DMN Blog: Cornerbacks have gone from great strength to glaring weakness again

[WoodysGirl]

2:22 PM Thu, Oct 09, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Tim MacMahon E-mail News tips

The Cowboys made cornerback their top off-season priority. The upgrades they made -- trading for Adam "Pacman" Jones and drafting first-rounder Mike Jenkins and fifth-rounder Orlando Scandrick -- gave Dallas arguably the best CB crop in the league.

All of a sudden, Jacques Reeves would come in handy around these parts.

Newman, the group's resident Pro Bowler, might be out until November with a sports hernia. Pacman, perhaps the most talented player of the bunch, made it five whole weeks before getting in hot water with the commish again. Even if Sheriff Goodell doesn't consider the late-night/early-morning hotel scrap an NFL parole violation, can the Cowboys have an ounce of confidence that they can count on Pacman?

If Goodell decides Pacman needs to sit out for an extended period of time, a secondary that has been inconsistent has major problems.

Jenkins hasn't done anything to show that he's ready to start opposite Anthony Henry, but the Cowboys will have little choice. Scandrick has actually played pretty well as Newman's nickel replacement, but it's pretty scary to rely on two rookies every time you go to three corners. Is anybody comfortable with Alan Ball playing in the dime package? He'd have to, unless the coaches decide they'd rather scrap the successful experiment of moving Henry inside to cover tight ends.

Jerry Jones called this CB crop the Cowboys' strongest since he bought the franchise. Now, it's become their biggest positional concern.


Comments (7) Leave comment | E-mail entry

 

[Coakleys Dad]

wow...thats positive.

 

[Idgit]

Jenkins played a great game in GB. Not sure what's so bad about having to rely on a rookie first round pick at a position that traditionally adapts quickly.

Is it just my impression, or is Tim McMahon moving from innocuous to reallly annoying really, really quickly?

 

[Canadian BoyzFan]

Jenkins played a great game in GB. Not sure what's so bad about having to rely on a rookie first round pick at a position that traditionally adapts quickly.

Is it just my impression, or is Tim McMahon moving from innocuous to reallly annoying really, really quickly?

"glaring weakness"........hyperbole.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

JIs it just my impression, or is Tim McMahon moving from innocuous to reallly annoying really, really quickly?

He's been there for a while now IMO.

 

[Kilyin]

All of a sudden, Jacques Reeves would come in handy around these parts.

Uh, no.

Maybe some sudden and severe brain trauma for the Dallas media would come in handy.

 

[Vintage]

So far, we've only lost Newman... who has missed a couple games this season anyway.

We're good to go.

Lock and load.

 

[Clove]

Would it make any difference with the way we play in the secondary 12 yards off, and that nasty zone?

 

[DallasEast]

I would go with Jenkins or Scandrick in a heartbeat over Jacques Reeves. Reeves is a good corner, but he has poor cover skills. Add the fact that Reeves adds an extra layer of cushion on top of any scheme-mandated cushion and you can only conclude that he's just a liability in the secondary. Give me the rooks over him any day. I'll take my chances.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

I think it's an issue depth wise, obviously, if Jones does wind up in trouble but to say it's a glaring weakness? Hardly.

 

[silver]

Where have you gone Evan Oglesby...Cowboy nation turns its lonely eyes to you (Woo woo woo)

 

[khiladi]

These excuses have got to stop. The Giants did just fine with their secondary during the play-off run. You have to trust your personnel eventually and stop playing scared.

BTW, I'm a fan of trial-by-fire...

 

[TellerMorrow34]

These excuses have got to stop. The Giants did just fine with their secondary during the play-off run. You have to trust your personnel eventually and stop playing scared.

BTW, I'm a fan of trial-by-fire...

A good point.

 

[khiladi]

A good point.

Coupled by the fact that it is early in the season, and there are a lot of games to play, now is a better time than ever to give your rookies considerable playing-time...

You can't show anything when you aren't allowed to play and get into a groove... That was more than evident with Reeves, whose ability to really suck it up became more and more evident the more and more he played...

 

[Paniolo22]

Let the "Drama" keep piling on.

 

[AsthmaField]

Jesus... talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. A slow newsday was sure made better for all the mediots around Dallas.

Give it a break.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

strength went to weakness in a hurry!

 

[ABQcowboyJR]

strength went to weakness in a hurry!

No kidding. Don't really care what anyone else says, your hard pressed to find another secondary I would rather have.

 

[Nexx]

****! i'll take sandrick and jenkins over reeves any day of the week.

 

[dfense]

If they're so bad, what's the problem playing the rookies?