Lone Star Struck

Marcus Spears, Steven Bowen and Jason Hatcher are all becoming free agents this year. To lose them all would be a heck of a blow to a very stout D-line. Marcus Dixon , a two year practice squad vet who recently signed a reserve/futures contract, is the only valid backup. To understand what could happen with the free agents this year, you must first look at the compensation and salaries to be earned.

Four years of experience

Original pick compensation: $1.176 million

Second round tender: $1.759 million

First round tender: $2.521 million

First and third tender: $3.168 million

Five years of NFL experience

Original pick compensation: $1.226 million

Second round tender: $1.809 million

First round tender: $2.621 million

First and third round tender: $3.268 million

I believe it would be naive to think the Cowboys would simply ignore Spears and let him test the waters. The five year experience original pick compensation tender makes the most sense, since it would ensure the Cowboys a first round pick should someone sign him away and keep his salary relatively low. I know it’s a no-cap year, but Jerry most likely will be spending a little extra cash on eliminating a certain safety or o-lineman’s (or two) contract(s). I’m not naming names. You figure it out.

As for Hatcher and Bowen, I think that Bowen will receive a contract. Original pick compensation goes out the window for Bowen since he was a rookie free agent acquisition. Since Hatcher was a third round pick in ‘06, it would make sense to stick the four year original draft pick compensation tender on him and let him walk for a third round pick from a team that needs 3-4 Defensive End help. Believe me, there are quite a few. A second round tender might be pushing it and Dallas might end up stuck with a higher paying contract than Spears. (Not Smart)

Letting Hatcher walk for a third round pick would give Dallas more ammo in the draft and also would allow Dixon to take his next step in the pros. I doubt he would last another year on the practice squad. It’s do or die time for him.

Olshansky remains under a very friendly contract and should remain in place at least for the next couple of years. I think we would all agree he did very well this year replacing Canty.

I remember October 14th, 2008 like it was yesterday. I was so excited to get Roy E. Williams. He would join fellow Longhorn Leonard Davis on a Cowboys team, built to make a run now. The trade surely meant the end of the T.O. era in Dallas, which I was praying for since we first signed him, despite his production on the field. I wanted to be proud of our #1 wide receiver. This was something I could not do during the T.O. era.

After seeing what Roy did at UT and in spurts in Detroit, I knew, I JUST KNEW, he would find a way to pull it all together in Dallas. I always felt sorry for him and Kitna being on such a sorry team with such a porous offensive line. Surely their numbers would have been better on a more NFL ready team. Or so I thought.

Over a year later, I find myself defending Roy to haters and fellow Cowboys fans with the same comments and I’m starting to feel like I’m the one with the problem. He continues to have the same problems on his newly acquired national stage, over and over again, like a residual haunting. (Ghost Hunters anyone?…lol)

The drops, the poor run routes, the confused look when lining up, his lack of fire, etc. is now a proven fact. I, like him, have been sighting various excuses for the barrage of complaints thrown at him. (Although he is much better at accepting the blame than I.)

So what is the solution to this problem? I’ve heard so many say that we need to drop him. Those are the same people that don’t understand the salary cap and the current economic conditions. This is not monopoly money, kids. If we know he has been a productive receiver in the past, and his contract is prohibitive of us releasing him, we must find a way to maximize his potential.

If there were such a thing, I would be his sponsor, and take him to NFL Rehab. Like an AA meeting where NFL players and their few fans left could go and figure out a way to get the monkey off their backs and get them back on track. A place where we could go with other players with alike problems and talk about it…Get it out…

Hello my name is Roy Williams…and I am an underachiever…(Crowd says) Hello Roy!

I feel so bad about this situation guys and gals. I’ve been the one preaching to you guys to get off his back and let him realize his potential here. So far, I’ve been sadly mistaken. I’d like to hear your thoughts on how Roy could get his mojo back. We need him to do well, folks. Let’s get behind him and offer some friendly advice, wadda ya say?

After a tough loss at home, the Cowboys look to redeem themselves this Monday night on national television.

Carolina at Dallas MNF Pre Game Video

Visit LSS on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LoneStarStruck

Nate the Cowboy Ninja is getting ready for the big game this weekend. The Cowboys open up their brand spankin’ new home this Sunday night and ‘Ninja’ expects a big win to christen Cowboys Stadium. Check out the video and visit us on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LoneStarStruck.

Offense (24)

QB (3)- Romo, Kitna, McGee

RB (3)- Barber, Jones, Choice

FB  (1)- Anderson

TE  (3)- Witten, Bennett, Phillips

WR (5)- Williams, Crayton, Austin, Hurd (if healthy), Stanback (if healthy) Ogletree, Manny Johnson and Holley are the options for injured WRs

C (2)- Gurode, Gibbons

OG (4)- Davis, Kozier, Holland, Gibbons (Brewster to IR)

OT (4)- Adams, Colombo, McQuistan, Free

Defense (25)

NT  (2)- Ratliff, Siavii

DE  (5)- Spears, Olshansky, Bowen, Hatcher, Dixon

OLB (5)- Ware, Spencer,  B.Williams, Butler, Hodge

ILB (4)- James, Brookings, Carpenter, Jason Williams

CB (5)- Newman, Jenkins, Scandrick, Brown, Mickens

SS (2)- Sensabaugh, Michael Hamlin

FS (2)- Ken Hamlin, D. Smith

Special Teams  (4)

FG- Folk

KO’s/ ST- Buehler

P- McBriar

LS- Ladouceur

Most people think that this Jesse Holley guy is just a reality show gimmick for publicity. Yeah, he can play, but if he isn’t good enough for the Bengal’s practice squad, why is he good enough for the Cowboy’s 53 man roster? Well the question can actually be answered by breaking down the rest of the receivers in camp this year.

Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton are the only two absolute locks for the Cowboys this year. Their contracts and experience prohibit cutting either one.

Miles Austin and Sam Hurd, the two undrafted free agents from 2006, are the only other two on the roster with any playing time as a receiver. (Travis Wilson’s two catches for 32 yards in three years and Isaiah Stanback’s two catches for 24 yards in two seasons doesn’t cut it) Miles has the speed and hands and Sam has the possession skills. Both have been prone to injury and carry a 2nd round tender of $1.545 million that could be whipped away if released during camp.

Isaiah Stanback would be on the next tier because of his draft position, (‘07 4th rnd. 103 overall) experience with the offense and speed. Stanback’s two big setbacks are the fact that he hasn’t been able to stay on the field due to injury and his inability to grasp the total responsibilities of his position. (having played primarily quarterback in college)

Mike Jefferson, Travis Wilson and Jesse Holley have time spent in the NFL. All three lack actual game playing time and are just a notch above being rookies with the Cowboys in camp. Not to pick on him, but Mike Jefferson, who spent time on the practice squad last season, was suspended for taking a banned substance.

Manual Johnson, an ‘09 7th rnd. draft pick, Kevin Ogletree and Julian Hawkins complete this year’s receivers at camp.

So lets envision this scenario:

The Cowboys desperately want to sign Demarcus Ware before the season starts. Letting the talks go on into the season would be a distraction. The length of the contract is where the two sides don’t see eye to eye. The Cowboys want a long-term deal (likely back end loaded) and Ware wants the ability to sign another big money deal before his prime is up. This means a shorter contract and more money up front. The Cowboys will need to clear more cap space.

By Montrae Holland being able to swing from guard to center and Kyle Kosier not missing a step at right guard, this makes Cory Procter andhis $1.545 million tender expendable. It would also make the loss of 2010’s 5th round pick to the Bronco’s easier to swallow.

The Cowboys have already said they will focus on a more balanced offensive attack utilizing the three headed monster in the backfield as well as their two top flight tight ends. That’s 5 strong offensive weapons, not counting Roy Williams. They also said the reason for releasing T.O. was to give the young receivers a chance. Which young receivers? This is where it gets interesting.

We said earlier, even if they wanted to, the contracts prevent them from releasing Roy and Patrick. They are also the only REAL experience at that position. I would also include Miles Austin in this final group due to his experience (limited) and speed to stretch the field. He is also used with Felix Jones to return kickoffs. Isaiah Stanback is a burner and can also be used in return situations on special teams. He also has the full support of Jerry Jones, but if he can’t stay healthy, he could be looking for a job elsewhere. Sam Hurd is basically viewed as a younger Crayton, but with injury concerns and a $1.545 million price tag. Because of their plethora of offensive weapons elsewhere, the Cowboys could avoid his salary by signing another receiver in the group with a similar skill-set for much less money.

Jerry doesn’t want this 4th and Long show to be viewed as a publicity stunt. This could also damage the reputation of Michael Irvin. If Jesse Holley can continue to improve in both his receiving and special teams play, he should be in a great position to earn the final receiver spot on the 53 man roster.

The others would only be in the mix if Stanback gets hurt again and one of them drastically stands out.

Approximately $3 million is saved and Ware’s contract becomes a closer reality.

How ’bout them apples?…I mean Cowboys

As our Fantasy Football Drafts are rapidly approaching, I thought I’d share my lists of top 10 players for the upcoming season. This list will change, slightly, as rosters are finalized by the end of the pre-season.

For rookie Fantasy teams, it’s a good idea to look at the experts’ views on where players are projected to be drafted, then make your own educated guess on where your final ranking should be for your league’s draft.

If you are using NFL.com’s free Fantasy Football league, (very popular and easy to use) you can look at where the default rankings are and move them around to your liking. This feature is located on your team page in the upper right hand corner where it says “Don’t forget to rank your players”. Once you click on this, the default is the Expert’s Rankings. It also gives you the option to rank players according to position or in a single list.

You can also practice your drafting techniques by joining mock Fantasy Drafts. My favorite is located on CBS Sports where it will store your drafts so you can study them later when you might have more time for analysis.

If all of this is just mumbo-jumbo, but you don’t want to be left out of the fun, here is a great link that explains the basics of Fantasy Football and should give you the confidence you need to enter the exciting world of Fantasy Football:
http://www.nfl.com/fantasy/fantasy101

According to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballTalk.com, the Cowboys are continuing the trend of getting tough with their own players. Not only have they rid themselves of the “bad eggs” on the team, they are now imposing large fines for players showing up to camp overweight.

Says coach Wade Phillips, “I expect them to be in the best shape they’ve been in. That’s part of being accountable, not only to their teammates, but to themselves.”

The new fine equals the league’s maximum allowable amount, equalling $453 for every pound the player is overweight come training camp.

With this amount being very public now, I’m sure every player on the current roster is well aware of the weight they are supposed to be come late July and will make darn sure they show up ready to go. The media embarrassment would be far greater punishment than the monetary fine imposed should such infraction occur.

The new look and tough attitude continues to make me proud. We’re gettin there Cowboys fans…We’re gettin there…

If the late great Tom Landry never were born, Jimmy Johnson would, by far, be my favorite coach. He demanded nothing less than excellence and was rewarded with two Super Bowl wins. (Should have been three, had it not been for the fued with Jerry Jones.)

Jimmy had a seat right next to Jerry at a country concert, opening Cowboys Stadium. Speculation would have to be that Jimmy would be discussed along with Mike Holmgren and Mike Shannahan to take over coaching duties, should God forbid, the Cowboys have another disappointing year. According to Sheil Kapadia, a contributing writer on Mike Florio’s ProFootballTalk.com, Jimmy misses nothing about his coaching days.

”I’ve programmed myself to never look back,” he told Dan Le Betard of the Miami Herald. “I’ve blocked out the past. Every dream or nightmare I had for 20 years was dealing with a football game. Stupid stuff. A nightmare that our uniforms weren’t ready or something like that. I haven’t had a football dream for six or seven years. You know the last dream I had? That I couldn’t get through airport security because I was carrying a monkey.”

That last line nearly made me pee my pants. I could just see Jimmy saying that. He’s super serious when it comes to work, and as laid back and fun loving as anyone you’ll ever meet. Just a great guy. Period.

He then went on to explain how coaching further complicated his life and possibly made him be someone he wasn’t.

“I was happy in my accomplishments — fulfilled, satisfied, proud, very proud — but I didn’t have true joy,” he said. “I had a responsibility when I was coaching. And that was overriding everything. Family. Friends. Not just friends but even the idea of friendship. I didn’t care whether I had friends or not. I was responsible if it didn’t work. And when things would go wrong, I’d get upset to no end. I’d replay it in my mind all day and night. At the end, winning was just OK but a loss just crushed me. What kind of way to live is that?”

He then goes on to explain how some of the most successful coaches in the league have such a hard time leaving the game.

”Praise is the trap. The way people tell Belichick he’s a genius and the best ever, the more he wants to become it,” Johnson said. “The way everyone says [Bill] Parcells is the master of rebuilding, the more he works to rebuild. I used to care about that stuff.”

I always love a good Jimmy Johnson interview and also look forward to seeing him on Fox Sports where he now gives us his views on Sunday games. Long live a happy and healthy Jimmy Johnson!

I know hind sight is always 20/20, but looking back at this draft I see major flaws in the Cowboys draft strategy this year. The “big idea” was to acquire depth and special teams play as well as create competition with a large number of players.

The problem is, many picks will go wasted because of a lack of roster spots available for them all to make it. Also, it seems there was too much focus on players that specialize in a certain area of their total position’s responsibilities.

For example, a strong safety that can’t really play safety but is big enough to maybe play linebacker, but is supposed to be a special teams beast, or a kicker that won’t kick field goals but might play some sort of special teams positions as well as kickoff into the endzone. There are others.

If I’m a general manager, I’m taking FOOTBALL PLAYERS. If you are an outside linebacker you better be able to rush the passer and drop back into coverage, because those are two HUGE parts of your responsibility. I’m NOT taking any “tweeners” either. There are certain types of sizes and shapes for the front seven of a 3-4 defense and even though Ratliff has proven this theory wrong, it is not something that most 3-4 defenses have luck with.

Now I’m not saying that some of the players we did take aren’t “football players”, but I am saying the players we COULD HAVE taken at the same pick were more complete and, in most cases, more highly touted.

The kicker and tight end deal, as well as their explanations for taking them, degraded this grade from a C+ to my final 2009 Cowboys draft grade of a C-.

This revised draft is not fair, in the sense, that I could see ahead and see where certain players fell. However, other than the 7th round trade up, the players I took and the positions they play, in my opinion, would have seriously upgraded our overall draft strength. Trade downs and the one trade up that we actually did are included in this revision.

This is my “revised” draft:

Trade 20. 82. 192. To Detroit Roy Williams WR and 210
51 Trade To Buffalo For 75 And 110
69. Tyrone Mckenzie SOLB
75. Rashaad Johnson FS
101. Marcus Freeman WILB
110. Lawrence Sidury Jr. WOLB
117 Trade To Tampa Bay For 120 And 229
120. Scott Mckillop SILB
Trade 156 And 210 To Atlanta For 143. Jamon Merideth OT
166. Herman Johnson OG
172. Mike Hamlin SS
Trade 197 And 208 To San Diego For 189 Coye Francies CB
227. Mike Mickens CB
229. Manuel Johnson WR/PR

After Draft Signings:

Possibly Stephen Mcgee QB
Cullen Harper QB
Rudy Carpenter QB If Mcgee Isn’t Available
Darry Beckwith ILB
Alex Boone OT
Dallas Reynolds C/OG/OT

Another crazy year of mock drafts has come to an end. If I’ve learned anything from previous years of mocking the Cowboys, it’s that you just can’t predict it. Jerry is a wheeler and dealer and no one is gonna change that. So I imagine, there will be other deals, some even involving current players, that will happen on draft day, that I simply won’t predict. The best I can do is predict a player’s worth and our want for that player at our specific picks. The following mock is my final prediction for the Cowboys in the 2009 draft.

 51. Louis Delmas S Western Michigan

I finally have a favorite at safety and here he is. My prediction is that he is the starting strong safety before the end of the year.

69. Tyrone McKenzie OLB South Florida

The only other OLB in our range I like better is Clint Sintim and he’s gone in the second round. Tyrone will have a year to learn behind Ware, Spencer and Ellis.

101. Jason Phillips ILB TCU

For me, it’s a toss up between Jason Phillips and Scott McKillop, but word has it that Jerry is high on this Texas Christian prospect and would be a great fit playing inside linebacker in Wade’s 3-4.

117. Sammie Lee Hill DT Stillman

A massive run stuffing nose tackle. Exactly what we need to move forward in 2010.

156. Domonique Johnson CB Jackson State

Depth for a very young and thin cornerback group.

166. Deon Butler WR Penn State

A speedy receiver/returner who makes the roster returning punts.

172. Alex Boone OT Ohio State

Some character concerns drop Alex nearly out of the draft, but with some love, Alex is turned into a solid backup behind Flo and Colombo.

197. Dallas Reynolds C/OG/OT BYU

This is my sleeper pick and also our future starter at left guard. Anyone who’s been following my mocks this season know of my man-crush for Mr. Reynolds. He is our new utility o-lineman (Cory Procter) for the up-coming year.

208. Cullen Harper QB Clemson

I’m not positive this is the pick, but Cullen is my clear-cut favorite amongst the 2nd tier QB’s in this draft. He has all you would want in a young QB, ready to learn from two of the best, Romo and Kitna.

210. to Denver along with pick 227, Corey Procter and Doug Free for a 2010 4th round pick

227. to Denver

The final of the thirty allowed college draft hopefuls visited Valley Ranch this past week. Three second day receivers and one first day are on this week’s list. I’m thinking they’re getting a Plan B in case Stanback doesn’t make it past camp.

This week’s visitors include:

The minute the schedule was released, the media went haywire attacking the Cowboys and predicting a disappointing season. As a change of pace, here is a comment that does quite the opposite.

Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News talks about the final four in 2009. Here’s what he had to say about one of the two NFC teams to make the list, The Dallas Cowboys:

“Now it gets interesting. In the past two years, we’ve had Giants-Packers and Eagles-Cardinals as the NFC’s championship game matchup. Not only it is hard to predict which team will make the playoffs in this conference, but the seeds also don’t mean anything.

So why not go with a third different team from the NFL’s best division, the NFC East? With Owens out of town and the team dumping some off-field baggage, the Cowboys are in position to open their new stadium in style. The defensive talent, led by DeMarcus Ware, is Super Bowl worthy. The key is becoming more efficient and balanced offensively, and helping that carry over to the entire team.

The passing game won’t lose too much once Roy Williams gets on the same page with Tony Romo, but without the crutch of T.O., the ‘Boys will lean more on a strong rushing attack as the ideal complement to their defense. Going back to the basics of pounding away with Marion Barber and Felix Jones to set up the pass will turn Dallas from a disappointing non-playoff team to the contender it should have been.”

With the draft less than two weeks away, I decided to do another mock draft with the current Cowboy’s issue of Miles Austin possibly leaving for the Jets a main focus.

We will have to adjust some contracts to make room for the draft class, Demarcus Ware’s new contract and our new receiver, Tory Holt, who before this mock draft, signs a three year contract.

Here we go.

51. Ron Brace DT Boston College
52. (from Jets) Louis Delmas S Western Michigan
69. Fenuki Tupou OT Oregon
101. Jason Phillips ILB TCU
117. Brandon Long OLB Michigan State
156. Domonique Johnson CB Jackson State
166. trade picks 166, 210, 227 and Doug Free to Denver for their 2010 third round pick.
172. Deon Butler WR Penn State
197. Dallas Reynolds C/OG/OT BYU
208. Cullen Harper QB Clemson
210. to Denver
227. to Denver

Austin and Free will free up approx. 2 million in cap money.