Some more Petitti info

[big dog cowboy]

How many times do I have to post that Petitti will be the starter in Jacksonville? Been saying it all off season.

 

[arglebargle]

We may have?

Based on what?

Until I see Petitti on the field, he will be what he was the last time I saw him.

Almost categorically not the case. While he may or may not have the stuff to start this year, NFL players generally have their greatest improvements in their second year. Odds are better that he would get worse than be in exactly the same spot this year. Odds are still better that he will be better at his position. Doesn't mean he will beat out Fabini, but what evidence there is, is that he's worked on his weaknesses from last year.

And once training camp starts we'll get a better idea how trendy or clueless our speculation has been.....

 

[J-DOG]

Petitti was the starter at right tackle at the June minicamp, according to Josh Ellis of dallascowboys.com, and Steve Lansdale of The RanchReport.com said Petitti “looked strong [June 2] and lighter on his feet.” Sparano told Mark Wangrin of the Express-News on June 5 that “He’s playing with more strength, and he’s better with his hands, delivering a punch.” Wangrin also reported that after “the toughest year of my life,” Petitti said he took 10 days off before plunging into the off-season “to improve his core strength and endurance.” Petitti’s dad wrote June 7 that his son “is thrilled how all his hard work is paying off in improved on-field performance. No question, the work with [strength coach Joe] Juraszek has improved speed, agility, strength and positioning in pass sets.” Pettiti’s dad also wrote that his son weighed about 335 pounds.
Have not found anything negative about him for some time now. He just might remain the starter over Fabini.

If this is true, Pettiti has done basically everything they have asked to prepare himself to be a solid starter.
Even last year, the young guy lost the weight before training camp and showed the dedication to be a real pro.
Pettiti is at least showing the desire to be successful.
Whether he has the talent will only show on the field of play, but I like hearing these reports on a guy we drafted with a late draft pick.

 

[Verdict]

I don't understand why some just can't wait to "pile on" this young man. At one time he was considered to have the potential to be a first day draft choice. I think he has the potential to be a solid starter, at the very least.

If you evaluate him based on the round in which he was drafted, he has already exceeded expectations. Lighten up on the guy.

 

[SuspectCorner]

I'd say that we May have fixed RT based on all of the things that burmafrd mentioned in his original post to start this thread. I have yet to see a player who did not improve from his rookie year with Parcells offseason program...it is one of the things that Parcells is very good at.

and it isn't just parcells.

i've lost count of the number of times i've heard it bandied about that a players biggest mental and physical leaps occur during the period between their rookie and second regular seasons.

and when you stop to think about it - it makes perfect sense, too.

that first full off-season of a pro-calibre diet and strength-and-conditioning program is bound to make a huge diff in and of itself. but combine it with the 4 or 5 months of time to liesurely pore over the playbook and.... viola... a few bulbs begin to snap on.

that first real offseason is a dang godsend for most of these guys.

 

[JackMagist]

and it isn't just parcells.

i've lost count of the number of times i've heard it bandied about that a players biggest mental and physical leaps occur during the period between their rookie and second regular seasons.

and when you stop to think about it - it makes perfect sense, too.

that first full off-season of a pro-calibre diet and strength-and-conditioning program is bound to make a huge diff in and of itself. but combine it with the 4 or 5 months of time to liesurely pore over the playbook and.... viola... a few bulbs begin to snap on.

that first real offseason is a dang godsend for most of these guys.

I realize that it happens all across the league with almost every player. But I think Parcells is particularly adept at setting specific goals for each individual player. I notice more improvement with his sophomore guys than I ever did with any other coach...Cowboys coach or otherwise.

I don't say many good things about Parcells...let me have this one :

 

[Zippy Speedster]

I will bow now.

And when he is starting Week 1, I will bow then, too.

I said he was going to be our surprise player this year and I'm sticking to that.

Fabini?

Fabini who?

Petiti only has heart, and it is growing. This guy is going to be a monster before all is said 'n done. A "monster" Parcells personally groomed.

 

[lspain1]

I don't understand why some just can't wait to "pile on" this young man. At one time he was considered to have the potential to be a first day draft choice. I think he has the potential to be a solid starter, at the very least.

If you evaluate him based on the round in which he was drafted, he has already exceeded expectations. Lighten up on the guy.

I actually think the criticism of Petitti has been pretty mild in the off season. He took some hard knocks on this forum during last season and he should have. He was not a good RT last season.

The fact that some are skeptical he will improve enough to be a success at RT is not 'piling on' the way I see it. I don't know enough to be skeptical so I'm looking forward to see how Rob turns out in TC. But I don't have a problem with some folks wanting to see an improvement on the field before they believe the 'good news.'

I think Fabini is stiff competition because he is a proven starter who is healthy. If Rob starts over Fabini I think it will be good news indeed because it will mean his off season improvement has been huge. We'll see.

 

[Yeagermeister]

After being thrown to the wolves at a position he'd never played before I thought did an ok job. If he's improved his conditioning as much as been reported I think he will beat out Fabini.

 

[Longboysfan]

Really the ideal situation for the team long term is for Petitti to win the job at RT and let Fabini be the backup swing tackle on game days.

I agree also.
This may be why they brought him in in the first place.
A good insurance policy in case either get's hurt this year.
Ceatainly an upgrade over Tucker.

What was Tampa thinking.

 

[lspain1]

What was Tampa thinking.

I also wonder about that. It'll be mildly interesting to see if he does any better there.

 

[SkinsandTerps]

Not only the Bucs passed on Fabini, but also the Patriots, and Lions.

 

[lspain1]

Not only the Bucs passed on Fabini, but also the Patriots, and Lions.

We were talking about Torrin Tucker with the question concerning Tampa. Tucker was the backup who took over from Adams last season. Tucker has some physical tools but seemed mentally totally out of his depth last year. His performance was awful and the Cowboys let him go to Tampa rather than matching their offer if I recall correctly.

 

[burmafrd]

I have not been that impressed with the Bucs O line or coaching- they are adequate but nothing more. It would not suprise me that they think they see something no one else does in Tucker. Its possible I suppose- but just how likely?

 

[burmafrd]

There are some programs in the college area that are known for being close to pro programs in strength and conditioning. Iowa and Wisconsin are two big ten programs that are that way- part of the reason why so many O line prospects come from those two schools. What has hurt the guys from Iowa in the last few years is that they were so well developed there that they did not grow much in the pros. Gallery is a perfect example- he appears to have already reached his potential - and has not shown that he can get better except with experience. Pittsburgh, meanwhile is not known particulary for its strength and conditioning program- so Petitti is benefiting now from being with us.

 

[big dog cowboy]

He took some hard knocks on this forum during last season and he should have. He was not a good RT last season.

That is true. But, there are reasons for that. He wasn't even supposed to be the starter last year.

 

[like a dog]

We've fixed RT?

Rob Pettiti was the worst starting tackle in the NFL last year. And now, all of a sudden he is the long term answer at RT. Based on what? Biased local media reporting that he looks "lighter on his feet"? He didn't look too light on his feet when Bryce Fischer was throwing him around like a rag doll.

RT is the biggest weakness for the Dallas Cowboys.

 

[ZeroClub]

As far as Petitte goes, I don't fault him for being thrown in to the starting lineup before he was ready.

The Cowboys made an obvious mistake counting on Jacob Rogers to be the answer at RT. When the Rogers experiment failed (almost before it got started), the Cowboys had painted themselves into a corner and had to go with Petitti.

I'm hopeful that Petitti will live up to the off-season hype, but I'm not confident that he's all that much better.

Over the past three years or so, several Cowboys players have been hyped based on their offseason work. Many/most of these have been DL and OL players who dissapointed; some are no longer even on the team.

So there is reason to be suspicious of the off-season hyping of players.

It isn't that I'm down on Petitti or don't trust him, it's just that we've seen too many players get hyped like this before who later turn out to be "fool's gold."

I do hope that Petitti will be an exception. Many fans offer reasonable and rational arguments supporting why they expect Petitti to be a possible long-term answer at RT. And that's great. But I'll take a wait-and-see approach.

There are some programs in the college area that are known for being close to pro programs in strength and conditioning. Iowa and Wisconsin are two big ten programs that are that way- part of the reason why so many O line prospects come from those two schools. What has hurt the guys from Iowa in the last few years is that they were so well developed there that they did not grow much in the pros. Gallery is a perfect example- he appears to have already reached his potential - and has not shown that he can get better except with experience.

This is a very good point. -- I've not thought about this issue in quite this way before, but it makes perfect sense.

 

[burmafrd]

TUCKER was the worst tackle in football last year on the basis of sacks per game. He had a couple less then Petitti BUT he started 6 less games.

 

[AsthmaField]

The thing that I like so much about Petitti is his toughness. And I'm not only talking about physically tough either, although he is physically tough. Last year he hurt his ankle pretty badly at one point. He never missed a snap. Didn't want to come out of a bad situation, even when he had an excuse. Didn't want to stop playing. Not only is that physically tough (Pretty much the anti-Jacob Rogers) but mental toughness is what kept him in there. He got repeatedly embarrassed at times last season as a rookie, yet he kept his head up and tried to help the team. That is both mental and physical tougness.

You have to know that Parcells just LOVED that. To Bill, that is more important than just about anything else, IMO... especially on the O line. He's one tough guy... he competes and likes to play the game. He doesn't make excuses and this offseason clearly shows that he's determined to improve and keep his starting spot. I think Bill is pulling for the guy and wants him to keep the job.

Look, I know he had problems last season (although he was fine until Flozell went down) and almost any rookie offensive lineman would've. He was a rookie and if things would've gone as planned, Petitti never would've started last year. Had Bradie James been forced into playing as a rookie, I'm sure he would've had similar struggles. He didn't and he was able to learn and become an NFL player physically and mentally over the course of a couple of seasons. Petitti went a long way towards that this offseason and he should be markedly better this year.

I wouldn't be surprised one bit if he is our starter at RT. I think he will be at some point, whether its opening day... later in the year... or next season. But I think he'll be our starter one day and I think he'll do great. He definately has the intangibles.