SB Nation User Blog: Dave Halprin (Grizz)

Happy Fourth of July from BTB

Dave Halprin (Grizz) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:50:14 -0000

Happy Birthday, America!

We'll leave this post up as an open thread for any Fourth of July party reports or any random football talk that might creep up.

We'll be back posting new stories later tonight but in the meantime, enjoy your holiday.

America's Holiday and America's Team go together!

Hat tip to DaveTroll for making the July 4th graphic.

Cowboys Magazine: Wade Phillips and the 46 Defense

Dave Halprin (Grizz) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:34:33 -0000

[Ed Note]: BTB will be running a series of posts over the next few weeks highlighting some of the articles in the new magazine Maple Street Press Cowboys Annual. I did the editing and Rafael did a lot of the feature writing for the magazine that will go on sale July 21st in outlets around the country. You can pre-order the magazine for delivery by visiting the Maple Street Press website. Besides getting a great magazine with 128-pages of Cowboys goodness complete with plenty of analysis and photos, you'll also be supporting Rafael and I along with BTB. So go pre-order now.

Today's feature article is by Rafael Vela entitled: Who's Your [Football] Daddy? Wade Phillips and his Two Football Fathers. I'll let Rafael do the set-up for the article and tell you more about it.

Wade Phillips dusted off the 46 scheme he learned from Buddy Ryan to rescue his season. Dallas played the 46 close to half the time in the Redskins rematch win and used it a lot down the stretch. Dallas has an improved coverage secondary this year, with a lot more speed at the safety position. For this reason, I expect Phillips to blitz much more heavily this year. With a trusted -- and bigger -- Keith Brooking playing MLB instead of Zach Thomas, I think Wade Philips will unleash the Bear package and its blitzes a lot, lot more this year.

-- rv

[Excerpt from the actual magazine article]:

Dallas limped into its bye having surrendered 439 rushing yards in its previous three games. Good teams were out muscling Dallas's front seven. On the line, only Ratliff played consistently good ball. His backup Tank Johnson, either played very well or hardly at all. The same was true of right end Chris Canty, who could dominate for a series or a quarter, and then disappear for equal amounts of time. Left end Marcus Spears was playing better football, but he lacked big play ability.

[snip]

Phillips then made a tactical switch, elevating the 46 from a change-up, third down defense to his primary scheme.

Buddy Ryan created the 46 scheme on the philosophy that the defense should dictate play to the offense. It modifies a base 4-3 scheme to maximize interior pass rush, create rush mismatches on the edges, and put eight men within five yards of the line of scrimmage to create numerical edges for the defense against running plays.

The first change involved moving the best pass rusher from end to nose tackle. In Chicago, Ryan lined up Dan Hampton between his defensive tackles. In Philadelphia, Reggie White lined up on the nose. The thinking is to put your best rusher on one of the line's weakest pass blockers one-on-one. Because two defensive tackles are playing over the offensive guards, neither one of them can help the center. On the strong side, the 46 deploys two linebackers, one on each side of the tight end. One or both of them can rush, creating an overload on that edge if the tight end releases on a pass route. On the weak side, the speed rusher lines up wide and gets to duel the tackle in space.

The scheme plays to Dallas's strengths. Dallas's best rushing lineman was already on the nose, but putting two tackles alongside him meant he could not be double teamed. DeMarcus Ware was already playing the Richard Dent/Clyde Simmons role, only from a two point stance instead of with his hand down. Bradie James emerged as a rushing linebacker in 2008 and lining him up next to Greg Ellis gave offensive coordinators headaches. Both of them finished with eight sacks and an opponent could not be sure if one or both of these skilled rushers would attack the quarterback on any given play.

The 46 also covered up the Cowboys rush weakness at inside linebacker. With three defensive linemen parked over the three interior offensive linemen, Dallas could play a smaller, speedier middle linebacker and let him float to the ball. Dallas had such a player in the 227-pound Kevin Burnett. He had excelled in coverage as Dallas's nickel backer but the coaches had been reluctant to play him on first and second downs. The 46 made him an every-down player.

What's more, the Cowboys could shift easily from set to set. They could deploy in their base set and then slide both defensive ends inside. James would then walk from his strongside inside linebacker slot to the gap vacated by the end and the 46 was in place.

Cowboys links

Dave Halprin (Grizz) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:53:22 -0000

Fresh batch of links to Cowboys articles.

DC.com goes in-depth on Isaiah Stanback and how injuries have frustrated his career.

Frustration? Yeah, and then some.

"Oh man, it's pretty high," Stanback said when asked to rate his frustration level from 1-10. "I don't know, probably an 11 or 12 maybe."

We're right there with you on that one.

More links below.

In an article in a Tampa Bay paper, they discuss the Bucs expenditures on player costs between 2004 and 2008 using a recent article on NFL.com. They conclude the Bucs have spent the least of anybody in that time-frame. What does this have to with Dallas?

Conversely, Dallas led the NFL with $566.89 million spent during that time frame, while Seattle is second ($552.42 million), followed by Washington ($547.37 million). However, between 2004 and 2008, Dallas and Tampa Bay have the same amount of playoff appearances and wins- two appearances and no wins.

Ouch!

Nick Eatman wades into the "next Ring of Honor inductees" debate.

The Cowboys unveiled the new logo for Cowboys Stadium. They wanted a clean, timeless logo. What do you guys think?

Another take on the stadium at ESPN.

A Martellus Bennett video that shows he's still nutty.

Get your Cowboys jerseys here! The Cowboys are building a new merchandise hub that will cover 400,000 square feet.

A Washington Post blogger is sick over the Cowboys fans at Romo's golf appearance.

This is when I knew it was gonna be bad. We were on Congressional's 12th fairway, Tiger and Tony's third hole, when I saw a father and daughter in matching Romo jerseys perched around the green. That would be Joe Ramirez from Mechanicsburg, Pa., along with his 5-year old daughter, Dallas. Yeah, Dallas.

It's Tony Romo Day on ESPN

Dave Halprin (Grizz) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:28:56 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Tony Romo did a nice thing yesterday. He took a kid with leukemia to a Yankees game and roped in Derek Jeter for some quality time with the kid. Nice job Romo.

Browse more photos »

I'm flipping through the channels on TV when I come across SportsCenter on ESPN. They now show the upcoming stories on the left-hand side of the screen and the next story listed was Tony Romo. Hmm, Tony Romo news? So I stuck around. I thought it was going to be about the chat he held yesterday that Aaron summarized. Or maybe his paring with Tiger in a golf tournament. When the story finally arrived, there was a picture of Romo and T.O. on the screen. Uh oh, what happened now?

I should have known, suckered by ESPN once again.

The anchor started off with the ominous; it's been a drama-filled offseason for the Cowboys once again. Really? And here I was thinking that this is the most boring offseason I've seen from the Cowboys in a while (excepting the practice 'bubble' collapse). On the drama scale, I'd rank this offseason somewhere between a session of Transcendental Meditation and taking a nap while vacationing at a tropical beach. But I figured T.O. or Romo had really stepped in it somehow, since SportsCenter was hyping a conflict.

Turns out, it was Tony Romo taking a kid from the Starlight Foundation to a Yankees game. The kid is battling leukemia and this was his wish. ESPN, at least, did mention this fact and aired a question from everybody's favorite Ed Werder about it with a Romo reply. But we quickly moved to Werder asking Romo about T.O.'s comments on leadership last week. Romo didn't take the bait, chided Werder and the press about misinterpreting what people say, especially T.O., and that he hadn't seen the comment so he's not going to comment. He then went on to praise T.O.'s abilities. All with that "I think you're a total rat" grin on his face while Werder looked for a money quote.

And that was that. Some drama.

Romo also discussed his girlfriend and the idea that he was bottom-heavy. His response to the out-of-shape issue:

"That's just for other people to talk about. All you can do is put your head down and go to work each day and try to achieve. It's all about just trying to achieve a goal and working hard to do it."

Romo is all over SportsCenter this morning. Videos are below so make the jump. BTW, the clip below with the Werder interview is not the same anchor lead-in that I saw this morning.

The VRR: Romo Stuff, Free Reign on Stage

Dave Halprin (Grizz) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:18:36 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

Marc Colombo and Leonard Davis, members of Free Reign, get their rocks off at the House of Blues this weekend.

Browse more photos »

No real 'football' news coming out from the Cowboys. Here are some links to the 'human interest' side of Dallas. Hey, it's the the 'dead zone' - but only a month to go!

From The Sporting News, a list of QB's that have yet to win a SB, but with a shot this year, includes Romo.

Romo, however, never has won a playoff game and has become perhaps the NFL's most scrutinized QB. The pressure on Romo never has been greater, following the Cowboys' late-season collapse and the decision to cut Terrell Owens. Yet, Romo insists he never has felt better about Dallas' chances.

"This has been the best offseason, as far as people competing at any extremely high level and people getting better," Romo said. "Just because stuff's going well now doesn't guarantee us success this year."

Free Reign gets the Deadspin treatment. Their conclusion:

But they play their own instruments, and they're competent, and that's enough to dub them best crossover athlete/musicians in history.

More VRR after the jump.

Former Cowboys Robert Newhouse and Toby Gowin expressed their thoughts on the current Cowboys team.

Newhouse: "I think the team is going in the right direction," said the former Houston Cougar, who still has many relatives that live in Marshall. "Will they win this year? I know they have a lot of great players. Will they mix? That's what they go to training camp for and what they work hard for to get those things done. I look for a pretty decent season this year."

Gowin: "I'd just like to see them win a playoff game," said Gowin, who grew up as a Cowboys fan in Jacksonville and who now resides in Tyler. "These days in the NFL, you never know who's going to come out and have a breakout year. Every year is different. One year the expectations are Super Bowl and then nothing happens. Maybe if the expectations are a little bit less, then they can not have so many distractions and they can take care of business and do well."

When Jason Witten started his annual football camp in his hometown of Elizabethton, Tennessee back in '03, 120 kids participated. This weekend, more than 1,800 campers and 3,500 spectators came to see the Pro Bowl tight end help teach teamwork and dedication.

Part of the draw is the chance to see Witten and receive instruction from the other football stars who volunteer their time to help out at the camp. Back for his second year was former Ohio State and current Cowboy linebacker Bobby Carpenter. Two of the newest Cowboys were also on hand - defensive backs DeAngelo Smith and Gerald Sensabaugh.

[snip]

Witten spoke highly of his old rival, Sensabaugh. "I think I lost two games on this field in high school and he was one of them," said Witten. "You come to Dallas to take over for Roy Williams and there's a lot of pressure. He's met every standard if not more. He's just an amazing athlete and I didn't really realize how talented he was. He's a great guy and has overcome a lot. I've developed a great friendship with him. He's a really, really good football player and people will see that this season."

Romo played in a golf tournament this weekend and was used as a measuring stick. Tom Halla, a 40-year old amateur who has been playing in Wisconsin tournaments for over two decades, had this to say:

"We have our own tournament, the LOG - low old golfer - and I'm happy to win that," [Halla] said. "And I beat Tony Romo by 10."

Romo, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback and a Burlington native, tied for 18th place at 1-under 287.

Stadium reviews...it's all good.

The latest on the practice 'bubble' collapse

For Tarheel Paul...

Dave Halprin (Grizz) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:35:22 -0000

Hey BTB community,

I think most of us read the FanPost put up by Tarheel Paul recently. It was heart-breaking. Go here if you haven't read it.

Some of you guys wrote me wondering if there was something we could do for him and I was thinking the same thing. Then it hit me. BTB asked you guys to contribute to a fundraiser for training camp over the past months. BTW, thanks to everybody who contributed, we brought in close to $1,600 and Raf and I will use that for TC and other blog improvements. But we also offered a pair of tickets to the pre-season opener at the stadium with the Titans as a raffle prize to contributors.

My idea: Let's give that pair of tickets to Tarheel Paul so he and his wife can go to the game. I know we promised a raffle, but I'm hoping as a community we can come together to support one of our own in his time of need. I talked to Paul about it, he was excited and thought it was a nice gesture. But I need all of you guys who contributed to the fundraiser to agree. We promised you something and I don't want to go back on it without your consent.

So, if you contributed and have objections or questions, email me. It will remain strictly confidential, so please don't feel you'll be singled out in the community. You are within your rights to question it if so inclined. It might be a case where I can refund your contribution from my own pocket if it's only a person or two.

Otherwise, if I don't hear any objections in the next few days, I'll let Tarheel Paul know. I would be elated to do something nice for him and his wife. I discussed this idea with Raf and he is in agreement too, if everyboidy else is in agreement.

Thanks,

Dave

The Valley Ranch Review: Football, Golfing and Music

Dave Halprin (Grizz) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:19:58 -0000

Michael Silver at Yahoo Sports has another good Cowboys article up. Initially, he focuses on Jerry World. He gives it a thumbs-up.

It is, quite simply, the finest athletic venue in the world, the new millennium’s answer to the Roman Colosseum.

But then the article switches gears and talks about the sobering fact of the bubble collapse, Rich Behm's injury, and how those events have made for a different offseason. Even Jerry isn't celebrating the move to the new stadium quite as care-free as he would have liked. It's also caused the Cowboys to perform a new routine for the OTA's and mini-camp, and the tragedy might be forging some bonds.

"We’ve had to go through a little bit of adversity here," quarterback Tony Romo(notes) said after last Tuesday’s minicamp practice in Carrollton. "Having to bus out here every day, it’s kind of like we’re in high school again. But it’s good for us. It has forced us to hang together and focus in on ourselves as a unit and realize that it’s all about us, and nothing else."

The article is a good read, check it out.

Good, long interview with Jason Williams over at the Ranch Report. Williams commenting on beating the 40 times of almost all the linebackers at the combine.

"It really wasn’t about beating anybody, it was just proving that my name should be in the same sentence as those guys," Williams maintained. "I made this shirt, it was just a black t-shirt and the letters read, ‘numbers don’t lie,’ and it was kind of my own slogan. I’m just an energetic, charismatic guy and I just like to do stuff to entertain, I guess. And the shirt was just a reminder to myself that since I didn’t get invited to the Combine, my numbers are going to speak to why I should have been invited."

[snip]

Besides his speed and strength, another reason he was picked so high has to do with his impressive versatility. Williams played multiple positions before ending up at linebacker, and at Western Illinois he showed that he can play inside or outside ‘backer, stuff the run or bring the pass rush. "There were certain times in our scheme where I’d be playing inside, other times I’d walk outside of the box, where I’d be lined with the slot receiver," noted Williams, who registered 15 sacks over his college career. "I did a little bit of everything in college."

Make the jump below to read the rest of the VRR.

JJT's got a theory.

You don't win in today's NFL if your best players don't play to their salaries. It's that simple.

Safety Roy Williams, Terrell Owens, Anthony Henry, Leonard Davis and Tony Romo had the five highest salary-cap figures on the team last season. Only Davis consistently played to the standard he has established for himself.

Just so you know, that's the best way to judge players.

Read the rest to see if you agree.

Nick Eatman calls out the young vets who need to produce.

Free Reign gets a deal. Marc Colombo, Leonard Davis and Cory Procter must now answer the 'Romo Questions'. Are you spending more time writing songs than watching film? Are the groupies sapping you of that extra-energy for practice? Will your Behind The Music episode in 10 years discuss the regrets around your music success and how it made your football careers suffer?

Romo's going to golf, and ain't no one stopping him.

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has no problem getting tee times. At next week's AT&T National, he will be playing in the Wednesday pro-am with tournament host Tiger Woods. Then he'll compete in the American Century Championship celebrity tournament, which also includes former Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith, on July 17-19 at South Lake Tahoe, Nev.

Speaking of the American Century Championship, ex-pitcher Rick Rhoden is the favorite, but Romo isn't far behind at 3-to-1.

In more golf news, this is a nice story.

[Pro golfer] Rich Beem helped raise $10,321 for Cowboys scouting assistant Rich Behm, who was severely injured in the collapse of the team's practice facility. Through his " Beem Fore Behm" project, Beem contributed $100 for each birdie he made at the HP Byron Nelson Championship and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Beem made seven birdies and one eagle despite missing the cut at both events. The PGA Tour, both tournaments, the Cowboys, Callaway Golf and online donors joined the effort. "It ended up being much more than I envisioned," Beem said.

10 Training Camp Battles for the Dallas Cowboys

Dave Halprin (Grizz) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:15:05 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

One guy who won't be in a training camp battle is Tony Romo, although he's constantly battling expectations, his own and the public's.

Browse more photos »

Looking forward to training camp, I put together a list of 10 training camp battles I'll be watching. Some are traditional battles - Player X vs. Player Y for a particular role. Some are more concept battles, or group battles. They're not just about who will make the roster or not, but who will play important roles and what they must do. They're sort of in order of importance, starting with the lesser battles.

TE vs. FB vs. Offensive Schemes

The Cowboys have been dabbling with more 2-TE sets in the recent OTA's and mini-camps, utilizing Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett. With two TEs it's usually a FB who gets sacrificed unless it's short yardage. Deon "Cricket" Anderson is the incumbent FB joined by contenders Julius Crosslin and Asaph Schwapp. How much will the FB be used and will they carry only one on the roster? They also have to consider what they want their third TE to be, is he going to be used out of the backfield as a blocker on a significant amount of plays? This could affect the battle between rookie John Phillips and holdover Rodney Hannah. What the offensive scheme is geared more toward in 2009 will help decide which of these guys make the roster and how they will be utilized.

David Buehler vs. The Endzone

They brought in Buehler to improve the kickoffs. They can't afford to keep him around and take up two roster spots with kickers if he isn't providing a serious upgrade in touchbacks and deep kicks. Nick Folk is as close to a lock as you can get for kickers to remain as the guy on FG's. In camp, Buehler has to prove he can consistently hit the endzone with his kicks. Only then, can they think about other special teams' roles for the rookie.

Eight more battles after the jump.

Manuel Johnson vs. The Rest

For argument sake, let's say the Cowboys keep six WR's. Roy Williams, Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton are locks. Sam Hurd has a very good chance at remaining and Isaiah Stanback is probably going to get another year to prove his worth. (Of course, injuries can always change this scenario). If those five retain their spots on the roster, then you have one open WR position. And a long list of unknowns ready to fill it. I separated Manuel Johnson out because he was drafted this year, meaning the Cowboys are intrigued enough to give him an opportunity. But this is really a battle between Johnson and guys like Mike Jefferson, Kevin Ogletree, Julian Hawkins, and Travis Wilson - and possibly a guy from 4^th and Long. Can anybody make an impression at camp?

Alan Ball vs. Courtney Brown vs. Pat Watkins

These guys represent a larger battle between guys who have been on the team, and some new faces, to grab some of the last spots in the secondary. Terence Newman, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick are going to be the top corners. Ken Hamlin and Gerald Sensabaugh are going to be the top safeties. After that, there's a mad scramble. Alan Ball and Courtney Brown have been tried at corner and safety. Pat Watkins is going to battle at safety. Throw into the mix draft picks Mike Mickens, DeAngelo Smith and Mike Hamlin, and you have a royal rumble to fill out the rest of the secondary. I give a little edge to the draft picks only because the other guys have had their time in Dallas and have yet to impress. The rookies will get to show their stuff and if they show potential, they could be kept over the veterans. Ball, Brown and Watkins all need to impress at training camp to remain with the Cowboys.

Kyle Kosier vs. Montrae Holland

I don't know if this is a true battle or a media-created battle given Kosier's absence from practices while still recovering from injury. I'll admit, I've bashed Kosier before for being the weak link along the line before. Last year opened my eyes - without him, we suffered. But, will Kosier be healthy and remain healthy? Montrae Holland is a big lineman, the kind Dallas prefers. Now that he's been with the team for a year, we'll get to see if he really is the better option at guard. Then again, this could be much ado about nothing; Kosier might walk right back into his place and not miss a beat.

Anthony Spencer vs. Offensive Tackles

The Cowboys have definitely thrown in their lot with Anthony Spencer. After releasing Greg Ellis, Spencer is the clear starter opposite DeMarcus Ware. So how will he perform? We've seen bits and pieces of his talent, but can he create the need for offensive coordinators to pay attention to him, thus lessening the attention to Ware. The Cowboys need a credible threat opposite Ware so teams don't start throwing two and three blockers his way on a consistent basis. Spencer has to be able to beat offensive tackles so that he will also demand chip blocks and occasional double-teams, in hopes of freeing up Ware.

Brandon Williams vs. Victor Butler vs. Rookie Expectations

The Cowboys are now depending on these two guys to make the transition from DE to OLB as the primary backups on the outside. While battling each other, they're also battling the need to be at least a credible players in that role. Either player could be one injury to another player away from getting significant playing time. Can a rookie making that transition fill that role? Is one, or both, capable of meeting the expectations being placed on them? We'll find out this year and our first real look will be at training camp.

Bobby Carpenter vs. The Rookies vs. His Reputation

Going into training camp, Carpenter will get the first look as the inside linebacker in the nickel defense. This is his last chance to create a home for himself with the Cowboys. Last year, Carpenter had a great camp but it didn't translate into serious playing time. This year, the Cowboys don't have Kevin Burnett to fall back on, so Carpenter is going to get his chance. But he'll also have to compete with rookies Jason Williams and Stephen Hodge. Can Carpenter turn around his bust reputation this year?

Patrick Crayton vs. Miles Austin

Who will be the starter? All signs point to Austin. Jerry Jones has talked about him enough this offseason and the offense could clearly use his speed on the outside. Patrick Crayton has been solid for the Cowboys outside of a couple of high-profile mistakes. Crayton is a known quantity, we know he can produce, his numbers will tell you that. But is he better off being the third WR and playing in the slot? That's what the Cowboys want, but Miles Austin has to finally get past the ‘potential' label and actually make things happen. If the Cowboys can get that out of Austin, they'll be very happy with their WR situation behind Roy Williams.

Mike Jenkins vs. Orlando Scandrick

One of them will start on the outside opposite Terence Newman, the other will be the nickel corner. Either way, they're both going to be playing significant minutes. But I'm intrigued to see which one comes out on top for the traditional second CB role. Both are clearly talented and showed a lot of potential last year. This year will be about building on that momentum for each player and carrying their good work over to a new season. The battle between them at camp to be the ‘starter' will be fun to watch, even though in the end both will be playing a lot.

Any battles you would add to the list?

Cowboys Jason Williams gets some love

Dave Halprin (Grizz) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:49:22 -0000

Our own Jason Wililiams pops up on a list of non-first-round draft picks that could have an impact on defense this year for NFL teams.

OLB Jason Williams, Dallas (third; 69th): Despite not being invited to the Combine, Williams was the first of Dallas' 12 draft picks and could be the rookie likeliest to make an immediate impact for the Cowboys. His initial impact may be felt only on special teams; he boasts 4.49-second speed in 40 yards at 6-1, 240 pounds. But don't be surprised if Williams earns playing time as the nickel linebacker on obvious passing downs. He is undeniably raw, but his athleticism turned heads during early practices and the Cowboys aren't yet sure what they have in veteran Keith Brooking and perpetual disappointment Bobby Carpenter.

DeMarcus Ware is the #2 most irreplaceable player in the league, only behind Peyton Manning. (According to Football Outsiders).

2. DeMarcus Ware, ROLB, Cowboys

Some pass-rushers aren't effective against the run -- take Dwight Freeney, who often vacates his gap to try to rush around the offensive tackle to the passer. Ware's not like that. When it comes to stopping the run, the only gap against which the Cowboys were in the top 10 a year ago was left tackle, which is Ware's responsibility. The Cowboys' league-high Adjusted Sack Rate (which adjusts cumulative sack totals for the number of passes attempted and quality of offense), of course, owes much to the impact Ware has. He's the best two-way defender in the game.

I always liked La'Roi Glover, he was a guy we could count on to be a player on defense when he was here. Now, he's retiring.

Couple of Cowboys holding youth camps. Bradie James holds his annual get-together. And whenever George Teague's name comes up, he gets love from me for being the "protector of the star". He's holding a camp, too.

Just because no thread would be complete without it...a Tony Romo discussion with a ton of quotes.

Marcus Spears wins a golf tournament.

The thing that wouldn't die.

Cowboys Linebackers Look Good on the Surface, but...

Dave Halprin (Grizz) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:04:12 -0000

More photos » by Michael Thomas - AP

When the Cowboys got rid of Greg Ellis, they decided to bank on youth for their reserve linebackers.

Browse more photos »

Now that we're past the draft, the OTAs and the mini-camps, it's time to start looking forward toward training camp. This training camp should be an interesting one especially where the bottom of the roster is concerned. When the Cowboys decided to draft 12 players back in April, that was a clear indication they weren't content with the players and the competition for backup positions and special teams candidates. So instead of trading out of their picks, they stayed put, even adding a draft pick in the process.

Looking at the roster, there probably will be few true, starting-position battles going on. Who will start opposite Roy Williams? Will Mike Jenkins or Orlando Scandrick be the guy opposite Terence Newman? And possibly even a battle at guard with Kyle Kosier and Montrae Holland.

But there's one position that has to be of some concern to the organization. It's not a problem with the starters, but the backups across the board.

I'm talking about the linebacker position, both inside and outside. Everybody knows the paramount importance of linebackers in a 3-4 defense. They're the playmakers, they're the guys who set the tone. On the surface, it looks good for Dallas in 2009. DeMarcus Ware is simply one of the best defensive players in the NFL. No worries there. Opposite him will be Anthony Spencer. Spencer has shown flashes of playmaking ability in his time but you have to be a little worried about injuries and his elevation to full-time starter. Still, I have confidence that Spencer will produce. In the middle, Bradie James is solid, a team-leader and someone you can depend on to do the job. Keith Brooking may not be the same player he was three or four years ago, but even taking that into account he should be serviceable. So the starting four should be a plus for the team, especially with the contributions of Ware.

But what do we have behind those starters? A lot of wash-outs and a handful of fresh-faced college players looking to make their way in the league. Oh yeah, every one of those rookies is making some kind of transition to a new position, or at least some new responsibilities.

The lead candidate for the nickel LB to replace Brooking in passing situations is Bobby Carpenter. I won't waste anybody's time recounting his history with the Cowboys except to say he's yet to show he can be a semi-regular contributor. He at least knows the defense by now but experience alone won't get it done. Even if he comes out of San Antonio with the job, there's no guarantee he will be any better than he has been so far in his career. The other two main candidates, Jason Williams and Stephen Hodge, are both rookies. Hodge was a safety/linebacker hybrid in college and Williams is looking at a new role that will be less about attacking and more about coverage and playing in space. It's entirely possible one, or both, of those players will stand-out in training camp and prove to be a real gem, but the odds are not overwhelming in our favor. It can take time for college players to adjust, so they might not be ready yet for the responsibilities.

On the outside, we have even less experience behind the starters. With Greg Ellis' release (which I agreed with), the Cowboys really are counting on college DE's Brandon WIlliams and Victor Butler to be ready to go should they be needed. Again, rookies learning a new position/responsibility in a new defense can be a scary proposition. We could be just one injury away from playing one of these guys regularly.

Other candidates for the backup spots include guys like Matt Stewart, Justin Rogers and Steve Octavien. There's not much there to hang your hat on.

So training camp is going to be very interesting. We'll get to see the rookies put through their paces and we'll see if Bobby Carpenter can once again turn in a good training camp, but translate that to actual games in 2009.

Wade Phillips knows, as does any 3-4 defensive coordinator, how valuable and important linebackers are to the success of their defense. The Cowboys have a quality unit of starters, but the backups are a risky deal at this point.

I'll be watching this area at training camp very closely. Let's pray that some of the kids "get it" and can produce. Either that, or pray for no injuries.