Combine Weekend

This weekend is the NFL combine. On that note I think it is important to discuss the draft/offseason strategy that I believe the Cowboys should be implementing. I want to break down both cuts, the draft, and free agency.

I know deciding what players are to be cut is a very difficult decision, but we all know it is a part of the game. This offseason we will more then likely see Drew Bledsoe get cut. Now, I know Bledsoe still believe he can be a starting quarterback in this league and I believe him. I would love to see him go somewhere like Chicago to try to beat out Grossman. However, I think he is going to wind up retiring because he does not want to play somewhere unless he is going to be handed the starting job. I don't think he is going to find that. Other iminant cuts on the offensive side of the ball include Al Johnson, Jason Fabini, and Marco Rivera. These two offensive lineman did not see much time last year. Johnson was a second round pick and now that Gurode has really stepped up at center there is not much of a need for Johnson. Fabini, who was signed last year, was used as a blocking tight end in goal line situations. He gets payed way too much money to do that job. Rivera started at right guard last year and was obviously the weekest link on the offensive line. He makes a lot of money and has had a number of back problems over the years. They really need to replace him as the starter and I realy see no use for him as a backup. There has been a lot of speculation that either Terry Glenn or Terrell Owens will get cut, but I doubt it. On the defensive side of the ball I think Keith Davis, Al Singleton, and Aaron Glenn are going to be given the boot. Singleton is just the odd man out in a crowded linebacker group, Glenn is just way too old, and Davis has been an headache and I would assume that the saftey position is going to go in a different direction.

In the draft I would like to see the Cowboys pick Justin Blaylock, a guard from Texas. He would make an excellent replacement for Marco Rivera and he would bring some youth to a line that could use it. The report on him says he does not get pushed back but has some lateral movemet issues. I have not done much reseach as to the deeper rounds of the draft, but I would think the Cowboys should look into getting a free saftey, wide receiver, and even more offensive line depth. People have been saying that we should pick a quarterback, but I think getting a veteran player would be a better alternative.

As far as free agency goes I would love to see the Cowboys land Nate Clements to play corner. They could then move Anthony Henry to saftey as she has planned. Clements is a six year veteran, so he is in his prime and it is very doubtful that Buffalo is going to make a big push to retain him. Clements has been in the pro bowl and he would really sure up all the problems the boys have been having in coverage. Marc Colombo should also be a major concern for the Cowboys. He had a great season at right tackle last year and it would really be a shame to see him go. Another major issue the Cowboys have is who is going to replace Bledsoe as the backup quarterback. Damon Huard's name is getting tossed around a lot and I agree. He did a solid job filling in for Trent Green last year and he would provide some veteran leadership.

If the Cowboys can get all that done, I see no reason that they should not be playing in the Super Bowl come 2008.

Gurode Signs, Coaching Update

Andre Gurode, who seems to have been the Cowboys top free agent priority, has signed on to play another six years with the Cowboys. After being named to the pro bowl the Cowboys knew they were going to have to make a big push to keep him. Negotiations took longer then anticipated and they wound up paying Gurode more then they wanted to. The exact figures of the deal are not current available. In my opinion, it was a good sign. Being an alternate in the Pro Bowl means he was one of the top six centers in the league and he probably deserves the pay check he is going to be receiving.

As far as the coaches go, Ray Sherman has been hired to coach the Wide Receivers. I don't know much about him, but he will bring experience to the staff being that he has been an offensive coordinator in the past. Skip Peete has been hired to coach the running backs. I really know nothing about him, but I am hoping he can put that fire back into Julius Jones. Wade Wilson, who was also a backup under Troy Aikman, will be making his second stint as the Cowboys quarterback coach. He did some good things with Quincy Carter back in the day, so I think this is a good hire. Also, Jason Garrett's brother John has been hired to coach the tight ends. This is probably a courtesy hire, but he won't have much to do because the Witten/Fasano combo is one of the best in the league. Jason Garrett's expected role of Offensive Coordinator has finally been set in stone. Jason seems like he is going to be calling all of the plays, but he will be working very closely with Tony Sparano. Sparano is going to remain the team's Assistant Head Coach and as usual he will be in charge of the offensive line. So, for the most part the offensive coaching staff has been finalized, howvever the defense remains up in the air.

In other recent news, Norv Turner has been hired by the San Diego Chargers to replace the recently fired Marty Shottenheimer. Ted Cotrell is going to replace Wade Phillips there as the defensive coordinator and Ron Rivera will be on staff as the linebackers coach. This is a great situation for the Chargers and they really have gotten some great coaches to come in there. This however presents an interesting situation for the Cowboys because they seemingly could have had the same staff had they not chose Wade Phillips. All I am saying is that if the Chargers continue on their path to success and the Cowboys do not, Jerry Jones is going to take a lot of heat from the press (myself included). Let the comparisons begin!

First Assistants Hired

Wesley Phillips and Dat Nguyen were the first two coaches named to the new staff yesterday. Neither coach will really have a large role, but they are interesting picks due to their history. Wes Phillips is Wade's son if you couldn't have guessed it. He will be taking the role of assistant quality control coach. Basically he will be working under Jason Garrett and Tony Sparano. This will be Wes' first job in the NFL, however this was not just a unqualified family hire. Wes had interviews lined up with Cleveland and San Diego for a similar position. So, obviously many people have see some potential in Wes. Dat Nguyen, the other hire made, will be replacing Vincent Brown as the assistant linebackers coach. It seems as if Paul Pasqualoni will be remaining the the lead linebackers coach. This is just the second year that Nguyen will be out of playing football. He was forced to retire last offseason after a nagging neck stinger severely affected his ability to play. I love this hire because he is obviously someone who knows the Cowboys and was a former teammate of more then half of the current team. I am sure some of the inside guys, like Bradie James and Ryan Fowler are excited to have him back, even if it is on the sidelines. There was also news that the Phillips is going to be interview Ray Sherman, the Texan's wide receiver coach, for the same position here in Dallas. That might one of the hardest jobs to sell because of we all know who. So, stay tuned for more coaching updates.

Pro Bowl Recap

The AFC won the Pro Bowl again this year, however for the first time in a while the Cowboys had multiple faces in the game. Andre Gurode and Flozel Adams were late addition to the NFC offensive line, Demarcus Ware and Roy Williams both started on the defensive side, Matt McBriar handled the team's punting duties, and Jason Witten and Tony Romo came off the bench for the offense. Romo definitely caught the most headlines during Pro Bowl weekend. First, Tony won the skills competition. He hit all four accuracy targets and barely missed the deep ball bonus. He also made an instant statement when he ran out on to the field to hold for an extra point when the NFC scored their first touchdown. I think that was something he really needed to do for his own confidence and I would love to see him holding again next season. When he finally got in the game at quarterback he struggled a bit. However, he almost instantly turned it around and almost lead the NFC to a fourth quarter comeback. He wound up finishing the game 11 for 19 with a touchdown and an interception. Not a bad performance at all. Well, stay tuned for next time when I will hopefully have some information about who is going to be joining the Cowboys staff.

Head Coach Is Named

A lot of speculation has been made about who the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys is going to be and to tell you the truth it could be anyone of the people that interview. However, it seems that today Wade Phillips is going to be named the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Wade Phillips has many qualities that would make him a successful coach in Dallas. Phillips has previous head coaching experience in Denver, Buffalo, and Atlanta, and between all three he has compiled a winning record. The only thing I could tell you about his previous stops was that his Buffalo experience seemed to be ruined by the Doug Flutie/Rob Johnson battle at quarterback. This won’t be a problem with the Cowboys because Romo is our guy and Jason Garrett seems to be the man running the offense. That being said Jerry Jones really wanted Garrett to take over the offense, but he thought he was just too young and inexperienced to be the head coach. The fact that Jones wanted Garrett calling plays seemed to be what pushed him to hire Phillips over Norv Turner. I would not be surprised if Garrett was the head coach within a five year period. On the defensive side Phillips was an excellent choice because he runs a 3 – 4 defense much like the Cowboys have spent time developing the past two seasons. Phillips has said that his version of the 3 – 4 is very different from Parcells’ but obviously it’s still a 3 – 4. Phillips has had much success with this philosophy in San Diego. This past season San Diego had one of the better defensive units in the league. Phillips has been making calls since Tuesday to try to lure potential assistant coaches for his staff. Obviously, Jason Garrett is going to be the offensive coordinator and Tony Sparano will likely stay on as the offensive line coach. However, Todd Haley has left his wide receiver position to become the offensive coordinator for Arizona. The rest of the offensive staff is up in the air and I have no idea who Phillips would be bringing with him. On the defensive staff Todd Bowles, who was the Cowboys secondary coach last year, seems to be the player’s favorite to be named defensive coordinator. However, I would assume that Phillips will be going through an extensive process to make sure he has the best defensive coordinator as possible. I would also look for Wayne Nunnely, the Chargers defensive line coach to get a look, as well as their secondary coach Brian Stewart, and their linbackers coach John Pagano. That basically concludes my thoughts on Phillips being named head coach, I can’t wait for the press conference!

Return Of A Familar Face

After a two day interview process, Jason Garrett has been hired by the Dallas Cowboys. He is going to be on the offensive coaching staff for sure, but he is still in contention for the Head Coach position. Personally I like this pick. Jason was the backup quarterback for Troy Aikman during the early 90s. I always remeber the sidelines during those days and seeing him with a head set on and constantly talking with Aikman. Jerry Jones tried to make Garrett a coach before, but Garrett went to the Giants to continue his playing career. Garrett spent the last two years in Miami coach the quarterbacks. This will be Garrett's first time being allowed calling plays if an offensive head coach is not hired. This seemed as if that was going to happen this year regarless of whether or not Parcells stayed. Jones had stated that he long wanted Garrett to be a part of the Cowboys staff and he believes that he is one of the better young offensive minds in football. While I don't know much about his character, I like this pick because he is young, smart, and will bring back some of the early 90s flavor that the Cowboys have been missing.

Tuna's Departure

In the recent turn of events Bill Parcells has once again retired from the game of football. There has been no conference, no statement from the Cowboys, and I much as I thought this should happen, it is definitely a surprise to everyone. Parcells worked from 8am to 5pm everyday for the last two weeks and he never indicated that retiring would be on his horizon. He also leaves the Cowboys without a head coach a week before the Senior Bowl, one of the biggest scouting weekends for professional football. There are many rumors behind this retirement already. It might have been because he couldnÂ’t deal with TO, it might have been because Jerry Jones asked him to step down, but ultimately I think he came to his senses and realized that he has just plain lost it. At this juncture I feel it to be important to reflect back upon his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys and where I think the Cowboys should turn for their next head coach.

When Bill Parcells came to Dallas I was ecstatic. Having dealt with the Chan Gaily and Dave Campo the previous couple of years I would have been happy with any proven coach. Bill immediately retained Mike Zimmer from CampoÂ’s staff as his defensive coordinator and did very little to shake up the offensive player personal. This proved to be his most successful season in Dallas winning ten games. The Cowboys had the number one ranked defense (a 4-3 I might add) and Quincy Carter of all people started all 16 games a quarterback. Over the next two seasons he cut Carter and turned to Vinnie Testaverde and Drew Bledsoe at quarterback, he switched the defensive scheme to a 3-4 and he temporarily plugged holes with players like Keyshawn Johnson and Richie Anderson while have consistently poor drafts and missing the playoffs twice. This past season it looked as if it was all going to unfold, but then Tony Romo (a player former assistant head coach Sean Peyton invited to try out three years earlier) stepped in and revamped an offense that Parcells seemed incapable of running. The end of the season was marked by defensive failures, Romo trying to be a hero and ultimately dropping a snap that cost the Cowboys their season. Now I donÂ’t know how far the Cowboys could have gone in the playoffs this past season, but after four years in Dallas there was really no excuse that Parcells didnÂ’t have at least one playoff victory under his belt with the Cowboys. DonÂ’t get me wrong, the Cowboys are in better shape then they were before Parcells came in and there is a very good possibility that the next coach will lead this team to a Super Bowl.

So the burning question here is who is going to replace Bill. In a perfect world Jerry would confess his hidden love for Jimmy Johnson and beg the master to come back and lead AmericaÂ’s Team again. Jimmy would bring back Norv Turner, Dave Wannstedt, and Butch Davis on his staff. However, this is a silly dream and probably wonÂ’t happen. So, who are the real candidates? My first call would be to Urban Meyer. He just won a National Championship and he has turned around many a college program. I think he has a great football mind and that is really the kind of coach I would like to see in charge of the Cowboys. Aside from him other people I would interview would be Bob Stoops, Charlie Weiss, Mike Sherman, Steve Mariucci, Ron Rivera, Wade Phillips, Norv Turner, Tony Sparano, Rob Ryan, Jim Bates, and Dan Reeves. I know there are some defensive names there, but I think that the Cowboys should be turning to an offensive mind. I would also like to see a younger coach because that seems to working for a lot of other teams right now. Although my first pick was Meyer, I would also stay away from college coaches because they also have bad track records. Getting a players coach would be the biggest mistake the Cowboys could make, in fact no one should ever hire a players coach. So, if I had to pick one of those realistic candidates right now, I would pick Mariucci because he is offensive minded, young enough, and he has previous head coaching experience.