Cowboys Insider: If Watkins wants to start again, he needs to learn to speak up
Tom Orsborn
Express-News
Free safety Ken Hamlin isn't afraid to speak his mind.
And for the leadership-weak Dallas Cowboys, that's a good thing.
The Cowboys signed Hamlin in free agency to play center field and serve as the quarterback of the secondary. One of the problems last season with starting rookie Patrick Watkins opposite Roy Williams was the former Florida State standout's understandable reluctance to play traffic cop in a defensive backfield that include a perennial Pro Bowler (Williams) and two veteran corners (Anthony Henry and Terence Newman).
The 26-year-old Hamlin, the former Arkansas standout who received a one-year contract last month from Jerry Jones, won't have that problem, Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart says.
"I think Hamlin brings an awful lot to us and the reason why he does is that when you have a young guy (Watkins) who has to tell an All-Pro like Roy Williams, 'Do this,' and, 'Go there,' and, 'Back up,' and, 'I got him,' he may not say anything," Stewart says.
"But when you got a guy (Hamlin), a seasoned (four-year) veteran who has been a starter in this league and has played well, he doesn't mind saying things like, 'You get back. I'm coming down.' That's what Hamlin brings to us – he's a good communicator and also a very good player."
So have the Cowboys given up on the 6-foot-5 Watkins, a fifth-round choice, ever starting again?
No way, Stewart says.
Watkins recorded three interceptions last season in an up-and-down campaign that saw him begin the season as a starter, lose the job and then show flashes late after Bill Parcells again made him a regular.
"He has a lot to learn and he's young, but Watkins is a potential starter in this league," Stewart says. "When you are paired up with Roy Williams and you are fresh out of Florida State, there are not a lot of things you feel you can tell Roy Williams to do.
"But now that you have an older guy (Hamlin) who is telling Roy how to do it, Pat has a chance to watch how it's done and once you watch how it's done, you can put your own personality on it when you are a starter."
With Hamlin signing only a one-year deal, Watkins could still be the team's free safety of the future.
Of course, it all depends on whether he can find his voice.
Express-News
Free safety Ken Hamlin isn't afraid to speak his mind.
And for the leadership-weak Dallas Cowboys, that's a good thing.
The Cowboys signed Hamlin in free agency to play center field and serve as the quarterback of the secondary. One of the problems last season with starting rookie Patrick Watkins opposite Roy Williams was the former Florida State standout's understandable reluctance to play traffic cop in a defensive backfield that include a perennial Pro Bowler (Williams) and two veteran corners (Anthony Henry and Terence Newman).
The 26-year-old Hamlin, the former Arkansas standout who received a one-year contract last month from Jerry Jones, won't have that problem, Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart says.
"I think Hamlin brings an awful lot to us and the reason why he does is that when you have a young guy (Watkins) who has to tell an All-Pro like Roy Williams, 'Do this,' and, 'Go there,' and, 'Back up,' and, 'I got him,' he may not say anything," Stewart says.
"But when you got a guy (Hamlin), a seasoned (four-year) veteran who has been a starter in this league and has played well, he doesn't mind saying things like, 'You get back. I'm coming down.' That's what Hamlin brings to us – he's a good communicator and also a very good player."
So have the Cowboys given up on the 6-foot-5 Watkins, a fifth-round choice, ever starting again?
No way, Stewart says.
Watkins recorded three interceptions last season in an up-and-down campaign that saw him begin the season as a starter, lose the job and then show flashes late after Bill Parcells again made him a regular.
"He has a lot to learn and he's young, but Watkins is a potential starter in this league," Stewart says. "When you are paired up with Roy Williams and you are fresh out of Florida State, there are not a lot of things you feel you can tell Roy Williams to do.
"But now that you have an older guy (Hamlin) who is telling Roy how to do it, Pat has a chance to watch how it's done and once you watch how it's done, you can put your own personality on it when you are a starter."
With Hamlin signing only a one-year deal, Watkins could still be the team's free safety of the future.
Of course, it all depends on whether he can find his voice.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:32 PM
<< Home