ESPN MacMahon: Jerry: 'We've got a player in Doug Free'

[burmafrd]

well witless do I have to remind you of other players Jerruh once gushed about, Like Q?

Free has done pretty well at RT. LT is a whole other world. Those thinking he can step right in and do as well are dreaming. He is vulnerable to the bull rush and he must work o n his technique, which will take time and experience.

 

[Beast_from_East]

well witless do I have to remind you of other players Jerruh once gushed about, Like Q?

Free has done pretty well at RT. LT is a whole other world. Those thinking he can step right in and do as well are dreaming. He is vulnerable to the bull rush and he must work o n his technique, which will take time and experience.

Exactly, that is why the move would not be made for at least 1 or 2 seasons from now. I think Free can play RT for now and after working on technique and getting more playing time, he can transition to LT when Flo is no longer the starter (either due to age or salary).

 

[adbutcher]

then I question your football acumen

why can't Free succeed a LT?

dude has all the attributes

Gosh darnit I am agreeing with Bob.

Free has great feet, great hands, and most importantly great balance, all of the ingredients to be a sucessful LT.

 

[slotshot]

I just hope that Brewster pans out nearly as well. If so, we have nice depth across the line (other than at Center possibly). Draft the best available O-lineman in the first round and see if another really falls to you in the second.

 

[Doomsday101]

I have been very happy with the play of Free. Last year when Kosier went down we saw what poor blocking will do. Free has come in and it has not limited what we can do on offense.

I think there are things Free needs to work on and I would hope the trainers will put him on more strenuous strength program this off season so that he is stronger at the point of attack in the running game.

All in all though the guy has shown he can play effectively at this level and has a future in the NFL as a starting tackle

 

[EPL0c0]

Free has done better than I think most of us fans could have hoped for after Columbo win down. There has been virtually no drop in pass protection from that side.

It's nice having quality depth at an OLine position

 

[zrinkill]

Obviously Jerreh hasn't talked to Burmashave yet about HIS opinion of Doug Free.

:laugh2:

 

[zrinkill]

He is a 6'6" 313 pound 25 year old.

I think he will get stronger.

 

[dmq]

I have to say that when Columbo went down, I thought "Here we go again". Free has more than met my expectations. You have to also believe that teams have been throwing everything at him. Bravo Free. Finally one of our drafted OL pan out.

 

[Eskimo]

He doesn't have enough junk in his trunk to ever be an elite player.

LTs often aren't huge and I've heard he is anywhere from 313 to 324 pounds which is not that small. Most importantly, he has the classic length you like to see at the position at 6' 6" with long arms that can be used to steer pass rushers aside. Those long arms are also a big disadvantage in the bench press where I think he only did 20 reps or so at the combine (he may have improved since then).

I also disagree with the notion that you can't get stronger later in your career. It depends a little bit on your motivation for nutrition and training. Strength is one aspect of athletic performance that does not peak at a young age. Most great powerlifters are in there 30s, I think.

We also get enamoured with the idea we want a huge OL to drive block people off the LOS. It is more important to be able to sustain blocks with good footwork and pad level and try to wall off defenders.

I think I've seen enough to know he will be an adequate LT which is more than you can say of a 1st round rookie as many have failed in that role - even top 10 picks that were considered locks for HOF (D'brickshaw Ferguson has struggled, Robert Gallery doesn't even play OT anymore, and there is always Tony Mandarich).

 

[gmoney112]

I'm excited that he's 25 and can only improve. Nothing but upside.

 

[nflandbooze]

The big question will be can he play LEFT tackle.

Exactly. There's a big difference between being a solid RT and a solid LT.

 

[Eskimo]

Exactly, that is why the move would not be made for at least 1 or 2 seasons from now. I think Free can play RT for now and after working on technique and getting more playing time, he can transition to LT when Flo is no longer the starter (either due to age or salary).

Flo is not even an average LT anymore - he is painfully slow out of his stance and is caught lungeing and holding alot now. Free is better than him already. He just needs a bit more experience and refining of technique but I think he can learn that while playing LT and practicing against Ware and Spencer.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Yeah, good point on practicing against Spencer and Ware every day. He gets to see a good contrast with a guy with great strength and power and then the fastest guy around the corner in the business. Those guys are better than most rushers you'll face on Sundays.

 

[Oh_Canada]

then I question your football acumen

why can't Free succeed a LT?

dude has all the attributes

He'll make a better LT than right.

 

[TNCowboy]

LTs often aren't huge and I've heard he is anywhere from 313 to 324 pounds which is not that small. Most importantly, he has the classic length you like to see at the position at 6' 6" with long arms that can be used to steer pass rushers aside. Those long arms are also a big disadvantage in the bench press where I think he only did 20 reps or so at the combine (he may have improved since then).

I also disagree with the notion that you can't get stronger later in your career. It depends a little bit on your motivation for nutrition and training. Strength is one aspect of athletic performance that does not peak at a young age. Most great powerlifters are in there 30s, I think.

We also get enamoured with the idea we want a huge OL to drive block people off the LOS. It is more important to be able to sustain blocks with good footwork and pad level and try to wall off defenders.

I think I've seen enough to know he will be an adequate LT which is more than you can say of a 1st round rookie as many have failed in that role - even top 10 picks that were considered locks for HOF (D'brickshaw Ferguson has struggled, Robert Gallery doesn't even play OT anymore, and there is always Tony Mandarich).

Adequate, perhaps. Obviously you can't force a pick, but I think you want an elite player at LT, if you can get one.

And you can pick out 1st rounders who failed at every position. That's hardly an indication that you shouldn't take an OT in the first.

Ferguson has become a much better player, probably due in part that he's much bigger than he was 3 years ago. Maybe Free will do the same, but Free looks to me like an athletically limited guy who will be able to get by with smarts and technique.

 

[DFWJC]

One out of ten aint bad...

The Parcells regime was especially horrible at drafting O-Lineman. A quick look at our current roster shows almost zero contirbution from that 4 year period.

 

[RealCowboyfan]

Dec 22
3:41
PM CT


By Tim MacMahon


IRVING, Texas -- Right tackle Marc Colombo might be able to return for the playoffs. The Dallas Cowboys haven't missed him nearly as much as anticipated while he recovers from a broken fibula and ankle surgery.

That's no knock on Colombo. It's a compliment to his replacement, Doug Free.

The 6-6, 313-pound Free, a fourth-round pick in 2007, appears to have ended the Cowboys' drought of drafting a starting-quality offensive lineman.

The Cowboys haven't had to give Free an inordinate amount of help. He's not as powerful as Colombo, but he has good quickness for his size and does a solid job of sticking on blocks.

"Free is a great example of young players and how they progress when they get to play," owner/general manager Jerry Jones said on KRLD-FM. "There’s just no other way around it. You’ve got to get in games and let them play games and they get better right before your eyes.

"I’m glad, for not only where we are but for the future, that Doug has had this opportunity. As we look to our decisions in the offensive line, we know we’ve got a player in Doug Free."

This might be Flo walking papers. Columbo to Left Tackle? Kosier remains a Cowboy because of solid play?

 

[Eskimo]

Adequate, perhaps. Obviously you can't force a pick, but I think you want an elite player at LT, if you can get one.

And you can pick out 1st rounders who failed at every position. That's hardly an indication that you shouldn't take an OT in the first.

Ferguson has become a much better player, probably due in part that he's much bigger than he was 3 years ago. Maybe Free will do the same, but Free looks to me like an athletically limited guy who will be able to get by with smarts and technique.

Free is a great athlete - you don't know what you are talking about. It is the fact that he is such a great athlete at his size that many have salivated at the thought that he could be groomed in time to be Flo's replacement. Go watch him as a 6'6" 320 lb lineman dance with an outside speed rusher or watch him run out and demolish a LB in the openfield on a WR screen and you'll see what kind of an athlete Free is.

 

[ScipioCowboy]

Adequate, perhaps. Obviously you can't force a pick, but I think you want an elite player at LT, if you can get one.

And you can pick out 1st rounders who failed at every position. That's hardly an indication that you shouldn't take an OT in the first.

Ferguson has become a much better player, probably due in part that he's much bigger than he was 3 years ago. Maybe Free will do the same, but Free looks to me like an athletically limited guy who will be able to get by with smarts and technique.

Mark Tuinei.