Hate To Say It, But We Missed Marty B

[InmanRoshi]

Was Bennett better than John Phillips? Yes, that's not setting the bar high. He was also about 10X more expensive too. I still don't get all the "rueing" going on about Bennett. He got 100% of snaps as a starter with the Giants and proved nothing to be more than middle of the road starting TE, and that was on a team that was absolutely desperate for someone to emerge as a second receiving target behind Cruz with Manningham gone and Nicks hobbled all year. Are the Giants tripping all over themselves to get him locked up?

[Picksix]

Originally Posted by burmafrd

BS. You can use your swing tackle on a situation like that. There is never - or should NEVER be a need to have a pass blocking specialist TE if you have a good team.

Assuming you have a good enough swing tackle. Hard enough to find two good starters at OT, let alone a good backup. And with swing tackles, your basically screaming to the opponent what you're doing. With another TE in there, even if he's not a great pass catcher, it gives you more options and forces the defense to account for it.

[Picksix]

Originally Posted by InmanRoshi

Was Bennett better than John Phillips? Yes, that's not setting the bar high. He was also about 10X more expensive too. I still don't get all the "rueing" going on about Bennett. He got 100% of snaps as a starter with the Giants and proved nothing to be more than middle of the road starting TE, and that was on a team that was absolutely desperate for someone to emerge as a second receiving target behind Cruz with Manningham gone and Nicks hobbled all year. Are the Giants tripping all over themselves to get him locked up?

I should have titled the thread differently. Too many people are missing the point. This isn't about Bennett as a receiver. And I'm not rueing the loss of Bennett per se. Just what he brought in terms of his blocking, which wasn't just better than Phillips'. It was a lot better. The fact that Phillips was a lot cheaper means nothing if he can't do the job effectively. Highly doubt he'll be back. We have Witten and Hanna, but we need a blocking TE. Oh sure, it would be great if we had an awesome 5-man OL, and didn't need one. But we don't. Not even close.

[EPL0c0]

Originally Posted by Picksix

Not from a pass-catching standpoint by any means. What we missed was his blocking. For the three years previous to his leaving, he was ranked by PFF as one of the best - if not the best - blocking TE. That's why we went after Kellen Davis and John Carlson like we did. Garrett knew we needed better than what remained. Phillips is a better pass-catcher, but not nearly the blocker Marty was. Getting Vickers was supposed to help, but he was a disappointment.

We talk about making improvements at OL, DL, S, etc, and rightfully so. But don't be surprised if the first guy we sign in FA is a TE.

Well, for my 2cents, I think Bennett made Free a better LT. I realize that RT is a different position but it isn't a ridiculous to say that that Free struggled without that help.

[Holdenteller67]

Originally Posted by dexternjack

This is true, forgot that. Sure hope the brain-trust does not draft another one, just get someone via FA or resign Phillips.

Phillips can go, he is replaceable. Hell Hannah impressed me more this year then Phillips ever did.

[Eddie]

Originally Posted by RS12

Marty and the Cowboys were a bad marriage that was likely never gonna work. Sometimes it goes that way certain players and teams. Time to move on.

Yes, there's something wrong with using a 2nd round pick to draft a backup TE.

Oh I fuggets. It was all about that unstoppable 2 TE formation.

[burmafrd]

Originally Posted by Picksix

Assuming you have a good enough swing tackle. Hard enough to find two good starters at OT, let alone a good backup. And with swing tackles, your basically screaming to the opponent what you're doing. With another TE in there, even if he's not a great pass catcher, it gives you more options and forces the defense to account for it.

if you are talking blocking even a lousy Tackle should be better then a TE.

Frankly that is all BS. When you are using two TEs and a stacked backfield if you do pass it will be a surprise and there will be people open. meanwhile that tackle can help pass block

[big dog cowboy]

Originally Posted by Eddie

Yes, there's something wrong with using a 2nd round pick to draft a backup TE.

We didn't.

[erod]

Marty B represents all the worst qualities I hate in today's athletes. Don't miss him one iota.

[erod]

Originally Posted by Holdenteller67

Phillips can go, he is replaceable. Hell Hannah impressed me more this year then Phillips ever did.

Two entirely different kinds of tight ends. Hanna can't do what Phillips does, and vice beta.

[tyke1doe]

The simple truth is that Marty B was not going to be satisfied being the No. 2 tight end, not with Witten serving in that role. He didn't want to just block. He wanted to catch passes. But he wasn't really good at that because he had too many lapses where he'd drop balls.

He just wasn't a good fit for the Cowboys. Whereas, he's a better fit for the Giants, who don't have a tight end nearly as good as Witten.

Let's stop trying to fit square pegs into round holes. Marty wasn't going to be with Dallas the player he is with the Giants.

That's just the way it is sometimes.

[newlander]

garbage thread. NOTHING says a guy doesn't want to be somewhere more than just being out of SHAPE like he was. He was a soft tub of goo for us and he goes to NY and doesn't even look like the same guy anymore. Yeah, we miss him: like a HEMORRHOID

[Boys122]

I don't miss that bum.

[xwalker]

Originally Posted by Picksix

Not from a pass-catching standpoint by any means. What we missed was his blocking. For the three years previous to his leaving, he was ranked by PFF as one of the best - if not the best - blocking TE. That's why we went after Kellen Davis and John Carlson like we did. Garrett knew we needed better than what remained. Phillips is a better pass-catcher, but not nearly the blocker Marty was. Getting Vickers was supposed to help, but he was a disappointment.

We talk about making improvements at OL, DL, S, etc, and rightfully so. But don't be surprised if the first guy we sign in FA is a TE.

I have spent a ton of time analyzing the Cowboys 2012 OLine and running game using both the Tivo'd broadcasts and the All-22 from NFL.com.

There were definitely a significant number of failed plays that can be attributed directly to a TE (mostly Phillips) not getting the proper block.

I'm a huge fan of Parnell at OT, but he didn't do as well as a blocking TE as he did at OT. It seems like it would be very similar, but he just didn't look as comfortable at the TE position. It might just be that it is difficult to come off the bench for 1 snap and then wait another quarter or two before getting another snap.

I have always thought that there are a lot of undersized college linemen that would make good blocking Tight Ends; however, a team would need to really commit to making that player a TE. It appears that most teams only give Linemen-turned-Blocking-TEs a handfull of snaps at that position and rarely do them train them to go out for short passes.

A player in this draft that might be good as a Blocking-TE is Center Mario Benavides (6-3, 279). He is a really good blocker for his size and has very good technique; however, he is just very small as an NFL OLineman. He would be big as a TE and he has very good athleticism.

Another option would be Kevin Kowalski. He had terrific quickness/agility measureables for an OLineman. He could also be trained as a FB and be used similar to how Alabama uses Jesse Williams at that spot.

The Cowboys did have Parnell go out in a short pass pattern once but the ball didn't come to him.

As far as conventional blocking TEs in the draft, Nick Kasa (6'5-1/2", 271) did some good things in the Senior bowl practices.

.

[burmafrd]

Originally Posted by xwalker

I have spent a ton of time analyzing the Cowboys 2012 OLine and running game using both the Tivo'd broadcasts and the All-22 from NFL.com.

There were definitely a significant number of failed plays that can be attributed directly to a TE (mostly Phillips) not getting the proper block.

I'm a huge fan of Parnell at OT, but he didn't do as well as a blocking TE as he did at OT. It seems like it would be very similar, but he just didn't look as comfortable at the TE position. It might just be that it is difficult to come off the bench for 1 snap and then wait another quarter or two before getting another snap.

[View Full Quote]I have always thought that there are a lot of undersized college linemen that would make good blocking Tight Ends; however, a team would need to really commit to making that player a TE. It appears that most teams only give Linemen-turned-Blocking-TEs a handfull of snaps at that position and rarely do them train them to go out for short passes.

A player in this draft that might be good as a Blocking-TE is Center Mario Benavides (6-3, 279). He is a really good blocker for his size and has very good technique; however, he is just very small as an NFL OLineman. He would be big as a TE and he has very good athleticism.

Another option would be Kevin Kowalski. He had terrific quickness/agility measureables for an OLineman. He could also be trained as a FB and be used similar to how Alabama uses Jesse Williams at that spot.

The Cowboys did have Parnell go out in a short pass pattern once but the ball didn't come to him.

As far as conventional blocking TEs in the draft, Nick Kasa (6'5-1/2", 271) did some good things in the Senior bowl practices.

.

the New Refrigerator.

Well we could get someone like that cheap. But still wonder at all the effort that would be better spent on the O line itself