Rick Gosselin worried about the o-line

by Dave Halprin on Jun 11, 2006 11:07 AM CDT in Dallas Cowboys News

Rick Gosselin, of the DMN, put out his rankings of NFL teams. After the draft, after all the offseason acquisitions, Gosselin lined them up for inspection. He isn't sold on the Cowboys yet.

14. Dallas
Terrell Owens was the splashiest off-season addition by any NFL team, and Mike Vanderjagt brings stability to the kicking game. But the offensive line remains as large a question mark in June as it was last January, when Drew Bledsoe was sacked five times in the season finale. If the Cowboys can't block, they can't contend.
Final '05 rank: 13

Kind of low if you ask me. But he does hit the nail on the head with the o-line situation.

Charles Robinson, some yahoo over at Yahoo Sports takes some email questions about Terrell Owens. In response to an article Robinson wrote last week about Owens, found here, he got the following email.

You, like most of the media, are a judgmental (expletive). You constantly twist every word or action from a guy and make it what YOU want it to mean. How can you say one guy totally wrecked a team's season? Is the team's "leader" and coaching staff that weak that the season hinges on one guy? One guy, who by the way, according to the "leader" and coach isn't needed to win? Are you a fortune teller or a journalist? Do your job and report what is going on and stop trying to make a story!

Jamie Tart
Durham, N.C.

[Robinson:] I think you're being far too narrow-minded about what kind of impact Owens had in Philadelphia. He was a constant distraction, he had a fistfight with Hugh Douglas, he ripped his quarterback, offensive coordinator and head coach, and he upset the team chemistry to the point where Donovan McNabb wondered whether he had lost the locker room. If you don't think that was a major reason why the Eagles fell apart last year, then you know nothing about how team politics can dramatically alter wins and losses.

I'd say the emailer is a definite Terrell Owens fan. But he has a point, how did the McNabb, Reid and company let things get so out of control in Philly? And can it happen in Dallas? Or are Parcells and Bledsoe tough enough to stamp out any fires that may come along? Interesting times for the Dallas Cowboys.

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T.O.

The worst thing that could happen to Philly would be the T.O. experiment to work in Dallas.
It will go to prove just what a joke their organization acted like during T.O.'s time on the team.

Next, the most difficult thing will be to define success while T.O. is in Dallas. If he performs like the best receiver in the league for 2-3 years, then holds out, take a few jabs at the Cowboys in the media to get his release, I would personally still define it as successful.

I do not expect a professional departure, but I expect him to perform while he is here.

The job of the media is to SELL a story.
T.O. is a master of self promotion and arguably the best receiver in the game. The circus off the field is only a natural result. The show on the field is what the Cowboys paid for and fan will buy tickets to watch.

Lastly, Jones and T.O. met for brunch this morning and went over jersey sales to date and laughed their asses off.

88--->81--->SB Again!

by tbone @ Blogging The Boys on Jun 11, 2006 12:48 PM CDT reply actions

O-Line

Ah horsenuggets on Rick for repeating the falsehood that the Cowboys have a weak o-line.

The Cowboys line this year has younger players, better depth, and will be a big upgrade over last year.

I do not agree with the Cowboys releasing L.A.
They had the cap space and could have at least used him for depth.

Ultimately, injuries will determine how well the line performs.

88--->81--->SB Again!

by tbone @ Blogging The Boys on Jun 11, 2006 12:58 PM CDT reply actions

O line...

will have to prove to me in pre-season and the first few games that they are for real. I'm hoping they improve but I can't be confident about them like I am the rest of the team until they prove it to me.

"They're going to leave me over here by myself and thats when I'm gonna sink my fangs into them." - Terry Glenn

by Terry on Jun 11, 2006 9:56 PM CDT reply actions

O-Line the same as last January?

I like Goose but what is he smoking? After adding two veteran starters and the recovery of our pro-bowl left tackle plus OT Colombo since January the line is as big a question mark? Come on! Perhaps it is a question to Goose but clearly not to Coach Parcells or Jerry Jones. I may be alone in beliving that Larry Allen's leaving is a plus and not a minus but there is better depth and far more mobility and experience this June than there was in January. If that is just as big a question mark than I will say the writing of Rick Gosslin remains just as big a question mark as it did this time last year when he had Philadelphia as the class of the whole NFL. Unless he has upgraded his chrystal ball the o-line has done more.

by lee3022 on Jun 11, 2006 11:22 PM CDT reply actions