The Dallas Cowboys ... vol. Wrap This Thing Up, Who To Draft?

[msaba07]

 

[moneyisthemotive]

Jerry To Get More Involved In Playing Time?
Posted by nickeatman at 4/20/2010 5:16 PM CDT on truebluefanclub.com

During his near 30-minute press conference on Tuesday, owner Jerry Jones was asked just why the Cowboys have struggled to have success with some of their second, third and fourth-round picks.

Over the last few years, we’re talking about guys like Martellus Bennett, Tashard Choice, James Marten, Isaiah Stanback, Doug Free, Jason Hatcher, Skyler Green and Anthony Fasano.

I wouldn’t declare all of them as “busts.

 

[moneyisthemotive]

What They Have: The Cowboys certainly have bodies to fill positions at the safety spot, but the entire area is filled with question marks. Can Gerald Sensabaugh duplicate his fine season of 2009? Can he possibly slide over to free safety for the recently-waived Ken Hamlin? Will Sensabaugh be satisfied playing with a one-year contract or will he lobby for a long-term deal? Can Alan Ball, a converted cornerback, make the necessary adjustments to transform into a full-time safety? Is Mike Hamlin ready to take the next step as a full-time player? Will Pat Watkins finally turn the corner and prove to be more than just a special teams ace? Lots of questions at the safety spot and it's a little too early to answer them all, considering safety might be a position addressed early in the draft.

What They Need: Besides answering those questions . . . the Cowboys do need some playmakers at this position. Not since the first three years of Roy Williams' career have the Cowboys really had a top-notch safety. And before that, it was Darren Woodson. They've had some flashes here and there with guys like Ken Hamlin, but nothing too consistent. The team doesn't exactly need a bone-crushing safety reminiscent of Ronnie Lott or even Williams. What they need is another safety that the Cowboys can comfortably put deep in coverage and not worry about receivers getting behind them. In today's league, finding enough safeties that can cover seems to be the top priority. If they can hit as well, that just becomes a bonus. The Cowboys will tell you they don't exactly "need" to get a safety in the draft, but it wouldn't make a lot of sense if they don't spend at least one of their six picks on a safety.

Who's Out There: With three safeties expected to go in the first round, and two of them projected in the top 15 picks, this position is rather deep this year. The best of the bunch is likely Tennessee's Eric Berry, who has been drawing comparisons to Baltimore's Ed Reed. Berry has coverage skills that are cornerback-like, but has the build and tackling ability of a safety, not to mention his awareness. But charging up fast on the draft boards is Texas safety Earl Thomas, who left school early despite having two years of eligibility remaining. Thomas is a bit undersized at just 5-11, 185, but makes up for it with a nose for the ball. Thomas picked off eight passes last season. He also has the ability to cover the slot receiver. The third-best safety of this year's class figures to be USC's Taylor Mays. Built like a linebacker with cornerback speed, Mays definitely looks the part of the prototype safety. The knock on him has been his coverage and playmaking skills, and he's even drawn a few comparisons to Williams. The second wave of safeties could be headlined by South Florida's Nate Allen, who visited the Cowboys back in early April along with other draft prospects. Also on those visits were safeties Chad Jones (LSU) and Morgan Burnett (Georgia Tech).

Draft Nuggets: Tennessee's Eric Berry won the 2009 Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back. Berry, a finalist for that award in 2008, also took home 2009 SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors . . . LSU's Chad Jones was a 13th round pick of the Houston Astros in 2007, but did not sign with the major league team. Jones was a relief pitcher for the College World Series champion Tigers last season . . . Morgan Burnett was recruited by former Cowboys head coach Chan Gailey to play quarterback for the Yellow Jackets. When Gailey left the school, Burnett switched to safety . . . Nate Allen played two seasons alongside current Cowboys cornerback Mike Jenkins in the secondary at South Florida. In 2007, Allen started 12 games at safety while Jenkins was an All-Big East cornerback . . . USC safety Taylor Mays had one of the most impressive combines, leading all defensive backs with a 4.43 time in the 40 and posting the second-highest vertical leap (43.0").

Look Back: Back in 1992, the Cowboys took a chance on this quick, yet hard-hitting hybrid linebacker from Arizona State, knowing they were going to move him to safety. Twelve years and five Pro Bowls later, one would assume things turned out just fine for Darren Woodson. A second-round pick in 1992, the first of two consecutive Super Bowl seasons, it didn't take Woodson long to become one of the defensive leaders.

Not only did Woodson prove he could become an all-around safety at the NFL level, he also was able to line up on the slot receiver in nickel situations - a rare occurrence in today's NFL, where most teams covet three corners to play in the nickel. What a luxury it was for the Cowboys to have a safety line up on a receiver in man coverage, yet remain close enough to the line of scrimmage to also lend ample run support.

And if it is tackles you like, no one has registered more for the Cowboys. The same day Emmitt Smith broke Walter Payton's NFL rushing record in 2002, Woodson quietly went into the record books as well, surpassing Lee Roy Jordan (1,236) as the Cowboys' all-time leading tackler. Woodson finished his 12-year career in 2003 with 1,350 career stops.




i would trade up for ET or EB ... bet the farm on EB ...

 

[T0INE]

I was wondering who was going to start the season thread.

We start the season off Sunday night against the ********.

Thanksgiving game against the Saints should be epic.

 

[T0INE]

2010 Schedule:



Sun., Sept. 12 @ Washington (NBC) 8:20 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 19 CHICAGO (FOX) 1:00 p.m
 Sun., Sept. 26 @ Houston (FOX) 1:00 p.m
Sun., Oct. 3 BYE
Sun., Oct. 10 TENNESSEE (CBS) 4:15 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 17 @ Minnesota (FOX) 4:15 p.m.
Mon., Oct. 25 N.Y. GIANTS (ESPN) 7:30 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 31 JACKSONVILLE (CBS) 1:00 p.m
Sun., Nov. 7 @ Green Bay (NBC) 8:20 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 14 @ N.Y. Giants (FOX) 4:15 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 21 DETROIT (FOX) 1:00 p.m 
Thurs., Nov. 25 NEW ORLEANS (FOX) 4:15 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 5 @ Indianapolis (Fox) 4:15 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 12 PHILADELPHIA (NBC) 8:20 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 19 WASHINGTON (FOX) 1:00 p.m 
Sat., Dec. 25 @ Arizona (NFLN) 8:30 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 2 @ Philadelphia (FOX) 1:00 p.m

 

[kiddin like jason]

That's the hardest schedule of all-time.

I'm keeping expectations low unless we do incredible things this weekend.

 

[moneyisthemotive]

IRVING, Texas - The Cowboys have long known where they want the coming season to end - at home in Arlington, Texas, the site of Super Bowl XLV next Feb. 6. Now they know how to get there.

On Tuesday the NFL released the 2010 regular season schedule, which sends the Cowboys to Washington for the opener, an NBC Sunday Night Football matchup on Sept. 12. It's one of five nationally-televised primetime games for the Cowboys, who will also have two of their preseason games broadcast across the country.

On Jan. 2, 2011, the Cowboys will head to Philadelphia to end their third consecutive regular season against the Eagles. In 2008, Philadelphia advanced to the playoffs by eliminating the Cowboys in the finale, with Dallas returning the favor by defeating the Eagles in the last game of the regular season and in an NFC Wild Card matchup in back-to-back weekends last season.

All 16 games in Week 17 will feature divisional matchups, the league's attempt to increase the stakes and discourage playoff contenders from resting their starters. It's no change for the Cowboys, who have taken on NFC East rivals in each of the last three regular season finales.

"What we run into is to make sure the best team is on the field at the end," Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Tuesday. "That's the most logical way to do it that I know of. I think that's great for the fans."

Two road games sandwiched around the home-opener against Chicago will start the season for the Cowboys, who draw a Week 4 bye.

For the third straight year the Cowboys will play the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Though this season's Sunday night game (Nov. 7) in Wisconsin promises to be chilly, the Cowboys will again avoid the harshest part of the winter.

Among their seven games against playoff teams from 2009, the Cowboys will face three of the final four teams from last year's tournament. They'll host the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving Day, and have road games at Minnesota (Oct. 17) and Indianapolis (Dec. 5).

On Christmas night the Cowboys will travel to Arizona for a Saturday NFL Network feature.

In addition to the tough schedule outside the division, the Cowboys' annual home and away series with the rest of the NFC East seems more imposing than it did at the end of last season. The ********, 4-12 in 2009, have a new regime headed by two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Shanahan, and a new quarterback, six-time Pro Bowl selectee Donovan McNabb.

Elsewhere, the Eagles, 11-5 in 2009, have addressed several positions through free agency and trades, while the New York Giants, 8-8 last year, have added free agent help to their secondary.

"I do have concern that they've improved," Jones said of the East. "I don't know that that means we haven't done things, or won't have done things; that we've improved as well. But I certainly look with interest. I can't tell you whether they've improved or not, but they've sure been moving around. I'm talking about at least Philadelphia and the ********.

"And it's not just McNabb."

The Cowboys will host the New York Giants on ESPN's Monday Night Football on Oct. 25, then visit the rival's new Meadowlands Stadium on Nov. 14. The last two games at Cowboys Stadium are Dec. 12 against Washington and Dec. 19, an NBC Sunday-nighter against the Eagles.

The Cowboys will play the NFL's third-toughest schedule, based on the combined 2009 record of their opponents (139-117). Only Houston and Tennessee will face teams with better records from last season (140-116). Apart from the games between NFC East rivals, each team in the division will also play the entire NFC North and AFC South. By virtue of their division title in 2009, the Cowboys also earned matchups against first-place finishers Arizona and Minnesota, who won the NFC West and NFC North, respectively.

"We knew before today that this was a very challenging schedule with seven games against playoff teams and two of those with the Super Bowl participants," Jones said. "Seeing it on paper doesn't make it any easier, but our team will be ready. We're looking forward to it."




jesus H christ ... 2 wins, maybe?

 

[jmause3]

damn the NFL gave a tough second part of the schedule, its going to be key to win our division games this year.

im getting geeked for the draft, and can we please get Tashard some more touches besides strictly wildcat. Ogletree should also get some more time

 

[moneyisthemotive]

if we win the first game against the skins and mcnabb and everyone else they have, maybe we have a chance at the playoffs ... if not, uh boy ...

 

[trelvis tha thrilla]

That schedule is tough!!

 

[toothrowed318]

Mann oh man, this is gona be a long season.. But like someone said earlier the division games are key, I'm not too worried about the skins, I'm more worried with the eagles and maby giants if they make the right moves in the draft.

 

[kiddin like jason]

Hell, even disregarding the schedule, Doug Free is slated to be our starting left tackle. It doesn't really matter who we play; that's probably going to be disastrous.

 

[toothrowed318]

Free actually did pretty good, it was colombo tht was messin up when he came back frm injury.. I'm sure a full camp will knock ouff the rust for both players though..

 

[bigmike23]

schedule is not that big of a deal to me

any word on whats going down for the draft with us?

 

[moneyisthemotive]

The latest out of the war room is Dallas will be trading up to grab Earl Thomas possibly with the 49ers or the dolphins ... The dolphins want Marcus spears or Bobby carpenter and our 1st and 3rd rd pick ...

Jerry has also said that trading for a 'starter caliber' player is not out of the question ... Martellus is definitely on the block at this point to try and recoup some of the draft picks lost if we go get earl ...

something tells me Jerry jones was so quiet this offseason because he was always planning to wait until that prime time Thursday night spotlight to make his moves ... Earl Thomas would be huge ...

 

[the infamous]

Sun., Sept. 19 CHICAGO (FOX) 1:00 p.m
Sun., Sept. 26 @ Houston (FOX) 1:00 p.m
Sun., Oct. 10 TENNESSEE (CBS) 4:15 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 17 @ Minnesota (FOX) 4:15 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 7 @ Green Bay (NBC) 8:20 p.m
Thurs., Nov. 25 NEW ORLEANS (FOX) 4:15 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 5 @ Indianapolis (Fox) 4:15 p.m.

Want- Trade up for earl thomas...
if jerry hughes falls to the 2nd round, take him

tcu alum
dexter mccluster or golden tate would be

also

btw did the cowboys make any attempts at trading for brandon marshall?

 

[riverxbear]

i dont understand why jerry didnt add any more players to this team.

if we could have signed a CB and a FS i feel we could have been close to the superbowl.

It will be tuff this year but i think we can do it , im just ready for a damn superbowl win so i can break down and cry.


and thank god lil star has been MIA since the NFC championship game

im worried about the Giants in the east.

 

[kiddin like jason]

and thank god lil star has been MIA since the NFC championship game

Say word?

 

[proshares]

http://sports.espn.go.com...113077/inside-draft-room

^ Gives you a break down of who is in Dallas' draft room and what their specific job is.

Cowboys trying to move up?
2:40PM ET
Dallas Cowboys
Top Email

The San Francisco 49ers are one of the more captivating teams this week, since they have picks at No. 13 and No. 17, and have also been installed as the prohibitive favorites to take the NFC West crown this season. There's been much debate as to who they'll wind up taking -- including the big controversy over whether they like Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen enough to trade up to nab him -- but a new idea came out to play on Wednesday.

During a blog entry where he compared the merits of Earl Thomas vs. Joe Haden, as well as Derrick Morgan vs. Sergio Kindle vs. Brandon Graham, Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat dropped this bomb: "The word is that the Cowboys are interested in moving up to 13 to select Thomas." There is a sense that Jerry Jones does want to make a splash this offseason, and not for some comments made on a grainy video on the Internet. If the Cowboys' interest in Thomas is that great, we could even see them making a move a little higher in the round (we know Jacksonville wants to trade down from No. 10), depending on how much they're willing to give up.

 

[lil stevie728]

Let's be real...we'll probably draft a 3-4 DE or trade down and get a bunch of LBs from small schools

Or Taylor Mays

 

[riverxbear]

I hate the fact that were good , but not on the ELITE level , there are no excuses on why we should not be trying to win a superbowl right now.

 

[moneyisthemotive]

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

and thank god lil star has been MIA since the NFC championship game

Say word?
word ... dude was an L7 weenie ...

 

[moneyisthemotive]

IRVING, Texas - Five years ago, Marcus Spears was at least one person's top priority as the Cowboys prepared for the 2005 NFL Draft.

Former head coach Bill Parcells was so high on Spears that he tried to convince the War Room to take him instead of DeMarcus Ware, the eventual pick at No. 11. Spears still wound up with the Cowboys at the 20th overall pick and has been a regular starter for all five seasons.

However, as the NFL Draft begins here Thursday with a new three-day format, Spears is left to wonder just where his sixth NFL season might be. In fact, Spears is starting to wonder out loud. Earlier this week, the defensive end sent out a Twitter message that clouded his future in Dallas.

"I don't think I'll be leaving Dallas but if I do I will miss this place and I'll miss the true blue fans but whatever God has it will be."

Reached by phone on Wednesday, Spears said he is preparing himself for what could be his final days with the only team he's ever known.

"Probably on draft day or during draft day, I think something might happen," Spears said. "Just being 100 percent honest, it's a possibility. I don't know that. I'm not saying this for speculation. But basically what I'm saying is that I am prepared for whatever happens."

While several players from around the league have been affected by the NFL's labor situation, Spears might have taken the biggest hit among the Cowboys. Expected to be an unrestricted free agent after last season, Spears now finds himself as a restricted free agent. And since he was a first-round pick, the Cowboys were able to give him an "original-round" tender worth just $1.226 million.

Ironically enough, the Cowboys were forced to give second-round tenders to defensive ends Jason Hatcher and Stephen Bowen worth $1.759 million, meaning Spears' primary backups are scheduled to make more this season.

But never one to feel sorry for himself, Spears doesn't blame even the Cowboys for that situation.

"That's the case. That's the hand I'm dealt," Spears said. "I knew the tender was going to be that long before. That's just a part of me being caught up in the way things are right now. I don't think (the Cowboys) could've tendered Bowen or Hatcher any lower than that. You couldn't have given them original draft tenders, because there was no such thing. It's just how it works out."

While Spears understands the situation as a restricted free agent, he also knows the Cowboys aren't blowing up his phone, nor his agent's, to try and get a long-term deal in place.

"I think it's safe to say that the Cowboys re-signing me is out of the question," Spears said of a long-term deal. "I've had people tell me that Jerry wants to get something done long-term with Miles and Gerald. So, let's be real with each other - if there was interest in me being here, I think it's safe to say we would've heard something by now."

When asked how much negotiating has taken place between the Cowboys and Spears' camp this off-season, the defensive end didn't hesitate with an answer.

"None."

But Spears knows he's not the only player around the league that got caught in bad timing with the CBA.

"That's just the way it goes sometimes," Spears said. "It's bad timing for me, but it's bad for a lot of guys. It's affecting guys that just got contracts. It's a trying time for the league right now, period. Let's not sugarcoat this; everyone wants to get paid. I'm one of those guys. I don't want anyone to think I don't want to be compensated. But this situation, I just don't have control over it. I just have to make the best of it."

And part of making the best of things for Spears even includes playing for a contract, knowing that he could be getting paid less than two backups.

"If I end up playing here this year, it's really about my teammates anyway. That's been my stance from the first day I got here," Spears said. "So at the end of the day, if Bowen is making $1.7 (million) and Hatch is making $1.7 and I'm making $1.2, there is absolutely nothing I can do about that. I can only go out there and continue to get better. If the Cowboys don't want to re-sign me, then I've got to be playing well enough for someone else to re-sign me. So, if I'm here another year playing my $1.2 out, then you are not going to see no mad guy walking around. That's just not my personality."

Spears attends the team's teaching sessions on Tuesday and Thursday at Valley Ranch, but is not a regular at the Cowboys' off-season conditioning program. However, that is nothing new - Spears has been working with a personal trainer for the past two off-seasons.

"To be honest with you, I have no ill will towards anyone in that organization. It's business. It's been going like this before I came and it'll be going like that after I'm gone. As a person, you have to keep the perspective that there's a reason why there are other employers."

At the end of last season, Spears even said he would consider playing for a lesser contract if it meant staying with the Cowboys and this defense. Basically, Spears was saying he didn't feel the need to try and land a contract similar to Chris Canty, who signed a six-year, $42 million deal with the Giants in the previous off-season.

But now Spears is wondering if he's even going to get the chance to sign any deal with the Cowboys at all.

"I'm not going to be like the girl that wants the boy that don't want her," Spears said. "If the situation comes out where I have to play this year, I'll play this year. If something changes, it changes. If it doesn't, it doesn't.

"I'm a Dallas Cowboy right now. That's who I'm going to bleed, sweat and cry for . . . until something else happens. But nothing else has happened yet, so I'm good."

Whether or not that something happens soon remains to be seen. But Spears is certainly going to be prepared for it.



im amped for this here draft ... come on jerry make moves baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DownByLaw]

Originally Posted by moneyisthemotive

Wait, you're a Washington Capitals fan and a Dallas Cowboys fan? How did that happen?

 

[moneyisthemotive]

Originally Posted by FIRST B0RN

Wait, you're a Washington Capitals fan and a Dallas Cowboys fan? How did that happen?

i live in maryland ... i am a nationals and capitals fan but i went against the grain as a child and became a cowboys fan on November 24, 1991 when my aunt took me to a ******** vs. cowboys game and the cowboys won ... been with the boys ever since ...