Dallas Cowboys Leadership losses are mounting
Jean-Jacques Taylor: Leadership losses are mounting
La’Roi Glover is gone. So is Dan Campbell. And Keyshawn Johnson. And in a couple of weeks, Larry Allen’s name will probably be added to the list.
That’s a lot of veteran leadership lost in the last few weeks. No one knows if it can be adequately replaced.
Now, you can argue that the veteran leadership didn’t seem to help much last year when Dallas faltered down the stretch and finished 9-7, missing the playoffs after a 7-3 start. The reality, though, is that each of those players played a key role in helping the Cowboys improve after a disastrous 2004 season.
More important, you didn’t have to worry about their agendas. They cared only about winning.
You can’t always say that in today’s NFL.
They practiced hard. They made their teammates practice hard. They studied hard and they made their teammates study hard. They were the glue that held that team together when it had potentially devastating losses to Washington and Oakland and Seattle early in the season.
Someone else will have to walk to the front of the line now. Maybe it will be Bradie James. Or maybe new linebacker Akin Ayodele will do it. Maybe DeMarcus Ware or Marcus Spears will do it.
That, you see, is the problem.
The Cowboys don’t know where the leadership will come from in 2006. Drew Bledsoe will provide some of it, but there aren’t a lot of players left in this locker room who have accomplished much in the NFL.
They haven’t earned trips to the Pro Bowls or starred in the playoffs. They don’t have the pedigrees to tell a young player, “Follow me, because I know what’s best.”
Owner Jerry Jones and coach Bill Parcells don’t seem to think it’s going to be much of a problem.
Time will tell.
COWBOYS Q&A
Q: How is that the Redskins can always sign their targets, while the Cowboys lose some to other clubs? We need to be more aggressive just to keep up with Dan Snyder. What do you think?
Brant Abbitt
TAYLOR: No team ever signs every player it wants, but the Redskins do seem to do a good job of targeting players and getting them locked up. That said, there aren’t many teams that have taken the George Steinbrenner approach and won a Super Bowl. Maybe Snyder will be the first. A few years ago, the Redskins signed Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders and some other high-priced superstars, and it didn’t work out. The thing I like about what Washington has done is the Redskins have invested a lot of money with its coaching staff, and that makes me think they’ll be able to get the most from the talent they’re putting together.
• • •
Q: Let Andre Gurode start at center from training camp. I feel that he will solidify the center position. What do you think?
Roger Haywood
TAYLOR: He’s going to have every opportunity to win the job, which hasn’t been the case in the past. But it’s up to Gurode to seize control of the opportunity and take the job. He has the physical tools, but he must become better at recognizing defensive fronts and making the proper adjustments to get the rest of the offensive line in position to do its job. That means more study and more preparation. The work ethic is there. Now he needs to add the results.
• • •
Q: Do you think it’s possible to “buy” a Lombardi Trophy, or is sticking with the draft still the best way?
Tommy Sears, Tampa, Fla.
TAYLOR: All you have to do is look at the Cowboys and see that the draft is the best way to build a team. The Cowboys wouldn’t have to spend $15 million on Kyle Krosier if Stephen Peterman, a third-round pick two years ago, could play. He was drafted to be Larry Allen’s replacement. And the Cowboys wouldn’t be wondering what to do at right tackle if Jacob Rodgers could play. They’re either going to have to spend another high draft choice on a tackle or spend money in free agency on one. Any money they spend on Krosier and a right tackle could’ve been money spent on a player who has a chance to make more of an impact.
• • •
Q: Do you think Dallas overpaid on Kosier at $15 million? Isn’t he really just a very versatile backup? Are they that desperate?
Ed Manion, Tucson, Ariz.
TAYLOR: Yes, they are desperate. The word I get on Krosier from talking to people is that he’s a smart, scrappy guy with limited physical tools, which is why he’s effective over the long haul at tackle. He competes hard and he makes few mental mistakes, but the Cowboys like him because they view him as a young player who still has upside. He’s replacing one of the best guards in NFL history, so there will be pressure on him to perform at a high level. That said, his contract averages $3 million, which is not absurd money in today’s NFL.
• • •
Q: The latest rumor from ESPN.com is that Javon Walker is adamant about being traded. He is willing to pay back his signing bonus ($850,000) and will not join the Packers’ off-season program. I know he’s coming off a torn ACL, but I think he is a steal for a second-round pick (in 2006 or ’07). What do you think?
TAYLOR: I love Javon Walker. He’s a big, physical receiver with the speed to go deep, and he’s still a young man at 27. The knee injury doesn’t bother me because players recover from that injury on a regular basis. I would give up a second-round pick in 2007 for him. When it’s all said and done, I don’t know if that will be enough to get him. Walker could be the front-line receiver to replace Keyshawn Johnson.
• • •
Q: Since day one, you continue to write off Justin Beriault. Why do you keep doing this? Give the guy a chance.
Teresa Clark
TAYLOR: I’m sorry, but it’s not my job to give a guy a chance. It’s my job to talk to coaches and scouts and deal in reality. In Beriault’s situation, the future – in Dallas – doesn’t bode well for him. He’s a strong safety with a degenerative knee condition on a team that has two good strong safeties and a coach who doesn’t like players with injury histories. It doesn’t mean he can’t play. It just means he’s going to have a difficult time making the team.
• • •
Q: Larry Allen confuses me. It strikes me as curious that during his prime when he was blowing everybody up on every single play he was so unaproachable even to his own teammates. And now that he’s possibly lost a step or two, he’s taking younger players under his wing and participating in weight room competitions during the Pro Bowl. What gives? Is he just softening around the edges finally, or is he planning on becoming a motivational speaker when he retires?
Jerry Benavides, Miami
TAYLOR: Just because Larry Allen doesn’t talk to the media doesn’t mean he hasn’t been a good teammate. He’s always worked well with his teammates and given them all the tips and insight they can absorb.
• • •
Q: I have been pondering who the top five Cowboys quarterbacks of all time are. I have only been a fan since Danny White began as a starter, but my list would be Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach, Don Meredith, White and Craig Morton. Your thoughts?
Charles Stec, Wilmington, Del.
TAYLOR: That’s a good question. In fact, the Cowboys have had such stability at the position that I’m not sure you can rank the top five. I like your top four, but Craig Morton never really latched on to the starting job. My top four would be Staubach, Aikman, Meredith and White. I take Staubach over Aikman because he was more mobile, and his ability to bring a team from behind time after time in his career gives him an edge. Aikman was cooly efficient, and his team was so good, he didn’t have to come from behind too often. I’m splitting hairs, but that’s what you do when comparing great players.
• • •
Q: Why was Chris Palmer hired as quarterbacks coach? His recent track record with Tim Couch and David Carr doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence that he can elevate Drew Bledsoe’s play.
TAYLOR: That’s a fair question. I think Parcells viewed him as a better and more accomplished coach than David Lee, who had been handling the job. Palmer has struggled in his last two situations, but he was viewed as a good coach before then and he has worked well with Parcells in the past. I think he has a comfort level with Parcells that will make him a good fit in Dallas, and he already has a relationship with Drew Bledsoe.
La’Roi Glover is gone. So is Dan Campbell. And Keyshawn Johnson. And in a couple of weeks, Larry Allen’s name will probably be added to the list.
That’s a lot of veteran leadership lost in the last few weeks. No one knows if it can be adequately replaced.
Now, you can argue that the veteran leadership didn’t seem to help much last year when Dallas faltered down the stretch and finished 9-7, missing the playoffs after a 7-3 start. The reality, though, is that each of those players played a key role in helping the Cowboys improve after a disastrous 2004 season.
More important, you didn’t have to worry about their agendas. They cared only about winning.
You can’t always say that in today’s NFL.
They practiced hard. They made their teammates practice hard. They studied hard and they made their teammates study hard. They were the glue that held that team together when it had potentially devastating losses to Washington and Oakland and Seattle early in the season.
Someone else will have to walk to the front of the line now. Maybe it will be Bradie James. Or maybe new linebacker Akin Ayodele will do it. Maybe DeMarcus Ware or Marcus Spears will do it.
That, you see, is the problem.
The Cowboys don’t know where the leadership will come from in 2006. Drew Bledsoe will provide some of it, but there aren’t a lot of players left in this locker room who have accomplished much in the NFL.
They haven’t earned trips to the Pro Bowls or starred in the playoffs. They don’t have the pedigrees to tell a young player, “Follow me, because I know what’s best.”
Owner Jerry Jones and coach Bill Parcells don’t seem to think it’s going to be much of a problem.
Time will tell.
COWBOYS Q&A
Q: How is that the Redskins can always sign their targets, while the Cowboys lose some to other clubs? We need to be more aggressive just to keep up with Dan Snyder. What do you think?
Brant Abbitt
TAYLOR: No team ever signs every player it wants, but the Redskins do seem to do a good job of targeting players and getting them locked up. That said, there aren’t many teams that have taken the George Steinbrenner approach and won a Super Bowl. Maybe Snyder will be the first. A few years ago, the Redskins signed Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders and some other high-priced superstars, and it didn’t work out. The thing I like about what Washington has done is the Redskins have invested a lot of money with its coaching staff, and that makes me think they’ll be able to get the most from the talent they’re putting together.
• • •
Q: Let Andre Gurode start at center from training camp. I feel that he will solidify the center position. What do you think?
Roger Haywood
TAYLOR: He’s going to have every opportunity to win the job, which hasn’t been the case in the past. But it’s up to Gurode to seize control of the opportunity and take the job. He has the physical tools, but he must become better at recognizing defensive fronts and making the proper adjustments to get the rest of the offensive line in position to do its job. That means more study and more preparation. The work ethic is there. Now he needs to add the results.
• • •
Q: Do you think it’s possible to “buy” a Lombardi Trophy, or is sticking with the draft still the best way?
Tommy Sears, Tampa, Fla.
TAYLOR: All you have to do is look at the Cowboys and see that the draft is the best way to build a team. The Cowboys wouldn’t have to spend $15 million on Kyle Krosier if Stephen Peterman, a third-round pick two years ago, could play. He was drafted to be Larry Allen’s replacement. And the Cowboys wouldn’t be wondering what to do at right tackle if Jacob Rodgers could play. They’re either going to have to spend another high draft choice on a tackle or spend money in free agency on one. Any money they spend on Krosier and a right tackle could’ve been money spent on a player who has a chance to make more of an impact.
• • •
Q: Do you think Dallas overpaid on Kosier at $15 million? Isn’t he really just a very versatile backup? Are they that desperate?
Ed Manion, Tucson, Ariz.
TAYLOR: Yes, they are desperate. The word I get on Krosier from talking to people is that he’s a smart, scrappy guy with limited physical tools, which is why he’s effective over the long haul at tackle. He competes hard and he makes few mental mistakes, but the Cowboys like him because they view him as a young player who still has upside. He’s replacing one of the best guards in NFL history, so there will be pressure on him to perform at a high level. That said, his contract averages $3 million, which is not absurd money in today’s NFL.
• • •
Q: The latest rumor from ESPN.com is that Javon Walker is adamant about being traded. He is willing to pay back his signing bonus ($850,000) and will not join the Packers’ off-season program. I know he’s coming off a torn ACL, but I think he is a steal for a second-round pick (in 2006 or ’07). What do you think?
TAYLOR: I love Javon Walker. He’s a big, physical receiver with the speed to go deep, and he’s still a young man at 27. The knee injury doesn’t bother me because players recover from that injury on a regular basis. I would give up a second-round pick in 2007 for him. When it’s all said and done, I don’t know if that will be enough to get him. Walker could be the front-line receiver to replace Keyshawn Johnson.
• • •
Q: Since day one, you continue to write off Justin Beriault. Why do you keep doing this? Give the guy a chance.
Teresa Clark
TAYLOR: I’m sorry, but it’s not my job to give a guy a chance. It’s my job to talk to coaches and scouts and deal in reality. In Beriault’s situation, the future – in Dallas – doesn’t bode well for him. He’s a strong safety with a degenerative knee condition on a team that has two good strong safeties and a coach who doesn’t like players with injury histories. It doesn’t mean he can’t play. It just means he’s going to have a difficult time making the team.
• • •
Q: Larry Allen confuses me. It strikes me as curious that during his prime when he was blowing everybody up on every single play he was so unaproachable even to his own teammates. And now that he’s possibly lost a step or two, he’s taking younger players under his wing and participating in weight room competitions during the Pro Bowl. What gives? Is he just softening around the edges finally, or is he planning on becoming a motivational speaker when he retires?
Jerry Benavides, Miami
TAYLOR: Just because Larry Allen doesn’t talk to the media doesn’t mean he hasn’t been a good teammate. He’s always worked well with his teammates and given them all the tips and insight they can absorb.
• • •
Q: I have been pondering who the top five Cowboys quarterbacks of all time are. I have only been a fan since Danny White began as a starter, but my list would be Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach, Don Meredith, White and Craig Morton. Your thoughts?
Charles Stec, Wilmington, Del.
TAYLOR: That’s a good question. In fact, the Cowboys have had such stability at the position that I’m not sure you can rank the top five. I like your top four, but Craig Morton never really latched on to the starting job. My top four would be Staubach, Aikman, Meredith and White. I take Staubach over Aikman because he was more mobile, and his ability to bring a team from behind time after time in his career gives him an edge. Aikman was cooly efficient, and his team was so good, he didn’t have to come from behind too often. I’m splitting hairs, but that’s what you do when comparing great players.
• • •
Q: Why was Chris Palmer hired as quarterbacks coach? His recent track record with Tim Couch and David Carr doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence that he can elevate Drew Bledsoe’s play.
TAYLOR: That’s a fair question. I think Parcells viewed him as a better and more accomplished coach than David Lee, who had been handling the job. Palmer has struggled in his last two situations, but he was viewed as a good coach before then and he has worked well with Parcells in the past. I think he has a comfort level with Parcells that will make him a good fit in Dallas, and he already has a relationship with Drew Bledsoe.
posted by The Gryphon at 12:04 PM
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