"My Gut... Tells Me Adam Is Gone."

I think we will sign him and it will probably be a record contract for a kicker. We better sign him anyway because there really is nobody left out there who is even remotely compareable. I don’t won’t to see us losing games we should have won because of a kicker again.

Rafael
My gut has been telling me that we won’t be getting any FA k since 1 hour into FA. Look at your article YOUTH THE CONSTANT IN COWBOYS EARLY MOVES post #8.

Let me throw out a crazy idea that no one has mentioned – Javon Walker. What are the chances we trade for him? Wonder what he’d cost. I’d much rather have him than TO.

they’re saving the money to get TO

I’m a bit down, but the upside is that good players are still available:

Vinateri, Fabini, Ashworth, Sowell, McGinnest, Ayodele, Petterson, Mawae, Hartwig, and of course TO.

Those names are solid upgrades. Let’s see what happens over the next 2 days.
I am nervous though.

We probably will go after TO doubt a trade for Javon Walker but I can really see us going for Eric Moulds if he gets cut by buffalo. He has played with Bledsoe and he is a legit #1 WR. Yes he is 32yrs old but that would be 2 years younger than Keyshawn. Somehow i am not seeing Keyshawn in the fold this year. I hope he is because i like him as our WR but it’s just not making alot of sense this year. We need someone to take the pressure off of Glenn so that he can stretch the field and Keyshawn only commands single coverage. With T.O.,Moulds,or Walker Glenn could become a better WR even at his age and Witten will definitely get plenty of passes towards his way. Not only that but it will open up the running lanes a bit more. Me personally i would like Moulds over any of the other WR. He’s proven,fast,very good hands,and a willing blocker. Can you guys imagine seeing this for our offense.
QB-Bledsoe
WR-Moulds,Glenn,Crayton
TE-Witten
RB-Jones
LT-Flozell
LG-Kosier
C-Gurode
RG-Rivera
RT-Damn we need to sign someone
Glenn could go streaking down field,Moulds running an out pattern, Crayton working the middle along with Witten then all of the sudden when the defense is thinking pass they run Julius’s favorite play the draw and he brakes it for a 50 yard gain. Tell me that doesn’t excite you. Tell me you can’t see this happening. I could.

“Dallas agreed to terms with ex-Detroit guard Kyle Kosier on a five-year, $15 million deal that includes a $5 million signing bonus.”

there is no way JJ does not sign a kicker. he suffered worse then we did no doubt, its his team. we have excellent cap room throw the money at him let BP talk to him and get his ass in here….

now we’re in a situation by being too slow on the draw at the beginning of free agency, we now have to overpay for a kicker, something I’m sure Bill and Jerry didn’t want to find themselves in, good for Vinateri, bad for the cowboys.

with there being only a few kickers out there worth a #$%^. they shouldve known they had to go quick on them or theyll be left out. to many teams had crappy kickers not to get 1 early. makes no sense to me. id had them scheduled before anyone else…

Len,

I actually mentioned trading for Walker a few threads ago when the story first broke that he has threatened to retire if GB makes him play for them this year. I threw out Key plus our second rounder as an idea.

lilbeast,

I mentioned Moulds about 3 or 4 weeks ago and a lot of people were opposed saying he’s washed up and hasn’t done anythin lately. I agree with you. If we get a 32 year old receiver, Moulds is the one I want…not T.O. Moulds and Bledsoe already have experience together so the timing between the two would come back quickly. Plus, he wouldn’t cry about not getting the ball enough in a run first offense like T.O. would.

as bad as the redskins were supposedly with there cap situation, doesnt it seem like new england had to dump a crap load of people.
very board here need dallas to do something so i can get back into this. did ayodele leave without a contract or was his visit today???

espn is saying, that kosier was told before he signed that dallas would be playing him at guard…5 mil signing bounus to be a back-up? hmmmm??

Greenbay isn’t going to trade Walker, the guy had one good year and wanted to redue his deal, hmn, sounds like a mini T.O, He’s coming off a knee injury and dont make me laugh with his, I’M GOING TO RETIRE GARBAGE.Why would Greenbay want a 34 year old reciever anyways and a second round pick, that makes no sense for Greenbay.
As far as Moulds goes, his numbers have been declining in recent years, is it because of his age, the system or different offenses or Qb’s. I wouldn’t give him any money, he’s been also a malcontent in Buffalo the last couple of years.

jerryw:

I know it’s been mentioned before, but I really think BP will try LA at right tackle – I just can’t see them outright dumping LA, unless they know more and aren’t telling. I guess we’ll know by April fools day…

Relax Derrick. I didn’t say I believed Walker when he threatened to retire, I was just saying what he said. I also didn’t say my offer was a good move for GB, but I wouldn’t want to trade anything more for a WR with one good year and who was coming off a knee injury.

Moulds is far better than you give him credit for. He had SEVEN games last year (out of 14) that he caught seven or more passes. Six of those seven games he had a Holcomb throwing to him and not JP Loserman and that one game JP was throwing was one of his low 7 catch games. If Holcomb was throwing for 16 games, Moulds numbers equate to 123 catches, 1344 yards and 9 TDs. Now would he have gotten that high, very doubtful, but I’m guessing 100, 1100, and 6-9 TDs would have been very attainable. Yeah, he sucks.

I never said he sucked, you cant equate what I guy does over a season in a couple of games.I never said we shouldn’t look at Moulds, but the guy is 32 and was suspended for being a malcontent last year, his yards per catch numbers have been declining, you have to take into context when he got those numbers you throw out, were they garbage catches in games that Buffalo was out of it. If drew bledsoe throws 5 touchdowns the first game for 500 yards, what does that equate to for a season, who cares, it doesn’t work that way. Anything I’ve read on Moulds, is that he’s lost a step and is past his prime. All I’m saying is, I’d think twice about another 30 something year old player.

Group,

Here’s a thought. Antonio Bryant is still out there. He is young and very talented. Had a great year on a poor team and has played in our system.

Do we give him another chance????

I hate to sound so negative in my first post, but it doesn’t matter who we have at receiver. If we don’t upgrade at OL, Bledsoe will be sacked before they get open and Jones will be stuffed in the backfield, like last year.
Thus far in free agency, we’ve lost our best Defensive Lineman and will potentially lose our best Offensive Lineman, and have only thrown big money at a guy who didn’t distinguish himself on one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines last year. Potentially, we get to overpay for a great kicker and replace Fujita with a younger LB whose never registered more than 2.5 sacks/year. Sorry guys, but I’m not impressed so far.

What does everything think of the deal that Gurode got for a one year deal. $1.5M and a $500K signing bonus; that sounds pretty low to me. I realize that he’s no All Pro but I would of thought he could have done better in free agency given his versatility to play two positions. With a deal like that, he could easily be gone by the end of training camp pending what the team does in the draft. Jerry must of done quite a sales job.

need a kicker

My bet:

Kyle Kosier starts at LG, Larry Allen is moved to RT.

As for the kickers, if the browns are giving centers 12.5 million signing bonus(and we thought last year guards getting 9 million was way too much), and the Jaguars are giving a career backup CB 10 million signing bonus, i think we can spare 3 million for a kicker, someone who is directly responsible for scoring points, and sometimes game-winning points.

in def. to J.walkers knee injury…dont forget….steve smith has knee surgury…and look what he did to the nfl this year….a wr can come strong from injurys with good rehab…

walker will make the pro-bowl this year or next…depending on the team he plays for…he is a talented wr..

not saying we should go for it…just in def. of walker…

then again he does sound like a baby TO..talent..but needs a muzzzle

i think he sold gurode on having 2 old Gs…LA is going nowhere this year. it’s simply not worth cutting him, just let him ride out his career into the sunset. what i don’t understand is why was glover released, if they weren’t going to sign anyone big? AV while a needed signing will not break the bank, probably get a deal similar to kozier, haha. so either they lock up one of the FAs for next year or they get a high priced FA. Also, it appears darren howard is visiting the eagles, ruh roh.

That worries me because Allen has lost a step (explaining why we used Tucker last year rather than moving him out) and Kosier isn’t starter material for a playoff team. He barely started for the 49ers 2 years ago. Allen is still one of the best guards in the Game. I would hate to see the rest of the NFC East get talent upgrades while we take a step back.

Bentley’s contract averages $6 mil. / year. I think that is a better deal for the best C/G in the league than $3 mil / year for a backup (which Kosier should be on a playoff team).

Grantp

Lil slow on the uptake huh? Kosier started 49 games in 4 years at 4 different positions. Not saying he is starting quality but the point is that he has started alot of games contrary to your post.

Opps, My bad, Played 49 started 27. Still has potential I think. He is going to be a solid player which is more then we can say for most of our line last year.

Derrick,

I do agree that we should get younger at WR and not pay too much if we do get one over 30. I’m just saying Moulds before T.O. Your example of Bledsoe having one big game doesn’t even compare to what I did. The number I threw out were the numbers he would have been on pace for if Holcomb was the QB the whole time. Those were based on an average over 7 games (the 7 Holcomb started) and then multiplied by 16. They were not based on a couple of games. Since receivers do have down games, I reduced the numbers by over 20 catches and 240 yards. I think that is a fair estimate. Keyshawn had 1 game with seven or more catches just for comparison. I think Moulds would be a great addition if Key is let go.

As for him being a “malcontent”. He is a veteran who is opposed to throwing away his last few years watching a team try to rebuild with a young QB when they have a veteran who proved to be better i training camp and during the year. They were almost in the playoffs the year before last and they let Bledsoe go. Then they found Holcomb was playing better than Losman, but still tried putting JP in just because he was a first round pick. Moulds, like most veterans, doesn’t want to be a part of a rebuilding phase; especially when they’re team is blowing a chance they could have if they played the best players. He has a right to be fed up with Buffalo IMO and I don’t know if I’d sit back with a smile if I were in his position. He wasn’t disgruntled when Bledsoe was there.

Agreed. I’m sure he is a solid player and starter material for a subpar team (In fact, although he was expected to lose his starting job w/ the 9ers in 2004, due to injuries he ended the season by being voted their best lineman that year).

He just isn’t a talent upgrade. And we now know we could have had the best for the price of 2 Kosiers. I don’t think he’ll be any better or more versatile than Gurode and he’s double the price.

I would say 3 mil is too much for a K, but with the market as crazy as it is, I would pay it. I couldnt believe the deal that the ex Vikings CB got, it was insane! I think the big bang is Vineteiri, then we will sign either Adoyele or McGinest. We cant play LA at RT tho, he is too slow and speed rushers will just run right past him.

One more thing that bothers me… The $3 mil. /yr we are paying for Kosier is almost as much as the $4 mil. / yr. the Rams are paying for Glover – our best defensive lineman.

Ayodele better sign soon.

Sign OLB Ayodele, release WR Keyshawn, sign Moulds, release LG LA, sign RT Fabini, move Kosier to LG release FB Polite, sign FB Beasley/Sowell, Sign FS Coleman. And please sign a damn K like Viniateri please no Vanderjagt.

How about Antonio Bryant???

Moulds, maybe. Vinateri definitely. But Kosier is a HUGE downgrade from LA and Ayodele is not an upgrade from Singleton or Fuji. The net is we upgrade at kicker and maybe wide receiver, while we take big steps back at OL and DL – the heart of the team.

bigmoney
not no but hell no to AB

Grantp,

I’m on your side. Without upgrading our offensive line, nothing else matters. I’m not being critical. I’m sincerely surprised that so many on this board are willing to take a wait and see attitude about whether Riverra improves, Gurode improves, Pettiti improves, etc. Riverra may have been average last year (maybe), but Gurode, Tucker, Pettiti were horrible.

Moreover, the combination of Allen and Flozell amounted to less than 3 yards per carry. We had a horrible run per yard average and we gave up 50 sacks!!

The hard truth is that we were bad before Flo went down, and because we had no depth, we were even worse after he went down.

We paid a lot of money for Kosier. I have to trust that BP sees something there, but I cannot believe we are done with the offensive line. Unless we get at least one solid upgrade, we are in big trouble, again.

I hope we upgrade at OL. Aside from that, any thoughts on signing a proven RB since it is a buyer’s market? With Edge, we wouldn’t be wasting our running plays as we did for much of last year.

The draft is full at the top end with young quality OTs. Fabini is too old and too expensive. We can get a starter in the 2nd or 4th round.

Grantp
Ayodele is definitely an upgrade over Signleton. Just a bit better than Fujita. The thing is that with the signing of Ayodele, Signleton could be moved to ILB where he would be much better suited for. I personally like Fujita even when he was with the Chiefs. He has lots of upside but his biggest negative even when he was with the Chiefs was his tackling ability. That is one of the things that Ayodele is very good at Tackling and taking on blockers in the run.

Grantp
You gotta be joking about Edge right. The last thing we need to worry about is dishing out money on a position of strenth.

I wouldn’t take Moulds over Key. Key has been the most reliable offensive player we’ve had over the past 2 years. He makes all the tough catches over the middle or in the red zone. He’ll does whatever BP asks him.

Antonio Bryant had 69 catches and over 1k yards. Started all games and is 25 years old. I think this top both Moulds and TO.

Bigmoney,

I would draft either a top guard or a top tackle in the second round, but I’m not sure we can get a lineman in the 2nd round ready to start right away.

We have the money to sign a serviceable veteran like Fabini, and yet still draft a lineman for the future such as Jon Scott or Jean Gilles. I would take that combination in a second.

Right now our money is just sitting on the sidelines.

Antonio Bryant
Freelances routes-strike 1
Cry baby-strike 2
Threw jersey at Parcells-your out of here

madcowboy
i agree with you on getting Fabini and drafting either Scott or Gilles.

The signing of Kosier could easily be a negotiating tactic on Jerry’s part to get LA to renegotiate his contract. If LA balks then we at least have a player that can step up into the position; perhaps the best option available other than LA himself. Bentley was too expensive, Gurode probably not as good, and I haven’t really seen anyone else out there that is a must have guard save Hutchinson. If LA restructures then Kozier is either a solid backup or possibly a right tackle. I’m not thrilled about the signing and it does lead to some confusion, however this could all be predicated on the fact the LA’s days may be numbered if he refuses to renegotiate. After all, we let one of our best players (Glover) go because of a high cap number, why would LA get any different treatment? I wouldn’t worry just yet, the Cowboys are not done making changes to their O-Line. Fabini is still out there and the draft could easily produce a starting caliber player.

I like Moulds over Key because he’s 2 years younger, he’s faster, and he’s a better athlete. I like Key better because he’s a better blocker, he has more fight than most WRs in the league and he’d be cheaper. I’m fine with either one.

Is Julius Jones a position of strength? When was he in contention for a rushing title?

It would be nice to hear that we have visits scheduled from more players. At least that would give us some hope. Bring in OLB McGinest, K Viniateri, OLB Peterson, RT Fabini, FB Sowell, FS Coleman, FS Jackson, FS Hope, FS Demps anyone come on.

lilbeast:

I agree with Grantp that we need work at the RB position. JJ never makes the first man miss nor does he ever run anyone over. He gets tripped up in the backfield more than any bock in the league. That’s why BP said the he need to create his own hole.

But, I agree with you in that I think we have enough talent on our current roster.

bigmoney,
You just answered your own question, JJ isn’t the problem, when he’s tripped and tackled in the backfield, who’s fault is that, the running back or the O-line, hmn, THE O-LINE

KJ has been slowing down the last few years. Maybe not in production, but he is getting SLOWER from age. This will start showing up in his production, maybe even this year. A younger, faster possesion rec is what Dallas needs IMHO.

McGinest is almost 40 years old. That is far too old for a LB/DE. We need to get younger on defense. I think he’s going to have a hard time finding someone to pay him.

Derrick
Thank you you took the words right out of my mouth. Funny almos word for word.

If anyone thinks we have enough talent on the OL to get it done next year, you’re all smoking something and it’s not a camel cigarette. Does anyone remember the 2nd Giant game? How about the 2nd Washington game? Dallas’ running game was non existent last year.. again. geez…

bigmoney
When the line has been blocking for Julius when have you not seen him tear up the field. How many over 150 yard games does he have already. If his line is at least somewhat blocking he does good. When his line is doing good blocking he easily does great.

Blitzkrieg
you nailed it right on the dot with the comparison of Moulds to Keyshawn.

They need to sign another TE, OT, and a FB. That would help the line.

The defense needs two, FS and LB. I’d feel comfortable with that. Supplement the rest in the draft.

MikeA,
Exactly!!!!

The biggest problem Antonio Bryant had while he was here was that he didn’t think he should be on the bench while KJ starts. Now is the time to make the switch!!! Problem solved.

If we can even consider paying huge money TO, the biggest cry baby in the league, we can give AB another chance and for far less money.

I’d fall off the couch if BP signed Antonio back. It’s not going to happen.

i wonder if they might be working on a trade? i’ve been surfin’ the web and i can’t find anyplace that says we’ve got players scheduled to visit..or if they’re waiting to see what others are paying/getting?

bigmoney,
Antonio Bryant showed what he was all about with two teams, Dallas and Cleveland, he’s been a headcase throughout his career at Pit, in college, and now the pros, what dont you get, he’s a cancer, just like T.O, who by the way isnt going to get anything more than a one year base salary contract with alot of out clauses and lots of incentives, and if he cant get close to those incentives by week eight, he’ll do the same thing as he did in SF and Philly, A leppord never changes his spots.

lilbeast:

The same people were blocking for JJ when he ran for those 150 yards games as when he ran for 65. It can’t all be the blame of the blocking. Think back to the Emmitt Smith days. He didn’t always have a great OL but he did know how to make the first man miss or sometimes he ran him over. JJ never does this!!!

As for JJ. Here’s my argument for an upgrade. We are all talking about upgrading at wideout when KJ, TG are easily one of the top 10 tandems in the league – and that’s against defenses who only had 7 in the box because nobody respected our running game last year. Is JJ one of the top 10 backs? top 20? My thought is he is good, but barely cracks the top 20. When you have the opportunity to go from top 20 to top 5, that’s something to look at. Look at the difference Portis made for Washington with the same O-Line. Especially when we are supposed to be a run-oriented offense.

Is the Cowboy staff awake and working today? I’m not hearing news, anything coming from Dallas?

Derrick:

AB is 8 years younger than TO and they are both equal head cases. My thoughts are that their skills are not that far apart with TO being slightly better. I think the greatest upside is with youth.

BP is a great coach!!! He should be able to change his attitude!!!

bigmoney,

Antonio Bryant was Cleveland’s leading receiver last year. And yet, they have no interest in re-signing him. Instead, they went out and signed Joe Jurevicius, and were highly interested in David Givens. If Bryant is really so good, how could that have happened?

The Cowboys are far more likely to re-sign Bob Hayes than they are Bryant.

I think the Cowboys are in deep trouble in their search for a kicker. Although they have plenty of cap space, it is their extreme misfortune that two teams that have even more also want the best kickers. That is why Minnesota was able to sign Longwell, and why we have to be considered underdogs to land Vinatieri. The Vikings had the second-most cap space in the NFL. The Packers, the most.

As I have mentioned before, it is almost impossible to win a bidding war with someone who has more money than you do.

Grantp:

I agree with you that JJ fit somewhere near the top 20 for RB in the league. But I don’t think the answer for RB is in free agency. Unless we move up and draft one of the top 4 elite backs we should work with what we have on the current roster. We can live with what’s there.

I think youth is overrated. Remember, we only have BP for 2 more years then it’s back to rebuilding mode. I’ll take a proven guy over somebody with “upside” any day. Maybe the young guys will realize their potential. But if they do, they’ll either be out of here in free agency or want to renegotiate for bigger money. I would much rather pay for a known quantity who will be around for 2 years.

Our RB is fine, thats our deepest position. Lets get some blocking for them so maybe they could do something. Emmitt, as great as he was, wouldnt have done much behind our line.

As for Bryant, forget about it, not even a thought in any Cowboys staff minds. I would take Randel El over him anyway.

As for Moulds, Id rather have KJ. His last great year was 4 years ago. Seems like a Peerless Price thing to me esp when he commands top money. Hes still a Bill anyway and you know all these teams like Denver and KC that are looking into TO would offer more money for him. Again, WR is not that big a need this year.

Some other things, the Panthers signed C Justin Hartwig, the Vikings are ready to offer G Steve Hutchinson an offer sheet, Ryan Pickett is being offered a big contract from the Rams, the CLE C (a 3 year starter, 24 years old, 1st round pick) can be traded for, is he worth it?

Whoever said they dont want McGinest because hes 40, hes 34, showing no sign of decline, and would be a great pickup. Where are the vets to help Ware along and our 1st round OLB along? Singelton? No experience in a 3-4 and not even given he will be back. Other than that, its young inexperienced guys. Alot of people dont want to hear about veteran leadership, but where is it on D?? Ferguson isnt that type of guy, and hes a NT. Thats it, the rest of young except Aaron Glenn, a CB. I put McGinest as our #2 target right now behind Chris Hope, and Vineteri 3rd. No news on any of them visiting, but supposedly the market for Hope is little so maybe we could get him for a little more than what the Steelers offer.

bigmoney: I agree, somewhat. If we can upgrade the O-Line and the defense, I think we will be fine with JJ at running back. But I think we should look at upgrading RB long before we think about upgrading at WR. It is a buyers’ market for elite RB’s this year and we are in a better position at WR than we are at RB.

youth is overrated!!!!!
Ask the Raiders how they’re doing with the older known Quantity players.

HAHAHA antonio bryant’s skill level is no where near TO’s level, what have you been watching???

Mr.Bill:

We have never had a history of breaking the bank on kickers and I don’t think we would have this year either. I think we will sign one of the second tier kickers for cheap or sigh someone that we never heard of to compete with Suisham.

if we had a kicker last year we would have made the playoffs even with that sorry oline jj is fine

Derrick:

You got me on the Raiders! :-)

But, I don’t think it’s age as much as it is the idea that teams always fail when they try to put together all-star teams through free-agency – like Snyder’s first few years in Washington. The team has no character or cohesiveness. I don’t think it’s as much of an issue when you are adding some pieces to an existing nucleus.

louC,
I disagree, Antonio Bryants skill level is on par with T.O’s, they both act like assholes on their teams.

Trying o figure out what’s going on-1) Maybe some informal collusion amongst many owners? By agreeing not to jump in too fast they make it appear the market’s not that hot, keep prices down-a little payback for thr union? (Was Cleveland one of the 2 no votes?)
2) As for our team, maybe they’ve decided they need a chunk of money to extend Newman, Witten, and a few others? The best moves may be keeping what we have.
3)That said-get me some OLine!!

Derrick:

My guess is not very well. They finished 4 and 12. But if you are looking at it from the standpoint of the draft, they are drafting at number 7.

The 2 NOs were Cincy and Buffalo

The biggest problem with JJ is his durability, not his running. How can his running be questioned when he holds 2 of the top 4 single game rushing records in franchise history behind the OLs he’s had to play with. He’s been injured both years he’s started and still almost got 1000 yards each year. IF (I can’t type that big enough) he can stay healthy, we’ll have a 1300 to 1400 yard back. He’s only in his third year and Barder and Thompson are in their second. We do not need an upgrade at RB. We will not be able to upgrade Offense and Defense while adding someone like James. Buyers market or not, he’ll cost quite a bit for several years.

Just read this on KFFL.com

Browns | Team agrees to terms with T. Washington
Sun, 12 Mar 2006 10:08:10 -0800

Jamison Hensley, of the Baltimore Sun, reports the Cleveland Browns have reached a contract agreement with free agent DT Ted Washington (Raiders). Terms of the deal were not disclosed

IMO, Cleveland is going to bring some serious competition to the AFC North this year. They’ve made fantasic moves so far. Wish we would get on the ball and sign at least one guy that can make an impact.

The monies being dropped on players such as Gerard Warren and Brian Williams is proof enough that the NFL owners desperately need a salary cap. With no draft, could you imagine what Brady Quinn would command if he has a Heisman-type season.

lou c,

Cleveland’s Center that they are looking to trade is Jeff Faine. He’s listed at 6’3" and 291. I’d have to wonder why they’d shell out the kind of money they did for Bentley if this guy was living up to his first round status. To me, that says he’s probably no better than average and with his lack of size, I wouldn’t even bother trading for him.

I think the slow free agent market is more about mediocre talent than owners secretly conspiring to keep prices down. Or perhaps agents and capologists are trying to digest the new CBA.

Sam.Iam,

Think your right on both accounts. But I still have no idea why we havent signed a kicker… All this talk about how we have been, will be ready to go in F/A seems like a bunch of BS to me. I was lookin forward to a good weekend of followin the Cowboys moves and now we are all religated to talkin about JJ and Brady Quinn, What a bummer of a start to F/A. Come on Steven, do something, anything, just go already:-(

Jeff Faines status sky rocketed after one good year at Notre dame, Cleveland took him with the 23 pick in the first round, the same draft when the cowboys took Al Johnson in the second round. His stock sure took a tumble.

Hmm… Houston signs Sage Rosenfels??? How freakin boring…

bigmoney,

1. Bryant lost his job to Glenn, not K.J. I still don’t think he could beat Glenn out for a starting spot;
2. Bryant has now been dumped by Parcells and one of Parcells best former assistants.
3. At times last year Parcells said he like this team because it worked hard and didn’t have any head cases;

Strike one, two and three.

Now, on a related point — this is a young team, one the coach feels is malleble. That also makes it impressionable.

Which is why I don’t think those tender kids will be exposed to T.O.

Edgerin to the Cards… Who didnt predict that move. I just thought it wouldnt happen until week 3 of FA

Impatient,

Here’s the issue. The pool this year is not that deep. It’s day two and the hottest property — for us anyway — is a kicker.

Step back and look hard that that. Who’s left that requires IMMEDIATE attention besides Vinatieri?

We’re talking about role players like Chris Hope. Even Ayodele, while he would be a good pickup, the Jacksonville papers are talking about the Jags being very willing to sign Fujita to replace him.

If Ayodele is signed, does that preclude getting an OLB in the first two rounds next month?

Yeah, it would be good to finish the job, but some players got crazy money yesterday. There’s now way Gerard Warren is worth $6 million per. And Trevor 4-sacks-in-the-last-two-years-and-a-bad-back Pryce got $5 million per out of Baltimore.

Patience, grasshopper, patience. Let that crazy market cool down.

Fair enough Raf… I guess I’m still sad about losing Bentley to Cleveland. And I guess I can calm down until I start hearing some of our other targets (at least in our bloging estimation) going elsewhere.

All I can think of is that the big splash is supposed to be the kicker- the one place we might overspend on- but when you do not have a choice you do what you have to do. And lets be real about this: we are onlytalking about maybe spending 1, mayb 2 million MORE then what the best kicker in football was already getting. In todays FA 1-2 mill is CHUMP CHANGE.

Edgerin James just signed a 4 year deal with Arizona Cardinals OMG!!

Can anyone confirm this, I heard Fabini was in town at the start of free agency but left without a contract offer.

Yeah 4 years 30 MILLION!!!! Who said it was a buyers market???

Rafael
If Ayodele is signed along with a Kicker we are set to go for the best available player in the draft. With the 18th pick we can pick whoever we feel is the best player. Wether it be WR,OT,OG,OLB,ILB,DT,FS. There will definitely be be plenty of choices with that spot. The only way that we can’t draft best available is if we don’t sign an OLB/ILB in FA because then we really have a big need to fill in the draft. OLB/ILB in FA is a very big need for us. With alot of the 3-4 teams adding NT to their rosters either Ngata or Bunkley might be there with our 18th pick. On the other hand if Ngata and Bunkley get drafted before the 18th pick then Wroten or Watson should definitely be there in the 2nd round.

Antwaan Randel El Agreed to a six year deal with the redskins

It looks like the Browns might sign MLB Bart Scott.

rafael we need a kicker a vinni is the only good one left why dont we just sign him and get it over with thats what hurt us more than anything last year with a good one we are in the playoff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

TE Dan Campbell is visiting with the Jets today.

Anyone thing Grady Jackson has enough left in the tank (and would come at a small enough price to take a chance on him) to be part of our rotation? I know he’s something like a 9 year vet, but he’s huge, and he eats up blockers like its his job (well, it is, but that’s beside the point). He weighs over 330 and has an extremely wide body, and I think being part of a rotation might extend the career of a guy like Jackson by at least two years. Just a thought.

And an thought that Vinatieri might be having:
If he wants to go to a team with a shot at the superbowl, between GreenBay, New England and Dallas, he’s going to come here. The AFC is by far the tougher conference, not to mention the quality of teams in their division, and its not looking so good for Green Bay even if Favre returns, so Dallas would win out there.
Hopefully he wants another ring, because then Dallas has an advantage.

The Redskins just never learn.

I hope they keep spending and spending, it never works.

They bought themselves 2 flashy WRs who are scared to go down the middle. I wonder how this will work out. Saunders was successful in KC with no-name WRs, so I don’t think he would be pushing for these moves. It appears to be another senseless Danny Boy signing.

Some of you guys are really making me laugh today. I was joking about Antonio Bryant a few days ago, and now some are seriously talking about it…lmao. Too much.

As has been stated for months now, WR is not a big priority. Get younger? What about Crayton and Copper. Crayton showed flashes of brilliance and soft hands early last season before getting hurt. I’d be more interested in what he has to offer in the future than what we know about Moulds or a 1-year T.O. rental. Please trust me that any situation involving Owens will end the same way as the last two. I don’t think that’s the punctuation mark Parcells wants to end his HOF career on. No, T.O. won’t take us to the Super Bowl either. If the team gets to the Super Bowl it will be because of the Defense and on the legs of one of the RB’s…WR’s don’t take teams to Super Bowls in the NFL.

The Kosier signing makes perfect sense to me, actually. A lot of folks have been talking about drafting a Guard in Round 2 of the draft. As has often been pointed out, it takes a few years for most OL to develop. The Cowboys are getting a guy who should be ready to play, or at least more ready than a rookie OL next season. Keeping Gurode means to me that Guard will not be a position that will be drafted this April, so it can be used to address another area. Personally I like Gurode, not just because I’m a CU homer, but I think he will make a good OG (not Center) someday.

Where the hell are the deadskins getting all this money? I thought they were one of 3 teams over the cap. Snyder so infuriates me.

I have a big gut feeling we will be hearing shortly that Akin Ayodele will be signing with us soon and he won’t be braking the bank with us either. It will be a great signing. Hope i’m not wrong.

Wow i have to say that the Rams are really doing a good job in FA this year. They just signed OLB Will Witherspoon

Rams sign Witherspoon…

Rams | Witherspoon agrees to six-year contract
Sun, 12 Mar 2006 12:57:42 -0800

StLouisRams.com reports free agent LB Will Witherspoon has agreed to a six-year contract with the St. Louis Rams. Witherspoon will be introduced at a 4 p.m. CT press conference.

Hutchinson to the Vikes…. 49 MILLION for 7 years OMFG!!!

We really need to get a free safety now that the redskins have 4 #2 receivers. If we have a good cover FS with good range and our secondary stays pretty healthy, we can keep up with the Skins just fine. As long as Roy can stay on the line and keep Portis in check without having to worry about getting beaten deep (solid FS would solve that), we’ll be just fine.

We’ll see how fast Beriault looks on his repaired knee and who we draft or possibly sign. I love Davis, but he’s a SS all the way.

And one last thing, I honestly hope that Crowder can get some good practice at WR over in Europe, because with his speed, TNewman won’t have to risk his neck on offense anymore.

Impatient,

that’s an offer sheet. He’s restricted so the Vikes have to put insane money on the table to shock the Seahawks away from re-signing him.

I’ll bet the deal is front loaded too, since the Vikes have so much cap room.

simmonjm,

I heard Fabini was in town and left without a contract because he was here to take a physical. They may be getting results on that before signing him as he failed his physical in NY.

lilbeast:

I can recall a few months ago when you were one of the only people to agree with me about Ayodele. I hope it happens because he plays very physical and intimidating defense, and that’s the thing I believe this team needs the most…to be imposing and intimidating.

What does everyone mean ‘overpay’ for a Kicker? The only way you can make that statement is if whoever they sign gets a big contract and then proceeds to miss big kicks. Since that hasn’t happened (hopefully never wil) and won’t have a chance to happen for six more months, you guys can’t say the words ‘overpaid’ in regards to a Kicker.

Oh, I know…he will be more expensive than Longwell. Big deal…he’s also quantifiably better than Longwell, and especially in big games. What’s a good FG Kicker worth anyway? If we had a kicker who could have made THREE kicks last season the team would have been 12-4, NFC East Champions, and had at least one home playoff game. How much would JJ have made from hosting a home playoff game? Probably ten times the amount paid for the premium he may pay this year for Adam V. When you balance that against the ZERO he made from not having a home playoff game this year because of the clowns we had missing chip shots, it seems like a relative windfall. Pay the price JJ…don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

For everyone complaining about Kosier…two letters could make this FA period a million times worse…T.O. Now a FA period where the Cowboys sign no one but Kosier and then replace Keyshawn with T.O., then I would be the first to call it the worst offseason in the Parcells Era.

Sterling,

Good point about the Kosier signing. That probably takes Charles Spencer off the front burner and moves Gabe Watson or Daniel Bullocks onto it.

Impatient:

Can anyone say they really expected Hutchinson not to draw a huge contract? He is pretty spectacular, and I don’t think he’s any older than Bentley. Plus, he’s better than Bentley is. Hutch is one of the most technically sound Linemen this league has seen, not to mention his quick feet and ability to read and react to every type of rush. I have to say (don’t worry, I’m a cowboys fan all of the way) even though that loss to Seattle hurt a lot, I took advantage of every chance I got to see the left side of that Seattle OL do their thing. I guess its good that someone so good is going to a team that isn’t going to be much of a force come playoff time next year (hopefully, for our sake)

Sterling
I am right there with you :boozeman about the Ayodele signing. Daniel Bullocks in the 2nd round would be great since he’s very fast and would be able to help Roy out in coverage especially now with what the Pigskins have done.

:boozeman was suppose to be two smily faces bangin beers with each other. sorry guess it didn’t work

You know what guys, I sort of like the approach the Boys have taken so far. Sure its not quite the bang we had last year, but its cool and calculated. Theyre taking the smart approach, and I’m positive theyre not just sitting around Valley Ranch thikning about what could be or what could have been. BP is always reserved when it comes to news. While the signings we make might not bring our player budget right up under the cap, there will still be significant signings.

And remember, if JJ (Jerry) said kicker is a priority, something will be done. When JJ (Jerry) says things, he means them.

And if anyone needs more comfort, there are still many good, and even some great players available in Free Agency.

Rafael:

I hope Bullocks and not Watson, although if Watson were to make it down to #49 he may not be such a big gamble, especially compared with so many of the other 2nd round duds the Cowboys have drafted in recent years. I doubt if Watson falls quite that far though, those big DL usually go a lot higher than mock drafts predict because they are harder to find.

The thing about the Vikings having so much cap space might be only temporary, since signing Hutch would definitely take a big bite out of what they have left after Longwell. I guess they aren’t too concerned about paying to improve their defense this year?

David
I’m fine with the approach but we should at least know of any more visits we have lined up. I mean who have we had come and visit besides Kosier and Ayodele. Do you know because i don’t. I’m just saying give us some hope that we are looking at some players even if we don’t sign them. It would be nice to know who we are pursuing.

No sarcasm intended, just a question. Can someone explain to me what makes Ayodele so great? I haven’t seen him play, but I did notice he has 8.5 sacks in 4 years. His highest total was 3. In contrast, Fujita (who’s also been in the league 4 years) has 11.5 sacks and he was just a role player for the Cowboys so that’s not a full 4 years. Fujita has 20 fewer tackles in his career and again, he wasn’t a starter last year. They seem like very similar players and the Jags are considering signing Fujita to replace Ayodele. So what makes this him such a big deal to sign?

Thanks in advance to the person explaining this.

David-CT,

Good points all except I would be scared of the Vikes should they come up with a decent RB. They were in the playoff hunt last year after the sex boat stuff, soooo…..

I agree with whoever said what about Fabini and his physical.

If Fabini flunked a physical with the Jets doctors, I can’t imagine him passing it with the Cowboys doctors.

Good thing, IMHO. I want a RT as much as the next guy, but not another Marco Rivera or Jacob Rogers situation.

I’m thinking if Ayodele is signed, we should look for them to draft an OT in either the 1st or 2nd round of the draft. Maybe 1st, because Winston Justice seems to be falling down most mock draft boards because of guys like Bunkley and others rising up. If 2nd round, my money is still on Jon Scott.

But remember, the Vikes have a completely new coaching staff and offensive strategy. I highly doubt they will be able to implement it successfully this season. Also their QB situation is iffy. I don’t think Brad Johnson will be starting for them next year, and I have a feeling Culpepper will be gone too somehow. But you are right Impatient, they did have some success last year, so I hope I’m right about not being able to adjust quickly.

Blitzkrieg:

That’s simple. First stats only tell you certain things, and stats are not the best way to gauge a LB’s worth or playing ability because Ayodele played OLB in a 4-3 with outstanding D-Linemen and they didn’t have to blitz much. If you actually watched Jags games, what you would see is a very intimidating and hard hitting defense that scared a lot of offenses in the league, even without their most physical player Donovin Darius last season. Look at Bradie James’ stats last year as a good example of how stats don’t reflect good LB play.

Now, the reason Ayodele will be good for the Cowboys is that he hits like a train against the run, and he TACKLES very very well. This is something that Fujita was miserable at, IMHO. That’s part of the reason the Chiefs spent so much to get other LB’s. Fujita’s tackling technique was poor and when he did make tackles, they were more often arm tackles, etc. than taking a ball carrier on and hitting him by exploding through the hips and wrapping him up for the takedown. To me that is a problem of fundamentals, and in 4-years in the NFL, college, and high school if he still can’t get that fundamental technique down then it has to concern you as a coach.

If you can, watch some Jags games and watch the LB’s in particular. What you will see with Ayodele is similar to what you see with other good LB’s and that is hard hits that knock ball carriers down and good strong tackling technique. That is how you build an intimidating defense.

As to why Jax would want Fujita…I have no clue. Maybe they think he would fit in a 4-3 better and maybe they see some upside in him. They have been very successful at developing defensive talent, so who knows. He does kind of remind me of Jack Del Rio by the way he looks and his size…but definiitely not how he played, at least in Dallas.

Blitzkreig
Honestly there really isn’t much of a difference in players. The one thing that stands out from each other is their playmaking ability. Although we saw Fujita force a fumble on Trent Green this past year he is not known for making lots of plays. He is a very solid player who still has alot of upside. Now Ayodele on the other hand makes plenty of plays. He forces more fumbles and has more INT’s than Fujita. Alot of scouts say that Ayodele has such a big POP in his hits that he causes alot of fumbles. He has 8 FF compared to Fujita’s 3. 3 INT’s to Fujita’s 1. Yes Fujita has more sacks but that is also because when he was with the Chiefs they blitz him a whole lot. Ayodele hasn’t been utilized like he should. Coming out of college scouts had him better suited to play OLB in the 3-4 than OLB in the 4-3 since he was a DE in college. All in all you are probably getting the same player with a change of scenery. Sometimes that is good. I just know that Fujita used to be the starting OLB for the worst Defense in the league for 2 straight years and Ayodele has started for a top 10 top 5 and i believe top 1 or 2 defense since he’s been in the league. I think there is a reason why his defense was ranked so high and he has to be part of the reason. Personally I would love to keep both of them but i just like Ayodele better. I have also been one of the few supporters of Fujita in the past and i would be happy if he stayed in Big D because i think he has the potential to be very solid as our starting OLB. Hope this answers your question.

Pigskins add Randle El to receiving corps. was reported by ESPN, although Sirus Radio is reporting Randal El previous reports are wrong about Randal El signing with Washington, is still negotiating with the team.
What happened to the Cowboys? Did they take off Sunday due to heavy workload on Saturday?

I think Jerry and Bill were taking an afternoon nap

It appears the whole day nap?

Did Somebody put in a wakeup phone call for Jerry and Bill.

Denver signs Warren to a 6-year $36M deal and there are people on this board who think we should pass on Watson if he is still available with our 2nd pick? Not me. I say move down a few spots, select Greenway/Carpenter/Lawson, then with your 2nd, pick Watson or Bullocks, preferably Watson.

Sterling and lilbeast,

Thanks guys. Both of you gave some great info. I appreciate the response.

We used up our quota of overfed under motivated fat NT’s with Willie Blade. No need to get another lazy fat slob like Watson.

I say sign a one year performance ridden contrat with T.O., paying him in twenty five week installments, with the contract starting in Spring training all the way through playoffs. With his history no other team will be interested and than have him prove he will earn his money and not cause any problems or he will be cut. I bet he would perform and show other teams what he can do and would look forward to playing Eagles twice a year.

My 2 cents. Get Vinateri signed – pay him whatever is needed to ink him. Get Ayondele signed or take a long at the 49’ers Peterson to see if he is a viable option. Then work on some FA role & back-up players for depth purposes. In the draft I’d be happy to see us get Bunkly (rd1) and Bullocks (rd2) – we’d rank as one of the NFL’s best defenses. With the rest of the draft – go for offensive needs – heavy on o-lineman.