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Keep It In Context
By Rafael Vela
Bill Parcells takes some justified heat on this site for his drafts, which had an up and down quality to them. The ‘03 and ‘05 drafts provided solid players in volume and some standouts, in Terence Newman, Jason Witten and Demarcus Ware. The ‘04 and ‘06 drafts lack the same oomph.
Let’s not make the mistake of viewing these selections in a vacuum. For all the Jacob Rogers and Stephen Petermans, Parcells’ work looks good in contrast to his divisional rivals over that time. Let’s compare Dallas’ pups with New York’s, Philadelphia’s and Washington’s over the last four years and you’ll see what I mean.
GIANTS
Upside — Big hits with DE Osi Umenyioua, guards David Diehl and Chris Snee and S Gibril Wilson.
Downside — traded a mint to get QB Eli Manning, including Philip Rivers, who is arguably a better player. As a result, the Giants had only four picks in ‘05, none of whom are starters. If Manning plateaus this could be their version of the Joey Galloway deal.
Starters from ‘03 through ‘06 — seven.
Early ‘06 report card — had only one consistent starter, in 4th round DT Barry Cofield. 1st rounder Mathias Kiwanuka started the second half after injuries hit the DE position and shows promise. They were the only Giants with more than two starts.
EAGLES
Upside — The Eagles have had success with their high picks, landing L.J. Smith, Shaun Andrews, Mike Patterson and Reggie Brown.
Downside — They’ve been awful in the mid and late rounds most of the time. Smith and DE Jerome McDougle are the only players left from their ‘03 draft. Andrews is the only every-down player from Philadelphia’s ‘04 draft, though FB Thomas Tapeh is decent.
Only ‘05 stands out, when Philly drafted Sean Considine, Todd Herremans and Trent Cole in the middle rounds in addition to Patterson and Brown.
Starters from ‘03 though ‘06 — nine
Early ‘06 report card — The Eagles got A’s in the knee-jerk pundits’ polls, but the class looks like a D today. Only two players, 4th round WR Jason Avant and 5th round LB Omar Gaither started any games. Brodrick Bunkley never got a start and 2nd rounder Winston Justice was inactive for all 16 games. Is he any better a prospect today than Pat McQuistan? 4th round OG Max Jean-Gilles also failed to dress for a single game.
Commanders
Upside — Washington appears to have hit on all its first-day picks in ‘04 and ‘05, landing starters Sean Taylor, Chris Cooley, Carlos Rogers and Jason Campbell.
Downside — The Commanders have had only four picks in rounds 1-4 the past two drafts. They have only one pick in rounds 1-4 this year. They had only three overall picks in ‘03 and their one starter, OG Derrick Dockery, left in free agency last month. They had only four overall picks in ‘04 and were fortunate that their first two hit.
Starters from ‘03 through ‘06 — five
Early ‘06 report card — The early results look brutal, because LB Rocky McIntosh was all the Commanders had from the first four rounds and he made just one start. Had 6th round DT Kedrick Golston not surprised, Washington was facing a second draft in four years with no productivity.
COWBOYS
Upside — Pro Bowlers in Witten and Ware and starters in Newman, Julius Jones, Bradie James, Marcus Spears and Chris Canty. Promising part-timers Marion Barber, Patrick Crayton, Jay Ratliff and Bobby Carpenter.
Downside — The ‘04 draft, Jones and Crayton aside, looks like a washout. Jacques Reeves is still around, but has not stepped forward. Canty and Spears regressed in ‘06 and need to get back on track, or the ‘05 draft will look poorer.
Starters from ‘03 through ‘06 — eight
Early ‘06 report card — Bobby Carpenter’s strong play against Seattle probably helped the scouting staff breathe easier. The jury is out on Anthony Fasano and Jason Hatcher, though Hatcher teased some pass rushing skills early. The Cowboys gambled and lost big time on 4th round return man Skyler Green.
http://theboysblog.com/
By Rafael Vela
Bill Parcells takes some justified heat on this site for his drafts, which had an up and down quality to them. The ‘03 and ‘05 drafts provided solid players in volume and some standouts, in Terence Newman, Jason Witten and Demarcus Ware. The ‘04 and ‘06 drafts lack the same oomph.
Let’s not make the mistake of viewing these selections in a vacuum. For all the Jacob Rogers and Stephen Petermans, Parcells’ work looks good in contrast to his divisional rivals over that time. Let’s compare Dallas’ pups with New York’s, Philadelphia’s and Washington’s over the last four years and you’ll see what I mean.
GIANTS
Upside — Big hits with DE Osi Umenyioua, guards David Diehl and Chris Snee and S Gibril Wilson.
Downside — traded a mint to get QB Eli Manning, including Philip Rivers, who is arguably a better player. As a result, the Giants had only four picks in ‘05, none of whom are starters. If Manning plateaus this could be their version of the Joey Galloway deal.
Starters from ‘03 through ‘06 — seven.
Early ‘06 report card — had only one consistent starter, in 4th round DT Barry Cofield. 1st rounder Mathias Kiwanuka started the second half after injuries hit the DE position and shows promise. They were the only Giants with more than two starts.
EAGLES
Upside — The Eagles have had success with their high picks, landing L.J. Smith, Shaun Andrews, Mike Patterson and Reggie Brown.
Downside — They’ve been awful in the mid and late rounds most of the time. Smith and DE Jerome McDougle are the only players left from their ‘03 draft. Andrews is the only every-down player from Philadelphia’s ‘04 draft, though FB Thomas Tapeh is decent.
Only ‘05 stands out, when Philly drafted Sean Considine, Todd Herremans and Trent Cole in the middle rounds in addition to Patterson and Brown.
Starters from ‘03 though ‘06 — nine
Early ‘06 report card — The Eagles got A’s in the knee-jerk pundits’ polls, but the class looks like a D today. Only two players, 4th round WR Jason Avant and 5th round LB Omar Gaither started any games. Brodrick Bunkley never got a start and 2nd rounder Winston Justice was inactive for all 16 games. Is he any better a prospect today than Pat McQuistan? 4th round OG Max Jean-Gilles also failed to dress for a single game.
Commanders
Upside — Washington appears to have hit on all its first-day picks in ‘04 and ‘05, landing starters Sean Taylor, Chris Cooley, Carlos Rogers and Jason Campbell.
Downside — The Commanders have had only four picks in rounds 1-4 the past two drafts. They have only one pick in rounds 1-4 this year. They had only three overall picks in ‘03 and their one starter, OG Derrick Dockery, left in free agency last month. They had only four overall picks in ‘04 and were fortunate that their first two hit.
Starters from ‘03 through ‘06 — five
Early ‘06 report card — The early results look brutal, because LB Rocky McIntosh was all the Commanders had from the first four rounds and he made just one start. Had 6th round DT Kedrick Golston not surprised, Washington was facing a second draft in four years with no productivity.
COWBOYS
Upside — Pro Bowlers in Witten and Ware and starters in Newman, Julius Jones, Bradie James, Marcus Spears and Chris Canty. Promising part-timers Marion Barber, Patrick Crayton, Jay Ratliff and Bobby Carpenter.
Downside — The ‘04 draft, Jones and Crayton aside, looks like a washout. Jacques Reeves is still around, but has not stepped forward. Canty and Spears regressed in ‘06 and need to get back on track, or the ‘05 draft will look poorer.
Starters from ‘03 through ‘06 — eight
Early ‘06 report card — Bobby Carpenter’s strong play against Seattle probably helped the scouting staff breathe easier. The jury is out on Anthony Fasano and Jason Hatcher, though Hatcher teased some pass rushing skills early. The Cowboys gambled and lost big time on 4th round return man Skyler Green.
http://theboysblog.com/
