A different slant on the signing of Izell Reese... - Dallas Cowboys Forum

silverbear · 06-04-2005

Going into the last minicamp, Parcells said he wanted to see where he was at free safety before making any moves... this strongly suggested that he hoped to play the hand he'd already been dealt... in particular, this suggested that he wanted to see if Keith Davis was ready to step up and take the job...

Then, a couple-three days after the minicamp, he goes out and signs Reese... this tells us with some clarity that he was NOT satisfied with the potential exhibited by Davis et al...

Given that, I don't see why some of you are so completely insistent that Keith will win the starting job... I mean, he still might, but if he was such a lock, they wouldn't have signed Reese...

And so, if you concede that it appears that the Cowboys were less than thrilled with their depth chart at FS, how does the signing of Izell look when filtered through that realization??

I repeat, it looks awfully good to me... every bit as good as the Aaron Glenn signing looks... I really liked that one too; every signing can't be a potential future Pro Bowler, some of them are gonna have to be solid role players...

**MichaelWinicki** · 06-04-2005

I agree with you on a great many things in your post... the one thing I wouldn't agree with is that the signing is every bit as good as Glenns'. Only because Glenn is still a much better player at this point than is Reese. Reese is "OK" and that's about it. I don't are who starts at FS as long as they play better than Dixon did as the SS.

StonetheCrow77 · 06-04-2005

If Woody was playing beside Reese, I would be more willing to accept this view... I like the signing, it's ok... but, because Reese is playing beside Roy, I can't call it great... Roy doesn't have the ability to put players in position to suceed the way Woody did... he can't call coverages like Woody... the addition of Henry and Glenn will shore up the secondary and frees up Roy from some of his coverage duties... but, IMO that puts more pressure on the FS... he has to play well enough so that Roy stays up close the LOS... as soon as the FS play drops, you can bet they move Roy back more...

silverbear · 06-04-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by StonetheCrow77

If Woody was playing beside Reese, I would be more willing to accept this view... I like the signing, it's ok... but, because Reese is playing beside Roy, I can't call it great...

Wouldn't you say it's rather unrealistic to expect EVERY signing to be a "great" one??

Quote:

Roy doesn't have the ability to put players in position to suceed the way Woody did... he can't call coverages like Woody... the addition of Henry and Glenn will shore up the secondary and frees up Roy from some of his coverage duties... but, IMO that puts more pressure on the FS... he has to play well enough so that Roy stays up close the LOS... as soon as the FS play drops, you can bet they move Roy back more...

The thing is, the one thing Izell Reese does best is play center field, which is PRECISELY the role you're describing... he doesn't let anybody get behind him, and is good at helping out in double coverage... so while he's no star, he does seem to be a good fit for the Cowboys' needs, IMO...

Muhast · 06-04-2005

or maybe since thats wat Reese did well for Dallas, he will take Davis' role on Special teams

ndanger · 06-04-2005

Let us not forget Reece was,is, supposedly very good on special teams, the exact area BP was worried about moving Davis from !?!?

StonetheCrow77 · 06-04-2005

I don't expect every signing to be great, no... but, IMO the Glenn signing was a great one... I don't compare the Glenn and Reese signing... Glenn is 10 times the player Reese is... Reese will play a role, surely... but, he is what he is... very average vet with experience...

wick · 06-04-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by StonetheCrow77

If Woody was playing beside Reese, I would be more willing to accept this view... I like the signing, it's ok... but, because Reese is playing beside Roy, I can't call it great... Roy doesn't have the ability to put players in position to suceed the way Woody did... he can't call coverages like Woody... the addition of Henry and Glenn will shore up the secondary and frees up Roy from some of his coverage duties... but, IMO that puts more pressure on the FS... he has to play well enough so that Roy stays up close the LOS... as soon as the FS play drops, you can bet they move Roy back more...

While flashy, big-time upgrades are what makes headlines, it's exactly these types of micro upgrades that produce winning teams. When what you have is bad and you add an average player, you've upgraded a position. It doesn't matter that the player you got is average; the point is that the position is no longer bad. That's a positive.

StonetheCrow77 · 06-04-2005

to further this... Reese might even play more the Glenn, but have less impact... the impact I think Glenn brings is teaching Henry and Newman what he knows... getting on the field and providing an example... sometimes players are better coaches than the staff... I loved the article where Glenn said he learned from Lott... good stuff...

StonetheCrow77 · 06-04-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by wick

While flashy, big-time upgrades are what makes headlines, it's exactly these types of micro upgrades that produce winning teams. When what you have is bad and you add an average player, you've upgraded a position. It doesn't matter that the player you got is average; the point is that the position is no longer bad. That's a positive.

absolutely agreed... Reese helped the team... improving the depth is important... I just think it's foolhardy to compare him to Glenn... he might not even make the team, much less start... wait until we see what he has left in the tank before we call this signing great... remember he was hurt half of last year...

silverbear · 06-04-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by ndanger

Let us not forget Reece was,is, supposedly very good on special teams, the exact area BP was worried about moving Davis from !?!?

Once again, you Keith Davis backers seem almost desperate to assume that Izell Reese was brought in to take Keith's place on special teams, while Keith graduates to the starting FS job...

I have seen NOTHING to indicate that this is the case, in fact I'd say that's a worst-case scenario... nope, much as you guys would wish it was otherwise, Reese was brought in to compete for the starting job at FS... and bottom line, he's done more in the NFL than Davis ever has, so how any of you can blithely assume that Keith will win the job is beyond me...

I guess you're all obsessed with how he won the Defensive MVP over in NFL Europe last year... well, I'll just remind you that the level of play in NFLE compared to the NFL is rather like the level of play in AA Minor League baseball compared to the major leagues... being successful on the one level is NOT an assurance of success at the higher level...

Any Cowboys fans who have followed the team for less than 10 years ought to remember that Duane Hawthorne also won the Defensive MVP for NFLE one year... he never turned out to be a good NFL player, did he?? This anecdotal evidence alone should cause all you Davis backers to pause for a second...

silverbear · 06-04-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by StonetheCrow77

absolutely agreed... Reese helped the team... improving the depth is important... I just think it's foolhardy to compare him to Glenn...

C'mon, don't be anal... my comparison of Reese to Glenn was made ONLY in the context that both were relatively cheap, veteran signings of ROLE players...

Glenn was signed to cover slot receivers, and offer quality injury insurance at CB... this is a specific, limited role...

Reese was signed to contend for a starting FS job, and failing that, offer quality depth at S and quality play on special teams... this is a specific, limited role...

Both were signed for short-term, close to veteran minimum wage type deals...

My comparison was entirely limited to this set of factoids...

wick · 06-04-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverbear

Once again, you Keith Davis backers seem almost desperate to assume that Izell Reese was brought in to take Keith's place on special teams, while Keith graduates to the starting FS job...

That scenario is a possibility, though. This signing is about providing more options, something Parcells treasures. I think Parcells still wants Davis to win the job because he probably has more big-play potential than the other candidates, but if it doesn't work out, we now have a guy with experience who probably won't blow coverages on a regular basis.

If I'm Lynn Scott, I'm coming to camp knowing I have to be the best special teams guy on the team to make the roster this year.

Billy Bullocks · 06-04-2005

May the best man win. Reese is good on ST, but honestly, I'd almost prefer to have him out there at FS because he has some experience. We already are going to be throwing out a young inexperienced defense...

With a good pass rush, and solid corners, your FS doesn't need to be anything more than sufficient. Reese is mroe athletic than anyone we had playing FS last year, and he's done it for a while now. I don't mind this signing at all. I do like Davis though, but I thikn Parcells will determine who the best player is, and that's who will start.

junk · 06-04-2005

I think Reese was a good signing for the price...the minimum. He will bring a vet presence to the competition at FS. If he stinks in camp, cut him. No loss really.

I actually wouldn't be surprised to see some coverage packages where there actually isn't a true FS on the field. Maybe some coverages with the three talented CBs instead.