DMN Blog: Cowboys are counting on Bobby Carpenter

[speedkilz88]

all the scouting reports said Carpenter was the most ready to step right in and start. AT THAT time we had no idea if Greg Ellis could play OLB, so we had a rather large hole that needed to be filled. From his stats and scouting reports it APPEARED that carpenter was the safe pick. Turned out wrong but that is the way the draft goes sometimes.

Maybe in a 4-3 that was true.

 

[Zaxor]

In my mind there can be no such thing as a finesee linebacker.

 

[jterrell]

I think his maturation process declined when they flip flopped him back and forth between OLB and ILB. Was'nt he supposedly drafted with capabilities of an OLB but the staff actually saw a possibility of him being an ILB? If Dallas wanted a true light footed pass rushing OLB, Manny Lawson was available at that slot and year Carpenter was taken. Carpenter landed in Dallas at spot 18 and SF took Lawson at 22. The rest is history.

I don't think he had the opportunity to earn his keep as a starter because Bradie and Akin were solidly entrenched as starters on the ILB spot if I'm not mistaken. Ware was on one side and Greg had been moved to OLB during the Cowboy defensive transition to the 3-4. Then a few bad pre-season games doomed his progress in the eyes of the staff. Then as he floundered on the depth chart, plus getting hurt playing special teams, and then ultimately his hard knocks calling out by our omipresent GM as "a finesse player" seemed to set the tone for everybody's attitude toward him.

I think this is remotely accurate and I still have hopes for the guy as a player. Finesse or not, I don't give a crap. If he can make plays and not become a liability against the run, then I'm OK with him staying.

Akin was horribad and thus is no longer here.
We WANTED Carp to be a starter here.
BP coached the guys dad for cripessake and met him as a little kid. BP went off the board to draft him.

Carpenter didn't face anything but an inability to beat blocks inside or be physical enough to hold the edge on the outside.

WE have spent 2 firsts at LB SINCE we drafted Carpenter... that is a sign it had nothing to do with anyone else but him.

Those other 2 firsts are starting this year while we hold a celebration that Carpenter MAY be able to win one of the nickel spots.

Any idea how staggeringly bad you have to be to go from first rounder to not even active on game days?

 

[jterrell]

In my mind there can be no such thing as a finesee linebacker.

Any linebacker that ever played would tell you the same thing.

Speed backers may avoid blockers but they do so with movement that leads them to tackles not just to avoid contact.

Carp is a reverse Urlacher. He is a free safety trapped in a linebacker's body.

 

[silverbear]

Can you say 5-11? :bang2:

Can you say Chicken Little??

 

[Big Country]

You can blame Parcells for that. He wanted to draft the son of a Parcells Guy. It didn't matter who else was available in that slot.

I agree on the Parcells guy advantage... You would think Carpenter has got to have some Italian blood somewhere in the family tree then.

Akin was horribad and thus is no longer here.
We WANTED Carp to be a starter here.
BP coached the guys dad for cripessake and met him as a little kid. BP went off the board to draft him.

Carpenter didn't face anything but an inability to beat blocks inside or be physical enough to hold the edge on the outside.

WE have spent 2 firsts at LB SINCE we drafted Carpenter... that is a sign it had nothing to do with anyone else but him.

Those other 2 firsts are starting this year while we hold a celebration that Carpenter MAY be able to win one of the nickel spots.

Any idea how staggeringly bad you have to be to go from first rounder to not even active on game days?

Maybe Columbo can ***** slap him around a bit and make him mad enough to show up when the plays really count. Otherwise, as far as holding the point and being physical enough to be counted on as a contributor on game day, this is certainly his last chance to make an impression.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

In my mind there can be no such thing as a finesee linebacker.

Not in a 3-4, even if it is a 1-gap scheme. In a 4-3 there are plenty of them. London Fletcher-Baker and Brian Urlacher are good examples. Great linebackers, but if the DT's are not up to snuff in holding up blockers, they become targets. But their coaching staffs are usually smart enough to get good enough DT's so they can do their thing. In a 3-4, you really can't do that because one blocker is going to get upfield a bit to some degree.



3JACK

 

[jazzcat22]

Nice post, this Carp bashing has spread like a virus on this board.

Exactly. I never seen so much hatred toward one player. Well, then blame the coaches also for not doing their jobs. Why not HATE Romo for his dropped hold on that FG in the Seattle game, or his fumbles and INT's in last years Eagle game....a horrible game..

But their is hate for a player who is never given the chance to show what he may be able to do. Flip other guys all around from day one when a rookie for 3 years. Bring in an aging LB, and given the position on past reputation. And see how that rookie does.

 

[RoadRunner]

Well, like everything else pre-season related, Carpenter will have to show me. Tired of reading hype, what ifs, etc. If they want to try and force fit Carpenter in there in the hopes that they salvage something for the 1st round pick and it works then great! I am not going to assume that it will work just because the hype is floated. Show me on the field or ****.

 

[LeonDixson]

I am clinging to the hope that we aren't going to buy into the bunch of "tackles" in preseason charade again and look seriously at his cap figure in comparison to that of Hodge and Williams. Then it should be obvious he needs to go away.

I'm not a Carpenter hater or supporter. But I believe that unless he really can show toughness and aggressivness that he will beaten out by one of those guys. Hodge in particular showed very good coverage skills before being injured even though he was learning a new position.

 

[Alexander]

Exactly. I never seen so much hatred toward one player. Well, then blame the coaches also for not doing their jobs. Why not HATE Romo for his dropped hold on that FG in the Seattle game, or his fumbles and INT's in last years Eagle game....a horrible game..

But their is hate for a player who is never given the chance to show what he may be able to do. Flip other guys all around from day one when a rookie for 3 years. Bring in an aging LB, and given the position on past reputation. And see how that rookie does.

So the player has zero accountability for anything?

The fact that he's soft and not explosive as an inside linebacker doesn't mean anything?

Honestly, this was a serious misevaluation from the minute he was drafted. I am certain now Coach Parcells allowed family ties to overvalue both him and his capabilities to play in a 3-4 defense, inside or out. We have wasted three years just trying to find him a role and that's where his accountability begins and ends. He hasn't capitalizes on opportunities he has had.

There are lots of things he actually has the skills to do well. He's showing them right now without pads. I am sure that if he did them well enough when the real hitting started, he'd actually have seen snaps on defense the past two seasons. He couldn't make himself unbenchable. It is just that simple.

Wade Phillips has never been hesitant to have role players at LBer in his defenses. Lesser skilled players like Marques Harris and Carlos Polk have been able to at least play nickel roles for him even down to the third string. It wasn't even about Burnett "being in the way". If he was that good, it makes no logical sense to keep him down to prove some non-existant point.

 

[DaBoys4Life]

if this isn't an indicator of our season being **** then IDK what is.

 

[RodBro]

he is 6'3....255 pounds...and can run with the best of them for his size...I see no reason why he cannot perform as a nickle LBer if he plays with confidence. Worst thing Dallas ever did was NEVER show any confidence in him...guranteeing Zach Thomas a starting spot without ever competing for it was not a good move when you have a 1st rounder waiting to prove he can play. They are not making the same mistake with Spencer....which is a big reason why Elllis is gone. When he played in the playoff game with Seattle he looked MORE THAN CAPABLE. Then Parcells quits...Phillips comes in...and all the momentum Carpenter should have been carrying into the next year was lost.

My recollection is of Bobby Carpenter on the field at the end of the season and the playoff game in Seattle making plays. I don't know about training camp and preseason but when the games were for real, the guy was balling.

 

[Alexander]

My recollection is of Bobby Carpenter on the field at the end of the season and the playoff game in Seattle making plays. I don't know about training camp and preseason but when the games were for real, the guy was balling.

Does "balling" equal dropping an interception that could have changed the outcome of that game?

He's had 33 real games since and we have seen him make one significant play, and that was recovering Clifton Smith's fumble in the Tampa Bay game.

 

[BAT]

My recollection is of Bobby Carpenter on the field at the end of the season and the playoff game in Seattle making plays. I don't know about training camp and preseason but when the games were for real, the guy was balling.

I haven't seen any "balling" from him even in PRESEASON games the past 2 off seasons. All his hype is during TC when there is very little hitting.


One average to good game does not trump all else.

 

[bbgun]

I haven't seen any "balling" from him even in PRESEASON games the past 2 off seasons. All his hype is during TC when there is very little hitting.


One average to good game does not trump all else.

He's very good at falling on the pile for an "assist."

 

[Alexander]

I haven't seen any "balling" from him even in PRESEASON games the past 2 off seasons. All his hype is during TC when there is very little hitting.


One average to good game does not trump all else.

He's very good at falling on the pile for an "assist."

More "hate".

 

[burmafrd]

Jterrel, what in the world are you talking about as regards going off the board for Carpenter?

 

[BAT]

He's very good at falling on the pile for an "assist."

I don't think he's even good at that, standing around the pile tho, all-star.

 

[bbgun]

More "hate".

I know. How do I live with myself??

I'm still trying to reconcile the fact that he wears Randy White's number, which must qualify as some sort of blasphemy.