DIESEL TROLL Posted August 6, 2003 Share Posted August 6, 2003 DiNapoli bolts Titans for Cowboys -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com With rookie center Al Johnson facing possible arthroscopic knee surgery, ESPN.com has learned the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday added a veteran snapper to the mix, reaching an agreement with restricted free agent Gennaro DiNapoli. The five-year veteran, one of the few starting caliber offensive linemen still available in the free agent pool, will sign a one-year contract. Complete financial details were not yet available, but DiNapoli did land a signing bonus of about $150,000. Incentives could allow DiNapoli to make $1.15 million depending upon his playing time. The addition of DiNapoli was a bit surprising, because he had been expected to re-sign with the Tennessee Titans, and the Cowboys had not been pursuing him. But Johnson, the team's second-round draft choice, recently sprained his right knee and there may be some cartilage damage. If that is the case, the former University of Wisconsin standout might require arthroscopic surgery, and could miss one or two weeks of the preseason. Johnson went into camp competing with second-year veteran Tyson Walter for the No. 1 job at center. Just three days into camp, he began working regularly with the first unit and Walter was moved to guard. The Cowboys also have young veteran Matt Lehr, who also has worked at guard, and he could play center as well. But the staff felt it wanted to bring in a veteran as an insurance policy and DiNapoli, who started all 16 games for the Titans in 2002, was the best option. The former Virginia Tech star began his career with the Oakland Raiders in 1998 and, after just two seasons, moved on to the Titans. He has played in 32 games and started in 27 of them. In addition to the Titans, he also visited this spring with the Cincinnati Bengals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sashae Posted August 6, 2003 Share Posted August 6, 2003 Am I wrong in thinking that Gurode originally played C in college as well? DiNapoli's not a bad player... good pickup for the Cowboys. It'll be interesting to see how their line plays this year. -s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted August 6, 2003 Share Posted August 6, 2003 Parcells was smart here. Good thing to have a vet at center to help the younger qbs and make the line calls. Starting a rookie at center is problematic, even if he is talented. The Titans cleary fell asleep on this one, thinking DiNapoli would ultimately resign with the Titans because they were close to the Super Bowl last season, losing in the AFC Title game. Just goes to show nothing is for certain out there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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