Patriots Games

McGinest could be kind of like an Eddie George type of signing from a few years ago. They signed George to a short term deal and used him while they brought along Julius Jones after his inuries his rookie year.

This could be particularly valuable to help Ware along and in case we get an OLB in the draft that has any injury concerns early on.

I was the first one to mention McGinest back in January when he announced on ‘Best Damn Sports Show’ that he would be a FA this year. I am still as lukewarm about it now as I was then, but he might be a good Eddie George type veteran who can provide some leadership and make Parcells feel comfortable in certain key situations.

I don’t think he would be nearly as make or break for the team as Vinatieri could be.

Sterling,

McGinest has more tread on his tires, or gas in his tank (take your pick) than George did when he came to Dallas. George had lost his top two gears and couldn’t break plays outside.

McGinest had four sacks in a playoff game this past January.

Paying $17 mill for Ayodele pretty much makes him that young guy that will take over, don’t you think. McGinest would give us depth at OLB and a vet to tutor the young guys. I really don’t see him coming here, though.

altercall:

right now the Cowboys linebacking corps is:

WOLB — Ware
WILB — James
SILB — Ayodele
SOLB — ?

Burnett could be the guy, but he’s rehabbing an ACL tear and you can never tell how long that will take. Plus, Burnett was being tried as Ware’s backup on the weakside and inside, where Ayodele was signed now.

We talked a few days ago about signing McGinest and still drafting an OLB in the first two rounds.

Ayodele’s signing does nothing to diminish that scenario, IMO.

Ware, James, Ayodele, & Burnett make the core of the LB group for a long time to come.

Burnett was initially backing up Ware but by late-season was splitting time with Fujita and looking pretty good.

I truly believe it will be a training camp decision of whether it will be Burnett or Ayodele inside.

But the announcement that Ayodele was going inside does make a public case for picking up McGinest.

But if that happens, there is NO way we take another in the draft early. Thornton, Burnett, Singleton, Shanle, and Fowler make for a very talented, and save Al, young group of backups.

I’m all for McGinest coming to Dallas. Hey, how can adding the NFL’s all-time postseason sack leader to a young, up-and-coming defensive unit be a bad thing? I seem to remember the Boys picking up a ‘past his prime’ veteran corner by the name of Aaron Glenn toward the end of free agency last year, and how did that work out? Paid the big money to Henry, Rivera and Ferguson, but is there any doubt that Glenn was the best of the bunch? Ferguson wasn’t even a full-time guy, Rivera was subpar at best and Henry, though he was our defensive MVP the first half of the season, only played that half a season. Talent aside, just having an established, level-headed veteran like Glenn — or in this case McGinest — on the field and in the locker room benefits everyone on the team. You hear the young guys say all the time it’s like having another coach with you on the field. And bottom line guys, you can never have too much depth, especially at the linebacker position, especially in the 3-4. Plus, we get McGinest and a position thatâ€â"¢s being hyped as one of the deepest in this yearâ€â"¢s draft is probably no longer a need that requires first-round attention. Is it the end of the world if he signs somewhere else? Heck no. But he would be a welcomed addition in my mind … if the price is right, of course.

Rafael:

True, and I like McGinest. I still remember watching the draft when Parcells picked him that year. Some of the comments from the analysts were kind of funny in retrospect. He was one of Parcells’ original 1st round DE tweener conversions.

My point was not that McGinest was on his last legs like George, only that he could come in and hold it down until a rookie LB emerged into a full time starter at OLB and mentor Ware, Burnett, Thornton, and the other guys while he’s around.

Perhaps a better analogy would have been Richie Anderson since he’s another Parcells Guy. He didn’t have much left at the end either, but he did help us beat the Redskins on MNF. That earned my respect.

As long as he mentally still has a desire to play, I’m all for it. Physically, I think he’s still good for 1-2 years. He would be a great mentor for our young guys. McGinest is pretty much one of those ultimate gladiators of the NFL – a pro’s pro. Plus, great depth at ROLB and E in a 4 man front.

ahem, and Manny Lawson could learn a lot from him too. :)

I’m still waiting for the other FoB – ex-Jets FB Sowell. Clear need. I thought it would be a done deal by now.

The real concern with Willie is how much does he want, how long is he going to be around and though he has been healthy up to this point how long can he keep that up at his age. If he’s looking for a 2-3 year deal with a decent payrate then he may work as a short time replacement. If we do take him then it would make a clear case to take an LB later in the draft instead of 1st round as a lot pf peopk are suggesting.

I’d love it if Dallas landed McGinest. It’s not often that you can bring in a player with 3 superbowl rings to help motivate and inspire a team this young. He definitely can still play. Like Raf pointed out. 4 sacks (or was it 4.5, I heard both) in January…two months ago. When’s the last time we had anyone get 4 sacks in a game?

Sam.Iam,
Agree on your Lawson comment. But also, he could mentor Ware, Thornton, and Ayodele as well since they were all DEs in college like he was. I think his experience would be a huge asset considering our current group of LBs. They could learn a lot from him.

I’m against Willie Mcginest coming here. Everyone is saying basically the same thing, “he’s like Eddie George signing” “may have 2-3 years left” “had 4 sacks in a playoff game last year” “most sacks in post-season play”. This is my take: Willie McGinest would be a waste of money, he’s got 12 years already and has lost not 1 but 2 steps. Scenario: we get him for 1, maaaaybe 2 years and he does the same thing that a younger OLB could do only he does it slower. Who needs his coaching skills, imo, BP did fine every season without him. Oh yeah, when he’s done stinkin it up for us,
he signs a one day deal to retire as a PATRIOT!!!!! No W.M. Yes T.O. I’m out.

Dallas needs pass rushers and if not McGinest, then who? We were 17th in the league last year in sacks. Ayodele is not a pass rusher. McGinest would be an upgrade over last year and may get us into the top 10 in sacks.

I’m pleased with the Adoyele signing. He can really solidify the ILB spot, giving us very good play in 3 of our 4 LB spots.

I am in favor of signing McGinnest. He would solidify our starting lineup for 2006. He would be an excellent mentor to Ware, Burnett, Thorton, and our first round draft pick, either Lawson or Carpenter.

So we would have Burnett and our first rounder not starting next year. Thats fine. We need depth. Guys get hurt. We had 5 LBs on IR last year. Its also not like the 4 LBs should play every down. Shuffling guys in to keep them fresh is good for everyone. You better believe offenses will get tired of constantly seeing fresh guys lined up across from them.

As was mentioned in another post, I’d also like to see us add a NT. I’m concerned about our depth there now that Glover is gone. Fergy is solid, but he’s over 30. If he goes down, we have no other true NT on the roster. A likely first day draft spot.

I’m really hoping for continued quiet markets for Fabini and Runyan. Drop that price down to a tolerable level and bring one in. Its really our biggest weakness, RT.

Vinatieri. Yep, lets get him.

natedgr8,
You’d rather have T.O. than McGinest? You’re right, you are out…out there.

If he’s lost two steps, how does he continue to record sacks? There is a difference between coaching and leadership. The coach isn’t on the field with the players. That’s where veterans come into play. Remember when Dallas was ranked 1st in D a few years ago and Woodson went down? What happened? The D went down with him. Now Dat is gone and I like Brady James a lot, but he doesn’t know how to read offenses nearly as much a McGinest. And you’re complaining that he’d retire as a Patriot? So what? You act like he’d be disgracing the Cowboys by retiring with the team that won 3 rings with. Did you look down on Emmitt for signing back with the Boys?

You’d rather give the honor of wearing the Star to someone like T.O…someone who disrespected the Star, team and fans with his little stunts? Anyone who wants T.O. just to win is a sellout IMO. He doesn’t deserve to win a Superbowl with this franchise. Sorry Nate, but IMO, your ideas on this are so gr8.

I would rather Greg Ellis play OLB
than pick up Mcginest. G.E. is a pass rusher right, and BP did mention something about having a plan for G.E. this year, now we still have money for a free agent signing at a different need position.

Check the teams that Mcginest recorded his sacks against, I don’t
the answer to this. Just curious to see if he did well against good O-line teams?

Moving a guy from one place to another isn’t an upgrade and when you finish behind Arizona and Houston in sacks, you need an upgrade. Additionally, without Glover, there would be nobody left on our front 3 who can get to the passer.

If we still had Glover, McGinest would be a huge improvement in our pass rush – we would have 4 legit passrushers. Without Glover, we need McGinest to break even in terms of pass rush and have to cross our fingers the one of the young LB’s shows something we didn’t see last year.

There are so many ways this can play out – that’s why it’s so exciting. The FA’s that are signing have already altered the mock drafts drastically, and Brees could alter them even more. I agree Ferguson needs help at NT – I’d love to see Bunkley slip to Dallas in round one. I think we’ll get Vinatieri – JJ usually gets what he sets his eyes on. We’ll also get some o-line help before FA is done – the draft may be fun because the Cowboys will have helped them selves tremendously come draft time.

He put up 4.5 against Jacksonville. I believe that’s Khalif Barnes.

Considering the Jags didn’t give up more than 3 in a single game during the year (except once against IND), I’d say 4.5 by 1 person is pretty impressive.

McGinest will be the litmus test to see if we do indeed draft a LB early. With so many talented LBs available, I hope we pass on Willie and take Lawson, Carpenter or Greenway with our first pick.

Maybe the decision has already been made and it was youth again (Ayodele) over experience (McGinest).

In the regular season he also recorded 2 sacks against Pitt and the last thing I heard is that they’re the Champs.

He also recorded half a sack against Denver and we all remember how hard was getting to Plummer, 2 against Tampa (also hard) and the 4.5 against Jax.

I’m not saying that I want him at SSLB for all of the snaps, I want him there sharing the ball just like the DLine last season, first posession – 1st unit goes in, second posession – 2nd unit. That’s why Drafting another OLB high makes sense for me.

3-4 1st Unit:
RDE – Canty
NT – Ferguson
LDE – Spears
WSLB – Ware
WILB – James
SILB – Ayodele
SSLB – McGinest

3-4 2nd Unit:
RDE – Ellis
NT – Johnson (or someone else)
LDE – Ratliff
WSLB – Burnett
WILB – James/Singleton
SILB – Ayodele/Singleton
SSLB – Carpenter (or Wimbley)

And that’s the definition of a 3-4 Defense that could be a top unit.

BTW, nobody needs to point out that I’m not mentioning Lawson, me not mentioning it’s based on solid ground, Lawson hasn’t practiced as OLB because he wants to play DE in a 4-3 and he could, Wimbley on the other hand has been practicing OLB and DE and is looking good.