Lone Star Struck

We as fans have watched the progression of this rookie receiver from training camp, through the pre-season and the impact he has had on the offense so far this season. I wanted to know a little more about this young man that is catching our eye, so I have done a little digging and this is what I have uncovered for Starstruck readers.

Kevin Ogletree was born August 5, 1987 in Queens, New York and has grown into a perfect size for a wide receiver at 6 ft 2 inches weighing in at a 189 pounds. He attended Holy Cross High School in Queens where he was one catch away from making state history with 19 touchdown catches. Kevin’s senior year he caught 63 passes for an amazing 1,170 yards, that did make league history. His junior year he caught 40 passes for over 1,000 yards and made 10 touchdowns, not bad for a junior in high school. Not only did he make touchdowns, he also made 5 interceptions and led his team to a conference championship. Olgetree was quite the athlete, also playing basketball and baseball.

He attended College at Virginia where he studied as a sociology major. He played as a true freshman for seven games. He had his breakout year as a sophomore when he led the team with receptions. His junior year he ran back kick-offs for 274 yards. Kevin’s total stats at Virginia totaled 117 receptions for 1,332 yards and 9 touchdowns.

Olgetree decided to enter the 2009 Draft after his junior season, but went unnoticed. The Cowboy scouts didn’t let him slip through the cracks and he was signed immediately following the draft. As a rookie undrafted, free agent he made the cut, and made the 53 man roster.

This young  man seems to have a dream and he is not letting the fact that he wasn’t drafted slow him down in making that dream come true. Going from the practice squad to the 5th receiver is a feat in itsself. This guy has stepped up when his number is called and shows that he has worked hard to learn routes and to be on the same page as Tony Romo.

There is no lack of blogs, or interviews to research.  He’s definitely becoming a fan favorite. He has a nice personality, being able to kid around with Marty B on his show. He wants to learn from veterans like Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton. Jerry Jones said on a phone interview that he is excited about Olgetree. He’s quick, fast and they have pushed him as a rookie to make a impact on this year’s team and Kevin has responded and made plays that helped the team.

While watching an interview on the Marty B. Show I noticed a tattoo on Kevin’s right shoulder that said “Respect” , that is something that he is earning play by play.

I don’t know about you, but Kevin you have my respect and I am sure we will be seeing more and more #85 jerseys in the stands as your stats continue to grow here in Dallas.

The Dallas Cowboys second pick in this year’s draft was offensive tackle #79, Robert Brewster. Robert was born to Robert and Delaney Brewster, July 30, 1986, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Robert is 6′4″ and weighs 325.

Bernie Barre coached Robert at Wyoming High School in Cincinnati where he lettered three times and also played basketball. Robert’s Senior year he was named Cincinnati Hills League Offensive Player of the Year; he was also named All-State, All-City and was named to the Tremendous 26 Division Player of the Year.

Brewster earned a starting position his true freshman year at Ball State. They started him at right offensive tackle for the the first four games and without any problems, he was moved to right guard for the the final seven games. He had 65 knockdown blocks, helping the Cardinals average almost 300 yards per game.

Brewster was graded at 82.7% for his blocking consistency, delivering nine touchdown resulting blocks the next year. The Cardinals reduced their sacks allowed to 28 and averaged 351.2 yards per game.

In 2007, Brewster collected 105 knockdowns and had 13 blocks for touchdowns in 13 games. The Cardinals offense averaged 433.8 yards per game. With that type of play, Brewster was an All-Mid-American Conference pick.

Brewster’s final college year, he earned All-American midseason honors from Sports Illustrated and was All MAC first team choice. Brewster only allowed 2.5 quarterback sacks on 405 pass plays. He led the conference with 100 knockdowns and came in second with 14 touchdown-resulting blocks.

With all of those knockdowns, he sounds a lot like ‘Too Tall’ Jones. I haven’t heard a lot about this rookie, but I am looking forward to see what he can do at training camp. We all know how much press an offensive linemen gets right?

I am sure that every reader knows the name QB Jon Kitna.  Kitna has been around or 12 seasons.  Jon is 36 years old, weights 220 and is 6-2.

Jon started his career with the Seattle Seahawks in 1997 and played for them 4 years.  He moved on to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2001 for 5 years. The last team he played for is the Detroit Lions until the end of last season, and now he is a Dallas Cowboy. 

Was it a good move for us to pick up another back-up QB? Definitely.

Is Jon Kitna worth trading CB Anthony Henry?  Some might say no, but I say why not? It’s time to see what we got with Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick.

Jon Kitna in my opinion is great back-up material.  He is a veteran that knows the game.  He has recently said he hopes he never has to take a snap during a game.  I like that about him. He knows his role and seems to be satisfied with it.

Jon Kitna’s stats are nowhere close to Tony Romo’s, but he’s a backup and he is an upgrade over Brad Johnson.

He has a total of 27,293 yards passing.  Kitna’s 2008 stats, during 4 games that he played were not bad at all. Sure they lost all the games, but come on we are talking about the Lions. 

He had a QB rating of 72.2 which is not bad.  He threw 5 touchdowns and had threw for 758 yards.  The only negative I see is that he did throw 5 interceptions. We all know that a receiver may have run a bad route or their was a miscue in the huddle. So the interceptions aren’t bothering me yet.

Let’s all hope that  Jon’s wish comes true and he never has to take a snap during a game and Romo stays healthy all season. But if he does have to step in, I’m confident he can hold down the fort.

I am going to kick off this new series with the Cowboys first pick in the 2009 NFL draft, linebacker #58 Jason Williams.

Jason attended Western Illinois College. He stands 6-1 and weights 238. From the research I have done on Jason he seems to be one of the most underrated players in the draft. Jason switched from strong safety to weak side linebacker in his sophomore year. He ranked among the nation’s leaders in forced fumbles and tackles behind the line of scrimmage in the last three years.

Jason attended DeSable High School in Chicago. He was highly regarded for his rushing and passing ability as a linebacker. Jason rushed for 2,988 and threw for 3,015 yards. He had a total of 71 total touchdowns in his high school career, which led to a undefeated season his Senior year and earned him two All-City and All-Section honors.

Williams enrolled at Western Illinois as a 200 pound athlete in 2004, where he red-shirted. In 2005, he appeared in 10 games, not seeing much action early in the year being listed third on the depth chart at strong safety. His special team talent helped him get a starting position for the team’s two final games. When he got the chance to play he took advantage and had 23 tackles with a stop for a loss and one blocked kick.

In 2006 Williams continued to be a terror on special teams. Jason switched to weak side linebacker, he was the only defender to start all 11 games. He received the teams’ Green Beret Award for his talent on the kicking game. He also ranked second on the team with 92 tackles, three sacks, and 10.5 stops for a loss and he also caused three fumbles.

In 2007 Jason was on fire, He made All-American and All-Gateway conference first-team choice,finished second in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year. He also led the team with 107 tackles and eight sacks. He led the conference with 16.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage. He also recovered two fumbles.

Williams’ senior year in 2008 he was named a consensus All-American and a unanimous All-Gateway Conference first-team selection. He came in 4th in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in the FSC ranks. He started every game as a weak-side linebacker, leading the nation with a school season-record six forced fumbles, the second best total by a Gateway player. He finished 2nd in the league with team high 17 stops for a loss and had 4 sacks among his 67 tackles 39 being solo’s.

So after researching Jason Williams I can now understand why he was considered underrated in the draft.

He certainly seems to have the talent to be an impact player and I look forard to seeing him wreak havoc on the footbal field in 2009!