Was Rome Too Soon? Posters on the draft threads noted that radio huckster Jim Rome pushed a rumor that the Cowboys had discussed moving DT LaRoi Glover to the Lions in exchange for WR Charles Rogers. While lots of theories and opinions were offered, the best rationale I saw was that Dallas was tying Detroit up during their 15 minutes on the clock to ensure no team traded ahead of the Cowboys and took Demarcus Ware.
Today on ESPN (subscription only) Randy Mueller offered a positive evaluation of Dallas' offseason, saying Bill Parcells and Jerry Jones are fast-tracking their way back into contention. While I agree that the free agency moves are for today, the draft picks instead show a deliberate approach to rebuilding. If Dallas was really in the win-now mode, it would have dealt one of its high picks for Darren Howard.
Of further interest were Mueller's comments about the Cowboys defensive philosophy:
Parcells' emphasis is on getting bigger and more physical on defense in order to shut down an opponent's running game...the Cowboys identified what they wanted and moved on several fronts to fix it. They no longer will be a smaller finesse group that relies on speed and quickness. The newly rebuilt defense will be much better suited for man-for-man contact at all three levels: at the point of attack up front; at linebacker (they can knock players backward); and at corner, where size like [Anthony] Henry's has been sorely lacking.
The odd man out in this big-body philosophy may be DT LaRoi Glover, a player Mueller oversaw while he was GM of the Saints:
Players such as La'Roi Glover, a Pro Bowl defensive tackle who relies on his speed, no longer fit the Cowboys' style. We had the same feelings about Glover in my tenure with the Saints. He has to jump around too many blocks and gives up too many running lanes for opposing backs to jump through.
Mueller's critique raises the question of whether Glover might become trade bait in the near future? He's got the biggest contract on the defensive side of the ball. The front office downplayed any discussion of trading him after Jason Ferguson was signed, but if the rookies show promise during the preseason I would not be surprised to see rumors resurface sending Glover to another team for a first round pick or a playmaking receiver. His contract is too big for a rotation nose tackle.
Down Ty Law It's been fun to speculate on Ty Law's future and whether he might accept an offer to play FS for the Cowboys. I came across two words today that should scotch those fantasies once and for all -- the Postons. The Poston brothers are Law's agents and they are asking a fortune for their client. According to Mickey Spagnola, the organization tries to steer clear of the Postons. I'm sure the brass is relieved that it avoided a potential holdout by passing over Shawne Merriman, the Postons' latest client.