ESPN: Waters performing like six-time Pro Bowler

[jobberone]

By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas -- There was plenty of doubt about whether six-time Pro Bowl guard Brian Waterscould play to the standard he set for himself throughout his career after sitting out a season.

Just not in the mind of the 36-year-old guard.

“I wouldn’t have played if I didn’t think I could, honestly,” said Waters, who signed with theDallas Cowboys the week of the season opener and was in the starting lineup at right guard by the fourth game. “I had to be honest with myself. If I didn’t think I could play at that level, I wouldn’t have come back and played football.

“If I would have been dishonest with myself, I would have been dishonest with this team. I felt coming into this situation that it wouldn’t take me long to get at least back to the level that I played in New England for sure.”

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4717482/waters-performing-like-six-time-pro-bowler

 

[Gameover]

He's a strong man.

 

[jobberone]

He's a big ole strong man. Surprisingly nimble, too. Very good technician. I look for him to play another two to three years if he wants and keeps himself in decent shape. Pretty remarkable what he's doing with how long he's being gone.

 

[benson]

Love me some Waters! Get stronger as a unit, give Romo more time and we going to the SB!

 

[Deep_South]

The Romo-friendliest thing Jerry could do is sign Waters for a couple more years.

 

[RamziD]

The Romo-friendliest thing Jerry could do is sign Waters for a couple more years.

At least 1 year. That way we can focus on the top defensive players in the early part of the draft next year.

 

[Kaiser]

He's a big ole strong man. Surprisingly nimble, too. Very good technician. I look for him to play another two to three years if he wants and keeps himself in decent shape. Pretty remarkable what he's doing with how long he's being gone.

If Waters plays at least one more year it would be a huge boost for the team. Letting Smith, Leary and Fred develop together with a stud like Waters next to them would be awesome.

 

[JohnsKey19]

Probably the biggest bang for buck signing by any team.

 

[Solution]

I doubted the signing very much for the obvious reasons, but what no fan can account for is the attitude of a player. Glad to have him.

 

[17yearsandcounting]

I doubted the signing very much for the obvious reasons, but what no fan can account for is the attitude of a player. Glad to have him.

Me too. It is always questionable signing an old player who hasnt played in a while. Seems like a great move so far.

 

[xwalker]

If Waters plays at least one more year it would be a huge boost for the team. Letting Smith, Leary and Fred develop together with a stud like Waters next to them would be awesome.

Agree.

If they can't count on Waters for 2014, then they're going to need to force the issue with a high draft pick (1st or possibly 2nd round) or a quality Free Agent.

If Waters stays healthy and productive all season AND agrees to return next season at a price that's agreeable to the Cowboys, then they can just draft a Guard in the mid rounds (maybe 2nd round, but more likely the 3rd or 4th). I expect the 1st rounder to be DL with possibly 2 DL in the top 3 rounds. The nice thing about drafting DLinemen, especially in Kiffin's scheme, is that they can contribute immediately in a rotation; whereas, an OLineman is a much bigger question in terms of immediate contributions.

With both Free and Parnell signed through 2014, I would consider moving the OT Weems to OG. He has the body type that could be either a OG or OT at 6-5, 318. His most impressive plays in preseason were in run blocking. During the preseason, Weems reminded me of the 2012 version of Ron Leary. You could see the NFL level power and quickness, but he was just not ready from a technique/mental aspect. I've never seen NFL type power from David Arkin.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

I agree that we should try to get him for another year at least. You don't need to spend a 1st or 2nd round pick on RG. I think we can get a guy in the 3rd or 4th and give him a year or two to ride the bench and learn. And there's no better stopgap than Brian Waters. The problem is our 3rd/4th round guard picks in recent years have turned out to be complete busts. We drafted small school, undersized project players like David Arkin when there are plenty of guys who have NFL size and played well at big name colleges available every year in those rounds.

I'm also not so sure about Leary. He's playing ok. His degenerative knee issue aside, he isn't playing like a superstar. The good news is he's still young so maybe he'll develop into a solid starter for the future. At the moment he's our weak link by a long shot on the OL. Free, like it or not, is playing at an All Pro level for a RT. Smith is playing at a borderline Pro Bowl level for a LT. Frederick is playing above average at C. Waters is playing above average at RG. And Leary is below average but not awful.

 

[mahoneybill]

He's a big ole strong man. Surprisingly nimble, too. Very good technician. I look for him to play another two to three years if he wants and keeps himself in decent shape. Pretty remarkable what he's doing with how long he's being gone.

Hope he does. He's very good, and the other lineman can learn from him

 

[Kaiser]

I expect the 1st rounder to be DL with possibly 2 DL in the top 3 rounds.

I'm actually higher on Arkin than most but I know its a minority opinion. Seeing him against Calais Campbell in the preseason game, I think he could hold his own this year and be an average OG. With another year of weight training I think he would be OK, but Waters coming back hopefully will make it a moot point.

Totally agree on DL for next year, I'm excited about Nevis even with the small sample size. If Marinelli works his magic on him, next year Nevis and Hayden will both be excellent backups. I think Hatcher and Spencer return and we add DL in the draft just like you say.

 

[Risen Star]

Starting to play well, but not playing like a 6 time pro bowler.

 

[5Stars]

Starting to play well, but not playing like a 6 time pro bowler.

Nothing pleases you, does it?!!

smh

 

[Section446]

I pray that he has one more great season in him.

 

[Hoofbite]

Why can't he be like 5 years younger?

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

He really is performing like he should make the pro-bowl this year. I really wish we could sign him for another year or so. He's just that good.

 

[xwalker]

I'm actually higher on Arkin than most but I know its a minority opinion. Seeing him against Calais Campbell in the preseason game, I think he could hold his own this year and be an average OG. With another year of weight training I think he would be OK, but Waters coming back hopefully will make it a moot point.

Totally agree on DL for next year, I'm excited about Nevis even with the small sample size. If Marinelli works his magic on him, next year Nevis and Hayden will both be excellent backups. I think Hatcher and Spencer return and we add DL in the draft just like you say.

Yes, Nevis is my new "pet cat".

I thought Arkin was ok in the preseason and could hold up if pressed into duty as a backup.