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2:58 PM Mon, Feb 11, 2008 | Permalink
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October 2008
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February 11, 2008Since Albert seems it would be in the Cowboys' best interests to name Flozell Adams the franchise player, I thought I'd take another look at the franchise tag. How about naming Ken Hamlin the franchise player? It would cost the Cowboys half as much $4.396 million) to tag Hamlin than it would be to tag Adams ($9 million). And if they were to give Adams the franchise tag, then that would eat up just about all of their remaining cap room. Then the team would have to re-work a ton of contracts to come up with more room to sign free agents. Hamlin just played in his first Pro Bowl after picking off a career-high five passes and generally serving as the quarterback of the secondary. He brought a much needed sense of calm to the secondary in terms of getting everybody lined up correctly. Thoughts?  LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN PLAYERS SIGNED THROUGH 2008: Greg Ellis, DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, Bobby Carpenter, Justin Rogers UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None TOP NAMES ON FREE AGENT MARKET: Lance Briggs (Bears), Karlos Dansby (Cardinals), Clark Haggans (Steelers), Reggie Torbor (Giants), Calvin Pace (Cardinals) TOP DRAFT NAMES: Keith Rivers (Southern Cal), Ali Highsmith (LSU), Xavier Adibi (Virginia Tech), Bruce Davis (UCLA), Shawn Crable (Michigan), Erin Henderson (Maryland)  Comments (16) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Group check: Outside linebacker" has no entry tags. Could Asante Samuel get a nine-digit deal? A couple of Samuel's fellow Pro Bowlers think so, according to Yahoo.com's Jason Cole. Under the terms of the one-year tender contract Samuel agreed to before last season, the Patriots can't put the "franchise" tag on him again this year, making him an unrestricted free agent this offseason. You can add Terence Newman, whose contract is up after next season, to that list. Comments (37) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "A $100 million cornerback?" has no entry tags. Those hoping that T.O. would have another emotional postgame moment with a quarterback will be disappointed. I surfed the Web far and wide looking for reports of T.O. and Jeff Garcia giving each other some love after the ex-San Francisco teammates hooked up (for a TD) at the Pro Bowl. Figured that if T.O. can hug it out with Donovan McNabb, surely he could show Garcia some love. Apparently not. According to ESPN.com's Hashmarks, Garcia was P.C. when asked about T.O. And T.O. was T.O. when asked about Garcia. "It seemed like old times," Garcia said. "We didn't miss a beat. ... A guy like that, you have to give him opportunities to make plays." Comments (4) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "T.O., Garcia don't hug it out" has no entry tags. With the expected of hire of Brett Maxie, the Cowboys continue to diversify their coaching staff, with the new guys coming from varying backgrounds. For all the talk about "Capers guys" and "Garrett guys" and "Wade guys", Maxie seems to be, more than anything else, a "Jim Mora guy." The former NFL defensive back was an assistant under Mora when the now-Seahawks head-coach-in-waiting was DC in San Francisco and at the helm in Atlanta. Maxie was with the Niners from 1999-2003, then the Falcons from 2004-06, before working under Cam Cameron and Dom Capers last year in Miami. If there is one common thread on the new hires, it is Capers. Dave Campo, whom Maxie will work in the secondary with, is the only man on the defensive side of the ball who didn't work for him at one time. Defensive coordinator Brian Stewart, line coach Todd Grantham and linebackers coach Reggie Herring were Capers assistants in Houston. None of the new position coach have any experience working with Phillips. But Phillips did say a couple weeks back that many of Capers' zone-blitz concepts, developed during his "Blitzburgh" days, are used in his defense, so there is carryover in the schemes. As the Cowboys close in on hiring Brett Maxie as assistant secondary coach, they now know they will not have Dom Capers on Wade Phillips staff. Capers told our Calvin Watkins he has decided against accepting a position with the Cowboys early Monday morning. Capers talked to the Cowboys two weeks ago about possibly coming in as a consultant. "Wade's got a great staff," Capers said. "Some of the guys that Wade has I've worked with in other places." Like defensive coordinator Brian Stewart and defensive line coach Todd Grantham, who worked under Capers in Houston, and Maxie, who played for Capers in Carolina. The Cowboys interviewed Maxie, a Dallas native, on Friday. He spent last year as Miami's assistant secondary coach. He would assist Dave Campo. Maxie was a rookie safety with New Orleans in 1985 when Phillips was the Saints defensive coordinator. |
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