Sharper, Atogwe, Ball, or Hamlin?

[CanuckCowboysFan]

as our starting FS?

I would have included Ansah, he could certainly step up day one and play as a starter, but all that pre snap gibberish is holding him back.

I know one thing, I have no confidence in Ball.

My pick is Atogwe. Playmaker in every sense. Sign him to a 2 year deal, till Ansahs ready.

 

[dmoore]

Ball. He'll do just find. He's been a valuable player for this franchise.

 

[Rampage]

Atogwe. Sharper just had his last hoorah last season imo.

 

[speedkilz88]

Sharper isn't happening. Atogwe is at least possible when June 1 comes around. I think they at least gauge what it would take to sign him.

Ball is most likely going to start in camp and Hamlin will have every opportunity to beat him out. I like Hamlin's chances.

 

[tar_heel16]

I think everyone's answer is going to be Atogwe if your question holds, but I think we're likely going with a FS-by-committee approach. It will be a camp battle between Ball, Hamlin, Watkins, AOA, and Wall in my opinion. The winner starts.

 

[Gzus]

My preference would be Atogwe if we can get him, if not I would hope Hamlin can beat out Ball b/c Hamlin is the ballhawk and IMO Ball isn't.

 

[speedkilz88]

I think everyone's answer is going to be Atogwe if your question holds, but I think we're likely going with a FS-by-committee approach. It will be a camp battle between Ball, Hamlin, Watkins, AOA, and Wall in my opinion. The winner starts.

I think Wall will be getting his reps as a nickel/dime back since Ball is at safety.

 

[Beast_from_East]

Atogwee is clearly at the top of most people's list. I am pretty sure the Rams are going to release him on June 1st, so it just becomes a money issue.

If Atogwee is asking for too much, the next best scenario is for Mike Hamlin to win the job in training camp. Eventually AOA is going to be our starting FS, but he needs a year or two to learn the position.



A depressing stat.....it has been 28 games in a row without an interception from the safety position. That is just freaking sad, our safeties blow.

 

[arglebargle]

I suspect Hamlin will end up eventually winning the starting position. Wouldn't be surprised at all if they go after Atogwe for a one year/short term contract though. Will depend on the situation and competition amongst NFL teams though.

 

[Big Dakota]

I want our guys to grow. We don't need a progress stopper like Sharper etc. Ball, Scandrick and AOA can fill the bill.

 

[Chief]

I don't know who the best option is at this point. But if you ever hear Wade talk about Alan Ball, it's clear that he's a huge, huge fan of the guy.

My first instinct is to trust Wade on this and go with Ball and let Hamlin challenge him.

But when I think about 2010, it's Super Bowl or bust with this team. Dallas hosts the Super Bowl, you have a team with a lot of talent and very few questions marks (FS being one of them), and the opportunity is there to win it all. That has to be the goal. Not making the playoffs -- winning the Super Bowl!

In the early 1990s, Jimmy and Jerry stacked the deck when they were getting close ... adding talent like Tony Casillas, Charles Haley and Thomas Everett. That tactic has to be considered here.

Jerry talked about "the window" the other day with Romo, Witten, Ware, Ratliff and these stars in their prime. Jerry can't afford to cut corners at FS or the offensive line and let this whole thing come unraveled. The stakes are very high with this team.

Jerry has to get the best player in there. I'm not qualified to know exactly who that is. I just hope they're right.

 

[Va_BoysFan4 Life]

Like stated before, if we could get Atogwee (depending on $ once he is released) that is my choice also. However, I would love to see what Hamlin can bring to the table now that he is healthy. He was putting up a pretty good showing last year before the injury.

 

[BLT]

sign them both and have a 4 way battle royal.. winner is the starting fs

 

[HanD]

how many long passes have we given up in the ken hamlin 3 year era versus the 3 years before that with roy, lynn scott and whoever else we tried? i don't know the answer, it's a serious question. i just think to properly evaluate, you can't just look at turnovers but also pass given up...

 

[BLT]

lynn scott wow i forgot all about him.. bring him back now!

 

[Four]

whatever wade decides to do with the defense is fine with me.

 

[Gzus]

whatever wade decides to do with the defense is fine with me.

I agree. After the defense's performance last season I have the utmost faith in Wade's defensive calls and decisions.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Mike Hamlin, people.

 

[BIGDen]

I don't know who the best option is at this point. But if you ever hear Wade talk about Alan Ball, it's clear that he's a huge, huge fan of the guy.

My first instinct is to trust Wade on this and go with Ball and let Hamlin challenge him.

But when I think about 2010, it's Super Bowl or bust with this team. Dallas hosts the Super Bowl, you have a team with a lot of talent and very few questions marks (FS being one of them), and the opportunity is there to win it all. That has to be the goal. Not making the playoffs -- winning the Super Bowl!

In the early 1990s, Jimmy and Jerry stacked the deck when they were getting close ... adding talent like Tony Casillas, Charles Haley and Thomas Everett. That tactic has to be considered here.

Jerry talked about "the window" the other day with Romo, Witten, Ware, Ratliff and these stars in their prime. Jerry can't afford to cut corners at FS or the offensive line and let this whole thing come unraveled. The stakes are very high with this team.

Jerry has to get the best player in there. I'm not qualified to know exactly who that is. I just hope they're right.

Great post. People forget how important guys like Everett were. I think we got him for like a 5th. Those were the days. I hope we get Atogwe and a good OL (Brown or Gaither) or 2 because this season presents a rare opportunity to acquire some additional talent with no cap. I'm not saying sign these types of players for many years to insane contracts, but we can certainly put some extra money into this year to increase our talent level and chance at #6.

 

[jswalker1981]

A depressing stat.....it has been 28 games in a row without an interception from the safety position. That is just freaking sad, our safeties blow.

That's incorrect.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=291108021

PHILADELPHIA -- Miles Austin punctuated his touchdown catch by emphatically firing the ball into the stands.

Take that, Philadelphia.
Tony Romo threw a 49-yard TD pass to Austin midway through the fourth quarter and the Dallas Cowboys beat the Eagles 20-16 Sunday night in the 100th meeting between the division rivals.

On the final day of the 2008 regular season, the Eagles dominated Dallas 44-6 in a do-or-die game for both teams. Philadelphia earned a wild-card berth with that victory, won two playoff contests on the road and advanced to the NFC championship game, losing at Arizona.

The Cowboys (6-2) spent the whole offseason thinking about that horrendous ending. They got their revenge and took over sole possession of first place in the NFC East with their fourth straight victory.

"Our last loss against them really motivated us to come out and play good," Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware said.

The Eagles fell to 5-3 and the New York Giants are 5-4 after a 5-0 start.
Romo finished 21 of 34 for 307 yards, one TD and one interception.

"We executed," Romo said. "I think the coaches put together a good plan. You just have to keep fighting and getting better."

Donovan McNabb was shaky after a strong performance in a 40-17 rout of the Giants last week. McNabb threw for 227 yards, one TD and was intercepted twice for the first time this season.

"We have to eliminate mistakes," McNabb said.

The Cowboys began their go-ahead drive after stopping McNabb on fourth-and-inches at their 45. The Eagles challenged, but a replay upheld the original spot.

On third-and-14, Romo fooled Sheldon Brown with a pump-fake and hit a wide-open Austin down the left sideline to give Dallas a 20-13 lead.

"I gave them a little pump," Romo said. "I thought they'd been jumping it a little and they went for it."

Austin leads the Cowboys with seven TD catches, three fewer than Terrell Owens had last season. Unlike T.O., Austin only gives defenses headaches instead of his QB.

"I made sure I caught it first," Austin said of his only reception in the game. "A bunch of the guys were making fun of me because I took so long to see it in my hands."

David Akers kicked a 52-yard field goal to cut it to 20-16, but the Eagles never got the ball back. The Cowboys maintained possession the final 4:27.
"I thought we could hold them, get the ball back and win the game," Eagles coach Andy Reid said.

Trailing 10-6, the Eagles seemingly went ahead when Ellis Hobbs returned the second-half kickoff 96 yards for a score. But a holding call on Moise Fokou nullified the TD.

No matter, McNabb drove Philadelphia 77 yards for the go-ahead score.
LeSean McCoy turned a short pass into a 45-yard gain. One play later, McNabb escaped the rush and found Brent Celek in the corner of the end zone to put Philadelphia ahead 13-10.

On Dallas' ensuing possession, Brown intercepted Romo's off-target pass to Jason Witten and returned it 54 yards. An illegal block by Fokou negated the return to the Cowboys 35, and the Eagles' drive stalled near midfield after starting at their 12.

Mike Jenkins intercepted McNabb to set up Nick Folk's tying 33-yard field goal 8 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Gerald Sensabaugh's interception on Philadelphia's first possession ended McNabb's streak of 118 straight passes without a pick. McNabb's pass on third-and-5 to a wide-open Jeremy Maclin hit him in the hands and bounced to Sensabaugh.

Six plays later, Tashard Choice ran in from the 2 after taking a shotgun snap with Romo lined up wide to the right. Romo completed two third-down passes to keep the drive going, including a 21-yard gain to Kevin Ogletree on third-and-9.

Romo tossed a 64-yard catch-and-run pass to Patrick Crayton late in the second quarter to set up Folk's 22-yard field goal that made it 10-6. Tracy White made a diving, TD-saving tackle to trip up Crayton.
Akers kicked a 45-yard field goal early in the second quarter to put the Eagles on the board. He nailed a 48-yarder late in the quarter to cut it to 7-6.

The Eagles played without star running back Brian Westbrook for the second straight game because of a concussion and strongside linebacker Chris Gocong sat out with hamstring and quad injuries. Fokou, a seventh-round pick, made his first start in Gocong's place.

Westbrook was expected to play, but he started experiencing symptoms of a mild headache on Friday. Westbrook then underwent more tests and the Eagles held him out as a precaution. McCoy started for Westbrook.

The Cowboys held receiver DeSean Jackson to just two catches through three quarters. Jackson has six TDs this season, all for 50-plus yards. He has four TD catches and he's scored on a run and a punt return.

"We didn't let him get behind us," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said. "Both our corners played well."