Cowboys abroad
By Os Davis on May 24, 2006 01:56 AM
With the close of the NFL Europe season, NFL front-office types will be taking a long, hard look at what their allocated players have done overseas in football's version of summer school. A trio of guys have represented the Cowboys in Germany this year ... and what have Jerry Jones and Bill Parcells seen? Following are report cards for three remedial Cowpokes as they once again try to graduate into football's higher realms.
Tom Crowder, wide receiver/safety/special teams. To be frank, Crowder has been little more than a hanger-on in Dallas after something of a promising career for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Since spending time on all sides of the ball in university, it's been all downhill.
After going undrafted in 2004, Crowder signed with Dallas but could not make the final roster. No problems there, as Crowder was given two shots on the Cowboy practice roster - once listed at WR, the second at safety. In 2005, he saw exactly one game as a Cowboy, the finale at New York; "saw" being the operative word, for Crowder saw zero action in that game.
Unfortunately, Crowder has seen precious little playing time for the Frankfurt Galaxy as well. His season has resembled a European vacation, returning a mere three kickoffs for a total of 54 yards and catching seven passes for 62 yards. As deep as the Cowboys' preseason roster is, Crowder has done little to make an impression and thus augment his chances of moving off the practice squad in any capacity. Here's a guy who is living up to the epitaph "Jack of all trades, master of none." Grade: F
Lenny Williams, cornerback. Now here's a guy who has managed to make an impression. Playing alongside Crowder in Frankfurt, Williams produced a nice stat line on special teams: sixteen kickoff returns for 406 yards, an average of 25.4 per, and a long of 57. On D, Williams led the team with eleven passes defensed (that's in a nine-game season). On paper at least, Williams is improving on his impressive run at Southern University, went an amazing two full seasons without allowing a TD pass.
Unfortunately, NFL Europe can't teach you size. Williams' average (at best) height - he's listed at 5'10" in the Galaxy media guide, 6'0" in the Cowboys' - and 190 pounds have worked against him a bit in two years of trying to make the big boys' squad. Nevertheless, the numbers don't lie, and Williams may pleasantly surprise in time for the opener. Grade: A-
Drew Henson, quarterback. He may be the most watched player in NFL Europe hisotry, a love-him-or-hate-him guy who is either said to be a CFL-bound scrub or a potential heir apparent to Drew Bledsoe. (If only the Tuna would give him more of a chance...) After attempting a grand total of eighteen passes in two seasons with the 'Boys, Henson doubtlessly saw his assignment to the Rhein Fire as a chance just to play some gosh darn honest-to-Lombardi football, if nothing else.
Henson received his share of media scrutiny, forecast as "one to watch" in the 2006 season. Watch they did as Drew had his Fire burning through four wins in the first four weeks. Then, those pesky "intangibles" came into play, and the wheels came off the Rhein bus.
In Week Five, after racking up thirty-one points mostly on offense, the Fire lost the ball to a drive-killing interception. The team promptly dropped four of five and played themselves out of championship contention. Henson was replaced as starter by the time what would become Rhein Fire elimination week rolled around, and got nothing going after coming off the bench for the second half in the crucial game. In the final game, Henson managed just eight completions on twenty passes for 133 yards and one TD.
So what to make of this enigma called Drew Henson, then? His 84.2 QB rating was second-best in the league among starters, and his TD/interception ratio - ten against three - was impressive and his completion rate stayed around the 55% mark for most of the season. The sole question for Henson and the Dallas front office to decide is how much the Fire's fizzle can be blamed on the QB, and how much of its sizzle can be credited to him. With the Tuna promising to bring quite a few quarterbacks to camp, Henson appears to be facing another uphill battle with coaches and fans. And his leadership abilities will be questioned. Grade: C+
With the close of the NFL Europe season, NFL front-office types will be taking a long, hard look at what their allocated players have done overseas in football's version of summer school. A trio of guys have represented the Cowboys in Germany this year ... and what have Jerry Jones and Bill Parcells seen? Following are report cards for three remedial Cowpokes as they once again try to graduate into football's higher realms.
Tom Crowder, wide receiver/safety/special teams. To be frank, Crowder has been little more than a hanger-on in Dallas after something of a promising career for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Since spending time on all sides of the ball in university, it's been all downhill.
After going undrafted in 2004, Crowder signed with Dallas but could not make the final roster. No problems there, as Crowder was given two shots on the Cowboy practice roster - once listed at WR, the second at safety. In 2005, he saw exactly one game as a Cowboy, the finale at New York; "saw" being the operative word, for Crowder saw zero action in that game.
Unfortunately, Crowder has seen precious little playing time for the Frankfurt Galaxy as well. His season has resembled a European vacation, returning a mere three kickoffs for a total of 54 yards and catching seven passes for 62 yards. As deep as the Cowboys' preseason roster is, Crowder has done little to make an impression and thus augment his chances of moving off the practice squad in any capacity. Here's a guy who is living up to the epitaph "Jack of all trades, master of none." Grade: F
Lenny Williams, cornerback. Now here's a guy who has managed to make an impression. Playing alongside Crowder in Frankfurt, Williams produced a nice stat line on special teams: sixteen kickoff returns for 406 yards, an average of 25.4 per, and a long of 57. On D, Williams led the team with eleven passes defensed (that's in a nine-game season). On paper at least, Williams is improving on his impressive run at Southern University, went an amazing two full seasons without allowing a TD pass.
Unfortunately, NFL Europe can't teach you size. Williams' average (at best) height - he's listed at 5'10" in the Galaxy media guide, 6'0" in the Cowboys' - and 190 pounds have worked against him a bit in two years of trying to make the big boys' squad. Nevertheless, the numbers don't lie, and Williams may pleasantly surprise in time for the opener. Grade: A-
Drew Henson, quarterback. He may be the most watched player in NFL Europe hisotry, a love-him-or-hate-him guy who is either said to be a CFL-bound scrub or a potential heir apparent to Drew Bledsoe. (If only the Tuna would give him more of a chance...) After attempting a grand total of eighteen passes in two seasons with the 'Boys, Henson doubtlessly saw his assignment to the Rhein Fire as a chance just to play some gosh darn honest-to-Lombardi football, if nothing else.
Henson received his share of media scrutiny, forecast as "one to watch" in the 2006 season. Watch they did as Drew had his Fire burning through four wins in the first four weeks. Then, those pesky "intangibles" came into play, and the wheels came off the Rhein bus.
In Week Five, after racking up thirty-one points mostly on offense, the Fire lost the ball to a drive-killing interception. The team promptly dropped four of five and played themselves out of championship contention. Henson was replaced as starter by the time what would become Rhein Fire elimination week rolled around, and got nothing going after coming off the bench for the second half in the crucial game. In the final game, Henson managed just eight completions on twenty passes for 133 yards and one TD.
So what to make of this enigma called Drew Henson, then? His 84.2 QB rating was second-best in the league among starters, and his TD/interception ratio - ten against three - was impressive and his completion rate stayed around the 55% mark for most of the season. The sole question for Henson and the Dallas front office to decide is how much the Fire's fizzle can be blamed on the QB, and how much of its sizzle can be credited to him. With the Tuna promising to bring quite a few quarterbacks to camp, Henson appears to be facing another uphill battle with coaches and fans. And his leadership abilities will be questioned. Grade: C+
posted by The Gryphon at 10:53 PM
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