Thinking out loud: Free, Mays and McNabb's trade.

Free talk: LT or RT?

A little while ago Rafael wrote an article about the RT position in preparation for the Draft (here) were he placed a description of the desired skills of the prospects that the Cowboys like in the position:

A big man who uses his size to muscle and engulf defenders. More quick than fast. Very aggressive.  Does not anyone push him around.

Dallas looks upon RT as more of a power position than LT.  They want their prospects to have many of the same qualities as the tackle guarding the blind side.  He has to be agile enough to cut off edge rushers, but the team is willing to sacrifice a little bit of speed for power.  They expect their RTs to excel in the run game.

This means that when you look at prospects, read for those who get labeled as being "heavy handed" or having "good pop on the punchout."

Do you think that such a description fits Doug Free?

He's just as quick as he's fast. Isn't big enough to engulf. Isn't very aggressive because he isn't that strong. Can get himself pushed around because he can move, he isn't an anchor (which is good, for a LT). He's better in pass protection than in the run game.

So, if you're a proponent of keeping him in the right side because he looked good in there, what do you really mean? Fitting in a player in a position in which he really doesn't fit in?

Look at Marc Colombo, a healthy Colombo, his description fits perfectly what the Cowboys want in it's RT, mobile enough to block in the 2nd level, aggressive, big and powerfulenough to engulf... That isn't Free, Free is a better fit in the left side and the Cowboys are betting that he's, my money is with them.

Obviously, he isn't Flo, a Flo that was just as powerful as he was mobile earlier in his career and that could run block like a RT on the left side even late in his career, but players like Flo are rare.

Mays, the 1st Round rated PROSPECT.

Again, a little while ago Rafael told us that one of his sources said to him that Taylor Mays was rated as a 1st Round prospect and such a comment was received with fond memories of the not so distant past when one of the oh-not-so-liked Roy Williamses that tried to cover one half of the field...

We know that Wade Phillips likes to use a cover-4 scheme in certain passing situations, a scheme that looks "kind of" like this (yeah, I know that the Cowboys don't run a 4-3 but I'm being lazy and not willing to edit the image):

In such a scheme each of the safeties are asked to cover their half of the field and need good hips and quick read and react qualities to be any good (which is why Sensabaugh looked better than Hamlin).

We know that Mays isn't that kind of prospect, so? Him rated as a 1st Round prospect makes sense to you? It does, if you like Stephen Hodge, the College S moving to ILB prospect.

Stiff hips? Check. Choppy backpedal? Check. Aggressive? Check. Fast? Check. Good tackler? Check. Good zone coverage? Check. Better than good in run support? Check. A playmaker? Check.

Mays is obviously a much more talented prospect, though, and he has enough size to make the move and the work ethic to add more pounds in his frame. So, is he rated as a 1st Round ILB?

McNabb's trade: improving the BEast.

That's what I know, the trade improves both teams, McNabb is an inmediate improvement over Campbell and the Eagles in return receive opportunities to add new blood on a team in need of talent in a lot of positions.

Reid is a branch of Holmgren and Holmgren is a branch of Walsh and Seifert. Shanahan is a former student of Seifert. And as such their schemes are related. McNabb is capable of being much more than effective in such a scheme and he takes care of the ball. The Skins also have talent, McNabb inmediatelly makes Moss and Cooley the dangerous players that they should be. They're lacking along the OLine, but Shanahan is known for getting good results from average OLineman.

In Philly, the people in charge is confident that Kolb is ready and the guy looks like it, he may take more risks with the ball but that has a lot to do with his confidence on his touch and he's better in that department than McNabb. And they also have a lot of question marks, the interior OLineman aren't a strength outside of Herremans, Cole needs a bookend, Brown is gone, Bradley's returning from a knee injury and the other LBs are average and Mikell needs a better alternative starting right next to him. They needed the extra picks, now they need to pick the right players.

I'm all for a better BEast, it improves the entertainment and gives us more bragging right if our team kicks their ahems!

What say you Cowboys Nation?