A word about our free agent signings

[JPostSam]

according to most observers, dallas's free agent signings this offseason have been shrewd moves. leonard davis, brad johnson and ken hamlin are not glamorous catches, but they are solid choices. johnson and hamlin, at least, were signed at bargain prices, to boot.

and yet there are doubters.

davis may really be the underachieving, overhyped disappointment he has been in arizona.

brad johnson may just be a retread.

ken hamlin may have been devastated by his head injury and never return to form.

it's true, these are all risks. but there is something very positive in these signings that has not been discussed yet, and that is how they compare to the free agent signings of the cowboys' recent past.

looking back at bill parcells's signings, you see a lot of big-name veterans who had pretty much exhausted their talent. eddie george, vinny testaverde, drew bledsoe, marco rivera, et al. had all left their best football behind them by the time they made it to dallas.

leonard davis and ken hamlin, on the other hand, are spring chickens compared to those guys. there is plenty of upside left -- and the only challenge is for the dallas coaching staff to bring it to the fore on gameday.

the bad part of those former signings was that all those guys were signed as starters, not for depth. guys like richie anderson and kenyon coleman were the exception that proved the rule. brad johnson, by contrast, was brought in as insurance in case tony romo goes down for a few weeks. he is not -- at least right now, and not according to all expectations -- insurance in case romo implodes, like testaverde in the case of quincy carter.

sure, bill brought in terry glenn, and he's been gold. but he was also a still-young receiver, with loads of talent that hadn't been fully exploited, who carried a reasonable price tag -- exactly the kind of player that dallas fans hope davis and hamlin will turn out to be.

now, it's unlikely that either davis or hamlin will bring to the franchise as free agents what charles haley brought. but they make this team both more talented and younger than it was a year ago. that, in my opinion, is huge.

...and if brad johnson can be a wade wilson kind of signing -- you know, the guy who now is our quarterbacks coach after a few seasons as a solid emergency backup here -- then that will prove to be an excellent move as well.

 

[big dog cowboy]

To be fair, Rivera was still playing quite well when he left GB. It was his back injury that killed his playing ability. Our luck on the O-line has just been bad. I do like signing younger free agents also.

 

[CF74]

davis may really be the underachieving, overhyped disappointment he has been in arizona.

.

Davis will be put back where he belongs, Guard. And in being re-introduced to his old spot will excel. He might not ever be a hall of famer but he will get it done.

I'm very optimistic about our offense this year. The only concern I have is Romo. I hope he can limit his mistakes and turn overs so that we can stay in the game and win. I think Garrett will open it up a little more and take chances but I'm also hoping to see more Julius. God I'm hoping the guy starts playing a different style. No more running into piles please.

 

[Ashwynn]

I am happy with the offseason so far. I thin kwe addressed needed positions. oline could use more help, but is fine and with depth will be ok. Back up QB needed to be addressed in a major way. We could have done worse the Brad Johnson. Hes a Buerlien, Garrett sure fier, no stupid mistakes type QB. Can win a few games for you if needed. Saftey. Hamlin, I heard good and bad about the guy. I am being optomistic and thinking hes gunna be fine. In the past he was a good FS it seemed till his position changed due to injuries. They can happen here too???? But I am really excited for the first time in a long time.

Cant wait for the draft and then heading to june for the final FAs and then TC.

We will know after the draft what needs are left for any remaining FA, back up NT and young WR and depth all over are areas to watch.

We are in great shape and listening to Phillips talk about using Ware as he used Merriman, using Roy on the line and having a FS play centerfield. Blitzing like he did in SD. Agressive play from the D playing a 'step and read on the run', not that 'wait, read and react' defense. MAN. I am getting excited.

Not sure who I want in the draft anymore now Nelsons not coming here. ButI will enjoy the draft knowing it will be a BPA making the team better overall. Parcells may get credit for putting us in this position. But I think Phillips change of attitude and willingness to play to players strengths are whats needed right now.

This year is so gunna be fun and should be highly rewarding. I haven't even mentioned the O yet. If this team can live up to half the expectations we will be playoff bound by November.

 

[fanfromvirginia]

according to most observers, dallas's free agent signings this offseason have been shrewd moves. leonard davis, brad johnson and ken hamlin are not glamorous catches, but they are solid choices. johnson and hamlin, at least, were signed at bargain prices, to boot.

and yet there are doubters.

davis may really be the underachieving, overhyped disappointment he has been in arizona.

brad johnson may just be a retread.

ken hamlin may have been devastated by his head injury and never return to form.

it's true, these are all risks. but there is something very positive in these signings that has not been discussed yet, and that is how they compare to the free agent signings of the cowboys' recent past.

looking back at bill parcells's signings, you see a lot of big-name veterans who had pretty much exhausted their talent. eddie george, vinny testaverde, drew bledsoe, marco rivera, et al. had all left their best football behind them by the time they made it to dallas.

leonard davis and ken hamlin, on the other hand, are spring chickens compared to those guys. there is plenty of upside left -- and the only challenge is for the dallas coaching staff to bring it to the fore on gameday.

the bad part of those former signings was that all those guys were signed as starters, not for depth. guys like richie anderson and kenyon coleman were the exception that proved the rule. brad johnson, by contrast, was brought in as insurance in case tony romo goes down for a few weeks. he is not -- at least right now, and not according to all expectations -- insurance in case romo implodes, like testaverde in the case of quincy carter.

sure, bill brought in terry glenn, and he's been gold. but he was also a still-young receiver, with loads of talent that hadn't been fully exploited, who carried a reasonable price tag -- exactly the kind of player that dallas fans hope davis and hamlin will turn out to be.

now, it's unlikely that either davis or hamlin will bring to the franchise as free agents what charles haley brought. but they make this team both more talented and younger than it was a year ago. that, in my opinion, is huge.

...and if brad johnson can be a wade wilson kind of signing -- you know, the guy who now is our quarterbacks coach after a few seasons as a solid emergency backup here -- then that will prove to be an excellent move as well.

I like our free agent signings but there are two basic problems with your argument. First: track record. Most FA signings, Dallas or otherwise, don't work out as intended. Neither do draft picks for that matter. Second: you're comparing past failures with future predictions. That ain't right.

Which leads me to the theme of this post: some of our FA signings are going to be busts. Hopefully not too many. But it's all but guaranteed that some of these guys aren't going to work out. That's the statistical reality. Everything else is speculation.

 

[Zaxor]

To be fair, Rivera was still playing quite well when he left GB. It was his back injury that killed his playing ability. Our luck on the O-line has just been bad. I do like signing younger free agents also.

I disagree while Rivera made it to the probowl he got there on name alone because his play had begun slipping the year prior to his last in GB around the halfway mark of that season and he was no where near close to the rivera he use to be in his final year in GB. too many injuries is what I believe was his down turn

 

[Biggems]

The only positive I have for the Johnson signing is the bling he wears on his finger.....if not for that ring, I would be absolutely against the signing. I know having a vet QB is important.....but Tony is didnt need Johnson (he has Garrett and Wilson).....we could have gotten either Harrington or Carr instead and had someone we feel more confident with coming in to spell Tony if need be. Brad has the mental capacity, I just feel his body is gone. I dont think he can physically get it done anymore.....

so that is really my only beef of the offseason....and if that is my only beef, then I would say our offseason has been highly productive so far.

 

[CATCH17]

We got a lot of pieces in place. We just need guys to stop making mental errors.

 

[The30YardSlant]

I still have very serious doubts about our FA pickups. I will never for the life of me figure out why JJ continually waits around and settles for second tier FAs.

In 2005, he could have had Mike Wahle, but instead got Marco Rivera. Wahle goes on to make a Pro Bowl, and Rivera has two below average seasons and has now been replaced.

Also in 2005, we could have had Ken Lucas, but instead got Anthony Henry. Lucas has obviously been the more impressive player the past two seasons.

In 2006, there was linebacker talent out the wazzu on the market, but we settle for Akin Ayodele, who was not bad last year, but certainly not the best route we could have taken.

We didnt even try and sign a decent FS in 2006, either

Then this year, we settle for a tackle that we plan on turning into a guard. Said player takes plays off and is generally considered a massive NFL dissapointment.

I understand you cant always go after the big name, but just once I'd like to sign a player whom I had no doubt we would see massive production from. Even with TO, we didnt know what we were getting.

 

[AsthmaField]

I still have very serious doubts about our FA pickups. I will never for the life of me figure out why JJ continually waits around and settles for second tier FAs.

In 2005, he could have had Mike Wahle, but instead got Marco Rivera. Wahle goes on to make a Pro Bowl, and Rivera has two below average seasons and has now been replaced.

Also in 2005, we could have had Ken Lucas, but instead got Anthony Henry. Lucas has obviously been the more impressive player the past two seasons.

In 2006, there was linebacker talent out the wazzu on the market, but we settle for Akin Ayodele, who was not bad last year, but certainly not the best route we could have taken.

We didnt even try and sign a decent FS in 2006, either

Then this year, we settle for a tackle that we plan on turning into a guard. Said player takes plays off and is generally considered a massive NFL dissapointment.

I understand you cant always go after the big name, but just once I'd like to sign a player whom I had no doubt we would see massive production from. Even with TO, we didnt know what we were getting.

Well, the way I see it is that Davis was a dissapointment as a T. That's where they drafted him to play and that's where he's been judged at the past couple of years. Prior to that, Davis was considered a very good guard. I remember watching games he played in and the announcers talking about what a road grater he was. He doesn't play well in space (tackle) but on the interior of the line, he is able to latch on to his guy and blast him out.

Who knows until he plays for us a while... but I think he's going to be a very, very good guard and likely more dominating that Steinbach or Dielman because of his sheer strength and size. Plus with his age, I loved the signing. I was hoping like heck the Commanders wouldn't sign him because he's going to make a running game go.

Moving him to guard was a smart move. Moving him to RT would be a better idea than LT. Just look at the LT's in the NFL. They aren't his size. It wasn't very smart to play him at LT in the first place. Of course he'd have trouble with some speed rushers. RT or Guard is where he should play and he'll be guard for us. His favorite position to play, too. That let's you know where he's most effective, right there.

 

[JPostSam]

I like our free agent signings but there are two basic problems with your argument. First: track record. Most FA signings, Dallas or otherwise, don't work out as intended. Neither do draft picks for that matter. Second: you're comparing past failures with future predictions. That ain't right.

actually, what i am trying to do is to make projections based on past trends. it's acceptable in picking winning stocks, winning sides in a war, and -- guess what? -- winning sports teams.

i don't think i'm being naive. in fact, i noted that the knocks on our new free agents may very well be borne out by their play. so my point is not that these signings are going to be hall of famers for us.

however, my point IS that some free agents work out better than others, and that -- in my off-the-cuff observation -- most of the ones that have worked out well for us in recent years have been younger players, while most of the ones that haven't been so hot have been older players with not much left in the tank.

i'm not sure that most free agents don't work out as intended... but i would say that, for a free agent signing to pay off, you have to have realistic expectations.

if you (not YOU literally) thought that kenyon coleman was going to play like charles haley, for example, then you'd have been seriously disappointed. or, if you were bill parcells and you thought that drew bledsoe was going to play better than tony romo, then you might have needed some antacid tablets at frequent intervals.

and, if you thought that aaron glenn would provide some stability and one or two big plays over the course of a season as a nickel corner, then you'd be patting yourself on the back... but if you had signed him to play full-time, then you'd have had problems.

to put this simlpy: what i like about these signings is that they put young players with talent in starting positions, and an older player who isn't great but can still play well for short stretches if necessary in a backup role. that seems like a good risk-reward scenario to me -- a better scenario than the ones that involved players like vinny testaverde and eddie george in key starting positions.

ok?

:starspin

 

[JPostSam]

I still have very serious doubts about our FA pickups. I will never for the life of me figure out why JJ continually waits around and settles for second tier FAs.

charles haley, deion sanders and terrel owens weren't big names?

 

[The30YardSlant]

charles haley, deion sanders and terrel owens weren't big names?

Charles Haley wasnt a free agent, free agency didnt even exist in 1992. We traded for him.

Terrell Owens was a massive question mark. Would his age be a factor? Would he do to us what he did to SF and Philly?

 

[parchy]

I think there's a nice contrast with this off-season's signings and those of the last couple years. Instead of Marco Rivera, who wasn't perceived to be THAT big of a risk - even with his back surgery - we've got Leonard Davis, who nobody is really expecting to save the position.

I like having question marks around talented players. It takes some of the pressure off, and you know their talent is lurking in the shadows.

 

[jimmy40]

I'm very optimistic about our offense this year. The only concern I have is Romo. I hope he can limit his mistakes and turn overs so that we can stay in the game and win. I think Garrett will open it up a little more and take chances

If your concerned about Romo's mistakes do you want Garrett to open it up more? and what are they going to open up? we had two 1,000 yard receivers and scored plenty of points.

 

[parchy]

I still have very serious doubts about our FA pickups. I will never for the life of me figure out why JJ continually waits around and settles for second tier FAs.

In 2005, he could have had Mike Wahle, but instead got Marco Rivera. Wahle goes on to make a Pro Bowl, and Rivera has two below average seasons and has now been replaced.

Also in 2005, we could have had Ken Lucas, but instead got Anthony Henry. Lucas has obviously been the more impressive player the past two seasons.

In 2006, there was linebacker talent out the wazzu on the market, but we settle for Akin Ayodele, who was not bad last year, but certainly not the best route we could have taken.

We didnt even try and sign a decent FS in 2006, either

Then this year, we settle for a tackle that we plan on turning into a guard. Said player takes plays off and is generally considered a massive NFL dissapointment.

I understand you cant always go after the big name, but just once I'd like to sign a player whom I had no doubt we would see massive production from. Even with TO, we didnt know what we were getting.

It would have been impossible to predict all of this hindsight talk at the time the signings were made. I don't think Jerry enters negotiations with the intent of settling, but sometimes, as any shrewd businessman will tell you, the market dictates your actions. In '05, after the Cowboys pulled the trigger on all those big money FA moves, people were stoked.

The Wahle/Rivera pick was blind bad luck on Dallas' part. Both were considered top tier guards in GB - Rivera's back surgery made him a worse guard, but at the time they left GB you couldn't separate the two in terms of talent. I agree, to an extent, that the team has reached on some FAs in the recent past, but I really think this whole thing is made so much easier with the benefit of hindsight. Of course bad moves look bad in the rearviewmirror. In the end, if the team had drafted well in the Campo/Gailey years, this wouldn't matter half as much.

 

[lostinomiya]

I think there's a nice contrast with this off-season's signings and those of the last couple years. Instead of Marco Rivera, who wasn't perceived to be THAT big of a risk - even with his back surgery - we've got Leonard Davis, who nobody is really expecting to save the position.

I like having question marks around talented players. It takes some of the pressure off, and you know their talent is lurking in the shadows.

what? how do you "know" their talent is lurking? you are really digging here.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Also in 2005, we could have had Ken Lucas, but instead got Anthony Henry. Lucas has obviously been the more impressive player the past two seasons.

:laugh2: guess you didn't catch any Carolina games last year, that secondary was horrible and Lucas looked bad

In 2006, there was linebacker talent out the wazzu on the market, but we settle for Akin Ayodele, who was not bad last year, but certainly not the best route we could have taken.

so you wanted us to overspend for an aging Willie McGinnest, Julian Peterson who was a big risk being only 1 year removed from a horrible injury, or have us sign LaVar Arrington?

We didnt even try and sign a decent FS in 2006, either

that wasn't too smart, just like when we didn't want to pay too much for a CB in '04

 

[The30YardSlant]

It would have been impossible to predict all of this hindsight talk at the time the signings were made. I don't think Jerry enters negotiations with the intent of settling, but sometimes, as any shrewd businessman will tell you, the market dictates your actions. In '05, after the Cowboys pulled the trigger on all those big money FA moves, people were stoked.

The Wahle/Rivera pick was blind bad luck on Dallas' part. Both were considered top tier guards in GB - Rivera's back surgery made him a worse guard, but at the time they left GB you couldn't separate the two in terms of talent. I agree, to an extent, that the team has reached on some FAs in the recent past, but I really think this whole thing is made so much easier with the benefit of hindsight. Of course bad moves look bad in the rearviewmirror. In the end, if the team had drafted well in the Campo/Gailey years, this wouldn't matter half as much.

Wahle was 28

Rivera was 32

That's a BIG difference

 

[The30YardSlant]

guess you didn't catch any Carolina games last year, that secondary was horrible and Lucas looked bad

I guess you missed the part where Henry gave up 5 more TDs last year