CowboysBlog.Net

The prodigal son has returned, sorry for my brief absence, it’s been busy around here this month, but with camp drawing closer I’m back despite it all. A lot of the talk has been around Terry Glenn and Adam Jones in recent weeks, but I’d like to broach the issue of THE backup. THE, being the most important backup spot on the roster, the #2 QB.

Last season we managed to keep Romo safe, but at one point Romo has dinged his finger, and we all saw the effects even if they were ever so slight. Should Romo be out for any amount of time, this high octane offense would be in Brad Johnson’s hands.

I’ll be the first to admit, I was all for signing Brad Johnson, I liked the idea, but after watching him in camp last year and in the preseason, he looked marginally average at best. Add another year, and the results surely aren’t going to be better. I think the Cowboys would be wise to look at some other options, Mainly that of picking up a free agent or trading a late pick to acquire Chris Simms.

What do you guys think, is Brad Johnson the answer this year?

Adam Jones no longer wishes to be known as “Pacman” and has basically disavowed himself from his past. Hence forth, he shall be known as Adam Jones, and we’ll do the same on this blog.
So, here’s to you Adam! Dominate in 2008 and beyond. We all look forward to seeing you step it up on and off the field.

I coined it here a long time, now I can finally use it in this post! I’m loving all the news today. Last season I predicted Barber could land a deal ranging from $35-$45 million dollars and a few disagreed. Looks MB3 and the Cowboys agreed with me too. I’m not taking credit, but I’m happy Barber got the deal he received! The DMN Blog reported that Barber has signed a new deal at 7yrs for $45million dollars with $16million guaranteed.

The Cowboys and running back Marion Barber have come to terms on a seven-year, $45 million deal, with $16 million guaranteed, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus. Barber will earn $21 million over first three years of the deal.

“I gotta credit the Cowboys, they do a great job of getting players signed,” Rosenhaus said. “Representing Marion’s been a pleasure, on and off the field, he’s a champ.” (DMNBlog)

From DMNBlog:

From Todd Archer:

The Cowboys and Terence Newman agreed to a six-year extension worth $50.2 million on Tuesday, beating a deadline in which the salary-cap rules will change after NFL owners decided to opt out of the final three years of the collective bargaining agreement.

He will receive $22.5 million guaranteed over the first three years of the contract.

More to come.

If you thought the rest of the offseason would be quiet, you didn’t count on this lingering story surronding Roy Williams. First came his interview on the Michael Irvin show where he admitted there were times he wished the ball did not get thrown in his direction, and all that. Roy just seemed dissolutioned, lost, and not confident.

Now this week, we have Greg Ellis coming forth with some more information indicating Roy Williams is not fitting in Wade’s 3-4, and Ellis also stated Roy has began to isolate himself from his team mates. Just sounds like a situation that could end with Roy Williams in another city, either by release or trade.

The DMN Blog laid out the financial impact in letting Roy Williams go:

According to NFLPA figures, Williams is scheduled to count $6.667 million against the cap in 2008. If the Cowboys chose to cut him, they would have to take on $7.387 million of proration from his $11.1 million signing bonus, so the move would cost them $720,000 against the cap.

Now, they could choose to designate Williams a June 1 cap casualty and spread the hit over two years. If they were to do that - and remember this is IF - then they would take a proration hit of $2.947 million this year, saving them $3.7 million against the cap in 2008. Here’s the rub: the remaining $4.4 million of the proration would hit the cap in 2009. (DMN)

I just read another interesting rumor, whether true or not brought up an interesting point. Basically, the rumor says Roy is not playing football for the money, and he (Roy) would make “monetary sacrifices” to stay in Dallas or go elsewhere. If true, this sounds like Roy would be willing to redo his contract to help facilitate a trade to a team with a new cap friendly-type contract. Who knows, we’ll see how this drama turns out. There’s never a dull moment in Cowboys Nation!

The Cowboys have just signed Judd Garrett as their Assistant Director of Pro Scouting. The Cowboys now have three Garrett’s spread throughout the organization. Jason Garrett leads the way as Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordination, John Garrett as Tight Ends Coach, and now Judd Garrett. Putting Judd in Pro Scouting will spark speculation that this team is being groomed for Garrett in 2009. Everyone can say what they want to be politically correct, but c’mon, if this is not a sign, then I don’t what else is… Plugging in Judd in the Pro Scouting Department is good news for Jason Garrett, he’ll have more say in which type of players he’ll want scouted.

From DMNBlog:

Judd Garrett will be named the Cowboys’ assistant director of pro scouting, according to multiple sources. Judd Garrett is the younger brother of Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and tight ends coach John Garrett. For the last two seasons, Judd Garrett was the St. Louis Rams’ tight end coach but asked for a leave of absence due to family matters. Judd Garrett’s wife passed away last year.

Judd Garrett replaces Brian Gaine, who left to work as the Miami Dolphins assistant player personnel. (DMN)

Looks the the Dolphins wanted Fasano and Carpenter, but the Cowboys refused, and opted to trade Akin Ayodele instead. This was the right move in my opinion. Ayodele was “just there” occupying space and not making much impact on defense.

From Star-Telegram:

According to an NFL source, the Dolphins wanted Bobby Carpenter, but the Cowboys weren’t willing to part with the 2006 first-round draft pick. So Dallas included Ayodele in the deal.

Carpenter is glad to stay in Dallas, and sees more opportunity to play this year. I don’t blame him, I’m sure Carpenter will see significant playing time either way. Parcells stunted his growth, and he’s getting a fresh start this year.

“This is still a great opportunity for me, and [inside linebacker] is a place where I think I can use my athletic ability to make plays,” Carpenter said. “If I’m going to have a shot to play, I want it to be here.” (Star-Telegram)

Rookie Minicamp will be this weekend, rookies and 1st year players will be in attendance.

Friday, May 2, 2008
10:30 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. (Practice)
12:15 P.M. - 1:30 P.M. (Media in locker room)
2:45 P.M. - 3:45 P.M. (Practice)

Saturday, May 3, 2008
10:30 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. (Practice)
12:15 P.M. - 1:30 P.M. (Media in locker room)
1:30 P.M. - 2:00 P.M. (Wade Phillips press conference)
2:45 P.M. - 3:45 P.M. (Practice)

Sunday, May 4, 2008
Weightlifting and meetings only; No practice and no media

The Parcells era came and went, but the one area he failed to fix was the secondary. One year removed and one year under Wade Phillips and the secondary has not been fixed; however, last year’s addition of Ken Hamlin was one step in the right direction. Hamlin performed so well he earned himself a trip to Hawaii.

You can say what you want about stats, INTs, ratios and and all that, but visual proof every sunday was enough for me to determine the secondary would be our achilles heel. Phillips is slowly getting his players in the secondary, he wants physical playmaking defensive backs, and last year’s Ken Hamlin was a start. The rest of the year we played with low round talent and it showed. Jacques Reeves and Nate Jones had significant playing time due to Newman’s foot injury, and our weakness was obvious the first week Newman was out. Reeves and Jones got burnt year round. Then you have Anthony Henry, part of that dismal 2005 free agent class. Henry has been plagued by injury and the constant target when lined up opposite Newman. Henry is adequate, but very upgradeable.

Fast forward to this past weekend and the Cowboys addressed the secondary with three quality draft picks when you consider we traded a 4ht rounder for Jones. Phillips is upgrading the secondary with his type of defensive back, and the lineup has already been upgraded on a 13-3 team. Let’s look at the secondary from 2007 to the current state:

Starting Secondary, 2007:

Terence Newman
Anthony Henry
Roy Williams
Ken Hamlin
Jacques Reeves
Nate Jones

Projected Starting Secondary, 2008:

Terence Newman
Anthony Henry
Roy Williams
Ken Hamlin
Mike Jenkins
Adam Jones
Orlando Scandrick 

The Quality of players has been upgraded significantly with Jenkins, Jones, and Scandrick. At the minimum Jenkins will be a starting nickel/dime corner, and same for Jones and Scandrick. That’s a solid upgrade to a bad unit the year before. If any of the starting corners go down, I feel very confident in Jenkins or Jones stepping in. Last year, I was dreading the times Reeves was in there.

Despite these upgrades, the job is not done. Hamlin needs to be re-upped to a long term deal, and SS needs to be upgraded either by shifting some current players into the safety position or via the draft. Basically, Roy Williams will NOT be here in 2009. As we approach mini camp, and training camp it will be interesting to see where Anthony Henry lines up. Could we see Henry move to FS, and Hamling to SS? Roy could be completely downgraded if we see these scenarios. Its already been proven that Roy was a liability on 3rd downs, and thus benched. To me it doesn’t matter what down it is, Roy gets burnt on any down. He’s a nice guy, but his playing quality never rebounded after Darren Woodson retired, and that was several years ago now.

2009 will continue with upgrades in the secondary with a safety. Keep it going Wade.

The NFL’s offseason Super Bowl is in the bag, and now comes the undrafted free agent signings. We should know who else we’re bringing in by the end of the night. For now, let’s look at the NFC East draft picks. All teams in the East have just stacked up talent with this draft. Its going to be another challenging year.

 Dallas Cowboys:

#22: Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas
#25: Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida
#61: Martellus Bennett, TE, Texas A&M
#122: Tashard Choice, RB, Georgia Tech
#143: Orlando Scandrick, CB, Boise State
#167: Erik Walden, DE, Middle Tennessee State

New York Giants:

#31: Kenny Phillips, S, Miami
#63: Terrell Thomas, CB, USC
#95: Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan
#123: Bryan Kehl, OLB, BYU
#198: Andre Woodson, QB, Kentucky
#199: Robert Henderson, DE, Southern Miss

Washington Redskins:

#34: Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan State
#48: Fred Davis, TE, USC
#51: Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma
#96: Chad Rinehart, OT, Northern Iowa
#124: Justin Tryon, CB, Arizona State
#168: Durant Brooks, P, Georgia Tech
#180: Kareem Moore, CB, Nicholls State
#186: Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii
#242: Rob Jackson, DE, Kansas State
#249: Chris Horton, FS, UCLA

Philadelphia Eagles:

#47: Trevor Laws, DT, Notre Dame
#49: DeSean Jackson, WR, California
#80: Bryan Smith, OLB, McNeese State
#109: Mike McGlynn, OT, Pittsburgh
#117: Quintin Demps, FS, Texas-El Paso
#131: Jack Ikegwuonu, CB, Wisconsin
#184: Mike Gibson, OT, California
#200: Joe Mays, ILB, N. Dokata State
#203: Andy Studebaker, OLB, Wheaton
#230: King Dunlap, OT, Auburn