Cowboys Roster Series Part 1: Offensive Line
NFL Team Column
By Russell Easley
Roster Series Part 1: Offensive Line
The draft picks have been made. The rookies had their (mini) mini-camp. The OTA’s are set to begin this week. So it must be time for a roster series. As I look up and down this roster there are question marks in only two areas. One of them is the offensive line. The other is – well, you’ll just have to come back here and read about it when it comes out.
Overall, they’re in decent shape if the starters stay healthy. Consider last year. For the games the Cowboys had the entire starting unit intact, they were 3-0. Then Kyle Kosier, starting left guard, was lost for the year. With his replacement, Cory Procter, in the lineup, the Boys went 3-4 before the Cowboys were able to get new acquisition Montrae Holland on the field. Holland assisted the Cowboys to two straight wins before getting injured. The rest of the season with Procter back in the lineup the team went 1-3 and failed to make the playoffs.
Here’s the rundown on the offensive line.
C – Andre Gurode. Gurode is a massive 318 pounds and is a solid blocker, both on running and passing plays. He was selected to the Pro Bowl two years in a row, 2006-2007. However, there is room for improvement here. Occasionally he will snap the ball over QB Tony Romo’s head or on the wrong snap count. But all in all he is a dependable player.
RG – Leonard “Bigg” Davis. Davis was a former first round pick that didn’t pan out for the Arizona Cardinals, due mostly to the fact that they tried to make him into something he’s not – a left tackle. He was largely considered a bust before Dallas acquired him through free agency prior to the 2007 season. To put it simply, Davis is a big, strong, mean guy – the type you definitely want leading the way for the likes of Felix Jones and company. There are no worries here unless Bigg gets injured.
LG – Kyle Kosier. Kosier is the only starter on this unit who wasn’t drafted in the first or second round. For being a seventh round pick he can certainly play, and his injury early in the season was a major factor in the Cowboys 9-7 record, though most commentators won’t even mention it. They’re too hung up on TO. But where are games won and lost ? That’s right, in the trenches.
RT – Marc Columbo. I can’t think of Columbo with thinking about the Carolina game a couple of years ago when he absolutely owned Julius Peppers. That was the first time in a while that I actually sat up and took notice of an offensive lineman, other than for a false start penalty. Columbo was acquired as a free agent who had an injury history. But the first thing I read about him was his “mean streak”. You just can’t have too many of those kind of linemen.
LT – Flozell Adams. Flozell is one big dude. You don’t earn the nickname “The Hotel” by being petite. The main negative for Flo is his false start penalties, which although he never has led the league in, are still aggravating to Dallas fans everywhere. Odds are, if you told some guy in Tibet that Flozell just got a false start penalty, his first reaction would be “AGAIN ???” But Adams is a really big dude with talent and strength, which is why he is the starting left tackle of the Dallas Cowboys. Last year he was dinged up most of the year. Add that up with playing next to Cory Procter and you get a down year all in all. Some are wondering if Flozell is getting too old at 34. It’s obvious that speed rushers are starting to get the best of him, and he has to have help at times. It’s a valid concern.
G/C - Cory Procter – He is the main reason the Cowboys line suffered so much last year. He may be a good center, I don’t know. But he definitely doesn’t belong on the field at the guard position. To me, the epitome of the season came last year in the second game against the Giants. When Tony Romo was sacked in the end zone for a safety, Procter stood there and did absolutely nothing while his guy made the play. Pathetic. It really says something to be benched in the last game of the season against the division rivals for a playoff spot, in favor of a backup tackle who hasn’t played guard since high school (Doug Free). Yet that’s exactly what happened to Cory Procter.
G - Montrae Holland – This guy is pretty much the Anti-Procter. He is big and can really play. Holland showed up overweight when he reported from the Broncos (he never belonged in their zone blocking scheme anyway) but after getting his weight down and sufficiently learning the playbook, Dallas was able to stick him in the lineup in place of Procter. He performed amazingly well in comparison. Then he went down with injury and with him went the Cowboys’ season. As solid a contributor as Kosier is, Holland will get the opportunity to challenge him for his starting job this year. That tells me the Cowboys were mighty impressed with what they saw last year out of the big man.
In summary, the Cowboys starting lineup is filled with good, talented football players. The only worry here is the depth behind them. We know that Procter doesn’t deserve a roster spot, but he will get one due to the lack of any other backup center. Doug Free and Pat McQuistan are big question marks (Free didn’t fare any better than Procter against the Eagles), and the new guy, Robert Brewster, is going to start out learning his pro trade at right tackle. So he won’t be kicking Procter off the roster. It’s conceivable though, if Holland beats out Kosier, the Cowboys may try Kosier out at backup center/guard so they can use Cory Procter’s roster spot on a guy who can actually play football.
By Russell Easley
Roster Series Part 1: Offensive Line
The draft picks have been made. The rookies had their (mini) mini-camp. The OTA’s are set to begin this week. So it must be time for a roster series. As I look up and down this roster there are question marks in only two areas. One of them is the offensive line. The other is – well, you’ll just have to come back here and read about it when it comes out.
Overall, they’re in decent shape if the starters stay healthy. Consider last year. For the games the Cowboys had the entire starting unit intact, they were 3-0. Then Kyle Kosier, starting left guard, was lost for the year. With his replacement, Cory Procter, in the lineup, the Boys went 3-4 before the Cowboys were able to get new acquisition Montrae Holland on the field. Holland assisted the Cowboys to two straight wins before getting injured. The rest of the season with Procter back in the lineup the team went 1-3 and failed to make the playoffs.
Here’s the rundown on the offensive line.
C – Andre Gurode. Gurode is a massive 318 pounds and is a solid blocker, both on running and passing plays. He was selected to the Pro Bowl two years in a row, 2006-2007. However, there is room for improvement here. Occasionally he will snap the ball over QB Tony Romo’s head or on the wrong snap count. But all in all he is a dependable player.
RG – Leonard “Bigg” Davis. Davis was a former first round pick that didn’t pan out for the Arizona Cardinals, due mostly to the fact that they tried to make him into something he’s not – a left tackle. He was largely considered a bust before Dallas acquired him through free agency prior to the 2007 season. To put it simply, Davis is a big, strong, mean guy – the type you definitely want leading the way for the likes of Felix Jones and company. There are no worries here unless Bigg gets injured.
LG – Kyle Kosier. Kosier is the only starter on this unit who wasn’t drafted in the first or second round. For being a seventh round pick he can certainly play, and his injury early in the season was a major factor in the Cowboys 9-7 record, though most commentators won’t even mention it. They’re too hung up on TO. But where are games won and lost ? That’s right, in the trenches.
RT – Marc Columbo. I can’t think of Columbo with thinking about the Carolina game a couple of years ago when he absolutely owned Julius Peppers. That was the first time in a while that I actually sat up and took notice of an offensive lineman, other than for a false start penalty. Columbo was acquired as a free agent who had an injury history. But the first thing I read about him was his “mean streak”. You just can’t have too many of those kind of linemen.
LT – Flozell Adams. Flozell is one big dude. You don’t earn the nickname “The Hotel” by being petite. The main negative for Flo is his false start penalties, which although he never has led the league in, are still aggravating to Dallas fans everywhere. Odds are, if you told some guy in Tibet that Flozell just got a false start penalty, his first reaction would be “AGAIN ???” But Adams is a really big dude with talent and strength, which is why he is the starting left tackle of the Dallas Cowboys. Last year he was dinged up most of the year. Add that up with playing next to Cory Procter and you get a down year all in all. Some are wondering if Flozell is getting too old at 34. It’s obvious that speed rushers are starting to get the best of him, and he has to have help at times. It’s a valid concern.
G/C - Cory Procter – He is the main reason the Cowboys line suffered so much last year. He may be a good center, I don’t know. But he definitely doesn’t belong on the field at the guard position. To me, the epitome of the season came last year in the second game against the Giants. When Tony Romo was sacked in the end zone for a safety, Procter stood there and did absolutely nothing while his guy made the play. Pathetic. It really says something to be benched in the last game of the season against the division rivals for a playoff spot, in favor of a backup tackle who hasn’t played guard since high school (Doug Free). Yet that’s exactly what happened to Cory Procter.
G - Montrae Holland – This guy is pretty much the Anti-Procter. He is big and can really play. Holland showed up overweight when he reported from the Broncos (he never belonged in their zone blocking scheme anyway) but after getting his weight down and sufficiently learning the playbook, Dallas was able to stick him in the lineup in place of Procter. He performed amazingly well in comparison. Then he went down with injury and with him went the Cowboys’ season. As solid a contributor as Kosier is, Holland will get the opportunity to challenge him for his starting job this year. That tells me the Cowboys were mighty impressed with what they saw last year out of the big man.
In summary, the Cowboys starting lineup is filled with good, talented football players. The only worry here is the depth behind them. We know that Procter doesn’t deserve a roster spot, but he will get one due to the lack of any other backup center. Doug Free and Pat McQuistan are big question marks (Free didn’t fare any better than Procter against the Eagles), and the new guy, Robert Brewster, is going to start out learning his pro trade at right tackle. So he won’t be kicking Procter off the roster. It’s conceivable though, if Holland beats out Kosier, the Cowboys may try Kosier out at backup center/guard so they can use Cory Procter’s roster spot on a guy who can actually play football.
posted by The Gryphon at 10:03 PM
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