Cutting it close: Rico Gathers

[waldoputty]

I don’t know the answer to either question, but I really doubt either is a factor. The Cowboys obviouslynhavent bailed on him yet, and if the keep him it shouldn’t be hard to extend him in a year or so.

i tend to believe we still have 4 years, and i think stephen does care about that.

 

[OmerV]

I like Shultz but i feel we can get another blocker from other roster cuts or free agents with experience

I think it boils down to how confident the team feels that Rico could step in and play the all around TE role if injuries forced him to. If the team gains that confidence in him, Schultz could be expendable.

 

[OmerV]

i tend to believe we still have 4 years, and i think stephen does care about that.

Of course we have a lot of time with Jarwin and Schultz too.

 

[davidariust24]

At this point Gathers would be better off getting cut and going somewhere else. The feeling of being released would deflate his ego a bit and on another team he wouldn't be in the shadow of a HOF TE.

I'm almost to that point but I'd like to see him get some experience in a game . Even if it's only garbage time. That is what is going to make him understand the game, with your own teams best vs the oppositions best.

 

[waldoputty]

Of course we have a lot of time with Jarwin and Schultz too.

i am not talking about controlled remaining as reason to keep rico over jarwin and schultz.
though other guy is free agent next season.

 

[Dbeastmode21]

Non of these TE's are good for the future except Rico gathers,the rest is all meh

 

[G2]

I'm sincerely asking what have you seen?

Prescott likes Jarwin and has connected well with him. All you have to do is watch the preseason games. Swaim and Jar are going to be the 1 and 2. If Rico gets 3rd, good for him but he needs to do more in the games, not just training camp and that includes blocking at a higher level. He or Schultz will be on the practice team.

 

[davidariust24]

Rico first needs to be appreciative of first being drafted even though others looked at him because the cowboys drafted him they didn't. The coaches have had a lot of patience with him from the slamming the helmet down and thinking he was going to be the best tightend innthe league before he played a snap and using tightends who dont block as an example to himself on a team that uses their tightends to block states you may not care about the team as much as you want to just get paid. There is nothing wrong with wanting to get paid as long as you want to fit into your team fabric so that you can win games. So you have to adopt the mentality of the team. We are a running team first so he has to learn how to block. The coaches need to foresee the season. I know they don't want to because they talk about today everyday. Be your best today all the time. That is true, but nothing about swaim, and Shultz suggest to me. They will be a threat to put points on the board like gathers can right now and especially if gathers starts to understand what he is supposed to do. I really feel by next trying camp he will be our tightend of the future and it will show. He needs time on the field THIS season. The coaches can help him by putting him on the field when they know they can use him and he plays well and put him in situations where he won't hurt us like in blocking situations where he just has to block this or that man so to speak and after that he has to fill the gap(s).

 

[davidariust24]

Prescott likes Jarwin and has connected well with him. All you have to do is watch the preseason games. Swaim and Jar are going to be the 1 and 2. If Rico gets 3rd, good for him but he needs to do more in the games, not just training camp and that includes blocking at a higher level. He or Schultz will be on the practice team.

I agree streetwise. Gathers didn't get in the last game until near the end. I'm speaking of last preseason and this year's camp and preseaaon. I like jarwin . I like him alot. Swaim , looks like a nice fundamental tightend, but I really feel he has reached his peak. Im just saying give gathers one more season. If he can't do it cut him fast. He needs time on the field thats all he needs. It's like when your trying to apply for a job out if school but they only hire you if you have experience. Well how am I going to get experience if you don't hire me. How am I going ro understand the different scenarios and counters of a game if I don't get to play any games. I really feel the reward will be better than the risk. These last two games are huge for his career and for Schultz

 

[fansince68]

We have to remember this is his third season . Randy Gregory waa drafted the year before. We knew gathers wasn't going to play year 1 he went straight to the practice squad. Year 2 he has a great preseason and had a concussion and mysteriously is out for an ENTIRE season. That wiped out his year two. He should have received playing time last year. I really dont believe he stayed in concussion protocol for a whole season. The coaches did that for a reason. So now he can't play or a whole season. Thats alot of experience he could have gained. He needs time on the field. He will learn the game and who to block. Dak will get this guy on the same page I'm confident of that. Dak will know how to lead this guy to get out of him what he needs. I just hope they give him one more year.

I concure. They could limit his plays to 6 pass patterns ......specific blocking help assignments when he is run or pass blocking. Use his "strengths" to our advantage and cover his weaknesses until he develops. This coaching staff can be so wishy washy.

 

[northerncowboynation]

Rico has grown leaps and bounds. He makes catches and has top notch athleticism. Everyone seems to know that. The quote that gets me is, Jerry says" He's got enough there"(speaking of his size leaping ability and hands . But the angst comes when you're sitting there looking at the guy that's not on your roster because you kept him(Gathers) on your roster. I'm like who on our roster makes you say darn I wish I could keep him? I'm at a blank none of the tightends we have really impress me. I like Jarwins speed. Gathers is ridiculed about not blocking the right man or a man at all but when I watch these other tightends even when they are blocking it looks like they are just in the way or offering resistance. They are not impressing me with their blocking. When gathers does block a man they seem to be going backwards and at least not forward. I just feel like if gathers gets one more year to learn he will have the blocking and everything down. He will be a matchup nightmare once the where and who to block settles in.

I've said all along that Rico makes the team if we keep 4 TE's. I'm sticking to that. Has he improved with his assignments, from what I read yes. Has he improved enough to make it if we keep only 3 TE's, doubtful. I'm starting to hope we keep 4 and Rico makes it, the next 2 pre-season games will decide his fate as a TE in a Cowboy uni

 

[davidariust24]

I concure. They could limit his plays to 6 pass patterns ......specific blocking help assignments when he is run or pass blocking. Use his "strengths" to our advantage and cover his weaknesses until he develops. This coaching staff can be so wishy washy.

I've said all along that Rico makes the team if we keep 4 TE's. I'm sticking to that. Has he improved with his assignments, from what I read yes. Has he improved enough to make it if we keep only 3 TE's, doubtful. I'm starting to hope we keep 4 and Rico makes it, the next 2 pre-season games will decide his fate as a TE in a Cowboy uni

He needs one more season. His third. Next season we will be saying wow he has grown and the cowboys patience has paid off.

 

[Kaiser]

It will be interesting to see what Rico's fate will be when the time for that decision comes due and the Turk is lurking here and there for his victims. Let's also see if Jerry exercises his "last word."

Agree. The decision probably comes down to whether somebody gets hurts but right now I think that there are two spots for the 5th DT, Gathers and the last WR like Deonte Thompson or Lenoir. I would keep Rico and the WR, but who knows.

 

[northerncowboynation]

He needs one more season. His third. Next season we will be saying wow he has grown and the cowboys patience has paid off.

Yeah, Rico basically lost all last year with that concussion. He is a physical specimen and athletic as hell but can we afford to give him one more year and have him take up a position on the team when we now have glaring needs at G, C and S. Will we keep 4 TE's at the expense of a few others. I've never really done the math by position but in my head it's hard to carry 4 TE's. Cut down day is in a week, we'll know soon

 

[ConstantReboot]

Rico has yet to play a down of football against anything remotely resembling a starting NFL defense. His preseason-only game highlights have come against future supermarket stock-boys and 7-Eleven cashiers.

Unless that changes soon (?), he’ll remain on the bubble until final cuts. Now in his third year, the fact that he hasn’t been given an opportunity to play with the 1’s during even a single preseason game indicates that his issues are likely not of the physical variety.

The clock’s definitely ticking on Rico’s Cowboys career.

So has Schultz. In fact, Schultz hasn't shown anything at all to belong on the 53.

 

[ConstantReboot]

Come on this guy been making plays last year in PS. Problem is tape is on him. Teams know about him and they will attempt to claim him.

I do hope someone claims him. Therefore, he can tear it up and show us once and for all that our coaches just don't know how to coach.

 

[davidariust24]

The question is do we think Schultz potential is greater than gathers even with the mental mistakes Gathers

 

[Keithfansince5]

I don't really care about training camp accolades. He needs to get significant playing time in preseason and has to do that with two games left. That's what I'm looking for. Game speed against other players.

But, you guys can't have it both ways. When we say how good Rico looks in the PS, we hear, but what is he doing in practice? Coaches know more than you, what are they seeing? etc. Now, when Rico is balling in practice, you have to wait to see how he does in the pre season games????

Tough crowd.

 

[Keithfansince5]

This is his 3rd year. He should already know much of what you speak of.

How do you know he doesn't?

 

[OmerV]

But, you guys can't have it both ways. When we say how good Rico looks in the PS, we hear, but what is he doing in practice? Coaches know more than you, what are they seeing? etc. Now, when Rico is balling in practice, you have to wait to see how he does in the pre season games????

Tough crowd.

The thing to remember is there is more to “balling in practice” than an ocassional nice catch. The likelihood is others are making some nice plays too, but an ocassional video of Rico doesn’t tell the whole story.

To be clear, I’m not saying Rico isn’t balling in practice, I’m just saying it’s not realistic to treat an ocassional video of an individual play as if it tells the whole story.