DMN Blog: What should Cowboys do at left guard?

[Mansta54]

and this my friends is why Jerry had to make Leonard Davis one of the highest paid Cowboys in the history of the franchise..and I am sure he cringed doing that for an interior OL....It would not shock me at all if Davis is asked to play RT next year if Columbo is deemed unaffordable.

Naw, that is n't going to happen. JJ knows the Biggs is at his best at OG, he's even said it a million times... Biggs will be at OG....

 

[zrinkill]

?????

What do you not understand?

It was Tim MacMahon who is speculating that Martin is probably the team's 10th-best OL at this point .... not the coaches.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

Naw, that is n't going to happen. JJ knows the Biggs is at his best at OG, he's even said it a million times... Biggs will be at OG....

we shall see...I strongly believe he paid him that kind of money thinking he could plug him in anywhere needed except C. And that kind of money is usually reserved for OT. I also think Jerry believes that Davis could play OT at a high level. I think he can too. I just think Arizona was a negative situation and he has his confidence restored in Dallas

 

[Mansta54]

we shall see...I strongly believe he paid him that kind of money thinking he could plug him in anywhere needed except C. And that kind of money is usually reserved for OT. I also think Jerry believes that Davis could play OT at a high level. I think he can too. I just think Arizona was a negative situation and he has his confidence restored in Dallas

This is for sure.. Bigg is a decent OT but a DOMINANT RG....

 

[trentmonster]

rookie minicamp or regular minicamp? That makes a differnce.

How about 60 minutes of a certain HBO show...:

 

[aikemirv]

10:28 AM Mon, Aug 25, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Tim MacMahon E-mail News tips
With Kyle Kosier expected to miss the first month or so of the season, the Cowboys have a difficult decision to make.

The simple solution would be to just give the job to Joe Berger, who has been the left guard with the backup O-line all preseason. But Berger was active for only three games last year, a clear sign that the Cowboys believe other backup linemen are better.
Pat McQuistan and Cory Procter are the two backup linemen that were active for every game. They both have some experience at guard, although McQuistan is primarily a right tackle and Procter primarily a center. They worked some at guard during training camp, so it wouldn't be surprising if either got a shot to replace Kosier.

Backup LT Doug Free could move inside, but he's a guy considered better in the passing game than the running game. The other option is James Marten, the 2007 third-rounder who has been working at right guard, but he's probably the team's 10th-best OL at this point.

We'll ask Wade Phillips what he thinks about filling the hole at left guard this afternoon.

That is not a clear sign. That just means that they don't think he can backup more than one spot IMO. He very well could be the best G of the three.

I don't know, but that statement is a stretch!

 

[WoodysGirl]

How about 60 minutes of a certain HBO show...:

And we've got a winner!!!!

 

[WoodysGirl]

FWST Blog:

What Kosier's injury means

The Cowboys offensive line has not been a problem spot for injuries over the last few years. Amazingly they have dodged significant losses--until now. Left guard Kyle Kosier will be out at least a month with a sprained right foot and hairline fracture. It will be the first time a Cowboys offensive lineman has missed more than two games since Flozell Adams missed 10 games in 2005.

Kosier is obviously not a Pro Bowler, but has been a solid starter and Joe Berger will likely be his replacement. Berger was impressive in training camp and pushed Kosier. In one-on-one pass drills throughout camp, Berger continually held his own against the starting defensive line.

The problem is Berger, who has never started in the NFL, doesn't have experience working alongside LT Flozell Adams and C Andre Gurode in a game situation. How do the Cowboys build some continuity with one throwaway preseason game left?

- Rick Herrin

Posted at 08:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

 

[Chief]

I think Roudy could have randomly picked offensive lineman out of a hat on draft day and duplicted this success.

Outside of Gurode it has been slim pickings.

Since Flozell Adams:

Kelvin Garmon
Solomon Page
Char-ron Dorsey
Matt Lehr
Tyson Walter
Andre Gurode
Justin Bates
Al Johnson
Stephen Peterman
Jacob Rogers
Rob Petitti
E.J. Whitley
Pat McQuistan
Doug Free
James Marten

That's embarassing.

I have hopes for Free, and McQuistan is ok, but that's a pretty poor job of evaluating offensive linemen over a 10-year period.

 

[Idgit]

Really?

He was drafted last year.

I think it just might be a little early to call him a bust.

Gurode did not "get it" till his 5th year

Gurode played as a rookie and was always in the rotation. He took time to find his position and develop into a probowler, but he always had potential.

Marten was a 3rd round pick last year. First round OL picks are usually expected to start either in their first or 2nd years so why do we expect a 3rd rounder to replace a starter in his 2nd year. Doesn't make sense to me. Too many people on this board want to throw away players much too soon. Marten gets at least another year which should enable him get even stronger & improve his techniques, etc & OL play is all about doing both.

BTW: I would certainly expect to see the Cowboys draft a WR, ILB, OL & another need position with their first 4 picks in next year's draft. We've also got 2 4th round picks to help even more in addressing some other needs. We also can't rule out trading our first & probably one of our 2 3rd rounders for a proven quality WR. Remaining 2 picks probably address OL & ILB needs.

I haven't heard much on the knocks on Marten, and generally speaking, I agree you give players you draft on day one 3 years whenever you can, but there are circumstances where you don't get that luxury. If he's the #10 OL on the team, and you can only justify keeping 9 b/c you need to go long at WR or LB, then it doesn't really matter much where he was drafted. Unless you're looking at him as a developmental player the way we're looking at Stanback, if you play yourself to the bottom of your unit rotation, you put your roster spot in jeopardy.

 

[Mansta54]

FWST Blog:

What Kosier's injury means

The Cowboys offensive line has not been a problem spot for injuries over the last few years. Amazingly they have dodged significant losses--until now. Left guard Kyle Kosier will be out at least a month with a sprained right foot and hairline fracture. It will be the first time a Cowboys offensive lineman has missed more than two games since Flozell Adams missed 10 games in 2005.

Kosier is obviously not a Pro Bowler, but has been a solid starter and Joe Berger will likely be his replacement. Berger was impressive in training camp and pushed Kosier. In one-on-one pass drills throughout camp, Berger continually held his own against the starting defensive line.

The problem is Berger, who has never started in the NFL, doesn't have experience working alongside LT Flozell Adams and C Andre Gurode in a game situation. How do the Cowboys build some continuity with one throwaway preseason game left?

- Rick Herrin

Posted at 08:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Berger will be just fine especially with HH coaching him up. They will have him ready and he has plenty of time to prepair for the opener. He will not stop our high powered O from scoring pts or winning games...

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

Look at signing Larry Allen...

 

[WoodysGirl]

Look at signing Larry Allen...

You can't sign someone who's still contractually bound to another team.

 

[YosemiteSam]

The problem is Berger, who has never started in the NFL, doesn't have experience working alongside LT Flozell Adams and C Andre Gurode in a game situation. How do the Cowboys build some continuity with one throwaway preseason game left?

I think that means you end up playing the starting oline more in the preseason finale than you intended. You need to gain as much continuity as you can before the season starts even at the risk of more injuries.

 

[Stash]

I think that means you end up playing the starting oline more in the preseason finale than you intended. You need to gain as much continuity as you can before the season starts even at the risk of more injuries.

I would not do that for exactly the reason you mentioned.

Why risk making a bad situation worse?

Playing the starters for an extended period was what ultimately led to Kosier's injury in the first place.

I would give Berger as much time with the starting unit as possible in practice, but don't risk further injury by overplaying the starters in a meaningless final preseason game.

I would also be looking to trade for some experienced depth.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I would not do that for exactly the reason you mentioned.

Why risk making a bad situation worse?

Playing the starters for an extended period was what ultimately led to Kosier's injury in the first place.

I would give Berger as much time with the starting unit as possible in practice, but don't risk further injury by overplaying the starters in a meaningless final preseason game.

I would also be looking to trade for some experienced depth.

So, you would rather Romo get sacked several times in a actual game that counts rather than say Brad Johnson or Bartell in a game that doesn't count?

Also, with Kosier not being out that long and having actual backups on the team, I think trading would be a waste. If your backups where that big of an issue, you would have been already looking for someone else.

 

[TNCowboy]

Vela was right. If you watch the backup OL during the preseason games, they mostly look awful.

Berger and Proctor get pushed around way too much, and Marten looks like he doesn't have a clue what's going on.

 

[Stash]

So, you would rather Romo get sacked several times in a actual game that counts rather than say Brad Johnson or Bartell in a game that doesn't count?

I would rather have 4/5th of an offensive line than to risk having less than that. I wouldn't play Romo, or my other starters

Also, with Kosier not being out that long and having actual backups on the team, I think trading would be a waste. If your backups where that big of an issue, you would have been already looking for someone else.

Personally speaking, I was already looking for backup depth before Kosier got injured. I think the backup linemen other than Berger (and occasionally Free) have all looked terrible.

I think Kosier is out six weeks minimum - that's nearly a third of the season so whoever steps in will get a significant amount of playing time - for better or worse.

 

[cowboys2233]

I would rather have 4/5th of an offensive line than to risk having less than that. I wouldn't play Romo, or my other starters



Personally speaking, I was already looking for backup depth before Kosier got injured. I think the backup linemen other than Berger (and occasionally Free) have all looked terrible.

I think Kosier is out six weeks minimum - that's nearly a third of the season so whoever steps in will get a significant amount of playing time - for better or worse.

It's funny how everyone claims this team has so much depth, and yet, when we lose one receiver and one offensive lineman, everybody seems to be scrambling for replacements for both. Call me crazy, but I don't think we have nearly the depth that most of John Q. Public thinks we do.

 

[Stash]

It's funny how everyone claims this team has so much depth, and yet, when we lose one receiver and one offensive lineman, everybody seems to be scrambling for replacements for both. Call me crazy, but I don't think we have nearly the depth that most of John Q. Public thinks we do.

I think some spots - like CB and TE have quality depth while some others like receiver and offensive line don't.

Unfortunately, the team has been hit with injuries at two of the positions lacking quality depth.

My thinking would be to try to trade away some depth at corner and tight end for help at O-line or receiver.