vlad
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I don't contribute anything new as most of the power posters (thanks, btw) beat me to it. But I found this, thought it was relevant given whats going on.
Keeping up with the Jones
[FONT=helvetica,arial]Keeping up with Jones[/FONT]
Cowboys owner was a surprisingly strong draft presence
[FONT=helvetica,arial]Posted: Friday April 26, 2002 1:49 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica,arial]Updated: Friday April 26, 2002 8:02 PM[/FONT]
I covered the Dallas Cowboys' draft last weekend and was granted unprecedented access to the scouting process beforehand -- sitting in on the scouts' and coaches' player evaluation meetings -- and the draft-day doings themselves. Only once in my 13 years at Sports Illustrated have I been more "inside" a story, back when I had full access to everything during a Packers' game week in 1995.
Since my time in Dallas, people have asked me, What did you see that surprised you the most? My answer: a competent Jerry Jones. Going into the story, I considered Jones an impetuous star-chaser who wouldn't always do the best thing for his team. Drafting iffy quarterback Quincy Carter last year instead of defensive rookie of the year Kendrell Bell. Or trading two first-round picks for wideout Joey Galloway. I might have traded one. Might have. But you don't see teams trading two No. 1s for a franchise quarterback these days, never mind a declining wideout.
And Jones still has some of that in him. But he proved to me that he gets it early in the second round, when the Cowboys were sitting there with the 37th overall pick. They had a choice between the 19th-rated player on their board, Pitt wideout Antonio Bryant, and the 28th player on their board, Colorado guard/center Andre Gurode. The debate in the room was feisty. Gurode would fill a position of need, and if he was any good, he'd probably be a starter by the end of the 2002 season. Bryant was a luxury; though Dallas needs a long-term receiver, the team was OK for the next year or so, and Bryant would likely be, at best, a third receiver this year behind Galloway and Rocket Ismail. And there were pockmarks from some in-the-know people who knew Bryant well and whom the Dallas scouts and coaches had contacted. There was a chance he might be a problem child, a me-first guy. Truthfully, the Cowboys viewed Bryant as the next Michael Irvin, a cocky guy who could go on to have a great NFL career. But there was that hole on the offensive line to think of. "It's just smarter to go with Gurode," Jones said, and that was it. As luck would have it, Dallas picked Bryant with its second pick in the second round, No. 63 overall.
It was also interesting to watch Jones work the phones. The Giants called to offer tight end Dan Campbell for a fourth-round pick, but before getting to the substance of the call, Jones said, "I'm doing just fine. Fine! And how are you doing? ... Right ... Let me tell you, you got yourselves a great player in that Jeremy Shockey. We really liked him." And when Jones was on the clock in the first round, trying to trade down, he unearthed some unexpected inside information from the Vikings. He learned that Minnesota wasn't going to take the player Dallas wanted, Roy Williams, with the next pick, which allowed the Cowboys to deal down two spots with Kansas City. As time with the Chiefs got short, there were high-pitched, nervous voices in the draft room about submitting the trade before they'd have to pass on the pick. Jones never flinched. Must be all those years of practice making oil and gas deals.
Jones ran the meetings, and the draft, as if he were some combination of shrink and traffic cop. He sucked in all the information, looked at the alternatives and made decisions. He has quality scouts. I still think he needs that Ron Wolf-type guy, the ultimate confidant he doesn't seem to have in the room right now. Maybe it'll turn out to be assistant director of college scouting Tom Ciskowski, a worker bee Jones rightfully likes. But if he can't find it on staff, he should find it elsewhere.
Jones chafes when Jimmy Johnson gets all the credit for what happened in the first five years of his ownership reign. He might have a point, though we all know the key to the Cowboys' greatness a decade ago was Jimmy picking and coaching and Jerry paying and managing. And what Jones told me is right: He'll probably never win executive of the year, even if the Dallas draft is perfect one of these years. But judging from a five- or six-day view into the inner workings of this franchise, this is not a team flying by the seat of Jones' Brooks Brothers pants. He's learned enough that the Cowboys might actually get dangerous again this year. Or next.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King covers the NFL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Check out his Monday Morning Quarterback column every -- and you should see this coming -- Monday morning.
Keeping up with the Jones
[FONT=helvetica,arial]Keeping up with Jones[/FONT]
Cowboys owner was a surprisingly strong draft presence
[FONT=helvetica,arial]Posted: Friday April 26, 2002 1:49 PM[/FONT]
[FONT=helvetica,arial]Updated: Friday April 26, 2002 8:02 PM[/FONT]
I covered the Dallas Cowboys' draft last weekend and was granted unprecedented access to the scouting process beforehand -- sitting in on the scouts' and coaches' player evaluation meetings -- and the draft-day doings themselves. Only once in my 13 years at Sports Illustrated have I been more "inside" a story, back when I had full access to everything during a Packers' game week in 1995. Since my time in Dallas, people have asked me, What did you see that surprised you the most? My answer: a competent Jerry Jones. Going into the story, I considered Jones an impetuous star-chaser who wouldn't always do the best thing for his team. Drafting iffy quarterback Quincy Carter last year instead of defensive rookie of the year Kendrell Bell. Or trading two first-round picks for wideout Joey Galloway. I might have traded one. Might have. But you don't see teams trading two No. 1s for a franchise quarterback these days, never mind a declining wideout.
And Jones still has some of that in him. But he proved to me that he gets it early in the second round, when the Cowboys were sitting there with the 37th overall pick. They had a choice between the 19th-rated player on their board, Pitt wideout Antonio Bryant, and the 28th player on their board, Colorado guard/center Andre Gurode. The debate in the room was feisty. Gurode would fill a position of need, and if he was any good, he'd probably be a starter by the end of the 2002 season. Bryant was a luxury; though Dallas needs a long-term receiver, the team was OK for the next year or so, and Bryant would likely be, at best, a third receiver this year behind Galloway and Rocket Ismail. And there were pockmarks from some in-the-know people who knew Bryant well and whom the Dallas scouts and coaches had contacted. There was a chance he might be a problem child, a me-first guy. Truthfully, the Cowboys viewed Bryant as the next Michael Irvin, a cocky guy who could go on to have a great NFL career. But there was that hole on the offensive line to think of. "It's just smarter to go with Gurode," Jones said, and that was it. As luck would have it, Dallas picked Bryant with its second pick in the second round, No. 63 overall.
It was also interesting to watch Jones work the phones. The Giants called to offer tight end Dan Campbell for a fourth-round pick, but before getting to the substance of the call, Jones said, "I'm doing just fine. Fine! And how are you doing? ... Right ... Let me tell you, you got yourselves a great player in that Jeremy Shockey. We really liked him." And when Jones was on the clock in the first round, trying to trade down, he unearthed some unexpected inside information from the Vikings. He learned that Minnesota wasn't going to take the player Dallas wanted, Roy Williams, with the next pick, which allowed the Cowboys to deal down two spots with Kansas City. As time with the Chiefs got short, there were high-pitched, nervous voices in the draft room about submitting the trade before they'd have to pass on the pick. Jones never flinched. Must be all those years of practice making oil and gas deals.
Jones ran the meetings, and the draft, as if he were some combination of shrink and traffic cop. He sucked in all the information, looked at the alternatives and made decisions. He has quality scouts. I still think he needs that Ron Wolf-type guy, the ultimate confidant he doesn't seem to have in the room right now. Maybe it'll turn out to be assistant director of college scouting Tom Ciskowski, a worker bee Jones rightfully likes. But if he can't find it on staff, he should find it elsewhere.
Jones chafes when Jimmy Johnson gets all the credit for what happened in the first five years of his ownership reign. He might have a point, though we all know the key to the Cowboys' greatness a decade ago was Jimmy picking and coaching and Jerry paying and managing. And what Jones told me is right: He'll probably never win executive of the year, even if the Dallas draft is perfect one of these years. But judging from a five- or six-day view into the inner workings of this franchise, this is not a team flying by the seat of Jones' Brooks Brothers pants. He's learned enough that the Cowboys might actually get dangerous again this year. Or next.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King covers the NFL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Check out his Monday Morning Quarterback column every -- and you should see this coming -- Monday morning.
