ESPN - NFC East Blog: Crowded Cowboys O-line is a Good Thing

[wittenacious]

Dan Graziano's take on Livings and the O-line, in general, now under Bill Callahan. Good read, I thought. Here's a snippet:


So before anyone overreacts to the signing of former Bengals guard Nate Livings (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10207/nate-livings) to a five-year deal that includes $6.2 million in guaranteed money, think about what the Cowboys are trying to do here.


Pro Football Focus (http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/03/15/free-agency-2012-the-deal-grader/) doesn't like Livings one bit. Here's their review of the signing:

Livings has the size that Dallas covets on the O-line, but little else positive to bring to the table. -24.0 since he took over as starter for the Bengals in 2009.


I also asked my old friend and colleague LeCharles Bentley (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/3572/lecharles-bentley), the former NFL player who runs his own offensive line academy in Ohio, about Livings. LeCharles said he's a big, physical guy who can help in the run game and is a good locker room presence. Not a perfect player, but one who can help. And if he clicks with the new line coach, maybe he outplays his résumé.


So here's my thinking on the Cowboys and the guards:


read more: http://espn.go.com/blog/nfceast/post/_/id/37171/crowded-cowboys-o-line-is-a-good-thing

[MichaelWinicki]

This blog is a must-read.

[TheRat]

kind of annoyed by the 6.2 million guaranteed. It should really be half that.

[Galian Beast]

Why are we paying these JAGs so much money...

[Teague31]

Why are we paying these JAGs so much money...

this. add their salaries together and we could have made a run at nicks or grubbs.

[Risen Star]

There's validity to what he's saying but you'll never convince me that this is the best way to address your most critical issue on the team.

You want to throw numbers at an area and hope competition breeds success, do it in the secondary. But fix the OL once and for all.

[BHendri5]

so you'd rather use up all the money on one guy? have no depth, no competition, there for no success. if that one guy gets hurt then what?
We are diong it the right way with the right kind of players. Our Oline coach is watching film has watched film evaluating and his picking the guys that he feels will fit his blocking schemes, if they do not pan out so be it we have another guy to that will fit, that is what numbers get you.

[Wood]

its a reflection of how many positions along offensive line that are not set. Dallas is doing what they did years ago when we had no CBs...they just started throwing numbers at it (year goodrich was drafted).

[newlander]

its a reflection of how many positions along offensive line that are not set. Dallas is doing what they did years ago when we had no CBs...they just started throwing numbers at it (year goodrich was drafted).



.....how did THAT work out? uH..HUH.........:bang2:

[JoeCorrado]

This talk is much like was discussed when we signed Kosier. Everybody was like, Kyle who? He was a solid addition for years.

Have a little faith.

[Bluefin]

This talk is much like was discussed when we signed Kosier. Everybody was like, Kyle who? He was a solid addition for years.

Have a little faith.

I was hoping the team would hold onto Kyle Kosier for one more season.

It looks like hitting the $1 million dollar performance escalator last season made him too expensive to trust.

Looking at the PFF grades (+1.0 to -1.0 is avg), Kosier had 6 above average games and 6 below average games last season.

Nate Livings also had 6 above average games and 6 below average games last year, though he played an extra game (wildcard playoffs).

Dallas will be banking on finding a way to get the above average player to show up more consistently.

If Livings doesn't play better, he'll be a candidate for release in 2013 or 2014.

Mackenzy Bernadeau only saw significant snaps in two games last season and he graded above average in both (+1.6, +1.8).

He's only 26, whereas Livings is 30.

Evan Mathis was a 29 year old journeyman when he signed with Philadelphia last year. He had the best season of his career, being the highest rated G on PFF and the highest rated offensive player on the Eagles.

The Cowboys are hoping one or both of Livings and Bernadeau can have similar career years in Big D.

[EGG]

There's validity to what he's saying but you'll never convince me that this is the best way to address your most critical issue on the team.

You want to throw numbers at an area and hope competition breeds success, do it in the secondary. But fix the OL once and for all.


this is what is so infuriating, Jones has been sweeping around the edges of this OL mess for years and years. Every year he either tries some low-investment long shots or some pissant incremental change hoping to strike gold with the new "combination" of players,,, and here we are are again betting another entire season on Jones ability to roll the hard six.

going out and getting a quality center would make a big difference,,,

[cowboy_ron]

Good read

[BAT]

Quantity over quality. Let's hope it works.

[Risen Star]

this is what is so infuriating, Jones has been sweeping around the edges of this OL mess for years and years. Every year he either tries some low-investment long shots or some pissant incremental change hoping to strike gold with the new "combination" of players,,, and here we are are again betting another entire season on Jones ability to roll the hard six.

going out and getting a quality center would make a big difference,,,

I'm with you, bro. I don't care how they try to rationalize it. The offensive line is too big of an issue to try to fix it on the cheap like this. They needed to get aggressive. Make the big FA splash there.

I'm left to hope we find great value early in the draft. Otherwise I'm thinking it's another year of not being good enough up front to contend.

It could work, but it's a gamble. This front office doesn't have a good track record with gambling. I don't know why you'd try to get cute like this with your greatest need. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.

[casmith07]

Don't read the comments sheesh. Where do some of these guys get their ideas?