sureletsrace
Official CZ Homer
- Messages
- 4,622
- Reaction score
- 4,197
I'm going to take a crack at the 53-man roster. I'll be listing it as Stock Up, Split, or Stock Down, based off of where our 53-man roster was at the beginning of last year just for comparison.
I'm really trying to take off my homer glasses while doing this, so some things may be kind of hard for me, but I'm trying to be as honest with it as possible.
Stock Up:
QB - Tony Romo, Kyle Orton
We got better at QB. Swapping Jon Kitna for an under-30 veteran backup that should truthfully be starting elsewhere in the league is a win. No brainer. Keeping only 2 Quarterbacks will allow us with a little more freedom elsewhere in the roster, which I will get to a little later.
OT - Tyron Smith, Doug Free, Jeremy Parnell
Switching Tyron Smith and Doug Free from right to left, respectively, is a good move by the coaching staff. Sure, there will be an adjustment period, and it might not all be roses, but this needed to be done. Doug Free seemed to have an off year last year, at his more natural position he should thrive again.
ILB - Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, Dan Connor, Alex Albright, Orie Lemon
We've got ourselves a youth movement at the ILB position. Gone are Bradie James and Keith Brooking; enter the youngsters. This means that our oldest ILB's are Sean Lee and Dan Connor at 26 years old. That's exciting to me. Alex Albright adds so much to the defense with his ability to man any of the LB positions, and being a solid special teamer. Orie Lemon may be following in his footsteps. For the record, I do believe that Caleb McSurdy gets to the practice squad.
DE - Sean Lissemore, Jason Hatcher, Marcus Spears, Clifton Geathers, Tyrone Crawford
I was torn on putting this in Split, or Stock Up. I might be cheating a little here, but I just feel good about this position. With Sean Lissemore seeing increased snaps, Tyrone Crawford coming in a few times a game to stir things up and provide some relief to the starters, and if Jason Hatcher can remain relatively healthy, this could be a position of strength for the Cowboys' defense this year. Awesome.
CB - Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne, Orlando Scandrick, Mike Jenkins, Mario Butler
Stock way up. Now, it couldn't get much worse than where it was when we started, so I don't expect us to be fielding a dominant secondary that ends up as top-3 in the league, but I feel that a top-10 secondary is attainable. We have corners that can press, which is one of my favorite things to watch in all of football. I cannot wait to watch Brandon Carr knock DeSean Jackson into the stands until he just loses his will and gives up. I'm happy knowing that as far down as our 4th CB could be starting for many teams in the league, and probably will be after this year, so my enthusiasm is curbed and I'll try to enjoy it as much as I can this year.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Split:
RB - DeMarco Murray, Felix Jones, Phillip Tanner
Split. Same starters as last year. I should note, this is not necessarily an evaluation on how well I think the group will perform, just whether I feel the position was upgraded. I think we'll have an excellent ground attack with these 3 backs. I'm curious to see how the coaches split the workload between DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones. Will it be a 70/30? Will we see a lot of Jones in the backfield and Murray split out wide? This will be a fun position to watch this season.
FB - Lawrence Vickers
I immediately put this on my Stock Up list, but I sat back and thought about it and changed my mind. Hear me out. I love, love, love Lawrence Vickers' attitude and leadership qualities. However, I do not know enough of him to know whether he will be an upgrade over the healthy Tony Fiametta or not. Remember, I am comparing my projected roster with the Week 1 roster of last year. I truly believe that by the end of this season, this will be a Stock Up position. I just cannot justify it yet.
TE - Jason Witten, John Phillips, James Hanna
This is a Split position just because of the dynamics of the position. Martellus Bennett, whether you like(d) him or not, was an excellent in-line blocker for us. He never lived up to the insanely athletic pass catching Tight End that we hoped he would be, but he was very good at what he did. James Hanna on the other hand will provide us with a more down-the-field target from the TE position. All I know is that I want John Phillips to be chained to Jason Witten and continue learning from him for the next 5 years as Witten ages. I know it's taboo to talk about around here, and I'm not saying that Jason's play is declining, but he is getting older.
OG - Nate Livings, Mackenzy Bernadeau, Derrick Dockery, David Arkin, Ronald Leary
We went from old and questionable to somewhat-less-old and questionable. I suppose it is a step in the right direction, but there is nowhere near enough proof yet to have this in the Stock Up category. I really hope that the addition of Bill Callahan manifests itself in the Guard play this year. I want to see a youth movement at this spot, and it seems like we keep bringing in old men to hold down the position. I'd love to see some youth shine this year and lock down even just ONE Guard spot this year.
C - Phil Costa, Kevin Kowalski
This is where I am hoping even moreso that Bill Callahan can make a difference this year. Phil Costa has been a popular whipping boy on these forums, and for good reason. He was just awful last year. There were moments I was wishing for Andre Gurode back, and that's not a good sign. However, I am slightly optimistic that he could maybe improve, and if not, I really like Kevin Kowalski. I'm rooting for him to unseat Phil Costa by outplaying him.
K - Dan Bailey
I just hope Dan Bailey continues where he left off from last year. Just keep nailing those Field Goals.
OLB - DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, Victor Butler, Kyle Wilber
Here is the position that might benefit the most from additions to other position groups. Not much change here, just the addition of Kyle Wilber and the conversion of Alex Albright to ILB. I suppose Alex Albright could technically be listed here too, as he'll be backing up both LB positions. Split.
DT - Jay Ratliff, Josh Brent
This one has me slightly concerned. I hope that Jay Ratliff can heal up and play effectively, like the Ratliff we saw a couple of years ago. I hate it because I love Jay Ratliff's fire and passion for the game, I pray his health will allow him a greater longevity at this position than I feel he will get. Josh Brent should be a nice backup and see increased snaps this year in relief of Jay Ratliff.
S - Barry Church, Gerald Sensabaugh, Matt Johnson, Danny McCray
I'm not sure who would be playing SS and who would be playing FS, but I don't think it would matter much anyways, as Rob Ryan would more than likely use them interchangeably. There's been talk around Valley Ranch of letting the best players play; well as of right now, Barry Church and Gerald Sensabaugh are the best 2 Safeties on the Dallas Cowboys right now. I like Barry Church and think he'll do a good job as the starter this year, and I tend to like Gerald Sensabaugh more than most fans, because he's been pretty good. Hopefully Matt Johnson can get some playing time, or even just keep his nose in the playbook and learn as much as he can from the sidelines. The homer in me wants to say he'll be the starter and is the second coming of Ed Reed, but there's just no way to know if he'll be able to play to the level that he did in college, in the NFL. Danny McCray provides a nice change-up as a blitzer and is a good special teams provider.
LS - L.P. Ladouceur
Yes, L.P. gets his own listing. He's a split, and that's a wonderful, wonderful thing that we as fans don't often give credit to. Keep doing your thing, LP.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Stock Down:
WR - Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, Danny Coale, Dwayne Harris, Andre Holmes, Cole Beasley
This is where the lack of a 3rd QB falls in. There are still so many questions in this position group, and I feel that the Cowboys will carry 6 WR's and have a "slot-by-committee" 3rd WR. I fear injuries to this position, and am uneasy with Miles Austin's hamstring. Finding Laurent Robinson last year was huge. I wish we didn't lose him, but that was a big blow to our WR corps. He and Tony Romo had a good connection and seemed to be on the same page often. Too many negatives right now surround this position, and I felt better about it last year than I do about it this year. Stock Down.
P - Chris Jones
Not having Mat McBriar as our punter hurts. There's not a whole lot to say about this one; I fear that we'll miss Mat McBriar on more than one occasion this year. I just hope that Chris Jones can make me say "McBriar who?", but I doubt it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I had a lot of fun doing this. It revealed to me some of the directions that the team is going and looking back on the previous roster gave me a little nostalgia. Hopefully next year, I'll be listing more Stock Up and less Split and Stock Down.
While Split may show a nice stable core of players, it could also mean that some positions are stagnating.
I don't feel that way about this roster. I feel like everything is moving, every group is going forward, every single player is trying to improve.
I like that.
I'm really trying to take off my homer glasses while doing this, so some things may be kind of hard for me, but I'm trying to be as honest with it as possible.
Stock Up:
QB - Tony Romo, Kyle Orton
We got better at QB. Swapping Jon Kitna for an under-30 veteran backup that should truthfully be starting elsewhere in the league is a win. No brainer. Keeping only 2 Quarterbacks will allow us with a little more freedom elsewhere in the roster, which I will get to a little later.
OT - Tyron Smith, Doug Free, Jeremy Parnell
Switching Tyron Smith and Doug Free from right to left, respectively, is a good move by the coaching staff. Sure, there will be an adjustment period, and it might not all be roses, but this needed to be done. Doug Free seemed to have an off year last year, at his more natural position he should thrive again.
ILB - Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, Dan Connor, Alex Albright, Orie Lemon
We've got ourselves a youth movement at the ILB position. Gone are Bradie James and Keith Brooking; enter the youngsters. This means that our oldest ILB's are Sean Lee and Dan Connor at 26 years old. That's exciting to me. Alex Albright adds so much to the defense with his ability to man any of the LB positions, and being a solid special teamer. Orie Lemon may be following in his footsteps. For the record, I do believe that Caleb McSurdy gets to the practice squad.
DE - Sean Lissemore, Jason Hatcher, Marcus Spears, Clifton Geathers, Tyrone Crawford
I was torn on putting this in Split, or Stock Up. I might be cheating a little here, but I just feel good about this position. With Sean Lissemore seeing increased snaps, Tyrone Crawford coming in a few times a game to stir things up and provide some relief to the starters, and if Jason Hatcher can remain relatively healthy, this could be a position of strength for the Cowboys' defense this year. Awesome.
CB - Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne, Orlando Scandrick, Mike Jenkins, Mario Butler
Stock way up. Now, it couldn't get much worse than where it was when we started, so I don't expect us to be fielding a dominant secondary that ends up as top-3 in the league, but I feel that a top-10 secondary is attainable. We have corners that can press, which is one of my favorite things to watch in all of football. I cannot wait to watch Brandon Carr knock DeSean Jackson into the stands until he just loses his will and gives up. I'm happy knowing that as far down as our 4th CB could be starting for many teams in the league, and probably will be after this year, so my enthusiasm is curbed and I'll try to enjoy it as much as I can this year.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Split:
RB - DeMarco Murray, Felix Jones, Phillip Tanner
Split. Same starters as last year. I should note, this is not necessarily an evaluation on how well I think the group will perform, just whether I feel the position was upgraded. I think we'll have an excellent ground attack with these 3 backs. I'm curious to see how the coaches split the workload between DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones. Will it be a 70/30? Will we see a lot of Jones in the backfield and Murray split out wide? This will be a fun position to watch this season.
FB - Lawrence Vickers
I immediately put this on my Stock Up list, but I sat back and thought about it and changed my mind. Hear me out. I love, love, love Lawrence Vickers' attitude and leadership qualities. However, I do not know enough of him to know whether he will be an upgrade over the healthy Tony Fiametta or not. Remember, I am comparing my projected roster with the Week 1 roster of last year. I truly believe that by the end of this season, this will be a Stock Up position. I just cannot justify it yet.
TE - Jason Witten, John Phillips, James Hanna
This is a Split position just because of the dynamics of the position. Martellus Bennett, whether you like(d) him or not, was an excellent in-line blocker for us. He never lived up to the insanely athletic pass catching Tight End that we hoped he would be, but he was very good at what he did. James Hanna on the other hand will provide us with a more down-the-field target from the TE position. All I know is that I want John Phillips to be chained to Jason Witten and continue learning from him for the next 5 years as Witten ages. I know it's taboo to talk about around here, and I'm not saying that Jason's play is declining, but he is getting older.
OG - Nate Livings, Mackenzy Bernadeau, Derrick Dockery, David Arkin, Ronald Leary
We went from old and questionable to somewhat-less-old and questionable. I suppose it is a step in the right direction, but there is nowhere near enough proof yet to have this in the Stock Up category. I really hope that the addition of Bill Callahan manifests itself in the Guard play this year. I want to see a youth movement at this spot, and it seems like we keep bringing in old men to hold down the position. I'd love to see some youth shine this year and lock down even just ONE Guard spot this year.
C - Phil Costa, Kevin Kowalski
This is where I am hoping even moreso that Bill Callahan can make a difference this year. Phil Costa has been a popular whipping boy on these forums, and for good reason. He was just awful last year. There were moments I was wishing for Andre Gurode back, and that's not a good sign. However, I am slightly optimistic that he could maybe improve, and if not, I really like Kevin Kowalski. I'm rooting for him to unseat Phil Costa by outplaying him.
K - Dan Bailey
I just hope Dan Bailey continues where he left off from last year. Just keep nailing those Field Goals.
OLB - DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, Victor Butler, Kyle Wilber
Here is the position that might benefit the most from additions to other position groups. Not much change here, just the addition of Kyle Wilber and the conversion of Alex Albright to ILB. I suppose Alex Albright could technically be listed here too, as he'll be backing up both LB positions. Split.
DT - Jay Ratliff, Josh Brent
This one has me slightly concerned. I hope that Jay Ratliff can heal up and play effectively, like the Ratliff we saw a couple of years ago. I hate it because I love Jay Ratliff's fire and passion for the game, I pray his health will allow him a greater longevity at this position than I feel he will get. Josh Brent should be a nice backup and see increased snaps this year in relief of Jay Ratliff.
S - Barry Church, Gerald Sensabaugh, Matt Johnson, Danny McCray
I'm not sure who would be playing SS and who would be playing FS, but I don't think it would matter much anyways, as Rob Ryan would more than likely use them interchangeably. There's been talk around Valley Ranch of letting the best players play; well as of right now, Barry Church and Gerald Sensabaugh are the best 2 Safeties on the Dallas Cowboys right now. I like Barry Church and think he'll do a good job as the starter this year, and I tend to like Gerald Sensabaugh more than most fans, because he's been pretty good. Hopefully Matt Johnson can get some playing time, or even just keep his nose in the playbook and learn as much as he can from the sidelines. The homer in me wants to say he'll be the starter and is the second coming of Ed Reed, but there's just no way to know if he'll be able to play to the level that he did in college, in the NFL. Danny McCray provides a nice change-up as a blitzer and is a good special teams provider.
LS - L.P. Ladouceur
Yes, L.P. gets his own listing. He's a split, and that's a wonderful, wonderful thing that we as fans don't often give credit to. Keep doing your thing, LP.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Stock Down:
WR - Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, Danny Coale, Dwayne Harris, Andre Holmes, Cole Beasley
This is where the lack of a 3rd QB falls in. There are still so many questions in this position group, and I feel that the Cowboys will carry 6 WR's and have a "slot-by-committee" 3rd WR. I fear injuries to this position, and am uneasy with Miles Austin's hamstring. Finding Laurent Robinson last year was huge. I wish we didn't lose him, but that was a big blow to our WR corps. He and Tony Romo had a good connection and seemed to be on the same page often. Too many negatives right now surround this position, and I felt better about it last year than I do about it this year. Stock Down.
P - Chris Jones
Not having Mat McBriar as our punter hurts. There's not a whole lot to say about this one; I fear that we'll miss Mat McBriar on more than one occasion this year. I just hope that Chris Jones can make me say "McBriar who?", but I doubt it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I had a lot of fun doing this. It revealed to me some of the directions that the team is going and looking back on the previous roster gave me a little nostalgia. Hopefully next year, I'll be listing more Stock Up and less Split and Stock Down.
While Split may show a nice stable core of players, it could also mean that some positions are stagnating.
I don't feel that way about this roster. I feel like everything is moving, every group is going forward, every single player is trying to improve.
I like that.
