After my recent hiatus from Free Agency/ Draft talk and diving more into my personal opinions on some of the things I had been reading that needed to be addressed, all I can say is It's Back! I would like to extend a thank you to everyone who has been giving my posts some reads and rec's; it is much appreciated for your support. Also it's nice to see your name on the Fan Post of the Week Honorable Mention list once again, so thank you all for your opinions and thoughts.
Now onto bigger deals, March 1st is steadily approaching, and not only is that the day the new league year, but it is also the start of my 24th year in this world. After spending so much time working on this new and hopefully improved list of acquisitions and picks; Ice Bone was drained and since I was granted 4 days off at work, I did what any normal 23 year old guy would do, I got blitzed every night with my roommates and threw the biggest party of the month at our house in Austin. Now I feel refreshed and ready to continue the March Towards Off Season Dominance.
Might as well Jump!!!
I really enjoy this site for the opinions and insightful words that have helped me incorporate ideas and make more intelligent decisions regarding my roster for 2012. Let me remind our readers that I try to be as realistic as possible, because my Part I was a bit "Too Good To Be True", My Part II had some holes that needed to be addressed a bit better.
First, In the Last Off Season Post, I only signed 4 of our own Free Agents. Even though I teeter back and forth on the Anthony Spencer Fence, I'm going to stay on the safe side and resign him. After looking at his statistics, I think it is foolish for one to expect him to have 10+ sacks when he had to drop into coverage a lot. If we can shore up the Secondary and Inside Linebacker Depth, Anthony may be able to drop the "Almost" Tag he has been given. Other than that I feel that there are some upgrades that will cost less, and provide more. So here are my new adjustments to my Cuts and Keeps:
| Keep | Cut | Cut |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony Spencer- OLB | Abram Elam- S | Keith Brooking- LB |
| Laurent Robinson- WR | Alan Ball- CB | Kenyon Coleman- DE |
| Matt McBriar- P | Bradie James- LB | Kevin Ogletree- WR |
| Tony Fiammetta- FB | Chris Griesen- QB | Martellus Bennett- TE |
| David Buehler- K | Montrae Holland- G | |
| Derrick Dockery- G | Sammy Morris- RB | |
| Frank Walker- CB | Terence Newman- CB |
My reasoning for the above list of cuts were simply I just don't believe these players with maybe an exception to Holland have much future with Dallas. I also believe it would be a waste of money to continue paying most of these players, when there is talent to be had and develop around the league. Now that leaves some holes that need to be addressed. Yesterday, VP Stephen Jones made a statement that Jay Ratliff is most likely staying at the Nose Tackle position. Though I don't agree with that assessment, I don't make the decisions and so I had to restructure accordingly. Here is my revamped Free Agency Acquisition List:
| Name | Position | Age | Needs Addressed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Grubbs-BAL | OG | 27 | Interior O-Line |
| Mike Adams- CLE | S | 30 | Secondary |
| Channing Crowder-MIA | ILB | 28 | LB Depth |
| Terrell Thomas- NYG | CB | 27 | Secondary |
| Jason Campbell- OAK | QB | 30 | QB Depth |
My mind has done a 180 since the last Mockery, but Carl Nicks is going to be expensive. I don't see, nor do I want us to get in a bidding war for him, not with all the upgrades we need. This list seems even more reasonable than the last, and really allows The Cowboys to Draft BPA style. I believe everyone on this list is a contributor and everyone but Campbell a possible starter. I'm sure I will have some opinions expressed in the comment section but I welcome that as always.
Now it's time to move into April with the Draft. The Combine is coming up this weekend and I will be catching glimpses every now and then. The BPA Model has been preached and that is what I see happening in most cases. I still think it's important to get as many guys that can contribute now, but the approach seems like the right thing to do in this case. Plain and Simple, The Cowboys need talent and quality guys. Also note that I'm assuming we get a Compensatory pick in the 4th Round. Without further ado here is my Latest Mockery:
| Name | Position | School | Needs Addressed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Dre Kirkpatrick | CB | Alabama | Secondary- He's Big, Strong, and Physical what's not to love. |
| 2. Jared Crick | DE | Nebraska | D-Line- If Rat stays at NT, Then I want this guy, has a motor, and great fit for 3-4 DE, Besides tremendous Value in the 2nd. |
| 3. Bruce Irvin | OLB | West Virginia | Pass Rush- Guy's a freak, great effort, and underrated imo, Good Value in 3rd. |
| 4. Michael Brewster | OC | Ohio State | Interior O-Line- Might be a stretch in the 4th, but if he's there I'm taking him. He has good size, and gets off the snap very well. |
| 4. Michael Egnew | TE | Missouri | Tight End Depth- Got to replace Bennett, and after watching him he's an RKG, and is versatile. |
| 5. Trenton Robinson | FS | Michigan State | Safety Depth- A lot have him placed in the 5th, and if so this is a steal. He's a little raw but could definitely be a contributor. |
| 6. Justin Bethel | CB | Presbyterian | Special Teams/ CB Depth: He is apparently a solid special teams guy, and returner, Small School guy but maybe some value |
| 7. Adrian Robinson | OLB | Temple | LB Depth- has a knack for pass rushing, small school guy, and slow but doesn't quit. 7th round developer. |
I'm actually a bit happier with this Mockery compared to my last, however something tells me in a few days I may change my mind. Thankfully, we have time, and a lot of it. If all were to work out this way then the Depth Chart going into Training Camp will look like the following:
| Position | Starter | Starter/Back-Up | 2ND String | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Tony Romo | Jason Campbell | Stephen McGee | - - |
| Half-Back | DeMarco Murray | Felix Jones | Philip Tanner | Chauncey Washington |
| Full-Back | Tony Fiammetta | Shaun Chapas | N/A | - - |
| Tight End | Jason Witten | John Phillips | Michael Egnew | - - |
| Wide Receiver | Miles Austin, Dez Bryant | Laurent Robinson | Jesse Holley | Raymond Radway, Andre Holmes, Dwayne Harris, Teddy Williams |
| Center | Kevin Kowalski | Phil Costa | Michael Brewster | Bill Nagy |
| Guard | Ben Grubbs | David Arkin | Kyle Kosier | Brandon Carter |
| Tackle | Tyron Smith | Doug Free | Jeremy Parnell | - - |
| Outside Linebacker | DeMarcus Ware |
Anthony Spencer |
Bruce Irvin | Alex Albright, Adrian Robinson, Baraka Atkins |
| Inside Linebacker | Sean Lee | Channing Crowder | Bruce Carter | Brashton Satele, Orie Lemon |
| Defensive End | Jared Crick | Marcus Spears | Jason Hatcher | Clifton Geathers |
| Nose Tackle | Jay Ratliff | Sean Lissemore | Josh Price-Brent | Robert Callaway |
| Cornerback | Mike Jenkins, Dre Kirkpatrick | Terrell Thomas, Orlando Scandrick | Justin Bethel | Mario Butler, CJ Wilson |
| Safety | Gerald Sensabaugh | Mike Adams | Trenton Robinson | Barry Church, Danny McCray, Mana Silva, Justin Taplin-Ross |
| Kicker/ Punter | Dan Bailey-K | Matt McBriar-P | Kai Forbath-K | Chris Jones-P |
| Long Snapper | L.P. LaDouceur |
That is 69 players total going into Training Camp with more to be added I'm sure. Looking at the Chart I see some interesting position battles for this coming season. I'm mainly talking about the Wide Receivers and Safeties Area. That concludes my 3rd Installment of the 2012 Dallas Cowboys Mockery, I hope you had some fun reading and as always please feel free to discuss and edit in the comments section.
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