Interview With A Cowboys Scout

[SDogo]

**one of my sources inside Valley Ranch was kind enough to conduct a interview from a list of questions I gave him with a Cowboys scout who was very active inside the Cowboys war room. I apologize to anyone who is going to be upset I'm not revealing names. I asked my source if he could reveal the scout and respect his wishes and the scouts to keep it anonymous. If this is something you find the need to criticize I ask that you ignore this post and move on so other can enjoy it. I'm paraphrasing some of the answers, these are not direct quotes but nothing was added**

How are you guys feeling about what you have accomplished so far?:
ecstatic, thrilled..every team will tell you they are happy with their picks but we honestly believe we have drafted two players who will be substantial contributors to this team in their rookie year.

Dez Bryant?:
we did our homework. Dez was one of the top 10 players on our board. He has a lot to learn but we feel he can contribute right away on special teams. One of the first two calls he received yesterday was from Romo and R. Williams. Romo was ecstatic, he will have this kid ready. Coach D could hardly contain himself as well.

Sean Lee?:
Football player. There is no other way to describe him. When his playing days are over he will be a coach in this league, no doubt about it. We feel he could start today but we have 2 great ILB's and he will compliment them well. SF was going to trade up and pick Lee, we knew we had to make a move. Singletary called after our selection, joked that we stole his guy. Also said we got the best ILB to come to the NFL in the last 3 years. Said the only ILB that rated higher was Patrick Willis.

What can we expect on Saturday?:
We have 3 picks. Jerry still has some things he wants to accomplish. Also spending a lot of time looking at FA's and players that can potentially be available. There are several good football players available, we tried to trade back up yesterday but could not find a partner. A few of those guys are still available.

Addressing the OL?:
There are several good players out there but I'm not sure any of them could make a contribution this year. We are pretty happy with what we have but that's not to say were not looking to upgrade. Just not sure if it will be in the draft.

Trading players from the roster?:
I dont foresee any trades being made but that is Jerry's call. It's not something I'm at liberty to discuss. Who could you trade at this point that would be easily replaced with a draft pick in rounds 4-7?

Trading for players from another roster?:
I cant really comment on this. Jerry and Stephen are always working the phones. If there is someone there that can help us they wont miss out on the opportunity.

Last years class...disappointed?:
no, not at all. We feel with the injuries the class was limited. It will be sort of a extension on this years class. Your going to see last years class start to pay dividends this year. Several of those guy are going to be key contributors to this year team.

Any holes Dallas feels needs to be filled?:
your always looking to upgrade the roster. It does not always have to be in the first month of FA or during the draft. Because of the current state of the NFL many teams expect there to be some real good football players available when teams start to trim rosters. We are happy with our current situation. Not many teams can say that.

A lot of eating going on in the war room, what was on the menu?:
*laughing* we have draw straws, winner choses the menu. Jerry loves Chinese, Wade cant get enough BBQ. It was Wade's call yesterday. I dont think that will happen again the room is simply not big enough for a bunch of men and plates of baked beans. (edited for privacy concerns) I dont think they will ever let me order!

 

[GoCowboysGo]

Sean Lee?:
Football player. There is no other way to describe him. When his playing days are over he will be a coach in this league, no doubt about it. We feel he could start today but we have 2 great ILB's and he will compliment them well. SF was going to trade up and pick Lee, we knew we had to make a move. Singletary called after out selection, joked that we stole his guy. Also said we got the best ILB to come to the NFL in the last 3 years. Said the only ILB that rated higher was Patrick Willis.

That is awesome, what a steal!! In fact, what a couple of steals!!!!

SDogo, thanks for this and all the contributions you make to this forum. Living in Germany makes it tough to keep up with the news in TX! Much appreciated!

 

[Alexander]

Sean Lee?:
Football player. There is no other way to describe him. When his playing days are over he will be a coach in this league, no doubt about it. We feel he could start today but we have 2 great ILB's and he will compliment them well. SF was going to trade up and pick Lee, we knew we had to make a move. Singletary called after out selection, joked that we stole his guy. Also said we got the best ILB to come to the NFL in the last 3 years. Said the only ILB that rated higher was Patrick Willis.

I think that is a little exagerrated. Best since Willis? If so, how did he make it out of the first round?

Addressing the OL?:
There are several good players out there but I'm not sure any of them could make a contribution this year. We are pretty happy with what we have but that's not to say were not looking to upgrade. Just not sure if it will be in the draft.

Dissappointing if true. So basically, they believe there are no available OL that are better than McQuistin, Bright and Brewster? Frightening. And I think we are overvalueing the returning talent.

 

[SDogo]

That is awesome, what a steal!! In fact, what a couple of steals!!!!

SDogo, thanks for this and all the contributions you make to this forum. Living in Germany makes it tough to keep up with the news in TX! Much appreciated!

One of my best friends just returned from Germany. His company sent him over there for 7 weeks to train. He had nothing but great things to say (except he thought Cigs were expensive) I would love to visit some time.

 

[JakeCamp12]

Great stuff...nice to know the thoughts on the inside and not have to rely on guys like Jamie Dukes to understand how our draft went...

 

[Texas_Pete]

SDogo - thanks man. Good stuff!

 

[SDogo]

I think that is a little exagerrated. Best since Willis? If so, how did he make it out of the first round?

From my understanding, it was a consensus among most NFL teams that if Lee would not have suffered his knee injury as a JR he would of challenged McClain to be the 1st LB off the board.

He passed every physical given to him but it's enough for some teams to drop him down.

When you get assurance from people like Singletary about a LB you have to feel pretty good about it.

 

[evarc]

At least jerry lets wade pick dinner...

 

[Alexander]

From my understanding, it was a consensus among most NFL teams that if Lee would not have suffered his knee injury as a JR he would of challenged McClain to be the 1st LB off the board.

He passed every physical given to him but it's enough for some teams to drop him down.

When you get assurance from people like Singletary about a LB you have to feel pretty good about it.

There is little doubt he was the best ILB except for McClain. But again, there are legitimate reasons why he didn't go in the first. Age, injuries. I feel pretty good about him, especially from an intangibles and leadership perspective. But I do not believe he is going to be the best since Willis. That is some seriously high praise.

 

[marchetta]

I think that is a little exagerrated. Best since Willis? If so, how did he make it out of the first round?

When I heard that we had him ranked as a top 16 player, I thought it was an exaggeration also. But, Drew Boylhart (The Huddle Report) had him rated in his TOP 15 players in the draft, and said that he rated higher than McClain and he was better than ANY LB in the 2009 draft, it got my attention. Now, hearing that Singletary considers Lee the best ILB since Willis, has caused me to believe our front office isn't blowing smoke. I'm looking forward to see this kid in action.

 

[Texas_Pete]

When I heard that we had him ranked as a top 16 player, I thought it was an exaggeration also. But, Drew Boylhart (The Huddle Report) had him rated in his TOP 15 players in the draft, and said that he rated higher than McClain and he was better than ANY LB in the 2009 draft, it got my attention. Now, hearing that Singletary considers Lee the best ILB since Willis, has caused me to believe our front office isn't blowing smoke. I'm looking forward to see this kid in action.

Agreed. Singletary is not known to just talk. If he said it he must have truly meant it.

 

[Beast_from_East]

Agreed. Singletary is not known to just talk. If he said it he must have truly meant it.

But, but, but, the Internet GMs on this board have already informed me he is Bobby Carpenter 2.0

 

[Woods]

S Dogo, I really appreciate you taking the time to post this.

I know you really get a lot of crap from a bunch of posters, but for most of us, any inside information and perspective is fantastic.

 

[Beast_from_East]

**one of my sources inside Valley Ranch was kind enough to conduct a interview from a list of questions I gave him with a Cowboys scout who was very active inside the Cowboys war room. I apologize to anyone who is going to be upset I'm not revealing names. I asked my source if he could reveal the scout and respect his wishes and the scouts to keep it anonymous. If this is something you find the need to criticize I ask that you ignore this post and move on so other can enjoy it. I'm paraphrasing some of the answers, these are not direct quotes but nothing was added**

How are you guys feeling about what you have accomplished so far?:
ecstatic, thrilled..every team will tell you they are happy with their picks but we honestly believe we have drafted two players who will be substantial contributors to this team in their rookie year.

Dez Bryant?:
we did our homework. Dez was one of the top 10 players on our board. He has a lot to learn but we feel he can contribute right away on special teams. One of the first two calls he received yesterday was from Romo and R. Williams. Romo was ecstatic, he will have this kid ready. Coach D could hardly contain himself as well.

Sean Lee?:
Football player. There is no other way to describe him. When his playing days are over he will be a coach in this league, no doubt about it. We feel he could start today but we have 2 great ILB's and he will compliment them well. SF was going to trade up and pick Lee, we knew we had to make a move. Singletary called after our selection, joked that we stole his guy. Also said we got the best ILB to come to the NFL in the last 3 years. Said the only ILB that rated higher was Patrick Willis.

What can we expect on Saturday?:
We have 3 picks. Jerry still has some things he wants to accomplish. Also spending a lot of time looking at FA's and players that can potentially be available. There are several good football players available, we tried to trade back up yesterday but could not find a partner. A few of those guys are still available.

Addressing the OL?:
There are several good players out there but I'm not sure any of them could make a contribution this year. We are pretty happy with what we have but that's not to say were not looking to upgrade. Just not sure if it will be in the draft.

Trading players from the roster?:
I dont foresee any trades being made but that is Jerry's call. It's not something I'm at liberty to discuss. Who could you trade at this point that would be easily replaced with a draft pick in rounds 4-7?

Trading for players from another roster?:
I cant really comment on this. Jerry and Stephen are always working the phones. If there is someone there that can help us they wont miss out on the opportunity.

Last years class...disappointed?:
no, not at all. We feel with the injuries the class was limited. It will be sort of a extension on this years class. Your going to see last years class start to pay dividends this year. Several of those guy are going to be key contributors to this year team.

Any holes Dallas feels needs to be filled?:
your always looking to upgrade the roster. It does not always have to be in the first month of FA or during the draft. Because of the current state of the NFL many teams expect there to be some real good football players available when teams start to trim rosters. We are happy with our current situation. Not many teams can say that.

A lot of eating going on in the war room, what was on the menu?:
*laughing* we have draw straws, winner choses the menu. Jerry loves Chinese, Wade cant get enough BBQ. It was Wade's call yesterday. I dont think that will happen again the room is simply not big enough for a bunch of men and plates of baked beans. (edited for privacy concerns) I dont think they will ever let me order!

Thats some great stuff, thanks for posting it dude.

 

[Doomsay]

I think that is a little exagerrated. Best since Willis? If so, how did he make it out of the first round?

Agreed. Knee and speed issues prevail, sounds like he has the football mind to be the leader that we need going fwd on D though.

And I think we are overvalueing the returning talent.

We have the OL that got destroyed by Minny... intact. Our biggest weakness hasn't really been addressed. If Free can play as well as Flo, that would be positive, but we've lost a lot of depth in the process. The safety situation???


It is cool that a scout was able to speak though. I'm sure Jerry is feeling all warm and fuzzy now.

 

[Pappa Cheeto]

Sean Lee?:
Football player. There is no other way to describe him. When his playing days are over he will be a coach in this league, no doubt about it. We feel he could start today but we have 2 great ILB's and he will compliment them well. SF was going to trade up and pick Lee, we knew we had to make a move. Singletary called after our selection, joked that we stole his guy. Also said we got the best ILB to come to the NFL in the last 3 years. Said the only ILB that rated higher was Patrick Willis.

ray:

 

[VACowboy]

Awesome stuff, SD! HUGELY appreciated.

 

[igtmfo]

I dont think that will happen again the room is simply not big enough for a bunch of men and plates of baked beans. (edited for privacy concerns)

 

[Manster54]

Thanks for posting SDOGO!
Looking forward to seeing Lee bringing it.

 

[Stash]

Addressing the OL?:
There are several good players out there but I'm not sure any of them could make a contribution this year. We are pretty happy with what we have but that's not to say were not looking to upgrade. Just not sure if it will be in the draft.

I don't understand this logic. You draft for the future, not for today. Sean Lee is a good football player but he likely won't start this year, yet the team still moved up to get him. Why the double-standard? O-line depth is non-existant and this team will be derailed with an injury to it's starting line. And what good will a weapon like Dez Bryant be if the Qb doesn't have time to find him? Neglecting the offensive line has gone on far too long around here.

Last years class...disappointed?:
no, not at all. We feel with the injuries the class was limited. It will be sort of a extension on this years class. Your going to see last years class start to pay dividends this year. Several of those guy are going to be key contributors to this year team.

I think that last year's draft class and essentially it's "redshirt" season has impacted how they've done business this year. They feel they'll have so many new contributors from that class that they can be selective and go for quality over quantity this season (though I think they got that reversed)

Any holes Dallas feels needs to be filled?:
your always looking to upgrade the roster. It does not always have to be in the first month of FA or during the draft. Because of the current state of the NFL many teams expect there to be some real good football players available when teams start to trim rosters. We are happy with our current situation. Not many teams can say that.

Again, when I see the names Procter and McQuistan I cringe.