The Cowboys and NFL Europe

[silverbear]

Ever since Parcells arrived on the scene, the Boys have been lukewarm at best in their support of NFL Europe... other teams have sent over double the number of players the Cowboys have...

Apparently, if Parcells thinks you have any game at all, he wants to keep you close to Valley Ranch in the offseason... some of you might remember that the Boys went out and signed a number of players right after the end of last season, for the expressed purpose of sending them over to NFLE...

While the fan in me wishes the Boys would send over more prospects, Parcells' reasoning rings true with me-- look at Keith Davis this past season, he excelled over in NFLE but couldn't get on the field in the regular season... think about it, he'd already played a 10 game schedule, he'd been playing football hard for 4 months during the offseason... it's only reasonable to expect him to get worn down before the regular season got too far advanced...

Working with that knowledge, I thought I'd take a look at which Cowboys are the most likely to be sent over to Europe this spring:

Quarterback-- Drew Henson, Tony Romo... Romo has said that he's been given the option of playing in Europe this spring... there have been rumors that the Boys want to send over Henson too, but I think that's unlikely... I think Drew is the kind of guy Parcells is gonna work with in the offseason, to groom him... and for those speculating that the Boys might send both young QBs over there, it ain't gonna happen; with only 6 teams in the league, there is only playing time for maybe 10 QBs altogether, and most every team in the league has a young passer they want to get some playing time...

My guess is that Romo goes to Europe, and Henson stays home...

Running Back-- ReShard Lee, Erik Bickerstaff, Keylon Kincade... Bickerstaff is coming off an injury, so I think he's an unlikely candidate, but Lee and Kincade would be good choices...

My guess here is that the recently-resigned Kincade will be heading to Europe this spring...

Fullback-- Lousaka Polite... while it would be good to get this youngster some playing time, I have a hunch that the Boys want him to compete for the starting FB job in camp, so I expect them to keep him close to Valley Ranch...

Tight End-- Sean Ryan, Brett Pierce, Landon Trusty... I think that Parcells will want to keep Ryan around and work with him, but either Pierce or Trusty would be good choices to go to NFL Europe...

My money's on Trusty playing in NFLE...

Wide Receiver-- Patrick Crayton, Terrence Copper, Tom Crowder... I figure Crayton and Copper showed just enough at the end of this past season to merit working with them this spring, but Crowder is perfect for the spring league... he's really inexperienced at this position, but looks to have some skills...

I figure Crowder will be asked to go to Europe...

Offensive Line-- Ben Noll, Jacob Rogers, Stephen Peterman, Torrin Tucker... Rogers, Peterman and Tucker may have roles on the team next year, so it's questionable whether any of them will be sent to Europe...

If any Cowboys OL goes to Europe, it will probably be Noll, but I don't even know if he'll be sent over...

Defensive Line-- either Jermaine Brooks or Tron LaFavor are likely prospects...

Linebacker-- Kalen Thornton... this youngster has promise, and could benefit from a stint in NFLE, but he may be the kind of player that Parcells wants to work with at Valley Ranch... I'd love to see him in Europe, but I doubt it'll happen...

Defensive Backs-- Bruce Thornton, Jacques Reeves, Nathan Jones, Jeff Sanchez, Lenny Williams, Steve Cargile... Thornton is coming off injury, Reeves and Jones got valuable playing time this past season... but Sanchez, Williams or Cargile could benefit from some playing time...

My hunch is that Lenny Williams and Steve Cargile will be asked to play in NFLE...

So, here are the players I consider to be the hottest prospects to be sent over to NFL Europe this spring... I'm not saying all of them will go, just that these are the players the Boys likely approached first:

QB Drew Henson
RB Keylon Kincade
TE Landon Trusty
WR Tim Crowder
DB Lenny Williams
DB Steve Cargile

[Zaxor]

Great stuff my friend but you must have missed where the Cowboys released sanchez

and I think you meant Romo and not Henson

[Dale]

I think the NFL is a good chance for guys that basically otherwise might not get the time in training camp to really strut their stuff. I don't think it's a training grounds, whatsoever, to send legitimate prospects.

Take a guy like Jeff Sanchez, since his name was mentioned in the previous post. While he's no longer here, he's a guy you could hypothetically send to Europe. If you don't send him, he likely never gets a whiff of making the team. If he goes, and plays well, the team might suddenly have newfound interest in him.

But it does work both ways. As you said, the problem is the risk of injury, along with the fact they're tired upon their return. I'm sure it's damn hard to go through a full season and then turn around and attend a grueling training camp a month later.

I think the main problem is the talent pool is so poor, you can't get a real grade on players. It gives them a chance to get back into the routine of playing, but you can't really take that much away.

I mean, Duane Hawthorne was one of the better cornerbacks they've had over there.

[silverbear]

Great stuff my friend but you must have missed where the Cowboys released sanchez

and I think you meant Romo and not Henson

Yeah, I didn't know Sanchez was gonzo... but I said what I meant when it comes to Romo and Henson, I look for Tony to go to Europe and Drew to stay close to Valley Ranch...

[Chuck 54]

Ever since Parcells arrived on the scene, the Boys have been lukewarm at best in their support of NFL Europe... other teams have sent over double the number of players the Cowboys have...

Apparently, if Parcells thinks you have any game at all, he wants to keep you close to Valley Ranch in the offseason... some of you might remember that the Boys went out and signed a number of players right after the end of last season, for the expressed purpose of sending them over to NFLE...

While the fan in me wishes the Boys would send over more prospects, Parcells' reasoning rings true with me-- look at Keith Davis this past season, he excelled over in NFLE but couldn't get on the field in the regular season... think about it, he'd already played a 10 game schedule, he'd been playing football hard for 4 months during the offseason... it's only reasonable to expect him to get worn down before the regular season got too far advanced...

Working with that knowledge, I thought I'd take a look at which Cowboys are the most likely to be sent over to Europe this spring:

Quarterback-- Drew Henson, Tony Romo... Romo has said that he's been given the option of playing in Europe this spring... there have been rumors that the Boys want to send over Henson too, but I think that's unlikely... I think Drew is the kind of guy Parcells is gonna work with in the offseason, to groom him... and for those speculating that the Boys might send both young QBs over there, it ain't gonna happen; with only 6 teams in the league, there is only playing time for maybe 10 QBs altogether, and most every team in the league has a young passer they want to get some playing time...

My guess is that Romo goes to Europe, and Henson stays home...

Running Back-- ReShard Lee, Erik Bickerstaff, Keylon Kincade... Bickerstaff is coming off an injury, so I think he's an unlikely candidate, but Lee and Kincade would be good choices...

My guess here is that the recently-resigned Kincade will be heading to Europe this spring...

Fullback-- Lousaka Polite... while it would be good to get this youngster some playing time, I have a hunch that the Boys want him to compete for the starting FB job in camp, so I expect them to keep him close to Valley Ranch...

Tight End-- Sean Ryan, Brett Pierce, Landon Trusty... I think that Parcells will want to keep Ryan around and work with him, but either Pierce or Trusty would be good choices to go to NFL Europe...

My money's on Trusty playing in NFLE...

Wide Receiver-- Patrick Crayton, Terrence Copper, Tom Crowder... I figure Crayton and Copper showed just enough at the end of this past season to merit working with them this spring, but Crowder is perfect for the spring league... he's really inexperienced at this position, but looks to have some skills...

I figure Crowder will be asked to go to Europe...

Offensive Line-- Ben Noll, Jacob Rogers, Stephen Peterman, Torrin Tucker... Rogers, Peterman and Tucker may have roles on the team next year, so it's questionable whether any of them will be sent to Europe...

If any Cowboys OL goes to Europe, it will probably be Noll, but I don't even know if he'll be sent over...

Defensive Line-- either Jermaine Brooks or Tron LaFavor are likely prospects...

Linebacker-- Kalen Thornton... this youngster has promise, and could benefit from a stint in NFLE, but he may be the kind of player that Parcells wants to work with at Valley Ranch... I'd love to see him in Europe, but I doubt it'll happen...

Defensive Backs-- Bruce Thornton, Jacques Reeves, Nathan Jones, Jeff Sanchez, Lenny Williams, Steve Cargile... Thornton is coming off injury, Reeves and Jones got valuable playing time this past season... but Sanchez, Williams or Cargile could benefit from some playing time...

My hunch is that Lenny Williams and Steve Cargile will be asked to play in NFLE...

So, here are the players I consider to be the hottest prospects to be sent over to NFL Europe this spring... I'm not saying all of them will go, just that these are the players the Boys likely approached first:

QB Drew Henson
RB Keylon Kincade
TE Landon Trusty
WR Tim Crowder
DB Lenny Williams
DB Steve Cargile
If Romo goes to Europe and Henson stays here, I'm going to bet that Henson will once again fall behind Romo in the pecking order....Henson needs actual playing time on the field at any level more than any other player I can imagine....when you supposedly have the talent, but the knock on you is that you haven't played football in several years and need to play football, then you need to be in NFL Europe, imo.

[Zaxor]

Yeah, I didn't know Sanchez was gonzo... but I said what I meant when it comes to Romo and Henson, I look for Tony to go to Europe and Drew to stay close to Valley Ranch...
So, here are the players I consider to be the hottest prospects to be sent over to NFL Europe this spring... I'm not saying all of them will go, just that these are the players the Boys likely approached first:

QB Drew Henson
RB Keylon Kincade
TE Landon Trusty
WR Tim Crowder
DB Lenny Williams
DB Steve Cargile
and I think you meant Romo to Europe or did I understand you wrong

Zaxor

[silverbear]

and I think you meant Romo to Europe or did I understand you wrong

Zaxor

Oh, I didn't realize I'd put Henson down instead of Romo on that list... I went back and reviewed the post, but didn't get that far (obviously)...

Right you are, I definitely meant Romo to Europe... I don't think they'll send Henson...

[joshlitt]

If Romo goes to Europe and Henson stays here, I'm going to bet that Henson will once again fall behind Romo in the pecking order....Henson needs actual playing time on the field at any level more than any other player I can imagine....when you supposedly have the talent, but the knock on you is that you haven't played football in several years and need to play football, then you need to be in NFL Europe, imo.

I think it's just the opposite.....last year he debated on sending Chutch and Romo. Sent Chutch, he stumbled and was gone. I think this is Romo's test to see if he stumbles or stands tall. If he stumbles, he's a goner, if he does good, I can see a pick coming our way. I think Parcells quote on Europe was something to the effect of "if you can't play in Europe, then you can't play in the NFL, if you can then you may be able to play in the NFL".

I look for Henson to spend all offseason with Bill and Payton working his butt into the ground.

[Hostile]

Ever since Parcells arrived on the scene, the Boys have been lukewarm at best in their support of NFL Europe... other teams have sent over double the number of players the Cowboys have...

Apparently, if Parcells thinks you have any game at all, he wants to keep you close to Valley Ranch in the offseason... some of you might remember that the Boys went out and signed a number of players right after the end of last season, for the expressed purpose of sending them over to NFLE...

While the fan in me wishes the Boys would send over more prospects, Parcells' reasoning rings true with me-- look at Keith Davis this past season, he excelled over in NFLE but couldn't get on the field in the regular season... think about it, he'd already played a 10 game schedule, he'd been playing football hard for 4 months during the offseason... it's only reasonable to expect him to get worn down before the regular season got too far advanced...

Working with that knowledge, I thought I'd take a look at which Cowboys are the most likely to be sent over to Europe this spring:

Quarterback-- Drew Henson, Tony Romo... Romo has said that he's been given the option of playing in Europe this spring... there have been rumors that the Boys want to send over Henson too, but I think that's unlikely... I think Drew is the kind of guy Parcells is gonna work with in the offseason, to groom him... and for those speculating that the Boys might send both young QBs over there, it ain't gonna happen; with only 6 teams in the league, there is only playing time for maybe 10 QBs altogether, and most every team in the league has a young passer they want to get some playing time...

My guess is that Romo goes to Europe, and Henson stays home...

Running Back-- ReShard Lee, Erik Bickerstaff, Keylon Kincade... Bickerstaff is coming off an injury, so I think he's an unlikely candidate, but Lee and Kincade would be good choices...

My guess here is that the recently-resigned Kincade will be heading to Europe this spring...

Fullback-- Lousaka Polite... while it would be good to get this youngster some playing time, I have a hunch that the Boys want him to compete for the starting FB job in camp, so I expect them to keep him close to Valley Ranch...

Tight End-- Sean Ryan, Brett Pierce, Landon Trusty... I think that Parcells will want to keep Ryan around and work with him, but either Pierce or Trusty would be good choices to go to NFL Europe...

My money's on Trusty playing in NFLE...

Wide Receiver-- Patrick Crayton, Terrence Copper, Tom Crowder... I figure Crayton and Copper showed just enough at the end of this past season to merit working with them this spring, but Crowder is perfect for the spring league... he's really inexperienced at this position, but looks to have some skills...

I figure Crowder will be asked to go to Europe...

Offensive Line-- Ben Noll, Jacob Rogers, Stephen Peterman, Torrin Tucker... Rogers, Peterman and Tucker may have roles on the team next year, so it's questionable whether any of them will be sent to Europe...

If any Cowboys OL goes to Europe, it will probably be Noll, but I don't even know if he'll be sent over...

Defensive Line-- either Jermaine Brooks or Tron LaFavor are likely prospects...

Linebacker-- Kalen Thornton... this youngster has promise, and could benefit from a stint in NFLE, but he may be the kind of player that Parcells wants to work with at Valley Ranch... I'd love to see him in Europe, but I doubt it'll happen...

Defensive Backs-- Bruce Thornton, Jacques Reeves, Nathan Jones, Jeff Sanchez, Lenny Williams, Steve Cargile... Thornton is coming off injury, Reeves and Jones got valuable playing time this past season... but Sanchez, Williams or Cargile could benefit from some playing time...

My hunch is that Lenny Williams and Steve Cargile will be asked to play in NFLE...

So, here are the players I consider to be the hottest prospects to be sent over to NFL Europe this spring... I'm not saying all of them will go, just that these are the players the Boys likely approached first:

QB Drew Henson
RB Keylon Kincade
TE Landon Trusty
WR Tim Crowder
DB Lenny Williams
DB Steve CargileExcellent post. I have a feeling Trusty will not be among those sent to NFLE. I kind of expect him to be on the 53 man active roster next year.

I wouldn't be shocked if they sent Lousaka Polite either. I agree with you that we need to take better advantage of this. I think the risk is always injuries.

[speedkilz88]

Excellent post. I have a feeling Trusty will not be among those sent to NFLE. I kind of expect him to be on the 53 man active roster next year.

I wouldn't be shocked if they sent Lousaka Polite either. I agree with you that we need to take better advantage of this. I think the risk is always injuries.I would think Trusty would be the prime candidate to go to NFLE, look at the depth chart.

1. Jason Witten
2. Dan Campbell/2b. (snapper) Jeff Robinson
3. Brady Pierce - spent most of the season on 53 man roster
4. Sean Ryan - spent latter part of season on 53 man roster
5. Landon Trusty - spent off and on time on the practice squad