By Rick Gosselin , Staff Columnist Contact Rick Gosselin on Twitter: @RickGosselinDMN
Jerry Jones says a 4-11 season by his Cowboys is no reason to panic.
The owner says he believes the Cowboys are closer to a Super Bowl than their record would indicate.
O.K., long-time Cowboys observers: what else would you expect the eternal optimist to say after he saw what he considered a potential Super Bowl season vanish before his very eyes?
Jones owns the most valuable sporting property in the world -- a team that draws 90,000 to its stadium on a weekly basis for games. And you expect him to use the R word?
No, this team doesn't rebuild. It flies the flag of fantasy.
Sure, the franchise quarterback managed to start only four games before the best offensive line in the NFL allowed him to suffer a pair of broken collarbones that, first, interrupted and then ended his season. And Dez Bryant showed the effects of an offseason boycott and summer training-camp holdout with a couple injuries of his own that cost him his Pro Bowl standing.
But the Houston Texans managed to win games with four different quarterbacks this season, including one the Cowboys discarded (Brandon Weeden). The Pittsburgh Steelers have won games with three starting quarterbacks this season and remain in the playoff hunt at 9-6.
The Carolina Panthers played the entire season without their best wide receiver (Kelvin Benjamin) and still own the top seed in the NFC with a 14-1 record. The Green Bay Packers have played all season without their best wide receiver (Jordy Nelson) and are still 10-5 and playing for a division title Sunday.
Injuries are not an excuse. That's why the NFL allows teams to carry 53 players on a roster. Starters get hurt and it's the job of the coaches to have their backups ready to step in. You know, the "next man up" concept. It is possible to win games with players off your bench. If you can't -- as the Cowboys couldn't this season -- then build a better bench. That one would be on the GM.
This GM still believes in Jason Garrett and his staff. This owner has too much money and too many years tied up contractually in Garrett and his offensive and defensive coordinators not to believe in them, not to trust in them, not to hope they can do better in 2016.
But this franchise isn't a healthy Tony Romo away. He's 36 next season and becoming brittle with age. He needs help.
This roster needs a quality backup quarterback who can develop into a starter inside of three seasons (or less). The Cowboys also need a running back, a wide receiver, an inside pass rush presence, another edge pass rusher, a linebacker (or two) and both a cornerback (or two) and safety with ball skills. Can you get all that in one draft?
This franchise also needs a coaching staff capable of developing those young players and willing to put them on the field.
Get all that done in the next 10 months and maybe Jones is right. Maybe the Cowboys aren't that far off.
Listen to Rick Gosselin at 10:50 a.m. Tuesdays on Sportsradio 1310 AM/96.7 FM The Ticket with Norm Hitzges and Donovan Lewis, and follow @RickGosselinDMN on Twitter.
Jerry Jones says a 4-11 season by his Cowboys is no reason to panic.
The owner says he believes the Cowboys are closer to a Super Bowl than their record would indicate.
O.K., long-time Cowboys observers: what else would you expect the eternal optimist to say after he saw what he considered a potential Super Bowl season vanish before his very eyes?
Jones owns the most valuable sporting property in the world -- a team that draws 90,000 to its stadium on a weekly basis for games. And you expect him to use the R word?
No, this team doesn't rebuild. It flies the flag of fantasy.
Sure, the franchise quarterback managed to start only four games before the best offensive line in the NFL allowed him to suffer a pair of broken collarbones that, first, interrupted and then ended his season. And Dez Bryant showed the effects of an offseason boycott and summer training-camp holdout with a couple injuries of his own that cost him his Pro Bowl standing.
But the Houston Texans managed to win games with four different quarterbacks this season, including one the Cowboys discarded (Brandon Weeden). The Pittsburgh Steelers have won games with three starting quarterbacks this season and remain in the playoff hunt at 9-6.
The Carolina Panthers played the entire season without their best wide receiver (Kelvin Benjamin) and still own the top seed in the NFC with a 14-1 record. The Green Bay Packers have played all season without their best wide receiver (Jordy Nelson) and are still 10-5 and playing for a division title Sunday.
Injuries are not an excuse. That's why the NFL allows teams to carry 53 players on a roster. Starters get hurt and it's the job of the coaches to have their backups ready to step in. You know, the "next man up" concept. It is possible to win games with players off your bench. If you can't -- as the Cowboys couldn't this season -- then build a better bench. That one would be on the GM.
This GM still believes in Jason Garrett and his staff. This owner has too much money and too many years tied up contractually in Garrett and his offensive and defensive coordinators not to believe in them, not to trust in them, not to hope they can do better in 2016.
But this franchise isn't a healthy Tony Romo away. He's 36 next season and becoming brittle with age. He needs help.
This roster needs a quality backup quarterback who can develop into a starter inside of three seasons (or less). The Cowboys also need a running back, a wide receiver, an inside pass rush presence, another edge pass rusher, a linebacker (or two) and both a cornerback (or two) and safety with ball skills. Can you get all that in one draft?
This franchise also needs a coaching staff capable of developing those young players and willing to put them on the field.
Get all that done in the next 10 months and maybe Jones is right. Maybe the Cowboys aren't that far off.
Listen to Rick Gosselin at 10:50 a.m. Tuesdays on Sportsradio 1310 AM/96.7 FM The Ticket with Norm Hitzges and Donovan Lewis, and follow @RickGosselinDMN on Twitter.
