Arkin - Has his opportunity passed?

[reddyuta]

Yes.he may gey cut if we sign Waters.

 

[Mr Cowboy]

I know it takes time for offensive linemen to develop. I'm not saying cut Arkin just for the sake of cutting him, but realistically, if you keep him around for another season, what exactly is the purpose of doing it? I think you have to make a realistic projection about how good he can actually be. Are you going to keep him around hoping he will eventually be good enough to be a BACKUP? That would seem to be a waste of a roster spot.

If you think he is going to eventually be good enough to be starter ..... he is closing in on the end of his contract. Are you going to develop him and then let him go play somewhere else? Or are you going to extend the contract of a guy who has never taken meaningful snaps? If so, the ceiling better be astronomically high to do that, and you had better guess right.

It is possible that Arkin may eventually turn out to be a starter. But he has taken up a roster spot for two years already and has contributed NOTHING. There is also an opportunity cost to keeping him around. If we keep him around as a non starter... and someone who can't help us this year ...... then they must really think his upside is tremendous.

Personally, I think he is a goner..... but that's just my opinion. That and $5 will get you a cup of coffee at starbucks.

Its just another 4th round pick. You can't keep a player to develop him for 4 years. You have to move on, and try something else. The Cowboys goofed in drafting this kid. If they liked him, they should have done what they did with Leary. Sign him as a free agent and hope he develops. If he doesn't, you don't lose much.

Last year due to injuries he played a lot in pre season, but when the lights came out, the Cowboys traded for Cook and played him a few days later. Arkin never saw the field. This year he played a lot in pre season due to injuries, but as soon as Berny came back, its back to scrub status, while the Cowboys are looking to add a 36 year old veteran who didn't play last year.

BTW, at which Starbucks can you get a cup of coffee for $5?

 

[honyock]

I don't see anything at that link about Arkin's lower body strength. Did I overlook something?

He must have been talking about the comments section. Towards the bottom of the comments the guy who wrote the article got into some detail about lower body strength, and how Arkins' tendency to have his first move be to stand up on some plays is a result of lack of lower body strength.

 

[xwalker]

He must have been talking about the comments section. Towards the bottom of the comments the guy who wrote the article got into some detail about lower body strength, and how Arkins' tendency to have his first move be to stand up on some plays is a result of lack of lower body strength.

Aah.

I wouldn't expect a lack of lower body strength to directly correlate with standing up immediately. Normally, under powered OLinemen, get overextended leaning forward and fall off blocks.

He just wasn’t good value as a 4th round selection . . . however, when you look at the Cowboys’ results in that round during the Jones’ regime (a shameful plug for a Fanshot I screwed up), maybe he fits right in. The knock on Arkin was that he was developmental and did not possess the strength to contribute immediately . . . well, this is his 3rd year and his first move is still straight up, indicating his lower body has not developed in 2 full off-seasons of NFL weight training. His technique and footwork are acceptable but there’s no explosion there . . . believe me, I would like to be proved wrong on this young man because they need a 4th round investment to generate a return on the OL. Has he improved . . . yes, but as a former coach once told me improvement depends on where you started.

 

[jterrell]

Aah.

I wouldn't expect a lack of lower body strength to directly correlate with standing up immediately. Normally, under powered OLinemen, get overextended leaning forward and fall off blocks.

yea, terrible comment.
truth is low man wins and standing up is merely lazy technique, whether 8 or 80 and strong or weak.

you teach 10 year olds to play low and they are hardly larry allen.
seen plenty of smaller guys win by staying low...
low man wins is a saying for a reason.

 

[LarryCanadian]

"Durable" was meant relative to the rest of the interior of the line.
Arkin played Center in camp last year for a long time because nobody else was available.
At various times Livings, Bernie, Costa, Kawalski, Cook, etc have been hurt - whereas Arkin hasn't from what I can remember. Some of those guys don't play much either. He hasn't failed conditioning test like other linemen either. But, as mentioned, his lack of strength/power/leverage is gonna cost him. I just think some guys are more genetically lucky and gain strength/power either at a younger age or more quickly in general from weight training - he just might not have the natural strength to be an NFL lineman (maybe CFL level strong...).
Not a pet cat of mine, but he hasn't had a bad attitude, or proven fragile, unfit, or unwilling, etc - they saw something on him in College, but time has probably run out...unfortunate for him....

 

[honyock]

yea, terrible comment.
truth is low man wins and standing up is merely lazy technique, whether 8 or 80 and strong or weak.

you teach 10 year olds to play low and they are hardly larry allen.
seen plenty of smaller guys win by staying low...
low man wins is a saying for a reason.

Yeah, I had never heard that observation about strength and coming upright before. The author of the article was a fan, so who knows what his football playing/coaching background was.

 

[cowboyz]

Yeah, I had never heard that observation about strength and coming upright before. The author of the article was a fan, so who knows what his football playing/coaching background was.

the poster is some sort of scout

he's talking about not having the strength to keep in a low stance and exploding out of it, especially after a couple reps when fatigue sets in, then to apply leverage he starts to rely on his upper body. Its the same observation of leaning forward.

 

[Verdict]

I was just thinking about this issue a little bit more. If Berny shows that he can be a functional starter this year, does it buy Arkin and/or Killa a little bit more time to develop? Would the Cowboys stand pat at guard and hope that Arkin/Killa won't be needed or just be needed in spot duty?:

 

[honyock]

I was just thinking about this issue a little bit more. If Berny shows that he can be a functional starter this year, does it buy Arkin and/or Killa a little bit more time to develop? Would the Cowboys stand pat at guard and hope that Arkin/Killa won't be needed or just be needed in spot duty?:

Well, I think it depends not only on whether Waters is signed, but also how the team evaluates Livings and his knee. If they keep four guards, and Waters is signed, then after Waters-Bern-Leary, that leaves one spot open. I'm guessing that Killa would be the first one voted off the island...injury concerns ever since last offseason, and he didn't sound like he was blowing everyone away enough before his injury to keep him over a healthy Arkin.

So I'm betting the fourth spot is either Livings or Arkin. So it may come down to whether Livings knee has any shelf life left in it, vs whether they have any confidence that Arkin is strong enough to play this year if needed. I'd guess that the "lets keep him on the roster as a gameday inactive" days for Arkin are over. If he can contribute if needed as the fourth guard this year, then continue to get stronger for next year, that's all to the good. But he'd need to be seen as a potential contributor this year to justify keeping him.

 

[Verdict]

Well, I think it depends not only on whether Waters is signed, but also how the team evaluates Livings and his knee. If they keep four guards, and Waters is signed, then after Waters-Bern-Leary, that leaves one spot open. I'm guessing that Killa would be the first one voted off the island...injury concerns ever since last offseason, and he didn't sound like he was blowing everyone away enough before his injury to keep him over a healthy Arkin.

So I'm betting the fourth spot is either Livings or Arkin. So it may come down to whether Livings knee has any shelf life left in it, vs whether they have any confidence that Arkin is strong enough to play this year if needed. I'd guess that the "lets keep him on the roster as a gameday inactive" days for Arkin are over. If he can contribute if needed as the fourth guard this year, then continue to get stronger for next year, that's all to the good. But he'd need to be seen as a potential contributor this year to justify keeping him.

I think that makes a lot of sense. I just can't figure out why they would use a roster space on him when he hasn't contributed at all unless he would be the biggest baddest guard in the NFL when he actually does see the field. Obviously, if it is going to take a guy this long to see the field, then you don't waste a draft pick on him, but hindsight is obviously 20/20, and they didn't know that going in. That is one of the negatives to drafting small school guys..... you don't know how well their game will translate to the NFL. That is also true about major college talent, but to a lot lesser degree.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

You're really obsessed with Arkin. How many threads have you made about how much you dislike him?

 

[Verdict]

You're really obsessed with Arkin. How many threads have you made about how much you dislike him?

It sounds like you are obsessed about my views on him. LOL.

 

[SilverStarCowboy]

Unlike Leary, Arkin still has his legs under him. Arkin is at least liability insurance.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

I'm not saying Arkin will be a good player. He likely will never add strength. But this whole thing has me laughing about how contradictory many Dallas fans are.

Examples: We want to give up on guys, many times UDFAs, after their first or second season because they haven't become an All-Pro player yet. Look at all this Danny Amendola talk. People are mad that we gave up on him too soon. Look at that OG Peterman who had a decent career in Detroit. Look at Brian Waters, who was originally a Cowboy.

It's not just Dallas. Every team does it. They either cut ties with a player too soon or hold onto a player too long. It's like the stock market. It's not an exact science. I just think it's funny how we want to give up on Matt Johnson, David Arkin, Danny Coale, all of these UDFA WRs except Cole Beasley, etc etc etc.

 

[SilverStarCowboy]

I'm not saying Arkin will be a good player.

I just think it's funny how we want to give up on Matt Johnson, David Arkin, Danny Coale, all of these UDFA WRs except Cole Beasley, etc etc etc.

Arkin could go on to become a decent player for someone else down the road if he is cut. Specifically teams in need of OLinemen, like Greenbay for instance.