Going Back To The Future With the Dallas Cowboys
by Carl Shelton (GloryDayz88)
Source: http://www.bloggingtheboys.com
As many of you may know, DC.com is running a series on the 50 greatest Cowboys of all time. The countdown currently stands at #15, where DC.com has named wide receiver Drew Pearson as the 15th greatest Cowboy of all time. Reading about all of the Cowboys of old brings back some fond memories, and also invokes a little imagination. As I continue to read through the series, I continue to mull over one question. If I had an ‘85 Delorian, a flux capacitor, and a little plutonium, what former Cowboy would I travel back in time to kidnap and add to the current unit?
Offensively it is easy to go with one of the all-time greats. Sure, any of us would probably love to have Roger Staubach or Troy Aikman to come in and guide the ship. Both are Hall of Fame quarterbacks with Super Bowl rings. But with Tony Romo on board, I personally would not spend my one and only pick on a quarterback, however important the position may be. It is natural to blurt out a name like Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin, Tony Dorsett, or Emmitt Smith. For this particular post, I wanted to dig a little deeper and tag players who would fit need areas for the current Cowboys.
My list is not by any means all-inclusive. There have been too many great Cowboys over the years to include them all, so forgive me if I left out your guy.
Wouldn’t Bob Hayes be the perfect speed complement to Roy Williams? No offense to Miles Austin, but I’d jump at the chance to have the former Olympic 100 meter champion who almost single-handedly changed defensive schematics forever. I know that people don’t initially associate the name Raghib Ismail with the Dallas Cowboys, but the guy put up some respectable numbers when he was here. Ismail would be an awesome fit with today’s Cowboys because he has a skill set that no other current Cowboy receiver has. Ismail is the smaller, shiftier, deep threat type who was great after the catch, and would also be a great help on returns.
If I could fit a '96 Larry Allen into my ‘85 Delorian, he just might be the guy to grab. The still-ailing Kyle Kosier and the questionably-motivated Montrae Holland are currently scrapping for the starting left guard position. A young Larry Allen would be a huge (no pun intended) addition to the Cowboys line. Could you imagine the sheer girth the Cowboys would have on the interior with Allen, Andre Gurode and Leonard Davis all inside? Frightening.
It would be nice to have the Moose back. I love the Cricket (Deon Anderson) but Daryl Johnston is one of the greatest blocking fullbacks of all-time… Does anyone else think as highly of Kelvin Martin as I do? I always thought Martin was fantastic slot receiver, and was likely skilled enough to wrestle the job away from Patrick Crayton… I don’t see running back as a need area for the current Cowboys. I love Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice, but I would probably take the Minnesota Vikings route and trade all three of them for Herschel Walker. I know Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett are among the all-time greats, but Herschel Walker was a once in a lifetime talent. I would love to see how great Walker could be surrounded by the current Cowboys’ cache of offensive weaponry.
Defensively, guys like Deion Sanders, Randy White, Bob Lilly and Chuck Howley are no-brainers. But again, let’s dig just a bit deeper.
Chuck Howley was probably the greatest Cowboy linebacker of all time, but he would have probably played the same position as Bradie James. I am in no way insinuating that Bradie James is better than Chuck Howley. I’m just saying that James is solid, and I would rather let him stay put, and pair him with Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. Henderson was the rangy, athletic linebacker that is the perfect fit for the weak inside spot in a Wade Phillips defense. Henderson’s athleticism would be the perfect complement to James’ nastiness.
Want to improve the already scary Cowboys pass rush? How about a pair of #94’s screaming off the edges playing ‘meet you at the quarterback?’ A young Charles Haley was easily athletic enough to stand up in a 3-4, and if memory serves me correctly, i think he did a bit of that in his San Francisco days. Ware and Haley together would be unblockable.
Another former Cowboy who could possibly benefit from a position change with today’s squad would be Leon Lett. A tackle in his Cowboy days, Lett’s size, strength, long arms, and inside rush skills would make him the perfect penetrating 5-technique end for Wade Phillips’ scheme… I like Ken Hamlin and Gerald Sensabaugh, but there are no less than four former Cowboys safeties who could probably force either of them to the bench. Darren Woodson, Cliff Harris, Charlie Waters, Mel Renfro. Take your pick…With Keith Davis gone, how about bringing back Kenny Gant or Billy Davis to bolster the special teams units?
Again, this post was purely intended for fun. I could go on and on for days about the Cowboys of old. The guys I mentioned are just a few of my own personal favorites. So, if you could go back in time to grab any player who has ever sported the star on his helmet (at his best), and add him to today's roster who would it be?
Source: http://www.bloggingtheboys.com
As many of you may know, DC.com is running a series on the 50 greatest Cowboys of all time. The countdown currently stands at #15, where DC.com has named wide receiver Drew Pearson as the 15th greatest Cowboy of all time. Reading about all of the Cowboys of old brings back some fond memories, and also invokes a little imagination. As I continue to read through the series, I continue to mull over one question. If I had an ‘85 Delorian, a flux capacitor, and a little plutonium, what former Cowboy would I travel back in time to kidnap and add to the current unit?
Offensively it is easy to go with one of the all-time greats. Sure, any of us would probably love to have Roger Staubach or Troy Aikman to come in and guide the ship. Both are Hall of Fame quarterbacks with Super Bowl rings. But with Tony Romo on board, I personally would not spend my one and only pick on a quarterback, however important the position may be. It is natural to blurt out a name like Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin, Tony Dorsett, or Emmitt Smith. For this particular post, I wanted to dig a little deeper and tag players who would fit need areas for the current Cowboys.
My list is not by any means all-inclusive. There have been too many great Cowboys over the years to include them all, so forgive me if I left out your guy.
Wouldn’t Bob Hayes be the perfect speed complement to Roy Williams? No offense to Miles Austin, but I’d jump at the chance to have the former Olympic 100 meter champion who almost single-handedly changed defensive schematics forever. I know that people don’t initially associate the name Raghib Ismail with the Dallas Cowboys, but the guy put up some respectable numbers when he was here. Ismail would be an awesome fit with today’s Cowboys because he has a skill set that no other current Cowboy receiver has. Ismail is the smaller, shiftier, deep threat type who was great after the catch, and would also be a great help on returns.
If I could fit a '96 Larry Allen into my ‘85 Delorian, he just might be the guy to grab. The still-ailing Kyle Kosier and the questionably-motivated Montrae Holland are currently scrapping for the starting left guard position. A young Larry Allen would be a huge (no pun intended) addition to the Cowboys line. Could you imagine the sheer girth the Cowboys would have on the interior with Allen, Andre Gurode and Leonard Davis all inside? Frightening.
It would be nice to have the Moose back. I love the Cricket (Deon Anderson) but Daryl Johnston is one of the greatest blocking fullbacks of all-time… Does anyone else think as highly of Kelvin Martin as I do? I always thought Martin was fantastic slot receiver, and was likely skilled enough to wrestle the job away from Patrick Crayton… I don’t see running back as a need area for the current Cowboys. I love Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice, but I would probably take the Minnesota Vikings route and trade all three of them for Herschel Walker. I know Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett are among the all-time greats, but Herschel Walker was a once in a lifetime talent. I would love to see how great Walker could be surrounded by the current Cowboys’ cache of offensive weaponry.
Defensively, guys like Deion Sanders, Randy White, Bob Lilly and Chuck Howley are no-brainers. But again, let’s dig just a bit deeper.
Chuck Howley was probably the greatest Cowboy linebacker of all time, but he would have probably played the same position as Bradie James. I am in no way insinuating that Bradie James is better than Chuck Howley. I’m just saying that James is solid, and I would rather let him stay put, and pair him with Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. Henderson was the rangy, athletic linebacker that is the perfect fit for the weak inside spot in a Wade Phillips defense. Henderson’s athleticism would be the perfect complement to James’ nastiness.
Want to improve the already scary Cowboys pass rush? How about a pair of #94’s screaming off the edges playing ‘meet you at the quarterback?’ A young Charles Haley was easily athletic enough to stand up in a 3-4, and if memory serves me correctly, i think he did a bit of that in his San Francisco days. Ware and Haley together would be unblockable.
Another former Cowboy who could possibly benefit from a position change with today’s squad would be Leon Lett. A tackle in his Cowboy days, Lett’s size, strength, long arms, and inside rush skills would make him the perfect penetrating 5-technique end for Wade Phillips’ scheme… I like Ken Hamlin and Gerald Sensabaugh, but there are no less than four former Cowboys safeties who could probably force either of them to the bench. Darren Woodson, Cliff Harris, Charlie Waters, Mel Renfro. Take your pick…With Keith Davis gone, how about bringing back Kenny Gant or Billy Davis to bolster the special teams units?
Again, this post was purely intended for fun. I could go on and on for days about the Cowboys of old. The guys I mentioned are just a few of my own personal favorites. So, if you could go back in time to grab any player who has ever sported the star on his helmet (at his best), and add him to today's roster who would it be?
posted by The Gryphon at 8:56 PM
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