Jerry Jones Uncertain About Flozell Adams’ Future in Dallas

This post will be short, but we wanted to address the news that owner Jerry Jones has been non-committal on left tackle Flozell Adams’ future with the team.  Adams is due a $2.5 million roster bonus in June, meaning the Cowboys will decide on his fate by then.  The team is fortunate to be in a position to decide on Adams’ future after the draft.

Jones reportedly believes Doug Free is ready to take over at left tackle.  We couldn’t disagree more.  Despite handing out a “C-” overall grade to Adams for the ’09 season, we believe he should stay in Dallas in 2010.  Why?

• There is no better option at left tackle as of now.

• Doug Free’s ability to play left tackle is uncertain.

• Releasing Adams would create problems with depth.

• There is no financial reason to cut Adams, as 2010 is an uncapped season.

• While speculative, Adams may be able to transition to guard.

The draft will undoubtedly be an enormous factor (and perhaps the sole factor) in the decision to release or retain Adams.  Let’s hope Jerry makes the right choice.

Cowboys News and Notes: 3/23/10

• Idaho guard Mike Iupati will be visiting Dallas.

• The Cowboys will split training camp between San Antonio and Oxnard, CA.

• Is Brandon Spikes falling down boards?  We still like him as a good fit in Dallas.

• ESPN seems to think Doug Free will replace Flozell Adams at left tackle.  Don’t be so sure.

• The Cowboys are not close to reaching a contract extension with WR Miles Austin.

• The Cowboys received no compensatory draft selections.

Cowboys News and Notes: 3/19/10

• ESPN analysts debate the Cowboys’ plans with the 27th overall draft pick.

• We graded the Dallas’ running backs, and you can find more great analysis here.

• Penn State LB’s Navorro Bowman and Sean Lee have visits with the Cowboys.  So does Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant.

Miles Austin and Kevin Ogletree Playing

• If the Cowboys truly value game tape, Florida LB Brandon Spikes would be a great selection in the second round.

• Will Marion Barber still be a starter in 2010?

Cowboys News and Notes: 3/17/10

• The Cowboys are searching for offensive linemen to select in the first round.

• Tickets for the Cowboys’ first preseason game are on sale.

• Could the Cowboys trade out of the first round?

• Don’t forget Dallas had an opportunity to draft Brady Quinn, but passed due to their confidence in Romo.

• The Giants spoiled the Cowboys’ 2009 stadium opener.  Dallas might return the favor in 2010.

• Some are calling the team’s 2009 draft class a dud.

Is Doug Free Suited to Play Left Tackle?

Doug Free did a respectable job filling in at right tackle for the injured Marc Colombo last season.  We gave him a ‘B-‘ in pass protection and a ‘C+’ in the run game in our 2009 Offensive Line Grades.  In fact, he actually performed slightly better than starter Marc Colombo in our rankings.

Doug Free's ability to play left tackle is a big question mark for Dallas.

Cowboys fans and writers alike are assuming Free will eventually make the transition to left tackle.  Not so fast.  Free performed admirably for a backup player, but do we really think he is ready to protect Romo’s blind side?

The uncertainty surrounding Free’s ability to play left tackle is one of the main reasons we believe the Cowboys should retain Flozell Adams in 2010.  At right tackle, Free rarely faced the opposition’s best pass-rusher (although he did effectively neutralize Jared Allen in the divisional playoff game).

Still, he has not withstood the test of time.  Entrusting a player with only half a season of play under his belt with the task of keeping the franchise quarterback safe is risky to say the least.

Thus, expect the Cowboys to address the tackle position early (and perhaps often) in the upcoming draft.  In our opinion, drafting a stud tackle to groom behind Adams for a year is the most rational path for Dallas to take and their most likely ticket to success.  This rookie could prepare himself to start in 2011, with Adams then leaving the team or possibly moving to guard.

Free might eventually battle Colombo for the starting right tackle job, but he certainly makes a very trustworthy swing tackle.

Top Five Reasons Brandon Marshall Will Not Join the Cowboys

Brandon Marshall is one of the most talented receivers in the NFL. So why would he be a poor fit in Dallas?

Of all the players that Cowboys fans could want, we hear Brandon Marshall’s name come up more than any other.  The reasons are obvious.  Big.  Strong.  Fast.  21 receptions in one game.

Marshall is also ripe for the picking as the Broncos only placed a first round tender on the stud receiver, practically begging another club to provide him with a one-way ticket out of Denver.

With Roy Williams struggling, why not give up a late first round pick for a player who would be dynamite outside opposite Miles Austin?  The reasons are below.

1.  Like T.O., Marshall would not take a back seat as a secondary option.

We recently detailed why T.O. would probably not respond well to being a complementary player in Dallas.  The same is true of Marshall.

Would Marshall come in and automatically be the Cowboys’ number one receiver, or would it be Austin?  It could be more of a 1A and 1B situation, but either way, Austin is too good to not continuously utilize.

Our inclination is that Marshall would want to see the bulk of the targets in the passing game.  There just are not enough balls to go around to effectively satisfy Marshall, Austin, and Witten and maintain a dominant running game.  Someone would be unhappy, and do we really want it to be players who have already put their heart into playing for the silver and blue?

2.  In addition to yielding a first round pick, the Cowboys would also have to provide Marshall a long-term contract.

The Cowboys could only land Marshall by signing him to an offer sheet.  That contract offer obviously has to have enough guaranteed money that Marshall will be willing to sign it.

After dishing out $45 million to Roy Williams and another big-time deal in the works for Austin, the Cowboys, surprisingly, will be a bit short on funds.

The organization could theoretically dump a huge portion of the contract into the 2010 uncapped season, but Jerry Jones is no fool.  He has already stated the Cowboys have imposed a team-mandated salary cap for themselves.

Signing Austin long-term takes precedent over bringing in a guy like Marshall.  After that happens, an offer to Marshall would mean the club would be investing well over $100 million in three wide receivers.  Not exactly business-savvy.

3.  Marshall does not fit the character profile of the current Cowboys’ players.

The Cowboys released T.O., Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson, and Greg Ellis last offseason.  There was a method to their madness.  The current roster is composed of 53 stand-up, intelligent, high-character guys.

This is not to say that Marshall cannot be those things, but he has proven that he can become a bit of a distraction at times.  There is no way that Jerry, influenced by his son Stephen, will be able to justify bringing in a possible trouble-maker.

Like it or not, this man is one of the main reasons the Cowboys will not sign a big-time free agent wide receiver in 2010.

4.  Without a first round pick, the Cowboys would not be able to upgrade a more urgent position of need.

If the Cowboys do want to bolster the receiver spot, the draft is a great time to do it.  Not only will it be less of a financial burden, but the team can also save their first-rounder by drafting dodging Marshall and drafting a receiver in the mid-to-late rounds.

Signing Marshall not only eats up a lot of cash, but it also erases the Cowboys’ ability to sign an impact player (perhaps an offensive lineman), in the first round.  Instead, Dallas would have to wait until the 59th pick of the draft to upgrade either the offensive line, safety, or another position.

From the standpoint of a selfish fan, the draft without a first round pick, as we saw last year, can be quite monotonous.

5.  No one is sure how hard Marshall will play once he obtains big money.

Marshall was a fourth-rounder out of UCF in the 2006 draft.  Needless to say, his rookie contract wasn’t exactly Peyton Manning-type money.

Very talented players can alter their approach and overall mindset to football after cashing in, i.e. Jamarcus Russell.  While Marshall does appear to have the proper work ethic intact to ensure that does not happen, you can never be sure.

At the very least, there does appear to be something about Marshall that makes it appear as though he is not as serious about the game of football as, say, Austin or Witten.

Conclusions

Marshall is certainly both an uncommon talent and a unique individual.  He will undoubtedly help some team immensely–but that team us unlikely to be the Dallas Cowboys.

It isn’t that signing Marshall would be the worst thing in the world.  Heck, it could even work out for the best.  But operating a professional football team is about playing the percentages.  At this time, Marshall is not a “high-percentage play” for Dallas.

Terrell Owens Back to Dallas: Is it a Realistic Possibility?

Might T.O. be back in the blue and silver in 2010?

There have been rumblings among some Cowboys fans about the possible return of Terrell Owens to Dallas.  Like every team for which Owens has played, Cowboys fans seem to be split 50/50 on his worth to the team.

We are about the biggest T.O. supporters you will find, but in this post, we will detail five reasons why Owens won’t (and shouldn’t) rejoin the Dallas Cowboys.

First, though, let’s talk about a few of the positives of T.O. wearing the blue and silver once again.

Pros

1.  Owens practices harder than anyone.

A lot of times T.O.’s name gets grouped together with guys like Randy Moss and Chad Ochocinco, but that really is unfair to Owens.  Unlike those players, T.O. brings 100 percent to practice each and every day.  He consistently prepares himself as well as anyone in the league, year in and year out.

Not only are Owens’ on-field behavior and production a template for the younger receivers to follow, but his work ethic also allows the Cowboys defensive backs to go against the best every day in practice.  Don’t shortchange Owens involvement in Dallas as a major factor in the success of the Cowboys cornerbacks in 2009.

2.  Despite a down year in Buffalo, it is evident Owens still has something left.

We recently spent some time looking at a few of the Bills’ late-season games in ’09.  While T.O. is obviously not what he was at age 28, he certainly can still play the game.  His speed is still very much apparent.  It would be very difficult for teams to try to take away both him and Austin deep, cover Witten underneath, and still stop the run game.

3.  T.O. would likely draw a lot of single coverage with Austin and Witten receiving a lot of attention.

Make no mistake about it–Miles Austin is the Cowboys’ #1 wide receiver.  Defenses will surely look to take him and Witten out of a game first next season, with or without the addition of T.O.  Having said that, Owens would benefit from single coverage which he very rarely saw during his first stint in Dallas.

Cons

1.  Owens is unlikely to embrace a role as the third receiving option on offense.

For the above reasons, Owens’ return to Dallas looks good on paper.  In reality, however, there is just no way T.O. is going to accept a role as the Cowboys’ third receiving option (and probably fourth option overall).  If Owens complained about not getting the ball enough when he was double-covered in Dallas, imagine how unhappy he will be if he does not get the ball when he is truly open.

2.  Bringing back Owens would stunt the growth of Kevin Ogletree.

The Cowboys want to get Ogletree more involved in 2010.  There are even rumors that he could push Roy Williams for a starting spot in training camp.

Ogletree’s playing time would become all but non-existent, though, if Owens returned to the ‘Boys.  Even if Williams got cut, Crayton would likely remain in the slot, meaning Ogletree would be just a backup to the X and Z receivers.

If the Cowboys want to see what they have in Kevin Ogletree this season, T.O.'s return is not an option.

3.  The Cowboys would be unlikely to draft a young wide receiver due to a lack of roster space.

A lot of you are clamoring for the Cowboys to select a young wide receiver to groom as the eventual replacement for Roy Williams.  While we still see an early-round selection of a wide receiver as unlikely (unless he is a return man), the Cowboys simply would not have the roster space to hold their current receivers, Owens, and a rookie.

4.  Jerry Jones will not cut Roy Williams, meaning Dallas’ top three wide receivers would not play special teams.

Even if Owens came back to town, it is unlikely Jerry Jones would give up on Williams.  He doesn’t want to admit he made a mistake on Williams, and in all fairness Roy has just one full season in Dallas under his belt.

Williams, as the third receiver, would not play special teams.  This would create a problem, particularly if David Buehler does not win the placekicking job and the team has to use two roster spots on kickers.

5.  Jerry Jones won’t bring back a player he cut immediately after claiming the Cowboys were searching for a “Romo-friendly” offense.

The reason Jones released T.O. was not because of his on-field play, but because of the perceived locker room turmoil which Owens was thought to have created.  Why in the world would the Cowboys bring back a player they deemed to be the cause of the team’s lack of chemistry, particularly after winning their first playoff game in over a decade?

Conclusion

Owens is not coming back to Dallas.  Despite the potential benefits, his return would create more problems than it would fix.  Topping that list of problems is the fact that T.O. will not embrace being a role player and Jerry Jones will not disrupt his quest to create a “Romo-friendly” offense.

Despite this, we still suggest to all Cowboys fans, “Getcha popcorn ready!”

Robert Brewster: The Key to the Cowboys’ Draft?

Could a player with zero NFL snaps influence the Cowboys' draft plans?

Robert Brewster, the Cowboys’ 2009 third round draft pick out of Ball State, was drafted as an offensive tackle.  After tearing his pectoral muscle last offseason, however, Brewster never got playing time or practice reps at tackle.

The team stated a few weeks ago that they would try Brewster out at guard, but there are now rumors that he will actually remain at tackle.

The future position of this second-year player is so important because it could determine which path Dallas takes in the upcoming draft.  If they view him as the eventual successor to Kyle Kosier or Leonard Davis inside, then perhaps they will look to draft an offensive tackle in round one.  Doing so might require that the Cowboys move up to the early 20’s.

On the other hand, if Brewster is seen as best-suited to play outside, then Idaho’s Mike Iupati or Florida’s Maurkice Pouncey may be on the Cowboys’ radar as versatile interior linemen.

Brewster’s position also has ramifications for current Cowboys such as Pat McQuistan, Montrae Holland, and Cory Procter.  If Brewster does indeed remain at tackle, for example, there is little chance that McQuistan remains in Dallas in 2010, regardless of the team’s draft plans.

Perhaps, though, our thinking is backwards.  It is very possible that, instead of Brewster determining which way the Cowboys go in the draft, the draft will determine which position Brewster plays.  This is a more likely scenario in our opinion, as it makes little sense to let a second-year third-rounder with zero playing time affect draft plans.

Instead, if the Cowboys are able to land a player such as Oklahoma OT Trent Williams, expect Brewster to move to guard.  This would be bad news for both Procter and Holland, who are in a bit of a catch 22 situation:  if the Cowboys draft a guard early then they are obviously in trouble, but if Dallas drafts a tackle early, Brewster may transition to guard and take one of their roster spots anyway.

Cowboys News and Notes 3/14/10

• Another list of Cowboys mocks

• The Cowboys planned very well for the 2010 uncapped season.

• How well can you score on the Wonderlic Exam?

• Some analysts are supporting the idea of Darren Sharper booking a ticket to Dallas, but we don’t like the fit.

• Is Randy White the Cowboys best defensive line draft selection ever?

Martellus Bennett and the Cowboys: Is it Time to Move on?

“I think I can be one of the all-time greats.  It’s part of the system.  I think the Cowboys are a great fit for me.  The system has to change for me to produce.  There’s some things they have to do on the coaching side of the ball to make me . . . fit into the system.  It’s not just all on the player.  There’s different things that have to be done to put me in a position to make those plays.”

Which Cowboys player, current or former, would you initially guess uttered these words?

Antonio Bryant?

Nope.

T.O.?

Wrong again.

These are the thoughts of none other than the Cowboys second-string (perhaps soon third-string) tight end, Martellus Bennett.  You can view the full sit-down conversation with Bennett below.

Quite the statement for a player fresh off of a 15 catch season.  But are Bennett’s struggles really due to the Cowboys’ coaches?  Are his limited opportunities the result of their ignorance or, perhaps, Bennett’s own incompetence?

In an attempt to possibly light a fire under the now third-year tight end’s, well, end, owner Jerry Jones said this after the 2009 season:

“There’s a big difference in the ‘down to business’ of those two guys (referring to Bennett and Anthony Spencer).  Spencer has been down to business since he walked in the door.  Bennett can get down to business.  I know that he can.  We all see what a tremendous weapon he is and can be.  His blocking is really as impressive as his ability to be a big target for Romo.

I’m confident he sees that.  He is extremely smart.  He can get it.  I think ‘focus’ would be the word.  He will get a lot more tweets if he is a big-time ballplayer than he will just off of his creative ability.”

Jerry hit the nail right on the head.  As of now, Bennett seems more focused on making music and getting on Twitter than learning the playbook.

But, to Bennett’s credit, Mr. Jones was also correct about his blocking ability.  It is difficult to quantify run-blocking stats for a tight end, but the Cowboys appeared to flourish when running outside to Bennett’s side.  Our numbers indicate the ‘Boys backs galloped for a gaudy 6.5 yards-per-carry when running behind the former Texas A&M standout.

Our film study also shows Bennett also allowed just one sack and four quarterback pressures on the season, despite staying in to block on pass plays quite often.

Still, Bennett’s on-field production has not coincided with his off-field attitude.  Of course confidence is a necessity in any successful football player, but questioning the offensive scheme is a pretty big “no-no” for someone with 35 career receptions.

The Cowboys rid themselves of someone who questioned authority last season in Terrell Owens.  But with all that has been made of T.O.’s locker room destruction, we would argue he is actually a better teammate than Bennett.

First, he produced.  Even in his last year in Dallas– a “down year”– Owens hauled in 10 touchdown passes.  Bennett had zero last season.

Second, and more importantly, Owens practiced as hard as anyone on the team.  As much as T.O. was ridiculed, he never let his off-field attitude pollute his tremendous on-field effort.  That does not appear to be the case for Bennett, at least not currently.

So what should the Cowboys do with Martellus?

Cut him?  Not going to happen, nor should it.

Trade him?  That boat may have already sailed.  Cincinnati reportedly offered a first round selection last year for Bennett.  The team might be happy to get a third for him now.

Of course, the future of Bennett is linked to the organization’s feelings on John Phillips.  As we detailed in our Phillips v. Deon Anderson study, the second-year tight end was a bit over-matched in the run game.  Further, having three solid tight ends is a must for a team that runs Double Tight formations more than anyone in the league.

Thus, the Cowboys are likely to stick with Bennett for at least another year and pray they can obtain his undivided focus.  If Bennett can get ‘down to business’ and cash in his ticket, the sky is the limit.

He certainly has the potential to be one of the all-time greats.

Just ask him.

Bennett certainly has the potential for greatness, but at a certain point, potential is irrelevant.