More Offseason Meat

I say trade down too. Your right. Just got done watching the super bowl too for some reason i felt like the refs were “cheating” for the steelers. All the BS calls that went against the Seahawks and i can only remember 2 calls called against the steelers, 2 false starts early in the game. But i think the NFL or whoever se it up for the steelers to win to make it a better story with jerome bettis retiring and everything. now they are tied with the cowboys and niners with 5 super bowls which i am bitter about because i feel like the seahawks were robbed.

Wright agrees with me on the Daniel Bullocks pick in the 2nd Round.

I don’t agree with him in the Santonio Holmes pick, he’s going to become a good player in the league, but he’s no gamebreaker, he’s just solid. WR can be solved next year, that Draft will be loaded and Samardzija already has my eye.

Although on another thread I have said that it would be hard to trade down within the 1st round, I do see a lot of opportunities to trade down into the 2nd round. This draft is so deep that I can see about as much quality in the early part of the 2nd as where the Cowboys are currently picking in the 1st. Having two 2nd round picks (#49 and one from trade) and getting an early to mid second day pick in return for our first should bring better value to our whole draft class this year than hanging onto that #18 pick. This would also be particularly helpful in light of the fact that we currently don’t have picks in the 4th or 6th where there should be some quality players left on the board to choose from if the Top 100’s I have read have any validity.

I look forward to reading the offensive wish list. The discussion on the O-Line alone should be fun to read everyone’s take on how best to solve the situation.

Rafael,

If your hoping to trade down then I guess you are sold on Lawson. You would rather him than Carpenter?

BTW, early January, do you remember who picked the Steelers to win it all?

Eric R- I think it was the refs that picked the Steelers to win.

Trading down depends on the offer. Will another buffalo call waiving next year’s 1st rounder. will someone offer this year’s 2nd or 3rd plus a switch of the 1st?
what if one of the top players on the boy’s board is still available at 18?
I think they’ll trade down under the right circumstances. Im ok with either, what i dont want them to do is sell the farm to trade up.

EricR,

No, I haven’t given up on Carpenter, but I do think he’ll be a reach at 18 unless he blows everyone away at the combine. I’ve read about teams like Denver and Seattle wanting to trade up, especially Seattle if Shaun Alexander leaves. They would want Deangelo Williams or Lawrence Maroney, who are rated in the 13 to 20 area. If Minnesota signs Alexander, and I’ve read rumors that Zigi Wilf likes him, then Dallas could be a trade partner for them.

Lawson is always an option but I prefer Carpenter because he’s played his whole career as a linebacker who blitzes and rushes on 3rd down plays. Lawson is a DE who will have to learn coverage. There’s no guarantee he can do that. Carpenter’s a much safer bet, IMO.

Rafael,

My guess is Lawson will get drafted before Carpenter. It doesn’t seem that way now, but a bunch of scouts will be watching him at the combine. He was so fluid at the Senior Bowl that he got noticed by a lot of people. Carpenter, IMO, fits the Cowboys needs better than Lawson does, for the reasons you stated, and I think Carpenter is better at taking on blockers, hence a stronger run defender. .. Well we can always hope Dallas can trade down and still get Carpenter, but that will be tough. I still like Greenway and possibly trading up a bit to get him.

I’ll say it again. This team is more than one play maker away from the Super Bowl. We should trade down and get as many picks as possible and take the best athelete available with each pick. Then we should sign a dozen rookie FA’s. If we get three starters out of it, it was a successful draft. Save the free agency money for next year when we are just a player or two away from a serious championship run. We simply have too many holes to fill to be thinking we should target a particular player in each round.

How can you see the game I saw yesterday and not think we’re close to a Championship team? Raf said it a few days ago, this is a transition time between Dynasties. The Patriots and Eagles have fallen back to the pack and now the league is waiting for the next team to step up.

I agree with trading down, but I don’t agree with not testing the FA market. With the right signings combined with a draft calss similar to last years, we are playing next February.

Poke

P.S. And with all that young talent we should be playing in Feb. for a couple of years.

Poke

Poke,

I didn’t say we’re not close. I think we are. I just don’t think we’re at a point that if we add just the right player we’re there. Let’s see, aging or ineffective o-line at all positions, OLB, free safety, NT. Yup, quite a shopping list to fill in one year. I’m not interested in making a run like the Redskins. I want to win the Super Bowl. There are still four maybe five teams in the league that will beat us three out of four times. We used to be one of those teams and can get back there. Dropping money on FA’s like Danny Boy is no way to build a champion.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to take a Snyder type approach to FA. I wan’t to take an approach similar to last off-season. An approach that landed us two very good CBs, a mid to top of the pack QB, and some bit players (some of which did not live up to potential, but by now means should we give up on them…I speak of Ferguson and Rivera).

I think FS and OLB are positions we’ll look at in the draft. I think O-line is a FA position. And I’m not so sure we have a NT hole to fill unless Glover is traded.

Poke

WE NEED A WR! our 2 starters are up in age…and i’v read that dallas may let kj go …so we should look for a young playmaking wr…now while terry glenn can mold him…we need a play making wr…and if kj’s on his way out…now is the time to find one…just hope bp can keep jj away from T.O

i have a perfect molding example. JJ got hurt his rookie year…but when he came back he was fire..im sure eddie george had alot to do with it..our running game came 2 times this year out of 16..because we have 2 rookies and a 2 year back..look at parker….can anyone say..Bettis..

hate on our QB all you want…but the stats show…if you give drew time…he has one of the best balls in the game….so i agree fully that ol is a must…but after we supply him with time…we need big plays..glenn has speed..kj has body..crayton has hands..we need 1 man with all 3..it kills me to say it…but T.O. without a mouth would be perfect.

Just say NO to T.O.

He can sink a ship faster than an iceberg!

That lousy Not-So-Super Bowl we were treated to, goes to show that we are not that far off.

Beef up the o-line and linebackers, and we’re good to go. Oh, I wonder if Eddie Murray can still kick? LOL

steelyeyedmissile,

It is always a mistake for a team to ‘target a particular player in each round’ … or any round, for that matter. What people are doing here is speculating, based on current needs and their perceptions of the talents of various prospects. Since none of us has any input into the Cowboys draft process, little harm is done. [I have thought about raising the point about possibly drafting for ‘best person available’, but I would be wasting my time.]

One of the reasons you state for asserting that the Cowboys are not close enough to contend in 2006, is that the offensive line is ‘aging or ineffective at all positions’. While that may have some truth to it, age in the offensive line would not be a deterrent for ‘going for it’ in 2006. I don’t expect that the wheels will come off of all of them this year.

I propose that an offensive line of Adams, Allen, Johnson, Rivera, and [quality free agent to be named later] would be good enough to allow the team to prosper this year. Of course, we need to start preparing for when the wheels DO fall off for Adams, Allen, and Rivera, and start getting some decent draft picks in here who can play offensive line. Hopefully, those draft picks plus the best of what we have left from this year could provide adequate reserves for 2006.

Do that, and also fill holes at free safety, outside linebacker, and kicker, however you want to do it, and the Cowboys would be in pretty good shape. [Yes, I know, we could use another good, young receiver.]

It would seem to me that all of that is doable in one good offseason.

I am not saying I want this to happen, or that it is a good idea, or that I even think it will happen, but I did hear something tonight that got my attention enough to mention it as something to consider. Tonight on Fox Sports Net’s ‘Best Damn Sport Show’ Willie McGinest of the Patriots is filling in as a guest host and said flat out that he will be a Free Agent this offseason and plans on testing the market. He seemed very emphatic that he will be available, and the way he talked about it I definitely got the impression he is looking for a new team to play for in the 2006 season. I have looked this up before and everything I read said he wasn’t scheduled to be a FA until 2007, but he very candidly claimed it would be this year, so I have to take him at his word.

I am not saying the Cowboys should pursue him, or judging how good he is at this point in his career. I am only mentioning this because of Parcells’ pattern of bringing in his former players. I get the feeling Parcells likes the stability and veteran leadership they provide, and he knows what he is getting. We’ll see what happens. I think this situation is worth keeping an eye on though.

Mr. Bill,

You make some good points. But,the older an o-lineman gets the slower he heals. I really don’t see Adams, Allen, and Rivera going 16 games and the playoffs. As a group I think we’ll see wheels all over the place next year. I will admit that quality of left tackle diminished after Adams went down, but he was playing middle of the pack tackle any way. For every good play he made he gave up ten yards with another brain fart.

Parcells has shown that young guys really have to be good to replace even a mid level veteran. For me it’s a numbers game. I’d rather see JJ sink 5 mil into 20 rookie FA’s and get 2-3 servicable players than all that money into another Rivera.

Sterling,
Thanks for the news. I hadn’t heard about that. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see McGinest in a Cowboys uniform to shore up the depth on this team. He may be able to get scooped up on the cheap as well ala Aaron Glenn last year. Yeah, the guy is approaching 34, but the guy still has a couple of years in the tank. Besides, I don’t think he’d be an every down type of guy. And don’t forget the whoopin he put against Jacksonville this year in the playoffs. I recall it was something like 4 or 5 sacks. Even a fraction of that kind of play is a much needed upgrade over Fajita Fujita.

clam625,

Actually, McGinest is already 34, and will turn 35 next December (born 12/11/71). Since he plays at a position that is not kind to older players, I would only approach him with extreme caution.

If we could get him on similar terms to those by which we signed Aaron Glenn, that would be terrific. Otherwise, we should probably pass.

steelyeyedmissile,

The problem with the Rivera signing was that we gave a large signing bonus to an aging veteran. I am not proposing that we do that again. In fact, I would avoid Jon Runyan for exactly that reason. However, there should be other good offensive tackles on the market who will be younger (and significantly better than what we had) and not command such a high price.

I am not concerned that Parcells doesn’t like to play rookies. I am looking to any draft picks on the offensive line as current depth and future starters. I should also point out that Parcells showed no hesitation in getting rid of veteran depth, such as Ben Noll and Kurt Vollers, in favor of younger players.

At this point, I need to point out that between 2004 and 2005, Carolina went from 7-9 to 11-5, Chicago went from 5-11 to 11-5, Cincinnati went from 8-8 to 11-5, Jacksonville went from 9-7 to 12-4, New York Giants went from 6-10 to 11-5, Tampa Bay went from 5-11 to 11-5, and Washington went from 6-10 to 10-6. All made the playoffs in 2005. All had missed the playoffs in 2004. And none of them had a better record in 2004 than we did in 2005.

Personally, I see no reason why a few changes could not put the Cowboys into contention, especially after watching the pitiful performances put forth in the Super Bowl.

No one knows whether the moves we make will bear fruit. However, one fact is self-evident, if we don’t try, we WILL fail. That is the only guarantee that there is in sports.

Mr. Bill,

I agree that we can be in contention next year with a few tweaks. One of the fun facts Raf put on the site was the blockbuster number of players involved with the Herschel Walker trade. That was the foundation of the 90’s dynasty. The FA signing of Charles Haley put us over the top. Not because he was God’s gift, but because all we needed was one more piece to the puzzle.

I don’t want to be in contention and hope lightening strikes in late January. I want to be the bad ass on the block that other teams build to beat. A few changes will get us in the post season. That’s a goal for the Saints. Thankfully we have a richer history. I’m willing to spend this coming year stocking the roster with youth through the draft then seeing what position we need to fill with a serious FA signing.

For all the contributions Glenn, Rivera, Henry, and Bledsoe made this year, we still watched the playoffs from the sidelines. The “win now” plague in the NFL works against the approach I’m proposing. But, I’d rather spend one more year as a good team so that we can have a run of 3-4 years as a great team.

Mr. Bill
Don’t get me wrong I’d rather we draft a stud LB in the first day of the draft. Any great value pick from Greenway, Carpenter, Lawson, or Wimbley would make me a very happy man. I’d love to see McGinest come here as a “Parcell’s guy” tho. If we’re lacking anything in our Lb core its veteran leadership and if he can come cheap as a guru of sorts, I’d more than welcome him. If not then I think its out of the question. I’m not even sure if he’s a free agent. I’ve tried to do some research myself, but him being a free agent is news to me.