The Wheel Goes Round

Raf,

I certainly hope we do land Beightol. We could use his expertise on the offensive line. Sherman’s firing certainly makes it a possibility.

I think it’s more likely that Ellis is gone, but Glover may stick around. It all depends on how “Pepper” Johnson’s development has gone. The return of Ratliff is a huge plus, as well as Canty being the steal of the 2005 draft.

We need a lot of help on the oline and the linebacking corps. Nguyen is probably gone, as is Singleton. I think Singleton shouldn’t have been placed on IR, unless his clavicle was hurt more than they let on. I wonder if Rivera will be back.

No pun intended on Rivera’s back. LOL

I hope larry Beightol is let go from green Bay and Bill signs him, we really need an O-line coach of his ability, he’s done a great job for Green bay. I think he’s been there for seven years and has twenty two years in the NFL, so he might like a change of scenery. The only good thing about being out of the playoff hunt is you might pick up a coordinator or a coach with all the firings going on early this offseason for these teams. I wouldn’t mind Norv Turner as a offensive coordinator for us, as I think he’ll be shown the door in Oakland soon I’m sure.

We will keep Rivera, no doubt in my mind. PLEASE get rid of Petiti, I hate that guy, even if we had to replace him with another 7th round pick.

Ellis is gone, just listen to his postgame comments, I always liked the guy but he has no where to play like he should with Canty starting next year. With that said, we have to also draft another DE I think, or aquire depth. Canty, Fergunson, Spears, there all big but not really pass rushers. Thats why I think we should keep Glover.

First things to do this offseason: Lock up Jason Witten and Bradie James. Those kids are players.

I think Rivera will be cut in June of next year so his signing bonus can be spread over two years on the cap. He wasn’t the guy I thought we should of signed in the first place, I wanted Mark Wahle, I thought we should of signed Kareem Mackenzie to be our right tackle, I wouldn’t be slamming Petitti, its alot to ask a rookie to step in and play right tackle when he played left tackle his whole career,I think another year in the weight room and work on his footwork and lets see what happens. Thank Mr Jacob Rogers, for that, He cant play because he has another boo boo.
 Ellis will probably be traded, but I dont think we wont get anything more than a late second or a early third round pick for him, same for Glover,if that. I think they both are gone as is Dat Coleman and Singleton.We need another Nose tackle and another inside linebacker and I think its high time to move Roy Williams to OLB because he isn’t cutting it as a safety and go get a free safety, Chavious will probably be cut by the Vikings.If Beriaults knee is healthy, I think he’ll be a strong safety here down the road.
The O-line, I can see Gurode, Rogers,Tucker,Rivera and price all let go. Columbo is a project, Allen would cost too much to cut, but he isn’t a probowl player anymore, not even close. We need some youth, talent and some Athleticism on our O-line.

Raf,

Is Beightol a Ron Wolf signee? .. Beightol’s resume for protecting QBs is a mighty good one!! He has significantly lowered the # of sacks for each of the clubs he has coached for. .. I believe Wolf resigned in 2001, and Beightol was signed in 1999. So I believe Wolf did sign him. Considering Parcells friendship with Wolf, there may be a good possibility here. Beightol’s masters of education degree would be a big plus too. Usually good coaches have a right hand man, and Beightol’s age and education would give Parcells that guy.

… As usual Raf, nice job at sniffing out this story.

I just dont understand cutting Rivera. Someone explain this to me. We will give Petiti, who flat out sucked this year, a 7th round pick, another chance yet give up on a former pro bowler? We could bring in his offensive line coach. What kind of message do we send to people when we sign big contracts and just release people the following year? Give me a break, Rivera will be the starting RG next year. RT and C will be changed way before the RG will be changed. And a K, OLB, FS, WR (KJ is a FA I believe), backup QB, FB, blocking TE, depth at D-Line are all needed more than a RG.

I would like to see Beightol signed also, if available. Sparano ain’t cuttin’it anymore than Warhop was. I’m with Derrick about Rivera and Pettiti. I wanted Wahle also. Slam me all you want, but he wasn’t injured and guess who’s in the Pro-Bowl? I don’t know that Rivera will be cut, but it is a possibility. Pettiti could surprise again with an offseason of work on his footspeed. C’mon, how many of us actually expected him to start in the first place? Jacob Roger’s indeed. Good riddance woosy boy. Roy Williams at OLB? With Corey Chavous on the market? Interesting. Happy New Year everyone.

P.S. I know it is too much to hope for, but IF Haloti Ngata is still on the board at 18, BP please grab him!

first off, he’s a sixth round pick, not seventh and he’s a rookie, not expected to start as a rookie, he was thrown in there because the second round pick from last year,Jacob, I dont have a heart to play this game Rogers, had another Boo Boo and couldn’t play. It doesn’t matter what round a player is picked to play, its just a earlier round pick are expected to step in right away and contribute. What did you expet, a rookie going up against some of the top defensive ends in the game, come on, give the guy a break and a couple of years to learn the position.
Its funny, when Rivera was out the game aginst Carolina, we were able to run the Ball, when he’s in there, he gets beating like a rented mule. Its just me opinion, but I think they’ll let him go, he’s not the same player he was in Green bay.
Kj is not a free agent, he signed a five year deal when we traded for him two years ago.

Here is Dallas free agent list,
Dan Campbell TE UFA
Eric Ogbogu LB UFA
Keith Davis S RFA
Lynn Scott S UFA
Scott Fujita LB UFA
Scott Shanle LB RFA
Torrin Tucker OT RFA
Willie Blade DT UFA
Willie Pile S RFA

If reggie Bush declares for the NFL entry draft and I was the GM of the Houston Texans, I would declare the first pick the 2006 NFL entry draft open for bidding, I would trade that pick and get as many picks I can get. I would never draft a running back with the first pick of the NFL draft.Lots of teams would give you alot to get Bush or Leinart.The Texans need lots of help.

Derrick,

First, Rivera got hurt after we signed him. It was a weightlifting accident and noone could have known it would happen. Also, back injuries are hard to come back from in 1 year for a lineman. His problem wasn’t with footspeed or mental errors, it was with power moves and leverage. All the things that I saw from him could be fixed with an offseason to strengthen his back to the level he was at. That also eplains the penalties. This is a guy that has never had the problems he had this year, and they can be explained by the injury, so why cut him?

As for Pettiti, he showed no potential. He was beat by every DE he played against, it didn’t matter how good they were. He got beat with speed moves, power moves, and everything in between. He had no footspeed and he couldn’t get his hands in the right place. He made mental mistakes as well. Granted, he was a rookie, but him being a rookie doesn’t mean that he should start next year. I wouldn’t be averse to having him on the roster, but there is no reason he should be starting next year. The things he has to work on cannot be fixed in one year.

Glover and Ellis should both be able to bring at least top of the 2nd value. They are both talented vets with reletively low salaries. I hope they are both back next year, as I think it gives us the depth to do alot of what we did this season, but if they aren’t we should be able to get a good return out of both of them.

There is no way that Pettiti will start next year. If he is starting, there are two crucial injuries to tackles or Parcells has failed miserably.
While Pettiti is a liability, he’s not as bad as you’re saying, Altercall. He wasn’t beaten on every snap, and when he could get his hands on a guy, he usually won.
It may be that after a few seasons of weight training and drilling, he’ll be suitable.

altercall,
Rivera hurt his back walking on a treadmill, not weightlifting, it was a herniated disc and was fixed in April and was cleard and ready to go for training camp.Thats no excuse,If I’m not mistaken, he lead the team in false start penealties, and has not lived up to the expectations and the money he’s getting paid. Our offensive line is the highest paid line in the NFL and is old, slow and not very athletic, no depth at all. It all starts with the line and if thats not fixed in a hurry expect another year like we just had. Its just my opinion that he’ll be cut, he may not, but he better show more than he’s shown.

lou c,

Keyshawn isn’t a FA, but there is speculation that he is not happy with his contract. .. I agree with you too that RT and C will be done over before RG. I believe John Runyan will be the most sout after FA by the Cowboys. Runyan will give Petitti and Tucker more time, which they obviously need. .. At center there are a couple of nice prospects in this years draft – Kyle Young (Raf’s choice, if he declares), Ryan Young (another mamouth C), Greg Elinger (more of a Kevin Mawae clone)- are probably the top 3 prospects coming out. .. If Dallas could pry away Beightol and Runyan, and draft one of these guys, then our line should be well improved.

Eric,
What do you think of LeCharles Bentley a center from the Saints, he’s a free agent this year as a possible signing.

OK, so it happened on a treadmill? When I read the story it said workout, so I assumed it was lifting. Either way the result was the same. He was recvering from back surgery. He may have been healthy to play, but as we saw all year, he was not able to get into football shape. Rivera has never had the problem that he had this year. CLEARLY, the reason for that was his back, and not the fact, as you claim, that he “sucks”. That’s like saying that Orlando Pace should be cut if he had come here and had a bad year after off-season surgery.

Rivera has long been looked at as one of the best OG in the league. One bad year after an off-season surgery and you’re ready to say that the previous 9 years, and 3 Pro-Bowl, were not anything? Come on dude, I know you’re smarter than that.

joey2zs,

I didn’t mean to portray that I think Pettiti has no hope of ever doing anything, or else I wouldn’t want him on the team at all. I don’t think I ever said he was always beaten, just that he was beaten several times by everyone that he faced, no matter how good htey were. Some games, though, he appeared to get beaten on more than half the snaps in some fashion.

I also saw MANY times where he did get a fand on a guy and got beaten. I even remember a few times when he got a chip from a RB and the DE came around off the chip and inside of Pettiti, someone thing that should never happen when you get help.

I wish I had seen more out of the kid, but he got beate in almost every way he could get beaten. I didn’t see one area of his game where you could point at and say that he was really even adequate at. He has size, which is hard to find, but he will need at least 2-3 years before he’s servicable. I just don’t know if we’re willing to wait that long.

Derrick:
Bentley’s an intriguing prospect, he stands low to the ground (he’s 6-2) and has the weight to move the pile (he’s 310+ pounds). There’s a problem with him, he plays in NO and they have enough cap space to sign him after he gets the idea of what his market value is. But he’s a pretty good C, certainly every GM that knows what he’s doing will call his agent.

altercall:
He was certainly serviceable before Adams injury, he was hardly beaten because he had Campbell next to him on nearly every play. After the injury Dallas had to Tackles to aid, which meant more man-to-man for Petitti. Until this past game, I’ve been defending the guy, at times he certainly looks the bill of a RT in this league, but this past game showed me a Petitti that wasn’t trying, he showed a pair of slow legs and poor technique. I’d keep him on the roster because at times he shows more potential than Tucker.

altercall,
I never said he sucked at all, that was your term in describing Petitti, our rookie right tackle. I never heard one word all season about Rivera’s back, not one.

Chandus,
I thought that the Saints were in some salary cap problems this year, I remember that they have a few free agents,listed below and some players that wanted contract renegotiated, like Joe Horn and Mackenzie.

Anthony Thomas RB UFA
Antowain Smith RB UFA
Az-Zahir Hakim WR UFA
Darren Howard DE UFA
Fakhir Brown CB UFA
Fred McAfee FB UFA
James Allen LB UFA
Lamont Hall TE UFA
LeCharles Bentley C UFA
Mel Mitchell S UFA
Michael Lewis WR UFA
Montrae Holland OG RFA
Ronald McKinnon LB UFA
Sedrick Hodge LB UFA
T.J. Slaughter LB UFA
Willie Whitehead DE UFA
Zach Hilton TE RFA

It Doesn’t look like San Diego will be offering Phillip Rivers for trade this offseason anytime soon, its been reported that Drew Bress tore his Labrum in his throwing arm and will require immediate surgery.

Derrick,

Bentley is a possibility. In the Cowboys braintrust’s decision to spend money, they have to consider what is available at each position. I can’t tell you every OT available, but I believe that Runyan is amongst a very short list of quality OT available. Bentley is young which is a huge plus, but if its youth you are looking for at that position, then why not simply draft a C from a deep field? I think Dallas will spend the money on an OT because there seems to be less options out there at that position. .. But we never know what will unfold during the draft. An OT that they covet and never expect to be there falls to them at #18 .. we never know what will happen.

How is every one feeling about the seasoon? Was it a success? … I am very pleased with our young defensive linemen. Spears and Canty look like the real deals! Also it seems like our RB situation will be healthy for years to come. … I was upset with not making the playoffs, and a few let downs at the end of games. Especially the Washington game!!! … MVP in my opinion was Terrance Newman. He is very good, and as this defense developes a stronger pass rush, he will get noticed as one of the best corners in the league.

Eric, I always wrote, back to camp, that anything this season would be gravy. I really thought things were coming together better until the second NY game, when the offense decided to no-show. It was all pretty much downhill after that. After that game (and the second Wash game), this team did not deserve to embarrass themselves in the playoffs. They are what their record is—a middle of the pack team with holes needing attention.

I also want to see how the draft goes this year. The Rogers and Peterman draft was the last under Lacewell’s gang, which may have been what finally got them ousted. The draft this last year was far better, so let’s see how it goes as they dip into O-linemen once again.

As for everyone now writing what a stiff Petitti is, credit the coaching staff for hiding him most of the year. The team was once 7-3, so they hid him pretty well for 10 weeks. the last 5 weeks is when the O line got abused, after NY exposed it. Good coaches copy what succeeds—what happened to Carolina’s vaunted coaching against Dallas? That is a bigger surprise than Dallas’s missing the playoffs, to me.

Raf and Raul:
Even if we finish second to the Giants Blog, this blog is phenomenal!
Fabulous work-please keep it up and congrats for your collective hard work!

Got to say that after a 7-3 start the latter half of the season was a huge disappointment. We are what we are with lots of holes to plug. I’d say we have the following priorities:
OL
Kicking game-who are the free agents we could look at?
LBs

Getting some FA help (or trades for Glover and/or Ellis) for the OL would be high on my list.
BUT need to sort out keeping BP first.

Clark Judge at CBS is saying that BP has had a new 3 year contract extension on his desk for the past couple of weeks and hasn’t signed it.

http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9135090

cowboy bert,

So then what do you think we should do? .. I say sure up an already young defense. If Dallas does trade Ellis or Glover, then I think they will add an early or mid round 2nd plus a later round selection. That will give the Boys a bunch of possibilities to stay pat, move up a little, or move down in the draft .. much like they had last year. I think Dallas will then target a mamouth NT (Gabe Watson tops my list), and a LB (one in the mold of a Bobby Carpenter, big and fast). .. A name to watch for FS is Tom Zbikowski (if he declares). He is a tough, smart player that just makes plays all over the place, and returns punts too. I don’t know his 40 time, but he will probably be one of those later round selection that lacks the “physical tools” – but just flat out makes plays on the football field! He is tough as s%!t too!! Again, if he declares. .. I am also in the school of thought that if you have enough picks, you should always draft a QB and an OL on the second day.

Chandus,

I don’t know if you agree with me or not, but I call a guy who needs a second player helping him do his job on most every play a failure. Again, that’s not to say that a few years down the road he can’t turn it around, but he was a failure for a starting OT. I don’t care if he was a rookie 6th round pick, he was the starter and he failed at that. He should not be the starter, or even 1st backup, next season.

Derrick,

I said Pettiti sucked exactly the same number of times that you said Rivera sucked, 0. It was, however, inferred by both of us. Even more so by you, since you called for Rivera to be released, along with pretty much everyone but Adams and Johnson.

I guess my whole issue with you is that your logic seems way flawed, at least to me. First, Rivera has a track record as one of the top OG in the league and you want to cut him because of one bad season that could have a simple explanation. At the same time, you want to give the worst performing player on our line, who has no history of success and has shown no ability to be able to handle the job, basically the incumbent position.

If you doubt the affect of the surgery, talk to anyone who has had surgery on a herniated disc. You are not able to do any workouts and you lose muscle mass. He was cleared to play by spring training, but at that point he would not have had time to get his muscle mass back up to be able to be successful. Again, all his problems seemed to be strength related. Even the false starts can be thrown in there a little bit, as he COULD have been trying to get out just a hair earlier and get a little better leverage.

EricR,
I love Zbikowski, ND is my favorite College team. He has good speed, great tackler, good cover guy. but I think that he is a Sophmore so he has no option to declare.

Matt,

1. looks really good, and tough. he has a lot of speed as well – 4.45 40 time I hear. But don’t we have other needs?

I thought Hawk looked like he couldn’t shed blockers.

Pipe Dream Central Calling,

Is it within the realm of possibility that BP will bring Steve Hoffman back? His track record doesn’t lie.

It couldn’t hurt. If nothing more than to provide a buffer between the kicker and their fragile psyches and BP. 2 games lost because of ineffective kicking. At the NFL level, a PK has no business missing one under 40 yards.

well i would have liked to have seen us sneak into the playoffs……and although I am disappointed we played poorly Sunday Night……..it does not surprise me.

Reasons for optimism. Dallas will have the best pick of other coaching staffs.

Once again Bill Parcells can sit at home and watch the bowl games and evaluate college talent. There sure looked like a few good LB at Ohio State….but then what’s new with that. Still to be honest having missed the playoffs again will actually help this team 3 years out if he can nail another draft like last year.

Tuna has the whole offseason without being distracted to prepare for another stellar draft. Something we desperately need another one of.

While we all sit around and ponder the FAs JJ and BP go after…..and the FAs on the team he signs…..

Petitti switched sides and started as a freshman. Remember Rogers struggled with it too then came in and had a good camp before injury. Petitti may not be the starter next year…..perhaps it is Adams and Tucker or a player to be named later…..or maybe Petitti shows up and has improved his footwork.

I did not think the rook was any worse than Rivera, Johnson, Tucker or even LA at times. Rivera was abysmal at penalties like somebody pointed out. If he gets healthy and improves fine…….

The O Line Coach in Green Bay would be my preference but Art Kehoe at Miami got canned by Coker. The guy worked for JJ and has been the oline coach at a top 20 college team for 5 national championships and protected QBs like Testaverde, Jim Kelly, Gino Torreta, and Brock whatever his name was.

While Miami gets all the speed CBs, WRs, RBs, S, FS, it wants……they don’t raze corn fed lineman down there in FLA……..those are big 10 teams…….the guy must have been doing something right for a number of years…….Coker is one that should have been fired. Right after he let Tressel and Clarett beat him!!! Well anyway I digress…….Art Kehoe would be better than Sprano.

I say move Sprano back to TEs.

Mike Tice was an O LINE coach also…….a pretty good one i think. He is out of work…….he was a joke as a head coach but might be allright as an o line coach.

Bill Parcells will got lose some money at the track and bet on the ponies out in Cali or somewhere and then come back well rested and go back to evaluating talent both on the team, in the FAs and in the locker room currently.

I really think the Secondary is ok…..yeah a FS would be great……but Davis is still learning. TNew, Henry and Glenn along with Reeves all played well. T NEw is the guy from that group that should be going to Hawaii.

Steve Smith the best in the NFL…….shutdown to one catch and ejected. ENUFF SAID!!! T New did that!!!

Offensive line and continue at the LBs. While all the talk with Swirl about Glover and Ellis…….I think Dallas will keep Ellis or both and also maybe draft a NT if BP sees one. Ferg ain’t very young……

Canty and Spears do look good…….maybe Johnson and Ratliff work in when Healthy too…….but I still see more need at LB. Singleton, Shanle, Fowler, Fujita, Thornton, Barrow……..we need to improve some of these guys. Maybe Shanle or Fowler has the light bulb go off like James……..or Burnett continues to improve……but in the meantime………we need another MLB and OLB to the mix minimum.

Hoffman would be the first ROSTER change I would make. I would hope JJ and BP will work that one out. We had no kicking problems with Hoffman. It ain’t like Jerry cannot pay the guy. I barely knew the names of the punters and kickers cuz they did what we asked make 85% from 45 in……90% inside 40…..and make PATs……Hoffman did it no matter who the kicker was…….spend a pick on a kicker or hire back hoffman……..hire back Hoffman sounds more like it too me.

Number 9 for Notre Dame was a beast……..fast fast fast too. Tackled like a LB and ran like a Deer. Don’t forget Bieraul the one draft pick yet to take the field…..he might just help us out at the Safety spot also. Although he looks more like a SS he will be a special teamer and nickel and dime back for sure. I don’t think he is as fast as that number 9 though.

I’m really intrigued with Marcus McNeil. He is HUGE. Something like 6-8, 340. If he lasts until 18, I would take him. I havent watched him play tho, has anybody seen him that can tell me more?

If our draft this year is anything like last years, we are in great shape next year.

My dream offseason looks like this:

Draft a RT or C, and an OLB with the first 2 picks. Draft more O line help, LB depth, and a blocking TE.

Sign a FA RT or C, depending on draft.

Sign FB Fred Beasley 2 years, 8 mil.

I know TO would help, but right now I still say forget about him.

Cut Henson, get another young QB with some potential.

Trade Ellis (I like the guy, but he wants out, and Canty should start)

Sign Chris Hope 3 years, 18 mil.

Trade the whole team for Neil Rackers. Im sure the Cardinals would take it. Just Kidding. But get a K to compete with Suishum.

Move Payton to QB coach, get good Offensive Cordinator.

Sign Witten and James long term.

Imagine if we draft Bobby Carpenter, and sign Hope:
DE- Chris Canty (2nd year)
DT- LaRoi Glover/Jason Fergunson (Vets)
DE- Marcus Spears (2nd year)
OLB- DeMarcus Ware (2nd year)
ILB- Bradie James (4th year)
ILB- Kevin Burnett? (2nd year)
OLB- Bobby Carpenter (Rookie)
CB- T-New (5th year?)
SS- Roy Williams (4th year)
FS- Chris Hope (vet)
CB- Anthony Henry (vet)
CB- Aaron Glenn (vet)

We would have players like Ratliff, Thorton, Reeves, Davis, BerryO, Shanle, Fowler as backups. Our D would be outstanding, no doubt Top 5 in my mind IF healthy. I like that D, and man is it young. After next year we can worry about QB, NT, and WR.

Derrick,

LeCharles Bentley will be the top C in free agency. He will therefore cost a lot of money. Will Dallas think he’s worth the investment? Who can say. They will have company if they say yes.

Lou C,

Marcus McNeil is a beast. However, I’ve read he has one of those congenital narrowings in his spine that will need some serious due diligence before the draft. If he checks out, he’s mid-first-round material. But I would not be surprised if some teams take him off their boards for medical reasons. Something to watch.

Eric R,

Was the season a success? No. While 9-7 was certainly an improvement, that does not make for a ‘success’. Only competing for the Superbowl would make a season a ‘success’. We didn’t even make the playoffs!

However, I do see reason for optimism for the 2006 season. Our defense is very young and only needs some minor roster tweaking to become dominant. The offense needs a lot more, but, if we can repair the offensive line, we will be in business, even if nothing else changes on offense. [I’m not ruling other changes or improvements on offense.]

The caveat to this optimism is that Parcells MUST return. His job is not finished. Mainly, we have ended the season with only a partially-implemented defensive system. The 3-4 system we ran this year was not nearly as complicated as it would be if Parcells remains to finish that job. If he leaves, our defense is in shambles, especially with a high draft pick expended on a player (Ware) who would have great difficulties playing in a 4-3, and whose effectiveness would, therefore be reduced. [We could keep both Ellis and Glover if we went back to a 4-3, but both are aging and are not our future.]

altercall:
I said the comment of Rivera as soon as I found out that Steve Hutchinson’s going to become a UFA in this spring. I just thought that having that guy on the depth chart would be much more better than having Allen and Rivera. After some thought, that’s a pretty bad idea cap wise, that’s why I stopped saying that.

Second, according to your logic “as no history of success and has shown no ability to be able to handle the job, basically the incumbent position”, you’re saying that guys that in their 1st year and aren’t capable of being good starters should be fired after the season? Then you would have said good bye to Aikman after his first year, and he was the first pick in the draft. Look up all around the league, name a player that has been drafted from the 5th to 7th Round that plays a though to handle position (QB, WR, T, CB, FS, MLB and OLB) that has been looking good since his rookie year. Late round picks need the time to get used to the NFL that’s why they aren’t drafted before. Even a guy named Alex Barron (yes, the Barron drafted in the 1st Round by St. Louis) has had problems playing RT, do the Rams front office wants to fire him for that, give me a break.

Jon and LouC:
Before saying that you want an OT and a OLB, first you have to decide one thing of major importance, do you want a true OLB ala Chad Greenway or Bobby Carpenter or a DE tweener, because you won’t have the chance to grab one of those coveted OLB’s in the 2nd Round as much as you won’t have the chance of drafting a top rated OT in the 2nd. Which option has the most weight?

I’m disappointed to have to watch Redskins instead of Cowboys in Tampa Bay on Saturday. The Cowboys did a job on Carolina, winning by points and by the numbers, and seemingly having their best game of the season just 16 days ago.
Regarding the Rams’ game, I can’t remember a team having to play a night game after being eliminated from the playoffs during their pre-game warmup.
Can anyone remember a similar circumstance for a team?
Atlanta got blown out with a whole week to adjust to playoff elimination.
The Cowboys offense played their best and worst games in the last 2 weeks.
I watched the Georgia guard Max Jean-Gilles today. He looked fat and slow to me.
West Virginia coach Rich Rodriquez had some interesting punt formations(looked like weird science).

I’d have a hard time deciding between Max Jean-Gilles (G-T), Marcus McNeill (T)(if he passes some medical exams), Chad Greenway (OLB), Bobby Carpenter (OLB), Kyle Young ©, Andrew Withworth (T), Nick Mangold © and Davin Joseph (G-T). And that’s when I figure out that I’ll be sitting in my couch seeing the draft through the TV without the responsability of making the call.

About our coordinators, I would make book that if Parcells returns, both Zimmer and Payton will be back. I am especially certain about Zimmer, for whom Parcells seems to have taken a liking.

[Now watch Parcells insist that the only way he will come back is if he can bring in a new defensive coordinator. :) ]

If the Cowboys can fix their O-line and get some consistency in their running game they are a threat to go deep into the playoffs next season.

I think they are only one good draft and a couple of veteran free agents away from being a real good team.

Great Blog, it has raised my Cowboys fanatacism to new heights.

Chandus,

First, I HAVE NEVER SAID WE SHOULD CUT PETTITI!!!!! Man, how many times do I have to say that? I won’t cry about it if we do, but I don’t expect us to do it. I just don’t want anyone with pull in the org to expect him to compete for the starting spot.

There’s a big difference between position players and skill players. A RT is an easier adjustment than a QB from college to NFL. Granted he moved from LT to RT, but it is still an easier move than QB or WR.

Also, what did you see from him that showed you the “potential” to handle the RT job next season? He was beat more than any other player on the OL, by a wide margin. The only time he looked good at all was when he was getting consistant help from a TE or RB. I don’t give the Olineman credit for good blocking, though, when we have to assign another player to help them.

And to the person who said that Pettiti looked better than all our other OL at some points this season, please tell me which game it was that anyone else got more double team help? Or which game we ran for more yards on the right side? Or even name one game when Pettiti was put alone on the end for more than half the game and didn’t allow a sack?

You can say all you want about Pettiti being a rookie, but he was probably the worst RT in the NFL this season. That’s not saying he won’t get better, but dude has a ton of room to make up! With the way he played this season, we cannot afford to gamble on him to start next season, as some of you have suggested.

alanTdot,

I would put free safety right there at the top of my list. If Zbikowski indeeds runs a 4.45 × 40, he is a gamer. Plus he returns punts!!!

Matt,

I believe that he is a junior, but I could be off.

lou c,

I like your optimism, but I can out do you. Imagine:
Canty – Gabe Watson (330 lbs) – Spears
/// Ware – Burnett – James – Carpenter
/// Newman – Williams – Henry

… for the next 5-6 years!!

Eric,

yes Zbikowski is fast. Neither of the Ohio State speedsters could run away from him. But it depends on where he is available if he comes out this year.

Do we need a FS or do we need to draft three OLinemen and a OLB and Ilb. Don’t we have much more pressing needs than FS??

Jerry Jones was on the ticket this morning and stated that other teams were in contact with him about our two coordinators for head coaching jobs.

A few thoughts about Petitti….

His play seemed to get worse as the year went on. That tells me one of two things. Either defenses learned how to attack him or his confidence went down. Given that pretty much everything worked against him by year end, the latter seems to be the more major contributor to his problems. I don’t see how his confidence could be anything but terrible after what happened this year. But confidence has a way of returning when you work hard. Lets see what happens with an offseason of hard work.

Parcells has said that Petitti will get A LOT stronger with a full offseason of work. Being a lot stronger will cut down substantially on the effectiveness of bull rushes by DEs.

Petitti looked fat to me in recent games. Fatter than the other linemen. I know that he lost about 40 pounds from his combine weight before the season started. But he looks like he could lose a bit more and be just fine. Slimming down will certainly help his footspeed. Will that be enough speed improvement? Maybe. I have my doubts on this subject. Being a lot stronger will help cover speed deficiencies.

Am I ready to give up on Petitti? Not yet. Do I want him as our starter next year? Nope. But I take some solice in the fact that he should be much improved next year both physically and mentally.

Now if we can fix the remainder of the oline…….

The defense should be real good next year I like how Ware played and should get 10 + sacks next year. After the NY game I thought there was no way we would get to 10 win and be lucky to win 9 with our offense. Where are all the people that said JJ was back? what happen? Is it just the line? I don’t think JJ is as good as people like to think he is. Our oline needs to be upgraded but it doesn’t stop there, we need a playmaker. Bledsoe played a little better than I thought he would looking at his whole season. Bledsoe could be a good qb if everything else is perfect. I think we are too old on offense, we have a bad mix of youth and old players on offense.

I notice a lot of you guys picking center are focusing on big name centers. The centers I see listed here are good but are primarily good pass blockers. Believe it or not, A Johnson is a good pass blocker. He just can’t run block. I like Jason Spitz, a center/guard from Louisville. He is strong and big(300lbs) and i saw him pulling on a reverse for Louisville against VA Tech.

I also think that we trade Ellis and Glover. Get Gabe Watson and someone else in their place. Ratliff is going to be a good sack guy next year. He was good in spurts this year.

J-man,
Thats what suprising about Al Johnson, coming out of Wisconsin, you would expect he’d be a better run blocker than pass blocker, since for years those Badgers teams produce good run blockers. I like Johnson and think he’s going to be a good center, next year should be a make or break season for him, Linemen usually take three years to develop and since he missed his rookie year with micro surgery on his knee, he’s really just heading into his third next year, hopefully he’ll reach the potential that was seen in him coming out of College, a guy I thought was better than Jeff Faine who cleveland took in the first round.
I heard that if dallas makes a few moves with some players on the roster and with the Salary cap going up to around 90-92 million next year, we could have somewhere in the range of 30 million of cap space.I hope thats true, we could be a big player in free agency this year again.

JJ is as good as we think he is- buthe needs at least a seam to get through and unfortunately that was not often there this season. Barber can bull through better – which explains why he had some better stats when the line was stinking up the place. JJ can kill you with one run; Barber can’t. That is why the D will always worry about JJ more. They will never put the effort into containing Barber the way they do JJ.

lots of players will want more of that increase in their paychecks……ala Keyshawn……and others……..some rightfully so…..Witten is way underpaid and probably should have already been renegotiated.

We are in good shape cap wise….for the first time in a long time…..but we will have to pay some of the producers from this 9-7 season…….and evaluate some others. Do we pay or do they go now? Witten and James will get paid. Not sure what we will do with Johnson, Gurode and others along the offensive and defensive lines.

I doubt we let Greg Ellis go……he had 8 sacks and played well in rotation. He is not an expensive player and still has a lot of youth around him……Glover might be more expendable espeically if Johnson and Ratliff develop. The NT position may be of more importance than the OLB depending on Ferguson and the other youth in rotation. But I still want a bookend to Ware…….

what FAs will be out there? I know Julian Peterson from the 49ers is one, but I expect him to be franchised or resigned.

J-MAN:
I don’t want your, and of some others, wishes to come true, if Ellis and Glover aren’t in the team next year who would be the pass rushers in the front 4s? Canty? Spears? Rattlif? Coleman? Ferguson? All those aren’t that fast. Ware will be one of them, but do you really want to have another 250 pounder on the other side going against another 300+ pounds T? Ware hardly gets to the QB in that position, I’ll be hard pressed to believe that another guy as light as him is going to get there. Ellis and Glover are part of the equation in the flexibility of this team, without them Dallas becomes a 3 man front team only.

aw:
I’ll admit that you were right in a couple of the things you said in earlier threads, in this game it was certainly obvious the diference between Jones and Barber, while Jones is faster, if he gets hit, he goes down, while Barber is more like a pinball, he gets hit, rebounds and gets a couple of extra yards. Jones didn’t had room to make long runs in the last game and I don’t think you can say something different, unless you were watching another game…, Barber got in and could make extra yards with his way of running, but he made 9 yards with one run, after that he got the ball 5 times and ran for 9 yards. Is that the running game fault? Nope, that’s the OLine fault, Jones and Barber were hit before getting to the line of scrimmage too often, so in the end we were both right, Barber is the better type of RB for the play of the OLine, while Jones is the big play back who didn’t had much space to run.

Altercall:
Petitti had 2 pretty good games against Philly while facing Kearse, he controlled Strahan in that 1st game, he controlled Ekuban and Brown against Denver, Okeafor and Hicks were no factors in the Arizona and Kansas games and Bryant Young and Andre Carter counted for just one sack in the SF game. He certainly was responsible for lots of sacks, 1 to Ben Leber in SD, Burgess abused him for 2 sacks in teh Raiders game, Bryce Fisher also added 2 in Seattle, Strahan counted for 2 in the 2nd game, Julius Peppers mauled him for 3 and Leonard Little added the last 2.5 sacks of Bledsoe. After that you should not think which RT made a worst job against that competition, which was pretty good (5 of the guys I mentioned rank in the top 20 in sacks and have from 9 to 16 sacks), you should think which 6th Round Tackle made a better job even without being a rookie.

BTW, I do think that Petitti needs to watch the games from the sideline next year as an inactive player or a 2 position backup, that’s why I think we do need to draft a Tackle or sign a FA. Petitti might not be that much better next year, but I’ll say this, I can see him being the starter again for 4 things:

First and foremost if Parcells considers that he needs one of those true OLB for the 3-4 in the 1st Round.

Second, if he doesn’t have a value Tackle in the 2nd or 3rd Rounds he could draft another positions of need, like Center, G, WR, TE, MLB or FS if he doesn’t sign one in FA.

Third, it would be much to ask, again, drafting late a Tackle and expect him to start.

And 4th, there’re names in FA, the best one is Runyan, why are the Eagles letting him go, if they do have the cap space required to sign him again, something obvious is that his skills aren’t what they used to be and if his skills continue to diminish that could be a pretty expensive roll of dices.

There has been a major flood predicted for the Kansas City area in the next few minutes, please take the women and children to higher ground. Many folks have doubted and ignored all weather reports and plea’s by officias to seek higher ground, sudsequently,Dick Vermeil has started his press conference.I guess that explains the flood warning

Chandus,
What do you think about Jeff Backus, the left tackle on Detroit, sign him and move him to right tackle, he’s a free agent.

look at the names we are calling out that “abused” Petitti. Burgess…..sack Leader in the NFL……Strahan……perennial Pro Bowler…..Kearse? Pryce? The guy faced some pretty tough competition.

He had his best games at HOME. Which is no surprise for a rookie. I agree that he could still slim down, but more importantly will be his strength and speed training. If he improves his footwork…..which is the equivalent of any of yall trying to WRITE with the wrong hand….and gains some strength and speed he may well be a starter in the NFL.

FLO comes back……we added some late season FAs…..Parcells has drafted some offensive lineman in every draft so far…….I don’t see why he would not continue to do so this time.

The whole offensive line disappointed……perhaps coaching could be improved. Art Kehoe at Miami….a five time National Championship at the collegiate level coach is available as of today. Various NFL talent seems to be avaialable…….Sprano can go back to TEs……and Pasquolini gets the ax just like at Syracuse.

Bring Hoffman back and the kicking problem gets fixed. Cundiff might not be done, he might have had lingering injuries….or perhaps it is time to move on to a new Kicker…..but Hoffman can make that call…….and did for 15 years.

Depite our offensive line play our per yards per carry average……our statue at QB……we were a few missed field goals away from 11-5!!! Hoffman might make the difference. Spend it on the coach or we will be like the Jets and Raiders having to spend draft picks on kickers…….something I am against!!!

I think it is still too early to have any good reads on this year’s draft. I prefer to wait until after the NFL Combines and the Senior Bowl and the other games with the potential draft picks in them. I have seen too many players that look like studs during their college careers fall flat on their faces when they are evaluated by the NFL scouts.

That being said, it is not at all too early to start thinking about free agents. I really hope BP and JJ go the FA route to repair the holes on the O-Line. After seeing Pettiti this season and the revolving door with most of the other O-Linemen the Cowboys have drafted in recent years I am convinced it is a wasted draft pick to try to rebuild the line with rookies.

I realize that Rivera didn’t live up to expectations, but I consider that a bit of a fluke compared to our track record drafting OL’s lately. I’d rather see BP use the draft to continue building the defense (LB corps in particular) and to try to get a young offensive playmaker onto this team. Sign FA OL’s…draft LB’s, FS, and either a QB/WR.

Derrick,

I don’t really see how wo could have that much room. If I remember right, we only had about $10 mill in room, which is pretty good for the beginning of the season. We get another $7 mill from the cap increase. We do lose almost $8 mill in contracts, but we can’t really count a whole lot of that as cap money since we’ll have to sign other players to take their roster spots, and there are a couple of guys we need to resign. We have 11 spots we will need to fill, and at an average salary of $350,000 (I think a good average of vet and rookie minimum salaries), that would put us about $4 mill higher in the cap. So, before signing players back, we would have about $21 mill.

Even if we get rid of Ellis we won’t get much room. We will lose $150,000 on Ellis if we trade him before June, and only gain $1.05 mill if we trade him after.

Glover will give us $3.2 mill more, but that still isn’t a ton of room.

I forgot to mention that none of that takes into account salary increases from players under contract. I’m guessing that that will eat up a ton of that cap room. I’ll try to get a figure on it.

Chandus
A couple of things the line sucks I never said they didn’t. In a perfect world every time we ran the ball there would be a wide open hole. Nobody gets that every game. Yards after contact are big, JJ is not that type of runner. The thing about JJ is he can make people miss I didn’t see that this year from him. There are other running backs that would have put up much better numbers than JJ with our line and there are a few that would have put up worst numbers too. I don’t want a hit or miss rb, I want a consistent rb. I rather have someone that is going to be there every game that might be shut down a couple game than someone that will give me one or two big games and be shut out for most. In a perfect world the line would protect Bledsoe but not all those sacks are the line fault, he gets sacked everywhere he is at. When Bledsoe had good games he made the line look ok but when he had bad game the line looked sad.

Does Jeff Backus thinks that he’s going to get paid as a RT or as a LT? He’s a little below average as a LT, which could translate into an above average RT, but he’s a little light, at least he could be an upgrade in pass protection.

Jon:
Hoffman is a pretty good postion coach, he isn’t a miracle worker, I don’t think that he could have made Cortez a better kicker in the short time he was here. He worked with Cudiff when he was coming back from his injury, that didn’t counted for much. Could he make Shuisham a better kicker with a full offseason of work? Of course, but I don’t see him being signed, I can see him getting paid out of the Dallas program, just like he trained Cundiff.

Glover is owed 1.5 mill as a roster bonus and would count 7.5 mill against our cap, so I think he’ll be gone. Singleton will be owed a small roster bonus and would count 2.4 mill againt the cap, so I think he’ll be cut,I think Dat will retire. Now this is where I think, may not happen, but This will be talked about alot at Valley ranch, Larry Allen is owed a roster bonus of 2.0 mill and would count a whopping 7.5 mill against the cap next year and Rivera, also a contract that Dallas may rethink,after his performance this year, I’m not saying they should get rid of him, but it might be a possibility. So if all these players are on the squad next year, Ellis, Glover,Allen,Rivera,Dat and Singleton would count around 23 mill against the cap. I cant see Dallas allowing that, So I think 4 or 5 of those guys will be gone, not saying it will happen, but thats way too much money tied up in six aging veterans, thats all.We’ll see, one never knows.

AHHHH, my numbers are off, I thought Singleton was going to be a FA, but he’s not. That takes away $2 mill of that “cap savings”. It also looks like out salary increases will eat ALL or a little bit more than the cap increase.

Dear Coach Parcells,

Hey big guy, I know your sort of down right now, and understandibly so. But do we have to play this media game every year? You’ll be back next year, because you don’t leave jobs half done, you know it, and I know it. Since, like most fans, I fancy myself a talent evaluator, I have enclosed a priorotized list of our needs this off-season, and the best candidates for the job. You can thank me later:

1a. ILB and TE- yeah they are important, but I have good news: the best guys for the job are already on the team! Lock up Bradie James and Jason Witten before anything else

1b. RT- I know you like the kid, but Pettiti isn’t starting material right now. Jon Runyan is available, and he would solidify the position while teaching the kid a thing or two. I mean, we don’t have any right tackles on the team now to help out development.

2. C- C’mon now, I know you hate to admit another draft blunder on the O-line, but Al Johnson isn’t big enough to bully, or technical enough to out-leverage. Greg Eslinger from Minnesota is a big, run blocking center ( Minnesota has been a run first team throughout his college career, and he has excelled),and Ryan Cook of New Mexico is also a prospect that is worth a look.

3. FS- Hey, I know, Davis has a big heart and plays his best, but he just doesn’t have the recognition skills to play safety. If I know you like I think I do, you won’t trust a rookie here. Corey Chavous and Chris Hope are your best options.

4.OLB- Congratulations, DeMarcus Ware was a gamble that paid off. 8 sacks when teams know he’s coming is great, but imagine what he could do if there was a threat on the other side. Bobby Carpenter would be great if you takcle this need early, but Paul Walkenhorst of BYU and Spencer Havner of UCLA could be good mid round prospects.

Well, Bill, I did all your work for you. Now you can sign your extension, take all my advice, and get all the glory. It’s a no-brainer, like Larry Lacewell.

                      Sincerely,
                           Sab

Derrick,

Where did you find your FA list? Where are you getting your bonus #s from, too?

Copper, Crayton, and Jones are all RFAs as well.

chandus…..the point with Hoffman is we never really had a kicking problem with him here.

Yes injuries happen……..but the guy would have been in Training Camp working with Cundiff and Suisham….and Suisham not Cortez would have been his young understudy. Cortez is what he is a kickoff specialist…….that’s it….he already has bad habits for FGs and Hoffman usuually just found young FAs and made em reliable kickers.

Firing Hoffman in my opinion is the biggest mistake Parcells has made in his tenure. (releasing not resigning not retaining his services however you put it) for fifteen years we did not have a Kicking problem. Granted we might not have sent many FGs 50+ yards….but then how many do…….inside 40 we were good as gold and our Punters were pretty consistent also.

All of a sudden this year our Kicking game SUCKED. Including Billy the Kid when he came back from the injury.

I gotta blame that on coaching.

In todays NFL…….the field goal was critical in how many of our losses. Denever Game……first loss to WASHINGTON………Seattle……the list goes on and on. Any one of those kicks goes in and this team is 11-5 and probably wins the NFC East instead of being at home. Now I agree we can argue never leave it to the kicker…….we should have made other plays…..but this team was not DOMINANT on Offense or Defense yet………and unfortunately kicking that little pigskin through the yellow uprights MATTERED! I was against drafting a kicker and still am…….we never had too with HOFFMAN and we were consistent. So pay the Coach instead of the draft pick and let him work his majic.

I am certain the injury would have cost us some time. So lets just say we only win half those games where the kick mattered…….that still makes us 11-5.

I am actually optimistic that a full offseason for Parcells and the team is better…….better draft pick….better evaluation of college talent……..more time to pick over FAs and Coaching changes……..more time to get the rookies in better shape for next year. We already played our Playoff games….and when it mattered we lost……..Washington and NYG games especially. Oh well. Suck it up and go get ready for next year.

A few more pieces to the puzzles and a healthy Flozell, along with some FAs and a bookend to Ware. This team could well have that nasty defense ala Chicago and if the o line can run block we got three guys that can carry the rock. Add a fullback maybe…….and we are going to be much improved on both sides of the ball.

Enjoy your Vacation Bill Parcells, cuz next year this time you ain’t going to have any TIME OFF!!!! Well maybe a bye week but after that a very busy January!!!

Altercall, here’s the link. I dont think they udated in a couple of weeks though, I read the bonuses and money owed somewhere, I’ll see if I can find it, but the players I was looking into, I had written down and posted it.

http://www.theredzone.org/2006/freeagents/

I rank the priorities this offseason as follows:

1) RT – Sign a FA (Not a place for rookies)
2) OLB – Draft (1st or 2nd Round)
3) FS – Sign a FA (Not a place for rookies)
4) ILB – Draft (3rd or 5th Round)
5) C – Sign a FA (not a place for rookies)
6) Playmaker – Draft (2nd or 3rd Round…maybe Devin Hester to play WR/KR/PR)

Derrick,

Al Johnson was drafted in ’04. As you pointed out, he lost all of that year due to injury. That makes this last season his first, and this coming season his second as an NFL player.

This might also be his first offseason of full conditioning work, as at least part of last offseason was devoted to recovery.

It is much too soon to give up on Al Johnson. I share your optimism on his future, and I wouldn’t expend a lot of money on a free-agent center.

Chandus,

And 4th, there’re names in FA, the best one is Runyan, why are the Eagles letting him go, if they do have the cap space required again, something obvious is that his skills aren’t what they used to be and if his skills continue to diminish that could be a pretty expensive roll of dices.

The Eagles have a history of not re-signing aging veterans. There has also been considerable talk that they would like to move Shawn Andrews out to right tackle. That is enough for them to let Runyan go, regardless of whether he his skills have diminished or not. I haven’t paid that much attention to how he played this last year, so I really don’t know.

It is always dangerous to throw big money at aging players.

Guys,

Forget about Steve Hoffman. Whether or not it would be a good idea is irrelevant. He’s gone and not coming back.

As long as Bill Parcells remains, Hoffman is just not an option.

we signed Rivera when we should have singed…….WAHLE…….

while I am all for fixing the RT position….I don’t want yet another unproductive overpaid aging veteran. I do want a guy that can run and pass block though……

Jon:

Are you saying we should draft a RT to start next season or sign a younger FA to fix that position?

I don’t know why people are so big on defense. In 6 of 7 games we lost, we score no more than 13 points. The Defense can use some help but most of our problems in 05 came from the offense.

1. Oline pick a spot
2. Playmaker WR and RB
3. Oline pick a spot
4. QB Bledsoe isn’t going to take us anywhere
5. Kicker
6. OLB
7. FS
8. FB

i say draft another Tackle for sure…..it seems like we got a couple guys that could play Guard….we may or may not need a C. Johnson played hurt and did not look good when hurt.

Runyan might be ok, I ain’t paid much attention to his play this year. Rivera was hurt and might improve but he was over 30 Guard. We thought we had Jacob Rogers at RT and he looked good in preseason…..so it is always a toss up i guess….both the young and the old let you down sometimes.

I would defintely consider an FA RT…but I say we need to draft for the O Line as well. Allen and Adams should be ok. C RG RT? Is Rivera going to be the pro bowler we paid for? Is AJ a C or a bust? Petitti is a keeper on the team, but if he is the starter again I ain’t so sure about that. I would rather see him as a backup understudy.

Is Matt Lehr playing C for Atlanta or G? He was on our roster and started all year for Atlanta. How did we let him slip away? Atlanta and Denver had offensive line programs and coaches and don’t spend high dollars for FAs or high draft picks. I would prefer that longer term……but in the meantime Jerry will probably shell out some bucks for an FA at RT…..and make a go of Gurode or Johnson at C.

Obviously BP added some former first rounders to the team that were injury prone……maybe they can be salvaged maybe not. I guess that is what training camp will decide.

Petitti will have to improve and I ain’t throwing in the towel on him yet. I think he did ok for a rookie. He made weight and played through some pain. His footwork should improve. He will gain strength in the offseason. I think we might want to add another one to the mix though however it gets done.

Jon,

Debrickshaw Ferguson is a very good possibility. If Dallas wants to package players and draft choices, they can move up to grab him. He is an elite player, and Al Groh is down in Virginia and will tell Parcells all he needs to know about the kid. .. He could possibly move Flozell to RT, if Parcells wants to develope him at LT.

Jon,

I doubt that will happen though. Parcells will probably focus on suring up his defense and hope for a gem later in the draft.

Remember when the Petitti was asked if he was stranded on a desert island, who he’s like to bring him? He said, “Bill Parcells.”

What a suck up, but hey I hope he works hard this offseason for Bill. Is Flo supposed to be healthy soon? And didn’t Dat retire?

aw,

Get a better line and a blocking FB like Mack Strong or Lorenzo Neal, and you have two playmaking RB’s. Notice when the line and Polite blocked this year, the backs go for a 100 and we all talk about how their back.

Bledsoe can lead us, give him some time and stop making Witten stay to block every play.

What playmaking WR can we get? I promise you their aren’t any in the draft, the only guys I would think of taking would be Sanatonio Holmes or Steve Smith. But they are not the WR’s were looking for. I agree our offense needs alot of work, but we have to face it that Bledsoe is our QB for the next 1-2 years.

If Jay Cutter lasts until 18, does anybody take here want him? I’ve heard some mock drafts putting him ahead of Leinhart. What about the Saints drafting Leinhart, him pulling an Eli Manning, and the Cowboys trading with the Saints to get him and let him learn the game in a year ala Carson Palmer?

Mr Bill,
no,Al Johnson was drafted in 03 not 04 in the second round and was lost that year with micro fracture surgery to his knee, this was his third year in the NFL, second full season playing, so next year will be his third.

I wouldn’t bet on drafting Ferguson and moving Adams to the right, because if I remember correctly, he’s deaf or hard of hearing in his left ear.

Lets sell our souls to satan,bite the bullet, and sign that jerk TO. As much of a headcase as he is-he is a star. Just imagine how fired up he would be playing Philly twice next year. He would open up the running game,keep defenses honest, and get open quick so Bledsoe does n’t hold the ball forever(of course OT is a priority also). I’m sick of losing.

Derrick,

You are absolutely correct about Al Johnson. Lord knows what I was looking at when I checked that out.

Sorry!

aw,

I think you are way off in your order. SOLB and FS are pressing needs, and I would put NT up there too. Glover didn’t work out like we wanted and having a huge space eating, double team demanding NT is a must for this defense to be as successful as Parcells wants it to be. .. I believe OT is a bigger need than C. This year’s draft class seems to be very deep at the C position though, so there is a very good possibility Dallas selects one. .. A FB would be great! The draft seems limited to one that fits our system (I would love for the Boys to get Vickers from Colorado), and their only options in FA are a bit old. .. If history is an indicator, teams have had good success drafting QBs and OL in the later rounds. As I said before, I am in the school of thinking that if you have the draft choices, taking a QB and OL every year is smart drafting.

Assuming that Dallas trades Ellis and Glover, and ends up with two more first day selections, then they would have 5 choices on day #!. Here is what I would think they’d pursue (not in any specific order):

OLB – Bobby Carpenter
NT – Gabe Watson & Halati Ngagata
C – Greg Eslinger, Ryan Young, Nick Mangold & Ryan Cook
FB – Lawrence Vickers
“Tweeners” – Manny Lawson & Kamerion Wimbley
FS – LaRon Landry, Daniel Bullocks, Roman Harper, (if we are lucky) Michael Huff, & (if he declares) Tom Zibickowski
WR/KR – Brandon Williams

the secondary is fine, it would be better to improve the lb crew for blitzes and stopping the run. Also, they should keep glover and ellis, they give versatility and veteran leadership. i wouldn’t cut anyone or give big money for any FAs other than lavar arrington.

more importantly, the oline needs to be improved to get a push, a center and/or RT. too many times the rbs were hit in the backfield or at the line. fred beaseley should be signed as well. JJ also needs to get some tips from tiki, because i think he’s running scared. scared of fumbling that is, and therefore not making any moves or trying to break tackles, or using any stiff arms.

i would prefer not drafting an olineman with #1, since most likely he won’t be very good in his 1st year. signing a good oline coach would be better. it seems like rookie lbs usually have good success.
1)LB, unless one of the highly rated Ts drop
2)C/DT/T/LB
3)oline or LB
4)best pick going forward

secondary is fine? Ask Santana Moss and he’ll tell you how good of a secondary we have.

Eric R,

Ferguson will most likely go in the top-5, perhaps as high as #3. I wouldn’t want to pay the price to trade up that high for any player. It would take every draft pick we have for this year, plus next year’s #1 to get up to #5. If we had to go up to #3, even that probably wouldn’t be enough, and we would have to add players to the offer. No thanks.

lou c,

I have seen at least one mock that had us taking Cutter. Actually, I think #18 might be a little high for him. But, I wouldn’t be opposed to taking him, depending on the other people available.

I don’t have a problem with Holmes, either. Right now, he is considered the best of a lackluster lot at wide receiver, but #18 seems about right for him. Of course, with Parcells’ recent comments about taking wide receivers in round 1, Holmes (or any other wide receiver) seems an unlikely option for the Cowboys.

Of course, all of these estimates will change over the coming months.

Personally, I don’t get at all serious about the draft until the declarations are finalized. I don’t see too much sense in expending time evaluating players, when we don’t even know who will or will not be available. Not to mention, players (like DeMarcus Ware) will charge from out of nowhere, while others slip and slide over the next 3 months.

I feel the same about free agency — only more so. Most of the names on the current lists will be re-signed long before they become available. Others, about whom no one is currently speculating, will become surprise cap casualties.

Speculating about free agency or the draft right now may be fun and interesting, but much of that speculation will be made irrelevant by subsequent events.

Mr. Bill:

I agree, talking about specific players to draft or sign as FA’s at this point is fairly meaningless. I guess it is a good way for everyone to try to feel somewhat optimistic about the way this once promising season crashed and burned in 6 short weeks.

ManTab:

Yeah, Santana Moss lit us up, no doubt about it. I really believe not having a really good TRUE free safety hurt us. Roy should be playing up on the line (like most SS’s in the NFL)smashing RB’s, blitzing QB’s, and dropping WR’s and TE’s on short crossing routes…not having to play 40 yards deep in nickel defense sets. We’ve got good CB’s now finally (if they can get healthy and stay that way), now we REALLY REALLY need a FS. Keith Davis is not the answer for any longer than last season.

EricR:

Interesting draft board, but Ferguson ain’t going to be there at 18, and some of those other players are reaches. I like Kamerion Wimbley a lot, he’d be great pass rusher opposite Ware. I wouldn’t draft Vickers any earlier than the 5th round though. Cutler is interesting, I’d love to see it happen, but I will bet anyone here that BP drafts a defensive player in the first round (unless Leinart or Bush falls to 18…which ain’t gonna happen).

TOs Agent:

I agree with most of what you said, except we need a FS, so the secondary obviously isn’t fine. The Cowboys have wasted waaaay too many picks the last several drafts on O-lineman that turned into total busts. Obviously this is something BP has been completely horrible at. I’d rather see a FA in there who doesn’t have to be babied all season with a TE (Pettiti), or cries after games (Tucker). Cut Tucker, put Pettiti on the bench to learn, and get a real MAN in there who has some experience blocking the NFL DE’s the Cowboys have to face every year. No more rookies and projects, Bledsoe can’t handle another year of 40+ sacks.

lou c:

I agree about getting a FB and better line…but let’s be reasonable…we don’t have two “playmaking” RB’s. The only RB on this team that even shows signs of being a playmaker is Tyson Thompson, and he can’t hold onto the rock. JJ and MBIII are solid RB’s with the potential to get better…but neither of them are playmakers and I don’t see any reason to think that a better FB will turn them into anything better than above average RB’s. Playmakers are in a whole other category of athleticism.

I do like your idea about Leinart coming to Dallas from the Saints. I don’t give it much chance of happening, but I would love it if it did.

I’ll also be surprised if the Cowboys trade Ellis and/or Glover. I just don’t think they are going to be able to get enough value in return, and will end up keeping them. It would be great to get a high 2nd round pick for one of them…but I don’t think any team with a high 2nd is going to want to give it up for an aging D-Lineman, Pro Bowl credentials or not.

Greg Ellis was mostly optimistic to the public all of last season about fitting in the 3-4. After hearing him after the game in St. Louis, I dont think theres a way he’ll be back. I hope he does, but he is a starter in the NFL but has Canty coming up behind him.

Sterling,

I never said Ferguson goes to #18. In my opinion there are two franchise players this year, D’Brickshaw and Reggie Bush. If Ferguson were to drop a little bit, even to 5, Parcells would have to be thinking about giving a call. Ferguson is just supposed to be that good!! I haven’t seen him play, so I wouldn’t know too much but what others are saying about him, which is all good. … I would grab Vickers if we have 5 choices on day #1. Sometimes you overdraft to assure that you get a major need, plus he is a real good fit and there aren’t too many options out there. … Wimbley or Lawson could: #1 play special teams #2 play either inside or outside #3 give Dallas depth right where they need it – either would be servicable backups to Ware and Burnett (hopefully he can move inside this year). .. I would draft a QB too, but Cutler is a big risk in my opinion. If it were up to I would use a later round selection, not a 1st rounder. Brodie Croyle would be an interesting choice. He is very talented, and would have a year or so to develope his body and his read and recognition skills, behind Bledsoe. Good! Good KID!!! Also if Drew Stanton declares, he is another QB that I would take a long look at with a day one pick, but not a 1st rounder, especially if we improve our number of first day selections.

Mr. Bill,

I wouldn’t either.

Regarding Leinart,

This guy slides to the middle of round 1. He has a relatively weak arm and is immobile. Why would anyone draft that combination of weakness? On paper he is much worse than Ryan Leaf and look where that guy is. Leinart has won some games, no doubt, but he has been surrounded by amazing talent. Who knows what he would do under pressure with his immobility.