The 2005 Cowboys: Young, Old or Just the Right Age?

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[font=Times New Roman]The Cowboys signed two veterans over the age of 30, but they also drafted [/font]

[font=Times New Roman]two or three guys under 23 who will be starters on the 2005 Cowboys. The Cowboys brought in a 28-year-old cornerback, but they also brought in a 32 year old cornerback. The starting quarterback is 33, but the starting tailback is only 23. The starting Wide Receivers are 30 and 32, but the three guys behind them are only 27, 26 and 23. [/font]

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[font=Times New Roman]Are the Cowboys better off with older veterans with leadership skills on the field or will they be a better team with younger bodies with less football knowledge running around on Sundays?[/font]

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[font=Times New Roman]Of course the answer is both. Any team wants just the right mix when they get out there on Sunday afternoon to do battle. One of the hardest things to do in the NFL is blend the young hungry players with aging veterans who don’t want to lose their jobs. So what’s the secret in getting just the right mix on a football team?[/font]

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[font=Times New Roman]Get good football players who will be out there for 16 games, whether they are young or old, and hope for the best. [/font]

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[font=Times New Roman]What about injuries? I saw Eddie George, who ran like he was 50, make it through the entire season. While young buck Julius Jones, who was 22, got hurt in the second game and missed half the season. The Cowboys just had a 41 year old quarterback play 16 games last year without a hitch, while I remember Michael Vick, who is one of the best athletes on the planet and still in his early 20’s, get hurt a couple years back and miss 13 games. Injuries happen to all football players, young or old.[/font]

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[font=Times New Roman]Here’s my take. I want experience on the field in the quarterback position. I want youth at the running back position. I want experience on the offensive line. I want youth and experience at the receiving positions. That’s the offense. On defense I want mean football players, no matter if they are 21, 31 or 41. I also want some depth on defense. I think it’s easier to get tired quicker when you are chasing someone, than when you are leading the chase, mentally and physically.[/font]

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[font=Times New Roman]I just read an article by Rick Gosselin, whom I like because he is opinionated and is not a front-runner like some of these NFL writers, where he stated the Cowboys will have to rely on some older players to lead them to victory in 2005. He referenced Drew Bledsoe, Marco Rivera, Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn, Larry Allen and La'Roi Glover as the older players the Cowboys who would need to be key contributors in 2005. Well here are six very young players I think will be just as important to the team this season: Terence Newman, Roy Williams, Julius Jones, Jason Witten, Demarcus Ware and Marcus Spears. All of these players are within their first three seasons and are under 25 years of age.[/font]

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[font=Times New Roman]I guess this information can help us answer the original question, Are the 2005 Cowboys too young, too old or just the right age? Seems to me this 2005 team has just the right mix of young and old players. Most importantly these players were hand picked by Coach Parcells for their play on the field as well as for the way they act off the field. These older players are all known as team leaders around the NFL. These younger players are looking to become those types of players down the road in their NFL careers. I guess you could say Coach Parcells has been blessed with the best of both worlds.[/font]

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[font=Times New Roman]This 2005 Cowboy’s team is full or good football players, young and old. [/font]