Spears Over 300lbs. Again... Good!

[Cogan]

Anyone see the picture of Marcus Spears in that recent Nick Eatman article in DC.com? Man, the dude is over 300 lbs. again, but looks twice as cut up as he did when he came to camp last year. What a difference a year makes under the tutelage of super Strength & Conditioning coach Joe Juraszek! I don't know if this story gets as repeated as many times in other camps, I just know the guy knows his stuff.

I don't know if the colleges don't push S & C as hard, or the players don't take it as seriously, but once they get to the pros, the ones that want to become buffed in a hurry. At least that's the way it is in Cowboy land. Some recent examples:

Bradie James is drafted in 2003. The next year at TC, BP names James the most improved player in terms of strength, stating, "The guy couldn't tear toilet paper last year. Now, he is one of our stronger younger players."
Julius Jones is drafted the next year, but misses half of 2004 due to injuries. He comes back in 2005 with at least 15 lbs. of new found muscle, hoping his recently attained bulk will help him stay out of the trainer's room. It doesn't, but who knows how much longer he would have been out without the added conditioning and muscle development.
Last year, 7th round pick Rob Petitti becomes the starter at RT, partly by defacto. Parcells throws him a bone of love once in a great while, but mostly says the kid has a long ways to go to make it. This off-season, BP stated that, " "Rob has a lot of talent,". "If you watch him run and his lateral movement, you will see how many positives he has as an athlete. He has a chance to be as good as any I've had the opportunity to coach and I've worked with some players who have played in the NFL a long time. He keeps getting stronger and is working extremely hard." Wow! That's a long way to come for any coach in one year, but especially BP.From what I understand, Jason Beriault is another in a long line of Cowboys players who owe a lot to Juraszek for pushing them, and passing along his abundant knowledge. I'll be excited to see what he can do this TC.

With the tremendous aquisition of talent we've made over the past few years, and with coaches like Joe Juraszek, I am one positive Cowboys fan. It sure makes a head coaches' job a lot easier when he has a guy like Juraszek molding his players into well-tuned athletes who will be able to spend more time on the field, and less on the trainer's table.

[junk]

I think "Kleenex" was the term applied to James.

[big dog cowboy]

Was it my imagination, or was the Cowboys weekly injury report shorter last year than the year before? Great news about Spears. He is going to make his presence felt this year big time.

[DocScholl]

Was the pic on DC.com from this year or last ?

He's wearing a game jersey in the pic . :confused:

[JackMagist]

With the superlatives applied by Parcells to players such as Powell and Stewart I am a bit skeptical when Parcells puts his stamp of approval on a player. However, with the reports we have had on our current players from sources other than Parcells I am very encouraged. From what I hear about Pettiti he has really come a long way and should be vastly improved over last year. Ware and Spears are also posed to take the next step with an offseason in Parcells program. As for Bradie James and Julius Jones they have had their second offseason; it is time to put up or shut up for them.

[ChldsPlay]

I thought Bradie James put up pretty good last year.

[JackMagist]

I thought Bradie James put up pretty good last year.He did OK...not great and would not be hard to replace at the level he was playing at but he did a serviceable job. If we resign him that would be good, if we don't we can replace him easily enough. He has enough athletic ability but he is n\just not that smart.

[RealCowboyfan]

That's good he's over 300. Now we probably could get more powerful production out of him.:starspin

[Cogan]

Was the pic on DC.com from this year or last ?

He's wearing a game jersey in the pic . :confused:

The pic in the report is obviously from this spring. If you remember last year, he came in pretty smooth. Not that he was chubby, but not nearly as cut as he looks in the pic in the article. You can see definition where his shoulders & arms come together, and his biceps are really cut!


http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h60/cogan123/Spears-5_300.jpg

See what I mean? I just learned how to pull pics from DC.com, or I would have had this for the post. As you can see, his arms look a lot more cut than last year. If he actually gained weight, I'm sure the rest of him is the same way. Can't wait to see him in action.

I understand Petitti looks the same way. I can't wait to see that pic! Rob is one motivated dude. He couldn't have found a better motivator than Juraszek & Parcells.

[Yakuza Rich]

The good thing about Spears is that he's added muscle and not fat to his frame.

Parcells said that he and Nick Saban talked about Spears' ideal playing weight in college and Saban said it was 292 lbs. Spears got injured and his weight went up to 307 lbs and along with the tender knee, he just wasn't as great as he once was.

I really think he'd be fine at 292 lbs since he played pretty well in the second half of the year. His struggles early on had to do more with getting injured in the first week of training camp and that left him behind the 8 ball in learning the scheme and the NFL game.

Still, if he's close to 310 lbs and it's muscle, that's only great news. He's been the guy I've been saying for quite some time that's going to have a surprisingly great year in 2006 if he stays healthy.


Rich........

[Mash]

Is it me....but didn't JJ look too bulky.....it hurt his running style...I think he lost a little quikness.

Sometimes being too bulky isnt all that great........

[theogt]

Is it me....but didn't JJ look too bulky.....it hurt his running style...I think he lost a little quikness.

Sometimes being too bulky isnt all that great........Playing timid and having the line collapse on him hurt his running style in my opinion. He showed several times throughout the season that he still had the quickness even with the added weight.

[MONT17]

I recall Pepi Zellner looking like a man child one off season... Cowboys fans including myself were yoaked!!!


dont wanna turn this into an UGLY Marcus Spears is better than Pepi Zellner rant for the next 5 pages!

[big dog cowboy]

That's good he's over 300. Now we probably could get more powerful production out of him.:starspin
We will get better production this year because he is healthy more than the fact he is over 300 lbs..

[WilmingtonHeel]

Bradie James was better than alright. The OLine was the main problem with Julius he had a couple of long gains called back I believe 3. The Panther game proved "if" he has the room he can do some damage.

[JakeCamp12]

JJ needs the oline and the backside TE to hold their block for more than 2 seconds. A lot of JJ's negative runs were because the backside protection was terrible. If Fasano can block, then we should see a lot more production from JJ.

[big dog cowboy]

If Fasano can block, then we should see a lot more production from JJ.
Anthony Fasano

Tight end

Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 253 pounds
Class Year: Sr
Experience: 3V
High School: Verona
Hometown: Verona, NJ

Scouting Report Summary

Yahoo Sports:

Pros: Fasano combines a strong frame with sound technique, quickness and functional strength to rank with any prospect in this class as an inline blocker. As a receiver, he shows sure hands with the ability to catch the ball away from his body. He is especially effective in the underneath patterns where he displays a keen sense of coverage, allowing him to find soft spots in zones. He shows well-developed pass catching ability including good hands, body control and route running. He has the athleticism to fill the H-back role with a good understanding of coverage. His ability to get consistent movement at the point of contact will help a club’s ground game immediately.

Cons: Because his strength is underneath, he is not a downfield threat. Also had a bit of a fumbling problem at Notre Dame – including a bit giveaway in USC game.

Numbers: Last season caught 47 passes for 576 yards (12.3-yard average) and two touchdowns. Over his career, he started 24 games with 92 receptions and eight touchdowns. At the combine, he did 19 reps of the 225-pound bench press and had a 33½” vertical jump and 9’4” broad jump, but did not run. One of the few prospects to finish the three-cone drill in less than 7.0 seconds.

[Wezsh0T]

I agree with a previous poster. I feel that JJ's bulk last season contributed to his stiffness and perceived loss of agility. This was not the only factor though...there was the high ankle sprain and fear incurring Coach Bill's wrath by making a mistake.

[DeWare94]

pic don't work

try a print screen and then upload from imageshack

[ZeroClub]

Is it me....but didn't JJ look too bulky.....it hurt his running style...I think he lost a little quikness.Yeah, I thought he looked too bulky - particularly early last season.

[CrazyCowboy]

Nice article....thanks

[Mansta54]

Spears, Canty, and Ware will be dominant this season. They were just kids last year. This year, they're bigger, stronger, faster and more comfortable with the pro game. I see them totally dominating games this year.

[Bob Sacamano]

The good thing about Spears is that he's added muscle and not fat to his frame.

Parcells said that he and Nick Saban talked about Spears' ideal playing weight in college and Saban said it was 292 lbs. Spears got injured and his weight went up to 307 lbs and along with the tender knee, he just wasn't as great as he once was.

I really think he'd be fine at 292 lbs since he played pretty well in the second half of the year. His struggles early on had to do more with getting injured in the first week of training camp and that left him behind the 8 ball in learning the scheme and the NFL game.

Still, if he's close to 310 lbs and it's muscle, that's only great news. He's been the guy I've been saying for quite some time that's going to have a surprisingly great year in 2006 if he stays healthy.


Rich........

Rich, I thought Parcells mandated that Spears get down to 297 last year?

[Bob Sacamano]

I agree with a previous poster. I feel that JJ's bulk last season contributed to his stiffness and perceived loss of agility. This was not the only factor though...there was the high ankle sprain and fear incurring Coach Bill's wrath by making a mistake.

Julius' main problem, and the coaches stressed it in the middle of last year, was that instead of Julius finding that one hole and hitting it, he would look at 2/3 holes, and then he was caught by the backside pursuit many a times because LA and Rivera were struggling holding their blocks getting to the 2nd level, so many of Julius' stops were ankle tackles, that's why we signed Kosier

[dmq]

If he is up to 305, he won't be by the end of TC. Maybe 3-5 lbs more than last year. That said, the added muscle, strength and health will do wonders for his game and I thought he looked pretty good last year.

[ZeroClub]

Julius' main problem, and the coaches stressed it in the middle of last year, was that instead of Julius finding that one hole and hitting it, he would look at 2/3 holes, and then he was caught by the backside pursuit many a times because LA and Rivera were struggling holding their blocks getting to the 2nd level, so many of Julius' stops were ankle tackles, that's why we signed Kosier

JJ hesitated before hitting the line, for sure. But in his defense, he was searching for any hole.

[NorTex]

JJ needs the oline and the backside TE to hold their block for more than 2 seconds. A lot of JJ's negative runs were because the backside protection was terrible. If Fasano can block, then we should see a lot more production from JJ.

Nice to see that I'm not the only one to see this problem...it was a major factor in our running game not being what it should have been.

[RoyTheHammer]

The pic in the report is obviously from this spring. If you remember last year, he came in pretty smooth. Not that he was chubby, but not nearly as cut as he looks in the pic in the article. You can see definition where his shoulders & arms come together, and his biceps are really cut!


http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h60/cogan123/Spears-5_300.jpg

See what I mean? I just learned how to pull pics from DC.com, or I would have had this for the post. As you can see, his arms look a lot more cut than last year. If he actually gained weight, I'm sure the rest of him is the same way. Can't wait to see him in action.

I understand Petitti looks the same way. I can't wait to see that pic! Rob is one motivated dude. He couldn't have found a better motivator than Juraszek & Parcells.

Not to say that he isn't more defined and stronger this year, but I'm almost 100% sure that the pic was from last year. They havent' had more than mini camps yet this year, and they haven't been wearing jerseys during the camps either.

[Cogan]

Not to say that he isn't more defined and stronger this year, but I'm almost 100% sure that the pic was from last year. They havent' had more than mini camps yet this year, and they haven't been wearing jerseys during the camps either.

Point taken. You are right. In that case, I can't wait to see Spears & the rest when they are back in shorts & sleeveless shirts to see how much they've gained in muscle.

[RoyTheHammer]

Point taken. You are right. In that case, I can't wait to see Spears & the rest when they are back in shorts & sleeveless shirts to see how much they've gained in muscle.

I definately agree. He looks pretty ripped there...and if he did do all that in the weight room this offseason, he's going to be strong as an ox this year. Lets just hope he stays healthy.

[DocScholl]

Not to say that he isn't more defined and stronger this year, but I'm almost 100% sure that the pic was from last year. They havent' had more than mini camps yet this year, and they haven't been wearing jerseys during the camps either.

That is what I thought as well . Spears will be most improved player this year imo .