A few weeks ago on this blog I flippantly said that at the end of the season the Cowboys should let Flozell Adams walk. My reasoning was his history of spotty play, his age (going on 33) and the fact that some other team would likely offer him a huge contract because they need a left tackle to complete their puzzle. Let’s examine those reasons in detail.
Spotty play – I’ve acknowledged over the past few years that when Flozell Adams is healthy, and motivated, he can be a dominant tackle. But he doesn’t always play that way. I think just about everybody in Cowboy Country has been frustrated with Adams at one time or another. The guy is so big and athletic that it can be infuriating when he has a game where an inferior DE eats him up. And let’s not get into revisionist history here in the comments, almost everyone has seen it and complained about it. But, this offseason my thinking was that no one on our current squad is better then Flozell so we need him this year. After the season, I was pretty sure he would end up elsewhere. I have high hopes for Doug Free after watching him in training camp and preseason, but I will say right up front I don’t know how that will translate to real action or if he can be as good as Flozell.
Age – Flozell is getting long in the tooth. Still, the offensive line is the position with the longest shelf-life of any in the NFL except for kickers or occasional QB’s. You get the odd starting QB (Favre), or WR (Rice), or some other position where a player can still be very effective past his mid-30’s, but generally that doesn’t happen. Except for the offensive line, where players often continue into their mid-to-late 30’s. So Flozell’s age is still a concern but maybe not as much because of the position he plays.
Contract – Here was my big sticking issue and admittedly it’s a future prediction instead of current fact. I figured some team that is getting close to being a contender would see Flozell Adams as a final piece of the puzzle if they need line help and would offer him a contract that was too rich. They would be overpaying and the Cowboys would be forced to let him go because of the contract terms and would want to give one of their young linemen a shot, probably Doug Free.
That was my thinking when I said let Flozell walk a couple of weeks ago. So what happens immediately after that? Adams dominates Trent Cole and Osi Umenyiora in back-to-back games. If you want the full truth, Adams has been playing pretty consistent for the whole season and is part of an offensive line that has been superb for the Cowboys.
So I’m here to say that I’m reconsidering the idea of letting Flozell walk but there is still a lot left to be determined. The most telling thing for me was that the Cowboys themselves had made little noise about trying to extend Flozell’s contract which led me to believe they were in a wait-and-see mode. Maybe they’ve seen enough, just like with Romo (albeit for totally different reasons).
Owner Jerry Jones hinted Sunday night that a contract extension might be in left tackle Flozell Adams' future.
The much-maligned Adams is a free agent after the season and there had been talk about the Cowboys letting him walk in 2008.
But there was Jones talking about a third contract for Adams after what coach Wade Phillips called his best game of the season.
I think this is the first time we’ve heard Jerry speak about extending Flozell’s contract. Look, if they can get something reasonable done that doesn’t end up hurting us in the salary cap three years from now if Flozell’s play starts to decline, then it’s a good move. I wonder what Flozell is thinking, does he want to get out on the open-market for one last big payday, or is he comfortable staying in Dallas and continuing on a team that is on a big upswing?
Mickey Spags wants you to know that the Cowboys defense has improved.
"I see our defense playing better and better," Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said.
Anyone noticing?
And that's OK if you haven't. Quite understandable.
No disrespect to Mickey, but we’ve been noticing that over here at BTB for weeks now. It’s the blowhards on TV that can’t seem to grasp that concept, although I think they’ve got in their heads now.
When you’re winning, you’re dreaming big, and the Cowboys are winning.
By the time December comes, the 8-1 Cowboys could be 11-1, which would be the best start the franchise has had in its 48 years.
"I know we've got seven games remaining right now and four are in Dallas," Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said after Sunday's 31-20 win against the New York Giants. "That's what I really like. What we've done on the road is important, but we've got four home games left."
Then again, we’ve been winning before and haven’t been able to seal the deal.
Not since 1996 has Dallas had a winning record in the final month of the regular season. The way this team is playing, it appears unlikely these Cowboys will repeat their holiday malaise. But then again, who saw the collapses of 2005 or 2006 coming?