Buck Harvey: The pattern: Why Dallas won't win it
Buck Harvey
San Antonio Express-News
Wade Phillips has reason to wonder if he will win this season.
After all, the Cowboys chose him.
The Cowboys chose Phillips, and the San Diego Chargers chose the one the Cowboys passed on. It's been a pattern these last few years and, for Dallas, it's also been a curse.
Had it all gone differently?
The Cowboys would not only be better than a 9-7 team this season — they would also be NFC favorites.
Phillips knows these details better than anyone in Dallas, because he was in San Diego when the talent shifted. For two consecutive springs, the Cowboys drafted directly in front of the Chargers, and the Chargers didn't settle for leftovers. They followed with big gambles and bigger results.
It started in 2005, with the Cowboys drafting 11th and the Chargers 12th. Then, Dallas did well for itself, taking a remarkable athlete, DeMarcus Ware.
But San Diego did better. Shawne Merriman, an athlete with character issues, would have been the defensive player of the year this past season except for an aspect that fits the pattern. Merriman was busted for steroids and served a suspension.
The Cowboys could live with that singular decision easily enough. Ware is more stable than Merriman and still improving.
What followed, however, should make Phillips question his new franchise. Both teams had an extra first-round selection in that draft, and the Cowboys chose Marcus Spears. He's become what some scouts said he was then: A naturally gifted tackle who prefers to finesse at end.
Choosing later, the Chargers took Luis Castillo, another player with a blemish. He tested positive for steroids at the combine. He's also become what Spears hasn't, which is an impact player who wants to play defensive tackle.
In the next draft, the Cowboys picked 18th, the Chargers 19th, and Bill Parcells once again went with a safe pick. He took Bobby Carpenter, the son of a player he coached with the New York Giants.
The Chargers? They gambled on a raw but gifted cornerback, Antonio Cromartie.
Parcells always said the 3-4 defense can't have enough linebackers, and the Cowboys could use an extra one now. But Carpenter has thus far looked like a journeyman, while Cromartie is precisely what the Cowboys could use now with Terence Newman limping.
Without Newman, the Cowboys will rely on two former seventh-round draft picks who have yet to impress. Cromartie, though still a backup in San Diego, is considered good enough to be a starter right now. He also has a chance to star someday using his 6-foot-3 size and sprinter's speed.
"I wish I had his talent," said one of the San Diego cornerbacks, Drayton Florence.
Cromartie was a gamble, too, but not as Merriman and Castillo were. He missed his final season at Florida State with a torn ACL.
The Cowboys and Chargers were paired again in the next round in that same 2006 draft. The Cowboys traded out of their position, at No. 49, to obtain more draft picks. A few slots later, they used one of them to take Anthony Fasano, a serviceable tight end but nothing more.
The Chargers kept No. 50, and they opted for a 6-foot-7 blocker who fell in the draft because of a back condition (spinal stenosis). Marcus McNeill, playing left offensive tackle as a rookie last year, was never penalized for holding. Gave up only two sacks. Went to the Pro Bowl. And was a legitimate rookie-of-the-year candidate.
If the Cowboys could switch their choices now, would the Bears be better? The Saints?
These drafts changed both franchises. These drafts left the Chargers with as much talent as any team in football in critical areas, and they left the Cowboys trying, among other things, to patch up their defensive backfield days before their opener.
So Phillips should wonder about that, and he should wonder if the pattern applies to him. After all, the Cowboys signed Phillips after passing on Norv Turner.
And then the Chargers chose Turner.
San Antonio Express-News
Wade Phillips has reason to wonder if he will win this season.
After all, the Cowboys chose him.
The Cowboys chose Phillips, and the San Diego Chargers chose the one the Cowboys passed on. It's been a pattern these last few years and, for Dallas, it's also been a curse.
Had it all gone differently?
The Cowboys would not only be better than a 9-7 team this season — they would also be NFC favorites.
Phillips knows these details better than anyone in Dallas, because he was in San Diego when the talent shifted. For two consecutive springs, the Cowboys drafted directly in front of the Chargers, and the Chargers didn't settle for leftovers. They followed with big gambles and bigger results.
It started in 2005, with the Cowboys drafting 11th and the Chargers 12th. Then, Dallas did well for itself, taking a remarkable athlete, DeMarcus Ware.
But San Diego did better. Shawne Merriman, an athlete with character issues, would have been the defensive player of the year this past season except for an aspect that fits the pattern. Merriman was busted for steroids and served a suspension.
The Cowboys could live with that singular decision easily enough. Ware is more stable than Merriman and still improving.
What followed, however, should make Phillips question his new franchise. Both teams had an extra first-round selection in that draft, and the Cowboys chose Marcus Spears. He's become what some scouts said he was then: A naturally gifted tackle who prefers to finesse at end.
Choosing later, the Chargers took Luis Castillo, another player with a blemish. He tested positive for steroids at the combine. He's also become what Spears hasn't, which is an impact player who wants to play defensive tackle.
In the next draft, the Cowboys picked 18th, the Chargers 19th, and Bill Parcells once again went with a safe pick. He took Bobby Carpenter, the son of a player he coached with the New York Giants.
The Chargers? They gambled on a raw but gifted cornerback, Antonio Cromartie.
Parcells always said the 3-4 defense can't have enough linebackers, and the Cowboys could use an extra one now. But Carpenter has thus far looked like a journeyman, while Cromartie is precisely what the Cowboys could use now with Terence Newman limping.
Without Newman, the Cowboys will rely on two former seventh-round draft picks who have yet to impress. Cromartie, though still a backup in San Diego, is considered good enough to be a starter right now. He also has a chance to star someday using his 6-foot-3 size and sprinter's speed.
"I wish I had his talent," said one of the San Diego cornerbacks, Drayton Florence.
Cromartie was a gamble, too, but not as Merriman and Castillo were. He missed his final season at Florida State with a torn ACL.
The Cowboys and Chargers were paired again in the next round in that same 2006 draft. The Cowboys traded out of their position, at No. 49, to obtain more draft picks. A few slots later, they used one of them to take Anthony Fasano, a serviceable tight end but nothing more.
The Chargers kept No. 50, and they opted for a 6-foot-7 blocker who fell in the draft because of a back condition (spinal stenosis). Marcus McNeill, playing left offensive tackle as a rookie last year, was never penalized for holding. Gave up only two sacks. Went to the Pro Bowl. And was a legitimate rookie-of-the-year candidate.
If the Cowboys could switch their choices now, would the Bears be better? The Saints?
These drafts changed both franchises. These drafts left the Chargers with as much talent as any team in football in critical areas, and they left the Cowboys trying, among other things, to patch up their defensive backfield days before their opener.
So Phillips should wonder about that, and he should wonder if the pattern applies to him. After all, the Cowboys signed Phillips after passing on Norv Turner.
And then the Chargers chose Turner.
posted by The Gryphon at 10:08 AM
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