Was drafting Spears a mistake?

junk said:
So, don't read the thread. Don't post in it. Nobody is forcing you to participate.
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Yes but my non-participation isn't going to do anything to end it.
 
junk said:
This is just as valid of a discussion as the 20 or so declaring Carpenter to definitively be a bust.

Spears has been pretty average. Spears didn't start initially in Dallas. Spears was drafted around the same time as Carpenter.

The big argument for going 3-4 was that it was easier to find players. I don't see that as being the case at all. Dallas still had to invest heavily in the defense to implement the 3-4. Is a two gapping DE in a 3-4 worth a first round pick?
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If memory serves me an injury was a factor in him not starting right away.
 
I always say this on the Chargers' boards: there is nothing wrong with a good solid player. To evaluate the DEs in a 3-4, you need to look at your rushing defense. Everyone knows that it starts with the NT, but the DEs have to be stout at the point of attack. We have Igor Olshansky playing RDE (2nd round 2004). He is not a great pass rusher, but is hellacious against the run. Ther will alway be a place for him. That being said, he is entering his 3rd year and he is trying to improve his pass rushing skills. If Spears is stout against the run, then he is doing his primary responsibility. He will have to be strong enough to collapse the pocket.

Lastly, guys do improve after their 2nd year in the league. Spears is entering his 2nd. It is still early.
 
I never said Abraham was a free agent... He was under contract with the Jets... I was just stating that Abraham may have been a good pick up for Dallas... And of course we would have to trade for him...

On Barber, yes I like Barber but the facts are we have Julius and IMO they both are the same... If your going to get a 2nd RB preferrably it would be a larger back such as a Duckett... Someone who can get that tough 1 yard... But on we now have a FS that is still a ???... It's only been 2 games... I'll give him half a year or the entire year to trully see if it was worth it...

Bottom line IMO again there were key positions that needed addressed on the offense... When you take a look at our OL we are going to need to draft for every position within the next couple of years... We are going to need to draft a QB... We are going to need to draft a WR...
 
cowboys41fe said:
I never said Abraham was a free agent... He was under contract with the Jets... I was just stating that Abraham may have been a good pick up for Dallas... And of course we would have to trade for him...

On Barber, yes I like Barber but the facts are we have Julius and IMO they both are the same... If your going to get a 2nd RB preferrably it would be a larger back such as a Duckett... Someone who can get that tough 1 yard... But on we now have a FS that is still a ???... It's only been 2 games... I'll give him half a year or the entire year to trully see if it was worth it...

Bottom line IMO again there were key positions that needed addressed on the offense... When you take a look at our OL we are going to need to draft for every position within the next couple of years... We are going to need to draft a QB... We are going to need to draft a WR...
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Do you even realize there is a season going on now? Whining about drafting offense is pointless with FOURTEEN GAMES ahead of you.

You'll give a rookie a half a year to prove something to you? How generous. I am sure Pat Watkins is shaking in his boots now that random internet fool #8983578 is expecting to see something.
 
Spears has a lot of upside, but is injury prone....could you imagine this defense right now if we would have drafted Merriman and Lawson and were able to unleash those two beasts every sunday!!!!???? :eek:
 
"you do know there are drafts every year right?"

Again the last time we drafted someone from the offense in the 1st round was 1997... As long as BP is here I don't see that changing...
 
StarAmongStars said:
Spears has a lot of upside, but is injury prone....could you imagine this defense right now if we would have drafted Merriman and Lawson and were able to unleash those two beasts every sunday!!!!???? :eek:
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No I don't. I like our defense and feel this unit will be one of the tops in the league. Nothing aginst Merriman and Lawson but I'm quite happy with the folks we have.
 
Could you imagine if we would have gotten Merriman AND Ware?! Couldn't have hapened cause if we would have taken Merriman then San Diego would have taken Ware. But it's fun to think about.

Having said that, I don't regret taking Spears at all. He is the prototype 3-4 end.
 
cowboys41fe said:
"you do know there are drafts every year right?"

Again the last time we drafted someone from the offense in the 1st round was 1997... As long as BP is here I don't see that changing...
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You can thank the Joey Galloway trade for not having two first round picks.

Then Jerry goes out and compounds the issue by taking QC.

QC, Galloway, LaFleur.............what a great way to build an offense.

Carver, Ekuban, Pittman, Blade, Goodrich......

Is it any wonder the D needed a little work around here?
 
You know whats funny about this thread is that if we had not taken Spears, and Canty, either was not available in the 4th when we took him or IF he had not made full recovery from the eye injury or the knee injury, this same guy might be saying we should have taken Spears with that pick instead of "whoever" we took.
 
aikemirv said:
You know whats funny about this thread is that if we had not taken Spears, and Canty, either was not available in the 4th when we took him or IF he had not made full recovery from the eye injury or the knee injury, this same guy might be saying we should have taken Spears with that pick instead of "whoever" we took.
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BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!! On the nosey
 
Out of all the plays Spears has participated in, he's only been moved off the line a hand full of plays.

I've watched both game tapes, and I think Spears can be a pro bowler, even playing DE in a 3-4 scheme. He holds up linemen, peels off really good, and his pass rushing skills are way above average... I've been really impressed by Spears, so IMO, it was a terrific pick.
 
There is a major difference in a rookie starting and a rookie who plays in a nickle situation...

Going by your theory BP would have kept Petitti who started every game last year...
 
Well considering we drafted Roy, Newman, Ware and Spears the last thing you would have thought would have been Carpenter...
 
cowboys41fe said:
There is a major difference in a rookie starting and a rookie who plays in a nickle situation...

Going by your theory BP would have kept Petitti who started every game last year...
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Which post and poster is this directed to?
 
That would be not true... I've been saying since Newman that we needed to draft offense...

Let's get real here, the Cowboys haven't spent a #1 on a QB, RB, and WR since the tripplets...
 
junk said:
Honestly, I would probably lean towards Spears, but I do enjoy going back and forth on subjects like that. Especially if the other posters bring up valid points that might make me look at something from a angle that is different than what I normally would look at it.
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Yes, it is a decent question, but Spears was the absolute prototype for the position, and we had no 34 ends on the roster at the time. (I don't count Coleman -- if Parcells thought he could it do the job full time at all, he wouldn't have looked so hard for more ends.)

As others have pointed out, I think Pittsburgh is the exception rather than the rule when it comes to no-name 34 ends who are good enough to win a Super Bowl. Belichick and Shottenheimer both saw fit to spend high picks there, too.

But as for a different angle on things... At the time there was a lot of emphasis on "versatility", meaning the ability to play in three or four man fronts. I remember Jerry mentioning that several times. Back then we weren't sure we could get all the 34 pieces at once -- and probably more importantly, we weren't sure how long Parcells would even stick around. Spears is the rare 300 pounder with the athleticism to play a quick, penetrating style in the 43 if we wanted to go back to that. Those Pittsburgh ends couldn't do that, or at least not very well.
 
cowboys41fe said:
That would be not true... I've been saying since Newman that we needed to draft offense...

Let's get real here, the Cowboys haven't spent a #1 on a QB, RB, and WR since the tripplets...
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How many #1's have the teams winning the SB's used on QB, RB or WR?

I count one............

Ben R.
 
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