Petitti trying to hang onto starting RT job with Cowboys
JAIME ARON
Associated Press
OXNARD, Calif. - Rob Petitti was a great story last season, going from late-round draft pick just hoping to make the Dallas Cowboys to starting every game and playing every snap.
He even got a nice bonus for it - a $271,287 check from a players' union fund set up to reward guys who play far more than they're paid, which in his case was $230,000.
Problem is, there's another wrinkle to his seemingly triumphant rise.
See, just because he played a lot doesn't mean he played all that well.
In his first season at right tackle after always having played the left side, Petitti was a decent run blocker, but often was overmatched on pass protection. So often, in fact, that the Cowboys are hunting for replacements.
They signed Jason Fabini in March and were interested in Adam Meadows, who signed with Denver on Sunday after being out of the league the last two years. On Tuesday, they were planning to work out Lincoln Kennedy, who hasn't played since 2003 and spent last season working for NFL Network.
All that, despite coach Bill Parcells repeatedly praising Petitti for his offseason work.
"He's made a lot of progress physically that should allow him to play better," Parcells said. "He's in better conditioning and he's much stronger. He's much more powerful. But I don't know, that's in the weight room and you have to take it to the field."
Petitti knew when last season ended that he had to follow Parcells often-barked advice, "Learn how to be a professional." So he began shadowing Marco Rivera, who plays next to him at right guard.
Petitti stopped eating fast food and started following a strict diet. He gave up alcohol, save for an occasional glass of wine, and opted for resting over partying. He also worked out constantly.
At 327 pounds, he weighs about the same as last year, but the distribution has changed so much that Parcells told Petitti, "You look like a totally different person."
A totally different player, too, he hopes.
"I can already feel that I'm better than last year, by far," he said. "I'm not getting thrown around as much."
Through agility drills, he's able to spring into action quicker, which he said was part of his problem in pass blocking. He's also upped his bench press by 70 pounds, to 440.
"I have to get to the point where I don't play well just 90 percent of the time," he said. "I have to get the point where I finish guys off and be more aggressive. I think this year I can do it."
Regardless of what happens next, Petitti has buried the "lazy" tag he picked up in college, a knock exemplified by him showing up at the 2005 Senior Bowl weighing 361 pounds.
The Cowboys made him the 209th pick in last year's draft anyway after Parcells checked him out through some shared New Jersey connections. When Petitti slimmed to 325 for the start of training camp, Parcells realized he might have a keeper.
Petitti was supposed to back up Flozell Adams at left tackle, but when all the options for right tackle kept fizzling, Parcells gave Petitti a shot.
Dallas covered up his pass-protection problems early in the season by having other players help slow his men. Then Adams was lost to a knee injury and the Cowboys put Torrin Tucker, Petitti's backup, in his place. (Petitti stayed put for consistency's sake.)
Once the line had two weak links, Dallas couldn't hide them both.
Drew Bledsoe went from getting sacked 23 times the first 10 games to going down 26 times the final six. The Cowboys lost four of them, sinking from a potential division title to missing the playoffs.
"I have a lot of pride, and the way last season ended wasn't a good feeling for me," Petitti said. "So I kind of told myself I was going to do everything I possibly could to do better this year. And I think I have."
The jury is still out on whether that will be good enough. The challengers being lined up for his job are probably not a good sign, but at least Petitti's attitude is encouraging.
"I don't really care who is here," he said. "Competition is what football's all about. Nobody is given a job out here.
"Hopefully it'll be me who wins the job. I've done everything I could. I'm not going to regret anything."
Associated Press
OXNARD, Calif. - Rob Petitti was a great story last season, going from late-round draft pick just hoping to make the Dallas Cowboys to starting every game and playing every snap.
He even got a nice bonus for it - a $271,287 check from a players' union fund set up to reward guys who play far more than they're paid, which in his case was $230,000.
Problem is, there's another wrinkle to his seemingly triumphant rise.
See, just because he played a lot doesn't mean he played all that well.
In his first season at right tackle after always having played the left side, Petitti was a decent run blocker, but often was overmatched on pass protection. So often, in fact, that the Cowboys are hunting for replacements.
They signed Jason Fabini in March and were interested in Adam Meadows, who signed with Denver on Sunday after being out of the league the last two years. On Tuesday, they were planning to work out Lincoln Kennedy, who hasn't played since 2003 and spent last season working for NFL Network.
All that, despite coach Bill Parcells repeatedly praising Petitti for his offseason work.
"He's made a lot of progress physically that should allow him to play better," Parcells said. "He's in better conditioning and he's much stronger. He's much more powerful. But I don't know, that's in the weight room and you have to take it to the field."
Petitti knew when last season ended that he had to follow Parcells often-barked advice, "Learn how to be a professional." So he began shadowing Marco Rivera, who plays next to him at right guard.
Petitti stopped eating fast food and started following a strict diet. He gave up alcohol, save for an occasional glass of wine, and opted for resting over partying. He also worked out constantly.
At 327 pounds, he weighs about the same as last year, but the distribution has changed so much that Parcells told Petitti, "You look like a totally different person."
A totally different player, too, he hopes.
"I can already feel that I'm better than last year, by far," he said. "I'm not getting thrown around as much."
Through agility drills, he's able to spring into action quicker, which he said was part of his problem in pass blocking. He's also upped his bench press by 70 pounds, to 440.
"I have to get to the point where I don't play well just 90 percent of the time," he said. "I have to get the point where I finish guys off and be more aggressive. I think this year I can do it."
Regardless of what happens next, Petitti has buried the "lazy" tag he picked up in college, a knock exemplified by him showing up at the 2005 Senior Bowl weighing 361 pounds.
The Cowboys made him the 209th pick in last year's draft anyway after Parcells checked him out through some shared New Jersey connections. When Petitti slimmed to 325 for the start of training camp, Parcells realized he might have a keeper.
Petitti was supposed to back up Flozell Adams at left tackle, but when all the options for right tackle kept fizzling, Parcells gave Petitti a shot.
Dallas covered up his pass-protection problems early in the season by having other players help slow his men. Then Adams was lost to a knee injury and the Cowboys put Torrin Tucker, Petitti's backup, in his place. (Petitti stayed put for consistency's sake.)
Once the line had two weak links, Dallas couldn't hide them both.
Drew Bledsoe went from getting sacked 23 times the first 10 games to going down 26 times the final six. The Cowboys lost four of them, sinking from a potential division title to missing the playoffs.
"I have a lot of pride, and the way last season ended wasn't a good feeling for me," Petitti said. "So I kind of told myself I was going to do everything I possibly could to do better this year. And I think I have."
The jury is still out on whether that will be good enough. The challengers being lined up for his job are probably not a good sign, but at least Petitti's attitude is encouraging.
"I don't really care who is here," he said. "Competition is what football's all about. Nobody is given a job out here.
"Hopefully it'll be me who wins the job. I've done everything I could. I'm not going to regret anything."
posted by The Gryphon at 9:43 PM
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