How about Petitti?

[THUMPER]

I didn't get to see the game but from what I heard the O-Line did a great job last night (facing the Jags' backups) and that the right side was especially productive with Rivera starting alongside Petitti.

Some of you will remember that I predicted months ago that Petitti would be the starter at RT before the season was over. I meant the regular season, not pre-season but this is even better!

From what I saw in his highlight clips I ws completely impressed with the kid. His losing the weight like Parcells asked him to and working so hard in camp shows that my impression of him was correct as was my prediction that he would be a starter for us very soon.

For a 6th-round pick to be starting in week-1 is extremely rare but Petitti has rare talent and we were incredibly lucky to be the ones to select him.

I am very excited about how our O-Line is shaping up as it will be the key to everything we do on offense. If they can open holes for Julius and the other RBs as well as protect Bledsoe and give him the time he needs, we will do very well this year. Parcells likes to run the ball and control the clock with occasional deep passes and dump offs to keep the defense honest.

I am also excited about the progress Patrick Crayton has made this off-season and expect great things from him this year. The likelihood of signing Peerless Price is also very cool as it would give us 4 quality WRs for the first time in a lot of years. In fact I can't really think of a time when we had even 3 good WRs except the early 80s when we had Drew Pearson, Tony Hill, and Butch Johnson or the early/mid 60s when we had Bob Hayes, Frank Clarke, and Buddy Dial. This could be the best WRs corps we have ever had in terms of overall talent if we sign Price.

Man, I can't wait for next Sunday!

Here were my comments on Petitti's college highlight clips:

Fri Apr-29-05 07:21 AM by THUMPER

Pretty impressed overall. I'll break it down into a couple of segments...

Pass-protection: Petitti shows outstanding footwork and uses his hands and long arms very well. His feet are always moving, keeps his balance very well, continually punching to keep the defender off balance and away from his body. Very good technique in pass-protection, very impressive. Balance is the key and he does a great job of keeping his feet moving to maintain his balance and position. Excellent!

Run-blocking straight ahead: He looks to have outstanding strength in both his upper and lower body, good drive and doesn't give up on his guy. Might want to look for someone else to block at times rather than simply driving his guy out to the parking lot but nice tenacity and mean streak.

[View Full Quote]Run-blocking, pulling/sweeps: Shows good quickness for a guy his size but gave up on the play early and stopped looking for someone to block. Could have been a bit more focused but that could have been fatigue setting in. Could work on his conditioning a bit and lose some fat around the middle.

Overall, very impressed, especially in pass-protection. I would feel very comfortable if Adams went down, putting Petitti in his place to protect Bledsoe' blind side. If he can get into better shape (I hear he has lost some weight already) and play a bit more consistently in the running game, I could forsee him taking over at LT and moving Adams to RT (where he belongs).

This is a great pickup for us and I am surprised that he was still there in the 6th round. The only thing I can think of is that he is inconsistent and that what we saw in the video are truly just highlights and the rest of the time he is mediocre. I hope not but either way if we can get him into shape and have him play consistently we will really have something here.

[DBoys]

Rivera and him tore people up Jones had some big gains off the right side.

[Eddie]

It's good Rob is stepping up, but he's sort of taken the starting RT job by default. With Rogers gone, and a scrub like Torrin Tucker competing with Rob, there's really no competition.

Let's just hope BP doesn't regret this move by not focusing on bringing in a vet.

We're all rooting for Rob, but let's not count our chickens before the eggs hatch. Save the cheers for the Super Bowl.

[Nors]

I was very high on him in the draft zone - took a lot of heat at his poor combine showing...

A player.

[Nors]

http://cowboyszone.com/forums/showth...hlight=petitti

[BlueStar22]

It's good Rob is stepping up, but he's sort of taken the starting RT job by default. With Rogers gone, and a scrub like Torrin Tucker competing with Rob, there's really no competition.

I disagree, I still feel like Petiti earned the job. The fact that the Boys had guys like Gragg on speed dial and he's not here, speaks volumes.

[WoodysGirl]

I didn't get to watch it, but I think he had a false start. Other than that, I think people said he played well. And when JJ goes 11/75 and A-Train 11/62 (or something), then the O-line did what they were supposed to do. And I'm sure it helped Petitti having Rivera next to him.

[JakeCamp12]

I agree Blue Star....if they felt he won it by default, Gragg would be here. He proved to BP that he would play hurt and that he can be disciplined with the weight issue. Rob earned it from before the mini-camps with his dedication to doing what was asked of him.

[Eddie]

Originally Posted by BlueStar22

I disagree, I still feel like Petiti earned the job. The fact that the Boys had guys like Gragg on speed dial and he's not here, speaks volumes.

No, the reason we haven't brought in Gragg is because JJ doesn't want to guarantee him a full season's salary if he suits up on game 1.

BP also wants to see what he has in Rob and Tucker.

I'm sure it spoke volumes when BP didn't bring in anyone to challenge Hunter last year also at CB.

[czmtzc]

He and Rivera really got tested in the running game last night. They ran to the right over and over with both JJ and A-train. Both Running backs were very productive. Watching Petitti I saw that he did a good job battling against defensive linemen, and there were a couple of time he was leading a little farther down field and he was MAULING the linebacker.

HE may just be a rookie, and he won't be perfect this yer I'm sure, but I think he can be a really good RT for a long time. I can hardly wait to see him next year after he has a full off season to work on strength rather than lose weight.

[Doomsday101]

Originally Posted by czmtzc

He and Rivera really got tested in the running game last night. They ran to the right over and over with both JJ and A-train. Both Running backs were very productive. Watching Petitti I saw that he did a good job battling against defensive linemen, and there were a couple of time he was leading a little farther down field and he was MAULING the linebacker.

HE may just be a rookie, and he won't be perfect this yer I'm sure, but I think he can be a really good RT for a long time. I can hardly wait to see him next year after he has a full off season to work on strength rather than lose weight.

I agree and I think he will progress through out the season, working along side a vet like Rivera is going to be a big help to him.

[Eddie]

Originally Posted by czmtzc

HE may just be a rookie, and he won't be perfect this yer I'm sure, but I think he can be a really good RT for a long time. I can hardly wait to see him next year after he has a full off season to work on strength rather than lose weight.

This is what I'm hoping for. Can't say it makes up for the Rogers pick, but it sure feels better than going into the season with Tucker or Vollers playing the spot.

[lspain1]

Originally Posted by Eddie

No, the reason we haven't brought in Gragg is because JJ doesn't want to guarantee him a full season's salary if he suits up on game 1.

BP also wants to see what he has in Rob and Tucker.

I'm sure it spoke volumes when BP didn't bring in anyone to challenge Hunter last year also at CB.

Good point, Eddie. While I think Petitti has done well for a rookie, there is no doubt we will see some growing pains at this postion. Also, with Tucker, no no one will say we are deep at the position. I am sure the Cowboys will be looking to see if someone pops up. Last year, no one came available in a depleted corner field that BP felt was any better than what we had. I'm not sure that the same will be true of the RT's this year. In the NFL today, it seems that no team is deep at all positions. You can look at the Patriot's performance last night against the G-men and see that clearly even for the Super Bowl champs.

[FLcowboy]

Petitti can only get better with Rivera there to help him. I look forward to watching the two operate. With both sides of the line opening holes, the running game is going to be awesome. Won't be very many passes to spread around.

[Eddie]

Originally Posted by lspain1

In the NFL today, it seems that no team is deep at all positions. You can look at the Patriot's performance last night against the G-men and see that clearly even for the Super Bowl champs.

Yep ... true dat. Also, see how the Jet's mauled the Eagles??? No depth in Philly either.