Anybody heard if Henson...

[starfrombirth]

You know what's so funny about that picture?

If you scroll from the bottom of the page up, you're like ...

"hhhmm, she looks nic ... Aarrrrggghhhh!!!!!"

:laugh1:

Oh man that is funny

 

[Alexander]

Did I quote you? It was a general comment about the OL.

Do you honestly feel paying $56 million for a guard is the best move for this franchise? Hutchinson is good, but paying that much for a guard is what makes franchises like Minnesota perpetually inept.

I liked Bentley as well, but not for a $12.5 million signing bonus.

What was the last offensive line constructed through high priced free agents that was successful? For that matter, who was the last high priced free agent offensive line signing that made you say "Oh, that was money well spent."

Our great Cowboy lines the 1990s were not built with acclaimed talent. They were late round draft choices, a second round and a third round chocie. Along with trade additions like John Gesek and Frank Cornish. Not a high priced player in the lot, nor a high draft choice save Mark Stepnoski.

They were simply a well-coached unit that had chemistry. Teams can win with lines that are not chock full of superstars. New England has won with basically the same thing. Since Seattle's success, some people unfortunately assume that since they are a flavor of the month that you need a "stud" side of the line. That's simply not true. The results prove that it isn't.

Will this Cowboy line get the job done? I don't know. I do know that it will come down to them developing chemistry, staying healthy and aboveall being coached well by Tony Sparano. If Sparano is over his head, it wouldn't matter if we signed Hutchinson, Bentley and drafted Winston Justice.

 

[Hostile]

Our great Cowboy lines the 1990s were not built with acclaimed talent. They were late round draft choices, a second round and a third round chocie. Along with trade additions like John Gesek and Frank Cornish. Not a high priced player in the lot, nor a high draft choice save Mark Stepnoski.

They were simply a well-coached unit that had chemistry. Teams can win with lines that are not chock full of superstars. New England has won with basically the same thing. Since Seattle's success, some people unfortunately assume that since they are a flavor of the month that you need a "stud" side of the line. That's simply not true. The results prove that it isn't.

In contrast to that, teams can struggle with OLs that are chock full.

A few years ago the Cardinals had a starting 5 on the OL that I think was 3 1st rounders, a 2nd round guy, and a 3rd round guy. I think they gave up 40 plus sacks and averaged 3.7 per carry.

OL is about chemistry over draft position.

 

[big dog cowboy]

OL is about chemistry over draft position.

Coaching better fit in there also. Our lines in the 90's were well coached. Since then, not so much.

 

[Alexander]

OL is about chemistry over draft position.

Look at the best OL in football: Kansas City.

Roaf (trade from NO, first round)
Shields (3rd round choice)
Weigmann (street free agent from Ind)
Waters (street free agent from DALLAS )
Welbourn (now retired, 4th round from Phil; could be replaced by Black who was a fifth round choice)

They weren't superstars until they started playing well, took good coaching direction from Mike Solari and worked as a unit.

 

[Alexander]

Coaching better fit in there also. Our lines in the 90's were well coached. Since then, not so much.

That's what was frustrating about the job Sparano did last year. I know he was working with a tough lot, but it just seems we could never make up our minds how to use the talent we had. We had Allen, yet we pulled him and expected him to be able to block a moving target. We had Johnson, yet expected him to line up on the nose and hold his ground despite his size.

Sparano speaks highly of the talent here. Hopefully this year he has an actual system in place and is ready to be consistent in how it is taught according to the strengths and weaknesses of the current group.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

I believe Henson will at least go to training camp and compete.

 

[Hostile]

Coaching better fit in there also. Our lines in the 90's were well coached. Since then, not so much.

I think coaching is part of the chemistry though. Look at the dropoff on our OL after Houck left. I don't think that's an accident.

 

[lspain1]

That's what was frustrating about the job Sparano did last year. I know he was working with a tough lot, but it just seems we could never make up our minds how to use the talent we had. We had Allen, yet we pulled him and expected him to be able to block a moving target. We had Johnson, yet expected him to line up on the nose and hold his ground despite his size.

Sparano speaks highly of the talent here. Hopefully this year he has an actual system in place and is ready to be consistent in how it is taught according to the strengths and weaknesses of the current group.

You have to look at the kinds of problems we had to see that it wasn't one thing but a combination of a lot of things that caused our OL breakdown last year.

We had Torrin Tucker, mentally not up to the task. LA, physically not up to the task in the running game. Gurode was not mentally up to the task and Johnson had some physical problems in certain spots. Rivera, injured and not physically up to the task. Petitti, a rookie and struggling with both mental and physical aspects. Even had Flo not gone down, this group would have struggled at least some.

Asking a coach to bring that group together to perform at a high level would have required a combination of the wisdom of Solomon along with miracle healing. It just wasn't going to happen and I don't see it as Sparano's fault.

The real question here is the tweaking done in the off season going to be enough? This unit has a long way to go to prove itself. The coaching matters right now and during TC to pull this group together.

 

[Hostile]

Look at the best OL in football: Kansas City.

Roaf (trade from NO, first round)
Shields (3rd round choice)
Weigmann (street free agent from Ind)
Waters (street free agent from DALLAS )
Welbourn (now retired, 4th round from Phil; could be replaced by Black who was a fifth round choice)

They weren't superstars until they started playing well, took good coaching direction from Mike Solari and worked as a unit.

Exactly. I consider Will Shields one of the best, if not the best, OGs in the NFL. Was he all that before Solari? Nope. Roaf was good in Nawlins, but he's even better in KC and on the downside of his career.

That 5 guys has to work together and trust each other and their system or it doesn't work. Regardless of draft status.

As unhappy as I was with our OL last year, the bulk of that is directed right at Tony Sparano. I think his scheme was unrealistic of the talent we had in place.

 

[Alexander]

Exactly. I consider Will Shields one of the best, if not the best, OGs in the NFL. Was he all that before Solari? Nope.

Shields was a Pro Bowl player before Solari arrived. He was still a third round pick who really was underestimated.

That 5 guys has to work together and trust each other and their system or it doesn't work. Regardless of draft status.

Or the size of the contract they command.

As unhappy as I was with our OL last year, the bulk of that is directed right at Tony Sparano. I think his scheme was unrealistic of the talent we had in place.

I think he was probably learning last year. I expect better results this season. We have approached talent acquisition with a plan that started the day we signed Rivera. We want mobile and athletic lineman, especially with the guards.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Look at the best OL in football: Kansas City.

Roaf (trade from NO, first round)
Shields (3rd round choice)
Weigmann (street free agent from Ind)
Waters (street free agent from DALLAS )
Welbourn (now retired, 4th round from Phil; could be replaced by Black who was a fifth round choice)

They weren't superstars until they started playing well, took good coaching direction from Mike Solari and worked as a unit.

There is a lot of talk up here about that line. Roaf and Shields both considered retirement but decided to come back. How much they have left is a subject highly debated right now. The dropoff in production we all saw in LA is the thing everyone is pointing at. Welbourn did retire and that has some concerned as his replacement could even be...Kyle Turley. That is not selling real well. No doubt Larry Johnson is the man but the line he will run behind this year may not be the same as they have had the last few years.

 

[Alexander]

There is a lot of talk up here about that line. Roaf and Shields both considered retirement but decided to come back. How much they have left is a subject highly debated right now. The dropoff in production we all saw in LA is the thing everyone is pointing at. Welbourn did retire and that has some concerned as his replacement could even be...Kyle Turley. That is not selling real well. No doubt Larry Johnson is the man but the line he will run behind this year may not be the same as they have had the last few years.

I agree.

I saw some footage of Turley in practice and he looks like a tight end trying to play tackle. It is amazing how being off steroids will do. He looks like Tony Mandarich out there.

 

[CowboyManDan]

I think coaching is part of the chemistry though. Look at the dropoff on our OL after Houck left. I don't think that's an accident.

Losing Hudson was a big part of it. I never understood why Jerry let him go. He went on to do well in San Diego and now Miami.

 

[Alexander]

Losing Hudson was a big part of it. I never understood why Jerry let him go. He went on to do well in San Diego and now Miami.

Houck is a sound coach. He has a system and it has worked everywhere he has been.

Sparano? I am not sold. I don't know what he did at New Haven.

There is one thing Coach Parcells has missed since he has been here. And that is a good OL coach. I just hope he has pegged the right one, because he was wrong about Warhop. That's one of the reasons why we tried to pry his old friend Bill Muir from the Buccaneers. He took a group of nobodies and guided them into the playoffs.

 

[zrinkill]

Fellas Drew Henson has been released the announcement will come through the wire either this evening or tommorow


:starspin

What does that mean under your name?

 

[Hostile]

What does that mean under your name?

It means he can't answer you.

:wink2:

 

[big dog cowboy]

Houck is a sound coach. He has a system and it has worked everywhere he has been.

Sparano? I am not sold.

I'm not sold either. If our line fails us this year (not because of injury) he may get ran out of town.

 

[Alexander]

I'm not sold either. If our line fails us this year (not because of injury) he may get ran out of town.

I don't know about that. Coach Parcells seems to like him and even promoted him, despite the fact that he didn't exactly work wonders as a TE coach or as even a replay advisor on game day.

It must be the Italian factor. He's a made man. And even when he embarasses you, you sit him down, feed him pasta and say, "Tony, Tony, whaddaya doin'?", slap him on the back of his head, you hug and everything is good again.

 

[notherbob]

I don't know about that. Coach Parcells seems to like him and even promoted him, despite the fact that he didn't exactly work wonders as a TE coach or as even a replay advisor on game day.

It must be the Italian factor. He's a made man. And even when he embarasses you, you sit him down, feed him pasta and say, "Tony, Tony, whaddaya doin'?", slap him on the back of his head, you hug and everything is good again.

If the OL doesn't do better this year, BP may need to kiss him good-bye.