Lombardi's 5 Questions for Dallas

[JoaquinFenix]

DALLAS

1. Who is going to make plays on the ball in the secondary? The Cowboys were one of the worse teams in the NFL in interceptions. They must improve their secondary play.

Me: Easily the biggest question heading into the draft. Outside of our top three CBs (Newman, Scandrick, and Jenkins), the secondary is pretty suspect. We desperately need a safety or two, and another corner couldn't hurt.

2. Where is the depth in the offensive line going to come from? Every starter is over 30 years old.

Me: Lombardi makes a good point here. While our starting line is good when healthy, they're all over 30. And as we saw last year when Kosier went down, our back-up OL production is seriously lacking. My question is why the Cowboys have been so terrible at drafting quality offensive linemen.

3. Will the Cowboys be able to repair their run defense with the addition of Keith Brooking? They allowed too many big plays in the run game, and some of this was a result of some of the worse safety tackling in the NFL.

Me: Again, this is directed more at the secondary, and more specifically, the safeties, than at the ILBs. ILB becomes a bigger need, however, if, and when, Barbie and Stewart show they can't play. Don't hold your breath.

4. Who will be the main return man for the ‘Boys? Pacman Jones averaged a “whopping” 4.5 yards per punt return. They need to improve their vertical field position.

Me: Yes, we'll desperately miss Pacman's memorable 50-yard punt returns: 45 yards sideline-to-sideline, and 4.5 yards upfield. This facet of the game isn't a big concern of mine because Crayton has shown to be a reliable, if unspectacular punt returner.

5. Will they have enough depth at wide receiver? Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton take a larger role in the offense. Who will fill their roles?

Me: I'm sick of all the WR talk. Here's our list of proven offensive weapons: MBIII, Jones, Choice, Witten, Bennett, Williams, Crayton, and Austin. Isn't that enough? Call me crazy, but I actually think having too many options (i.e., guys demanding the ball) can be counter-productive. Guys just need to know their roles and execute accordingly. Plus, we may even get a chance to see Hurd and/or Stanback do something, besides standing on the sidelines in street clothes. Again, don't hold your breath, but a guy can dream.

 

[THUMPER]

Crayton is a terrible punt returner although he is excellent at making Fair Catches.

 

[Apollo Creed]

Hopefully our punt returner this year will be a rookie WR with some 'wiggle'.

 

[dbair1967]

Crayton is a terrible punt returner although he is excellent at making Fair Catches.

If Crayton is terrible, what does that say for Pac Trash last year?

Crayton at least catches the ball and goes forward when he does return it.

 

[THUMPER]

If Crayton is terrible, what does that say for Pac Trash last year?

Crayton at least catches the ball and goes forward when he does return it.

Adam Jones was a waste of time but that still doesn't make Crayton any good at it. We need someone that can actually catch the ball AND gain some yardage afterwards.

 

[JonCJG]

I'd like to see Felix as a situational punt returner.

 

[jazzcat22]

Adam Jones was a waste of time but that still doesn't make Crayton any good at it. We need someone that can actually catch the ball AND gain some yardage afterwards.

Crayton gives you ball security, but nothing else. You are right, we need someone to get that yardage up field.

 

[KingintheNorth]

1. Who is going to make plays on the ball in the secondary? The Cowboys were one of the worse teams in the NFL in interceptions. They must improve their secondary play.

My take: Scandrick and Jenkins will get better but we have almost no depth after having 5 serviceable CB's last season. If Scandrick is moved to S that gets even worse. Sensabuagh seems like a temporary fix at best. Signing a veteran like Ken Lucas would help the depth issue. We could add as many as 3 DB's through the draft.


2. Where is the depth in the offensive line going to come from? Every starter is over 30 years old.

My take: The original poster is right. Who is evaluating our offensive line draft prospects? Actually, who is evaluating our current O Linemen? Giving Cory Proctor a 2nd round tender is laughable. I think all along the Cowboys have not tried to hide the fact that O Line will be a focus in this upcoming draft. The one thing I will say is that it seems that, with the Cowboys at least, they like linemen who have some experience. Colombo and Davis were both 1st rounders who did not come on until a few years into their careers. Gurode went back and forth between C and G. If the Cowboys feel that their linemen need experience and maturity then they should probably have more patience with their young draft picks. Stephen Peterman was hardly a monster here but he developed into a starter. James Marten was a 3rd round pick and sent packing last year.

3. Will the Cowboys be able to repair their run defense with the addition of Keith Brooking? They allowed too many big plays in the run game, and some of this was a result of some of the worse safety tackling in the NFL.

My take: Hopefully PRIDE will come into play and these guys will start hitting and wrapping up. Hamlin should be embarrassed. The only "Hammering" he did last year must have been done with one of these squeeky plastic hammers that babies play with. Brooking, Sensabaugh, Stewart, and Olshansky are not big ego guys. Hopefully they come in here and just do their job. Ratliff, Ware, James, and Newman are self-motivated guys so there is no concern there. Spencer and Spears will do their jobs. Jenkins and Hamlin need to go back to JV tackling practice.

4. Who will be the main return man for the ‘Boys? Pacman Jones averaged a “whopping” 4.5 yards per punt return. They need to improve their vertical field position.

My take: Crayton is very dependable at making sure we keep the ball. You need a punt returner like that, late in the game or whenever field position and ball security are the biggest issues. I'm hoping they draft a WR like Mike Thomas from Arizona so that we have that WOW guy back there when we need a big punt return. Newman can be that guy but he is too valuable (and an injury risk) at CB.

5. Will they have enough depth at wide receiver? Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton take a larger role in the offense. Who will fill their roles?

My take: Adding Mike Thomas would help. If Brian Robiskie is there at 51, I'd have a hard time passing him up. At the same time, if we go into next season with Roy, Crayton, Austin, Hurd, and Stanback, I'd feel we are good enough at WR. You have to add in the fact that Witten, Bennett, and Felix Jones are all pass-catching weapons for Romo as well.

 

[lcharles]

Hopefully our punt returner this year will be a rookie WR with some 'wiggle'.

Like in the Skyler Green mold? :bang2:

 

[khiladi]

1. Who is going to make plays on the ball in the secondary? The Cowboys were one of the worse teams in the NFL in interceptions. They must improve their secondary play.

Again, the INTs started coming when Wade took over. When Stewart was the aoch, there were 2 games we didn't force any TOs, and one game of 3 TOs that blurred his overall lack of pressure. We averaged close to 2 a game when Wade took over this defense and there wasn't a game we didn't have a TO.

 

[khiladi]

Our punt returning had little to do with the guy back there, then it had to do with our sorry special teams coach. Since we got a special teams coach, I don't think there is any need to worry that we won't have any holes open up to return the ball.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

DALLAS

1. Who is going to make plays on the ball in the secondary? The Cowboys were one of the worse teams in the NFL in interceptions. They must improve their secondary play.

I'm hoping that Scandrick and Jenkins will display an ability to make plays on the ball this year. As great as Newman is, and he's fantastic, he's not necassarily the greatest guy at making plays on the ball.

2. Where is the depth in the offensive line going to come from? Every starter is over 30 years old.

Through the draft and hopefully Holland and a couple others here, who aren't Cory Proctor, will step it up and be quality backups.


3. Will the Cowboys be able to repair their run defense with the addition of Keith Brooking? They allowed too many big plays in the run game, and some of this was a result of some of the worse safety tackling in the NFL.


Unfortunately this one is tough to determine. As it stands right now we don't have a safety on the roster that I'm confident can come up and make tackles in the run game we need them to. Our D-Line and Linebackers are going to have to make 98% of those tackles or we could be in trouble, currently.


4. Who will be the main return man for the ‘Boys? Pacman Jones averaged a “whopping” 4.5 yards per punt return. They need to improve their vertical field position.

We need to improve the return game, without a doubt, but at least with Pat, unlike Jones, I don't really have to worry about him coughing up the ball, or muffing it, nearly every time he's back there. He won't give us much in terms of returns but at least I don't worry about turnovers either. Possibly a youngster at the WR position will pop up to be a punt returner this year.


5. Will they have enough depth at wide receiver? Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton take a larger role in the offense. Who will fill their roles?

I think we're alright now provided we don't have a huge rash of injuries. I'd like to see us get some competition in here to possibly churn the bottom of the WR roster, and maybe give us a guy who can return punts like I mentioned before, but WR is hardly the biggest area of concern on this team, for me.

 

[MONT17]

2. Where is the depth in the offensive line going to come from? Every starter is over 30 years old.

Me: Lombardi makes a good point here. While our starting line is good when healthy, they're all over 30. And as we saw last year when Kosier went down, our back-up OL production is seriously lacking. My question is why the Cowboys have been so terrible at drafting quality offensive linemen.

The Cowboys must create competition on the OL... by drafting players that are expected to compete DAY1... the attitude of drafting backups or depth has not worked for years!

The Boys will always have to get linemen from other teams...

Players like James Marten were targeted in the draft with high picks and then asked to warm the bench, combine that with camp "We are going to the Super Bowl" complacent players are created. Why not expect these guys to start from day 1!

the boys just keep repeating the same mistakes! this team offseason questions are the same as the 01 team!

 

[28 Joker]

Terence Newman had 4 picks in the last 7 games. If he doesn't miss 6 games, he gets a shot at double digit picks, because he's covering the other team's best guy. Hamlin had 5 in 2007, and when you pick that many, they know better to test the deep middle. Mike Jenkins reminds me of Asante Samuel. His picks are coming. He got one and took it back to the house. Scandrick covered guys like a blanket last year.

Most teams are lucky to have three really good cornerbacks. Depth on the offensive line is a problem. Depth at OLB is a problem. Ellis' $ 5 million dollar salary should be booted along with his poor attitude. Depth on the d-line could be an issue in 2010. What if Ratliff has to miss games? Depth at ILB is an issue. Cornerback actually has three really great options. FB could be addressed.

Cornerback is a strength on the team. You could add one, but there are much more pressing needs, imo. Allan Ball can play CB, and he is going to learn safety.

Gurode, Davis, and Colombo, while "over 30", are in their primes. Offensive linemen can play at a high level well into their mid 30s and sometimes later 30s. The left side is an issue and LG is a must in this draft, imo. Drafting 2 guards would be smart. What if one gets hurt?

 

[jterrell]

1. Who is going to make plays on the ball in the secondary? The Cowboys were one of the worse teams in the NFL in interceptions. They must improve their secondary play.

My take: Jenkins and Scandrick were rookies who will undoubtedly get better. I have seen no reason to assume they won't attack the ball. In fact Jenkins only had 1 pick but he did take it back to the house for 7. He is a very capable guy. Dallas has also been reported to have interest ina number of vet CBs with play-making experience such as Samari Rolle and Ken Lucas. It is also fairly certain Dallas will draft a safety who can cover and make plays on the ball in the air.


2. Where is the depth in the offensive line going to come from? Every starter is over 30 years old.

My take: If you like the starting 5 as much as Dallas likes theirs you are in good shape. It is almost a certainly you'll see some draftees along the OL but how that works itself out in camp for the depth positions is anyone's guess. There is little doubt we need better OL backups but Holland looked capable in his limited exposure and Dallas likes the McQuistan.

3. Will the Cowboys be able to repair their run defense with the addition of Keith Brooking? They allowed too many big plays in the run game, and some of this was a result of some of the worse safety tackling in the NFL.

My take: You don't have 3 or 4 safeties get hurt and that tends to help at safety. Most street free agents aren't very good and that's where we found Tra Battle/Keith Davis last year. Sensabaugh is a good player who may not start. Dallas only gave up 3 plays all year on the ground of over 40 yards. It just so happens 2 of them basically ended the season. Even with those horrid plays factored in Dallas was 12th overall against the run.

4. Who will be the main return man for the ‘Boys? Pacman Jones averaged a “whopping” 4.5 yards per punt return. They need to improve their vertical field position.

My take: Crayton is going to have some role because he will protect the ball. It's boring but it works. We do need a threat here but we tried that with Pacman and failed miserably. A draftee seems the most likely choice. Mike Jenkins could be good at it but I doubt they expose him to injury risk.

5. Will they have enough depth at wide receiver? Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton take a larger role in the offense. Who will fill their roles?

My take: Dallas will only carry 4 WRs most weeks imho. RW, Austin, Crayton and perhaps Hurd. While I'd love to see us obtain a draft pick or two here I don't think the offense is going to rely on its WR position as much as it has in the recent past. Felix Jones becomes part of the passing game and Bennett sees more touches a real threat.

 

[RoadRunner]

Hopefully our punt returner this year will be a rookie WR with some 'wiggle'.

Agreed. There has got to be a ton of guys with that potential in the draft.

 

[gimmesix]

1. Who is going to make plays on the ball in the secondary? The Cowboys were one of the worse teams in the NFL in interceptions. They must improve their secondary play.

I think Newman being hurt, having to play rookies more than expected and having to play Keith Davis more than expected each had a role in that. Sensabaugh gives us a better playmaker at SS, but some of this will depend on the development of Scandrick and Jenkins.

2. Where is the depth in the offensive line going to come from? Every starter is over 30 years old.

We need more depth, but I feel pretty good about Free at tackle and Holland at guard. Free's got some work to do physically, but the movement skills are there. We definitely need a backup who can play center and send Proctor packing and to add to the competition for the other backup spots.

3. Will the Cowboys be able to repair their run defense with the addition of Keith Brooking? They allowed too many big plays in the run game, and some of this was a result of some of the worse safety tackling in the NFL.

Olshansky and Brooking could help out quite a bit, as well as Sensabaugh at SS. Olshansky is a strong run defender and Brooking is a better physical fit at WILB than Zach Thomas. Keith Davis is a try-hard player, but lacks the skills to back it up, so Sensabaugh should be an improvement. But other than some big plays and a couple of bad games, I didn't think our run defense was that bad overall last year.

4. Who will be the main return man for the ‘Boys? Pacman Jones averaged a “whopping” 4.5 yards per punt return. They need to improve their vertical field position.

Obviously, Felix Jones will be the primary kickoff return man, but we do have a hole at the punt return position. I'm not sure if someone like Scandrick can handle it or not, but we need a better option than Crayton.

5. Will they have enough depth at wide receiver? Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton take a larger role in the offense. Who will fill their roles?

Quality has to be the concern here, not quantity. We've got five players who have participated in games, but we don't know if any of them can step up and be a real threat at the position, including Austin. I don't really like betting it all on one of these younger guys to come through, but we're never going to find out until we let them try. Still would like to see us add a quality receiver to the competition.

 

[SLATEmosphere]

DALLAS

1. Who is going to make plays on the ball in the secondary? The Cowboys were one of the worse teams in the NFL in interceptions. They must improve their secondary play.

Draft Sean Smith and put him at centerfield Safety with Hamlin in the box. Mix in Scandrick in the slot and Sensabaugh at Safety in certain packages and we'll have the best secondary in the league.