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Introduction

This has been an interesting offseason for the Dallas Cowboys. While the press continues to wait in desperation for Terrell Owens to erupt the Cowboys have gone through a great deal of change. The story of the Cowboys offseason began as the regular season ended. Cliche as that is to say, it is so true in this case that it must be said.

The events the game in Seattle set in motion have rocked the very foundations of the organization but have gone by with what amounts to very little noise. Surely, that lone game did not determine the course of the Cowboys' offseason but it did seal their fate.

Now that the season is getting ever closer I think it would be a good time to look over what has transpired since that fateful snap. Through the myriad of speculation and meaningless mud slinging that most of the media has engaged in there are some truly interesting goings on in Big D. 

A Little History

For the past few seasons the Cowboys existed under Bill Parcells' reign of terror. He micromanaged the team like the dictator he is and it resulted in an improved roster, three winning seasons, and two playoff losses. With that Bad Ol' Bill left town to joining up with ESPN and eventually slam the organization. It's only a matter of time before Parcells unloads on Jerry Jones and begins taking credit for any success the Cowboys have.

When Parcells first came to Dallas many gave him two years tops. They said the egos of Bill Parcells and Jerry Jones couldn't be contained in a single metropolitan area let alone a single stadium. Then later they said Terrell Owens would be good for one season only, drawing on the evidence they were presented with in Philadelphia.

For the group of overeager former players it was cut and dry, T.O. was a bad seed and had turned on Donovan McNabb. In fact, these gutless commentators have yet to speculate on whether or not Donnie's and his mommy conspired to run T.O. out of town when he became the hero like they would later when Jeff Garcia did. But that's a topic for another post.

Now, the "professional" media is using its wisdom to suggest that Wade Phillips is nothing but a puppet. Someone who Jerry Jones can control. They have no real evidence of this, any one the Cowboys hired was going to be labeled that way. But it gives them something to talk about and they've revved up their coverage of how Wade Phillips will deal with T.O.

The Draft

After hiring Wade Phillips the Cowboys began to focus their attention on the draft. Speculation initially centered on which of the many available Safeties (or Cornerbacks) the Cowboys would take with their first pick. Once Ken Hamlin was signed there was a slide to wide receiver.

The experts felt that the primary needs the Cowboys had to address were Free Safety (since everyone since Darren Woodson has failed) and backup Wide Receiver (Owens and Glenn arein their 30's after all). However, a few dissidents suggested the Cowboys could go after a Defensive Tackle (considering they didn't really have anyone else behind Jason Ferguson). No one could predict, however, the present that would fall into their laps.

The Brady Quinn Question

In those days of old, we were busy speculating on whether or not Brady Quinn would go first or third in the draft (come on, did anybody really believe the Lions were going to take anyone except Calvin Johnson or that the Raiders were going to take anything except a Quarterback?). Then, right before our eyes, the fall began.

Brady Quinn looked so pretty in his suit. He was just waiting to hear his name called and stride up to accept his place in NFL legend. He would enter NFL legend all right, but probably not for the reason he wanted. First, the Raiders picked JaMarcus Russell to little surprise. Then the Browns should they might actually know how to build a franchise and chose the franchise tackle. The Bucs showed commitment to rebuilding their aging defense and then the Dolphins shocked the world by picking Ted Ginn Jr.

Then he fell right into the hands of Jerry Jones at pick number 22. The Cowboys had a hot young Quarterback in Tony Romo but until last year no one thought he was "franchise" material. With Quinn he could make the fanbase happy while getting a nod from the "experts." But instead he did the smartest thing possible: traded the pick to Cleveland for their first round pick next year.

That gives the Cowboys two first rounders next season, one of which promises to be pretty high. Plus, they get to find out if Tony Romo is really their man or not without wasting any of Quinn's necessary development time. Jerry Jones pulled of####ood move and I think it's going to pay off big.

Eagles Trade: What were they Thinking

I swear, the Cowboys must have infiltrated the Eagles front office. I mean, the Eagles traded themselves out of the first round for virtually nothing to let the Cowboys pick up a guy they hope to become a sack machine. The Eagles drafted their potential future Quarterback while allowing the Cowboys to select the guy they hope will put him on the ground.

The Cowboys got the guy they were targeting the whole time in Anthony Spencer while securing their future. It was, quite frankly, masterful. Jerry Jones proved why he's a GM to be reckoned with, despite his many critics, and deserves all the credit for ensuring the Cowboys legacy (did anyone mention that massive new stadium that's going to host the Super Bowl in a few years?).

Greg Ellis

With the drafting of Anthony Spencer there has been a question about Greg Ellis. The veteran is again nervous the Cowboys are going to cut him lose. They drafted a guy who plays the same position with their first round pick and that makes Ellis feel left out. Personally, I don't think he has anything to fear. He is still a stellar player who can get to the Quarterback like few others can. He has a future in Big D and I could see him joining the organization in a different role once his playing days are over.

Phillips' Defense + Garrett's Offense = Super Bowl?

Tony Romo seems to think so. I'm not so sure. One of the biggest problems I had with Bill Parcells was that his schemes were vanilla; on offense and defense. The Cowboys offense was near prolific, one of the top scoring offenses in the league, and the defense was one of the best during the first two-thirds of the season. However, the bland defense couldn't hold up as the season wore on.

Parcells used the same defense every game. His defense focuses on one-on-one matchups and requires every player to preform their role perfectly; if one player is out of place the whole scheme falls apart. This defense worked all right when Ware was coming off one edge and Ellis was coming off the other. The offense had to worry about blocking them so much they tied up their weapons in doing so.

Once Ellis went down and that threat was mitigated offenses exploited the straight-forward nature of the Parcells' 3-4. The Cowboys offense, as prolific as it was, couldn't keep up. Parcells mechanical nature and adherence to some stupid sheet kept them from doing anything truly special.

Now, the Cowboys have a much more aggressive defensive scheme. It attacks the offense on every play and focuses on allowing the players to make plays. It works much more like a loose framework for the defense to play around rather than a strict code to which they must adhere. It enhances instincts and should allow the Cowboys to strike at the throat of the offense.

The offense should also be more aggressive. According to reports, Garrett's offense is number based. That sounds simple, but basically it allows the offense to adjust much more easily. Rather than a list of letters and phrases a number is assigned to each position. The players can then quickly and effectively switch a route or a block or whatever to better exploit the weaknesses of the defense.

If Tony Romo is the Quarterback all Cowboys fans hope he is then this could be truly special. Controlled aggression is the most effective strategy in sports (as far as I'm concerned). If you can keep the other team off balance and reacting to your moves then you have the advantage. With luck (and lots of practice) that's what this new combination will do.

Conclusion

Notice, not a single mention of T.O. or of Tony Romo being more of a man than all the critics who write about him. Nothing about how Wade Phillips is Jerry Jones puppet or how his "player-friendly" style is going to compromise the Cowboys chances. No, what's important about the Cowboys offseason is its quiet nature. You know somethings wrong when you hear a lot of screaming, and the quiet that has settled over Big D has given me some confidence.

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2007 NFL Draft
This year’s draft was nearly as exciting for me as last year’s. I’m not quite sure why. Maybe because there were no clear needs for the Cowboys to fill? Or maybe because there was no concensus pick for the Cowboys? Or maybe there just weren’t as many superstars this year to get excited about.

But one thing I did get excited about was Brady Quinn’s saga.

Brady Quinn
The Notre Dame quarterback was called by many the most “NFL ready.” The year before potential number one pick Matt Lienart slipped all the way to number 10 and the Arizona Cardinals. Meanwhile, the quarterback declared the most “NFL ready” that draft went with the next pick to the Denver Broncos.

The year before, Aaron Rodgers had been projected as the potential first pick in the draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Instead, he slipped all the way to pick number 24 for the honor of backing up Brett Favre in Green Bay.
The sam thing ended up happening to Quinn. But the commissioner was compassionate and let him stay in his suite to avoid the humiliation of being passed over again and again…and again. This got my attention. As soon as Ted Ginn was taken thoughts entered my head, but I dared not entertain them.

There was some discussion of the Cowboys taking Quinn. They hadn’t had a true franchise quarterback since Troy Aikman retired in 2000. They had gone through the likes of Quincy Carter, Ryan Leaf, Vinny Testeverde, and Drew Bledsoe all to no avail. Then last seaons they introduced the world to Tony Romo.

But here was a potential cornerstone of the franchise. A quarterback most NFL teams had in the top three of their draft boards, if not higher. I was genuinely afraid the temptation would be too much for Jerry Jones to handle. But he did, masterfully. He traded out of the spot to snag the Browns’ number one pick next year.
This did two things. One, showed confidence in Tony Romo and two, gave the Cowboys the ability to get a “wow” player in the ‘08 draft.

Anthony Spencer
The Cowboys didn’t stay out of the first round. Instead, they traded with the always confusing Eagles to get back into it. The Eagles allowed the Cowboys to swoop in and pick up a defensive end they will convert to outside linebacker and who many feel could be a major force in the pass rush. The Eagles drafted Kevin Kolb to replace Donovan McNabb in the event Spencer lays him out.

From what I understand Spencer is a great pass rusher. He recorded 93 tackles last season as a defensive end and 10.5 sacks. If Wade Phillips can convert him into a DeMarcus Ware or Shawne Merriman type player then the Cowboys may resurrect Doomsday.

Raiders
Personally, I think the Oakland Raiders made a mistake. Not by taking JaMarcus Russell, at this point they pretty much had to. They made a mistake by not signing a veteran quarterback which would’ve allowed them to take Calvin Johnson.

The Raiders need a new dynamic on offense. They traded for Randy Moss to give them that, and he never did. Instead, Randy Moss curled up in his shell and refused to come out. He was unhappy and rather than channeling that into effort he let it drag him into depression. He underperformed in Oakland and never gave 100%.

The Raiders should’ve signed a veteran QB, drafted Johnson, and then moved Moss somewhere to get more picks this year. Oakland needs a lot more help on offense than Russell alone can give them. If they bundled Moss with a pick or two they could’ve gotten another second. That would’ve allowed them to get another offensive weapon on the first day.

New England Patriots
But the Raiders didn’t do that and they wound up trading Randy Moss to the New England Patriots for a fourth round pick next year. There’s no doubt somewhere in there a shade of the ability he once showcased still exists. If he can bring that back he could help make the New England offense prolific once again.
New England has made some big moves this offseason.

First, they signed Adalius Thomas (rated as maybe the best free agent) to bolster their aging line backing corps. His presence should help make the defense as aggressive as it once was and as formidable as it was during the Superbowl years.

Meanwhile, they have worked hard to correct the issues with their receiving corps. Last season they did little to add Tom Brady after being forced to trade away Deon Branch. They learned their leason and worked hard to fix that issue.

They signed Donte Stallworth who showed tremendous skill in Philadelphia last season. They signed Kelley Washington who was a talented but unused wideout in Cincinnati. Then they grabbed up a player who is all effort, Wes Welker, who will not only help them at wide reciever but also assist their return game. Finally, they traded for Randy Moss.

The Patriots are positioning themselves for another title run. They have loaded up and had two first round picks this year. They traded one away for a first rounder next year, assuring they will have plenty of opportunities next season as well. They’ve really set themselves up and they will be more dangerous than ever next season.

(Don’t be surprised if the Patriots sign Keyshawn Johnson)

Brian Leonard
I wrote an earlier post about white running backs and Leonard’s desire to be one. He ended up being drafted in the second round by the St. Louis Rams. Now, he certainly won’t start over Steven Jackson, but if he can succeed anywhere it’s in St. Louis. He’ll probably play a hybrid Half back/Fullback role. He has good hands and the Rams like to throw out of the backfield so I wouldn’t be surprised if they role him out to the flat regularly.

Conclusion
I enjoyed the draft, felt the Cowboys did quite well. They scored the player they wanted and someone to rush on the opposite side of DeMarcus Ware. They also got themselves a first round pick next year from a team who will very likely have a top ten pick. They got themselves several tackles to help on the offensive line and even a kicker for the future.

The draft went well for my team. How did your team do?