pinkham13
Footballguy
Saw this posted on a Cowpokes board. Enjoy!QB: Bledsoe turned out to be a great FA signing, as he was easily the best QB we've had since Aikman left. He started off hot, but his game clearly was hurting as soon as Flozell Adams was out for the season. Tony Romo is a kid that Parcells seems to like, and apparently turned down a 3rd rd pick from the Jets for him. Henson is going to Europe this offseason and that should let us know whether or not he has a future here. Either way don't expect Parcells to address this until 2007 where he may opt for a high pick. RB: Barber was a 4th rd pick who turned out to be a gem. His game compliments JJ well as he has a power running style, and is a good goalline back. JJ will start next year, but look for Barber to spell him in hopes that JJ can stay healthy a full year. Zero need here. FB: Polite didn't really do much all year. We could really use a big back who can not only block but catch a bit out of the backfield. Parcells may try to find a FA such as Mack Strong, or we may draft a FB in the last round or two. WR: Keyshawn and Glenn had comeback years, but who knows how much longer they will be around. Patrick Crayton really showed some playmaking ability this season when healthy and is our future possession receiver. Parcells doesn't like to address WR early on, so if we do get a WR expect it to be a 3rd rd or 2nd day pick most likely. Parcells may wait til 2007 to address WR at all if he thinks Copper can do something more than special teams. TE: Witten had somewhat of a slow year after a pro bowl 80+ catch campaign the year before. This had nothing to do with Witten himself, more that he had to stay on the line to block a lot more often because the Cowboys had two tackles starting that shouldn't have been. Parcells loves to get TE's so I wouldn't be surprised to see him take a blocking TE in the last rds to be Campbell's eventual replacement. Tackle: OL in general killed us this year, but the glaring holes were at tackle. Flozell will be back at 100% this year so the left side is taken care of. Right tackle has to be our biggest need in this year's draft. Finding a capable replacement/competition for Rob Petitti will be a huge help on the right. Flozell + a stud tackle like Marcus McNeill will really help Witten because he won't have to block much anymore. Look for the cowboys to address this first two rounds. Guard: Not an immediate need but we could use a 2nd day pick for depth. Larry Allen is on his last legs, but should be really helped by having Flozell next to him instead of Tucker. Peterman is being groomed specifically to take over for Larry at LG. Rivera was supposed to be a bigtime pickup but hurt his back on a treadmill 10 days into TC. Rivera also hurt his neck near the end of the year, so I really have no idea what to expect of him next year. Is he the former probowler, or is he the shell of his former self we had to deal with this year. Hopefully he can return as the starter next year fully healthy, but with only Gurode a FA to back him up, we could possibly take a guard to backup Rivera at RG. Center: Al Johnson getting pushed into the backfield and so often into Bledsoe's face was a big problem this year. Bledsoe can't handle pressure up the middle because he isn't mobile, and if he cant step into his throws bad things happen. Parcells tried to fill the void here inserting Gurode into a few games, but while Gurode had the physicality Al J didn't, he simply made too many mistakes. If Gurode can pickup the position in the offseason expect him to start at Center, if not I expect us to target C in FA or draft, maybe Lecharles Bentley or Kyle Young Defensive End: Spears and Canty for the next decade, and some solid backups, no need here. Nose Tackle: Glover will be gone. Ferguson played ok, but may be nearing the end of his career in the next couple years. We could really use a big NT of the future. Parcells has a guy who he really seems to like in Thomas Johnson, but I am not sure if he can be the starter or not. Look for Parcells to try and grab another 2nd day steal at NT like he did when he drafted Ferguson. Kwakou Robinson 6th rd maybe? LB: Could use one good big LB first day. Dat Nguyen will probably retire, and Burnett may take over at MLB or stay at OLB opposite Ware, either way we need one more guy. If Burnett moves inside, we could go after guys like Manny Lawson, Bobby Carpenter at OLB, or if Burnett stays outside, look for a guy like Kai Parham in the 2nd rd. Either way we will most likely address either LB spot on the first day. Cornerback: Two potential probowlers in Anthony Henry and Terence Newman, and a vet in Glenn. No need here this year. Free Safety: Glaring need here that will be probably be addressed first day, but not first rd. Keith Davis was the bane of our defensive existence and needs to be either cut or sent to special teams where he belongs and can actually contribute. Cowboys already have a lot of money tied up in the secondary. With two top 10 picks already ( Roy Williams and Terence Newman) and the free agent signing of Henry we can't afford to spend another high pick on a safety here. Look for us to target guys like Pat Watkins, Anthony Smith, Donte Whitner, and a few other guys in the 2nd or 3rd round. We don't need a superstar here, just a fast cover guy who knows his deep responsibilities and will allow Roy Williams to play more along the LOS. Kicker: Look for Parcells to make this a high priority in FA. Longwell, Vanderjagt, Nedney are possibilities.
Allen was pretty horrible this year. Getting a serviceable guy(which Allen is probably just barely above) for $1-$1.5 mil a year seems more reasonable.
