The Perfect Storm?
By Mickey Spagnola
DallasCowboys.com
IRVING, Texas - Nothing is ever perfect, especially around here. But has not the Perfect Storm struck The Ranch or what this off-season?
Now before we go any further, this is on you because I don't want to get blamed for any sort of jinx or anything: Go rap on some serious wood. Get you some fine mahogany or cherry. Maybe knock a couple of times for good measure if you are superstitious. But man, are things falling into place around here, and that's for a team coming off a 13-3 regular-season last year, one good enough to win the NFC East for the first time since 1998 and earn the NFC's top playoff seed for the first time since 1995.
Yeah, I know, I haven't forgotten. The Cowboys didn't win a playoff game in 2007. Maybe you can't have everything at once. Or can you? Because in a matter of two hours on Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell partially reinstated the suspended Adam "Pacman" Jones, clearing him to participate in the team's off-season workouts, training camp and preseason games - including Tuesday's seventh of 12-scheduled OTA workouts where he concluded the session by picking off Richard Bartel and taking it to the house. Who knows if Bartel was playing the part of the Washington Generals; the place, I'm told, went crazy just the same and that believe it, Bartel was competing hard. That carrot thrown Pacman Jones made the Cowboys happy, even if Goodell only vowed to address permanent reinstatement before Sept. 1. That part's on Pacman, not Goodell. Pacman will make that decision for the Commish.
Then about an hour later we learn the Cowboys made Terrell Owens, known to brood when not financially happy, very happy, signing him to a three-year extension, which amounts to a four-year, $34 million deal, of which $13 million is guaranteed. But that is only $6 million more than what he was going to be guaranteed this year anyway. Hey, when Terrell is happy, everybody is happy, and believe me, Terrell was happy out here Tuesday at Texas Stadium during his press conference sitting behind the biggest bowl of popcorn you've ever seen.
Perfect, no? Oh, there still are a few hiccups to deal with. Greg Ellis supposedly is making peace and will return to OTA's on Wednesday even if he didn't practice Tuesday, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said it's nothing he's going to lose sleep over. Ken Hamlin and the Cowboys really aren't making progress on a long-term deal, but as Jones knows, he's under his franchise tender and as he said Tuesday, "Why wouldn't he play," having 4.39 million reasons why. Terry Glenn's pouting over being asked to sign a split contract because his recalcitrant right knee lacks the common sense he was born with, although Jerry Jones seems confident Glenn will come around. And there's probably no extinguishing the Roy Williams debate.
But as off-seasons go, nothing could be finer or may have ever been finer for the Dallas Cowboys in decades. "I think we've had a really good off-season," Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said, for as he said, "I know people busted our chops for not participating in free agency, but we never were going to do it." OK, Owens is re-signed. The trade gets done for Pacman Jones, and now with this latest ruling, reinstatement is on him. Terence Newman has been signed to an extension. Marion Barber has been signed to a seven-year deal. Flozell Adams has been re-signed. And before last season had even been completed, the Cowboys had re-signed Tony Romo, Jay Ratliff and Patrick Crayton. Heck, even Louis-Philippe Ladouceur has signed a long-term deal. Good gosh, that's some good work.
But wait, there is more. Check this out. The Cowboys basically will have at least replaced Jacques Reeves at the third corner spot with Pacman Jones, assuming he can "avoid further adverse involvement with law enforcement" for the next three months, and that doesn't even take into account his punt-return capabilities. They replaced fourth corner Nate Jones with first-round draft choice Mike Jenkins. And that leaves the fifth spot a battle between fifth-round pick Orlando Scandrick, last year's seventh-rounder Alan Ball, last year's free-agent pickup Evan Oglesby and practice-squader Quincy Butler. Nice. "I certainly didn't think we'd have the numbers at corner we do," Jerry Jones said. "You look out there today? There's three teams of corners out there. That's unbelievable." Let's see, they have replaced Akin Ayodele with Zach Thomas, and so far there are no indications the 12-year veteran has deteriorated beyond productivity. And if he has, that only opens up opportunities for Kevin Burnett and Bobby Carpenter. Not bad.
Now then, running back. They replaced Julius Jones with Felix Jones. They replaced Tyson Thompson with Tashard Choice. And if you look at where they were at this time last year, they replaced Oliver Hoyte, the converted linebacker, with Deon Anderson, a real fullback. Sweet. Also, worried about their receiving capabilities behind Pro Bowler Jason Witten, the Cowboys not only pulled the trigger on trading Anthony Fasano to make room for Tony Curtis' growth, but they then covered themselves by selecting Martellus Bennett in the second round. Good. If you are not too concrete - work with me on this one - they actually have replaced Jason Ferguson with Tank Johnson. Yeah, yeah, I know, Ferguson missed all of last season and Tank played eight games last year as Ratliff's backup. But that wasn't the real Tank, not the guy who had been a defensive line stalwart for the Bears until running afoul with the law. This coaching staff says the real deal has returned this off-season. Just wait. Too good. And I'm telling you, if Isaiah Stanback can learn the nuances of playing wide receiver and youngsters such as Sam Hurd and Miles Austin can take the next step, we're talking additions at wide receiver, too, regardless of what Glenn decides to do.
Plus, you saw Anthony Spencer last year. How much better you think he'll be this year? Oh, and what about Felix Jones returning kickoffs, too? Plus, do not discount - and this by no means is meant to disparage anyone - head coach Wade Phillips adding five assistants beholding to him to replace four guys he had inherited from Bill Parcells' staff who didn't think twice about heading south when Bill called.
Oh, and let's not forget Jerry Jones did whatever it took to make sure Jason Garrett did not take one of those two head coaching jobs, and that should not be minimized since if he had, your second-full-year-starting quarterback would have been working with his fourth offensive coordinator in four years. Oh, did I mention the second-year starting quarterback has one full-season of starting under his chinstrap? Molto bene!
Come on, you'd have run me off the reservation had I predicted even half this stuff taking place following the Cowboys' 21-17 loss to the New York Giants in that divisional-round playoff game, and rightfully so. This is outrageous. Off-season of off-seasons? About the only wish you still could have is not having lost Keith Davis, having acquired some safety depth and Jerry having pulled off that trade for the likes of Chad Johnson or Roy Williams. But then nothing is ever perfect and those occurrences might have cost you something else.
"Some of that had to fall (right) but some of that had to be though through," Jerry Jones said of all this off-season maneuvering. "I think (things have) gone better than I could have anticipated. "We've really had a good off-season." Still, I'm telling you - go ahead, grab some wood again - when adding up all the little things that have gone right so far this off-season - come on, knock . . . knock! - the atmospheric pressure around here seems to be building. Almost perfectly. The Cowboys' Perfect Storm.
DallasCowboys.com
IRVING, Texas - Nothing is ever perfect, especially around here. But has not the Perfect Storm struck The Ranch or what this off-season?
Now before we go any further, this is on you because I don't want to get blamed for any sort of jinx or anything: Go rap on some serious wood. Get you some fine mahogany or cherry. Maybe knock a couple of times for good measure if you are superstitious. But man, are things falling into place around here, and that's for a team coming off a 13-3 regular-season last year, one good enough to win the NFC East for the first time since 1998 and earn the NFC's top playoff seed for the first time since 1995.
Yeah, I know, I haven't forgotten. The Cowboys didn't win a playoff game in 2007. Maybe you can't have everything at once. Or can you? Because in a matter of two hours on Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell partially reinstated the suspended Adam "Pacman" Jones, clearing him to participate in the team's off-season workouts, training camp and preseason games - including Tuesday's seventh of 12-scheduled OTA workouts where he concluded the session by picking off Richard Bartel and taking it to the house. Who knows if Bartel was playing the part of the Washington Generals; the place, I'm told, went crazy just the same and that believe it, Bartel was competing hard. That carrot thrown Pacman Jones made the Cowboys happy, even if Goodell only vowed to address permanent reinstatement before Sept. 1. That part's on Pacman, not Goodell. Pacman will make that decision for the Commish.
Then about an hour later we learn the Cowboys made Terrell Owens, known to brood when not financially happy, very happy, signing him to a three-year extension, which amounts to a four-year, $34 million deal, of which $13 million is guaranteed. But that is only $6 million more than what he was going to be guaranteed this year anyway. Hey, when Terrell is happy, everybody is happy, and believe me, Terrell was happy out here Tuesday at Texas Stadium during his press conference sitting behind the biggest bowl of popcorn you've ever seen.
Perfect, no? Oh, there still are a few hiccups to deal with. Greg Ellis supposedly is making peace and will return to OTA's on Wednesday even if he didn't practice Tuesday, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said it's nothing he's going to lose sleep over. Ken Hamlin and the Cowboys really aren't making progress on a long-term deal, but as Jones knows, he's under his franchise tender and as he said Tuesday, "Why wouldn't he play," having 4.39 million reasons why. Terry Glenn's pouting over being asked to sign a split contract because his recalcitrant right knee lacks the common sense he was born with, although Jerry Jones seems confident Glenn will come around. And there's probably no extinguishing the Roy Williams debate.
But as off-seasons go, nothing could be finer or may have ever been finer for the Dallas Cowboys in decades. "I think we've had a really good off-season," Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said, for as he said, "I know people busted our chops for not participating in free agency, but we never were going to do it." OK, Owens is re-signed. The trade gets done for Pacman Jones, and now with this latest ruling, reinstatement is on him. Terence Newman has been signed to an extension. Marion Barber has been signed to a seven-year deal. Flozell Adams has been re-signed. And before last season had even been completed, the Cowboys had re-signed Tony Romo, Jay Ratliff and Patrick Crayton. Heck, even Louis-Philippe Ladouceur has signed a long-term deal. Good gosh, that's some good work.
But wait, there is more. Check this out. The Cowboys basically will have at least replaced Jacques Reeves at the third corner spot with Pacman Jones, assuming he can "avoid further adverse involvement with law enforcement" for the next three months, and that doesn't even take into account his punt-return capabilities. They replaced fourth corner Nate Jones with first-round draft choice Mike Jenkins. And that leaves the fifth spot a battle between fifth-round pick Orlando Scandrick, last year's seventh-rounder Alan Ball, last year's free-agent pickup Evan Oglesby and practice-squader Quincy Butler. Nice. "I certainly didn't think we'd have the numbers at corner we do," Jerry Jones said. "You look out there today? There's three teams of corners out there. That's unbelievable." Let's see, they have replaced Akin Ayodele with Zach Thomas, and so far there are no indications the 12-year veteran has deteriorated beyond productivity. And if he has, that only opens up opportunities for Kevin Burnett and Bobby Carpenter. Not bad.
Now then, running back. They replaced Julius Jones with Felix Jones. They replaced Tyson Thompson with Tashard Choice. And if you look at where they were at this time last year, they replaced Oliver Hoyte, the converted linebacker, with Deon Anderson, a real fullback. Sweet. Also, worried about their receiving capabilities behind Pro Bowler Jason Witten, the Cowboys not only pulled the trigger on trading Anthony Fasano to make room for Tony Curtis' growth, but they then covered themselves by selecting Martellus Bennett in the second round. Good. If you are not too concrete - work with me on this one - they actually have replaced Jason Ferguson with Tank Johnson. Yeah, yeah, I know, Ferguson missed all of last season and Tank played eight games last year as Ratliff's backup. But that wasn't the real Tank, not the guy who had been a defensive line stalwart for the Bears until running afoul with the law. This coaching staff says the real deal has returned this off-season. Just wait. Too good. And I'm telling you, if Isaiah Stanback can learn the nuances of playing wide receiver and youngsters such as Sam Hurd and Miles Austin can take the next step, we're talking additions at wide receiver, too, regardless of what Glenn decides to do.
Plus, you saw Anthony Spencer last year. How much better you think he'll be this year? Oh, and what about Felix Jones returning kickoffs, too? Plus, do not discount - and this by no means is meant to disparage anyone - head coach Wade Phillips adding five assistants beholding to him to replace four guys he had inherited from Bill Parcells' staff who didn't think twice about heading south when Bill called.
Oh, and let's not forget Jerry Jones did whatever it took to make sure Jason Garrett did not take one of those two head coaching jobs, and that should not be minimized since if he had, your second-full-year-starting quarterback would have been working with his fourth offensive coordinator in four years. Oh, did I mention the second-year starting quarterback has one full-season of starting under his chinstrap? Molto bene!
Come on, you'd have run me off the reservation had I predicted even half this stuff taking place following the Cowboys' 21-17 loss to the New York Giants in that divisional-round playoff game, and rightfully so. This is outrageous. Off-season of off-seasons? About the only wish you still could have is not having lost Keith Davis, having acquired some safety depth and Jerry having pulled off that trade for the likes of Chad Johnson or Roy Williams. But then nothing is ever perfect and those occurrences might have cost you something else.
"Some of that had to fall (right) but some of that had to be though through," Jerry Jones said of all this off-season maneuvering. "I think (things have) gone better than I could have anticipated. "We've really had a good off-season." Still, I'm telling you - go ahead, grab some wood again - when adding up all the little things that have gone right so far this off-season - come on, knock . . . knock! - the atmospheric pressure around here seems to be building. Almost perfectly. The Cowboys' Perfect Storm.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:55 PM
<< Home