Billy Bullocks
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Here's some stuff that I wrote while at work, I can't post there, only read, but I came up with some stuff here. All written BEFORE the Saints game, so some things may have been cleared up...
Let’s start with everyone’s favorite, Tony Romo, and the rest of the QB trifecta. Most everyone who follows the Dallas Cowboys, or football in general for that matter, has heard of Tony Romo and his amazing exploits against Seattle about a week ago. Many are ready to anoint him the second coming of Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, or Brett Favre, while some have mixed in a sense of reality into their optimism, saying he reminds them of Delhomme or Brady. Whatever your stance is, let’s just agree that everyone is impressed. Regardless of what the circumstances surrounding his success were, he played nearly to perfection, having not only the statistical backing for it, but also the flaunting of something numbers cannot account for, confidence. But let’s just remember, this is the preseason, so our optimism should be guarded. Another point all will probably agree on, even if Romo (who’s name sounds right for a starter) doesn’t take over as the starter this year or ever, we definitely have some confidence in our backup QB here.
That brings me to the QB “controversy”. Somehow, when ESPN takes a break from breaking “news” on the TO situation, they find a way to turn even this kind of positive news into something it isn’t. Remember, Parcells has stated that it is Bledsoe’s job. And for those of you who cite Parcells reluctance to start anyone besides Vinny T. 2 dismal seasons ago, let’s just agree that both QB’s were not ready to step in. Parcells has always said that breaking the psyche of a young QB is a terrible idea. What we saw in Romo last week might give some weight to his philosophy. What seems to amaze me about Cowboys fans is there insatiable appetite. Even when they should be happy, the grass is always greener on the other side. I mean, I am as excited as the next person about Tony Romo, but for a guy who has yet to throw a meaningful pass in his NFL career (relatively speaking that is), let’s slow down on passing the reigns on to him.
You can love Bledsoe or hate him, but the fact is, he is a better QB than most teams in the NFL have. Last season, I don’t care who you put behind that offensive line, it wouldn’t have helped. With both tackles being nearly worthless, it’s no wonder Bledsoe went from an MVP caliber season to mediocre in a matter of two months. At this point, I feel comfortable with Romo stepping in if need be, but the team has too much talent to leave it up to an unproven guy to be the x-factor. Seeing Romo at the end of the season is a possibility if we are out of contention, or if Bledsoe is injured, but I would not be so eager to throw him out there right now. Those of you who are on the Romo for starter bandwagon, you may have to wait until 2007.
Not much has been said about Henson, and I honestly can’t give a lot of insight on a guy who I haven’t really seen much of except for NFL Europe. Maybe he will get a fair shake, maybe Parcells has seen enough. Again, not watching practice and relying on information from a 3 rd party is not a good way to claim to have any insight, so I will only add one thing. Henson, from what I can tell, has to have his confidence shattered. He doesn’t play. Baker comes in and takes his snaps. Meanwhile Romo is full of confidence. I’ll take my chances with a guy who thinks he can do it(Romo), rather than a guy who hasn’t yet proven he can do it, and on top of that has doubts in himself.
The offensive line, another topic of concern for many of us, and rightfully so. The return of Flozell Adams will be a huge addition to the line. The offense froze up when he went down, and the shortcomings at RT were no longer possible to mask, as teams could freely attack the perimeter. I do feel less confident at LG, even though we have the ability to pull better than we did with Allen, especially with Rivera healthy. However, it’s never comforting to know you lost a sure fire HOFer, regardless of how immobile he may have become. Promising is Gurode. Against NO we shall see if he can fair well against a 4 man front, which he has struggled against at times. Talent was never an issue with the kid, just the mental aspects of palying center at this level. Johnson is OK, but not someone I want there unless Gurode really can’t handle the duties of Center.
Personally I am not reading into Pettiti not playing at RT for this game too much. I think having had him here all of last year, and this camp, Parcells is quite aware of what he can do. I think what it comes down to is, Fabini or Columbo. Fabini is on thin ice here. Linemen are a lot easier to evaluate in camp than other positions. It’s not like QB where things are that different when the bullets are flying. If you can take on a guy like Ellis daily in practice, you can probably do it in a game. Personally, and many seem to agree, Fabini will be gone, especially if Pettiti can play both tackles. I think Pettiti could well start at RT, and if something were to happen to Flozell, move over to left and let Columbo step in at RT. Peterman is someone I haven’t heard anything about, and he seems just about done here, with Proctor getting more PT and love overall. Parcells likes versatile OL players, and guys like Pettiti, Proctor, Gurode (can play G) fit that bill.
I mentioned Allen earlier, and how we will miss him. I think that because of our 2-TE formation, and Flozell back, teams will blitz the middle more…now they are attacking our weak point, however that means they have opened up the middle of the field. If you have 2TE’s, who arelined up close to the middle of the field, we should be able to get them in underneath for little dink and dunk plays that keep teams a bit more honest. Someone posted about this earlier, and I have to agree. I think with the pass rushing abilities of all 4 teams in the division, draw plays, and “dink and dunk” passing will be huge. All 4 teams, through whatever means, will come after your QB. Kind of funny how the one team everyone is writing off in this division, is the only one that really has a QB that is suited to really evade what’s going to be coming at him, too bad he has no WR to throw to.
Carpenter moving to ILB has been somewhat of a hot story around these parts. I personally think that Parcells just wants to give the kid some more experience. He came into the league as a guy who could play both inside and outside, and again, this fits in with Parcells and his liking for versatile players. Although Ellis has been playing a lot so fart his preseason, I wouldn’t find it out of the ordinary if that changes. Remember, you are asking a vet to switch positions, he’s going to need practice to change something he’s been doing for the last 10+years of his football career. Ellis was pleasantly surprising so far, but he doesn’t have the quickness in coverage you would nessecarily want. I think we can make this work, especially because he’s so good at pass rushing. But I think Carpenter will steal some time from him. It’s also refreshing to be in a position where we really can draft BPA, and it’s not a nessecity to start for us. I don’t think it’s a knack on Parcells drafting at all, Carpenter will be big for us for years to come, but I think it’s more of a credit to him and the depth he has built on defense. Us Cowboys fans know how good we are defensively, and I guess we’ll have to wait for the rest of the fans to take notice after we play, because ESPN has become TO’s network.
Let’s start with everyone’s favorite, Tony Romo, and the rest of the QB trifecta. Most everyone who follows the Dallas Cowboys, or football in general for that matter, has heard of Tony Romo and his amazing exploits against Seattle about a week ago. Many are ready to anoint him the second coming of Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, or Brett Favre, while some have mixed in a sense of reality into their optimism, saying he reminds them of Delhomme or Brady. Whatever your stance is, let’s just agree that everyone is impressed. Regardless of what the circumstances surrounding his success were, he played nearly to perfection, having not only the statistical backing for it, but also the flaunting of something numbers cannot account for, confidence. But let’s just remember, this is the preseason, so our optimism should be guarded. Another point all will probably agree on, even if Romo (who’s name sounds right for a starter) doesn’t take over as the starter this year or ever, we definitely have some confidence in our backup QB here.
That brings me to the QB “controversy”. Somehow, when ESPN takes a break from breaking “news” on the TO situation, they find a way to turn even this kind of positive news into something it isn’t. Remember, Parcells has stated that it is Bledsoe’s job. And for those of you who cite Parcells reluctance to start anyone besides Vinny T. 2 dismal seasons ago, let’s just agree that both QB’s were not ready to step in. Parcells has always said that breaking the psyche of a young QB is a terrible idea. What we saw in Romo last week might give some weight to his philosophy. What seems to amaze me about Cowboys fans is there insatiable appetite. Even when they should be happy, the grass is always greener on the other side. I mean, I am as excited as the next person about Tony Romo, but for a guy who has yet to throw a meaningful pass in his NFL career (relatively speaking that is), let’s slow down on passing the reigns on to him.
You can love Bledsoe or hate him, but the fact is, he is a better QB than most teams in the NFL have. Last season, I don’t care who you put behind that offensive line, it wouldn’t have helped. With both tackles being nearly worthless, it’s no wonder Bledsoe went from an MVP caliber season to mediocre in a matter of two months. At this point, I feel comfortable with Romo stepping in if need be, but the team has too much talent to leave it up to an unproven guy to be the x-factor. Seeing Romo at the end of the season is a possibility if we are out of contention, or if Bledsoe is injured, but I would not be so eager to throw him out there right now. Those of you who are on the Romo for starter bandwagon, you may have to wait until 2007.
Not much has been said about Henson, and I honestly can’t give a lot of insight on a guy who I haven’t really seen much of except for NFL Europe. Maybe he will get a fair shake, maybe Parcells has seen enough. Again, not watching practice and relying on information from a 3 rd party is not a good way to claim to have any insight, so I will only add one thing. Henson, from what I can tell, has to have his confidence shattered. He doesn’t play. Baker comes in and takes his snaps. Meanwhile Romo is full of confidence. I’ll take my chances with a guy who thinks he can do it(Romo), rather than a guy who hasn’t yet proven he can do it, and on top of that has doubts in himself.
The offensive line, another topic of concern for many of us, and rightfully so. The return of Flozell Adams will be a huge addition to the line. The offense froze up when he went down, and the shortcomings at RT were no longer possible to mask, as teams could freely attack the perimeter. I do feel less confident at LG, even though we have the ability to pull better than we did with Allen, especially with Rivera healthy. However, it’s never comforting to know you lost a sure fire HOFer, regardless of how immobile he may have become. Promising is Gurode. Against NO we shall see if he can fair well against a 4 man front, which he has struggled against at times. Talent was never an issue with the kid, just the mental aspects of palying center at this level. Johnson is OK, but not someone I want there unless Gurode really can’t handle the duties of Center.
Personally I am not reading into Pettiti not playing at RT for this game too much. I think having had him here all of last year, and this camp, Parcells is quite aware of what he can do. I think what it comes down to is, Fabini or Columbo. Fabini is on thin ice here. Linemen are a lot easier to evaluate in camp than other positions. It’s not like QB where things are that different when the bullets are flying. If you can take on a guy like Ellis daily in practice, you can probably do it in a game. Personally, and many seem to agree, Fabini will be gone, especially if Pettiti can play both tackles. I think Pettiti could well start at RT, and if something were to happen to Flozell, move over to left and let Columbo step in at RT. Peterman is someone I haven’t heard anything about, and he seems just about done here, with Proctor getting more PT and love overall. Parcells likes versatile OL players, and guys like Pettiti, Proctor, Gurode (can play G) fit that bill.
I mentioned Allen earlier, and how we will miss him. I think that because of our 2-TE formation, and Flozell back, teams will blitz the middle more…now they are attacking our weak point, however that means they have opened up the middle of the field. If you have 2TE’s, who arelined up close to the middle of the field, we should be able to get them in underneath for little dink and dunk plays that keep teams a bit more honest. Someone posted about this earlier, and I have to agree. I think with the pass rushing abilities of all 4 teams in the division, draw plays, and “dink and dunk” passing will be huge. All 4 teams, through whatever means, will come after your QB. Kind of funny how the one team everyone is writing off in this division, is the only one that really has a QB that is suited to really evade what’s going to be coming at him, too bad he has no WR to throw to.
Carpenter moving to ILB has been somewhat of a hot story around these parts. I personally think that Parcells just wants to give the kid some more experience. He came into the league as a guy who could play both inside and outside, and again, this fits in with Parcells and his liking for versatile players. Although Ellis has been playing a lot so fart his preseason, I wouldn’t find it out of the ordinary if that changes. Remember, you are asking a vet to switch positions, he’s going to need practice to change something he’s been doing for the last 10+years of his football career. Ellis was pleasantly surprising so far, but he doesn’t have the quickness in coverage you would nessecarily want. I think we can make this work, especially because he’s so good at pass rushing. But I think Carpenter will steal some time from him. It’s also refreshing to be in a position where we really can draft BPA, and it’s not a nessecity to start for us. I don’t think it’s a knack on Parcells drafting at all, Carpenter will be big for us for years to come, but I think it’s more of a credit to him and the depth he has built on defense. Us Cowboys fans know how good we are defensively, and I guess we’ll have to wait for the rest of the fans to take notice after we play, because ESPN has become TO’s network.
