Star-Telegram: Cowboys' QB plans puzzling

[tr1]

By JENNIFER FLOYD ENGEL
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/football/15259446.htm

OXNARD, Calif. - Something funny is going on with this quarterback situation at Camp Cowboy.

And I'm not talking funny "ha-ha."

Supposed starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe, by all accounts, will not play in tonight's preseason opener against Seattle by order of Big Bill. He says not to read anything into his wanting to see Tony Romo.

Kind of like when he said not to draw any conclusions from Quincy Carter starting instead of Chad Hutchinson in preseason. Q, of course, replaced Hutch as his starter.

All of this reeks of strange and has led to some crazy theories floating in that Cali sun, including Romo being Big Bill's Week 1 starter.

I have been a Day 1 debunker of such silliness, and not simply because Romo, a fourth-year player, has never thrown a pass in a regular-season NFL game.

My disconnect is believing that the same coach who hung with Vinny Testaverde during a disastrous 6-10 season is likely to place possibly his final NFL season -- a season with Super expectations -- in the hands of a QB whose only NFL play is taking a knee.

I realize preseason matters about as much as Bradgelina's status. But Eagles QB Donovan McNabb played despite coming off of an injury. So why not play Bledsoe for a series?

"I'm trying to do something at the quarterback position that needs to be done," Big Bill explained. "I've calculated what I'm doing here, and I think this other thing is more important right now."

...

Either he had an off-season to end all off-seasons, or Big Bill developed big doubts about Bledsoe.

Whispers around Oxnard are that Cowboys coaches think Bledsoe still does too many stupid things that cost his team. He holds the ball too long. He is sack-prone. He is good for a throw a game that coaches, fans and everybody else instantly want back.

He understands what is expected. And his weaknesses have been points of emphasis all camp.

"What I am working hardest on is, No. 1, protecting the ball," Bledsoe said. "As well as our defense should play for us this year, if we don't turn it over, we will have a chance to win a lot of games."

...

[DWinzit]

I'm sure TO wouldn't have anything to say about who's QBing.:laugh:

[ouvan59]

Whispers around Oxnard are that Cowboys coaches think Bledsoe still does too many stupid things that cost his team. He holds the ball too long. He is sack-prone. He is good for a throw a game that coaches, fans and everybody else instantly want back.

I don't think this is true at all. I've listened to what all of Brokeback Nation has told me and I am convinced that Bledsoe's best years are ahead of him. This is saying quite a bit since he is already a first ballot Hall of Famer and destined to win the next three Super Bowls. All they have to do is give him time behind that vastly improved Offensive Line, which wasn't that bad to begin with. See the problem was depth with the line. All they needed was quality backups to make the starters play better. Apparently they struggled last year because they were stressing over what would happen if they got hurt. Oh yeah, and they needed a mercurial WR and a kicker. That's all the line needed..and oh yeah, the fullback, they needed to eliminate the position all together. That was a huge part of the problem. Getting an extra TE should do the trick.

All is well......all is well.....

[Goaldeje]

Whispers around Oxnard are that Cowboys coaches think Bledsoe still does too many stupid things that cost his team. He holds the ball too long. He is sack-prone. He is good for a throw a game that coaches, fans and everybody else instantly want back.

"What I am working hardest on is, No. 1, protecting the ball," Bledsoe said. "As well as our defense should play for us this year, if we don't turn it over, we will have a chance to win a lot of games."
...


Nice to see they recognize what the rest of us have been saying for years!

[Westbrook36]

The Cowboys starting QB moves around as well as a Cigar Store Indian.

[Goaldeje]

The Cowboys starting QB moves around as well as a Cigar Store Indian.


So, do you actually have a list of one-liners for message boards that you are pulling out today?

[Westbrook36]

I wish I had a witty one-liner as a retort for that comment. :(

[jrockster21]

Oh man...I hope Romo is the starter in week 2....Jesus I only HOPE that he is the week 2 starter!! We would DESTROY them if he's the week 2 starter!! :laugh:

That being said, I can't see Bleedsoe not starting the season and playing as long as possible. Romo and Henson are crap.

[Goaldeje]

Oh man...I hope Romo is the starter in week 2....Jesus I only HOPE that he is the week 2 starter!! We would DESTROY them if he's the week 2 starter!! :laugh:

That being said, I can't see Bleedsoe not starting the season and playing as long as possible. Romo and Henson are crap.


JRock, you can't be serious. I was just being told the other day about how Romo has positively lit it up in the preseason! The man is a beast! I think we should be very, very concerned. Parcells might have actually hit on something here...

Sarcasm filter on, btw

[altair4]

MMMMM.....roast cowboy. Pass the salt..

[SWFLSkins]

I don't think this is true at all. I've listened to what all of Brokeback Nation has told me and I am convinced that Bledsoe's best years are ahead of him. This is saying quite a bit since he is already a first ballot Hall of Famer and destined to win the next three Super Bowls. All they have to do is give him time behind that vastly improved Offensive Line, which wasn't that bad to begin with. See the problem was depth with the line. All they needed was quality backups to make the starters play better. Apparently they struggled last year because they were stressing over what would happen if they got hurt. Oh yeah, and they needed a mercurial WR and a kicker. That's all the line needed..and oh yeah, the fullback, they needed to eliminate the position all together. That was a huge part of the problem. Getting an extra TE should do the trick.

All is well......all is well.....


Now you got it, this is afterall "Bill's Last Stand" and no one weakness is going to keep them from going all the way----down. :D

[Skins81]

JRock, you can't be serious. I was just being told the other day about how Romo has positively lit it up in the preseason! The man is a beast! I think we should be very, very concerned. Parcells might have actually hit on something here...

Sarcasm filter on, btw


You got me for a second there

[HeHateMe]

:blahblah: It's been the story of the week.

All that matters is that no one on this site truly believe Bledsoe is getting yanked in favor of Romo for any other reason than injury.

[Ken]

Oh man...I hope Romo is the starter in week 2....Jesus I only HOPE that he is the week 2 starter!! We would DESTROY them if he's the week 2 starter!! :laugh:

That being said, I can't see Bleedsoe not starting the season and playing as long as possible. Romo and Henson are crap.
Wow.

This coming from someone who's team has Collins and Campbell as backups.

I'd be willing to bet that Romo is better than both.

Also, just because Romo is starting, doesn't mean he is starting the season. This is ludicrous. Bledsoe was great last year until Flo went down. 34 of 50 sacks occured after Flo went down in week 6.

The thing people should be focusing on, is with all of the focus on Dallas's lack of a qb of the future by Skins fans, we actually may have one. When is Campbell going to start showing something?

[COOLhandsCOOLEY]

Wow.

This coming from someone who's team has Collins and Campbell as backups.

I'd be willing to bet that Romo is better than both.

Also, just because Romo is starting, doesn't mean he is starting the season. This is ludicrous. Bledsoe was great last year until Flo went down. 34 of 50 sacks occured after Flo went down in week 6.

The thing people should be focusing on, is with all of the focus on Dallas's lack of a qb of the future by Skins fans, we actually may have one. When is Campbell going to start showing something?

When he is ready. Is it really that difficult to believe that a team is going to bring their future qb around slowly instead of throwing him to the wolves immediatley.


And holy crap does anyone truly believe drew bleedslow is really a first ballot HOF guy. Someone remind me... WTF would he be a first ballot HOF guy other than the fact espn had him as a potential first ballot guy in a poll. :dallasuck

[THEHEREAFTER]

Wow.

This coming from someone who's team has Collins and Campbell as backups.

I'd be willing to bet that Romo is better than both.

Also, just because Romo is starting, doesn't mean he is starting the season. This is ludicrous. Bledsoe was great last year until Flo went down. 34 of 50 sacks occured after Flo went down in week 6.

The thing people should be focusing on, is with all of the focus on Dallas's lack of a qb of the future by Skins fans, we actually may have one. When is Campbell going to start showing something?

:laugh: Nope... the difference is Gibbs is caring and nurturing and he bleeds B & G. He "loves" his franchise and has hanpicked the skins "can't miss star QB of the future." He's also hanpicked the most impeccable staff which also guarantees the skins their star coach of the future. You see, Gibbs is nurturing and building a budding "dynasty" whereas BP is only interested in furthering his own legacy and plans to leave the Cowboys in shambles for '07.

[JoeSkins]

You see, Gibbs is nurturing and building a budding "dynasty" whereas BP is only interested in furthering his own legacy and plans to leave the Cowboys in shambles for '07.

Well, Bill's done it before. :whoknows:

[Taylor 36]

Of course, we will all have to wait and see how this plays out, but I'm not sure that having Romo in there is necessarilary a good thing for us. We know what to expect from the Statue, but not from Romo. I trust GW to plan for him very well, but not by week 2 if the switch is made.

[Taylor 36]

Also, this could be that Tuna Fat wants to see exactly what he has in Romo incase he wants to make a trade before the season opens. There was another thread about this just yesterday.

http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?t=163518

[Ken]

Also, this could be that Tuna Fat wants to see exactly what he has in Romo incase he wants to make a trade before the season opens. There was another thread about this just yesterday.

http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?t=163518
If you believe that, I have a bridge for you to sell in Florida.....

[Chachie]

I think Parcells knows what he's doing. When he benched Hutchinson and went with Carter, he did get a 10-6 season out of it. I don't think he's gonna start Romo in regular season at all, but if he does, I'd get nervous. Bledsoe is quite dangerous and experienced enough so if Bill goes with Romo, he must see something he likes a LOT.

[GSF]

I think it's probably as simple as Parcells sending Bledsoe a little message: work hard and don't get complacent. This is the way Parcells motivates players, and Bledsoe is way too experienced to make those 1 or 2 bonehead mistakes a game.

Also, maybe Parcells wants to get Romo as much work as possible with the first team in case he winds up having to play. We've heard Parcells voice his concerns about pass protection. With Bledsoe's lack of mobility, it's not hard to envision Romo having to come in to replace a hurt or ineffective Bledsoe. I still gotta believe that Drew will be the starter week 1.

[DieselPwr44]

:laugh: Nope... the difference is Gibbs is caring and nurturing and he bleeds B & G. He "loves" his franchise and has hanpicked the skins "can't miss star QB of the future."

Hey, at least we have a future QB with a decent,college football resume instead of a guy who in four years has only taken a knee and the other guy is a washed up third baseman.......;)

As for the story and rumor, it's just that..rumor. Nothing more than giving a player some PT to see what ya got.........

[ouvan59]

:laugh: Nope... the difference is Gibbs is caring and nurturing and he bleeds B & G. He "loves" his franchise and has hanpicked the skins "can't miss star QB of the future." He's also hanpicked the most impeccable staff which also guarantees the skins their star coach of the future. You see, Gibbs is nurturing and building a budding "dynasty" whereas BP is only interested in furthering his own legacy and plans to leave the Cowboys in shambles for '07.

Well let's break this down.

1. "the difference is Gibbs is caring and nurturing and he bleeds B & G." Do you dispute this?

2. "He "loves" his franchise and has hanpicked the skins "can't miss star QB of the future." " While "can't miss" is clearly not the case, he did scout him and thought enough of him to trade up for him. As opposed to FM thinking enough of Romo to not draft him and then not play him when he had the opportunity (see Rams game). And by the way, it's "handpicked".

3. "He's also hanpicked the most impeccable staff which also guarantees the skins their star coach of the future." Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL but you'd have to be an extreme homer to not like the Skins coaching situation better. It may not turn out that way in the long run but logic dictates that they are setting themselves up for a much smoother transition. Chances are that Dallas will bring in somebody from the outside and he will want to bring in his own players which means another roster purge. We know quite a bit about that.

4. "You see, Gibbs is nurturing and building a budding "dynasty" whereas BP is only interested in furthering his own legacy and plans to leave the Cowboys in shambles for '07." Is FM setting up a transition where he will move up into the front office when he leaves? Does FM not have history of quiting on his team just as it seems they are on the brink of taking the next step?

[ouvan59]

Wow.

This coming from someone who's team has Collins and Campbell as backups.

I'd be willing to bet that Romo is better than both.

Also, just because Romo is starting, doesn't mean he is starting the season. This is ludicrous. Bledsoe was great last year until Flo went down. 34 of 50 sacks occured after Flo went down in week 6.

The thing people should be focusing on, is with all of the focus on Dallas's lack of a qb of the future by Skins fans, we actually may have one. When is Campbell going to start showing something?

:dance: HOMER ALERT!!!! HOMER ALERT!!!!!

Let's see

Romo - undrafted from D-1AA Eastern Illinois, on the roster as FM brings in the fossil and the statue, zero passing attempts in three seasons. Has backed up such illustrious baseball players like Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson and Drew Henson.

Campbell - 1st round draft pick after QBing Auburn to an undefeated season in D-1's toughest football conference. Four year starter in college. Zero passing attempts in one season.

If you can't see the difference then you have cognitive issues or you're a poke fan. Of course, the cognitive issues may be the reason you're a poke fan.

[skinz4evr]

:dance: Of course, the cognitive issues may be the reason you're a poke fan.HAHAHAHAHAHHAA

[Califan007]

If you can't see the difference then you have cognitive issues or you're poke fan. Of course, the cognitive issues may be the reason you're a poke fan.
:laugh: :laugh:

[Taylor 36]

If you believe that, I have a bridge for you to sell in Florida.....

I'm not saying that I believe that is the exact trade that is going to go down, but he may give him up to a team that needs QB help and that may be willing to part with a decent OL.

[kingfish50]

Wow.

This coming from someone who's team has Collins and Campbell as backups.

I'd be willing to bet that Romo is better than both.

Also, just because Romo is starting, doesn't mean he is starting the season. This is ludicrous. Bledsoe was great last year until Flo went down. 34 of 50 sacks occured after Flo went down in week 6.

The thing people should be focusing on, is with all of the focus on Dallas's lack of a qb of the future by Skins fans, we actually may have one. When is Campbell going to start showing something?
Your O-line played great before Flo went down huh? Last I read, your O-line gave up 23 sacks before Flo went down. That's 3.5 sacks per game. Even calculating on your made up sack total, that's 2.2 sacks per game. Yea, that sounds great to me.
I actually don't believe BP is going to start Romo in Bledsoes place. Probably trying to get him as much playing time as possible before Bledsoe has to line up behind that great O-line of yours in regular season play.

[Live4Skins]

:laugh: Nope... the difference is Gibbs is caring and nurturing and he bleeds B & G. He "loves" his franchise and has hanpicked the skins "can't miss star QB of the future." He's also hanpicked the most impeccable staff which also guarantees the skins their star coach of the future. You see, Gibbs is nurturing and building a budding "dynasty" whereas BP is only interested in furthering his own legacy and plans to leave the Cowboys in shambles for '07.

THA thank you for actually posting something credible :doh:

One of the worse things a human being can display is...go ahead you know what I'm trying to hint on....Jealousy. Maybe?


ouvan59

:dance: HOMER ALERT!!!! HOMER ALERT!!!!!

Let's see

Romo - undrafted from D-1AA Eastern Illinois, on the roster as FM brings in the fossil and the stutue, zero passing attempts in three seasons. Has backed up such illustrious baseball players like Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson and Drew Henson.

Campbell - 1st round draft pick after QBing Auburn to an undefeated season in D-1's toughest football conference. Four year starter in college. Zero passing attempts in one season.

If you can't see the difference then you have cognitive issues or you're poke fan. Of course, the cognitive issues may be the reason you're a poke fan



Say no more..:applause:



How can you come back with a response to what he just posted above? I'm sure you will come back with something spectacular.

Anyway I'm :hungry: for this season to start.


Peace, HTTR & TITY!!!

[Goaldeje]

:laugh: Nope... the difference is Gibbs is caring and nurturing and he bleeds B & G. He "loves" his franchise and has hanpicked the skins "can't miss star QB of the future." He's also hanpicked the most impeccable staff which also guarantees the skins their star coach of the future. You see, Gibbs is nurturing and building a budding "dynasty" whereas BP is only interested in furthering his own legacy and plans to leave the Cowboys in shambles for '07.


Assuming your sarcasm filter is on, lets look at Parcells' history, shall we? Man, the Giants really maintained their excellent ways after him. And the Patriots, well, after they made the Super Bowl, it wasn't like it took 5 years for them to get back to playoffs or anything. Or the Jets, they've been a model of success since he left. Face facts 'Boys fans: Parcells doesn't leave franchises in very good shape when he leaves. Your hope is that he wins and wins big while he is still with the team. If not, good luck to his replacement.

Gibbs is doing the complete opposite. He is setting us up with a coaching staff to maintain his system, getting a good group of core, young players to build around. There are certainly areas of concern, looking down the road (O-line depth and starters in 3-4 years, CB, D-line, and QB), but he has time to fill those holes. And actually QB isn't a fair comparison as we just don't know what Campebll will do.

Now, look at the 'Boys. QB is old, Romo completely unproven. Your WR corps is terrific, but old. Once TO is gone (one way or another), you are left with a very old Glenn and Crayton, who shows flashes but isn't consistent. Your O-line is a complete joke, I don't even see any young prospects you can be grooming. He has done reasonably well on defense, but the offense will be in shambles when he retires. You will be starting from scratch, b/c he wants to win now. Why else bring in Bledsoe, instead of bringing along Romo if he is as good as some of you say he is?

Gibbs is playing a different game.

[JoeSkins]

Gibbs is playing a different game.

On top of that, he's a different kind of player. He's a Redskin, it's his only head coaching position. He has a connection with this team, the city, and the fans. Part of me believes this team needed Gibbs to come back to right a sinking ship, and he saw it as more of a responsibility of his than anything else. Parcells is kind of like a mercenary-coach. He's a crack shot who's going to yield big-time success, but doesn't actually care about the franchise that employs him. He cares about winning football games and being a great coach, wherever that may be.

BTW goaldeje, great signature. :laugh:

[Who Del]

Not that I want to butt in or anything but didn't the Redskins suck after Gibbs left? They weren't exactly a beacon of hope for their fans either.

Just saying...

[Warhead36]

Not that I want to butt in or anything but didn't the Redskins suck after Gibbs left? They weren't exactly a beacon of hope for their fans either.

Just saying...

Yeah they did. New salary cap combined with the fact that the team was old and needed to be completely rebuilt.

[JoeSkins]

Yeah they did. New salary cap combined with the fact that the team was old and needed to be completely rebuilt.

I think Norv had a little to do with it too. Gibbs' incumbant just didn't work out. :2cents:

[kingfish50]

Assuming your sarcasm filter is on, lets look at Parcells' history, shall we? Man, the Giants really maintained their excellent ways after him. And the Patriots, well, after they made the Super Bowl, it wasn't like it took 5 years for them to get back to playoffs or anything. Or the Jets, they've been a model of success since he left. Face facts 'Boys fans: Parcells doesn't leave franchises in very good shape when he leaves. Your hope is that he wins and wins big while he is still with the team. If not, good luck to his replacement.

Gibbs is doing the complete opposite. He is setting us up with a coaching staff to maintain his system, getting a good group of core, young players to build around. There are certainly areas of concern, looking down the road (O-line depth and starters in 3-4 years, CB, D-line, and QB), but he has time to fill those holes. And actually QB isn't a fair comparison as we just don't know what Campebll will do.

Now, look at the 'Boys. QB is old, Romo completely unproven. Your WR corps is terrific, but old. Once TO is gone (one way or another), you are left with a very old Glenn and Crayton, who shows flashes but isn't consistent. Your O-line is a complete joke, I don't even see any young prospects you can be grooming. He has done reasonably well on defense, but the offense will be in shambles when he retires. You will be starting from scratch, b/c he wants to win now. Why else bring in Bledsoe, instead of bringing along Romo if he is as good as some of you say he is?

Gibbs is playing a different game.
Your right on the money! Bill Parcells is kind of like TO. He's all about himself. He has no loyalty to any one organization (G-strings, Jets, Pats and now dallass). The cowBoy fans here talk about his contract extension, but what about extending his team? This team is built for a do or die run for the Super Bowl this year (particularly on offense). Not going to get in all of the details, as youv'e covered that already.
They have no continuity and when Old Bill he retires (again!) to TV land, the Boys will be rebuilding from the coaching staff on down to the waterboy and it will take another 2 - 4 years to make any kind of come back.
They should enjoy what little time they have left.

[flave1969]

I don't think this is true at all. I've listened to what all of Brokeback Nation has told me and I am convinced that Bledsoe's best years are ahead of him. This is saying quite a bit since he is already a first ballot Hall of Famer and destined to win the next three Super Bowls. All they have to do is give him time behind that vastly improved Offensive Line, which wasn't that bad to begin with. See the problem was depth with the line. All they needed was quality backups to make the starters play better. Apparently they struggled last year because they were stressing over what would happen if they got hurt. Oh yeah, and they needed a mercurial WR and a kicker. That's all the line needed..and oh yeah, the fullback, they needed to eliminate the position all together. That was a huge part of the problem. Getting an extra TE should do the trick.

All is well......all is well.....

Classic :applause:

[MrSilverMaC]

Also, just because Romo is starting, doesn't mean he is starting the season. This is ludicrous. Bledsoe was great last year until Flo went down. 34 of 50 sacks occured after Flo went down in week 6.








You do realize that by your own numbers you guys only gave up a sack more a game than when flozelle was in. You had no running game, and when teams figured it out, then you were in trouble.

By your numbers:

2.6 sacks a game with

3.4 sacks a game without


And now you have no allen, your RT is still in flux as is your LG. And "flo", by all reports I've seen, is leaving something to be desired this training camp.

Romo may not start the year, but he may well start at some point, especially since we all know how the third baseman turned out.

[flave1969]

. Bledsoe was great last year until Flo went down. 34 of 50 sacks occured after Flo went down in week 6.



Man Cowboys fans.

Project it out.

Sixteen Sacks in Six games projects out to 42 for the year, just 8 shy of last years total.

That total still sucks.

You see the value of having a mobile QB who makes smart decisions. Brunell was sacked 27 times in 15 1/4 games. Our very own QB Statue Pat Ramsey gave up 4 sacks in 3 quarters of play.

You have to accept that a QB like Bledsoe will take licks no matter what.

[THEHEREAFTER]

I think Norv had a little to do with it too. Gibbs' incumbant just didn't work out. :2cents:


Exactly the point. You can't predict the future always. I don't know, has Gibbs said he will become a part of the FO after he leaves or go back to Nascar? Will either Saunders or GW make great head coaches? Will JC be great?

[THEHEREAFTER]

Man Cowboys fans.

Project it out.

Sixteen Sacks in Six games projects out to 42 for the year, just 8 shy of last years total.

.

Bledsoe was sacked 13 times in 6 games when Flo went down. Get it right. That's approx. 34 sacks on the season.

[THEHEREAFTER]

1. "the difference is Gibbs is caring and nurturing and he bleeds B & G." Do you dispute this?

Nope, the point is that this means nothing towards continued success just as it didn't after his first stint. It seems as the your "savior" is just THE ONLY guy that the fans of this city "trust" and "love" (although many skins fans quickly turned their backs on him at various points when times were tough and his "mastermind" offense couldn't do anything) which will result in high expectations and the possibilty of a drop off with your next coach.



2. "He "loves" his franchise and has hanpicked the skins "can't miss star QB of the future." " While "can't miss" is clearly not the case, he did scout him and thought enough of him to trade up for him. As opposed to FM thinking enough of Romo to not draft him and then not play him when he had the opportunity (see Rams game). And by the way, it's "handpicked".

Thanks for correcting me but once again, what coach Gibbs did to get him vs. Parcells and Romo has nothing to do with how their careers will turn out. This was the point and what skins fans don't seem to grasp.


3. "He's also hanpicked the most impeccable staff which also guarantees the skins their star coach of the future." Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL but you'd have to be an extreme homer to not like the Skins coaching situation better. It may not turn out that way in the long run but logic dictates that they are setting themselves up for a much smoother transition. Chances are that Dallas will bring in somebody from the outside and he will want to bring in his own players which means another roster purge. We know quite a bit about that.

The skins have excellent coordinators but that's what they are; coordinators. Please find me a statistic that shows promoted coordinators within the same franchise fair better than coaches brought in from the "outside."


4. "You see, Gibbs is nurturing and building a budding "dynasty" whereas BP is only interested in furthering his own legacy and plans to leave the Cowboys in shambles for '07." Is FM setting up a transition where he will move up into the front office when he leaves? Does FM not have history of quiting on his team just as it seems they are on the brink of taking the next step?[/QUOTE]

My point is that Dallas BP could be setting up the Cowboys for success down the road with the players that he's drafted. I'm not going to pretend to know his motives for leaving his other jobs but I do know that he's had great success wherever he's gone especially in the 4th year. ;)

[Dirk Diggler]

Wow.

This coming from someone who's team has Collins and Campbell as backups.

I'd be willing to bet that Romo is better than both.


You'd be willing to bet that Romo is better than Campbell at what? Holding the clipboard? If you're willing to bet that Romo has a better career let me know what the stakes are.


The thing people should be focusing on, is with all of the focus on Dallas's lack of a qb of the future by Skins fans, we actually may have one. When is Campbell going to start showing something?

As mentioned, what has Romo shown that qualifies him as being the QB of the future? At least Campbell has the pedigree. Romo has neither the pedigree nor the experience. So I'm not sure why you're acting so smug.

[moondog]

Wow.

This coming from someone who's team has Collins and Campbell as backups.

I'd be willing to bet that Romo is better than both.

Also, just because Romo is starting, doesn't mean he is starting the season. This is ludicrous. Bledsoe was great last year until Flo went down. 34 of 50 sacks occured after Flo went down in week 6.

The thing people should be focusing on, is with all of the focus on Dallas's lack of a qb of the future by Skins fans, we actually may have one. When is Campbell going to start showing something?

Ok so Romo is better than Collins and Campbell...I'm not sure if anyone other than you believes that but I guess if it works for you it works for you.

Obviously the cowboys barely gave up more than a sack more per game after flozell got hurt so he wasnt as big a factor as one may think...and Campbell has shown marked improvement in camp and will probably show everyone this "something" you speak of when:

1) He is in the same offense for more than a year...that seems logical right?

2) The quarterback who led the team to the playoffs last year for the first time in six years, threw 23 TD's to only 10 int's, shocked the cowboys twice last year, and threw for 3,000+ yards decides to hang it up or is injured.

That's probably when Campbell will get to show everyone his "something"
Does that sound reasonable, or am I just being a homer? :bow:



:feedback:

[THEHEREAFTER]

:dance: HOMER ALERT!!!! HOMER ALERT!!!!!

Let's see

Romo - undrafted from D-1AA Eastern Illinois, on the roster as FM brings in the fossil and the statue, zero passing attempts in three seasons. Has backed up such illustrious baseball players like Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson and Drew Henson.

Campbell - 1st round draft pick after QBing Auburn to an undefeated season in D-1's toughest football conference. Four year starter in college. Zero passing attempts in one season.

If you can't see the difference then you have cognitive issues or you're a poke fan. Of course, the cognitive issues may be the reason you're a poke fan.


Ever heard of Gino Torreta? How's Ken Dorsey doing? Do I need to explain what schools they went to? Their college records or level of competition? Using draft status as an ultimate predictor of NFL success demonstrates cognitive issues on the part of skins fans maybe? :(

[THEHEREAFTER]

Your O-line played great before Flo went down huh? Last I read, your O-line gave up 23 sacks before Flo went down..

This is the problem. You read es only and you don't research. Bledsoe was sacked 13 Times before Flo went down. That's 2 sacks per game including zero for the skins and Gregg Williams in our first meeting. That's not too shabby.

[moondog]

Ever heard of Gino Torreta? How's Ken Dorsey doing? Do I need to explain what schools they went to? Their college records or level of competition? Using draft status as an ultimate predictor of NFL success demonstrates cognitive issues on the part of skins fans maybe? :(

well, maybe not huge football colleges, but dont forget tim couch and ryan leaf...everyone let out a collective laugh :laugh: :doh:

[THEHEREAFTER]

Assuming your sarcasm filter is on, lets look at Parcells' history, shall we? Man, the Giants really maintained their excellent ways after him.

Does he get any credit for winning two Super Bowls, outstanding regular and post-season records and owning Joe Jesus Christ Gibbs while with the Giants? It's very possible for a team to fall off for a variety of reasons not all attributed to a coaches departure. See Coach Gibbs' first stint with the skins.




And the Patriots, well, after they made the Super Bowl, it wasn't like it took 5 years for them to get back to playoffs or anything. Or the Jets, they've been a model of success since he left. Once again, he took both of these team to atleast a conference championship. Are you starting to get it? He has success with the teams he does coach. Keeping the success going when a legend leaves hinges upon a myriad of key factors. All good things don't last in today's NFL.



Your hope is that he wins and wins big while he is still with the team.

Yep! :thumbsup:


Gibbs is doing the complete opposite. He is setting us up with a coaching staff to maintain his system, getting a good group of core, young players to build around. There are certainly areas of concern, looking down the road (O-line depth and starters in 3-4 years, CB, D-line, and QB), but he has time to fill those holes. And actually QB isn't a fair comparison as we just don't know what Campebll will do.

What system? The system that worked some 15-25 years ago or the offensive system that flopped since he came back forcing him to essentially replace himself?


Now, look at the 'Boys. QB is old, Romo completely unproven. Your WR corps is terrific, but old. Once TO is gone (one way or another), you are left with a very old Glenn and Crayton, who shows flashes but isn't consistent. Your O-line is a complete joke, I don't even see any young prospects you can be grooming. He has done reasonably well on defense, but the offense will be in shambles when he retires. You will be starting from scratch, b/c he wants to win now. Why else bring in Bledsoe, instead of bringing along Romo if he is as good as some of you say he is?

Hmmm, is Brunell, who is penciled in as your starter not older than Bledsoe? Last I heard the NFL holds a draft and FA every single year. Maybe we'll search for replacements and transition our WR over the next few years? Our O-line is no doubt a question mark heading into the season but let's actually play the games before we label them a joke. You don't know who we're grooming? What a surprise! My guess is that you actually know very little about your rival and that your more interested regurgitating the same tired es philosophies and half-truths about the Cowboys than doing some homework. You nor I know when BP retires or what our offense will look like when he does. Maybe bring in Bledsoe to try to win now while he's bringing along Romo? We'll see how it works out.


Gibbs is playing a different game

Nascar.. :cool:

[THEHEREAFTER]

On top of that, he's a different kind of player. He's a Redskin, it's his only head coaching position. He has a connection with this team, the city, and the fans. Part of me believes this team needed Gibbs to come back to right a sinking ship, and he saw it as more of a responsibility of his than anything else. Parcells is kind of like a mercenary-coach. He's a crack shot who's going to yield big-time success, but doesn't actually care about the franchise that employs him. He cares about winning football games and being a great coach, wherever that may be.

BTW goaldeje, great signature. :laugh:

Some of sports greatest players and coaches have been a part of multiple teams/franchises. Some have staked their claim and built their legend to one. Is their only one right way to do things. Could coach gibbs go to another franchise and rebuild with success. What would Parcells' record be like if he stayed or went back to the Giants? Who knows?

[THEHEREAFTER]

Your right on the money! Bill Parcells is kind of like TO. He's all about himself. He has no loyalty to any one organization (G-strings, Jets, Pats and now dallass). The cowBoy fans here talk about his contract extension, but what about extending his team? This team is built for a do or die run for the Super Bowl this year (particularly on offense). Not going to get in all of the details, as youv'e covered that already.
They have no continuity and when Old Bill he retires (again!) to TV land, the Boys will be rebuilding from the coaching staff on down to the waterboy and it will take another 2 - 4 years to make any kind of come back.
They should enjoy what little time they have left.

This is quite presumptuous. The Cowboys have time to phase in wide receivers over the next few years. Didn't you guys overhaul your WR core in just one offseason? We're far younger than you guys on defense and one of the youngest units in the NFL. Things change very quickly in the NFL these days. Continue to convince yourself that everything is doom and gloom for years to come in Dallas.

[MrSilverMaC]

Continue to convince yourself that everything is doom and gloom for years to come in Dallas.



That sounds like an absolute deal to me. :) :thumbsup:

[Goaldeje]

Nope, the point is that this means nothing towards continued success just as it didn't after his first stint. It seems as the your "savior" is just THE ONLY guy that the fans of this city "trust" and "love" (although many skins fans quickly turned their backs on him at various points when times were tough and his "mastermind" offense couldn't do anything) which will result in high expectations and the possibilty of a drop off with your next coach.

This is actually a reasonable thought, one that has occured to some of us at some points. The difference being that when Gibbs steps down from coaching, he will remain in the front office guiding and directing the team.

Besides which, this is a diversionary tactic on your part and you know it. What exactly is Parcells doing? Does he have ANY sort of succession plan in place for his retirement? Didn't think so. Sounds to me like he will retire before too long, the health of the Cowboys franchise be damned. Enjoy it.




Thanks for correcting me but once again, what coach Gibbs did to get him vs. Parcells and Romo has nothing to do with how their careers will turn out. This was the point and what skins fans don't seem to grasp.

Also very true. However, show me the proportionate number of quarterbacks that are undrafted that have suceeded vs. first rounders. Neither is a guarantee of any sucess or failure, but certainly a good indicator.

While you're at it, point out to me the players Gibbs has drafted or acquired in his second tenure that have bombed. I can think of Michael Barrow alone. When he acquired Cornelius Griffin, we were laughed at, as Griffin was widely considered an underachiever. Springs was over the hill and injury prone, Brunell was finished, Rabach wasn't flashy enough, and Marcus Washington was relatively discounted and unknown. I think they all have done fairly well. Again, none of this guarantees Campbell will play well, but they are all certainly positive indicators.



The skins have excellent coordinators but that's what they are; coordinators. Please find me a statistic that shows promoted coordinators within the same franchise fair better than coaches brought in from the "outside."


Again, Gibbs' plan is for him to stay on as team president. Williams (presumably the head coach in a couple of years) will not have to step off by himself without any sustaining help from Gibbs. Gibbs will still be there to help and guide. And if things don't work out, Gibbs will still be there to fire him as well.



My point is that Dallas BP could be setting up the Cowboys for success down the road with the players that he's drafted. I'm not going to pretend to know his motives for leaving his other jobs but I do know that he's had great success wherever he's gone especially in the 4th year. ;)


Let's look at this for a second, because I think you're being delusional. At QB, you have Bledsoe, Romo and Henson. I think we can all agree Henson is a bust, and Bledsoe is close to being done (2-3 more years max). That leaves Romo, who is completely unknown. Possibly a great pre-season player, but no one really knows at all.

At RB, you have Jones, Barber and Thompson. Discounting Thompson, Jones is injury prone, and just doesn't look like he can hold up to a 16 game schedule. I would have hitched my horse to Barber, given the choice between the two. But Parcells has more info than I do. Which actually leads me to believe that Barber may not be as good as I think. Which speaks even more poorly for your RB depth.

At WR, you have possibly the best tandem in the league, and possibly the worst depth in the league. TO and Glenn are both on the wrong side of 30, and unless you're Jerry Rice or Rod Smith, your WR start to lose production then. I would give you 2-3 years max from each of them, and that's if TO behaves himself completely (good luck with that). After them you have, well, who do you have? Crayton? See Julius Jones' comments above. Green? OK, maybe, though counting on a rookie can be a risky proposition. You just can't know if he's gonna work out.

Parcells has done a decent job with the TE position. Assuming Fasano pans out, and I think he will, you guys have great depth and starters at TE.

O-line: this has been discussed ad naseum. I won't go into it here, just enough to say I can't honestly see them gelling together somewhat for the next couple of years and keeping Bledsoe upright. Add to that, Kosier and Johnson are the only players anywhere near "young".

D-line: Canty, Spears and Ferguson could be formidable, depending on Ferguson's ability to step it up. I don't see him as playing up to expectations when brought over from the Jets, but feel free to correct me. Given that Ellis probably won't last longer than this year, your depth is suspect at best.

LB: Can't comment on Carpenter yet, just don't know how he will turn out, though he was widely considered a reach in the draft. Ware looked good rushing the passer, but average defending the pass. James looks decent but not spectacular. Three of your four starters are VERY young, which can be good and bad. I would like to see one solid established vet in there for security's sake, but that's just me. Ayodele's not quite there for me. I will grant you that I thought the same of Marcus Washington when we brought him over. Ayodele could turn out to develop nicely for you. He worried me somewhat when you signed him. We will have to see.

Secondary: To listen to you, Newman is the second coming of Deion. I don't see it, but I'm not going to argue. Glenn is not getting any younger, and will need to be replaced soon. I don't know enough about your depth behind him except that I don't know them, which assumes that they probably aren't world beaters. Henry is OK, though probably better suited as the nickel back with a stronger number 2 brought in. Someday, someone will figure out that Williams should be playing LB and will make that switch. Your safetys are decent, but not great.

To close, Parcells has done decent for you on defense, though not great. Your line could turn out to be terrific for a number of years if Ferguson develops well. Your LBs are suspect, as is your secondary. With the exception of TE, your offense is set up to fail when Parcells leaves. You better hope the defense is as good as the '85 Bears at this rate. That's the only way you'll win any games when Parcells retires.

[Goaldeje]

I answered most of this below, but here goes...



.
Does he get any credit for winning two Super Bowls, outstanding regular and post-season records and owning Joe Jesus Christ Gibbs while with the Giants? It's very possible for a team to fall off for a variety of reasons not all attributed to a coaches departure. See Coach Gibbs' first stint with the skins.

We're arguing the same thing. Parcells usually wins big while with a team, but his teams tend to fall off (often precipitously) after his departure. My point was that he is wanting to win big now, and is not concerned about the future much.



Once again, he took both of these team to atleast a conference championship. Are you starting to get it? He has success with the teams he does coach. Keeping the success going when a legend leaves hinges upon a myriad of key factors. All good things don't last in today's NFL.

See above and below




Hmmm, is Brunell, who is penciled in as your starter not older than Bledsoe? Last I heard the NFL holds a draft and FA every single year. Maybe we'll search for replacements and transition our WR over the next few years? Our O-line is no doubt a question mark heading into the season but let's actually play the games before we label them a joke. You don't know who we're grooming? What a surprise! My guess is that you actually know very little about your rival and that your more interested regurgitating the same tired es philosophies and half-truths about the Cowboys than doing some homework. You nor I know when BP retires or what our offense will look like when he does. Maybe bring in Bledsoe to try to win now while he's bringing along Romo? We'll see how it works out.



See, here's the thing. We already have our QB of the future. Will he work out? Who knows. But the point is that we already have him. We know when Brunell goes down or retires, our wagon is hitched to Campbell. That means that next off season, that is one less position of need to address. Compare with the Cowboys. For the love of God, Jerrah better address the O-line next year, along with Nickel corner, QB, WR, and dependiong on how things go this year, perhaps RB, DT, and LB (see above post). Compare with the Skins for a minute. We addressed our needs this year, so now we can address depth, injuries aside. We can afford the luxury of picking young players to bring along slowly behind the starters, or even challenge them for the starters positions. You guys have to pick up your starters. I would like to think our starters are in pretty good shape, and all we have to do is augment or fill depth holes. That's what Gibbs has done.

[THEHEREAFTER]

The difference being that when Gibbs steps down from coaching, he will remain in the front office guiding and directing the team.

Is this fact? I don't claim to know as much about the skins as you but I didn't know this was a foregone conclusion. If so, this obviously bodes well for you guys.


Besides which, this is a diversionary tactic on your part and you know it. What exactly is Parcells doing? Does he have ANY sort of succession plan in place for his retirement? Didn't think so. Sounds to me like he will retire before too long, the health of the Cowboys franchise be damned. Enjoy it.

This seems to be the es mantra? "We're set for the next 15 years because... blah blah...." This is the NFL man. A league where a proven vet QB can go down at any moment. A league where an unheard of 6th round backup (i.e. Tom Brady) can go on an unlikely run to the SB seeing his first real game action. Parcells will inevitably help the Cowboys by virtue of drafting great young players. Something your team has forgotten how to do. You don't like the draft very much. Parcells is certainly not perfect but his job is to the best he can while coaching the Dallas Cowboys.





Also very true. However, show me the proportionate number of quarterbacks that are undrafted that have suceeded vs. first rounders. Neither is a guarantee of any sucess or failure, but certainly a good indicator.

I'm not a JC hater other than the fact that he's a redskin. Is it too much to ask to see him develop in real games first? You guys want to talk, annoint and predict NOW. All I'm saying is let's see what happens.



While you're at it, point out to me the players Gibbs has drafted or acquired in his second tenure that have bombed. I can think of Michael Barrow alone. When he acquired Cornelius Griffin, we were laughed at, as Griffin was widely considered an underachiever. Springs was over the hill and injury prone, Brunell was finished, Rabach wasn't flashy enough, and Marcus Washington was relatively discounted and unknown. I think they all have done fairly well. Again, none of this guarantees Campbell will play well, but they are all certainly positive indicators.

You are clearly one of the more savy es members but this is sort of a reach. Did Gibbs make the call on all of those defensive FA's? Does evaluating a LB like Marcus Washington (who I have the utmost respect for) equate to evaluating a QB? Cornelius Griffin becoming a solid acquisition has little to do with how Campbell turn out but I think you already know that.




Again, Gibbs' plan is for him to stay on as team president. Williams (presumably the head coach in a couple of years) will not have to step off by himself without any sustaining help from Gibbs. Gibbs will still be there to help and guide. And if things don't work out, Gibbs will still be there to fire him as well.

This is a sweet deal but once again, please provide me some evidence that this will ensure success for the skins. It's great that Gibbs is familiar with the franchise and will be calling the shots but I don't know of a statistic proving that a head coach moving into the FO of the same franchise is the way to build a dynasty? I'm not hating on your situation, I just don't believe in "guarantees" in the NFL. Too many variables. Bill Belichick sucked as coach of the Browns. What if Bledsoe doesn't get hurt in '00?





Let's look at this for a second, because I think you're being delusional. At QB, you have Bledsoe, Romo and Henson. I think we can all agree Henson is a bust, and Bledsoe is close to being done (2-3 more years max). That leaves Romo, who is completely unknown. Possibly a great pre-season player, but no one really knows at all.

I'm not the biggest Bledsoe fan in the world but he's younger than Brunnell. The problem that I have is that you speak so definitively? If our next QB isn't on our current roster then will will draft/trade up, or try to land a FA. Romo is being groomed. Campbell is being groomed. The only difference is that one was a first round reach. I'm interested to see what happens. I don't have it all figured out whereas you claim to know everything.


At RB, you have Jones, Barber and Thompson. Discounting Thompson, Jones is injury prone, and just doesn't look like he can hold up to a 16 game schedule. I would have hitched my horse to Barber, given the choice between the two. But Parcells has more info than I do. Which actually leads me to believe that Barber may not be as good as I think. Which speaks even more poorly for your RB depth.

This is just ludicrous. Julius Jones has two of the best single game rushing performances in franchise history and we've had a few good running backs. I can't argue that we're somewhat unproven in this area but we're certainly young and deep at RB.


At WR, you have possibly the best tandem in the league, and possibly the worst depth in the league. TO and Glenn are both on the wrong side of 30, and unless you're Jerry Rice or Rod Smith, your WR start to lose production then. I would give you 2-3 years max from each of them, and that's if TO behaves himself completely (good luck with that). After them you have, well, who do you have? Crayton? See Julius Jones' comments above. Green? OK, maybe, though counting on a rookie can be a risky proposition. You just can't know if he's gonna work out.

T.O.'s age, at this point, is not a factor and you know it. Our starters should play long enough to all us to DRAFT or ACQUIRE replacements. One good thing about T.O. being slowed is that others have had a chance to get some serious work. The word in our camp is that Sam Hurd has been the best receiver so far.

Parcells has done a decent job with the TE position. Assuming Fasano pans out, and I think he will, you guys have great depth and starters at TE.


O-line: this has been discussed ad naseum. I won't go into it here, just enough to say I can't honestly see them gelling together somewhat for the next couple of years and keeping Bledsoe upright. Add to that, Kosier and Johnson are the only players anywhere near "young".

Incorrect. Andre Gurode is only 28 and is having a stellar camp according to several sources.


D-line: Canty, Spears and Ferguson could be formidable, depending on Ferguson's ability to step it up. I don't see him as playing up to expectations when brought over from the Jets, but feel free to correct me. Given that Ellis probably won't last longer than this year, your depth is suspect at best.

I'm not losing any sleep over our D-line. IMO, this is a position of strength and depth for us.


LB: Can't comment on Carpenter yet, just don't know how he will turn out, though he was widely considered a reach in the draft. Ware looked good rushing the passer, but average defending the pass. James looks decent but not spectacular. Three of your four starters are VERY young, which can be good and bad. I would like to see one solid established vet in there for security's sake, but that's just me. Ayodele's not quite there for me. I will grant you that I thought the same of Marcus Washington when we brought him over. Ayodele could turn out to develop nicely for you. He worried me somewhat when you signed him. We will have to see.

Once again, IMO our LB's are a position of strength and depth. Bradie James quarterbacked a top 11 ranked D last year in his first year as a starter. He should be that much better this year. Kevin Burnett (last years second rounder) is coming back very nicely from injury. Remember, this is our second year running a 3-4 and BP has the pieces in place this year. Our talented first round pick may not even start this year and that speaks volumes for our depth.


Secondary: To listen to you, Newman is the second coming of Deion. I don't see it, but I'm not going to argue. Glenn is not getting any younger, and will need to be replaced soon. I don't know enough about your depth behind him except that I don't know them, which assumes that they probably aren't world beaters. Henry is OK, though probably better suited as the nickel back with a stronger number 2 brought in. Someday, someone will figure out that Williams should be playing LB and will make that switch. Your safetys are decent, but not great.

Honestly what are we doing here. We both hate each others team and our evaluations will always be tainted. Henry was playing at a pro-bowl level before being slowed with injuries. Newman is coming into his own and will be in Hawaii at the end of the year IMO. For whatever it's worth, RW keeps getting voted to pro-bowls and he's one of the most disruptive strong safeties in the league. If Pat Watkins is anywhere near as good as what I'm reading/hearing from camp, we may finally get some stability at the FS spot as well.


To close, Parcells has done decent for you on defense, though not great. Your line could turn out to be terrific for a number of years if Ferguson develops well. Your LBs are suspect, as is your secondary. With the exception of TE, your offense is set up to fail when Parcells leaves. You better hope the defense is as good as the '85 Bears at this rate. That's the only way you'll win any games when Parcells retires.

Very tainted closing. Sometimes you can't be young and dominant at every position. We clearly will have to replace some positions sooner than others but I think we have an excellent balance of youth and experience on our team heading into this season. IMO our front seven is young, promising and deep whereas you say suspect. Crayton, Green, Fasano, Jones, Barber, Thompson, Gurode and Witten are all young and promosing on offense. I'm not saying that we don't have holes on our team, just disputing your definitive claims of how we'll fair in the next 1-3 years from now. In this day and age, holes can be filled rather quickly with decent management.

[THEHEREAFTER]

See, here's the thing. We already have our QB of the future. Will he work out? Who knows. But the point is that we already have him. We know when Brunell goes down or retires, our wagon is hitched to Campbell. That means that next off season, that is one less position of need to address.

If, and I say If, Tony Romo works out to become our starter, wouldn't we have had him on our roster the last 3 years?

[Gilgamesh]

The Cowboys starting QB moves around as well as a Cigar Store Indian. I don't know...Cigar Store Indians occasionally get moved around the store...

[Gilgamesh]

The thing people should be focusing on, is with all of the focus on Dallas's lack of a qb of the future by Skins fans, we actually may have one.

Sweet, who is he? I'm always looking for a future fantasy sleeper...

[JoeSkins]

Some of sports greatest players and coaches have been a part of multiple teams/franchises. Some have staked their claim and built their legend to one. Is their only one right way to do things. Could coach gibbs go to another franchise and rebuild with success. What would Parcells' record be like if he stayed or went back to the Giants? Who knows?

I wasn't trying to imply that one way is better, since both Gibbs and Parcells are obviously qualified and skilled at their craft. I was just trying to say that maybe Gibbs has a more emotionally charged motivation to leave this team in good shape than say, Bill would. Also, don't you feel a stronger connection to Tom Landry (forgive me for assuming you're old enough, I didn't check) than Barry Switzer or Jimmy Johnson?

[Goaldeje]

Is this fact? I don't claim to know as much about the skins as you but I didn't know this was a foregone conclusion. If so, this obviously bodes well for you guys.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this can not be a "foregone" conclusion. We can not have a contract set up with Gregg Williams for when Gibbs retires. I believe that is illegal. But it is our understanding that is the way things are set up, with an implicit understanding. And yes, this bodes extremely well for us.



This seems to be the es mantra? "We're set for the next 15 years because... blah blah...." This is the NFL man. A league where a proven vet QB can go down at any moment. A league where an unheard of 6th round backup (i.e. Tom Brady) can go on an unlikely run to the SB seeing his first real game action. Parcells will inevitably help the Cowboys by virtue of drafting great young players. Something your team has forgotten how to do. You don't like the draft very much. Parcells is certainly not perfect but his job is to the best he can while coaching the Dallas Cowboys.


Show me where I said we are set for 15 years. I think we could maintain a relatively high level of competitiveness for 5-7 years, however, assuming that Gibbs steps up to the front office like I set out before. There are a lot of variables, but look at the Steelers. They have had the same coaching staff/philosophy for 10+ years now. They have only one SB to show for it, though they have been in the playoffs many years. I would indeed argue that they rely too heavily on the draft and not enough on free agency, and that is why they have only one title, but that's another discussion. That stability is what we crave and what we are probably going to get.



I'm not a JC hater other than the fact that he's a redskin. Is it too much to ask to see him develop in real games first? You guys want to talk, annoint and predict NOW. All I'm saying is let's see what happens.

I have never annointed him anything other than our future, for better or worse. I couldn't agree more with you that he needs some game experience before we announce him as a star. He may suck, he may be great. It will bother me this year if he doesn't make 2nd string and beat out Todd Collins relatively early in the year. That's not a great sign as far as I'm concerned, but neither is it disastrous.



You are clearly one of the more savy es members but this is sort of a reach. Did Gibbs make the call on all of those defensive FA's? Does evaluating a LB like Marcus Washington (who I have the utmost respect for) equate to evaluating a QB? Cornelius Griffin becoming a solid acquisition has little to do with how Campbell turn out but I think you already know that.


I have no idea if Gibbs made the call, but I am certain he had a lot of input and the final say. Good enough for me. And no, perhaps comparing Campbell with defensive stars is a reach. But I'd say he nailed the whole Santana for Coles trade, wouldn't you? And the fact that he has three superbowls with three different QBs tells me he can do all right with that position. Gibbs history speaks pretty well for him.




This is a sweet deal but once again, please provide me some evidence that this will ensure success for the skins. It's great that Gibbs is familiar with the franchise and will be calling the shots but I don't know of a statistic proving that a head coach moving into the FO of the same franchise is the way to build a dynasty? I'm not hating on your situation, I just don't believe in "guarantees" in the NFL. Too many variables. Bill Belichick sucked as coach of the Browns. What if Bledsoe doesn't get hurt in '00?


I don't fully understand your question here. There are no guarantees, I couldn't agree more. Williams may suck, or he may turn out like Bellicek and be great with his second team, which is probably not what you meant.




I'm not the biggest Bledsoe fan in the world but he's younger than Brunnell. The problem that I have is that you speak so definitively? If our next QB isn't on our current roster then will will draft/trade up, or try to land a FA. Romo is being groomed. Campbell is being groomed. The only difference is that one was a first round reach. I'm interested to see what happens. I don't have it all figured out whereas you claim to know everything.

But here's the thing: franchise QBs very seldom become available either through free agency or by trade. If Culpeper works out in Miami, that's the exception, not the rule. So you're probably going to have to draft your new franchise QB, and unless you get lightening in a bottle and get another Roethlisberger, you're gonna be stuck waiting for a guy to develop for a couple of years. If Romo works, I will tip my hat to Parcells. Kurt Warner all over again. But I doubt it. Of course, that's why I get paid such a high salary for my opinions :laugh:



This is just ludicrous. Julius Jones has two of the best single game rushing performances in franchise history and we've had a few good running backs. I can't argue that we're somewhat unproven in this area but we're certainly young and deep at RB.

Which part is ludicrous? His injury history? His inability to stay on the field? Two single games do not a career make. Ask Timmy Smith. You are young, yes, but not proven and not particularly deep, imo. Again, if Parcells is going with Jones over Barber, Barber can't be as good as I think he is. And I have a fairly low opinion of Jones, given his injuries. Not a great situation, imo.



T.O.'s age, at this point, is not a factor and you know it. Our starters should play long enough to all us to DRAFT or ACQUIRE replacements. One good thing about T.O. being slowed is that others have had a chance to get some serious work. The word in our camp is that Sam Hurd has been the best receiver so far.

TO's age is nota factor b/c he will be off the team before his body slows down, is that what you mean? OK, I can see that one. If Sam Hurd is outplaying Crayton and Glenn, well, have fun this season.



Incorrect. Andre Gurode is only 28 and is having a stellar camp according to several sources.

I'm not losing any sleep over our D-line. IMO, this is a position of strength and depth for us.

You have one offensive lineman you're grooming. Man, my mistake.



Once again, IMO our LB's are a position of strength and depth. Bradie James quarterbacked a top 11 ranked D last year in his first year as a starter. He should be that much better this year. Kevin Burnett (last years second rounder) is coming back very nicely from injury. Remember, this is our second year running a 3-4 and BP has the pieces in place this year. Our talented first round pick may not even start this year and that speaks volumes for our depth.

Right, I did forget about Burnett. You're LBs are good, but it's too early to tell how good. They are young, which means they will develop together, which could turn into quite a strength. This unit does scare me some.



Honestly what are we doing here. We both hate each others team and our evaluations will always be tainted. Henry was playing at a pro-bowl level before being slowed with injuries. Newman is coming into his own and will be in Hawaii at the end of the year IMO. For whatever it's worth, RW keeps getting voted to pro-bowls and he's one of the most disruptive strong safeties in the league. If Pat Watkins is anywhere near as good as what I'm reading/hearing from camp, we may finally get some stability at the FS spot as well.

What we are doing here is arguing on a message board. Pointless really. But fun.

Pro Bowls are meaningless and you know it. Watkins could work nicely for you. Your secondary is good, but again, you lack a lot of depth.



Very tainted closing. Sometimes you can't be young and dominant at every position. We clearly will have to replace some positions sooner than others but I think we have an excellent balance of youth and experience on our team heading into this season. IMO our front seven is young, promising and deep whereas you say suspect. Crayton, Green, Fasano, Jones, Barber, Thompson, Gurode and Witten are all young and promosing on offense. I'm not saying that we don't have holes on our team, just disputing your definitive claims of how we'll fair in the next 1-3 years from now. In this day and age, holes can be filled rather quickly with decent management.

The point of my comments is bolstered nicely in your last two sentances. You have holes now, and Parcells has no exit strategy. Neither does Jones. Parcells will leave on his own terms, when he is ready, and ... leave Jones in charge of everything again? Great, how's that been working for you the last 10 years? Nice post, but too many holes, sorry.

[Goaldeje]

If, and I say If, Tony Romo works out to become our starter, wouldn't we have had him on our roster the last 3 years?


That's a big "if" and you know it. But yes, if Romo works out, I will tip my hat. Would you like to now acknowledge the rest of my post?

[tr1]

What's all the fuss about Romo. Bill said Henson made a completion the other day. My money's on Henson. After all, Jerrah is calling the shots.

[kingfish50]

Goaldeje
Just wanted to thank you for the great rebutals to THEHEREAFTER. There were a couple of intances where I was about to refute his statements, but after reading your posts, you covered it all and there was no need.
The one thing I do want to point out however, is that cowBoy fans love to cite history as evidense of BP's success. It's always that 4th year comment, where he gets his teams to the Super Bowl. If history is any indication of BP, he's also left every team in shambles after his many retirements due to stocking his teams with starter type players only, with short term contracts (as in this year, it's a do or die to the Super Bowl), and not filling the needs of your most important part of the team, the offensive line!
There's only one player at that position they can bank on and that's Flo and that's asumming he can fully overcome his injury from last year. Thier other starters are 2nd string players at best on any other team, so what does that say about thier depth?
BP has done a decent to pretty good job at filling the needs on defense, which is his forte, defense. He is by no means, any kind of offensive genious or in my opinion, not a very good offensive coordinator. His ego will not let him have somebody else who is more qualified, take control of that unit.

[Goaldeje]

Goaldeje
Just wanted to thank you for the great rebutals to THEHEREAFTER. There were a couple of intances where I was about to refute his statements, but after reading your posts, you covered it all and there was no need.
The one thing I do want to point out however, is that cowBoy fans love to cite history as evidense of BP's success. It's always that 4th year comment, where he gets his teams to the Super Bowl. If history is any indication of BP, he's also left every team in shambles after his many retirements due to stocking his teams with starter type players only, with short term contracts (as in this year, it's a do or die to the Super Bowl), and not filling the needs of your most important part of the team, the offensive line!
There's only one player at that position they can bank on and that's Flo and that's asumming he can fully overcome his injury from last year. Thier other starters are 2nd string players at best on any other team, so what does that say about thier depth?
BP has done a decent to pretty good job at filling the needs on defense, which is his forte, defense. He is by no means, any kind of offensive genious or in my opinion, not a very good offensive coordinator. His ego will not let him have somebody else who is more qualified, take control of that unit.


Hey, anytime I get to rebut a Cowboys fan is fun, thanks. :cheers:

I completely agree with your remarks on Parcells' ability to coach offense. It will interesting to see how things go without Payton this year, though certainly it will be spun as a positive in Cowboys land.

[flave1969]

Bledsoe was sacked 13 times in 6 games when Flo went down. Get it right. That's approx. 34 sacks on the season.


Just quoting your guy maybe he should get it right.