Done Before He Begins?

Why, why, why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That sucks Bolas man!

for cryin’ out loud…. this is terrible news. i’m afraid bill is gonna have to start vollers over there. no other choice because pettiti isnt ready and tucker cant be trusted.

scott

Once again a big thanks to Nick eatme for his in depth
report of cowboys camp……….

Hmm!! I am wondering if their is now the thinking in Cowboy camp of moving Allen over to the right tackle spot and putting peterman at left guard.
But remember, we all jumped to the conclusion last week when Spears went down with a knee injury and thought he was gone for the year, lets take a wait and see before the sky is falling starts.

becker,

Why rag on Eatman? He reported what Parcells told them about Rogers in his press conference. Eatman didn’t write more, because Parcells didn’t say more. Parcells didn’t say more, because he didn’t know more, at that time. The reporters asked. Parcells declined to speculate.

Derrick,

Parcells is switching Pettiti over to right tackle. He did say that they are currently looking ‘outside’. No question was asked about Allen, and Parcells didn’t bring it up.

I get a strong feeling that bill really likes pettiti, but it’s a little much to think he’s going to be the answer at the right tackle spot THIS year,I’m sure bill sees him as a long term solution at the right tackle spot, but he needs alot of work to switch to that side, especially when Pettiti played his whole football career at the left tackle spot.

Whoa slow down everyone! Just because he reinjured the same shoulder doesn’t mean he is done for the season or anything close. It sounds as if Jacobs will be able to play, but will have pain from time to time during the year. .. From Parcells comments I am speculating that it is more of a pain management thing than a physically disabling thing. Rogers had reported pain on Saturday, and played in the scrimmage, and also finished practices yesterday, so the pain can be played through. Parcells even dismissed any suspicions that Rogers did not play last season because of injury, and said, “No that (injury) didn’t keep him off the field.” It seemed as if Parcells was looking at Rogers as a guy that can play, but will have to be monitored. .. We may be looking at cortizone shots throughout the season. A lot of athletes do it. I am speculating on that, just trying to read in between the lines.

I know this is off topic, but are the Cowboys fans sick of hearing about what a good guy Steve Young was? Read what former Cowboys DE Charles Haley said about the guy. Click on our site to read more.

At least the Playmaker didn’t have to go in with this guy.

Did you all hear Parcells press conference? He is high on Canty, and hinted that he may be a starter (or in the mix of the 13-15 players that “will have a roll equal to anyone else”). He may be the steal of the draft.

Chandus,

Nice job with Thompson (although I still don’t see 25% of the running plays), you were the first mention him, and he looks to be on track to make the team. Very nice job getting your facts together to make an educated prediction. .. I know I rubbed you a little about your comments on him, looks like I was wrong in doing so.

The DMN (Mosley) is currently reporting that Jerry Jones says the injury to Rogers is not serious, and Rogers might play Saturday. The MRI was negative. It was the left shoulder that was operated on this spring.

I would like to see Thompson make the team. I think Crayton is going to do something this year.

Thats great news if its true.

Mr Bill.
I hope thats true and its only a minor injury, like a strain or sprain and he can come back and anchor that right tackle spot for years to come.

NFL Adam-I’m sick of the way Dan Marino and his son, last night on MNF, are spinning his career as him being such a team guy not worrying about his stats. What a crock!

This just in from Y.A. Toddle-Latest report is that when theyu performed the MRI they also discovered a tumor in his leg(shoulder). His career is over. What a shame.

YAT

sean, you’re an idiot

This injury concerns me more than Spears. Although Rogers may be able to go on Saturday, or even opening day, this seems to me like something that could linger and reappear anytime. If he is our starting RT, we deffintely need some long term insurance.

Does anyone know anything about this safety we picked up from the Jets (Pagel)?

The Cowboys also conducted an MRI on YAT’s head. He was placed on PUTNBI – physically unable to not be an idiot.

Hi heard the MRI of YAT’s head should nothing, nothing at all, just empty space between his ears. That answers all questions

Big Jim,

There is no entry for him in “Scientific Football.”

cowboysplus.com is reporting that the same thing the DMN reported. They claim Jacob Roger’s MRI showed nothing and that he could possibly play Saturday. The news is a little confusing though as they said he suffered the injury in the scrimmage Saturday. I just assumed the injury happened today. I figured we would have heard something about this yesterday. I’m guessing Rogers played yesterday and it was giving him problems. Them they decided to do the MRI

Sorry for reporting something you guys probably already knew. I didn’t know Parcell’s had mentioned in his press conference that Rogers played yesterday.

From NY Jets homepage:

Pagel, 6-1, 208-pounds, was drafted by the Jets in the fifth round of the 2003 draft out of the University of Iowa. Pagel played in 19 games over the course of his first two seasons with the Jets, seeing the majority of his time on special teams. He has recorded 24 special teams tackles and five tackles on defense throughout his young career.

again, this site proves itself great. Thanks for the joint effort pulling together info on jacobs.

I agree that even if he plays on sat, its troubling that he is consistently suffering problems with the shoulder. This O-line can be a great one if we can find a solid RT. I don’t see any other RT on the roster that has a strong chance of being dominant this year. Vollers is serviceable. Petiti is a rookie who played on the left side his whole career. LA is too old and ‘dem knees… no way. Tucker can’t seem to stop collecting penalties. Unfortunately, Jacobs is the best hope for us fans on the RT. And thus… the chronic shoulder problems is a real pain.

Carioca,

I’m waiting for a callback from my buddy the surgeon for some feedback
on Rogers. My initial suspicion is what other people on thread suspect — it’s a pain issue. The MRI was negative, which means there is no new structural damage. What happens with injuries like this, I’ve learned talking to the doc in the past, is that you might have a tearing of scar tissue, which results in discomfort and pain. I had something similar happen with a knee that had an ACL reconstruction about ten years ago. I had swelling and pain after stepping in a hole and thought I might have damaged it again. Turns out it was merely old scar tissue breaking loose.

Now, that’s just speculation on my part. I’ll post again if I can get in touch with the professional. But it may be a while — he’s on vacation.

I think it time to stick Beriault at free safety and see what he can do. He’s got the size,speed and the smarts to play it. I heard bill say the other day that he doesn’t want to put too much on the kids shoulder, But he played four years at ball state and doesn’t seem to be out of place or overwhelmed on the field.

Rafael

What’s up?

parcells did day we might have 4 rookies starting this year on defense. me personally i like that idea.

EricR,

Who was it that told you Canty would be the starter over Ellis? Oh ya that was me.

Josh,

1st of all if you heard what Parcells said, then “starting over” is very inappropriate, because Parcells considers 14-15 guys as starters because they have “equal rolls”. And I think I, yes I, was the one who said that 4 D-linemen will all play about 70% of the snaps each. And yes I was the one who said that once Canty is healthy and gets Parcells’ confidence he will be in that 70% mix, hence giving Parcells the flexability to TRY Ellis at LB. … You Josh were the guy who said I was an idiot for even thinking Gurode would challenge Johnson for the starting C spot. How is that working out? .. And the guy who said I had no credablity because I said Ellis is quick .. Ho hum 4.84 – 40 time compared to Julius Pepper’s 4.7 – 40 time or Clark Haggin’s (OLB, the position you said Ellis was too slow for, in the league’s best defense) 5.04 – 40 time. Not to mention his sack numbers being very comparable to Willie McGinest’s numbers too.

… Hey if Parcells never TRYS Ellis at LB then give me a nice rip!! But you have nothing here .. not yet.

if we are going to get a vet. i think we may want to get a vet rt to be a back up. he might be the future, and/or the starter for right now, but i would hate to put the season at rt on a repaired shoulder than is given him pain. i hope he is fine. does anyone know of a rt that can be signed for an insurance policy. maybe ross verba. i am not a fan of his, but if he can play and doesn’t cost us a lot. we really need a backup at rt. and speaking of a backup. the way henson, and romo is doing. HERE’S VINNY!!!!!

SORRY; JUST THINKING OUT LOUD. it might be stupid, but it is just a thought.

Eric R,

So you think Ellis going to be a LB? lol you are a fool. And Ellis does not run a 4.8. Maybe when he came out of college but not after a broken leg and this many years in the NFL.

I will say if Gurode becomes the starting center that I made an error in judegement there. But as I said Canty was drafted to start in front of Ellis, because Ellis will be best as a part time player, live with it.

Darrell M,

I thought i read somewhere that Verba signed with TB I might be wrong.

EricR,

I would like to apologize. I was one of the guys who was laughing at you for thinking that Gurode would challenge a C but you have proven me wrong.

Darrell M,
Don’t be so hard on yourself. The only stupid people in the world are those that shut off their minds because they can’t think unpolitically correct.

There is just something about Rogers that that says he is not our guy. I don’t care what TunaMan says about not wanting Vollers to start because of his backup utility. He also said he didn’t want Davis starting at FS because of the loss to special teams. But look who is starting at FS on Saturday. Our Rt will be Vollers or LA. Rogers is a possibility, but he’ll have to show me.

Big Jim,
YA Tottle has something you dont have: a sense of humour. Jim, you need to listen to Oiler Troll, buddy!

Josh,

Here you go again with the name calling. Can’t you make a point without the name calling? Jeez! … Now, lets recollect our thoughts.

You are the person who said “Ellis is slow”. Slow? Does 9 sacks qualify? Like it or not he ran a 4.84 – 40, and that is what we were all using to measure the compared players’ speeds. That was the bar we were using, wasn’t it? Cause I think YOU mentioned McGinest’s 40 time. Didn’t you?

No don’t give me if Gurode wins the starting C job then I made an error in judgement stuff. … First of all I never said that Gurode would win that spot. Secondly, you said he stinks, something like “if you think Gurode is good, then you don’t watch the games”. JERRY JONES said that Gurode is good enough to challenge Johnson for the starting C spot. When JJ was asked if he was saying Gurode is good enough to win the starting spot, he responded, “Yes I am”. Like I said, I guess Jerry doesn’t watch the games either, and Parcells too for that matter.

When coming to predictions Josh, I have been OK so far. Ellis at LB? We will see, and I am sure I will hear from you if he doesn’t get a shot there. I also went out on the line and said Mike Goolsby will make the squad, so there, if I am wrong, then laugh and needle me all you want. But please as a fan of the game, let’s just cool out with the name calling.

Matt,

Thank you, and I don’t think you were the worst. In fact I found myself praying the other day… (on my knees praying) “please just one practice .. these guys can be rough .. please Parcells put Ellis at LB for just one practice” .. and your name wasn’t at the top of my list of peoples I fear. But thank you.

Damnit James, I knew you were Y A Totte!!!

Did you guys see that Keith “Killer” Davis is listed as the starting FS on Sat against Arizona?

Remember Rogers was not in any of the MINICAMPS……he is behind on his workout and strength and still beats out Vollers?

I am frustrated with injury too………but some were ready to give up on Al Johnson………this kid can come around yet. It is preseason and he has a bum shoulder……….he can still turn into our STARTER.

Henson ain’t going nowhere. If Parcells wanted him outta here he and ROMO would have been cutting teeth in EUROPE…….which they didn’t. While Henson may or may not be the FUTURE at QB………..he will be a Dallas Cowboy for at least the forseeable FUTURE. He ain’t making nothing but back up pay…………You know if we listened to some of yall instead of Tom Landry………..Roger would have been sent packing for Craig Morton………..Give the kid 3 years. Not one season as a backup.

Someone was really lucky that the thread for Week One in Review is not working, cause he got lambasted for anti-Parcells hog-wash. Deservedly so too. I won’t say any names, but will tell Big Jim was about the 3rd or 4th to tell the guy he needs mental health aid.

Jon,

Nice to hear from ya.

Bledsoe gives us room and time for Henson, which we all should just chill. The position he is in is harder than Troy’s position when he came here. He has barely played any competative football the past few years, so he is rusty, and lacking confidence, but I think Parcells sees something in the kid. You are right give henson some time.

Big Jim,

He moonlights as a couple bloggers here. Its his multiple personalities. lol

This news about Rogers makes me hope we pick up another good tackle in the draft next year. There are a lot of quality ones that are projected to go in the first two rounds and it seems like that is the one spot on the line that could really expose us to some real problems. Also, who knows how much longer L.A. has got on him. FS is the only other spot that has me concerned. It sure would be nice to find another James Washington type FS that would free up Roy to drop the hammer on the bad guys.

Canty has me really excited so far. I am still surprised we were able to get him where we did. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, since he hasn’t played in even an exhibition game yet, but from everything I have heard and seen he looks like he could be the real deal. His size and quickness remind me a little bit of Tony Tolbert and he even reminds me a little bit of Charles Haley…and both those guys were 4th round picks too as I recall. I feel really confident about Spears too, but even if only Ware and Canty work out I will consider this to be our best draft since the Jimmy era.

Canty was a beast at UVA…….where the hell is Starstruck he will tell ya……..over 100 tackles as a junior DE? Played under Groh in a 3 man front……….freaky height and deceptive strenght……….wait til he packs on 10 or 20 lbs of muscle……..he looks like a Power Forward right now.

I think the BOYS did their homework on the injury and docs…….only IRONY is Canty a UVA grad goes to DUKE for his MEDICAL work on his EYE?

What gives Docs and Lawyers from UVA? Guess you gotta go down the Tobacco road to see straight!!!!!

Eric,

As you know I think PATIENCE is a VIRTUE. I think Drew Bledsoe was one of the better options, although I was not sure Warner was done yet either. He could still light it up with time, but hey Bledsoe knows the routine and with our TE, RB it is a natural fit for him. Warner has the ability it is the fire in his eyes that I worried about………he worked his but off to get there but two years ago he quit in a game…..at QB unacceptable.

Look for our OFFENSE to be a surprise. Mostly running the legs of Julius but still we scored some points last year……we just gave up too many.

I love it when a Plan comes together.

Mr. Bill,
I rag on Eatme because thats all he reported!!!!he has done this at
least 3 times(spears,pettite and Rogers).Did practice stop?Out of
the 80 some odd guys none of them looked good bad or so so?Hey
how does the new kicker look?Did see the hot chick in the stands?
Compare his reports to Spags and he makes spags look like
a football Einstein!

lets be realistic about Rogers. His should bothered him in high school, college and now in the pros. He has had multiple surgeries. He will probably play thru the pain this year. But next year, he will probably be displaced by Pettiti. Simply put, the risk we took on taking rogers with a bum shoulder isn’t going to turn out as well as the risk we took on Canty. I am not sure JJ will spend a high draft choice on a tackle in the draft, even thought there are some good ones. Al Groh has one at UVA, as well as a top notch LB. Yes, i am from VA but i am not a UVA fan.

me too J-Man but I aint no wahoo……….but CANTY was a beast. Without the knee and eye injury the guy goes higher than Erasumus James and Marcus Spears. Last time I looked those injuries were clearing up so maybe just maybe we got three first round defenvise players this year.

becker,

I don’t want to go too far out on a limb for Nick Eatman, but, in his defense, there was no practice yesterday morning. It was a one-practice day, and that practice was in the late afternoon. There were probably not too many hot chicks in the stands when he wrote his mid-day report.

By the way, I think the major problem with the dallascowboys.com web site is their lack of professional editing. Some of the things that are written there are downright embarrassing to anyone with an eighth-grade education. Of course, Spagnola is listed as the editor, and he is one of the worst offenders. He went to Missouri. If he is a representative example of the product of that university, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for an education in journalism.

Jon, Where in VA?

First Rogers is a bust…then he’s a beast…and now a bust again.

While I’ll admit having 3 surgeries is a lot, it’s not like he’s playing QB. Having had reconstructive shoulder surgery, I can tell you that it never gets completely well. Rogers will have pain, occasional clean-up surgeries, and lots of WD-40 for the human body (my nickname for Cortisone). However, he can have a very productive career. Don’t give up on him.

That being said, I would venture to bet that we pick up a RT retread after the final cuts, Vollers will be a fine backup, and Pettitie will get a year to become accustomed to the position.

By the way, Verba still isn’t signed. He recently turned down a $1 mil one year deal from Houston.

Next year’s draft priority: #1 – WR, #2 – OT, #3 – LB

But I could sure see us getting a few OL, LB, & WR prospects from the final cuts. Nevertheless, our OL seems pretty secure (and very good) for the next few years.

J-man
 I think it way too early to give up on rogers and label him a bust. He seperated his shoulder in high school, an injury that clearly should of been operated on,but wasn’t until his first year at USC to fix it. He had a minor orthroscopic surgery to clean it up, which is not uncomon. He had another minor orthroscopic surgery to clean up some scar tissue around the labrum last offseason.The main reason he didn’t play last year which is know clear and reported, he wasn’t strong enough to play at this level, not injury.There is alot of players that enter this league and just not prepared to play at this level, whether its strength or the smarts to play their position and are we are asking a player (Rogers) to play a completely different position.Its like asking a baseball player to go up to the plate and bat left handed, when he bats right handed his whole career. He clearly made huge strides this last offseason when Rivera took him under his wing to show the tackle how to prepare for the NFL and it was clearly working since he all but had the right tackle position locked up. Everyone jumps to the conclusion that these players should just step right in, play and dominate, thats just not the case, especially with defensive and offensive linemen. Its a three year process in my opinion. I hope he turns out to be a great right tackle, we thought when we drafted him, but who know. It’s far too early to make the judgement thats he’s a bust.

Jon,

I hate to start again about this (not really), but as Canty comes along and Spears gets healthy .. do you smell something? I mean Coleman, Glover, Spears, Canty, Ferguson, Ratliff, Brookes, Carson, and now Johnson too .. they give Parcells more than enough big bodies up front. I think we are getting very close to that “experiment” .. and you know what I am talking about!!

Fighter.
I wouldn’t mind taking another nose tackle in the first round if Wright or Ngatu is there, I think glover will be gone after this year. Like to see another guard drafted too. Larry Allen might be cut after this year.Wideout is a position Bill definitely will address in the offseason whether through the draft or free agency. The Quarterback situation is another position that will probably have to take a serious look at. San Diego cant keep Brees and Rivers another year, can they?

I hear ya EricR, although I think Johnson might be a practice squad player this year.That MAD scientist’s exeriment might be going into production very soon………

What experiment?

If you’re talking about a rotation, then it’s a done deal. If you’re talking about the 3-4, OK, yeah, it’s a done deal. If you’re talking about an all rookie DE rotation and moving Ellis to LB, I think you’re dreamin’.

No way Ellis plays LB. No way. We’ve got four VERY good OLB candidates. Two may be real special…even great. Waste of a very good DE if you ask me.

Derrick,
I don’t think of Rogers as a bust, just yet. I see more of a stop gap solution. I don’t think he will hold up physically if he starts 16 games/year for many years. Hopefully 2005. But i see a strong back up for years to come. this guy was in pain from a scrimmage which may be as physical but is not as long as a game. Plus, how many plays was he in on? I hope to be wrong, but hey, i’ve had a torn rotator in my shoulder 17 years ago and it still hurts when i work out. For 2005 he is our best option by a large margin. I don’t want Verba personally, i understand that he was pretty much a cancer in the locker room. I was hoping a Steussie would still be out there.

THE EXPERIMENT?

TO UNLEASH “THE SEVEN GATES OF HELL” ON THE OTHER TEAMS QUARTERBACK. BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID! ! ! ! !

THAT’S THE TERM I WILL LABEL OUR NEW DEFENSIVE FRONT SEVEN.

I like Armegeddon or Doomesday II

Fighter,

We have 4 “VERY good” OLB .. who? .. Having enough D-line depth will give Parcells flexability to TRY Ellis at LB (possibly ILB). We all know we are in serious need of some size at ILB. .. So why not TRY Ellis at LB, to see what he has? We all know he is a “football player”.

“If you are talking about an all rookie DE rotation you are dreamin” .. well Parcells himself stated that 4-5 rookies may start for this defense. That would be Burnett, Ware, Canty, Spears, and ?. Parcells also indicated that he wants his rotation at about 70% of the snaps for each starter (he considered 14-15 players starters, as he said they will all have “equal rolls”). So I guess Parcells would be dreamin too?

Now if Canty, Spears, Glover, and Fergie all play about 70-75% of the snaps each, then there is your defensive line rotation. Ware, Dat, James, and Burnett at 70-75% and Glenn (nickle adds a CB and looses a LB) will get about 50%, and that makes most of our LB rotation. So where does Ellis fit in best? Playing DE when Zimmer calls on the 4-3? Sure, but his biggest assett otherwise may become the size he adds to the LB core. As time goes by he is needed less and less at DE in the 3-4. Therfore Ellis can complete the LB rotation, and fill in at DE if need be. … These 10 players and the starting secondary makes up the 14 starters Parcells was talking about. .. Not bad starting team either, and then they have Coleman, Carson, Johnson, and Ratliff as subs on the D-line. Thorton, O’Neil, Shanle backing up at LB. Very nice depth, and my point is you have to believe that Ellis has a shot at winning a LB spot, or atleast will be given a shot by Parcells. .. Really not dreaming .. this makes a lot of sense.

I dont think their is anyway Ellis can play LB or ILB, doesn’t have body type(long and lanky) and speed. He’s better built to play DE in the 3-4 and some DE in the 4-3 pass situations. He’ll rotate with Canty.

Fighter15:

I like Armegeddon a lot…my favorite is Millenium Doomsday.

I just saw some guy who wrote the The Pro Football Prospectus 2005 (which is a purely statistical, moneyball way of rating players) on ESPN predict that Julius Jones will finish either #1 or #2 in the league in rushing this season. I hope he is right about that. Seems like we have so many RB’s this year (and not much of a passing attack outside of Witten), I think BP may be wanting to spread the carries around a lot this year. Kind of like he did with Joe Morris and Otis Anderson, or like Pittsburgh did last year with Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis.

Personally, I would not mind having a less than dazzling offensive attack this season as long as we have a steamroller-style running game that keeps us out of third and long situations, cuts down on turnovers, and gets us WINS. The first half of last season drove me crazy with Vinny dropping back on so many plays and throwing so many INT’s in the 4th quarter and on key drives. I like the way the Steelers did it last year…and as I recall they beat Philly pretty bad last season with that style of game.

Ellis is a big body and used to setting up in a three point. Not a space player. Will do fine rotating in as a DE in the 3-4 and 4-3. OLB in the 3-4 would be too much to teach him this year when they’re focusing on teaching all the rookies and other LB’s who haven’t played OLB in the 3-4 before. Remember, the OLB’s in the 3-4 have to cover TE’s in pass formations, so they have to choose whether to attack or drop back very quickly. That’d be very new to Ellis—both the choices and the coverage. But I guess anything’s possible if they have a few injuries.

Hey, if nothing else, we can expect this defense to have deeper rotations and be fresher late in games than last year’s fiasco.

My big concern? Offensive line. One injury and we’re back to last year.

Sterling:

Yes, Pittsburg did, but I don’t see a Bus in here… I only see a Train that can be derailed by a guy named Bickerstaff.

Remnant:

Yes, teaching OLB to a long career DE is like asking apples to a pine, at least in one year and especially if the guy keeps playing DE with the first preseason game on the horizon. As Parcells said, the Defense will play more than 50% of the snaps in the 42 D, which means something close to 50% of the snaps for Ellis at DE. Now, I’ve been saying that a move to LB is possible, if only, Ellis moves to Inside LB, to the Mike position, left next to Nguyen and right next to the Strong Side LB. As Parcells also said, Nguyen won’t be asked to go for the QB, he will be used as a ball seeker. Leaving the other ILB for the blitzing, which would mean, that in certain time, there you have lined up Ware, Ellis and Burnett, who do you think is gonna blitz? Is a single blitz? A double? And of course Ellis is also known as a run stuffer force.

So I’m up for the move, but just to ILB.

Playing the strong side OLB is comparable to playing the strong side DE in the 4-3. Ellis flourished there last season recording 9 sacks, and breaking up a bunch of plays. That strong side OLB has to be able to shed the TE when rushing the QB, something which Ellis proved he could do last year. He is the only Cowboy that has proven himself in that regard. The OLB there is also your contain guy on that side, and again Ellis proved to be a sure tackler and a good contain guy. So he would be asked to do similar things at the strong side OLB spot that he did last season. Furthermore Ellis was one of the best 1st down defenders in the league last year, and you want him out there on the field on 1st down, his best down. .. Like I have said too, just TRY him out there and see what he has.

The four very good LBs are Dat, James, Ware, and Burnett, with the two latter as real potentials to be great. You could add Singleton in the mix as well. Combined with the progress of Shanle and Ryan there’s no point in putting a square peg in a round hole. LBs don’t rotate (nor need to) like DLs

No way he can play in space or in the middle. Only successful moves I’ve seen made for DE to LB conversions are at ROLB in a 3-4, or for very undersized DEs and even they struggle. Ellis is 270 and slow.

Why would you want to put a very good player in a position he will struggle in.

And Bill is no fool, he will have Ellis, Glover, or Coleman manning one end position while playing a Canty, Spears, or Ware (4-3). Only time I would expect to have two rookies on the line is in the 4-2, and even then, only rarely. The DE pair rotation should look like Ellis, Spears & Canty, Coleman. If you had it your way it would be Canty, Spears & Coleman, Ratliff? Doesn’t fly.

Chandus:

Got it. Ellis at Mike. Hmmm. Still a different stance, and blitz schemes would very occasionally require him to cover a back. Plus, the read-and-react is totally different. So I still don’t expect to see it this year since I haven’t heard of Tuna lining him up there a bunch in training camp. May not be enough time left to teach him all the adjustments. Plus, any extra distance between him and the quarterback is bad. He’s been our best pass rusher and a consistent performer in the 4-3.

Would be interesting, though!

And if the idea is to stop the run, isn’t that what the bigger-bodied Ware, Thornton and Jamesare for? And Dat has demonstrated that he can handle ILB well in the 4-3, so he’ll probably be ok in the 3-4. And moving Roy back in to SS means he can now support the run defense again—which should be fun to watch.

In fact, here’s a list of my top 5 things that should be fun to watch this year at Texas Stadium:
1. Roy crushing somebody every game.
2. Julius being Julius.
3. Each opposing quarterback running for his life…and losing a few times.
4. Interceptions from our secondary.
5. Being at least competitive in every game.

I have heard reports early in the off season LA was in good shape. Is there a problem I am unaware of? Could he be ready to start? I just hate to give up on a guy that was arguably the greatest in his position ever even if it was five or six years ago.

I hope the boys go to the nickle more, it might be our best formation. With Roy in the box the run might not burn you. It’s a situational defense but I would be a bit more likely to call a nickle on third and four than last year.

No, LA is fine and will be the starter. Just not much of a runner, but never has been. Still nimble enough to easily stay in front of all but the most elite pass-rushers.

I think somebody said above that he’d be cut after this year; hold your horses. He’s still their best (maybe 2nd best) offensive linemen unless he gets hurt. Bill just doesn’t like his attitude and lack of leadership, but he’ll keep the player unless another great OG falls into his lap.

There comes a time when every great player starts to slip, but the last couple of years for LA were more about injuries and attitude than loss of ability. So we should expect him back until a) he slips physically, b) he gets injured, or c) somebody behind him on the depth charts becomes very good overnight.

Here is why, IMO:

Look at the depth on the defensive line: Ferguson, Glover, Spears, Canty, Coleman, Carson, Ratliff, and (now that he has made a bit of a name for himself) Johnson too. That is 8 guys that all look like they can contribute. How many players do you need there? How many will make the team? …… 4-5 guys is all it will take to make a good line rotation.

Now take a look at the LB position. Ware and Dat are sure fire starters! Burnett should be in the mix for that “equal roll” that Parcells was talking about. Glenn will represent a LB spot when we are in the nickle. Where is the size? … If you plug Ellis in there, even if its just on 1st down, he adds size. Now being too slow? Clark Haggins ran a 5.04 – 40, and started for the #1 defense last season. Levon Kirkland went to the Pro Bowl. So Ellis, I am sure can handle a more limited roll. If Ellis plays RDE (opposite Ware) in our 4-2 nickle defense and OLB in the 3-4 on 1st down, it really plays to his strengths. .. But hey what do I know.

Oh and the read and react part? Well like I said Ellis is one of the best 1st down defenders in the league, and 1st down is the hardest down to predict whether a team will pass or run. His sacks on 1st down, number of solo tackles, his ability to contain, and his ability to sniff out screens preaches how suited he is for that roll. .. Just my opinion.

I knew Kirkland would be brought up by you…he had been a LB in a 3-4 his entire career. Also, the Steelers have never been a true, base 3-4. They zone blitz and almost exclusively use him as a rusher.

Ellis is a DE. In fact, his best spot is not as a pure pass rusher, but on the strong side. Let’s just give it a rest. Parcells has a plan…which has not included making Ellis a LB.

In fact, other than this forum, it has not been mentioned. Nice dream, just don’t think it’s feasible. Heck, we even have a two-year guy (Thornton) designated for the position that’s struggling.

If it happens, I’ll gladly revisit.

Why is anyone even talking about Ellis as a LB, has anyone seen him play it yet? or read or heard BP talk about it???

I could see Glover getting traded this year if Coleman and Ratliff show they can play. Because by time BP is done there will be more players fitting the 3-4 then the 4-3. Plus we could get something good for Glover now

Sorry for chaging the subject….Pete Hunter got cut from the Jets….want to play safety now dumba$$???

no way!!!!, is that true, I guess his head was just too big for his shoulders to carry.

Danimal wrote
so youâ€â"¢d rather suck it up this year than have a chance at a super bowl??
Bills will go nowhere this year, so all they decided to do was rebuild.
if we started romo/henson or wouldâ€â"¢ve drafted any qb this year and started them, I can promise you we would be looking at a worse record than last year, with bledsoe starting we are looking at playoffs instead.
 
Let me ask you something didn’t the bills have great D last year? Yes
Don’t they have a better WR combo? Yes they do
The running game might be a wash. we will see these year.
Tightends? We are better.
Return game. not even close, the Bills have a better one.
The bills won 9 games last year just missed the payoffs with Bledsoe.
What can he do here that he didn’t do there? nothing. Bledsoe is not taking us to the supper bowl. The bills might be a worst team this year but for years to come they will be a better team for it. And the bills are not rebuilding because they dropped Bledsoe. If I believed Bledsoe could take us to a super bowl I would be all for it. I just don’t see him doing something more for a team that has less or equal talent as a whole to his last time. By the end of the year we might have more. And yes I rather suck one year and get to the supper bowl in three with a chance to win a few then to just be a ok team for a couple of years.

That is not good I wanted Hunter to start so we would be a higher pick.

Stole my thiunder, Mantab, on theJets waiving Pete Hunter.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jetslionstrade&prov=st&type=lgns

Sounds like he doesn’t have a lot. You have to wonder — is it his attitude, is it lingering effects from his injury, or just his talent?

Hunter got cut??????LMAO……well,well……lol

The guy never played well or never had a chance to, then when he had a chance, he got hurt, and then he comes back with big mouth issues after the injury….to me, it’s a mental issue.

BP was just trying to clean the house abit more I guess

I think Glover is gone next year as well. He is small for a NT and even for a DT in a 3/4 – on the non TE side. Ellis will in no way ever play LB. Players go from the outside in – CB to FS, FS to SS, LB to DE, or DE to DT – not the other way around.

I also heard that T.O got into a onfield yelling match with Andy Ried and packed up his gear and went home.

yeah, heard that too…he’s running naked in front of Rocky’s statue….c’mon

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens exchanged words with head coach Andy Reid at a team meeting Wednesday and was asked to leave, according to news reports.

Owens then got his belongings and cleared out of Eagles training camp at Lehigh University, according to two television reports.

Earlier Wednesday, he had missed practice for the fifth time in six days because of a left groin injury.

Owens worked out with the team’s assistant trainer for about 20 minutes on a separate playing field from his teammates, catching balls from a machine and doing some light running. He did not speak to reporters or acknowledge the fans who chanted his name.

The All-Pro receiver sat out practices last Friday and Saturday. He returned Sunday for both the morning and afternoon sessions, but hasn’t practiced since.

Owens is unhappy the Eagles have refused to redo his contract as he enters the second season of a seven-year, $48.97 million deal.

Last season, Owens had 77 receptions for 1,200 yards and a franchise-record 14 touchdowns before severely injuring his ankle late in the season. He missed the final two regular-season games and the first two playoff games before returning for the Super Bowl, in which he had nine receptions for 122 yards.

I think we’re going to be running alot of nickel so we are going to see alot of 4 man fronts. I think that it’s too hard to predict who will do good and who will do bad because we are going to rotate all the time. We aren’t going to have a Dwight Freeney who plays 100% of the time. We COULD have someone who puts up his numbers, but no one is going to play every down. If we could get, say 7 sacks from Ellis, maybe 6 or 7 from Glover, a couple from Ferguson, now add Spears, Ware and Canty in there, they could have 15-20 between them, add maybe 2-3 from Ratliff and Coleman, and Roy now at the line of scrimmage blitzing alot. We’re going to be fine with everyone we got, I don’t care what the size is. We’re not going to be running the 3-4 every play. You can’t just want to sit Ellis and Glover because your rookies have potential. We need to see them in a game situation first before we sit PROVEN vets and pro bowlers. Unless Canty is a complete BEAST on the field and shows he doesnt make mistakes like a rookie, thats the only way I can see him starting over Ellis. It could happen, im just saying its not too likely.

Great info Derrick!!!!!Thanks………..phuck da Eagles!!!!!!!!GO COWBOYS!!!!

even better jets released pete hunter

I read somewhere that BP expects to run the nickel on 50% of the defensive plays this year. I guess that makes sense if the D does their job on 1st down consistently this year and puts our opponents into 2nd and 3rd and long passing downs a lot. This will also allow Roy to play up like a small linebacker like Darren Woodson used to do back in the good ole days.

Great news about T.O. getting booted out of camp. For everyone that has been making fun of our receivers…I bet the Eagles wish they had Glenn or Key at this point…not to mention Witten. I don’t care how good McNabb is supposed to be, if all he has to throw to is Westbrook (who isn’t a happy camper either) they aren’t going to get very far this season. Remember one of the main reasons Reid held McNabb out of games at the end of the season after T.O. got injured is because he was worried about McNabb getting injured because he would be forced to scramble around so much because the rest of their receivers SUCK!!

The only part of this that bums me out is I was hoping to see T.O. get a hard forearm shiver from Roy on a crossing route on the midfield star in the game at Big D this year. I still am seething over the way the Eagles fans cheered when Irvin went down in Philly in ’99. Karma is a bitch Eagles fans.

This reminds me of the fall that every NFC team since the Packers have had the season after they went to the Super Bowl.

Eric R,

You are an idiot. Whew, just had to check in and say that. Have to get that out of my system once a day.

Anybody know about Ross Verba? Why has he been on the street for so long? How desperate do we need to be before we get to him? If it’s his attitude has the lack of interest fueled his fire?

Ross Verba thinks he’s worth more than he is and their is alot of talk about him being a attitude problem in the locker room. He actually paid Cleveland 450,000 to get out of his contract so he could test the free agency, ooopps, I guess Verba miscalculated the market for him, which seems to be NONE

Derrick, you were right about owens….sorry, thought you were screwing around…..hope he doesnt show up again (which will not be the case)…hate that guy, hate the eagles…let’s see how good McNabb is w/o receivers….

ManTab
Uhh… McNabb Did pretty well without Owens – and no real WR threat – for years. Don’t know of any other QB who has done so much with so little. When thye got him some decent offensive tools to work with he took them to the Super Bowl. I hate Philly. But I think that McNabb gets a raw deal.

Sean,

“No charges will be filed in the first alleged rape at the home of Browns left tackle Ross Verba that occured Dec. 17, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. Another alleged sexual assault at Verba’s Dec. 29 is still being investigated.” – USA Today Jan. 15

I don’t think its an attitude thing, more of a criminal thing. Maybe why he is not getting much attention.

No problem, Mantab. there has been some dumb statements on this Blog lately.

here’s alittle more on the T.O situation.

Terrell Owens leaves Eagles camp

By Bob Brookover and Keith Pompey

Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens left camp at Lehigh University this afternoon after exchanging heated words with head coach Andy Reid at a team meeting.

Owens then returned to his home in Moorestown, where he was shooting free throws on his driveway basketball court around 4:15 p.m.
“If the truth needs to be told, that’s what I’ll do,” said Owens, who was wearing black shorts and a black T shirt, with a camouflaged Atlanta Braves baseball cap on backwards, with head phones on.

"I mean, if he (Reid) wants to be a man about it and really have me go on the air and tell people what happened, then I can.

“But it was a difference of opinion. I think the report is now that I was blowing my fans off. That’s not the case. My fans have been great. They have been great.”

“When I was out there on the field, I was attending to my business. They are telling me to go out there and perform and go out there and practice.”

“I’m not going into further detail about the altercation.”

According to radio station WIP-AM and Comcast SportsNet, there are conflicting reports about whether Reid asked Owens to leave, or Owens left camp on his own.

ESPN News cited an unconfirmed report that Owens would be suspended for one week by the Eagles.

Owens did not practice with the team this morning, but he did work out with a trainer.

On WIP, former NFL player Gary Cobb said he had talked to an unidentified Eagles player today who said the dispute started over Owens’ morning workout.

According to Cobb, the player told him that Owens was supposed to be off today in order to rest his strained groin muscle and Reid was upset to see him running pass routes at full speed. When Reid suggested that if Owens felt good enough to run routes all out, he should be good enough to attend practice, and the player told Cobb that the argument escalated from there.

Owens, in the midst of a contract dispute with the team, has suffered with a recurring groin injury that he aggravated Sunday. The receiver is unhappy in the second year of his seven-year, $48.97 million deal.

Owens’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was in New York today for a taping of the Late Night With David Letterman show.

According to espn.com, when asked about Owens leaving camp, Rosenhaus said it was a matter between Owens and Reid and declined further comment.

In his first season in Philadelphia last year, Owens had 77 receptions for 1,200 yards and a franchise-record 14 touchdowns, despite missing the last two regular season games with a fractured leg and severely sprained ankle.

He also missed two playoff games before returning for the Super Bowl, in which he had nine receptions for 122 yards in the Eagles’ 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots.

Owens started controversy shortly thereafter by saying he was unhappy with his contract, making critical remarks apparently directed at Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, and firing his agent to hire Rosenhaus

Well Eric,if it’s in the Akron Beagle then it must be true…..Tanks!!!!

What is up with Fergusons ankle? Where does Ogbogu fit in to all of this DE rotation stuff, and did anyone see this unscheduled scrimmage?

Mc Nabb? All he does is dink and dunk, behind one of the best offensive lines in the league. I mean he has all day to throw, and still only manages short to intermediate passes. But I will give him a lot of credit in the fact that he doesn’t turn the ball over a heck of a lot. Has nothing down the field, though. I wouldn’t trust him to throw one of those 15 yard out Troy use to throw that’s for sure. .. Just my opinion though.

lol…………..GO COWBOYS!!!!!!!

lol @ sharkz .. I read it myself.

EricR

Troy was one of the best QB’s to ever play the game. There aren’t many QB’s in the History of Football that could match up to him. McNabb has a pretty good line, but he has a bag of crap to throw to. Aww I don’t wanna talk about the F****** Eagles. Any see that unscheduled scrimmage?

Alan,

Kind of my point. I hate when people compare McNabb to some of the better QBs to play the game. I think he is overrated a bit.

alantdot,
remember he wont have pinkston either, since hes out for the year.

Oh come on McNabb is in the top five for QB. Before last year he was all they had. A couple of years ago he was on this way to a mvp before he got hurt. Don’t get me wrong I can’t wait for Ware to take him down. But just because I don’t like him doesn’t mean I don’t recognize he is one of the best right now.

AW,

Well Said. I agree.

espn is reporting peter warrick needs to take a pay cut or will be cut. if so should we look at him?

now warrick,he’s a bust

EricR-thanks for the info. Sounds a lot like the trouble Eric Williams got in. Don’t need that bagage.

McNabb is a good QB, no question, but I don’t see that he has the heart of a championship QB. He is too easy going and I noticed that in the big games (NFC Championship games) he doesn’t shine. Last year the defense got them by a far less experienced playoff team in the Atlanta game.

If you thought McNabb didn’t have a lot to throw to in the past it is going to be a LOT worse this year. He doesn’t have Pinkston or Mitchell and even if T.O. comes back this situation is eroding by the day. Look what happened to the 49ers. They went from being a playoff team in 2002 to having a losing record in 2003. T.O. quit on them numerous times that season and blew up at coaches and teammates every other week it seemed like. The next thing you know Mariucci and Garcia are packing. It’s like history repeating itself.

I just heard an interview with T.O. shooting baskets all by himself in his driveway and he called out Andy Reid saying “If he’s man enough he’ll tell you what happened.” T.O. makes Antonio Bryant look like an easy guy to coach.

If the reports on TO are true,it’s gonna be hard to come back from “dissin” the fans and the coach…….he’s cutting his own throat…anyway to answer an earlier question,Ferguson has a lower ankle sprain,not supposed to be serious,should be able to play Sat nite…….

T.O is doing everything he can to get cut or traded. If I were Andy Ried, I would suspend this CANCER without pay for conduct detrimental to the team.

How many cowboy fans would want this idiot now…

To be traded for and cut not even a week into camp is pretty pathetic. Lets see if anyone else gives him a try.

What coach/GM in their right mind will take a chance on TO NOW? He is done.

Thanks Sharkz.
Still waiting for any eye witnesses to the impromptu scrimmage held today by the Cowboys.

TO is not done

AW……To any team that doesn’t want to detract from their success,have their team ripped apart,have major distractions and waste their cap money….yes he’s done….but to those who do…….get ya some!Go Cowboys!!!!!!!*

I hope T.O. does go back to the Eagles. If they get rid of them then their only problem is finding someone to throw to. If he goes back they are going to be worse off in the end because the situation and the bad blood is going to get progressively worse throughout the season. He’s going to be double teamed all year anyway since the Eagles don’t have anyone besides him and Westbrook to throw to. I can hardly wait to see the tantrums he throws on the sidelines when they can’t get him the ball enough.

After watching his latest cocky no remorse interview, T.O. reminds me of someone standing on the edge of the diving board mooning his teammates and coaches down in the pool. If they don’t kick him off the diving board with a trade, his next step will be to drop his drawers and piss in the pool. That Super Bowl window for the Eagles is closing a lot quicker than I thought it would.

I hate TO as much as anyone but any coach would take the guy, hes arguably the 2nd or 3rd best WR out there, and puts up monster numbers. The guy’s size and speed just let him dominate at times. He was suspened for a week. I wanted to see Roy lay the wood on TO, but from alot of reports that might not happen. I don’t really care, I think we are capable of beating the Eagles with or without TO. Without Pinkston, Newman with maybe Glenn backing him up on TO? Forget about it, they could cover the best of em.

Man, I’d take TO in a minute, if he was cut, just to put a daggar in the Philly fan’s hearts. I wouldn’t trade anything for him though. I wouldn’t want to give Philly any chance to save face.

I’d sign him to a one year contract and then let things take shape each year after that. If he can get a better deal elsewhere, let him go.

By the way, it sounds more and more like Ware is going to be a beast. Everyday it seems like he is beating Adams for a couple sacks. Either Ware is very good or Adams is having a bad camp. He’s going to get grilled if he gives up 2 sacks per game in the regular season.

By the way, where is Rafael? I haven’t heard much from him. Isn’t he supposed to be at training camp? When are we supposed to begin hearing his reports?

Culpepper, Manning, Favre, Brady, and Green all have better career numbers than McNabb, and I would trust all of them more in the big game. McNabb is good, but not the idea poster boy QB that can put a team on his back and carry them. .. He’s had a very good defense there in Philly for a while, and as I pointed out one of the best O-lines in the game. .. He was the sloe reason that the Eagles are defending NFC Champs and not Super Bowl Champions.

No way would I take T.O. on my team, I don’t care how talented he is. He’s a primadonna who can’t resist stirring up trouble with his coaches and quarterbacks. He isn’t just another showboat WR like a lot of those guys, he truly thinks he is more important than his teammates. If he does get traded hopefully it will be to the Redskins, that would be great to see 3 of our conference opponents go down the tubes at the feet of the same massive egomaniac.

Yeah, Ware has looked good on pass rushing drills, but looks alittle lost at times playing in space and thats where he’s got to be alot better, looks like a deer in the headlight at times, but he is getting better. He’s got alot to digest, that takes time and he said it himself, the playbook is huge.I think he might be the backup to start week one and ease him into the game on certain passing downs to get acclimated.

T.O. is trying to be the Curt Flood of football. .. Sorry Terrell .. this isn’t Major League Baseball .. the NFL actually has rules!!

EricR,

Favre is past it face facts. If any other QB threw up as many ‘who got it’ balls as he did last year they would be out of a job. But when Favre does it – and grins – he is jess havin’ fun!! Trent Green?? Not worth commenting on. What has he EVER done with the game on the line. And the Eagles were playing a pretty good team in the Super Bowl last Year, the Patriots? or something like that. Heard the Pats might have been to a few finals before. I also heard they beat Pittsburg and Indy on their way there. Those aren’t bad teams. . All three better than anything in the NFC last year. Or I could be wrong

In today’s scrimage Ware did not look lost. I am sure that he is having to think and not simply reacting, but it is real tough to tell by watching. Man he can really move and it takes more then an extended arm to keep him off the qb. He got a sack over Flozel Adams today and seemed to do ok when he went back into coverage.

Trey,

how did Burnett look? And Tyson?

AW,

I notice that you omitted the offensive line in your comparison between the Bills and the Cowboys. That must have been an oversight, since the Cowboys are definitely ahead of the Bills there.

I should also point out that the Bills’ accomplishment of winning 9 games in the powerful AFC East, not to mention the stronger AFC, could be considered significant. The Cowboys may not have the competition this year that the Bills did last year.

Professional football is a 53-man game. It’s not the quarterback and 52 dwarves. A team needs to consider the contibutions of all 53 players, and not completely sublimate all of their hard work in an effort to find a great quarterback. You might be willing to throw away a season, but you have nothing invested in the fight. These other players and coaches do, and it would be a gross disservice to all of them to blow away a season on some QB hunt.

AlanTdot Says:

"I think Glover is gone next year as well. He is small for a NT and even for a DT in a 3/4 – on the non TE side. Ellis will in no way ever play LB. Players go from the outside in – CB to FS, FS to SS, LB to DE, or DE to DT – not the other way around. "

…its simply not true for the DL. A number of DE in 3-4 are former DT and a number of DE move to LB. While Glover is not an ideal NT because he likes to improvise and he does not weigh 330lbs he is one of the best pass rushing interior linemen in the game. It takes two men to block him if you want the QB to have more then a 3 count. Baring injury I expect he will play out his contract because in general you cannot get back equal value for a DL over 30

Did anybody hear about Parcells geart attack today? Did he survive it or what? Please help.

Trey,

You are right about getting value for a DL over 30, and thank you for correcting me on the specifics of Glovers talent set, but answer this: How does he take not starting? And how does he do againt the run where those three seconds can be used to suck him in and go backside. And while I see DE’s go to the LB position in a 3/4 – Mike Vrabel – How about Ellis’ ability to play standing up? And Playing in space? While Glover is getting tips from Burt after practice, all I hear about is Ellis being not happy with the change.

When the boys were 1-15, 7-9 what do your call those years?? 5-11 for three years with nothing to show for it. I don’t want to throw away a year all I said was I rather suck for a year and get the right player or player to build a winner then to just be ok for a couple of years. There are certain teams that always get to the playoffs or close every year but everybody knows they are not going anywhere. For some teams getting to the playoffs is winning for the Boys that is not good enough. You are right about the Bills being in stronger AFC. And they wont winning because of Bledsoe if they had a better QB they would have made the playoffs. I just don’t see Bledsoe taking us anywhere but if he does that’s great. I will be pulling for him. The bills didn’t fire Bledsoe because of the their O Line, they did it because they didn’t think he could take them to the next step as same as NE didn’t think so either. If Bledsoe was so good NE wouldnt have traded him to a team they have to see twice a year and the Bills wouldnt have dropped him for someone that hasn’t played yet. He is not much of an upgrade over last year. I don’t want to go 8-8 or 9-7 and miss the playoffs just to go another year with out knowing if one of the young guys can do it. To me there is not much difference between going 5-11 and going 9-7 missing the playoffs. This year I’m excited about the D looking like they are going to do something and JJ and Witten.

alantdot,
farve for a guy whose done still threw for over 4,000 yds last year

Alan,

Favre has been thrwing those jump balls since I can remember. McNabb is a good QB. My point was I hate when some broadcasters compare him to some of the greats, like Elway. Manning, Favre, and Brady can cut that list .. not McNabb. .. Good not great.

AW,

Well, with what you are saying, we have to put Parcells to the test on that one. He said that he can fix some of the things he has seen with Drew the past few years. I think he can limit his mistakes as well. Sometimes its the position the coach leaves a QB in that makes him prone to mistakes. I think if Drew throws 20-25 TDs with 10-15 INTs and 3,200-3,500 yards the Cowboys will have had a lot of success when it is all said and done. Do you think that is asking too much from him? Is he capable of those numbers? .. I think he can manage that.

Mike,

Vinny threw for 3500. Bulger almost threw for 4000. Favre is not one of the top 5 QB’s in the league anymore is all I am saying.

EricR,
Favre never used to heave the ball up like he has in the last two years. He is going to the HOF, but not for what he has done lately. I have never heard a broadcaster compare McNabb to a HOFer. Vick? Yes every week, but McNabb? Not so much.

Look at these Favre fans on a Cowboys Blog! All a cowboys fan should be able to remember is that Favre always got his head handed to him by Dallas. They won their 1 SuperBowl without having to play Dallas. C’mon now!

i loved it when i watched nfl access and seen that TO got suspended for a week. i think reid is tired of TO’s BS. i love it. couldn’t happen to a better team.

i bet if you asked hunter if he would change over to FS. he would do it for the minium. lmao. today is a great day in football. with so much rookies that we should have drafted and didn’t. and all the lip that parcell got for letting hunter go. to me fellows; look like bp may now what he is doing.

YOU THINK!!!!

as far as ellis playing LB. “i” don’t think he will, but you never know. and in the nickel. i would play fergie, and glover in the DT spots, and spears or canty, ware at DE. burnett and dat at lb. i like that line up myself. but who knows.

Kevin:

Rafael is wrapping up his work responsibilities before getting ready to head to Oxnard. Reports should start this weekend.

AlanTDot,

Favre has never not thrown for 30+ TD’s in a season. Last year he eclipsed 4000 yards as a passer, while also completing over 64% of his passes. He also had a passer rating of over 92. You tell me 5 Qb’s better than him. Manning perhaps. McNabb? Not as a passer he isn’t. Then who? Culpepper? One really good year doesn’t mean he’s now better than Favre, and lets see what happens to him without Moss. Moss is the only WR in the NFL that commands a double team when he steps on the field, so don’t put to much stock into Culpepper spreading the ball around last year. Lets wait and see what happens when the D can play them straight up now. But still if you think those 3 guys are better than Favre, who is 4 and 5, since you say he isn’t in the top 5. And by the way all those 3 QB’s I named have guys they can have or did have guys they could just heave the ball to as well.

Eric R,

I’m with you on McNabb. He has had one great year, that being with Ownes last year. In the West Coast, a pass first offense, you expect better numbers and would like to see a completion percentage of 62 to 65 and over his career he has struggled to do that. He is a heck of an athelete but on an above average passer, not great by any means.

Brett Favre is one of the greatest all time, as a QB, Leader , Team captain, etc…the only other QB I would pick today before him in this league is Peyton Manning.

McNabb is a good QB…the guy can run and that’s it, he’s not that accurate, TO is a hell of a receiver which made McNabb look good last year, that’s it. I dont think MacNabb is that much more better than Bledsoe / Vinny / B. Johnson / Pennington etc….

Manning, Marino, Favre, Aikman, Montana, Elway….that’s just another league

Well let’s see about Ellis at LB. Parcells said today, “At the end of the day, as a head coach, you want your best people to play (on the field).” .. Yesterday he said that he considers about 14 players as starters, and “they will all have an equal roll”. Of course Ellis is one of those “best players” he was talking about, so how do you get the best players out there for an “equal” amount of time without playing Ellis at LB? Please tell. .. Oh by the way Parcells started talking about being flexable with what you have, and how he liked a former player because he was a swing guy (could play multiple positions, and “not drop off much”). He also said “LBs that can rush the passer are linemen in the nickel” .. “One of my featured rushers with gas in his tank. His sack total should go up, and his pressures total should go up.” .. Not exactly what we all think of when we think 3-4 DE.

Brett Favre is one of the most overrated QB of all time. ManTab Says you are crazy.
“I dont think MacNabb is that much more better than Bledsoe / Vinny / B. Johnson / Pennington etc….”

Eric R,

Once again you are an idiot. He said he want’s to have his best 14 on the field. So how does that equate to Ellis playing LB, a position he has not been taught? You saying if we don’t find a FS maybe they can play him there? Quit using drugs Eric they are bad for your system.

Ellis plays bigger than he is. He loves to get in there and mix it up. He will still be an asset at de this year, and im jumping on the parcells wagon on this one. He’ll be better for the rotation. He cant play 80-90 percent of the time in a 3/4, but he CAN play de in a 3/4 scheme. Greg ellis is no stranger to double teams. He aint gonna be an lb, i promise u that. Ellis and glover are the only proven pass rushing dl’s we got. they will both play ALOT, and they wiil both play on the line.I cant wait to see him break the double diggit sack mark(along with ware) this year. Theres nothing wrong with us having a couple of good players at a position. Ellis will get his sacks, and the boys will be better off for giving him help in the form of time off the feild. By the way, HAHAHA! TO SUCKS!!!!!! The nfl network said he’ll almost certainly be traded before the season starts. I fthey get him gone before the start of the season, they dont have to pay his full salary. God is, in fact, a cowboys fan with a great sense of humor.

And as for Farve- ARE U KIDDING ME?- ONE OF THE BEST WHO EVER DID IT-PERIOD!

AW:

Favre is overrated from two years ago to this point, before those two years, the guy was as precise a QB as what you could find in the league. He’s been a 87.4 average rating QB. If that’s bad on your standards, well I’m beginning to doubt your sanity too…

Finally, I heard something good out of Ogbogu, although while playing DE… I hope he recovers some confidence and moves back to OLB, I like the guy, knows how to get to the QB if he can get around the Tackle.

And I kind of like the masked 42 nickel scheme, masked? Yes, Roy will be playing as another LB, so it’s a 4-3 after all. The defensive front looks though with Ware, Canty/Carson, Glover and Ellis. The only question is who the LB’s will be? Nguyen and Burnett?

And after hearing all the atention Ware’s caughting that it’s all the better fo Ellis, who’s playing on the same side in the 3-4. With Ware calling the attention on the outside, the Left Tackle could go for him leaving Ellis with a Guard, I kind of like Ellis odds in those matchs…

I can’t wait for the season to begin and have all the answers…

I call them ‘losing years’, and I fail to see why you would be looking for yet another one.
By the way, please tell me the difference between, ‘throw[ing] away a year’, which you are not in favor of, and, ‘suck[ing] for a year’, which you claim to be.

You are correct. The Bills didn’t think they could win with Blesdoe. The Cowboys, on the other hand, do. We get to play football games to find out which team was right. Personally, I would rather not just assume the Bills were right and cede the argument to them. I haven’t seen them win all that much lately, either, to be worrying about their judgement. They are the ones who traded valuable draft picks for Bledsoe, in the first place.

Let’s get one thing straight here. I am not a Drew Bledsoe fan. I never argued for bringing him in here. However, we needed something better than Romo and Henson for this year, and I didn’t see anybody better on the open market. One might argue that Bledsoe and Testaverde are similar, but Bledsoe is unlikely to wear down in the second half of the year, like Vinnie did last season. Meanwhile, we have upgraded almost every other aspect of the team. Some, by tremendous margins — I think our defensive secondary and pass rush are going to be light years beyond last season.

This is going to be a competitive team, regardless of what you think of Drew Bledsoe. Is it a Super Bowl quality team? Probably not. But, I’m not worried about that just yet. I’m just looking for improvement. Next year, I’ll be looking for more improvement. If we can keep doing that, sooner or later the Cowboys WILL be a Super Bowl quality team.

Excuse me, that last post was meant for AW.

EricR,

With each passing day, it becomes less and less likely that Ellis will be tried at LB (inside or outside). Irrespective of the merits of the arguments as to whether or not he can actually play one of those positions, he would have to be trained to do so. Since he has never played LB before, that would probably take some doing, and some time. Since Ellis is also learning to play DE in the 3-4, another position he has never played before, I doubt if Parcells really wants to burden him with yet another position switch.

Switching Ellis to LB this camp would risk that he would be unprepared to play either (LB or 3-4 DE). I don’t see it happening.

Trey,

Actually, Parcells said that Ware DID look lost. His precise words (in Wednesday’s press conference) were that Ware was ‘chasing cars’ out there. Yes, Ware looked great in the pass rush, but that is not all there is to playing OLB in the 3-4 defense.

This is no knock on Ware. He is a rookie, learning to play a brand new position at the NFL level. Until he learns how to actually play that position, Ware might have to be placed only in situations where there is one, and only one, thing for him to do.

AlanTdot,

Glover might not be the starter (and that might not set well with him), but he should see plenty of playing time, and I bet he will be in at the end of most games — for his pass-rush skills. That might mollify him.

Your information on Ellis might be dated. He seems to have improved his attitude once camp started.

Cash:

Why would Parcells say he wnts his best 14 players on the field with you an only field 11 players on the field at a time? :?

Raul,

I think that one is best left to the experts on decoding B.P.
……….James your up!!!!

You guys probably already knw this, but the jets have released Pete Hunter.

Cash,

You can’t make a point without name calling? .. If Parcells puts his 14 best players out there on to the field .. the referees will throw one of those yellow hankys unto the ground. Its illegal! As already posted, you can only play 11 at a time. So before you go calling someone else an idiot .. maybe ….

Figure it out! The 14 best players who are they? .. Here I will help .. The entire starting secondary, plus Glenn. With Aaron Glenn, Dat, Burnett, and Ware will account for about 72% of the LBs snaps. Glover, Canty, Spears, Ferguson, and Ware will make up about 90% of the defensive line snaps. .. So where do you put Ellis?

Whoa there EricR. I’m not so sure you’re going to see that much of Canty as a starter. Maybe in the preseason, but when the real games start, I’d like to see us going with Ellis as opposed to Canty, at least right now. Until Canty has proven himself as a player, it’s not a good idea to pull a proven guy in favor of a rookie, even if he does bring enormous potential. Ellis has got to be the guy right now.

Besides, we’ve still got time to let that eye heal up a little bit more. The knee too.

Besides, we’ve still got time to let that eye heal a little bit more. The knee too.

Sorry guys. When I refreshed, I didn’t see th post, so I sent it again.

parcells see the defense as having 14-15 starters on it, now obviously theres only 11 on the field. when we are using the nickle there will be a fw different people on the field then when we are using the 3-4. that is what he means. i think bledsoe will be fine this year, not saying hell be a pro bowler, but he just needs to not make many mistakes then hell be fine.

Whoa whoa whoa on all this talk about whether Ellis and Glover will be starting or moving to other positions. Thought Bill had made it pretty clear that he wants to play a few sets: 3-4, 4-3 (though I haven’t seen anything written on this yet) and nickel. The defense gets about 70 plays per game, so that means:

3-4: 30 plays. The base defense, and it’s set up to stop the run. So big bodies on the line: Ferguson, Coleman/Spears and a toss up at RE between Ellis/Canty/Brooks/Ware. Mostly depends on Ware’s and Canty’s progress and Bill’s comfort level with the rookies.

4-3: 10 plays. Assuming this will be used in short yardage situations and as a change-up, you can put a couple of somewhat smaller, quicker bodies in here. Glover for sure—he’s excelled in it for years. And Ellis will likely see some time here, too.

Nickel: 30 plays. Prime time for pass-rushers like Glover, Ellis and whoever else stands out in preseason. Ware looks the part, but he may be in the base 3-4, leaving some reps here for the other DEs. The tougher decision is which LB’s to leave out of the mix here.

So Glover and Ellis will be in sets that get around 40 plays per game. Plenty.

Rob,

Parcells said that he considers 4-5 rookies as starters (or in the 14 player mix that will have “equal rolls”), so Canty is in that mix. Parcells already consideres him a real good prospect.

My point is with those 4 players (Canty, Glover, Spears, Fergie) rotating into the D-line on the 3-4 and Ware manning DE in the nickel, that leaves Ellis with a very limited roll about 40-50% of the defensive plays. Instead of taking time away from the other defensive linemen to get Ellis to his targeted playing time (70-75% of the snaps), see if he can play OLB on first downs to make up the difference. .. Bottom line is it is mathmatically impossible to have Ware man the DE in the nickel, and have Canty, Glover, Ellis, Fergie, and Spears getting 70-75% of the defensive snaps, unless one of them move to LB. They all can split it and each play 60% of the snaps each, but as Parcells said yesterday, “find a way to get the best people out there”. All I have ever said was moving Ellis to LB for a limited amount of work would pave the way for a very nice D-line rotation, and get the best football players out on the field. ..

Raul,

The 14 players was a typo.

Canty will be a starter by the begining of the season. Write it down. He knows more about being a 3-4 DE than any of the other options on the team.

Okay, I hear what you’re saying, but I’ve got some problems with the idea. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think Ellis is quick enough for the LB position. That’s not what he’s made for. I’d hate to have him out there trying to learn a position we SEEM to be pretty deep at. Also, I tend to agree a little more with Remnant’s assessment of the defensive scheme. The 30 10 30 scheme seems more likely to me. With the talent we have, I can see Parcells brining Canty along a little more slowly.

Parcells considering 4-5 rookies as starters would indicate that Canty is in the mix, but he’s never said he will have them all start at the beginning of the season. At this point, the operative word Parcells used to describe Canty was “prospect”. There’s no guarantee that Canty will be starting by mid season, especially is Ellis does well. I believe Canty will eventually become a starter, but I’m just not ready to give him the job over Ellis just yet.

We’ll see, Cash

Obviously, Bill Parcells’ definition of a ‘starter’ is a tad broader than usual. As he stated in his press conference, he is counting the nickel players, too. That would add in Glover, Glenn, and Burnett (who are not at the top of the current depth chart), at least, plus either Spears or Canty or Ogbogu (or Thornton or whoever).

The current depth chart lists Ellis, Ferguson, Coleman, Ware, James, Nguyen, Singleton, Henry, Newman, Davis, and Williams as the ‘starters’. Ferguson, Coleman, James, and Singleton would sit out in nickel situations, as it stands today.

Of course, this is all subject to change between now and the first game.

Lets say its 65 plays on defense. 1/2 will be in the nickel. And for arguements sake lets say it will be a 50-50 split between formations too. So 50% of the time Dallas will have 4 down linemen, at least 1/2 of that time Ware will come up and play DE. So that leaves us with 5 D-linemen playing 3 positions and a relief roll at DE. .. Split those snaps up evenly amongst the 5 guys and as Remnant pointed out that is about 40 plays each for Ellis and Glover, and I think Parcells wants that number to be a little bit larger, more like 45 plays per game. So the ONLY way he can get them, “his best players”, in for the targeted 70-75% is to move one of them to LB for a limited roll. .. I say Ellis to OLB on 1st down.

Again, I just don’t think Ellis is fast enough for OLB.

No way Canty Takes Ellis’ position as a starter before Thanksgiving. BP doesn’t work that way.

EricR,

PLEASE! Give it a rest. Ellis is not playing LB this year. No one, other than you, believe it to be a good idea.

Go on to the next topic, please.

Chandus
I didn’t say Favre wasn’t good, a player can be great and still overrated. When I say overrated I mean he got 3 mvps in a row come on now he is not that good. When Barry got 2000 years he had to share the mvp with Favre. He has one ring. He does have the numbers. The way people talk about you would think he the best to every play the game and has 5 rings.

AlanTdot,

What way does BP not work?

I think BP was thinking in terms of the 50% nickel package which brings three additional people in the mix, whom he (rightfully) thinks of as starters, namely:
3rd CB – Glenn
LB – Burnett
DT – Glover

Without rotation, the 3-4 is:
Spears, Ferguson, Ellis, Singleton, James, Nyugen, Ware, Newman, Williams, Davis, Henry

The 4-2(3) is:
Glover for Spears/Ferguson
Burnett for James
Glenn for Singleton

Reasonable logic if you ask me.

Cash:

re: Typo

OK, that explains a lot … :lol:

Yep Fighter you are right and Canty and Ratliff and Coleman will be limited players. … That is my whole point .. Parcells has “football players” on the D-line, and said as much yesterday, saying that he would be reluctant to get rid of the “big bodies” cause they are hard to come by in the NFL, and surely someone will pick them up. Soon after that he stated, “At the end of the day, as a football coach, you want your best people (on the field).” Now James might be a decent player, but the “best people” he is talking about is his 5 defensive linemen + Ware. It is his problem, and a good one to have, but all I am suggesting is to TRY him at OLB to see what he has, otherwise Parcells is going to have to significantly reduce someone’s roll, and the other guys (Coleman, Ratliff, Carson, Johnson) will be none existant. A lot of his “best people” are on the D-line, so to get them all the playing time he wants to have them at, he may have to move someone. .. Fighter, your reasonable logic doesn’t even have Canty in the mix. I am sorry, but I respectfully disagree.

Eric,

We all realize that someone’s role is going to be reduced a good bit. My guess is maybe 2 or 3 guys will have their roles reduced. I disagree with even trying Ellis at OLB for the same reason I’ve been giving all along. Just so you know, my first thought was the same as yours. I was thinking Ellis might be okay at OLB, but I thought better of it because I just don’t think he’s fast enough. He’s plenty fast for a defensive lineman, but to have to switch positions, especially to OLB, Ellis would have to be faster and better than the guys drafted specifically for those positions.

If Parcells ever had that in mind, I have to believe that he would have done some things differently in the draft. I won’t go as far as some guys and climb all over you for your opinion, but I just don’t think it would work. While I can’t support your opinion, I certainly support you being able to give it.

Rob2,

Thank you.

I see your point as I do most everyone elses, but my point still remains, in my opinion Parcells has about 7-8 good defensive linemen, most of which I see him trying to get playing time for, when 5-6 is enough for the type of rotation he is looking for, then he must get creative to make more playing time for some of his “best people”. .. Thanks again for being polite Rob, its appreciated on this side.

EricR,

Either you’re very young, or you have a limited ability for rational thought. The previous post was to explain BPs 14 “starters” and does not take into account the full rotation (thus the disclaimer).

I am no longer responding to your inane argument. I respect your opinion, very well conceived and enthusiastically argued, but am tired of beating a dead horse.

When anyone of authority (heck, even a mediot ranting would suffice) says anything toward that end, I’ll rejoin the debate.

Until then,

AW:

You need to first understand something, greatness isn’t measured up by the number of rings you have, it’s measured up by three things, his stats, the dependence his team has of him and his leadership skills. That’s why Marino’s known as one of the best in the league, and probably the best passer in history, unless Peyton Manning proves otherwise in some years…

The Packers have had some things working against them, first our team dominance of the early and medium 90’s. Then their dominance. Then the dominance the Broncos had. And then the Pats one. And do I need to mention that for the last few years The Pack has had some of the worst Defenses of the league?

Again, right now, Favre is overrated, not for the fact that he’s unable to throw the ball as he used to, because he can still throw some perfect rainbow bombs, but because he makes mistakes he didn’t used to made. And a QB can’t be overrated if he’s near to pass the 50000 yards mark in 13 years of starter duty.

All Good, Eric. If that’s what you truly believe, hold on to it. Don’t let anyone talk you out of it. You already know that most of us think it’s not a good idea. Doesn’t mean you have to think that way. If someone gives you reason to change your mind, do so. If not, your opinion is just that, YOURS. You may not be the only guy out there who feels the way you do. Not everybody would stand up to being put down for their opinion.

I have been called an idiot, which is partly true, so that didn’t offend me at all. I have been called much worse, by people who know me well, and I can live with it. So can you. I’ll respond to you if no one else will. Still won’t agree, but I wil respond.

Fighter,

How much are you playing each defensive lineman? .. The most rational arguement posed to my idea has been to limit Glover and Ellis to 40 plays each. Thats about 60% of the defensive snaps. Spears, Canty and Ferguson too will play about 60% in that hypathetical .. and Coleman, Ratliff, Carson, and the other D-linemen will have very limited rolls. .. I just don’t see that happening. Do the math .. you have 5 of Parcells “best people” virtuaully fighting for 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 spots, and 3 other players that are fighting for that playing time too. So if you like our best football players at 60%, then that supposium fits you. I just think Parcells will get creative to make more playing time for his best players.

He’ll have to. Good problem to have, don’t ya think?

Chandus
First of all I never said greatness is measured by rings. But that is what everybody plays for. Numbers don’t lie but Rings don’t either. I said people talk or act like he has all those rings. In the early 90 when they had White, they were a good D. Its just lately they don’t have a good D. If you remember correctly they were favored to win that SB against the Broncos. The Broncos didn’t dominate until that next year. There is no way he should have three MVP’s in a row period that is overrated it took someone getting over 2000 yards just to tie him. He was a great QB and is a good QB now. You are always in a game with him but the other team is always in the game too because he does throw a lot of picks, now and when he was great.

i wouldnt mind seeing ellis at least try lb spot. hes deffinetely freakin tall for it knock some passes down see over the line good. might work but id at least try it.

Mike,

Thanks for stepping up and defending the minority position. While I stll disagree, I’m glad someone else has the courage to agree with EricR on this. I’d be in there with you if I thought it was at least a plausible idea.

Ellis is a very good player, at his position. I know Parcells wants his best players out there. I want them out there too, but I just don’t think Ellis would be one of the best at OLB. If he’s not going to be one of the best at OLB, then it doesn’t make sense to put him there just to have him on the field. Parcells is paid a ridiculous amount of money to make the decisions about who goes where. Right now, he has the fortunate problem of having too many good players, but he will make the decisions that are best for the team. I have never heard him mention this as a possibility, and I believe the reason is that he has too many faster players available to man a position that requires some speed to play. If we had a shortage of quality candidates at OLB, I might be more interested in the idea.

jack nastypooch

First of all, I love that name. Hey, you’re the second person I’ve heard that from. Where did you hear that?

What’s this about DeMarcus Ware being hurt? I hope that’s a joke. Where did you hear that?

Gentlemen—

Adequate D linement are hard to find, which is one reason for going to the 3-4. QBs and cover corners are also extremely hard to find. Linebackers are easier, and receivers and safeties are like toilet paper—people find serviceable wideouts and safeties among low picks and undrafted free agents.

If Parcells wanted to try Ellis at LB, he would have, already, and the mediots would be all over it. Instead, look for everyone to meet their play quota after Parcells trades a D lineman he showcases in the preseason for what we need. The other team will think they are getting value, due to the positions involved, and the Cowboys will get the safety or backup WR (or both) they still need. They may also trade for a RT, much easier for other teams to come by thna a LT, which we have already.

We have the most difficult pieces to find (except maybe QB), and are in a position to trade someone who won’t play to get someone who can fill a position of need for us, that others have too many of. This scenario may not happen, but do not be surprised if it does.

So, how exactly did Ware hurt himself? Did he trip over the airplane beverage cart on his way to the rest room?

This is bogus, folks. The Cowboys only had a 1-hour walkthrough this morning. Then they boarded their flight to Phoenix. No injuries have been reported.

I think Mr. Bill is right. As recently as last night (8:53pm), Chad Peters wrote that Ware would be starting against Arizona.