Draft Day Wrap-up: Cowboys Address RB, TE and CB Concerns
All good things must come to and end, and the Cowboys finally ended the day after accomplishing some goals and raising a couple of questions. Overall, the Cowboys had a great draft and walk away with a boatload of talent highlighted by first round picks Felix Jones - RB and Mike Jenkins - CB. Here is a recap of the weekend's haul with ESPN analisys and mine as well...
2008 Draft Selections
1. Felix Jones (RB) - Jerry Jones may not have gotten Darren McFadden, but he did get an Arkansas running back. Felix Jones is not a power back who is going to consistently push the pile in short-yardage situations, and the fact that he shared carries with McFadden in college and lacks elite size raise concerns about his ability to carry a heavy workload. However, he is a big play waiting to happen; he's quick around the corner, shifty enough to make the first defender miss and turns on the jets in the open field.
2. Mike Jenkins (CB) - Jenkins doesn't have a great deal of upper-body strength and struggles to reroute receivers at the line of scrimmage. You'd also like to see him capitalize on more opportunities to make big plays. That said, he has the potential to develop excellent man-to-man cover skills because he opens his hips well and is a quick, fast athlete. There's also a lot to like about his versatility; he can line up at safety and can make an impact as a kick returner.
3. Martellus Bennett (TE) - Bennett isn't an elite run-blocker and doesn't have great top-end speed. However, he's a great value. Watching him on film and knowing that he played college basketball for two seasons, it's hard not to compare him to San Diego tight end Antonio Gates. Much like Gates, Bennett knows how to use his size to box defenders out and he can make tough catches in traffic. Taking the comparison even further, Bennett is versatile enough to flex out wide as Gates does in the Chargers' offense.
4. Tashard Choice (RB) - Choice doesn't have breakaway speed and will put the ball on the ground, but he reads his blocks well and is a north-south runner who falls forward. He is the second running back the Cowboys have drafted and will provide depth. Also, there may be concern about getting Marion Barber signed long term.
5. Orlando Scandrick (CB) - Scandrick probably would've been better off returning for his senior year to work on his footwork and add some weight to his frame. On the other hand, he's fast enough to run with receivers downfield and he opens his hips quickly. He also has shown a knack for blocking kicks and he can make an impact in the return game.
6. Erik Walden (DE) - Walden excels at getting to the quarterback and has experience lining up at linebacker and end. This is the second pick in a row on which we feel Dallas has reached; Walden isn't big enough to hold his ground at defensive end position and his speed will make it difficult for him to be effective in coverage as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
My Analysis
Let me begin by saying I love Felix Jones and that was the running back I thought the Cowboys would get, but that was assuming Rashard Mendenhall was off the table. I can't believe we didn't draft Mendenhall. Given the choice between the powerful and speedy Mendenhall and Felix Jones, you HAVE to take Mendenhall. He is faster and a more powerful and skilled runner than Jones. While Jones has to utilize his speed to evade defenders, Mendenhall can do the same thing and also take a hit, break tackles, and keep running. Felix Jones will compliment Marion Barber well, but since when do you draft complimentary players with your first round pick? And one more thing, Mendenhall would have given the team great leverage in contract negotiations with Marion Barber who is now in the drivers seat.
My little tirade aside, I thought the Cowboys rebounded well from the first pick blunder. We picked up an excellent coverage cornerback in Mike Jenkins which is something we sorely lacked all season on the other side of Terrence Newman. Jenkin's speed will definitely upgrade the secondary this season. The Cowboy's football lines for those who are into football betting, will surely be in our favor.
Martellus Bennett has an outside shot at becoming a future star. He is an explosive tight-end with great hands and excellent blocking ability. In two tight end sets, the Cowboys now have yet another offensive weapon who can shine.
Tashard Choice will add some depth if he even makes the team out of training camp. He is a marginal runner with a skills set that makes a great NFL career highly unlikely. I could not believe the Cowboys didn't draft a wide receiver with this pick. I was hoping for Mario Mannington to be quite honest and was disappointed to see him go next to the Giants. If we don't add some depth to the pair of 34-year old starting receivers we have now... then when?
Scandrick and Walden were the final selections and the next few months will tell us if they fit in. Consider them secondary options to make the team at this point, but most late draft picks are. As far as I'm concerned, anything after the fourth round is usually a crap shoot and more akin to online football betting.
Overall I would grade this draft a solid B-. Mendenhall would have made it an A- and adding a wide receiver would have further raised the grade to an A+.
Can anyone deny that among all players on last season’s roster, no players star shined brighter than our tight end Jason Witten. 
Today I thought I would surprise all of you with a special phone interview I conducted with former Dallas Cowboy, Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson.
Tony Romo can add another accomplishment to his long list of accolades, and no I'm not talking about bagging Jessica Simpson. It was reported yesterday that NFLshop.com sold more Dallas Cowboys merchandise than any other team in the NFL. Romo led the team in sales, and he was the top-selling jersey in the nation for 2007, easily surpassing fellow quarterbacks Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning and his baby brother Eli. 
Donovan McNabb had this to say on the illegal tackle by Roy Williams...
against the Detroit Lions. It was not until the fourth quarter with just seconds left in a 27-21 game, that a Tony Romo touchdown strike to Jason Witten tied the score at 27-27, and then Nick Folk sealed the deal with the extra point.
Within the next 1-2 weeks, Terry Glenn is expected to begin practicing again, and getting himself into game day condition. The way I see it, I expect Terry Glenn to start on Thursday, November 29th, against the Green Bay Packers. With both teams currently sporting identical records of 7-1, it will be billed as "The Clash of the Titans."
ESPN also says that the deal is expected to be announced at an 11 a.m. ET press conference on Tuesday and was primarily negotiated on Romo's behalf by agents Ken Kremer and Tom Condon.
The Giants beat the damn 0-8 Miami Dolphins, not the 8-0 New England Patriots! Before that they played beat the 2-6 San Francisco 49ers, the 1-6 Atlanta Falcons, and the 1-7 New York Jets. We're supposed to be afraid of the Giants just because they won six straight games against teams with a combined record of 11-34? Gimme a freaking break!
After the first two days of training camp, there were already whispers that Gramatica's grip on the starting kickers job, had begun to loosen.
