The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

Cowboys hoping quick fix pays dividends

For the first time in coach Bill Parcells' tenure in Big D, he is getting a chance to put his stamp on a team he inherited before the 2003 season. Owner Jerry Jones should be commended for allowing it to happen.
Parcells inherited a team that was not built in his likeness. Parcells had to know in his heart that, although it had won 10 games and made the playoffs in '03, his team was not good enough. And it became evident early in 2004 that changes would have to be made if the Cowboys were going to take the next step.

While other teams strive to get better by adding a piece to the puzzle here or another piece there, the Cowboys have used more than $11 million in cap space to sign cornerback Anthony Henry, defensive tackle Jason Ferguson, guard Marco Rivera and quarterback Drew Bledsoe.

They also spent their top three draft picks – including two in the first round, thanks to last year's shrewd trade Jones pulled off with the Bills – to select additional players who will have an immediate impact on defense: 260-pound LB Demarcus Ware, 300-pound DE Marcus Spears and 242-pound LB Kevin Burnett.

Only the Minnesota Vikings have kept pace with the Cowboys on the "let's-make-some-changes" meter for this offseason.

Parcells' emphasis is on getting bigger and more physical on defense in order to shut down an opponent's running game. Players such as La'Roi Glover, a Pro Bowl defensive tackle who relies on his speed, no longer fit the Cowboys' style. We had the same feelings about Glover in my tenure with the Saints. He has to jump around too many blocks and gives up too many running lanes for opposing backs to jump through.
The Cowboys identified what they wanted and moved on several fronts to fix it. They no longer will be a smaller finesse group that relies on speed and quickness. The newly rebuilt defense will be much better suited for man-for-man contact at all three levels: at the point of attack up front; at linebacker (they can knock players backward); and at corner, where size like Henry's has been sorely lacking.

Bledsoe was easy to figure. Why take time to develop a young but talented Drew Henson, who will make mistakes for the next couple of years and might or might not pan out? Bledsoe gives them experience and instant leadership, with no training needed.

The backdrop for this whole overhaul is the fact that the clock is ticking on Parcells' coaching career. The Cowboys' timetable is different from those of most of the rest of the league. Thus, the accelerated pace to rebuild. Frankly, I'm surprised more teams don't adopt the same theory. I know some coaches who would love it – that's a fact.

The same can be said for Vikings coach Mike Tice, who must win this year for different reasons. No team added more starters to a dreadful defense in free agency than the Vikings. Both men are desperate to win now, and if they were both given truth serum, I'd bet they would admit that building a winner for '05 is behind each and every offseason move. Their windows are open for only a very short time.
There has to be an eye on the future, though I would never recommend signing or spending this much money each offseason. The cap would never allow it, but the timetable is different for these teams. The Bengals, Lions and even Bears are all said to be improving brick-by-brick, slowly and methodically. But not the Cowboys. They have chosen the "Extreme Makeover" plan: Gimme a whole new house overnight. I have to admit I love the sense of urgency, and Cowboys fans should feel the same way.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/ ... id=2056099

Parcells is a grumpy punk with a losing record. He can kiss my pork. I'm more afraid of our mistakes than I am his offense.

This is no fair... Gibbs changed us up the last two offseasons and were slammed for it. The Cowboys get commended for it. This freakin' stinks.

I've said it before and I'll say it again....I'M LOVING THIS!!!

Parcells is rebuilding his team in his THIRD year. What took him so long? I could have told him that his team sucked during his first year back. I could have told him that his defense was the most overated defense to have ever taken the field. Well, I'm glad it took him so long to figure out that his team sucked. I got a good laugh from him during his press conferences throughout the year. Out of all of his quotes that he said during his press conferences this one has to be my favorite...."They're dumb. I can never put anything in their hands. Whenever I try to put something in their hands they screw it all up."

I'm sure I'm gonna get alot more laughs this coming season. Its gonna take him a while to get that defense clicking. I just wonder......Is a rookie quarterback gonna be able to call a game winning audible on him again this year? We'll see.

you guys nailed it exactly. parcells gets praised for ripping the team apart and starting over, whereas the redskins are ridiculed for it. and yes, what was the point of parcells waiting 2 years to actually start building HIS team how he wanted it? the only options/explanations are:

1. he was too stupid to realize that the team sucked
2. he was too stupid to realize he shouldn't waste 2 years on a crappy team before he changed it to how he wanted

either way, he is a stupid moron. i can't imagine that anyone in the NFL is scared of bill parcells anymore.

1-he took Dave Campo's crappy lot to a 10-6 record and the playoffs

2-No one he signed in the past 3 years is over the age of 33. And the only one in tha category is Bledsoe.

Geez you guys are slow.

Oh, stop. Parcells puts his stamp everywhere he goes the minute he arrives. It's crap. It's an excuse for last years poor showing, is all.

If you say it it must be true

He deserves some credit for coaching to the strengths of the squad he had in his first season, but he should be ripped for not doing so in his second.

Now, does anyone want to argue for Gibb's coaching to his team's strengths? You can tell me all about the Brunell stuff, I need a laugh.

The problem in the second season was that he fooled himself into thinking the same team could win with a few minor improvements(Wiley, George) About the only things that went right last year were Jones, Witten, and Keyshawn (Say what you will, he did a hell of a job last season considering he had a 40 year old QB throwing to him and no legitimate deep threats)

The "let's stick with what we've got and build" plan blew up in his face and explains the overhaul this offseason. PLUS, these kind of moves would have been impossible this time last year anyway.

Primetime42 wrote:1-he took Dave Campo's crappy lot to a 10-6 record and the playoffs

2-No one he signed in the past 3 years is over the age of 33. And the only one in tha category is Bledsoe.

Geez you guys are slow.

Did you or did you not have basically the same team in his second year as you had in his first year? How do YOU explain the Cowboys sudden demise. And you make fun of Quincy Carter, but isnt he the one who lead you to the playoffs? You guys had better find a right tackle soon, or Bledsoe is going to end up on his back most of the time

sch1977 wrote:

Primetime42 wrote:1-he took Dave Campo's crappy lot to a 10-6 record and the playoffs

2-No one he signed in the past 3 years is over the age of 33. And the only one in tha category is Bledsoe.

Geez you guys are slow.

Did you or did you not have basically the same team in his second year as you had in his first year? How do YOU explain the Cowboys sudden demise. And you make fun of Quincy Carter, but isnt he the one who lead you to the playoffs? You guys had better find a right tackle soon, or Bledsoe is going to end up on his back most of the time

See, this is the blind ignorance I was hoping I wouldn't have to hear again.


-I don't know how many times I've said that Parcells made a mistake in believing the same team of players could be successfull twice. Go read other threads, I'm not going into detail again.

-Carter was as ineffective a QB as had ever played in Dallas. Sure they got to the playoffs with him at the helm - him and his 17 TDs and 21 picks, with Troy Hambrick as the feature back. Parcells, unlike some other coach we know, could have made a winner out of Patrick Ramsey if he were there.

-With a QB like Bledsoe, it's more important to protect his blindside, aka the LEFT Tackle. OK, I'll take Flozell Adams.

If we sign a right tackle at all, it would probably be Vic Riley or June 1 cut. That's probably what Parcells is waiting for. Otherwise, remember the name Rob Pettiti.

Why is it so hard for you to realize that Parcells took a crappy team, won 10 games with the SAME TEAM, and held off on his spending spree one year? This year will make up for that and more.


...oh yea...14/15

sch1977 wrote:

Primetime42 wrote:1-he took Dave Campo's crappy lot to a 10-6 record and the playoffs

2-No one he signed in the past 3 years is over the age of 33. And the only one in tha category is Bledsoe.

Geez you guys are slow.

Did you or did you not have basically the same team in his second year as you had in his first year? How do YOU explain the Cowboys sudden demise. And you make fun of Quincy Carter, but isnt he the one who lead you to the playoffs? You guys had better find a right tackle soon, or Bledsoe is going to end up on his back most of the time

the second year demise was clearly due to a young secondary with no Woodsen to led them

also no proven running game until Jones came back, Vinny was forced to throw early in the year, which wore his arm out.

Glenn went down and Bryant was traded for morgan who did not know the plays

TE campbell went down early and he is as good as witten in pass catching but better at blocking


SO TO FIX THIS
they brung in Henry at CB and to back him up Glenn

instead of realying on Jones they went out and drafted barber and brung in a proven guy in Thomas

Morgan is in tune with the offense now and healthy, glen is healthy and running at 4.4

campbell is back and healthy

all of the cowboys signings were economical and not cap killers such as the skins.

sch1977 wrote:

Primetime42 wrote:1-he took Dave Campo's crappy lot to a 10-6 record and the playoffs

2-No one he signed in the past 3 years is over the age of 33. And the only one in tha category is Bledsoe.

Geez you guys are slow.

Did you or did you not have basically the same team in his second year as you had in his first year? How do YOU explain the Cowboys sudden demise. And you make fun of Quincy Carter, but isnt he the one who lead you to the playoffs? You guys had better find a right tackle soon, or Bledsoe is going to end up on his back most of the time

the second year demise was clearly due to a young secondary with no Woodsen to led them

also no proven running game until Jones came back, Vinny was forced to throw early in the year, which wore his arm out.

Glenn went down and Bryant was traded for morgan who did not know the plays

TE campbell went down early and he is as good as witten in pass catching but better at blocking


SO TO FIX THIS
they brung in Henry at CB and to back him up Glenn

instead of realying on Jones they went out and drafted barber and brung in a proven guy in Thomas

Morgan is in tune with the offense now and healthy, glen is healthy and running at 4.4

campbell is back and healthy

all of the cowboys signings were economical and not cap killers such as the skins.

statboy wrote:

sch1977 wrote:

Primetime42 wrote:1-he took Dave Campo's crappy lot to a 10-6 record and the playoffs

2-No one he signed in the past 3 years is over the age of 33. And the only one in tha category is Bledsoe.

Geez you guys are slow.

Did you or did you not have basically the same team in his second year as you had in his first year? How do YOU explain the Cowboys sudden demise. And you make fun of Quincy Carter, but isnt he the one who lead you to the playoffs? You guys had better find a right tackle soon, or Bledsoe is going to end up on his back most of the time

the second year demise was clearly due to a young secondary with no Woodsen to led them

also no proven running game until Jones came back, Vinny was forced to throw early in the year, which wore his arm out.

Glenn went down and Bryant was traded for morgan who did not know the plays

TE campbell went down early and he is as good as witten in pass catching but better at blocking


SO TO FIX THIS
they brung in Henry at CB and to back him up Glenn

instead of realying on Jones they went out and drafted barber and brung in a proven guy in Thomas

Morgan is in tune with the offense now and healthy, glen is healthy and running at 4.4

campbell is back and healthy

all of the cowboys signings were economical and not cap killers such as the skins.

Whatever Gambit.

Next time don't brag about your ghost du jour on other boards.

...are you serious

You cowgirl fans are so fixated on this 14/15 crap. Yes you have had our number for a while, but guess what!! If that is all you have to hang your hat on man, you are pretty pathetic. Quincy Carter wasnt the worst QB the cowpukes have ever had. Babe Laufenberg, Danny White, and Steve Walsh come to mind. You had better hope a decent RT comes on the wire after June 1. I guess next year you will be cited a 14/17 record. Good luck with Bledsoe next year, we will be waiting for him

statboy wrote:

sch1977 wrote:

Primetime42 wrote:1-he took Dave Campo's crappy lot to a 10-6 record and the playoffs

2-No one he signed in the past 3 years is over the age of 33. And the only one in tha category is Bledsoe.

Geez you guys are slow.

Did you or did you not have basically the same team in his second year as you had in his first year? How do YOU explain the Cowboys sudden demise. And you make fun of Quincy Carter, but isnt he the one who lead you to the playoffs? You guys had better find a right tackle soon, or Bledsoe is going to end up on his back most of the time

the second year demise was clearly due to a young secondary with no Woodsen to led them

also no proven running game until Jones came back, Vinny was forced to throw early in the year, which wore his arm out.

Glenn went down and Bryant was traded for morgan who did not know the plays

TE campbell went down early and he is as good as witten in pass catching but better at blocking


SO TO FIX THIS
they brung in Henry at CB and to back him up Glenn

instead of realying on Jones they went out and drafted barber and brung in a proven guy in Thomas

Morgan is in tune with the offense now and healthy, glen is healthy and running at 4.4

campbell is back and healthy

all of the cowboys signings were economical and not cap killers such as the skins.

You think Henry is the answer at the CB spot? Did Clevelend have a shut down defense last year while I wasnt looking? A-train is more like the A-moped, so good luck with that. Campbell is no where near the talent as Witten, so dont kid yourself.

Primetime42 wrote:...are you serious

Yea, he posted it on the SSD or STD or Ranch Report or whatever they're calling it this week in a reply to Brandon77.

curveball wrote:

Primetime42 wrote:...are you serious

Yea, he posted it on the SSD or STD or Ranch Report or whatever they're calling it this week in a reply to Brandon77.

curveball i will respond to you in the proper forum SMACK

sch1977 wrote:You cowgirl fans are so fixated on this 14/15 crap. Yes you have had our number for a while, but guess what!! If that is all you have to hang your hat on man, you are pretty pathetic. Quincy Carter wasnt the worst QB the cowpukes have ever had. Babe Laufenberg, Danny White, and Steve Walsh come to mind. You had better hope a decent RT comes on the wire after June 1. I guess next year you will be cited a 14/17 record. Good luck with Bledsoe next year, we will be waiting for him

Your posts get more incoherent with every new reply

sch1977 wrote:You cowgirl fans are so fixated on this 14/15 crap. Yes you have had our number for a while, but guess what!! If that is all you have to hang your hat on man, you are pretty pathetic. Quincy Carter wasnt the worst QB the cowpukes have ever had. Babe Laufenberg, Danny White, and Steve Walsh come to mind. You had better hope a decent RT comes on the wire after June 1. I guess next year you will be cited a 14/17 record. Good luck with Bledsoe next year, we will be waiting for him

well atleast cowboy fans are fixated on something current, redskins fan only claim to fame is dogging out mike irvin

thats very hypocritical of you sch1977

you say with out any credible backup, GOOD LUCK WITH BLEDSOE, but deep down all skins fans know that they have been bested by qc and vinny.

while bledsoe has been playing in the touch afc his whole career, i would not be suprised if he had a good year

sch1977 come with something of substance

Primetime42 wrote:

sch1977 wrote:You cowgirl fans are so fixated on this 14/15 crap. Yes you have had our number for a while, but guess what!! If that is all you have to hang your hat on man, you are pretty pathetic. Quincy Carter wasnt the worst QB the cowpukes have ever had. Babe Laufenberg, Danny White, and Steve Walsh come to mind. You had better hope a decent RT comes on the wire after June 1. I guess next year you will be cited a 14/17 record. Good luck with Bledsoe next year, we will be waiting for him

Your posts get more incoherent with every new reply

How is that incoherent? Like I said, stay fixated on that stat and lets wait to see what happens this year

statboy wrote:

sch1977 wrote:You cowgirl fans are so fixated on this 14/15 crap. Yes you have had our number for a while, but guess what!! If that is all you have to hang your hat on man, you are pretty pathetic. Quincy Carter wasnt the worst QB the cowpukes have ever had. Babe Laufenberg, Danny White, and Steve Walsh come to mind. You had better hope a decent RT comes on the wire after June 1. I guess next year you will be cited a 14/17 record. Good luck with Bledsoe next year, we will be waiting for him

well atleast cowboy fans are fixated on something current, redskins fan only claim to fame is dogging out mike irvin

thats very hypocritical of you sch1977

you say with out any credible backup, GOOD LUCK WITH BLEDSOE, but deep down all skins fans know that they have been bested by qc and vinny.

while bledsoe has been playing in the touch afc his whole career, i would not be suprised if he had a good year

sch1977 come with something of substance

Before you start using big words you dont understand(hypocrite) make sure you know what they mean. When did I ever say anything about Michael Irvin? You have some issues man, you are arguing against something I didnt even say. My posts have just as much substance as anything you cowpuke fans post up here. But, if you want more on Bledsoe here goes: The AFC has only been stronger than the NFC in the last few years. Bledsoe never lived up to the franchise QB he was billed to be. Was he a good QB? Yes. Great? No way. If you go back to his days in NE, he threw the ball 50+ times a game, so of course he had good passing numbers. How many superbowls does he have? I definatley think you upgraded the position, but he is not what he once was. Stick to crunching numbers man.

sch1977 wrote:

Primetime42 wrote:

sch1977 wrote:You cowgirl fans are so fixated on this 14/15 crap. Yes you have had our number for a while, but guess what!! If that is all you have to hang your hat on man, you are pretty pathetic. Quincy Carter wasnt the worst QB the cowpukes have ever had. Babe Laufenberg, Danny White, and Steve Walsh come to mind. You had better hope a decent RT comes on the wire after June 1. I guess next year you will be cited a 14/17 record. Good luck with Bledsoe next year, we will be waiting for him

Your posts get more incoherent with every new reply

How is that incoherent? Like I said, stay fixated on that stat and lets wait to see what happens this year

Next year I can say 16/17


You're posts are incoherent because they say the same thing every time...which is absolutely nothing. No real fact. Bledsoe is not gonna be a sitting duck just because he doesn't have an All-Pro at RT. The most important blocker in Bledsoe's case is the LT..Flozell Adams. Fine by me. ESPECIALLY considering the fact that he has a good backfield combo for different situations, one of the best (if not the best) YOUNG TE in the league, and a balanced WR corps. Barring injury, Bledsoe's "lack of mobility" is the least of my (and I'm pretty sure Bill Parcells') concerns.

Bring up something that makes me worry.