DMN: Dallas Cowboys (pukes) must re-sign Flozell Adams

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Puke fans in ATN say Flo can go, puke fans in Dallas want him to stay...at least Jean-Jacques knows that average qbs need above average protection.

:laugh:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/jtaylor/stories/022308dnspotaylor.28ec75b.html

This is not the time for Jerry Jones, who made his fortune betting whether countless holes contained black gold or natural gas thousands of feet below the surface, to gamble.

This is not the time for Jerry to place his trust in draft picks like Pat McQuistan, James Marten or Doug Free.

This is the time for Jerry to sign Flozell Adams to a long-term deal.

It's the smart move; the only move he should make.

And he has six days to accomplish it before Adams becomes an unrestricted free agent.

We all know if Adams reaches free agency, he's gone. Somebody, perhaps the South Beach Cowboys led by Bill Parcells, will offer the four-time Pro Bowl player a deal he can't refuse.

And he'll be gone. Then who will Jerry trust with protecting Tony Romo sits to pee's blind side.

Will it be McQuistan? Or Marten? Or Free? What about Leonard Davis? No. No. No. And heck no.

McQuistan has participated in just a few snaps in his first two seasons, while Marten and Free have yet to play a down in the NFL. Davis is among the NFL's best guards, but he's an average tackle.

At guard, you can't escape the man's massive size, because the quarters are tight. At tackle, defensive ends will simply line up as wide as it takes to run around the 6-6, 365-pound veteran.

Quarterback is the game's most important position, which means the man who protects him plays the game's second-most important position.

That's not hyperbole. Why do you think Michael Lewis wrote an entire book about the importance of left tackle?

When he's focused and excited about playing, Adams can dominate. At 6-7 and 335 pounds, he can be a devastating run blocker, enveloping smaller defensive ends and making them disappear at the point of attack.

He struggles occasionally with speed pass rushers, but once he gets his hands on them, he does a good job of using his long arms to keep them at bay. According to Stats Inc., Adams allowed only 3.5 sacks last season. Among Pro Bowl tackles, no one allowed fewer.

Understand, Adams isn't flawless.

Last season, he was penalized for holding five times, tied for second most in the NFL. And he was penalized for illegal procedure nine times, also tied for second in the league.

That leads to a lot of first-and-15 or first-and-20 situations. You can live with the holding penalties, because he does face the game's best pass-rushers every week. But there's no good excuse for the procedure penalties.

They need to stop.

The bottom line: Jerry really doesn't have many options. He knows it. Adams and his agent know it, too.

All of that is OK, because it means neither side should have to waste time posturing. Adams' agent, Jordan Woy, has done a multitude of deals with the Cowboys over the years and has a good relationship with Jerry and Stephen Jones.

The Cowboys want Adams, and he wants to play in Dallas. When those two things occur, a deal usually gets consummated.

You can even read between the lines and figure out that the Cowboys put the franchise tag on safety Ken Hamlin so they could put their full attention on getting a deal done with Adams.

Woy spoke to Cowboys officials on Thursday and again Friday.

Let's be clear, though: Adams isn't going to be giving the Cowboys any hometown discount. Not when he turns 33 in May.

He knows this is probably the last contract he's going to sign. Whether you agree or not, he's considered one of the league's best left tackles, which means some team is going to pay him big money.

It's really that simple.

The best tackles in the NFL count about $7 million against the salary cap, and that's what the Cowboys are going to have to pay him to get a deal done. Now, they will have to be creative, but they can accomplish all their off-season goals without being strapped by the salary cap. Jerry and Stephen are at their best when forced to think outside the box.

Adams is worth the money.

Romo sits to pee is Jerry's most valuable commodity. Whatever you think about Jessica Simpson, we all know he's the man who makes the Cowboys' offense go with his uncanny ability to turn chaos into touchdowns.

One missed block or botched assignment by the left tackle and, suddenly, Romo sits to pee and the Cowboys' season could wind up in jeopardy. No way Jerry could live with himself if that happened because he didn't pay Adams.