Why did we draft Marcus Spears

[dbair1967]

Because he had/has all kinds of talent. He was a great basketball player even at his size (pretty sure Duke recruited him) and he played for a very tough coach in Nick Saban. I mean, when you watched highlights, the guy reminded a lot of us of Reggie White... He was just built the same way.

He just hasn't worked out that great, like happens with draft picks.

About the only red flag on him was that he supposedly didn't have the best motor all the time, and maybe that's what's kept him from being better. But he wasn't known as horribly lazy or anything like that.

He's been a quality starter. If he had ended up on a 4-3 team and played LDE like he did at LSU, I'm quite sure his numbers would be better.

 

[CoolNClutch]

Man I would never draft a 3-4 DE in the 1st round...heck no! I know they are important in building a 3-4 defense but in the 1st round, you need to draft an impact maker who will either protect the QB or make their presence felt on the stat sheet. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounds are all prime to get a 3-4 DE...look at what we found with Jason Hatcher and Chris Canty (who was better than Spears)

 

[dbair1967]

Man I would never draft a 3-4 DE in the 1st round...heck no! I know they are important in building a 3-4 defense but in the 1st round, you need to draft an impact maker who will either protect the QB or make their presence felt on the stat sheet. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounds are all prime to get a 3-4 DE...look at what we found with Jason Hatcher and Chris Canty (who was better than Spears)

Canty is probably a better pass rusher than Spears, but I dont agree that he's a better overall player. Spears is a better run defender than Canty.

And Hatcher is nowhere near as good as Spears.

And as fyi, Canty probably would have been a late 1st/early 2nd rd pick had it not been for an injury at UVA.

 

[Vintage]

Spears has been starting for us since part way thru his rookie season. He's been a solid starter on a front 7 that, over the past 3 year span, has led the NFL in sacks.

Go look at that 2005 NFL Draft and the players selected before Spears and see how many flamed out. Alex Smith, Adam Jones, Troy Williamson, Mike Williams, Antrel Rolle (all in the top 10 alone)....

Sure, Rolle ended up being decent, but worth a top 10 pick? No.

Look at the guys taken after him. Outside of Roddy White and Logan Mankins, everything is questionable. Castillo might have been a better pick. Is anyone arguing for Matt Jones? Mark Clayton? Fabian Washington? Jason Campbell?

Heath Miller is doing pretty good, but with Witten, we weren't taking another TE in the 1st round.

We entered the 2005 draft with 2 1st rounders. We netted a superstar and a solid starter.

Most teams would take that every time.

 

[The Quest for Six]

Why did the Jets draft Vernon Gholston?

Why did the Raiders draft Jamarcus Russell....oh that's right, the Crypt keeper Al Davis runs the show there

 

[arglebargle]

I'm partial to the Spanish ones with anchovy. I hate anchovies but had like 8 martinis one night with anchovy stuffed olives in them. I kept saying "wow, what a great olive! What is in that?"

After 8 martoonis, I am surprised you could remember liking them at all!

I like the black but not the green ones so much. However, jalapeno stuffed olives have to go on the 'try 'em' list.

As for that 3-4 DE thing, 5 sacks a year is pretty decent for an end in the system. They will rarely get the sack totals of a 4-3 DE. Still, Spears hasn't managed that either. He turned out to be one dimensional. At least he has one good dimension.

 

[casmith07]

Green olives come in CANS in Europe.

There you go.

Lots of stuff comes in cans in Europe, though...like weird stuff too.

 

[arglebargle]

....

We entered the 2005 draft with 2 1st rounders. We netted a superstar and a solid starter.

Most teams would take that every time.

If you look at the 2005 draft, the Cowboys had the best draft by far. Especially good since the 2005 draft is now considered one of the worst of the decade.

 

[Hostile]

Why do people keep talking football in a thread about olives?

 

[ShiningStar]

Why do people keep talking football in a thread about olives?

why do olives keep talking about football in a peoples thread? The World may never know.

 

[arglebargle]

Olives and footballs: the Ovoid Connection!

 

[NextGenBoys]

Spears was an absolute beast in college.

Worth that first round selection no doubt. He has not played as well in the NFL though...and yes, some of it is because of scheme.

 

[Hostile]

Olives and footballs: the Ovoid Connection!

That explains it.

Do you like eggs?

 

[InmanRoshi]

Spears, like Bradie James in the past, is the dog that everyone loves to kick when they're mad, but he's been a Day 1 starter for going on 6 consecutive years for the Cowboys. Other players drafted in the first round that year who have either been busts or now working on their 2nd or 3rd teams are Alex Smith, Mike Williams, Matt Jones, Mark Clayton, Fabian Washington, Chris Spencer, Jason Campbell, Erasumus James, David Pollack, Troy Williamson, Alex Barron, Marlin Jackson, PacMan Jones, Cedric Benson, Braylon Edwards ... and that's not including players like Derrick Johnson, who are still with their teams, but only as backups. So yeah, I'll gladly take 6 consecutive years starting with the 20th pick in the draft.

The best 3-4 DE's of the decade, Aaron Smith and Richard Seymour, only average 4 sacks/year, so there's nothing outlandisly bad about Spears lack of sacks (especially since he's not even in nickel packages). Igor became the fan's darling last year and he provides even less pass rush than Spears and is a former 35th pick in the draft and was given $8 million guaranteed by the Cowboys. So if Spears is a huge underachiever, Igor is right behind (if not neck and neck).

Spears biggest problems have been mostly firvolous PR and perception ... mainly that he's always compared and overshadowed by draftmate DeMarcus Ware and the way he shot his mouth off about how Parcells was holding him back.

Im not really interested in signing him to a huge contract extension (unless Hatcher and Bowen don't step up this year), but to say the Cowboys could have done far worse with that pick is a huge understatement.

 

[Four]

I love eggs.

if I Had to eat one food for the rest of my life it would be eggs. So versatile so delicious.

 

[CF74]

They shall rue the day they ever put green, black, and purple olives in ze same jar!!!

 

[MrMom]

Spears, like Bradie James in the past, is the dog that everyone loves to kick when they're mad, but he's been a Day 1 starter for going on 6 consecutive years for the Cowboys. Other players drafted in the first round that year who have either been busts or now working on their 2nd or 3rd teams are Alex Smith, Mike Williams, Matt Jones, Mark Clayton, Fabian Washington, Chris Spencer, Jason Campbell, Erasumus James, David Pollack, Troy Williamson, Alex Barron, Marlin Jackson, PacMan Jones, Cedric Benson, Braylon Edwards ... and that's not including players like Derrick Johnson, who are still with their teams, but only as backups. So yeah, I'll glad take 6 consecutive years starting with the 20th pick in the draft.

The best 3-4 DE's of the decade, Aaron Smith and Richard Seymour, only average 4 sacks/year, so there's nothing outlandisly bad about Spears lack of sacks (especially since he's not even in nickel packages). Igor became the fan's darling last year and he provides even less pass rush than Spears and is a former 35th pick in the draft and was given $8 million guaranteed by the Cowboys. So if Spears is a huge underachiever, Igor is right behind (if not neck and neck).

Spears biggest problems have been mostly firvolous PR and perception ... mainly that he's always compared and overshadowed by draftmate DeMarcus Ware and the way he shot his mouth off about how Parcells was holding him back.

Im not really interested in signing him to a huge contract extension (unless Hatcher and Bowen don't step up this year), but to say the Cowboys could have done far worse with that pick is a huge understatement.

Hell of a post.

 

[Galian Beast]

Another example in 2003 here are the QB selected

1 1 Carson Palmer

1 7 Byron Leftwich

1 19 Kyle Boller

1 22 Rex Grossman

3 88 Dave Ragone

3 97 Chris Simms

4 110 Seneca Wallace

5 163 Brian St. Pierre

6 192 Drew Henson

6 200 Brooks Bollinger

6 201 Kliff Kingsbury

7 232 Gibran Hamdan

7 241 Ken Dorsey



who would you take over Romo knowing what you do today?

I think some here are lost.

Im not talking about hindsight.

I'm talking about his college career. Some have stated that he was a top defensive end in the draft as well as one of the best defensive linemen in lsu history, these were the answers I was looking for.

That said when I'm comparing those numbers to other college defensive ends, they aren't especially great. So I still don't know if he warranted a first round grade, because some defensive ends in this upcoming draft have just as good numbers but seem like theyre projected for the 2nd or 3rd rounds.

 

[Galian Beast]

maybe we reached for him but other than Seymour I can't think of a 3-4 DE who makes a huge impact play in and play out he does his job and nothing more

Justin Smith
Vonnie Holliday
Calais Campbell
Corey Williams
Randy Starks
Kendall Langford
Robaire Smith

are pretty good examples.

I believe 3-4 DE can be a playmaker position to an extent, that said if you don't expect the position to make a huge impact, I don't see why you would draft a player in the 1st round.

 

[Four]

so you want poeple to go back and watch college film on a draft pick from years and years ago because you are too damned lazy and needed a reason to complain?

gotcha