Our [Jets] Nation Turns Its Lonely Eyes to You...?

Great stuff Rafeal,

I can’t remember a draft that offered so much talent.

I think that we will make a deal W eith the Saints (for the $ sounds more probable or the Jets)

Don’t you agree that the Jets want way to much?

I truly believe that Dallas will get 4 first day picks..

I believe that OLB will be their first pick

They will want to trade out of the spot because those 18-20 players won’t go in the 1 through 20 spots. Also, our needs may better correspond to picking up a late first rounder (i.e. free safety) than staying at the #20 spot. Couple that with grabbing an extra second or third rounder that can be used on a running back or trading for a guy like Darren Howard and we are money.

The possibilities in this draft are endless for the Cowboys. I just hope that at the end of the first day we have drafted guys that are able to start at the DE/LB, FS, OT and WR positions. There’s no excuse if this doesn’t happen. If they trade down just once, they’ll end up with at least 4 picks on the first day. If they play their cards right they can find starters at all 4 spots. All you have to do is just look at the incumbents at any of those positions and you can see it is a realistic scenario.

DE—other than Ellis, they have no starting material
FS—Danzler, Davis, Scott….please help me here
OT—Tucker, Vollers, Rogers…none have stepped up
WR—the player selected only has to be better than Quincy Morgan.

Well I think it is official. We are in the BS era for the next week.

One day the Jets posturing they want Abraham back, the next day Lets Make A Deal!

Anybody read the latest post on the Cowboys site. LOL…..a real laugher.

Jerry Jones commenting yesterday that he would consider one of the top three running backs if they are there at 11. Uh, Jerry didn’t we pass on Jackson, K Jones and a few other guys last year to get Julius in the 2nd? Steven Jackson was the guy the Cowboys just had to have and now that we got the rookie that showed the most…….to borrow Bill’s phrase…..“Juice”…….you want another high priced higher paid RB……..I did not know Cedric Benson could also play linebacker but hey what do I know. No GM in the league is buying that………besides there are proven quality running backs that got no interest in free agency……even lower priced ones like Anthony Thomas were drawing little interest…….one missed leading the NFL by one yard. Even teams with great needs like the Dolphins and Cardinals did not move for a RB yet.

It is getting deep if you are standing near Jerry, or any other GM for that matter. The comments Don posted by Cox sure look like a lot more fact than this current fiction coming out of Jones and every other GM in the NFL………what a week. Put on your boots boys and girls cuz it is going to get deeper!!!!

Rafael,

Nice stuff again.

“First of all, relative to what we’ve seen so far, the 11th pick is a good place to be,” Jerry Jones said on Thursday at Valley Ranch. “I don’t want to rule out at all an opporunity … we can move down a few places and can pick up a pick on the first day there, … and we can get real good value there with what is likely to be there.”

What’s really good about this pick is there are teams waiting with their mouths wide open to be fed right after the 11th pick, and there are some team a little further down looking to sneak up and steal the “food”. So teams might over compensate Dallas to get that 11th selection. For example, say Mike Williams is on the board. Whether or not Baltimore or Seatle even calls Dallas to make a trade, San Diego is worried so worried about the Ravens that they drop us down 1 spot, and give us their 4th and 7th rounders. Or perhaps its Houston that is so fearful of St.Louis making a move that they give us back our 3rd rounder to jump up and secure Barron. With these scenarios, not only could we add a draft choice, but still end up drafting the player we would have at 11. Then again, a team like Baltimore might give us a deal we can’t refuse. Their thinking may be, we have a really good defense (especially now with S. Rolle), a franchise RB, a nice O-line, a pro bowl caliber TE, the QB of our future … what if we could get him that #1 target? Missed out on T.O. last year, ain’t gonna miss out this year!

Eric,

I like your way of thinking. One thing that really does benefit Dallas is that the group of teams immediately behind them, San Diego, Houston, Carolina all need OL. The Chargers, Texans and Chiefs, who pick 15th, also want DEs. If the Titans don’t take an OT at six, and Merriman is not taken in the top 10 picks, Dallas could find itself in a most enviable position. It will be at 11, with all the top 3 OTs and ALL the DEs on the board. It could fill its own need, or as you said, move down one or two places at a time, let other teams fill their needs and still get one of the guys they really like in the 12 to 15 range.

The key will be getting the guy they want. If they can live with Pollack, why not auction Merriman? If they want Jamaal Brown, why not trade away from Alex Barron and Khalif Barnes?

Hey does anybody know what mel kipers jr. latest mock draft have the cowboys take at 11 and 20. I believe picking up either derrick johnson or shawne merriam would be a great addition to our linebacker corp. then with our 20 pick we can trade down with saint or jets and pick ourselves a good true defensive end. Thoughts!!!!

Adrian I liek your idea, however Dallas’s #11 worh alot more if we trade it versus taking it. I do believet that the DE trade will go down with the 20th pick…good call

Rafeal,

The scenario you paint with all the OL and DE still on the board when #11 comes around would be great in terms of leverage. I would love to see the Cowboys pick up an additional 2nd or 3rd to move down, however I don’t think they should sacrifice passing on the player they really seek to do so. My gut tells me if that if you put a gun to Parcells/Jones head and asked them to pick the ONE player they want the most in the draft, my guess is that it would be either Merriman or Mike Williams (Braylon Edwards is unrealistic). I say, if either of those guys are available at #11, pick one of them and move on. If however, both are gone and all the rest of the OL and DE are still there, then by all means trade down.

This is a great board. My grades have been crashing ever since I found this website because I read it more than I study.

Here is my two cents…..I agree with most of the comments on this board. We have a lot of needs — DE, OT, WR, FS, RB — and to top it off, we have very little depth at any position. I agree with all of that.

That said, I would rather end up with one great playmaker out of this draft than 4 reasonable players that can fill holes.

For example, two years ago, the Cowboys had the #1 defense, but that same defense could not create turnovers. It could not make plays in the other teams backfield. It was not an intimidating force that wore down opponents (I do think defenses can wear down offenses).

The bright spot last year was JJ and Witten. They made plays. They created offense when there seemed to be no offense. JJ found ++ yards when he should have been tackled for a loss.

My point is simple. The first round and free agency are the best places to get the guy who can change the outcome of a game as opposed to a guy who can just keep you in the game.

In my opinion, the most sure way to get a real playmaker in this draft is to take a FS. A FS that can cover will allow us to put Roy Williams back near the line where he needs to be. Roy is the playmaker. We have to take advantage of him, so I see a FS that can cover as sort of a 2 for 1 pick and a sure bet. Second, if we can, I would trade the 20 and whatever else we have to trade within reason to get Abraham. He is a definite game changer. Yes, he has had some injuries, but few haven’t, and his injuries are not supposed to be ongoing problems.

Maybe I just undervalue 2nd, 3rd, 4th ….draft picks.

I totally agree with Gene (assuming 3 starting wideouts). ’Nuff said.

by the way, any of you in the SF bay area? Where do you watch the ’boys on Sunday?

Cooper,

Well said. While I am a lone voice crying in the wilderness for Rolle and move him to either CB/FS or nickel depending on how other guys develop………Corey Webster, Poole, Davis, and some of the other corners have similar size and ability to play FS or Corner. The DE and LB crowd is also right we do need playmakers upfront as well. Certainly the usual suspects out there seem good. I would consider trading if the picks we got included a later first round this year and a 2nd or 3rd round depending on the first pick. Based on guys like Cody, Tuck being available in the 2nd round. They still look like ballplayers at those positions.

I think it would be extremely tempting to put a star on the side of Mike Williams Helmet and call him a Cowboy. With the Peyton Manning NFL passing rules, a guy like Williams in the RED ZONE would be sick. How many corners like covering TO, Williams has that kind of size and great Hands. The way he uses his body to shield off the defender and make the grab. The jump ball always went to him. He steps on the field and plays. Third wideout, sure probably first year or two put he replaces a thrirty something Keyshawn pretty quickly.

Our Defense is going to improve when JJ is eating up the clock on those long 9 10 play drives. The best defense in the early 90s was Emmit Smith. Deadly in the red zone. Drives of 80 yards and six points were standard fair. Best 4th quarter back EVER…….ok best rb ever but he put games away by destroying defenses in the 2nd Half. We passed the ball way too much after JJ was injured last year. Eddie George was a three yard…….only time he ever broke one poor guy fumbled it. Witten is a possession and deep threat TE that does give us possibly our best pass catching guy. Key and him both had close to a thousand yards…….if JJ has 1500 yards rushing our defense is on the field a lot less. We also had way too many turnovers and penalties last year. That has to stop and that is coaching and discipline and focus, something we seemed to lack last year.

Unfortunately we are shallow at every single position………which tempts one to get quantity over quality. Bill has shown he finds values in all the rounds so the more picks he gets the better our team I figure……….but depending on that special player that fall from the top 10 to number 11………might have to fit one in a Cowboys Jersey! While we are all impressed with Julius Jones in the 2nd round……..imagine if Jerry had traded that first rounder in 1990?

All good points. If Williams is there at 11, take him. I want to win this year, but landing a playmaking WR for the next 10 years is never a bad move. Same with Rolle b/c we get a great CB / FS / Nickel, or whatever, and I especially like it b/c it lets Roy do his thing near the line.

There is a good article on the NFLDraftblitz about the 3-4 and the differences between it and a 4-3.

One of the interesting things is how it talks about the need for a Playmaker at FS. INTs!!!! You also need essetially three or even 4 outside line backers with good size and speed. The way the 3-4 relys on the ILB to both stop run, blitz, and drop back in coverage. Tough to find.

All the Pete Hunter to FS guys out there need to realize this guy is in the NFL 4 years and could not beat out Mario Edwards at CB for 2 of those. Maybe he would be a better FS, and maybe a nickel……and he did cover pretty well til injury last year………not sure but adding another quality player in our defensive backfield is something even Jerry and Bill seem to be eyeing the Draft.

Over and out ALL have a good weekend!!!!

Off topic I know, but help a guy out. I will be out of town the weekend of the draft, but this will be the first draft I have ever watched and I don’t want to miss it. So I plan to tivo it while I am gona and watch it when I get home. I see its being Televised on ESPN from 12-5:30 on Saturday, and the 2nd day is again on ESPN from 11-6. I also see something on saturday from 5:30 to sometime, i don’t recall. Is that a replay of the first day or is it just split into 2 parts for some reason?

the draft starts out on espn then moves to espn2 i dont know if thats what your seeing or not. or it could be evaluating the first day picks

charles haley = pressure=3 super bowls
no charles haley=no pressure=no playoffs=no super bowls

John Abraham to be or not to be. Haley to be and he was there to be. When you put presure on the quarter back good things happens to your defense and offense. Bottom line…get a blockbuster pass ruster and that will cure may ills. Get a WR he has speed and size and he too will change the flow of the game. Bottom line….get a stud at wide receiver.

I like your way of thinking Cooper. You are on the right track in that every super star wearing a star should be the Gms goal. I realize it’s easy for us spectators to sit here and play Monday morning arm chair football, but, if the Dallas GMs are using a little common sense they should have the same thought process as we.

Simply, with the picks and cap money we have, let’s get 4 studs. 2 defense and 2 offense. You make the call.

Jon:

Come to reality, stop calling for Rolle, Rolle won’t be at 11th. I don’t see him getting past the Titans, the Cards, the Skins and the Lions, when every one of those needs one, some desperately. I do see Pac Man falling, his size doesn’t convince me, I even believe that Rogers could be drafted earlier than him.

Merriman or Pollack sounds good, trading down to the late 10s and still getting Pollack sounds even better. Rolle sounds like an Angelina Jolie wet dream.

Tedia-

I haven’t lived in the bay area for a few years but there was a place at 4th and Mission, downtown. It’s on the corner accross from the Sony theater. There’s also a parking garage on the other corner. It’s like most SF sports bars, just okay, but if all you want is to see the Cowboys it will do.

Paul

Rafael,

Thank you for the compliment.

I think the Ravens and the Boys are most likely to make a deal. Not only do Baltimore’s 1st and 2nd have the same exact value as Dallas’ 1st (the 11th overall), but it fits were both teams want to be.

Dallas could come out with:

20th- S Thomas Davis
22nd- LB David Pollack or Channing Crowder
42nd- DE Justin Tuck (they may have to trade up a little)
53rd- OT Marcus Johnson

That would be awesome!

eric,

but are any of those guys really PLAYMAKING incredible studs?

i just havent heard alot about many of them

Chandus,

Neither you nor I know who will be available at 11, nor who will be ringing the phone. Rolle would be a great 11 if he was there. A playmaker that can step on the field and contribute. Merriman certainly looks like an NFL player. Wonder if Bill thinks so as well. Pollack is a little undersized probably has to play LB in a 3-4 but he certainly got to the passer. What if Mike Williams is still there?

Redskins also lost a darn good LB, Detroit needs an LB, the best Corner in the draft is Rolle……….but Pac Man does have the ball skills despite his size. However, a lot of the top 10 picks are talking swapping. Jerry has thrown out the swap card to anybody that cares to listen. There is likely to be 10 CBs taken the first day alone……..I am hoping a great CB or FS falls and we can get a guy like that at 20 or 42…….but hey if it just so happened to be Rolle at 11 trust me when I say our Defense would be improved. If Roy Williams does not have to baby sit coverage, you are going to like our Pass Rush. Am I the only one that remembers that guy blitzing before Woody got hurt. Woody had 4.4 speed…….which in case you do not know if faster than most of the CBs in this draft and in this league. We need a guy back there that can cover. The better your DBs the more your front seven can turn loose. Hech if you got three good CBs why not let 7 rush the passer every 3rd down instead of 5 or 6 like most defenses do?

I have also said there are other talented players in the draft that would also fill the need……….Corey Webster has the size and skill to play CB or FS. I think Pac Man is little undersized for it………probably more a pure corner…….his coverage skills are great though………Poole from OU as a pure FS might help our secondary. Trading for Abraham still in the mix………who knows what will happen.

And as far as dreams of Jolie………Maybe that is how Brad started out but he finally got more than just dreams. You never know what you may find all wrapped up on Christmas Morning………which is Next Saturday for the NFL. If Trader Jerry and Bill see some great 2nd round value and swap out for more players or if they go for a couple of studs either way……….I think with our FAs so far and the draft the Cowboys are on their way back to riding high in the saddle.

Ryan,

Well, Justin tuck is a pure pass rusher, so he won’t have to change what he does. He was successful on the grand stage, as Tuck is Notre Dame’s single season leader in sacks. Pollack is all about production and hard work. Probably the most productive 3 years out of any defender available in the draft, even winning the Chuck Bednarick Award (nation’s top defender) in 2004. He too holds his school’s (Geargia) record for sacks. Davis is 6-1, 230 lbs, and has good speed for that size. If you are a guy who thinks Donivan Darrius would look good with a star on his helmet, Davis will make you happy. Excellent tackler, that lays down the wood. Davis is a superb athlete that plays a very physical game. How does having a mamouth OT sound? Well Johnson is just that, at 6-6, 320 lbs. Oddly enough with all that size, when I have seen him play he has excellent technique. In my opinion he’s the best blocker in the draft, but he did play OG, so OT is a bit of a change. Can you imagine Julius running behind him? Wow! Johnson will be the steal of the draft!

Tuck at 42 would be awesome………again I think the kids out of Notre Dame play as tough a schedule as anybody…….year in year out. Obviously there are some awesome football conferences Big 10, Big 12, Pac, SEC, and ACC………..but Notre Dame has played the big boys from the Big 10 and the Pac every year for years……on TV……..even though they have not won a title in South Bend for a number of years…….the quality of football there is still extremely high as are the character in their players.

How is Davis at Coverage. Does he tackle well and play the run. If Poole. Corey Webster and Davis are all on the board who do you take?

Eric:

I’ve got to agree with 3 of your choices Pollack, Tuck and Johnson sounds like incredible value. Pollack could be a player in either 4-3 and 3-4, in the 4-3 and 3-4 he can play OLB and in the 4-3 some pass rushing DE in 3rd and long. Tuck looks also like a tweener, but has the size to bulk up and be a consistent player against the run and the pass. Johnson could be of great value at that spot, is a need and I believe he’s ranked higher than that, if he isn’t there, look for a WR in there.

Davis is going to be a heck of a player, at SS or at OLB, and the Cowboys already have a SS and Pollack already solves the need at OLB, you need a player with experience at FS with skills at coverage, not another big hitter. Take Pollack with the 20th and with the 22nd the top guys on my radar screen would be Pool and Marlin Jackson.

Chandus,

Davis is physical, but he is also an exceptional athlete. Is very strong for his size and creates a presence, receivers are actually going to think twice about going over the middle to make a grab. With the league’s new rules on bumping receivers, you have to think about laying off a little when it comes to coverage, but having two safeties that can bring it is another way to out physical your opponents.

If we trade up in the 2nd round from the 53rd pick (the one we may get from Baltimore), we may have to look to get into the 33-38 range, to realistically draft all 4 of these guys. Giving up a 2nd next year to grab them, in my mind, is worth it. But you are right, there always has to be a back up plan. At 53, WR Jerome Mathis may be there.

Yeah but it doesn’t matter how good a guy can tackle if he is still giving up receptions. I mean don’t get me wrong, good tackling is key, but i want good coverage first.

While I agree these guys like Roy and Darius, do somewhat make opposing players think about the hit, its not gonna stop any of them from coming over in the middle for a grab. Now maybe on occasion the receiver will drop a catch as his bones are being jarred by williams, but again i would rather have the guy thats got the coverage that will make the QB not even able to throw to him in the first place. If you can do that, keep the guy covered so the QB looks him off, then it doesn’t matter how hard you hit, since your not gonna need it. Plus the better our coverage, the extra second our pass rushing studs will have to get to the QB.

I think that if Spears is available at 11 we take him, unless Mike Williams is somehow available. To me our most glaring need, if we want to move to a 3-4 is a 300lb DE.

i say trade 11 for a lesser r1 and a 2 no matter who is left. this is a deep draft at alot of positions and we need at least 4 starters from the draft. I just dont think putting too much stock in one guy builds as good a team. williams or rolle would be great, but would one of them be better than getting two starters for next season? i hope our biggest r1 move is abraham for pick 20. that baltimore thing sounds perfect for 11. Ive heard theres more teams wanting to trade down then up w/their r1 though so we might not get a good trade for 11 anyway. Abraham for 20 and either a olb or fs for say, pick 22(traded down from 11) would go a long way toward the playoffs. Plus well still have two 2’s

Why would would we want to draft thomas davis?

Why wouldn’t we want to draft Thomas Davis? If you are trying to tell me the big hitters can’t cover, what about Ronnie Lott? This kid is a football player.

I’ll say, if we trade with Baltimore, with the 20th take Pollack or Ware, both could be LBs and DEs in passing sits. With the 22nd take Shaun Cody, he’s got the size to play End in both schemes (4-3 and 3-4) and can play tackle also. With the couple of seconds look for safety at 42nd (Bullocks, Considine or Browner) and WR or OT at 53 (Courtney Roby, Jerome Mathis or Reggie Brown as wides; Marcus Johnson, David Stewart or Nick Kaczur at OT). Leaving then the first day, and hoping for a player to fall to the Cowboys lap in the 4th round, they also need help at FB, RB and DT.

When I talk Cody, I take in consideration that he’s not the best at getting to the QB, but he’s an asset at depth, he can play anywhere on the line, and that’s a big plus in Parcells world.

on www.ranchreport.com it has the cowboys being interested in the browns 3rd overall which i DONT like at all. who would we take??? i think we should trade 11 to the ravens who want to move up and get another 2nd round or maybe a 3 and a 5. i think there are alot of options in the top 20-22 first round picks that trading down a lil wouldnt hurt us much.

screw the ranchreport because you gotta SUBSCRIBE! geez y does every sports site feel like makin us pay???

its worth it it shows you every team not just the boys.. i like it isnt that much..

didn’t davis play linebacker at georgia and is projected to play safety in the NFL.no doubt he’s a ballplayer but i see another roy williams,a big hitter who can’t cover.we need a true free safty!!! brodney pool—josh bullocks—brandon browner my choice will be a star.

MdCowboyFan,

Pass on a tough, physical “football players”! That’s what Davis is, a good “football player”, meaning, he takes good angles, as safety he can cover a TE or RB man to man, he plays in areas well, and it just so happens he can lay the smack down as well. Where on earth did you read 1 safety can hit and the other can “cover”? A lot of safeties play safety just because they are not fast enough to “cover”, ala Rod Woodson. The safety position has a lot more to do with football knowledge, getting to where you belong, and taking proper angles, then the ability to cover. Take a look at what nfl.com’s scouts think:

“Has good field smarts and is quick to see and read plays, especially the run … Shows quick reaction to what he sees in front of him and he is rarely caught out of position … Can lay back and play centerfield with good timing to make the play on the ball … Has good timing ability on his leaps going for the ball, showing good arm extension to get to the pigskin at its high point … Has outstanding range, doing a very good job of covering ground in a hurry”

Hey but let’s pass on him because he can hit???