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Which obscure, down-roster player is your pet cat to make the roster this year?
Did you know that if you mention the term "Pet Cat" to fans of other teams you'll probably draw nothing more than a blank stare? Yet among Cowboys fans, almost everybody knows what a pet cat is. Why is that?
"Pet Cat" is a Parcells-ism, a term Bill Parcells popularized among Cowboys fans during his tenure as head coach in Dallas. The term initially referred to a prospect a coach, scout or owner had taken a particular liking to, often based on little more than a whim, and whom they would then try to draft, regardless of what the scouting consensus was.
Among Cowboys fans, pet cat has since come to refer to a player who is a bubble player (even making the practice squad is often considered pet cat success) and is commonly selected from the very bottom of the roster where you'll find late-round draft picks, undrafted free agents or even street free agents. The pet cat is often - and preferably - chosen without the slightest factual or quantifiable basis. In fact, some would argue that you do not choose your pet cat, your pet cat chooses you.
Here's who the front page writers have as their pet cats:
rabblerousr: Jason Wilson, CB, Central Michigan
I'm going to go on a limb and take Jason Wilson. One of the Cowboys clear offseason goals was to get more length in the defensive backfield. They added 6'1" Corey White after he was waived by the Saints, and added 6'1" Byron Jones as well. Wilson, at 6'0", fits the mold, and was one of the stars of the rookie minicamp. I'm looking for him to battle 5'10" Tyler Patmon for the final spot on the CB depth chart. Given the team's interest in adding length, I like Wilson's chances...
OCC: Mark Nzeocha, LB, Wyoming
This time, my pet cat found me without much ado. Nzeocha is a fellow German, so this was a natural fit for me. Despite already being 25 years old, he is one of the best athletes in this draft class. His best chance of making the team is likely as a special teams player. His athleticism and sideline-to-sideline ability, coupled with a little NFL seasoning could potentially make him a superb scheme fit as a run-and-hit, three-down linebacker - but let's focus on becoming best friends with special teams coach Rich Bisacchia first.
Dawn Macelli: Antwan Goodley, WR, Baylor.
You'd think the Midland Texas native would have have received more interest duroing the draft after finishing with more than 2,100 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns over the past two seasons. But after catching 71 passes for 1,339 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior, Goodley finished with 60 catches for 830 yards and six touchdowns last season, which may be why the Cowboys were able to pick him up.
In Dallas, Goodley joins former Baylor teammate Terrance Williams, and could offer the team an options as a returner. In his freshman and sophomore years at Baylor, the speedy Goodley (4.44 forty) returned kicks and ended his college career with 45 returns for 1,037 yards.
Gary Morris: Ken Bishop, DT, Northern Illinois
Bishop, a 2014 seventh-round draft pick, was on the active roster for three of the first four games last season before being moved to the practice squad. He was called up to the active roster for the playoff game against the Packers. While on the practice squad, Bishop stood out for his relentless motor and word was that the starters "hated to block him." Bishop has his work cut out for him to secure a roster spot at defensive tackle this year, a job that may have gotten a little easier with Josh Brent's recent retirement.
Michael Sisemore: Damian Wilson, LB, Minnesota
Wilson plays with impeccable instincts and good speed. He's got great smarts for the game and can diagnose plays with the best of them. Like many players worthy of Marinelli's genius, Wilson plays with a chip and has a relentless effort. Wilson is durable and rarely comes off the field, for a team that can use some depth and competition at linebacker, Wilson is a great addition. He's tough both mentally and physically and is an above-average tackler in this draft. He's a finisher, something you can never have enough of.
After the events of last season, known as the Legend of the Goatmouth and normally spoken of only in hushed tones after making the sign of the cross and spitting three times on a picture of John Mara, Tom Ryle has withdrawn into seclusion. All rumors that he is busy channeling his prodigious amounts of bad juju into cursing the NFC East opponents are, of course, ridiculous. However, he is asking if anyone knows who handles the trash pickup for the locker rooms of the Eagles, Giants and Commanders, and if someone can spare him a box of extra long pins.
Now that you've seen which players some of the BTB writers have picked as their pet cats (note that I took Tom Ryle off the distribution list of the mail to my fellow writers asking for their picks), check out the up-to-the-minute Cowboys roster below and tell us:
Who is your pet cat to make the roster this year?
Name POS Name POS
2015 Free Agents Returning Players from 2014
1 Agnew, Ray FB 45 Bailey, Dan K2015 Free Agents Returning Players from 2014
2 Brinkley, Jasper LB 46 Beasley, Cole WR
3 Collins, Jed FB 47 Bernadeau, Mackenzy G
4 Gachkar, Andrew LB 48 Bishop, Ken DT
5 Hardy, Greg DE 49 Boatright, Kenneth DE
6 Hornsey, Tom P 50 Crawford, Jack DE
7 Kreiter, Casey LS 51 Patmon, Tyler CB
8 McFadden, Darren RB 52 Bryant, Dez WR
9 Obada, Efe DE 53 Carr, Brandon CB
10 Rivers, Keith LB 54 Church, Barry S
11 White, Corey CB 55 Claiborne, Morris CB
Reserve/Future
56 Coleman, Davon DT12 Boyd, Chris WR 57 Crawford, Tyrone DE
13 Dill, R.J. OT 58 Dunbar, Lance RB
14 Dunn, Reggie WR 59 Escobar, Gavin TE
15 Edwards, Lavar DE 60 Frederick, Travis C
16 Johnson, Keelan S 61 Free, Doug T
17 Miller, Ryan OT 62 Gardner, Ben DE
18 Smith, Will OLB 63 Hanna, James TE
19 Steeples, Robert CB 64 Hayden, Nick DT
20 Wetzel, John T 65 Heath, Jeff S
21 Williams, Ryan RB 66 Hitchens, Anthony OLB
2015 Draft Picks
67 Jones, Chris P22 Gibson, Laurence OT 68 Ladouceur, L.P. LS
23 Green, Chaz OT 69 Lawrence, Cameron OLB
24 Gregory, Randy DE 70 Lawrence, Demarcus DE
25 Jones, Byron DB 71 Leary, Ronald G
26 Nzeocha, Mark LB 72 Lee, Sean LB
27 Russell, Ryan DE 73 Martin, Zack OT
28 Swaim, Geoff TE 74 McClain, Terrell DT
29 Wilson, Damien LB 75 Mincey, Jeremy DE
Undrafted Free Agents
76 Randle, Joseph RB30 Collins, La'el OL 77 Romo, Tony QB
31 Farmer, George WR 78 Scandrick, Orlando CB
32 Goodley, Antwan WR 79 Smith, Keith ILB
33 Greenberry, Deontay WR 80 Smith, Tyron T
34 Days, Syngyn RB 81 McClain, Rolando LB
35 Scott, Tim S 82 Street, Devin WR
36 Hamilton, Ray TE 83 Vaughan, Dustin QB
37 Harwell, Nick WR 84 Weeden, Brandon QB
38 McDermott, Shane C 85 Weems, Darrion T
39 Quave, Daniel G 86 Whaley, Chris DT
40 Ross, Joel CB 87 Wilber, Kyle DE
41 Showers, Jameill QB 88 Wilcox, J.J. S
42 Vinopal, Ray S 89 Williams, Terrance WR
43 Whitehead, Lucky WR 90 Witten, Jason TE
44 Wilson, Jason CB
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