Jerry on McFadden
7:39 PM Sun, Feb 24, 2008 | Permalink
Albert Breer E-mail News tips
Here's the one you've been waiting for -- Jerry Jones discussing Darren McFadden. I'm guessing the 4.27 he clocked today won't kill the fervor.
He was asked if he'd be prone to selling the farm to draft a guy from the alma mater. He joked, "Don't you think that is natural? Bill (Parcells) had a leaning towards Wichita players."
Jones smiled, then answered the question seriously.
"That's not my history," he siad. "I think there is a lot of that (talk) and certainly, we've got huge fans, huge fans of McFadden and Arkansas players. But that is not my history.(Ken) Hamlin, I went after him because it was interesting. I was familiar with him because of my interest in looking at the team, so I knew about him. He'd be the best (example of an Arkansas player.)
"Draft pick? An Arkansas player? Let's see ... Let's see ...There is going to be one that jumps completely out here in a minute but I can't remember it off hand."
Jones couldn't remember it, because neither he nor the Cowboys before or after he bought the team have ever drafted a Razorback. Funny how that works, huh?
And then he said that swinging for the fences, in his mind, isn't about getting up as high in the draft as possible. It's about taking chances.
"I think trading out of the first round is going for the grand slam, trading out and getting two picks the next year," he said. "We've done that twice in the last five years. I think that is not a conservative way to run the draft. A conservative way to run the draft is to take the pick, and get them all in there.
"Y'all may disagree but my instincts always made me think it's a risky deal to pull out of the draft and not go for it there. I think I've been more risky than you've described. Because of the dollars that are involved at the top of the draft, even when we were up there with the eighth pick and up there with (Terence) Newman, because of the dollars involved, I've not been tempted to bundle up a lot of consideration to get up at the top because we didn't draft a quarterback.
"Tony (Romo) has kept us probably from going in there, as far as going for the big one, if you look at it. I didn't do it for a quarterback, where you could justify it, at all. If not for the quarterback, using the picks and spending those kind of dollars that are up there (is tough), because you have the risk up there.
"It's 50-50 up there. I think what has happened is if you don't trade out of the first round and get your two picks, it is a home run. You're automatically assured a 'B' with two No. 1s. ... And if there's no No. 1, it's a 'C-minus' or less, doesn't (matter) what players you draft, if you don't have a first round pick."
Jones then took the issue of trading up to get McFadden head on.
"The money that goes up there, plus the terms of draft-pick consideration, I don't think we're going there," Jones said. "I don't want to get into a real strategy, as far as going forward here the next few weeks, but I don't see any guy today making some big trade for the first pick up there - I guess that's what we're all alluding too. ... There's been absolutely not one breath of discussion with anybody about going up there to get the 1 or 2 or 3 pick."
With that, I'm off to dinner. See you soon.
