ESPN's "Expert's Take" on our signings thus far...

TheCount

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Nate Livings | OG
Grade: 67


Livings has good size and strength but is adequate athletically. He uses active hands and a good initial punch to stymie defenders at the line of scrimmage. He has good strength to anchor well against powerful bullrushers but can struggle with smaller, quicker interior defenders. Livings is solid when reacting to stunts and twists on the inside. He understands angles and pad leverage to gain an advantage on combination blocks but is inconsistent to stay connected on the second level.


Kyle Orton | QB
Grade: 74


Orton has a good arm and can be very accurate when given time in the pocket. He is not a great scrambler but can buy time when pressured and extend the pocket when flushed. He is a much more accurate thrower when given protection than when trying to throw on the move. He understands football and how to read coverages and will do a good job of going through his progressions. He will try to force the ball into coverage at times.


Brandon Carr | CB
Grade: 71


Carr is a good-sized cornerback with above-average straight line speed and improving coverage skills. He is a bit tight in the hips and will struggle opening to run with receivers. He has a tendency to be a bit high in his pedal. He is most effective when up in tight press coverage, where he can use his size, long arms and strength to jam or re-route receivers. He is showing improved ball skills and did manage to come up with four interceptions last season.


Lawrence Vickers | FB
Grade: 69


No Analysis. (No one cares about FB's apparently!)


Brodney Pool | S
Grade: 68


Pool is a big, strong physical safety that fills the alley with attitude. He is a good athlete that is effective in combination zone coverage's but may get exposed at times in pure man schemes. Pool uses his hands well in block protection to stay alive to the pile. He has good vision and instincts to react quickly both versus the run as well as the pass. He runs well to overlap zones in pursuit.


Mackenzy Bernadeau | OG
Grade: 62


Berandeau is a role player who has shown the ability to provide the occasional start when injuries dictate. He has adequate size, above-average initial quickness and good balance and body control. He has improved his upper-body strength and can jar opponents with good pop from his hands. He still needs to work on keeping his weight over his pads and avoiding overextending to sustain his blocks. He is a good effort blocker who will look to finish blocks off when possible, but is not massive or powerful enough to be a consistent finisher.


Dan Connor | LB
Grade: 62


Connor has been a mixed bag as he has shown flashes of being an excellent run-stopper between the tackles but has struggled to play a full season. He is a tough, hard-nosed linebacker that is quick to locate the level of the ball and pull the trigger while taking good angles to get there. He can deliver a heavy blow when tackling head-on and is a strong wrap-up tackler from the angles but he's a bit stiff in the hips and can be shaken in the open field. He is more effective as a run-stopper than when playing in space for coverage. He can settle in the short zones and reads the quarterback well to get a jump on the ball.

--------

Before you start huffing and puffing at the ratings, you should keep in mind they were hard on their grades. For example, Carl Nicks was graded an 86 - which corresponds to an "Outstanding Player".

70 - 79 is a "Good Starter" and 60-69 is an "Average Starter" and 50-59 is a "Good Backup".
 
:espn:


Those grades are just some writers/x-players evaluations...they are not the grades or needs that the coaches see.

;)
 
I think these were already posted... and Terrence Newman was like an
80+ or something.
 
RastaRocket;4464576 said:
I think these were already posted... and Terrence Newman was like an
80+ or something.

:laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:
 
I think the grades have been posted.
Someone also posted that they thought they did not include the 2011 season.
 
chip_gilkey;4464578 said:
I don't see how Orton grades higher than Carr.

I would think it is because Orton is being evaluated as a backup QB, not as a starter. For a backup, he is pretty good and one of the top backups in the league. Is Carr considered one of the top corners in the game?
 
RastaRocket;4464576 said:
I think these were already posted... and Terrence Newman was like an
80+ or something.

Not 80+, but pretty darn close.

For the sake of comedy and full disclosure, behold!


Terence Newman | CB
Grade: 75
Expert's Take Newman is a tough, competitive player with good instincts, especially in the passing game. Newman is a fluid athlete with great hips to turn and run effectively in press man schemes. He's physical enough to reroute his opponent off the line of scrimmage. He reads route progressions well and is an excellent reactor to both run and pass. Newman is an excellent playmaker and often times draws the assignment of covering the opponent's best receiver. He has good size with excellent athleticism and deceptive strength.

Terrell Thomas actually had their highest FA CB grade at 82, but he was actually pretty darn good before the knee injury.
 
TheCount;4464567 said:
Nate Livings | OG
Grade: 67

Livings has good size and strength but is adequate athletically. He uses active hands and a good initial punch to stymie defenders at the line of scrimmage. He has good strength to anchor well against powerful bullrushers but can struggle with smaller, quicker interior defenders. Livings is solid when reacting to stunts and twists on the inside. He understands angles and pad leverage to gain an advantage on combination blocks but is inconsistent to stay connected on the second level.


Kyle Orton | QB
Grade: 74

Orton has a good arm and can be very accurate when given time in the pocket. He is not a great scrambler but can buy time when pressured and extend the pocket when flushed. He is a much more accurate thrower when given protection than when trying to throw on the move. He understands football and how to read coverages and will do a good job of going through his progressions. He will try to force the ball into coverage at times.


Brandon Carr | CB
Grade: 71

Carr is a good-sized cornerback with above-average straight line speed and improving coverage skills. He is a bit tight in the hips and will struggle opening to run with receivers. He has a tendency to be a bit high in his pedal. He is most effective when up in tight press coverage, where he can use his size, long arms and strength to jam or re-route receivers. He is showing improved ball skills and did manage to come up with four interceptions last season.


Lawrence Vickers | FB
Grade: 69

No Analysis. (No one cares about FB's apparently!)


Brodney Pool | S
Grade: 68

Pool is a big, strong physical safety that fills the alley with attitude. He is a good athlete that is effective in combination zone coverage's but may get exposed at times in pure man schemes. Pool uses his hands well in block protection to stay alive to the pile. He has good vision and instincts to react quickly both versus the run as well as the pass. He runs well to overlap zones in pursuit.


Mackenzy Bernadeau | OG
Grade: 62

Berandeau is a role player who has shown the ability to provide the occasional start when injuries dictate. He has adequate size, above-average initial quickness and good balance and body control. He has improved his upper-body strength and can jar opponents with good pop from his hands. He still needs to work on keeping his weight over his pads and avoiding overextending to sustain his blocks. He is a good effort blocker who will look to finish blocks off when possible, but is not massive or powerful enough to be a consistent finisher.


Dan Connor | LB
Grade: 62

Connor has been a mixed bag as he has shown flashes of being an excellent run-stopper between the tackles but has struggled to play a full season. He is a tough, hard-nosed linebacker that is quick to locate the level of the ball and pull the trigger while taking good angles to get there. He can deliver a heavy blow when tackling head-on and is a strong wrap-up tackler from the angles but he's a bit stiff in the hips and can be shaken in the open field. He is more effective as a run-stopper than when playing in space for coverage. He can settle in the short zones and reads the quarterback well to get a jump on the ball.

--------

Before you start huffing and puffing at the ratings, you should keep in mind they were hard on their grades. For example, Carl Nicks was graded an 86 - which corresponds to an "Outstanding Player".

70 - 79 is a "Good Starter" and 60-69 is an "Average Starter" and 50-59 is a "Good Backup".
From each player they replaced I think were definate upgrades though
 
DFWJC;4464590 said:
I think the grades have been posted.
Someone also posted that they thought they did not include the 2011 season.

they do include 2011 based on the comment that carr had 4 ints last year, which he only did in 2011.

having said that, i think the general consensus was that the ratings were trash based on newman being 75 and spencer being 78.
 
TheCount;4464567 said:
Kyle Orton | QB
Grade: 74


Orton has a good arm and can be very accurate when given time in the pocket. He is not a great scrambler but can buy time when pressured and extend the pocket when flushed. He is a much more accurate thrower when given protection than when trying to throw on the move. He understands football and how to read coverages and will do a good job of going through his progressions. He will try to force the ball into coverage at times.

I wonder if Orton tore up his contract when he saw the linemen Dallas signed to protect him and Romo.

In negotiations:

JJ: "And Kyle, umm ... if you come here, umm ...one of the things we're going to accomplish is to fix the umm ... interior offensive line to umm ... better protect Romo and you."

Orton: "That's great, because I can't scramble to my left, then to my right, then dodge three defensive linemen, spin toward the line of scrimmage and throw a touchdown pass like Romo."

After Orton signs:

JJ: "Kyle, I umm ... told you we were committed to fixing the offensive line. Umm ... We've signed Bernadeau and Livings."

Orton: "I sure hope that's a talent agency."
 
I think this info was originally scouts.com stuff...
 
trickblue;4464823 said:
I think this info was originally scouts.com stuff...

ESPN owns Scouts Inc so it doesn't make much difference I'd think.
 
So a good coach and the chance to play for the Cowboys should be able to inspire these players maybe a +5? That could make most of them a good starter, acording to their scale.
 
LOBO7;4464888 said:
So a good coach and the chance to play for the Cowboys should be able to inspire these players maybe a +5? That could make most of them a good starter, acording to their scale.

laughing-smiley-004.gif


What?
 
LOBO7;4464903 said:
"70-79= good starter"

Yeah, I understand the scale used.

Tell me more how these players may all add 5 points to their grade now that they're Dallas Cowboys.
 
Risen Star;4464921 said:
Yeah, I understand the scale used.

Tell me more how these players may all add 5 points to their grade now that they're Dallas Cowboys.

Because this is the Dallas cowboys!!

All players get +5 as soon as they sign their contract, didnt ya know?
 
TheCount;4464602 said:
Terence Newman | CB
Grade: 75
Expert's Take Newman is a tough, competitive player with good instincts, especially in the passing game. Newman is a fluid athlete with great hips to turn and run effectively in press man schemes. He's physical enough to reroute his opponent off the line of scrimmage. He reads route progressions well and is an excellent reactor to both run and pass. Newman is an excellent playmaker and often times draws the assignment of covering the opponent's best receiver. He has good size with excellent athleticism and deceptive strength.

I don't actually have a problem with this... if they are grading Terence Newman of 2008. He was a darn good cover corner with good speed and was a playmaker, especially as a punt returner (where he was underutilized). But 2012-2013 Newman is injury prone, slower, and doesn't have the size to play the slot receiver. Or, in shorter words, "done".
 

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