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I didn't "advertise" anything. The report was confirmed by a local writer who covers the team and he referred to a team source.
yes, because all teams tell us when they didn't land the guy they wanted or tried to acquire. That would be bad business.
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Jackson won’t see the field for at least 2 years, at least not as the starting QB. History shows Baltimore is where WR’s go to die, unless you’re Steve Smith Sr of course. Any WR that actually wants to succeed and look good would be a fool to go to Baltimore.
yimyammer
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I think Jackson will bust big time at QB (he may have success in some other capacity if a creative coach can find a way to use his athletic ability in the NFL) and I'm basing that solely on the fact he appears to be LOW on the IQ scale
all athlete no brain ain't gonna work at QB in the NFL imo
I'm admittedly basing this off a small sample size of listening to him speak and his Wonderlic score of 13, so perhaps that's too harsh.
ThoughtExperiment
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I actually like Jackson and am surprised he didn't go higher. Yes, he needs a lot of refinement but the upside is there.
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57% passer and 13 wonderlic
The "upside" with him is he can maybe be a 3rd WR one day.
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That was the fallback position after nothing happened immediately like many predicted.
It'll soon be, "Yeah teams are just waiting for camp injuries, will steal Dez as a emergency replacement and he'll tear the league up!"
yimyammer
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asshat
theoneandonly
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Nice to see McClay latched on to the "we are building something here" talking point. Another fucking politician.
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Will McClay: Dez Bryant was inconsistent, couldn’t win one-on-one
Posted by Charean Williams on May 1, 2018, 5:12 PM EDT
Dez Bryant remains unsigned more than two weeks after the Cowboys released him. The receiver turned down an offer from the Ravens, and no other team publicly has expressed interest in him.
Cowboys scouting chief Will McClay essentially admitted Bryant’s play didn’t match the $12.5 million base and $16.5 million salary cap number Bryant’s contract called for in 2018. Bryant has not had a 1,000-yard season since 2014, and he has gone 23 games without a 100-yard game.
Speaking for the first time since Bryant’s departure, McClay’s comments on ESPN 103.3 matched a report from early last month that the Cowboys believe Bryant no longer is the same player he was when they signed him to a five-year, $70 million contract in the 2015 offseason.
“It was a collective deal,” McClay said of Bryant’s release, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “The [inability] to win one-on-one, to win downfield. There was inconsistency as well as some huge things in his play. So what’s best moving forward for Dez Bryant the Cowboys, we just made that decision. It’s a production-based business.”
link .. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/05/01/will-mcclay-dez-bryant-was-inconsistent-couldnt-win-one-on-one/
Posted by Charean Williams on May 1, 2018, 5:12 PM EDT
Dez Bryant remains unsigned more than two weeks after the Cowboys released him. The receiver turned down an offer from the Ravens, and no other team publicly has expressed interest in him.
Cowboys scouting chief Will McClay essentially admitted Bryant’s play didn’t match the $12.5 million base and $16.5 million salary cap number Bryant’s contract called for in 2018. Bryant has not had a 1,000-yard season since 2014, and he has gone 23 games without a 100-yard game.
Speaking for the first time since Bryant’s departure, McClay’s comments on ESPN 103.3 matched a report from early last month that the Cowboys believe Bryant no longer is the same player he was when they signed him to a five-year, $70 million contract in the 2015 offseason.
“It was a collective deal,” McClay said of Bryant’s release, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “The [inability] to win one-on-one, to win downfield. There was inconsistency as well as some huge things in his play. So what’s best moving forward for Dez Bryant the Cowboys, we just made that decision. It’s a production-based business.”
link .. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/05/01/will-mcclay-dez-bryant-was-inconsistent-couldnt-win-one-on-one/
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Cowboys' Will McClay opens up about Dez decision, 2018 draft and what 'Dak-friendly' means
By Kate Hairopoulos , Staff Writer Contact Kate Hairopoulos on Twitter: @khairopoulos
The Cowboys hold a news conference a few days before each NFL draft. Team owner Jerry Jones, executive vice president Stephen Jones and head coach Jason Garrett hold court in front of reporters and cameras. But one of the franchise's biggest decision-makers is missing: Will McClay.
Keeping a low profile is the preference of the vice president of player personnel, but McClay's fingerprints on draft decisions and his influence on how the team is built are evident anyway. The 15-year employee started running the draft for the Cowboys in 2014.
His name often comes up when other franchises are looking for a new general manager. Dallas awarded him a contract extension earlier this year when the Houston Texans showed interest.
McClay opens up about once a year, following the draft. He joined SportsDay on Tuesday to talk about the just completed 2018 draft and the team's vision for the upcoming season. Below are some highlights from the conversation, edited for length and clarity:
Q: What, from your perspective, went into the decision to move on from receiver Dez Bryant and how much does being "Dak-friendly" or playing to the strengths of quarterback Dak Prescott have to do with it?
McClay: It was a combination of looking at what was best for the team, you know financially as well as moving forward. Dez was a great player for us, not taking anything away from that, but when you looked at everything collectively, and collectively as we went through it, it was just a decision that was made for the best of the team, period - the health of it financially and just kind of moving forward. It's the NFL, at some point in time, it's a business and you move forward. Nobody's got more love for Dez than I do.
Q: And the Dak-friendly aspect?
McClay: I don't think that the decision was made because of that. When we say Dak-friendly, really, it's Cowboys-friendly. It's finding guys that fit into what we do collectively on the offensive side of the ball. When we say Dak-friendly, we're looking for guys that will be in the right spot, doing their job, all that stuff, any position. It's not that Dez wasn't Dak-friendly, we're just looking for Dak-friendly from the standpoint of the health of the team, from a [salary] cap standpoint, competition and all that other stuff. I do know that Dak's most productive games have been when he spreads the ball out and not targeting one specific guy.
Q: There is an emerging line of thought around the NFL that offenses don't have to necessarily rely on a No. 1 receiver. Is that what you guys are buying into, a receiver-by-committee approach?
McClay: I think we have to, I mean because of the way of the NFL, the salary cap, the great players getting paid and all those things. Sometimes you can't do that from a cap standpoint. Everybody has to come into this league and prove their spot to be a No. 1 anyway, even guys that are drafted in the first round or whatever. There's times you go through the paces and the No. 1 will rise to the top if you've got good competition. For our offense and the way we want to do things, that just fits what we want to do right now.
Q: Along those lines, what made you want to draft receiver Michael Gallup out of Colorado State in the third round?
McClay: A big, physical receiver that had some traits of being a No. 1, traits of having success in the NFL - getting off of the press, attacking the football and competing.
Q: Jerry Jones said you promised Leighton Vander Esch will deliver takeaways. What made you want the Boise State linebacker to be Dallas' first-round pick?
McClay: He's big, he's athletic, he's instinctive when you watch him play. ...He covers up windows in the passing game. He's able to drop into a zone, read the quarterback and be able to flip his hips and get to another spot with range and with length. And then in the run game, he's able to run sideline-to-sideline. As far as creating turnovers, he punched the ball out in college instinctively and had interceptions instinctively. He made plays on the ball.
Q: Why were you guys not concerned with Vander Esch having a neck issue, as other teams reportedly were?
McClay: We definitely did the homework on him. Our doctor looked at him, the world-renowned Dr. [Andrew] Dossett, and he felt comfortable with it. At the end of the day, his picture came up one way on his first visit and was better his second visit.
Q: Is it fair to call him a Sean Lee Starter Kit? How will he work with linebacker Jaylon Smith, who also plays in the middle?
McClay: It's a great opportunity for a young man with all of the intangibles that Sean has, to learn how to use those intangibles. That's huge. ... Our coaches have a good plan to work those guys in from a rotation standpoint. Our starter on defense depends on how fast Leighton comes along, where he could be the Mike and work at the Mike with Jaylon. Jaylon could be the SAM [strong-side linebacker]. We've got a couple different things that we're doing scheme-wise that will allow us to use their talents, all three of those guys.
Q: How can fourth-round pick Dalton Schultz contribute at tight end right away, especially if Jason Witten retires as expected?
McClay: He's a young player that played in a pro-style offense. He knows how to block, they used multiple tight ends at Stanford. He knows how do to it. He has a desire to block, not a lot of guys want to block who play tight end. He's also shown he can contribute in the passing game. But more than anything, he's shown he's an unselfish guy. He didn't complain he didn't get a lot of balls there, he just did his job.
Playing tight end is one of the hardest positions in football to play because not only do you have to know the pass game, you have to know the run game...there's so much you have to learn. To have a kid that is a capable blocker as well as being aware enough to handle all of the stuff that he's going to get in the NFL is definitely a positive.
Q: With you being a Rice guy, you appreciate the Stanford smarts?
McClay: Well, yeah, Stanford is the Rice of the West. I tell Charlotte [Jones Anderson] that all the time.
Q: What goes into how you evaluate players - I've heard you mention FBI, aka Football Instincts/Intelligence?
McClay: It's just the instinctive nature and awareness that they play with. Whatever the position, whatever the scheme...we're looking for instinctive guys. Like on defense, they've got to find the ball. Instinctive guys on offense, if they're a skill player, they have to find a way to make plays instinctively. ...It's very important. It's right next to football character and stuff that you can see on tape. You want to see them run, block, tackle and do all that other stuff, but also that they're instinctive and play like they love it.
Q: When there was GM interest from the Texans and you earned a contract extension earlier this year, executive vice president Stephen Jones said he hopes the Cowboys won't have to worry internally about losing you to other jobs for a long time. Do you feel the same?
McClay: It's home. It's family. And we're building something. And the No. 1 goal is to get the boss another Super Bowl and be a part of it. There's no greater place to be a part of it than here.
Q: Finally, any regrets from the draft? You weren't able to get a free safety? Anything you wish would've worked out differently?
McClay: No. I'm very happy with where we are, we planned it out, we looked at it, we came out with good football players throughout the draft we think can help us. We won't know for two, three years down the line if it all came to fruition. But I think we got young men who can come in and help and make it competitive.
This Topic is Missing Your Voice.
By Kate Hairopoulos , Staff Writer Contact Kate Hairopoulos on Twitter: @khairopoulos
The Cowboys hold a news conference a few days before each NFL draft. Team owner Jerry Jones, executive vice president Stephen Jones and head coach Jason Garrett hold court in front of reporters and cameras. But one of the franchise's biggest decision-makers is missing: Will McClay.
Keeping a low profile is the preference of the vice president of player personnel, but McClay's fingerprints on draft decisions and his influence on how the team is built are evident anyway. The 15-year employee started running the draft for the Cowboys in 2014.
His name often comes up when other franchises are looking for a new general manager. Dallas awarded him a contract extension earlier this year when the Houston Texans showed interest.
McClay opens up about once a year, following the draft. He joined SportsDay on Tuesday to talk about the just completed 2018 draft and the team's vision for the upcoming season. Below are some highlights from the conversation, edited for length and clarity:
Q: What, from your perspective, went into the decision to move on from receiver Dez Bryant and how much does being "Dak-friendly" or playing to the strengths of quarterback Dak Prescott have to do with it?
McClay: It was a combination of looking at what was best for the team, you know financially as well as moving forward. Dez was a great player for us, not taking anything away from that, but when you looked at everything collectively, and collectively as we went through it, it was just a decision that was made for the best of the team, period - the health of it financially and just kind of moving forward. It's the NFL, at some point in time, it's a business and you move forward. Nobody's got more love for Dez than I do.
Q: And the Dak-friendly aspect?
McClay: I don't think that the decision was made because of that. When we say Dak-friendly, really, it's Cowboys-friendly. It's finding guys that fit into what we do collectively on the offensive side of the ball. When we say Dak-friendly, we're looking for guys that will be in the right spot, doing their job, all that stuff, any position. It's not that Dez wasn't Dak-friendly, we're just looking for Dak-friendly from the standpoint of the health of the team, from a [salary] cap standpoint, competition and all that other stuff. I do know that Dak's most productive games have been when he spreads the ball out and not targeting one specific guy.
Q: There is an emerging line of thought around the NFL that offenses don't have to necessarily rely on a No. 1 receiver. Is that what you guys are buying into, a receiver-by-committee approach?
McClay: I think we have to, I mean because of the way of the NFL, the salary cap, the great players getting paid and all those things. Sometimes you can't do that from a cap standpoint. Everybody has to come into this league and prove their spot to be a No. 1 anyway, even guys that are drafted in the first round or whatever. There's times you go through the paces and the No. 1 will rise to the top if you've got good competition. For our offense and the way we want to do things, that just fits what we want to do right now.
Q: Along those lines, what made you want to draft receiver Michael Gallup out of Colorado State in the third round?
McClay: A big, physical receiver that had some traits of being a No. 1, traits of having success in the NFL - getting off of the press, attacking the football and competing.
Q: Jerry Jones said you promised Leighton Vander Esch will deliver takeaways. What made you want the Boise State linebacker to be Dallas' first-round pick?
McClay: He's big, he's athletic, he's instinctive when you watch him play. ...He covers up windows in the passing game. He's able to drop into a zone, read the quarterback and be able to flip his hips and get to another spot with range and with length. And then in the run game, he's able to run sideline-to-sideline. As far as creating turnovers, he punched the ball out in college instinctively and had interceptions instinctively. He made plays on the ball.
Q: Why were you guys not concerned with Vander Esch having a neck issue, as other teams reportedly were?
McClay: We definitely did the homework on him. Our doctor looked at him, the world-renowned Dr. [Andrew] Dossett, and he felt comfortable with it. At the end of the day, his picture came up one way on his first visit and was better his second visit.
Q: Is it fair to call him a Sean Lee Starter Kit? How will he work with linebacker Jaylon Smith, who also plays in the middle?
McClay: It's a great opportunity for a young man with all of the intangibles that Sean has, to learn how to use those intangibles. That's huge. ... Our coaches have a good plan to work those guys in from a rotation standpoint. Our starter on defense depends on how fast Leighton comes along, where he could be the Mike and work at the Mike with Jaylon. Jaylon could be the SAM [strong-side linebacker]. We've got a couple different things that we're doing scheme-wise that will allow us to use their talents, all three of those guys.
Q: How can fourth-round pick Dalton Schultz contribute at tight end right away, especially if Jason Witten retires as expected?
McClay: He's a young player that played in a pro-style offense. He knows how to block, they used multiple tight ends at Stanford. He knows how do to it. He has a desire to block, not a lot of guys want to block who play tight end. He's also shown he can contribute in the passing game. But more than anything, he's shown he's an unselfish guy. He didn't complain he didn't get a lot of balls there, he just did his job.
Playing tight end is one of the hardest positions in football to play because not only do you have to know the pass game, you have to know the run game...there's so much you have to learn. To have a kid that is a capable blocker as well as being aware enough to handle all of the stuff that he's going to get in the NFL is definitely a positive.
Q: With you being a Rice guy, you appreciate the Stanford smarts?
McClay: Well, yeah, Stanford is the Rice of the West. I tell Charlotte [Jones Anderson] that all the time.
Q: What goes into how you evaluate players - I've heard you mention FBI, aka Football Instincts/Intelligence?
McClay: It's just the instinctive nature and awareness that they play with. Whatever the position, whatever the scheme...we're looking for instinctive guys. Like on defense, they've got to find the ball. Instinctive guys on offense, if they're a skill player, they have to find a way to make plays instinctively. ...It's very important. It's right next to football character and stuff that you can see on tape. You want to see them run, block, tackle and do all that other stuff, but also that they're instinctive and play like they love it.
Q: When there was GM interest from the Texans and you earned a contract extension earlier this year, executive vice president Stephen Jones said he hopes the Cowboys won't have to worry internally about losing you to other jobs for a long time. Do you feel the same?
McClay: It's home. It's family. And we're building something. And the No. 1 goal is to get the boss another Super Bowl and be a part of it. There's no greater place to be a part of it than here.
Q: Finally, any regrets from the draft? You weren't able to get a free safety? Anything you wish would've worked out differently?
McClay: No. I'm very happy with where we are, we planned it out, we looked at it, we came out with good football players throughout the draft we think can help us. We won't know for two, three years down the line if it all came to fruition. But I think we got young men who can come in and help and make it competitive.
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theoneandonly
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McClay said Dez couldnt get consistently open or be counted on. Wonder what name he posts under at DCU.
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theoneandonly
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WR Turnover has Only Just Begun for the Dallas Cowboys
theoneandonly
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