Dallas' Draft Day

[frank81]

What is your opinion of Dallas' number 1 pick and who should they take next with their 20th pick?

[N.Y. Johnny]

good pick for a 3-4 scheme they want to go to.
prototypical Parcells DE like Shaun Ellis was in NY

the 20th pick/ with Rodgers there do you take a stab at it or keep improving the Defense?

i say improve the Defense add maybe Derrick Johnson who is AVAILABLE!! still

[scott]

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14172

[frank81]

What next, Defense or Offence?

[frank81]

Nice pick with Spears from LSU! Now we need a WR. Since I live in Colorado, I've seen a kid from Northern Colorado by the name of Vincent Jackson. If he is still there in the second round, he would be a great addition.

[GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI]

i wonder if mike williams fell 1 spot if the cowboys woulda took him

[frank81]

Without a doubt! Dallas needs a WR who can go vertical. Has anyone heard about how K. Johnson is doing after his surgeries?

[Mr Dio]

Dallas has #8 overall tomorrow..thoughts on who they should pick?

I like:
1) WR Mathis from Hampton
2) DE Chris Canty

[Mr Dio]

Wow, look @ these other names still available.

Fred Gibson WR Georgia
Jason Brown C North Carolina
Michael Munoz T Tennessee
Adrian McPherson QB
Elton Brown OG
Ciatrick Fason RB Fla
Antaaj Hawthorne DT Wisc
Brandon Browner CB/S Ore(?)
Ernest Shazor S Mich St

[Mr Dio]

Cowboys got Chris Canty! I think the Dallas D will be MUCH improved & w/pressure on the QB the CBs don't have to be All-Pro or #1 overall quality. Any QB can pick you apart with more than 5 seconds to throw.

Dallas obviously feels good about getting a WR after the June 1st cuts.

[scott]

I love the pickup of Marion Barber... a guy who can fill in when Julius needs a breather.

[frank81]

Dallas has had a very productive draft! Especially on Defense. I can't wait for the season to start. The RB from Minnesota will be a great backup to Jones. The WR will come like Dio stated above after the June custs.

[Mr Dio]

Barber will be pretty good being a part-time RB like he was @ Minn. He split the carries there & did just fine. If Canty is healthy for the season that Def front 7 will give teams so much trouble that the Def backfield w/RW & Newman will be just fine. Brandon Browner & Ernest Shazor are still there @ 323p though! Amazing. Dallas can round out a great draft w/1 of them.

[Mr Dio]

TB has 4 picls in the 7th..I bet they clean up on talent that sticks to the roster like the 2 aforementioned.

[GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI]

did the cowboys do anything to improve the secondary.

[Mr Dio]

did the cowboys do anything to improve the secondary.

See post #10 in this thread. Was stated many times yesterday on ESPN that w/the rules being enforced there aren't any true "Shut Down" CBs. It all starts with the pass rush.

[Mr Dio]

Dallas 7th rnd pick #224 overall was a DT..a light one too. Too light for the 3-4 IF he is plugged in @ DT.

[Mr. Peabody]

I think they are projecting him as a backup DE
________
HEADSHOPS (http://headshop.net/)

[scott]

did the cowboys do anything to improve the secondary.

Signed Anthony Henry in the offseason to be starting CB and paid him a $10 mil signing bonus.

Also, drafted FS Berniault, but I doubt he can step in and start right away.

[Mr Dio]

I think that Dallas knew they'd be OK with a CB like Henry knowing they were going to be getting pressure on the QB. Did you see the # of tackles that Berniault made the last 2 yrs @ Ball St? 270! He is listed as 6'2", 204, 4.56 40.

[gophergeorge]

You know I LOVE that 4th round pick!!!!

[Ballcox]

IMO, this is the best overall draft the Cowboys have had since Jimmy Johnson was head coach. I like the selection of primarily defensive players in order to move to a base 3-4 defense. Back in the glory days of the early 90's, one of the defining characteristics of those Dallas teams was the ability to constantly rotate in fresh D line players (Maryland, Casillas, Haley, Tolbert, Hennings, Johnson, Lett, etc.). It allowed the Cowboys to have constant pressure on the QB and to be really tough against the run. IF you can get that constant pressure with a nice rotation on the D line, you don't have to have an amazing secondary, just a solid/disciplined one, and we've got that with Newman, recently acquired Henry, R. Williams back there. I think this is a great draft by the Cowboys, and getting Ware and Spears in the 1st round was freakin' HUGE. All the sudden you're looking at a solid D line rotation in addition to having the edge type pass rushers that you need in a 3-4, I'm very excited to see this defense play next season.

I still have some questions regarding our WR's, and RT is still a concern, but overall I think the Cowboys improved their team significantly. Great draft, lets just hope Bledsoe works out at QB!

respect the 'fro :fro

[2centsworth]

Finally Jerry Jones pulled his head out of his ass and let someone who knows more do the drafting. Cowboys are still 2 to 3 years away from pulling themselves out of the mess "Coach" Jerry Jones put them in. But gotta give Jerry credit for finally making the change, he does have a strong desire to win, almost as big as his ego.

[Mr Dio]

I still have some questions regarding our WR's, and RT is still a concern

Ditto here BUT I think we can address those issues after the June 1st cuts. Might win the SB this yr but should make the playoffs. I PRAY that Henson does come around no later than the end of the year. He was basically our 3rd round pick this yr.

[SpursFanInAustin]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/3153008

April 25, 2005, 11:07PM

Glenn reportedly heading to Cowboys
By CARLTON THOMPSON
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
RESOURCES


As Aaron Glenn's future with the Texans appears headed south, it seems the three-time Pro Bowl cornerback is headed north -- as in up Interstate-45 to Dallas where he will be reunited with his former coach, Bill Parcells.

The Texans gave Glenn permission to seek a deal with another team last week when they acquired cornerback Phillip Buchanon in a trade with the Oakland Raiders.

According to sources, Glenn has reached an agreement with Dallas, and the Texans will facilitate the deal by granting the 11-year veteran his release. Attempts to reach Glenn were unsuccessful.

Texans coach Dom Capers met with Glenn the day the Buchanon trade was completed and gave Glenn the option of staying with the Texans, possibly in a reduced role, or exploring his options with other teams.

Although at least two other teams were believed to be interested in Glenn, Dallas would seem to be a good fit. Glenn played for Cowboys coach Bill Parcells from 1997-1999 when both were with the New York Jets, and Dallas represents a destination not so far from home for the Nimitz High School and Texas A&M product.

Furthermore, Parcells has a history of surrounding himself with players he has coached in the past and has several former players on his Cowboys roster, including quarterback Drew Bledsoe, fullback Richie Anderson and receivers Terry Glenn and Keyshawn Johnson, a close friend of Glenn's.

It's uncertain exactly when the Texans will release Glenn, who signed a five-year, $26 million contract extension in September of 2002, but when they do it ultimately will save the team about $1.1 million on the 2005 salary cap, and if they make the move before June 1 -- in all likelihood, they will -- Glenn will be completely off the books for 2006 and beyond.

One of the Texans' top offseason priorities was to get younger and faster, especially on defense where they predominately have been a veteran team. Glenn will be 33 years old when the season begins, and in Buchanon and Dunta Robinson, both 24 years old, the Texans believe they have a pair of talented young cornerbacks with which to move forward.

Although the Texans would have more quality depth at the position with Glenn on the roster, the team also has high hopes for Demarcus Faggins, a 2002 sixth-round pick who became a starter in the nickel package last season.

Glenn also will encounter a full house at cornerback with the Cowboys. Terrance Newman was the fifth overall selection in the 2003 draft, and it would seem free-agent Anthony Henry is a lock for a starting job considering the Cowboys gave him a $10 million signing bonus.

Long considered one of the top cover men in the league, Glenn helped give the Texans instant credibility when he joined the expansion team in 2002. He led the team with five interceptions in his first season with the Texans and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the third time in his career.

Injuries limited Glenn to just 11 games in 2003, but he bounced back with a solid season in 2004, intercepting five passes and serving as a mentor for Robinson, the team's first-round pick in the 2004 draft.

Glenn becomes the fourth member of the Texans' 2004 season-opening defensive starting lineup who won't be with the team in 2005. Inside linebackers Jamie Sharper and Jay Foreman were released after being given permission to seek trades, and strong safety Eric Brown also was cut. A fifth starter, outside linebacker Kailee Wong, will move inside to a new position

[samikeyp]

Im ok with that. I have always liked Aaron Glenn.

[Ballcox]

Yeah, getting Glenn would be a great addition to our secondary. He's still got some tread left on those tires, could see him coming in and playing that slot/CB position with Newman and Henry on the outside. My main concern in the secondary would now move to FS with R. Williams moving over to SS. There should be some good competition for that FS spot.

respect the 'fro :fro

[Mr Dio]

FS is pretty much a center fielder with less room to have to cover. I wonder if Glenn could play FS now that he doesn't have the same speed & with his smarts he could see a play develop & recognize things a younger FS couldn't.

[scott]

Glenn is a little small to play FS, not to mention he isn't the world's best tackler. I'd look for one of last years rookie CBs (Reeves, Thorton, Jones, Frazier) to try to make the transition to compete with Keith Davis or the rookie, Justin Beriault. FS will most likely be the weak spot on the D- but you have to have a weak spot somewhere, and the way the rest of the D is shaping up I don't think it will be that big of an issue.

[Mr Dio]

don't think it will be that big of an issue.

I 100% concur because a good pass D starts w/the pass rush. I am so giddy about seeing Roy lined up close to the LOS alongside the people we picked up in the draft. If Fergie can plug the middle I know everything else will fall into place.

[Solid D]

I agree that 5-9 is short for a typical Safety. FS is the weak spot on paper. Last year's Cowboys defense showed how reliant they were on number 28 being back there. Woodson's experience and impact were missed so sorely that it was almost as though the Cowboys had 10 men instead of 11...he was that strong of a presence.

If the Cowboys are successful in the 3-4 defense, then I assume Glover will spend some time at both DE and NT, with Ferguson seeing the higher pct. of reps at NT. The Cowboys have enough big linebackers now that they could even try a Buddy Ryan/Eagle 3-4 with a big LB lining up in the middle (in lieu of the Nose Tackle) over the center with DTs on either side (actually 5 LBs and 2 DTs).

The Cowboys should definitely have a deep and more aggressive, attacking style defense, as long as injuries don't deplete them.

[scott]

I think we may see the Cowboys employ a lot of non-traditional fronts depending on the situations.

Glover and Spears can play every position on the line, with Ellis, Ferguson who are your primary guys. Then we have Canty, Coleman, Obogu, and Ratliff back there for a few plays a game. We may see the occasional 4-man front with Ellis, Spears, Glover, and Ware (talk about a pass rush there), or we could see a 2-man front from time to time with just Spears and Ferguson.

Most importantly, with the top 4 guys (and possibly 5 if Canty recovers from his surgury - SI says he could be the 2nd biggest steal of the draft and should have been a 1st rounder) we can do a lot of rotation and keep guys freash. There are a lot of combinations we can throw out there.

I also think we'll see a lot of 3-5 or 4-4 with Roy playing as another LB. Maybe it will be Roy blitzing and Dat dropping back into a Zone, or maybe Roy will drop back into the Zone - but its that uncertainty of who is blitzing that you give the OL that will be great for us.

This has been the defensive overhaul that teams like KC and Indy could only dream about in the offseason.

[scott]

Apparently we just traded Pete Hunter for Ray Mickens.

Mickens is 5'8" and coming off a knee injury that ended his season... I doubt he makes the team. Seems like this was just a way of getting rid of Hunter.