offseason, before becoming the full time starter when Wisniewski's contract expires in two seasons. Either way, very happy with the value here.
 
DJ Moore had a 1st Round grade for Dallas, so they had to grab him in the 3rd despite a crowded WR room. Only 21 years old, Dallas can develop him slowly.
[3.8] WR D.J. Moore, Maryland
77 OVR | 21 Years Old | 5'11" | 215 lbs
95 SPD (+1) | 88 AGI (-2) | 93 ACC (-2) | 64 STR (-4) | 62 AWR (-2) | 75 CTH (0) | 80 JMP (-2)
==================
How we got here:
==================
This is a pick that eventually got to us after some draft maneuvering ammo from our Chimdi Chekwa trade (Future 3rd and 2.19). We ultimately were running out of targets and needs... so probably should have traded this for future draft picks, but we had a pre-draft 1st round grade on Moore, so it was a worthwhile gamble.
====================
Internal Projections:
====================
DJ Moore had a truly brutal skew (even worse final that the workout), which explains how he went from Round 1 hype to being available in the 3rd. WR was so not on our radar, but it seemed like a good gamble. The situation of CB Craig Mager is still up in the air, so we may need a KR/PR, and Moore is young enough to develop into a long term option at WR4. While AP is certainly in his future following that dreadful skew, he's not the next WR in line for it, as Cooper Kupp will get some FOLLOWING this year, as well as WR Jonathan Baldwin, who officially begins regressing after this season but has used NO AP boost thus far. Moore may or may not stick on the roster, but his high AWR increases the chances he finds a role.
 :no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8347321/630802306.jpg)
Tight End wasn't a target for Dallas, but Fumagalli was too big and too quick to pass on in the middle of the 3rd round. Could eventually be a starter.
[3.19] TE Troy Fumagalli, Wisconsin 
72 OVR | 22 Years Old | 6'6" | 248 lbs
83 SPD (-1) | 82 AGI (+2) | 88 ACC (+3) | 67 STR (+2) | 49 AWR (+1) | 76 CTH (-2) | 50 PBK (+2)
==================
How we got here:
==================
Through trading a Future 3rd (TB) to Miami, we also needed to bump up from [3.20] to [3.19], while getting [3.21] in the process as well. So essentially we went from one ham pick sandwiched between two Dolphins bread picks, to two pieces of bread with one Dolphins pick being our ham. Yes, it confused us, too.... but it was necessary to make the trade valid with current and future picks. None of our "need" targets were on the board when we picked, so we went with a guy we liked. We considered moving down, but didn't have a ton of trades left. Liked the value of the athletic TE here who could eventually replace Sims.
====================
Internal Projections:
====================
Low OVR makes him a lock to get his full rookie and sophomore progression. Dion Sims, as much as I love him, is getting a little older since he was 23 or 24 when I drafted him (before I knew what age 30 progression even was). Tony will come in and maybe get a Training Camp or two (probably not this year, as we have guys who need it more). But he's for a sure a guy who will eventually get some AP invested and some playing time, either at TE or WR3/WR4. This year he's no real threat for playing time, as we LOVE our Top 2 TEs. Good value where we got him though, not much different than Dallas Goedert, who was projected as a 1st Round Pick.
 /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59609393/911124562.jpg.0.jpg)
Mike White, despite only being 21 years old, is an absolute gamer. Expected to be the long term backup to SFL MVP Mike Glennon.
[3.21] QB Mike White, Western Kentucky 
71 OVR | 21 Years Old | 6'4" | 225 lbs
52 AWR (0) | 95 THP (0) | 86 THA (-2)
==================
How we got here:
==================
Through trading a Future 3rd (TB) to Miami, we also needed to bump up from [3.20] to [3.19], while getting [3.21] in the process as well. So essentially we went from one ham pick sandwiched between two Dolphins bread picks, to two pieces of bread with one Dolphins pick being our ham. Yes, it confused us, too.... but it was necessary to make the trade valid with current and future picks. Boy, really did NOT want to draft a QB in this class, but Mike White and Mason Rudolph kept sliding, and we had so many 3rds. Might have picked the wrong guy, as Rudolph skewed better... but couldn't waste two Private Workouts on a QB when we have the SFL MVP on the roster and he's still young. Also liked 21 years v. 22 years old, since it increase the amount of time that he is valuable as a backup/development player.
====================
Internal Projections:
====================
Would have liked to work these guys out BEFORE I drafted them... probably should have messaged my buddy Gary Hickman BEFORE I picked, as I knew he worked out a bunch of QBs. He probably could have at least told me whose workout was better, Mike White or Mason Rudolph (spoiler: it was Rudolph)... but that's life. When you have THIS many high picks, you're going to run out of Private Workouts before you get to draft your 3rd string QB. Ultimately, whatever the workout was, we knew Mike White being 21 years old was better, since Glennon himself is quite young, so it maximizes the gap between them and thus increases White's usefulness. We are pretty sure White will hit Training Camp this year, and maybe even another time or two because of his low OVR.
 
Breeland Speaks had an amazing private workout and will end up as the steal of the draft for Dallas. Speaks is expected to start at RE for Dallas.
[3.27] RE Breeland Speaks, Ole Miss 
78 OVR | 22 Years Old | 6'3" | 283 lbs
80 SPD (+3) | 74 AGI (+2) | 87 ACC (+2) | 79 STR (0) | 42 AWR (-2) | 65 TAK (-1)
==================
How we got here:
==================
We moved down from [3.16] to [3.27] with San Diego and picked up [4.19] for the trouble. Speak was the target, so we're happy he fell another 11 picks and we still got our guy. The 4th round pick ended up just being kinda meh, but fills a roster spot for cheap.
====================
Internal Projections:
====================
Could not be more thrilled with this pick. Right End was a position on our roster that we entered the offseason with as a hole we needed to fill. If we're being honest, this hole stems from last year, as we never really had an answer after we traded RE Knighton. We spent most of the Super Bowl run plugging in DT Sen'Derrick Marks on that spot. Our plan going into next year was largely to bite the bullet and play Anthony Zettel, or move DT D.J. Jones over to start. Ultimately we were worried Zettel was a little too weak/small, and that DJ was a little too slow... but DJ was likely making the move. But then out of nowhere one of the better skews we've ever got (especially this late in the draft with no Private Workout), we luck into our starter. And low and behold, he comes from the same defensive line with DJ Jones in college, where they both played for Ole Miss. Speaks will for sure get Training Camp this year, which should push his STR to 80 and TAK to 66. Then it's going to be a tough decision if should hold back progression points so he stays under 83 for Sophomore progression. That will likely be the plan, banking points to assure he gets the free attributes... and then at the start of Year 3 we'll dump the progression into him (AWR or TAK) and then probably hit him with +2 SPD, +2 ACC, +2 STR with Activity Points.
 
Oren Burks was not on the Cowboys radar at all, but he had no business being available at the top of the 4th round, so they had to end his slide.
[4.5] MLB Oren Burks, Vanderbilt 
70 OVR | 22 Years Old | 6'3" | 233 lbs
84 SPD (0) | 85 AGI (-3) | 85 ACC (-2) | 81 STR (-2) | 51 AWR (0) | 67 CTH (0) | 83 TAK (0)
==================
How we got here:
==================
This was the pick we ended up getting from Cleveland for OLB Jason Pierre-Paul. It sucked to move on from JPP, a mentor who helped us win a Super Bowl and transition to the 34, but ultimately we couldn't afford to pay him $5 million+. A 4th was much lower compensation than we had originally hoped to get for him (we paid two 3rds and a 5th last preseason for him), but he is regressing and expensive, which is a hard sell pre-draft. Since we ultimately settled for less compensation, it helps that a guy we had a 2nd round grade on fell to us at the top of the 4th.
====================
Internal Projections:
====================
Burks skewed down, which may be why he was still here at the Top of the 4th... but there were NO other MLBs at that point that were 80+ in SPD/AGI/ACC/STR/TAK... so we are quite happy to land him here. The low AWR/OVR combo is a bummer, but he's only 22 years old, so there's no rush to develop him. Burks is a player that could end up going to 2-3 Training Camps, and is also in line to get +1 SPD, +2 STR, +2 AGI, +2 ACC, and +2 TAK naturally through rookie and sophomore progression. That would put him in the range of 85/87/87 with 83 STR and 85 TAK. While we love star MLB D'onta Hightower, and he's still quite young, he's a guy that could easily end up on the trade block next offseason (or the year after), which could allow us to spend some AP and really push him to 87 SPD and 89 ACC as a 24 year old ready to break out as our MLB2 in the 34. That's incredible value at the top of the 4th.
 
With the Cowboys having three young Safeties already, Tracy Walker will compete for a Special Teams and backup role in Dallas.
[4.19] FS Tracy Walker III, L.A. Tech 
73 OVR | 22 Years Old | 6'1" | 206 lbs
86 SPD (0) | 87 AGI (+3) | 83 ACC (-2) | 68 STR (-1) | 49 AWR (0) | 65 CTH (-2) | 77 TAK (0)
==================
How we got here:
==================
On draft day we received a call from San Diego (actually a few, we missed the first few), as they were looking to move up to secure a target in the 3rd round. By the time we finally picked up the phone, we had pick [3.16] coming up. The Chargers guy was on the board, so we traded that for THIS [4.19] pick to trade back to [3.27]... where we arguably made our best draft pick. But Speaks was our guy if we stayed at [3.16], and had we knew how good that skew was, we probably wouldn't have gambled on the trade down.
====================
Internal Projections:
====================
Not a ton of analysis here for what amounts to a depth player. There were some positions I considered drafting just for Draft Gem chances (WR/CB/etc), but ultimately that's such a low % chance that I find it not worth the gamble to take a flawed prospect that doesn't have a chance for meaningful minutes.... especially in the 4th round. We had really wanted FS Jordan Whitehead, simply because I'm a RL Bucs fan, but the Eagles snatched him up 2 picks before me. As it turns out, Whitehead's skew was nothing special, and he ultimately was going to just be a 5'10" depth piece. Instead we got Walker, who the skew didn't help much, but with natural progression he should end up in the range to be a guy worthy of a roster spot as a backup and special teams player. He's also much bigger than Whitehead, and a reliable tackler. We aren't attached to Walker, but won't be surprised if he carves out a long-term backup role as we now have two starters at FS/SS that we love and are both quite young, and we just signed a legit young backup SS in PDME for a Future 6th. Don't see much movement for us at Safety for many years.
==========================
Upcoming 2019 Draft Picks
==========================
Future 2nd [DAL]
Future 3rd [DAL]
Future 3rd [SF]
Future 4th [DAL]
Future 5th [TEN]
Future 7th [MIA]
==========================
Activity Points Training
==========================
OLB Harold Landry | +1 Speed ( 85 ) | +1 Acceleration ( 85 ) | 50,000 activity points
CB J.C. Jackson | +1 Speed ( 95 ) | +1 Agility ( 94 ) | 50,000 activity points
We will surely end up spending more on this class down the road, but usually we don't invest too heavily until rookie and sophomore progression are applied. With these two guys at 88 OVR and 86 OVR... no need to wait. When some non-rookie AP stuff shakes out, we may circle back and hit both of these with their 2nd (and final) +1 SPD boost, too.
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Draft Wrap Up
================
That's a wrap! Is the draft better than my first that brought us TE Sims, QB Glennon, DT Williams, DE Montgomery, and WR Theilen? I dunno, probably not. But I'll be damned if it's not our best draft SINCE then. Obviously we've drafted SFL MVP QBs, and Pro Bowl HBs, and OPOTY Nominee WRs... so those are hard to beat, but we got a lot of bang for the buck in this draft. Quite happy with how it turned out. What did YOU think? Am I just a biased homer, or did the Champs get better? |
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Forum Discussion
(by A_Fernandez on 02/13/2024)
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Replies - 2 :: Views - 62 |
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TO THE MAX: (10-0) Cowboys incredibly close to clinching BYE |
TO THE MAX: (10-0) Cowboys incredibly close to clinching BYE.Owner Jerry Jones indicates he could extend GM Anthony Fernandez to max 5-year contract.Written by Skip Bayless on December 18th, 2017
 /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51979411/156838068.0.jpeg)
An exciting (10-0) start has been fueled by improbable comebacks and explosive offensive performances reminiscent of throwback triplets (Aikman, Emmitt, Irvin) years.
The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2017 year with expectations as high as ANY year in SFL history. Truthfully, there hasn't been more hype around a Cowboys team since pre-NFL/SFL merger - perhaps reaching back to some of those 90's NFL Championship teams coached by Jimmy Johnson. Heading into this year, coming off of a 2015 NFC East Division Championship... and then a de facto 2016 NFC East Division Championship after eliminating Washington from the playoffs last year in their house... it was Super Bowl or bust this year for the Cowboys. And much to GM Anthony Fernandez' credit, he has leaned into it. Yes, the guy who normally is crazy superstitious and downplaying any small victory has been out front and very vocal about just HOW good he thinks these 2017 Cowboys COULD be. In fact, in his annual SFL Season Predictions, he predicted the Cowboys to be the #1 seed in the NFC (something that generated chuckles from SFL GMs like Lions GM Justin Herr. He also had the Cowboys WINNING the NFC... a task that even considering the awesome start still feels like an incredibly tall task. But it's no longer beyond belief. It's not a crazy thought at all, and considering tiebreakers over just about every team in the NFC South (Bucs, Panthers, and Falcons), it appears the San Francisco 49ers (on a 3-game losing streak) are all that stands between the Cowboys and clinching a BYE week. The Cowboys (of course) need to stay healthy... but they've been winning games pretty banged up as is. They lost their 2nd-best CB Chimdi Chekwa, their best RE Terrance Knighton, and their slot WR Martavis Bryant for most of the last month. Yet they've found ways to pull out games against tough opponents. They have just found a way.
So the question remains - how did they get here? One year ago this was an underachieving team that started (1-3) and had to scratch and claw their way back into the playoff race. In fact, they needed a bail out from Packers GM Gary Hickman (roommate and great friend of GM Fernandez), who crushed the Detroit Lions in Week 17 last year to end their playoff dreams just to allow Dallas into the tournament. It's still unknown what Green Bay even had to gain from trying in that game... unless it was just the perfect storm of "right place, right time" as GM Hickman was visiting the states to tour Lambeau and stir up all that team pride, plus sharing a house with GM Herr, who was doing the typical shit talking as he crushed everyone in rounds of Madden on X-Box. If those circumstances were different... perhaps Hickman plays young players for draft position, the Lions make the playoffs, and the Cowboys 2017 outlook is completely different. But thankfully, the Cowboys got in and got to go to Washington, to play the team who essentially went preseason-to-postseason with all the NFC East hype. But Dallas marched into FedEx Field and put an end to that, eliminating Washington, reclaiming the division and setting up a pivotal match with GM Neal Wintermute... an idol and mentor of GM Fernandez. It was also the Tyler Wilson v. Mike Glennon game - two QBs with eerily similar SFL paths. It's often hard to tell which GM is imitating who in the development of two of the surefire future pillars of QB play in SFL history. Somehow, the Cowboys marched into Minnesota and won that too, before getting bounced in the NFC Championship by the Seattle Seahawks (for the 2nd year in a row.) Despite all that success, the Cowboys entered the offseason knowing that Washington was a real threat (and the Eagles & Giants were both on the Hot Seat and COMING), so it would have to be a more aggressive offseason in Dallas. And it was. So let's take a quick look at how we got here. And if you missed it, we posted our 2017 SFL Draft Recap this offseason. But even without that (the most fun day on any SFL calendar), the rest of the offseason was quite busy. Enjoy!
==========================
Key Roster Moves
==========================
The Cowboys made about 25 trades last offseason, so it would be insane for us to list out every trade here... but we're going to focus in on the ones that really shaped the 2017 Cowboys roster. With the Cowboys projected to be $20 million OVER the cap, obviously some tough decisions were going to be made, so the first few trades were dedicated to gaining some spending money. For clarity, we'll place trades into various headings:
Basically "Cuts" / Cap Dump
OUT:
FS TJ Ward (released) $5.7M
CB Marcus Maxey (released) $3M
MLB Ryan Shazier (to  ) $2.7M
DT Gerald McCoy (to  ) $4.75M
TE Kyle Rudolph (to ) $2.9M
LG Phil Loadholt (to  ) $4.9M
IN:
[2.24]
[3.25]
[4.10]
[4.24]
[5.10]
==========================
Pretty straight forward. Gotta have money to spend money. A lot of these players were going to be traded, regardless. So the Cowboys did pretty well in recouping any assets at all. Ironically though, if you click the link for any of these players... most are having pretty solid years. These are guys that are HELPING teams win games, and they were acquired at reasonable rates, or flat out below market value. There are usually guys like this available each offseason on the Dallas roster. Moving onto Key Trades, we had quite a few. Lost in the shuffle is the Eddie Lacy addition. We traded the 25th pick in the draft for him, brought him in for training camp, and then traded him for a Future 1st and 2nd from Carolina. We loved the idea of two HBs, but the bigger deal in the trade was getting Lacy OFF the Seahawks, who had eliminated us two years in a row. That was key. Mission accomplished. Ultimately, we had planned to play HB David Johnson in the slot this year and start Lacy... but the addition of TE Sims changed that plan. Now Sims is in the slot most games, so it was overkill, and the return on investment was high. But we won't list the IN or OUT of Lacy here, so it's a net 0.
Key Trades
==========================
Key Trade #1
Dallas Cowboys Receive:
[1.23]
[2.21]
 Pittsburgh Steelers Receive:
CB Josh Norman
==========================
This was a tough trade to make, and it's one I felt I'd regret at some point this year. After having to trade two 2nds for veteran CB Chekwa... and then having to trade a 1st for Kevin Barnes when Chekwa got injured... I can confirm that I do in fact regret. Norman was also signed long term, so it was a pretty big cap hit. I had put a lot of AP into him, which I hate having to move guys like that. But ultimately, I felt that we NEEDED to get reps to CB Tye Smith and CB Craig Mager... who we like both a LOT. Norman's trade value was never going to be higher than it was, especially after what I suspected to be a down year playing the nickel (or dime). So it just felt like the right move at the time. "The time" being while I was all excited at the SFL meetup, pretty determined to make a splash move. I thought that splash move would be Dion Sims, but it turned out being Jonathan Baldwin. (and then later, Dion Sims!)
==========================
Key Trade #2
Dallas Cowboys Receive:
[1.21]
DT Sen'Derrick Marks
Tennessee Titans Receive:
DE Preston Smith
==========================
There was a TON of interest in Preston Smith, and why wouldn't there be? On paper he is a physical freak. He slid on draft day, largely due to his low awareness, but had a solid rookie year before he was acquired last year from Houston (who were on the Hot Seat and win-now mode.) In his 1st year in Dallas, we were pleased with what we saw, but really, really wanted to run a 34. We were on the verge of REALLY investing some AP in him (including SPD/STR/ACC boosts and a new contract), so decided to see what offers were out there. He nearly became a Lion (and eventually did), but the Titans ultimately scooped him up first. This move gave us the ammo to be a serious contender for Jonathan Baldwin, after the Lions-Colts handshake agreement fell apart.
==========================
Key Trade #3
Dallas Cowboys Receive:
WR Jonathan Baldwin
Detroit Lions Receive:
[1.17]
[1.21]
WR Tandon Doss
==========================
This one felt dirty, after having a handshake deal to trade Sims (contingent on TE Rudolph heading to Detroit for a 2nd). That deal fell apart, which resulted in the Baldwin deal falling apart with Indy. Ultimately, we sought the blessing of Colts GM Breck for us to pursue the Baldwin deal once that was dead-dead. We got that, and then sent our top 2 picks with Doss for Baldwin. Pairing him with Cody Latimer is something I've been fantasizing about for years, so to finally get a chance to do it was surreal. It was a VERY expensive price to pay... but that was the cost of doing business. To GM Herr's credit, he's cracked the code with Doss, getting him to play in ways that I was unable to get out of him in Dallas for his short stint. Their offense has BARELY missed a beat without Baldwin, so to get two 1sts and swap that with the production of Doss is a nice win for them. But Baldwin has fueled our offense that can't be explained by looking at a stat sheet. If you watch the games, he is just HIM. He gets the huge catch anytime we need it. He is running wide alone at the end of a game we were down 2-3 touchdowns in. He has unlocked Cody Latimer. It's a pair I hope I get the privilege of seeing play together for 4 more years. And with Baldwin under contract for 4 more years (and still having ALL of his AP boost eligibility), they may actually end up being WR1/WR2 for closer to 5 or 6 years. Mike Glennon is smiling.
==========================
Key Trade #4
Dallas Cowboys Receive:
TE Dion Sims
[4.7]
 Indianapolis Colts Receive:
[1.32]
[2.21]
==========================
This trade is the epitome of "circle back", as the Colts and Cowboys had multiple talks about Sims throughout the offseason. The original deal that fell apart was supposed to be for [1.17] - but the Cowboys ended up paying more in draft value with the later 1st and adding the 2nd. Call it a small tax for cold feet. The Colts had also shopped Sims a good portion of the offseason and apparently never saw an offer they liked better, so eventually we were able to bring back my FIRST draft pick ever in SFL. I love Sims, and hated that I had to trade him last year. Ultimately, we had no way to retain him, and couldn't risk losing him for nothing, so we traded him to Indy for a 1st. Indy locked him up on a brand new, long term deal... which the Cowboys inherit and are happy to see him retire a Cowboy after his "semester abroad", visiting the nice folks in Indy.
==========================
Key Trade #5
Dallas Cowboys Receive:
SS Jayron Kearse
[5.1]
Indianapolis Colts Receive:
[2.24]
==========================
You know Breck and I love to trade. Kearse was the 6'4" freak SS from a year before that slid to the 4th. Most GMs probably had a private workout on him. Breck used him sparingly as a rookie, and was surely thrilled to get 2nd round value on him. We had worked the safety market pretty hard, and didn't want to spend a 1st (that we didn't have) to get a retread safety... so we found a young vehicle to dump some AP into. We did just that, pimping out Kearse with more SPD/ACC, and sending him to training camp. He's still more raw that I'd like to play at SS (and certainly more raw than Breck likes to play in the secondary)... but we've been pretty pleased with him. We think once his AWR goes up, he'll make more splash plays just from his shear size. We are pretty happy with a future secondary that consists of him, FS Diggs, CB Milliner, and CB Tye Smith.
==========================
Key Trade #6
Dallas Cowboys Receive:
RE Terrance Knighton
Future 2nd Round Pick [DET]
Future 2nd Round Pick [DAL]
Tennessee Titans Receive:
[7.1]
Future 1st Round Pick [DAL]
==========================
Trading my Future 1st to Apolo? It's an annual tradition. I get a bad rap for being "the guy" to always load up the SFL All Stars with 1st round picks... but my best bud Apolo usually has about 3-5 of these, so I'm not the ONLY guy. This trade looks awful on paper at the time, but it was a gamble on myself. I needed trade collateral to acquire a veteran CB, and I didn't wanna move my Future 1st for anyone available. So... I moved DOWN, acquired the assets to get a CB, and picked up a starting RE in the process.
==========================
Key Trade #7
Dallas Cowboys Receive:
CB Chimdi Chekwa
Future 5th Round Pick [BUF]
 Buffalo Bills Receive:
[7.12]
Future 2nd Round Pick [DET]
Future 2nd Round Pick [DAL]
==========================
Here is where the rest of that trade went. So essentially my future 1st for RE Knighton and CB Chekwa? Pretty good value. Granted, we are (9-0), and had we got a Glennon injury in the 1st month, this could have been catastrophic. Instead, we got a Chekwa injury, which he is expected to miss the season. But he played great while he was healthy, and helped us get out to a great start. And if we're lucky, he could be back for the playoffs. Unfortunately, his injury meant we had to trade Knighton (for a 3rd) to make the cap room to bring in CB Barnes.
==========================
Key Trade #8
Dallas Cowboys Receive:
ROLB Jason Pierre-Paul
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Receive:
Future 3rd Round Pick [PHI]
Future 3rd Round Pick [NYJ]
Future 6th Round Pick [DAL]
==========================
We were actually pretty happy with our LBs, and our depth at LB (Jake Ryan, Lavonte David, plus a couple rookies.) But ultimately, the price tag on a JPP rental was too cheap to pass up the idea of adding SIZE. We were all-in on the 34, and the early returns have been great. Kendricks probably would have played well, and he's been our starter for a few years (and may be again next year), but to have 6'6" at both OLB and 6'4" at MLB was something I had to see through. So far, so good.
==========================
Current 2018 Draft Picks
==========================
Future 2nd [KC]
Future 2nd [JAX]
Future 2nd [CAR]
Future 3rd [OAK]
Future 3rd [TEN]
Future 4th [NO]
Future 6th [KC]
Future 6th [PIT]
Future 7th [NO]
Future 7th [GB]
Granted, the crop looked better when I had the Panthers 1st, but it's still the best crop I'll have entered an offseason with in my tenure as it stands. I also have a few vets that I value in the 1st-2nd round value that could be shopped if I want to make a splash. But for all the trading I do, I typically NEVER draft in the Top 15 picks. I prefer to make my living at the top of the 2nd round, and put in the work to develop those players. As it stands, we should have some premium picks in the top 3 rounds (and maybe the top pick in the 4th) to make some noise.
==========================
Activity Points Training
==========================
LE Sam Montgomery +1 Speed ( 84 ) | +1 Acceleration ( 88 ) | +1 Strength ( 86 ) | 150,000 activity points
SS Jayron Kearse +2 Speed ( 87 ) | +1 Acceleration ( 87 ) | 100,000 activity points
FS Quandre Diggs +1 Speed ( 96 ) | +1 Agility ( 96 ) | 50,000 activity points
ROLB Leonard Floyd +1 Strength ( 98 ) | +1 Acceleration ( 90 ) | 50,000 activity points
CB Craig Mager +1 Speed ( 98 ) | 25,000 activity points
MLB Jake Ryan +1 Strength ( 85 ) | 25,000 activity points
It was an expensive year for AP. This wasn't even counting the 75k for the extra contract extension. But that's how serious we were about this year. We also had an extra training camp spot for a rookie punter we signed, which is a ton of AP. We also dumped a ton of saved progression points into players who finished their sophomore seasons. The biggest benefactor was FS Quandre Diggs, who had like 8-10 awareness points saved up. That plus his physical boosts took him from 83 overall to 90 overall in one season. Of course we hit him with the new 7-year contract BEFORE we boosted him. We still have more projects planned, too. To my knowledge, we have not been paid yet for the last PTI, and one or two of my Preseason Predictions articles... but those combined with this article should be enough to give a boost to a player or two just before the (hopeful) postseason run once Mr. Wintermute has a chance to update the AP. I've been wanting to give DT Brandon Williams the final 50k boost to 99 Strength for some time, but wanted his contract situation to work itself out first. Also still plan on taking Mager to 99/99/99, which I was going to wait on, but if we play ourselves into a position to play some younger players if we clinch a BYE, it might be worth boosting him now and get him some playing time. Our offense is clicking on all cylinders, but WR Kupp, TE Nick Boyle, and FB Ripkowski will get some love soon.
Discord Breaking News Recap
BREAKING NEWS: The Dallas Cowboys have acquired veteran LOLB Jason Pierre-Paul from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The move can’t be finalized until later this week, but the two GMs have a handshake deal in place, which is ironclad. The 6’5” “JPP” will join 6’4” MLB D’onta Hightower and 6’6” ROLB Leonard Floyd to form one of the largest LB crews in the SFL. While the size of those three will be the headline, the Cowboys still plan to get LOLB Mychal Kendricks, MLB Jake Ryan, and ROLB Lavonte David some reps this season as well, as the team looks to deploy a multiple front defense that can ATTACK and rotate seamlessly between 34 and 43 weekly depending on matchup. While JPP doesn’t have much left in the tank beyond THIS year, the Cowboys are ALL in for 2017.
BREAKING NEWS: Sad Bucs-fan Cowboys GM trades away star HB Eddie Lacy before he plays a single game for the team. #Bipolar
BREAKING NEWS: The Dallas Cowboys have traded WR David Nelson to the Pittsburgh Steelers and HB CJ Procise to the Houston Texans. In corresponding moves to finalize the roster, the Cowboys have signed rookie HB Marlon Mack and rookie P PJ Rosowski. The Cowboys unceremoniously cut P Eddie Johnson, who started for Dallas last season and was brought back this off-season just to get cut. The Cowboys will reportedly send PJ to Training Camp and name him the unchallenged starter. The Cowboys also finalized their deals to add JPP and move HB Eddie Lacy, and now just need a HB to complete the roster.
BREAKING NEWS: The Dallas Cowboys have brought in Cowboys legends CB Deion Sanders and DE Charles Haley to work with young players and increase their attributes. The following players were specifically targeted for improvement:
* DE Sam Montgomery | +1 ACC ( 88 ) *2nd Boost*
* ROLB Leonard Floyd | +1 STR ( 84 ) *1st Boost*
* CB Craig Mager | +1 SPD ( 98 ) *1st Boost*
For Montgomery, it comes on the heels of a move BACK to LE. Thankfully he only lost 1 AWR returning to his old position. Montgomery has now maxed out his SPD and ACC boosts, and has one more STR boost he’ll get soon to “complete” him. For Floyd, he’s had quite a bit of work as well, maxing out his speed and adding an acceleration. It’s very likely he’ll get a 2nd STR boost this season. For Mager, it’s the first time he’s had any private focus, but the team was waiting for him to get sophomore boosts (which he now has). He was slated to start in the nickel this year, but the late addition of Chimdi Chekwa pushed him to CB4. Despite that, the team is very high on the local Texas Longhorn, and has full intentions to get him some reps this year. Mager is also expected to be pushed full as the primary KR/PR this year, expanding his already stout and talented Special Teams resume. Before the season ends, he will be boosted to 99/99/99.
BREAKING NEWS: The Dallas Cowboys have acquired Saints QB Josh Freeman to become the primary backup for QB Mike Glennon. Freeman is a year away from regression, and far from elite, but he DOES do some of the things Glennon does (tall, big arm). Hopefully he never takes a single snap in Dallas, but the QB position is one that had the Cowboys worried headed into a huge 2017 season. Backup QB Johnny Football was also traded in a corresponding move. After acquiring Freeman, the Cowboys were finally able to back off the 3rd round pick ask (which is what Dallas paid), which allowed him to finally find a “new” home. He will return to the GM who drafted him (and once traded him for a 2nd) to look to extend his career. The Cowboys really were fans of Johnny Football, and if we had a way to resign him at the end of the year, we’d have just paid the AP to make him a pocket passer. Ultimately though, with Knighton, Marks, Bryant, and a pair of G’s up for free agency, it was going to be too difficult for it to happen in Dallas. Freeman has two years remaining on his contract.
BREAKING NEWS: The Dallas Cowboys and starting FS Quandre Diggs have agreed to a brand new 7 year contract extension that will keep him in Dallas until he’s 32. The former 1st round pick has started both years in SFL and already has 118 tackles and 17 deflections. The deal is reportedly worth $14.33 million over the 7 years with $5.67 million guaranteed at signing. The move proves to be a team friendly deal, as Diggs will actually take a $250k pay CUT this year to give the Cowboys a little breathing room. When asked about the hometown discount Diggs said, “I love it here in Dallas. Texas was my home when I played high school football, it was my home when I played college football, and I want it to be my home for my entire SFL career. I’m going to do everything in my power to make that happen.” While taking LESS money might be shocking to some, we’d point out that his awareness IS just 47 overall. That should soon change, however, as the team has roughly 10 progression points saved up that should be applied following the preseason games. Diggs already worked with Cowboys great Deion Sanders once this off-season to increase his speed and agility, but he’s also expected to work with him once more after this contract is official to boost his speed and agility one more time. The expected moves will top him off at 97 SPD, 97 AGI, 99 ACC, 76 CTH, 74 TAK, 76 TAK and 57 AWR. Not bad, for only 25 years old. While his 5’9” stature might have scared some teams away, we don’t need to tell anyone that Diggs is a 1 of 1 in the Fit The System. He’s a player the team is happy to lock up two years early, and someone who should retire in Big D. Those around Owner Jerry Jones have whispered they expect a big break out year for Diggs in 2017. The table is set to make that a reality. The Cowboys previously this off-season locked up CB Tye Smith to a 7-year deal, but had purchased a bonus restructure with AP a couple weeks ago. Fellow CB DeMarcus Milliner also signed a brand new 5-year contract this off-season as well, essentially locking down 3/4 of the secondary for well over half a decade. Newly acquired SS Jayron Kearse has had a LOT of work done on him this off-season and is expected to get a new 7 year deal NEXT off-season to join the fun.
BREAKING NEWS: The Dallas Cowboys anonymous locker room source confirms main reason Dallas traded him to San Diego this off-season was rumors of infidelity that just leaked from his wife via IG. Said Owner Jerry Jones, “Ryan kept asking me to make his side piece a cheerleader, and I had to explain to him that thems is MY girls. He had to go. Maybe they’ll tolerate that in San Diego.”
RUMOR: The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to terms with an undisclosed AFC team on the parameters of a trade that will bring a talented veteran corner to help with the loss of Chimdi Chekwa. Details to be disclosed soon.
BREAKING NEWS: CB Kevin Barnes has been traded from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Dallas Cowboys. Barnes is expected to start next to CB DeMarcus Milliner while CB Chimdi Chekwa recovers from a torn shoulder that is expected to keep him out for the rest of the regular season. Future star CB Tye Smith has been playing well in the nickel, and filled in well for Chekwa the last two weeks as CB1 (8 tkl, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 3 DFL), and will get one more start this week against Green Bay before Barnes formally joins the Cowboys next week.
BREAKING NEWS: The Dallas Cowboys have traded DE Terrance Knighton to the Oakland Raiders for a 3rd round pick. Knighton played fantastic this year in the Cowboys dominant 3-4 defense that is currently 7th in SFL against the run and allowing the 4th fewest points per game - a stat lost in the hype the #1 ranked offense gets. Knighton had 3 sacks before getting injured a month ago. DT Marks has been filling in at RE. The Cowboys would have loved to keep Knighton, but injuries in the secondary led to the need for cap room. The move was agreed to a week ago, along with the CB Barnes addition, but the Cowboys needed to wait for Knighton to fully heal from injury. Barnes is expected to join the team this week for a pivotal game vs. Washington where the Cowboys could almost clinch the NFC East. |
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Forum Discussion
(by A_Fernandez on 12/18/2023)
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Replies - 1 :: Views - 47 |
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At A Glance
| INJURY REPORT |
| PLAYER |
POS |
OVR |
LENGTH |
 Mike Glennon |
QB |
99 |
Out for season |
| NFC East |
| RNK |
TEAM |
W-L-T |
PCT |
DIV |
| #7 |
x-Cowboys |
11-5-0 |
0.688 |
4-2 |
| #8 |
 y-Redskins |
11-5-0 |
0.688 |
4-2 |
| #18 |
 Giants |
7-9-0 |
0.438 |
2-4 |
| #24 |
 Eagles |
6-10-0 |
0.375 |
2-4 |
| COWBOYS SCHEDULE |
| Preseason |
| WK |
DATE |
OPPONENT |
SCOUT/RESULT |
| P1 |
Sat |
at  Buccaneers #4 |
|
| P2 |
Thu |
at  Chargers #3 |
|
| P3 |
Thu |
vs  Jaguars #23 |
|
| P4 |
Sun |
vs  Dolphins #19 |
|
| Regular Season |
| 1 |
Sun |
vs  Falcons #17 |
|
| 2 |
Mon |
at Giants #18 |
|
| 4 |
Sun |
at  Jets #9 |
|
| 5 |
Sun |
vs  Cardinals #13 |
|
| 6 |
Sun |
vs Eagles #24 |
|
| 7 |
Sun |
at  Lions #25 |
|
| 8 |
Sun |
at Buccaneers #4 |
|
| 9 |
Sun |
vs Redskins #8 |
|
| 10 |
Sun |
vs  Bills #21 |
|
| 11 |
Sun |
at  Patriots #20 |
|
| 12 |
Sun |
vs  Panthers #26 |
|
| 13 |
Thu |
vs Dolphins #19 |
|
| 14 |
Sun |
at Eagles #24 |
|
| 15 |
Sun |
at Redskins #8 |
|
| 16 |
Sun |
vs Giants #18 |
|
| 17 |
Sun |
at  Saints #10 |
|
|
