I had the pleasure of recently meeting Larry Cole at a luncheon in Decatur, Texas. Cole played defensive end and defensive tackle for the Cowboys from 1968 through 1980. He played in five Super Bowls, winning two of them. He was drafted in the 16th-round and wore the star his entire career. He played for one coach, Tom Landry.

Today, Larry is a very successful real estate developer in the DFW area and the CEO of Larry Cole Communities. He's tall, thinner than his playing days, but I can imagine how big and imposing he was with pads and at his playing weight.

He's a very gracious man and still is a big Cowboys fan. When I introduced myself and asked him if he still followed the Cowboys, his passion for the team and the game was evident. I wondered if he would be willing to give me some insights into his days as an original member of the Doomsday Defense and share his perspective on the current Dallas Cowboys. I asked if he would answer 10 questions, (I snuck in an extra) he agreed, and the Q&A results follow the jump.

Larry, thank you for taking time to speak with BTB and thanks for the great Cowboy memories!

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You want leadership? I'm hearing some bits and pieces from the local media that veteran players are stepping up.

After the Oakland game was over, Steve Dennis later reported on Babe Laufenberg's show that Keith Brooking, DeMarcus Ware and Patrick Crayton challenged everyone to step up their effort and improve their play when the team was in the locker room. They challenged rookies to study harder and learn quicker. They challenged experienced backups to tighten up their game and compete for a starting role.

Folks, this is leadership. Leadership is not screaming and yelling on the field in public, it's players exhorting their mates to do better in a closed locker room, man to man. You can't be interrupted by going onto the field, you can't walk away down the sideline because you don't like what is being said - you're all right there together.

This is face to face, in front of the whole team - family style.

Here's the best part - this meeting is taking place right after the first preseason game. That tells me that internal expectations are much higher this year.

These vets are saying to the rookies, "You're here because you are a football player, now play, no excuses."

They are saying to the back ups, "You play like you practice. Act like each snap is your last."

Hallelujah!

I'm sure you've seen the old military movie scenes showing a parade of bright, shiny, smiling soldiers marching down Main Street lined with cheering crowds, ready to ship out for battle. Beautiful women throwing garlands, bands playing, and the troops confident in a triumph that they knew would be theirs.

That was last year's camp.

That camp, highlighted by Hard Knocks, gave the impression that the Cowboys were Super Bowl bound and everybody just needed to  "..come on in for the big win."  (To borrow a line from another military movie).  Apparently the other teams in the league didn't get the memo. The Cowboys were bloodied and beaten during the regular season, at times appearing shell-shocked, before the eventual December collapse.

Did that early swagger contribute in some way to the swoon in December?

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What Cowboy QB controversy? Exactly, there is no controversy and Cowboy fans can be thankful for that. (Sorry for the sucker headline, like Parcells once said, consider yourself sucked!)

Think about the drama some teams are facing as they head into camp this year. There are teams going to training camp wondering who their QB will be. Will that QB have the physical skills, the leadership skills, the mental and emotional strength necessary to take their team through the regular season and deep into the playoffs?

Consider the Washington Redskins and their QB Jason Campbell. Campbell knows that the team must not have full confidence in his ability based on their pursuit of Jay Cutler during the off season. How does this public vote of ‘no confidence' affect the mind and play of a young quarterback?

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Who are the Bubble Boys this year? Who are the Cowboy players standing on the proverbial bubble this training camp? Almost all rookies are somewhat on the bubble unless they are top-round draft picks. I'm defining a Bubble Boy as a veteran player, who has not broken into the starting lineup and has yet to show themselves to be a reliable backup. At some point the team has to make a change if a player doesn't develop. That change can mean being traded for another player or future draft choice, or being cut outright. For some of the Bubble Boys, the clock is ticking.

Make the jump.

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I know there are doubters out there, and that's your prerogative. However, I'm thinking that Roy Williams is going to have a great year in 2009.

Last year was not a stellar year and his low production gave fuel to those who doubt that Williams was worth what the Cowboys gave up for him. There were three contributing factors to his lack of production last year (19 receptions/198 yards/ 1 TD) that need to be taken into consideration.

He came to the Cowboys with the season well underway and he had to adjust to a new QB and new teammates almost overnight.  To illustrate how familiarity can impact a player's performance, consider that he had more yards in the first five games with Detroit than he had the rest of the season in Dallas.

More after the jump.

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Wade Phillips has had four chances to win a playoff game as a head coach. He's 0 for 4.  Is he cursed or is he lacking as a coach? To win a playoff game you have to make it to the post-season first and that means you have to win more games than you lose. I want to compare Wade's record against past Cowboy coaches to see if he is the right guy to even get us into the show.

Cowboys coaches have included the notorious hard case Duane Charles Parcells, the mercurial James William Johnson, the stoic Thomas Wade Landry and now the soft and cuddly Harold Wade Phillips. Which coach has been the most successful over the span of the coach's careers during the NFL regular season?

I took a look at the winning percentages of the four coaches over the span of their years as a head coach. A partial season will count as a full season in regards to winning percentage as a head coach. For example, Phillips was with the Saints  for four games 1985, his one win gives him a .250 winning percentage as a head coach that season.  I will include every team the coach represented, in Phillips' case, New Orleans, Buffalo, Denver, Atlanta and Dallas.

Make the jump.

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 Ok, I do love the game of pro football, but there are certain aspects I could do without. Here are some annoying things about the pro game. I would like to ask Roger Goodell to intercede on my behalf and correct these blemishes on an otherwise great past time. Commish, are you listening?

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General Patton tried to learn everything he could about his enemy. There is a great scene in the movie Patton after the general anticipates and counters Field Marshal Rommel's offensive attack; Patton exclaims, "Rommel, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!"

We know that coaches study game film and will review the same play over and over again, looking to gain an advantage by noticing tendencies or tip-offs from their counterparts. You can bet that Jason Garrett is pouring over game film now but he's going to have difficulty finding any game film on two of his division opponents.

The Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache is the only returning DC in the East. (If you count Wade as a change for Brian Stewart). He's in his second year as the defensive coordinator for the ‘Skins and he has another five years in charge of the Bears defense from 1999 to 2003. The Redskins have had solid defenses since Blache took the helm. The year before he took over (2006) the Redskins defense ranked 31^st, in Blache's first year (2007)  they climbed  to 8^th and then to 4^th in overall defense in 2008. With his leadership and some offseason acquisitions the ‘Skins defense will be a challenge for Garrett this season.

The other two coordinators in the East won't have any actual game film as coordinators for Garrett to work off.

Make the jump.

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When I have some intriguing tidbits to share with you, but those tidbits are not enough to warrant a full post, I save them up and then I throw them into the pot, stir it up and serve you some Cowboy Stew. These bits and bites don't have much in common other than that they are Cowboy related and got stuck in my brain for a while. So, dig into the stew, and share your thoughts.

Will our rookies be able to make an impact? That requires pure speculation and we won't know until the season is fully under way. Now, if we had a powerful computer that could run multiple scenarios and model future behaviors in the NFL based on past behaviors in college we might get some interesting data. Oh wait, there is a computer website that does just that. It's called Whatifsports.com. A few of the Cowboy rookies made the top 100.

Rookies present the biggest challenge. To come up with statistical inputs for rookies, we run a very complex set of algorithms that factors collegiate performance, role in college, strength of collegiate competition, "measurables," likely NFL role, previous performance of a similar player in that NFL role for this coaching staff and trends of similar rookies in the past. This gives us the player's projected ratio stats (expected yards per carry, completion percentage, etc.), as well as his forecasted usage for the upcoming season. From there, we can compare all rookies based on who we think will make the biggest positive impact for his new NFL team in his first year. The Top 100 from this ranking are listed below.

74. Mike Mickens, CB, Dallas
55. Victor Butler, LB, Dallas
52. DeAngelo Smith, CB/S, Dallas

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The Cowboys road to the playoffs goes through New York and Philadelphia and maybe Washington DC. Last season, the Cowboys split with each of their division rivals winning one and losing one. Each team took steps to improve in the offseason. Did the Cowboys manage to keep pace?

The NFC East is arguably the toughest division in the NFL. The rivalry between the four teams is intense. While the NFC East teams relish beating up on each other, they do a good job of beating up on the rest of the league as well. No team in the NFC East has had a losing regular-season record since 2006.

Here's a brief rundown on the Cowboy's division rivals (click the link below the poll):

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I have read numerous posts about leadership, and the perceived lack of it on the Cowboys. Who will lead the offense? Who will lead the defense? Is Romo a leader?

How do you define leadership?

Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart was asked to define ‘hard-core pornography' and he said, " .. it's very hard to define, but I know it when I see it." Leadership is like that as well. I know it when I see it but it is very hard to state exactly what it is.

Webster's Online Dictionary talks about ‘transactional' leadership, or leadership measured by the number of followers a leader can muster as opposed to ‘transformational' leadership where the leader sets the standard for performance. I believe we are all looking for a transformational leader or leaders to emerge on this team. Perhaps they already have.  

The Triplets were the ‘transformational' leaders of their team by virtue of their performance on the field. They made the plays. They set the standard and others followed. There was also a coach on the sideline who would not hesitate to berate a player for poor play. Some will cite the image of Aikman barking at a player in the huddle as an example of his leadership. We will never know if that act caused the player to raise his game or not. What truly made Troy a leader was his on field body of work, along with the support from other transformational leaders on the team and sideline, and not his vocal chastisements.

Romo's stats on the field of play qualify him to be a leader although many still don't feel like he has grabbed the steering wheel. I think Romo has been a quiet leader on the field, but he may need to be more vocal this year. I think he needs the support of coaching staff to call a player out on the carpet when he hurts the team. I hope this year there will be more outspoken leaders on the field and sidelines in addition to Romo which can lift the standard of play of all members. Jason Witten, maybe Marion Barber, maybe Roy Williams or Tashard Choice could emulate the supporting cast that Aikman had. I think Romo has the respect of the team and he has performed on the field. This should be the year he grabs the wheel but he will need a supporting cast.

Will he display the leadership we are all clamoring for? I'm not sure, but I'll know it when I see it.

I had the opportunity to meet and spend several hours with Tom Rafferty at a sports equipment show in San Antonio. Rafferty is still a big man, albeit much slimmer than in his NFL offensive lineman days. He has since been stricken with an unexplained malady that has caused him to lose feeling in his legs, but at that show his athleticism was still very apparent.

Invariably the talk drifted to the Cowboys and his days on some of those championship teams. I asked him who was the meanest player in the league during those days. I was expecting him to say Conrad Dobler who had a reputation as a dirty player, or even the Raiders Jack Tatum, the Assassin.

I was surprised at his immediate response.

"Randy White, without a doubt, the meanest guy in the league." He said. I asked if Randy White was a dirty player, and he explained that White was not dirty, just mean.  I asked him to define mean.

"Mean is a guy who comes after you with everything he has, on every play, the whole play, and he has a lot to bring. When you go up against him, you are just glad when the game is over because you feel like you have been fighting a buzz saw for the last hour. You just hope you can hold on. That was Randy and anyone who had to go against him will tell you that. He deserved the nickname, Manster, half man, half monster."

I saw a clip on television about Hollywood Henderson and he was laughing as he told the story about picking a fight with Randy White in the locker room. Drew Pearson added some commentary about that incident and Pearson too was laughing as he recalled Henderson getting in Randy White's face. Pearson's comment was something similar to, - ‘I knew Hollywood was crazy when he picked a fight with Randy White, probably the toughest guy in the league.' White threw the linebacker to the floor and pounced on him. In the same video, Henderson stated that he felt lucky Randy White didn't kill him.

The controversial but popular book, "Boys will be Boys" by Jeff Pearlman, relates a story about Charles Haley, a locker room bully, riding his Harley into Randy White's restaurant. White asked Haley to get the bike out of the restaurant, Haley swung and Randy White clocked the inebriated Haley, knocking him unconscious.

Is any current Cowboy as mean as the Manster?

I think everyone wanted the Cowboys to draft a planetoid to put in the middle at nose tackle, to back up Jay Ratliff and give him flexibility to play some at end. It didn't happen. 

What we do have is a collection of very large men who have two things in common.

1) All have played in the NFL before with minimal success.

2) All have been out of the game for at least one season.

I'm going to take a quick look at three players and offer my best guess as to who will make the final 53.

I'm not going to discuss The Rat - Pro-Bowler Jay Ratliff. We know he is the classic over-achiever. He has a high motor and will command double teams. We have to have a viable back up to spell him, and heaven forbid, replace him in case of injury.

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The Cowboys secondary made a quantum leap from 2007 to 2008 by adding Orlando Scandrick and Mike Jenkins to the mix. There were still some obvious gaps that had to be filled and it looks to me like the team has done exactly that through free agency and the draft.

Gerald Sensabaugh should be an upgrade at safety by virtue of his coverage skills and athleticism.

I read through the bios of our draft picks looking for common threads. These players are all attackers who fit well with the aggressive Phillips 34. The transition from the read-and-react defense that Parcells preferred should be complete this season. The Cowboys secondary will improve again this year over last and Wade is sending the message to opposing QBs that this defense is going to pin their ears back and come after you.

Take a look at some of our draftees to get an idea of where this defense is headed for 2009.

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[Ed. Note by Grizz]: Jim Vance had a story about the three-headed monster at running back ready to go for today, but then I was sent a video by Tashard Choice's people highlighting their new nickname. If I'm not mistaken, our own Carl Shelton came up with Bash, Dash and Tash which I relayed to Tashard, who altered it to Smash, Dash and Tash. It looks like the guys want to make the name stick. Well, at least Felix and Tashard do, although Felix had trouble with the nickname. Barber was his typical "no where near the cameras" self. Enjoy the vid, then read Jim's article on how to use the newly-christened Smash, Dash and Tash. [End note]

[Begin Jim Vance's article]

The Cowboys have a very talented group of running backs in Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice.  They Cowboys running back situation reminds me of the very wealthy gentleman who collects expensive vehicles.  Barber is an Abrams tank, a punisher who fights for every yard. Felix is the sports car, weaving through traffic, accelerating smoothly and pulling away into the open field. Tashard Choice is the four-wheel drive SUV, good on any terrain - capable and reliable.

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I met Jerry Jones in WalMart last night and introduced myself as one of the BTB bloggers. He said he reads it daily, recognized my name and said that I looked much thinner in person. (Obviously referring to my avatar.)

To my surprise he invited me to his house in Highland Park and he and I sat around watching past issues of ‘The Man Show' on Tivo and drinking really cold beer. As you might expect, the talk turned to the Cowboys and I think because he had consumed several beers Jerry held his head in his hands and said, "Jim, you are clearly one of the brightest guys on BTB and you have no ulterior motives to steer me wrong. I'm frustrated about this team, I thought we were so close in 2007 and then we tanked in 2008. I decided to clean house and rebuild from within. What advice would you give me? Give me three gems of wisdom to get us to the Super Bowl and I swear I will follow your advice."

I was stunned but without hesitation I said, "Jerry, you are a great owner, but you should hire an outside guy as a GM. I thought you were on the right track with Dan Reeves. Call them a consultant or a GM or whatever, but get a guy with a long term view on how to build a team.  Hire someone who has experience in building an organization, not just a team"

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Back in February, just days after silencing the organization, Jerry Jones was the first to use the term Romo-friendly.

"I think being as Romo-friendly as our team can be. Romo friendly means let's utilize his skills to the fullest and make sure everything we do maximizes his abilities."

I interpreted Romo-friendly as meaning the Cowboys would run a more simplified offense, with emphasis on the running game and high percentage passes. This would help Tony cut down on his improvisation and minimize his turnovers. This type offense should also take pressure off Romo and hopefully make it easier for him to make better decisions. That was my interpretation. Perhaps I was oversimplifying things.

Make the jump for more...

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Why do I love this crazy game? Do I love it for its violence? Do I love the pageantry? Do I love football for its intricacy? That is one of the things that makes the game so interesting to me. There are 22 integral pieces of a puzzle that can be filled by only a select few individuals. There are 32 teams competing for the talent to fill those 22 slots.

How many athletic 300 + pound people do you know? For me, it's zero.

The most successful teams gather up the best collection of starters and have success at finding talented backups ready to fill in when injury occurs.

Listen to this job description -

Wanted: World class athlete needed for 960 minutes of work per year. Overtime may be available. Significant chance of serious physical injury. Significant chance of physical debilitation at end of career. Average career 3 years or less. Must be a pillar of society (well - sort of). Extremely well paid salary commensurate with ability. Hours upon hours of homework required. Apply in person at Valley Ranch.

There's more after the jump...

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I have the solution. 

Here is what the Cowboys need to do to move from the Toilet Bowl to the Super Bowl. Follow my direction and I guarantee that 2009 will be a playoff season for the Cowboys. Take a look at the following stats from last year.

NFL teams with most fumbles  (lost)
1. San Francisco - 36 (16)
2. Buffalo - 33 (15)
3. Detroit - 31 (10)
4. Minnesota - 31 (14)
5. Dallas - 29 (13)

NFL Teams with most Penalty Yards
1. Green Bay - 984
2. Dallas - 952
3. Tennessee - 855
4. Oakland - 823
5. NY Giants - 821

NFL Teams with Worst Turnover ratio
1. San Francisco - (-17)
2. Denver - (-17)
3. Dallas - (-11)
4. Houston - (-10)
5. Detroit - (-9)

Make the jump for the three point plan.

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Am I wearing rose-colored glasses? Maybe, but I'm predicting the Cowboys go 11-5 next year and Romo exorcises a big monkey off his back by earning a playoff win. Here's the rationale for my prediction for this season and why I'm sticking by it.

First, a brief reminder of the seven losses in 2008.

• The loss to Super Bowl contender Arizona came on botched special teams plays. Arizona opened the game with a TD return on the kickoff, and the winning score was a blocked punt that took our punter out of action for the year.
• The Redskins won by two points in Texas Stadium.
• The Rams beat us up with help from Brad Johnson's three interceptions.
• The loss to the Giants in New York was aided by three INTs from Johnson and Brooks Bollinger.
  
• The Steelers came from behind with help from Romo's three interceptions and one fumble.
• The Ravens got two INTs, and two long TD runs in the last minutes of the fourth quarter, to clinch a victory.
  
• The Eagles gave us a beat down after five Cowboy turnovers.

A brief look at our team then and now, and the reason for an 11-5 prediction, after the jump.

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There are those who think Wade Phillips is soft. 

He does look a little soft around the middle, and he has run a comparatively soft training camp, derisively nicknamed Camp Cupcake by the local Dallas media.

This year, I predict opposing offensive coordinators in the NFL are going to see another side of Wade Philips, the aggressive defensive genius side that will have teams rocked back on their heels.

The Phillips 3-4 is an attacking defense that tries to force the opposing offense to change their style of play. The last two years we only saw glimpses of what could be.

Follow the jump for more on the Cupcake from Hell.

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If you have kids you have heard the inevitable, unanswerable questions. Who would win a fight between Wolverine and Batman and Robin? Could Godzilla's flame breath burn up all other monsters? These are the questions that try men's souls.

I was thinking about how the Cowboys have been retooling themselves with fewer flashy stars and more solid role players. It made me think of one of those unanswerable but thought-provoking questions - Would you rather have a team loaded with stars and all the baggage that comes with those egos, or would you rather have a team with less talent, but competent  team players?

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[Note by Grizz]: Final profile in our discussion of our new free agents. Matt Stewart is spotlighted below by Jim Vance. Can Stewart provide any help at LB, or is he strictly special teams? Can Wade Phillips get the production out of him he got earlier this decade? Is Stewart in playing shape after being out of football? Read Jim's profile then discuss how Matt Stewart will fare this season. [End Note]

Matt Stewart is 29 years old and stands 6'3" weighing in at 239 pounds.

Stewart was one of the first Cowboy free agents signed this off season.

He was originally drafted by Atlanta in the fourth round, 102nd overall, in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played for the Falcons for four years and it was there he worked with Keith Brooking and Wade Phillips. He signed as an unrestricted free agent with Cleveland on March 15, 2005.

He played for Cleveland for three seasons, however for his entire third season (2007) he was on injured reserve with a torn shoulder muscle. Stewart was an unrestricted free agent in 2008 and signed with the Cardinals but was cut before the season started.

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[Note by Grizz]: Continuing our discussion of our new free agents. Gerald Sensabaugh is spotlighted below by Jim Vance. Sensabaugh was brought here to play safety after the release of Roy Williams. Is Sensabaugh the starter we've been looking for? Is he more than a one-year stop-gap? Can Michael Hamlin or someone else beat him out for playing time this year? Read Jim's profile then discuss how Gerald Sensabaugh will fare this season. [End Note]

We all knew we needed help at safety, we knew it even when we still had Pro Bowler Roy ‘Thong' Williams.

Gerald Sensabaugh may not be a sensational player, but he was a sensible FA acquisition for the Cowboys this offseason. He provides them with a young, athletic talent at safety and on special teams. He has played for Joe DeCamillis and Dave Campo who both spent time on the Jacksonville Jaguars staff and no doubt they vouched for him when the negotiations were taking place.

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[Note by Grizz]: Continuing our discussion of our new free agents. Igor Olshansky is spotlighted below by Jim Vance. Olshansky was brought here to play the DE position vacated by Chris Canty. Will he be better than Canty? Can he generate pressure in the opponent's backfield? Will the Cowboys benefit from his good relationship with Wade Phillips? Read Jim's profile then discuss how Igor Olshansky will fare this season. [End Note]

EEE-gor,  EEE-gor, EEE-gor; a crowd chant that will surely be heard this season at Jerry World as our newest D-line player jumps up and flexes his muscles after a play. The crowd chanted it when he played for the Oregon Ducks and they chanted it when he played for the San Diego Chargers. I believe he is just coming into his own as a player and his best years are still to come. The Cowboys signed him to a 4 year/$18 MM contract. He's a blue collar guy who does his job.

Igor was born on May 3, 1982 in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine and lived there until his family immigrated to San Francisco in 1989. His father Yury was worried that cultural anti-semitism in the Ukraine would limit his offspring's occupational opportunities as it did his. He has embraced his Jewish roots and is an icon in the Jewish community.

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[Note by Grizz]: I thought this would be a good time to circle back around to discuss our new free agents, now that we know our draft. Keith Brooking is spotlighted below by Jim Vance. Brooking was brought here to be the ILB next to Bradie James. Will he be better than Zach Thomas? Will he only play in the base and come off in the nickel/dime sets? Can he still get it done at his age? Read Jim's profile then discuss how Keith Brooking will fare this season. [End Note]

What do we know about the fellow who replaced Zach Thomas at the inside LB spot?

Until this upcoming season with the Cowboys, Keith Brooking will have played his entire football career in the state of Georgia.  He was born in Senoia, Georgia (Coweta County / population 1738) on October 30, 1975 and starred on offense and defense at East Coweta High School in Sharpsburg, Georgia.

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I used to live in the Chicago area during the Mike Ditka coaching era -  circa 1985 -the year the Bears had the most intimidating defense I've ever seen. He referred to that team as Grabowskis. He also said they were ‘lunch-pail' guys.

These Ditka-isms meant that his players weren't flashy, they were hard working guys who came to work with a lunch box, got dirty, worked hard and got the job done. A Grabowski is a guy who isn't afraid to spit or grab himself or cuss out another player who isn't putting out.

Here's a classic Ditka-ism -

"I don't think we come in favor with some people. There are some teams that are fair-haired and some that aren't. There are some teams named Smith and some named Grabowski. We're Grabowskis. The Rams are a Smith team."

Think about those players who were recently allowed to leave the Cowboys compared to the players who have been recently asked to join. We lost some Smiths and added some Grabowskis.

The free agents that have been signed? - Grabowskis. The players in the draft?- Grabowskis. Hard working, get down in the trenches, get dirt on your face, take no crap Grabowskis.

Marion the Barbarian is a Grabowski. Jay Ratliff is a Grabowski. Tashard Choice and Orlando Scandrick are Grabowskis.

We've all seen people like this throughout our own life - the scrappy guy or girl who has some talent but wins through effort and persistence. Doesn't it seem like the neon lights at Valley Ranch have been stored away and the shop lights with the little metal hooks have replaced them?

Remember when Deion made his famous ‘business decision' and sidestepped a tackle? Now, I would love to have another guy with Deion's talent; and guys with special talent like that you can sometimes forgive, so I kind of understood his ‘business decision'. I didn't like it but I understood it.

Give me a Grabowski instead of a 'businessman'. All things considered I'm happy to have a guy who feels his ‘business decision' is to take that runner out. A guy who may not frighten defensive coordinators with his speed but who will give alligator-arms to receivers because they know he always makes them pay for coming his way.

That's what Grabowskis do. They don't finesse you or impress you. They beat on you. Grabowski isn't a name, it's an attitude. I'm anxious to see this new attitude in the silver and blue.

Another draft is in the books and I saw these related comments from some experts on how they feel the Cowboys did.

Mike Mayock is one of the few draftniks that I respect. He gives a dispassionate opinion on players and their abilities and he doesn't have that annoying delivery that Mel Kiper displays.

Mayock recently said the Cowboys trade for Roy Williams was probably a good deal for the Cowboys since they wouldn't find that same quality at the 20^th pick in the draft. Here is the entire article.

Another guy I respect is Mike Lombardi who is at National Football Post.

"DALLAS: Looks like a special teams and depth draft to me. If I were a pro guy in the NFL, I might want to watch the ‘Boys this summer and make sure I know all these picks before they play in the preseason. They can't keep all of them."

Now that the draft is over has anyone graded the mockers? There is a site called The Big Lead that posted and compared and graded a number of mockers to see how they fared. The best of them was only right about 1 out of 3 times. The best was Mike Mayock.

John Czarnecki is the first draft grader that I've seen who gave the Cowboys a C and acknowledged that Roy Williams was the Cowboys 1^st round draft pick. He's the Czar from Fox Sports. You can see his draft grades here.

I know that we won't be able to really understand how effective this draft was until we have a few seasons to analyze the players at the NFL level. Judging from the comments I've read this was an emotional draft for many, it was for me as well. Now that some of the smoke has cleared I am beginning to view the Cowboys draft in a more favorable light. What about you?

Have you taken a look at the players visiting Valley Ranch in the current pre-draft period? Who are the Cowboys really interested in? 

Let's take a look in the rear-view mirror to about this time last year. Here is a list of some of the out of town visitors.

UNLV ILB Beau Bell
Texas A&M TE Martellus Bennett
Virginia Tech OT Duane Brown
Texas RB Jamaal Charles
Missouri WR Will Franklin
Indiana WR James Hardy
East Carolina RB Chris Johnson
Arkansas RB Felix Jones
Oklahoma WR Malcolm Kelly
Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall
USC LB Keith Rivers
Oregon RB Jonathan Stewart

You see Martellus Bennett who was taken by the Cowboys in the second round and of course our first selection in the first round Felix Jones.

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