Driving down memory lane

[Chicago JK]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/foo...icgalloway.htm


Randy Galloway's column
Did Cowboys pick the right deal? NO WAY: Grins won't last for long

By Randy Galloway / The Dallas Morning News


They stood there beaming, Jerry and Jimmy, obviously very pleased with themselves. Jimmy even had to work in a gloat, telling how an unidentified NFL voice had whispered sweet nothings about this being "the great train robbery."

Jerry, bless him, gulped hard at that comment. Can you imagine, Jimmy talking out of school, embarrassing Jerry. "I'm never surprised at anything he says," Jerry said, winking at those media regulars who caught the inside joke. Jimmy, you see, is always using that quote about Jerry.

Gosh, such a pleasant little scene. Happy days were here again at Valley Ranch. Chuckle, chuckle. Today, 0-and-5, or actually, 0-and-awful. Tomorrow, the Super Bowl.

But give it a year, or two, maybe three, then allow us to gather once again for a replay of Thursday's events. Roll will be called as we are taking names and checking close to see who is doing the beaming and the gloating. We definitely will find out whose train really was robbed.

All we have to go on now, however, is a preliminary investigation. But the basic facts as we know them today strongly suggests all smiles eventually will be wiped off Valley Ranch mugs. Yes, we have a prime suspect in this heist.

The Vikings got Herschel Walker.

The Cowboys got nothing more than a huge handful of Minnesota smoke. And who knows if there'll ever be any fire.

Love that steal for Minnesota. See you in the end zone, Herschel. See you later, Dallas. Much later.

And now that Herschel is gone, where do the Cowboys go from here? Nowhere - not now, not ever, unless they draft extremely well and extremely lucky. Hello, crapshoot.

Seven draft picks - ranging from three firsts to three seconds to one third - are what the Cowboys will count on to put a future tilt on this deal. Those seven choices kick in over the next three years, but exactly when and how was not disclosed.

Strange, all the secrecy surrounding those picks. But Jerry Jones promises seven draftees will be delivered within three years. If so, it's not really bad for the Cowboys, but certainly not good enough. Not when you give up Herschel.

Given the Vikings' talent level, the draft choices figure to be anywhere from the 24th to the 28th pick in any round. Franchise players rarely are found at that level. Ask Gil Brandt and Tom Landry how well they did picking in similar spots. Also ask them why they are no longer employed in the NFL.

No, the key to the Cowboys milking Herschel Walker for everything he's worth did not hinge on the number of draft picks they could stockpile. Half that amount would have been acceptable, particularly with a couple of No. 1s, if they had been able to land that young, impact-type veteran from the Vikings. With at least two other prime prospects included.

Squeeze the Vikings for their best youth. Have a couple of Pro Bowl candidates three or four years from now, courtesy of Herschel.

Check with the Los Angeles Rams on that package they received for Eric Dickerson several years ago. Have the six draft choices (three No. 1s, three No. 2s) pushed the Rams to 5-0 this season? Nope. In fact, a couple of those draftees already are considered semi-busts. But a running back named Greg Bell also came over from the Bills and is outrushing Dickerson.

Did the Cowboys secure a Greg Bell among the five players they received from the Vikings? If so, where is he? That's the disappointing aspect of this deal - no substance among those five players. Plus, the sketchy details of the trade indicate for every one of the five they do keep, the Cowboys have to surrender one of the draft picks. Those stealin', dealin' Vikings didn't miss a trick.

There is one big if, however. Until the 16th game last season, Jesse Solomon was a linebacking nightmare for NFL opposition. He roamed sideline to sideline, creating havoc. Just the kind of speed Jimmy Johnson dreams about at that position. But Jesse blew out a knee, had surgery and hasn't been close to the same this season. If he recovers fully, the Cowboys have an impact player who has age (25) on his side. Solomon is the one guy who could stick around. If . . .

Otherwise, cornerback Issiac Holt is above average, but there's a mindblowing experience awaiting him. Try covering NFL receivers with exactly no pressure on the quarterback. David Howard is fine as a strongside linebacker, but he's as slow as every other Cowboys linebacker. That's not Johnson's type. Forget running back Darrin Nelson. He's 30, and what's he doing in this deal? And defensive end Alex Stewart is such a long-range prospect, he's not worth mentioning.

For Herschel Walker, the Vikings gave up nothing they could afford to lose. It's a textbook example of how the strong fleece the weak in a blockbuster trade. All they had to do was find somebody dumb enough to fall for it.

[Drbio]

aaaahhhh.....you gotta love it still today.....

[Dooby]

I loved Issiac Holt. He just liked to hit people. Remember in Barry's first year, when he picked up the cameraman's unipod in a game and started swinging it around during a fight? That was great.

[Drbio]

Don't remember that....

[Dooby]

Barry said at the press conference that it looked like Holt was using it like a ray-gun. Say what you want about Barry, but those first two years were entertaining, if nothing else.

[Drbio]

Put me down as one who thinks Barry was set up to fall even though he won a superbowl.