Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: How Far Will Strong Passing Attack Carry Cowboys?

Cowlishaw: Cowboys weapons in passing attack mean they are not going to be one of the most balanced teams.| Dallas Morning News
The DMN has some highlights from a recent chat Tom Cowlishaw hosted. An excerpt:

Question: Has Jason Garrett done or said anything this offseason to indicate more of a balanced offense this season?

Cowlishaw: They make the case that the hiring of Linehan indicates as much. Now people will say he sure wasn't balanced in Detroit where Stafford threw over 600 passes. But if you have Stafford and Megatron and Pettigrew and all those receiving weapons and you did not have a reliable back (even this year with Bush, he's still better catching the ball than running it), you're likely to be imbalanced. I just think they will see if Murray can handle the load he was carrying at the end of the year when he became a more meaningful player. As long as you have Romo, Dez, Witten, Williams, you're not going to be one of the most balanced teams.

Cowboys’ stadium is big, but it’s not Vegas - Las Vegas Sun News
The Las Vegas Sun News is concerned that AT&T Stadium, and not Vegas, will host the 50th anniversary of Academy of Country Music Awards, a move that "marks a moment of resignation for Las Vegas tourism and resort officials" who have already lost two Manny Pacquiao fights to Dallas. After some lengthy complaining about the amount of public funding AT&T Stadim received, the article concludes that for all the pull the home of the Cowboys provides, at the end of the day Arlington is not Las Vegas.

Point: If First-Round Pick Is Offense, Has To Be O-Line Only - Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com
Eatman dismisses any notion that the Cowboys should draft a wide receiver, tight end, running back, and even rules out any of the QBs, especially that guy. He will allow an offensive lineman though:

I could see the Cowboys taking an offensive linemen at No. 16 to continue this revamping of the offensive line. If they did that, it would justify not taking defense. [...] Offensive line is the only position I could envision the Cowboys taking someone who won’t help this defense, which needs all kinds of help.

Counterpoint: First Pick Should Be Best Available, No Limits - Bryan Broaddus, DallasCowboys.com
Broaddus puts on his GM hat and goes hardcore BPA.

If there is not a defensive player on the board that stands out above the others, don’t paint yourself into a corner and force a pick. There needs to be a willingness to take the best player on the board, even if he helps the offense --whether it is Zack Martin, Mike Evans or even Johnny Manziel.

That’s how you get the draft off to a positive start.

10 draft sleepers to watch - NFL.com
There's much more to the 2014 NFL Draft than the big names, and Bucky Brooks identifies 10 lesser-known prospects who NFL teams will be coveting this year. One of them is DE Jeremiah Attaochu out of Georgia Tech who has been getting a lot of love on BTB of late.

Attaochu is a powerful edge player with outstanding first-step quickness. He explodes off the line of scrimmage on passing downs, exhibiting terrific snap-count anticipation. Attaochu shows good balance and body control turning the corner to hit the quarterback on rush attempts. He complements his speed rush with an explosive bull-rush maneuver that overwhelms blockers. While Attaochu needs to refine his hand skills and learn how to set up his rush moves, he is a high-motor player who has the potential to develop into a legitimate pass-rushing threat with repetitions and coaching.

Cosell: Jeremiah Attaochu is a Better Prospect than Dee Ford - Bleeding Green Nation
Greg Cosell of NFL Films claims Jeremiah Attaochu is a better draft prospect than Dee Ford.

"I like [Attaochu], and in fact I may be in the minority, I like him as a better prospect as an outside linebacker than Dee Ford," Cosell explained.

Aaron Murray drawing interest from several teams | ProFootballTalk
Sadly, none of those teams are the Dallas Cowboys. Instead, the Browns, Lions, Patriots, Dolphins, Rams and Titans have all asked for private workouts or team visits with Murray, who will throw at Georgia’s Pro Day on Wednesday - just five months removed from a torn ACL.

[UPDATE with a hattip to Tarheel Paul]

“@eli_hernandez3: @BryanBroaddus really like Aaron Murray. think Jerry is considering him?” QB coach flying to his workout.

— Bryan Broaddus (@BryanBroaddus) April 14, 2014

Analyzing Position Values in the NFL — FootballPerspective.com
Every draft pick has a value, and Chase Stuart assigns that value to every pick in each of the last ten drafts to get a sense of the amount of value spent on each position in the NFL in an average draft.

Test Your Wonderlic Score vs. Football Stars | Wonderlic Sample Test
Each year potential pro football draft picks are given a Wonderlic Test to gauge their intelligence. Try this sample test to see if you can beat their Wonderlic scores.

Here are the scores you'll want to beat:

Wonderlic scores of Dallas Cowboys QBs: Tony Romo 37, Jason Garrett 36, Drew Bledsoe 36, Troy Aikman 29, Quincy Carter 30.

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) April 11, 2014

The embarrassing missteps of Redskins owner Dan Snyder just keep coming - Grantland
Grab a coffee (or your preferred beverage of choice), make yourself comfortable, and leisurely read thorugh this article detailing the missteps of the "obnoxious current owner of the Redskins" coupled with the "empowered insensitivity of much of his fan base." Delicious.

Report: Some in Giants front office wonder if Eli Manning is in decline - CBSSports.com
The Giants front office is catching up with the rest of the league on Elol Manning.