J.J. Taylor: League may put collar on Williams/Q & A for 3/22/05

[HeHateMe]

Jean-Jacques Taylor: League might put collar on Williams

05:26 PM CST on Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Jean-Jacques Taylor

Inside Valley Ranch

First there was the Emmitt Smith "don't take your helmet off" rule. Then there was the Erik Williams "hands to the face" rule.

Don't forget the Michael Irvin "offensive pass interference" rule. Now, the NFL is contemplating adding the Roy Williams "horse-collar tackle" rule.

I would be willing to bet no other NFL team has had as many rules created based on the success of its players.

This is a bad rule.

No one wants to see another NFL player injured. But this is the NFL. It's a violent, physical game where only the strongest survive and thrive.

Three players – Tennessee's Tyrone Calico, Baltimore's Musa Smith and Philadelphia's Terrell Owens – Williams tackled last season using the horse-collar technique suffered serious injuries. That was enough for the league to examine the issue and decide whether players who use that technique will be penalized 15 yards.

This is an overreaction.

This isn't a cut-block, where the defender can't see it coming because he's already being blocked. And this isn't a premeditated head slap or late hit.

This is all about instinctive football. Williams uses his strength to grab a player by his shoulders and drag him down. The league wants him to ride the player down, instead of jerking him down, to prevent injuries.

This is an unrealistic request.

Williams has a split-second to tackle a player. Spend too much time thinking on the field and it renders most players useless. That's what Darren Woodson intimated happened to him after he was fined $75,000 for launching himself at a player.

For a while, he said he spent too much time figuring out how to tackle receivers without getting fined as opposed to just tackling them.

Hopefully, Williams won't have the same problem.


COWBOYS Q&A

Q: Do you think the Cowboys should bring in William Green if he is released by the Browns?

Christopher Bryant, Reading, Pa.

TAYLOR: The Cowboys seriously considered drafting Green three years ago, but they're probably glad they didn't since off-the-field issues have prevented him from reaching his potential. He has not rushed for more than 900 yards or averaged 4.0 yards per carry in his first three seasons. If he wants to play for the minimum, that's fine. Otherwise, I have no interest.

• • •

Q: Regarding Drew Bledsoe, do you think he'll be better than Vinny Testaverde?

Melissa Vela

TAYLOR: I would think so. As much as I like Vinny personally, it wouldn't take much for Bledsoe to be better. If Drew will make the throws he's supposed to make and not always go for the deep ball, which leads to sacks and interceptions in his case, then I think he'll be OK. I don't think he's special by any stretch, but maybe he can be what this offense needs.

• • •

Q: Any chance the Cowboys will use more two-tight end sets this season?

Brent Bottoms

TAYLOR: I would assume the Cowboys would use a lot of formations with two tight ends this season because they don't have an upper-echelon fullback, and Dan Campbell is probably their best run-blocker at a skill position. Formations with two tight ends give the offense balance and could make Jason Witten even better because he won't take such a pounding.

• • •

Q: How is Terry Glenn's foot injury healing, and is he expected to retain the starting receiver slot opposite Keyshawn?

Paul Hoffman, Manitowoc, Wis.

TAYLOR: The last time I spoke to Terry, he was doing great and predicting that he could run 4.2 if somebody put a stopwatch on him. He's going to be an important part of the offense. Dallas needs him to stay healthy because of the speed element that he brings.

• • •

Q: What is the holdup on this deal for Darren Howard?

Marion Phillips, New York

TAYLOR: The Cowboys don't want to give up Dat Nguyen, and that's whom the Saints covet most. The Cowboys have dangled some other players, but none seem to interest the Saints. This deal might not heat up until the draft, when the Saints have more incentive to make a deal.

• • •

Q: As I recall, Bill Bates was offered a position as a player-coach, and the league wouldn't let him. Why will this be different for Richie Anderson?

Paul Dorn, Carrollton, Texas

TAYLOR: First, I'm not sure Richie can play anymore if he has surgery, so it could be a moot point. Hopefully, he'll be able to play. If he can, then he'll probably be a player-coach. If not, he'll probably be an assistant coach. Jimmy Spencer was a player-coach with the Broncos in 2003, so the league won't prohibit it.

• • •

Q: How did the cowboys acquire Marco Rivera and pay him so much money without knowing he had a herniated disk?

Ted Bush

TAYLOR: First off, you have to understand that every lineman in the league with more than five years of experience probably has a herniated disk in his back based on an MRI because this is such a violent game. Secondly, you have to understand that someone with a crippling injury could pass an NFL physical if the team thought that player could perform at a high level. After all, it's their physical. They make all the rules determining who passes and who doesn't. Finally, Rivera hurt his back while running on a treadmill, so it's not like he necessarily had it to start with.

• • •

Q: Should the Cowboys have any interest in recently released Courtney Brown?

Mark Mumford, Wilmington, Del.

TAYLOR: He's a scrub. I've got no use for him. He's been a little injury-prone and he has been unproductive when he was in the lineup.

• • •

Q: How injury-prone is Darren Howard?

Don Phillips

TAYLOR: I wouldn't say he's injury-prone because he hasn't had the nagging muscle pulls or season-ending injuries that a lot of other players have had. He missed eight games with a broken wrist in 2003 and missed the first three games of last season. Other than that, he's been pretty durable.

• • •

Q: What can you tell me about Todd Bowles, Paul Pasquioni and Anthony Lynn as coaches?

Rindell Barbour

TAYLOR: Bowles played from 1986 to 1994 as a safety with Washington. He has been a good coach and is on the rise. Miami wanted him to be its defensive coordinator, but they dragged their feet on the deal and Bowles came to Dallas. Pasqualoni was a good college coach, but his expertise is on defense. You have to wonder how good a tight ends coach he can be since he's never coached the position and he's having to make an adjustment to the NFL. Lynn has gotten good reviews from a lot of people I've spoken with. He understands what makes a successful back, and he's a taskmaster. Jacksonville's Jack Del Rio has fired a lot of coaches in two years, so there's not a whole lot of shame in that.

[Hollywood Henderson]

I don't think I have ever agreed more the JJT then on this "Roy rule"...

If the NFL adoupts that crappy rule, I might as well start watching golf!

[Dale]

Yeah, this is really pure hogwash the league is considering banning this tackling style. I never noticed how many players would use this tactic from time to time until after Roy started injuring people with it. The difference? No one ever got hurt from it in all the games I watched when other players tackeld this way.

The problem, IMO, isn't the tackling style, it's Roy Williams. He hurts people. Period.

Few players hit as hard as he does, and with his force, he's going to injure people when tackling them. The irony is that just about all of his hard hits come from within the framework of the rulebook -- just look at how few fines, if any, he's had in his 3-year career.

[Jimz31]

It looks like the ones coming up with these "rules" are guys who have never layed the game. However, alot of the guys that are on the committee HAVE played the game, so what is in their head?

It seems to me that if it didn't happen to TO, they wouldn't have done this. They don't want any more premier players going down for the year again.

Ridiculous. Just handcuff all defensive players FCOL!

[joseephuss]

How about coming up with a rule to stop Peyton Manning and Brett Favre from faking spiking the ball into the ground to stop the clock and then raising up to throw a pass. This puts the defensive players in a vulnerable position. They can't rush the QB because if he does spike it, they risk hitting him and getting a penalty. They are stuck while the offense gets to tee off on them.

[InmanRoshi]

Its not so much the "Roy Williams rule" as it is the "Terrell Owens rule". This rule has nothing to do with the injuries of Musa Smith or Tyrone Calico.

[Sandman52]

It is stupid to ask the players to tackle a certain way, but I saw this coming once the injuries started to accumulate. Hey, at least we've left our mark on the league.

[Teague31]

Another example of how biased the NFL is against us. Steelers dominate the 70's, no salary cap implemented to stop them... ditto for the 80's 49ers. Come the early 90's and by god they have to stop the evil dynasty's and bring parity to the league. Emmitt can't take off his helmet but GB players can leap into the stands and the league looks the other way. same old crap.

[Banned_n_austin]

What's up with Richie Anderson?

[ddh33]

So JJT doesn't think the Howard deal will happen before the draft.

I'm thinking if it doesn't happen before then, it isn't going to. That draft pick will have more value by then, I would imagine. I think Dallas will be tempted to get their pressure player early in the draft and leave the Saints with a lesser suitor.

[followthestar]

Originally Posted by Teague31

Another example of how biased the NFL is against us. Steelers dominate the 70's, no salary cap implemented to stop them... ditto for the 80's 49ers. Come the early 90's and by god they have to stop the evil dynasty's and bring parity to the league. Emmitt can't take off his helmet but GB players can leap into the stands and the league looks the other way. same old crap.

i have heard (don't know for a fact) that jerry was one of the guys who pushed the salary cap thru. but yes, they do all hate us, and i love it...

[big dog cowboy]

Originally Posted by HeHateMe

Q: What is the holdup on this deal for Darren Howard?

TAYLOR: The Cowboys don't want to give up Dat Nguyen, and that's whom the Saints covet most. The Cowboys have dangled some other players, but none seem to interest the Saints. This deal might not heat up until the draft, when the Saints have more incentive to make a deal.

It's going to be a long 4 1/2 weeks.

[HeHateMe]

Originally Posted by Banned_n_austin

What's up with Richie Anderson?

He may require career ending neck surgery at some point this offseason.

[phildominator]

With all the history of Cowboys-related activities being outlawed, I'm surprised the NFL hasn't barred winning Super Bowls.

[Fletch]

Originally Posted by Teague31

Another example of how biased the NFL is against us. Steelers dominate the 70's, no salary cap implemented to stop them... ditto for the 80's 49ers. Come the early 90's and by god they have to stop the evil dynasty's and bring parity to the league. Emmitt can't take off his helmet but GB players can leap into the stands and the league looks the other way. same old crap.

Damn good post!!!