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UPDATED: Tender Me This

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With the deadline coming up in eight days, the Cowboys still have several players yet to sign their tenders. Several are unhappy and the rest have been very quiet.

Gerald Sensabaugh for example decided not to participate in the first offseason conditioning program this week. According to his agent he is not under contract but has been training six days a week on his own.

Marcus Spears and Steve Octavien signed their tenders yesterday. Cory Procter was the first to sign the tender back in March, which actually makes perfect sense.

I expect the remaining unsigned players will jump on board soon. I believe Miles Austin knows he will get his money eventually and hopefully it will all work out smoothly.

Interestingly enough, Alan Ball hasn’t signed his exclusive rights tender and with the release of Ken Hamlin he could be more essential than ever before.

Its been a slow and silent offseason regarding free agency and the Dallas Cowboys. With our rivals signing big names we have remained very conservative to say the least. Maybe that’s because we already have the players we need for a championship team. After the draft, hopefully we will have a few eager rookies who will complete this team that not only were the division champs, but also won their first playoff game in 12 years.

NOTE: We will update this post as the players continue to sign in the days to come.

UPDATE (4-7-10): Pat McQuistan has signed his tender.

UPDATE (4-8-10): Jason Hatcher and Junior Siavii have signed their tender.

UPDATE (4-9-10): Stephen Bowen has signed his tender.

Deadline: April 15th

Restricted Free Agents

Miles Austin, First Round Tender

Sam Hurd, Second Round Tender

Pat Watkins, Original Draft Pick

Duke Preston, Original Draft Pick

Gerald Sensabaugh, Second Round Tender

Stephen Bowen, Second Round Tender – SIGNED

Jason Hatcher, Second Round Tender – SIGNED

Junior Siavii, Original Draft Pick – SIGNED

Pat McQuistan, Original Draft Pick – SIGNED

Corey Procter, Second Round Tender – SIGNED

Marcus Spears, Original Draft Pick – SIGNED

Cletis Gordon – SIGNED 1 Year Deal

Shaun Suisham – NOT TENDERED

Unrestricted Free Agents

Montrae Holland, Unrestricted Free Agent

Exclusive Rights Free Agents

Steve Octavien, Exclusive Rights Tender – SIGNED

Alan Ball, Exclusive Rights Tender

Admitting Depression Is The First Step To Recovery

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  Well after what has seemed to be an eternity, I have decided to crawl out of my off-season hole and get back into the real world. I apologize to my co-writers and to our Lone Star Struck fans for not blogging about our Cowboys. Ever since that loss to the Vikings, I have been in, what I did not want to believe, a depressed state of mind. I have finally realized that loss affected me more than I thought it did. I said right after the loss, just like most of us did, its ok we got our first playoff win in 12 years. We had a great season and this season was a step forward. While all of that is true, that loss devastated me. Not because it was such a great season and I know we have the team to go all the way, but because the way we lost that game.

 We were the better team going into that game and EVERYONE knew it. The Cowboys were FINALLY getting the credit they deserved. A stout defense, an offensive line that protected and made holes for 3 GREAT running backs. A TRUE CONTENDER! I do not know what happened that dreadful day but I am now admitting it is eating me apart from the inside out. That is all I can think about and the only way to get back to myself is to write about it.

 As for the upcoming season. Free agency has just started and what an active season it is. The SECOND and maybe even third best defensive end in the league, Julius Peppers, has gone to Chicago. Of course the first being Demarcus Ware and second Anthony Spencer. Although I think we might all agree that Spencer needs a year or two more experience! With all the free agents out there and all the teams that need help in their areas, I have not heard much talk about the Cowboys needs. To me, that means we don’t have any real “needs”. We have what we need to take this team to the next level. We are a championship team.

Today Is Deadline For Tendering Offers To Restricted Free Agents

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Today is a big day for the Cowboys as they must tender offers to their 13 restricted free agents by the 11:00 pm CST deadline tonight.

You can be sure that both wide receiver Miles Austin and safety Gerald Sensabaugh will both receive high tenders from the Cowboys and that neither will be going anywhere.

Clarence E. Hill of the Star-Telegram speculates that Austin will receive the highest tender possible — a one-year salary of $3.168 million and compensation of a first- and third-round pick if he signs with another team.

Sensabaugh will likely be tagged with the first-round tender of $2.62 million. If he signs with another team, the Cowboys would get a first-round pick in return.

The other Cowboys restricted free agents include:

DT Stephen Bowen
G Cory Procter
G Duke Preston
DE Jason Hatcher
NT Junior Siavii
WR Sam Hurd
S Pat Watkins
OT Pat McQuistan
DE Marcus Spears
PK Shaun Suisham
CB Cletis Gordon

Of those eleven, I suspect that 3-4 of them may not be returning next season including Suisham and Gordon.

I was very surprised when the Cowboys decided not to place the franchise tag on Miles Austin last week which would have paid him a guaranteed one-year, $9.52 million deal that would’ve required another team to give up two first-round picks as compensation for signing him to a non-matching offer sheet.

I was a little worried that we might be exposing Miles Austin to a slight risk of employment elsewhere if another team should beat the Cowboys tender, but felt more at ease after reading this in the Dallas Morning News.

Not many teams in league history have been willing to relinquish a first- and third-round pick for a restricted free agent. Almost none, in fact. In 1998, Bill Parcells brought restricted running back Curtis Martin with him from the Patriots to the Jets. The Patriots were unwilling to match the Jets’ six-year, $36 million offer sheet and took a first- and third-rounder in return. Eighteen players received the high tender over the next 10 years. None were pried away by a rival’s offer sheet.

Good to know…

Cowboys Free Agents for 2010

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I know it’s been a little over 24 hours since the Cowboys season ended. And I know most of us probably need a break from the long season, but a wise person once told me that the season never ends on LSS.

Here is a list of the Cowboys Free Agents for 2010.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
OG Montrae Holland

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
WR Miles Austin
DE Stephen Bowen
CB Cletis Gordon
DE Jason Hatcher
WR Sam Hurd
OT Pat McQuistan
C Duke Preston
C Cory Procter
S Gerald Sensabaugh
NT Junior Siavii
DE Marcus Spears
K Shaun Suisham
S Pat Watkins

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENT
CB Alan Ball
LB Steve Octavien

I’m sure we will all agree who should be at the top of the list to sign. I’m also trying to get a list of the 2010 Free Agents from the other NFL teams.

Here are my thoughts on the Cowboys list of Free Agents.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
OG Montrae Holland, Depth on the line. Maybe

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
WR Miles Austin, Of course we need to sign him. He has earned it
DE Stephen Bowen, Sign him. I like his upside
CB Cletis Gordon, Don’t know much about him
DE Jason Hatcher, Sign him. Like Bowen I like his upside
WR Sam Hurd, Decent receiver, but nothing special
OT Pat McQuistan, If we can find better in FA or the draft then say goodbye
C Duke Preston, Never really got a chance to see him
C Cory Procter, Goodbye
S Gerald Sensabaugh, Need to sign him. Loved his play this season
NT Junior Siavii, Could go either way. Need a backup for Ratliff
DE Marcus Spears, Have never been a fan. I like Bowen and Hatcher better
K Shaun Suisham, After Sunday. Goodbye
S Pat Watkins, Great special teams player and decent safety

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENT
CB Alan Ball, Needed depth in secondary
LB Steve Octavien, Never really got a chance to see him

In other news today it has been reported by many people that Jerry Jones will keep Wade Phillips as the head coach. After how the team played this season, especially the second half of the season I think this was a good decision. No word on any other coaches which includes Jason Garrett. I have mixed feelings on Garrett, but since Phillips is staying on my thought is that Garrett will stay as well.

Will there be trades involving the Cowboys this off-season and before the draft? We all heard that before the trading deadline in 2009 that Cincinnati wanted Martellus Bennett. Could this still be a possible trade with John Phillips developing into a good tight end? If not to Cincinnati maybe another team?

What about Tashard Choice? Please don’t kill me on this thought because I love him on the Cowboys, but maybe it might be a good idea to explore the possibility. Kind of like striking while the fire is hot. Choice could start for a lot of teams in the league. Marion Barber and Felix Choice are the main backs in the Cowboys offense. Just a thought.

Free Agent WR’s That Remain

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After seeing that we only drafted one WR and only have 2 coming in as undrafted rookie free agents. I figured I would take a look and see who was still out there that could serve as a # 3 or #4 reciever if they come in and earn the job should Dallas sign one of them. This List only Contains WR’s that have been Released or are UFA’s, let me know which of these WR’s if any of them could help us this year at the #3 or #4 slot if they earn it.

  1. Drew Bennett-8 yrs in NFL
  2. Shaun Bodiford-3 yrs in NFL
  3. Marty Booker-10 yrs in NFL
  4. Drew Carter-5 yrs in NFL
  5. Jason Carter-2 yrs in NFL
  6. Keary Colbert-5 yrs in NFL
  7. William Franklin-2 yrs in NFL
  8. Mike Furrey-5 yrs in NFL
  9. D.J. Hackett-5 yrs in NFL
  10. Dante Hall-9 yrs in NFL
  11. Marvin Harrison-13 yrs in NFL
  12. Ike Hillard-12 yrs in NFL
  13. Darrell Jackson-9 yrs in NFL
  14. Matt Jones-4 yrs in NFL
  15. Joe Jurevicius-11 yrs in NFL
  16. Ashley Lelie-7 yrs in NFL
  17. Brandon Lloyd-6 yrs in NFL
  18. Dane Looker-8 yrs in NFL
  19. Shaun McDonald-6 yrs in NFL
  20. Tab Perry-4 yrs in NFL
  21. Jerry Porter-9 yrs in NFL
  22. Koren Robinson-7 yrs in NFL
  23. Edell Shepherd-5 yrs in NFL
  24. Amani Toomer-13 yrs in NFL
  25. Reggie Williams-5 yrs in NFL

Undrafted Free Agents Arriving

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It has been reported by DallasCowboys.com that even after drafting 12 players over the weekend, they are not done. Five players are expected to sign with the Cowboys sometime on Monday with three or four more scheduled to make a visit.

1. Rudy Carpenter, Arizona St. QB – 6-3,  225

2. Travis Bright, BYU. OL – 6-5,  316

3. Kevin Ogletree, Virginia. WR – 6-1, 196

4. Julian Hawkins, Boise State. WR – 6-3, 223

5. Jamar Hunt, Texas-El Paso. TE – 6-7, 260

A full list of undrafted free agents will not be released by the Cowboys until this Thursday as also reported by DallasCowboys.com

Chiefs Sign Former Cowboys TE Tony Curtis

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As reported by dallascowboys.com, The Kansas City Chiefs have signed Tony Curtis to fill in a roster spot left open when they traded Tony Gonzales to Atlanta.

The Kansas City Chiefs announced the signing of former Cowboys tight end Tony Curtis today. Curtis was one of five restricted free agents for the Cowboys this season, but the team did not submit a tender offer for the former undrafted free agent.

Curtis came to the Cowboys after the 2005 draft and spent more than a year on the team’s practice squad. He had a short stint on the active roster in 2006, then went to NFL Europe in 2007.

A 6-5, 251-pound project out of Portland State, Curtis may best be remembered for his three catches in 2007, all of which went for touchdowns. He proved versatile as a blocker this season, filling in for injured fullback Deon Anderson against Green Bay in Week 3.

It was Curtis who blew his assignment on the blocked punt against Arizona that not only cost the Cowboys the game, but put Mat McBriar out for the season. He began the season as the usual No. 2 tight end, but eventually saw his playing time decreased as rookie Martellus Bennett matured in the offense.

The Chiefs had previously met with Cowboys unrestricted free agent safety Keith Davis this off-season, but the special teams captain left without an offer.

Cowboys Secondary is a Primary Concern

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We are three weeks into free agency and I have to admit am very concerned about our secondary situation.

First, we release Adam Jones, which even though he has skills was a must move. Then we trade Anthony Henry for our new backup quarterback. I still don’t understand the move with free agents like Garcia and Leftwich still out there looking for jobs.

Another questionable move was the Roy Williams release. As bad as he was in pass coverage, he is better than what we have right now.

The only addition to  the secondary is Gerald Sensabaugh, who is mediocre at best. Although Sensabaugh did have his best year in Jacksonville in 2008, he has had some trouble with the law. After being arrested three times, the latest in February, he may start the season on suspension by the NFL. This signing baffles me. He is the exact type of player the Cowboys are trying to avoid, but thats another story for a different time.

Safeties… So as of right now Ken Hamlin and Patrick Watkins are our starting safeties, with Tra Battle and Courtney Brown as backups. Sensabaugh will jump into the starting lineup whenever he is available to play. This absolutely scares me that we have no one better than him to start. Keith Davis is still on the roster but expected to sign somewhere else shortly. There is very little left out in free agency. A Darren Sharper or Mike Brown maybe, but signing Sensabaugh tells me Jerry is not looking for another safety in free agency. I have seen Patrick Chung in a lot of mock drafts being there for the Cowboys at pick 51. He is a Roy Williams type that has better speed to play the pass. He would be a nice addition to the secondary and I could even see him jumping into the starting lineup at some point in ’09. After Chung the pool of safeties is not very deep so lets hope he stays out there for the ‘Boys.

Cornerbacks… Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins are the starters right now, with Scandrick and Ball as their backups. This is the scariest position for the Cowboys in my mind. With three of the four corners having 2 years or less experience in the NFL and Newman constantly being injured, it seems like a recipe for disaster. I hear people say we need to let the younger guys develop. That’s the smart thing to do, but you don’t develop them by throwing them out into the starting lineup on a team that should be contending for the Super Bowl. Jerry needs to sign a veteran so the younger guys can learn by being out there on 3 or 4 receiver sets.

Scandrick and Jenkins have skills but I’d much rather see them learning against a 3rd or 4th receiver rather than getting torched by a one or two. Ken Lucas was released last week, I would love to see Jerry go after him. Other than that Dre Bly and Chris Mccallister are the only semi-decent corners left. Taking a corner in the draft just isn’t going to happen. The ‘Boys have three young talented guys they just need some guidance from experienced veterans. I don’t even want to think about how devastating it would be if Newman got injured, but recent history has shown us there is a good chance.

I know a lot of you are saying as long as we get pressure on the quarterback the young guys will be fine, right? Yes, we led the league in sacks last year, but (and I am not going to throw a big stat at you) the Cowboys had no consistent pressure at all! (Igor Olshansky should help.) Games like the Tampa, Seattle, and San Francisco  are a great examples. Yes we won the games and yes we stopped them in the red zone, but these three pathetic offenses moved the ball on us at will between the twenties. If those were decent teams we could just as easily lost.

Honestly, I hope I am wrong and that the young guys thrive. I just don’t see how we can contend for our sixth ring with the secondary in the shape it’s in.

 I am going to leave you with my stat of the offseason. The Cowboys only had 8 interceptions last year. Yes, that’s right, only 8! One pick was by a pass rush specialist, Greg Ellis, and four by Newman, that leaves only 3 picks by the rest of the secondary. That is pathetic! Only Detroit and Denver had less interceptions than the ‘Boys did last year. The Cowboys need to improve the secondary or we have no chance of contending for the Super Bowl in ’09.

Barber and Cowboys to Talk This Week

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According to reports at the Star-Telegram, the Cowboys are expect to start talks with Marion Barber and his agent this week at the NFL Combine. Barber is a restricted free agent that had a very impressive season this past year and looks to make a long term deal with the Cowboys.

For those of you who remain interested in Darren McFadden, I don’t think this is going to happen. The Cowboys have $13 million left in their salary cap and have to take care of their free agents and draft picks. McFadden would cost the Cowboys a lot of money that they just don’t have to spend. Stranger things have happened but I don’t see it.

Personally, I think the Cowboys should hold on to Marion Barber and draft another running back. They are going to need a backup. Julius Jones is definitely not sticking around and Tyson Thompson did horrible last year, even thought he didn’t get much of a chance. I’m not sure how many running backs are available in free agency, I doubt very many good ones. They are definitely hard to come by.

Lock up Barber! Do it NOW!

 

Defense Decision in Dallas

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The Dallas Cowboys have big decisions to make today. Three defense assistant coaches could leave Dallas after today. Todd Bowles, the secondary coach; Kacy Rogers, the defensive line coach; and Paul Pasqualoni, the linebackers coach become free agents.

The three assistants did not accept the contract offered on January 13th, when the Cowboys season ended. All are close with former Cowboys coach Bill Parcells and former Cowboys assisant coach Tony Sparano, who are now running the show in Florida.

If the men choose to leave, the Cowboys will being interviewing to fill the spots this week. They do not expect any of the other coaching positions to change.

Cowboys News: A Roster Move

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The Cowboys signed rookie cornerback Alan Ball to the 53-man roster yesterday and waived nose tackle Remi Ayodele. Ayodele has been inactive since Tank Johnson was signed, which also happens to the last time the Cowboys made a roster move. This year the Cowboys have only made 10 roster changes, compared with last years 53 at this point of the season.

With Terence Newman’s season long leg injury, Ball will hopefully provide a decent backup if needed. Ball had a decent preseason but a minor knee injury kept him from the team and left him on the practice squad.

Signing the seventh round pick rookie also gives the Cowboys the rights to him. If practice squad players are not signed, they become free agents after the season.

dallascowboys.com

 

Weekly Dallas Cowboys Poll

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We are only days away from the start of training camp and the start of another great season of Dallas Cowboys football!

I thought it would be a great time to get our weekly Cowboys Poll started up once again. It was a long off season but a very busy one for the "silver and blue." There were changes at the top with a new head coach in Wade Phillips, as well as some other prominent changes to the coaching staff. We had a few losses and some key free agents signings. And of course we brought in some fresh new faces during the NFL Draft.

This week’s poll question is…

What Do You Think Of The Cowboys Off Season Moves?

1. I Loved Them, Get Your Popcorn Ready!

2. Pretty Good Off Season If You Ask Me. 

3. Who Knows, Only Time Will Tell.

4. Totally Disappointed, What Was Jerry Jones Thinking?

There you have it! I’m really interested in seeing all of your opinions, so make sure you vote today!

Once we put up our new poll, we will share the results of this one.

GO COWBOYS!