SB Nation User Blog: nicholas.rodriguez

Dirk, King of Fighters style

nicholas.rodriguez — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:09:16 -0000

Dirk, King of Fighters style

Initial Observations and reaction

nicholas.rodriguez — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:19:27 -0000

Today was the beginning to this season and I'm very happy to come out w/ a W. But things were close for a long time in the game. Here are some high and low-lights in Game1.

I'll start with the good since we did win and there were a lot of good things from this game.

Romo got into a groove and on a small amount of completions set a new career high in passing yards for himself.

Crayton showed some speed with a nice 80 yard grab. Also Miles Austin's juke was sweet.

The Oline protected well for the most part.

Brooking played well in his first game as a Cowboy.

Sensabaugh in the time he played played well as well. A penalty but still light years better than Roy and KD. And a blocked FG, very nice

Buehler had a couple Touchbacks and Marvin White made a quick tackle, overall special teams played very well today, besides the Newman muff and Crayton kickball.

Thats all I can think of good right this second, gonna see if I can't find the game and watch it again to get a more in depth look.

Now on to the bad..... Which even in this win, there are many improvements that need to be address.

The biggest one, WTF happened to our pressure, Unless I flat missed a play we didn't have a sack, and our 4 man rush got nowhere near Leftwich most of the time, our blitzes didn't gather us anything either, maybe a few incompletions but still 0 TOs and 0 Sacks, this has to change and quick.

Run defense was really soft today overall, it got a little better as things went by but still no where near the level it will need to be for next week. Also pass coverage was a little below average, too many zone coverages where the receiver was a few yards from every defender, we got lucky that some points were left off the board or it would've been 34-27 instead of 34-21.

Romo didn't have his best game and luckily the bad gunslinger got lucky he didn't throw a pick.

Jenkins played better after the half but has proved again that Scandrick should be starting all 16 games.

We saw a glimpse of the wildcat.... i don't like it.

Our run blocking was only average, we had at least 3-4 that were stopped right at the line of scrimmage.

That is my rough take on the good and bad of the game, In there we saw glimpses that we can be a dominate team but we couldn't stay consistent, there are some issues but all can be fixed, I'm not concerned about the lack of pressure I'll chalk it up to good line play and an off week for Ware, I didn't notice if Sensabaugh went back out there but if he didn't that worries me, I think Watkins would step in and that would scare me. Overall I give us a C+, its a win but we are a long way from reaching our goal

Positives of this draft

nicholas.rodriguez — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:07:47 -0000

IMO we did do well in the draft, yes there are some deals we could've had but we can't get them all but with what we had they did a good job today. Here are some reasons why.

The biggest thing for me is we at least got one guy that might help this year, Rodrigue and Nivins are both going to the Summer league so we will get to see them pretty soon.

Another is we drafted the Best Available Athlete, Rodrigue is a freak athlete, not even a blink slower than Devin but with a 6-10 wingspan and a 40 vertical inch jump, from day one he should be able to get to the rim on some teams and he has a nice shot as well.

I do like the Calathes pick for what we gave up, a future pick which we had 3 second rounders next year (Portland's, and 2 Thunders) and a little cash, yea we won't see him this year but from all reports he is good with the ball and can shoot, also is 6-5 so he could play the SG position.

Nivins I see is in case Bass leaves we will have Singleton but will have someone there in case of injuries and might be a gem, he averaged a double-double and does already have some low post moves.

We went from 1 pick to having 3 and potentially 2 contributors this year.

Now its on to FA and more trades.

Sometime you need to rant.

nicholas.rodriguez — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:05:17 -0000

Wow so many deals going down and what do we do, get a few second rounders and all but give up any chance of getting Terrance Williams and almost every other guy we have been wishing to see, with our past drafts its harder to find someone excited about this draft than a guy who is scared that again we will make a bad move.

There are still some names out there and I am sick and tired of hearing that we hope to have the chips fall for a championship run in 2010. Please tell me why this is smarter than trying to get better every year. Why not shoot for the championship this year. Our biggest rival just added a huge peice and will at least get back 1 of the three that they traded for Jefferson, a few things we should get is Teyshaun Prince and Chris Kaman. Detroit is another team that seems to be looking to 2010 so why not use people looking to the future in our advantage, 2010 should only be in our sights after this year is over. Kaman will give us a scoring presence inside and will at least be a wash in defense with Damp in there, Prince at SF and Howard at SG will make us bigger which will help and I wouldn't fear them 2 guarding anyone in the league. Howard wouldn't have all the pressure to guard the best player as well, we will be better in scoring in general. I say we use Terry, Stack, Damp to get them, Damp is a servicable C that can be dropped later for some major savings, Terry is a fan favorite and will help sales and can still get 20-30 on any given night, and Stack is instant savings, they might want a little more in return, maybe ship Bass, I like the guy but we can get similar production with the MLE, cmon Mavs give me something to get excited for THIS YEAR.

Pro Football Weekly Player Rankings

nicholas.rodriguez — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:12:37 -0000

Saw the magazine at the store and just had to buy it and wanted to share just the NFC East Rankings they got.

Gonna put overall number, and name

Qb:

6. Tony Romo

9. Donovan McNabb

11. Eilsha Manning

22. Jason Campbell

RB:

2 Brian Westbrook

4. Clinton Portis

13. Brandon Jacobs

16. Marion Barber

( I hated writing that)

TE:

2. Jason Witten

6. Chris Cooley

WR:

19. Santana Moss

24. Roy Williams

( If the NFC East has one black mark, this is it)

Centers:

1. Andre Gurode

12. Jamaal Jackson

Guards:

2. Shawn Andrews

3. Chris Snee

7. Leonard Davis

14. Todd Herremans

Tackles:

7. Jason Peters

9. Chris Samuels

11. Flo Adams

14. David Diehl

21. Kareem McKenzie

Defensive Ends:

5. Justin Tuck

7. Osi Umenyiora

8. Trent Cole

20. Mathias Kiwanuka

25. Andre Carter

Defensive Tackles:

1. Albert Haynesworth

10. Jay Ratliff

13. Fred Robbins

15. Mike Patterson

17. Broderick Bunkley

18. Chris Canty

24. Rocky Bernard

Inside LB:

10. London Fletcher

15. Bradie James

16. Antonio Pierce

19. Stewart Bradley

Outside LB:

1. Demarcus Ware

19. Michael Boley

Corners:

3. Asante Samuel

5. Terence Newman

7. Corey Webster

13. DeAngelo Hall

14. Aaron Ross

16. Carlos Rogers

Safeties:

7. LaRon Landry

16. Ken Hamlin

21. Quintin Mikell

Looking at the Rankings their isn't too much to gripe about besides maybe Igor getting left off the DE list and Columbo not getting in but all in all it seems pretty accurate for right now. Felix and Tashard both made the top veteran prospects for any who were wondering.

TO blames Romo and Garrett

nicholas.rodriguez — Sat, 23 May 2009 20:20:07 -0000

TO blames Romo and Garrett

We all knew it would happen and it finally has. TO blaming Romo and Garrett for his release. But to use Twitter to do it, classy TO

Cowboys Mock Final

nicholas.rodriguez — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:32:30 -0000

I know there is no way we end up w/ all these players because of the draft picks being forced onto the cap and Jerruh likes to get future picks and will move around most likely more than any other team but its fun to see who we can get. Opinions are welcome but if you think the pick is bad, then put down a prospect you would choose at that position.Also this will be the last unless Austin leaves. It will be fun to have back to back picks in the second but Miles has gotten better each year and I have hope that he will have a breakout year that matches his potential. Back on to the mock.

2nd Round pick #51- Duke Robinson OG, Oklahoma (6-5 329 pounds) ---- Robinson played LG which is what we need. We don’t need for him to step in day one but w/ both Kosier and Holland going down and the Cowboys wanting to balance run/pass ratio we need a Guard that will team with Gurode and Davis to maul opponents and help us run up the gut. I have been against this pick thinking that we have other needs that are more pressing but Duke is the best player available and will be dynamic for us in the run game.

3rd Round pick #69- Chip Vaughn SS, Wake Forest (6-2 221) ----- Explosive hitter that biggest concerns were his speed but ran an unofficial 4.36 at the Combine (4.42 official). High Character, hard worker that has only played 2 years on defense and has improved greatly the past 2 years.

4th Round pick #101- Dorell Scott NT, Clemson (6-3 312) --- Was supposed to compete for the Outland Trophy before the season but a knee injury slowed him down. He is a hard worker and was a leader at Clemson. Has impressive quickness for a 300+ pounder and will be good in pursuit (4.96 40 time).

4th Round pick #117- Brandon Tate WR, North Carolina (6-0 183) ---- Dynamic punt returner and receiver which will be a steal if he returns fully healthy. It will give us a punt returner that can take it to the house at anytime and will also become a very good slot guy because of his quickness.

5th Round pick #156 – Augustus Parrish OT, Kent State (6-4 303) --- Has the quickness to keep up with speed rushers and uses his arms well to hold off rushers. Has a mean streak.

5th Round pick #166 – Frantz Joseph ILB, Florida Atlantic (6-1 242) ---- Nasty hitter which will surprise with his instinct in pass coverage. Will become James’ longtime sidekick.

5th Round pick #172 – Chris Baker NT, Hampton (6-2 326) ---- Another 300+ pounder that ran under 5 seconds (4.94) and is a good pass-rusher for an inside guy as evidenced by his 8.5 sacks. Will be the wide body we need but can also rush the passer.

6th Round pick #197 – Nathan Brown QB, Central Arkansas (6-1 219) --- He compares to Romo so that’s a positive. A mobile QB that dominated lesser competition that will have a few years to learn before he is thought of as the number 1 backup.

6th Round pick #208 – Lee Robinson OLB, Alcorn State (6-2 249) --- Ultra productive OLB that can do it all, 111 tackles, 10.5 for a loss, 3.5 sacks, 3 INTs, and 3 forced fumbles. Will start on ST but make his way to backing up Ware/Spencer….might push Spencer.

7th Round pick #210 – Marcus McClinton FS, Kentucky (6-0 210) --- Could be a steal. Has had injury issues but if healthy is a good coverage safety. Needs some good coaching. A reliable open field tackler but will sometimes go for the knockout hit instead of wrapping up. Good speed and good instincts. Very productive as well, 10 INTs and 8 FF for his career at Kentucky.

7th Round pick #227 – Brice McCain CB, Utah (5-9 185) ---- Small but Ultra quick, has been timed by coaches at 4.19. Official pro day time is 4.33. 3 Year starter and had 21 pass defended in his career. Also returned kickoffs.

Contract??? Who cares?

nicholas.rodriguez — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:24:17 -0000

By this I mean it shouldn't matter what someone is getting paid, they should all have to earn their playing time. Money should always be just a bonus, not a prerequisite for playing time. We have too many players that because they got their money they think they will play no matter what. Well I think Jerry would rather win w/ a big money guy on the bench than to lose w/ one out there.

All this is for is becuase I feel the best way for our team to grow together and to improve together is to have everyone have a little uncertainty about their role. You think Roy Williams will work himself harder if he thinks he won't be able to play. You think Flo will take a play off if he thinks he is expendable. These guys want money and to get money you have to play well, and more importantly they have to play. I would be excited if in mini camps and training camp if every player feels like they have a shot to start. I want to see Romo battle Kitna for the starting QB spot, and for anyone that thinks Romo can't handle it, he can and has proved it. He battled his way into becoming the starter so it shouldn't phase him. With all of our WRs battling for 2 spots then everyone will want extra time making sure Romo and their timing is perfect. With our TEs Witten will win but MartyB will have more motivation to bring out the potential that he has. Our Oline will block better, Our Dline will play harder, Our LBs will train harder and learn more, Our secondary will be more focused.

And if a rookie thinks he has a shot to supplant a veteran they will bust their butts twice as hard just to have a chance and in the long run we will become a better, more focused team. If we have more focus we will drop dumb penalties, and it will help us get to where we all want to be.

What you guys think.

Mock draft before personal workouts

nicholas.rodriguez — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:14:09 -0000

I didn't want too many picks and I also wanted to make sure the guys we draft have a shot of making the roster.

2nd round 51- William Moore S, Mizzou - Dynamic player who can play either Safety position, Good at coverage but can also intimidate with the big hit, returned 4 of his 11 picks for TDs

3rd round 69- Marcus Freeman ILB, OSU - Fast, Instinctive, reliable tackler, good in coverage

4th round 101- Antione Caldwell C, Bama - Smart Center that has is vercital, played C,G, and OT

4th round 117- trade down w/ oakland for pick 126 and future pick - Brandon Tate WR/RS, NC - Playmaker that could step in and return punts from day one

5th round 156- Jason Watkins OT, Florida - Development project w/ all the tools to become a LT, needs to bulk up.

5th round 166- Trade for future 4th round

5th round 172- Sammie Lee Hill NT, Stillman - Big body that will push for a backup role

6th round 197-Trade for future pick

6th round 208- Ray Feinga OG, BYU - Big strong guard

7th round 210- Trade for future pick

7th round 227- Brice McCain CB, Utah - has been timed at 4.19, helped Utah go undefeated.

7 players chosen... All could make the team

cowboys get their comp picks

nicholas.rodriguez — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:50:33 -0000