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

[theogt]

A lot of good has come from letting go of older guys this past offseason.

Cut Flo we get younger and cheaper.

If we let Flo play out his contract Doug Free will be 29 and we'll be close to starting the search for future LT process all over again.

It's also not a good idea to keep only two starting quality tackles on your team if you have three.

Does anyone have a vid with this hit on it?

I saw it live and remember Tony giving him a dap.

Love to see it again, hopefully in slo-mo.

http://i846.***BLOCKED***/albums/ab23/SirHypnotoad/Cowboys/2009/Week15%20NO/GIF/15-req-Rampage.gif

I thought I read that the contract was constructed to essentially make it a three year deal, even though it was a 5 year contract. Is that not correct?

No, his charges stay pretty close to the same throughout the contract.

 

[SLATEmosphere]

This is awesome. I still think we need to grab another backup O-lineman in these first 2 rounds.

If Free pans out, the possibilities are endless this year in the draft.

Grab a Earl Thomas in round one, then a Selvish Capers in round 2?

Trade up for McClain in round 1, grab a Iupati in round 2?

You could do so much not having to draft for need.

 

[SLATEmosphere]

It's also not a good idea to keep only two starting quality tackles on your team if you have three.

http://i846.***BLOCKED***/albums/ab23/SirHypnotoad/Cowboys/2009/Week15%20NO/GIF/15-req-Rampage.gif

No, his charges stay pretty close to the same throughout the contract.

DAYYYUUUMMMM

 

[MichaelWinicki]

DAYYYUUUMMMM

Free can play.

No matter what some yaywho says.

 

[The Realist]

It's also not a good idea to keep only two starting quality tackles on your team if you have three.



No, his charges stay pretty close to the same throughout the contract.

IMO there comes a time when a young player reaches the point that he only gets better by actually playing in games vs just practice.

To your point..............

Prior to Free our game day swing tackle was McQ who was drafted in the 7th round. McQ is probably best suited at OG IF he has an NFL position, and at this point he probably doesn't.

After McQ our swing tackle has been Free who was drafted in the 4th round.

We should be fine taking an OT in 2-4 and having that guy be our swing tackle. Or it could be Brewster. Not opposed to taking one OT 2-4 and another later.

Having Free ride the bench next year makes no sense.

 

[The Realist]

DAYYYUUUMMMM

This is why I love offensive lineman who are not only athletic, but also get high grades for hitting a moving target.

Davis, Gurode, Flo all downfield blocking air.

 

[Sabu1]

Anyone think that jerry has gotten to the point where he will allow a guy making as much as flozell sit/be released in favor of a guy like free? This to me is a big sign of whether jerry has improved as a "football guy".

 

[Hostile]

It's also not a good idea to keep only two starting quality tackles on your team if you have three.

http://i846.***BLOCKED***/albums/ab23/SirHypnotoad/Cowboys/2009/Week15%20NO/GIF/15-req-Rampage.gif

No, his charges stay pretty close to the same throughout the contract.

Free got a high 5 from Romo after that play.

 

[theogt]

Free got a high 5 from Romo after that play.

http://img191.*************/img191/9829/freey.png

 

[Hostile]

http://img191.*************/img191/9829/freey.png

Did you ever think that if his number was 69 the back of his jersey would say "Free 69?"

 

[theogt]

:laugh2:

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

I love Columbo, but I'm a bigger fan of Free. I don't see a reason to sit Free if Colombo is still hurt, which he likely still has some effects from his injury that would hinder his play.

The old cliche', "If it aint broke, don't fix it."

 

[Sabu1]

Come on, admit it. You didn't think Free would be doing this well, did you?

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

Come on, admit it. You didn't think Free would be doing this well, did you?

I did. I was impressed by him in his first start and every game after that.

 

[Sabu1]

I think many folks thought dallas would be in troube after columbo went down. I think free has added more athleticism to dallas' OL. Sometimes these injuries allow opportunities to step up and prove themselves and free has done that. A much needed surprise at a position in need of youth.

 

[Big Country]

One out of ten aint bad...

smart aleck.

 

[dwmyers]

I

I would really like us to try and draft a really good young Center with out first round pick...

Centers, like guards, are rarely drafted in the first round.

DM.

 

[gimmesix]

Centers, like guards, are rarely drafted in the first round.

DM.

Actually, late first to early second is usually when you can get the top center or guard. Tackles are first off the table because of their value, but the best interior players are usually there for the taking.

If we're drafting around 30, then the best value will probably be an interior offensive lineman or safety. Top QB CB, DE, DT, OT, RB, WR, LB will be long gone.

 

[Eskimo]

This is why I love offensive lineman who are not only athletic, but also get high grades for hitting a moving target.

Davis, Gurode, Flo all downfield blocking air.

Which is why Davis should be playing tackle where he doesn't have to pull too much. It is ridiculously hard for a man 6'6" and 370 lbs to get out and hit 190 lb DBs on the move. Free is a bit of a freak for being able to do it so well at 320 lbs. Free is going to be a great LT for us for about 6-10 years - he has such sweet feet and great knee bend for a man his height.

I've got to say that I am sick and tired of all these fat slob OL who can only block the man in front of him. That may be what we did successfully in the 1990s with Emmitt but I don't think it has worked out all that great for us since then. I'd prefer normal sized OL who are good athletes, fundamentally sound and disciplined. I want to be able to do everything well, not just 1-yard dives with Marion Barber.

Do you know why we did so well with a low rent OL in the 90s? Part of it was getting lucky on some early round picks netting HOF quality players. Part of it was great coaching. Part of it was blind luck. But a big part of it was Emmitt didn't need OL to be able to hold a block for very long to be successful. If the OL created a hole, Emmitt was through it in the blink of an eye. So an overweight OL who got some movement and lunged a little bit so he could sustain a block of only a short period of time would look better than he is. The problem is that Emmitt is a once in a lifetime kind of player. Wake me up when the is a RB who can run for 18 000 yards despite being only 210 lbs and running a 4.7 forty at the combine.

We need to build our team around the players that we have now and not the players that we used to have. Give Romo an athletic, mbile OL who can play in space and run misdirection plays well. With his intelligence, mobility, ball handling and improvisational skills there is no telling what he could do with a very complicated and intricate offense.

 

[Eskimo]

I think many folks thought dallas would be in troube after columbo went down. I think free has added more athleticism to dallas' OL. Sometimes these injuries allow opportunities to step up and prove themselves and free has done that. A much needed surprise at a position in need of youth.

Yes, a successful football operation requires a constant infusion of youth into the lineup. This is a young man's game and you cannot be gripped by fear of change.

Some may disagree but I still think we made a mistake extending Flo back in 2008. There may have been some rough spots, but I think we should have let Free grow into that role.

Back in 2008 when we gave Barber that stupid contract, we should have been looking to trade him while his value was at its peak. He was a fundamentally flawed full-time RB who got most of his yards by bouncing plays to the outside even though he didn't have much speed. He ran with reckless abandon but only weighed 220 lbs. He lacked great vision or explosiveness. Nevertheless, we could have doubtlessly flipped him for a high first rounder for a team hungry for a RB and one of the most popular players in the whole NFL.

Anyhow, I still think this is one of the steps Jones needs to make if he wants to become a good GM. He needs to know when to let some players walk (when the contract they seek is worth more than their value to the team) and when to trade some players (when their value in a trade far exceeds their value to the team). This is what New England and Philly have done for so well for so long and this is why they keep on winning year after year. Jerry will show that he is learning if he manages to trade Flo and Bennett (if he can still get a first rounder) in the offseason.