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.
To take my Real Blogger virginity I can think of nothing better than the Dallas Cowboys.
Draft
The draft is fast approaching and mock drafts have long ago saturated the internets. The Cowboys have done a good job meeting their immediate needs through free agency. First, the resigned center Andre Gurode and then moved on to sign Leonard Davis. This will hopefully shore up their offensive line and add some stability to the tumultuous area.
Second, the Cowboys signed Ken Hamlin to patrol the defensive backfield. While Hamlin is not the center-fielder needed to maximize Roy Williams’ ability his experience should help to minimize Williams’ faults. Hamlin’s simple “football” knowledge should help him cover the backfield and make a difference over what the Cowboys have been through the past few seasons.
In the draft I’m looking for the Cowboys to address three key positions:
Wide Reciever- The Cowboys have a solid receiving corps of Terry Glenn, Terrell Owens, and Patrick Crayton. Behind them they have Miles Austin and Sam Hurd who were surprises last season but show serious promise. However, there is no guarantee either of them can develop into “number one” recievers and Crayton seems like more of a slot or position receiver.
This year the Cowboys could have several options at pick 22. Dwayne Jarrett, Ted Ginn Jr., Robert Meachem, and Dwayne Bowe are possibilities. At least one of those recievers will be available by the time the Cowboys pick and any of them seem like potential home runs. I’d like to see them get Jarrett or Ginn but any of them would be a steal.
Beyond that they may have some options for receiver in the second round at pick 53. USC’s Steve Smith may still be on the board as well as LSU’s Craig Davis and Ohio State’s Anthony Gonzalez.
The question is how much faith do the Cowboys have in getting a potential number one receiver (in a year or two) out of the second round (or even beyond) guys? If it’s high then maybe they should pass and select a different position in the first. For me though, it’s rare to have a shot at some the talent they could get so I think they should scoop up the best available receiver with 22.
The Dallas Cowboys finally made their announcement as to who will be the Head Coach in 2007, and it is Wade Phillips. Many are wondering about this selection but Phillips was supposedly the favorite a month or so ago as the Cowboys season was winding down. He is considered one of the best defensive minds in football and his "Phillips 34" defense is highly regarded.
I really don't know. The jury truly is out. I think its ridiculous all this talk of his stints as a head coach. He is 45-35 in five (full) seasons as a head coach and 0-3 in the playoffs, though he should be at least 1-2 because one took a Miracle to defeat him.
I also think it's far too little to judge him on in the grand scheme. I mean, five seasons? That's hardly anything for an NFL head coach. That's like one stop. If he'd coached for ten seasons and still hadn't won a playoff game or had an overall losing record then I'd be worried. I mean Bill Belichick was 36-44 with the Cleveland Browns and had only one playoff win at the end of his tenure there. Back in 2000 would that have excited you?
There's no denying Phillips ability with defenses. He turned the Chargers' D into one to be reckoned with and has helped make Shawne Merriman into one of the NFL's top defensive players (wonder what the Wade/Steroid ratio is...?). He stated that he'll be running the defense, believing that's one of the key mistakes he made at his other head coaching stops. This ensures that the Cowboys D will be closely monitored and tutored by the new head coach and that should result in marked improvement for next season.
As for the offense: they were one of the highest scoring offenses in the league last season and their biggest problem was play calling. That doesn't worry me. I don't think we really lost anything in terms of play calling and game planing because at times it appeared there was no game plan and that the play calling was being done on the fly. If Jason Garrett is half the offensive mind he's being touted as, and if Tony Sparano is half as good as Cowboys' writer Mikey Spagnola suggests then the offense will be just fine.
Ultimately, I believe this was a good hire for Jones. Some have spoken of the "youth movement" and I cite Jason Garrett. I really believe the plan is to groom him to be the head coach in the next few years. I think Phillips will right the ship on defense and assemble a good team to coordinate the offense. I think this is the right fit for the Dallas Cowboys and I expect big things from them next year.
And What of the Defense?
In his latest column, entitled Norv What the Doc’s Ordering, Dallas Cowboys writer Mikey Spagnola suggests Norv Turner is the natural, obvious, and best choice for the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, he infers this was Jones’ plan since Parcells decided to hang it up.
The Cowboys hired Jason Garrett a few days ago as an offensive assistant (probably Offensive Coordinator). Garrett has been coveted for several season by various teams, including the Cowboys, but has only coached for two seasons. The speculation is that the Cowboys are grooming him to be their eventual head coach. However, there is some debate as to what direction the Cowboys should go now.
While Spagnola believes the Cowboys could hired Turner and revive the Cowboys prolific offense I wonder if the offense really struggled that much. While I do agree the play calling was typical and totally uncreative I don’t know that too much more has to be done to this offense to get it rolling.
For the first time since 2001 the Dallas Cowboys had a 1,000-yard rusher as Julius Jones went for 1,084. They also had two receivers with over 1,000-yards receiving (Terrell Owens had 1,180 and Terry Glenn had 1,047). They had a tight-end with over 60 catches and scored 26.6 points per game (4th in the NFL).
So, with that, I wonder if we should really go get an offensive guru? Should we really pay Norv Turner who has a less than stellar record as a coach? I think that Adam Schein may have a better point. Perhaps the Cowboys should hire Wade Phillips to turn this defense around and then bring Garrett along. If he’s really as offensively gifted as some seem to think, then the defense is the bigger concern.
Unless this is some grand scheme I think the Cowboys ought to pass on their former coordinator and go with Phillips. Put some strong guys around Garrett on offense and let Phillips handle raising this defense back up and the Cowboys could do great things. If you hire Turner then who knows how much control he’ll take away from Garrett, stiffling his development. And that still would not address the numerous concerns on Defense.
Hire Phillips and you would address those issues while also allowing Garrett to run the offense and help out Tony Romo. In the overview I feel like the Cowboys should go with Phillips, let Garret run the offense, and hope all things come together and the Cowboys return to greatness.
I am a FOX sports blogger because I like to talk and have opinions about pretty much anything and everything. I like pretty much any sport but I love football (basketball's a close second). The NFL is the only major sport I watch all season but I watch the others sporadically. My favorite teams are the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Red Wings, Atlanta Braves, and Boston Red Sox.
