Dallas Cowboys: Exclusive: Cowboys draft guru Will McClay divulges his draft-day tricks, secret deal with Jones family kids | Kate Hairopoulos. SportsDay
Will McClay is the "secret weapon" for the Cowboys, performing many GM functions. He remains in Dallas despite appearing to be a prime candidate to go somewhere else as a "real" GM, but it sounds like he has no interest in leaving - fortunately.
You've said that you want to help Cowboys owner Jerry Jones win another Super Bowl. What is your relationship like with the Jones family?
It's a great relationship. The thing about being in a family-owned business and being a part of the family is a very unique thing. I would do anything for them and the people that I work with, and they've shown that they'll do it for me. When my father passed, who I was very, very close to...they took care of my son and they sent things and they wanted to make sure that my family was OK before I got back to the football. That was right at the start of the season.
Just those sort of unique things that they don't have to do but they did out of the kindness of their heart and making me aware that I'm a part of the family. Charlotte's [Jones-Anderson] kids are like my little nephews and nieces. ... Haley and [Shy] are only allowed to call me this derivative of my name. They're the only people I allow to do that. That's how close we are.
Cowboys' Will McClay strives for common ground between coaches, scouts - Todd Archer, Dallas Cowboys Blog- ESPN
Perhaps the most important part of McClay's job with the Cowboys is getting everyone on the same page in the draft. Here is one way he has done that.
Last year, McClay had the coaches put on a clinic for the scouts to show them what they are looking for in players at their positions. This year, McClay had the scouts put on a clinic for the coaches.
"We wanted to represent to the coaches that this is what our job entails so they have a better feel for what the scouts do," McClay said. "You get some coaches, 'Oh, there's a scout. What does he know?' So they had the opportunity to see this is what we do, this is where we get the information, this is how we study players, this is our evaluation system. Now they know the scout's plight. You can't talk about somebody until you walk in their shoes. I think it helps the process in finding any way to get common ground."
Work doesn't end for Cowboys' Will McClay, but draft class offers hope - Todd Archer, Dallas Cowboys Blog- ESPN
Turns out McClay may have been the driving force behind the first round selection of Taco Charlton.
McClay first started to get an itch for Charlton, the Cowboys’ first-round pick, last November when he shifted his focus from the pro scouting side of the business to the college side.
“He stuck out to me as a guy that had the ability to be a player that I was banging the drum for to be interested in because he had the measurable. He had the production,” McClay said. “You saw his athletic ability. To be 6-5, spin off a tackle and gain ground, there was something different about him than the other guys that were his size, height, weight and speed.”
Texas lawmakers fawn over Tony Romo at statehouse ceremony | Texas Politics |James Barragán and Dagney Pruner, Dallas News
Football is big in Texas. And the Cowboys are the biggest football thing of all. Both houses of the Texas Legislature took some time to honor Tony Romo for what he meant to Dallas and the state.
Texas lawmakers were giddy as they honored longtime Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo at the state Capitol on Wednesday.
Romo visited the Texas House first, where fawning legislators huddled around him, snapping pictures as he stood on the podium where the speaker of the House conducts business.
Donning a white Romo jersey and calling himself the biggest of Cowboys fans, Rep. Richard Peña Raymond of Laredo presented a resolution honoring the quarterback who returned the Cowboys to winning ways.
True love waits: Tony Romo is making his return to golf - Dan Hanzus, NFL.com
We all know about the big broadcasting gig Romo has. But he has something else in his sights as well.
For example, it was a legitimately beefy NFL news item when it came out in 2013 that Romo was cutting golf out of his offseason routine in order to more fully commit himself to his day job. I haven't checked the archives, but I imagine Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless devoted roughly seven weeks of coverage to the news.
Romo has a different day job now, of course, trading his quarterback gig for a seat next to Jim Nantz in the CBS broadcast booth. And with the Cowboys in the rearview, a return to golf was inevitable.
Tony Romo is about to return to golf.
Dallas Cowboys: Cowboys had Chidobe Awuzie graded highest among CBs remaining after draft's first round | Jon Machota, SportsDay
Maybe there is some spin going on here, but the Cowboys continue to maintain that the draft went the way they wanted it to.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Monday that Dallas had Chidobe Awuzie, one of its 29 pre-draft visitors, "rated higher than the other corners that were left after the first round."
If they didn't get him, they might be in trouble.
"We were holding our breath," Jones said on SiriusXM NFL Radio's Movin' The Chains show. "After him, if you ever had a twinge to want to move up, he was the one."
Phillips: 5 Takeaways From The Cowboys’ Offseason Roster Reconstruction | Rob Phillips, Dallas Cowboys
Among the observations: There are some fans who question the value of Byron Jones. But the Cowboys seem to see him as a model to follow.
The Cowboys want more Byron Joneses in the secondary.
Jones’ skill set – athletic and versatile, able to play at least two positions – is critical against evolving offenses that now deploy tight ends who are just as explosive as wide receivers. Position flex is so important as a solution for injuries, too.
Three of the four defensive backs drafted by Dallas can play multiple spots.
What Can The Cowboys Expect From Draft Pick WR Noah Brown? - Dawn Macelli, Blogging The Boys
Dawn always does an excellent job with her Q&A pieces with our SBN college blogs on the new draftees - but this one on Noah Brown is superb. The questions are on point, and the answers very informative.
Question: Some wide outs tend to shy away from contact when they can. From the film I have seen, Brown is not this type of guy. Tell me more about how he can get physical with his man, especially when he is blocking for the run game.
Denning: Whether he’s bodying up defensive backs in the endzone, or blocking on the perimeter, Brown is a physical dude. To your point, he’s awesome in the run game, and I’d imagine his proficiency and willingness to block was a major reason why the Cowboys took him. If there exists such a thing as a ‘versatile blocking game’ for a wide receiver, Brown has it.
NFL Power Rankings: Saints, Bucs show upward mobility in post-NFL Draft edition - Pete Prisco, CBSSports.com
Yeah, these make as much sense at this point as draft grades. And Prisco is not a fan of the Cowboys' draft, which is reflected by his ranking Dallas ninth.
They had a nice draft on the defensive side, but they need those guys to make an impact right away. I just think they are taking a step back this time around.
Tar Heels' Ryan Switzer creates lifelong bond, inspires school - Jared Shanker, ACC Blog- ESPN
There have been some disparaging comments about Ryan Switzer's personality floating around. To get a better feel for just who he is, you should read this piece from last November.
Lucas Wacha: I can't wait to get to work for the Dallas Cowboys - Mark Lane, Fox Sports Texarkana
It's going to be an uphill climb for UDFAs to make the Cowboys' roster this year. But for one of them, just getting a chance is a homecoming. And he has some talent to bring to the table.
The two-time state champion with the Pleasant Grove Hawks baseball team expected to be drafted, as teams had told him during his pre-draft visits he was a fifth to seventh round selection.
Said Wacha: “I thought I was going to get drafted. But it’s in God’s hands for me to go undrafted and go to the Dallas Cowboys.”
One of the strengths Wacha brings to the gridiron is his tackling ability. The Wyoming defensive captain averaged 8.2 tackles per game in his senior season with the Cowboys.
Zeke & Dak Top NFLPA's Top 50 Players Sales List For 2016-17 | David Helman, Dallas Cowboys
It's not just Dak and Zeke. Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, and even Tony Romo made the top fifteen in player sales. Two words, y'all: America's Team.
This time last year, Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott had been members of the Dallas Cowboys for less than a week. Neither of the two players had appeared in uniform, and Prescott had yet to choose a jersey number.
Fast forward 12 months, and the duo tops the NFL Players Association’s Top 50 Player Sales List, which was released on Wednesday morning. The list is based on total sales of officially licensed NFL player merchandise, tracking year-end results from March 1, 2016 through February 28, 2017.
And finally, I leave this without comment, because it gives me the sads.
Oh, Darius ...
— One Cool Customer (@OCC44) May 3, 2017
Former Cowboys pick Darius Jackson will look to make a splash in Cleveland https://t.co/VqXH6RDYPk via @dawgsbynature