Roster Rundown: David Arkin

[TheCount]

Because there are not any guard prospects available in the 4th round, that are viewed as being ready to help day 1. Once you get past the 3rd round, you are not going to find very many if any prospects that are viewed as starters or even contributors from day 1.

You miss my point, I am well aware of how the draft works. As I stated, it's not Arkin's fault he's not ready to contribute.

 

[TheDallasDon]

What happened to the 3 year rule?
Plus last year he did not get a full offseason.

 

[InmanRoshi]

Let's just say it surprises me not at all that this is what people use to explain how over-maligned the offensive line is. I predicted as much, it happens every year. That's how you end up starting Bill Nagy and Phil Costa while your QB is in his prime.

This idea that the OL have been the neglected unit of this franchise in the last 5-6 years is utterly laughable and nowhere based in truth or reality.

They just took a tackle with a Top 10 pick less than a year ago. Free will be one of the highest paid RTs in the league next year. They made Leonard Davis the highest paid offensive guard in the NFL when they signed him. Andre Gurode is/was one of the highest paid centers for his time. The former OL coach was the highest paid in the league at his position, and this current OL coach is now been given de facto OC/Assistant HC duties. You would be hard pressed to find a unit on the team that has gotten more resources and TLC devoted to it than OL over the years. If the Cowboys have had any problem it's that they've overly depended on big splasy names rather than drafting and developing non-marquee named talent in house the right way. Think the Giants drafted or signed 5 stud offensive linemen? Think again.

Now if you want to talk about TRULY neglected parts of the team, how many years have the Cowboys been trying to make due with safeties claimed off the NFL scrap heap? Marcus Coleman, Keith Davis, Kenny Hamlin, Gerald Sensabaugh, Tony Parrish, Abram Elam and now Brodney Poole (who couldn't start for a Jets team that is desperately looking for safeties). Talk about a Hall of Shame. We wonder why a highly respected defensive mind like Wade is putting up the 31st scoring defense in the league and why Rob Ryan can't do much better?

Let's talk defensive line. In the past 6 drafts, they've used a combined grand total of two seventh round draft picks on defensive linemen. I defy you to find another team in the NFL that has neglected their DL to that degree in the draft in the same time frame.

 

[TheCount]

Sorry, the idea that the Cowboys haven't addressed the OL is complete and utter nonsense.

At what point was it stated that they haven't addressed the offensive line?

 

[InmanRoshi]

At what point was it stated that they haven't addressed the offensive line?

The idea that the OL must be the neglected unit of the OL, thus the only reason we could start a Nagy there. Or that "it happens every year".

We've been playing Bill Nagy and Phil Costa caliber players at safety for 8 years.

 

[SMCowboy]

Sorry but I don't think a team can be successful waiting around for the majority of its' draft picks to mature for 3 years before they contribute.

To me that's a recipe for failure. Just when a player actually proves worthy of contributing, it's time to pay big money or lose them.

A good team has to find players that can contribute both quickly and cheaply.

No team continually gets draft picks after the 4th round to start or contribute their first few years.....

 

[TheCount]

The idea that the OL must be the neglected unit of the OL, thus the only reason we could start a Nagy there. Or that "it happens every year".

We've been playing Bill Nagy and Phil Costa caliber players at safety for 8 years.

"It happens every year" was in regards to the offensive line seeming better and better as the off season progresses because "the stats" say so.

We are terrible at developing linemen, and we tend to outsmart ourselves when it comes time to draft them in the first place.

You're complaining about the defense like someone said they were great.

 

[Stash]

No team continually gets draft picks after the 4th round to start or contribute their first few years.....

I don't believe I ever used the term 'continually'.

But I would like to see more players contributing early than I would finding out Austin or Free can play a year or so before you have to pay them Top 10 money.

 

[InmanRoshi]

You're complaining about the defense like someone said they were great.

It's amazing people could convince themselves that they aren't the biggest problem on the team when we were 4th in the NFL in Offensive Passer Rating and 25th in the NFL in Defensive Passer Rating Against. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to see where the squeaky wheel is.

Historically, if there was as much outcry over the defense being bad as there has been about the offensive line this offseason, maybe we wouldn't have gone with 4 consecutive first round draft picks on offense. And there would be just as much outrcry in believing the Cowboys had "fixed" safety with Brodney Poole as believing they had "fixed" guard with Livings. Living was at least a starter last year.

 

[TheCount]

It's amazing people could convince themselves that they aren't the biggest problem on the team when we were 4th in the NFL in Offensive Passer Rating and 25th in the NFL in Defensive Passer Rating Against. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to see where the squeaky wheel is.

"The Defense" is not a position you can draft or sign. "Offensive Guard" and/or "Offensive Center" is. "Passer Rating" means virtually nothing with no context, and the offensive line does a heck of a lot more than pass block.

 

[Stash]

It's amazing people could convince themselves that they aren't the biggest problem on the team when we were 4th in the NFL in Offensive Passer Rating and 25th in the NFL in Defensive Passer Rating Against. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to see where the squeaky wheel is.

Historically, if there was as much outcry over the defense being bad as there has been about the offensive line this offseason, maybe we wouldn't have gone with 4 consecutive first round draft picks on offense. And there would be just as much outrcry in believing the Cowboys had "fixed" safety with Brodney Poole as believing they had "fixed" guard with Livings. Living was at least a starter last year.

But I am not seeing the same glowing reports on players like Poe, Upshaw or Barron as I am seeing about a guy like DeCastro.

Reports are describing him as 'the next Steve Hutchinson' whereas I see no such lavish praise being heaped upon Barron as 'the next Ed Reed' or Poe as 'the next Haloti Ngata' or Upshaw as 'the next Demarcus Ware'.

If I had read any such glowing reports I would feel better about going in that direction, but I haven't.

Add that to the fact that the Cowboys obviously had a big need at that position and my mind is made up to hope for DeCastro.

 

[InmanRoshi]

"The Defense" is not a position you can draft or sign. "Offensive Guard" and/or "Offensive Center" is. "Passer Rating" means virtually nothing with no context, and the offensive line does a heck of a lot more than pass block.

Defensive safety is a position you can draft and sign, and it's been a heck of a lot bigger problem for a heck of a lot longer than offensive guard has.

The pass defense is the #1 problem on this team by a ridiculous margin, and it's not even close. I honestly don't know how anyone could argue otherwise with a straight face, yet I see posts after post saying the Cowboys have to address G and C in this draft with our top picks... it's absolute insanity. Utterly and completely laughable.

 

[InmanRoshi]

But I am not seeing the same glowing reports on players like Poe, Upshaw or Barron as I am seeing about a guy like DeCastro.

Reports are describing him as 'the next Steve Hutchinson' whereas I see no such lavish praise being heaped upon Barron as 'the next Ed Reed' or Poe as 'the next Haloti Ngata' or Upshaw as 'the next Demarcus Ware'.

If I had read any such glowing reports I would feel better about going in that direction, but I haven't.

Add that to the fact that the Cowboys obviously had a big need at that position and my mind is made up to hope for DeCastro.

Sorry, you buy way more into hyperbole and hype of crappy internet draft sites than I do.

Charlie Casserly, an 16 year NFL GM and 24 year NFL front office exec, currently has Barron as his #8 player on his draft board. Bucky Brooks has been a professional scout for 8 years in the NFL, raves about Barron. Do you feel better?

 

[Stash]

Sorry, you buy way more into hyperbole and hype of crappy internet draft sites than I do.

This isn't simply the opinion of one 'crappy internet' site. There is a clear consensus of opinion on DeCastro.

Casserly, an 16 year NFL GM and 24 year NFL front office exec, currently has Barron as his #8 player on his draft board. Bucky Brooks has been a professional scout for 8 years in the NFL, raves about Barron. Do you feel better?

Check out this mock draft - from your aforementioned Charley Casserly:

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2012/mock-drafts/charley-casserly/85000

Brooks' mock draft has DeCastro taken before Dallas' #14 pick.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2012/mock-drafts/bucky-brooks/90113

So, for me, that says that they both feel that DeCastro is the better value as well.

Unless that now makes them 'crappy internet' writers?

 

[InmanRoshi]

This isn't simply the opinion of one 'crappy internet' site. There is a clear consensus of opinion on DeCastro.



Check out this mock draft - from your aforementioned Charley Casserly:

That mock draft is from February.

DeCastro is probably going to turn out to be a good right guard. I've never said any differently. I just think you people are going ridiculously overboard making him out to be the next Larry Allen, or that he's a once in a decade player, or that we can't possibly find a good right guard in other way, or that not drafting DeCastro means that everyone in the Cowboys organization is a great big poopy head, or that passing on DeCastro means every young offensive lineman on Dallas' roster is guaranteed to suck from now until eternity, or that one offensive guard means we're winning the NFC East, or that one right guard even makes that much of a difference in general. It's really been a long time, maybe forever, since I've seen Pet Cat-itis displayed to this degree. Especially when that pet cat isn't even close to filling the biggest flaw on the team. I swear, anytime anyone expresses even marginal misgivings at #14 about DeCastro a bat signal flashes in the sky within 5 seconds and burmaford crawls out of his bat cave to throw a fit over his lil Davey Wavey Poo. It's hiliarious.

 

[SMCowboy]

I don't believe I ever used the term 'continually'.

But I would like to see more players contributing early than I would finding out Austin or Free can play a year or so before you have to pay them Top 10 money.

How many late round DP's become guys that you have to pay top 10 money to? Not very many.

If you really want to see more guys late round guys play like guys who will earn top 10 money in year 1 or 2, you will be in for a really long wait. You don't find more than a hand full of guys a year in the late rounds that earn top 10 money ever. And it is a very rare find when you find one as an UDFA or in the later rounds that plays like one from year 1 or 2.

While these guys might not be future top 10 money earners at there position, Dallas in every draft since 2007 has found atleast one guy in rounds 4 - 7, that has come in and contributed within their first two years, and been a good solid player. Maybe not always a starter, but definately a very solid reserve. Which is all you can ask out of a late round DP.
2007: Nick Folk, and Deon Anderson
2008: Tashard Choice and Orlando Scandrick
2009 Victor Butler and John Phillips
2010: Sean Lissemore

 

[TheCount]

Defensive safety is a position you can draft and sign, and it's been a heck of a lot bigger problem for a heck of a lot longer than offensive guard has.

The pass defense is the #1 problem on this team by a ridiculous margin, and it's not even close. I honestly don't know how anyone could argue otherwise with a straight face, yet I see posts after post saying the Cowboys have to address G and C in this draft with our top picks... it's absolute insanity. Utterly and completely laughable.

Oh I see, we're having this argument because you've been reading post after post you don't agree with. This should be fruitful.

Might I make a suggestion? Read only the posts you agree with an refuse to consider any other option or point of view. That should make you a happier person.

 

[SMCowboy]

This isn't simply the opinion of one 'crappy internet' site. There is a clear consensus of opinion on DeCastro.



Check out this mock draft - from your aforementioned Charley Casserly:

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2012/mock-drafts/charley-casserly/85000

Brooks' mock draft has DeCastro taken before Dallas' #14 pick.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2012/mock-drafts/bucky-brooks/90113

So, for me, that says that they both feel that DeCastro is the better value as well.

Unless that now makes them 'crappy internet' writers?

Actually the most recent drafts by both Brooks, AND Charley Casserly have atleast Dontari Poe going ahead of DeCastro. And Casserly also has Michael Brockers going ahead of DeCastro, while Brooks has Melvin Ingram going ahead of DeCastro.

 

[InmanRoshi]

Oh I see, we're having this argument because you've been reading post after post you don't agree with. This should be fruitful.

Might I make a suggestion? Read only the posts you agree with an refuse to consider any other option or point of view. In other words, keep doing what you're doing.

Or I can read the posts and point and laugh at utterly ridiculous nonsense.

 

[Stash]

That mock draft is from February.

DeCastro is probably going to turn out to be a good right guard. I've never said any differently. I just think you people are going ridiculously overboard making him out to be the next Larry Allen, or that he's a once in a decade player, or that one offensive guard means we're winning the NFC East, or that one right guard even makes that much of a difference in general. I swear you people act like we're doomed for mediocrity for the next ten years if we don't specifically draft your pet cat, and it's utterly ridiculous. Especially when that pet cat isn't even close to filling the biggest flaw on the team.

I have some news for you, we have been doomed to mediocrity - for the past ten years (plus!) - due in large part to missing so many times on offensive linemen. It's not a hypothetical what if, it has happened.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

I can make the same claim about you.

That you attempt to diminish the reports about DeCastro - reports that others have stated and we have repeated here by the way.

Sorry but the offensive guard position for this team was a revolving joke last season - and the guy this thread is named for was so much of an afterthought than he never even figured into the mix.

The team preferred to patch together the Dockery/Holland/Kosier/Nagy/Kowalskis of the world rather than putting Arkin out there. And that's not anything resembling an endorsement.

Again, if the quality of the player on the defensive side matched up with the quality of the player at offensive guard I would have an easier time getting on board.

Instead what I see is strictly a 'need' approach, settling for a lesser player because the defense sucked while missing out on a player widely regarded as 'can't miss', 'day one starter' and 'Pro Bowl talent'.