Bob Breunig was better than all combined. Nguyen was too small (switch to 3/4 killed him), Coakley actually was the best in this injury prone group (however, 3/4 switch made him expendable). Lee is always unavailable, Smith has one leg that could go at any time, Vander Esch is in a sophomore slump.
Since Lee Roy Jordan, Bob Breunig was the best MLB the Cowboys have had and there has been no one close on a consistent basis with 20 playoff games, six
NFC championships and three
Super Bowls. He was a four-time team captain, a three-time
Pro Bowler, a second-team
All-Pro and a four-time
All-NFC selection.
Since Coakley and Nguyen, Vander Esch is the first healthy LB the Cowboys have selected in round 1 or 2. So let's check his resume in 5 years. Vander Esch is out of position as a WLB and should be at MLB with Smith at WLB and Lee at SLB. But what do I know about linebackers when I grew up with Jordan, Howely, DD Lewis, Hollywood Henderson, Mike Hegman, and Bob Breunig playing in a 4-3 Defense coached by the coach that invented the 4-3 defense.
In fact none of the linebackers listed was better than Jimmy Johnson's last 2nd round LB pick....Darrin Smith, 4.4 40yd speed that job was to cover, tackle, make big plays coming from the Bermuda Triangle at the the U (Armstead, Barrow, and Smith all less than 4.5 in the 40yd dash). He eliminated Randall Cunningham abilities as he shadowed and struck him. Jerry Jones decided not to pay LBs so Darrin Smith went on to a solid career with the Seahawks and Saints.
So injure prone and potential (which means you ain't done nothing yet) linebackers need not to be listed to rank in Cowboys current or past history. I did not mention Ken Norton Jr., and Randall Godfrey who Jerry Jones let walk that were better than all those linebackers listed.
