SB Nation User Blog: Luke.

A true #1 WR; how necessary are they?

Luke. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:57:24 -0000

Do teams really need a big time #1 receiver outside the hash marks to be successful on offense? Can teams with other receiving options, say for example a great TE and some very good pass catching RB's, still be successful on offense if the WR doesn't put up big numbers or draw constant double teams? A look at some recent NFL history;

In 1996 the Denver Broncos leading receiver was TE Shannon Sharpe who had 80 catches for 1062 yards and 10 Td's. Their top 2 WR's were Anthony Miller (56 for 735 and 3 Td's) and Ed McCaffery (48 for 553 and 7 Td's). They were the #1 ranked Offense in the NFL.

In 1997 the Denver Broncos leading receiver was again Shannon Sharpe who had 72 catches for 1107 yards and 3Td's. Their top 2 WR's were Rod Smith (70 for 1180 and 12 Td's) and Ed McCaffery (45 for 590 and 8 Td's). They were the #1 ranked Offense in the NFL and won the Superbowl.

From 2001 to 2005 the Kansas City Chiefs were led in receptions by either the TE or the RB every year with the WR sometimes ranking in third place. Three out of the five years the TE also led the team in yards. Their offensive rankings from 2001 to 2005 were 5th, 4th, 2nd, 1st and 1st.

From 2004 to 2006 the San Diego Chargers were led in receptions, yards and Td's by the TE every year with the second place receiver being the RB two out of the three years also. Their offensive rankings from 2004 to 2006 were 10th, 10th and 4th.

In 2003 New England won the Superbowl without a 900 yard WR.

In 2004 New England had the 7th ranked offense and won the Superbowl without a 1000 yard WR.

In 2005 Pittsburgh won the Superbowl without a 1000 yard WR.

The Indianapolis Colts are the only real dynamic QB & WR offense that has won the Superbowl in the new century. Go look through the recent Superbowl winners WR list and you will be thoroughly underwhelmed. Of the 18 starters there's some good players but great statistical WR's are a rarity. Of the eighteen WR's who have started for winning Superbowl teams this decade only three had over 1100 yards that season (Harrison & Wayne 2006 and Troy Brown 2001). 11 of the 18 starting WR's failed to even reach 1000 yards for the season. That is more than half (61% to be precise).

Before the Colts, the last real prolific offense to win a Superbowl was the Saint Louis Rams back in 1999. Where are the Superbowls for Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Steve Smith, Andre Johnson, Chad Johnson etc. Most of the Superbowls in between have been won by good defensive teams with less than spectacular offenses (some were good rushing teams while other offenses ranked quite poor). While having a dynamic deep ball offense would be great and is fun to watch, not having one is by no means a death sentence for your teams Superbowl aspirations.

In fact Dallas' switch to a slightly more conservative (less turnovers) ball control (more running) offense like they've been claiming they're doing should actually increase our chances of success late in the season when it counts. It's not WR catches and yards that win games and Superbowls, it's usually strong defense and an offense that can hold onto the ball. We're headed in the right direction.

The Real #1 Receiver in Dallas.

Luke. — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:41:00 -0000

There's been a lot of apprehension in the press and right here on bloggingtheboys about the Cowboys WR's and whether or not Roy Williams can be a #1 WR for Dallas. I think many people can't see the forest for the trees. Dallas has a #1 receiver; Jason Witten.

Since Tony Romo entered the 07 season as starter Jason Witten has...

More catches and yards than Anquan Boldin, Santana Moss, Marques Colston, Hines Ward, Lee Evans and Chad Johnson.

More catches than Andre Johnson, Steve Smith, Braylon Edwards, Roddy White, Greg Jennings, Randy Moss and Terrell Owens :)

More yards than T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Laveranues Coles, and Dwayne Bowe, more Td's than Derrick Mason, S. Moss and Evans, higher yards per reception than T.J., Mason, Tony Gonzalez and Ward and more 20+ yard receptions than Boldin, T.J, Mason, Gonzalez and Ward.

All of those guys are pretty well known names. Of course the point I'm making is that in the panic about our WR's and the “can Williams be a #1 guy” debate our All-Pro Tight End seems to get overlooked. Jason Witten is a #1 receiver in this league and the #1 receiver on this team.

2007 Jason Witten – 96 for 1145 and 7 TD's. Ranked against the rest of the league's WR's and TE's that year he was 10th overall in receptions, 14th overall in yards and 20th overall in TD's. Out of the nine receivers who caught more passes than him 4 had a lower yards per catch average than Witten. He also had 14 receptions over 20 yards, 2 of which went over 40 yards.

In 2008 Witten battled multiple injuries and endured an inept backup QB for 3 games yet still had good numbers. 2008 Jason Witten – 81 for 952 and 4 TD's. Avg 11.8, 20+ 14, 40+ 1.

There's no reason at all to think that a healthy Romo and Witten won't put up similar numbers to the 2007 season. And for those TO disciples; a 22 year old Jason Witten had 87 catches for 980 yards and 6 Td's in 2004 with Vinny Testarverde and Keyshawn Johnson (Terry Glenn only played in 6 games) as his support. He doesn't need TO to continue to thrive.

Witten is only the third TE in NFL history to have a 96+ catch season. He's also the NFL record holder, tied with Hall of Famer Kellon Winslow Sr., for the most receptions by a TE in a single game with 15.

This is a serious future Hall of Fame player we have here. Without injury he will be the #1 receiver in Dallas' offense once again. And rightly so, he's outstanding.

Part 2; what about Roy Williams?

Williams will still get plenty of opportunities to make plays but he won't lead this team in receptions (he might not even lead it in yards). Williams is more Keyshawn than TO (although he's faster than what Keyshawn was when he was here) so let's look at that afore mentioned 2004 season with Witten's big year and check Keyshawn's stats for that year; 70 catches for 981 yards (14.0 avg) and 6 Td's. This could be the sort of season we see from Roy and I think that will be good enough.

With the solid Crayton around and the potential of the young Austin, Bennett and Felix Jones trio grabbing a bunch more passes than last year, Williams doesn't need to have a 90 catch, 1300 yard season for this offense to work.

I also think a season like Keyshawn's 04 is very achievable for Roy Williams.

Here's some combined stats from WR's from the 07 and 08 seasons. Mixed in will be Roy Williams stats from the 06 and 07 seasons (giving him a reprieve for last years disaster for the moment).

A – 160 for 1891 and 20 Td's, Avg 11.8, 20+ 24, 40+ 4.

B – 140 for 1852 and 9 Td's, Avg 13.2, 20+ 26, 40+ 6.

C – 145 for 1962 and 16 Td's, Avg 13.5, 20+ 26, 40+ 5.

D – 152 for 1775 and 14 Td's, Avg 11.6, 20+ 22, 40+ 2.

E – 165 for 2423 and 13 Td's, Avg 14.6, 20+ 31, 40+ 10.

F – 118 for 1866 and 8 Td's, Avg 15.8, 20+ 25, 40+ 7.

G – 146 for 1980 and 12 Td's, Avg 13.5, 20+ 30, 40+ 4.

H – 135 for 2162 and 19 Td's, Avg 16.0, 20+ 36, 40+ 8.

I – 146 for 2148 and 12 Td's, Avg 14.7, 20+ 35, 40+ 7.

Some similar type numbers there from 9 different WR's. Some are more possession and others are more down field but they're mostly fairly comparable all around.

So who's who?

A - Anquan Boldin

B – Santana Moss

C – Marques Colston

D – Hines Ward

E – Steve Smith

F – Lee Evans

G – Chad Johnson

H – Braylon Edwards

I – Roy Williams

Williams holds his own against all those guys. And averaging his two seasons (73 for 1074 and 6 Td's) gives us numbers very similar to the Keyshawn 2004 season stated earlier.

What was most exciting about those stats for me was the fact that Roy Williams had very respectable deep ball numbers (the 20+ & 40+ category) when compared to noted speedsters like Santana Moss, Steve Smith and Lee Evans. If Williams can continue to get deep like that this offense Dallas will score plenty.

I think this is the level that we are on with regards to Roy Williams. He's not Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson or Randy Moss. Or even Terrell Owens in his prime. But he is a capable WR and has shown he can put up numbers amongst most other good to very good WR's in the league. As a #2 target (or a 1b if you like) in a successful rushing team (hopefully) with a very good QB he can be an impact player on offense.

Going into the season with Jason Witten and Roy Williams as your top 2 targets in the passing game is not a reason for concern, it's a reason for optimism.

Dallas's WR's and the case for Matt Jones.

Luke. — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:15:54 -0000

Is Matt worth it? I don't know but he's certainly an intriguing option.

Since being Drafted in the First Round in 2005 expectations were high for Matt Jones'. His freakish athletic skills (Combine measured 6'6” 242 pounds, 4.37 Forty, 391/2” Vertical) and the potential they brought got him Drafted much higher than his play at Quarterback in college would have. Big things were expected and Jones', so far, has failed to deliver and subsequently he's often labeled a bust. But just how bad has Jones actually been when you look at his stats and consider that, regardless of his Draft position, this is a college QB transitioning to NFL WR.

Matt Stat!

While Matt has never been dominant he hasn't been nonexistent either.

In Four seasons he has; 166 catches, 2153 yards (13.0 avg) and 15 Td's.

In comparison, Patrick Crayton in Five seasons has; 159 catches, 2266 yards (14.3 avg) and 18 Td's.

Now who would argue that Patrick Crayton, at least in 06, 07, and 08, has had a better QB throwing him the ball and a much more pass happy offense than Jones had in Jacksonville.

In 2008 Jones had his best season and showed that, while he'll probably never live up to his first round billing, he's still capable of being a good #2. He had 65 catches and 761 yards and 2Td's in 12 games (10 starts) and was one of the few bright spots on his unit (passing offense) for a poor season for Jacksonville. That's a solid season and a better one than any of Dallas' current WR's, bar Roy Williams, has ever had.

Matt Jones Playoff experience.

His rookie year Wildcard Playoff performance against New England, in a game in which NE dominated, was good; 6 catches 94 yards 15.7 avg, longest 41 yards. He also had 3 catches for 48 yards and 1 Td, 16.0 avg, longest 29 yards, two years later in a Divisional Playoff game (another loss to NE).

While Jones' 9 catches for 142 yards and 1Td might hardly seem like much Playoff experience consider this; Roy Williams has never been to the playoffs, Patrick Crayton has 6 catches for 69 yards and 1 Td (plus a few crucial drops and an unforgettable failure to complete game winning route) in two games, Miles Austin has 0 catches in two appearances, Sam Hurd has 0 catches in two appearances, and Isiah Stanback was of course injured and missed his chance in 07. Jones' has more Playoff receptions and yards than all the Dallas Cowboy WR's combined.

Off-field Trouble.

With his play on the field seemingly on the up-swing why has the still young (26 years old) WR found himself on the free Agent market? Answer; Drug suspension then broken probation.

Matt Trouble Summary; Matt did crack, Matt got caught, Matt got convicted and Matt got suspended by the NFL. While on probation Matt drunk some beers and failed an alcohol test and that was against the rules. Matt went to jail for 5 days, Jaguars say bye-bye Matt and the NFL fined Matt 50,000. Matt stupid, Matt now Free Agent.

While Matt Jones' has made mistakes I don't know if they're bad enough to cross him off the list of consideration. Gerald Sensabaugh, another player Jacksonville let go for off-field reasons, has had a similar experience and has already been picked up by the Cowboys. Sensabaugh career has taken a similar path to Jones' as well (minus the high draft pick). Like Matt, Gerald had an up and down first three years but put together a good fourth year in 2008. Like Matt, even though his unit (pass defence) was poor, he was considered one of the few bright spots. Like Matt though, he also found trouble.

Gerald Trouble Summary; Gerald speeds a lot, Gerald got caught a lot, Gerald had unlicensed gun, Gerald lost license, then Gerald got caught driving without license but Gerald had learned something, this time the guns found in his car were legal! Well done Gerald :) Gerald stupid but learning, Gerald not resigned by Jacksonville, Gerald now Dallas Cowboy.

Now everyone has their own opinions when it comes to off-field discretions about what is acceptable and what isn't. Personally I'm not overly bothered by either Matt's or Gerald's offenses. Matt dabbled in drugs, big deal. Most people have. He never hurt anybody or (as far as I know of the circumstances) didn't behave in a dangerous or aggressive, threatening way. His probation violation of having a few beers while dumb on his part, because whether he likes it or not that's what Big Brother demanded and Big Brother will not allow itself to be ignored, is hardly a big deal. Gerald frequently sped, big deal. Most people have. He never hurt anybody or (as far as I know of the circumstances) behaved in a aggressive, threatening way. His driving without a license while dumb on his part, because whether he likes it or not that's what Big Brother demanded and Big Brother will not allow itself to be ignored, is hardly a big deal. Gerald, hopefully in a sign that he's learning from his earlier mistake with firearms, now seems to have the correct permits for his guns.

While I can plainly see that these guys are both risky signings, because both have shown a tendency to repeat behavior that their current employer (the NFL) has clearly stated is unacceptable, I don't think there's nearly enough evidence to label these guys as bad or crazy. Perhaps just a little stupid. And we all know if we took all the stupid players out of football that'd only leave us with Peyton Manning, Larry Fitzgerald, Jason Witten and Felix Jones, a great offense for sure, but who would they play against?

Why Jones and Sensabaugh concern me much less than the like of TO and Pacman is that neither seem to have anywhere near the raging egos or big mouths that those guys had. I've never heard either off them causing locker-room friction (though I'm open to correction hear).

Sensabaugh also signed a relatively cheap one-year deal and can be easily cut if any more discretions arise and the team wishes to part ways. In the meantime though he's an improving young player with some experience at a position of dire need for Dallas.

I see Matt Jones' the same way. He could be signed to a relatively cheap one-year deal so he can be easily dismissed if he messes up again. In the meantime though he would be a young improving player with some experience at a position of need for Dallas.

Some Jacksonville fans were disappointed with the release of Jones (and with Sensabaugh too). It seems that while many were calling for Jones' head after the 2007 season he became the teams most dependable WR in 2008 and changed some people's minds. After years of watching his inconsistency and apparent lackadaisical approach some claimed they saw a new Jones in 2008, one who was becoming a solid player and just as that began to happen and the future just maybe looked brighter for the Jags 1st Rounder, the team gave up on him.

Will Matt Jones be a Cowboy?

As a First Round Pick was Jones' a good investment, no way. He'd never even played the position that he was Drafted for. He was all potential and no proof (I suppose all Rookies are but Jones' much more so than the average draftee).

As a cheap Free Agent, however, he can and does offer some interesting skills. Is Matt Jones a dominant player, will he become one, would he solve all our WR problems? I'd say it's very safe to assume the answer to these questions are No, No and No.

But let's ask some relevant questions; is Dallas' WR depth questionable, is injury history a concern for Dallas' WR's, has Matt Jones become a solid WR, could a solid and experienced WR help this team? I'd say the answers here are Yes, Yes, Yes and Yes.

Personally, I'm still on the fence on this one a bit. I'm certainly interested but there is a character risk here. Without actually knowing the guy personally it's difficult to know how big that risk is. Dallas seems to be pretty serious about gathering hard working, trouble free players but has also shown their still open to the idea of a more risky signing of a low-key young player. This is one of those situations were I'll be happy whatever the team decides because they'll be able to get way more personal information and game footage of Matt than I could ever get.

So, will Matt Jones be a Dallas Cowboy?

Another Look at the Run to Pass Ratio.

Luke. — Thu, 14 May 2009 23:43:02 -0000

Rafael's article about the Pass to Run Ratio got me thinking. The way NFL.com carries its Stats on Total rushing plays and Total passing attempts is actually misleading when it comes to determining what ratio of run to pass was called.

They state 547 total passing attempts and 401 total rushing plays for 948 plays total. That gives a ratio of 57.7% pass and 42.3% run.

Those 401 rushing attempts include 28 “runs” by Tony Romo and 2 “runs” by Brad Johnson. Now obviously these 30 plays aren't proper running plays. Most would be pass plays that have broken down and a few others would be kneel downs.

And the 948 plays total does not include Sacks allowed. The Cowboys QB's were sacked 31 times last year and those 31 pass attempts aren't recorded as such in the standard ratio.

So let's add 24 (we'll leave six out for kneel downs) of those QB “runs” to the pass plays called column and remove all 30 from the rushing plays called column. And let's add the 31 sacks allowed to the passing plays column.

The new, more accurate, play calling ratio is;

602 pass plays called (37.6 per game).

371 run plays called (23.2 per game).

61.9% pass and 38.1% run.

Now obviously these new Cowboy ratio stats are hard to do a comparison on since I'm not going to translate all the other 31 teams ratios but I will translate and compare to what seems to be the prominent rushing team – the NY Giants.

491 pass.

502 run.

993 plays – 49.4% pass and 50.6% run.

Adjustments;

28 QB “runs” (again we'll take 28 off run plays and add 22 to pass plays, leaving six out again for kneel downs).

28 Sacks allowed (added to pass plays).

New NY Giants ratio;

541 pass plays called (33.8 per game).

474 run plays called (29.6 per game).

53.3% pass and 46.7% run.

So one of the most run committed teams called a run play around 46.7% of the time. Dallas called a run play around 38.1% of the time. That's a 8.6% difference and works out to about 5 or 6 rushing plays per game. I really do think that getting the percentage closer to the New York 46.7% mark could have a significant positive impact on our offense and the entire team.

Completely useless fantasy projection time!

So let's pretend everything goes swimmingly injury wise and the Defense plays like it did when it was on it's hot streak last year. And let's pretend that Dallas succeeds in it's supposed new found commitment to the run and posts a pass to run ratio like the new NY Giants ratio. How could that ratio look in Cowboy colors?

From the Giants 541 pass plays Eli threw 479 attempts. The other 62 were sacks (28), scrambles (22), or David Carr (12).

If Dallas has 541 pass plays I'll say injury free Romo will attempt 490 passes with the missing 51 plays coming through sacks and scrambles etc. He gets off more passes than Eli simply because he's a better player (and more aggressive).

As Eli's pass attempts dropped from 529 in 2007 to 479 in 2008 he had the best QB rating of his career. His completion percentage went up from 56.1% to 60.3%. Eli's 2008 60.3% is much higher than his career average of 55.9%. A testament to how a steady and consistent ground attack can help a QB. While throwing 520 passes in 2007 Romo's completion percentage was 64.4% and his careers is 63.6%. He's never really had a consistent steady ground attack. If he gets one this year his completion percentage could climb well over 65% into elite range (67-68%). But right now I think it's a reasonable assumption that he'd hit about 65% in this offense.

So 490 attempts at 65% equals 319 completions. Romo's career average yards per throw is an outstanding 8.1. His 490 attempts at 8.1 each equals 3969 yards.

Eli's Interception percentage also came down significantly with a good rushing attack. Eli and Romo had nearly identical passing attempts and interception ratio's in their 2007 seasons. Eli (529 and 20 Int's equals one every 26 attempts) and Romo (520 and 19 Int's equals one every 27 attempts). Eli went from that to 10 Interceptions in 08 (one every 48 attempts). If Romo gets a committed and effective ground attack he can bring his down considerably too but his natural aggressiveness probably precludes his from going as far down as Eli's did so we'll put him in the middle at one every 35 attempts. Romo also averages (career) a TD pass roughly every 16 attempts.

Based on all that mumbo jumbo here's Romo's 2009 season stats;

319 completions from 490 attempts for 3969 yards at an 8.1 average with 30 TD's and 14 Interceptions.

Even with a new found commitment to the run (from running 38.1% of plays to 46.7% of plays) there's still plenty of room for the passing game to dominate. And there's still plenty of passes for guys like Witten and Williams to have big years. In fact that season looks very similar to the stats posted by the best rated passer of the year in 2008 Philip Rivers (312 for 478, 4009, 8.4 65.3%, 34 and 11, QB rating 105.5). So although we've delved into major fantasy here it's certainly possible.

That type of passing game depends on the Oline being solid and consistent enough to run the ball nearly 30 times a game. We've definitely got the backs to do it as New York's 474 run plays called could look something like; Marion returning to the Third Down and Closer roles from his Pro Bowl 07 season (204 carries in 07) would net him about 208 carries (13 per game) in 08, Felix could take a 1st and 2nd Down Julius Jones type role with about 192 carries (12 per game) and Choice could fill in for a spell in either role with about 74 carries (4-5 game). That'll give Dallas New York's 474 and a 46.7% ratio.

Obviously all those fantasy projections are completely out the window as soon as real football starts when things like injury, performance and the score board all dictate what plays need to be called but all things being equal I do think Dallas will attempt to mold their Offense around that sort of criteria. If they do that, and circumstances like injury's are favorable, I think it really could be a big success with the running emphasis helping many facets of Dallas' game. The turnovers on offense should come down and the time of possession should go up. Those things won't just improve the Offense, they'll improve the Defense too and if the Off-season emphasis on Special Teams pays off Dallas could be a much tougher and improved football team on Gameday.

Quarterback Stephen McGee.

Luke. — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:34:23 -0000

I just listened to the QB Stephen McGee interview on DC.com and that guy sounds pissed! In a good way though. Sounds like he's got a pretty big chip on his shoulder and he believes he will be the future starter. He really sounded like a serious, no-nonsense hard worker type who has set his sights on winning the QB spot one day.

Scouting comments; “Legitimate NFL frame. Good toughness. Has absorbed a lot of hits throughout his career and is willing to play through pain. Legitimate arm strength. Good zip on his passes, especially on short and intermediate routes. Flashes the arm strength and trajectory for deep passes with touch over the top.”

That is the necessities (good size, tough, good arm) all ticked.

Scouting comments; “Good athlete who can buy time in the pocket and also make plays as a runner in the open field. Good agility and strength for the position as a runner.”

That is some solid bonus skills there.

Scouting comment; “Excellent intangibles. Natural leader who was voted permanent team captain”.

I know it's shallow to make judgments after a single ten minute interview but after hearing it I can see how that statement would apply. Sounded very unlike Tony Romo and much more like Troy Aikman. He seriously sounded a little Aikmanesque in that sense of “if you want to f##k around, get off the damn field” type of attitude but not in a forced way or over the top way, as the report says, it sounded very natural. As in, he's not trying to be a no-nonsense leader type, he just is one. I'm not trying to criticize Romo here because I think he's a very good player just pointing out how differently McGee sounded than Romo has when asked about football (I know it's only one interview but that's all I've got so dammit I'm running with it :)

Of course there's the negative too;

“Raw as they come. More of a thrower than a passer at this point. Inconsistent footwork and delivery. Inconsistent accuracy, mostly due to flawed technique. Still acclimating to reading a defense from a passer standpoint. Lacks patience in the pocket and will either run or force passes too often, rather than check down.”

So he's definitely still years away from mounting any real challenge for the starting job, especially with a very good QB in front of him, but perhaps 2011 – 2012 might see an emerging McGee pushing Romo for the top spot or even landing us a solid Draft pick for his services if Romo continues ascending out of McGee's reach.

Either way this looks like it could be a great pickup.

Highlights; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6FUDeqarXk&feature=related

Day 2 Mock.

Luke. — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 10:58:05 -0000

We are sitting in the pole position for Day 2. We have 12 picks total. There'll be some good players selected in the 3rd, 4th and 5th Rounds and we're loaded.

Two early picks Round 3 (5 and 11), three good picks in Round 4 (1, 10 and 17), three picks in Round 5 (20, 30 and 36). Then there's two in Round 6 (24, 35) and Round 7 (1, 18) for good measure.

The last 6 years of Rounds 3-7 has brought in; Tashard Choice, Orlando Scandrick, Nick Folk, Deon Anderson, Marion Barber, Chris Canty, Jay Ratliff, Patrick Crayton, Bradie James, Jason Witten etc. So these picks are nothing to scoff at.

Pointless statistics time!!

We all know everybody loves numbers so here's some more;

Dallas has made 31 picks in Rounds 3-7 in the last 6 years (03 to 08). 17 of these were on the 2008 roster. Of this 17 there was 6 starters in 2008 (Witten, James, Barber, Canty, Ratliff, Nick Folk). 4 of this 6 have been to the Pro Bowl.

54.8% of the last 6 years 3-7 Rounders were still on the team in 08.

19.3% of the last 6 years 3-7 Rounders were starters on the team in 08.

So with 12 picks in the Rounds 3-7 tomorrow, based on those percentages, Dallas' should score at least 6 who will make the team (and hopefully contribute in some way) and at least 2 who will become starters on the team at some point (though probably not this year). And because we all know that these statistics are infallible that's exactly what will happen, or better because I have a good feeling about it!!

Anyway, here's a possible breakdown of some of the good players we could score...

Round 3 Pick 5 (#69): Jarren Gilbert DE – If he makes it past the Chiefs he'll be simply to good to pass on. Scouts Inc has him rated as the 49th player overall, Gosselin had him at #43. At 6'5” 288 pounds he's well built for a 3-4 DE but unlike our current crop has shown the athleticism to rush the passer. A 4.81 forty, 28 bench reps and a 35 vertical show how much athletic potential he has. Competitive with no character concerns. With Spears in a contract year, Hatcher and Bowen having made no big push for playing time landing Gilbert here is great.

Round 3 Pick 11 (#75): Lawrence Sidbury OLB – The best 3-4 outside linebacker prospect left on the board won't last much longer. There's nobody left who has the production (career 20 sacks and 42 tackles for a loss), size (6'2” 266), strength (28 bench reps) and speed (listed variably at 4.53, 4.57 or 4.64) ratio of Sidbury. He's raw and needs work but his natural talent is great and he's coming to a situation where he's got the best 3-4 OLB role model in the league (D.Ware). Was rated the 51st player overall by Scouts Inc and #67 by Gosselin. There's nobody left with his athletic skill set at the 3-4 OLB position but he would have a lot to learn changing positions. He absolutely has the skill to do it though and has good character and work habits to help him too. Fortunately for us we already have some good players at the position so he need not be rushed this year but next year, when Ellis is likely gone he should be ready to go. A potential pass rush trio of Ware, Spencer and Sidbury is to much to pass on.

Round 4 Pick 1 (#101): Cris Clemons S – Experienced and fast Safety. Started last 39 straight games for Clemson and played in 51 total. 6'0” 208 with room for additional growth. Scouts Inc. has him rated #91 and Gosselin doesn't have him in the Top 100 so our pick at #101 is realistic. Fast (4.33 forty), explosive (37 vertical) and has solid strength (19 bench). “Good in coverage, takes good angles, can read the QB but is also a good open field tackler”. Has never missed a game due to injury. Should be good on special teams and sub packages quickly.

Round 4 Pick 10 (#110): Greg Toler CB – Good man coverage CB. Has solid size (5'11” 191), speed (4.45), is “most effective in man coverage” and that suits us. Currently rated #113. Is regarded as having “good change of direction, smooth and natural in backpedal and natural hands for the interception”. Toler “gives great effort and also volunteered to play on every special teams coverage unit as well handling return duties”. We could use a guy like this.

Round 4 Pick 17 (#117): Roy Miller NT – If there was a “High Character, Self-motivated NT Alert” system in Dallas' War Room it would explode when Roy Miller's name came up. Miller (6'1” 310 and 36 bench reps) a Texas Senior played 49 games and compiled 138 tackles, 25 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks and had very good senior year (49-11-5.5 in 08). Miller fits the bill for what we need him for most; “good lower-leg drive and use of leverage to hold up as a nose guard, can anchor against the double-team and create a pile, quick hands and impressive upper-body strength to disengage from blocks and make tackles at the point of attack, physical player”. That's NT material right there. In the negative column is of course this; “Limited athlete who lacks agility to offer much more than what he's asked as a run-plugging nose guard, has only short-area quickness, offers very little in terms of a traditional pass rush”. This is how guys like him get overlooked. Teams often go for raw, inconsistent potential over unspectacular success.

I believe effort is the key to these big guys successes (and the reason we see so many NT draft failures) and that's an area where Roy Miller has them beat as he's one of the only mid-to-late round NT's I could find who didn't have either “out of shape” or “inconsistent effort” and in fact was regarded as being a “High-effort player who will pursue”. So where's he get the motivation; “My Dad taught me how to be a man and to always work hard. He also taught me there would be days when you don't want to do anything like go to work, school or practice, but you have to keep on going. I also remember nights when our family would eat dinner on an ironing board. All of these things made me thankful for the sacrifices they made for me while growing up”. He's rated right at #117 by Scouts Inc. and we have #117. Get this guy in here already!

Round 5 Pick 20 (#156): Louis Vasquez OG – Big Guard with good potential. Vasquez played in Texas Tech's pass happy scheme and proved himself to be a very good pass blocker (didn't allow a single sack in 2008) but he's certainly not just a finesse player. At 6'5” 330 pounds and an impressive 39 bench reps he's got plenty of power too. He impressed at the East-West Shrine Game coming out of a three point stance and dominated the DT's and also showed enough athletic ability to get to the second level. He's rated about #133 overall but Guards always seem to drop a bit so #156 is definitely possible. He's better than Procter already and could challenge Holland early.

Round 5 Pick 30 (#166): Scott McKillip ILB – Has been compared to Zach Thomas. McKillip is a little bigger (6'1” 244) but they play a similar game; “both rely on their field vision, intelligence and quickness to gain advantage on the blocker in order to compensate for a lack of ideal size. He's a smart playmaker who reacts decisively and can step up, stay square and take on/shed the bigger blockers with good force. He has that quick reactionary ability to fill holes and make plays in-line and even at his size, blockers struggle in attempts to contain him at the point of attack”. He's rated the 160th player overall so we've got a real good chance of getting him here. Although he's not a top tier athlete he's definitely no slouch (4.70 forty, 27 bench reps and 35 vertical) and that's definitely more than adequate for the position.

Round 5 Pick 36 (#172): Johnny Knox WR – Small school senior with great speed, quickness and hands. Played two years (07 and 08) at Abilene Christian and compiled 118 receptions for 2227 yards at a 18.9 yards per reception average and scored 30 touchdowns (56 – 1069 – 19.1 – 13 in 08). Knox had a great combine in both timed workouts and position drills. He ripped off a lightning forty (4.29) and caught everything in position drills. Scouts Inc currently has him rated at #151 but I'm hoping he'll go just a bit later to us. Apart from his obvious size disadvantage (5'11 184), Knox's criticisms seem to be his level of competition and lack of polish. But he does have some nice talent to mold; “Good initial quickness off the snap to get into his route. Reliable hands; snatches the ball and adjusts to poor throws. Gets up to the high-point and secures the catch. Sinks his hips and displays quick feet going into and out of routes. Has good vision and is elusive running in the open field. Works hard to block downfield, and will sustain and even dominate against smaller corners. Experienced as a punt returner.” If Knox struggles to make any impact on the offense in his first year he could still be of value as a punt returner while he learns and that's something this team needs too.

Round 6 Pick 24 (#197): Tony Fiametta FB – Solid blocking FB. A little one dimensional but is a strong and aggressive lead blocker with good size (6'0” 245), strength (30 reps) and speed (4.58). Scouts Inc rates him #152 overall but FB's also often drop and he's not talented enough as a runner or receiver to rise up so I think there's a good chance he'll be there a bit later for us.

Round 6 Pick 35 (208): Nick Reed ILB/OLB – As Aaron would say; “Nick Reed, Nick Reed, Nick Reed”. Earned first team All-American honors on the field and in the class room. Is a smart, passionate, high motor player who set the Oregon school record with 29.5 career sacks. Has potential at both middle and outside linebacker spots and at worst should be great on special teams. Rated at #211 overall by Scouts Inc. he'd be a great pickup here to compete with the likes of Rogers and Carpenter.

Round 7 Pick 1 (210): Jared Bronson TE – Good mix of size and speed. At 6'4” 253 and with a 4.70 forty he has solid NFL TE credentials. Runs good routes and has good hands. An inconsistent blocker that seems to stem from poor technique. Has talent, needs coaching. Rated #242 overall.

Round 7 Pick 18 (227): Montecito Tex – That'll add a bit of spice back to the locker room.

Now, I don't actually think the Cowboys will make all these 12 picks but the point is there's still some very solid looking players for Dallas to grab and they're stacked to do so.

Trade a few picks for some next year picks and grab Eight of the guys I've listed and this will be a great Draft.

Let the Day 2 Drafting begin!!

WONDERLIC SCORES

Luke. — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:22:49 -0000

The Combine; players put through multiple tests involving their athletic skills (40 yard sprint, bench press, position drills etc), social skills (interviews and meetings) and mental skills (interviews and Wonderlic).

Every year the football community waits on those athletic results to be released (of which they are live on television) and then debates the merits of them endlessly and adjusts the stock of the prospect on how they performed. Team sources tell journalists how they feel certain prospects did in interviews. But the Wonderlic is not released to the public, it's held as a secret. We hear every detail imaginable about these future players; their measured accurate weight and height, their measured accurate speed, agility and strength, details of their past, their personal life story and upbringing, and then finally exactly how much money they're getting paid.

All these things are openly talked about and available. But the Wonderlic attempts to remain secret. We are encouraged to judge every aspect of their physical traits but must not know their mental ones. Of course in the Internet age secrets are harder to keep than ever before and most scores leak out. Contrary to almost every other bit of player information the Wonderlic is then often dismissed; “the Wonderlic is irrelevent, their's no evidence to support it predicts future performance”. Or something of the like. But is that really true? If so, why does the Combine continue to prescribe the test?

The Wonderlic seems to be most interesting and controversial around the Quarterback position. It's considered probably the hardest position to play in all professional sports. It requires many skills, both athletic and mental, to be successful. So I'm going to ask and attempt to answer the question that nobody wants to ask or attempt to answer; Are there trends from the QB Wonderlic scores?

What I've found tells me that yes, there is a correlation between Wonderlic scores and NFL Quarterback success in the recent history that I looked at.

Being that the Wonderlic seems to be a somewhat controversial issue and some people seem to just “know” that it's “irrelevant” and react dismissively or angrily towards it, I'd like to make this first point abundantly clear so please understand the what I'm trying to say here: I'm not saying that anyone who scores high on a Wonderlic will perform well as an NFL QB. What I'm saying is that it is definitely more likely that NFL QB's who are very successful in the New Millennium Era (year 2000 onwards) will have scored high on the Wonderlic skill test.

Please understand that paragraph before posting so the thread is not riddled with irrelevant posts like “but Alex Smith scored 40” or “but Drew Henson scored 42”. I'm not saying a certain type of intelligence is the only measure of success, quite obviously it's football, they also need to be athletic, tough, have a strong work ethic, can handle multiple pressure's both on and off field etc. What I am saying is that in the multitude of skills QB's need to be successful intelligence is absolutely one and an important one at that. While the Wonderlic might not be the perfect test it does seem to show some interesting results that can't just be dismissed.

Now to directly address another “Wonderlic irrelevent” comment. Many people use the “Dan Marino scored a 15 and Terry Bradshaw got a 15 so the Wonderlic's irrelevent” line but I don't think it holds up to scrutiny.

Marino did that in 1983 and Bradshaw in 1970. The game has progressed since then. It's like saying “John Hannah was an All-Pro Offensive Guard in 1985 at 6'2” 260 pounds and is in the Hall of Fame so today's preference for 300+ pounders is irrelevant”.

Times change. The QB position is substantially more complicated than it was 25 or 40 years ago. What I'm looking at here is what I'll call New Millennium QB's. That is guys who are successful in the year 2000 and beyond. You could also call this the Peyton Manning era because I think Peyton's approach (his endless calls and bluffs at the line in an attempt to outsmart the defense) and his prolific success from this has raised the standards of what is expected from QB's today and in the future (although looking briefly at the 90's data it's clear that the trend started before 2000 I just don't have the time to go through it all).

Before we start looking at the results here's an important refresher if you need it: the Wonderlic is an IQ type test out of 50 and the average score for all football players is 20. Separately the QB's average 24 and that is also the average of miscellaneous participants of various non-football professions as well.

Let's look at the statistically best QB's from last year:

#1 Phillip Rivers – 30.

#2 Chad Pennington – 25.

#3 Kurt Warner – ??

#4 Drew Brees – 28.

#5 Peyton Manning – 28.

#6 Aaron Rodgers – 35.

#7 Matt Schaub – 28.

#8 Tony Romo – 37.

#9 Jeff Garcia – 30.

#10 Matt Cassell – ??

#11 Matt Ryan – 32.

That's the statistical top third of NFL QB's from the 2008 season. All of them have solid to very good Wonderlic scores. 100% of the scores listed are well above the average football score of 20 and above the QB average score of 24. Together they average 30.3, well above both averages.

If the Wonderlic test score doesn't matter then why are the QB's who are over the average QB score dominating the league and the ones who are significantly under the average score and successful are, at least this year, non existent?

Just for fun let's look at new millennium Superbowl winning QB's. Again, some guys numbers couldn't be found, I'll list them but obviously will not include them in the statistical summary.

New Millennium Super Bowl Winners:

Kurt Warner – ??

Trent Dilfer – 22.

Tom Brady – 33.

Brad Johnson – ??

Tom Brady – 33.

Ben Roethlisberger – 25.

Peyton Manning – 28.

Eli Manning – 39.

Ben Roethlisberger – 25.

So out of the 8 scores of new millennium Superbowl winners only 1 below average Wonderlic QB (Dilfer) has won a Superbowl and he had one of the greatest defenses of All-Time at his back.

88% of the winning Superbowl QB's have been above average on the Wonderlic and the average winning QB Wonderlic score is 29.8.

In fact all the multiple Superbowl winning Quarterbacks since 1990 have been well above the football average and clearly above the statistical average QB.

Troy Aikman, 3 Superbowls – 29.

Tom Brady, 3 Superbowls – 33.

John Elway, 2 Superbowls – 29.

Ben Roethlisberger, 2 Superbowls – 25.

Every single important statistical QB category I've looked at in recent history shows that the vast majority of successful Quarterbacks score well above the football average of 20 and also above the Quarterback average of 24. Again, if the Wonderlic test is meaningless then why is the list of successful NFL Quarterbacks in the new millennium era who scored low on the Wonderlic so very small. Where are the new millennium era low scoring Wonderlic Superbowl winning QB's? I can't find a single one of them.

Even if we take out all personal value judgments on a Quarterbacks play and just look at every NFL Quarterback who started the majority of the 2008 season, regardless of whether myself or anyone else thinks they're good, average or bad, the average Wonderlic score is well above the football average of 20 and above the QB average of 24.

#1 Phillip Rivers, 105.5 – 30.

#2 Chad Pennington, 97.4 – 25.

#3 Kurt Warner, 96.9 – ??

#4 Drew Brees, 96.2 – 28.

#5 Peyton Manning, 95.0 – 28.

#6 Aaron Rodgers, 93.8 – 35.

#7 Matt Schaub, 92.7 – 28.

#8 Tony Romo, 91.4 – 37.

#9 Jeff Garcia, 90.2 – 30.

#10 Matt Cassell, 89.4 – ??

#11 Matt Ryan, 87.7 – 32.

#12 Shaun Hill, 87.5 – 25.

#13 Seneca Wallace, 87.0 – 14.

#14 Eli Manning, 86.4 – 39.

#15 Donavon McNabb, 86.4 – 14.

#16 Jay Cutler, 86.0 – 26.

#17 Trent Edwards, 85.4 – 28.

#18 Jake Delhomme, 84.7 - ??

#19 Jason Campbell, 84.3 – 23.

#20 David Garrard, 81.7 – 14.

#21 Brett Farve, 81.0 – 22.

#22 Joe Flacco, 80.3 – 30.

#23 Kerry Collins, 80.2 – 30.

#24 Ben Roethlisberger 80.1 – 25.

#25 Kyle Orton 79.6 – 26.

#26 JaMarcus Russell 77.1 – 24.

#27 Tyler Thigpen 76.0 – 21.

#28 Gus Frerrotte 73.7 – ??

#29 Dan Orlovsky 72.6 – 26.

#30 Marc Bulger 71.4 – 29.

#31 Ryan Pitzpatrick 70.0 – 38.

#32 Derek Anderson 66.5 – 19.

The entire NFL starting QB average of 2008 was 26.6.

If there was evidence (and there might be I haven't looked it up) that, on average, every starting NFL RB (that is, a Runningback who's had success) on average timed faster than the average time of all college RB's (that is, Runningbacks who may or may not have had success) doing the 40 yard dash, most would say that's a clear indication that the speed measured by the Forty yard dash is a useful tool in measuring that important factor (a RB's speed) in relation to NFL success.

The NFL starting QB average of 26.6 is well above the football player average of 20 and above the QB average of 24. So the average of every starting NFL QB is a higher score than the average score of all college QB's taking the Wonderlic test. To me, that's a clear indication that the mental skill that the Wonderlic measures is a useful tool in measuring that important factor (a QB's intelligence or mental capacity) in relation to NFL success. When we're measuring the top tier of successful QB's in the league the correlation is even higher.

In conclusion; I'm not suggesting that a QB should be drafted solely on his Wonderlic score. The same way I wouldn't suggest drafting a RB solely on his Forty yard dash time. But measuring a RB's speed is very important as they make the jump from College to the much faster NFL game. In the same way, measuring a QB's mental skill is very important as they make the jump from College to the much more complicated, technical and challenging NFL game.

The Forty yard dash; not every Runningback who runs fast is going to be a success, but the most successful Runningback's are often the faster runners (2008 NFL Top 10 averages a very good Forty of 4.42).

A. Peterson 4.37, M. Turner 4.49, D. Williams 4.45, C. Portis 4.42, T. Jones 4.45, S. Slaton 4.45, M. Forte 4.44, C. Johnson 4.24, R. Grant 4.43, L. Tomlinson 4.46.

The Wonderic test; not every Quarterback who scores high on the Wonderlic is going to be a success, but the most successful Quarterback's often have the higher scores (2008 NFL Top 10 average a very good score of 30.1).

Phillip Rivers 30, Chad Pennington 25, Kurt Warner ??, Drew Brees 28, Peyton Manning 28, Aaron Rodgers 35, Matt Schaub 28, Tony Romo 37, Jeff Garcia 30, Matt Cassell ??

Do it yourselves in the thread; make a list of who you think are the Top 5 QB's currently in the NFL.

My Top 5 QB's would be;

Tom Brady – 33.

Peyton Manning – 28.

Drew Brees – 28.

Tony Romo – 37.

Phillip Rivers – 30.

They average a very high 31.2. Other people's lists may vary but I don't think anyones Top 5 will come in under the Quarterback average of 24.

It seems quite clear that the Wonderlic mental skill test is not at all irrelevant and in fact might be currently more prevalent than ever.

Canty, Burnett, Money & Free Agency...

Luke. — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:38:51 -0000

This originally started as a simple reply to Grizz's post - “Decisions loom for Cowboys in free agency” - that discussed Chris Canty and Kevin Burnett. But once I started ranting the size kept growing and I thought posting here would be more appropriate.

While I certainly don't begrudge any man getting his due reward financially in the open market, sometimes money is not the only valuable thing on offer. I've personally, and known many others who have too, stayed in slightly less paying jobs because the organisation, conditions and workmates were top notch and what could be gained financially would not have been more valuable than a place were it's actually enjoyable to work.

Now obviously if you get more money and an equally great place more power to you but the attitude of Canty and Burnett just seems to be “I want as much money as possible”. Canty is definitely overestimating his worth if he thinks he should get 50 million dollars and Burnett, an injury plagued part-time player, is dreaming if he thinks he's worth a big pay day.

I can't help but feel that these two guys are somewhat symbolic of the attitude of too many players on this team. They think they're better than they really are. Quick to celebrate, quick to showboat but disappear for weeks in between. Bradie James also fits this bill. While James is a better player than those two and had a fine season in 08 his complaining about missing the Pro Bowl just seems typical of this overestimating attitude. Yes Bradie you had a good year, yes Bradie your stats were good enough to make the Pro Bowl (thanks to some terrific scheming by our beleagued Head Coach that allowed you to come free and untouched for a solid handful of your eight sacks), oh and yes Bradie that was you getting burned by Todd Heap and absolutely bulldozed by the Ravens fullback as Le'Ron McClain ran over your prostrate corpse for an 80 yard touchdown at the final game in Texas Stadiums history. And yes Bradie, that was you whinging about not getting personal accolades while the team you claimed to be a leader on was having a locker room crisis and melting down and out of the playoffs.

We need a lot less of that type of attitude, if Canty and Burnett want to overestimate themselves out of Dallas I say good riddance and take your crap attitude with you. Replace Canty with Igor Olshansky at a cheaper price for the same production but a much better attitude. Olshansky; a tough, no-nonsense player who has a nasty demeanor on the field and a team first attitude in the locker room. A guy who's a self motivated hard worker, a guy who brings a real element of consistent strength and power on first and second downs to help our terrific but undersized Ratliff and somewhat inconsistent Spears (Olshansky is a weight room beast who apparently benches his own weight of 305 pounds 20 times and can do 465 pounds 6 times!).

I want more players who are like that and less players who think they're all that and more. I'm sorry my rant about Canty and Burnett turned into a mild ripping of James and a large promotion of Olshansky but sometimes opportunity and need meet right where you want them. We have a need for a new 3-4 Right Defensive End and for players with top intangibles. Igor Olshansky is the opportunity for both.

Some free agent pondering...

Luke. — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:36:22 -0000

With the Safety position in such a bad state (Keith Davis, Pat Watkins and Courtney Brown are all below average players at Safety and with Roy Williams having gone from very good to very average over the years), I would expect the Cowboys to look very hard at this position in free agency and the draft.

After shedding two significant contributing players on the Dline (Right DE starter Canty and NT backup Tank Johnson) I would definitely be expecting the Cowboys to look hard at the free agents and draftees in this position too.

But I also don't think the Cowboys will go for top tier guys at the positions. Guys like Albert Haynesworth and Jermaine Phillips are probably off the list but there's some very interesting players who'll sign much cheaper contracts that could help this team.

Safety:

Sean Jones. Unrestricted free agent and former second round draft pick who's a 5 year veteran and was the starting Strong Safety for Cleveland the last 3 years. Compiled some very good numbers in 06 (111 tackles, 11 pass deflections and 5 interceptions) and 07 (96 tackles, 10 pass deflections and 5 interceptions). 08 was an injury shortened season (12 games) but he still managed 56 tackles, 4 pass deflections and 4 interceptions. Has good size at 6'1" 220 and is only 26 years old. An upgrade over the Safety formerly known as #31 at a cheaper price, although with the dearth of quality Safety's in free agency Jones could get substantially overpaid and be out of consideration.

James Butler. Unrestricted free agent who went undrafted in 2005 and was signed by the Giants. A solid backup and a good special teamer his first two years (05 & 06), he got majority starting reps in 07 (12 starts) and 08 (14 starts) and had solid numbers (61 tackles, 7 pass deflections and 1 interception in 07. And 68 tackles, 7 pass deflections and 3 interceptions in 08). Good size at 6'2" 215 and is only 26 years old. This former undrafted player should be very reasonably priced in the free agent market and brings several things that this ball club badly needs;

1) An upgrade at Safety: he's undoubtedly better than Keith Davis, Pat Watkins and Courtney Brown and I think at least on par with the shadow of a man we call Roy Williams and for a substantially cheaper price too.

2) Special teams coverage ability: he was very successful on special teams in his first two years and we all know how badly we need special teams help.

3) Playoff and Super Bowl victory experience: Butler led the Giants with 10 tackles in their Super Bowl shut down of the Patriots prolific offense. He has played, and played well, in successful postseason football and this team needs a few more people with that experience.

The price of Butler should not be a prohibitive of drafting a Safety. Butler can be a solid and reasonably priced starter while a rookie learns the ropes. If the rookie catches on quick Butler can become the Nickel safety and play special teams and fill in either Safety spot in case of injury.

Defensive Line:

Colin Cole. Backup DT for the Packers played in all 16 games last year and had 30 tackles, half a sack and 4 pass deflections. Hardly dominating but consider that our backup (Tank Johnson) actually had less production than that in his 16 games. Cole is no-ones saviour but he could be an improvement in our backup NT spot (especially if the Cowboys aren't sold on rookies like Ron Brace etc). Cole's big asset is his big frame, he's 6'1" and 330 pounds. That's true NT build and there's very few of them in free agency. He's only 28 and as far as NT's concerned, from what we've seen in other big guys, his best years might be in front of him.

Igor Olshansky. Drafted with the third pick of the second round by the San Diego Chargers, Olshansky has been a starting Right DE since his rookie year and a solid to good player through his first four years but is coming off a down year in 08. If they're looking for a cheaper replacement for Chris Canty than this is the guy. Had his best year in 07 with 49 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 3 pass deflections and even an interception. Is a very strong player (41 bench reps at combine in 04) and good against the run. Prototype size at 6'6" 309 pounds and only 26 years old. Drafted into Wade Phillips 3-4 Chargers team in 04 and started at Right DE for three years under Phillips on a defense that was outstanding against the run in that period (3rd in 04, 1st in 05 and 7th in 06). Perhaps the Cowboys zero effort into resigning Canty is because Wade thinks Olshansky is a better player that can be had at a better price.

You could probably sign Olshansky, Butler and Cole for less than it will cost someone for Albert Haynesworth alone.

Butler stands out to me as a perfect fit for us. We need to add more than just a draft pick at Safety going into 09 season. Relying solely on a rookie to start 16 games (I'm assuming, no, hoping, Roy Williams is cut by then) is risky and even if he's great we're still one injury away from the leftovers from the clueless crew of Davis, Watkins and Brown from stepping into a starting role. No thanks. Butler offers us plenty at a good price.

Olshansky is the other that we should go for. He can step right in and start no worries as he knows Wade's 3-4 as well as any. At worst, a very good run player at a probably decent price.

Anyone else like any of these guys?

Or are there better free agent options?

From The Boys Blog to The Blue and Silver Report and now Blogging the Boys.

Luke. — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:59:35 -0000

Hello old friends from TheBoysBlog and BlueAndSilverReport, it seems we're on the move again. It was with reluctance that we left theboysblog for blueandsilverreport but I think most would agree that once we became acclimatised to our new surroundings things were just as good. Now we're leaving blueandsilver and are arriving at BloggingTheBoys, again, it must be said, with some reluctance. But just as we came to enjoy blueandsilver I'm sure we'll appreciate bloggingtheboys once acclimated, as the most important parts, the content from the writers and regulars, has remained constant and that's what matters.

To all the bloggingtheboys regulars, you guys must feel like you're getting invaded with a sudden influx of now 'instant regulars', hopefully we can add something positive to your discussions. I had previously checked your site occasionally and found some interesting articles and comments so hopefully that means we'll have some good Cowboy related discussions in the near future as Dallas picks themselves up, dusts off some injuries, builds up some anger and rips the NFL apart the second half of the season and the playoffs... either that or they completely fold and we can blast our OLine and DLine and talk draft until the offseason, both would be fun discussions but I'm sure I'd prefer the former :)

***I have retracted my earlier comment about the text size because a) now that I'm getting used to it it's not much difference and b) ricky and parl offered up a very simple solution. To all us new guys, take advantage of the great Fanposts feature, I know some of you will come up with some great topics for discussion. And remember, if you want to keep a really good Fanpost and discussion going just click the Recommend (rec) button and it will help the entry to rise to the top of the list and stay there. This way really good long debates (like the ones that would go for days or even weeks at BoysBlog, B&S and I'm sure here too) won't get lost by the more frequent content that this site offers.

***Wow, just saw something else and this will really appeal to us fans who live outside the US; there's a place called Cowboysmedia.com that has all the games this year (and 07, 06) available for download! So if you missed any that's the place to get them. There's full game vids, quarter by quarter vids, highlight vids, just heaps and heaps of cool stuff. I have no idea of the quality because I haven't downloaded anything yet but the files are quite large so here's hoping it's really good. You need to know the Username and Password but down in the Fanshots section you'll see a post from Scottmaui (under the heading 'Week 8 TB@DAL Full Game Video') that'll provide you with the know how to get the info.

One last thing; we should do a role call of who has made the trip over and if you've still got your same name so we'll know who's here and who we are talking to.