SPORTSDAY

Posted by Dave @ 9:10 PM Fri, Mar 02, 2007

You almost always overspend in free agency. Here's the thing - even if the Cowboys sign Leonard Davis and Marco Rivera, this would not be an offensive line that would I would have a lot of confidence in.

I know I'm beating a horse that's been dead for about 5 years, but this still points to the short sightedness of the Cowboys' GM in not drafting offensive lineman and going for the quick fix with high priced free agents.

How this team could not draft an o-lineman until the 5th round the past 2 years in a row is unforgivable. Plus, how much would you rather have Rob Petiti today instead of Jason Fabini?

Posted by Trevor Davis @ 9:38 PM Fri, Mar 02, 2007

Davis is not worth the kind of contract he's going to be able to get this year with the amount of cap space available to so many teams. If he wants to play for the Cowboys at a reasonable price, then I'm sure he'd be a nice addition. But if he's looking for the same kind of money some of these other linemen are getting (and if I were his agent I'd make sure he knows what his market value is before signing anywhere), then he's going to have to go somewhere else.

I agree with Dave that the Cowboys need to get at least one o-lineman high in this draft

Posted by Steven @ 9:43 PM Fri, Mar 02, 2007

Um Dave Rivera is already signed. Im sure it was just a mistype. I agree about Fabini but look at what Columbo did last year. The guy was probably the best O-lineman we had. He was a former 1st rd pick who had some injuries and we got on the cheap. Davis has never done anything to impress me. O-line is one position that no matter how bad the team is can shine personally. No matter how bad the QB is you can always block your man. Whether its opening holes for the RB or protecting in pass blocking. Davis has never lived up to his high draft status. Would he be an upgrade over Rivera. Based on the last couple years you would have to say its a good possibility. But if you are going to plug a former UT O-lineman in at RG next year how about Blalock for the next 10 years or so. Id much rather take a chance on a 1st rd pick over a former 1st rd pick who has been a bust so far.

Posted by Jeff L. @ 9:57 PM Fri, Mar 02, 2007

Dave, one reason they may have avoided o-linemen in higher rounds the past two years is that they whiffed on Rogers, Peterman, and more than likely Johnson in prior drafts. All high round o-linemen.

And also, don't forget that the GM was under the spell of the hall of fame, miracle worker head coach, whom he trusted to a fault.

Posted by Larry @ 10:32 PM Fri, Mar 02, 2007

uh oh Jeff L., you have bismerched the name of Big Bill. Maureen is out there somewhere ready to chop off your head.

To heck with Davis. Resign Colombo. No need to break the bank on a guy who may not be better than what you already have on the roster, and guards are plentiful in the draft.

Posted by Robert @ 10:32 PM Fri, Mar 02, 2007

Jeff L, just for the record Al Johnson, Peterman and Jacobs are all Larry Lacewell (Jerry and Jimmy's Scouting guy) produced results.

It explains all the poor drafts up to Jeff Ireland in 2005. Jeff Ireland, a Bill Parcells guy should you forget.

Posted by scott @ 10:35 PM Fri, Mar 02, 2007

Who is left in free agancy that is worth anything? I think only one safety was signed but there are more out there. It does not look like we will get an OL in FA. I think Joey Porter could be a great addition to rotate with Ellis possibly.

Posted by Victor @ 10:51 PM Fri, Mar 02, 2007

PLAN B: with all the $50mm contract for guards why not resign Al Johnson & move him to right guard @ $2/3 million a year. The money saved & resign Columbo for $30mm (Same as Andre Gurode). Then use the draft to get another lineman. Lts hope JJ doesn't blow the future by overpaying.

Posted by Lunging Wolf @ 11:05 PM Fri, Mar 02, 2007

That Leonard Davis left town without a contract means we should exclude his services. We've managed the cap well lately, and need to continue that. Go find the backup QB, draft an offensive lineman at a good value, and hope that what we saw out of McQuistan last year was no fluke. The dude might just be the answer.

Posted by kameleon_o @ 12:54 AM Sat, Mar 03, 2007

Robert, just because Lacewell was in charge of scouting during that time doesn't mean those picks were made because of him. Parcells was in control of personnel while he was here, even then. Everything I read leads me to believe that Rogers, Peterman, and Johnson were Parcells picks. And if you insist on blaming those picks on Jerry and Lacewell, would you at least have the generosity to blame Terence Newman, Jason Witten, Bradie James (although the jury's still out on him!!LOL), Julius Jones, and Patrick Crayton on them since they were picked at the same time?? It's amazing how during Parcells' time here he was the one who always made every good pickup, whether in the draft or in FA, and every bad pickup was made by Jerry or Lacewell while Parcells was in the john or something.

Posted by Dave @ 1:44 AM Sat, Mar 03, 2007

Jeff L - So what, the Cowboys should never draft an o-lineman again in the first 4 rounds of the draft? If you do that, all you'll ever do is sign $7 million per year guards and over-the-hill castoffs.

When you look at the offensive lines that are solid and reliable - Indy, New England, San Diego - they are mostly drafted players. And they don't all have to be 1st rounders.

The great Cowboys line in the '90's - Mark Tuinei and John Gesek were like 6th rounders, Nate Newton was a free agent, Mark Stepnoski and Eric Williams were 3rd rounders, and Larry Allen was a 2nd. Ray Donaldson was signed as a free agent to replace Stepnoski.

One thing that seems to be currently missing in the Cowboys' o-lineman is the mean streak. That used to be one of the key characteristics of the players they got - having a nasty attitude. The current offensive line has a long way to go before it intimidates any NFL defense.

Posted by kameleon_o @ 7:22 AM Sat, Mar 03, 2007

Dave, I can't speak for Jeff L., but I wouldn't mind drafting an O-lineman high in this draft. In fact, I'd like to move up and draft Levi Brown in the 1st round and draft someone like OG Manny Ramirez in the 2nd or 3rd. If we don't sign an OG in FA, then I'd love to draft OG Justin Blaylock in the 1st. I think what Jeff L. was trying to say was that the previous busts at O-line positions have made the Cowboys cautious. It's certainly not as easy as I thought it would be to just draft a big O-lineman and plug him into your line. The year we traded out of the 1st round and got JJ, we had actually targeted Shawn Andrews who went to Philly. So I think we'd draft an O-lineman if the right one was available.

Posted by Jeff L. @ 8:31 AM Sat, Mar 03, 2007

No, no..I'm not saying avoid high round linemen from here on out! I'm just saying that consecutive 'misses' may be one reason they haven't done it the past 2 years. I'm all for saving money and building a line through the draft.

Who knows...it seems like o-linemen are the biggest gamble when it comes to the draft. Maybe it's because the majority of them have been 'bigger than the other kids' growing up, and it's come easy to them.

Posted by Matt Boyd @ 8:38 AM Sat, Mar 03, 2007

I grew up on a ranch about 6 miles from Wortham. I am a couple years younger than him and I used to see him all the time around town when I was a kid. Let me tell you, the guy is a monster. The guy is just plain HUGE! I really don't know why his career hasn't been stellar but maybe he just needs a change of scenery. I think if you get him back to his homestate and get him in a winning atmosphere he could shine. I hope we get him, but I also hope we don't overspend.

Posted by Gary M @ 9:14 AM Sat, Mar 03, 2007

not one of these guards are worth 7 mill per....draft a guard or wait until cuts are made in june...

Posted by PHILLIP @ 10:15 AM Sat, Mar 03, 2007

PICK BLALOCK ON THE 1ST R--GO FOR A CORNER/SAFETY ON THE 2ND R--AND THEN TT GUARD RAMERIZ ON THE 3RD AND ON THE 4TH DB/SAFETY(BROWN FROM TXAS)

Posted by trey w @ 11:56 AM Sat, Mar 03, 2007

There seems to be a fine line between overspending, and over-conservatism in management of the cap. I'm not sure Davis was worth what he was asking, and this Columbo deal is hacking me off....Boys' bent over backwards giving this guy and opportunity to rebuild his career--you'd think he'd show gratitude and sign the line. At some point you have to ask yourself, if all the free agents are getting locked up, and God knows we need help, what's all the cap space for? Next Year? Bull.

Posted by PHILLIP @ 3:00 PM Sat, Mar 03, 2007

THE ONLY GOOD FA DALLAS EVER GOT WERE SANDERS AND HALEY----TEAMS USUALLY DO NOT GET WHAT THEY PAID FOR---FORGET FA--DO BETTER JOB ON DRAFT DAY

Posted by thomas mitchell @ 3:27 PM Sat, Mar 03, 2007

These guys are not worth 7 million ,man too bad larry allen isnt 6 yrs younger he'd get 9 mill. Do any of these guys even seem close to l.a. in his prime. these owners are over paying I know the cash is there but still wow.I think guard is the easiest position not to much thinking just maul people who are in front of you with an occasional pull its nice to be an o-lineman lol.

Posted by Chuck H. @ 4:27 PM Sat, Mar 03, 2007

For the last time, Haley wasn't a free agent. If I remember correctly, he was acquired for 2nd and 3rd round draft picks.

Posted by Robert @ 8:19 PM Sat, Mar 03, 2007

To all the Dallas Fans (Kameleon), the BIGGEST LIE in Dallas is that Parcells had total control over personnel since he got there.

He had total control over Assitants. That is it. He worked hard with Jerry, Stevie and Ireland on Player Personnel and at times Jerry would win and at times Bill would.

This fabrication on BP and Player Personnel is so incorrect that it begs asking who brought in TO and Vanderjagt? Also begs asking why Parcells would take a Jacobs when he swears off Pac-10 Line Man? Why it took Parcells two years to get Lacewell fired? Why no 3-4 Players where drafted till 2005? The same 3-4 many Dallas fans loathe hearing about.

History was not invented yesterday. Read some and open your eyes.

Posted by kameleon_o @ 9:24 PM Sat, Mar 03, 2007

No Robert, history wasn't invented yesterday. It was invented on March 3, 2007 at 08:19 P.M. You just totally proved my point. Parcells can't lose with fans like you. You will make any excuse to justify why bad players that were brought in during BP's tenure weren't his fault. He swears off Pac-10 linemen?? Are you kidding me?? Where in the heck did you come up with that nugget?? And because he decided to stay with the 4-3 D that was here before he came here because the players and D-coordinator were suited for that scheme means he wasn't in control?? What about Peterman?? Does Parcells swear off SEC linemen too?? I hear he swears off SEC TE's too. So I guess Witten was Jerry's pick. Not only that, Parcells HATES Sun Belt DE's. So Ware is another Jerry pick. See, I can fabricate almost as well as you. What a croc.

Posted by joe @ 9:43 AM Sun, Mar 04, 2007

If there is any truth in this article, it looks like we have Davis.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2787446

Posted by John Nice Guy @ 11:32 AM Sun, Mar 04, 2007

Unfortunately, our o-line is in such bad shape that we can't afford to wait until the draft to see what we can get. I'd rather us shore up the line a little in FA than either reach for an o-lineman who's not worth it in the draft or take a mediocrity off the trash heap of June cuts. Davis HAS been a bust, but there was a reason he was the number 2 overall pick. A change of scenery and a new position coach may do him good.

Posted by Robert @ 1:00 PM Sun, Mar 04, 2007

Kam, Jerry owns the team. Period. Parcells never had total control over Player Personnel. Jerry makes the final calls in Big D and will till the day he dies. Facts (e.g., TO, No 3-4 Players till 2005) prove you wrong. FACTS, not empty jibberish.

You and the rest are just BP Haters in Dallas. I guess he did not kiss enough butt telling you what a privelage it is blah blah.

Wade, however, is playing up the Texas roots he really does not have. So he will be on extended honeymoon until you figure out he is a mediocre HC like the other teams did.

Posted by kameleon_o @ 5:44 PM Sun, Mar 04, 2007

The problem with fans like you Robert, is that you're a Bill Parcells fan first, and a Dallas Cowboys fan second. I don't hate Parcells, but your hatred of Jerry has blinded you to any mistakes Parcells might have made. Guys like Ryan Young, Richie Anderson, Terry Glenn, Jason Fabini, and Ferguson prove that Bill had more control over personnel than anyone in the Cowboys organization for the last 4 years. You and Maureen can sit there and "hate" all you want on the Cowboys and Jerry, but the fact is that Parcells had everything he could possibly want to succeed and an owner who spent tens of millions of $$'s on FA's of mostly Parcells choice. He didn't get it done, and your selective memory can't get it done for him.