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Mel Kiper: Dallas' Problems Start at the Draft

ouvan59

By ouvan59
in Around the NFL

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ouvan59

ouvan59

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http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/columns/story?columnist=kiper_jr_mel&id=5740744

Tony Romo sits to pee's season may have come to an end on Monday. A crushing hit from Giants linebacker Michael Boley left Romo sits to pee with a broken clavicle in his left shoulder and the team in disarray. At 1-5, there's no reason to rush back a franchise quarterback. And in the wake of the hit, blame was handed out immediately.

First to take some media shrapnel was undrafted free-agent fullback Chris Gronkowski, who'd left the backfield on a short dump-off pattern, leaving Romo sits to pee vulnerable to the blitzing Boley. Ironically, Gronkowski is one of the better value pickups Dallas has had, particularly when it involves protection.

Boley didn't just bypass the rookie -- he was also blitzing through a patchwork offensive line further depleted by the absence of Kyle Kosier. And it was a mess even when the season started. So before people continue to tear down Gronkowski -- or anyone else -- consider another culprit: the draft.

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ouvan59

ouvan59

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Consider the facts:

• Since 2004, the "best" offensive lineman Dallas has drafted is Doug Free, a fourth-rounder in 2007.

• Since 2005, they've drafted 48 players and Free is the most productive lineman of all those picks.

• The best O-lineman Dallas has taken in the last 10 years is Andre Gurode in 2002, whom they got in the second round.

• The Cowboys haven't drafted an offensive lineman within the first two rounds since 2004, when they picked Jacob Rogers out of USC. Rogers got hurt and was quickly out of the league.

• Before Gurode, the last offensive lineman the Cowboys picked who really panned out was the once-great Flozell Adams, who they grabbed in the second round … in 1998.

• They've built a lot of great teams in that time, but the last offensive lineman Dallas drafted in the first round was Howard Richards of Missouri. That was 1981.

What you have right now in Dallas is an organization that, while they've done some decent drafting -- it's true: really good picks and values dot their boards in recent years -- seem married to a philosophy that says an offensive line can be built by a combination of finding late-round steals, scanning free agency, or in the recent acquisition of Alex Barron, dumping future picks.

This has left the Cowboys with an extraordinary set of skill-position talent, a good quarterback and simply not enough blocking to make it all work. And given the relatively low price we've seen some really good WRs and RBs traded for recently (think Randy Moss, Marshawn Lynch, Santonio Holmes and others), even all the good drafting for skill-position players gets undercut by the apparent value of those guys in the trade market.

The bottom line in Dallas is that while they've managed some good picks -- the 2005 draft that netted them DeMarcus Ware, Marcus Spears, Chris Canty, Jay Ratliff, Kevin Burnett and Marion Barber is almost extraordinary in retrospect -- the Cowboys' consistent inability to find offensive linemen late, and unwillingness to take a shot on one early, has clearly caught up to them this year.

Hope for this year?

There are few quarterbacks more adept at dealing with bad protection than Tony Romo sits to pee, something Dallas perhaps took for granted. His ability to move around and his peculiar comfort with stepping up in (and often through) the pocket is one of those traits that's simply hard to teach.

In his absence, the Cowboys will surely suffer on offense. What's worse is that even with a good passing game to back defenders away from the box, Dallas has shown no stubbornness in running the football. Only the Arizona Cardinals have attempted fewer runs than Dallas, and the Cowboys' top rusher, Felix Jones, is 34th in the NFL with just 264 yards.

But it's not just the running game. The Dallas defense simply hasn't lived up to expectations. Currently 27th in the league in points per game allowed, even if the Dallas offense miraculously got better under Jon Kitna, there's no reason to think the defense would be able to do the same. And the schedule doesn't get any easier.

Draft strategy

I'll say this: I didn't bash the move by Dallas to draft Dez Bryant in April. As a value proposition, I said the team had landed a top-10 talent toward the bottom of the first round, and you can't pile on Jerry Jones and company for that move. That said, the pick of Sean Lee in Round 2, when there were offensive linemen to be had, was a bit puzzling. Lee has a chance to be a fine player and step in for Keith Brooking next year, but if this front office felt the team was close, not getting a guy who could add offensive line depth immediately was a move I questioned then and still do today.

Going forward, this should be the year Dallas bucks tradition and looks hard at offensive tackles in Round 1. Ironically, the Cowboys are a team that could fall all the way into the top 10 in a draft where currently, my top tackles available -- guys like Gabe Carimi, Nate Solder and Derek Sherrod -- are down in the 20s on my current Big Board.

Maybe this will be the year Jerry Jones actually finds himself trading down … but still making the right pick to help his team immediately.

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Rey

Rey

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We need an Offensive Lineman in the first and a (Free) Safety in the second. Then Defensive Lineman.

Our secondary smells like burnt chicken. Poor safety play has made Jenkins play like trash, and everyone knows it.

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SWFLSkins

SWFLSkins

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We need an Offensive Lineman in the first and a (Free) Safety in the second. Then Defensive Lineman.

Our secondary smells like burnt chicken. Poor safety play has made Jenkins play like trash, and everyone knows it.

But just two months ago this was SuperBowl Kool-Aid level talent, what'd happen?

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wildbill1952

wildbill1952

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Of course, the article doesn't mention that Kiper salivated all over himself at the Cowboys previous draft picks while he's on ESPN. But then again, it was written by Kiper.

Dallas has experienced the same painful lesson that the Redskins have: owners seldom make good GM's. The reason owners tend to draft skill players, instead of OL, year after year after painful year, has been the subject of a few hundred threads on ES. Is it because they don't realize the importance of OL to a running game or pass protection? Is it because the sum total of most owner's knowledge of football is the result of their experience at Fantasy Football, where OL are never drafted? Or is it because OL have a negligible affect on the $129.95 NFL jersey sales? (Unless of course, an OL has a Mom in the crowd.)

It's almost as bad having money and no brains as it is having brains and no money. Regardless, once you get a real GM, OL get drafted. Not only in the later rounds, but occasionally in the top 3 rounds. Hopefully, Jerruh remains the GM and they never draft OL. Without an OL, sub-.500 seasons are expected, no matter who your QB is, no matter who your receivers are, no matter who the running backs are, no matter who your tight end is, and especially, no matter who the owner is.

Snyder learned. Jersey sales are nice. Winning is nicer. Let's hope Jerruh never learns.

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iXiBrianiXi

iXiBrianiXi

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I fully expect the team to start winning some games now with Romo sits to pee out. They won't throw so they'll key in on the pass, Kitna can actually make some short throws when necessary, and if the running game gets going (like it will) the Defense will be fresher and begin to step up. This way they won't have a Top 10 pick, Wade will still be around as he "got the job done" and their will be a QB controversy in Dallas.

I love it.

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Ken

Ken

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Of course, the article doesn't mention that Kiper salivated all over himself at the Cowboys previous draft picks while he's on ESPN. But then again, it was written by Kiper.

Dallas has experienced the same painful lesson that the Redskins have: owners seldom make good GM's. The reason owners tend to draft skill players, instead of OL, year after year after painful year, has been the subject of a few hundred threads on ES. Is it because they don't realize the importance of OL to a running game or pass protection? Is it because the sum total of most owner's knowledge of football is the result of their experience at Fantasy Football, where OL are never drafted? Or is it because OL have a negligible affect on the $129.95 NFL jersey sales? (Unless of course, an OL has a Mom in the crowd.)

It's almost as bad having money and no brains as it is having brains and no money. Regardless, once you get a real GM, OL get drafted. Not only in the later rounds, but occasionally in the top 3 rounds. Hopefully, Jerruh remains the GM and they never draft OL. Without an OL, sub-.500 seasons are expected, no matter who your QB is, no matter who your receivers are, no matter who the running backs are, no matter who your tight end is, and especially, no matter who the owner is.

Snyder learned. Jersey sales are nice. Winning is nicer. Let's hope Jerruh never learns.

Curious....who have the skins taken that is so great on the OL that wasn't taken in the top 5?

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Ken

Ken

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I fully expect the team to start winning some games now with Romo sits to pee out. They won't throw so they'll key in on the pass, Kitna can actually make some short throws when necessary, and if the running game gets going (like it will) the Defense will be fresher and begin to step up. This way they won't have a Top 10 pick, Wade will still be around as he "got the job done" and their will be a QB controversy in Dallas.

I love it.

Delusional.

Only word I can find to describe the idea that Kitna is somehow better than Romo sits to pee.

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Rey

Rey

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But just two months ago this was SuperBowl Kool-Aid level talent, what'd happen?

We released Ken Hamlin. Even if he wasn't a "playmaker" at Safety, he was a solid veteran. The Flozell move was great, but we still needed a quality O-Lineman pick in the 2nd round.

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Rey

Rey

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But, but, but, they're the most TALENTED team in the NFL!

How's that Fexlix Jones pick over Chris Johnson working out?

:rotflmao:

Did you hit your head this morning?

Even if we had CJ or Adrian Peterson as our running back, Jason Garrett (Offensive Coordinator) would make sure they didn't shine. He's a pass-happy guy, much like Andy Reid. A balanced offense is always going to have a better chance than a one-dimensional offense.

Analysis before stupidity. :rotflmao:

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MrSilverMaC

MrSilverMaC

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Curious....who have the skins taken that is so great on the OL that wasn't taken in the top 5?

Jon Jansen. Derrick Dockery ain't half bad either. I'm guessing you mean players who have recently played for Washington, cause if not, there are quite a few gems in the Skin's history with lower round O-line talent.

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Hitman21ST

Hitman21ST

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Did you hit your head this morning?

Even if we had CJ or Adrian Peterson as our running back, Jason Garrett (Offensive Coordinator) would make sure they didn't shine. He's a pass-happy guy, much like Andy Reid. A balanced offense is always going to have a better chance than a one-dimensional offense.

Analysis before stupidity. :rotflmao:

Yeah, because NOT giving AP the ball is working great for the Vikings. And Johnson? He can't break a game open with one play...

I know I like to joke on Garrett and Phillips, but they're not that stupid to not give them the ball if they had them, right?

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Tweedr01

Tweedr01

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Curious....who have the skins taken that is so great on the OL that wasn't taken in the top 5?

That's funny, I didn't know we were talking about the redskins....

The title clearly states dallas...hmmm....oh yeah, kenneth, if you wanna talk skins bring it to the Stadium or at least a thread referencing the skins. This deflecting you do has got to get boring every now and again.

Then again, since you don't show your face around here anymore, it probably feels brand new.

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ouvan59

ouvan59

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Curious....who have the skins taken that is so great on the OL that wasn't taken in the top 5?

Ummmmm, that is why he said that Dallas has learned the same painful lesson that Washington did. Get it? The difference is we got rid of our idiot GM. Yours isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Good luck with that.

The real question is will Jerrah take a RB, WR or CB with your top 5 pick next year. Or will he just take the best available Razorback?

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pjfootballer

pjfootballer

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Curious....who have the skins taken that is so great on the OL that wasn't taken in the top 5?

Well, we got ridiculed for the last 10 years for ignoring our "old" offensive line. We finally have a GM who was willing to do something about it. He drafted 3 OL out of our 6 total picks. And traded a 4th for a serviceable RT under 28. Trent will be a pro bowler and the other 2 are projects, but I'm glad he at least trying.

You guys are now getting ridiculed for the same thing, yet your "GM" went after the sexy pick of Dez Bryant. Now you have to take your medicine as we did. We addmitted our O line needed to be fixed. You have to do the same.

Also,

Looking at the video of Romo sits to pee getting sacked, the Giants ran a line stunt and Gronkowski was going to the outside, while free started blocking to the outside also. It was poor communication on both. I think Free should have let his man go and picked up Boley. I wouldn't put 100% if the blame on the rookie. I think Free was half at fault.

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DeMarco Murray 29

DeMarco Murray 29

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Ummmmm, that is why he said that Dallas has learned the same painful lesson that Washington did. Get it? The difference is we got rid of our idiot GM. Yours isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Good luck with that.

The real question is will Jerrah take a RB, WR or CB with your top 5 pick next year. Or will he just take the best available Razorback?

We will likely go CB (Peterson) and trade down. Jerry has only drafted one Arkansas player that was Felix Jones.

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