Anyone else think it's interesting that O-line was Wade's first target?

[Chocolate Lab]

I thought it was interesting that Phillips said the first thing they wanted to address on the team was the offensive line. I think we all know that our O-line has only been decent, but still, there's been some mixed opinion on how good or bad our O-line really was. Some said it was awful, while some said it looked pretty decent once Romo came in.

I dunno, I just am fascinated at what an experienced coach like Phillips would think when he finally looked at all the game films of our team this year. What areas would he think are better than we expected, and what areas would he think needed the most improvement?

We certainly needed a new guard after Rivera blew out his back again, but who's to say we couldn't have gotten a bargain vet or promoted Procter if the new coach thought the problems weren't that bad? Obviously, Phillips thought the problems on our O-line needed marked improvement, not just a tweak or two.

 

[zrinkill]

Wade is a good old school coach.

 

[joseephuss]

O-line has been a need for a long time. This year the line played better than it has in a long time, but was still way too inconsistent.

 

[BLT]

i dont think it's interesting it was his 1st target because it was an obvious need.

 

[Aikbach]

I think Wade is giddy and happy with the defensive talent and realizes O-line was the pivitol weakness remaining.

Free safety is gonna be alot less glaring when Dallas has 45 sacks.

 

[carphalen5150]

Not sure this was Wade's target...seems more like a Jerry move to me.

 

[burmafrd]

With Rivera's bad back and Columbo a FA, of course Wade is going to look hard at the O line. Realistically speaking, its the one part of the team where there was IMMEDIATE need.

 

[cobra]

I think Aikbach nailed it.

I am thrilled to hear he thought the O-line was the biggest need because Wade is a defensive coach, and if he thought we needed help at D, he would have been all over that. But I get the impression that he looked at our D and said "I can dominate with this." That prospect gets me so excited that my pants feel funny.

And really, if D is good, then you look at the O. QB? Check RB? Check, check TE? Check WR? Check.

Really, OL is our only need to fix. Maybe FS, but I think we might be good there.

 

[Cowboy Junkie]

I dont find it interesting...
If Colombo gets inked( And he probably will) the only change on the Oline will be at one guard spot and that would be Davis who will be replacing Rivera and remember Rivera had the same injuries that put Darren Woodson out of football...

So not really a whole lot change wise but when you have 2/5s of your starting line in free agency you have to act..Any team would..

 

[ddh33]

Yeah, it was a pretty obvious need, and I was glad to see it addressed.

Unlike some, I don't necessarily believe that the signing indicates that the players on this line are not good enough. I think Davis was so attractive because of his talent and his versatility.

Because of some recent comments about wasted money, part of me would actually be surprised to see Fabini back next season. Since I didn't hear the interviews in person, maybe Jerry just meant that Dallas didn't get their money's worth out of that signing, but it sounded pretty condemning.

I think that Corey Procter has a future in this league. He's just had too many good things said about him by too many people. But I'm not sure you want to put all of your eggs in that basket.

I'm kind of high on Joe Berger too. I know the Dolphins hated the idea of losing him, and they admitted that if they had it to do all over again, they would have never taken the chance on him getting scooped up.

Pat McQuistan is another guy who seems to have the tools, but it would be expecting a lot for him to be a key contributor on a team with serious championship aspiriations.

As I look at this line now, I see an aging Flozell Adams. Flo is still better than most LTs in this business, but how much longer will he be around? Marc Colombo is currently unemployed. He might come back,and it sounds good at the moment, but what if he didn't?

Having Leonard Davis gives this team a lot of options. If the young guys keep developing, they will get their chance. Furthermore, injuries do happen. Those guys might get their chance soon anyway...

 

[ZeroClub]

I think it'll be interesting to see how the new staff will make use of Parcell's building blocks.

 

[theogt]

With Rivera's bad back and Columbo a FA, of course Wade is going to look hard at the O line. Realistically speaking, its the one part of the team where there was IMMEDIATE need.

Agreed. Rivera going under the knife again forced the team's hand.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I think Aikbach nailed it.

I am thrilled to hear he thought the O-line was the biggest need because Wade is a defensive coach, and if he thought we needed help at D, he would have been all over that. But I get the impression that he looked at our D and said "I can dominate with this." That prospect gets me so excited that my pants feel funny.

And really, if D is good, then you look at the O. QB? Check RB? Check, check TE? Check WR? Check.

Really, OL is our only need to fix. Maybe FS, but I think we might be good there.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I was getting at.

It makes you think maybe Phillips believes the talent here is really pretty good, especially on D, and that a power running game would help everything tremendously. Not that that isn't basic football, but like you say, he could have gone after something on D instead.

Can't wait to see what other positions get filled as we move on to the less expensive part of free agency.

 

[Aikbach]

Agreed. Rivera going under the knife again forced the team's hand.

He's just too old to play such a brutal trench position. Like Nate circa 1999, it was evident that the time had come.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

He's just too old to play such a brutal trench position. Like Nate circa 1999, it was evident that the time had come.

Speaking of Nate, I'm really hoping Jerry gets him together with Davis for a few conversations. Listening to Nate on 103.3 lately, he seems like he could really relate to Davis, with them both being huge O-linemen. Nate's still very enthusiastic about the team and would be a good link to the glory days. He seems like he'd enjoy talking to some of the younger guys about the attitude it takes to win.

 

[superpunk]

I think everyone on this board could identify RG as our biggest weakness at year's end.

Hence it was our primary target.

Not all that shocking, IMO

 

[burmafrd]

Nate is also an obvious lesson and serious wake up call on what NOT to do when you are done with football.

 

[Rack]

Anyone else think it's interesting that O-line was Wade's first target?

The head coach could of been Barbara Streisand and it wouldn't made a difference. The OL (with a need a RG and 2 FAs at C and RT) was gonna be the first target regardless. Wade had nothign to do with it.

 

[Aikbach]

The head coach could of been Barbara Streisand and it wouldn't made a difference. The OL (with a need a RG and 2 FAs at C and RT) was gonna be the first target regardless. Wade had nothign to do with it.

Babs would've made a huge difference, she would have insisted upon singing the national anthem before every game and then she would have acted out boring scenes from Funny Girl and The Way We Were as substitutes for pep talks.

I can see her now "I may not have a Super Bowl ring but I have an Oscar! Never mind that those are political and unearned, get out there and sing..er, play your hearts out!"

 

[FiniteMan!]

Not so much. THe OL was on it's way to a collapse until the boys dug up a QB who excelled in throwing from a collapsing pocket. Most OLs can run block a little, but you need skilled players (and coaching) to be a good passblocking team.

Adams - one of the most overrated players in the league. Seems to alternate between being a solid Left Tackle and a joke of a left tackle from season to season. Decent run blocker, but not as good as you'd expect. Decent passblocker in his good seasons, bad in his bad.

Colombo - Solid right tackle if he can stay healthy.

Rivera - weaker starter. Likely done.

Kosier - weaker starter.

Gurode - Pro bowl center. Will he be the same player next season? Guardedly optimistic. He will probably be a + starter anyway, and his size and strength help a lot.

I think Jerry did very well to nab Davis. I fully expect Davis to be a + starter for Dallas long term. I personally think he is a RT who just hasn't gotten the snaps there in the pros. I think even at G he will be a little better than he was in AZ, so this deal will be acceptable. He is an upgrade at guard, and if Colombo gets brittle again, could really excel at RT. IMO.