A New DE Rumor?

I don’t live in the NY area and don’t pay much attention to the AFC. So I confess I don’t know more about Abraham than is offered on sports websites. I say no player unless he’s of Randy Moss stature is worthy of two potential 1st round picks. Randy can take over games. He can practically win games on this own. And defenses are forced to plan around him. Even Randy himself only garnered 1 top ten pick and a LB roughly equivalent to low 1st round pick (perhaps a high second). What is Abraham really? Is he a sure fire pro-bowler? Is he one of the best ever? Or is he someone who plays consistently and his the Jet’s scheme collects good numbers?

Based on what is being said about Abraham and his financial demands, I’d be very concerned if the ’boys gave up more than the equivalent of a mid-range 1st round pick for the pricey veteran. Perhaps a little less.

If he can get to the QB then pay whatever price it takes. You cant ask for a guy that reeks havoc in the backfield and then try to use a coupon so you can pay a discounted price for them. I dont know about those picks though. Look how much Marcellus Wiley made last year for how much he helped us.

I don’t think the Jets are asking for two #1s. That is what is required as compensation for trading a franchise player unless the trading team agrees to lesser compensation. I think the Joey Galloway deal showed that sending two #1s for anybody is folly.

When healthy he’s one of the best, if not the best, at his position, and he plays the position widely considered THE most important position on defense. He has the versatility to play the 4-3 speed rushing RDE and 3-4 pass rushing OLB. He’s much better at getting to the QB than Howard and two years younger. However, he’s not nearly the run stopper Howard is and, unlike Howard, is considered a somewhat selfish player.

I have less problem with giving up the #1 pick than I do with the kind of $$$ he wants (Howard’s reportedly asking for similar garanteed, but approx. half the total Abe’s asking for – $33M vs. $66M total). That’s a ton of $$$ for a player that has trouble staying on the field. If he can stay healthy you’d have trouble finding a better pure pass rusher.

Three concerns:

1) The Jets don’t seemed highly motivated to make such a trade, so they aren’t going to give him up below their perceived market value. The trade offer would have to get their attention.

2) Although only 26 years old, Abraham has some durability issues. Do the Cowboys want to make a long-term commitment?

3) Cost – Abraham is going to eat up a lot of remaining cap space.

Given all that, a front four (assuming a 4-3) that includes Ellis, Glover, Ferguson, and Abraham sounds amazing. I wonder if the Jets would bite on the number 20 pick. Even if the Vikings were to get him with their no. 18 pick, it would at least take the Vikings out of the potential competetion for other DE’s that are being floated (Howard, Pryce).

MY question is, I know we need a defensive end, everybody else seems to know we need a DE, so why does the poll on the home page have WR beating out DE by like 50 votes. I mean I know we need a reciever as well. But the general concensus is get the DE then the WR. So why doesn’t it show that way in the poll. Who is voting WR, then coming in here and saying DE.

I guess the only way I see that making sense is that they know we have 2 first rounders. So they know we can get both a DE and WR if we want. But I guess thier thinking is that a guy like merriman is good enough to pick him first over a reciever, since there are several good recivers in the top end of the draft. I would just think that if everyone is voting that WR is ar emost pressing issue, that they would be coming in here and saying lets draft a WR first.

I am just wondering about merriman, I don’t like some of the negatives I have read about him. Although he does have the tweener thing going for him, that is a plus, especially with us using both a 4-3 and 3-4.

I guess I will say it like this, say we manage to get Abraham or Howard or some other guy that is pretty likely to get us some sacks this season. Then say come our 11th pick, say Johnson and Merriman are both still there, do you take Johnson over merriman. Or do you pass on both, go for the best reciever on the board and hope on of those guys falls to our 20th pick.

Basically I am asking, if we manage to sign one of these sack masters before the draft, do we still pick a DE first, even if he is a tweener, or do we go after the WR everybody in the poll thinks we need?

Rafael,

Uh…weren’t we discussing this previously?

Jon

Yeah but before it looked as though the Jets had no intention of trading him, and as others have said, we are not gonna send over 2 firsts for him. But he is giving the Jets a lot of problems about his contract, so while they still may not want to trade him, in the end they may feel the need to.

Jon,

Yeah, we were. I was asking — and looking, HARD — for some
kind of confirmation. Here it is.

You are free to gloat now.

Kinda off the topic, but according to PFW’s Nolan Nawrocki. His latest mock draft, dated the 8th, which is obviously today actually agrees with what Jon(I think it was you Jon)was saying about taking Rolle at 11 and making him are FS.

They also have us taking Clayton at 20.

No gloating…..this site and your columns are great. I can see why the fans of other teams that shall remain nameless are truly jealous.

I think we both agreed he would come into play. Your point was valid that there was not a lot of noise about him at the time. But then this is the quiet period where even Keyshawns contract makes headlines. Not sure what he would cost…….but definitely in play. He is a solid player, I wonder how Parcells sees his value vs. the other guys in this draft. Do you think he would go with a Vet like Abraham or Howard, or Draft? I guess a lot would depend on price, and not sure there is going to be great sale on either of those guys. No question about the front four of Abraham, Ferguson, Glover, Ellis being the best the Boys have had in a long long time.

Rafael, Do you see the Cowboys spending a pick at RB like Spagnola says? or do you think they will go the FA or bring some kids to camp that do not get picked? I was thinking Lee could develop as a 10 carry a game reliever if he can block on pass plays.

I guess the Broncos found some value in Pryce, especially after signing the entire Cleveland front four.

forget receiver, we need a DE, OT,LB,S,RB,and FB.All this talk about receiver is garbage. We have too many more pressing needs this year.What receiver would bill put on the field over KJ and GLENN. here’s the answer——NONE.So your going to draft a receiver thats going to warm the bench. We need PLAYERS that can get on the field THIS YEAR. Look at our receivers on the roster, KJ,GLENN,MORGAN,CRAYTON,COPPER,SMITH,WILLIAMS. Lets look at reciever next year.

Jon,

On the value for Abraham front, I’d ask this question. Is a guy you’re likely to get at 20 (Cody, Tuck, maybe Pollack) better or even as good as Abraham? If they’re not, then a trade is a good deal. And would Abraham ask for as much in Dallas, or is he simply jacking up his demands in order to force his way out of New York? Speaking only for myself on point one, I think the answer is no. Abraham is proven. Those kids are not.

Derrick,

I think the team is going to get a receiver in the first two rounds, though not necessarily in round one. When Parcells himself says they need a playmaker at WR, you know it’s a priority.

Mickey Spagnola dropped the hint that WR might get attention in round two, since the team “thinks the WR depth will last through round two.” That last statement was not Spagnola thinking for himself, but channeling a Valley Ranch source.

I took that and started grinding second round projections yesterday. The guy who’s really starting to get my attention is Terrence Murphy.

I agree, i think we need a reciever, but may not right now. But then again both KJ and TG are coming off season ending injuries. Morgan never played up to his potential and was also injured. Crayton and Copper showed some flashes of knowing how to play, but I wouldn’t pin my season on them.

If we didn’t have a great pass cather in TE witten i would definately say we need a WR right now. I mean I know we have a lot of holes to fill. But if we fill those holes, but have no one to back those startes up, when one goes down, then what do we do.

That was a huge problem for us last year, injuries and lack of experienced/good players to backup our starters. You also have to think of 3 or more reciever sets.

I hear you when it comes to DE, OT, LB, and S. Those are must fill positions. But RB and FB, yes we have needs there, but I don’t see how they are more pressing then WR. JJ is freakin awesome, Lee had some brilliant runs, but does need to learn to block. Your right I guess FB is a little lean especially if anderson retires.

I am just afraid we are gonna fill all of out holes and be prepared for a great season. Until Abraham or Howard, or TG, or KJ or whoever else goes down to an injury and thier replacement gets schooled by our opponents.

But heres is what I think will happen. Bill Parcells will liekly not hang around after another 6-10 season. So he is gonna go out and fill the holes now, looking to put a winning team on the field. He would likely take Abraham over a draftee(not that theres anything wrong with that, its hard to say which is better)He will liekly not draft a WR early, since all he will care about is the now, not the next year.

I just wish the dang draft was here, so we could see what happens already. But again I may have seemed like I am for taking a receiver, which I am, but I am also in favor of taking all the other guys we need. I have not yet chosen my mock draftees.

I was mearly trying to find out why the poll says get a WR, but everbody in here says get a DE. You think it would be the same people voting as posting. But it appears not.

Ah, I must have missed the part where bill said he needed a playmaker at wide reciever, so thats why all the votes are for WR.

Getting Abraham sounds good, but I would not give up 2 firsts for him, EVENTHOUGH he is amazing, plus his injury issues, i’d rather draft one, and plus it doesnt look like the Jets are in a position where they MUST get rid of him..

Okay guys, we can speculate all we want about who we’re going to get, but bottomline ANYTHING can happen during the draft, and someone in everyones projected top 10 mocks is GOING TO DROP.. it always happens, Ben last yr was picked 11th, Steven Jackson dropped to 24th and he was considered the ace pick for RB’s… and lets look to 2003, Terrell Suggs was projected by many to be a top 5 easy, and look he slid down to #10 and guys he was being drafted as a DE not an LB.. but look at him now, he’s definsive ROY for 2003… bottomline, alot of these so-called ESPN/FOX whoever analysts dont know whats going on, they’re just going based on what teams needs are…

1 thing that comes as a surpise to me is that not many feel the OT position is a need, I think Alex Barron would be a good choice, considering we have Bledsoe, I mean we absolutely MUSt protect this guy! but I think if he’s a lil bit more moblie than advertised than a WR would be a nice addition… but I think #1 prioity should be DE…. but hey theres lots of talent and like i said someone is bound to fall, so hey my best bet is we get the best available player within team needs… hey if #11 out of texas falls, come on thats a no brainer…

Man I’ve been reading this site for a couple of days not, its really good, u do a great job Rafael keep up the good work!

Don’t think Abraham is the lone problem here. The Jets have mismanaged negotiations with a few players. Lavernues Coles would have resigned with the Jets for far less than he received from Washington, but they allowed him to test the waters. Coles stated that if the Jets offered him a reasonable deal before he became a restricted FA, he would have jumped at it. Lamont Jordan should have never reached the open air either. Kareem McKenzie, Randy Thomas, Jason Ferguson, and others opted for other teams. The problem here is the Jets have the willingness to let so many players become free agents, without much of attempt to sign them. Once the player hears what he is worth on the open market and starts preparing himself for a possible move, then a lesser offer from his original team often seems like they don’t want him. Why let him hit the open market if you are not going to give him top dollar? I’m sure if the Jets offered Abraham a reasonable contract before he became a potential FA, he would be a Jet for a while to come. But now he is selfish for fielding offers? If I were Bradway, I would have talked with him two years ago, to find a range of what he is looking for, and worked on it from there.

Mike,

Others……like GMs and Coaches have made the comment that Rolle is either a CB or FS. While some have argued he might hold out, I think this kid wants to play and would sign on. Coaches sighting his size and his ability to be a playmaker at FS vs. the smaller CBs who are seen more as coverage only. Dwight Smith was trying to go as a CB to NO from Tampa but is still going to play S. Rolle is Definitely a guy that comes in and contributes right away. I personally am a fan of having a CB/FS if we can afford it. Frazier, Thornton, Reeves are all young……Hunter coming off injury….yet to sign his offer……Scott at FS? But we do have many holes to fill…..so not sure where they go get a CB/FS at. Pool getting attention also. I know a lot less about the other CB/S in the draft, Washington was mentioned for his speed, and others. I do hope that position is uprgraded in this draft though. (maybe PFWs Nolan Nawrocki read the blog and thinks we know something he don’t!!! LOL)

However, SF has Rolle visiting and considering him as a top pick. Because he is bigger than Jones and Washington his stock is rising despite his 40 time not being the fastest. His tackling and playmaking were solid, and MIAMI produces players on both sides of the ball. 66 tackels and 2 sacks from the CB position last year. SHUTDOWN Larry Fitzgerald at PITT to 26 yards and one TD. That is probably what has the scouts liking this guy so much, shutsdown Fitzgerald and averages better than 5 tackels a game. Lewis and Reed in Baltimore are just a few of the recent prospects that come to mind.

Having seen Rolle a lot at MIAMI, he is player. I would be surprised if he last until 11, and as other speculate the trade down stuff…….and the pay for another top pick in our defensive backfield……..however, he would be an impact player and a great add. Again, I argue the better your coverage the better your rush and vice versa……if you got a great rush up front your coverage guys can not be as great………I like Rolle. Would love to see him in a Cowboys uniform, he is not a finesse player, he is a football player and would be utilized well. Who knows how it will all break down. I also like Abraham, Ferguson, Ellis, and Glover…….

Also Rafaels commentary on Parcells picks and how he improves in year three have me very optimistic. If there is that DE or LB that he sees, a guy that is going to be our McGinest………hey guys I am all for it. I did not see Parcells…….the Playcalling Headcoach……picking WRs historically very high……..so whatever he does I am looking forward to guys that will have Stars on their helmets and Rings on their Fingers over the next Decade.

I heard he commented on Mathis from Hampton the 5’11" MEAC Standout that ran a 40 in depending on who says it 4.28. He inherited Keyshawn at NY Jets right…….not sure how good was Copper and Crayton. I hate to think of a Glenn or Johnson injury and we have Morgan as our only experienced wideout.

Also the votes for WR………remember anyone who played knows this the guys that make the touchdowns and throw the touchdowns always get the attention the money and the girls. The battles are in the trenches and other positions but Aikman, Irvin and Emmit are the ones they talk about not Stepnoki, Williams and Newton………or Haley, Maryland, and Tolbert……always the Touchdowns……..but we do need a playmaker at WR……….just not sure when. I have always thought you had to draft the combination of speed and talent higher.

Oh, Antonio………ye of little work ethic. Where art thou Antonio. If thou hast only to learn to run routes.

Lets Go Cowboys.

MOh,

I haven’t ruled out OT, but I think that anybody they draft would have to be ready, out of the box, to outplay Torrin Tucker. Now, Tucker was raw last year, but he was switching positions from OG. He’s got two training camps under his belt now and the team likes him; Jerry Jones said as much during Marco Rivera’s press conference, where he said Tucker was probably rushed into the lineup last year.

There’s only one tackle who fits that criterion to me, a RT who could play as a rookie at a high level and be a good bet as a pass protector. That’s Jammal Brown. Now, will he even be there at 20, with the Rams picking at 19, and having a serious need for a RT?

MOh, many people have mentioned that we need an OT, but with what we already have and with whats available in the draft I think that most believe this will be addressed later in the draft. Although you don’t want to go to late, since we kinda need a starter, so I am guess for that to happen we will need to trade down oneof the number 1’s to pick up another 2nd or a 3rd rounder.

Cause obviously it doesn’t matter who your receivers are, if the QB only has a second and a half to throw, its gonna be a rough season.

I think we need to consider what positions will help out in other areas as well and address those first. Obviously a pass rush will help out our cover guys. SO we definately need a sack master over DB.

But by that same token, another OT tackle will give the QB more time to throw which will help our receivers out. But I just can’t see taking an OT with our 42nd pick and then a receiver with our 4th rounder or whenever.

I don’t really know though, I am new to this off season stuff. It seems liek it would be a fun job to have, but also very very nerve racking and time consuming.

Plus as others have said, until draft day comes around, no one has any idea whats gonna happen. I mean we can speculate all we want. But in then end it may not make a differance.

Rafael,

Yeah………if it was any other coach but Parcells picking I would say trade the farm for Abraham or Howard. Just cuz we were so awful at DE and other positions in the draft process. But as you have so eloquently pointed out this guy has done well in the draft. I for one am hoping he stays on as GM to help Jerry get over the Shante Carver and Dave LeFleur syndrome that killed out talent. However, it shakes out I know we will be improved. Maybe even moreso than we think.

You mentioned his occassional injuries. Not something you see as an overiding concern? I know when he is on the field he is as good a pass rusher as is around. Looks worth the risk, they all get some kinda injury.

Anybody look at Simeon Rices numbers lately. That guy is a perennial POWERHOUSE. I was surprised other than the Super Bowl year he gets little attention compared to Sapp and Brooks, but he has been chasing down QBs for a good long while now as good as anybody. How did Tampa get that guy from Arizon? Any studs like that in this draft?

its fun to speculate mike! well yeah ur right, i KEEP FORGETTING we have no 3rd… damn that henson lol… but yea we would need someone sure-fire if we were gonna select an OT… but I dunno we’ll see what happens, I forgot to mention the consideration of Rolle.. I really like this guy too, him and Johnson out of texas look like the 2 standout defensive players, eventhough we need a DE i wouldnt hesitate to jump at Rolle with #11…

I dunno to u guys but I’m not really as pumped with the 20th pick i mean.. wouldnt it be funny if Mike Williams fell here ala Randy Moss ’98 Draft? Sweet..

Yea Mike it would be very nerve racking, but I think it would be fun too, I do it all the time with Madden 2005, although by now i’ve gotten bored.. i can always wate for 2006 version :(

As far as offensive line goes……….we need to adopt the Denver and Atlanta approach of late round guys that we work with and teach and train. You can pay them less. Develop them longer, and have a solid line like Denver and Atlanta do.

Rafael,

You think Barron is going to have problems in the NFL? I read some comments that he gets by on natural ability alone and has not had to do the hardwork so far. He did lose weight for the pro day. I think Rivera, Tucker, Johnson, Allen, Adams…….along with Rogers, Peterman and a few others will work…….Lehr looked like he had potential to bad he is lost to Atlanta

Yeah Jon, I agree with what your saying, you sold me on rolle as our FS, backup CB a while back. But as you said, he may be gone by then, plus we have other needs to fill. We need more picks, but knowing Jerry we will get more. But we also need a bunch of guys that can come out and start and make an impact, and those are tougher to find/pick in the lower rounds. But like you said, its bills third year, so lets see those fireworks.

Also can someone give me a quick primer, or point me to a website with the explination for the salary cap, and how all that works. How much do we have available, is the amount we have for both current FA’s and the guys we are gonna draft?

I just think maybe we would be better off drafting a DE, then paying Abraham what hes asking for in NY. Then we would have some extra cash laying around to maybe use on a FA in another position we need.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question644.htm

its not fun stuff Mike, I just learned through playin video games, u get a fair assement, not EXACTLY but real life but pretty darn close..

basically, if u sign abraham for like 1yr deal worth 6Mil, and 2Mil is a signing bonus… and then u decide, u know what abraham, i dont like u… so u release him… u get 4mil back… but u pay a penality for next yr because u released him w/ a signing bonus..

in many ways the NFL’s way is better than the NBA… granted u get less people staying with original teams, at least if a guy is not playing up to what his contract yields u can do plenty about it…. in the NBA u sign Michael Jordan for 36mil for 1 yr (not kidding guys, he was paid that much by Chicago in ’96) and after a month u decide u hate Michael and want to get rid of him… guess what, ur paying him regardless… 1month.. 36mil…

by the way they never released him if i’m confusing anyone.. they actually went on to in in 1996 against Karl Malone/John Stockton and the Utah Jazz

Yeah I have played the video games, I kinda know how it works. I guess I shouldn’t have worded that the way i did, but I will check out that article non the less. Man I even though to msyelf, I wonder if it would be on howstufworks.com. But then I was like, no they wouldn’t do an article on that. LOL

Anyways my main question about it is, how much do we have available now, and does that money get used on both current FA’s and draftees, or is there a pool of money for each. Obviously if the game sare correct thenit is all the same pool for all players, right, so how much do we have available after I latest signings?

Mike,

After the big free agent signings of Bledsoe, Henry, Ferguson and Rivera, I heard Dallas had somewhere between 7 and 9 million in cap space left.

Figure they will need a rookie pool somewhere between 2 to 3 million, and
figure they’ll save some free space in case of injury (remember that mid season Bernie Kosar signing in ‘93? ) You can’t take advantage of another teams mistake, as Green Bay did in ’96, picking up Andre Rison late in the year, unless you have some money in reserve.

I’d say they have about 2-3 million in cap room that they could use now, if the right player came on their radar.

not exactly, sure I would assume its part of the large picture because a signing is a signing regardless if ur a rookie or not… but before the free-agent period Dallas was estimated at 15mil free, which is awesome… not sure what the figure is now… and u also have to consider Coakley and Wiley were released so, all of Wiley’s bonus is eating up the cap for this yr… not sure how much it was, but cant be that bad..

I think owners just like to seperate how much they WANt to spend on rookies, like theres certain figures each 1 can make based on what round or selection they were, for example, #1 is going to be paid the MOST amount, which is why alot of analysts are saying SF might trade its pick to San Diego for Rivers… not sure how that works out cuz Rivers is also beign paid alot so either way they’re stuck with the large sum of money…

But anyways i think Dallas is pretty much done with the free agency, if they were gonna do something, they shoulda jumped on Dwight Smith or Sharper… I think if they get anyone at this ponit to play FS or anyone in particular its gonna be small deal laced with incentives…

So basically if we needed to we have the money to find one more good starter to fill one more hole in free agency. And the rookies fromt he draft only have about 2-3 million to go around, man that doesn’t sound like much. I know they are rookies, but I didn’t know they worked that cheap. How does that work exactly, we have what 8 picks this year as of now. If we actually sign all 8 picks and only have 3 million to spread around them, thats only like 375,000 each, isn’t that below the league minimum?

Mike,

I may be underestimating the size of the rookie pool, but you are allotted money on the number of picks you have and where they are. Then, it’s first come, first served. The later picks are fairly easy to sign, since there is a scale to value, and the only matter to be haggled over is the size of your rookie bonus.

What you do not want to do if you are a late pick is wait. Because if the first and second round picks sign big deals that eat up much of your rookie cap, you’re scrambling for crumbs.

i dont see too much of a need at FS right now. i know it is very important cuz ROY could use the help so he can play better. and, with frazier, who by the way really showed me alot. i mean he came off a PRACTICE SQUAD from Baltimore, and probably didnt expect to be a starter so soon. he probably thought to be a backup or maybe not even play. he kinda got thrown in there and for being rushed and definitely nervous, he did well in my eyes and he can only get MUCH BETTER. hunter looks good, reeves needs work, and with a 4th or maybe a 3rd round guy (if we pick up a 3rd) then we wil be set. the first round should be a DE and a WR. or a LB if one is there that is very good. i say just TRUST IN BILL. i know that we will have a winning season next year.

How do you not see a need at safety. We need help in coverage. Roy isn’t great in coverage, and really we don’t want to be back in coverage much anyways. Newman can be great, and hopefully will be back to old form this year, but he could always use the help. And Henry while good is not the best corner in the league, so we definately need help at FS. Now if Hunter can fil that role well, then thats fine. But we have no way of knowing how well or even if he will accept that job. I would assume he would if he really wants to start, but he has said he does not want to play safety.

I agree we need a DE, WR, LB, and probablly an OT, but we also need a FS, or someone we canget to play FS, be it some other DB or even a LB, or whatever, but we need someone that knows how to cover to help out there.

I would love to see merriman or Johnson fall to mid first round or so, so we can trade down, still pick on of them up and get a second or third. Also get a WR. Then in the second get maybe Poole at FS, and either a LB or OT with the other pick we picked up from trading down. Then let bill work his late round magic, since we lack a 3rd rounder, we would pick next in the 4th and 5th, then we got the two late 6th’s and a 7th. The rest of the picks can be used to fill whatever other spots we have or for backups.

But that probablly won’t happen.

Sorry Ryan, but I have to disagree with you on the need for a true free safety. Like our middle linebacker, he is the quarterback of the front seven, the safety is the quarterback of the secondary. I remember woodson moving the corners inside a few steps and to take away the inside slants on a certain plays he seen coming. A great free safety can see the play before it even happens. Just look at Reed in baltimore and what he does pre snap. Boy would I love a free safety like him in our secondary.

I agree Derrick, losing woodson hurt us pretty bad. I was hoping we could fill his role with a veteran FA, but it doesn’t look like that will happen. I almost wish we would have been able to sign a FS instead of Henrey, then maybe we could look to rolle in the draft. But really I am not sure I saw anyone available at that position that I liked. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy we got Anthony, I just would have preferred a Woodson replacement.

I mean think about it last year for most of the season our secondary had an average time in the NFL of what like 2-3 years. Now at current its still only like 3-4. Not saying I don’t like youth, since they tend to have the speed and more ability then some of the older guys. But I want to have at least one guy out there that has seen pretty much everything and can run the secondary from the field.

Ty Law. If he looks ready to go, I think if we could get him and put him in at FS, that would be a great addition to our secondary. Think we would be able to afford him?

According to http://www.askthecommish.com/salarycap/numbers.asp, not sure how reliable they are. But they say after Bledsoes signing we have 9.81 million. So how much did Henry, Rivera, and Ferguson cost us this year?

mike, I think the longer the offseason goes the better the chances of us signing law and playing him at free safety. Right now there isn’t alot of interest in law because he isn’t fully recovered from his injury and until he proves he can pass a physical, he going to be stuck on the sidelines looking on

Another quick question. I know there is basiclly no way this would happen. But say somehow we get an offer to trade up or heck maybe he just falls. But if Edwards is avilable to us at the 11th pick, we almost have to take him right? I know its not likely, but who knows. I mean I think we need a receiver, but do we need one with a first pick. Normally I would say no, but if that happens…..

Whats hampering his recovery. He got injured in what the 7th game of the season? He broke his foot, right? How long doe sit take to mend a broken foot?

I believe he had some pins removed a couple of weeks ago and is just starting light workouts.

plus he is overweight right now and is how old? i want his experience and leadership to our secondary though so that would be great

Overweight, how do you know hes overweight right now? I can believe it, but just wondering how you know that, how much over weight? Who cares how old he is, thats what I want, the experience. Obviously I don’t want a dinosaur, but compared to Woodson, most people will be younger. I don’t know his age but law has 10 years experience according to NFL.com

That would be a great pick up and then we could get Merriman, whatever good receiver is there at 20, then either a LB or OT with our second pick. Or both if we are able to trade down and still get a good receiver.

I would love Ty Law at FS, but I think two things would have to happend.

His stock would have to drop, he made big bucks last year and wants to make that kind of money again. Not sure we could pay him, but if for some reason he is a bit peeved at some of the comments Little Bill made. Hey we won without him, and all that. He also had a field day in the press with Law over the whole offseason last year before biting the bullet and paying him. One thing about cornerbacks……..except for maybe DEION most of these guys are making their money on the field, not through commercials like Tom Brady or Michael Vick.

His stock drops, he decides he wants to play for a contender and prove he is a difference maker. He decides to sign with a team as either a CB or FS if he is slowed a bit and the Cowboys come up. He is a Parcells pick so it makes a little bit of sense. There are plenty of good corners in the draft this year, Rolle, Washington, Pac Man………among others…….so maybe his stock drops a bit on age factor and he basically decides he would rather go out a winner. Comes home to Pappa Bill……..and we got ourselves one heck of a defensive back no matter where he plays.

The downside of Law…….is what the Patriots experienced last year. Injury and high salary without being on the field. Unfortunately the Price would have to be very right, for Jerry and Bill to get Ty in a Cowboys uniform. Remember when Rod Woodson left Pittsburgh for Baltimore. Folks had kinda said Woodson had lost a step and blah blah blah. He goes over there and plays Safety with something to prove. Leader in the locker room and on the field, did not matter that he had lost a step at safety so much as at CB. Deion came out of retirement, must have spent all of Jerry and Dan Snyders Money, or got tired of fishing…….either way he comes back to play nickel. Played pretty well, but certainly Deion of old was no Nickel, the guy was the SHUT DOWN Corner…….the risk taker that made the QBs including our own Aikman wary of throwing his way. Troy said, hey I throw over there so as to keep him honest, but you have to respect his speed and break on the ball. No reason to wear out your welcome.

The FS and Nickel positions are important. I think we probably have a nickel guy somewhere in there from Hunter, Reeves, Thornton, Jones, or Frazier………Reeves and Frazier seemed to battle the best last year but the other guys could develop. None of them are Ty Law, Antrel Rolle, or Darren Woodson. If………you can get a great player at that position I think it as well as DE, LB, and WR need immediate attention.

Our Defense went from tops in the league to crap. Four Reasons………Mario Edwards the least of them combined with Hunter Injury……….Darren Woodson was a huge Loss………Willie Blade no discipline over weight youre outta here…….and NO RUNNING GAME……..and no POINTS being scored when we had the ball. Julius Jones and our Offensive Line is part of what made our defense better the second half of the year. Better clock management. Did anybody wonder why Bill was giving the rock to Jones 33 times, and catching up with Earl Campbell stats. Jones was the best option on the field to get into the end zone, and he kept the clock rolling. Something a dropped pass does not………or worse an interception.

I personally think that the heart and sould of that Defense was not Nguyen or Roy or Dexter………I think it was Darren Woodson. His loss and ability to read defense and call the audible was missed. He is not the kind of player easily replaced……..but certainly the position needs an upgrade.

mike, i read it on espn or nfl, maybe even si.com i cant remember. i was just pointing out his age..i said he would be a good pickup too

we all have already accomplished that woody was the heart soul, leadership and everything to that defense. who ever said nguyen was? or dexter? or roy? none of them speak up and add leadership like woody did. we already know that woody left a scar on us

I agree completely Jon. Thats why I think we need a Veteran in that position. I mean obviously I don’t want to over pay too much, but I would be willing to pay a decent amount to get a veteran back in that position. Thats why I am just wondering what he would want and if we have the cap room for him. Obviously hes good, but hes also coming off an injury. What was he making his last year at NE?

Either way whatever we do, we need a QB for our defense. Maybe Roy or Antony can try to fill that position, but I would prfer a guy like law in there.

Yeah Ryan, I wasn’t saying you were wrong or anything. I mean hes injured I can easily beleieve he is overweight. I just wondered how overweight they are talking. I mean overweaight because he is injured. Or did he just say the hell with it. Which I doubt, but who knows.

What do you guys think of Brandon Browner? With his size 6-4 and cover ability seems perfect for a safety position, and I guess he’s going to be available for the 2nd rounder, even for a late one if we trade down from one of our top picks and get a late second. He’s not the fastest corner, main reason for him not being selected earlier, but he makes up for that with good readings of the QB, which is another point for a conversion to safety.

Ty Law at safety sounds intriguing, doesn’t sound cheap, and we need the money for emergency signings in June, I still think that if we don’t have an answer at RT for that date that we need to make a run for Kyle Turley services. Law is coveted for several teams (Kansas, Miami, Seattle, ourselves and some others) which means that his price is going to drive up, and what makes you think that he’s going to accept less money for playing with Parcells? He already refused playing for Belichick in a team with good chemistry and playoffs bound.

I would love to see this depth chart in august:
RCB: Anthony Henry / Pete Hunter
LCB: Terence Newman / Lance Frazier
FS: Keith Davis / Brandon Browner
SS: Roy Williams / Lynn Scott

Remember in previous years having players of Parcells previous stops like Ben Coates among others as assistant coaches? Imagine Woodson assisting Browner to become a good cover safety, sounds good, right?

Consider this: in 2000 Bill Parcells elected to wait until the 3rd round to select a WR and drafted Laveranues Coles. This decision came after trading away Pro Bowl WR Keyshawn Johnson. Look at the WR taken in front of him.

2000 NFL Draft

rd #
1 4 Peter Warrick WR Florida State
1 8 Plaxico Burress WR Michigan State
1 10 Travis Taylor WR Florida
1 21 Sylvester Morris WR Jackson State
1 29 R. Jay Soward WR Southern California
2 32 Dennis Northcutt WR Arizona
2 36 Todd Pinkston WR Southern Mississippi
2 47 Jerry Porter WR West Virginia
3 66 Ron Dugans WR Florida State
3 69 Dez White WR Georgia Tech
3 70 Chris Cole WR Texas A&M
3 73 Ron Dixon WR Lambuth
3 78 Laveranues Coles WR Florida State

78. Laveranues Coles, WR, New York Jets- Has been timed faster than 4.2, but in many ways, seems to be a track star in football cleats. Doesnâ€â"¢t have good hands, and hasnâ€â"¢t really shown that he can use anything but speed to his advantage as a receiver. Perhaps more importantly, he seems to be a real head case. Four games into the 1999 season, he was booted from the team for his part in the same incident that involved Warrick. But he had previously been suspended for assaulting his stepmother, and another time for a separate incident. Good kickoff return man. – fbcollege.com Steve Goldman

Now if history repeats itself, Parcells will wait again and draft another “track star in football cleets” by the name of Jerome Mathis.

Chandus,

Browner is a nice value pick. That’s the kind of selection Parcells likes to make. I think he will try to position himself in the 2nd round and sit on players like Browner and Mathis.

It’s nice to see fans looking further than the 1st round to fill some of our holes.

Candus, I appologize, as I don’t know much about Ty Law, but where did you hear he didn’t want to play for Belicheck? I though he was cut because the Patriots didn’t want to pay his huge salary. Or are you saying he could have stayed with them if he restructured to a lower contract, but he refused?

Eric,

Great comment on the WR. I also noticed Bill does not usually take a WR very high. He got Troy Brown in a very late round like a 7th round.

I am personally less familiar with the guys under the top four or five WRs in the draft. There are several guys with 6’1+ height hands and good speed although not a burner……..Williams is coming to Valley Ranch, but he is no burner either, but definitely has the size and skill to be a great NFL WR or TE with the new recieving type TE.

While I want a WR, and would love to have some of these big name guys, all I care about is how they perform. Jerry Porter, Todd Pinkston are both pretty good. I think Porter with Moss and Ronald Curry are going to be the three best WR in the NFL next year with gunslinger Kerry and Norv calling for the long ball…….those guys are going to put some points on the board. Unfortunately they will have to Minnesota like with the talent the Raiders have on the other side of the ball.

I want a WR, but I am thinking the Value of a CB / FS that can stop the WR is probably higher. With the new rules change doesn’t that seem to make the WR of less talent……and the CB having to compensate more. Therefore if given the oppourtunity to upgrade the CB/FS or add first round WR not sure that the Secondary on our D needs more help. Perhaps bill can work some magic in the later rounds with the WR. I like Terry and Key for everydown recieving and Terry Glenn was catching everything thrown his way last year prior to injury. I have no doubt he will be big time again, but I would like to see a bigger guy with some speed that can stretch the Defense.

There is also another factor that people do not take into consideration, it is the wear em out factor. A great WR that can run a route and draw a double team a couple of guys having to cover and worry about him, not only draws that coverage usually the best CB. Keyshawn and Terry with another big play deep threat guy…….who are they going to cover. I do not think that Terry and Key are striking much fear in the hearts of a defense by themselves, but add Witten in there and always the possiblity of a screen pass to Jones and maybe another guy that can really stretch the Defense. One thing about Bledsoe he can throw the ball. I mean he is as mobile as Warner or Marino….but has a cannon for an arm. I think he just got an upgrade on the guys around him, so he is going to want to compete and win.

Is there a Coles later in this draft…….i am sure there are a few. One thing we cannot afford is another Antonio Bryant or David Lefleur. I heard Bryant had a lot of issues in college at Pitt, did we miss that in our research. Did we think he would grow up and mature maybe, not sure either way a real disappointment that a guy with that much talent and potential did not want to do the work and improve his attitude.

Mike:

That’s the main reason why Belichick let him go, for the past 2 seasons he has tried to get him into a contract, but always his demands were beyond what Pioli (General Manager) and Bill himself were willing to give him, last year was the dropplet that filled the glass, he injured himself and didn’t played the hole season, and his demands didn’t came down, so they cutted him.

I think that he still wants a team to show him the money, and that’s, I guess, the main reason why he hasn’t signed with a team still, the teams are doubtful of giving a player big time money for one that could start running full speed by May or June.

Eric:

Waiting for later rounds to cover some holes sounds smart in some positions, drafting a LB and DE in the 1st round also sounds smart, but to think that in that order you could pass on players like Clayton and Williamson, doesn’t sound smart. Like some bloggers over here have said, I can’t wait to the 25th of this month, just to know already who the Cowboys got and how does next season look.

Dang Jon, the more you talk, the more I like what your saying. I hadn’t even considered about what you said with the rule change, so yeah you kinda want a better CB, then a receiver. What exactly is the wording on the ruling, I actually don’t know much about it, I have heard it talked baout though. It has somethign to do with contact, You used to be able to contact the receiver within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage right? Di they shorten that or take it away or what?

And how does it compare to the rules in college. Are these new guys gonna be ready to handle it?

Chandus,

If you can read in between the lines, Dalllas is going to be looking for a partner to trade down. Take a look at the list of WRs taken before Coles. My point is: let teams overvalue your selection and make the trade, whether it be Williams, Williamson, Clayton, Rolle, or who ever. Then go for the good value players such as Browner, keep your eye on Mathis in the 2nd round, etc. Get the highest value for your picks, whether it means we wait ’til next year to get a WR or not, because I am quite sure there will be another “Rolle”, another “Williamson”, another “Clayton”, etc.

I would love to trade down from the 11th spot, and end up getting two more 2nd rounders, and keep our late 1st and mid round 2nd. Put us in position to get Spears, Tuck, Browner, and Mathis. If there ends up being a bidding war for one or more of our selections, then its possible Dallas can add more picks too.

who is browner that you all have been talkin about lately? is he any good? what position?

i still would rather have pool with one of our seconds (if we get more) because he looks the part for FS

I wouldn’t mind us picking up Bam Childress if he is still there in the 7th. I have seen him projected mid 7th. He is undersized at about 5’9" and 185lbs, so I doubt he will be the star receiver we need. But he is pretty quick with a 40 of 4.42, he would at least make a good return guy. He’s also played some RB/CB as well.

I also wouldn’t mind seeing anoter OUS guy Simon Fraser slip to the late 6th and we could pick him up with a compensatory. He is a little undersized for the pros. But bulk him up and he can be a force.
 
How about Josh Bullock in the mid to late second if we manage to pick up another 2nd rounder. He looks to be a solid FS.

How about the OT position we have a need at, do you think we will actually go out and get a real right tackle, or are we gonna get the best guy available when we decide its time to draft for our OT position? Also how early do you think we would look to draft our OT. It looks like there are some good guys in the 3-5th rounds. Obviously as of now we lack a 3rd rounder. But I know that position is a position Bill really wants to improve to protect bledsoe. SO do we wait and hope we get a gem, or do we draft one of the top 3-5 guys that should go in the first or second?

why do you guys keep sayin to pick up leinart next year? we got henson, why in the world do u think bill would even think of, or jerry for that matter, gettin another QB and waste a 1st rounder on him??

Ryan,

Brandon Browner
Position: Cornerback
College: Oregon State
Height: 6-4
Weight: 221
Hometown: Sylmar, Calif.

OVERVIEW
One of the finest defensive players to ever wear an Oregon State uniform, Browner has proven his ability as a shutdown cornerback. The Pac-10 Conference Freshman of the Year helped the program weather the 2002 departures of Dennis Weathersby, Calvin Carlyle and Terrell Roberts. He is one of the most physically gifted athletes in the conference and can also perform as a wide receiver.

Browner redshirted in 2002 at Oregon State. He then went on to start in every game he played in for the Beavers. Browner was named to the Freshman All-America teams by the Football Writers Association and The Sporting News in 2003. He was chosen Pac-10 Conference Freshman of the Year and was a member of the All-Pac 10 second team. He ranked ninth in the nation with six interceptions and recorded 43 tackles (37 solo) with six pass breakups, two forced fumbles and three stops for losses as a redshirt freshman.

Browner added All-America and All-Pac 10 Conference honors from The NFL Draft Report in 2004. Lining up at right cornerback, he regularly faced the opponent’s top receiver. Browner recorded 44 tackles (37 solo) with a sack, nine pass deflections and a blocked kick in 2004. He finished his two-year collegiate career with 87 tackles (74 solo), a 2-yard sack, five stops for losses of 16 yards, two forced fumbles, 15 pass deflections and six interceptions for 74 yards in returns and a touchdown.

What about picking up a QB this year? David Greene should be a low risk selection. If you ask me, at worst he pushes Henson to perform. With his accuracy and a real good TD/INT ratio against stiff competition in college, he may be more prepared to back up Bledsoe than Henson is right now.

What do you think about T.A. McLendon? I’ve seen this guy play, and he is tough. Probably would go higher than he will go, if he wasn’t injured so often. Ideal fit though, cause he would be backing up Julius, so he could get into “Parcells” shape while understudying. He has excellent vision.

if browner is so good, and i really think he is w/ size and athleticism, why isnt he going higher? what round pick is he projected right now?

Ryan,

Browner has only played two years of college ball. That’s the biggest reason he will probably be a early to mid second round draft choice. Here is what NFL.com has to say about his down side:

Has a good short-area burst, but is a bit of a long strider in the open … Fluid in his backpedal, but is a little stiff on the turn and may lose a step in deep coverage … Will hit and wrap with authority, but will revert to arm tackling on occasion … Better as a press-coverage defender than as a trail type, as he is still a little inconsistent with his footwork … His hip stiffness is evident when he tries to change direction, as he has trouble sometimes playing off-coverage situations

Mike,

Nice find with Bam Childress. I read a little about his high school accomplishments. Seems like he is quite an athlete. Why not with a 7th?

Yeah I can’t believe I forgot about him up till now. Like I said hes undersized, worse case senario he is an excellant return guy. Best case senario, if he plays like he did at OSU, he can make some big plays. Obviously hes not the guy you want to be throwing jump balls to, or throw to him when hes somewhat covered, since he won’t beat a bigger corner. But if he gets open, which he easily can with his speed, then look out, cause he has some great moves and is hard to tackle.

Plus I as I said, he as played CB/RB. I can’t really see him at CB due to his size. But I do think he could be at least the 3rd guy in line for RB. I wouldn’t want him as the backup running back due to lack of expereince. But if the unthinkable happens and both JJ and his backup go down, he could fill in in a pinch. Hes pretty versitle. If we are pretty set with other stuff, I would even be okay taking him with one of our 6th round picks.

One thing that probablly is the reason he is a late rounder is his lack of experience. He was OSU’s 3rd receiver, so he saw time, but he was not a starter. Also not that it matters but he is also Champ Baily’s cousin. I also realized I had his height wrong, he is 5’10" not 5’9". I just got to looking at his stats closer though, and it appears he did not play in several games during college though. I was unaware of this and am not sure why this is. I don’t think it was due to injury as the missed games are at times random. I will have to look into this more. I still like him in the 7th though.

Actually I am getting conflicting info, one site says he played all 13 game sin 2003, another says he did not play in 8 games that season. Hmmm……..

Well, I’m gettting into a new position after all this blogs with tons of information, the position of “I don’t know a thing about the draft”.

The needs with CAPS are as follows (in my point of view): DE, LB, FS, WR, FB and OT. The lower needs, you could name them needs for depth purposes: DT, RB, OT and LB. With 8 draft choices and only 3 in the top 100, what CAP need do you feel you could send to the back of your mind and forget until later rounds?

DE? If we don’t get Howard or Abraham, are you sure you want to take to the field Kenyon Coleman or Eric Ogbogu? That position needs to be addressed in the top 64. LB? Parcells already has said that he needs a playmaker in there, and last year there wasn’t.

FS? Pete Hunter could solve the problem, but that’s a big could, there’s a need, at least for a backup, Keith Davis isn’t the solution, neither are Scott nor Finley(the recent signee).

WR? You need a speedster in there, something Glenn was, but that’s gone, and Key never had. Stretching the field is something I haven’t seen succesfully made since the Rocket played with Aikman.

FB? Richie Anderson could retire, do you want Darian Barnes or Lousaka Polite in there in one back sets protecting Bledsoe? Or coming out of the backfield as a passing threat? I guess not.

OT? The left side is a strength in the team, Flozell and Rogers make great depth, the right side is a mistery, can Tucker start playing like he’s supposed to in his third year? Can Flozell play there in place of Tucker if he can’t? Do you want marginal starter material Vollers playing there fulltime if neither of the mentioned can?

The depth purpose needs are important also, imagine JJ injured, do you want Lee back there with his apparent inhability to block or to recognize the hot spots? Bickerstaff? That’s a longer shot. DT? Glover is the healthiest Cowboy I’ve seen in a while, the luck of not getting something serious is waning? Who is his backup? Leonardo Carson is backup material at best and Jermaine Brooks has something, that’s what Parcells says, but I don’t know what. And what if Ferguson comes down? Carson in there again? I guess not. OT? You always can have better than Vollers and Tucker who are marginal starters. And LB, the position needs depth, especially of 3-4 size, at MLB behind Nguyen, there’s Keith O’Neal 6’0, you need bigger, Singleton could move inside, but who goes outside? Shanle? Thornton? They are works in progress, Bill needs someone to push them.

Another question: If the Cowboys do trade down, with who would they? The common thing to do, is to look at teams with several draft choices, Philly comes to mind inmediatelly and the words “East rivals” comes also, we don’t have to help them solve one of their problems even if that solves 1, 2 or 3 of our problems. Other teams with several choices are Tampa and Tennesse, but they have a lot of wholes also. From there the teams with several choices have them after the 3rd round. One team to look upon is San Diego, the have a couple of 1st rounder, and they need a couple or 3 players for the next level, and that could make them positive about trading up with one of our 1st rounders.

So, all that leaves me with question marks that need to be solved, and will be, at draft day. I’m eating my finger nails.

Hi fellow Cowboys fans,
   I just recently found this site and wanted to say how much I enjoy reading all of your comments on “The Boys”. I live In Virginia and have loved the Cowboys since I was 7 (I’m 35 now). Keep up the good work, keep voicing all of your opinions, God bless America’s Team, and Go Dallas!!!

P.S. I see the Cowboys eventually working out a trade for Abraham just to have a proven, very good(and still young) DE. I think they don’t want to take their chances on an early round draft pick on a DE ie: Shante Carver, Kavika Pittman, E. Ekuban. I see them trading one of theie 1st round picks for another 2nd and 3rd for this year.

Chandus,

The draft is an inexact science. We are all in the category of knowing little, when it comes to how the draft will fall. But, you are right by asking, do the Cowboys want to start the season with Ogbogu or Coleman at DE?

Let’s say the Boys draft Rolle, Williamson, and then Dan Cody, as one blogger suggests. Is adding Dan Cody going to solve our problems up front? Rolle would have to change positions to start, who knows if he is willing to change positions, or how effective he would be. We already have three legitamate WRs and a darn good TE, so how much would Williamson actually play? Do we want so many questions after owning 3 selections in the top 42?

I am all for trading down and possibly picking up a few more selections, I can see us getting Spears, Tuck/or Pollack, Bullocks/or Browner, and Mathis. Therefore Dallas would have addressed 4 of their 6 presssing needs. A back up RB can be had on day 2 of the draft so there goes another hole that gets filled. Then you have the second day of the draft, and opportunities to get a OT in free agency, possibly Chris Terry. Another thing to consider is Dallas’ interest in Cory Bradford. He may be a plan B guy if Dallas’ patient approach yields no WR on the first day.

None the less, Dallas’ biggest need is up front on D. If they draft from their spots, Merriman and Spears would be ideal. Spears has the size to play DE in the 3-4 sets, but also could play in 4-3 sets, especially on rushing downs. Merriman could play OLB in our 3-4 D, but he could also play DE in 4-3 sets, especially on passing downs. (If we trade down and get Tuck or Pollack, they have similar size to Merriman, and would fill this roll.)

Getting a OLB/DE tweener (which Parcells likes) and a DE with nice size gives Parcells the flexability he looks for. The 3-4 defenses would include:

Carson/Ellis, Ferguson, Spears/Glover

Merriman/Thorton, James/Singleton , Nguyen, and Ogbogu/Thorton

Our 4-3 would consist of:

Spears/Merriman, Glover, Ferguson/Carson, Ellis/Coleman

James/Thorton, Nguyen, Singleton

Getting two players up front would give the Boys a nice pass rush, and give us depth up there too.

Eric:

Do you see Spears getting past the Vikes? They also need a rush passer, and Spears seems the best at it, well, behind Erasmus James, but he’s much healthier.

But I do think, that if we remain still with our choices, coming out of the 1st day with Merriman/Spears with the 11th, Pollack/James with the 20th and Browner/Bullocks with the 2nd rounder would be a success.

I am still wondering about our cap room. The website I posted earlier said 9.81M available after Wiley and DiNapoli release, and bledsoes signing. So basically that number does not include the release of Coakley(did that get us some extra cap room, or did it possibly cost us some?)Nor does it include the signings of Rivera, Ferguson or Henry, or any of the other small time signings or releases. Have they released the actual details of these contracts yet?

I know this much:

“Ferguson, 30, will sign a five-year, $21.5 million contract that includes a $9 million signing bonus. The deal will pay him a whopping $11.5 million in the first two seasons and $13.5 million in the first three years”

“Henry will get a five-year, $25 million deal. The fourth-year veteran will bank a $10 million signing bonus, a $1 million roster bonus in 2005 and a $1 million roster bonus in 2006. He will be paid $18 million over the first three years of his contract.”

And River got
“He signed for five years at $20 million, with a $9 million signing bonus”

Any idea how much those contracts take off this years cap?

I mean with balanced contracts they stand to make 4-5M each not including signing bonuses. I assume the contracts are like most others and are backloaded. SO maybe the guys are getting 1.5-3M each first year of thier contract. Lets say 2M for the heck of it, thats 6M off the 9.81 we have available, so we have 3.81M left. That can’t be right. Either I have no idea what I am talking baout(quite possible I am sure), my math is wrong, or we don’t have much money left.

Any help?

We don’t have much money left. We still have money to sign a Howard or a Abraham or a Law, but only one of them, the rest should be kept for june.

I guess the Cowboys have less than the 3.8M you mentioned, more like 3M, enough to sign one starter and then, a couple of backups in june, if needed.

eric,

i really like your thinking, its deep and more than just “lets get so and so” you really talked about a good deal of stuff, and i like drafting to great young De’s /OLB with our first 2 so we can have that flexiblity we desperately need. then i see with our second rounder or even if we get another, that we get pool, browner, bullocks, or someone to help out the secondary. then i would say look for WR in FA or later rounds, or in the third round if we pick one of those up. OT is also a pressing need that should be addressed in the 2nd or 3rd (depending upon if we get more picks) because bledsoe would be on target most of the time if we can be protected with our O-LINE that looks just about done w/ one other good OT to fill in. 2 more weeks til draft day!!!!!!

Ryan,

Thank you.

Chandus,

When I look at trading down, I am hoping that a good caliber player falls to us at 11. If Rolle, Williams, D. Johnson, or a player with high value on most team’s boards is still there, it may cause a bidding war. (That’s why Jerry is very smart by putting the Boys out there as possible trade partners with anyone looking to trade up.) If 2 or 3 teams get involved we might be able to trade down just a few spots, and pick up an additional pick or two. Get another selection and still get who we wanted at 11. Remember last year we moved down 21 spots, added a 1st this year, added an early 5th, and still got a starting RB. Eat your heart out Mel Kiper, who said it was a bad move to pass on Steven Jackson. Hopefully another “Buffalo” comes ahh calling.

Chandus,

Sorry, I was meaning to answer your question, “Do I see Spears getting past the Vikes?” By trading down a few spots we may have the opportunity to draft him before its their turn, plus pick up another selection. Just don’t know how it will all work out, that’s why I say don’t fall in love with one player, cause he may be gone by the time we are on the clock, or someone may be overvaluing that selection. I look at last year’s trade and say, Parcells got great value for the 22nd overall, but also positioned himself to get his guy. Would we have been happy if Jackson was selected by Dallas and rushed for 1,200 yards? Absolutely! Parcells got a RB that is as capable, maybe more capable, PLUS a 1st and a 5th. Now that is VALUE and POSITION!!

what can we get abrams for? would pick 20 get him?

i meant abraham.sorry

I would think pick 20 might be enough to get him. But I don’t know if its worth it to us. I mean Abraham is good, dran good really, but there are some studs in the draft to, and as I alerted to earlier, we don’t have as much cap space as we used to. I would love to get abraham, but I wouldn’t mind a real good draft pick as well.

yeah i dont pretend to understand the cap but if he wants 8 yr 66mL then i dont see how they could do that anyway unless he backs off or most of that goes in signing bonuses.Is the howard thing totally gone?i think they would be more willing to deal.perhaps a 2 or 3 and their r1 for our pick11.if they did that we could get howard and still get a good lb at 20.probobly couldnt happen but it would make for a hell of a first two rounds for the boys.i think howard would be at least as good an addition as abraham anyway.

Ryan,

In that order? I see it similarly. By drafting a DE (with size like Spears), the D should be really strong against the run and strong on 1st down. It should put them in a lot more 3rd and long situations. Then getting pressure on the QB (a DE/OLB tweener should help), will force bad throws, and Roy, Newman, and Henry, and even Hunter in nickle defenses should be able to make more plays. Sacks and pressures add up to better 3rd down effeciancy. Get that pass rush and add another play maker in the secondary, and this D could be very good.

abraham is legit if we can get him for a 2nd or trade are 11th for a later first and a second do it dont hesitate parcells drafted him you know hes an all pro mainly every year now DO IT

The only problem with that deal is that it likely won’t happen unless they really want to get rid of Abraham. At least the second part. According to the charts our 11th is qorth 1250, the Jets 26th is worth 700, thier 2nd rounder(57th) is worth 330. 1250-700-330=220. SO they would basiclly be giving us Abraham for the cost of a early to mid round 3rd pick. I think they probablly think he is worth more then a 3rd rounder or they wouldn’t have franchised him. Now maybe if they really want to get rid of him they make take our second rounder, but who knows.

Anybody have an up to date depth chart fpr us. I can’t seem to find one that has all our new FA’s in it.

Also what would you say is a above average amount of sacks from your front 4 in a given year?

I was just checking our numbers from last year, Ogbugu, Coleman, Ellis and Glover combined for 21.5 sacks. Ferguson had 3.5, but I did not include his. I just figured if added a guy that could put up 10+ sacks a year that would put us in the 30-35 range. SO is that good or just average?

Why didn’t we send Keith Davis over to NFL Europe to see how he does at FS. I mean who knows maybe the guy will step up, he ha sbeen good on special teams. If he can handle the position, then we wouldn’t need to draft a safety too early if at all in the draft. Do you think they had him playing safety during practices and liked what they saw, so decide just to let him start and not worry about it in the draft?

it would be different having abraham on 1 side and ellis on the other. wiley provided no help there so it was easy double team ellis, that wouldnt happen if abraham is on the other side and it would free up glover as well who would you double team? abraham, ellis, glover, ferguson? all i know is against the run we werent as bad compared to the pass rush. i like the idea of abraham i think it would be a excellent pick up hes young and a pro bowl player. then we could use a early pick on a good wr.

Mike,

DallasCowboys.com has an updated depth chart minus Merrett and Finley, the two guys signed this week.

Mike:

Keith Davis played in NFL Europe last year, that’s why he made the team, he was the leader in INT’s in the league, but that, in the NFL doesn’t count for much. He’s staying in here because a training camp is much more important than the NFLEL, for starters you get to learn the playbook and you’re training and playing with your fellow teammates, those’re basics that a player needs to learn and he hasn’t gotten the chance to do so.

I was just wondering what makes anyone believe that Law or, for that matter, Rolle would play safety? I believe it is a matter of compensation. A corner clearly makes more money than a safety. Even Hunter is balking at playing safety and it is probably the only way he will be a starter. I would love to see some statistics on the average pay of a safety compared to the average pay of a corner. I would bet the average corner makes about twice the money the average safety makes. Now I am not saying I don’t like Law, if he can pass a physical, or Rolle. I just don’t believe it will happen. There are a couple of good safetys that will be picked in the first 60 picks. I hope the Cowboys grab one of them.

i like abraham too. and no ques. big d needs a pash rusher first and formost. but 11 sacks aint too shabby. again, is the howard thing just dead? I know the teams arent talking, but i got the impression new o was pretty interested in a trade. ny and abraham seem more annoyed w/each other than ready to give part ways. that could make for tougher negotiations and ultimatly a higher price. Also, everyone is talking wr in the first or second. did jj or parcells indicate an interest in taking a wr in the first 2? that seems nuts to me. we got a decent pass game that could use some big play guys but were not desperate. meanwhile,de olb and s need to be adressed w/ solid players right now. rome wasnt built in a day and our d went to crap last year. i just dont get the wr talk. if we just need a deep threat we can get it wo using a 1 or a 2. meanwhile, terry glenn aint exactly a slow,possesion reciever. I hope they wait on that one. A solid d could get us to the playoffs this year!

as for safety, i like the sound of that browner kid.if you guys are anywhere close on the cap thing, i dont see ty law happening. i havent seen what kind of money he wants, but the fact that he is one of the nfl’s best cbs and didnt get picked up in the first big fa wave tells you he wants a ton of cash. I dont see how we could even get close. although it would be sweet. someone said earlier that we need a good outspoken veteran leader. he would definately be that.but in my opinion still not worth the cash. the big money needs to go to pass rush. if that is handeled well and we get just a decent s, our pass d will be fine.

Eric, got a link to the cowboys depth chart. I know they have there, but I hadn’t seen a depth chart.

Thanks for the info Chandus, it makes sense.

Tony, nobody knows that for sure. Obviously if the only reason they are playing football is for the money, then no they won’t want to play safety, and I fear that could be a big issue with law especially. I think Rolle would be more apt to move to safety. Again he may not want to, if all he cares about is the money. But if he cares about starting and playing for a team with a good chance at winning, then he will move.

I don’t know if something like that will work out or not. If it will then great, it would be awesome. But I am not sure we should take a risk, but even if Jerry had it in his plans to take Rolle and convert him to safety, I can bet you he would have a guy already talking to Rolles agent about it and about what kinda pay he would need. If the deal goes south, draft somebody else. If he says he will play FS for whatever we can pay him, then pick him up. It would be great if it happened, but I don’t expect it to.

ericp, I do believe Parcells has been vocal about wanting a speedy guy who can stretch the field at WR. I agree we have other pressing needs, but I saw a list of receviers taken by the cowboys over the past like 10 years or whatever and Bryant was the best guy on it, and he was also the ighest round pick out of the bunch. Dalls just doesn’t have good luck getting good receivers late in the draft. As I said earlier if CHildress is there when are 6th’s come up, or better yet our 7th, then you sure as heck better take him.

Man I can’t wait for draft day.

Almost forgot, the more I think about it, I think we should worry a little less about FS. Obviously if we canget a guy like law or rolle or somebody good to commit to playing the position then go for it, but don’t take a chance with it. With a good pass rushing DE and another good pass rushing LB, plus the addition of Henry, plus Williams moving back to strong safety, I think we would be okay with what we got at FS.

I mean we desperately need a DE, we need a LB pretty bad, we need an OT pretty bad. And while it may not look like it with Glenn and Johnson in there, we really do need a good WR. So we take a DE/LB with one of our firsts, a WR with the other then with our second we take either a LB/DE or OT. Then maybe we could pick up Dustin Fox in the 4th(sorry I like my OSU guys)hes a corner, but could easily move to a safety spot, although I do think he would be a better SS then FS. FB or RB with the 5th, Bam CHildress with one of our last 3, and use the last 2 on some guys that could be diamonds in the rough, or as depth players.

Also ericp, I do agree we probablly can’t afford law, but the most pressing reason he wasn’t picked up yet in free agency is that he is apparently still injured and overweight as someone else mentioned earlier.

yeah i rememberthat. i still say hell be too expensive,but as the season nears, if no one wants a high dollar cb, starting fs might not seem that bad.there are too many good de’s to use 11 on one in my opinion. id like to see it used to get a couple of 2s and 3s.then use 20 to get a de and those 2s and 3s to get wr, olb, fs taken care of.would 20 not get us a good pass rushing de? i hate to sound like a broken record here but is the howard thing dead? i was real excited about that one. i still think it would be at least as good as abraham. hes solid in run and pass, and seems to be a little more content.another scenario is trade 11 for a later 1 and a two. if they play their draft cards right, they could fill almost every major hole left and look like a totally new team this year. man i cant wait!

ericp,

Law has been hurt, and reportedly failed a physical with Pittsburgh. That is the biggest reason he missed that first wave of signings.

The Howard deal isn’t really dead, but theres a huge possibility it may not happen. The Saints want more then dallas is willing to give for him. Jerry has said he won’t make a deal until after the draft. I have a feeling come draft day or even a few days before, the saints may come back with a better offer for us, and then maybe we can grab him.

NO has the 8th overall and the 8th in th 2nd round(40th overall), worth 1400 and 500 respectively. Would it be unwise of us to give them our 2 firsts worth 1250 and 850 for thier first and second and howard. Obviously we would move up 3 spots in the first, but that would leave us with 1 st and 2 seconds, and it would basiclly be like we got Howard for a mid 3rd round pick. Probablly not gonna happen, but if it was offered do we take it?

There are a number of things we could do with that 8th then, it would make for good trade bait since it seems like most of the must have guys are in the top 10, just out of reach of our 11th.

Man this is fun

I haven’t read anything, but a little of my own speculation. What if St.Louis calls when Dallas is on the clock with the 11th overall selection? The Rams’ web site states, “There are a number of solid tackles available in the draft and that position could be the one the Rams are eyeing most in April. Florida State tackle Alex Barron is considered the top prospect at the position, but figures to be off the board when St. Louis picks at No. 19.” Would you take the 19th, the 66th (in the 3rd round), the 231st (in the 7th round), and a 3rd next year? My reasoning is St.Louis has two 3rds, and three 7ths this year, so they are expendable. They might be looking to trade up and grab Barron.

hell yes we take that. that fills de and olb(johnson,merriman)with top guys. two big def. aquisitions with one round.two top 2s could get us a guy like browner at fs and either a wr or ot that could be an impact very quikly. thats what im talking about w the extra rounds thing. if they trade for just one more high pick it could be huge in filling in some holes as opposed to blowing our wad on 1 or 2 big name rookie players.i know they have had bad luck w later rd players but these are also the guys who did that j jones bills r1 thing last year.id rather see a howard or abraham than a law or rolle on the team. w a good pass rush(and im pretty sure ellis, glover, and howard or abraham would constitute a good pass rush by anyones standards) a solid, not great fs will get it done.

eric, i was responding to mike on that one. i wouldnt take the st louis deal cause were losing 8 spots in 1 to gain a three and 7. i think that a late 1 and a 2 can be had. if not, then the st louis deal would still be a tough call. i guess that depends on whos still around at 11. you think johnson would be worth 11(on the off chance hes still there) with merriman out there somewhere and lots of teams willing to trade 2s and 3s for 11? cause i really think de could be covered well w 20.

I don’t know, its not that bad a deal. 1402 for 1250, granted one of thos epicks is next year though. We would basiclly be picking up an extra mid/late 3rd rounder in the deal.

Well, St.Louis also owns the 50th selection (a 2nd rounder). They also have 12 draft choices this year. Some nice bargaining chips, if they do try to move up. They could offer their 1st (19th) and 2nd (50th) for our 1st (the 11th).

Getting another selection on day 1 would put Dallas into position to possibly grab Spears (with the 19th), Pollack or Tuck (with 20th), Mathis (with the 42nd), and Browner or Bullocks (with the 50th or 66th).

QB? I don’t see Dallas doing much at QB after signing Bledsoe. Maybe a FA guy that was undrafted just go to camp with 4.

They left Henson and Romo in Dallas to work out and train with recievers instead of shipping one or both to Europe. I think Parcells and Jerry think one of those guys has a good shot at QB, remember Henson had Brady on the bench as a freshman at Michigan. Then went on to play in pinstripes. To expect this guy who is mostly an excellent High School QB to step up and understand the blitz and all that, well it is rough for any college prospect much less one playing 3rd Base.

WR…….I am all for a lower round guy if there is one that can stretch the field. Mathis from Hampton broke the 4.3 in the 40 barrier……..might be later round guy from a small school.

CB WE got Henry, but adding another CB/FS along with Hunter, Frazier and Reeves…….not sold yet on Thornton or Jones but they could still develop. I say if Rolle falls to 11, but he probably will be a top 5 pick.

DE……..word is Bill wants Abraham and is willing to work a deal. Sporting News Radio said Dallas was giving up a top pick plus either another pick or player for rights to Abraham…..for whatever AM radio is worth…..i think it is about as reliable as the internet…..I wonder if they already talked to Abraham agent and all………..I like the idea of Abraham and Ferguson………added to Glover and Ellis and we got ourselves a front four………or get another big 300 lb guy and we can go with some legit 3-4……..sounds good to me……

That trade sounds solid, the St Louis one, and I could see it happening with the 3rd rounder next year, because I don’t think they are just going to give up he 2nd rounder, especially in a deep draft like this one. Spears/Erasmus James with the 19th, Pollack/Blackstock/Tuck at 20th, Mathis/Gibson/Parrish at 42nd and Ronald Bartell/Travis Daniels as FS (I don’t see Bullocks or Browner getting past the 2nd round) in the 3rd round.

Jon,

If Dallas ends up with 4 selections on day 1, why not draft Greene on day 2? He is the winningest college football player ever (Georgia has a tough schedule every season), extremely accurate, his TD/INT ratio is very good. If we get the pass rush in order, by adding a DE and OLB then add a safety, our D could be really good. Greene would be a nice fit at backing up Bledsoe, because he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes that cause a team to lose, and our D could keep us in every game.

Chandus,

It makes sense for both teams.

For the Boys they would still have 3 picks in the top 42, but add another day 1 selection too. That will put them in pretty good position to address 4 of their 6 biggest needs, and give them seven 2nd day choices. One of them to secure a back up RB, and six others to take some chances with, and fill smaller holes.

The Rams look like they are in the mold of “win now”, so getting the top OT would seem to make sense, because usually the top rated OT is ready to play at the next level right away and the others need more grooming. They have two 3rd round selections, so one is expendable, and I can’t see them valuing their 7th much, then you throw in a 3rd next year to even out the value.

Hey do you all want to see why I like Mathis so much!

Go to NFL.com /players profiles / Jerome Mathis. Here is some of what they say about him:

“In only 35 games with the Pirates, Mathis accounted for 4,541 all-purpose yards, an average of 129.74 yards per game. He caught 93 passes for 2,456 yards (26.4 average) and 21 touchdowns, adding 390 yards and three scores on 43 carries (9.1 average)….. He also returned 62 kickoffs for 1,648 yards (26.6 average) and six touchdowns.”

For those of you counting that’s 30 TDs in 35 games. NFL Netwok aired a Pre Draft special, and one scout said that his speed amazed him, so he looked at film of Mathis in college, and out of about 60 passes thrown his way only two were droppped.

Our last QB prospect from Georgia. Quincy Carter……….need I say more. I do not think they are going to be going after too many QBs high. Look at them right now as Starting Pitcher……..Bledsoe…….farm team Henson and Romo………they will find some other right field prospect to add to the mix at camp. We need help at DT, DE, LB, FS, CB, WR, backup RB, possibly FB, maybe another Offensive tackle……..possibly another TE for Parcells blocking sets………that is a lot of needs to add a QB that will not play on the field. A backup RB at least can give Julius some rest and carry the ball 5-10 times a game……..a FB can not only block but add recieving and rushing from the backfield depending on the player……so i do not see Dallas adding a QB in this draft…..parcells calls QBs bus drivers……….ask Phil Simms or Jeff Hostetler abouting being Bills QB…….I think he already got his bus driver, first name Drew………last name Bledsoe.

Mathis has great numbers and speed. His biggest downside was playing at Hampton in the MEAC. Competition in the MEAC has gotten better every year, but they are still not a top tier program. However, I think the speed guys can transfer thier playing ability better on the big stage. Speed is something for the most part many are born with and then tweak it up a bit. Although he was just around the corner I never really saw him play. He certainly combined well and raised his stock.

Williamson, Williams, Edwards and Clayton all look good but I do not know enough about the other recievers. I understand OU has 4 guys that can play WR very good. I would like to see somebody that has some deep speed and can stretch the D. Really a third reciever, to run the fade and other deep patternes……..

Jon,

First of all you can’t knock a kid for playing the same position, at the same school as Quincy Carter did. Especially when Greene is the winningest QB in college history!

Here’s a hypothetical for you:

Dallas takes a DE, OLB, and a S with their first three picks. The O-line starts coming around, and plays together. Mid-way through the season this young, talented defense starts playing really well. You are starting to believe that they can go somewhere … but down goes Bledsoe. Are you ready to throw Henson in there again? Cause Greene is a QB that doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, and finds a way to win. All I am saying is it is worth a 4th or 5th to get some insurance, and who knows Greene may suprise us all, but at least will push Henson and give us a better option now.

Eric:

You mentioned taking a DE, OLB and S with the first 3 picks, if the JJ and Bill don’t manage to get a trade partner, that’s all for the first day, taking a QB with the 4th rounder or even for the 5th rounder moves aside the need at FB, at OT, at DT and at RB, and still in the 4th and 5th you can find some medium quality material, so I doubt QB is a priority, I’ll say 4th round go FB/RB/DT and 5th DT/RB, and let the 6th and 7th for win-all or lose-all players.

You also mentioned: “You are starting to believe that they can go somewhere … but down goes Bledsoe” and what if Lousaka Polite doesn’t get to the next level and Barnes comes down? Suddenly no FB. What if Ferguson or, the unthinkable, Glover comes down? No solid backup, well just one, but marginal (Carson). What if JJ comes down? ReShard Lee could move up, but his blocking ability is a liability. Bickerstaff is another question mark by himself. After this, I see Henson as a quality backup.

Yeah we lack depth at many key areas, just as we did last year, and thats what killed us. We had what, like what 6-8 key players go down during he course of the season most of them with season ending injuries. We obviously had no solid replacements for Woodson, Hunter, Glenn, Johnson. We had George to back up JJ, but he obviously was not what JJ was when he was healthy.

Now after the draft we will have a force when it coems to our starting team, but if we drop more then 1 or 2 players to injury we are pretty screwed.

Also what kind of deal would Abraham or Howrad be looking for? I mean Abraham is turning down 6.7M this year. Obviously he probablly wants a long term deal, and with the rigth deal may take a bit less then that, but what is realistic, I mean will the guy work for 3M this year, cause thats about all we can afford right now, if that?

Eric,

I do not know enough about Greene to say. However, a QB that smoked grass in college………Carter……..does damage the program reputation and the position. Sorry, I am not trying to tear down Greene. He might be squeaky clean, but they did produce Carter who also had pretty good numbers coming out of Georgia with the same competition Greene played against. QB is a tough one. With Henson and Romo given another year of study and developement, Bledsoe can still throw. I personally would be surprised if a QB goes in this draft. Especially if Bill wants any 3-4 at all. He will need more DE, DT, and LBs…….I think we still need another legitimate CB in the mix……..somebody at FS not named Scott.

Is Greene a surefire backup more important than another target for Bledsoe, another tackle along the line, or a backup for JJ. On the offensive side of the ball, WR, RB, Tackle, and a FB all look more important than somebody to Push Henson. If Henson wants to push himself, let him beat out Drew Bledsoe and take the reigns. Bill let Jeff Hostetler takeover from a Super Bowl Winning QB named Phil Simms. Do you think Bill would let a better QB sit on the bench. Henson is young and has been out of football on 3rd base for years. If it took Danny White, Roger Staubach years to break the starting line up what is wrong with a baseball player taking a few years to develop. Henson has all the intangibles………size………strength……..athleticism…….

Now I am all for UPGRADE at QB……..but I do not see a surefire FRANCHISE QB in this draft. Maybe down there in the third round there is a guy that is. But he is years from being a help to the dallas cowboys. Lets improve our WR, DE, DT, LB, CB, FS, RB, FB……..and some of those positions may need more than one player drafted. I personally do not know if Bickerstaff or Reshard Lee have developed enough to give the Cowboys a legit backup. But FB could use an upgrade. Parcells has in the past like a change of pace back or third down guy on the team as well. If Richie is done, we are going to miss his field presence. QB can wait……..DE, DT, LB, FS/CB, FB-RB, WR……….can Greene play WR………can he cover a Reciever……….does he mind playing FS while he develops as QB……….if so……….fine sign him up.

May I ask, who are the highest paid back up players in the NFL? Quarterbacks! A team’s QB going down is a lot different than a DT going down. Even if Glover gets injured, Spears may be able to play there a little (if he is the DE we draft), Carson is a decent fill in, or Dallas can simply play more 3-4. By drafting a DE and OLB, the front seven on D is versatile and has good depth. Corner is pretty deep as well, we have to give Thorton a shot here, Frazier, Jones, and Reeves need a little slack too. If we draft a safety on day 1, then Scot is a good back up, and Davis gives us another option. Jon, you mention TE … lol. We have two good ones and a 5th rounder from last years draft crop. You want more TEs? A FB, do we use one? I mean Richie Anderson (215 lbs.) is a fullback? Get a good blocking RB, maybe T.A. McLendon (235 lbs.), and dual roll him as back up to Julius and FB .. just like Bill did with Anderson. OK that leaves us with OT and WR. Who are we going to draft in the 4th or 5th round that will unseat Keyshawn, Terry, and Quincy? Not to mention Witten gets set out wide on occasion too. If Greene is there he probably will have better value than any WR still on the board. With RT, maybe a FA (like Chris Terry), or throw a few late round picks at that problem, or simply deal with what we have there.

I am not looking for WR to unseat Key or Terry…….rather a THIRD WIDEOUT THAT CAN ACTUALLY OUTRUN A CORNER would be much more value than another QB sitting on the sideline. Key and Glenn were in the same place by the final game……..IR. Do you see a guy on our roster capable of unseating either? No, me either lets draft one and make those guys that much better.

I like our overall offense but I see a need for a guy that can get 10-15 touches a game run and pass FB/RB. Remember one of the records Julius Jones broke last year, it was Earl Campbells for most carries in 5 consecutive games………that is not the record you want out of your running back. Bill asked Richie to slim down to be a tailback, due to our lack of anybody at that position the year before. Richie was a fullback for most of his career and played at a slightly heavier weight. While personally I do not care whether the other back is big bruiser, or power back or a speedy change of pace we need somebody else to help lighten Jones load.

Did you like our awesome offense averaging 18 points a game? Julius will help, but so would a legitimate deep threat. Jones should help in the red zone, Witten is great, but how many touchdowns did Key or Terry produce. How many 30 yeard passes did we have last year? A deep WR threat takes a corner and a safety out of the box and makes the field that much bigger for a back like Jones……….ask Emmit he will tell you there was nothing like having Irvin and Harper out there legitimate deep play guys taking 4 and 5 DBs deep to let Emmit gain those 20 , 30 and 40 yard gains he got so often. Although Bill does not have much history of drafting a WR very high in a draft……..he will add a speedy guy to our WRs. Copper and Crayton showed promise, but wouldn’t Williamson or Williams help stretch a D. Did you ever see Mike Williams in the Red Zone, big strong guy that can jump and run he could very well be Mr. Touchdown in the NFL.

Everybody else is already making the case for new DE, DT, OLB, FS. Which I am all for. I do not see another QB in our draft plans. Look for them to add a walk on FA guy to take to camp. June will give more cuts, if Bill and Jerry feel like they need a better back up to Bledsoe they will probably do it with somebody with experience………maybe even Vinny……why would they add another Rookie to the mix we already got two of em. Remember Vinny was brought in to play back up anyway. Carter’s stunt was what got him booted and Vinny became the starter, although he might have beat our Quincy in camp anyway.

Bill usually has four or five TE on his rosters. Guys that can block and catch like Witten and Campbell. And a few guys that are pure blocking TE, he usually leaves a Blocking TE in to help out the Tackle on passing downs……….I am not sure he is completely done with that position although Campbell coming back helps a lot. He may get guys from practice squads or FAs but do not be surprised to see 6 or 7 TEs at Training Camp and 4 -5 on his final roster.

think the biggest thing wiht abraham is the 20 million bonus thats huge kearse numbers there. i think the fs postition is very important to us. we need a good coverage safety big time. roy is an excellent player but hes not a cover safety obviously. getting someone in that is would be more important in my book then a veteran pass rusher. pete hunter if he would do it, would be decent he has good speed, excellent size. woody dantzler i dont know how hes doing in nfl europe but he has superb speed but i dont think thats gonna work.