Saturday's Scrimmage -- What Do We Know?

Rafael,
Thanks for pointing out the journalistic shortcomings of our favorite mediots. LOL! Good news about Henry and I believe Tucker to be done.

james, i bet ur right about tucker. he wasnt exactly in a good place before the scrimmage. Hes toast, and rightfully so. I wonder y they didnt play j rogers there. I read last week that he was standing out as their best rt prospect anyway. No big loss. anyone know how julias, bledsowe, or morgan did?

Eric P,
Julius did great, Bledsoe was adequate, Morgan was off the radar.

lol rafeal,
i thought the exact same thing when i saw that last night, actually laughed out loud. sounds as if newman is back to form, jj is running awesome prey for healthy season, sounds like there might be a new pepper johnson (yah right would be nice though), and bledsoe and whitten are jelling nicely (as expected).

whatcha mean off the radar?

Eric P,
Basically that he has done nothing worth much mention.

i just read the camp report on the offense performance in general, i sure hope our d is on fire this year.

It’s still early.

Stick a fork in Tucker- he is DONE.
Would really be a kick if Johnson suddenly ups and becomes what we wanted Spears to be; talk about IRONY. After all the busted picks and FA’s and everything else some unknown comes in and kicks butt. NoT likely, since this was NOT A GAME. BUT still, kind of interesting.

Like pitchers early in the baseball season, a lot of QB’s do not look all that good early in camp. We shall see.
I wonder- has any QB that had a major change to his passing mechanics ever made it big? Anyone know?

Burmafrd,
Good question. I wonder if they screwed Henson up changing his mechanics. It could be that Henson’s natural style IS sidearm. I don’t recall any issues about his mechanics when he was at Michigan.

I think that sometimes the pros get a little hung up on mechanics; there is an old saying: if it works,it aint broken, so don’t try and fix it.
The theory is that sidearm is bad since it allows a lot of batted balls; and that supposedly you cannot get the necessary velocity on some types of passes. BUT is that really true, or is it just old wives tails?
I wonder- just leave it alone untill it shows up in games that it does not work; and I really don’t think that he has played enough to tell. BUT this could all be about his former career, and the thought that they need to work on his motion. Maybe that is true, and maybe not.

I don’t get the side arm thing either. Remember Bernie Kosar? And Henson’s side arm isn’t that low.

And what about Philip River’s sidearm. Haven’t heard anything about SD trying to change his motion.

About the sidearm throws, mention one starter in the present that throws that way. Philip Rivers wasn’t the starter last year because Schottenheimer wanted to change his mechanics, and then everyone saw that Rivers would have all season to improve his mechanics, now looks like he will have another season, too.

not like the guy came in and tore it up, i understand he missed alot of football but he didnt really tear it up against the bears. they saw something they think they can fix maybe they do maybe hes no good at all time will tell that. true it doesnt sound good for tucker at all, by the reports but who knows we will see.

About Henry, that’s the type of new I was expecting, in the mini camps he wasn’t allowed to play according to his skills, playing more of a cover corner without contact, now he’s free and doing what he’s been doing the past years, might not be an Interceptions machine, but a steady force at RCB.

I think that on the one hand it’s good that Henry is shutting down whoever he faces, but then you have to about whether he’s just a really good CB or if it’s just because the Cowboy’s recievers aren’t good enough to get open against a okay Conerback

naw i think its hes just a GOOD cb. a big physical cb like chandus is saying.

When David Carr came into the league, they had to change his throwing motion because of the side arm throws. They actually placed step ladders on the field as linemen and teached Carr to throw over the top.

Sorry, off the subject, but according to the New York Post the Boys have been calling around trying to find out which free safetys will be available.

Isn’t hard to believe, as Parcells said, he has 4 SS’s and 2 middle of the pack-basement FS’s… Let’s hope someone starts showing something back there or that a signee becomes the starter or…

at least it looks like we have found our rt in rodgers. thats 1 thing off the list now if a fs would step up or get cut.

Incase anyone was wondering how Pete Hunter is doing:

During the Jets/Giants joint practice a brawl insued. After the fight was calmed the next play, yahoo sports reports, “Brandon Jacobs, the Giants rookie 6-foot-4, 265-pound running back, retaliated by bowling over 6-2, 212-pound Jets cornerback Pete Hunter after catching a short pass.” … Might not paint the entire picture of just how well Hunter is doing, but its news worthy for sure. here is the link: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-giants-jets&prov=ap&type=lgns

We definately need a good fs. But i gotta say, we have alot of questions getting answered. RT is looking pretty good. So is LB. So is CB. And the depth at almost every position.

who is 81 on the team?

Yeah Tucker’s done. The guy had some potential but was destroyed by rookies who were either drafted in the last round or weren’t drafted at all. I think Johnson suprised some people, but he’s nowhere near Spears level. I see us keeping 8 DL (Ellis, Fergunson, Glover, Spears, Canty, Carson, Ratliff, Coleman). Maybe he’s more practice squad material.

Our corners sound real good. Roy is playing back up to his level and maybe beyond. Even Frazier, Thorton, and Jones have showed up. I think that because we have 3 or 4 vets on the defensive line, I think the LB’s will really determine how our D plays. Ware and Burnett are young, Thorton and Shanle and O’Neil haven’t really played. Singelton and Dat are vets, so I see them both making the team.

As for Henson, it doesnt sound good so far IMO. I know its early and it was a controlled scrimmage, but his mechanics I heard are real off and his passes look real ugly. I still say we will stick with the 3 we have, but if things don’t work out, its not like we gave too much for him. If Brees does play well, we could always look at Rivers if things came to it. The guy was a #1 pick.

81 is Quincy Morgan

Lou,

Nice point about Roy. I think with an improved front 7 Roy and T-New will have huge years, and getting Henry and A. Glenn in the mix there is sweeeeeeet!

ericp and Chandus,

With more teams passing the ball all over the place, some teams are reverting to playing 2 physical safeties (ie Denver and Seatle last season), and having very good success with it. Kennoy Keneddy and John Lynch created a nice presence, and Seatle’s secondary, with Hamlin and Boulware, led the league in INTs (as a secondary). So who knows we may end up playing Beriault with Roy at times. I think Parcells can get away with it if he picks his spots. What do you think?

i think we will be fine. the only thing that is wrong right now is the fact that our first game is not until the 11th. if spears was healthy. i think we will come out real fast and stay consistant.

some people say that we are old, but we are actually depending on 2, or 3 rookies at de. 2 at LB, and maybe 1 at free saftey. our offense is where the age is at. at our receivers are not any older than that of the eagles, colts, or any other team that has experience at the wr spot. our TE, and RB is very young, and i hear that witten and bledsoe is jellion. i think we are going to be fine.

We are going to have a rotation on the DL, why not a rotation at FS as well. Although the teams that did it didn’t have great pass defenses. Seattle for example.

Rafael,

About Henry, I believe the ‘stiffness’ you discussed came from reports out of the mini-camp. I have heard nothing but positive reports about Henry since the actual training camp started, and the corners could start hitting receivers at the line. I have heard that receivers are having a tough time with their releases against him.

Newman also appears to be having a terrific camp. I was just over at dallascowboys.com, listening to today’s broadasts, and they were raving (positively gushing) over how dominating Newman has looked in practice.

Let’s hope they both keep it up. It certainly would be outstanding to have two good cover corners at one time; then in nickel situations, we can bring in the highly capable veteran, Aaron Glenn. At least it would be novel, for this team.

ericp,

They did play Rogers at RT. In fact, he played all the first-team snaps. All reports are that he did quite well. You certainly didn’t hear any reports about Ratliff or Johnson or even Coleman (the first-team DE on Rogers’ side) blowing by Rogers.

The only possible drawback with Rogers might be in the running game. He might still not be as strong as some of the other RTs in the NFL. But, he has the natural athletic ability and talent to be an outstanding pass blocker. If you think about it, with Bledsoe back there, that might be just what we need at that position for this season. And next year, Rogers could get even bigger and stronger.

on ranchreport it sounds like they think ratliff is going to the practice squad for a year.

MR Bill your right ive heard nothing but good stuff about henry myself, receivers cant get off with his jams.

james i agree to a point about a fs rotation, best cover fs in 2,3 long downs and someone like beriault for running downs.

about being older i think it was the ranchreport that did the article on who we are supposedly to old. we looked to be right with the average. i think the pats were older or right at the same age. we just have some older guys at skill positions, which i dont have a problem with myself.

Mr. Bill,

The stiff comment came from Mickey Spagnola. You might be right that he said it during the mini-camp, but somewhere, either on the team’s site or on one of the papers’ sites, there was mention of Henry have problems — about one or two days into camp. Premature evaluation, IMHO.

Sounds like things are going really well in camp so far (except for Spears, but that could have been a lot worse). I can totally see where BP is trying to take us and I love it. I went back and looked at some of BP’s NY Giants/Jets, and NE team rosters and it is obvious that this man knows what kind of players and skills it takes to win. The traits of the teams he builds are:

1) Big, huge lineman that can push people far off the lineand wear them down on both sides of the ball
2) Strong, quick & intelligent LBs that can play smart coverage and also flow to crush the ball carrier or sack the QB
3) Solid RB’s (one short and quick, one bigger and more powerful) that can be be used interchangeably depending on the situation
4) Big, physical, and crafty TE’s that can block as well as they catch

Notice QB’s, WR’s, and DB’s were not really the standout players on Parcells teams of the past, and other than Martin the RB’s he had were good but not spectacular. I think The Tuna realizes that winning football games is more about pounding and wearing down your opponent than passing the ball all over the field. The funny thing is the most talented QB BP ever had was Bledsoe, the best WR he had was Keyshawn, and he has never had a SS as talented as Roy!! After all, we made it to the playoffs with Quincy Carter season before last…last year could have been a lot different if our defense had played like they did in 2003.

Personally, this is the most excited I have been about the Boys since we lost that playoff game against Carolina in 96. The best part is that I think we are truly going to intimidate the NFL for years to come with our defense. Ferguson, Ware, Spears, Canty, and Henry being added to Roy, Dat, Ellis, Glover, and T-New is a big improvement for one off-season. I admit our offense will not be explosive…but that is not what BP is trying to do. I’d rather have us smash the ball down their throats and throw seam routes and curls to the TE’s in the middle and grind our opponents and the clock.

BTW – I live in Los Angeles and unfortunately we don’t get too many Cowboys games out here except for MNF and occassionally on Fox. I really can’t imagine missing any of the Boys games this season, and was wondering if anyone out here knows of any sports bars or other places that broadcast out of market games. I have cable TV and really don’t want to have to switch to DirectTV just to get NFL Ticket to see the Boys!! Highlights are not going to be enough this year!! Thanks!!

Sterling: if your cable offers you the NFL channel, you’ll at least get the preseason games. For sure, you’ll be able to find a bar to watch the cowboys. I’m in the SF area and go to a bar where 4-5 Cowboy fans show up every week.

Others: here’s a repeat from yesterday’s post:
I was at training camp today for the scrimmage. I just arrived at home (3am) so Iâ€â"¢m going to keep this short.

Offense:
+ Julius looks the part of a star. He was one of the few positives for the offense. Broke runs int he middle and on the outside. Slipped tackles. Super quick. Just a super player. Up close, its unmistakable.
+ Not much more from the other RBs. Thomas and Barber ran ok. Thompson is tall. Showed his speed once threating through a crowd.
+ Bledsoe looked ordinary. Passes were on target mostly. He skipped a pass 5 yds short to a wide open Patrick Crayton on the outside near the line of scrimmage. Honestly, he looked no better than what I remember from VInnie last year at training camp.
+ Henson looked terrible. Wobbly passes. Poor decisions in the pocket both with the 2nd and 3rd offensive teams. Few completions.
+ Romo easily outplayed Henson. Slipped a few rushers. Completed passes on the outside and in the middle. Drove to some scores. Sharp passes.
+ WRs in general looked aweful today. No players showed up. Seemed that short of perfect passes, nothing would be caught. In todayâ€â"¢s practice, WR was sorely missing anything special. One catch by Keshawn. Perhaps one by Terry. A few by Jamaica Hector and Merrit (who is unbelievably short for a WR).

Defense:
+ Defense in general outplayed the offense. I couldnâ€â"¢t single out any of the linemen nor the LBs during the plays. Burnet and Ware looked fast and strong. But didnâ€â"¢t see them really show up during the scrimmage.
+ Love, the basketball player, is a fish out of water on the field. No way he makes the team nor the practice squad. Heâ€â"¢s not a football player. Sorry if you like him, but thatâ€â"¢s the truth.
+ Keith Davis played first string FS. Good hits – could hear themâ€â"¢ pops. Nice closing speed. But his hands leave something to be desired. Dropped several passes in practice before the 11-on-11s. Couldnâ€â"¢t really tell, but I think he seemed a little confused and perhaps unsure back there. That would explain the drops.
+ Roy Williams had an incredible pop on Anthony Thomas. Lots of oooohs from the crowd.
+ Newman had an int. Henry and Newman look the part. When you see Newman up close, you canâ€â"¢t mistake that guy is an athlete. Heâ€â"¢s glides effortlessly when he runs. And he was back along with Zuriel Smith to return punts. Newman looks great back there.

Sterling,

Awesome comment!

mike,
 
Did the ranch report say anything about Ratliff’s roll as TE, and how it might help him make the team? Remember Ryan is hurt, so competition for that 3rd TE spot is an open one.
 
I too think Beriault and Roy will play at times together, but Parcells will pick his spots. In the Super Bowl a few years ago, if you remember New England tried to keep the Rams receivers in front of them, but punish them when they’d catch it. The rams receivers seemed to have aligator arms for the rest of the way. Would love to see Parcells create this type of presence early in games with these two. .. As I said earlier too, Denver and Seatle played two physical safeties with some good success last season.
 
I can’t wait for the season to start!!

EricR,

It’s most likely that if anyone is going to benefit from Ryan’s injury, it’s going to be Brett Pierce, not Ratliff. So far, Ratliff seems to be holding his own on the defensive line. He might be a practice squad guy, but he still has a shot at making the team.

I dont think Ratliff would clear waivers, giants GM are very high on Ratliff and would pick him up in a minute. I heard the giants GM on Wfan after the draft state that the best seventh rounder by far was Ratliff, who they wanted.

Hpefully, Parcells is aware of that. I’m sure he is. Anyway, from all the reports, it seems sounds like we’re going to have more good defensive lineman than we can keep anyway. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens.

When you look at this training camp, you have to say it’s the deepest its been in alot of positions like Running back,offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, d-backs,for a long time which is going to make for some tough decisions when it comes to the final cuts. I can see a few surprise cuts coming. Bill would love to sneak Thompson and Johnson on the practice squad, but those players are making bill’s decisions alot tougher by the way their playing.

Hpefully, Parcells is aware of that. I’m sure he is. Anyway, from all the reports, it seems sounds like we’re going to have more good defensive lineman than we can keep anyway. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens.

That second posting was an accident. Please disregard.

I’m a little bit worried about Thompson. If we put him on the practice squad, we may very well lose him too. I’d rather see him on the 53 man team. At this point, I’m a little more comfortable with the defense than I am with the offense. A little more speed can’t hurt, just in case something happens to Julius, God forbid.

Rob,

Ratliff has already seen time at TE, and it could just boost him over the edge if he finds himself on the bubble. Maybe they can trade one of these D-linemen that aren’t going to make the cut to Cleveland for Crocker.

Eric R.. i read your ridiculous assessment of your fellow bloggers and I can only come up with two explanations for your malcontent with us.

1. you are a bored CPA
2. you hit your monthly quota on spanka-vision and they cut you off.

Which is it? Bored CPA or just frustrated cause you can’t jerkoff with spank movies for a while?

I thknk we’d all like to know the answer to the question. Am I right?

I agree that anything extra Ratliff can do will only help his chances. but I was listening to one of the radio reports on DallasCowboys.com and they were talking about Pierce being the next in line at the TE spot. Also, I was reading the breakdowns at each position and they were talking about Pierce and Ryan getting the reps at TE once Campbell got sick.

Here’s what they said onl July 29th, before Ryan got hurt: Much like last season when Campbell missed 13 games with torn ligaments in his right foot, tight ends Sean Ryan and Brett Pierce will be given increased snaps in Campbell’s absence.

Eric R,
What do we need Crocker for. We already have a 3rd string FS.

I also have read how the Giants covet Ratliff. Read about it before the draft. He won’t clear waivers so we either keep him on the roster or we don’t. The more I see of him the situation is the same with Tyson Thompson. Ratliff may be able to play TE on the goal line offense, but can he deep snap. Pierce will be kept over him for that reason. Unfortunately we may lose the guy if there aren’t enough spots on the DL.

Rob,

They may have said that, but Ratliff did get in there during the preseason. Of course I don’t know how much, but if he was in there that early in camp, with all he has to learn at DE, it kinda says Parcells wanted a quick glimps of him at TE. I’m just guessing, but that kinda tells me that his TE play may come up in assessing him. .. I think he makes the team regardless.

I have a question about a 3-4. Doesn’t the modern 3-4 utilize more of a zone blitz package than the old days? If so why is Elis nervous about fitting into a 3-4? The difference between a defensive end and an outside linebacker gets a bit fuzzy. Either or both could rush or drop into coverage. Is he just not fast enough? Or is Bill thinking more of an old fashion 3-4?
  This has been bugging me to the point I walk around bumping into trees thinking about it. (Not the sharpest tool in the shed)

James,

The idea of Ratliff at TE on the goal line offense is not a bad one, but I would expect to see more of Jeff Robinson in those situations. He has proven himself a few times in that scheme. He’s also a proven deep snapper.

BTW My deranged older sibling and I have a wager. He being a myopic Texan fan has claimed the Texans will have a better record than the Cowboys. When I picked myself up off the ground ,haveing collapsed in hysterical laughter, I decided to go ahead and give him half of a game. Any insights into my looming financial windfall?

Crocker is not a third string free safety or just a special team player, He’s been in the league two years and has played in 28 of the 32 games, missing four with an elbow injury and has plenty starts at free safety for cleveland. When we signed Henry, alot of people were ripping bill and Jerry for not signing a big name guy and so far Henry looks and plays like the bigtime corner they thought he was.Bill said he watched the film when Henry went up against Owens and Ward and said he shut them down. Bill said it himself, that they are in contact with other teams, and since Rogers seems to be starting to nail down the right tackle spot, maybe Crocker or chavous might be looked at. I think that Beriault might be in the mix, getting harder and harder for Bill to keep him at strong safety. I think Lynn Scott’s days in camp and this team are all but over

Derrick,
Can’t say that I agree with you about Scott. Keep in mind BP’s head games. Saying that they are in contact with other teams could be a motivational tool for use on his FS’s.

With Tucker apparently on the way out, I would say only that Rogers now only has to beat Vollers (and maybe LA LOL). Don’t be decieved by Vollers working backup to FA. That will last only until Pettiti returns from his ankle. It’s just like the LA conditioning thing. TunaMan likes to give a guy an exclusive look for a while, like he did with Peterman while LA was on the sideline.

James,

 I only think that about Scott because The Key word that bill used when describing Scott was Journeyman, thats not good I think when you use that term when describing a player, kinda like, the term Gym rat, or Lazy.

I think if Rogers plays well in the next two Preseason games, I think he’s a lock for the right tackle. Pettiti will be moved to the backup to Flozell and Voller can play both tackle spots to the backup to Rogers at the Right tackle spot. Tucker wil be gone.
But hey,thats just my opinion, and I’ve been wrong before.

It is hard to concentrate with the season so close. I have my tickets for the Monday night opener with Emmitt, Troy, and Michael. Can’t wait.

for the guys who are questioning Henry’s ability

the reason why Bill brought him in is because he watch the tape of him shutting down the best WR the NFC had to offer last year.

he shut down T.O. all by himself last year if you guys don’t remember, thats pretty impressive, TO was talking flack about garcia coming in and Henry held him to one of his worst outings,

look it up

Derrick,
Journeyman is not a bad term. It describes a guy that does his job adequately but is not a star. Once again, BP may have been using his head games to try and motivate. If Rogers does outplay Vollers in the first two pre-season games , then yes, he will get the job. I will still hold to Vollers getting it until those two games have been played.

EricR,
yoiur right is does have something in there about him playing te in goaline situations. if that helps his chances or not idk, but it deffinetely cant hurt them.
im not sure how the practice squd works. i know you can lose players but dont you get some time to activate them before you lose them?? if anyone knows how the practice squad works please explain it, thank you.

Mike,
The practice squad consists of 8 players with less than 3 years of NFL experience or less than 6 games on the active roster in those 3 years. To place a guy on the practice squad out of camp you must first cut him and then he has to clear waivers. Hence our discussion about Ratliff not being a good candidate for our practice squad, since another team would surely claim him. This is how we got Frazier. He was on Baltimore’s active roster until week 7 last year I believe, when they wanted to switch him to their practice squad. But whenever you move a guy there from the active roster, he has to clear waivers first and we snatched him up. Hope that helps.

yes it does thank you.

Rob2,
 I believe that everyone was refferring to Ratliff as a goaal-line TE in the sense that he would be Robinson’s backup there (i.e. an emergency replacement, just like he was in camp with Campbell and Ryan out). The question was his ability to perform that function and whether it would help him make the active roster.

Got it. As a backup to Robinson, if he can do it, I’m all for that. I would have been very surprised to see him as the main guy in those situations. I’d really like to see us keep all of our draft choices, and if we can find any way to keep Ratliff, I think we should.

So far through camp I see Scott and Tucker being cut, with all of our draft picks making the team or practice squad.

My Depth Chart so far:

QB- Bledsoe, Henson, Romo
+Hensons played bad, but I think he will do better in preseason and grab the backup role. But I could be wrong.

RB- Jones, Thomas, Barber, Thompson, Bickerstaff
+ I can REALLY see us keeping all 5. If Jones goes down, who do we go to? Alot of people want us to take Thompson over A Train, but BP knows he has experience in case Jones goes down again.

WR- Keyshawn, Glenn, Morgan, Crayton, Copper, Merritt
+ I think right now Morgan has the edge for the 3rd spot.

TE- Witten, Campell, Peirce
+ Peirce makes it because Ryan got hurt.

OT- Adams, Rogers, Vollers, Walter
+ I see Petiti making the practice squad. Tucker’s gone.

OG- Allen, Rivera, Peterman
+ Because Walter can play almost any position, he can come in in case of emergency. Also Gurode if really needed. Noll goes to the practice squad.

C- Johnson, Gurode
+ I see Al getting the nod over Gurode.
_______________________________________________

DL- Ellis, Glover, Fergunson, Spears, Coleman, Canty, Carson, Ratliff
+ Thomas Johnson to the practice squad.

LB- Dat, Ware, James, Burnett, Singelton, Shanle, Thorton
+ Keith O’Neil makes the practice squad, though Carson could be out because Ware can play as a down lineman. Then O’Neil makes the team backing up Dat.

CB- Newman, Henry, Glenn, Frazier, Thorton
+ Nate Jones or Jacques Reeves to the practice sqaud.

S- Roy, Davis, BerryO, Reese
+ Scott’s the odd man out.

K- Cundiff
P- McBriar
LS- Jeff Robinson

Final Practice Squad: Petiti, Noll, Thomas Johnson, Reeves/Jones, O’Neil

Any injuries to the defense and O’Neil or Reeves comes up, any injuries to the offense and Petiti or Noll comes up.

I know not everyone will agree, maybe with only 5 corners, or 8 DL not including Ware, so tell me what you think or if I forgot anybody.

Sounds good to me, Lou.

Lou,
Ditto what Rob2 said. I am a little surprised how down everyone is on Scott at this point. He has been absent the last two days because of his ankle, but everything else I heard was positive.

Lou, I heard early on Jermaine Brooks was doing well in the 3-4 as well.

not bad lou, but scott getting cut makes no sense reese has been working with the third team while scott has been working as the number 1 FS. I don’t think he’s getting cut, word is going around the Reese will have a hard time making the team.

Good work, Lou. That’s a pretty posible 53 man roster.

lou,
i dont see anything there id disagree with nice roster.

Guys,
Although I disagree with Scott being “Turk” bait, I read what I could find on him this camp and there is a hint that he is playing tentatively. Wheteher this is due to his ankle or something else is unknown. Playing tentatively in a pro camp is a good way to get yourself cut, if that is how he is playing.

Lou – I’m mostly with you, but no way we keep 6 receivers. Copper, Merritt and others are fighting for one final 5th spot. Our talent level at WR doesn’t merrit us keeping 6 of them and casting away good players on the O-line and the D-line.

I also think Petiti makes it as a back-up left tackle. Walter and Vollers make it because they can play several positions. Gurode starts at Center against 3-4 teams with big, mamoth nose tackles.

There’s some small chance that Anthony Thomas doesn’t make the roster if Parcells ends-up really trusting Barber and Thompson. However, I think Thomas makes it though Bill won’t suit him up too often.

Definitely agree that Ratilff is in. 7th round or not, he’s a good player. Lots of potential. Has the pedegree. And has a good mix of speed and power.

AND our obvious weakness – Safety. After Roy, we’ve got no one. Some potential with Davis but potential doesn’t make a starter. Just ask our friend Drew Henson about that.

heard alot of positives about merritt this whole camp. i hope he makes the team, good speed, has some experience.

and as far as safety is concerned, i dont think jj and bp are done yet with finding 1. sounds like they are scouring the soon to be released victims and possible trades.

Parcells mentioned Mickens by name at a recent press conference. I’m not saying we’ll see him, but I certainly would not be surprised if we bring him in for a look.

He was saying he’d like to see another nickel guy, and that he didn’t yet know who it would be.

I just read where Spagnola is saying he doesn’t think we’ll bring in Mickens (unless someone gets hurt), but I still wouldn’t be surprised.

I can see us keeping 6 WR’s. When you have several Lineman that can play multiple positions, you open up roster spots for other positions. If we dont keep 6 WR’s we may keep all of the RB’s

In today’s news conference, Parcells was asked if he was looking to bring in Mickens. Parcells replied that he wants to see his own players first.

On a related matter, Parcells said that they are trying Jacques Reeves at nickel safety, but only at ‘nickel’ safety — meaning, I guess, that Reeves is not yet a candidate for the free-safety position.

craftl – we could keep 6 WRs if we had the talent there. We don’t. That’s too bad becasue I agree that we may have a lot of flexibilty in the O-line and D-line (even in LB group). our D-line is full of players. I’m thinking we’ll go with the extra man there because of the talent.

It’s funny, this is the time of year when we’re all so full of optimism for the season. I know I am, but every week I read something different. One week, a particular guy is doing great, and the next week, he’s not even considered a real threat to make the team.

At least there are a couple of guys out there who have been pretty consistent. Ware seems like a lock, as long as he doesn’t get injured. I like what I’ve been hearing about Burnett. I’ve just got a feeling about that guy. If he stays healthy, we’re going to be very happy with him.

Now I hear that Rogers’ stock has risen sharply. Glad to hear that his injury was not too serious. I’d really like to see Dallas get that position squared away so we can concentrate on other areas of need. If the line is tight, we’ll be alright.

I like our WRs right now. If Glenn stays healthy, I see this as a position of strength, at least for now. With Morgan and Crayton competing for the third spot, I don’t think we’re in bad shape at all, but I won’t be upset to see Bill draft a burner early next year. Key and Terry won’t be around forever. Crayton looks good, though.

Running back? Aw hell, I won’t even bother with that. We’re better than we have been there in years.

Defensive back LOOKS better than last year, and I’m hearing great things about Henry. I just hope that remains a position of strength when we start playing.

We’ve got a pre-season game against Arizona this weekend. Everything we’ve discussed here so far could change by then. It’s going to be an interesting ride. That’s what so much fun, and maddening at the same time.

I am falling in love with this Cowboys team!!! There isn’t a single spot where this team has not improved over last years team. And remember last years team lost 12-7 to the eventual NFC champs. My only concern is that at NT we have JFerg ‘Starting’ and pro bowler La’Roi backing him up. As much of a team player and good guy Glover is, there is NO WAY he is going to be happy about not starting!!! Can he play the DT spot opposite the stand up backer?? Not sure about the 3/4. Anybody know?

Lou,

For the most part I like the roster.

Its possible that we keep 5 RB and its possible that we keep 6 wide recievers. It is very unlikey that we do both. In order to keep 11 players in those two positions we would have to be light in two other positions.

A team needs 6 CB these days becasue the 4 wide reciever sets. If you only carry 5 CB and you sustain a couple of injuries in a game you do not have the bodies to match.

The bottom of the roster is always the hardest to prodict because sometimes those last roster spots go to players who do not provide the best help this year, but to players who have the potential to be starters in one or two years.

I think Petiti will make the 53 man roster and then miss most of the games until an injury puts him on the game day roster. I have been to a couple of the practices and Saterdays scrimage and believe that he would not clear waivers. He is a little raw and still a little fat, but he is a huge man with long arms and he does real well in the one on one drills. After he gets a NFL season and another offseason under his belt he will be a good lineman.

Things are looking good for Petitti. They did another scrimage today and he started at ROT with Rogers playing with the 2nd unit. He has a better ROT NFL frame then Rogers does. Baring injury, I doubt that he will actually start any games his year, but he will make the roster.

As someone pointed out above, Rogers has a better makeup to play LOT in the NFL.