As you might have noticed I was away from the computer for the last day so didn’t post anything. But a big thanks to the guys who posted diaries that kept the news and conversation flowing at BTB. Great job. I’m now going to rip-off those diaries for the front-page and add my own thoughts.
The return of Dave Campo? At first blush, many probably thought it couldn’t be true. The Dave Campo Era as Cowboys head coach was one of the most disastrous on record. Mercifully, we’re not talking about a head coaching gig.
According to a source, Dallas has received permission from the Jacksonville Jaguars to speak with Campo, who has served as the team's secondary coach and assistant head coach the last three seasons. Multiple sources indicated that Campo would like to return to Dallas, where he has family.
Dallas also showed interest in Jerry Gray and Dennis Thurman, secondary coaches with the Redskins and Ravens. Both remain under contract with their teams.
So the idea would be for Campo to return as the secondary coach. That doesn’t seem like that bad of an idea. Campo coached the secondary during parts of our Super Bowl dynasty in the 90’s. His return as an assistant might be just the ticket. Although I wonder if any coach has actually returned to a team that he was once the head coach of only to be an assistant, not even a coordinator. That’s a healthy serving of humble pie for Campo, but considering his coaching success since he was head coach in Dallas, this might be the best thing for him.
Hat tip to kk218 for breaking the news in this diary.
Next comes this report from PFT.com commenting on Chris Mortensen’s speculation that Jerry may indeed be coveting Darren McFadden and is exploring a trade with the Dolphins to get up to #1 to grab the Arkansas RB.
Per Mort, any such deal would have to include the rights to Cowboys running back Marion Barber, who is slated to be a restricted free agent. To make it happen, the Cowboys would have to work out a sign-and-trade deal before Barber gets a chance to ink an offer sheet that would force the Cowboys to match the terms or let him go in exchange for compensation.
Please tell me we are not going down this path. There are so many things wrong with this idea. While in my mind McFadden is a talented back who probably has a bright future in the NFL, I can’t see us giving up some of our picks and MB3 to acquire him. Unless they wanted to match a RFA tender and give up their 1st and 3rd-round picks, but there’s no way Parcells/Ireland are going to do that. I’m not worried about McFadden’s physical build being a problem in the NFL or that the physicality of the league might take away the effectiveness of his running style. I think the kid has had an excellent career at Arkansas and has proven his worth in one of the best conferences in college ball, the SEC. He’s legit in my opinion.
But in MB3 we know what we got. He’s a weapon; he scores TD’s while providing a receiving threat and a physical presence. He’s an emotional leader for the offense with his punishing running style. Plus, he knows the system and he understands pass-protection schemes needed from a running back. Given that Julius Jones is almost assuredly out of Dallas, do we really want a rookie who may be suspect in pass-protection thrust out there to protect Romo against the blitz? That’s not a good idea.
Jerry, your previous coveting of players in the draft or in trades has led to some very bad decisions for this franchise. Leave well enough alone, keep MB3 and get your complimentary back somewhere in the draft or through free agency.
Hat tip to groves for posting the news in this diary.
Finally, there’s this note from a San Fran paper.
Other news includes the rumor that Lions wide receiver Roy Williams is on the trading block, and one report said Detroit would look for a second-round pick in return.
Hmm, only a 2nd-round pick? That’s interesting and something I would seriously consider if it was true. If you paired Roy Williams up with T.O. and Jason Witten, defenses would be hard-pressed to stop our passing game. The Cowboys would have to get him signed to a new deal before pulling the trigger but we already know that Williams wants to come back to Texas. If it’s true that Detroit wants a 2nd-round pick for him, I would have to seriously consider doing that. But I don’t believe Detroit would let him go so cheaply.
Hat tip to pjones for this nugget posted in this diary.