Cowboys talk

[sirensong 111]

Are you nuts? Jimmy came in and took over a dreadful, and I mean dreadful Dallas Cowboys team. His impact was not only reflected in SB trophies, but it was evident in the culture he brought to Valley Ranch - and it produced...... Jimmy also had the insight to know that we needed draft picks to turn this thing around - and he knew Herschel was our only valuable commodity. He gets mucho marks for that. Jerry has had 18 years since JJ's departure - what does he have to show for it?

 

lol--let's look at jimmy's draft history. the season prior to his arrival, the team had drafted at 1.11 (irvin). jimmy walked in the door with the benefit of 1.01 (aikman), and the first pick in the supplemental draft (walsh). the following season, he had 1.17 (smith, following a trade up). the season after that: 1.01 again (maryland, following another trade up).

 

not hard to draft well when you have 2 x 1.01s in 5 seasons (neither of which came from the walker trade). now let's look at how all those draft picks panned out:

 

number of eventual pro bowlers drafted, by year:

 

1989: 5

 

1990: 1

 

1991: 1

 

1992: 1

 

1993: 0

 

jimmy had one great draft (before the walker trade and courtesy of the previous season's awfulness), and the rest were ok.

 

furthermore, jimmy inherited a HOF guy drafted the previous year at 1.11, and snagged 2 more HOFers in his 5 year career. 1 was the consensus top pick in the draft (aikman), and one became the all-time leading rusher in the league (smith). the funny part is that jimmy didn't particularly want either of those guys. he thought walsh was a better QB prospect than aikman, and as you have pointed out numerous times, he didn't really want smith.

 

you are romanticizing the past--jimmy was not a particularly good drafter.

[Gepetto 977]

Plus Jimmy didn't do anything with the Dolphins.

[Pecos Rattlers 5]

I am amazed & excited. Jerry actually passed over Manziel and took Martin!

 

Now if they will just follow up with some good defensive players ..

[Cruzer 1,992]

Plus Jimmy didn't do anything with the Dolphins.

What Jimmy did or did not do with Miami is of little consequence. He recognized a need (speed/youth/depth), he developed a philosophy, he drafted great, he changed the culture - and he won. Period.

[Cruzer 1,992]

I am amazed & excited. Jerry actually passed over Manziel and took Martin!

 

Now if they will just follow up with some good defensive players ..

For the first time in, well forever, I wasn't too nervous that Jerry would make the stupid pick. It is clearly obvious that his own "man in the mirror" speech to himself is taking hold. 3 first round OL in the last 4 years - we're finally building from the inside out, awesome! Now we are in great shape to pick up defensive pieces in the next few rounds - there will be plenty there....... Wow, if you aren't excited about this offensive line kicking ass for the next 10 years - you might be dead.

[Pecos Rattlers 5]

With all our holes on defense, I'm not a huge fan of trading up for Demarcus Lawrence at the cost of our 3rd rounder.

 

We could have taken DT Timmy Jernigan at our original spot & then grabbed an end or safety in the third..

[Cruzer 1,992]

With all our holes on defense, I'm not a huge fan of trading up for Demarcus Lawrence at the cost of our 3rd rounder.

 

We could have taken DT Timmy Jernigan at our original spot & then grabbed an end or safety in the third..

Agreed. Not that I've anything against Lawrence - he could be a great player. But this team isn't rich enough to be dealing away 3rd round picks.

[sirensong 111]

as i gather, the trade for lawrence was based on DAL's board--they had a first round grade on him, and there was a sharp falloff in talent after him. the team couldn't bank on jernigan etc. continuing to fall.

 

if he turns out to be a special player, this trade might wind up looking brilliant in retrospect. personally, the pick i like the least was the 4th round, specifically for LB depth. granted, you can never have too many LBs. but i wonder if there wasn't an eventual starter available at that spot.

[Pecos Rattlers 5]

I agree Lawrence could be good - I just don't see him as a lock.

 

A 4rth round DT could have repaired the damage from the trade up somewhat, I agr ee. I was a little miffed by that and the WR pickup. I thought Cole Beasley was serviceable as a slot WR, if nothing to write home about.

 

Maybe we'll end up with a few 7th round gems ... we'll see.

[sirensong 111]

I was a little miffed by that and the WR pickup. I thought Cole Beasley was serviceable as a slot WR, if nothing to write home about.

 

 

the reasoning behind the WR pick is that beasley can't play outside, and harris is the special teams ace on both coverage and returns. so if either dez or Twill goes down, there is no viable starter for a 2WR set. that would cripple the passing game, allowing opposing coordinators to double both the remaining WR and witten.

 

so i don't mind the WR pick at all, but i would have been happier with a DT in the 4th.

[Cruzer 1,992]

 

the reasoning behind the WR pick is that beasley can't play outside, and harris is the special teams ace on both coverage and returns. so if either dez or Twill goes down, there is no viable starter for a 2WR set. that would cripple the passing game, allowing opposing coordinators to double both the remaining WR and witten.

Cripple - don't be silly. Don't you remember? We stole Gavin Escobar in the 2nd round last year. He's the real key to our passing game!

[snatchit 108]

I bet Escobar will be a big surprise this year

[Cruzer 1,992]

I bet Escobar will be a big surprise this year

It would be nice if he would contribute something, anything to the offense. A lot of it isn't his fault, he can only play when put on the field - somebody with a headset needs to find a way to use him.

[5-Points 2,715]

Sean Lee out with a knee? WTF!

[Phurfur 70]

Cowboys MLB Sean Lee was helped off the field with an apparent left knee injury on the first day of OTAs Tuesday.

A video of Lee being assisted off the practice field with a trainer on each arm is available at the link below. Per ESPN Dallas' Calvin Watkins, Lee was "swearing" after sustaining the injury, and uttered "Bleep me." Lee has been an All-Pro-caliber player when healthy through four NFL seasons, but has been on the shelf far too often. He's missed 15 games over the past two years.

Source: Calvin Watkins on Twitter May 27 - 1:52 PM

[sirensong 111]

saw the vid of the aftermath. he was being helped off the field by two trainers--smooth leg bend, but putting a fair amount of weight on the guy on that side. garrett isn't commenting, but with a player cussing like that, it's normally normally more than just a nick.

 

at least it's may instead of august, but this is just depressing.

[5-Points 2,715]

The guy is a beast when healthy. Problem is he's only healthy for 7 or 8 games a season. Hopefully we can get him healthy and back for the home stretch.

[Phurfur 70]

Report: Cowboys 'fearing the worst' with Lee

A source tells Comcast SportsNet's John Middlekauff that the Cowboys are "fearing the worst" with ILB Sean Lee's left-knee injury.

"The worst" specifically being a season-ending injury. Middlekauff is not a Cowboys beat writer, but is a plugged-in former scout. His report has been seconded by ESPN's Ed Werder. All the Cowboys can do now is cross their fingers and await the results of Lee's MRI. It would be a devastating blow for one of the league's most injury-prone players. Going on 28, Lee has missed 15 games over the past two seasons.

Source: John Middlekauff on Twitter May 27 - 4:18 PM

[sirensong 111]

looks like an ACL. they're hoping it's a sprain instead of a tear.

[Vikings4ever 496]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/05/27/report-mri-confirms-torn-acl-for-sean-lee/

The fears of the Dallas Cowboys appear to have been realized.

According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com, the MRI on linebacker Sean Lee’s injured left knee confirmed he has suffered a torn ACL and will miss the entire 2014 season.

Lee collapsed to the ground during the team’s practice on Tuesday while attempting to defend a screen pass to DeMarco Murray. Cowboys first-round pick Zack Martin was out in front of Murray and went to engage Lee. However, Lee slipped and his leg buckled right as Martin began to contact Lee.

[GreenTD 56]

Terrible loss for the Cowboys defense.

 

Had there been pads on, Martin looks like he would've destroyed Lee on that block, so there's a silver lining.

 

Romo's offense better play ball control since that defense is gonna be a sieve after losing their best tackler.

[sirensong 111]

we've been talking real football, but the loss of lee is going to have implications for fantasy. the passing group has to be upgraded, especially given the influence of linehan.

 

on a different note, all of a sudden the 4th round pick of hitchens looks like a wise move.

[BufordT 371]

Cowboys lock up Tyron Smith for the next 8 years. Still need to see the finer details but I'm going to call this an excellent signing for Jerruh and the 'Boys.

 

Smith turns 24 in December and is one of the top 6 or 7 left tackles in the game and is still improving.

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/30/cowboys-reach-long-term-deal-with-tyron-smith/

[Cruzer 1,992]

song, some of the rest - how did you feel about the draft? .............................. I gave it a solid B+.

 

For the 1st time in forever, Dallas crafted a draft dedicated to bolstering the defense. And maybe even more shocking, they stuck to it...... No, we did not pick or hit any home run, blue chip, superstars. We did not draft anyone who'll likely become a household name.... But what we did do is draft a whole slew of blue collar, 9 to 5, worker bees.. We addressed areas of critical defensive needs all across the board.. And along the way, we took a shot on some offensive positions - at solid value spots... I'd still would of maybe taken Rueben Foster over Taco - but after siting on it for a bit, I think Taco has a chance to be pretty good.

 

I'm still very, very concerned about our LBs corps.. Asking S. Lee to stay healthy for 2 straight years is really going to the well maybe one too many times.. And no, even with all the videos and reports of J. Smith - I'm not buying his full participaton and impact until I see it.. Until then, we are woefully lacking in speed and ability in that area.

[sirensong 111]

yeah, this was basically the 2005 draft all over again, except at a much lower draft position. i think this was a tough, smart draft, a bit like ozzie newsome at his best: nothing glamorous, just football playin' dudes (to quote parcells).

 

i think it's important to remember that smith and tapper are basically part of this draft class. from that perspective, double-dipping on LB at the top of the draft is questionable, and fosters OTF issues + shoulder make him problematic on top of that. or do we want to use yet another high pick on a guy with character issues and injury issues?

 

as for taco, one of the best things i read all weekend was that michael strahan also ran a 4.9, and that guy wasn't too bad at pass rushing and stuff. taco is substantially above average SPARQ for an NFL DE, and he's still extremely raw (3 different positions in 3 different schemes during his college career). he has improved every year, and he's apparently a very high football-character guy. no injuries, no mouth, just hard work and want-to. hard to imagine better qualities for a DE at 28. so i'll give that pick a B. not an A because we didn't get a value steal, but definitely a quality pick.

 

days 2/3 were what made this draft special. they stuck to their board, and calmly took quality players at need positions. they didn't get lured away from defensive focus by the BPA fairy, which i thought was great. they doubled up on corners, and took out insurance for the lewis pick by picking marquez--a great move. at first i didn't care for the switzer pick--i wanted them to forget rankings and take woods there--but everything i learn makes me happier about it. the guy can flat-out play, and the idea of having a decent punt returner makes me grin. and then to grab woods anyway was icing on the cake.

 

as for smith, i can't find the tweet, but stephen said just before the draft that the electrical field test (which shows the degree of nerve activity) was 5x higher on thursday than it was last month...and smith was capable of playing last month. even aside from smith, the one thing we have plenty of in the LB corps is speed. the staff is big on wilson--they think he can step up and take the SAM job this year. i agree that some lee insurance would be nice, but you can't have everything--wouldn't want to draft a backup LB instead of a pass rusher or corner, so that bumps the pick back to the 4th round (same place we drafted wilson and hitchens).

 

so yeah--this draft has a big old smile on my mug. i'm not dancing about and bursting into song--just grinning and looking forward to camp. taco, smith, awuzie will give us new starters at all 3 levels, lewis will challenge for nickel by mid-season, tapper will be an impact rotation guy, and switzer should make an impact on special teams. and let's not forget heath--the presumptive SS starter--who has been an effective playmaker whenever he steps onto the field. his rookie days of covering megatron are way behind him--lately he's been abusing rodgers. interested to see if he can hold off woods and frazier.

 

this draft was quality work. if they can maintain that momentum through the offseason, the NFC better look out in september.

[Cruzer 1,992]

yeah, this was basically the 2005 draft all over again, except at a much lower draft position. i think this was a tough, smart draft, a bit like ozzie newsome at his best: nothing glamorous, just football playin' dudes (to quote parcells).

 

this draft was quality work. if they can maintain that momentum through the offseason, the NFC better look out in september.

Especially when considering we were picking 28th, and behind everyone else in the East - I think it was pretty solid.

 

The more I look at Taco, I love his length. Given time and coaching, I think he can be a really good edge setter and one who makes qbs uncomfortable.. I'm also encouraged to know he played a good part of last year with a busted ankle - can only expect bigger things when healthy.... I'd love to see him and Irving on the ends and move Crawford back inside next to Collins. That's not a bad front 4 there... I also feel good about this draft allowing B. Jones to stay at safety. He is most valuable at that position.... On the offense - I'd love to see R. Gathers make the team. With his size and agility, he'd be a blocking force up there.

[sirensong 111]

 

On the offense - I'd love to see R. Gathers make the team. With his size and agility, he'd be a blocking force up there.

 

 

oh, he'll make the team. apparently he and romo on scout team were straight up clowning the 1st team defense last season, and he was also taking reps at OT to work on blocking. rico is why despite what all the analysts said, DAL didn't see TE as a draft need.

[R8RMick 242]

I thought Dallas knocked it out of the park with their draft. Just killed it.

[sirensong 111]

I thought Dallas knocked it out of the park with their draft. Just killed it.

 

 

raiders got some serious work done also. might not be too long before DAL vs OAK (or LV) in jan becomes a thing.

[R8RMick 242]

 

 

raiders got some serious work done also. might not be too long before DAL vs OAK (or LV) in jan becomes a thing.

McKenzie let board fall to him first two rounds, then went after targets. That's how the good teams draft. Says a lot with Brantley, Carlos Watkins, and Montravious Adams still on the board he picked Vanderdoes.

 

Thought Dallas just did a great job with that the entire draft, letting the best players fall to them. Your secondary just got real good, and real cheap. I think Jourdan Lewis was the best slot guy in the draft, and you'll use him for punt returns.

[Cruzer 1,992]

One things for sure, whoever wins the East will be black, blue and bloodied when it's all over.. Everyone in the division has a brutal schedule this year.

 

In fact, all 4 teams are ranked in the top 10 (most difficult) strength of schedule for 2017.

[mobb_deep 917]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LND1PypBnrU

[R8RMick 242]

One things for sure, whoever wins the East will be black, blue and bloodied when it's all over.. Everyone in the division has a brutal schedule this year.

 

In fact, all 4 teams are ranked in the top 10 (most difficult) strength of schedule for 2017.

That's because you play the AFC West.

[Cruzer 1,992]

That's because you play the AFC West.

Yep, in part anyways.. In the weeks we don't get that Division, or our own - we are blessed with the cream puffs of Zona, GB, Atlanta and Seattle...

[R8RMick 242]

Yep, in part anyways.. In the weeks we don't get that Division, or our own - we are blessed with the cream puffs of Zona, GB, Atlanta and Seattle...

Trust me, those four games against the AFC West will be your toughest.

[Cruzer 1,992]

Trust me, those four games against the AFC West will be your toughest.

KC, as good as they were last year, don't scare me a bit. Not that they aren't tough, but we match up extremely well against them.. SD? Yea - not scared at all.

 

I'll gladly take KC and SD over having to play Seattle and Atlanta any day.

[polecatt 399]

Sigh...

David Irving facing four game suspension for PEDs.

Supposedly he was trying to endorse some sort of over the counter supplement and it contained a banned substance. Incredibly stupid but at least hopefully it's just an accident and means he doesn't have some sort of serious drug problem like Randy Gregory.

Hopefully this won't hinder his progress too much. He looked great at times last season let's hope this won't set him back.

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/19444764/david-irving-dallas-cowboys-facing-4-game-suspension-ped-usage

[sirensong 111]

Per Fisher, the fact that it was unintentional may work in his favor. it turns out that the product that he had an endorsement deal for (and was very openly taking) included an obscure banned substance. hence his violation was accidental, which may carry some weight with the league. scandrick's molly suspension was reduced due to his honest belief that it was legal in mexico and therefore not prohibited, so there's a precedent.

[polecatt 399]

I hope so. It sounds like it's an innocent mistake, not along the Randy Gregory lines.

If so it should be nothing more than a bump in the road for Irving. 4 games isn't terrible.

[giraldi02 470]

Lane Johnson was suspended last season from the Eagles for 10 games.

 

He tested positive for a product that was approved on the NFLPA app. My guess is, accidental or not, a suspension at best will be reduced. Highly doubt it's not imposed in some manner.