Safety Darren Sharper in Dallas?
by elFURIOSOpozo on Apr 28, 2010 8:47 AM CDT
Email
PrintSo here we are friends. Almost a week after overreacting on our first two draft picks, possibly blacking out when Iupati and Pouncey left the board back to back and then hearing we gave up a third rounder, followed by people insisting that we shouldn’t expect too much of Dez Bryant…we find ourselves days away from the first official meeting for our beloved Dallas Cowboys and the first official minicamp.
Excited? You bet. But how about this bit of knowledge coming from senior Schefter of ESPN?
Could Darren Sharper be a bridge until AOA gets up to speed, or help groom out Safety prospects in Hamlin, Ball and AOA? Time will tell and we’ll see if we even get a chance to make a play on him.
By the way, anyone heard anything on Jared Gaither?
Another user-created commentary provided by a BTB reader.
56 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
sharper is in jacksonville today for a visit...
Yes we should sign him to a 1 year deal…its a no brainer imo
Well, except...
that Jacksonville can offer him more money by virtue of not finishing in the top 8 or he may want to re-sign and try to win back-to-back titles. It’s not a no-brainer. If Jacksonville wants him and he likes the money, he probably won’t ever fly in. They’ve got first shot at him. However, in all likelihood, no one will pay him the $4.9 million maximum salary that the Cowboys would be restricted by. There is also a rule that says they can sign him for the same money as any one of the FAs they lost but don’t expect them to pay him Flozell Adams-type money either.
I heard the Cowboys
Can sign ONE player to any amount of money they want. Then after that, all players have to be under the $4.9 million limit of the Final 8 Clause. So if we wanted, we could horrifyingly break the bank on Sharper to get him here.
Yes, that's true.
We havent signed our one high-priced free agent, so theoretically, we wont be outbid by any rules.
I said no
Even though he had a solid year he is old and on the decline. Go with the young guys. I think the final eight rule will come into play I believe. Will the signing of Holland stop us from signing Sharper?
#88 Dez Bryant-Welcome to the Cowboys!!!
No
It doesn’t restrict your ability to resign your own guys.
by Mandmeisterx on Apr 28, 2010 9:43 AM CDT up reply actions
I believe you can resign your own guys
And besides, you can sign as many low-end guys as you want. The rule only applies to guys with big contracts. Holland will have no effect on us.
For the cost, I say yes. Worst case he is insurance.
If the rookie’s beat him out, fine. If they don’t, let them develop.
FEED THE BEAST!!!
Twitter Account
I'm neither for nor against this
I think we should sign someone, but I think it should eb Atogwe. Sharper is ancient in terms of DBs. I like his leadership qualities and the fact that he would have a new ring to motivate the rest of the guys. But I have to think his skills are diminishing quickly.
I hope AOA is the future at FS, so I understand bringing in a player for 1-2 years. In that sense, I would like the signing, I just think its the wrong player.
Keep in mind the WRs he will be facing in the NFC East...
NO had a soft schedule and a weak division last year…
#88 Dez Bryant-Welcome to the Cowboys!!!
very true
I think i’m more for Atogwe as well. Mostly because of the injury deal to Sharper.
by elFURIOSOpozo on Apr 28, 2010 9:59 AM CDT up reply actions
I read yesterday that teams are holding off on Atogwe because of two injuries and that he is on the mend but likely wouldn't pass a physical at this point.
This makes a lot of sense as to why nobody has jumped on this guy because he produces and is young. i too would prefer atogwe to sharper but if he’s damaged goods i’d take a one year flyer on sharper.
Don't believe everything you think.
Your causes are cute!!!
its a herniated disk in his back
and he had reconstructive surgery on his shoulder
by nicholas.rodriguez on Apr 28, 2010 3:01 PM CDT up reply actions
Atogwe is young though and is likely going to want a long term deal.
Plus there are some more serious injury concerns there than what’s involved with Sharper. I was originally for Atogwe, but the more I think about it the more I’m leaning towards Sharper. He could come in for a year or two, be a massive upgrade over Ken Hamlin, and help teach our young safeties how it’s done. Then in two years we’ll have our own guys ready to take the reigns. Everybody in the secondary could benefit from playing with a veteran like Sharper.
Pitching coach Mike Maddux on Darren Oliver’s 0.00 ERA this spring:
"Economical work. He ain’t getting paid by the hour."
I would say
to sign him to a 2 year deal where we can cut him after 1. I like him but he’s getting old, and he won’t pick off 9 balls this year and return 3 for TD, just won’t happen. 1 thing that would be fun to watch, is that sharper owns eli, gotta love that. Anyways I really like AOA and I think in a year or two the kid will be a baller, but not right away. I wouldn’t mind sharper i mean he’s better than ball, so how could it be bad. just don’t expect his numbers last year.
Texas Stadium has a hole in the roof so God can watch his favorite team play football.
I originally didn't like this move
but that was because I figured we were going to target a safety in the draft that was more likely to start right away. Now though, the move sounds about right. We can bring him in to compete with Ball at not too high of a cost, and also allow him to act as a bridge and teacher to AOA. You would also have to think that a player with his instincts would do well playing behind our pass rush. I hope Jerry can get this done.
I also liked the idea of signing Atogwe, but with AOA I think Atogwe isn’t a good fit since he would probably man the safety position for several years, and this wouldn’t make sense since Dallas feels it just got its safety of the future. He also would come at a higher cost and a longer deal.
If I had a nickel for every Super Bowl the Eagles have won, I would have zero nickels.
exactly I agree
AOA makes no sense to me as well for the reasons u stated
by scandrick32 on Apr 28, 2010 10:10 AM CDT up reply actions
This, this, and more this.
Well said. This is EXACTLY the process I went through, and exactly where I’m at with it right now. Verbatim.
Pitching coach Mike Maddux on Darren Oliver’s 0.00 ERA this spring:
"Economical work. He ain’t getting paid by the hour."
I am for it, based on the type of contract he is given. JJ cannot overpay for this guy, because it is going to affect how
he is going to deal with his other safetys. Also when you consider the fact that dallas is looking at a 3 year deal (we know he may not do more than just one year). I wouldn’t mind it if he is under a reasonable contract, but he has turned down an offer from the Aints and I am sure they were being reasonable. We will see if this goes anywhere.
Ignore the Mainstream Media, EMBRACE THE HATE!!!!
bring Atogwe for now...
and let AOA develop as a corner maybe ….
before there was law, there were the Cowboys!!!
Actually...
All indications point towards Atogwe being an UFA come June, because it’s not likely the Rams keep him. That’s the real reason teams have held off on trying to sign him now… why give up whatever he’s worth in draft picks when you can give up nothing to get him later?
by Admiral Dallas on Apr 28, 2010 1:04 PM CDT up reply actions
He doesn't have any picks tied to him
He was tendered at Right of First Refusal level, which just means that the Rams can choose to match any contract offered to him and retain him. If you offered him a 1-year $45 million contract (not that you would, but just to serve the point), they wouldn’t match and you wouldn’t give up a draft pick.
Ah, my mistake
I wasn’t aware that’s the tender he received, but you clearing that up is much appreciated.
by Admiral Dallas on Apr 28, 2010 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions
But that's the whole point with Atogwe
For the Rams to sign him, they would have to pay him nearly $7M per year (I believe he was franchised last year.) They dont want to pay him that much. However, if a team offers him something lowball (3 years – $10M, for example) the Rams can match that and he reminas their property. They are hoping someone makes an offer for him. Therefore, no one will. If they dont re-sign him by June 1, he becomes a UFA. That’s when he can sign elsewhere at no comp. So, no matter what, nothing will happen until June with Atogwe.
It’s eally too bad AOA wont be able to particupate physically in our mini-camps because of his injury. It would be nice to know what we have. Would make the Atogwe decision in June easier.
A bit of a dilemma
I like Sharper and I think he would fit well in our lineup. However, we have a couple young guys in Ball and Hamlin who are ready to play, so you’d be taking away their opportunity. That can be a good or bad thing. Sometimes the young guy plays and gets toasted (ie Watkins), sometimes they play and become a star (ie Austin).
That being said, I don’t have real high hopes for either Ball or Hamlin becoming great players. AOA on the other hand could be that guy, and he needs a year or two to get ready. Sharper would be a great bridge in that sense and would probably teach AOA a lot about reading qbs.
Check out my movie - Standards of Ethical Conduct
by cowboysuberfan on Apr 28, 2010 10:18 AM CDT reply actions
I'd pass, he'd only slow the development of our younger players
I’m very comforatable with either Ball or Hamlin at FS this season while Akwasi sits a year or two learning the pro game.
In Romo we Trust
I for one
Am not comfortable with Ball or Hamlin at Safety. It’s the QB of the defense, Ball has literally showed nothing to me that says he could be a decent starter. In my opinion he’d be lucky to be the 4th cb on the roster, let alone the starting FS. As far as Mike Hamlin is concerned, I haven’t seen enough of him to pass judgement, which scares me.
You aint been around in awhile, maybe you haven't heard........I don't shine shoes no more
I think he would actually help the development our our younger players.
Ball and Hamlin still have learning to do themselves. Hamlin, Ball, Church, Akwasi, Sensabaugh, Watkins, all of those guys could benefit by watching Sharper.
Pitching coach Mike Maddux on Darren Oliver’s 0.00 ERA this spring:
"Economical work. He ain’t getting paid by the hour."
The problem is though that as you point out
neither of those guys are really being groomed like AOA is to be the long term answer at FS. I think Ball will be more of a career tweener backup (CB/S) and I think that Hamlin has a future at SS for this team. As such, I really think Dallas should at least try to see if they can get Sharper at the right price since he would represent a more experienced option with a playmaker streak. This isn’t to say that Sharper comes without fault since I do think he can be beat over the top, but I do think that at the right price his experience would be quite valuable.
Just to be clear though, if given the choice of signing Sharper or a solid offensive line backup, I would definitely sign the offensive lineman. That is just to emphasize that I am talking about going after Sharper only if the price is right.
If I had a nickel for every Super Bowl the Eagles have won, I would have zero nickels.
by Cowboyfan729 on Apr 28, 2010 3:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Si!
Trust them...they know what they're doing.
by Aaron Novinger on Apr 28, 2010 10:39 AM CDT reply actions
Si, a condición de que
On the condition that we still have the money to bring in a top-tier FA Center and Tackle.
Good point and certainly one that should condition how we offer Sharper a contract
If I had a nickel for every Super Bowl the Eagles have won, I would have zero nickels.
by Cowboyfan729 on Apr 28, 2010 12:22 PM CDT up reply actions
I say bring him in...
I want this team to challenge for a SuperBowl this year, not in the 2 or 3 years it would take the time for the other options to develop.
Anomoly............Finally here.........
Come ON people
What is the point of developing young guys if you’re never going to be willing to let them take the reigns??? Correct me if I’m wrong, but last year was Alan Ball’s first season experimenting at FS. And he played just about as well as Ken Hamlin!!! What makes you think he’s even REMOTELY CLOSE to having maxed out his potential there? How about Mike Hamlin? Shall we just bury him on the depth chart as well? And AOA? He’ll be our 4th-string FS if we sign Sharper.
These guys need REPS, man. And the lower they all are on the totem pole, the less reps they’ll get in Training Camp. Sharper will need plenty to pick up the defense, meaning even less to go around. Why bring in a stopgap that we SUCCESSFULLY ABUSED last season? You don’t target a guy and then turn around and sign him in the offseason. That’s just dumb.
PLEASE don’t sign Sharper.
Disagree
Alan Ball is a great role player, but that is what he is. We need him on this team to have success, but we should not be limited to only what he has shown us. Ball hasn’t shown us yet that he can be better than solid. Let us not forget that Hamlin wasn’t too great when he was back there. There is a reason why he was cut and no one has made him a serious offer yet. Mike Hamlin has all the potential, but he is going to need more time to develop. Late round players on defense, while they certainly have a chance to work out, hardly make an impact early. Especially in the secondary, hence why many safeties tend to fall in the draft. Meanwhile AOA can also develop as a safety/CB, leaving us with a fairly good secondary.
With Sharper, our secondary suddenly looks like the duo of Sensa/Sharper starting, with Ball/Hamlin/AOA spelling them, and you also have a CB group with Newman/Jenks/Scandrick with AOA/Ball putting time and reps in there as well. In a pass happy league, you can never have too much help in the secondary. And if you have a chance to get one of the most knowledgeable players out there in Darren Sharper, who has seen it all, and would bring a Super Bowl ring BACK into the locker room, you HAVE to take advantage of that. Look at the way the veteran presence of Brooking affected the team last year and put it into the secondary. This secondary has been lacking a leader since Darren Woodson retired. Roy simply wasn’t it, Newman is alright at it I suppose, and I have hope that Jenks can become the leader back there, but I still say he would benefit from a year with Sharper.
Jerry, PLEASE make this happen.
I'll live and die with number 9....
I read that
7 of Sharper’s 9 picks came against either rookie or 2nd-year QBs. He padded his stats against the likes of Sanchez, Matt Ryan, Stafford, etc. He only had two picks against legit QBs (one against Brady and I forget who the other was). He didn’t get one against Romo, and say what you want about Tony’s progress, but he still can get baited by great players. He didn’t throw a pick to Sharper. Sharper is a ball hawk but is really not that great of a cover guy. He also hinders our younger guys’ development. At some point, you have to throw a young guy in there.
Oh, and Ken Hamlin was good enough for us to be a Top 10 defense last year. It’s not like we exactly sucked with him back there. He just was overpaid for what he did. Alan Ball is very comparable and Jerry doesn’t feel bad about paying him what he makes Ken Hamlin-level production. If Hamlin had Alan Ball’s contract, I’d say there’s an 80% chance he’s still here.
Understating to make your point
Look at the QB’s who played in the league last year. There are MAYBE 14 guys who could be considered “good” to “HoF”, and the rest of the league is distinctly average to below average. And it isn’t like we don’t face bad QB’s next year. Kolb is unproven, McNabb has become very hot and cold, and Eli turns into a rookie against him. We also get a shot at Cutler(prone to INTs), Schaub(while good, he isn’t top of the league or anything, on the level of Ryan), Vince Young, David Garrard, Matt Stafford, and Matt Leinart. In fact, sure we have to face Brett, Peyton, and Brees, but aside from that, I’d take my chances against the rest of them with Sharper. Oh, and don’t look now, but Tony is a top 6 QB in the league. Even the best safeties get beat by one of the leagues best.
And Ken Hamlin was the weak point of the defense. This defense has a secondary with 3 starting caliber corners, and it isn’t like Sensa was bad. When Alan Ball is comparable, that doesn’t speak to Ball as much as it says how much Hamlin regressed. You are fooling yourself if you think Ball would be any higher than back up/3rd CB on any other team in the league. Except maybe Cleveland.
I'll live and die with number 9....
I said no
but, if the contract is reasonable and only for a short time, go for it.
If not, give Alan Ball a chance. I think he may be pretty good this year.
Je dis "oui"
I say “yes”
Before you ask why I'm a fan of both the Cowboys and Jets, I'll just say the answer is complicated and that it just turned out that way.
Blow the Mavs up, please, Mark Cuban!
My thoughts
Give Ball the shot, he has this year to prove himself and we have the freakish Ansah waiting in the wings (dude benched 225 21 times w/ a dislocated shoulder that he had surgery on after the combine….freak). We have 3 guys the Cowboys are high on right now, Ball, M Hamlin and Ansah that all play the FS position so lets let them go out there and battle for it, there will probably be a few more guys available the further into summer we get so if it becomes a problem, it will be solved
by nicholas.rodriguez on Apr 28, 2010 3:06 PM CDT reply actions
and because I know someone will ask who...
Nick Collins FS from GB, they just drafted Burnett and they don’t want to pay the Pro-Bowl FS (no idea why) that is going to be 27 in August
by nicholas.rodriguez on Apr 28, 2010 3:07 PM CDT up reply actions
73% say yes
I’d rather go with Ball or Atogwe
"Some guy hit my fender the other day, and I said unto him 'Be fruitful and multiply.' But not in those exact words."
By the looks of this he wont be a Cowboy...Im happy...
The first trip of Darren Sharper’s free agent tour is over, without a contract in place.
NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora reports Sharper has left Jacksonville after a “productive” visit and will remain in contact with the team. It’s unclear if he received a contract offer.
Sharper has no other visits scheduled at this time, and the Saints still appear to be the most likely landing spot for the safety.
#88 Dez Bryant-Welcome to the Cowboys!!!
Great news
age aside, which I do think he is too old even if it’s just for a year, the young guys need to develop. I like Sensabaugh a lot, but Hamlin, AOA, and Ball all need time. I like AOA and Hamlin as long(er) term answers, I think Sensabaugh could play either FS or SS too.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
SBNation.com Recent Stories
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Detroit Lions DT Nick Fairley arrested again; now has more NFL arrests than NFL sacks
- Former high-school star Brian Banks does serious time on trumped-up charge, now hopes for an NFL shot
- Former ‘idiot kicker’ Mike Vanderjagt in trouble after accosting junior-high heckler
- Adrian Peterson blows teammates away in footraces; appears to be on the mend
- UPDATE: Charlie Sheen didn’t buy Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl ring
