NFL 2011 Draft Pick: With Tyron Smith In, Marc Colombo All But Out

As good as Tyron Smith is feeling today, being the first tackle taken in the draft and looking at playing time immediately, there's another guy probably feeling pretty bad this morning. RT Marc Colombo certainly seems like a player who's going to be released shortly. It's kind of sad, but a fact of life in the NFL. Colombo, a former first-round draft pick himself, is about to be undone by age and injury.

Bill Parcells rescued Colombo off the scrap-heap and turned him into a very good right tackle for a few years. At times, he was the best of the linemen on the Cowboys offense, and he was the resident tough guy. If anybody messed with Tony Romo or somebody else on the offense, you were sure to see Colombo up in their grill. He has a nasty streak about him.

Colombo never seemed to recover from the injury in the 2010 preseason, he never played up to form at any point in the season and was becoming a liability. Tony Romo's health had to be a major concern going into 2011, forcing the Cowboys to make a decision on how much they trusted Colombo. The answer was apparently not very much.

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The Cowboys have to make a decision on Colombo soon, and the economics and the words from Jerry Jones make it seem likely Colombo is a goner.

The Cowboys are scheduled to pay Colombo a $2.6 million option bonus 15 days after whenever the NFL’s 2011 league year starts.

"We don’t have to make that decision tonight," Jones said, "but I think anytime that you’re making a pick of that stature or that high, he’s going to play. And that was a big part of the decision. He can play and will play, so if he plays he’s going to have to take somebody’s place."

True to his nature though, Colombo was one of the Cowboys who reported early today for work. He's a gamer, but the injuries were just too much.

Still, let's leave it with a fitting tribute to Colombo.