Pre-Draft Thoughts

[jterrell]

Dallas has gotten worse since the season ended not better. That is by design but all the same it is true and we don't want to ignore that fact as we look to the next steps which are to move beyond 2009 standards and become an elite team.


This front office has shown an interest is staying younger, with good character and playing team ball. They reaped rewards last year from that approach and will look to repeat it at least until Jerry sees some team sign a bunch of questionable guys and go win something.

It isn't going to make many happy but that's why Jared Gaither hasn't drawn nearly the interest in the Dallas FO he has on the boards or radio. He is a solid but not great LT and he wants to get paid. A high percentage of guys like Gaither never produce again after getting that monster check. Now some get it together and become true studs. It's clear that Gaither is at worst an average LT without doing any real off-season work or going hard in practice. That means his ceiling is probably pretty high. At the same time if a guy doesn't work hard for the Ravens then will he work hard anywhere?

What would I do? Tough call... much tougher than average fans or radio callers make it seem. It's a risk that could pay off big or leave you holding a high priced lazy OT that can't beat out Doug Free.

Brandon Marshall: Marshall to me wasn't even a tough call. He, for me, was a complete no go. Great talent but guy who is hardly ever happy long. He has T.O. starter kit written all over him. I was in love with T.O.'s talent but that is love bound to end in heart break when a guy has emotional issues that would make Perez Hilton call him a drama queen. True, teams will miss on draft picks. But draft picks aren't expensive, counted on or emotionally tangible for the team at whole. If Robert Brewster was pouting we'd never even know it. If Brandon Marshall pouts that's gonna be tweeted high and low within 1 minutes. You just can't cover things up anymore. You can't even contain it. Character is more important than ever.

So what will Dallas do? My guess is they sit tight and draft the BPA every round.

Does that make them better than last year? Probably not. BUT ... we can't forget that the season doesn't start the day after the draft. There will be players come available after the draft. Teams will have spots handed to rookies that make vets cheap. Can Dallas now grab a Ted Ginn? Sure. Will Ted Ginn be cheaper in 2 months? Absolutely. Should they get Ted Ginn? Probably not, because he may not be any better than Kevin Ogletree. But the point is other players at positions we do need will still be out there and they will only get cheaper.

Dallas is showing patience and it's the hardest trait to master. But in mastering it they may finally find the way to the promised land under Jerry Jones, a man who has tried everything else but patience in his time as GM.

 

[Woods]

we can't forget that the season doesn't start the day after the draft. There will be players come available after the draft. Teams will have spots handed to rookies that make vets cheap.
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I think a lot of people are missing this important point.

We will definitely have a shot to further improve the team after the draft. A couple of vets will be let go, and JJ will pounce.

 

[theebs]

we can't forget that the season doesn't start the day after the draft. There will be players come available after the draft. Teams will have spots handed to rookies that make vets cheap.
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I think a lot of people are missing this important point.

We will definitely have a shot to further improve the team after the draft. A couple of vets will be let go, and JJ will pounce.

I have a question.

If we have a good draft, coupled with brandon williams, jason williams, robert brewster and stephen hodge finding the field, why would we need free agents?

 

[cowboyjoe]

very good post to me; which hits the nail on the head;

cowboys are waiting to see if any players like the safety with the rams come free and sign them for bargains like they did with Igor, Sensabaugh, and Brooking

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Gosselin said on Norm's show yesterday that he thinks a lot of players will be available after the draft, and they'll be cheap. He thinks that's part of why there's been so little movement in FA so far this year.

 

[cowboyjoe]

I have a question.

If we have a good draft, coupled with brandon williams, jason williams, robert brewster and stephen hodge finding the field, why would we need free agents?

i think this, we dont need to many free agents after the draft, maybe 1 or 2

one kinda like the safety with the rams-Atogwe

and if say for example Buehler or the other kicker doesnt work out, we may need to get a veteran kicker

so maybe 1-2 or 3 free agents at the most

 

[Woods]

I have a question.

If we have a good draft, coupled with brandon williams, jason williams, robert brewster and stephen hodge finding the field, why would we need free agents?

The way I see it today, we will pick up good depth guys for whatever we miss in the Draft. I don't anticipate us finding any starters (apart from possibly a kicker depending on Buehler/Hughes).

By my estimation, we could use 2 Seconary players, about 2-3 OL (assuming M Holland is also gone), 1 FB/HB, 1 ILB, maybe 1 WR and possibly a kicker.

That's around 7-9 players. We currently have 6 draft picks.

Whatever we can't fill with the Draft and UDFAs, we can pick up after the various cuts.

 

[Woods]

i think this, we dont need to many free agents after the draft, maybe 1 or 2

one kinda like the safety with the rams-Atogwe

and if say for example Buehler or the other kicker doesnt work out, we may need to get a veteran kicker

so maybe 1-2 or 3 free agents at the most

Yes, that's the way I see it. About 1-2 FAs could come in post-Draft.

 

[cowboyjoe]

Gosselin said on Norm's show yesterday that he thinks a lot of players will be available after the draft, and they'll be cheap. He thinks that's part of why there's been so little movement in FA so far this year.

 

[Idgit]

Gosselin said on Norm's show yesterday that he thinks a lot of players will be available after the draft, and they'll be cheap. He thinks that's part of why there's been so little movement in FA so far this year.

I hear this said; does anybody know why it is teams are expecting good players to be available after the draft? Cutting big future salaries in advance of a new CBA but only after teams know if they've found rookie replacements for their expensive vets?

 

[jterrell]

I have a question.

If we have a good draft, coupled with brandon williams, jason williams, robert brewster and stephen hodge finding the field, why would we need free agents?

We may not. Question is can we find a starter at FS and a backup LT in the draft? If not then to be as good as we were last year we probably need to bring in a vet. My point is we will have options after draft day to re-evaluate our roster and react. The player pool is hardly going to dry up just because a few big names are taken off the market.

Keith Brooking was a signing that generally drew snores but became huge for us in many ways. It's much easier to hit on guys when you don't expect them to come in and dominate regardless of scheme the way Washington did with Albert Haynesworth.

I believe this team needs at least one more speed option on the offense if only for when Felix is injured or resting. I believe they also need overall OL depth and to find a FS that will make plays. They may fill a couple of slots in the draft and then find a solid answer

I am hopeful our previous draft will provide us with some solid players but there were no early draft picks in that class and it is probably not fair to expect it to produce difference makers; especially not in short order.

 

[Longboysfan]

Pick best player based on positions needed - OL, S, ILB, DB, WR.
Can't go wrong.

There should be some player cuts - as everyone has said - after the draft.

Find one or two that fit and get it done.

 

[Alexander]

Dallas has gotten worse since the season ended not better. That is by design but all the same it is true and we don't want to ignore that fact as we look to the next steps which are to move beyond 2009 standards and become an elite team.


This front office has shown an interest is staying younger, with good character and playing team ball. They reaped rewards last year from that approach and will look to repeat it at least until Jerry sees some team sign a bunch of questionable guys and go win something.

It isn't going to make many happy but that's why Jared Gaither hasn't drawn nearly the interest in the Dallas FO he has on the boards or radio. He is a solid but not great LT and he wants to get paid. A high percentage of guys like Gaither never produce again after getting that monster check. Now some get it together and become true studs. It's clear that Gaither is at worst an average LT without doing any real off-season work or going hard in practice. That means his ceiling is probably pretty high. At the same time if a guy doesn't work hard for the Ravens then will he work hard anywhere?

Sadly, this just does not register yet with the cult of Gaither.

Brandon Marshall: Marshall to me wasn't even a tough call. He, for me, was a complete no go. Great talent but guy who is hardly ever happy long. He has T.O. starter kit written all over him. I was in love with T.O.'s talent but that is love bound to end in heart break when a guy has emotional issues that would make Perez Hilton call him a drama queen. True, teams will miss on draft picks. But draft picks aren't expensive, counted on or emotionally tangible for the team at whole. If Robert Brewster was pouting we'd never even know it. If Brandon Marshall pouts that's gonna be tweeted high and low within 1 minutes. You just can't cover things up anymore. You can't even contain it. Character is more important than ever.

It is, but Marshall's production is nothing to turn your nose up at. He is in his prime and can take over a football game, literally like no one since Owens approximately five-six years ago.

So what will Dallas do? My guess is they sit tight and draft the BPA every round.

Does that make them better than last year? Probably not. BUT ... we can't forget that the season doesn't start the day after the draft. There will be players come available after the draft. Teams will have spots handed to rookies that make vets cheap. Can Dallas now grab a Ted Ginn? Sure. Will Ted Ginn be cheaper in 2 months? Absolutely. Should they get Ted Ginn? Probably not, because he may not be any better than Kevin Ogletree. But the point is other players at positions we do need will still be out there and they will only get cheaper.

My biggest concern with this draft is not even the players we will take as much as miscalculating what we already have.

Last year was a great season. We won a playoff game. We were contending. But were we really just victims of circumstance in Minnesota? I do not think we were. We need to continue to rebuild, not patch holes with think exist because as we showed the last time we had a great season, we can collapse just as easily the following year. It happened in 2004 when we convinced ourselves that we really were as good as our record. It happened again in 2008. The frightening thing is that we might be poor at judging the talent on the roster. We have hitched ourselves to Doug Free. We seem to be thinking we can get more Pro Bowls out of the likes of Gurode and Davis.

Dallas is showing patience and it's the hardest trait to master. But in mastering it they may finally find the way to the promised land under Jerry Jones, a man who has tried everything else but patience in his time as GM.

Patience also needs to be blended with a sense of urgency year to year and a long term vision. I do not think there was much in this free agency period. But this draft is absolutely crucial. We have to hit home runs because last year's draft was so mediocre and is unlikely to get much better, even with the injured players returning. We need another draft like 2008, not 2009.

 

[CF74]

very good post to me; which hits the nail on the head;

cowboys are waiting to see if any players like the safety with the rams come free and sign them for bargains like they did with Igor, Sensabaugh, and Brooking

Guys like Otogwe and Gaither might be had for less after the draft if nobody scoops em up. I like the wait and see approach..

 

[VACowboy]

very good post to me; which hits the nail on the head;

cowboys are waiting to see if any players like the safety with the rams come free and sign them for bargains like they did with Igor, Sensabaugh, and Brooking

I thought Atogwe's tender didn't include compensation.

 

[VACowboy]

The way I see it today, we will pick up good depth guys for whatever we miss in the Draft. I don't anticipate us finding any starters (apart from possibly a kicker depending on Buehler/Hughes).

By my estimation, we could use 2 Seconary players, about 2-3 OL (assuming M Holland is also gone), 1 FB/HB, 1 ILB, maybe 1 WR and possibly a kicker.

That's around 7-9 players. We currently have 6 draft picks.

Whatever we can't fill with the Draft and UDFAs, we can pick up after the various cuts.

Well-put.