SPORTSDAY

Posted by mattyinnj @ 3:06 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

There were any number of teams (NYG??) last year that would have taken BC after us in Rd 1 if we hadn't. He played in the shadow of AJ Hawk in college but was always a solid contributor. I love his versatility and he appears to be a heady, if not freakishly athletic, LB. You play a 3-4, you NEED those guys. People said a guy like Clark Haggans was going to suffer in Pitt b/c he bounced around and now that he has a chance to start he is flourishing. While we may end up losing him long-term when his rookie deal expires, I'm glad we got him now.

Posted by drhorton @ 3:07 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

Why is everyone trying to ship Carpenter off? He is only in his second year. Nothing wrong with being a jack of all trades, except that you never become a master of one. But being versatile this year could prove to be very worthwhile if we should have any other injuries.

Long live the Carp, especially now that we have no Tuna.

Posted by Robert @ 3:14 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

>>"He hasn't lived up to his draft position, and odds are he never will."

Timm-ahh, are you smoking dope?

So lemme see, Stanback is a star and Carpenter will never live up to his draft position.

U-BETCHA, he is hi!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Rodney @ 3:24 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

Tim, I think Carpenter Will live up to the 1st round draft pick, if given the playing time. He performed very well in the playoff game against Seattle. I think he could be a very good LB inside or out he has the body mass and the speed.

Posted by Saint Jimmy @ 3:38 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

I believe Carpenter will be a starter at some point. Bradie James will be gone before his contract expires and Carpenter will step in. It's gotta be frustrating for him though because Parcells did kind of screw him over. He didn't play him till it was too late. So we didn't really know what we had in Carpenter. So the pick of Anthony Spencer just made sense because we don't know what's up with Greg Ellis and Carpenter was/is still a question mark.

Posted by VegasFan @ 3:46 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

I think this might be a sign of the Apocalypse .... but I think you made a good point Tim and I agree with you. If you need me I'll be in my bunker.

Posted by The Truth @ 3:52 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

#54
5 millon upfront did Not dress for the 1st six games last year[1st time in Cowboy history for #1 pick]54 is a borderline Average special team player might help at ISB as long as he stays away from #70 in practice.Last year the Chargers had him rated as a Late 2nd or even a 3rd round guy.Who was the Chargers DC last year.He is Not a Phillps 3-4 OLB does he even come close to 94.Ellis or even the rookie from Purdue..We need to move on and trade this Tuna aka SpongeBill OLB bust before the 31 other teams find out The Truth..

Posted by dave j @ 4:09 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

Jerry is doing everything he can to win, but there are times when he digs himself a hole with his personnel decisions.

I don't think the Cowboys have been putting Carpenter or Kevin Burnett in a position to succeed. It's one thing to draft someone in the 4th or 5th round and change his position. It's another to do that with your 1st round pick and to do it in his rookie year.

Why draft Anthony Spencer this year when you drafted Carpenter and Burnett the past 2 years to play the same position? The personnel department has drafted 4 LBs - 3 in the first round and 1 in the 2nd round in the past 3 years. On top of that, they signed Akin Ayodele as a free agent.

How much better off would the team have been if they had spent just 1 of those LB picks on an OL, WR, or CB? They could have avoided spending $16 million to sign Leonard Davis or had much better CB depth.

Posted by L.J., Fla. @ 4:11 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

Carpenter is a solid, and valuable player. If he doen't get an extension before his contract expires, there will get big dollars somewhere.

Posted by Larry @ 4:32 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

You may be 100% right Tim, and if you are, BC will still be a valuable player for years to come, but:

Neither starting Inside Linebacker is exactly Pro-Bowl at this point and I have a feeling BC will crack that tandum at some point this year or the next.

Posted by Mr Rogers @ 4:46 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

Totally agree with The Truth.
I'm tired of these lame Pollyanna fans saying that Parcells screwed BC, JJ, Spears, Ware, so on-endless list- and that this year we're going to be great because Phillips 3-4 blah bla blah.
I don't defend Parcells, I wanted the guy gone 2 years ago. But his failure was not as a coach but as a talent evaluator. All those first day offensive line draft busts, passing on Merriman and Stephen Jackson, so on.
The reason Carpenter, Jones, Spears and half of these high draft choices have played so mediocre is not because Parcells screwed them, it's because Parcells over-valued them on draft day. They're just average players.
If Parcells didn't know how to coach, then how did he get Campo's team to double its win total in 2003?
People keep syaing how great the team will be because Phillips defenses have been in the top 10 in 10 of 18 seasons. Guess what, you can say the exact same thing about Dave Campo's defenses. Remember him?

Posted by Tanner @ 4:49 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

I agree with Larry, #54 is talented and has looked good at ILB in the Phillips 3-4. Bradie James is considered the leader of the defense and now that he's lighter I think he may be a little harder to replace than Akin. Akin's a solid backer but I don't see him coming back once his contract is done. This is Carp's position in the future.

Posted by Josh Ellis @ 4:51 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

Your first mistake was listening to ESPN radio-- a radio station full of cliches and curmudgeons.

Posted by garbeau @ 4:59 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

way too soon to know but carpenter's versatility and grit reminds me just a little bit of a previous cowboy who also wore #54, who spent his first year or two in the league (as a steeler back in the day when there was no glory in that) equally lost and unappreciated...

...who ten years later became (to this day) the only super bowl mvp on a losing team.

Posted by Lunging Wolf @ 5:04 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

So glad to hear he'll be busy. What he does on the field is hard to ignore. We need a smart player like him on the field. While I'm at it, Kevin Burnett should be getting more on-field time. He's paid his dues and looks primed to produce.

Posted by DougO @ 5:16 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

Carpenter's versatility is just another way of saying that the "Parcells guy" isn't making enough of an impact as a former first round draft pick to solidify one of the four starting positions. Being a versatile backup isn't what you draft the 18th overall pick for.

Posted by Richard Lauer @ 6:49 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

They aren't really giving him a chance to compete for a position. It's all a big game and BC is getting screwed in Dallas. I hope he goes somewhere that will tell him what he's competing for then allows him to do it. Maybe to one of the 2 or 3 good NFC teams. The truth doesn't know squat about athletes or football. That's why he doesn't use his name!!!

Posted by BamBam @ 8:39 PM Wed, Aug 22, 2007

I thought the #54 who became the only Super Bowl MVP on a losing team was Chuck Howley in SB V.

Posted by Chris J. @ 9:50 AM Thu, Aug 23, 2007

Ken Norton Jr. took 3-4 seasons before he became a game changing linebacker. I think Carpenter should get the same amount of time before making any conclusions.

Posted by The Truth @ 11:25 AM Thu, Aug 23, 2007

#54 I have 2 words, RANDY WHITE, Best/Baddest Defensive player to ever play on Sundays...It is a Disgrace that this current #54 Mr Buckey Bust wear's "The Mansters" number..

Posted by Jeremy @ 11:37 AM Thu, Aug 23, 2007

Hasn't lived up to being a first round pick and never will?? That's one of the most assanine comments I've heard in awhile. Just because he isn't a starter in his first year doesn't not mean he isn't living up to being a first round pick. I think we will see in the NFL that "starters" at some positions, especially on defense will become a word of the past. I remember first seeing this with Dallas in the early 90's where they would rotate defensive linemen in and out on different downs to keep guys fresh and it really worked. Now you see this kind of thing all over the place. Getting beat on by offensive lineman and chasing guys all day is very demanding and if you can keep the D fresh, you can win. Carpenter will end up playing tons this year, even if he isn't listed as a "starter" in the 3-4. Dallas needed a lot of help on 3rd down last year in the nickel and hopefully Carpenter will show his stuff in the nickel.