Why Cowboy fans should be concerned (Commentary): Dallas has enjoyed one of their best seasons in the last (20) years, & it almost seems as if the success may only last 1-2years. Why is that? Jerry Jones & others in management business decisions. Tony Romo, Jason Witten, & Sean Lee contracts very well could derail the Cowboys next generation dynasty before it even gets started. Jerry Jones decided to give all (3) of them very lucrative contract extensions, two of which (Romo, Witten) had not even reached the final year of their previous contracts with the team. Tony Romos extension included a 25 million dollar signing bonus & 55 million dollars in guaranteed money in a contract worth 108 million. Sean Lee whos had serious injury issues since college, & had missed 13 games prior to his contract, signed a contract extension worth 42 million with a large portion of that contract guaranteed. Jason Witten signed a 37 million dollar contract most of which is guaranteed. Romo & Witten are in the decline years as athletes, Sean Lee has always been injury prone, however the organization decided to go all in financially. What does that mean? DeMarco Murray & Dez Bryant rookie contracts expire in 2015, & Dez Bryant has an restricted clause that allows him this year to test the market. However, as reported by Jerry Jones, he & Dez Bryants camp arent anywhere close to an agreement. Jerry Jones has stated he would use the franchise tag this year to keep Bryant. The Cowboys however are just kicking the can down the road. As an organization they had to restructure Romos deal to avoid being over the salary cap this year. Which now will boost his salary to 27.7 million dollars alone for 2015. Dallas also has to consider the multiple rookie contracts set to expire of the next 2-3 years with their recent draft picks most notably their offensive linemen. The Cowboys ownership love of Tony Romo has always been evident, never more so than his recent contract extension & their marketing of him to be the leagues MVP. Even though they possessed the best running back in the league, who also led all offensive players with accounting for over 37% of his teams offense. The Cowboys had a 50/50 offense this year, because they were determined to reduce Romos role & liability to the offense. However he continues to be the focus of the organization. If the Cowboys havent learned anything, they will learn it after this season. The most successful franchises in recent history, focus on youth development & quality veteran production. The New England Patriots shed players right at the end of their prime, because financially they know its not sustainable to be able to afford them. Dallas season may end sooner than later, because their coach & ownership decided to play their stars even after the game was well in their control in Washington. Which didnt give them any tactical advantage, only more wear & tear on their bodies. Which falls in line with the owners short-term & not the needed long-term vision & insight that it takes to build a dynasty of a franchise. The Redskins & Cowboys have so much in common, & starts with their similarities in the styles of their ownership & how they wastefully spend money on certain players. Easy come easy go... this Cowboys team very well could be a one hit wonder©~ LeVar A. Bowers
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 21:43:59 +0000