Will Dallas get catty on draft day?
by Randy Bruce
Once the Dallas Cowboys were the innovators in the NFL, those days are long gone.
The great Tom Landry pioneered the flex defense, shotgun formation, drafting world class track athletes and using computer ratings to make draft picks. The league copied them, but like I said, those days are gone.
The present Cowboys are now the followers in a copy cat league that’s turning wild.
Jerry Jones dropped some hints last week that he, not Wade Phillips, could be installing the Wildcat offense. From Todd Archer of the Dallas Morning News: “We may want to do some things in our offense this year with a third quarterback," Jones said. "That's something other than be there as a backup to the second quarterback and be there in case you lose all the quarterbacks. ... We could hopefully find a quarterback with a set of skills that we could put some packages in for."
What a site it will be to see Tony Romo lined up at wide receiver. But who will be the new copycat-Wildcat quarterback? Where can he find a multi-talented QB/WR? The NFL draft is where he might find his man.
This topic is giving me flash backs of Quincy Carter. Remember him; he was Jones’ attempt to duplicate Michael Vick, the dog whisperer.
Many think, and I do too, that Jones will draft West Virginia quarterback Pat White. He seems the logical choice for now. Think of him as a Vince Young without the mental issues and not as talented.
As quarterback he threw for an average of 1,700 yards and 13 touchdowns a season. He also totaled about 1,200 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.
White has good but not great passing numbers, however he does have eye-brow-raising running ability. He could be a running back in the NFL and the Cowboys cup is filled to the brim with running backs.
So, White could and very likely enter the league as a wide receiver. And that is exactly what the Cowboys need. The trick is teaching White how to be a receiver. I remember when the Cowboys had to teach Quincy Carter how to throw a spiral.
The truth is that the Cowboys have been silent about who they will draft in April, but the ’Boys have more important needs than installing a sub-offense and drafting someone for it.
After T.O. was released, that left the Cowboys with only four receivers on the roster. Jones released safety Roy Williams, traded cornerback Anthony Henry and parted ways with Adam Jones.
The Cowboys have lost a lot of players, but Jones may have lost his mind tinkering around with the idea of drafting a player to run a Wildcat offense. Clone the New England Patriots or the Steelers for crying out loud. As usual, Jones is attracted to shiny new ideas. Too bad they’re not his own.
Once the Dallas Cowboys were the innovators in the NFL, those days are long gone.
The great Tom Landry pioneered the flex defense, shotgun formation, drafting world class track athletes and using computer ratings to make draft picks. The league copied them, but like I said, those days are gone.
The present Cowboys are now the followers in a copy cat league that’s turning wild.
Jerry Jones dropped some hints last week that he, not Wade Phillips, could be installing the Wildcat offense. From Todd Archer of the Dallas Morning News: “We may want to do some things in our offense this year with a third quarterback," Jones said. "That's something other than be there as a backup to the second quarterback and be there in case you lose all the quarterbacks. ... We could hopefully find a quarterback with a set of skills that we could put some packages in for."
What a site it will be to see Tony Romo lined up at wide receiver. But who will be the new copycat-Wildcat quarterback? Where can he find a multi-talented QB/WR? The NFL draft is where he might find his man.
This topic is giving me flash backs of Quincy Carter. Remember him; he was Jones’ attempt to duplicate Michael Vick, the dog whisperer.
Many think, and I do too, that Jones will draft West Virginia quarterback Pat White. He seems the logical choice for now. Think of him as a Vince Young without the mental issues and not as talented.
As quarterback he threw for an average of 1,700 yards and 13 touchdowns a season. He also totaled about 1,200 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.
White has good but not great passing numbers, however he does have eye-brow-raising running ability. He could be a running back in the NFL and the Cowboys cup is filled to the brim with running backs.
So, White could and very likely enter the league as a wide receiver. And that is exactly what the Cowboys need. The trick is teaching White how to be a receiver. I remember when the Cowboys had to teach Quincy Carter how to throw a spiral.
The truth is that the Cowboys have been silent about who they will draft in April, but the ’Boys have more important needs than installing a sub-offense and drafting someone for it.
After T.O. was released, that left the Cowboys with only four receivers on the roster. Jones released safety Roy Williams, traded cornerback Anthony Henry and parted ways with Adam Jones.
The Cowboys have lost a lot of players, but Jones may have lost his mind tinkering around with the idea of drafting a player to run a Wildcat offense. Clone the New England Patriots or the Steelers for crying out loud. As usual, Jones is attracted to shiny new ideas. Too bad they’re not his own.
posted by The Gryphon at 3:47 PM
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