Post by prossman on Nov 17, 2009 8:17:22 GMT -7
DMN JJT:Time has come for young Dallas Cowboys tackle
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Jean-Jacques Taylor
t's hard to fathom any team being worse than the Cowboys at drafting offensive linemen during the last decade.
They have wasted premium draft picks on guys who didn't work out for whatever reason, such as Jacob Rogers, James Marten and Stephen Peterman.
And they have used a bevy of picks on late-round linemen from Char-ron Dorsey to Rob Petitti who never really amounted to much.
The hits – Andre Gurode is the only Pro Bowler – have been few and far between, though Matt Lehr and Al Johnson managed to carve out solid careers, as has Peterman, who signed a long-term deal in Detroit.
For now, let's forget about the past for just a moment.
Here's the only thing that matters: You'd better pray Doug Free can play. I'm talking about an alone-in-the-dark-on-your-knees, speaking-in- tongues prayer.
If Free can play – a lot of folks with the Cowboys think he can – then the broken left fibula that will probably end right tackle Marc Colombo's season won't be quite so devastating.
Colombo, a former first-round pick with the Bears, gave this line toughness and grit because he was a fierce competitor who played with tenacity and aggression.
Colombo played through the whistle every play, and he knew only one intensity level: high.
If he can't play, then Wade Phillips, Jason Garrett and Tony Romo have a big problem.
You can't hide tackles who can't play. It's impossible.
They play in space, which makes it harder to help them than it is a guard who has a center right next to him. Plus, they're usually required to block the defense's most agile players, and their best pass rushers.
That's why Wade Phillips is contemplating moving Leonard Davis, who spent three seasons at tackle, to right tackle with Corey Procter or Montrae Holland playing right guard.
Let's hope Phillips doesn't do that – and not just because it disrupts two positions instead of one.
That's the same kind of flawed thinking that prevented Miles Austin from getting significant playing time until Roy Williams injured his ribs against Denver. The Cowboys have told us for more than a year about Free's immense potential.
Well, it's time to see it.
At some point, if the Cowboys believe in the scouting director Tom Ciskowski – I do – and his college scouting staff, then you have to play young guys like Free and give them an opportunity to prove whether they can perform at this level.
That kind of shortsighted thinking is why the Cowboys have rarely gotten any kind of production from the 14 draft picks they've spent on offensive linemen since the 2000 draft.
And it's why Jerry Jones has spent tens of millions re-signing Flozell Adams and Colombo while acquiring premium free agents such as Davis, Kyle Kosier and Marco Rivera. The draft picks haven't produced – or Jones hasn't trusted them to produce.
Let me remind you what happened the last time the Cowboys lost a tackle for a significant stretch in 2005: It was an utter disaster.
Flozell Adams missed the last 10 games with a knee injury. Torrin Tucker replaced him and allowed 12½ sacks in 10 starts, while right tackle Rob Petitti allowed a league-leading 13½ sacks. Yes, they finished 1-2 in the NFL in sacks allowed for a team that allowed 50 sacks.
The easy thing to do is sign a veteran such as 35-year-old free agent Jon Runyan, but he has no future. He's a Band-Aid.
A young player like Free can give the Cowboys so much more long term. The Cowboys like Free's athleticism and competitiveness.
Sure, he struggled in the final 3½ quarters Sunday against Green Bay, but he certainly wasn't the only one and we should expect him to improve after a week of practice.
The Cowboys think he's tough, smart and capable. It's time to find out if they're right.
__________________
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINK
Jean-Jacques Taylor
t's hard to fathom any team being worse than the Cowboys at drafting offensive linemen during the last decade.
They have wasted premium draft picks on guys who didn't work out for whatever reason, such as Jacob Rogers, James Marten and Stephen Peterman.
And they have used a bevy of picks on late-round linemen from Char-ron Dorsey to Rob Petitti who never really amounted to much.
The hits – Andre Gurode is the only Pro Bowler – have been few and far between, though Matt Lehr and Al Johnson managed to carve out solid careers, as has Peterman, who signed a long-term deal in Detroit.
For now, let's forget about the past for just a moment.
Here's the only thing that matters: You'd better pray Doug Free can play. I'm talking about an alone-in-the-dark-on-your-knees, speaking-in- tongues prayer.
If Free can play – a lot of folks with the Cowboys think he can – then the broken left fibula that will probably end right tackle Marc Colombo's season won't be quite so devastating.
Colombo, a former first-round pick with the Bears, gave this line toughness and grit because he was a fierce competitor who played with tenacity and aggression.
Colombo played through the whistle every play, and he knew only one intensity level: high.
If he can't play, then Wade Phillips, Jason Garrett and Tony Romo have a big problem.
You can't hide tackles who can't play. It's impossible.
They play in space, which makes it harder to help them than it is a guard who has a center right next to him. Plus, they're usually required to block the defense's most agile players, and their best pass rushers.
That's why Wade Phillips is contemplating moving Leonard Davis, who spent three seasons at tackle, to right tackle with Corey Procter or Montrae Holland playing right guard.
Let's hope Phillips doesn't do that – and not just because it disrupts two positions instead of one.
That's the same kind of flawed thinking that prevented Miles Austin from getting significant playing time until Roy Williams injured his ribs against Denver. The Cowboys have told us for more than a year about Free's immense potential.
Well, it's time to see it.
At some point, if the Cowboys believe in the scouting director Tom Ciskowski – I do – and his college scouting staff, then you have to play young guys like Free and give them an opportunity to prove whether they can perform at this level.
That kind of shortsighted thinking is why the Cowboys have rarely gotten any kind of production from the 14 draft picks they've spent on offensive linemen since the 2000 draft.
And it's why Jerry Jones has spent tens of millions re-signing Flozell Adams and Colombo while acquiring premium free agents such as Davis, Kyle Kosier and Marco Rivera. The draft picks haven't produced – or Jones hasn't trusted them to produce.
Let me remind you what happened the last time the Cowboys lost a tackle for a significant stretch in 2005: It was an utter disaster.
Flozell Adams missed the last 10 games with a knee injury. Torrin Tucker replaced him and allowed 12½ sacks in 10 starts, while right tackle Rob Petitti allowed a league-leading 13½ sacks. Yes, they finished 1-2 in the NFL in sacks allowed for a team that allowed 50 sacks.
The easy thing to do is sign a veteran such as 35-year-old free agent Jon Runyan, but he has no future. He's a Band-Aid.
A young player like Free can give the Cowboys so much more long term. The Cowboys like Free's athleticism and competitiveness.
Sure, he struggled in the final 3½ quarters Sunday against Green Bay, but he certainly wasn't the only one and we should expect him to improve after a week of practice.
The Cowboys think he's tough, smart and capable. It's time to find out if they're right.
__________________