Cowboys Mailbag: Dallas should focus on Jones, not McFadden
Tom Orsborn
San Antonio Express-News
Dallas Cowboys fans are lusting after the wrong Razorback running back.
While it’s true Darren McFadden is looking more and more like a future Pro Bowl choice after clocking a scorching time of 4.27 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, his Arkansas teammate, Felix Jones, would be a better fit for the Cowboys.
To position themselves to draft McFadden, the Cowboys would have to part with their first-round picks (Nos. 22 and 28) plus a player or other picks. The high cost to crack the top five should make such a move prohibitive. Plus, this draft is deep with backs.
Jones, meanwhile, is projected as a late first or second-round selection.
Then there’s this: Jones has the perfect temperament to share carries with Pro Bowl pick Marion Barber, a restricted free agent Dallas is sure to retain.
For three seasons, Jones was content to operate in the large shadow cast by McFadden. Although he told reporters in Indianapolis he’s eager to create a name for himself, Jones acknowledged he enjoyed playing with McFadden because they were a “tremendous tandem.”
Wouldn’t the same be true of a Barber-Jones partnership?
Calling himself a “laid-back type of guy,” Jones said he likes to “sit around and watch people do what they do.”
“I’m just the guy in the back,” said Jones, who like McFadden left Arkansas after his junior season.
According to Pro Football Weekly, scouts say the second-fiddle role is one Jones should continue in the NFL. They cite his lack of durability as the main reason he shouldn’t be a featured back.
Jones, though, would be perfect in a change-of-pace role. He averaged 8.7 yards per carry last season on an average of just 10.2 rushes. At the combine, he had a 4.47-second showing in the 40.
To top it all, Jones made it clear in an interview two weeks ago with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he would be thrilled to play for Dallas.
“I grew up watching the Cowboys in Tulsa, Okla. They were the closest team to our state,” Jones said. “I grew up a fan and it would be an honor to wear the star on my helmet.”
Now on to your questions:
What should the Cowboys’ No. 1 priority be right now?
-- Ryan Becker, Boise, Idaho
Hands down, it should be re-signing Pro Bowl left tackle Flozell Adams, an unrestricted free agent. If they lose Adams, the Cowboys likely will be forced to move Leonard Davis to left tackle, which means they will be losing a Pro Bowl right guard and gaining a mediocre left tackle. Davis is much stronger in the middle, where he doesn’t have to operate in space. With Davis guarding his blindside, Tony Romo won’t be nearly as effective.
What needs to be done to our defensive front and secondary to take the defense to the next level?
-- Sas Mwine, Centreville, Md.
As the New York Giants proved in the playoffs and the Super Bowl, you can get by with a mediocre secondary provided you generate a punishing pass rush. The Cowboys were solid in that area last season and should be even better next season provided 2007 first-round pick Anthony Spencer continues to develop as an edge rusher. My guess is he will. He showed flashes last season, ending with three sacks, three tackles for losses and seven quarterback pressures.
San Antonio Express-News
Dallas Cowboys fans are lusting after the wrong Razorback running back.
While it’s true Darren McFadden is looking more and more like a future Pro Bowl choice after clocking a scorching time of 4.27 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, his Arkansas teammate, Felix Jones, would be a better fit for the Cowboys.
To position themselves to draft McFadden, the Cowboys would have to part with their first-round picks (Nos. 22 and 28) plus a player or other picks. The high cost to crack the top five should make such a move prohibitive. Plus, this draft is deep with backs.
Jones, meanwhile, is projected as a late first or second-round selection.
Then there’s this: Jones has the perfect temperament to share carries with Pro Bowl pick Marion Barber, a restricted free agent Dallas is sure to retain.
For three seasons, Jones was content to operate in the large shadow cast by McFadden. Although he told reporters in Indianapolis he’s eager to create a name for himself, Jones acknowledged he enjoyed playing with McFadden because they were a “tremendous tandem.”
Wouldn’t the same be true of a Barber-Jones partnership?
Calling himself a “laid-back type of guy,” Jones said he likes to “sit around and watch people do what they do.”
“I’m just the guy in the back,” said Jones, who like McFadden left Arkansas after his junior season.
According to Pro Football Weekly, scouts say the second-fiddle role is one Jones should continue in the NFL. They cite his lack of durability as the main reason he shouldn’t be a featured back.
Jones, though, would be perfect in a change-of-pace role. He averaged 8.7 yards per carry last season on an average of just 10.2 rushes. At the combine, he had a 4.47-second showing in the 40.
To top it all, Jones made it clear in an interview two weeks ago with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he would be thrilled to play for Dallas.
“I grew up watching the Cowboys in Tulsa, Okla. They were the closest team to our state,” Jones said. “I grew up a fan and it would be an honor to wear the star on my helmet.”
Now on to your questions:
What should the Cowboys’ No. 1 priority be right now?
-- Ryan Becker, Boise, Idaho
Hands down, it should be re-signing Pro Bowl left tackle Flozell Adams, an unrestricted free agent. If they lose Adams, the Cowboys likely will be forced to move Leonard Davis to left tackle, which means they will be losing a Pro Bowl right guard and gaining a mediocre left tackle. Davis is much stronger in the middle, where he doesn’t have to operate in space. With Davis guarding his blindside, Tony Romo won’t be nearly as effective.
What needs to be done to our defensive front and secondary to take the defense to the next level?
-- Sas Mwine, Centreville, Md.
As the New York Giants proved in the playoffs and the Super Bowl, you can get by with a mediocre secondary provided you generate a punishing pass rush. The Cowboys were solid in that area last season and should be even better next season provided 2007 first-round pick Anthony Spencer continues to develop as an edge rusher. My guess is he will. He showed flashes last season, ending with three sacks, three tackles for losses and seven quarterback pressures.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:15 PM
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