CCBoy
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Cutting to the chase on the offensive line decisions...
If this next season, right now, an injury occured to Tyron Smith, then the entire current roster would include what amounts to a who's who of average only, 'Joes.'
*taken from an article by Rob Phillips, DC.com
Kyle Kosier - Glue guy on the O-Line; moved to right guard to help with Smith's rookie transition.
Phil Costa - Battled but also went through expected growing pains in his first year starting.
Montrae Holland - After being released at final cuts, redeemed himself before a season-ending injury in December.
Derrick Dockery - Signed in training camp in the wake of Holland's injury; spot starter at guard, but a leg fracture wiped out part of his season.
Kevin Kowalski - Rookie free agent impressed Cowboys by staying prepared; filled in at guard and center.
Bill Nagy - Doesn't have great size but plays with leverage and technique; broke his ankle in October, ending his season.
David Arkin - Team hopes a strong offseason will make him more ready to compete in 2012.
...and then, with Doug Free returning to the right side, and the 'swing tackle' still on 'rook' pills...Jermey Parnell, the picture doesn't improve a realistic ounce beyond that.
From the shotgun approaches at several positional years at positional drafting for a year, we have found that one selected player may emerge as another 'Joe,' but homeruns are rarely hit from a Cowboy vantage point.
We have seen this at various points in the secondary, as well as accumulating two or three positional picks for 'development' in the offensive line. The same could be said for lower round 'playmakers' added for an eye dressing to cover the now view. Most of these as well had short fuzes, a loud pop and little left behind after a lackluster explosion.
Look back at some of the greater offensive lines in history...say the Cowboys of the Dynasty period, Oakland with Upshaw. They had three dominant players on that line. That is a functional and realistic start point for projection.
The Cowboys had Mark Tuinei, Larry Allan, and Erik Williams.
The Raiders had Eugene Upshaw, Jim Otto, and then Art Shell.
If not a Cowboy fan, who remembers many of the other participants of those lines?
Minus Tyron Smith, this current Cowboy offensive line would be hard pressed to even be competitive within the NFC East.
A quick fix of some magnitude, would be a player such as Carl Nicks. He would fit a trend similar to plug ins of Rivera and then Leonard Davis at the position.
There are two draw backs here. The first being age that this entry group usually arrives in free agency with. That usually means, within a three to five year window, those same players will have a dramatic injury assosciated with their roster spot.
The second draw back, is simply their cap costs. They are a measured amount of load added to an overall picture of stability in the cap itself.
The projections for validly pulling the trigger on such a player, is the degree below age thirty that player is currently at - or injury history that will uncover from previously severe injuries occured at an earlier point in their careers.
Injuries marred careers for Marc Colombo as it did for Rivera earlier. With Leonard Davis, his unrestrained oversize drained his mobility. As it did for Holland this past season, until he got reigns on that very point. Even with his rebound and conditioning efforts, that point of diminishing return may have been passed for Holland. He tore a bicep muscle, and is showing signs of structural failure as well.
This gives credability, although, to acquiring a talent such as Nicks. He is an established and quality player. He is young enough, at age 28, to give a real projection as to three years of dependable play. That projection would validate a strong salary offer and elevate the dependability of this current roster to even sustain another season.
His addition would expand current offensive line projections and their incumbent needs for applications in the draft for two to three more seasons. The strongest elements for change along natural lines, are the top two rounds in the draft.
This season, Dallas has enough cap space to absorb the contract for a dominant player in the offensive line. It also has a strong need there as well.
As with the offensive line, the Dallas Cowboys haven't given high draft priority to the defensive line/OLB selections as well.
Despite having 'joes' on the offensive line, the team showed a resilience, when healthy, and a strong passing and running attack with the emergence of DeMarco Murray.
The signing of a Carl Nicks during free agency, would ease aternatives to improve the defensive front.
Blatantly stated, until that Cowboy front is able to improve upon four sacks of Eli Manning over the past six games, it just is NOT going to be competitive even in the NFC East.
That is not a well kept secret in the NFL...as not many teams allow those types of players slip through their own grasps. So Dallas must make a commitment to upgrade through the draft. Now, that comes at a price as well. And that must come at the top of the draft for a couple of seasons yet. You want to run as a top team, you have to get one...and across the board as well.
Now I'm not saying that just a bunch of 'Joes' won't be able to develop and in the process, upgrade. But I am saying that a need for that upgrade is apparent at onset, and a piece such as Carl Nicks would open the draft more fully to acquiring additional value at upgrading the defensive line as well. That well overdue as well.
But there is a bare bones level at both the interior line's picture, and the swing tackle picture as well...now. I don't hear the phones ringing off their lines with teams wishing to trade for any of the 'rooks' or Costa on the Dallas roster. Expecting a fallout of talent there.
That total is two guards, a center, and valid swing offensive tackle...and that isn't a hickup.
But the defense couldn't hold water in the month of December, for the past three seasons and more...and that is because investment there has been purely backburner come draft time. And the defensive front has to be demonstratively upgraded right now. Not just sewing new patches upon an old cloth.
If this next season, right now, an injury occured to Tyron Smith, then the entire current roster would include what amounts to a who's who of average only, 'Joes.'
*taken from an article by Rob Phillips, DC.com
Kyle Kosier - Glue guy on the O-Line; moved to right guard to help with Smith's rookie transition.
Phil Costa - Battled but also went through expected growing pains in his first year starting.
Montrae Holland - After being released at final cuts, redeemed himself before a season-ending injury in December.
Derrick Dockery - Signed in training camp in the wake of Holland's injury; spot starter at guard, but a leg fracture wiped out part of his season.
Kevin Kowalski - Rookie free agent impressed Cowboys by staying prepared; filled in at guard and center.
Bill Nagy - Doesn't have great size but plays with leverage and technique; broke his ankle in October, ending his season.
David Arkin - Team hopes a strong offseason will make him more ready to compete in 2012.
...and then, with Doug Free returning to the right side, and the 'swing tackle' still on 'rook' pills...Jermey Parnell, the picture doesn't improve a realistic ounce beyond that.
From the shotgun approaches at several positional years at positional drafting for a year, we have found that one selected player may emerge as another 'Joe,' but homeruns are rarely hit from a Cowboy vantage point.
We have seen this at various points in the secondary, as well as accumulating two or three positional picks for 'development' in the offensive line. The same could be said for lower round 'playmakers' added for an eye dressing to cover the now view. Most of these as well had short fuzes, a loud pop and little left behind after a lackluster explosion.
Look back at some of the greater offensive lines in history...say the Cowboys of the Dynasty period, Oakland with Upshaw. They had three dominant players on that line. That is a functional and realistic start point for projection.
The Cowboys had Mark Tuinei, Larry Allan, and Erik Williams.
The Raiders had Eugene Upshaw, Jim Otto, and then Art Shell.
If not a Cowboy fan, who remembers many of the other participants of those lines?
Minus Tyron Smith, this current Cowboy offensive line would be hard pressed to even be competitive within the NFC East.
A quick fix of some magnitude, would be a player such as Carl Nicks. He would fit a trend similar to plug ins of Rivera and then Leonard Davis at the position.
There are two draw backs here. The first being age that this entry group usually arrives in free agency with. That usually means, within a three to five year window, those same players will have a dramatic injury assosciated with their roster spot.
The second draw back, is simply their cap costs. They are a measured amount of load added to an overall picture of stability in the cap itself.
The projections for validly pulling the trigger on such a player, is the degree below age thirty that player is currently at - or injury history that will uncover from previously severe injuries occured at an earlier point in their careers.
Injuries marred careers for Marc Colombo as it did for Rivera earlier. With Leonard Davis, his unrestrained oversize drained his mobility. As it did for Holland this past season, until he got reigns on that very point. Even with his rebound and conditioning efforts, that point of diminishing return may have been passed for Holland. He tore a bicep muscle, and is showing signs of structural failure as well.
This gives credability, although, to acquiring a talent such as Nicks. He is an established and quality player. He is young enough, at age 28, to give a real projection as to three years of dependable play. That projection would validate a strong salary offer and elevate the dependability of this current roster to even sustain another season.
His addition would expand current offensive line projections and their incumbent needs for applications in the draft for two to three more seasons. The strongest elements for change along natural lines, are the top two rounds in the draft.
This season, Dallas has enough cap space to absorb the contract for a dominant player in the offensive line. It also has a strong need there as well.
As with the offensive line, the Dallas Cowboys haven't given high draft priority to the defensive line/OLB selections as well.
Despite having 'joes' on the offensive line, the team showed a resilience, when healthy, and a strong passing and running attack with the emergence of DeMarco Murray.
The signing of a Carl Nicks during free agency, would ease aternatives to improve the defensive front.
Blatantly stated, until that Cowboy front is able to improve upon four sacks of Eli Manning over the past six games, it just is NOT going to be competitive even in the NFC East.
That is not a well kept secret in the NFL...as not many teams allow those types of players slip through their own grasps. So Dallas must make a commitment to upgrade through the draft. Now, that comes at a price as well. And that must come at the top of the draft for a couple of seasons yet. You want to run as a top team, you have to get one...and across the board as well.
Now I'm not saying that just a bunch of 'Joes' won't be able to develop and in the process, upgrade. But I am saying that a need for that upgrade is apparent at onset, and a piece such as Carl Nicks would open the draft more fully to acquiring additional value at upgrading the defensive line as well. That well overdue as well.
But there is a bare bones level at both the interior line's picture, and the swing tackle picture as well...now. I don't hear the phones ringing off their lines with teams wishing to trade for any of the 'rooks' or Costa on the Dallas roster. Expecting a fallout of talent there.
That total is two guards, a center, and valid swing offensive tackle...and that isn't a hickup.
But the defense couldn't hold water in the month of December, for the past three seasons and more...and that is because investment there has been purely backburner come draft time. And the defensive front has to be demonstratively upgraded right now. Not just sewing new patches upon an old cloth.
