Cowboys Camp - Early Observations

By:  Bobby Shores

Safety

As Barry Church showed up to camp with a “re-shaped” body more suited for safety than linebacker and started making plays while Pool ran laps around the field trying to get in good enough shape to be given the password into practice, it didn’t take long for Captain Obvious to show up and let us all know that he would be cut sooner rather than later. When the Cowboys signed him there were a lot of skeptics out there that didn’t think he would make the 53-man roster (myself not included). With the lack of proven guys, and the difficulty of Rob Ryan’s defense, I thought that Pool would be the veteran fallback option during the season at the least. You know, in case somebody gets hurt (like the 20% of the training camp roster currently is), but when a guy comes in that out of shape and gives off a vibe that he just doesn’t care, then let him go, they don’t need that around the team.

Not Signing Montrae Holland

I have been a big Holland fan for a couple of years, I thought he was what held our O-line together last year and when I heard that he actually showed up in good shape and had a very good tryout, I was AMAZED that they didn’t sign him! Instead they went with Derrick Dockery (understandable) and Daniel Loper (what?!?!?!?), I understand Dockery as he was one of the best guards in football a few years ago and can probably still play. Loper on the other hand has bounced around from team-to-team and barely seen any real action. I am afraid they shied away from Holland because they knew he would come in and instantly snatch a starting position away from one of the young guys (Nagy, Kowalski, Costa, Arkin) that they have failed to properly develop, or one of the free agent signings (Livings and Bernadeau), and one thing that NFL people don’t like to do is admit they were wrong or take ANY blow to their ego. Regardless I think that Holland may be brought in at some point soon, because they will not let the interior of the line sink the season before it starts….hopefully.

Cornerback STILL a problem?

All off season we long we raved (or I did) about how the 2011 Cowboys biggest weakness was about to become the 2012 teams biggest strength, cornerback! They went out and signed arguably the best CB on the market in Brandon Carr, drafted not only the best CB in the draft but the best defensive player in the draft Morris Claiborne, coupled with Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick plus a young guy or two and we were gonna be stacked! Well Jenkins is still out with a shoulder injury, Claiborne has missed nearly every practice since the draft with injuries. Now we are looking at possibly starting Carr, Scandrick and “insert name” on September 5 against the Giants! Then they release Isaac Madison from Arkansas who had been making plays according to people that are watching practices, but they keep AOA and some others? I hope that this becomes a non-issue as the CB’s get healthy and do become the strength that I envisioned.

Speaking of Corners, what about Mike Jenkins?

I know that Jenkins had a “complicated” shoulder surgery, and I have had two of those in the past 18 months so I can sympathize with him. What I can’t sympathize with though is that he decided to rehab on his own away from the team because he wanted to get traded. Now his shoulder is STILL not right and it looks like he will be out for the entire preseason! So not only is he of little use to the Cowboys, we can’t even trade him! Looks like he “cut off his nose to spite his face”. I am starting to think that he may end up on the PUP list to start the season which means he will not be able to play until between weeks 7-10. BUT, there is a new wrinkle this year, what is being called the “One Player Exemption”, where if a player is on the roster for week 1, then he can come back and play anytime after week 6 and does not take up a roster spot. Couple that with the extended trade deadline and Jenkins could come back in time to show what he has on the field and then the Cowboys can either keep him for a playoff run, or possibly trade him to a team like the Lions.

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Q & A: Should Carl Nicks Be A Cowboy?

By:  Bobby Shores

While I am still working on my Breakdown Series, unfortunately my paying job has kept me busier than anticipated and not allowed me to make the progress I have wanted on that series and it takes quite a bit of time and research to put one of those together. So in the meantime I am going to start doing a question and answer article to get some new information out there (well I am taking questions that I either read on other sites, hear on radio or have people I know ask me and answer them). I have no name for this column and hope to maybe post quick little blurbs every day or every couple of days, please leave possible name suggestions in the comments or contact me through email, twitter, facebook, etc.

Also send me questions about anything and everything football!!

Question:  I have heard lots of people (from every Cowboys website, Cowboys radio/podcast segment, Cowboys fan that I know) saying in one form or another that the Cowboys MUST go after free agent Guard Carl Nicks, NO MATTER WHAT.

ReclinerQB Thoughts:  Was Guard really the weakest position we had last year? Was it even the weakest position on the offensive line? In my opinion, not even close (Center was the weakest offensive position), yes they had some problems with consistency, and by that I mean having the same people playing from week to week. I even believe that some of the struggles that Doug Free had this year can be directly traced back to the revolving door at left guard, the team went through Bill Nagy, Kyle Kosier (before he settled in at Right Guard) Derrick Dockery, Montrae Holland and even David Arkin from the preseason on. It is very hard for a tackle to get comfortable when he is constantly having to adjust to the different style of player next to him, especially when some of them are inexperienced (both in the NFL and the style of offense you run).

With all that said, signing Carl Nicks would be a huge upgrade for just about any team as he is one of the best guards in the NFL, and at only 26, is not even in his prime. That means that there will be a lot of teams out there that will bid his price up, and there are a lot of teams that have more cap space than the Cowboys. Whichever team signs Nicks will undoubtedly be making him the highest paid guard in the history of the NFL, and he will be that teams starting guard for 5-7 years (I believe he will want a 4-5 year contract so that he can get another MONSTER payday when he is 30-31 years old, so while the contract may be publicized as a "7 year deal" it will probably be only a 4-5 year deal, realistically).

As I said on my Guard Breakdown, I (and from what I hear people in the Cowboys organization) believe that Arkin will be a starting guard in the NFL, and the team also thinks highly of Nagy (me not so much at Guard but maybe Center), and we have to remember that none of the rookies had anywhere near a regular off season due to the lockout. I think that the jump we will see in some of these players from last year to this year will be HUGE as they will have a full off season to watch film, work in the weight room, study playbooks and work with their coaches.

I am willing to go out on a limb and say that the Cowboys should only pursue Nicks if they can get him at a decent price. I would be more comfortable going after a more reasonably priced Guard in free agency (Ben Grubbs or Dan Connolly) to start at one spot and letting Arkin, Holland and Dockery battle in training camp for the other spot and keeping one of the veterans for depth (preferably Holland as I believe him and Fiammetta were the biggest reason our running game took off). In this scenario I believe we give Kosier a chance to win the starting center job as he made many of the line calls already last year and then draft a center to groom for the future (unless we can somehow land a top center in free agency).

I agree with most people that we need improved play from our interior linemen, unlike most people I believe that we have the players already on our roster, they just did not have a chance to develop because of the lockout, and we do not need to break the bank on a guard, we just need to add a strategic piece or two. The bulk of our cap space should be used to upgrade our defensive line and secondary.

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Dallas Cowboys Breakdown: Offensive Guard

By:  Bobby Shores

(This is the second part of a multi-part series breaking down the Dallas Cowboys by position, identifying areas of need and possible solutions for those needs, based on my film work and notes taken throughout the season, the first part was Offensive Tackle)

Veteran Cowboys Guard Kyle Kosier

After the 2010 season it was obvious that the Cowboys needed to upgrade the offensive line, especially the guard position, and the team tried to address it in the draft taking guards in the fourth round (David Arkin) and the seventh round (Bill Nagy), while also addressing it by retaining/signing a number of veterans to compete and provide depth in Montrae Holland, Kyle Kosier and Derrick Dockery.

The Cowboys gave their rookies every opportunity to play after they released veteran guard and constant underachiever Leonard Davis. Unfortunately, Arkin was not ready to contribute coming from a small school and Nagy won the job by default, helped by the fact that he came from Wisconsin which produces NFL offensive linemen, Penn State produces NFL linebackers, Southern Cal produces NFL quarterbacks, and Texas produces NFL "busts". Holland was eventually released due to a bad back and poor conditioning (those two conditions were directly related).

Fast forward to October 16 and Nagy is placed on injured reserve, Derrick Dockery is still nursing a sprained MCL, Kyle Kosier is already banged up and now what appeared to be a strength in the preseason became a major liability. Enter Holland, who came back after getting in shape and the entire offense immediately improved.....

One advantage the Cowboys have at the guard position is a lot of bodies, from veteran stop-gaps and young players that the fans and organization have high expectations for, to a wide range of options in the draft and free agency. In fact, the guard position may be one of the most talked about positions on the Cowboys team from now until the season starts. So what do they have right now and what options do they have heading into the 2012 season.

Montrae Holland (Free Agent) - After being cut in training camp due to conditioning and back issues, Holland was brought back to start at Guard for the Cowboys after injuries and ineffectiveness; excelling in the 10 games he started. I believe that Holland (and Tony Fiammetta) was the primary reason for the emergence of DeMarco Murray along with the overall improvement in the line play as the season went on, as he is quick off the line for a man his size and is both strong and tough. While Holland is not a long term solution at guard, he should be brought back on a short term contract to compete come training camp, dependent on his recovery from biceps surgery and his level of conditioning. If the team is unable to draft a long term option at guard, sign a big money free agent or develop one of the younger guys; than Holland should come back as a starter.

Kyle Kosier (signed through 2013) - Kosier has been the most underrated offensive lineman for the Cowboys over the past few seasons while struggling with injuries throughout his time with the team. After being hampered by a foot injury for most of the year, his season ended just before the rest of the team when he tore his MCL in the final game of the season.

Kosier's strengths are his intelligence and technique, consistently getting underneath larger/stronger defenders and using leverage to control them. While Kosier will be with the 'Boys in training camp, he is not guaranteed a roster spot. One way to improve his odds of making the team is a position change to Center, which will be addressed in the next installment of this series (yes, I am plugging my next article, hopefully it works and you will be back).

Bill Nagy (signed through 2014) - As a rookie 7th round draft pick, not many expected Nagy to see much playing time this year, while others (myself included) prayed that he would not see many snaps. On film (from my perspective) Nagy was completely unable to move anybody, ending up 2-3 steps in the backfield in pass protection and was blown up by linebackers when he tried to clear running lanes as the pulling guard (and he had a full head of steam). He also drops his hands when not engaged with a defender wasting movement and time to get them in position.

While never seeming to make mental mistakes (seems intelligent), the NFL game was to fast and strong for him this past year, after a full off season hopefully he can get stronger and learn to use his hands to leverage defenders (should learn from Kosier). Also the Center may prove to be a better fit for Nagy going forward (again this will be addressed in the next installment).

David Arkin (signed through 2014) - As a rookie 4th round pick, Arkin was inactive for all 16 games after starting off camp playing with the first team. Only notes (from the preseason obviously) I have on him are that while he was routinely overpowered he showed more hustle than all other linemen, he seems to play with a mean streak (both hustle and mean streak contributed to a late hit penalty in preseason game against Vikings) and is excellent at getting to the second level and getting his head across the defender and into position to control where his man goes.

Coming from a small school (Missouri State) where he played left tackle his senior year (3 years at right guard), transitioning to the NFL game appeared to be much harder for him, especially without an off season. I have heard recently that the team is very high on Arkin and has the same belief in him i do, that he will become an NFL starter. If Arkin can develop in the weight room, look for him to compete with the veterans for a starting spot, and to be no worse than a backup (no more practice squad).

Derrick Dockery (Free Agent) - Another aging guard who has struggled with injuries, Dockery is an experienced player who played well in his two starts and should garner a training camp spot as an insurance policy against injuries and ineffective play.

Free Agent/Draft Options

Saints Guard & UFA Carl Nicks

Carl Nicks (unrestricted free agent - Saints) - Nicks is the guard that has all the Cowboys fans talking, and for good reason. He is by far the best free agent guard (and possibly the best free agent lineman overall) and with the Saints already committing big money to their other guard Jahri Evans and having Drew Brees and Marques Colston as unrestricted free agents, it looks like Nicks will be playing in a new uniform next year.

As a 27 year old All-Pro just entering his prime, Nicks will demand/land a contract that rivals (and in all likelihood will exceed), current teammate Evans and Patriots guard Logan Mankins recent bank busting of between $8-9 million per year on a 6-7 year deal.

With no major weaknesses in his game that I can see, he will be worth it. The Cowboys have the cap room and Jerry Jones has never shied away from spending money on guards in free agency (see:  Marco Rivera, Leonard Davis, & Kyle Kosier). The wildcard in the "Carl Nicks Sweepstakes" that may help Dallas could be his connection to new offensive line coach Bill Callahan who recruited and coached him at Nebraska.

Other notable free agents:  Ben Grubbs(Ravens), Chilo Rachal(Niners), Jake Scott(Titans), Deuce Lutui(Cardinals)

Stanford Guard David DeCastro

There are a lot of mock drafts that currently have the Cowboys using their first round pick on the consensus No. 1 Guard in the draft, Stanford's David DeCastro, which is hard to argue with as DeCastro appears to be one of the safer players in the draft. Coming from Stanford's pro-style offense, DeCastro will be one of the top guards in the NFL the day he is drafted, as he displays excellent awareness/instincts and is very good whether he is blocking in traffic or space. He displays lots of hustle, always blocking to the whistle.

The other viable draft option is to take a "second tier" guard with their second or third pick where Georgia's Cordy Glenn, Wisconsin's Kevin Zeitler, or Wake Forest's Joe Looney should be available.

2012 Outlook

So what should the Cowboys do at the guard position for 2012? While many fans, radio people, bloggers, analysts, etc. are saying they should either draft DeCastro with their first round pick or pay big money to Nicks in free agency, I believe they should stand pat with what they have.

The Cowboys have MUCH bigger problems than guard, in fact it is not even their biggest need on the offensive line (Center is), and the guard play this past season was above average once Holland returned to the team healthy and in shape. And from everything I have heard, the team believes they have a starting caliber guard in Arkin, and see potential in Nagy. So develop those two and bring back one (or a mix of) the veterans that are still playing well (Kosier, Holland, & Dockery).

I think we can all agree that the money and draft picks need to be used to fix the secondary, defensive line, center and/or for another pass rusher to take the pressure off of DeMarcus Ware. This team has a lot of holes/weak spots and they cannot all be addressed in one off season, so take care of the areas with the biggest deficiencies first.  With all that said, I cannot disagree with upgrading if Nicks or Grubbs is available for a good price, OR taking DeCastro at fourteen if he is the highest rated player their board.

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Who are These New Look Cowboys (Offense)?

By:  Bobby Shores

The 2011 Dallas Cowboys are a team full of unexpected new contributors, you have high profile draft picks, low profile draft picks, guys that were found on the free agent scrap heap, and one guy that was found on a reality TV show.  And this is just talking about the offensive side of the ball, these contributors are a reason why the wildly inconsistent Cowboys seem to be becoming consistent at the right time to make a late season run into the playoffs.

DeMarco Murray/Montrae Holland/Tony Fiammetta/Running Game - These three guys are the main driving force behind the recent success of the Cowboys and their offense. While most people are giving nearly all the credit to the emergence of rookie running back DeMarco Murray and the highest 3-game rushing total in Cowboys History, if you look closer Murray's rise to success coincides with Holland and Fiammetta becoming fixtures in the starting lineup. 

The recent success of Tony Romo is also directly related to the emergence of the running game as teams now have to account for ground attack instead of playing the pass nearly 100% of  the time. I think we can all agree that Romo is at his best when he does not have to carry the entire offense on his shoulders, when that happens he tries to do too much and that is when he make mistakes.

Montrae Holland - Holland was acquired by the Cowboys in a 2008 trade with the Denver Broncos and has struggled to keep his weight in check, causing him to bounce from reliable multi-position backup, to starter, to backup, to released, to finally being brought back after his back healed up and he lost weight (both are directly related). Before Holland was brought back the Cowboys were working with a very young and small offensive line (3 rookies, yes I know that Center Phil Costa is not a rookie but he might as well be) that I predicted would be a problem early this season, but Holland arrived and instantly made Doug Free and Phil Costa better. 

Not only is he winning the battles in his "area" (Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett also seems to have changed the blocking scheme from 1-on-1 power blocking to more zone blocking) he is also getting out in space and getting in defenders way at the second level. His play has been so impressive that on his first game back Jerry Jones declared that Holland should get the game ball and not DeMarco Murray (who had just rushed for a franchise record 253 yards), and I tend to agree.

DeMarco Murray - the 3rd round draft pick out of Oklahoma, has been the driving force behind the resurgence of the running game. While you have to give a lot of credit to the offensive line and Tony Fiammetta, Murray has started running hard and not going down on first contact ensuring that he gets every yard possible out of every run. In my opinion, much of his success in the last few games has come with a fundamental change in his game, early in the season I saw him receive the hand-off and duck his head through first contact, but now he is keeping his head up allowing him to make that first guy miss when he steps in the hole allowing him to get to the second level.

Tony Fiammetta - Another guy that the Cowboys found on the scrap heap after he was picked from the Panthers, his playing time is also directly related to the emergence of the running game. Fiammetta is better on the edges than than taking linebackers head on in the gaps, and is a throwback fullback of sorts because he seems to be very athletic instead of bulky, with that you would expect him to be a threat out of the backfield, but he is happy clearing the holes for the threats.

Laurent Robinson - Falcons, Rams, Chargers, Cowboys(twice) all before age 26....doesn't sound like the resume of the best wide receiver on the 6th best passing team in the NFL does it? Well Laurent Robinson is currently the wide receiver playing the best for the Cowboys right now, in fact his play has made Miles Austin somewhat....expendable. In fact, I cannot believe that some wannabe sports writer/scout ever once considered that this passing attack needed Randy Moss....what an idiot!! 

Robinson was a journeyman free agent who was always considered talented, but injury prone. He has become a fixture in the Cowboys offense this season accumulating a solid 27 catches for 441 yards and 4 touchdowns. But Robinson's biggest impact has not been his stats, it has been the smaller things he is doing right, like knowing the plays, where to line up and what route to run while doing it at full speed and not loafing (I am talking to you Dez Bryant and Kevin Ogletree). His route running is also precise and crisp; running the routes the same way every time which gives quarterback Tony Romo the comfort of knowing that he can throw to a spot and his receiver will be there. 

It looks like Robinson has become the wide receiver version of Jason Witten for Romo, and in just 7 games this season has become a more reliable and dependable option than Miles Austin, if it weren't for the contract (Economics of the NFL) Robinson would continue to be the #2, even when Austin returns. 

Tyron Smith - Coming out of USC as the 9th overall pick in the draft, Smith was fairly inexperienced after only starting for 1 year, and not even the best tackle on his team (see Matt Kalil). I was very hard on him and did not expect him to make as great an impact as he has. But through a little more than half of the 2011 season Smith has been the best tackle, if not the best lineman on the Cowboys team. 

While he needs some work on leveraging his man off the snap when run blocking, which will come when he puts on some more weight and adds strength, he has been more than adequate in that area. His best attribute is his pass blocking, his first kick at the snap of the ball and his quick feet allow him to be in the right position to direct even the best pass rushers where he wants them to go. His one pass protection fault is when a rusher uses the same move over and over (speed rush to the outside) he starts sitting in his stance expecting it, and then the rusher can use a spin move to the inside or a bull rush and catch him off balance and out of position leading to a negative play. 

With a full season under his belt, including a full off-season in an NFL Weight Room and training camp, I fully expect him to make the transition to left tackle sooner than later, which will move Doug Free back to right tackle, forming arguably the best tackle tandem in the NFL. These problems will work themselves out as Smith gets experience, but until then, the Cowboys and their fans have to be very happy with their 1st round selection.

With these unexpected stars emerging on the Cowboys offense, we can expect big things for the rest of the season, and even further. Check back next week for the "New Look Defense".

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