By Clarence E. Hill Jr.
chill@star-telegram.com
IRVING — Don’t even think about it.
Never mind that Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans and the sight of defensive end J.J. Watt on the opposing sideline makes one wonder what might have been if the Dallas Cowboys had taken Watt instead of left tackle Tyron Smith with the ninth overall pick in 2011.
Again.
Don’t even think about it.
The Cowboys readily acknowledge that Watt is the best player at his position in the NFL en route to being the best player. Period. The man known as J.J. Swatt, who was picked two spots after Smith with the 11th selection by the Texans, is that
good.
But so is Smith, who not only was the first draft pick of the Jason Garrett era, but also the crucial first building block for what has become the league’s best offensive line.
There are no regrets in Dallas.
Don’t even think about it.
“Yeah, that’s a long time ago. We liked him a lot,” Garrett said of Watt. “We did spend a lot of time investigating him, getting to know him. That same year we took Tyron Smith so we feel really good about that decision. All those decisions we made very consciously and very deliberately and certainly that first pick was critical for us.
“We were at the point with our offensive line where we let three veteran offensive linemen go and we were really young and under-resourced there.
“We felt like we needed to get some cornerstone players, and Tyron Smith was coming out that year, and we felt like he can be a left tackle and be a cornerstone player for us. We felt he had all the traits to be a great, great player for a long time at a really important position, and he’s certainly off to a good start.”
The Cowboys host the Texans at noon Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
Although Smith and Watt will not be directly matched up, they’ll likely cross paths during the game.
NFL guru Gil Brandt’s take on ...
Watt: “You know he desperately wanted to go to Wisconsin, but they told him he was too small to play tight end. So he went to Central Michigan for one year. He said ‘I’m too good to be here’ and walked on at Wisconsin. They put him at defensive end and the rest is history. If you ever want to see a clinic, go get the tape of the Ohio State game; he whipped their butt. He is the best in the NFL right now.”
Smith: “I think he is the best there is myself. He has great hand placement. He’s got great strength. He’s a hard worker. He has heart. He’s a wonderful, wonderful guy, just as good a guy as they come.”
Former Texan scouting director Brian Gardner’s take on ...
Watt: “Smith didn’t really come into the discussion for us. We had Duane Brown. The guys in the discussion were J.J., Aldon Smith and Cameron Jordan. The 49ers took Aldon ahead of us or we probably would have taken Aldon. The room was split between Jordan [who was taken by the Saints at No. 24] and J.J. But the scouts and the defensive coach really wanted J.J. I don’t know if we realized how good an athlete the guy was. The thought was if you took him he would be solid player, a good guy off the field and he would play hard and be a high motor. Then when he got there he was a much better athlete than anybody thought. That was the biggest surprise.
Smith: “He’s got good length. He’s got size. He’s tough. He’s got some nastiness. He is a big dude who can engulf people. He is a guy who is going to play there 10 years or more. When you set out to fill a block on the franchise and you’ve got a quarterback like [Tony] Romo, you better be sure you get a guy like Smith to protect him, lining up on the blind side Sunday after the Sunday.”
Watt’s take on Smith ...
“I talked to them [Cowboys] a little at the combine, not a whole lot after. When they were on the clock at No. 9, that was the first time my family and I started to watch what was going on a little bit, a little more closely. I think he [Smith] is a very good football player. I think their offensive line as a whole is playing very well. I think their team is clicking pretty good.”
Smith’s take on Watt ...
“He’s a hard-working player, has a real high motor, and he brings it every play, so you got to be prepared for it every week. You can tell he studies a lot and he prepares a lot, and all you can do is just prepare for it and study him up the same way he studies you. I look forward to it. It’s always fun going up against a good player, and everybody is in this game for the competition and that’s basically all it is. He’s one of the top players at his position, and I give him credit for what he’s done so far.”
chill@star-telegram.com
IRVING — Don’t even think about it.
Never mind that Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans and the sight of defensive end J.J. Watt on the opposing sideline makes one wonder what might have been if the Dallas Cowboys had taken Watt instead of left tackle Tyron Smith with the ninth overall pick in 2011.
Again.
Don’t even think about it.
The Cowboys readily acknowledge that Watt is the best player at his position in the NFL en route to being the best player. Period. The man known as J.J. Swatt, who was picked two spots after Smith with the 11th selection by the Texans, is that
good.
But so is Smith, who not only was the first draft pick of the Jason Garrett era, but also the crucial first building block for what has become the league’s best offensive line.
There are no regrets in Dallas.
Don’t even think about it.
“Yeah, that’s a long time ago. We liked him a lot,” Garrett said of Watt. “We did spend a lot of time investigating him, getting to know him. That same year we took Tyron Smith so we feel really good about that decision. All those decisions we made very consciously and very deliberately and certainly that first pick was critical for us.
“We were at the point with our offensive line where we let three veteran offensive linemen go and we were really young and under-resourced there.
“We felt like we needed to get some cornerstone players, and Tyron Smith was coming out that year, and we felt like he can be a left tackle and be a cornerstone player for us. We felt he had all the traits to be a great, great player for a long time at a really important position, and he’s certainly off to a good start.”
The Cowboys host the Texans at noon Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
Although Smith and Watt will not be directly matched up, they’ll likely cross paths during the game.
NFL guru Gil Brandt’s take on ...
Watt: “You know he desperately wanted to go to Wisconsin, but they told him he was too small to play tight end. So he went to Central Michigan for one year. He said ‘I’m too good to be here’ and walked on at Wisconsin. They put him at defensive end and the rest is history. If you ever want to see a clinic, go get the tape of the Ohio State game; he whipped their butt. He is the best in the NFL right now.”
Smith: “I think he is the best there is myself. He has great hand placement. He’s got great strength. He’s a hard worker. He has heart. He’s a wonderful, wonderful guy, just as good a guy as they come.”
Former Texan scouting director Brian Gardner’s take on ...
Watt: “Smith didn’t really come into the discussion for us. We had Duane Brown. The guys in the discussion were J.J., Aldon Smith and Cameron Jordan. The 49ers took Aldon ahead of us or we probably would have taken Aldon. The room was split between Jordan [who was taken by the Saints at No. 24] and J.J. But the scouts and the defensive coach really wanted J.J. I don’t know if we realized how good an athlete the guy was. The thought was if you took him he would be solid player, a good guy off the field and he would play hard and be a high motor. Then when he got there he was a much better athlete than anybody thought. That was the biggest surprise.
Smith: “He’s got good length. He’s got size. He’s tough. He’s got some nastiness. He is a big dude who can engulf people. He is a guy who is going to play there 10 years or more. When you set out to fill a block on the franchise and you’ve got a quarterback like [Tony] Romo, you better be sure you get a guy like Smith to protect him, lining up on the blind side Sunday after the Sunday.”
Watt’s take on Smith ...
“I talked to them [Cowboys] a little at the combine, not a whole lot after. When they were on the clock at No. 9, that was the first time my family and I started to watch what was going on a little bit, a little more closely. I think he [Smith] is a very good football player. I think their offensive line as a whole is playing very well. I think their team is clicking pretty good.”
Smith’s take on Watt ...
“He’s a hard-working player, has a real high motor, and he brings it every play, so you got to be prepared for it every week. You can tell he studies a lot and he prepares a lot, and all you can do is just prepare for it and study him up the same way he studies you. I look forward to it. It’s always fun going up against a good player, and everybody is in this game for the competition and that’s basically all it is. He’s one of the top players at his position, and I give him credit for what he’s done so far.”
