Akin Ayodele starts off his Dallas career by going home. Ayodele was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars and played four years there until leaving as a free agent. Now he'll be playing his first game of 2006 in Jax's home stadium but this time as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. It must be strange for him to leave a team that brought him into the NFL only to have to go back and play them right out of the gate.
Since he's played several years in the Jack Del Rio system maybe he can give Parcells some scouting tips over the summer. They'll have plenty of time to gameplan for the opener. Here's what his former coach says about him.
"He's been solid, very solid," Del Rio said. "Played his best football at the end of the year. Very durable."
When asked if he thought Ayodele could play one of the inside backers positions in a 3-4 defense, as the Cowboys plan, Del Rio said, "I think he can - obviously they think he can, and that's most important."
Scott Wright updated his mock draft. He has Dallas selecting Santonio Holmes at #18. Here's his analysis.
I know a lot of Cowboys fans won't like seeing this pick and casual observers might be wondering why Dallas would take a receiver in round one after just signing Terrell Owens but rest assured it is very possible, if not likely. Obviously the Owens signing was major news but T.O. is nothing short of a time bomb and he has already ruffled some feathers in Big D by announcing his upcoming book release. In other words he can't be depended on and whether he is with the Cowboys for one year or three they need to have a backup plan in place. Also, since Keyshawn Johnson was released there is very little depth behind Owens and Terry Glenn and the team really wants to add a young, explosive playmaker outside. Enter Santonio Holmes, who even though he isn't the biggest receiver out there or even the fastest he gets the job done and makes big plays by doing the little things which is sure to endear him to Bill Parcells. Similar in many ways to Glenn, the selection of Holmes adds another weapon to a Cowboys offense that desperately needs them while also giving the franchise both a long and short-term insurance policy for when, not if, Owens goes off the deep end again. The other big weakness for Dallas is in the secondary where a free safety is needed alongside Roy Williams and a couple of guys to watch out for are Jimmy Williams and Donte Whitner, although there is a very good chance that they could address this with a great player such as Daniel Bullocks or Jason Allen in the second round. Like it or not Dallas is in the market for a top wideout and Holmes is still a good value here so he is the pick.
This site says the 1971 Dallas Cowboys were the 8th best team in the Super Bowl era. Here's their breakdown.
- Went 11-3 under Tom Landry and won 10 straight in beating Miami 24-3 in Super Bowl VI
- Led league in offense with 406 pts
- QB Roger Staubach was NFL's top rated passer of the year and had thrown for 1,882 yds
- Trio of Walt Garrison, Duane Thomas and Calvin Hill had 1,690 yds rushing and 14 TDS
- Duo of WR Bob Hayes and Lance Alworth caught for 1,327 yds and 10 TDs
- Had 7 pro bowlers
- "Doomsday Defense" allowed just 18 pts in the postseason
The 1993 team would give them a run for their money, but I can't argue with the choice of the '71 team being the best Dallas ever assembled.
