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What Scott Linehan will bring to Cowboys - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
Archer offers up a highly readable Q&A with ESPN Lions reporter Michael Rothstein about Scott Linehan. An excerpt on what type of playcaller Linehan will be for the Cowboys:
"Linehan has some creativity to what he is able to do. He was really able to get both Reggie Bush and Joique Bell in open spaces using a variety of screens and dumpoffs throughout the season. [...] He has the ability to really draw up some good plays and he has experience with a quarterback-receiver combination like Tony Romo and Dez Bryant in Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson."
Daryl Johnston: Scott Linehan was pass heavy in Detroit because he had to be | DMN
Count Moose Johnston among the people who are excited about the Linehan hire.
"I think people have to be careful - when you go back and look at the history of how Scott called the games in Detroit - understand that they didn't have a running game to lean on. They were very, very one dimensional because they had to. I think it's going to be fun seeing how he transitions in now, having a team that has a good running back behind him. I think the offensive line is going to take another step next year. I'm excited."
Roger Staubach: I believe Jason Garrett is going to get better and better | DMN
Staubach recently talked Cowboys on KRLD-FM. Here's a partial transcript of what he said:
"I have a lot of confidence in Jason. I just really believe he’s the kind of guy that’s going to get better and better. Some people level off in life. Others keep growing. I think Jason's control is important that he has, the control over the coaches and it's his staff. I hope the formula works because I'm a Cowboy fan and I also think Jason Garrett is just going to continue to be a coach in the NFL that's going to get better and better and that's going to be good for the Cowboys. Maybe I'm so partial, but I just feel good about what Jason will be in the future."
Troy Aikman likes Scott Linehan - Clarence Hill, Star-Telegram
Like Johnston and Staubach above, Troy Aikman also gave the Cowboys a vote of confidence earlier this week.
"I like Scott. I like Scott as an offensive guy," Aikman said at Super Bowl media day Tuesday. "He’s done a good job at other places he’s been. I think that they’re trying to find their way. There was the thought that last year with the changes that were made on both sides of the ball that there would be improvement, but really there was regression for both units. Now, more changes again. Changes aren’t necessarily bad, but I think there’s something to be said for continuity. But I’ve been a part of teams that had change that really benefitted from that. Hopefully the Cowboys will as well."
DeMarco Murray and his contract - Calvin Watkins, ESPN Dallas
Watkins argues that the Cowboys should merely give Murray a two-year extension, "not a big, long-term one, but a short one just to secure the position." Nobody wants another Barber-type contract weighing down the Cowboys, but it's quite ironic that after continuously getting blasted for under-utilizing the running game, the suggestion for the Cowboys now is to under-invest at the position.
Roster Rundown: Scandrick A Bright Spot Among CBs - Bryan Broaddus
I don't know why, but many Cowboys fans still haven't warmed up fully to Orlando Scandrick. Perhaps it's because he was a late-round pick; perhaps it's because of a general failure to understand long-term contract structures in the NFL; perhaps it's a lack of appreciation for the slot corner role in the modern NFL; whatever it is, it's holding many fans back from feeling good about a player Bryan Broaddus calls "the most consistent defensive back" for the Cowboys. And Broaddus provides some perspective on why Scandrick had a very strong year in 2013:
"[Scandrick] deserved the right to not only be that key piece as the slot corner but to start on that right side. Before the season, Scandrick was an award winner for his work in the off season program and to me, this is where things started to go in the right direction for him. He improved on his quickness and speed but it also allowed him to become more of a physical player when he was put in those positions."
"This is the second time in his career where he has outplayed a first round selection. He sent Mike Jenkins packing after the 2012 season and even when healthy, Claiborne could not find the field. Love or hate the player, Orlando Scandrick was as valuable as they came for this front office and coaching staff."
2013 Cowboys were 8th youngest team in the NFL — FootballPerspective.com
Chase Stuart calculates team ages for all 32 teams using the Approximate Value numbers from Pro-Football-Reference.com. This method allows you to calculate a team’s average age by placing greater weight on the team’s most relevant players. The Cowboys are sandwiched between the Packers and Bengals at number eight, the Eagles are 14th, the Redskins are 24th, the Giants 30th.
BTB is not a DCC-free zone.
We were briefly in danger of not having a single Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader anywhere on the front page yesterday. Legions of concerned BTB readers alerted us to the real and present danger we were in, but then Holly Arielle dropped by and the internet was saved.
#AmericasTeam pic.twitter.com/CpXKYlBiGd
— Draft Cowboys™ (@DraftCowboys) February 1, 2014
