Ok, stupid me, I planned some travel weeks ago that has me on a plane during the game.  Not Frontier or JetBlue or anyone with live TV.  Normally I put my blinders on and rush home to watch my DVR without knowing the score.  However, I'm gone for almost a week, so there's no way I can keep from knowing the score that long. 

I have Sunday Ticket.  Is there anyway to watch a replay of the game online?  I know you can watch live games over the web, but didn't see anyway to catch a replay. 

I'm like an addict who's gonna miss a fix!  Please help!

Ok, so I was pissed we traded down with William Beatty sitting there.  Flozell is on his last legs and I'd rather see us have some more options at LT.  But oh well, I'm excited for tomorrow, because we have 2 3's and 3 4's (plus 3 5's).  Here's what I see of interest:

3rd rounders
Rashad Johnson
Duke Robinson
Jarron Gilbert
Lawrence Sidbury
Scott McKillop
Dorrell Scott

4th rounders
Jasper Brinkley
Stephen McGee
Fenuki Tupou
Coye Francies
Mike Wallace
Sammie Lee Hill
TJ Lang
Jason Watkins

I'd be happy with Johnson and Gilbert or Sidbury in the 3rd, than Lang, Tupou, and McGee in the 4th, and hope we can get Hill in the 5th. 

Who am I missing?

As I've written before, I think we have a ticking time bomb at one of the most important positions on the team: left tackle. 

Who knows how much Flozell has left in the tank.  He fell off last year...was it injury?  the lack of Kosier?  Who knows, but he's soon to be 34, and hasn't had a history of being a workout warrior.

While Doug Free is an option, he hasn't shown much in his first two years to make me feel secure that he's definitely the guy to protect Romo's blindside.   We need another option, and now is the time to start developing him.

I'd prefer having more options at LT rather than hoping that Flozell will rebound or that we'll definitely hit on a 4th rounder like Free.  Its too important a position to be exposed at.  The name Torrin Tucker should give us all shivers.  I don't think Leonard Davis is an option, he wiffs too much as is at guard.

I was hoping someone like William Beatty might fall to us in the 2nd, but that looks all but impossible.  However, another guy caught my eye out of the NFP's top 100

68. OT Fenuki Tupou, Oregon - A massive tackle prospect with good power and smooth feet for his size.

Did a little background on him, and he's a naturally massive and powerful guy, with good feet.  He transferred from JUCO, so only has 2 years at the D1 level.   Given another year of experience, and this guy might've been a first rounder.  See his profile here.

All his negatives sound fixable with good coaching and experience.  Plus, it sounds like he has the talent to move to guard if Free does develop into our next LT. 

I'd love him in the 3rd, but given how OTs always go higher than expected, we might have to get him in the 2nd.  While Duke Robinson has been a favorite of mine, I really think adding a guy who has the feet to play LT, plus the girth to play guard, might be more beneficial.

Anyone seen Tupou play?

Following the laws of supply and demand, I'm a fan of picking players in deep positions.  You seem to find bargains that way, as other teams fill needs rather than picking the best players. 

I've studied the players a bit this year, and as much as I want a safety, to get one, it seems that we'll have to pick a safety a round too high.  I like Rashad Johnson, as I'm a production guy, and he makes plays.  Who cares if he ran a 4.6 or a 4.5.  Courtney Brown runs a 4.3 and he blows.  However, Johnson seems like a 3rd maybe 4th round guy, and I don't like picking someone who is too small and a bit slow in the 2nd.  But with this weak class of safeties, my guess is that he'll go higher than he should.

I know we really need a good safety, but you can't make wine out of vinegar.  Lets get a veteran to cover us for another year and hope next year's draft is deeper.

I've come around to picking a center this year, as the class is deep.  At first I dismissed it, as we have Gurode, a young Pro Bowler.  However, he seems to make a lot of mental mistakes, and since the center is the mind of the o-line, it wouldn't be bad to have him move to guard.  A guy like Alex Mack is intriguing, as he could play guard as well. Let him provide depth for a year, see how he develops, and if needed make room for him at center.

The NT class is odd, as only Raji and Brace are first day talents, but you see a lot of mid/late round guys who are interesting.  Sammie Lee Hill and Dorell Scott lead the list, and guys like Terrance Taylor and Chris Baker could also fill the need.  That's more guys that usual with the right body type to play NT available.  I say we pick one, maybe even two, on the 2nd day.

This also seems like a good year to pick up a burner at WR somewhere late in the draft.  Mike Wallace, Johnny Knox and Mike Thomas all would be intriguing if we got them late.

Here's what I'd do:

2nd round(in order of availability)

William Beatty - probably will be long gone, but he seems to be the last legit LT prospect of this draft  - having Flozell near the end and not a sure replacement on hand worries me - remember Torrin Tucker manning the LT?

Duke Robinson

Jasper Brinkley

3rd round

Brinkley if he's still there

One of the center prospects - Mack, Wood or Luigs

Rashad Johnson

4th round

One of the centers if we didn't get one before

Rashad Johnson

Sammie Lee Hill

Scott McKillop

Dorell Scott

I'd love to come out of the draft with Duke Robinson in the 2nd, Jasper Brinkley in the 3rd, a top center who slides and Sammie Lee Hill in the 4th, then sprinkle in some late picks like Jason Watkins, Johnny Knox, Frantz Joseph, Terrance Taylor and a developmental QB.   I'd love to grab a developmental 3-4 DE and 3-4 OLB as well, but I haven't seen many intriguing prospects there.

Thoughts?

Lately when I've read about the Cowboys' projections for drafting an o-lineman, the players are normally interior players or perhaps a RT prospect.  To me, that is overlooking a our most pressing need, which might not be slapping us in the face at the moment, but could be dooming our franchise in the near future.

The Cowboys have collected an impressive array of talent at the skill positions:  three legit backs, two talented tight ends, and a strong group of WRs surrounding a young QB that has been breaking team passing records.  This group screams for a good if not great o-line to allow it to flourish.  I was glad to see o-line at the top of the list for the draft, as I think that's the only thing separating this offense from being the best in the league.

However, to me, the biggest need along the o-line is a young left tackle to replace Flozell.  Flozell has been engimatic.  He's had great years and off ones.  He seems like the poster boy of the mental errors and inconsistencies that have plagued the Cowboys.  Plus he'll be 34 when the season rolls around coming off a bad year in 2008.  Maybe he gives us another 2-3 up and down years, maybe he'll scream to be replaced in 2009.

What do we have to replace him?  Doug Free is the only option at this point, a player I liked coming out of college, but has scarcely been seen in two years.  If Free was a talent worthy of the LT position, I can't imagine he wouldn't have replaced McQuistan as the swing tackle or even been considered as the LG replacement when Kosier was out.  Flozell played guard before he was moved to tackle.  While not much has been said about Free, the actions of the Cowboys staff makes me think he's not showing much. 

Since most tackles take a year or two to develop, now seems the time to get one before a major hole opens up on the line.  The added bonus would be that a good tackle prospect should be able to fill in as a guard if Flozell bounces back with another 2-3 good years.  A guy like William Beatty out of Connecticut looks like a great fit (although we'd probably have to move up several spots to get him).  He's a great athlete at 6'6" with quick feet, but needs to add some strength.  I assume Connecticut's training regimen pales in comparison to the Cowboy's, so I think a year behind Flozell would give him the extra 10-15 lbs of muscle he'd need. 

Troy Kropog also looks intriguing, and could probably be had at our spot in the 2nd, if not the 3rd.

While I agree with the needs at FS and NT, a LT is one of the most important positions on the team, and I think we're very close to needing a new one.  Outside of the top 15 of the draft, its really hard to find one on short notice.  Of the five starters, Flozell is the oldest and performed the worst last year. 

Thoughts?

I think way too much about the draft, and every year I ponder away until I come up with my ideal scenario.  Its finally clicked into place for '08.  If all goes well, we'll get the following:

1a. Dominique Rogers-Cromartie CB, Tenn St
1b. DeSean Jackson WR, Cal

2. Chris Johnson RB, E. Carolina

3. Brandon Flowers CB, Virginia Tech

4. Ray Rice RB, Rutgers or Mike Hart RB, Michigan

Continue reading this post »