Preparing for the Cowboys’ Draft, Part Four: the Parcells Profiles
Posted: March 31, 2005 @ 2:02 am
Bill Parcells has overseen drafts for three teams in the past 12 years, choosing players for New England from 1993 to 1996 and the New York Jets from 1997 to 2000. He is heading into his third draft with the Cowboys.
This initial breakdown will examine his track record as a selector. While Parcells has shown some frustrating tendencies in his brief time with Dallas, like taking heavy risks with second day picks and emphasizing kick returners and special team players with late selections, his drafting ability holds up. There are two qualities of Parcells’ drafts that should hearten Cowboys fans.
1. Parcells is amazingly accurate with first day picks. Want to see how a winner is put together? Take a look at Parcells’ four drafts with New England. In ‘93, he inherited a team coming off a 2-14 season and had the first pick in the draft. While it may seem like a no -brainer today, there was a split among experts over the top two quarterbacks, Washington State’s Drew Bledsoe and Notre Dame’s Rick Mirer. There were heavy rumors that year that the San Francisco 49ers might trade up to acquire Mirer, whom no less an authority than Bill Walsh compared to a young Joe Montana. Parcells ignored offers for his pick, chose Bledsoe and never looked back. His three other first day picks made the team with two, LB Chris Slade and OG Todd Rucci becoming starters.
Parcells second draft was his dud, as only one of his four first day picks stuck. That pick, however, was DE Willie McGinest. Parcells scuttled Jerry Jones’ grand plans for his first draft, as Jones had worked out a pre-draft trade with the Rams to swap Alvin Harper for the fifth pick, which Dallas would use on McGinest. Parcells took McGinest at pick four.
The next two drafts would form the backbone of Parcells’ 1996 Super Bowl squad. He had four first day picks in ‘95 and hit on all of them, selecting Ty Law, Ted Johnson, Curtis Martin and Jimmy Hitchcock. Law, Johnson and Martin became instant starters. Hitchcock was the Pats’ nickel corner.
Parcells ran the first day table again the following year, landing Terry Glenn, Lawyer Milloy and Tedy Bruschi in the first three rounds.
In all, his picks in rounds 1 through 3 from ‘93 to ‘96 were remarkable. Parcells had fifteen such picks in those four years. Twelve of them made the team. Ten of them– Bledsoe, Slade, Rucci, McGinest, Law, Johnson, Martin, Glenn, Milloy and Bruschi — were quality starters. The other two, Hitchcock and Vincent Brisby, were key role players. Even more amazing is that all of those ten except for Slade and Rucci are still productive NFL players.
Parcells did not have the same quantity of picks in New York, but still hit on a solid percentage of them. In ‘97 he made good on two of his three picks, selecting LB James Farrior and WR Dedric Ward. As with New England, Parcells’ second draft was his worst, as none of his three first day picks distinguished themselves. In ‘98, Parcells had only two picks on day one but landed two starting guards in Randy Thomas and David Loverne. Thomas is a Pro Bowl-caliber guard and was a target for Dallas in free agency two years ago until it was outbid by Washington.
Parcells saved his best effort for last. Through shrewd trading and with compensation from the Patriots for Bill Belichick, New York had five first day picks, four of them in the first round. As he had in New England, Parcells aced his final draft, getting John Abraham, Shawn Ellis, Chad Pennington, Anthony Becht and Laveranues Coles.
Again, there was a definite contour to Parcells’ drafting: he was good in year one, poor in year two and perfect in years three and four. A similar pattern has emerged from years one and two in Dallas. Parcells was solid in year one, getting three starters with his three picks — Terrence Newman, Al Johnson and Jason Witten. Year two was a letdown, with the brilliance of Julius Jones offset by the season-ending knee injury of Stephen Peterman and the disappointing progress of Jacob Rogers. We can all hope the Tuna repeats the third year success he enjoyed with the Patriots and Jets.
2. Parcells first day picks are overwhelmingly from major college programs: If you’re fixated on a sleeper prospect from Anonymous U. on day one, don’t count on him. The more important the pick, the more conservative Parcells tends to be. Only two of his early Jets picks were from non-BCS eligible schools. At New England, only three of his fifteen picks were from smaller programs. And keep this in mind — in years three and four at both New England and New York, all of Parcells’ picks were from major schools in major conferences.
Looking for an initial way of weeding down your draft list for rounds one and two? Start by eliminating the Troys and Hamptons and Alabama-Birminghams from your list. Parcells has drafted nothing but major program players in his short tenure with the Cowboys. Coming off a 6-10 season, I’ll bet he’s less likely than ever to take a gamble on players who haven’t proven themselves in major conference play.
Coming next: Is there a Parcells’ “type”?
Comments
71 Responses to “Preparing for the Cowboys’ Draft, Part Four: the Parcells Profiles”
Got something to say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
-
"The Sports Doctors"
iTunes/
Winamp
Windows
Media
RealOne -
Cowboy Up
Dedicated to providing the best Cowboys analysis anywhere, our efforts are free of charge but not free of expense. Your kind donation today will keep our drive alive.
Thank you
Or mail payment to:
RV2 Enterprises
P.O. Box 150093
Austin TX 78715-0093
Advertisers
Good article,
I have complete faith in parcells capabilities in judging talent. He also has a way of keeping players healthy,and getting that little extra out of them.(Phil Simms) I would not doubt that he would even trade up from his current positions to aquire the missing pieces to the puzzle. I predict an offencive lineman in the first round.(its far fetched I know but Bledsoe needs it)
Great recap of Parcells drafting history…he has an amazing knack for spotting talent. Julius Jones is a great example of his ability to shift through the numbers to find value.
No doubt about it, his first draft with the Cowboys was a success yeilding Newman, Johnson, and Whitten, but I’m not ready to concede that last year’s draft as a bust. Remember three things: First, it’s a lot more difficult to draft well when your first pick is #22 and not #5. Second, whoever we draft at #20 this year has to be counted as part of the ‘04 draft class. Third, we don’t know anything yet of either Rogers or Peterman. While my gut tells me that Rogers could be a bust, it also tells me that Peterman may turn into a solid guard. The real facts are that we don’t know much about either guy and probably won’t know for a while on at least Peterman considering he will have to play behind Larry Allen and Marco Rivera for at least a year.
So I ask the question is the ‘03 draft class really that much better than the ‘04 draft class EVEN considering the fact that our draft position was worse? Rogers aside, what would you rather have…Newman (who really did have an awful year last, admit it folks) vs the mystery pick at #20 this year. Witten vs Jones…who is going to be the better playmaker in years to come? Johnson or Peterman…both had knee injuries their first year…which is going to be the mainstay along that line in the future?
okay here it goes
Our #11 is going to be Williamson (way to talented, this guy is moss/owens with a good attitude :-)
Our #20 MArcus Spears (The deal with the saints isn’t going to happen)
Our 2nd pick goes to Nugent… Go Bill, you know he is a special teams guy and Cundiff hasn’t signed his 1 year tender. This guy is more than a kicker he is a Game winner
Chadd - give it up! No one is going to waste a 2nd on a kicker. Maybe one of the 6th round compensatory picks.
There has been a lot of speculation that Bill may not stick around for more than another year or two. If that is the case, might his draft be more selfish than it otherwise would be (assuming Jerry doe not override him)? That is, does he feel like he needs to put the absolute best team on the field in 2005 at the expense of future years? He might do this by trading away a future year pick or by refusing to trade for another team’s future pick, even if there was value there. For example, what if SF or Cleveland offered their 2nd round pick plus next year’s 1st rounder for our No. 20 slot. Clearly, this would be a good deal for the future of the Cowboys, but not if they have a short-timers mentality. What do you think?
Cly,
Not to insult the intellegence of a fellow Cowboys fan, but Nugent is on EVERYBODYS BOARD going in the 2nd round (mid to late) so your 6th round theory is out the window. Nugent will fall in the top 55 picks, why not Dallas. Are you saying Cundiff is our Vinaterri????? Not even close, I want to win the whole thing.. NOW.. don’t you?
Is Nugent a Vinatieri?
Vinatieri was an undrafted free agent who played in NFL Europe.
Anything is possible, but I’m betting those three first day picks
are all going on guys who can play 70-80 snaps a game. Parcells
has never drafted a kicker. I can’t see him using a high pick on one
when he’s got so many inportant holes to fill at DE, FS, WR and possibly
RT and DT/NT. Jason Ferguson is good, but if he gets hurt, you’re run
defense goes down the chute.
GGGRrrrrrr.
that’s your not you’re.
im with the rest who think against us drafting nugent…no way, sorry, he is good ill admit but isnt worth that high
i know rolle doesnt mean much to too many of you guys but he is a better corner than newman, throw newman to a new position FS and then we’d have two great CB’s along with good coverage and great tackle safeties. then grab a DE/OLB at 20 or just trade for a later 1st round and another 2nd round. then get a DE w/ the later 1st, and best LB with the next one. parcells will know who is the best from the crop in later rounds cuz hes the best at it, so once we get those first few rounds over and get great talent, give it all to Bill. and since ferguson was a 6th rounder i believe, (or maybe that was someone else on our team) then im sure bill will get another great DT around then too.
parcells is a GREAT drafter so i have no doubt in my mind he’ll do the right thing…..he dont listen to all the people’s hype about certain players, he looks for who he feels is the best, and his feel has always been good……so just TRUST IN BILL
and when he leaves im sure jerry will be smart enough not to give his young talented team to another gailey or campo….he will think twice this time and get his team in the right hands….
rafael,
what about anthony thomas? why dont we pick him up as a FA? im just throwin it out there so tell me if it sounds stupid……
and how long do you think Jerry jones will be staying with us? do you think in a few years he’ll call it quits or something, give me some input on him and who you think would take over if JJ left in like five years…..cuz he seems to be the best GM we’ve had so far….maybe his son stephen would take it over i dont know…..
Okay,
I will no longer say the name Nugent anymore, I just want to say watch when he goes, and what he does as a rookie kicker.
Rafeal,
Am I correct in believeing that Dallas covets these three guys the most?
1.Merriaman
2.Williamson (I’m hearing alot about Clayton..??)
3.Spears (I see him gone by the 13th pick on most draft boards)
What are your thoughts? Have you gave us your guess on what YOU think they are going to do??
THE BOYS ROCK
Chadd out.
why are you guys saying draft a WR in one of the first three picks? the guy wont start unless key or terry get hurt for good….why not wait a few years for when theyre gone definitely, thatll be like two years and there is bound to be a great WR then, lets get something we NEED and could use RIGHT NOW …..a PASS RUSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! plus copper is good, crayton can only get better, glenn and key are still good WR’s despite age, witten is incredible, julius will only get better in the backfield on receiving, and dont forget dan campbell!!!! that is well over enough of guys to receive, pick up a decent WR later later on, i mean the ravens got CLARENCE MOORE on the 199th overall pick, hes got great height, and is very good….plus parcells has a knack for gettin good guys later on so i dont think we need a WR right away…..a DE/OLB and OT i feel, are the most important needs right now
Ryan:
Anthony Thomas was benched in favor of the brother of Julius Jones in part because he’s as slow as Eddie George and Darren Hambrick. He could be a change of pace back but just if the price is right and if he accepts that role and that’s something we don’t know, there’re a lot of knuckle heads in this league.
Stephen Jones looks the part of General Manager, being the Vicepresident of Football Ops he’s been close to all the past drafts.
At coach? When Bill goes, he’s going to choose his throne keeper from the inside, names? Mike Zimmer, D Coordinator; Sean Payton, Asst. Head Coach and Passing O.; and Tony Sparano, O Line and Running Game Coordinator. Look for Sparano he’s got the respect of Parcells and this year he’s gotten a promotion to a piece of an Offensive Coordination.
Chadd, I don’t think they will draft Williamson, I see him getting picked before the 20th, so in the 20th Clayton would be material for thought, and that would depend in who’s also on the board, if we do take Merriman at 11th and at 20th there’s Spears and Clayton, I’d take Spears in a heartbeat.
I have been brain storming on this stuff…
Ryan,
I agree with the wideout comments
Here is my revised picks
#11 Johnson LB (This will set the tone)
#20 Tuck DE IRISH.. (This guy is the complete package size and speed)
#40 BASS OG Michigan..O-line complete
Ryan:
You know that you can take a 3 receiver set to the field, right? Just like Bill used to put Galloway, Glenn and Bryant with a TE (Campbell or Witten) and one back backfield (Richie Anderson) 2 years ago. With a guy like Clayton or Williamson (I’m more inclined to Clayton) in a 2 receiver set you could spare time for a receiver of your choice, that way you could have a couple of posession receivers on the field or a speedy and a posession guy, that’s the mean of a complete set of receivers, remember the team of the early 90’s, Irvin was posession and Harper the speedy. Either, Clayton or Williamson, are capable, on the paper, to break long gains after a 10-15 yards pass, something neither Key nor Glenn are capable of.
chandus,
thanks for the info…but who would take over for jerry jones? i would be so scared after that happened cuz once again he is like the best GM we’ve had.
and i got a few more questions…..
no one ever talks about tony romo….is he actually any good? ive never seen him play. is he young? i wonder if he does real good this offseason and henson doesnt if they’d give more though on romo instead.
and wahtever happened to speedy Ismail? i never was into it much then so im clueless as to where he went and why
I hear Gus the mule is available as a kicker as well. He can boom them from the teams own 1 yard line.
Like in fantasy, you don’t draft kickers until the last round. Kicker is not what kept Dallas from being in the playoffs last year. A crappy D line, no right side on the offense, a broke down WR corp, and DB’s that couldn’t cover Gus if he was a two way player.
Rafael,
Nice stuff!!
If you were to ask the everyday sports fan to name the 15 best players for New England, on their 3 Super Bowl teams, they might be shocked to find out that 10-12 of them are Parcells’ guys. Law, Viniatari, Bruschi, McGinest, yada yada …. all became Patriots during Parcells’ reign there. He also built a championship foundation in New York, with the Jets, but their inability to keep that team together is the only reason why they don’t compete for a Super Bowl every year. Boy the players he brought there in four years, Mawae, Martin, Abraham, Coles, Ellis, Pennington, Ferguson, Young, Thomas, Fabini, Becht. It is quite sad that Bill doesn’t get the credit he deserves, because he built those franchises up from ground, but left too soon to reap the rewards. Could only hope he is here 2-3 years from now, when we are winning Super Bowls. If not, I hope all of us Cowboys fans appreciate what he did for the Boys, and not give all this credit to coaches who inherted good teams.
chandus,
i understand that u can have 3 WR’s trust me….so i guess i agree with ya on WR but not early on…a DE and LB are way more needed right now than WR although a WR is still good to have….
im sure a good WR will be there in the fourth that people will forget about and that bill knows is good
oh and chadd, you have a good revised pick selection…im definitely for it because those three positions must be addressed before WR
Great article guy on Parcells drafts…He is the true genius of the Patriots reign of glory…Give Bill Bel his due for the rings but you cant when without the talent selected……
Onto the draft for us this year………..I predicted Parcells would go after Bledsoe and sign him and he did when alot of my cowboy comrads wanted the boy wonder of San Diego Drew Brees……Having said that I know we need a scorer that can catch the ball. Granted we still have Glen and Johnson who is still good but not explosive like a T.O or Randy or even Harrison where defenses have to know where they are at all times….You guys that are bashing the WR theory for the first three picks are not thinking here and now…..
Williamson, when picked will start now as a third Wideout like Bryant was…..This kid is big, strong and fast that will make an impact on any team….You cant ignore these type of guys with this much talent….I do understand he may not be on the board by the 11th pick or 20th but if he is my Tuna will take him with no hesitation……I am hoping we move up from the 20th to go after him and Merriman
WOW no one seems to realize we need a pass rushing DE. lets see…..we have plenty of WR right now to fill the void and another could either be found in corey bradford or later in the draft. a DE , for the last time is NEEDED WAY MORE THAN WR!!!!!! we aint got none that can rush and make opposing QB’s and O-linemen scared each time we line up. Ellis is good but is not as explosive as we need on the end….
I will mention nugents name again. People can’t say he is not worth a second round pick. I don’t know if he is or not, but thats okay, its not my job to know that. I do think he will go in the lat second to early third round. Somebody will be willing to use a relatively high draft pick on him. That being said……
IT WONT BE THE COWBOYS, too many other holes to fill. But I do feel nugent is very good and likely worth a second to third round pick.
we can easily get by with the WR crop we have plus our great TE’s and Julius and add richie plus maybe reshard, or another person picked later in the draft. we got to the playoffs w/out an “extremely” fast or “extremely” talented WR two years ago….and we definitely have upgrades in witten and julius since julius is better than hambrick by a million. The defense is most important and many teams would agree….the patriots know it, the chiefs and colts definitely now know it….the ravens know it…. the steelers and redskins seem to know it for the most part….our offense is just fine except for OT and backup RB or FB to help with blocking and giving jones a rest which is a dime a dozen. The DEFENSE is gettin much better with who we already got but still needs help at LB AND DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE DE!!!!!!!!! with an improved defense via draft….and i mean by using the first 2 or 3 first picks….i guarantee we could make it to the playoffs and go farther than we did two years ago
Mike,
Agreed. It’s not that Nugent is not valuable, or that somebody else won’t pick him high. But consider this. How many important games, regular season or playoffs for the ‘92-’95 Cowboys were decided by a field goal? Four years, three titles, four deep playoff runs and exactly ONE game was decided by the kicker. That was the ‘93 season finale when Eddie Murray saved the Cowboys bacon.
Why? Because that offense was so good, it scored TDs when it got to the red zone and won games going away. Now think of ‘96, when the Dallas mediots proclaimed Chris Boniol the Dallas offensive MVP. He had a great season, but he had to, because the offense was crippled by Michael Irvin’s suspension and Jay Novacek’s bad back, and could not score TDs as it had the previous four years.
Dallas has a pretty good talent base on their offense. But if you have a high second round pick, would you spend it on a WR who could make that offense a machine, or a RT to complete the o-line, or do you spend it on a kicker to bail out your sputtering office because you DIDN”T take the WR or RT who could help you score sevens instead of threes?
Mike,
Agreed. It’s not that Nugent is not valuable, or that somebody else won’t pick him high. But consider this. How many important games, regular season or playoffs for the ‘92-’95 Cowboys were decided by a field goal? Four years, three titles, four deep playoff runs and exactly ONE game was decided by the kicker. That was the ‘93 season finale when Eddie Murray saved the Cowboys bacon.
Why? Because that offense was so good, it scored TDs when it got to the red zone and won games going away. Now think of ‘96, when the Dallas mediots proclaimed Chris Boniol the Dallas offensive MVP. He had a great season, but he had to, because the offense was crippled by Michael Irvin’s suspension and Jay Novacek’s bad back, and could not score TDs as it had the previous four years.
Dallas has a pretty good talent base on their offense. But if you have a high second round pick, would you spend it on a WR who could make that offense a machine, or a RT to complete the o-line, or do you spend it on a kicker to bail out your sputtering office because you DIDN”T take the WR or RT who could help you score sevens instead of threes?
Kickers suck……….resign Cundiff and quit cry me a river for a kicker…….a kicker is a walk on from the local soccer club……not a draft pick
Ray,
I am not a “basher” of the theory to draft a WR early. Some threads here have the Boys going for Rolle at 11 and Williamson at 20, now that is a huge mistake!! We can’t afford to draft two situational players with 2 of our first 3 picks. They will see time in the nickle D and 3 wide sets on O, but our starters are pretty much carved in stone. We can’t use our two top picks on situational players, with our biggest void being a pass rush. My theory is get a big D-lineman, a DE/OLB tweener, and address the RT spot with our third pick, but if you say WR instead of RT, then I won’t hate ya. If its Clayton or Williamson at 20, I can live with it, but I am in favor of getting two bodies into our front 7 with our two 1st rounders. I like Spears and Tuck, and the possibilty of adding a pick or two by trading down a few spots.
Rafael also tells us of another option, in picking up Terry, to fill our hole at RT. Interesting to say the least.
Ryan,
Amen. I am with you.
can some one answer my questions on ismail and romo i addressed earlier in this column? thanks
I think ISMAIL is on ESPN college gameday or something or other……
Romo is a Division II guy from Southern Illinois or some where………he won the Div II national championship.
This years winner was Lang Campbell from William and Mary…..saw him play. He is a good QB, and could have started at any Div I Major Program. Most folks thought he was the best QB in the State of VA above Bryan Randall at Va Tech…….he played well against NC State……in a loss. However, these guys play against slower competition. Brain Westbrook made the jump………Green Bay has a guy from William and Mary in their Secondary……….Jerry Rice……..Walter Payton……..but QB usually the guy from Div I big programs……..but the MAC is showing you do not have to play at Ohio State or Michigan to be a NFL Draft Pick so who knows. One thing about ROMO he threw the football in college for four years……..Henson threw a baseball. But hey who knows maybe they both work out.
Ryan,
I agree 100%…..We need a pass rusher…but you have to know that DE take time to groom more than probably any other position other that QB’s…..so many techniques you have to know and constantly fighting off not only one but two 350lb lineman…..WR are groomed as well but most guys either make the early impact like a T.O or Moss or they find themselves in a shuffle of trying to fit in….For example anyone with top speed was a favorite at WR no matter what size…Now there is always the FREAK that comes along that changes the perception of what a WR should be i.e Moss and T.O
You cannot argue the impact these guys posses on the field…..They as others always make their team around them better….Even the QB….With the size to out jump a hanging ball and the top speed to go past DB’s you have the advantgage….I say sign a veteran DE and a draft pick late rounds to groom him……Your front four once again is important but if your DB’s get toasted on almost everytime a long ball goes up…..You can have the best front on any given sunday and they will always be looking behind watching that WR with blazing speed and long reach taking it to the HOUSE…
You cannot TEACH speed……..
So I say Draft Rolle as our FS
Williamson at 20 as our WR or Clayton…….use the rest of our picks for DE/DT and LB
The DE does take time, and as many good ones have been found in the later rounds as in the first. But speed, speed at CB, WR or any position for that matter is not something that can be taught. Guys do not have better 40 times five years into the NFL. Draft SPEED in the First Round………
Thanks Jon……my feelings exact
Jon,
The only thing I would change is maybe a top LB instead of FS at either spot……
Eric,
let me ask you something when we let Randy Moss slip by how many of you were wanting to punch Jerry in the knee caps for letting him get by….Yeah yeah you say he is a head-case for any team but he is a explosive head-case with talent up the Ying Yang…..Get Randy in a situation where he repects his peers and someone teaching like Chris Carter was to him and you have no problems……
Ray,
I do not see much difference in Merriman, Spears, James, Cody and Tuck…..and one of those guys is probably going to be there at 42……..or some of the other guys. Their is no clear cut DE / DT gotta have in this draft. A lot of guys with Potential………Johson of Texas is probably the best LB but he will be gone by 11. I think the first round is better for speedy skill positions like CB / WR. We found Leon Lett late…..Ferguson is a late rounder……….Tolbert was a fourth round guy……….and the list of our First Round DEs reads like a list of Americas Anonymous or PREVIOUSLY in the NFL.
pass rush….pass rush….pass rush
and if we dont find one great one thru draft or FA we will be a laughinstock for not doin it. people know we need it since they saw us humiliated on MONDAY night, and theyll just pick us apart constantly especially philly if we dont get one in the 1st round who is immediate impact. just like when newman was new and same last year with him, everyone was picking on him and they knew last year we didnt have a legitimate second corner and when they picked on newman he kinda fell apart, and then jerry the oh smart and great jerry jones listened and got henry! that will be help….so dont you think jerry will listen and get a DE? nfl buffs know other teams well, and coaches definitely do….they like to pick apart opposing defenses weaknesses and they will easily get us if they see we didnt jump on the opportunity to get a great rushing DE DE!
Ray,
We already had Michael Irvin. Who was great on the field, but lived the North Dallas Forty Fast Lane off the field. Was he going to teach Randy how to snort off the strippers breast? Carter was cleaned up already in Minn and Dennis Green was a huge respect thing with Randy.
Randy was a great player…….and he was an impact player that is still an impact. And for the most part his off and on field antics have not been that bad, but the thinking in Dallas was Irvin and Moss? Michael was pretty flamboyant back in the day. Hindsight is 20/20 but imagine Michael got busted and Randy was with him……..remember Mikes drug suspension………well if they were just some good ole boys…….never meaning no harm………Randy might have been right in there with him. We would have lost our two starting WR…….
But hey, as it turned out he has been mostly an ok guy. His talent on the field…….unquestionalbe the most threat at WR in the NFL. Vikes gave him away………Troy with Moss and Irvin…….would have been sick……..but Switzer as the coach……..hell we might as well just called it the Best Little Whore House in Texas. Moss needed Discipline.
I catch a lot of flack on this blog, because i want speed in our first round, but Ray you make good points……..that i have tried to point out in other threads. The DE is not a walk on the field impact guy. But speed and skill at WR or CB or RB for that matter can be impact from day one. Thank goodness Bill has some input on our Drafts………he does have the best record. Look at the teams still competitive with his picks………Jets, and Patriots………or the Hall of Famers from the NY Giants. Hope he can keep it up this year.
Lets go Cowboys.
chadd,
once again i want to say i agree totally with your picks. i feel a huge impact guy like johnson would do us so much on that part of the defense. i mean he seems to have it all. then i would honestly say to give 20 away and get 2 more picks and acquire a DE then with the extra 2 or 1 picks we have left for the second round get either a WR/CB (if there are any good ones) and then an OT
Ray,
I never said anything about Moss!
But since you asked, we needed a WR then and I was in love with Moss. We need a pass rush NOW!!!!!!
OK Moss played with one of the best WRs in the league, and there was a pretty good one playing along side them as well. How many Super Bowls they must have won!! In fact as I remember a DECENT defense shut them out in Minnesota!! Some impact there!!
Defense wins Super Bowls!! Offense wins you the Fantasy Bowl!
I just want to say you all rock, there is nothing more fun than talking with ya guys. What a ring leader Rafeal has been… YOU DA MAN..
By the way Rafael are you going to tell us who you think we are going to get / or what we may do..
NUGENT…………….:-) just kidding
later
everyone must read the new story on dallas homesite about peterman and how he is improving mentally and physically. also read spagnola’s new story too. they both are worthy of looking at.
Funny but the Blog site blows the Cowboys site away. But he article on Peterman is interesting……..also in regards to Keyshawn, Campbell, and others.
Spagnola thinks we get Merriman at 11 and a WR at 20………perhaps you pass rush fiends will get your wish.
But riddle me this Batman? We went from one of the best defenses and a playoff appearance to 6-10. What changed? Mario Edwards and Darren Woodson. Secondary. Not the Pass Rush……….we added a worthless Wiley to replace Ekuban……..not much difference there………
Get Rolle at 11 and then a WR and all the rest of our picks can go to DE/DT and LB. There are not enough players in this draft or picks to make the Dallas Cowboys a true 3-4 team……..so it will be 4-3 again next year.
edwards wasnt anything, woody was. DE is everything now, secondary is already done.
ONCE AGAIN look at the game vs. PHILLY ON MONDAY NIGHT!!! its not too hard to see that a DE is needed. what was it? ……14 seconds and not one of our men could catch mcnabb. anyone other than wiley would help…..i would rather have sacks all the time, meaning a few and probably more a game, than an interception every other game because sacks turn into losses and punts. merriman is what we need not ROLLE.
Ryan,
Is merriman such a better attlete than the rest at his postion? Why not get Rolle @ #11 and get a LB/DE with the 20 or even 40th pick… Tuck is a STUD.. I would rather have Rolle and a good end then Merriman and still no solid safety.
Is Merriman that much better than any of the other tweeners in this draft?
You cannot teach or coach SPEED it is a gift from God……..Rolle has it and size and strength to play CB or FS. If Darren Woodson was the reason, play Rolle at FS and Roy at SS.
If Newman, Rolle, and Henry are as advertised…….Roy can lead our team with SACKS on Safety Blitzes.
There will be guys like Tuck or Cody at 42…….just watch. 7-8 CBs are going in the First round because it has become the most valuable position on the field, and one of the harder to fill. Rolle is projected at CB or FS by many Coaches and GM. If he is there at 11, which he may not be……..take him. Shut down the PASS.
Would Roy Williams have Tackled McNabb? Nguyen? Singleton? James? Any linebacker? He would if I am calling a BLITZ every other play because I got three guys that can COVER. Eagles Blitz and expect their outstanding secondary to COVER. Great teams have great coverage guys……….the two Pass Rush and Coverage are inter connected. The better one the better the other……..I personally do not see an impact DE or DT or LB other than Johnson ………he will not be there at 11………so take Rolle……..if he is gone Merriman I guess………or a WR……..Speed at the skill position is found in the first round…………after that use ALL OUR PICKS on DE, DT and LB
i dont really care anymore i want alot of defense though i wouldnt mind seeing another wr though either. key and glenn are nice but mike williams same as key but with speed, and you need a good third receiver ask peyton manning. i think the offense is gonna be alot of 2 te sets so third receiver on 3rd and long will be about it.
lets say jerry and bill are with you jon and really want a CB? and come 11 rolle is gone. who else is there as good as rolle? cuz i havent heard anything about another GREAT corner besides ROLLE ROLLE ROLLE.
rafael…….
what are your views on who YOU think we’ll most likely pick???????????
man you guys still harping on what McNabb did that Monday Night…..McNabb is excellent in scrabling in the pocket and always have been…….He’s performed this in a many of games….Now if you have said somebody oh lets say a Eli Manning scrambled all over the place to make us look like a High school squad then I you would keep my mouth shut on that note……….
Thanks Jon,
For making the point about the year before we were number one and the next year we stink on defense………Guys what we failed to realize is if your offense scores little and your getting sacked all the time because your QB cant move no faster then my 2 year old then your defense will struggle being on the field all game in bad field positions. In order to compete you have to score……..
Dont get me wrong you need a solid defense and it really starts with your corners and safety……..Now lets look at a solid defense in DE’s and LB’s but lack corners…Can we guess???????? How about those Panthers….Yeah…give them credit they made it to the Dance a couple of yrs ago but their CB sucked…………..Need I say more
There are other CBs in the Draft, but few with size and speed like Rolle.
PacMan WVU, Washington NEB, Rogers at Aurburn, Justin Miller of Clemson, Corey Webster at LSU, and Marlin Jackson from Michigan and the other guy probably a first rounder at S is Brodney Pool of OU who took over for Roy Williams………which at S…….we already have a run stopping bruiser in Williams……..I would rather see a guy with Strong Coverage skills like a Corner and tackling………
Rolle is my choice for either CB or FS in our Secondary……..if he is not there these other guys are all talented……some faster than Rolle……but not many with the Tackling except maybe Jones of WVU and Pool but he is a true S…..probably a SS we already got that……
if the cowboys could not get Rolle………I would draft WR, DE-LB depending on the player available…….again…….the FS should not be underestimated and is not something that we should just hand to Hunter or Scott……..hech neither is the starting CB job for Newman or Henry…..Rolle could play either……..if we lose Newman or Henry with an injury we are not relying on Reeves, Thornton, Frazier and Jones…….or a player to be named later like last year……..
Pac Man but he will be a top 10 pic for sure…….Antrel may well be also……..not sure the guy from Nebraska clocked a 4.28 40 but like the rest of the country I did not see many Nebraska games last year
if DE was such a pressing need why did Bill take 3 CBs in last years draft? Why did he take Newman with his first pick overall his first year?
Competition my friend…….it makes you better…..who knows…….some of these guys may fall out of the first……..there is less talent at WR and CB in the second rounds…….but the DE and LB are still pretty good in that 25-50 pick range…….not sure have to wait and see how it all shakes out…….
I hated seeing out secondary getting smoked last year. Hopefully Henry Helps…….but another talented guy back there would be more than just insurance……..he could be a playmaker.
Jon,
First of all, kickers do not suck. Nugent won many a game for OSU. He is an awesome FG kicker, and he is worth a draft pick. Just not one fo the cowboys draft picks, well I take that back, if he is still there when are 6th round compensatories are up, then I hope to hell we take him, especially since cundiff has not yet signed his tender yet.
Now on to something you might want to hear. I actually am starting to agree with you about rolle. I am also worried about newman or henry going down to injury. If rolle or for some reason pac man is still available at 11. I am starting to agree with you on picking him up. If one of those bad a$$ recievers is still there at 20 then pick him up. If several are avilable, then draft your tweener or DE. Then with the 2nd rounder pick up on eof those recievers if still there, although doubtfull. If gone pick up that OT we need. Or maybe Matt Jones, if he is still there. I liked the article about him on nfl.com. And you know parcells likes the trick plays, and obviously that guy can throw, hopefully he can catch to, that would be great.
Not sure where to go from there, what else do we got, no 3rd rounder right? I assume 1 4th, 1 5th, do we have 0 or 1 6th, plus the 2 compensatorys, and a seventh, is that about right?
Ray,
Boy you got it wrong! I have made this point before, with Jon. Jimmy Johnson used 7 of his first 20 draft choices in the top 4 rounds on defensive linemen, and also aquired Haley. Guess how many, he used to draft DBs? ZERO!! In three years he took ZERO DBs in the first 4 rounds. Our starters in our first Super Bowl Championship season (in the 90’s)were a 12th round pick, Larry Brown, a player we aquired in the Walker trade, Isaac Holt, a 4th rounder, and a 5th rounder, that never established themselves with their original teams, Thomas Everett and James Washington. … “solid defense starts at corner and safety” … yeah ok there!! Even though JJ had 4 or 5 good defensive linemen he kept stock piling there and was content on having an average secondary.
Mike,
I don’t know enough about Matt Jones.
Pac Man is a great football player but maybe a bit undersized for what I would expect out of him. Starting FS, Rolle looks better in size and strength. Jones might have slightly more speed and is a great cover guy no doubt. Our defense got beat whenever they tried to blitz by our lousy coverage in the secondary. True, I will not argue that we needed an upgrade at DE, and WILEY was not it. Berry might have been but he got away. Howard could be, but who knows about that deal starting to get the feel that would have happened already…….We have several picks…..I say lets get a bunch of Defensive guys overall……but a WR out of our First Three picks and a CB/FS that can COVER and you will like the results of our improved Defense.
Also all those arguing we fixed our coverage with Henry……..uh did we fix our line with Ferguson? There are as many DBs on the field as there are D lineman? Draft Rolle and watch what a blitzing LB or S will do to McNabb and Eli and first off Drew Brees. This is the NFL, Ferguson will help with the run, Henry will help with the pass………Rolle will help with the BLITZ……..
Cundiff is a restricted free agent, he will sign or we will have some walk ons on our team. Kicker is not a priority……..hell parcells even got rid of the kicking coach……..probably a guy that did one of the best jobs with walk ons. You never heard of any of our kickers, but they all were pretty good from 40 in. That is all you need, as long as a guy is not shanking extra points and can hit from 40 yards who cares. Perhaps Nugent is everything you say, I just cannot remember ever worrying about a Kicker. They are a strange lot at best. I mean Morten Anderson is still kicking field goals…….how old is he now……..drawing Social Security I think.
Eric,
Why did Jimmy pick Kevin Smith in the first round? Where was Darren Woodson drafted? Why did Jerry go after Deion? Why did we win 3 Super Bowls in a 4 year period. We had pretty darn good secondary. I would also argue that our starting guys with Ellis, Ferguson, and Glover are as good as our starting rotation back then………just our Subs suck and we could use another DE………Tolbert, Lett, Haley and Maryland was pretty darn good…Jeffcoat was there for a year or two not sure when he left……with Casillas, Jones, Hennings, coming in as well………so we need a DE or Two and a few LBs………I ain’t disagreeing with you on that point. I am just saying we had a great D two years ago with less Line than we got now………we lost Woodson……Leadership and coverage ability………Williams can lead the D or Nguyen but as far as coverage……….I am not for pinning my hopes on the likes of Hunter, Reeves, Frazier, Jones, Thornton and Davis and Scott…….
My other hope is Ty Law’s stock drops due to injury and he signs late as an FA with Dallas to play FS and beat Patriots in Super Bowl. I think he has a bone to pick with Belicheck. If that were the case I would say we could hold of on Rolle……..but Law is no long term solution and he ain’t healthy yet…….and I would rather pay a kid like Rolle to develop than a 30 year old DB……but for the win now……..he might do in a pinch. He is a Parcells guy……..my hope…..is so is ROLLE.
Eric,
Kevin Smith was a 1st rounder in ‘92 and he replaced Holt by midseason. Jimmy took Woodson with a high 2nd with the express intent of making him a safety. He admitted after the year that had he known how quick a study he was, he would have started him as a rookie.
That said, I do think the emphasis will be on the front seven, maybe both picks, if somehow Marcus Spears slips. I see it at 11 as the best tweener available, or Derrick Johnson if he somehow gets past Minnesota and Detroit. At 20, it will come down to how the second 10 falls. But at this time, who knows.
The one secondary option I do see is if Brodney Pool slips. Dallas could trade down from 20 or get lucky and have him fall to 42. He is a FS, BTW and the top rated one this year at that.
Jon:
I haven’t read in this blogs the biggest difference that I saw last year from the year before, apart from Woodson obviously, that was Blade. He played like a real run stopper, clogging the middle and freeing Nguyen, Williams and Woodson to make plays.
If the Cowboys do trade down and get more picks, like 4 in the first day, I do see them taking a wide in the first round, because the diference between a first rounder like Williamson and Clayton and the rest of guys you could take in later rounds, is the one you could find in our roster, in Crayton and Copper. Leaving then for the taking the rest of needs DE, LB, DT, FS, RB and some others.
Rafael,
My point is still true, JJ drafted 7 D-linemen with his first 20 picks within the first 4 rounds, and nada, zero, nil DBs with those picks. Our secondary consisted of Ray Horton, James Washington, Kennith Gant, Larry Brown, Thomas Everett, and Kevin Smith all sharing time in our first Super Bowl in the 90’s. To say, like Ray did, “solid defense starts with your corners and safety” is rediculous. JJs drafting 7 defensive lineman in the early rounds of his first three drafts, even though he had good talent there, (heck we rotated the entire line) shows that he built his defense around his front 4. We had an average, at best, secondary in our first Super Bowl.
Jon,
What happened to “our great D two years ago”, once we reached the playoffs? Oh, that’s right Jake Delholmme scorched our secondary. Look if you think we had a great D that year, then statistics show that, but I think that the luck of our schedule and how we hid our weaknesses really well helped an average defense.
Oh I think this is a point worth repeating. Jimmy Johnson never had the talent in the secondary that this year’s group possesses, and he won two Super Bowls. New England started WR at corner, and went on to win the Super Bowl. Let’s look at the great defenses of all time, Baltimore, Chicago, the Giants in 86, etc. Now name their starting secondaries. How many can you name off the top of your head? Now name their front 7’s. Dent, McMichael, Perry, Marshall, Wilson, Hampton, Singletary, Siragusa, Lewis, Boulware, Adams, Taylor, Carson, P. Johnson, Burt, Banks, yeah I am sure you know these guys. The best, THE ABSOLUTE BEST DEFENSES, were great up front!!!!!
Rafel,
Do you think we are are going to make a trade with the Saints or the Jags?
Because until that piece of the puzzle is decided we are all just blowing names in the wind.
I been thinking about it and I think Dallas is will to go as low as they need to get D Johnson (I don’t see him being there at 11)
The dilema is I have no idea who would be willing to fall to #11 or #20
I like TUCK he would be an awesome addition.
If this can happen then I would like to maybe get Pool at #40
Johnson
Tuck
Pool
I could live with that.
But who really knows
I apologize for the heriffic grammer mistakes
Rafael,
Interesting articles on the draft and Parcells.
The media says hey this kid is a Parcells guy or a Belichek guy or a Patriots type of player. But how much of the Coach being a great teacher is there to these guys fitting in an performing.
The guys coming out of college, all of the top 100 players taken are elite atheletes. All have proven themselves on the gridiron of College football. What makes a Bosworth a Bust, and a Zach Thomas a stud. Certainly the work ethic has to be there.
Just wondering what your thougths on are is it the ability of the better coaches like Parcells and Belichek to recognize talent before they draft? Or is it the ability of Parcell and Belichek to TEACH that raw talent how to become a superior NFL player?
Obviously some guys fall between the cracks. Drugs, alcohol, work ethic, the lottery mentality of becoming rich……..but the guys that make it…….why do so many of them gravitate back to a guy like Parcells……who is percieved as a Bob Knight of the NFL a strict disciplinarian……..is it because he is Yoda Like in his ability to teach, and train, and pass on knowledge?
Also Matt Jones……..aren’t their similarities between him and Eric Crouch? Crouch is in NFL Europe right now. A lot of the media had him pegged for WR, TE, I think I even heard Safety thrown around? Is Matt Jones that much better than he was?
Mike,
This just in Carolina Punter Sauerbrun on STERIODS……..a PUNTER on roids.
Vanderjagt goes out drinking then rakes Manning and Dungy over the coals………on tv the way a drunk fan would not a teammate. Vanderjagt is a kicker.
Cardinals Kicker Grammatica injures himself after making a 42 yard field goal……..by celebrating.
Sebastin Janikowski needs Date Rape Drug to take home a lady.
Rafael Septien a good kicker for the Dallas Cowboys, is accused and convicted of sexual assualt. His victim a 10 year old girl. That makes Rafael a child molestor.
And Scott Norwood…….when you need a kicker…….when the Bills were supposed to win………WIDE RIGHT.
Kickers do suck! Never leave a football game to rely on the leg of a kicker.
Go with Madden on this one and make Summeral your all time kicker, even though you do not want his liver……..kicking was just a hobby he also played TE. Back then NFL did not use a soccer player for the K or P they found the best kicker on the squad and gave him the job. Back then that guy was Summerall. If I had my way I would find one guy that could punt/kick and kickoff or another player like Danny White used to do that could play QB and punt and leave that roster spot for one of these DEs the bloggers are crying for. Not a kicker.
Chad, i am with you 100% on Tuck. I think he would be a steal if we get him where he is projected. Good Good player!!
Tuck is a ND guy……usually High Character and he might fall as low as the second. Bill likes ND……..Julius Jones.
Jon, say what you might baout those guys, nugent has none of those problems, and is still an awesome kicker. Again I don’t want the cowboys wasting a high pick on him. But if hes available with a lower pick, then its a no brainer. While cundiff isn’t bad, he couldn’t hold a candle to nugent.
If I had nugent on my team I would have no problem leaving the game to rest on his foot every single time. You obviously did not watch many if any of OSU games this past season or 2. I mean yeah I want an offense that can put the game out of reach, but I also want a defense that can keep it close. It takes a lot of cash and great players to get both. If I can’t have both, then I want a decent offense an awesome defense and Mike Nugent.
But thats a hypothetical involving my team. I feel the cowboys have a chance to putt together a great offense and a great defense, so they don’t need to be worried about a kicker.
kicker is ver important but we have way more bigger needs then that.
Go get Tuck in the 2nd round. He’ll be another 2nd round gold mine out of ND in the last two years. the first round should be Rolle at 11 and trade down the 20 for for a 3rd and 1st in ‘06.
Matt,
I been Lobbying for Rolle at 11 all along.
I think you can coach and teach DE, LB and OT……..I think you have to draft God given talent…….which is SPEED……
Rolle, Williamson and then TUCK at 42 would be awesome……..spend the rest of the picks on DE/DT and LB……
It’s a year later and I am using an old thread to practice using XHTML tags. Feel free to ignore
More playing around.
Non-block text here
Link to this thread.
More text