News: Dallas Cowboys: Rico Gathers took hundreds of snaps at offensive tackle

[visionary]

Was he being developed similarly to when Leary was an unknown?

Lol, please stop

 

[Texas_Pete]

 

[negativecreep]

Rico's first task will be to make the 53 roster as a situational player. Can he be an asset blocking in short yardage and goal line, can he be a threat as a receiver in the red zone, and can he be a blocker on the FG team? If yes, he makes the 53. If no to all, he won't be kept just because he's developing. To be on the 53, you have to serve some current purpose.

I agree with this. I really hope Gathers can be someone special, but when you get down to the brass tax, if he can't contribute, back to the PS or we lose him on waivers, which I pray we don't because he does have talent. I wish Mike Pope had stuck around.

 

[TheCount]

Cant we wait and see if he can do one position first.

They aren't moving him to tackle, he was there because they needed bodies due to injury.

The plan is still very much for him to play TE.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I wish Mike Pope had stuck around.

No doubt.

 

[ShiningStar]

They aren't moving him to tackle, he was there because they needed bodies due to injury.

The plan is still very much for him to play TE.

Thank you for that. I got worried.

 

[Kolemmitt]

Ideally, next year Swaim and Hannah can back healthy and Rico can spend another year getting used to football as he takes Escobar's place as the 4th TE. Then, the year after that, he would ideally be ready to take his place as our #1 TE.

 

[mahoneybill]

Dallas Cowboys: Rico Gathers took hundreds of snaps at offensive tackle
http://thelandryhat.com/2017/03/02/...-takes-hundreds-of-snaps-at-offensive-tackle/


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Key point of why at tackle.... Good to see he's working on Escobars weak point...

" he saw that as an opportunity to learn how to block, get better at my protection, get better at my run blocking. So he has embraced every opportunity and you really see the progress he’s made.”

 

[Sydla]

The skill set is certainly impressive. Let's hope another year of development leads to something.

 

[waldoputty]

That's cold-blooded, man.
Free is actually a very good run blocker.
He just doesn't have the agility anymore.

Anybody that's old enough is thinking Rayfield Wright about Rico.
He came in as a 6'6" 225# TE in 1967, after being mostly a basketball star. (He couldn't even make his high school football team)
He also got reps at OT and DL in his first 2 years.
He got his first start in '69 when Ralph Neely got hurt, and it was against the legendary Deacon Jones. Well, he played so impressively that he continued at RT all the way to the HOF, beefing up to 270.

Rico is 6'6" 285, and has the Big Cat's quick feet.

Would be a good story.

me too.
he has the athleticism to probably play LT.
the question is OT more valuable or TE.

in a way, it makes more sense for him to be OT
it is easier to get a top TE pick late in the 1st round than a blue chip OT

 

[Teague31]

He should be since free is not a TE

I meant as a RT. And only slightly kidding

 

[Nightman]

I agree with this. I really hope Gathers can be someone special, but when you get down to the brass tax, if he can't contribute, back to the PS or we lose him on waivers, which I pray we don't because he does have talent. I wish Mike Pope had stuck around.

I think we keep him on the 53 all year... we were using Looney as blocking TE last year and it failed badly....If Gathers can play RT he can play blocking TE

 

[Sydla]

I think we keep him on the 53 all year... we were using Looney as blocking TE last year and it failed badly....If Gathers play RT he can play blocking TE

Which maybe was part of the logic of playing him at RT for a bit. If he's going to make this team this soon, it's going be as a blocking TE.

 

[Nightman]

Which maybe was part of the logic of playing him at RT for a bit. If he's going to make this team this soon, it's going be as a blocking TE.

I agree with that he won't make another year on the PS....even if we pay him 465K again

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

Was he being developed similarly to when Leary was an unknown?

More similar to Parnell.

 

[CCBoy]

More similar to Parnell.

Way too soon to rat hole with a label of diminished returns...

 

[erod]

Gathers blocking last preseason was the most comically pathetic I've ever witnessed on an NFL field. He looked like a child trying to block men.

Perhaps he's come a long way, but I won't hold my breath.

 

[waldoputty]

I agree with that he won't make another year on the PS....even if we pay him 465K again

By all accounts, Rico's blocking has improved greatly.
If we kept Escobar on the 53, how much worse can 280/290lb Rico be in blocking than Escobar in his rookie year.
I think the concern was knowing his blocking assignments in stunts and blitzes.

If Romo and Rico were burning the secondary as the scout team most of the time, it sounds like Rico can run routes and catch the ball.
That would be consistent with the videos we have seen as well as him being a top notch rebounding power forward.

 

[xwalker]

The next Parnell? Wut Wut???

Nobody is the next Parnell (For everybody that gets the reference).

 

[xwalker]

Gathers blocking last preseason was the most comically pathetic I've ever witnessed on an NFL field. He looked like a child trying to block men.

Perhaps he's come a long way, but I won't hold my breath.

Not by the end of the preseason.

Maybe the most progress that I've ever seen from ps game 1 to ps game 4.