Marion Barber III and Cowboys News

Some Interesting News Snippets today (Rotoworld)

Marion Barber III can be a restricted free agent after this season.
Barber, a fourth-round pick in 2005, signed a rare "five-year" rookie deal that will void after he plays this year. He could be competing against Julius Jones, an impending unrestricted free agent, for a contract extension.

Looks like both running backs are going to be running their ways to some hefty new contracts this year. We should see some high octane attack from these two stars.

Despite speculation the Cowboys would move second-year OL Pat McQuistan to guard, he has been practicing at tackle this offseason.

McQuistan ran with the first team while Flozell Adams (knee) rehabbed. His roster spot seems safe despite James Marten and Doug Free's additions.

Cowboys claimed C Matt Tarullo off waivers from the Colts.
The Syracuse product is a heady player, but a longshot to make the club.

The Cowboys signed guard/center Steve Franklin.6-2, 320 pounds, spent this spring playing for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europa

Drew Henson is still competing at a high level and wants another chance in Minnesota:

"There are few places in sports you dictate what is going on. I love to compete. It gets back to the reasons why you played when you were younger. You just enjoy the competition."

And some comments from Deion Sanders about Henson's stint in Dallas:

"I don't think the offense was good. I don't think the team was good. He was in a bad situation," Sanders says. "People who know the game of football will say, "Forget Dallas, period. That don't even count.'

"What he went through in Dallas, I wish no quarterback to go through, especially a young quarterback."

Overall, this is a interesting article for those wondering what Henson is up to, you can read the rest here. I definitely wish him well and success in his en devours .

Tank Johnson Being Considered in Dallas?

Word is, the Cowboys could be in the hunt for the much troubled Tank Johnson. Now, when you hear all the commotion that Pacman Jones, the Bengals, and Tank Johnson are causing, you wish them good riddance from the NFL. Most of these players are playmakers on-the field; however, the off-the field issues are a huge risk for any team looking at acquiring any of these guys.

The only thing about signing Tank Johnson, is his off-the field record, his on-the field work is pretty solid. But you simply can't count on these players. The Bears, in their embarrassment decided to cut their ties, and determined that Johnson, though talented, could not be reliable for the season.

Before being cut by the Bears, Tank Johnson was to serve a 8-game suspension. So, wherever Johnson lands, he will have to serve that league mandated suspension. Could Jerry Jones take a high risk with Tank Johnson? Sure, you can say Jerry takes risks with players like Terrell Owens, but T.O. does not have criminal off the field problems.

Don't be surprised if Cowboys owner-general manager Jerry Jones is at the head of the line. He believes in taking risks on talented but troubled players (see Charles Haley and T.O.), and I assure you he will be tempted to sign Johnson at some point.

In fact, I just talked to a member of the organization who said Johnson would be a "perfect fit" in head coach Wade Phillips' 3-4 defense. He said the Phillips scheme actually works better with inside players who have flourished in the 4-3, as Johnson has, because it requires them to line up at different spots along the line and use their quickness to make plays.(Mosley)

Tempting, but not worth it to me, I'll pass on Tank Johnson.

Terrell Owens a Top 5 Receiver

SI.com has an article to keep us going while we wait for training camp to get here. The author has Terrell Owens at the #5 receiver in the league:

1. Steve Smith - Carolina
2. Chad Johnson - Cincinnati
3. Roy Williams - Detroit
4. Marvin Harrison - Indianapolis
5. Terrell Owens - Dallas

Not, a bad start; however, for arguments sake I would say Owens and Harrison would rank higher that Detroit's Roy Williams. For me, T.O. is a top 3 receiver. He's a big weapon to have, big, strong, and a major playmaker.

Anquan Boldin at #9 and Randy Moss at #10

Overall, not a bad list to start off, but I would think the much underrated Terry Glenn should get in this list somewhere. Reggie Wayne is in here, and Glenn is at the same level if not better than Wayne. They have have Laveranues Coles at #19 and Mark Clayton at #21. C'mon, Glenn is way better than these two jokes.

Check out the article here


More on Wade Wilson

Name: Wade Wilson
Age: 48
Position: Quarterbacks
Coaching Exp.: 6 years
NFL Exp.: 6 years
Coaching Highlights:
Chicago Bears quarterbacks coach (2004-06); Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach (2000-02).

DC.Com has a new article covering the return of QB Coach, Wade Wilson. Wilson gives us some insight to the coaching strategy that Garrett and himself will rollout this year:

"We're banking on his experiences not only here but with different teams and different offenses, and my experiences throughout the league," Wilson said. "We're kind of blending all those experiences we had, and trying to come up with the best of all those organizations."

Dallas Cowboys Most Searched NFL Team Online

According to the Yahoo! Buzz Index, Its all about our Dallas Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys are the most searched NFL team online, not the Super Bowl Champ Colts, not Da Bears, not the Patriots, but the 'Boys!

Interesting to see the Cowboys are the only NFL team in Yahoo's Buzz Index Top 20 for (323) days and counting, that's almost a year straight. Right now the NFL is ranked at #5, with the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Champhionship) at #6 at (323) days as well, a very strong showing with Boxing no where in the top 20 list.

Other sports topics strong with (323) days are:
MLB, Nascar, NBA (all very boring if you ask me)

I'll take the Dallas Cowboys and some Mixed Martial Arts with the UFC over the other boring junk out there. Go Cowboys!

Only the NY Yankees score higher with 1034 days in the top 20.

Check out the Yahoo! Buzz Index Top 20.

Check out NFLDraftCountDown's Draft Review, Scott Wright gives us a (B). I'll take that, as far as talent acquistion potential goes. The truth will be known in 2-3 years, when we can truly gauge what these young bucks will do for our team.

Can "Player's Coaches" Succeed?

The 2007 season will see a whole new set of head coaches, and the league has entered an era of the "player's coach," its in vogue right now. A majority, if not all, the new head coaches are thought as being coaches that can relate to players at different levels rather than being the hardcore, stern, disciplinarian type coach.

Wade Phillips (Cowboys), Norv Turner (Chargers), Cam Cameron (Dolphins), Mike Tomlin (Steelers), and Ken Whisenhunt (Cardinals) are all coming into favorable situations with teams with alot of upside.

Turner is coming into a team, that by all accounts could have been in the Super Bowl last year with their explosive offense and aggressive defense; however, the question will be can a player's coach like Turner get this team over the hump? Is he the final piece needed to get this team to the Super Bowl, is this the perfect situation for Turner and his players?

Players have said that change can be good, and some players respond better to different coaching styles than others. Could this be the answer in San Diego? We know Turner can get the offense going, but will the lack of being a disciplinarian make the team lose concentration and cause more penalties? We'll see how the team responds from the hardcore coaching style of their previous coach in Marty Schottenheimer compared to Norv Turner.

The Chargers head coaching change and situation mirrors the Cowboys greatly. Wade Phillips is coming into a situation where the team has improved over the year's with the base of talent coming from the draft. The main difference between the Chargers and Cowboys are the coaches. I believe the Cowboys have assembled the better coaching staff, from the Special Teams coach Bruce Read, WRs Coach Ray Sherman, DC Brian Stewart, OC Jason Garrett, to name a few.

The Cowboys have two major strengths on each side of the ball. Wade Phillips is the defensive-guru, and Jason Garrett is the offensive prodigy who comes from a solid offensive minded lineage.

Both Turner and Phillips could be what their teams need in this day and age in the NFL, this could be their perfect opportunity at the right time.

ESPN has a good article that covers this very subject, they talk about how there's a cycle in the NFL; in where, stern coaches get the boot in favor for mild-mannered coaches. Right now, the league has entered the era of the player's coach.

The two teams in the Super Bowl were coached by player's coaches, Tony Dungy (Colts) and Lovie Smith (Bears)

Those players talked about their preference for coaches who don't rely on intimidation, rigid rules or silly mind games to motivate their teams. They liked the idea of being around head coaches who saw themselves more as teachers than drill sergeants, and it's become apparent that the league's decision makers have recognized the value in that as well.

Players like Julius Jones embrace the change:

The Cowboys were so pleased to have a mild-mannered coach that some -- notably running back Julius Jones -- publicly expressed their gratitude for not having to deal with a daily dose of Tuna any longer.

Charger's players are looking forward to a new regime as well:

"I think Norv has been good to have around because the younger players are learning that there's another way to do the job as a head coach. As much as we liked Marty, it's important for some of these guys to know that not every coach has to give a bunch of passionate speeches or be a tough guy to win games."

The interesting part of the article comes from the end:

The question, of course, is whether all these players' coaches -- and the warmer environments they subsequently create -- will produce more victories than their predecessors. Usually, the knock on such men is they can become too soft, and eventually lose their ability to motivate players. That's what killed Turner when he coached the Oakland Raiders, and it's also been a knock on Phillips and Buffalo's Dick Jauron in the past. They were such nice guys in their previous jobs, their teams never became that tough or consistent.

The theory has been that player's coaches have short term success, and players stop responding and inherently need more structure and discipline. This may or may not be true, depending on who you ask. Colts fans would argue that their coach has been very successful over the years, while others would point out the factor that it took Dungy a long time to get his team over the hump because of the way he coaches.

People are so use to seeing the Patriots in the Super Bowl that was the assumed blueprint for success: get a disciplinarian like Belichick and you too can win a Super Bowl. Well, guess what, there may be some truth to this, and this is why we saw coaches like Gibbs, Parcells, and Coughlin return to coaching, they were the desired type of coach at the time.

Look at the past Super Bowl winners (excluding last year):
XL 2006 Pittsburgh 21, Seattle 10
XXXIX 2005 New England 24, Philadelphia 21
XXXVIII 2004 New England 32, Carolina 29
XXXVII 2003 Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21
XXXVI 2002 New England 20, St. Louis 17
XXXV 2001 Baltimore 34, N.Y. Giants 7

Did the Colts and Bears set the bar now for their coaching style as being the more effective style or is this just a coincidence? We'll see how the games pan out; however, with the league having more player's coaches there's going to be some canceling out of each other somewhere along the line. I like our chances in the NFC East where players are failing to respond to coaches like Gibbs and Coughlin, who are old school disciplinarians. Andy Reid is probably the only consistent coach in the NFC East the last several years, so I would expect them to be in the hunt as usual, despite their diminishing talent on both sides of the ball.

So to answer the question, I would have to say yes. I think our coach, Wade Phillips will have success. A Super Bowl victory being the ultimate goal. He has the staff and hungry players to make a serious run here in Dallas.

Canty Get Some Love?

Chris Canty was drafted in the 4th round and considered a steal back then, and even today, Canty seems to be the better DE than 1st rounder Marcus Spears. Canty came from a 3-4 system out of Virginia, and his transition to Parcell's 34 was not bad; however, Canty's upside will truly increase under the aggressive Phillips 34. Canty is a big guy, plays hard, and still plays with something to prove.

Fox Sports has a article on 9 breakout stars for 2007, and Chris Canty makes the list:

Chris Canty: The first few seasons for Canty as a pro ball player have been solid. Canty's upside is spectacular. You have to jog the mental rolodex to Canty's junior year at the University of Virginia to remember how explosive he can be. In talking to the Dallas defensive end, he thinks that this will be his breakout season under Wade Phillips. Everyone's talking about the impact Phillips will have on Marcus Spears, but watch Canty become a major disruption to offenses this season.

Other players among the list are: QB Matt Schaub (Texans), LB Chad Greenway (Minnesota), and WR Reggie Brown (Eagles)

Should the Cowboys Draft CB Paul Oliver?

Considering what the Cowboys have done in this year's draft I would say probably not. I doubt the Cowboys draft Georgia's CB Paul Oliver on July 13th during the NFL Supplemental Draft. Oliver is probably the lone player with a chance at actually getting drafted. Over the last couple of months his draft stock has plummeted and its now looking like Oliver could be drafted in the 3rd at the very highest and more likely between the 5th and 7th round.

Oliver basically quit going to school after the football season ended and didn't have any ambitions of going to class in the spring. So, with Oliver being academically ineligible he'll roll the dice by going into the Supplemental Draft.

Oliver just held his pro-day, and he put in some mediocre numbers. Oliver was clocked between 4.50-to-4.58 seconds in the 40 and his vertical jump was 33.5 inches. The RanchReport is reporting that 27 teams were on hand at the workout as both league scouts and directors of college scouting lined the field.

So, with the apparent lack of self motivation, and his mediocre numbers, you have to wonder if this is even a prospect you'd want on your team. If he can't put in the time for class and stay eligible for the thing he supposedly loves to do, then you could assume this work ethic would not bode well at the NFL level, its a red flag.

Some other reports on Oliver:

Oliver left school before the spring semester, and just as his absence was a big blow to Georgia's defense, his presence in the supplemental draft is getting NFL general managers excited. NFL Network's Adam Schefter has reported that Oliver is expected to be a third- or fourth-round pick in the July 12 supplemental draft.

He might go even higher than that. Matched up with Calvin Johnson when Georgia played Georgia Tech last season, Oliver had an outstanding game, as Johnson finished with just two catches for 13 yards. Johnson was the second pick in the April draft, and if Oliver puts on a show when he works out for NFL scouts on Wednesday, a whole lot of NFL teams will have an interest in the guy who shut Johnson down (NFL Fanhouse)

Oliver measured at 6'0'' 208lbs.

Spencer's Job to Lose?

Anthony Spencer was the Cowboys target all along, and even after the Cowboys traded out of the first round, then traded back into the first to draft Anthony Spencer. That has to show how much they think of Spencer's talent.

With Greg Ellis still recovering from his achilles injury, Spencer has been deep in study, absorbing everything around him in order to make the transition from college to NFL as smooth as possible. Spencer's been running with the first team in OTAs and in Mini Camps, so, right now you would have to say this is Spencer's job to lose.

In addition, you have to wonder if Ellis will infact be the same player before the injury. Seahawks OLB Julian Peterson had the same injury and he was never a big impact as he was before his achilles injury. So, we'll see where he's at when camp and preseason roll out.

As a fan, Spencer is doing everything right on the field, and looks to be the part. He seems to be up to the task, and has a great attitude (from DC.com):

"I think everyone wants to start," Spencer said. "You want to play and go out there and make things happen. That's what I hope, too. But if I end up starting or playing in other packages, that's fine, too. Right now, I just want to get better."

Despite how some media outlets are reporting the "Ellis Situation" Spencer explains that Ellis has been helpful and offers him tips on the field:

"Greg has really helped me," Spencer said. "He gives me a lot of good tips on what to do in certain situations. He knows where I'm coming from and the things I need to do to get better. He's probably the person I talk to the most because I sit right behind him in meetings. So whenever I have a question about what happened out on the field, I go to him and he's always telling me what I'm doing right or wrong."

So, with Parcells retired, looks like Spencer has escaped water boy duties.....or has he?

"I'm sure it's going to come up in training camp," Spencer said. "I've heard about it. I'm sure they'll come up with something for me to do."

NFL.Com has a small writeup on 15 players with something to prove, and the article cites QB Tony Romo and RB Julius Jones:

Julius Jones, RB, Dallas: Jones is in the midst of a six-year contract but the final two years can be voided based on certain incentives, so he can become an unrestricted free agent after the 2007 season. While his backfield mate, Marion Barber, will be the more attractive choice in most drafts due to his nose for the end zone, Jones seems to be much more comfortable with Wade Phillips at the helm and will look to produce well for his own professional (and financial) reasons.

Tony Romo, QB, Dallas: There has been much talk about an extension for Romo after the Cowboys showed faith in his skills and decided to pass on Brady Quinn in the NFL Draft, but at this time he is still without a long-term deal. Considered the heir apparent to Troy Aikman, Romo threw an impressive 17 touchdown passes in 10 starts last season and should be motivated to prove his success was no fluke. He'll no doubt be a borderline No. 1 or 2 fantasy quarterback in all formats.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the Die Hard Cowboys Dad's out there today. Continue to raise your kids as Cowboys fans!

Not much news today. Here's an interesting article about The Cal Poly Curse and Courtney Brown.

And a very good write up on our own 2nd year player, Jason Hatcher: "Hatcher camp teaches work ethic, positive attitude"

The Phillips 34 and How it Helps Romo

Wade Phillips was the defensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers from 2004-2006 and he put together some solid defense in his tenure there. The big difference we'll see are points allowed under the Phillips 34. Let's look at the rankings with points allowed:

San Diego Year/Rank | Cowboys Year/Rank
2006: #7 | 2006: #20
2005: #13 | 2005: #12
2004: #11 | 2004: #27

Correlation with team's season record:

2006: San Diego (14-2) Cowboys (9-7)
2005: San Diego (9-7) Cowboys (9-7)
2004: San Diego (12-4) Cowboys (6-10)

I expect the Cowboys to have much better numbers with points allowed, and hope the Cowboys could put together a 12-4 season or better, with a Super Bowl as the ultimate goal.

SportingNews has a good article on the difference we'll see between a Phillips 34 and Parcells 34. The main difference being a one-gap vs a two-gap:

It is a one-gap scheme, which distinguishes it from other 3-4 defenses. Movement, pressure and unpredictability are some of the ingredients. The system also has built-in versatility to accommodate the personnel.

"Everybody thinks it's the X's and O's, but it's the Moes and Joes," says Phillips, who turns 60 next week and has been a 3-4 guru since he joined the Houston Oilers as an assistant coach in 1976.

Supports more of what we're learning about the Phillips 34. No more read and reacting, but rather, more attacking with playmakers. I can't wait to see it in live action with the players we have.

The secondary play is where we're hoping to see some improvement. The 3-4 was suppose to allow the defense to pressure the QB and allow for more plays downfield from our secondary. Unfortunately, the front seven didn't pressure the QB much at all, and the offense's meal ticket was directed at Anthony Henry and Roy Williams.

Bill's way: The lack of a pass rush up front put more pressure on these guys. Cornerbacks Terence Newman and Anthony Henry played a lot of press coverage and the safeties split the deep half of the field.

Wade's world: Don't expect to see much cover 2. Strong safety Roy Williams had five picks in '06, but shadowing receivers isn't his forte. He'll line up closer to the line more often and sometimes will be like another linebacker. Phillips still must determine how much zone the corners will play.

X-factor: Free safety Ken Hamlin. In Seattle, he sometimes jumped shallow crossing routes and got beat from behind. But Phillips likes Hamlin's range and thinks he'll be a good center fielder and quarterback in the secondary.

Fanball.com has a small sneak peak at training camp, and they point out more of what I've thought; where, there won't be a position battle per-se at the RB spot between Jones and Barber:

Fantasy owners are probably hoping to read about a wide-open competition between Jones and Marion Barber, but the new staff has given no indication of such a struggle. Garrett will change which types of running plays are used, but Phillips has insinuated that the Cowboys will continue to use a committee approach. Will Barber start over Jones? Will the touches be more equal? Possibly, but don't expect one back to emerge as a clear carry leader

Another position battle of interest from the article is Pat McQuistan. McQuistan is quietly creeping up the ladder, and could be a legitimate starter this year:

We're not quite ready to call it a "battle," but the offensive line could still see some changes on the left side. Second-year man Pat McQuistan has earned a lot of praise during his time with the club, and he spent the summer filling in for Flozell Adams (minor knee surgery) at left tackle. Assuming Adams returns and looks fine, McQuistan could take one step to the right and challenge Kyle Kosier for the starting left guard job.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for McQuistan to battle it out. May the best player win!

And of course more talk about Romo and his contract, but more interestingly is the talk about Garrett's role in Romo's success this year.

Romo is in the final year of his deal, and the Texans upped the price tag by inking Matt Schaub to an absurb, desperate, six-year, $48 million contract. The money is only half of the story with Romo, though. We're also interested to see how he looks in Garrett's new, vertical-oriented passing attack. Romo got off to a hot start in 2006, but he cooled down the stretch. Just how good is he?

I guess this is the benchmark set for Romo, this is what everyone else is writing about too. Those aren't bad numbers. Question is, does Romo and his agent Tom Condon think he's worth more? I'm sure this topic will stick around until camp starts.

Garrett's new offensive scheme is what Phillips new scheme to the defense will be: DYNAMIC. We're going to see both units excel and the playmakers are going to carry the load. We're going to spread the offense around, and be attacking.

This topic of Romo "cooling down the stretch" or "falling apart" is becoming tiring to me. This is a team effort and the effects of everyone will effect the QB play, that's just a fact. The interesting thing about this whole "falling apart down the stretch" subject can be pin-pointed as to when this supposedly started.

I'm going out on a limb by saying the defensive woes came to the forefront once we lost Greg Ellis. And with the defensive woes came the offensive woes, and with the offensive woes comes this whole "Romo cooling down" crap. You can say what you want about Ellis, but he had a big impact on this team last year. Ellis went down in week 8 against the Cardinals, the following two weeks we had home game victories against the Colts, and the Bucs on Thanksgiving, after that, forget about it, the defense fell apart, and the offensive play calling stayed the same without change, teams figured out where to hit us on offense and defense.

With Ellis out, teams down the stretch tore us up by targeting Bradie James, Roy Williams and the whole secondary, the Saints really exposed the weak spots bigtime.

This is why we drafted Anthony Spencer this year, and not a OT or WR. If Ellis is not 100% at camp or during the season, Spencer will be that pressure guy we need in his spot. If not, expect that chink in the armor to get exposed, its a domino effect. What about Carpenter? Don't worry about Carpenter, this guy is smart and dynamic, he'll be out on the field more than you think. He'll be right there pushing for a MLB spot too.

So, with all that being said, this Phillips 34 will help the team as a whole, and with defensive success comes offensive success, they will feed off each other's fortunes.