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Texas BBQ
By Ted Carlson June 18, 2007
Notable Offseason Moves: Other than losing Bill Parcells and nearly his entire coaching staff, interviewing about 10 candidates before settling on Wade Phillips, and hand-picking Jason Garrett as the offensive coordinator and future head coach, the Cowboys staff didn't see much action this offseason. Oh, wait. Phillips is basically in charge of molding the 3-4 defense, and Garrett will design the offense and call the plays. He'll have help from assistant head coach Tony Sparano (who called plays in 2006) and veteran wide receivers coach Ray Sherman. The Cowboys quickly made a cannonball in the free agent pool by signing former Cardinals perennial disappointment, offensive lineman Leonard "Big" Davis to a seven-year, $49 million. The second overall pick of the 2001 quickly endeared himself to Cowboys fans and PETA members by saving a horse who was stuck in mud. And, no, that's not a euphemism for kick-starting Julius Jones and the Cowboys running game. There was talk of Davis taking over at right tackle, but the 'Boys re-signed Marc Colombo to a two-year contract a few days later. So, Colombo will stay at right tackle, and Davis will move to right guard, where he replaces Marco Rivera, who was released and may need to retire. The Cowboys also re-signed center Andre Gurode, brought in veteran quarterback Brad Johnson to serve as Tony Romo's backup (and as a sure-handed holder for kicks), and added safety Ken Hamlin to start alongside Pro Bowler Roy Williams.
Position Battles: Fantasy owners are probably hoping to read about a wide-open competition between Jones and Marion Barber, but the new staff has given no indication of such a struggle. Garrett will change which types of running plays are used, but Phillips has insinuated that the Cowboys will continue to use a committee approach. Will Barber start over Jones? Will the touches be more equal? Possibly, but don't expect one back to emerge as a clear carry leader. The other backfield position offers a more legitimate battle, albeit not one of great fantasy interest. Parcells often employed a two-tight end set with Jason Witten and Anthony Fasano, but Garrett comes from the old Emmitt Smith-Daryl Johnston school and wants to use a bruising fullback. Oliver Hoyte, Lousaka Polite, and rookie Deon Anderson are likely fighting for two roster spots.
Other than the notable change at right guard, the rest of the offense remains as is from the season before – even down to the backup tight end (Fasano) and the third receiver (Patrick Crayton). However, once the offense gets the ball in the end zone or stalls in the red zone, we're not sure who will be asked to put the pigskin through the goal posts. Martin Gramatica re-signed and is the incumbent, but the Cowboys also used a sixth-round pick on Arizona kicker Nick Folk, who is known for his strong leg.
Keep an Eye On: The Dallas papers are already spending a lot of ink discussing Romo's contract, which should continue to be a hot topic heading into camp. Romo is in the final year of his deal, and the Texans upped the price tag by inking Matt Schaub to an absurb, desperate, six-year, $48 million contract. The money is only half of the story with Romo, though. We're also interested to see how he looks in Garrett's new, vertical-oriented passing attack. Romo got off to a hot start in 2006, but he cooled down the stretch. Just how good is he?
We're not quite ready to call it a "battle," but the offensive line could still see some changes on the left side. Second-year man Pat McQuistan has earned a lot of praise during his time with the club, and he spent the summer filling in for Flozell Adams (minor knee surgery) at left tackle. Assuming Adams returns and looks fine, McQuistan could take one step to the right and challenge Kyle Kosier for the starting left guard job.
Players have already been glowing about the defensive tweaks, and fans that are into that sort of thing may want to check out Williams and Greg Ellis this August. The perennial Pro Bowl safety spent much of his time in coverage last year, but Phillips plans to move him closer to the line. Ellis is squabbling about his contract (again) and trying to come back from a torn Achilles. If the long-time Cowboys end/linebacker isn't up to full speed, first-round pick Anthony Spencer could start immediately
By Ted Carlson June 18, 2007
Notable Offseason Moves: Other than losing Bill Parcells and nearly his entire coaching staff, interviewing about 10 candidates before settling on Wade Phillips, and hand-picking Jason Garrett as the offensive coordinator and future head coach, the Cowboys staff didn't see much action this offseason. Oh, wait. Phillips is basically in charge of molding the 3-4 defense, and Garrett will design the offense and call the plays. He'll have help from assistant head coach Tony Sparano (who called plays in 2006) and veteran wide receivers coach Ray Sherman. The Cowboys quickly made a cannonball in the free agent pool by signing former Cardinals perennial disappointment, offensive lineman Leonard "Big" Davis to a seven-year, $49 million. The second overall pick of the 2001 quickly endeared himself to Cowboys fans and PETA members by saving a horse who was stuck in mud. And, no, that's not a euphemism for kick-starting Julius Jones and the Cowboys running game. There was talk of Davis taking over at right tackle, but the 'Boys re-signed Marc Colombo to a two-year contract a few days later. So, Colombo will stay at right tackle, and Davis will move to right guard, where he replaces Marco Rivera, who was released and may need to retire. The Cowboys also re-signed center Andre Gurode, brought in veteran quarterback Brad Johnson to serve as Tony Romo's backup (and as a sure-handed holder for kicks), and added safety Ken Hamlin to start alongside Pro Bowler Roy Williams.
Position Battles: Fantasy owners are probably hoping to read about a wide-open competition between Jones and Marion Barber, but the new staff has given no indication of such a struggle. Garrett will change which types of running plays are used, but Phillips has insinuated that the Cowboys will continue to use a committee approach. Will Barber start over Jones? Will the touches be more equal? Possibly, but don't expect one back to emerge as a clear carry leader. The other backfield position offers a more legitimate battle, albeit not one of great fantasy interest. Parcells often employed a two-tight end set with Jason Witten and Anthony Fasano, but Garrett comes from the old Emmitt Smith-Daryl Johnston school and wants to use a bruising fullback. Oliver Hoyte, Lousaka Polite, and rookie Deon Anderson are likely fighting for two roster spots.
Other than the notable change at right guard, the rest of the offense remains as is from the season before – even down to the backup tight end (Fasano) and the third receiver (Patrick Crayton). However, once the offense gets the ball in the end zone or stalls in the red zone, we're not sure who will be asked to put the pigskin through the goal posts. Martin Gramatica re-signed and is the incumbent, but the Cowboys also used a sixth-round pick on Arizona kicker Nick Folk, who is known for his strong leg.
Keep an Eye On: The Dallas papers are already spending a lot of ink discussing Romo's contract, which should continue to be a hot topic heading into camp. Romo is in the final year of his deal, and the Texans upped the price tag by inking Matt Schaub to an absurb, desperate, six-year, $48 million contract. The money is only half of the story with Romo, though. We're also interested to see how he looks in Garrett's new, vertical-oriented passing attack. Romo got off to a hot start in 2006, but he cooled down the stretch. Just how good is he?
We're not quite ready to call it a "battle," but the offensive line could still see some changes on the left side. Second-year man Pat McQuistan has earned a lot of praise during his time with the club, and he spent the summer filling in for Flozell Adams (minor knee surgery) at left tackle. Assuming Adams returns and looks fine, McQuistan could take one step to the right and challenge Kyle Kosier for the starting left guard job.
Players have already been glowing about the defensive tweaks, and fans that are into that sort of thing may want to check out Williams and Greg Ellis this August. The perennial Pro Bowl safety spent much of his time in coverage last year, but Phillips plans to move him closer to the line. Ellis is squabbling about his contract (again) and trying to come back from a torn Achilles. If the long-time Cowboys end/linebacker isn't up to full speed, first-round pick Anthony Spencer could start immediately
