2008 Cowboys Off-season Thread - Page 14 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

alby · 04-29-2008, 04:17 PM

Matt Jones will definitely be welcomed by me. Not a legit #2, but definitely has the potential to become one playing alongside TO/Crayton/Witten

In re: to the strength of our defense

When you have Canty, Hatcher, Ratliff, Spears, Tank, Burnett, Carpenter, Ellis, Bradie, Anthony Spencer, Zach, and Ware.. and there's a debate between whether the front 7 or back 4 are better?

That's only a good thing.

wmbwinn · 04-29-2008, 09:39 PM

I hope Da Boys pull it off this coming year. There is no way Jerry Jones can keep this team together very long. We sent 13 players to the Pro Bowl. We are almost at the bottom of the whole league when it comes to available cap space spending money. We lost a lot of players in free agency and we traded some real talent away (Ferguson, Ayodele, Fasano) primarily because we can't afford our team.

Right now, Dallas has many players who are underpaid superstars. My list is likely incomplete but includes:
Marion Barber
Ken Hamlin
Canty

The above three are the ones that are breathing down JJ's neck right now for new contracts. JJ used gimmicks to secure Ken and Marion. Canty is under contract but is in his last year now. Canty wants to get paid.

Other players picked up for cheap because they had problems:
Tank Johnson
Pacman (no real problem here, his contract is really harsh and it says he can't get paid until he turns in 3 years of stellar citizenship).
Zach Thomas
Terrel Owens. Terrel got paid but not what Randy Moss is paid. Terrel was paid but bought at a discount.

Many players are worth more than their current contracts and their contracts are closing out.

Dallas has purchased an offensive line (necessary to succeed). The price was high. Dallas paid a ton to keep their most important free agents this last offseason. They had to pay high to do that. Dallas locked up Romo. Very expensive. Dallas locked up Flozell. Very expensive, very necessary.

Dallas is going to explode. This can't last. Hope they succeed this coming year. Otherwise, you'll see additional losses as JJ decides which players he can most afford to lose...

Are Da Boys going to show loyalty like the Packers or Patriots and sign for less than what they are worth to stay a Cowboy? If not, we're going to see an exploding team.

dirno2000 · 04-30-2008, 12:50 AM

Hamlin and T.O. aren't cheap.

We had to franchise Hamlin so he's making the average of the top 5 safeties in the league.

We were able to leverage T.O.'s situation to reduce his guaranteed money but he's been one of the top paid WR's in the league the past three years. Moss may be making more but that's only because the cap went up a couple of years ago. Virtually every elite (and some non-elite) player who signed last spring or this spring is making more than his piers at the same position.

alby · 04-30-2008, 12:50 AM

Jerry's only mishap was signing Gurode so soon.
everything else, I've approved of.

Dtownsfinest · 04-30-2008, 03:41 AM

How is the cap situation for the Boys? At what point does having all this talent come back to bite us in the ass? Or will it? It hasn't bit the Redskins yet and they sign guys to big contracts every year it seems. I know there's always the option to restructure contracts but I hope this team doesn't ever break up. I love it how it is right now. I'd like to see them get some time together to develop.

alby · 04-30-2008, 03:55 AM

The cap for 2008 is set at 116 million, so no worries there.

With the new stadium opening, Jerry will be banking it--we'll be fine.

---

Much better shape than the majority of the League.

2008 Salary Cap Figures:
Arizona Cardinals - $0 $116,729,000
Atlanta Falcons - ($350,574) $116,378,426
Baltimore Ravens - $2,532,265 $119,261,265
Buffalo Bills - $12,713,009 $129,442,009
Carolina Panthers - $8,926,802 $125,655,802
Chicago Bears - $726,231 $117,455,231
Cincinnati Bengals - $0 $116,729,000
Cleveland Browns - $12,633,503 $129,362,503
Dallas Cowboys - $998,443 $117,727,443
Denver Broncos - $660,000 $117,389,000
Detroit Lions - ($5,348,065) $111,380,935
Green Bay Packers - $9,430,581 $126,159,581
Houston Texans - ($2,207,869) $114,521,131
Indianapolis Colts - $6,501,115 $123,230,115
Jacksonville Jaguars - $11,920,898 $128,649,898
Kansas City Chiefs - $11,658,373 $128,387,373
Miami Dolphins - $3,944,997 $120,673,997
Minnesota Vikings - $18,432,577 $135,161,577
New England Patriots - $2,596,078 $119,325,078
New Orleans Saints - $8,017,003 $124,746,003
New York Giants - ($3,096,512) $113,632,488
New York Jets - $5,052,789 $121,781,789
Oakland Raiders - $4,340,722 $121,069,722
Philadelphia Eagles - $14,087,449 $130,816,449
Pittsburgh Steelers - ($1,910,774) $114,818,226
San Diego Chargers - ($597,647) $116,131,353
San Francisco 49ers - $2,310,787 $119,039,787
Seattle Seahawks - $7,386,108 $124,115,108
St. Louis Rams - $632,320 $117,361,320
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - $13,306,634 $130,035,634
Tennessee Titans - $5,491,147 $122,220,147
Washington Redskins - $1,821,260 $118,550,260

• 2008 unadjusted salary cap is $116,729,000
• Numbers in parentheses are negative cap adjustments

As of today, before all of the rookie contracts are negotiated/signed, there are only 6 teams under the cap anyways.

Underdog · 04-30-2008, 11:10 AM

Serving Up Some Meaty Draft Leftovers

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IRVING, Texas - Now that everyone should be recovered from draft weekend, let's do this. Let's look at the cracks to see what fell through.

You know, some of the stuff pushed to the side while analyzing why the Cowboys took Felix Jones instead of Rashard Mendenhall, and how savvy the Cowboys were to get Felix Jones and Mike Jenkins in the first round or just why the Cowboys traded down, down, down to end up with extra picks next year in the third and fourth rounds.

And after looking back, some of this stuff is not all that insignificant, come to think of it, just that there are only so many hours in a day. So let's get going here, because my scoop is full . . . .

Many of you are asking why the Cowboys didn't use a late-round pick on a developmental quarterback, and other than not having a seventh, here is the answer: "If (Tony) Romo goes down and Brad (Johnson) goes down, do you want a rookie sitting there as a backup?" Cowboys owner Jerry Jones asks. For the answer, go to Carolina. Jake Delhomme goes down in the third game last year. Out for the season. Then David Carr comes in for a few games and is injured, forcing the Panthers to sign Vinny Testaverde off the street. And when he gets hurt, now you have rookie Matt Moore starting the final three games of the season. Not good if you have Super Bowl aspirations, because if you draft a quarterback you're forced to keep three on your 53-man roster, and if the first two get hurt then you're signing someone off his couch. Also, there is this, and you might have missed it, Jerry Jones saying, "There is a big consideration for a veteran," meaning as the third quarterback. So for now Richard Bartel is the third guy, and if you don't find a veteran, chances are you can slip Bartel onto the practice squad again to save a roster spot. Plus, there is no sense grooming a nobody for someone else, as I've said, especially when you have a franchise guy . . . .

Seems like every time I read a story in The Tennessean, the numbers on Pacman, er, Adam Jones, go up. Last time had him arrested six times since drafted with the sixth pick in 2005 and questioned by police another 12 times . . . . Titans head coach Jeff Fisher seemed glad the Adam Jones ordeal is over but was a tad defensive when suggestions were made the Titans didn't do everything they could to straighten out this troubled youngster or that they didn't thoroughly research him before the 2005 draft: "He was interviewed, he was evaluated. As an organization we did everything that we should have done. We disciplined him. We suspended him. We made sure he got appropriate counseling. We did everything that we could. We supported him and gave him a change to be productive on the field. It was he who made the choices that he made, off the field particularly. And as a result of those choices we made the decision . . . to move on." A very polite way of also saying, Cowboys, he's your headache now . . . . And Jerry Jones understands that, and he is not banking on a second chance or a third chance - however your accountant lists this - becoming the needed leverage for this guy to do right. He banking on the last chance. "He has everything on the line, he is smart and certainly he has made mistakes, but has experienced a lot of pain," Jerry Jones said. "He just doesn't have any more collateral left." Jerry, you can say that again . . . .

So why again did the Cowboys trade out of the third round? "You want a player who ultimately can be a starter," Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said, "and we didn't see it." He would also say when it came to wide receivers that the club didn't have a first-round grade on any of the wide receivers, meaning none of the 10 selected in the second round . . . As for the little known sixth-round pick, linebacker Erik Walden, just remember he went from 11½ sacks his junior year at Middle Tennessee State to 2½ this past season for good reason. He played the entire year with a painful turf-toe injury, which means he played through the injury. The Cowboys understand his pass-rush skills, but also think he might be able to play inside, too . . . . Texas Tech wide receiver Danny Amendola seems to be a very popular rookie free-agent pickup with you guys.

Wouldn't you just die if he turned into Wes Welker? . . . And this rookie free agent Daniel Polk, listed as a wide receiver from Midwestern State. He was the quarterback up there at the former Cowboys training camp site, another guy trying to make the conversion to receiver . . . . And did you know Maryland running back Keon Lattimore, coming here as a rookie free agent, is the half brother of Ray Lewis, and evidently having a little too much linebacker speed prevented him from being drafted? . . .

You guys keep asking who is going to take over for former head of scouting Jeff Ireland since he's been gone a good couple of months, leaving to join Bill Parcells in Miami. Well the answer still is assistant director of college scouting Tom Ciskowski. Said Jerry Jones after the draft about Tom, who already has taken over many of Ireland's duties, "I really do give him a good grade" for his work during the draft, and would go on to say, "We're lucky to have him." So how about a logical promotion then Jerry so you can keep him? "It's coming," he said . . . . Jerry Jones, and even Wade Phillips, seem to be taking exception to people calling Felix Jones a part-time back, seemingly all ready to invoke the Eric Metcalf label on him as some sort of specialty back. "He's not a scat-back," Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said, and Jerry Jones would remind you Felix is 5-10, 207. Not built totally the same, but recall Emmitt Smith came into the league at 5-9, 199 . . . . Maybe things will be different with Adam Jones, but it seems guys who were headaches elsewhere, no matter how much they might turn themselves around, still can produce another migraine or two. See Terrell Owens, figuring he had washed his hands of the Eagles. Not so much. The Eagles are suing him now for $770,000 in bonus money they insist he never repaid after his 2005 suspension . . . .

The Cowboys were all ears over the weekend on a deal for a veteran wide receiver, you know, the Roy Williams and Chad Johnson stuff. Even Anquan Boldin. But nothing ever materialized, or at least, nothing serious from the Cowboys' point of view. So no matter what you might have heard or hear, says Stephen Jones when asked about if he saw any serious chances to deal for one of those veteran types, "Did not see a serious one. Might have been serious in their minds, but B.S. in mine." . . . And as long as we're on the subject of B.S., when asked about working on potential long-term deals for Terence Newman, Ken Hamlin and Marion Barber, Stephen said the club certainly would like to get those done when the timing is right, but that "It takes two to tango. But when they're way up here," holding an open hand above his head, "we can't tango", if you know what he means . . . . Oh, and about finding a receiver to pair opposite of Owens, be it in next year's draft or free agency or whenever, Phillips quipped, "We are working on cloning." Hey coach, might be easier . . . .

And speaking of Chad Johnson, who is saying trade me or I'll sit, see what happens when one guy gets that bright idea? Now Cincinnati's starting offensive tackle Levi Brown, the former first-round pick, wants out, evidently not on board with the coaching going on out there and figuring if it's right for the goose then it's right for the gander, too, and might as well throw his hat in the ring. The Bengals must draw a deep line in the sand or next T.J. Houshmandzadeh will be next in line and then . . . . And evidently the Bengals are serious about not giving in, since they selected wide receiver Jerome Simpson out of Coastal Carolina in the second round and receiver Andre Caldwell out of Florida in the third, knowing they already had cut Chris Henry and are calling out Johnson on his threat . . . . And while we're looking around the league, I'd say Atlanta has permanently washed its hands of the imprisoned Michael Vick after using the draft's third pick on quarterback Matt Ryan.

Think about the issues brought up before the draft that were dead wrong. Remember what I tell you about being the first to throw mashed potatoes against the wall hoping something sticks? The Cowboys were going to trade up with Miami for the first pick in the draft so they could select Darren McFadden. Not. The Cowboys were going to trade up with Oakland to the fourth pick so they could select McFadden. Not even a call. The Cowboys were going to draft munchkin wide receiver DeSean Jackson in the first round. Not, and by the way, the evidently moody Jackson didn't go until Philadelphia grabbed him with the 49th pick (second round, more where you would draft a 169-pound guy.) Saw a mock draft having the Cowboys select quarterback Andre Woodson in the fourth round. They selected none, and the Kentucky quarterback didn't go until the sixth to the Giants. The Giants were going to trade Jeremy Shockey to New Orleans. Not. The Cowboys were going to trade Bobby Carpenter. The Cowboys were going to trade Marcus Spears. Not . . . not. Sure glad none of that emanated from around here. About the only one anyone out there got right was the Cowboys trading for Pacman Jones, and as it turns out, that came very close to being a not, too . . . .

And how about all the stories you read about how the significantly shorter time on the clock was going to cut down teams' ability to make draft-day trades? Ha. An NFL record 34 draft-day trades were made, six more than the previous high set in 2004. Guess the Cowboys were the difference, having made six draft trades on Saturday and Sunday, and were just a few hours from having made seven since the deal to sent Anthony Fasano and Akin Ayodele to Miami for a fourth was made on Friday. By the way, Ayodele was an afterthought in the deal, Jerry Jones having said, "The deal with Akin was literally the last three minutes of the conversation." . . .

Whew, that was a bunch of scoops? Those cracks must have been bigger than I thought.

Underdog · 04-30-2008, 11:11 AM

Filling The Tank
Running On Empty, Cowboys Address Tailback Needs
by Nick Eatman

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IRVING, Texas - The theme of this year's draft was the additions of backs - both runners and corners.

While the Cowboys added two each in the draft, the pressure to deliver quality players seemed more intense at running back.

On defense, the Cowboys already had Terence Newman and Anthony Henry, not to mention the now-official trade for Pacman Jones.

But while the Cowboys looked to be stockpiling at corner, it was a much different story at running back, where Marion Barber was the only experienced player on the roster, thanks to the off-season departure of Julius Jones, who signed a free-agent contract with Seattle.

So as the draft approached, the need to acquire not only one, but two running backs through the draft turned into a must.

Enter Felix Jones and Tashard Choice.

Just like that, the Cowboys went from a position of need to a possible strength. The Cowboys picked up two of the better backs in this draft - one described as a home-run hitter and another who is more in the mold of Barber.

And to think both of them will simply complement Barber, a 975-yard rusher last year from basically the No. 2 spot who still managed to earn a Pro Bowl selection. The Cowboys won't be asking Felix Jones and Choice to be anything more than role players, at least this year.

"We got better at running back, there's no doubt about that," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "And that's no slight at all on Julius Jones. But what we can do with Felix, what he adds to our offense and the ability he has to make the big play, that's going to really improve what we can do on offense. With (Felix) and Barber playing back there, we think we've added a lot to the running game right there. And with Choice, now we're getting back some of our depth. I'm really happy with what we did with our backs."

But despite all of the talent, it's still a rather unproven group.

When the Cowboys enter training camp in late July, they'll likely have only three career starts among their running backs.

As much potential as Barber has shown, and the Cowboys certainly proved this weekend that he is their running back of the future when they decided to draft Felix Jones as only a complement, he still has just two regular season starts in 2005, and one in the playoffs last season.

Barber will get his chance to be the No. 1 back, but how he'll handle the role is still somewhat of a mystery.

Obviously, Felix Jones and Choice have never taken an NFL snap. Alonzo Coleman spent all of last year on the Cowboys' practice squad and has never played in a game. The Cowboys are expected to sign Maryland rookie Keon Lattimore as another undrafted free agent this week.

Loads of talent, but definitely short on experience.

In recent years, Jerry Jones has prided himself on the fact his teams have entered the draft without having any glaring needs. That had become possible because of aggressive and active free agency in the month or so leading up to the draft, which allowed the Cowboys to play the "best-available" card and draft right off their board instead of reaching for needs.

This year was different.

The Cowboys not only spent the majority of free agency re-signing their own players such as Flozell Adams, and putting one-year tenders on Ken Hamlin (franchise tag) and then Marion Barber and Chris Canty, who both received high-priced restricted free agent tenders.

Couple that with the fact the Cowboys just didn't have the cash flow to become aggressive players in the free agent market, and they entered the draft in an unfamiliar spot of having needs.

Still, the Cowboys didn't sacrifice an overall need in exchange for adding a specific fit. That was proven in the first round, when they were somewhat surprised to see Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall still on the board at No. 22, along with Felix Jones.

Now the Cowboys thought there would be a tough decision to make at that pick, but they figured it would be between Felix Jones and Oregon's Jonathan Stewart, whose stock had been hard to read because of his toe surgery after the combine.

In fact, multiple sources in the Cowboys' War Room said the club would've drafted Stewart over Felix Jones had he been available, but it became irrelevant once Stewart was drafted 12th overall by the Panthers.

Stewart, a compact back with home-run speed, combined with the ability and history of carrying the load as the No. 1 back, appeared to be the team's No. 2 overall back on the board behind Arkansas' Darren McFadden.

But with Stewart gone, it came down to Felix Jones and Mendenhall. The Cowboys might have even had Mendenhall rated higher as an overall back, but a few other factors ultimately pushed the tide to Jones' favor.

The speculation was that when the Cowboys inquired about Mendenhall's first two years at Illinois, when he was the backup running back and had just 858 yards in two years, they learned he wasn't the most dedicated player in the weight room. When he wasn't the starting back, apparently Mendenhall didn't get rave reviews about being a team player.

Obviously that was a concern, considering any back drafted by the Cowboys would have to take a backseat to Barber.

And with Felix Jones, that hasn't been an issue. He never started a game for Arkansas, but welcomed his role as the second back behind McFadden.

Jerry Jones didn't specifically say Mendenhall got a bad review from his college coach, but used an example, in contrast to the many positive things that were said about Felix Jones.

"It's real hard for a coach to knock a player. It's hard, and it should be," Jerry Jones said. "So when you do see a player get knocked, that ought to really get your attention. But by the same token, when you hear about the same quality over and over about (another) guy and you hear so many great things about one player, then that should be pointed out, too.

"It's the Michael Irvin work ethic; it's what you're talking about."

The Cowboys can only hope Felix Jones turns into that type of playmaker as well.

If there was some War Room debate over which back should've been drafted between Felix Jones and Mendenhall, some of that quieted down on Sunday when the Cowboys were able to draft Choice.

Obviously there are reasons he lasted until the fourth round - just like there were reasons Barber went in the fourth round too, back in 2005.

But Choice should be the third back on the depth chart, just like Barber's rookie season when he started off as the third back behind Julius Jones and veteran Anthony Thomas, who was eventually released before mid-season.

"When we saw him, we certainly felt he was able to do everything in the draft, he was able to do everything," Jerry Jones said of Choice. "He got priced right for us. You have to have three running backs. He has outstanding production and a back that we think can come in here and complement what you have when you need three backs. That's somebody that can play special teams, as well as be able to be a part of the roster on game day. We think he can step in there and do just about anything you want him to do at running back."

And because of the Cowboys' numbers at this position, Choice will be asked to do a lot right away. The same goes for Felix Jones, who should be able to contribute at both running back and as a kick returner, where he twice earned All-American honors in his three college seasons.

"We knew it was a position we had to add," Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said. "We only had Barber, so we had to get better there. We think we've done that. Both of our guys - Felix and Choice - have a chance to help us."

Just a week ago, help was exactly what this team needed at running back.

ty · 04-30-2008, 12:36 PM

Cowboys are so stacked. 19-0 this season!

dirno2000 · 04-30-2008, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alby

Jerry's only mishap was signing Gurode so soon.
everything else, I've approved of.

Why do you think he signed Gurode too soon? He had a good year and if he hit the market he'd be making more than he's making now.

alby · 04-30-2008, 02:49 PM

Cory Proctor played extremely well when Gurode went down.
a 10 million dollar SB to Gurode is a bit much IMO, especially after locking up Leonard and Flozell to such monster contracts already on our OL.
However, it's good to have stability up front and we had the room to work with last year.

Underdog · 05-02-2008, 12:32 PM

World Of Difference Around The Corner

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IRVING, Texas - This was my intention coming in this morning, that is before more news surfaced on the supposed "reformed" Adam Jones, taking us back to his Pacman days littered with an array of always something.

See, I was first going to crack this joke about Dave Campo, the Cowboys' redux secondary coach, who quipped over the weekend when the Adam Jones deal finally went down, "Well, I've got a new roommate."

Funny guy that Dave, but caring enough about being an NFL coach and for troubled young men that he did mean what he said figuratively since his wife and youngest son will reside in Florida until the school year has been completed. We know Camps will take one for the team. Heck, he already did during his three-year stint as head coach.

Plus Campo knows his personal involvement in the troubled 24-year-old's life would be a good investment. He saw first hand the type of talent Adam Jones has, and when I was chit-chatting with him, saying something like I guess you would have seen him play, Campo looked at me as if I had just fallen off the ice wagon, saying, "Seen him play?!"

He told me to go look up the game Tennessee beat Jacksonville, 24-17, in 2006, when he was the defensive assistant with the Jaguars. He knew the facts by heart, the Titans beating despite the Jaguars holding them to all of 98 yards offense. Seems as though Adam Jones returned an interception 83 yards for a touchdown and a kickoff 70 yards (plus 15 more for a Jax facemask penalty) to set up the Titans' game-tying field goal after trailing 10-7 at halftime.

Guess that would make an impression on you.

Then I was going to point out how the Cowboys' current cornerback position must seem like some secondary Shangri-La for Campo compared to last time he was here. Why, when he was the head coach for the Cowboys (2000-02), here is the list of his starting cornerbacks those three years: Phillippi (I am the dad of Jordin) Sparks at age 31, rookie Kareem Larrimore, Ryan McNeil, Mario Edwards, Duane Hawthorne, Izell (I was a safety) Reese and Derek (I served like 22 months in jail eventually) Ross. There ain't a one of those guys still playing in the league, and McNeil was the only real player of the bunch at that time.

Good grief, and you wonder why this team won no more than five games each of those three years without even mentioning the overriding quarterback problems? And those were just the starters. The primary backups, why we're talking Charlie Williams, Duane Goodrich, Pat Dennis, Jason Bell, Pete Hunter and Jermaine Jones, the latter two now playing for the Dallas Desperados in the AFL.

So when Campo went to bed Sunday night following the 2008 NFL Draft he must have thought he comparatively had found some secondary heaven on earth. Why, he would have Pro Bowler Terence Newman on one corner and veteran Anthony Henry, who led the team with six picks last year and a starter Campo had in Cleveland the two years he was there (2003-04), on the other.

The Cowboys already had interesting prospect Alan Ball, last year's seventh-round draft choice, along with Evan Oglesby, a two-year player, and this Quincy Butler who has put two seasons in on the practice squad.

Then the Cowboys bring in Mike Jenkins, the 25th pick in this year's NFL Draft, along with this fifth-rounder Orlando Scandrick, a guy Campo got some good reports on from contacts he made during his days as a Boise State assistant way back when - not to mention evidently recently-hired SMU head coach June Jones, the former Hawaii head coach, telling the Cowboys staff Scandrick was the best corner Hawaii had faced all last season.

Pretty impressive on its own.

And then add Adam Jones to that . . . get outta here.

Mmmmm, unfortunately as I have repeatedly warned, maybe just tap the breaks on any Adam Jones giddiness. Just because the Cowboys finally completed the trade for Jones with Tennessee on Sunday and just because the Cowboys signed him to a no-guarantee, three-year deal with an option for a fourth loaded with roster bonuses, workout bonuses (i.e. good-behavior bonuses) and incentives doesn't mean he will ever step foot in Texas Stadium. You just never know if you're ever going to take the Pacman out of Adam.

Remember, he still is under NFL suspension, and the report coming out Wednesday night from WTVF, NewsChannel5 in Nashville, Tenn., further explains why it was so important for the Cowboys to not only insure the fourth-round pick given the Titans for the at-times knucklehead and to not only make sure they did not promise him any money he didn't actually work for, but for the Cowboys to back up their gamble by selecting a first-round quality corner in this past weekend's draft.

Now you never know in this kind of stuff who's telling the truth, if anyone, since we're dealing with a guy already in prison and facing three counts of attempted murder, along with a six-time arrested cornerback serving his second NFL suspension and truly on his absolute last leg to play in the NFL.

And either way, no matter this Pacman incident occurred in 2007 when he was with the Titans, you know, the one he was connected with in the Las Vegas strip club shooting melee during the NBA All-Star weekend and why he's basically still under NFL suspension and at the mercy of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, he's now identified as a Cowboys player.

In other words, their headache now.

So as the story is going, no matter how shaky it might turn out to be, the Nashville TV station, spurred on by obtained legal documents, did a phone interview from a Washington jail with one Avril Kenti Edwards, who now is claiming Jones, who picked him out of a police lineup last week, is doing nothing but framing him with all this extortion talk in order to clear himself.

Hey, like I said, while Pacman is fighting for potential millions down the road, this guy is fighting for his freedom. Both are desperate. Just like the Plano, Texas, steroid designer who is going down on federal charges and is trying to take down everyone else who ever came in contact with him, including former Cowboys offensive linemen Matt Lehr. Who the hell knows?

Edwards is saying he didn't do the shooting, that he didn't extort $15,000 from Pacman and that the shooter outside the Minxx club that left a bouncer paralyzed below the waist and two others injured is part of Pacman's crowd from Atlanta.

Here are the two most disturbing quotes from Edwards:

* "I definitely didn't receive no $15,000. I definitely didn't extort nobody out of no money."

* "He knows they (shooter's) name. He knows they street name. He needs to tell on them instead of trying to put this on me when he knows I didn't do this and he know I never met him before and he know he don't know me and I don't know him."

When asked how in the world then Pacman picked him out of a police lineup, Edwards said it wasn't hard since he has distinctive tattoos and an amputated arm. Pretty shady stuff, and regardless to who is telling the truth, there does not seem to be any end in sight to this kind of stuff involving Pacman.

Like I said, this guy could be lying his pants off, but it was curious to me Goodell seemed quite uniformed by all this extortion business and that he said he planned to talk with "Adam" soon when we spoke to him during Sunday's final day of the draft. He said none of this extortion stuff came up in their discussions and seemed a tad perturbed Pacman had not revealed this part of the story to him. And Goodell can't be pleased when he hears about the payment was made for "services rendered." Oh boy, someone is lying.

Who knows if Adam Jones ever plays for the Cowboys. Remember, to do so, even if this is some tall tale from a man already in jail and facing three counts of attempted murder, Adam Jones will have to string together like six consecutive months of good behavior for Goodell to set him free before camp begins in July. A layup for most, but a long time for a guy who has been arrested six times since he was drafted with the sixth pick in 2005 and spoken to by police about another dozen incidents, depending on whose count you trust.

So again, Adam Jones would be a bonus to the Cowboys. And it's a darn good thing Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones, taking a chance on this obviously talented corner and kick returner, understand that better han most. See the trade, loaded with future considerations. See the contract, void of any guaranteed money. See the draft, capturing a Jenkins, one of the top two cornerbacks on the Cowboys' draft board, along with a Scandrick, considered by many at least a third-rounder.

The Cowboys totally minimized the risk, because again, you never know if you have traded for Adam Jones or Pacman Jones.

That's good, and good for Campo, too, a veteran of secondary headaches, although maybe the NFL gods evening things out with him there at one point after entering the league to eventually having the likes of Ike Holt, Larry Brown, Kevin Smith, Deion Sanders and Kevin Mathis all those glory years as the secondary coach and then defensive coordinator for the Cowboys.

Well, who knows, maybe his good corner fortunes have returned when you look at what he has just inherited. In fact, they might be so good, they will remain so even if he never meets his new "roommate."

Underdog · 05-02-2008, 12:56 PM

Cowboys Strengthen Return Game With Picks, Pacman

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IRVING, Texas - On the surface, the Cowboys restocked their depth at two positions - running back and cornerback - with four combined draft picks and the now-official trade for Adam "Pacman" Jones.

Felix Jones packs some of the "wow" team owner Jerry Jones sought for his offense. Tashard Choice packs a Marion Barber-like punch with his bruising run style. Mike Jenkins is a top-three cornerback prospect who slipped into the mid-20s and Orlando Scandrick earned a higher draft grade from the Cowboys than his fifth-round status. Pacman Jones might push their corner corps into the league's elite - if he's reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Those two spots appear to have significantly improved over the weekend. But besides Choice, the aforementioned newcomers also are capable of elevating a less-publicized Cowboys need for a dynamic return specialist.

For the third time since 2004, the Cowboys finished a full season without returning a single kickoff or punt for a touchdown. They have eight this decade, counting Miles Austin's 93-yarder in the 2006 playoffs that marked the first postseason touchdown return in team history and the first kickoff return for a score since Randal Williams' three-second, 37-yard onside return against the Eagles in 2003. Terence Newman provided the Cowboys' last punt return for a touchdown on Dec. 31, 2006, breaking a five-year drought since Reggie Swinton's 65-yarder in 2001.

Those are long, intermittent spurts without a consistent six-point threat in the return game. Former head coach Bill Parcells always was reluctant to use Newman on punts consistently, and foot/knee injuries prevented his availability last year. Patrick Crayton has been reliable handling punts but had never returned one longer than 25 yards before his 49-yarder last year.

Running back Tyson Thompson, who was not offered a restricted tender this off-season, handled kickoff returns for parts of two seasons but tailed off last year and eventually lost his job to Austin, who has posted a solid 25.8-yard average on 53 returns since '06. That year the Cowboys spent a fourth-round pick on wide receiver Skyler Green to inject some juice on returns, but the undersized Green (5-9, 190) didn't produce in preseason and bounced between the practice squad and active roster before the Cowboys waived him for good that December.

That pick didn't pan out, but the Cowboys could try out as many as three of their '08 draft picks - Felix Jones, Jenkins and Scandrick, who had only five combined returns at Boise State but averaged 46.5 yards on 22 chances in high school.

"Anybody that can contribute certainly in those areas I think it shows more their football talent, that they've got that kind of talent to be able to return," Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said. "Because at corner if he can return interceptions it's important, not just being the kickoff returner or even a punt return guy, but I think they can make a big play."

Jones is the most likely candidate to challenge Austin or perhaps second-year receiver Isaiah Stanback, who gained an impressive 78 yards on three kickoff returns against Philadelphia but never got another opportunity after injuring his shoulder in the same game.

Jones, the 22nd overall pick and projected running back complement for Barber, also finished ninth in NCAA history with a 28.2-yard average on 62 career kickoff returns and four touchdowns. Jenkins, the Cowboys' other first-round pick, averaged 26.7 yards on nine career kickoff returns at South Florida, including a 100-yard touchdown against Cincinnati last season.

"I played running back in high school, so I tried to play both ways in college but my coach wouldn't let me and told me to focus on cornerback," Jenkins said. "I definitely like returning the ball and having the ball in my hands. Every time I have a ball in my hands I do good things with it."

And if his indefinite suspension for repeated violations of the league's personal conduct policy is lifted, Pacman Jones has proven capable of threatening NFL coverage units. The 24-year-old has averaged 11.2 yards on 63 punt returns with four scores - matching the Cowboys' touchdown total since 2000.

"All these guys have a chance of making a big play, and that's what I was talking to Jerry about," Phillips said. "I think the big-play capability jumps up for us with these guys."

Dirkenstien · 05-05-2008, 01:57 PM

Jones' "makeup" perfect fit for Cowboys
By Matt Mosley
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: May 5, 2008
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IRVING, Texas -- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he "didn't blink" when it came time to choose between running backs Felix Jones and Rashard Mendenhall during last month's draft. But I'm told a few of his employees are still blinking.

[+] EnlargeAP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

Felix Jones' first minicamp left Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones satisfied with his investment.
Just as former second-round pick Julius Jones was compared to Steven Jackson, the player the Cowboys passed up in 2004, Felix Jones and Mendenhall will be under constant surveillance by veteran second-guessers throughout their careers.

But after watching Jones participate in his first minicamp over the weekend, the Cowboys owner certainly didn't sound like a man afflicted by buyer's remorse -- or any sense of perspective. Jerry spent a lot of time discussing Jones' "makeup" before launching into an awkward description of the former Arkansas running back's posterior.

"He's got one of those nice bubble butts," said the owner, who was attempting to point out that Jones (5-10, 207) shouldn't be considered a scatback.

Jones, who played at the same Tulsa high school (Booker T. Washington) as current NFL players R.W. McQuarters, Mark Anderson and Robert Meachem, seemed slightly amused by all the attention he received during the minicamp. On Saturday morning, Emmitt Smith stopped by Valley Ranch to visit with the rookie running back on his way to play golf. He ended up providing pointers on how to separate from linebackers during pass routes.

"I think Mendenhall is a very good back," Smith said. "I just think Felix has a lot more hip movement, and he reads and cuts in a fluid manner."

Jones, who idolized Smith and Barry Sanders while growing up in Oklahoma, was still smiling about the encounter a couple of hours later.

"Man, it was amazing seeing somebody of his stature coming around," he said. "And then coming around to give me some advice -- I appreciated that."

Later that afternoon, Jones spotted another familiar face on the sideline, former Sooners and Cowboys head coach Barry Switzer, who knows a thing or two about running backs. The two met at a banquet in Tulsa a couple of years ago, and Switzer had told him he was going to be a superstar someday.

When Jones jogged over to pay homage to Switzer, the legendary coach said, "I told you you were going be a superstar."

As he left Valley Ranch with a traveling party that included former Sooners and Browns running back Greg Pruitt, Switzer provided a brief but entertaining scouting report that he punctuated with a couple of timely expletives.

"He's a jump-around guy," Switzer said. "I've always liked Pop Warner guys. He's like Pruitt. He can slash, and those guys are hard to get ahold of. I never did like the big back."

Jones may have been surprised by all the attention because he's so used to sharing the spotlight. The last time he had the backfield all to himself was his senior season in high school, when he rushed for 2,282 yards and 48 touchdowns. An ankle injury his junior season caused him to fly under the recruiting radar a bit.

Arkansas and Texas A&M were first on the scene, but Oklahoma State made a strong push at the end. The advantage former Razorbacks coach Houston Nutt had was that he used to play AAU basketball with Jones' uncle, Steve Jones, who had played at Oklahoma State.

Felix Jones joined Little Rock native Darren McFadden in what would become one of the most prolific tandems in SEC history. Jones made an immediate impact on special teams, averaging 31.9 yards per kickoff return and scoring a touchdown. In his sophomore season, Jones ran for 1,168 yards and led the nation in yards per carry (7.6) for backs who had at least 100 carries.

He might have broken every rushing record in school history if it hadn't been for McFadden, who went fourth overall to Oakland in the draft. Coaches still marvel at how much the two players embraced the two-back system. When McFadden scored a long touchdown, Jones often would sprint from the sideline in order to be the first one to greet him in the end zone. From their first position meeting in 2005, the two were inseparable.

"It was so unusual," said Nutt on Sunday. "It's a balancing act with a lot of these kids. They want to know, 'Where are my touches?' It's funny. Felix actually started receiving honors before Darren, but they were both so unselfish."

That quality played a large role in Jones' decision to draft the Arkansas back, who will share carries with the punishing Marion Barber in Dallas. Jones has made constant references to the rookie's makeup since the draft. Contrary to what a lot of people think, the former Razorback never has gone out of his way to draft or sign Arkansas players. But with Jones, he admitted to having inside information.

Jones said he spent a lot of time talking to legendary Arkansas coach Frank Broyles as he prepared to retire as the school's athletic director. Broyles vouched for his running back's character and is primarily responsible for the Cowboys owner's falling in love with the word "makeup."

Nutt, now the head coach at Ole Miss, confirmed a story that I'd heard from several people with ties to the Arkansas program. When Jones received Pell Grant money, he would take out a small amount and send the rest home to his family.

"They made a lot of sacrifices for me," he said Sunday. "So it just seemed like the natural thing to do."

Nutt also tells the story about how obsessive Jones was about attending summer workouts. When he had to miss a day to drive back to Tulsa, he would call the strength and conditioning coach in advance, then come in on an off day to make up for his absence.

"I don't think Felix ever had a bad day in the three years he was on campus," Nutt said. "It was just uncanny how consistent he was."

At one point last season, Jones showed up in Nutt's office seeking advice about whether he should forgo his senior season and declare himself eligible for the draft. Nutt told Jones to wait until after the LSU game in November. When Arkansas rushed for 385 yards in a thrilling 50-48 triple overtime victory over the eventual national champions, the coach knew it was time to talk to his star running backs. He met McFadden and Jones at Colton's Steakhouse and Grill in Fayetteville.

"I was getting too much information from my friends in the scouting business, so I told both of them that they would probably go in the first round," said Nutt. "I did tell Felix that he could come back and have a chance to win the Heisman, but I wanted him to know about his options."

McFadden and Jones soon will live more than 1,000 miles apart, but they're still inseparable. On Friday evening, McFadden called to get a full report on Jones' first minicamp. Oakland's minicamp begins Friday.

"I just told him it's different than what we had to go through [at Arkansas]," Jones said. "It's longer hours, it's a lot more meetings. He kind of knew what was going to happen, but when we talked, I gave him something he could prepare for."

The good thing is that Jerry Jones and head coach Wade Phillips aren't trying to put too much pressure on Felix. Well, except for the Thurman Thomas comparisons.

"When I saw him on tape, he runs a lot like Thurman Thomas did," said Phillips. "His feet are close to the ground so he can cut quickly. And he sees people. He has great vision in my opinion. He sees the safety over here if he's coming. I think he's special in that area."

So other than Emmitt Smith, Barry Switzer and Greg Pruitt dropping by to see him, it was just a typical weekend for Felix Jones. He may have finally found a place where he can't fly under the radar.

Matt Mosley covers the NFL for ESPN.com

ty · 05-05-2008, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirkenstien

"When I saw him on tape, he runs a lot like Thurman Thomas did," said Phillips. "His feet are close to the ground so he can cut quickly. And he sees people. He has great vision in my opinion. He sees the safety over here if he's coming. I think he's special in that area."

That's saying great things about Felix by comparing him to TT.

...but it must suck to be an amazing running back that could never beat the Cowboys.

ocelot_ark · 05-05-2008, 04:24 PM

Man, so happy for Felix that he's finally getting his due. I just hope it works out. I have my doubts, but as long as Barber is here Felix should be great.

ty · 05-05-2008, 04:46 PM

Felix Jones Highlight Reel

Who knows if this has been posted, but it should be posted again regardless.

I watched this last night. That kid can really turn on the burners. His lateral movement is sick.

I'm watching it again when I get home.

dirno2000 · 05-05-2008, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ocelot_ark

Man, so happy for Felix that he's finally getting his due. I just hope it works out. I have my doubts, but as long as Barber is here Felix should be great.

Would you have taken him over Mendenhall?

alby · 05-05-2008, 07:10 PM

Mendenhall got robbed at gunpoint today. I'm not making any assumptions, but if Felix turns out to be the better kid off the field--then it turns out to be a great great pick.

alby · 05-05-2008, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ty

Felix Jones Highlight Reel

Who knows if this has been posted, but it should be posted again regardless.

I watched this last night. That kid can really turn on the burners. His lateral movement is sick.

I'm watching it again when I get home.

his speed is going to be a HUGE asset for screen plays

Underdog · 05-06-2008, 09:06 AM

Anything Julius Jones can do, Felix Jones can do better...

That's really all we needed anyway - a little tweak in our running game (plus the added bonus of a return guy!)

Felix is as fast as Marion is strong - they're going to be tough to stop in tandem...

Dirkenstien · 05-06-2008, 09:56 AM

That's true he does have great speed and tremendous acceleration but what I love most about how he runs is his tremendous understanding of angles and how he applies that knowledge on the field with his rediculous shiftiness. It's as if he doesn't even have to think about because it's just second nature to him.

Also, just watch his feet. They never stop moving even during full fledged jukes. I have a feeling he is going to make a lot of linerbackers look silly.

Underdog · 05-06-2008, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirkenstien

That's true he does have great speed and tremendous acceleration but what I love most about how he runs is his tremendous understanding of angles and how he applies that knowledge on the field with his rediculous shiftiness. It's as if he doesn't even have to think about because it's just second nature to him.

Also, just watch his feet. They never stop moving even during full fledged jukes. I have a feeling he is going to make a lot of linerbackers look silly.

That's one thing that drove me nuts about Julius - he was awful with his angles... I absolutely hated seeing our offensive line cut through a defensive line, only for JJ to run into the back of a lineman because he cut too close behind them trying to hit the hole (and that's just a basic example...)

DirkFTW · 05-06-2008, 10:40 AM

I once saw David Carr (when he was on the Texans) get sacked because he ran into one of his own guys who was blocking someone out in space. The opposing player who was blocked, reached out and grabbed Carr, pulling him down. I laughed so hard, thinking Carr was so stupid for running into them when all he had to do was go around.

Then I saw Julius Jones do it and get tackled for a loss.

Underdog · 05-06-2008, 11:13 AM

Phillips Wonders What's The Big Fuss At Receiver

link

IRVING, Texas - The Cowboys didn't trade for a veteran wide receiver . . . yet.

None of the Cowboys' six selections from last weekend's NFL Draft is a wide receiver.

And the Cowboys aren't 100-percent sure if veteran receiver Terry Glenn will be physically able to play this year.

All meaning at this point they basically have the same receiving corps they had during last year's 13-3 season, with the possible addition of Isaiah Stanback, and who knows if any rookie free agent, such as Danny Amendola, can help.

But contrary to popular belief, Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips says, what the heck is the big deal?

Hey, Phillips reads. He listens. He knows there is a faction out there convinced the Cowboys missed the boat in this draft by failing to select a wide receiver, even if no wide receiver went in the first round for the first time since 1990 and all 10 who went in the second round were gone before the Cowboys used the 61st pick on tight end Martellus Bennett.

So when Phillips was asked out here on Saturday as the Cowboys were going through the second day of their three-day mini-camp for rookies and selected first-year veterans if he really feels good about his wide receiver corps, the Cowboys head coach sounded somewhat incredulous by the inquisition.

"I do feel good about it," Phillips said of his group of wide receivers. "I felt good last year."

Here is why, since Phillips realizes last year he did not have the veteran Glenn, the guy most likely to stretch the field and discourage double coverage of Owens, and understands one game, a very important game at that - the playoff loss to the New York Giants when Owens was far less than 100 percent - is clouding opinions of the team's ability to throw the football:

* The Cowboys tied a club single-season record with 13 victories.
* The Cowboys set their single-season record with 4,105 passing yards, breaking the former record (3,861) set in 1985.
* The Cowboys set their single-season record with 36 passing touchdowns, breaking the former record of 31 set in 1962 and 1983.
* Quarterback Tony Romo set the club single-season club record with 36 passing touchdowns.
* Romo set the club single-season record for passing yards (4,211), becoming the first Cowboys quarterback among a stellar group including two Pro Football Hall of Famers to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a single season.
* Romo finished the season the NFC's top-rated quarterback (97.4).
* Owens set the club's single-season record with 15 touchdown receptions, a record which has stood since 1962, and led the NFC in touchdown receptions.
* Tight end Jason Witten set the club single-season record for receptions (96) and receiving yards (1,145) for a tight end.
* The Cowboys finished with the fourth-best passing offense in the NFL.
* The Cowboys finished second in the NFL in average yards gained per play.
* And finally, the Cowboys' 455 points scored last year were the second-most in club history, second only to the 479 scored in 1983, and second to only 589 scored by New England in 2007.

"We did not lose any receiver off this football team," Phillips said. "The only one we lost was Terry Glenn, who didn't play last year.

"So to say, boy we have to have receivers, I'm not sure that's the case. I think everybody got like, boy we're disappointed we didn't get a receiver. Well, we had a lot of yards passing to somebody and it wasn't just Terrell."

Owens is scheduled to return this season for the last of the three years on his contract. The Cowboys re-signed Patrick Crayton, who finished with 50 receptions and seven touchdown receptions while starting as many as 13 games for the first time in his career. Sam Hurd played a significant role in 2007 for the first time in his two-year NFL career, catching 19 passes. And Austin, another guy to initially make this roster as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2006, caught five passes in his second NFL season, showing more potential than production in his first opportunity.

Their expected improvement and experience likely would surpass anything a rookie receiver could provide, and it's unlikely any of those 35 receivers selected in this draft will catch more than the 50 passes Crayton caught last year.

But there is another point some forget. Witten caught 96 passes, and as Phillips said, "Part of our great receiver on the other side of Terrell is Jason Witten. He's the other guy that caught 96 passes."

Then there is Stanback, the former college quarterback making the transition to wide receiver in the NFL who missed all of his rookie off-season and training camp recovering from Lis Franc foot surgery. Says receivers coach Ray Sherman, "He's really doing a great job. I like the way he's running routes . . . he's a guy who will contend."

Phillips goes a step further: "And then we saw Stanback every play, er the defense saw him in practice, and we couldn't stop him and we stopped some pretty good receivers. So that means we have some talent."

And while the probability of still trading for a veteran receiver before the start of the season is remote at this time, the Cowboys are not giving up on the possibility of Glenn returning for this season. The going-on 34-year-old wide receiver is working out diligently this off-season, partly on his own and partly at The Ranch. He apparently is running well and improving.

But the big test will be training camp when it's time to begin making football moves, and in pads. The Cowboys will do all they can do to get him through training camp, regulating his repetitions so as to not aggravate his knee condition caused by the degeneration of cartilage. While he had two arthroscopic knee surgeries last year, the second removing needed articular cartilage behind the kneecap, the missing cushion leaving a bone on bone condition could prevent him from continuing his career.

Those familiar with his knee condition say he probably has a 50-50 chance of playing this season. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is encouraged by what Glenn has been able to do during the off-season strength and conditioning program.

Phillips said of Glenn being able to play this season, "I don't have a feel on it, I really don't. He comes in and works out, and he lifts however many 1,000 pounds with it, and cleans and jerks with his legs, and you hope he's going to be all right. Says he's feeling all right."

A physically rejuvenated Glenn will add the necessary speed the Cowboys' offense obviously missed in the 21-17 playoff loss to a Giants team they had beaten twice during the regular season by 10 and 11 points.

But if not, that speed might come from first-round draft choice Felix Jones, not necessarily as a wide receiver, but the rookie running back's versatility will make defenses think twice about doubling Owens when he's on the field, along with crowding the line of scrimmage to stop Marion Barber if he's on the field at the same time.

"Just another weapon for us," offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said, obviously intrigued by the possibilities to threaten defenses with Felix Jones on the field, and a weapon the Cowboys did not have in that playoff loss to the Giants when Owens wasn't himself.

What happens if Owens goes down early in the season and Glenn isn't up to speed, though?

Well, there is not a realistic argument to be made for any of the receivers the Cowboys could have drafted this season taking the place of Owens. Rookie receivers don't routinely produce four consecutive 100-yard receiving games as Owens did last season, the second-longest streak of his career by just one. Nor do rookie receivers produce 1,000-yard receiving seasons as Owens did for the eighth time in his 12-year career.

"I think we put ourselves in a situation where we said, boy we're going to get someone across from Terrell," said Phillips of the Cowboys hoping to land one of several disgruntled veteran receivers who have yet to change hands. "There aren't many (like) Terrell Owens. There aren't many great, great receivers like him, so to get someone like that is awfully hard."

So chances are the Cowboys are what they are at wide receiver, with the possible addition of Glenn and what looks like the probable addition of Stanback, who has threatening speed and uncommon running ability once the ball is in his hands.

They also will utilize the multiple skills of Felix Jones, who has shown in these four mini-camp practices he has exceptional receiving skills for a running back. The first-round pick will tell you about how his high school coach had to talk him out of playing wide receiver his sophomore year and how he begrudgingly agreed to move to running back.

"I wasn't sure what we had (last year) but they certainly came through enough for us to be one of the top passing teams in the league, which includes all the receivers certainly, the tight end too," Phillips said of his young receivers. "I mean we're strong in that area. I don't think anybody thinks we can't throw the ball well or that we don't have good receivers or that they say they can just double Terrell all the time . . .

"They tried to do it last year and we scored a lot of points."

Doing so by throwing for a club-record amount of yards and touchdowns, too.

So no wonder Phillips wonders, 'What's the big deal?'

Caseman · 05-06-2008, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ty

I'm so sorry you're a skins fan.

It's worse that I grew up in Dallas. I'm sexually confused in a sports term.

alby · 05-06-2008, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirkenstien

That's true he does have great speed and tremendous acceleration but what I love most about how he runs is his tremendous understanding of angles and how he applies that knowledge on the field with his rediculous shiftiness. It's as if he doesn't even have to think about because it's just second nature to him.

Also, just watch his feet. They never stop moving even during full fledged jukes. I have a feeling he is going to make a lot of linerbackers look silly.

Like how Romo makes D-linemen look silly? =]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Underdog

That's one thing that drove me nuts about Julius - he was awful with his angles... I absolutely hated seeing our offensive line cut through a defensive line, only for JJ to run into the back of a lineman because he cut too close behind them trying to hit the hole (and that's just a basic example...)

JJ played the angles as if he was still in college. Seemed like he never adjusted to how much faster, stronger, and smarter opposing defensive players are at the professional level.

Quote:

Originally Posted by caseman

It's worse that I grew up in Dallas. I'm sexually confused in a sports term.

confused or just mentally disabled?

a skins fan in Dallas?? come on man

Male30Dan · 05-06-2008, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Underdog

Phillips Wonders What's The Big Fuss At Receiver

link

IRVING, Texas - The Cowboys didn't trade for a veteran wide receiver . . . yet.

None of the Cowboys' six selections from last weekend's NFL Draft is a wide receiver.

And the Cowboys aren't 100-percent sure if veteran receiver Terry Glenn will be physically able to play this year.

All meaning at this point they basically have the same receiving corps they had during last year's 13-3 season, with the possible addition of Isaiah Stanback, and who knows if any rookie free agent, such as Danny Amendola, can help.

But contrary to popular belief, Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips says, what the heck is the big deal?

Hey, Phillips reads. He listens. He knows there is a faction out there convinced the Cowboys missed the boat in this draft by failing to select a wide receiver, even if no wide receiver went in the first round for the first time since 1990 and all 10 who went in the second round were gone before the Cowboys used the 61st pick on tight end Martellus Bennett.

So when Phillips was asked out here on Saturday as the Cowboys were going through the second day of their three-day mini-camp for rookies and selected first-year veterans if he really feels good about his wide receiver corps, the Cowboys head coach sounded somewhat incredulous by the inquisition.

"I do feel good about it," Phillips said of his group of wide receivers. "I felt good last year."

Here is why, since Phillips realizes last year he did not have the veteran Glenn, the guy most likely to stretch the field and discourage double coverage of Owens, and understands one game, a very important game at that - the playoff loss to the New York Giants when Owens was far less than 100 percent - is clouding opinions of the team's ability to throw the football:

* The Cowboys tied a club single-season record with 13 victories.
* The Cowboys set their single-season record with 4,105 passing yards, breaking the former record (3,861) set in 1985.
* The Cowboys set their single-season record with 36 passing touchdowns, breaking the former record of 31 set in 1962 and 1983.
* Quarterback Tony Romo set the club single-season club record with 36 passing touchdowns.
* Romo set the club single-season record for passing yards (4,211), becoming the first Cowboys quarterback among a stellar group including two Pro Football Hall of Famers to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a single season.
* Romo finished the season the NFC's top-rated quarterback (97.4).
* Owens set the club's single-season record with 15 touchdown receptions, a record which has stood since 1962, and led the NFC in touchdown receptions.
* Tight end Jason Witten set the club single-season record for receptions (96) and receiving yards (1,145) for a tight end.
* The Cowboys finished with the fourth-best passing offense in the NFL.
* The Cowboys finished second in the NFL in average yards gained per play.
* And finally, the Cowboys' 455 points scored last year were the second-most in club history, second only to the 479 scored in 1983, and second to only 589 scored by New England in 2007.

"We did not lose any receiver off this football team," Phillips said. "The only one we lost was Terry Glenn, who didn't play last year.

"So to say, boy we have to have receivers, I'm not sure that's the case. I think everybody got like, boy we're disappointed we didn't get a receiver. Well, we had a lot of yards passing to somebody and it wasn't just Terrell."

Owens is scheduled to return this season for the last of the three years on his contract. The Cowboys re-signed Patrick Crayton, who finished with 50 receptions and seven touchdown receptions while starting as many as 13 games for the first time in his career. Sam Hurd played a significant role in 2007 for the first time in his two-year NFL career, catching 19 passes. And Austin, another guy to initially make this roster as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2006, caught five passes in his second NFL season, showing more potential than production in his first opportunity.

Their expected improvement and experience likely would surpass anything a rookie receiver could provide, and it's unlikely any of those 35 receivers selected in this draft will catch more than the 50 passes Crayton caught last year.

But there is another point some forget. Witten caught 96 passes, and as Phillips said, "Part of our great receiver on the other side of Terrell is Jason Witten. He's the other guy that caught 96 passes."

Then there is Stanback, the former college quarterback making the transition to wide receiver in the NFL who missed all of his rookie off-season and training camp recovering from Lis Franc foot surgery. Says receivers coach Ray Sherman, "He's really doing a great job. I like the way he's running routes . . . he's a guy who will contend."

Phillips goes a step further: "And then we saw Stanback every play, er the defense saw him in practice, and we couldn't stop him and we stopped some pretty good receivers. So that means we have some talent."

And while the probability of still trading for a veteran receiver before the start of the season is remote at this time, the Cowboys are not giving up on the possibility of Glenn returning for this season. The going-on 34-year-old wide receiver is working out diligently this off-season, partly on his own and partly at The Ranch. He apparently is running well and improving.

But the big test will be training camp when it's time to begin making football moves, and in pads. The Cowboys will do all they can do to get him through training camp, regulating his repetitions so as to not aggravate his knee condition caused by the degeneration of cartilage. While he had two arthroscopic knee surgeries last year, the second removing needed articular cartilage behind the kneecap, the missing cushion leaving a bone on bone condition could prevent him from continuing his career.

Those familiar with his knee condition say he probably has a 50-50 chance of playing this season. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is encouraged by what Glenn has been able to do during the off-season strength and conditioning program.

Phillips said of Glenn being able to play this season, "I don't have a feel on it, I really don't. He comes in and works out, and he lifts however many 1,000 pounds with it, and cleans and jerks with his legs, and you hope he's going to be all right. Says he's feeling all right."

A physically rejuvenated Glenn will add the necessary speed the Cowboys' offense obviously missed in the 21-17 playoff loss to a Giants team they had beaten twice during the regular season by 10 and 11 points.

But if not, that speed might come from first-round draft choice Felix Jones, not necessarily as a wide receiver, but the rookie running back's versatility will make defenses think twice about doubling Owens when he's on the field, along with crowding the line of scrimmage to stop Marion Barber if he's on the field at the same time.

"Just another weapon for us," offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said, obviously intrigued by the possibilities to threaten defenses with Felix Jones on the field, and a weapon the Cowboys did not have in that playoff loss to the Giants when Owens wasn't himself.

What happens if Owens goes down early in the season and Glenn isn't up to speed, though?

Well, there is not a realistic argument to be made for any of the receivers the Cowboys could have drafted this season taking the place of Owens. Rookie receivers don't routinely produce four consecutive 100-yard receiving games as Owens did last season, the second-longest streak of his career by just one. Nor do rookie receivers produce 1,000-yard receiving seasons as Owens did for the eighth time in his 12-year career.

"I think we put ourselves in a situation where we said, boy we're going to get someone across from Terrell," said Phillips of the Cowboys hoping to land one of several disgruntled veteran receivers who have yet to change hands. "There aren't many (like) Terrell Owens. There aren't many great, great receivers like him, so to get someone like that is awfully hard."

So chances are the Cowboys are what they are at wide receiver, with the possible addition of Glenn and what looks like the probable addition of Stanback, who has threatening speed and uncommon running ability once the ball is in his hands.

They also will utilize the multiple skills of Felix Jones, who has shown in these four mini-camp practices he has exceptional receiving skills for a running back. The first-round pick will tell you about how his high school coach had to talk him out of playing wide receiver his sophomore year and how he begrudgingly agreed to move to running back.

"I wasn't sure what we had (last year) but they certainly came through enough for us to be one of the top passing teams in the league, which includes all the receivers certainly, the tight end too," Phillips said of his young receivers. "I mean we're strong in that area. I don't think anybody thinks we can't throw the ball well or that we don't have good receivers or that they say they can just double Terrell all the time . . .

"They tried to do it last year and we scored a lot of points."

Doing so by throwing for a club-record amount of yards and touchdowns, too.

So no wonder Phillips wonders, 'What's the big deal?'

Yup... We are loaded at WR. Our strongest position on the team. We don't need a #2 no matter what anyone says.

alby · 05-06-2008, 06:54 PM

Our biggest upgrade should have been on the defensive side of the ball this off-season. And, guess what? It was. The Cowboys are in great shape. I cannot wait til the season begins

Underdog · 05-07-2008, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Male26Dan

Yup... We are loaded at WR. Our strongest position on the team. We don't need a #2 no matter what anyone says.

We don't need to be loaded at WR because our #2 passing option is Jason Witten... When you look at all the #2 options in the league last season, Witten was only outplayed by one WR - New England's Wes Welker...

Patrick Crayton [ranked #20 in TDs & #52 in total yds out of ALL eligible receivers in 07-08] is our #3 passing option... When you look at all the #3 options in the league, only Brian Westbrook & Antwaan Randle El outperformed him last season...

From my understanding, Felix Jones was the best raw receiver in the draft - we plan on using him as a double threat at both running AND passing... We also got one of the better TE's in the draft, Martellus Bennett, who appears to be as capable a backup to Witten as Fasano... Snagging TWO top-15 receivers is pretty good for a team who didn't get any WR's...

Also, if Terry Glenn comes back at 70% or better this year, the Cowboys will beat every offensive team record they set last year (and then some...)

If you're still not convinced, then take solace in the fact that Jerry Jones probably isn't finished making moves - I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if we picked up a veteran WR to line up next to T.O. before the season kicks off...

[then we'd be stacked like a video game!]

ty · 05-07-2008, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Underdog

[then we'd be stacked like a video game!]

100 rating on Madden?

alby · 05-07-2008, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ty

100 rating on Madden?

Not even the "All-Madden" team got a 100 rating =P

Quote:

Originally Posted by Underog

From my understanding, Felix Jones was the best raw receiver in the draft - we plan on using him as a double threat at both running AND passing...

If that is true, I am liking how we passed up Mendenhall more and more.

I think most of us aren't worried about our wideouts for this year, we are just thinking about the state of the receivers a couple years down the road. TO is 34 and TGlenn is 33.

Underdog · 05-07-2008, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alby

I think most of us aren't worried about our wideouts for this year, we are just thinking about the state of the receivers a couple years down the road. TO is 34 and TGlenn is 33.

Good thing the rest of the roster is stocked up on talented young players - we can afford to focus on WR's during the next two drafts/offseasons....

wmbwinn · 05-07-2008, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alby

Not even the "All-Madden" team got a 100 rating =P

If that is true, I am liking how we passed up Mendenhall more and more.

I think most of us aren't worried about our wideouts for this year, we are just thinking about the state of the receivers a couple years down the road. TO is 34 and TGlenn is 33.

Not only is it true that the Cowboys are expecting to play Felix in the slot as a wide receiver fairly often, they are also expecting to play him in motion out of the backfield as a receiver and they are looking at screens and other similar plays. They definitely picked Felix with that pick for those reasons. And, that is also why they picked up the new tight end and dropped Fasano. They want that 6 foot 6 inch basketball player (he played college ball as a freshman and sophmore as a forward) to catch passes in the red zone playing opposite of Jason Witten.

Just picture it...
Terrell Owens on the end. Patrick Crayton on the other end or in the slot if Terry Glen is playing the other end. Barber and Felix both in the backfield, Felix goes in motion to the slot area. Jason Witten runs a receiving route. Martellus Bennet runs a post route... the whole defense is backpedaling to handle all of those receivers... and Marion goes up the middle between the tackles for averages of 4-7 yards per play...

alby · 05-07-2008, 01:24 PM

how bout them cowboys

Underdog · 05-07-2008, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alby

how bout them cowboys

For really-real...

Ninkobei · 05-07-2008, 01:52 PM

Felix will be a great player I'm sure, but the biggest worry I have with him is: Can he pass block? What if teams start doing to the cowboys what they did to the patriots last year? blitzing every down? can felix pick up, or hold off for a short time, a loose michael strahan or a kjabjabjajria? julius sure couldnt...

we cant rely on marion barber doing that every down. look at last year's playoffs, Barber was gassed in the 4th

alexamenos · 05-07-2008, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wmbwinn

Not only is it true that the Cowboys are expecting to play Felix in the slot as a wide receiver fairly often, they are also expecting to play him in motion out of the backfield as a receiver and they are looking at screens and other similar plays....

a screen play? by the cowboys?

i bet the cowboys haven't run really successful screen plays since the days of tony dorsett.

ty · 05-07-2008, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexamenos

a screen play? by the cowboys?

i bet the cowboys haven't run really successful screen plays since the days of tony dorsett.

Welcome to the Jason Garrett Era.

snoop · 05-07-2008, 04:11 PM

heard bennet interview today on espn very funny guy seems like he is confident, looks like a much better pick than fascano pick