News: DMN: Bryan Broaddus: It would be a mistake to replace Ron Leary when La'el Collins returns

[The Quest for Six]

Collins should be the RT anyways.

he's not a tackle.....

 

[JohnsKey19]

If I'm coaching this team, I just keep Collins in my back pocket in case he's needed for any reason. I think he's an easy candidate to replace Looney in some of those formations where we bring in an extra lineman.

I wouldn't mess with the continuity of a line in which Leary will have started 80-plus-percent of the season.

Great idea. They actually may use that personnel group even more now if you replace Looney with Collins.

 

[btcutter]

I want La'el @ TE

How about La'el at full back with a running start to open a hole for Zeke to follow on short yardage, jumbo package for him at TE instead of Escobar...both are equal threat to catch a ball.

 

[Broges74]

Collins is a G. Many, including me, don't think his future is at T. Green has shown he can handle T and if he could stay healthy , would take over for Free.

Leary is the guy at this point. Collins will backup G and T for the rest of the season. Leary still walks in the off-season and Collins goes back to his spot next season..There will be a hole at RT to fill during the off-season . . Can't count on Green even though he's shown he can man the T spot..

 

[skinsscalper]

If CAR could find a Hardy in the 6th........we can dream too

Tapper may actually be that guy. Hardy didn't exactly enter the league tearing it up. Tapper's back situation makes it tough to actually pencil him in at anything, right now, but he's a better athlete than Hardy was/is.

I wouldn't COUNT on Tapper being that guy but it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

 

[skinsscalper]

Yes, the club needs to find a way to sign Leary...he is a tough, mauler that fits this Line perfectly.

Honestly, I re-sign Leary and dangle Collins on the trade market. If he garners a third, I think hard about it. If he pulls in a 2nd you'd see a vapor trail from my *** to the phone (if I were the GM, of course).

 

[LittleD]

It kills me that Hardy and Garrett couldn't work it out. He is exactly the tonic this defense needed. He is he kind of DE that could lift this team into the SB.Too bad.

As both Jerry & Stephen hinted, Hardy was a terrible influence on Gregory and may have led him back to smoking weed. Hardy was habitually tardy to meetings and came
drunk or high to practice countless times. Hardy was a cancer to the Cowboys and to the development or lack of for Gregory. Good thing he's gone and facing jail time.

 

[Bluefin]

Leary is the guy at this point. Collins will backup G and T for the rest of the season.

Definitely Ronald Leary's job the rest of the season, barring injury.

Leary is playing the best ball of his career, he's in much better shape than the past.

If La'el Collins gets recalled from injured Reserve, will he even be active for games? The team likes to have a swing tackle and an interior C/G as the reserves. Collins doesn't play center, the same issue that kept Leary inactive for 12 games last year.

Dressing Collins instead of Joe Looney would mean Zack Martin would have to slide over to center if Travis Frederick went down.

It's never ideal to move two players to account for one injury.

Leary still walks in the off-season and Collins goes back to his spot next season.

That's my expectation, too.

Another team will likely structure a deal with large base salaries up front that Dallas will not want to match.

There will be a hole at RT to fill during the off-season . . Can't count on Green even though he's shown he can man the T spot.

Doug Free is under contract next season, so it remains to be seen if Dallas releases him or asks him to take another pay cut.

There are plenty of avenues for salary cap relief before looking to Free's contract and it might be best to keep him around. The 2017 OT draft class doesn't look top heavy at this point and we may not find any immediate help there.

Maybe an inexpensive free agent signing can be done, but keeping Free on the roster might be the best road to travel.

I want Chaz Green to seize the RT job next year, but a known alternative needs to be on hand in case something goes wrong.

 

[conner01]

Is there any indication they are thinking of benching Leary?

No
But Collins gives us great depth

 

[Seven]

Sign Leary.

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

Is it generally accepted that zeke was playing too fast those first two weeks or is Leary that much better than laael ?

 

[conner01]

I don't think we are desperate at DE with Tank and Crawford......still draft one at 32 and sign one as a mid FA but don't panic

The question is will DE be the best player at 32?
It's the biggest need but just don't think that's were the quality will be at 32 and trading up is too expensive unless somehow we add another 2nd rnd pick

 

[conner01]

he's not a tackle.....

I know many want Collins to be a RT but I've seen no indication the staff thinks he is a RT

 

[Bluefin]

Honestly, I re-sign Leary and dangle Collins on the trade market. If he garners a third, I think hard about it. If he pulls in a 2nd you'd see a vapor trail from my *** to the phone (if I were the GM, of course).

I thought bout this the other day.

While re-signing Ronald Leary will depend on what offers he receives on the open market, La'el Collins' value will likely be diminished due to barely playing this season.

Collins needed to start all year and play accordingly to solicit worthwhile trade interest on our part, IMO.

Leary is playing better now but his knee condition, Osteochondritis Dissecans, may become degenerative at any time.

 

[CATCH17]

Is it generally accepted that zeke was playing too fast those first two weeks or is Leary that much better than laael ?

Both...

Lael is good.. Hes better than Leary in space.

Leary is just so much better at winning the battle at the LOS and getting those 320 pound DL moved out.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

Is it generally accepted that zeke was playing too fast those first two weeks or is Leary that much better than laael ?

It's a good point....there were people that reviewed the all 22 and said there was room but Zeke was just trying to press everything. As he has learned more about the pro game the results have been much better. I don't think that is the only thing though. Leary has played very well and deserves to keep the job.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

He earned the right to keep the spot just like Prescott.

Exactly. This is no different than Romo's situation. He went out, Leary stepped in and the line has taken off. You don't mess with the chemistry. If you aren't going to do it for a Pro Bowl QB like Romo, you sure as heck aren't going to do it for a guard.

 

[risco]

Bryan Broaddus, former NFL personnel man and current DallasCowboys.com writer, recently joined G-Bag Nation on KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan. Here are some highlights:
On the potential return of La'el Collins from injury, possibly replacing Ron Leary on the offensive line...

Broaddus: I think [Ron Leary] plays with more power than La'el Collins. I think that he has a better understanding of how to handle twist stunts. Collins is a very good athlete, but I don't think you lose anything putting Ron Leary in there at that left guard spot, and I think Tyron Smith is very comfortable playing next to him.

So, if you ask me - yes, I think it would be a mistake if they went ahead and switched the two at this point in time because I feel like you've got a pretty good thing going off that left side. Let's see this thing go through. Like I say, I don't think Ron Leary is doing anything that would make you say, well - people are all over Doug Free - you know, I don't see that kind of problem area from Ron Leary, and I'd be surprised if they did flip that as we get closer here to the playoffs.

I agree with Broadus! Leary has done a very good job.

 

[xwalker]

Collins needs another year preferably on the field but at least in the film room and practice.

Crawford gets treated like Free.

Crawford is a good player but does not play up to his 9M per season contact.

I still don't know if they moved him to DE because they were not satisfied with the other DEs or if they were not satisfied with Crawford at DT. I think they did it because they had been struggling to defend the run and Crawford (As a DE) is very good against the run. At DT, Collins is better against the run then Crawford so it was a double-upgrade to move him to DE.

In regards to pass rushing, a DT/DE is probably never going to be an elite pass rusher at DE. He would be better if they had and elite RDE, but if they had that then Lawrence would move back to LDE leaving Crawford in limbo.

 

[xwalker]

Four Words:

La'el Collins

Full Back




(Yes, I'm kidding)

If they would commit to coaching him up on it, then it could work; however, when they tried it in the past with guys like Josh Brent and Montrae Holland, they did not appear to have taken many if any snaps there in practice.

A few years ago Alabama had a DT named Jesse Williams that played a lot of snaps at FB and was really good at it. He didn't just randomly slam into the line, he had skill like a FB to find the right defender to block. It could work in the NFL but teams just don't commit to doing it in terms of coaching. OL or DL coaches don't like to have their guys missing snaps to go practice at FB and it just does not work without real practice time at the position.