News: DC: Mailbag: Nolan Carroll's Place In Depth Chart? Cedric Thornton's Improvement?

[NewsBot]

Friday, June 23, 2017 9:54 AM CDT



REUBEN JOHNSON
NASHVILLE, TN
I know that having a veteran presence like Nolan Carroll can be comforting to coaching staffs, but is it possible that Anthony Brown, Chidobe Awuzie, or Jourdan Lewis could surprise and be a solid starter for us?

Bryan: All of those guys have a real shot to be future starters. Wouldn't be surprised if Awuzie switches positions soon -- so keep an eye on that.

David: It’s going to be an interesting scenario. A lot of times, you can use money and experience to help determine a team’s roster. Nolan Carroll is an eight-year veteran and is slated to make $4 million this season, so it’s logical to conclude that he’ll be a starter. But I don’t think that contract is so big that it guarantees him anything. If any of these younger players is definitively better in training camp, it won’t surprise me to see him in a lessened role – big paycheck and all.



RAY HASPER
ORLANDO, FL
Last season I believe it was Cedric Thornton that stated "they expect you to show up in shape here" when asked about his first days in Dallas. Did Cedric show up in better shape this season than last and how has it shown?


Continue reading...

 

[WoodysGirl]

Burning questions we really need answers to.

 

[Alexander]

Burning questions we really need answers to.

There really are not that many "burning questions" other than who wins the left guard job and whether or not Jaylon Smith will actually play a big role.

These two, Carroll and Thornton are two that I see listed at the top of their positional depth chart and I actually do wonder what they have done to be put there.

Carroll especially. He is not a better player than Anthony Brown. I don't even think either Awuzie or Lewis will be behind him for long if they are given a real opportunity to compete for snaps.

 

[phildadon86]

There really are not that many "burning questions" other than who wins the left guard job and whether or not Jaylon Smith will actually play a big role.

These two, Carroll and Thornton are two that I see listed at the top of their positional depth chart and I actually do wonder what they have done to be put there.

Carroll especially. He is not a better player than Anthony Brown. I don't even think either Awuzie or Lewis will be behind him for long if they are given a real opportunity to compete for snaps.

This is all assuming Carroll stays healthy right? LOL

 

[Alexander]

This is all assuming Carroll stays healthy right? LOL

I am a little appalled that he kept his spot after the DUI, to be honest. He is not a very good player. He is mediocre at best and still got the majority of reps at mini-camp.

But I bet he is starting week 1 at an outside CB spot against New York, no question about it.

 

[Irvin88_4life]

I am a little appalled that he kept his spot after the DUI, to be honest. He is not a very good player. He is mediocre at best and still got the majority of reps at mini-camp.

But I bet he is starting week 1 at an outside CB spot against New York, no question about it.

I bet in training camp he will lose his job. Awuzie has been very good and you will see Lewis also show up in preseason. These games will play huge in who gets those spots. Look out for White as well, his ability might allow Awuzie to play safety

 

[dallasdave]

Friday, June 23, 2017 9:54 AM CDT



REUBEN JOHNSON
NASHVILLE, TN
I know that having a veteran presence like Nolan Carroll can be comforting to coaching staffs, but is it possible that Anthony Brown, Chidobe Awuzie, or Jourdan Lewis could surprise and be a solid starter for us?

Bryan: All of those guys have a real shot to be future starters. Wouldn't be surprised if Awuzie switches positions soon -- so keep an eye on that.

David: It’s going to be an interesting scenario. A lot of times, you can use money and experience to help determine a team’s roster. Nolan Carroll is an eight-year veteran and is slated to make $4 million this season, so it’s logical to conclude that he’ll be a starter. But I don’t think that contract is so big that it guarantees him anything. If any of these younger players is definitively better in training camp, it won’t surprise me to see him in a lessened role – big paycheck and all.



RAY HASPER
ORLANDO, FL
Last season I believe it was Cedric Thornton that stated "they expect you to show up in shape here" when asked about his first days in Dallas. Did Cedric show up in better shape this season than last and how has it shown?


Continue reading...

Good post newsbot

 

[dallasdave]

I bet in training camp he will lose his job. Awuzie has been very good and you will see Lewis also show up in preseason. These games will play huge in who gets those spots. Look out for White as well, his ability might allow Awuzie to play safety

Dallas got a lot younger and faster in the defensive backfield this year !!!

 

[Alexander]

I bet in training camp he will lose his job.

I hope that is the case. I don't like the player and he is in the way of Awuzie and Lewis.

 

[jday]

There really are not that many "burning questions" other than who wins the left guard job and whether or not Jaylon Smith will actually play a big role.

These two, Carroll and Thornton are two that I see listed at the top of their positional depth chart and I actually do wonder what they have done to be put there.

Carroll especially. He is not a better player than Anthony Brown. I don't even think either Awuzie or Lewis will be behind him for long if they are given a real opportunity to compete for snaps.

For me, the Carroll pick was mostly about the flexibility it affords the Cowboys overall when deciding where they will plug various players. If a rookie struggles, they have a solid veteran they can count on. But if the rookies prove their value over him, Carroll provides the Cowboys an excellent insurance policy against possible injury.

 

[Alexander]

For me, the Carroll pick was mostly about the flexibility it affords the Cowboys overall when deciding where they will plug various players. If a rookie struggles, they have a solid veteran they can count on. But if the rookies prove their value over him, Carroll provides the Cowboys an excellent insurance policy against possible injury.

Well, he is an annoying insurance policy right now. I would prefer they spent less time giving him work and more time to the players who can actually play.

 

[jday]

Well, he is an annoying insurance policy right now. I would prefer they spent less time giving him work and more time to the players who can actually play.

I think you might be jumping the gun a little bit on your assertion assuming he cannot play. And I'm not taking the "He's playing in the NFL, he can play" line of thinking with you here. What I suspect is that his style of play may actually be a better fit for the Cowboys scheme than what he was for the Eagles. Perhaps I'm being a bit optimistic here, but it's the hypothesis I'm working with for now.

Either way, shortly after we drafted Chidobe, I made the comment they may consider him at Safety in passing situations. The Nolan acquisition affords the Cowboys the flexibility to move Chidobe around when the situation calls for it.

 

[Alexander]

I think you might be jumping the gun a little bit on your assertion assuming he cannot play. And I'm not taking the "He's playing in the NFL, he can play" line of thinking with you here. What I suspect is that his style of play may actually be a better fit for the Cowboys scheme than what he was for the Eagles. Perhaps I'm being a bit optimistic here, but it's the hypothesis I'm working with for now.

If he is left alone, he will remind people a lot of Brandon Carr at his worst.

 

[Sydla]

I think you might be jumping the gun a little bit on your assertion assuming he cannot play. And I'm not taking the "He's playing in the NFL, he can play" line of thinking with you here. What I suspect is that his style of play may actually be a better fit for the Cowboys scheme than what he was for the Eagles. Perhaps I'm being a bit optimistic here, but it's the hypothesis I'm working with for now.

Either way, shortly after we drafted Chidobe, I made the comment they may consider him at Safety in passing situations. The Nolan acquisition affords the Cowboys the flexibility to move Chidobe around when the situation calls for it.

This might not as accurate as you think. For one, some think Carroll was put out on an island and left alone while the Eagles blitzed a lot. They didn't blitz a lot and that's not Schwartz's MO - which is essentially to use his DL for pressure and drop seven into coverage. Schwartz does like to play more man but last year, they played more zone than normal (the defense Carroll is supposed to thrive in) because of CB limitations and he still struggled.

I suspect he will be given a starting CB job. I just hope he plays solid or that they have a short leash on him.

 

[TheHerd]

I hope Helman is right in that the best players will play. This comment is so true and can be a very bad thing: "A lot of times, you can use money and experience to help determine a team’s roster."

 

[Alexander]

I hope Helman is right in that the best players will play. This comment is so true and can be a very bad thing: "A lot of times, you can use money and experience to help determine a team’s roster."

Well, think about that statement.

"The best players will play".

Unless there is a good distribution of work, it is difficult to evaluate the players as how do you determine who is best unless there is a true side-by-side comparison. Then you are down to competing for roles versus jobs. I see that differently than most do I guess.

A lot of the time, the paycheck does make a difference. So does tenure, simply due to comfort level.

 

[jday]

If he is left alone, he will remind people a lot of Brandon Carr at his worst.

Certainly possible...but I doubt he is left alone all that often because I suspect there is going to be a shift towards more zone coverage this season anyway. So, I don't think they will be asking him to man-up as much as they asked Carr and Claiborne to do so this past season. And that is also why I'm expecting gradual improvement as the upcoming season progresses. While I don't think they will ever be confused with dominant as a collective this year, at some point they will gel and they'll at least be better than middle-of-the-pack.

For the moment I have Anthony Brown and Orlando Scandrick penciled in as the starters. When they go to Nickel or Dime, one if not both Brown and Scandrick will slide inside and a varied combination of Carroll/Lewis/Awuzie will man the outside. We have to hope that the rookies play in preseason places Carroll in a reserve role where he is only called upon in certain situations. Not to say that I don't think Carroll is capable; it would just be better to have the merely capable guy as a in-case-of-emergency-break-glass option.

 

[TexasBacon]

This might not as accurate as you think. For one, some think Carroll was put out on an island and left alone while the Eagles blitzed a lot. They didn't blitz a lot and that's not Schwartz's MO - which is essentially to use his DL for pressure and drop seven into coverage. Schwartz does like to play more man but last year, they played more zone than normal (the defense Carroll is supposed to thrive in) because of CB limitations and he still struggled.

I suspect he will be given a starting CB job. I just hope he plays solid or that they have a short leash on him.

Broaddus mentioned that he thinks alot of fans think Carroll is Bradley Fletcher, who is the Eagles corner that got torched consistently. I even thought that initially when Dallas signed Carroll. After looking back and some of Carroll's play, he should be a slight upgrade over Carr. Hopefully the rookies are good enough to take his job at some point but I think he is solid.

 

[jday]

This might not as accurate as you think. For one, some think Carroll was put out on an island and left alone while the Eagles blitzed a lot. They didn't blitz a lot and that's not Schwartz's MO - which is essentially to use his DL for pressure and drop seven into coverage. Schwartz does like to play more man but last year, they played more zone than normal (the defense Carroll is supposed to thrive in) because of CB limitations and he still struggled.

I suspect he will be given a starting CB job. I just hope he plays solid or that they have a short leash on him.

That said, it is really difficult to project how a player will perform given a different surrounding team. For instance, the Cowboys defense has a luxury the Eagles defense did not...the Cowboys offense. Furthermore, I don't believe the Cowboys will be asking Carroll to play the same amount of snaps. With reduced snaps, Carroll could actually play above the contract he signed.

Furthermore, with how young the overall defense is, I think we fans may underestimate the effect of having another veteran presence other than Scandrick in the classroom. Without Carroll, Scandrick would be the unquestioned leader in the room. Don't get me wrong, I want Scandrick to take that role...and take it seriously. Having another veteran presence may help with Scandrick's commitment to that role.

 

[Alexander]

Broaddus mentioned that he thinks alot of fans think Carroll is Bradley Fletcher, who is the Eagles corner that got torched consistently.

That might be for some cases, but not me. I remember Carroll when he was getting roasted as a Miami Dolphin.