Two wishes from a Cowboys fan

[MFFL]

I wish that Romo would remember that he is still a young quarterback and needs to concentrate on learning his position. Worry about screwing celebrities AFTER the season is over.

I wish that the Cowboys would become a more disciplined team. We GAVE AWAY the game with penalties. Stupid penalties at that.

[TomThaMavsFan]

I wish the cowboys get a strong safety who can cover, and a running back who can compliment Marion Barber who wont run into the asses of his own lineman.

[MavsX]

i don't see what the big deal is with romo going on vacation, on his off week. Romo didn't play terribly bad. What killed us was penalties, our secondary, julius jones, and patrick crayton.
the only real mistakes would be romo should have thrown away that ball, instead of taking the huge sack.

[RizAmlani]

I wish that the Cowboys draft a second cover corner to compliment Terrence Newman.

I wish that the Cowboys draft a strong safety who can cover running backs and tight ends so that Roy Williams does not have to.

I wish that the Cowboys find some discipline in the off-season so that we don't kill ourselves with penalties again.

I wish the Cowboys (basically Jerry Jones) keeps the team intact and more importantly, keep our coaching staff the way it is. Do not lose Tony Sparano and especially Jason Garrett.

I wish that the Cowboys use this as motivation for next season.

[LonghornDub]

I thought Romo played alright today, but I wish he would learn when a play just isn't there.

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by ProdigyDub

I thought Romo played alright today, but I wish he would learn when a play just isn't there.

I think Romo was just doing his thing out there - trying to adlib and make something happen. Which is fine for the regular season but the playoffs require a more disciplined approach from a QB.

And Romo had TWO bad mistakes - first was when he DIDN'T throw the ball away and took a sack. The second was when he DID throw the ball away and got an intentional grounding penalty.

But he also tried for the home run too often. I know that it might have been the play called, but the QB's job is to check down to the open receiver and not just air it out.

Romo needs to spend his time during football season concentrating on football. He can chase celebrity cunt during the offseason (which is REAAAL early this year due in part to Romo's play)

[Windmill360]

I wish I were an Oscar Mayer weiner, cause that is what i'd truely like to be.

Oh, and a better special teams too. Someone who can return a punt for a td.

[mkat]

Originally Posted by TomThaMavsFan

I wish the cowboys get a strong safety who can cover, and a running back who can compliment Marion Barber who wont run into the asses of his own lineman.

and first and second round pick to one of the top five teams, take Kenny Phillips out of Miami. he's a pretty good safety.

sign Michael Turner in free agency to share carries with the Barbarian.

solved.

[mkat]

Originally Posted by MFFL

I think Romo was just doing his thing out there - trying to adlib and make something happen. Which is fine for the regular season but the playoffs require a more disciplined approach from a QB.

And Romo had TWO bad mistakes - first was when he DIDN'T throw the ball away and took a sack. The second was when he DID throw the ball away and got an intentional grounding penalty.

But he also tried for the home run too often. I know that it might have been the play called, but the QB's job is to check down to the open receiver and not just air it out.

Romo needs to spend his time during football season concentrating on football. He can chase celebrity cunt during the offseason (which is REAAAL early this year due in part to Romo's play)

he didn't lose that game. how do you know he didn't study his playbook whilst in mexico?

if he had thrown that ball instead of holding onto it and gotten a first down, you wouldn't have said a thing. you have to take the good with the bad.

he tried for the home run because it was there a few times...crayton and a few other guys just couldn't get to it.

[vjz]

Of the 8 playoff teams that played this weekend, the 'Boys were without question the most penalized, least disciplined team. It was a problem in the regular season and we won in-spite of it but it's playoffs...

The Ware & Ellis penalties on 3rd down absolutely killed us.

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by mkat

he didn't lose that game. how do you know he didn't study his playbook whilst in mexico?

Playbook? What are we in, the 70's? Video study is what the modern players do to learn about their opponents. And I seriously doubt that Romo brought any videos to Mexico. Well, maybe a couple of porn videos maybe.

But Romo's been a celebrity wannabe for about 6 weeks now. We've also played our worst football in the last month. Coincidence?

[mary]

So Jessica Simpson is a now?

That seems harsh, don't ya think?

Maybe Romo should just cut his clean off, because I'm sure the fact that he had sex a week ago had something to do with having an overrated offensive line, Roy Williams for a safety, 1/2 a running back and a receiver that couldn't catch the ball today.

That makes total sense.

Holy crap, I think I died and woke up in 1930!

[Flacolaco]

Those are your two wishes?

You may want to take a look at the Giants starting field positions today, and re-prioritize.

I would say the single largest reason they lost that game was special teams related.

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by mary

So Jessica Simpson is a now?

Jessica isn't the ONLY celebrity female that Romo has reportedly hooked up with.

OK maybe a better way to put it is that Romo is a celebrity wannabe. He got his money and now he's hanging around celebrity parties and trying to be part of that crowd.

He's trying to start that lifestyle in the middle of the football season. That ain't smart or dedicated.

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

Those are your two wishes?

You may want to take a look at the Giants starting field positions today, and re-prioritize.

I would say the single largest reason they lost that game was special teams related.

Well the Giants got the opening drive on their 23 and scored. The next was on their 10 and the Cowboys stopped them. Right before the half the Giants got the ball on their 28 and scored again.

Second half. Giants got the ball at midfield and did not score. The Giants did start their next drive inside Cowboys territory and scored. The Cowboys did lock the Giants back inside their 15 yard line the next TWO possessions.

The Giants only started TWO drives with excellent field position and only scored on ONE of those. And they started THREE drives inside their 15 and TWO more drives inside their 30.

The special teams weren't special but they didn't lose us the game.

[LonghornDub]

Originally Posted by MFFL

I think Romo was just doing his thing out there - trying to adlib and make something happen. Which is fine for the regular season but the playoffs require a more disciplined approach from a QB.

And Romo had TWO bad mistakes - first was when he DIDN'T throw the ball away and took a sack. The second was when he DID throw the ball away and got an intentional grounding penalty.

But he also tried for the home run too often. I know that it might have been the play called, but the QB's job is to check down to the open receiver and not just air it out.

Romo needs to spend his time during football season concentrating on football. He can chase celebrity cunt during the offseason (which is REAAAL early this year due in part to Romo's play)

I dunno if it's Garrett's playcalling or Romo's decision making, but we look for the "home run" on offense far, far too often. It's been that way all year. I was really disappointed to see a deep pass on that 3rd and 20 on our second to last drive--even though it was close to a touchdown. I think there, you have to go for the 10-15 yard dig or Post and make it a manageable 4th and 5-10.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Tom Brady sleeps with Bridget Moynohan every night....he seems to play just fine "screwing celebrities."

[Dtownsfinest]

Yea some of you guys have absolutely no idea why the Cowboys lost today. I'm not even sure if I know but it sure as hell wasn't because of Romo screwin' Jessica Simpson or because of the defense. The defense allowed 21 points today and factor in the great field position the Giants recieved all day long that's great. The defense did their job. Special teams and the offense didn't. The Cowboys should've put up more than 17 points. We had atleast 3 opportunity's to score and all were due to drop passes and one was due to Romo throwing a horrible pass to TO. If I had two wishes they would be to become more disciplined and to find a compliment to Barber since Julius will more than likely be gone. The Cowboys are moving into the right direction. A lot of youth on this team. Only older guys that standout are Glenn and Owens who I believe still have something left in the tank. The verdict is still out on Wade Phillips but I don't believe in firing a coach after he just went 13-4.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Momentum going into the playoffs seems to be the main thing that matters in sports. It seems to pan out that way every time that the team that has the momentum goes far or wins it all. Cowboys didn't have it. Mavs didn't have it. I'm worried the Mavs might be peaking too soon again this year. They need to play their best AFTER the all-star break. Next season, the Cowobys HAVE to play their best in december. Hard to teach momentum but screw all of the regular season success. It doesn't mean anything when you choke in the playoffs like these two teams did.

[Underdog]

I saw a TO touchdown overthrown by Romo - 7 points...

I saw Patrick Crayton drop a pass with 0 defenders between him & the end zone - 7 points...

I saw Patrick Crayton hesitate on a route when a perfectly catchable pass was thrown to the back pylon of the end zone - 7 points...

I saw defensive penalties give the Giants a 1st down three different times in two drives that led to 2 touchdowns when New York had its back to the wall in 3rd-and-5+ yard situations - 14 points...


If the Cowboys played perfect football the score would have been 38-14, Dallas...

If Avery blew it against Golden State, then Phillips blew it against New York... 11 penalties for 84 yards says a lot about this team's discipline...

[horse900703]

that was sad~~

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Tom Brady sleeps with Bridget Moynohan every night....he seems to play just fine "screwing celebrities."

Is he chasing the celebrity lifestyle? Or is he concentrating on his JOB?

I'm pretty sure that Brady takes his vacations in the offseason.

[MavsX]

Originally Posted by horse900703

that was sad~~

if you keep adding signatures. I'm going to take a pepperoni and punch it through your head.

[Dirkenstien]

My two wishes are:

1) Draft McFadden
2) Get a top-notch CB or safety.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by MFFL

Is he chasing the celebrity lifestyle? Or is he concentrating on his JOB?

I'm pretty sure that Brady takes his vacations in the offseason.

I'm pretty sure he took time off in the bye too. Anyways, the coach told them to get away from football so it's on his shoulders over anyone.

[DirkFTW]

Originally Posted by vjz

Of the 8 playoff teams that played this weekend, the 'Boys were without question the most penalized, least disciplined team. It was a problem in the regular season and we won in-spite of it but it's playoffs...

The Ware & Ellis penalties on 3rd down absolutely killed us.

I thought Ware's first offsides penalty was such BS though. It looked like he timed it perfectly.

[jacktruth]

Originally Posted by Underdog

I saw a TO touchdown overthrown by Romo - 7 points...

I saw Patrick Crayton drop a pass with 0 defenders between him & the end zone - 7 points...

I saw Patrick Crayton hesitate on a route when a perfectly catchable pass was thrown to the back pylon of the end zone - 7 points...

I saw defensive penalties give the Giants a 1st down three different times in two drives that led to 2 touchdowns when New York had its back to the wall in 3rd-and-5+ yard situations - 14 points...


If the Cowboys played perfect football the score would have been 38-14, Dallas...

If Avery blew it against Golden State, then Phillips blew it against New York... 11 penalties for 84 yards says a lot about this team's discipline...

Exactly! Penalties and general slopiness have been a problem all year. I think they played poorly the last 4 weeks of the season because they were looking at the playoffs. I blame Phillips because they weren't ready to play. The only player that came ready was Barber. They didn't seem at all motivated in the 2nd half. That is part Romo's leadership skills and part Phillips motivational skills.

If the problem was Romo going on vacation last week, it's the coaches fault for letting him. I would guess that most coaches would say "Hell no" to that one.

I also think the offensive game plan was very predicable and assured that Garrett will not be a head coach somewhere else next year.

Overall disappointing, but kindov expected based on the last 4 games.

[Male30Dan]

50 yard-line tickets to yesterday's game - $250
Parking 14 and a half miles from the stadium - $25
Nachos and 2 beers - $21.50
Watching Romo drop his head yet again - Excruciating!

The only thing that made the night even remotely manageable was the idiot that drove his truck down the slope after the game and tried for like 45 minutes to drive his 4x4 back up. FLIP THAT TRUCK, FLIP THAT TRUCK, FLIP THAT TRUCK and DONT BE A , DONT BE A , DONT BE A were heard many times.

As far as the game. Well, we lost because we are not a disciplined or smart team.

You watch the Patriots play and see if their defenders jump on 3rd and 5 plays where we stopped them both times only to see the yellow flag thrown on Ware and Ellis.

Watch the Patriots play and see if their guys slow up on throws in the 4th quarter that win playoff games.

Watch the Patriots play and see if their 2nd/3rd receiver drops pass after pass from Brady, (Crayton dropped THREE balls, didn't try for a fourth, and muffed a punt - this is our best hands guy?).

Watch the Patriots play late in the 4th needing a TD to win and see if Brady forces passes to guys that aren't even remotely open or if he takes sacks that should be EASY throw aways.

Watch the Patriots play and see if they mismanage the clock that bad. We had ONE MINUTE AND FIFTY GODDAMN SECONDS LEFT WITH A FRIGGIN TIMEOUT and we couldn't drive 48 yards. To put this in perspective, we left the Giants 53 seconds after going up 14-7 right before the half. They drove from the 28 to score - WITH 7 SECONDS LEFT!!!

Bottom line, we made mistake after mistake after mistake after mistake after mistake. Every single drive there was a FS, hold, drop, or SOMETHING that screwed us out of points. Even the drives we scored on - penalties or drops. How we were that close in the game when we played that poorly is a testament to how we should have dominated this team. The better team walked off the field a loser yesterday. It is just such a shame because if these guys played like they could only the Patriots would scare me.

But, they don't play the way they can because they are undisciplined and are not smart.

So, what do we do about it? Key things to do IMHO:

1) Resign Marion Barber, Ken Hamlin, Chris Canty, Jacque Reeves, and Keith Davis. Then...

2) Cut Terry Glenn and Jason Ferguson. Glenn is likely set to retire and Ferguson's contract is simply not necessary with Ratliff and Johnson now on board. With Barber resigned...

2) Let Julius walk and draft a fast RB with good vision with our 31st pick, (or 62nd if the top 4-5 backs are gone at the end of the 1st), to compliment/spell Barber. Next...

3) Sign Flozell ONLY if it is manageable for our cap. He is 33 and is a very good LT but much like the scarecrow, he needs a brain. We still have Pat and Doug waiting around so it might be best to drop a bit of cash on the O-line. If he goes, use his money to...

4) Sign a VERY GOOD pass rushing DE. We have one of the best OLB tandems in the business but our DEs, (though Canty is improving), are a major weak point of our defense. Manning had all day back there when he was passing if Ware couldn't get to him but did Romo? While NY did throw some CB/S blitzes, most of that pressure came from the front 4. I say sign a young Jared Allen with Flozell's money if he leaves. Hell I say do it even if he stays. Yeah, we have a lot of money invested in this defense, but that will lessen after...

5) Trade Roy for whatever - He is a 4/5 time Pro-Bowler and will be coming off of another one. Get whatever the hell you can for him, (draft picks, youth, whatever). His salary leaving will help even things out if Flozell stays and Allen comes. He could be replaced by Hamlin who can and has played both S positions and he now tackles better than Roy. If Hamlin is used he would be replaced by...

6) Moving Henry to FS - While I don't think moving Hamlin to SS is very risky at all, this is risky just because we don't know how well he could play this position. I spoke of doing this last year though and I think regarding coverage skills it is Henry>Hamlin>Williams so in the end you are upgrading your coverage abilities greatly after trading Roy and after...

7) With the Cowboys first selection in the 2008 NFL Draft: Cornerback Malcolm/Mike Jenkins or Reggie Smith. Maybe you keep Henry at CB if you draft Reggie Smith while moving him to FS, though some think Smith can be very good at CB in the NFL. Also...

8) Look at upgrading the kickoff and punt returner. This might be done with Stanback; however, if he too becomes a bust look at ensuring that the RB/CB selected in the draft can also return kickoffs, (I think two or three of the names mentioned below can very well). Basically no more wasted picks on guys that can ONLY return kicks. Get a RB/CB in here that can fill a need AND return kicks. Austin is actually pretty good in that he consistently gets you to a decent spot on the field but he never really is a risk for returning it for a TD. Imagine a Hester type, (obviously no one we pick will be as good as him - just an example), giving us free points with our team. How would a punt return for a TD have looked on that final NY punt?

9) Resign Garrett and say goodbye to Sparano because he is as good as gone. I would obviously keep him if I could, but he is the new coach at Miami probably before Feburary.

So, with these moves you would be looking at under a best case scenario:

OFFENSE:
QB - Tony Romo
RBs - Marion Barber and Slaton/Jones/Stewart with the 28th pick (at least one will be there)
FB - Hoyte/Anderson
TEs - Witten and Fasano
WRs - Owens, Manningham/Sweed/Doucet/Avery/Hall with the 62nd pick, (at least one will be there) and Crayton
OTs - Adams and Columbo
OGs - Kosier and Davis
C - Gurode

DEFENSE:
DEs - Allen and Canty
DT - Ratliff
LBs - Ware, Ellis, James and Ayodele
CBs - Newman and Malcolm/Mike Jenkins with the 22nd pick
Ss - Henry and Hamlin (Note - Depending on Henry's abiility to move this could be Hamlin staying at FS, Free Agency for SS and Henry as the 3rd corner)

Unfortunately we will probably overpay Adams, not do anything regarding DE, keep Roy, let Reeves walk, keep Glenn, trade down for next year, not draft a WR in the first 3 rounds, and get knocked out of the playoffs after our 7th straight postseason loss.

This crap yesterday was just so damn frustrating because I truly believed this team was destined to make and potentially win the Super Bowl. They were that good in the regular season. Damn the Deja Vu.

[dude1394]

The team was undisciplined yesterday and the role players had a tough time making plays (see crayton).

Also for some reason they needed to get the ball into TO's hands more, crossing routes, quick throws, something to get him more touches.

And not let the giants score in 40seconds after a 10minute driver. Ouch.

EDIT: Throw in continuously bad kick-off coverage.

[DirkFTW]

I gift my 2 wishes to Male26Dan. Nice suggestions.

[dalmations202]

My Two wishes turned into 4-5.
1) If Saprano leaves - please Jerry hire an Asst Head Coach that requires discipline. Not sure who exactly, but a detailed oriented -- make the player responsible coach.
2) Resign the list Dan made, except for Reeves (he was toast yesterday) --- also I like the Flozell part.
3) Call Detroit and see what it would cost for the other Roy Williams and Shawn Rogers. (Maybe Carpenter and/or Roy Williams, and/or Ferguson and a 2nd rounder?)
4) Trade the first rounders and a player for DMcFadden (get the franchise back to run with MB) (maybe both 1st and Crayton) (let JuJo walk)
5) Sign a FA CB who could play. I kept thinking how much I wished Aaron Glenn were out there instead of Reeves.

to sum up:
get an assist head coach that is very detail oriented
sign the FA
Get DMcFadden
get a WR and DT from Detroit (probably just a pipe dream here)
sign a #3 CB
use the rest of the draft picks on S, CB, and WR.

* Find someone (Darren Woodson) who can kick the present Dallas Roy Williams in the backside and make him play like he used too, not like he is scared to get hurt or burned. I really like Roy, but he plays nothing like he used to. Its like he has lost his love for the game, and he is just going through the motions. --- or move him, but I don't see that happening because he counts $6.6M against the cap if he is traded or dropped.

[FINtastic]

Originally Posted by MFFL

I think Romo was just doing his thing out there - trying to adlib and make something happen. Which is fine for the regular season but the playoffs require a more disciplined approach from a QB.

And Romo had TWO bad mistakes - first was when he DIDN'T throw the ball away and took a sack. The second was when he DID throw the ball away and got an intentional grounding penalty.

But he also tried for the home run too often. I know that it might have been the play called, but the QB's job is to check down to the open receiver and not just air it out.

Romo needs to spend his time during football season concentrating on football. He can chase celebrity cunt during the offseason (which is REAAAL early this year due in part to Romo's play)

How is he supposed to check down when he is running for his life back there? I do agree that Romo needs to lay off the celebrity lifestyle a little, but I don't look at him as the reason we lost yesterday. Like mary said, our o-line was dreadful in the second half, our secondary has some giant holes (Roy and Reeves whenever he is on the field), and Crayton flat-out choked. Romo certainly didn't have one of those heroic performances good enough to win the game all by himself yesterday, but he certainly didn't lose it for us. That game was lost because we couldn't ever keep the Giants defensive ends out of our backfield in the second half.

[DirkFTW]

I concur. The commentators even noted how the Giants secondary was weak in the second half due to injuries, but I don't think Romo had the time necessary to punish them. That coupled with trying to hit a home run play too often.

And oh yes, shut up, Crayton.

[mkat]

i really wouldn't mind seeing jerry drop some bucks on asante samuel or marcus trufant.

[MavsX]

we need to remember that romo is good. But it is unfair to try to compare romo to brady or manning.

Also, this is his 1st full season. Before last year, no one had heard of tony romo. Keep that in mind.

[Jack.Kerr]

Still no 'Fire Wade Philips!' thread?

I'm surprised.

[Dtownsfinest]

Originally Posted by Male26Dan

50 yard-line tickets to yesterday's game - $250
Parking 14 and a half miles from the stadium - $25
Nachos and 2 beers - $21.50
Watching Romo drop his head yet again - Excruciating!

The only thing that made the night even remotely manageable was the idiot that drove his truck down the slope after the game and tried for like 45 minutes to drive his 4x4 back up. FLIP THAT TRUCK, FLIP THAT TRUCK, FLIP THAT TRUCK and DONT BE A , DONT BE A , DONT BE A were heard many times.

As far as the game. Well, we lost because we are not a disciplined or smart team.

You watch the Patriots play and see if their defenders jump on 3rd and 5 plays where we stopped them both times only to see the yellow flag thrown on Ware and Ellis.

Watch the Patriots play and see if their guys slow up on throws in the 4th quarter that win playoff games.

Watch the Patriots play and see if their 2nd/3rd receiver drops pass after pass from Brady, (Crayton dropped THREE balls, didn't try for a fourth, and muffed a punt - this is our best hands guy?).

Watch the Patriots play late in the 4th needing a TD to win and see if Brady forces passes to guys that aren't even remotely open or if he takes sacks that should be EASY throw aways.

Watch the Patriots play and see if they mismanage the clock that bad. We had ONE MINUTE AND FIFTY GODDAMN SECONDS LEFT WITH A FRIGGIN TIMEOUT and we couldn't drive 48 yards. To put this in perspective, we left the Giants 53 seconds after going up 14-7 right before the half. They drove from the 28 to score - WITH 7 SECONDS LEFT!!!

Bottom line, we made mistake after mistake after mistake after mistake after mistake. Every single drive there was a FS, hold, drop, or SOMETHING that screwed us out of points. Even the drives we scored on - penalties or drops. How we were that close in the game when we played that poorly is a testament to how we should have dominated this team. The better team walked off the field a loser yesterday. It is just such a shame because if these guys played like they could only the Patriots would scare me.

But, they don't play the way they can because they are undisciplined and are not smart.

So, what do we do about it? Key things to do IMHO:

1) Resign Marion Barber, Ken Hamlin, Chris Canty, Jacque Reeves, and Keith Davis. Then...

2) Cut Terry Glenn and Jason Ferguson. Glenn is likely set to retire and Ferguson's contract is simply not necessary with Ratliff and Johnson now on board. With Barber resigned...

2) Let Julius walk and draft a fast RB with good vision with our 31st pick, (or 62nd if the top 4-5 backs are gone at the end of the 1st), to compliment/spell Barber. Next...

3) Sign Flozell ONLY if it is manageable for our cap. He is 33 and is a very good LT but much like the scarecrow, he needs a brain. We still have Pat and Doug waiting around so it might be best to drop a bit of cash on the O-line. If he goes, use his money to...

4) Sign a VERY GOOD pass rushing DE. We have one of the best OLB tandems in the business but our DEs, (though Canty is improving), are a major weak point of our defense. Manning had all day back there when he was passing if Ware couldn't get to him but did Romo? While NY did throw some CB/S blitzes, most of that pressure came from the front 4. I say sign a young Jared Allen with Flozell's money if he leaves. Hell I say do it even if he stays. Yeah, we have a lot of money invested in this defense, but that will lessen after...

5) Trade Roy for whatever - He is a 4/5 time Pro-Bowler and will be coming off of another one. Get whatever the hell you can for him, (draft picks, youth, whatever). His salary leaving will help even things out if Flozell stays and Allen comes. He could be replaced by Hamlin who can and has played both S positions and he now tackles better than Roy. If Hamlin is used he would be replaced by...

6) Moving Henry to FS - While I don't think moving Hamlin to SS is very risky at all, this is risky just because we don't know how well he could play this position. I spoke of doing this last year though and I think regarding coverage skills it is Henry>Hamlin>Williams so in the end you are upgrading your coverage abilities greatly after trading Roy and after...

7) With the Cowboys first selection in the 2008 NFL Draft: Cornerback Malcolm/Mike Jenkins or Reggie Smith. Maybe you keep Henry at CB if you draft Reggie Smith while moving him to FS, though some think Smith can be very good at CB in the NFL. Also...

8) Look at upgrading the kickoff and punt returner. This might be done with Stanback; however, if he too becomes a bust look at ensuring that the RB/CB selected in the draft can also return kickoffs, (I think two or three of the names mentioned below can very well). Basically no more wasted picks on guys that can ONLY return kicks. Get a RB/CB in here that can fill a need AND return kicks. Austin is actually pretty good in that he consistently gets you to a decent spot on the field but he never really is a risk for returning it for a TD. Imagine a Hester type, (obviously no one we pick will be as good as him - just an example), giving us free points with our team. How would a punt return for a TD have looked on that final NY punt?

9) Resign Garrett and say goodbye to Sparano because he is as good as gone. I would obviously keep him if I could, but he is the new coach at Miami probably before Feburary.

So, with these moves you would be looking at under a best case scenario:

OFFENSE:
QB - Tony Romo
RBs - Marion Barber and Slaton/Jones/Stewart with the 28th pick (at least one will be there)
FB - Hoyte/Anderson
TEs - Witten and Fasano
WRs - Owens, Manningham/Sweed/Doucet/Avery/Hall with the 62nd pick, (at least one will be there) and Crayton
OTs - Adams and Columbo
OGs - Kosier and Davis
C - Gurode

DEFENSE:
DEs - Allen and Canty
DT - Ratliff
LBs - Ware, Ellis, James and Ayodele
CBs - Newman and Malcolm/Mike Jenkins with the 22nd pick
Ss - Henry and Hamlin (Note - Depending on Henry's abiility to move this could be Hamlin staying at FS, Free Agency for SS and Henry as the 3rd corner)

Unfortunately we will probably overpay Adams, not do anything regarding DE, keep Roy, let Reeves walk, keep Glenn, trade down for next year, not draft a WR in the first 3 rounds, and get knocked out of the playoffs after our 7th straight postseason loss.

This crap yesterday was just so damn frustrating because I truly believed this team was destined to make and potentially win the Super Bowl. They were that good in the regular season. Damn the Deja Vu.

Why change Henry's position? You can't do much better than him at the corner spot yet you think drafting a rookie will fix this problem? You might as well throw Nate Jones and Jacque Reeves out there. Atleast they have experience. Changing Henry's position is asking for trouble. Especially when you face recievers that are 6'4 and taller which are the guys Newman has problems guarding.

Originally Posted by mkat

and first and second round pick to one of the top five teams, take Kenny Phillips out of Miami. he's a pretty good safety.

sign Michael Turner in free agency to share carries with the Barbarian.

solved.

Michael Turner is going to demand big money and he wants to start. Makes zero sense to re-sign Barber for big money and then sign Turner who's a career back up for a big pay check as well. I wanted Michael The Burner Turner from the get go. Even instead of Stephen Jackson because I knew he could be had in the later rounds and was a solid player. I was glad the Cowboys made the decision to draft Julius because he was a beast his rookie year. Looks like they made the wrong decision.

[mkat]

a 4-3 defensive end wouldn't play as well in a 3-4 defense. the DEs do what they're supposed to....stop the run. the blitzing really comes from the two OLBs and one of the two ILBs.

i mean, it'd be great to get Allen, but we'd probably have to switch back to a 4-3 defense (which probably wouldn't be a bad idea imo). just move Ware to Right DE, plug in Allen at Left DE, use Ratliff and Tank at the DT positions...

hell, the way everyone talks Bobby Carpenter has the ability to be a great 4-3 cover 2 type MLB. why not give him a shot?

i know it's a pipe dream, but still...

[Male30Dan]

Originally Posted by Dtownsfinest

Why change Henry's position? You can't do much better than him at the corner spot yet you think drafting a rookie will fix this problem? You might as well throw Nate Jones and Jacque Reeves out there. Atleast they have experience. Changing Henry's position is asking for trouble. Especially when you face recievers that are 6'4 and taller which are the guys Newman has problems guarding.

I said: "This is risky just because we don't know how well he could play this position. I spoke of doing this last year though and I think regarding coverage skills it is Henry>Hamlin>Williams so in the end you are upgrading your coverage abilities greatly after trading Roy and after..."

Obviously I see the risk, but this is more about getting Roy out of the backfield. If he can play the position, which he obviously should be able to, you go out and draft another CB in the first round. Trust me when I say that I am BY FAR not the only one pushing for this. Many mock draft pages and many forums are calling for similar things. Again, this is something I talked about last year.

We need more CB depth, but we also need more skill in our starting backfield. Trade Roy. Move Hamlin to SS. Move Henry to FS. Draft starting stud CB. If you want to alter that to draft stud FS such as Reggie Smith - fine. He could sub in at CB2 anyway if one of them got injured. It would be nice to have two CBs with the skill of Newman - something I doubt you would say Henry has. If we had that, when we faced the larger WRs we could still put Henry on them, put Newman/Drafted CB on the slot, and put the one not on the slot on the other side of the field. In situations like this you could put Watkins back at FS.

Bottom line is that Henry is injury prone, (and Newman might become so - we shall see), so we can't rely on him to play 16 games as a starting high caliber CB. That is the main reason I opted to give him a bit easier of a job to lengthen his career and hopefully keep him healthy all season long. If we keep him at CB2 and bring in Smith for FS, that is almost just as good IMO as it accomplishes the goal of getting Roy out of here but doesn't keep Henry in the position most likely to stay healthy.

[Male30Dan]

Originally Posted by mkat

a 4-3 defensive end wouldn't play as well in a 3-4 defense. the DEs do what they're supposed to....stop the run. the blitzing really comes from the two OLBs and one of the two ILBs.

i mean, it'd be great to get Allen, but we'd probably have to switch back to a 4-3 defense (which probably wouldn't be a bad idea imo). just move Ware to Right DE, plug in Allen at Left DE, use Ratliff and Tank at the DT positions...

hell, the way everyone talks Bobby Carpenter has the ability to be a great 4-3 cover 2 type MLB. why not give him a shot?

i know it's a pipe dream, but still...

Obviously I know he is a 4-3 DE, but if any 4-3 DE could make a seamless transition into the 3-4 DE it would be Allen. He has a crazy motor and is 270lbs. He is only 10 lbs lighter than Julius Peppers and an inch shorter, (so just as thick), and I would think Peppers is considered one of the best DEs in the game. He definitely played the 3-4 DE quite a bit in the past and has been quite successful at it. Remember, we play a lot of Nickel here too.

Bottom line, you don't necessarily need a guy at 300 lbs to man the DE position in a 3-4. Most 4-3 DEs are not suited for the 3-4 DE though because they just don't have the size and strength to hold up against the run over the course of a full season. Allen, while slightly underweight for it, is strong as an ox and his motor will make up for the rest. If after watching his B/C gap he sees it is a pass play the guy just needs to beat the guard and get the QB, (assuming his OLB is blitzing as the 3-4 DE actually lines up right over the OT).

Maybe we ultimately consider it overkill and I know in a 3-4 most sacks come from the LBs, but our ILBs suck in that area and can only really help with the run so if our OLBs don't get pressure NO ONE DOES. That should stop via an upgrade. Sure, Canty is improving and Ratliff is too so maybe this fixes itself over time. With that said, Spears is just a lump of chub good ONLY for run support. You put Allen in that position and I would bet my life he would be much more productive at pressuring the QB and stop the running attack just as well.

We just need more QB pressure from the middle as Ware is typically just being pushed around the QB and the QB steps up into a calm pocket to throw. If Allen is coming from a DE position and Ware and Ellis are both coming as well, well, no stepping up for the QB there. He better get it out fast or that is a sack. Ultimately I don't think it matters because I don't think we look at upgrading there due to run blocking success over the past couple of years AND I don't think Allen would want to move as the 3-4 DE is a less glorious position that typically makes quite a bit less money, (though I am saying pay him 4-3 money to man our 3-4/Nickel DE). I don't know that there is anyone else out there that would make a significant upgrade here if we pass on Allen.