Cowboys Crumbs
Posted: August 24, 2005 @ 7:48 am
Roster Thinned — Cowboys Jettison Six
Bill Parcells was not joking yesterday when he said he would “thin” his roster soon. Dallas cut six players this afternoon, including OT Jacob Rogers, FB Darian Barnes, WR Ahmad Merritt, K Billy Cundiff, LB Mike Goolsby and FS Izell Reese.
The cuts represent a serious clearing of what one blog poster called “The Tour de Cowboys,” the row of exercise bikes lining the training camp fields where the injured players rode the hours away. Rogers and Barnes spent much of last week on the bikes at Oxnard, trying to rehab injuries. Cundiff was injured prior to the Seahawks game and would not be available for the season’s opening games. Merritt injured a foot in the Seahawks game and would have to be carried on injured reserve were he not cut. The Cowboys apparently did not feel he deserved this treatment. All four will receive injury settlements as they were cut while hurt.
Goolsby was caught in a numbers game, running behind Ryan Fowler and Keith O’Neill. He had a hard time getting playing time. Reese had been fairly anonymous during camp and became expendable when the Cowboys signed Rich Coady this morning.
Churning the Secondary: Dallas added some apparent depth to its secondary corp Wednesday, signing FS Rich Coady to a one year deal. The former Ram will get a shot at Keith Davis’, but the man now on the hot seat is Lynn Scott, who must beat out Coady to keep his roster spot.
Poutville: Quincy Morgan may be trying to lighten Bill Parcells’ load. The WR accused the coaching staff of running an unfair competition for the third receiver spot and says they’re playing favorites with WR Patrick Crayton. Morgan feels he’s better than a fourth receiver and can help another team in the league.
Whether it’s premeditated or not, Morgan may get his wish.
Crying Wolf on Vollers? DMN scribe Matt Moseley reported that OT Kurt Vollers left the Seahawks game with a wrist wrapped in ice and that the injury “did not look good.”
As we know, bad news travels fast. Especially bad news about a Cowboys player. However, there was no word in either paper, the AP or on other football wires I check about Vollers’ injury today. I’m hopefull it now looks a lot better to the training staff than it did to Moseley.
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if we traded morgan, could we get much for him? What was he, a 3rd rounder when he was drafted? Depth would be the concern if we got rid of him.
I would think we could get a 7th or maybe a 6th for Morgan, if we can sell him to the right team. Depth won’t be an issue with him gone. It will make it easier to keep both Crowder and Merritt.
man - morgan dropped a first down pass against the hawks. this guy continues to have problems holding onto the ball - and crayton has outplayed him in every regard as far as i can tell.
doesnt matter what he was when he was drafted, its more of what he is now. i really wish morgan wouldve showed up this year. the guy has had some good years and 1 reallly good year. o well these are the kind of people you dt want on your team. if we get a 6th for him id be surprised.
Morgan got to learn to catch the ball with his hands and stop trying to cradle it with his arms catching the football.He’s going to get alot of work in the final preseason, so he better step up and prove he belongs.
With Crayton playing this way, it’s probably better to ship Morgan out before his whining goes unabated through the locker room. A late conditional pick would be fine with me.
Does Morgan not know we traded one head case………..for uh another? Hey Quincy why don’t you wad up your jersey and throw it at the coach, that will get you traded faster than complaining to the staff. Crayton has some serious hands and is making plays……..that is what competition is all about. Funny thing is uh…….who is going to want Quincy Morgan. I don’t see anybody knocking down our door to get this guy off our roster. Trust me! We gave up a 2nd round head case for this guy and all we are gonna get is a late round conditional pick………geez. Oh well at least Keyshawn for Galloway was a good trade.
Geez wide recievers are by far the biggest head cases on a football team. Even the good ones are weird………Marvin Harrison even acted a fool last year. TO and Moss? Tory Holt and Jerry Porter are about the only big time recievers that seem to be able to keep their mouth shut and just play the game. Percy Harvin will be available in 3 or 4 years……….hopefully we can wait that long………and get another one in the draft next year. Our own Michael Irvin certainly had his off the field issues…….but at least he never ever brought it to the locker room or the field. Well ok the scissor incident but other than that………he was a leader on the field and a fierce competitor. Do any of these guys have that anymore?
I’d expect Morgan to be traded not for a draft selection, but for another receiver, another 4th receiver. I think that we need a taller receiver to back Keyshawn up. Crayton is already Glenn’s backup. Right now they just have short and speedy receivers as depth.
cowboys just signed rich coady safety cut by the falcons. sounds like hes going to fight for the backup fs spot.
didnt mean to submit it yet. i dont know how this is going to help but ok. i guess dantzler, reese, and scott are prolly done?
It sounds like Morgan has some of the right things in that article. He says he’s not trying to start trouble and just wants to play ball. His main complaint is that he is competing from a different position(backing up KJ). I say give him a heavy dose this Saturday and let him prove himself one way or another. I feel we need a very strong back-up to KJ just in case his 30-something body gets beat up.
Coady’s history sounds to me like a younger Ike Reese. Anybody know Coady’s background?
I didn’t like the Antonio Bryant trade in the beginning. Know I really don’t like it. Seems that we gave up a lot of talent with nothing to little in return.
KC Joyner has joined espn as a columnist, his first article was yesterday.
Gene-I hear where your coming from but if you got a guy with talent you can’t access or get him to apply without screwing up the discipline on the team you’ve got to roll the dice on another guy that maybe you can get to produce. So far Morgan hasn’t produced but he also hasn’t demonstrated that he’s a headcase like was said about him. He has kept pretty quiet just needs to “showup”. Maybe BP is holding him back a little to get him fighting for a slot in the team.
It’s unfortunate for some, most of the time the competition is more of a mental challenge than physical, I’m sure Quincy was frustrated with his injury setback because there was no talk of him losing his grip on the third spot untill after he was out with that for a while. then to hear your head openly say he’s hoping someone else wins the job over you is too much to hear for some guys. I’d like to say that I would be more mentally tough as a player that Morgan is being right now but I can’t, I had the same issues when I was competing things that are said bother some guys more than others. I think this is close to ending his career in Dallas unless someone gives him some good encouragement and he just sucks it up and goes and gets it. Crayton has been the best reciever on the team so far so he deserves the 3 spot, Morgan has the talent to be as good as he wants to. I hope he sucks it up and contributes as much as he can when given the opportunity and quits listening to what is being said…
thats his only chance otherwise stick a fork in him, when your confidence starts to go and then you coach starts openly saying things the support that, its hard to combat for some guys. Hang in there Quincy.
if not I don’t think we can get anything for him…
Off topic-anybody hear how Merriman is doing for the Chargers so far? If he watched that game Monday he had to be burning up.
id say next years draft we are gonna see the cowboys take 1 top receiver and prolly another 1 in the later rounds. we deffintely need to find some young blood there for the future. if the players they drafted work then the defense is gonna be tough for a few years, then get the offensive players next year we could maybe see another dynasty. parcells started the dynasty in new england, and bellichek kept it going.
I’m sure most 2nd stringers in every training camp feel the same way as morgan does, and every Parcells and Jones knows it. This is just so much nothing.
It’s not Ike Reece. It’s Izell Reece. Ike Reece is a linebacker for the Eagles. And, Izell Reece is no longer a FS for the Cowboys. Cut. Same with Rogers. Both guys will get picked up, I’m sure. Same with Cundiff later in the year.
Crayton has the best hands on the team so its more of him winning the spot then Morgan losing the spot. What I saw on Monday from Crayton is he can and will fight for a ball. He has some strong hands so I can’t wait to see what he can do this year. Plus the fact Morgan dropped the ball that would have been a first down was not good. Does anyone know what kind of speed Crayton has is he going to be able to get deep too??
AW
finally we agree with something, i think crayton has the chance to be a real good wr. he has alot of heart, and is not scared of getting hit. he is a fighter. ill find his 40 time.
mike
I hope we do go after a WR next year Im not sold on Glen or KJ. Its a safe bet that Glen wont play all 16 games. I would like to see him in the 3 spot.
Barber had minor surgery(infection) today on his left foot and is out for Saturdays game.
Cuts today
Rogers Reese,Goolsby,Barnes,Cundiff, Merritt
i wish merritt wouldve made the team he has good speed and has some experience but o well.
Joey2zs-my bad about Ike/Izell but if I remember right Ike is with the Falcons.
merritt tore ligaments in his foot monday night, similar to glenn last year
supposedly, merritt would have been on IR all year had he not been cut so he was gone no matter what.
I just went over the roster for the umpteenth billion time and can still only come up with 50 keepers and 5 Practice Squaders.
Many of the real runts that keep the roster bloated (including our 6th WR & CB), Robinson, and some linemen scrubs (Walter & Noll) were not included in the count. Like Coady today, I believe that we will sign a few players from trades/cuts currently on other rosters. By position:
WR - Morgan (who is part of the 50 count) for another player, possibly two new WRs
RT - Gragg or Verba (no youngsters or scrubs need apply…we’ll spend some money on this, guarantee)
OG - Probably a youngster off a KC or Philly last cut
FS - We’ll get a surprise veteran in the mold of Coady, but probably better
Some names that didn’t make the 50:
+Nate Jones - PS
+Either Bickerstaff or Polite - PS
+Ryan or Pierce - PS (both are eligible)
+Copper or Crowder - Copper the likely choice, replaced by another possible FA WR
+Van Hoy, Tarullo - PS
+Lance Frazier
Fighter15-What do you need to see from Crowder to get him on your top 50? He seems a very capable and developing player for a 3rd WR. I guess I kinda see him as Kelvin Martin (with Scatman Crother’s bowlegs) this year.
Crowder and Copper are both good special teamers. Crowder is the better receiver, albeit not a top 3. That’s why I favor Copper being cut.
The premise on the WR cuts is a feeling I get that we’ll be searching for one or two prospects, maybe even a fading but serviceable veteran to add to the mix.
My personal preference would be a reclamation project, like Peerless Price or someone like that, to see if we can’t get a Jimmy Smith-type find.
Fighter15, I hope you’re right on that RT guarantee. But I’m not sure how much of a step up Gragg or Verba would be since they’re still out there.
I wouldn’t count Morgan out just yet, though. Might have been blowing off some steam; that sometimes happens in the preseason to the non-starters. If it happens again, though, he better start packing.
Crowder will be an interesting one to watch. If he’s a special teams stud, that might be enough to keep him on the team unless BP really likes the potential of some of the other young WRs. Getting two WRs with potential off the street at this point will be pretty iffy.
Also will be interesting to watch the FB/RB races. A-Train doesn’t look so hot now, but Polite doesn’t look great either. Bickerstaff may still have a chance here but can he show anything before the season starts? Man, Polite just looks so beatable. Anybody think he’d still be here if Barnes were healthy?
I like our starting trio of corners now, but the dropoff from there is scary. I hope they find something else to fill that gap before the season. More of a concern to me than WR at this point.
It’s about the money for Verba. Gragg is only serviceable, but he’ll be better than a rookie. Much fewer mistakes.
Morgan’s gone. Any player talking to the media is seen as a pariah. Won’t be tolerated by anyone other than a superstar. Hell, even LT kept his mouth shut (just couldn’t keep his nose shut)
Crowder makes it most likely. A-Train makes it because MB3 can’t be trusted…and he’s the only veteran. My guess is that when it comes down to crunch time, Thomson is the last guy cut, like Danzler. Bickerstaff has to beat out Polite, the second strongest guy in camp…
CB is fine. We’ve got three good-to-great and two real up and comers in Reeves and Thornton. Not even close to WR as a point of concern
I personally don’t think anybody would give us a pick for Morgan other than Seattle. They seem to like soft players that drop passes.
Sean - Merriman has been quiet since signing his contract late. There has been some grumblings about why San Diego didn’t move up a couple of spots and steal Ware away from Dallas. San Diego was reluctant to deal with Merriman’s agent but was the best defender left on the board at the time. Very similar type of defenders, but Merriman is a step slower than Ware.
Texas boy in San Diego
I just read this and this guy thinks Morgan should be the third WR.
Morgan being Short-Changed by the coaching staff? …and the turk gets busy
Filed under: The Roundup Will Parchman @ 2:15 pm
Morgan feeling slighted by Parcells & Co.
Morgan has no ill will toward Crayton. But he is frustrated with what he says has not been a fair competition from the outset.
For the record, Cowboys receivers coach Todd Haley said that Morgan drops too many passes, while Crayton catches everything.
However, Morgan said he was shocked when Cowboys coach Bill Parcells “told the world†in a news conference two weeks ago that he was “rooting†for Crayton to win the job.
What’s more, Morgan said there hasn’t been a true competition because he and Crayton play different positions.
Morgan plays behind Johnson at split end. Crayton has worked behind Glenn at flanker and in the slot in spread formations.
“He’s getting more opportunities, just like he played the entire game Monday night,†Morgan said. “He should catch more balls. But we are playing two different positions.â€Â
Morgan said he hasn’t complained to the coaches because he’s not that type of player.
“I am not into that,†Morgan said. “All I can do is go back to practice and try to get better.â€Â
I’m actually rather surprised this story didn’t break earlier, because I couldn’t agree more with Morgan’s stance. Parcells has indeed taken a liking to Crayton, and for whatever reason has decided to give #84 more preseason chances. I understand that nobody tells the quarterback who to throw to, but Morgan simply isn’t getting enough chances to improve his standing amongst the coaches and fans, and that all starts with the head coach. Morgan is the veteran in the equation and has earned (somewhat) the right to a fair shake in the mix of things. As I noted in my game notes, Quincy Morgan was thrown to just once on Monday night, which shouldn’t happen, especially in the preseason. In contrast, Crayton caught five balls and was clearly the primary target for most of the game.
I honestly cannot fault Parcells for wanting to see Crayton develop into a dependable receiver, and what better way to affirm that premonition than to give him plenty of reps? The problem arrives in assuming that we’ve seen all that Morgan is capable of in camp and to write him off as a 4th, 5th or 6th tier wide out. If this is going to be done the right way, Henson, Romo and Bledsoe should at least give Morgan a shot, rather than looking him off in favor of somebody else.
If it’s any consolation, Morgan’s attitude seems to be in the right place (or at least it was). Instead of pulling a Pete Hunter, Morgan accepted his role in the offense and assumed he would get his chance to show his skills in a game setting… those chances just never came. Morgan certainly isn’t a top receiver, nor should he be thought of as a go-to wide out, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to give up on him and default the position to Crayton because he has a bigger upside. If it’s a fair fight, I think Morgan gets a spot in the top-3 rotation.
Is Jose Cortez actually going to be our kicker all year? He is a below average kicker in the NFL at best. For his career he is 8-18 from 40-49 yards…that doesn’t cut it at all. Can we expect Cortez to remain a Cowboy all season?
Marcus Spears returns to practice today, a lot earlier than expected. Can we expect good things from him this year? Anywhere near what we should expect from Ware?
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OK, looking at the numbers again, getting to a 53-man roster is going to pit some strange folks against each other. They can keep three of the following:
* FB Polite (or Bickerstaff if he’s healthy in time)
* The 4th RB (I put Thomas here, but may be Thompson)
* WR Morgan (a lock if he keeps his mouth shut and works)
* WR Crowder (special teams, but nothing else yet)
* TE Pierce (BP likes him, but 4 TEs? must work on that long snapping)
* OLB Ogbogu (if he’s still behind K. Thornton and Burnett)
* NT Carson (if he’s behind “Pepper” Johnson)
* CB Frazier (6 CBs? only if they think he has real potential)
That’s assuming a base of 3 QBs, 3 RBs, 2 each LT/LG/C/RG/RT, 3 TEs, 4 WRs, 3 LEs, 2 NTs, 3 REs, 2 each SLB/JMB/MLB/WLB, 5 CBs, 2 each FS/SS, 1 K, 1 P. Does NOT assume we sign another RT!
I’d keep a FB, TE Pierce, and WR Morgan even though he’s mental. Or sign a decent RT and cut Walter, our backup RG.
That means no Crowder and no Ogbogu, plus we lose either A-Train or Thompson. Ouch! But BP sees something in Pierce and he’ll want a better TE/Long-Snapper than Robinson next year. And how can we expect Drew to last three games against the NFC East LDEs with the mess we have there, unless he keeps a FB?
Tell Morgan to just catch the ball.
Adam:
In the game he was two of two in 40+ yards kicks and solid in Kickoffs, I think that he did something good in camp. Otherwise, Cundiff wouldn’t be on the street already.
Chandus
Cundiff is on the street because he is hurt not because he lost the job.
Darrell
That writer doesn’t know what he is talking about because if one guy is catching everything and the other guy isn’t which one do you want in the game???
I hope Cortez’s preaseason success can transition into the regular season.
AW:
But he might have been ready for season start, the reason for him being fired, has more to do with Cortez being capable of handling Cundiff role if not for the better, just the same.
Excuse me….Jose Cortez was the MVP of the Million Dollar Game in the 2001 XFL season…therefore he must be able to handle pressure situations.
Chandus
No if he wasn’t hurt he wouldnt have been cut today. If Cortez missed all his kicks they both would be cut now.
Does anybody have an idea what the cap situation looks like after the recent cuts of today? Just curious with alot of teams whittling down their rosters also it would be nice to pick up some vets at WR or Safety.
We had roughly 9 1/2 Mil as of June. Now $4.5 was eaten by the rookies, and you’ve got to assume that a few of the signees replaced about $.5 mil somewhere along the lines.
Best guess is we’ve got somewhere between $4-$5 Million left. That’s plenty to sign two very well paid veterans. I’d assume $1-$2 mil is left for emergencies (i.e., midseason signings, restructuring of a potential superstar (read Jones, Witten), or a rash of injuries). Still leaves a $3 Mil RT in Verba straight one year deal + a veteran WR for another mil, or a $1 Mil Gragg + a number of other options.
I don’t think Crowder is a better reciever than Copper. Copper showed some in the regular season last year, Crowder never did. He’s a better ST player, but he still doesn’t have a position. I think that Copper could make it because he has shown something, and Crowder could steal it because we need another ST ace. Rector had plenty of oppurtunites with punt returns against Sea, so hes in the mix too.
I still say we need Morgan, esp because we gave a reciever with potential who is doing some nice things in another place. I think against the Texans, with Barber out, Julius getting more rest, as well KJ and TG, he MUST step up and show us. But we wont get anything for him and its not worth cutting him to keep 2 players like Crowder and Copper.
exactly what i wanted to know G man, im sure we are ok there though.
Adam,
that’s funny.
its not to late! we need to make a trade to someone for a reciever, and for a RT. i like petitti, but i dont want to go into the season with a rookie. we need to get Q.morgan out of here for draft picks. and we need to see what kind of reciever we can get for greg ellis. at fs, i want to try an swing a trade with someone who may be deep at that spot.
Crowder is faster than Copper.
mike,
Reese has already been released. I don’t see Dantzler sticking. It looks to me like Coady will fight with Lynn for the 4th-safety slot.
Forgot to mention that Coady has played both free and strong safety, and is good at special teams.
Remnant,
Are you keeping Ryan over Pierce. I know Parcells likes Ryan, but it would be a shame to cut a player who has done so well in camp, for one who hasn’t played a snap. It looks like Ryan won’t be back until next week, at best.
Why is there so much negative commentary regarding rookies? Afterall, we’ve seen some really great players that were ready, able, and willing to contribute positive things in their rookie year. Drew Pearson comes to mind right off and he was not even drafted…he was a “walk on” if memory serves me right.
Petitti made some errors, yes. Yet, he played a credible game and, if you are to believe the reports, he was more than willing to accept instruction and mentoring from his more experienced teammates.
However, many of the veterans made mistakes, too! “Demo Man” Ware played an outstanding game against Seattle in spite of many things he didn’t do right. Dat Nguyen missed an open field tackle which he normally would make (perhaps the quickness and ease in getting the shot was too distracting and caused him to miss).
The idea of getting rid of Greg Ellis seems to be like throwing the baby out with the bath water. Not particularly a good idea in my opinion since Greg is one of the anchors in the DL.
It would seem to me that a careful eye on the improvements made from last year would give us a small insight into better things to come … and it would seem that the light at the end of the tunnel is not another train coming toward us.
This is off topic but if New England back-up Rohan Davey is released should the boys go after him?
I bring this up because the likely #2 will be Flutie and they may want to keep there recent draft pick as there #3.
If Morgan would make plays,stay patient ,and step up,I mean with 30 somthing wr’s he could get his shot.Look at last year, were going to at least need 5 maybe 6 wide out’s for the hole year. I hope Terry and M.R Keyshawn stay healthy.But they are 30 somthing and we are going to need wr’s in the next couple of years……………………..He needs to wake up, this is he’s best shot to become a wide out in the NFL.
The guy that I think on this team has gotton a free ride far too long is, should I dare say it, ROY WILLIAMS. I like this guy and expect more from him,but I wonder if he expects more from himself. Does he see himself as a player who is a ESPN highlite film guy, or a player who wants to go into the football hall of fame. I’m tired of Roy trying to make the big highlite hit instead of rapping and just making the tackle, I seen it again on monday night, instead of making the tackle at the one yard line for a huge loss,after coming on a bitz, he goes for a bigtime hit instead, has his arms down by his side, misses rapping up and the guy runs for a first down, thats what I’m talking about.It happens over and over with him. Just make the tackle.And all this celebrating after a bigtime hit after the reciever catches it for a first down is rediculous, see Davis Monday night, what are you congratulating yourself for, the guy caught the ball for a fifteen yard gain and a first down.Just bring the lumber, but you dont need to lay it down everytime. Where are the fundamentals in football, maybe we should spent some time in practice on rapping and tackling.
“WUZ UP!!” to all you Bryant-bashers!!!!!
He’s doing GREAT in Cleveland. He’s having the “best camp of any Brown” I’ve heard. We shoulda kept him. I’ve been sayn it and sayn it.
And enough of this “Bryant was a head-case” crap. You gotta COACH a guy’s CHARACTER as well as his physical skills. If you CULTIVATE these kids, they’ll bleed for you, loyalty and victories. It just takes patience. Guess Billy doesn’t understand that, and apperantly, a lot of you guys don’t either.
Well, you guys are gonna see LOTS of highlights from Antonio this year, cuz he’s got MAD talent, and Cleveland may be close to making it work. I hope they do, too. I’m still rootn for the kid. OUR mistake is gonna get worse and worse as Antonio improves. i don’t care what you guys say.
Oh, yeah. And we WILL be drafting a WR next year… High.
Go Cowboys!!
I took a more detailed look at the first half. I wanted to more thoroughly evaluate the offensive-line play. Here’s what I saw.
Flozell Adams was the best lineman we had in that half. He dominated his man on every play. Wistrom never got a whiff of the QB, and Adams was getting a lot of push on running plays. I saw no mistakes or missed blocks, whatsoever.
Larry Allen also had a good half, although I did see him miss a critical block on a short-yardage play, and he had a false start. Otherwise, he was his usual self.
Al Johnston, I thought, played quite well. He usually handled his man, and held up in pass protection.
Tyson Walter had some problems with his man. He had trouble sustaining his blocks, and gave a lot of ground in pass protection, although he never broke down completely. Walter did show some ability to pull and get onto a linebacker.
Al Petitti won every one-on-one matchup he faced, both in pass protection and in the running game. Of course, he had a lot of trouble with stunts and blitzes. If he can figure that part of his responsibilities out, we might have something here. [By the way, on one of those blitzes, where Petitti failed to block the LB, Jason Witten completely did an 'ole' on a DB blitzing from the same side.]
Ben Noll got to play the final series of the half [the one before the kneel downs] — one play for Allen, the rest for Walter. I thought Noll did fine. I know Parcells said that Noll played poorly, but it didn’t show up in that one series.
A question could be asked, with such good play from the offensive line, why didn’t the Cowboys run even better than they did, especially early? I think I know why. The first play of the game, the Cowboys lined up strong left, with both the TE and FB to the left of center. They then ran Jones to that strong side. The Seahawks were waiting. Not one LB was to the left of their LDE. All were bunched from their middle to their right, our strong side. So were the safeties. They just outnumbered us at the point of attack. I read on one of the forums that Drew Pearson has noted that the Cowboys have been consistently running to the strong side of their formation. Obviously, the Seahawks had picked up on that. I suspect that this pattern will not persist when the regular season starts. At least, I hope not. Otherwise, it won’t make any difference how well our line plays or how good Jones is.
rich:
Just like you cultivate guys like T. O. and Moss? They might make great numbers, but at the cost of having the rest of the players in the team waiting for their next 10 year old mental lapse isn’t worth it. We may digress in this, but you need to figure something out, what have those guys won in this league? Just stats and millions, they don’t have a ring on their fingers. If you’re vaine the first couple will make up, but if you really love football, there’s nothing like a ring. And as far as I remember, the only head case I think has won a ring is McMahon, and he didn’t won it, Payton and his D were the ones after the W.
Mr. Bill:
Just realized that? Troughout all the past season that was the same problem, Gurode and Tucker being incapable of making holes and George and then JuiceJ having to run between Al Johnson and Flozell or to the outside, which was the main reason for all those stops for no gain, even with JJ playing in the 2nd half of the season. And that’s the main reason why Jones signed Rivera, who’s an accomplished run blocker, I just read that he’s back, training at full strenght, let’s hope he remains that way…
Rich,
I am not bashing you, but I would like to point out there are players who get to play in preseaon and light it up, but never really amount to much once the games count. And here is our list of league leaders in the preseason:
Rushing Yds
1. A. Peterson CHI 150
2. R. Dayne DEN 143
3. M. Turner SD 137
4. D. McAllister NO 126
5. V. Morency HOU 116
Receiving Yds
1. M. Bradley CHI 243
2. K. Curtis STL 142
3. T. Devoe DEN 134
4. M. Mann MIA 132
5. L. Thomas IND 120
Passing Yds
1. K. Orton CHI 335
2. J. Sorgi IND 313
3. T. Brown IND 299
4. B. Volek TEN 282
5. G. Frerotte MIA 281
Sacks No.
1. C. Ritzmann BUF 4
2. R. Mathis IND 4
3. C. Pace ARI 4
4. K. Vanden Bosch TEN 3
5. A. Ogunleye CHI 3
Do you think these guys will be there once the lights turn on and the games actually have meaning? … Lets the guy get through a whole season before we start tooting his horn. Afterall its only preseason.
Hey guys, I believe Marcus Spears practiced yesterday, I think I heard Parcells say that during his press conference.
On our offensive line, suprisingly I thought Petitti did a great job at blocking a defender past Bledsoe. It was one play but I think that is a sign of a really good OT. I hear he did a similar job against Dwight Freeny in college, when the two played for Syracuse and Pitt respectively.
Why would anyone think that getting rid of Bryant was a bad thing if you are truly a Cowboy fan.If he were still here, Bryant would now be our T.O.
if you really want to cry over the loss of a receiver, the best one we actually LOST was Jimmy Smith when Jacksonville took him from us in the expansion draft! NO way will Bryant EVER come close to being the receiver he has!
The AB apologists (who are also mostly BP critics-suprise!- just don’t WANT to get it: headcase WR’s are not worth the price you pay for their production. The Birds are finding that out- the Viqueens unloaded their headache. BP got rid of him after enough crap, quiting on routes, freelancing and acting out to cut 3 guys, let alone 1. I think BP should have shown him the door right after the jersey incident.
Mr. Bill, I’m keeping Ryan before Pierce because Ryan is our only proven deep snapper. That’s why they brought him here in the first place. But Pierce has been working on his deep snapping and is younger–and Bill likes him for some reason. So I think he’s going to stick unless they think he’ll clear waivers to the PS.
On the other hand, all this Crowder vs. Copper talk has me scratching my head. Crowder may be faster, but even at Arkansas he was a special teams guy with no real position otherwise. And he has done nothing interesting yet at WR for the Cowboys, whereas Copper has shown some flashes. So if they want another special teams ace, Crowder’s the man. If they want depth at WR, they keep Copper.
And I’ll repeat myself by saying that Petitti was doing decent at best in run blocking vs. a below average Seahawks DL in the preseason. If he remains our starter at RT, in the regular season he’ll see Strahan (Giants, 118 career sacks), Wynn (Redskins, 21 career sacks), Young (49ers, 70 career sacks), Kearse (Eagles, 55 career sacks), and Okeafor (Cardinals, 28 career sacks). And that’s just in the first half!
I’m not giving up on Petitti, I’m just worried about us at that position. If he or Tucker can show some ability to actually push their man around some on rushing plays without getting penalties, I’ll be happy. Otherwise, I think I’d be foolish to just think we’ll be ok there.
Um, AB threw his sweaty jersey in BP’s face in front of the whole team!
Hello? If you did that to your boss, you think you might get in trouble? Fired even? Especially if you never showed any remorse?
He left BP with the choice of A) a solid team of guys who know they have to work hard and do what their future-Hall-of-Fame coach says, or B) a lazier team that thinks it’s ok to question the judgement of their coach because that talented jacka$$ receiver who did it is still on the team.
Give me A every time. I think we’ll see that unless TO gets smart quick, he’ll be at a different team every year or two for the rest of his career. And get paid less than his talent and numbers warrant.
If we trade or cut morgan we might as well call it a season. I don’t mean he is all that important to the boys success passing game, but if key or terry get hurt, then what? Clayton’s gonna start, no thank u. He made have looked good againist 2nd string seahawks d, but how is he gonna fair starting. We need morgan more than morgan needs the cowboys. I would be pissed if the boys release him!!!
Remnant,
When you wrote about Ryan as our only proven deep snapper, were you confusing him with Jeff Robinson?
chris,
I’m with you that we need someone with Morgan’s ability to stretch the field. But, Morgan has to show something — anything — other than an inability to hang on to the football.
Morgan is fortunate that there isn’t all that much behind him. Even so, he might still lose his roster spot. If Clayton continues to outperform him and wins that #3 receiver spot, Parcells might opt to go with Copper and Crayton, who both excel on special teams, as our #4 and #5 receivers. Morgan does not play special teams, which has got to be a major drawback, that far down on the depth chart. And, Copper was not without merit, filling in for Glenn last season.
There are still two preseason games to go. But, Morgan had better show a lot more than he has, or he’s probably a goner.
chris
Crayton was looking good against the 1st d. I’m not saying he is great or an all pro but he did show why BP said he has the best hands on the team. The thing about Crayton is how much better he is this year then last year. I look at him to be a starter at the most in two years but maybe next year if he just keeps getting better. People need to stop looking at Morgan as a looser and look at Crayton just being better. I look at Crayton getting better and I don’t see Morgan out doing his 900+ season he had.
Chris,
If Glenn is hurt Crayton WILL start for him. Crayton was running lots of reps as the #2 in practice last week, in base 2 WR sets. Morgan never did.
And I don’t see why that’s a bad thing. Morgan had lots of time last year after the trade to show something. He caught a deep pass in the Packers game, but the Morgan I remember had difficulty getting open deep and he’s supposed to be the deep threat.
When he lines up now he’s the backup for Keyshawn, not for Glenn. Tells you a lot about the coaching staff’s faith in his alleged speed. I think he sticks, because the WRs have been injury prone and you need veteran help if they get hurt again. But it’s by default, not because of anything Quincy’s done to deserve it.
Mr. Bill
Morgan need to show something but being the 4th he will get playing time because Glenn will miss time. Crayton might be able to stretch field. Morgan had one good game last year and that was his first game as a Cowboy after that he did nothing.
Does anyone know what kind of speed Crayton has??
a little off the topic of WR but i just read that Ferguson might not be ready for the opener. I kno we have Glover in there playing and hes an all-pro, but fergie was brought here to anchor that 3-man front…
Nate-I heard the same thing from BP and took it with a grain of salt as either motivation for Fergie or smoke for San Diego.
I realize that Bryant was a punk. There are two things that bother me about his being gotten rid of. Firstly and most importantly, we did not get enough in return for him, headcase or not. This is becoming all too apparent NOW because we face the possibility of losing AB’s replacement, with nothing to show for losing Morgan (if he is cut outright). Secondly, it is documented that BP’s behavior towards AB was unproffesional at times. My question is: Was BP trying to provoke him so as to have an excuse to run him off? Or was BP walking a fine line with the pressure he brought to try and turn AB around? We will probably never know for sure, but if it was the former; why should such an esteemed and proficient coach like BP waste his time with such tactics? It’s not like he didn’t have the power to get rid of AB WITHOUT an excuse. We all have our bad days I guess.
Mr. Bill, thanks for the correction. Robinson (3rd TE) is our deep snapper. It is telling that Sean Ryan (also a TE) is not even on the current depth chart at dc’s.com.
BP was testing AB to see if he could take it- since this team is being moved towards the playoffs BP wants people who do not fold under pressure. So he pushed hard. AB could not take it. And so its bye bye.
Between the DOCUMENTED freelancing, taking off plays, busted routes, and drops- and his tantrums and pouting- BP said don’t let the doorknob hit your butt on the way out. And that was exactly right. And for all the apologists- just WHO was knocking down our door offering ANYTHING for AB?
For now, Morgan is still with us and we may still yet get some value from him. But if we do not, and end up cutting the guy with nothing to show for it; well, sorry fluffers, but BP WILL have SCREWED THE POOCH on this one. Hey, nobody’s perfect.
James,
If Parcells was deliberately trying to ‘provoke’ Bryant, to provide an excuse for running him off, Bryant would have been gone the day after the jersey incident.
Nor do I know how a coach can ‘provoke’ a player to freelance on his routes.
There is only so much time that a coaching staff can devote to one player. Bryant was not reacting well to their teaching, and was becoming a major distraction in the locker room. The situation had become intolerable, and he just had to go. You just can’t wait for a player to develop while he is tearing your team apart from within.
Of course, it was not Bryant’s fault that he was behind Johnson and Glenn. It was just a fact of NFL life — one that he did not react well to. Now, he is in Cleveland, where he has a greater chance to be a focal point in their offense. He should do better there, than he ever would have here. Heaven help the Browns, though, if they decide to focus on Edwards and Northcutt. They will soon learn why we got rid of him.
Remnant,
No problem. I notice that I referred to ‘Al’ Petitti, in one of my entries. I have no idea where that came from.
James,
It’s funny that no one will finally say, hey we screwed up on Bryant. If he’s such a malconent then why is he doing so well in Cleveland? Heck he’s doing so well they traded one of their best WR for a draft pick. It was one of many mistakes Parcells has made since his arival. Lets just hope he pulls us out of the hole before he skips town.
Why would anyone give us anything for a player, that we are casting aside for 7th round draft pick that played QB at an NAIA school?
Cash,
Like I said, nobody’s perfect. We flocked up on the AB trade. Enough said. But at least the BP APOLOGISTS are admitting that it is documented that TunaMan does behave unprofessionally when it suits him. As Aaron Glenn said, “BP WILL RUN A GUY OUT OF A SITUATION.” Most of the time he is right (Rogers, Hunter), but even THE lord TUNA makes mistakes. He is human just like the rest of us. I betcha he even puts his pants on one leg at a time!
Yes and what did clev. get for their ’starting wide receiver??
An undisclosed draft pick rumoured to be a 5th or 6th draft
pick…..you know like undocumented rumours spread about
B.P. behaving “unprofessional” towards A.B..But they must
be true because A.B. never had any kinda of temper
problems before B.P. arrived in Dallas.
Lets see what did pitt get for Burress??Or the giants for
Hillard???Two receivers with far better numbers than A.B.
B.P. ran off Rogers????You can bash B.P. for drafting an
injury prone guy #2 but running the guy off..don’t think so.
Actually, I would blame Lacewell for that one.
Hey, the REAL problem with Quincy M. is that he is flat getting BEAT OUT by Crayton. End of story. I think we can chalk that one up to the
“Who knew?” file. Crayton is going to be a very good player.
And A.B. was a great talent, but also a head case. The very reason we passed up Randy Moss in the draft. They ended up playing mind games with A.B. and it screwed him up mentally, but then again, you guys are right, maybe that’s what B.P. was trying to find out to see if he had it goin on upstairs when the going got tough… and he didn’t.
Cash,
I’ve been saying from the start the Bryant trade was a bad move. I’m just glad to see people who agree with me speak up about it. There are a lot of guys who think that it was a good move because of Byant’s attitude, but just think about what might have happened last year had he still been on the team. When Terry went down, Bryant would have become the starter, which is what he was always whining about anyway. He might have been happier, and not been such a distraction.
Hey, I KNOW THE GUY WAS CAUSING PROBLEMS! I get that. What I don’t get is why we traded a guy who CAN and DOES catch the ball for a guy who CANNOT catch the ball. Hell, we already had a speedy guy who supposedly couldn’t catch in Randal Williams. Now he’s in Oakland, and guess what he’s doing? Catching the ball. He may not make the team, but I’ll bet he catches more passes this pre-season than Morgan does.
Also, I’m rooting for Morgan to show me something, but I saw that pass he dropped. He just can’t drop passes like that. I’m hopng that with increased playing time, he can show me something, because so far, I’m not impressed at all. Any way you look at it, that trade was a BAD MOVE!
Crayton is just plain beating Morgan out for the 3rd slot. Morgan will get his shot tonight, and he’s got to make the most of it. If he doesn’t show up big tonight, I say give Copper a shot. He looked good last year too.
Rob2, it’s not just catching. It’s also downfield blocking and running out your routes when you aren’t the primary. It’s working hard and not taking plays off, because it might be your block or your decoy that springs the play. Bryant was inconsistent about those things, while Glenn did them, so Glenn started. If Crayton is more consistent than Glenn, he will start.
It wasn’t that Bryant was or was not a head case. TO is, but does those things and is dependable, if he is in camp. Moss admittedly has trouble staying involved when the play is not coming to him. Irvin may have been as big an ego as we will ever see, but the man was a ferocious blocker, every play. His teammates did not love him for his catches; they loved him becasue of his work ethic and willingness to put it out there every play. That’s how he became the leader of the team.