ARTICLE: NFLDB Cowboys Column

[ROMOSAPIEN9]

Nice article........you should write more often.

Agreed. VERY well done jt.

 

[Hostile]

This is this first I heard about this.

It was discussed at length by some.

 

[Dayton Cowboy]

JT, great article.. I look forward to seeing more of your thoughts on the off-season and the draft.. Speaking of.. what draft site are you affiliated with again?

 

[jterrell]

JT, great article.. I look forward to seeing more of your thoughts on the off-season and the draft.. Speaking of.. what draft site are you affiliated with again?

I write the cowboys column for nfldraftblitz dot com but would only call myself affiliated with this site here. I do not assume they are any more or less knowledgeable than any other site as I generally just offer my cowboys analysis which is largely gleaned from here.


I appreciate the kind words. I am sure my columns run the gamut from sucksville to pretty good, glad a few folks found this on the good end.

 

[watertown]

after all the crap I have read, finally an outstanding article

 

[dwmyers]

Draftees
R1: Marcus McNeill
R2: Bobby Carpenter
R3: Maurice Stovall
R4-6 Charlie Peprah

Given the size speed numbers he shows, Carpenter in the 50s is perhaps wishful thinking. Otherwise, nice job.

:jackpot:

 

[baj1dallas]

Pretty good job overall JT. I would disagree with some smaller things, for instance I think kicker is actually the #1 priority. Also I think if you draft a guy to compete with Petiti (and I agree about the playing injured part), you don't draft a first rounder, but instead get a guy like O'Callaghan that slips to the second or third. I think linebacker or maybe Jimmy Williams as a FS in the first makes a lot more sense, and a WR is also possible there.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Good job JT. I'd take that draft and FA approach in a heartbeat. Gotta get a kicker though.

 

[DawnOfANewD]

I'm a big fan of Nance. I see him as a bigger version of Jimmy Smith (who we once had and let go...)

From http://www.footballsfuture.com/2006/prospects/martin_nance.html

Martin Nance WR 6’5 210 Miami(OH)

By: Robert Davis


"When people started to take notice of Ben Roethlisberger his junior year, people had no choice but to notice Big Ben’s top target, sophomore Martin Nance. He absolutely exploded onto the college football map that year with 90 catches for 1,498 yards and 11 touchdowns. As a junior, he was off to another fast start. In the first four games of the 2004 season, Nance had 25 catches for 337 yards, and a touchdown. On the first play of the 5th game that season however, Nance injured his knee and missed the rest of the season.

Martin Nance is a flat out playmaker. At 6’5, with great athleticism, and jumping ability, he is nearly unstoppable in one on one situations. He’s not just big though, he has very good straight-line speed. He can get deep, and won’t be caught if he gets a step on you. Some people questioned if his success in 2003 was due to Roethlisberger, but he showed early on in 2004, and has shown again this year that he is a talent.

Even though he is showing he is back from the knee injury in 2004, it is something teams will look into. Even though the MAC has gained some respect nationally, it still is not the most talented conference out there. With just over two years of experience on the field, he has not faced the most talented corners in college.
Nance fits the mold of the big, tall, athletic receiver teams have become enamored with lately. He has all the talent to be a star at the next level. With no true superstar at wide receiver, Nance could really move up in the post season. With his size and natural athletic gifts, he could end up being the first wideout selected in April."

 

[neosapien23]

Given the size speed numbers he shows, Carpenter in the 50s is perhaps wishful thinking. Otherwise, nice job.

:jackpot:

Not really. Doesn't he have some injury concerns? Also Parham seemed to outplay him at times.

 

[Dayton Cowboy]

Not really. Doesn't he have some injury concerns? Also Parham seemed to outplay him at times.

He was injured in the Michigan game.. He's scheduled to play in the east-west shrine game this weekend.. As far as Parham outplaying him, I can't really say that I know about Parham. However Carpenter always showed up big in games, whether it was standing up as an OLB or as a DE in pass situations...

Isn't Parham an inside 'backer?

 

[billknows]

not published yet and uh by me...


It is time now to build the Boys for a 2006 SB run.

The team is not as far away as many fans believe.
I am honestly kind of shocked at how down the average Cowboy fan seems to be.

The team won six games the previous season and improved by three games with only two losses to poor teams and one being at least understandable if not excusable the last night of the season when they were eliminated from playoff contention just before kickoff.

Dallas faced three of the four conference championship contenders. They played in a division with three teams that had nine or more wins on the year and two double digit win playoff squads. They were not good enough to make the playoffs against that schedule. But beware perception. Dallas was obviously good enough to carry Denver to overtime, beat Carolina on the road and lead Seattle at their place with three minutes left to play.

So how do you get from just off the mark to in the bulls eye?
Well I’d start with a kicker. Last season saw Cowboys incumbent Billy Cundiff get injured in the pre-season and Dallas was left grasping at straws to fill the role of field goal kicker. That issue became a sore spot that lingered even when Cundiff returned from injury with seemingly a stronger but less accurate leg. Cundiff before injury was pretty good. Dallas wants to be very good at the position and a guy like Adam Vinatieri or Mike Vanderjagt is expected to provide that. Steve Hoffman would as well but don’t expect him back under Bill Parcells. Expect Dallas to spend money to rectify a troubled spot here. Vinatieri who is a tough, cold-blooded pressure guy and 2 years younger is the best bet but the Pats may value him as highly as anyone.

Other issues are…
WR: Dallas needs to add at least one more proven WR. Three WRs and a ST guy just doesn’t allow any leeway for injury. Tom Crowder is heading to NFLE but he is gonna come back to compete for Copper’s ST position not a legit WR role.
Options here are drafting a guy like Martin Nance, Hank Baskett, Greg Lee, Maurice Stovall or jumping on a free agent like Antwaan Randel El or Reggie Wayne.
I’d guess a draftee is the solution with a 3rd round pick being an early guess. All the Wrs listed above have at least a small chance of lasting to round 3.

OL: I believe the biggest question is not at OT where we were obviously poor last season but instead at OC. Al Johnson looks to be limited in size and strength. He is not so undersized but his strength is clearly in question. Unless he can lift with Glover in the weight room (Glover may be pound for pound the strongest Cowboy) Johnson looks like a backup not a starter. Rob Petitti should be markedly better next season but it would be hard not to at least offer him a challenger. Petitti got turnstiled at the end of the year when he was playing injured. BP probably feels better about him than fans do based on the toughness he showed. Right now I’d still liken him a lot to Erik Williams---a guy who needed lots of work on technique but had the desire to destroy defenders. Thus I’d say signing a center and drafting a Tackle makes sense.
Draftable Tackles: Jonathon Scott, Eric Winston, Marcus McNeill, Andrew Whitworth. Scott and Winston are Texas kids with Scott being from Dallas Carter High school so they’d come with a large local fan base. More importantly both are stud blockers. Winston had number 1 overall potential until he was injured last season. He was a top TE prospect coming out of high school.
At Center there will be limited free agents but LeCharles Bentley is the guy you want to go get and he is available. He can handle big DTs and quick ones. He is worth a huge contract. Strengthening the center for a QB like Bledsoe is a must. Bentley is target 1 for me.

OLB: Scott Fujita and Al Singleton are both in question as returnees. Fujita is a free agent and Singleton is a 4-3 backer. Kevin Burnett looks to have moved inside as the successor to Dat Nguyen you seems destined to retire. A bookend to Demarcus Ware is absolutely necessary and it will be very hard for Bill Parcells to pass the group of backer sin this draft class. There are some very tantalizing players like AJ Hawk, Chad Greenway, Demeko Ryans, Ernie Sims, Bobby Carpenter, Thomas Howard. I expect 1 of those guys to start in Dallas next year at some point as BP finishes off his defense.

FS: Ok so maybe the defense is quite so finished with just an OLB but FS can be addressed in free agency or the draft. It will merely take the head coach allowing a coverage guy to be signed or drafted. Charlie Peprah is a local kid who can cover, Michael Huff will probably be long gone by 18 but can flat out play a perfect complimentary safety to the linebacker-esque Roy Williams. Laron Landry might be the best choice at 18 and is another regional kid playing down in Louisiana.

If you were playing along at home and came up with something like:
Big Free Agents
OC: LeCharles Bentley
K: Adam Vinatieri

Draftees
R1: Marcus McNeill
R2: Bobby Carpenter
R3: Maurice Stovall
R4-6 Charlie Peprah

Not sure that makes Dallas a serious Title contender but I’d take my chances with that squad. Then again I would have taken my chances with Flozell and Henry in the lineup. Two 6 seeds already have made it to the conference championship game no reason to think the 7th seed was just that far away.

Thank you ,, it all seems reasonable and would round out our team ...

 

[Doomsdayblitz]

Could Maurice Stovall be the next Derrell Jackson-- a third round pick who quickly turned out to be his team's go-to guy?

Dallas does not have a go-to WR.

You're right. They don't have a go-to WR. I mean, look at Terry Glenn. All he did this season was have over an 18 yrd. per catch season, and 1,136 yards receiving, with a long of 71 yds., and 7 TDs. What a sucky year!

Then there's Keyshawn Johnson. 71 catches for 839 yds. and 6 TDs. Seemed like all he did this year was convert third downs, but, heh, the guy just got lucky.

Seriously, if you want to talk about the fact that both receivers have 10 seasons under their belts, and are getting a little long in the tooth, that's another thing. But to say Dallas has no go-to WRs is flat-out wrong! Don't believe me. Just ask Drew Bledsoe if he had any go-to receivers this year. You know, the year he threw for the second most yards in a season in Dallas Cowboys history.