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By Randy Galloway
rgalloway@star-telegram.com
It's a Cowboys off-season where overhaul and upgrade are a priority, and at this point of the spring, with many new football faces already in the Valley Ranch house, I think we can all say...
Give me more time on this.
And OK, I don't speak for you.
But at the moment, I'm having a problem figuring out what to say about the Cowboys' off-season to date.
Confusion is nothing new. For them or me.
But even before team management began to flood Valley Ranch with free-agent signees from elsewhere in the NFL -- seven newcomers in all -- the strangest development came when commissioner Roger Goodell issued an executive order that went against the Cowboys.
It was a $10 million salary-cap penalty for doing absolutely nothing wrong.
If I'm Jerry Jones I'd have verbally thrown Goodell up against the wall, with Jerry taking his case to the court of public opinion and then on to the Supreme Court if necessary.
Strangely, Jerry initially said nothing, but has since spoken up about fighting the penalty.
And based on Goodell's current mood, and his hammer down on the New Orleans Saints last week, silence early last week probably seemed like a wise decision for Jerry.
It doesn't appear to be a good time to jack with Roger, even when all the facts, and I mean all the facts, say the Cowboys are totally in the right on this one.
It's the league, in ruling against the Cowboys, that was openly supporting collusion. It's also the league that owes us the explanation on that 10 mil cap hit. Instead, Goodell has been too busy destroying the Saints' franchise to answer a very simple question:
What exactly did the Cowboys do wrong?
It's unknown whether the team has any recourse, legal or otherwise. But certainly Jones is beginning to publicly challenge Goodell on this decision, mainly because he's mad about it, but also because he's got plenty of hissed-off football people at Valley Ranch who want answers on Goodell's strange ruling.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys moved on in free agency. Not sure if they moved up, down or sideways, but they definitely moved.
Despite the surprise cap limitations by Goodell, it was the largest free agency haul since 2006.
For those who brag on the Cowboys at least being very active, flash back to '06. In that " very active" off-season for free agents, the names signed were Akin Ayodele, Rocky Boiman, Jason Fabini, Ryan Hannam, Kyle Kosier and Mike Vanderjagt.
One keeper emerged from the entire group, and Kosier was a solid member of the offensive line until his release last week.
So don't start talking about "active" being a good thing. Finding productive players is the only thing that counts.
One of the newcomers, cornerback Brandon Carr, came with a huge price tag, starting with $26.5 million in guaranteed money. But the need was for a cornerback, and Jerry overpaid.
Outside of overpaying, however, there are no major knocks on Carr, based on NFL people I've asked for opinions. Carr's "problem," as stated last week, will come from within, meaning the Cowboys' defense has to generate a better pass rush to protect the secondary.
By my free agency scorecard on the Cowboys, one impact player, receiver Laurent Robinson, was lost in free agency, and Carr, expected to be an impact player, was added
So for now, it's a push on impact.
Meanwhile, opinions range far and wide, pro and con, on what else, if anything, the Cowboys did for an upgrade. And the two additions in the offensive line definitely draw a lot of negative reviews.
That's why I asked The Man Who Watches Film for his opinion.
The Man is not always right on his evaluations, but his track record beats the Cowboys' track record over the years. So he's battle-tested and trustworthy.
Up front, let me also say his opinions were more positive than I thought.
The free names up for review:
Guard Mackenzy Bernadeau, basically a backup at his previous stop. TMWWF: "Not great, but better than the two guys the Cowboys used the most at left guard last season," meaning Derrick Dockery and Montrae Holland.
Guard Nate Livings, a starter last season at Cincinnati but much maligned by some scouts, and the Cowboys also gave him $6.2 million in guaranteed money, which caused plenty of hoots around the league. TMWWF: "I know there are heavy knocks, but I disagree. He's not exactly Larry Allen, but as far as an upgrade for the Cowboys, definitely. The film I watched, Livings isn't as bad as many are saying."
Safety Brodney Pool, another suspect in the free agent class. TMWWF: "Can't play a lick. A waste of time, it looks like to me."
Brandon Carr, the corner. TMWWF: "He's OK. The only real question I have is, does he move to the left side or does Mike Jenkins? Left and right are different animals. Both play right."
Linebacker Dan Connor. TMWWF: "Has the best chance to make the biggest impact of anybody in the group." Bigger than Carr? "Yes, I think so, and that's nothing against Carr, it's more about what this guy, potentially, can do at linebacker."
Fullback Lawrence Vickers. TMWWF: "His track record [with the Texans] says this is a good addition. I've got no disagreement."
Quarterback Kyle Orton. TMWWF: "A backup quarterback making $5 million guaranteed doesn't make sense to many. That's understandable. Beyond the money, however, why would anyone not like Orton for insurance?"
Like I said, it's in general a positive review from The Man Who Watches Film.
But I'll have to take his word for it, particularly with those two offensive linemen, and Connor, the linebacker.
Randy Galloway can be heard on Galloway & Co. weekdays 3-6 p.m. on ESPN/103.3 FM.
Randy Galloway
817-390-7697
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/03/25/3833169/only-time-will-tell-on-dallas.html#storylink=cpy
rgalloway@star-telegram.com
It's a Cowboys off-season where overhaul and upgrade are a priority, and at this point of the spring, with many new football faces already in the Valley Ranch house, I think we can all say...
Give me more time on this.
And OK, I don't speak for you.
But at the moment, I'm having a problem figuring out what to say about the Cowboys' off-season to date.
Confusion is nothing new. For them or me.
But even before team management began to flood Valley Ranch with free-agent signees from elsewhere in the NFL -- seven newcomers in all -- the strangest development came when commissioner Roger Goodell issued an executive order that went against the Cowboys.
It was a $10 million salary-cap penalty for doing absolutely nothing wrong.
If I'm Jerry Jones I'd have verbally thrown Goodell up against the wall, with Jerry taking his case to the court of public opinion and then on to the Supreme Court if necessary.
Strangely, Jerry initially said nothing, but has since spoken up about fighting the penalty.
And based on Goodell's current mood, and his hammer down on the New Orleans Saints last week, silence early last week probably seemed like a wise decision for Jerry.
It doesn't appear to be a good time to jack with Roger, even when all the facts, and I mean all the facts, say the Cowboys are totally in the right on this one.
It's the league, in ruling against the Cowboys, that was openly supporting collusion. It's also the league that owes us the explanation on that 10 mil cap hit. Instead, Goodell has been too busy destroying the Saints' franchise to answer a very simple question:
What exactly did the Cowboys do wrong?
It's unknown whether the team has any recourse, legal or otherwise. But certainly Jones is beginning to publicly challenge Goodell on this decision, mainly because he's mad about it, but also because he's got plenty of hissed-off football people at Valley Ranch who want answers on Goodell's strange ruling.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys moved on in free agency. Not sure if they moved up, down or sideways, but they definitely moved.
Despite the surprise cap limitations by Goodell, it was the largest free agency haul since 2006.
For those who brag on the Cowboys at least being very active, flash back to '06. In that " very active" off-season for free agents, the names signed were Akin Ayodele, Rocky Boiman, Jason Fabini, Ryan Hannam, Kyle Kosier and Mike Vanderjagt.
One keeper emerged from the entire group, and Kosier was a solid member of the offensive line until his release last week.
So don't start talking about "active" being a good thing. Finding productive players is the only thing that counts.
One of the newcomers, cornerback Brandon Carr, came with a huge price tag, starting with $26.5 million in guaranteed money. But the need was for a cornerback, and Jerry overpaid.
Outside of overpaying, however, there are no major knocks on Carr, based on NFL people I've asked for opinions. Carr's "problem," as stated last week, will come from within, meaning the Cowboys' defense has to generate a better pass rush to protect the secondary.
By my free agency scorecard on the Cowboys, one impact player, receiver Laurent Robinson, was lost in free agency, and Carr, expected to be an impact player, was added
So for now, it's a push on impact.
Meanwhile, opinions range far and wide, pro and con, on what else, if anything, the Cowboys did for an upgrade. And the two additions in the offensive line definitely draw a lot of negative reviews.
That's why I asked The Man Who Watches Film for his opinion.
The Man is not always right on his evaluations, but his track record beats the Cowboys' track record over the years. So he's battle-tested and trustworthy.
Up front, let me also say his opinions were more positive than I thought.
The free names up for review:
Guard Mackenzy Bernadeau, basically a backup at his previous stop. TMWWF: "Not great, but better than the two guys the Cowboys used the most at left guard last season," meaning Derrick Dockery and Montrae Holland.
Guard Nate Livings, a starter last season at Cincinnati but much maligned by some scouts, and the Cowboys also gave him $6.2 million in guaranteed money, which caused plenty of hoots around the league. TMWWF: "I know there are heavy knocks, but I disagree. He's not exactly Larry Allen, but as far as an upgrade for the Cowboys, definitely. The film I watched, Livings isn't as bad as many are saying."
Safety Brodney Pool, another suspect in the free agent class. TMWWF: "Can't play a lick. A waste of time, it looks like to me."
Brandon Carr, the corner. TMWWF: "He's OK. The only real question I have is, does he move to the left side or does Mike Jenkins? Left and right are different animals. Both play right."
Linebacker Dan Connor. TMWWF: "Has the best chance to make the biggest impact of anybody in the group." Bigger than Carr? "Yes, I think so, and that's nothing against Carr, it's more about what this guy, potentially, can do at linebacker."
Fullback Lawrence Vickers. TMWWF: "His track record [with the Texans] says this is a good addition. I've got no disagreement."
Quarterback Kyle Orton. TMWWF: "A backup quarterback making $5 million guaranteed doesn't make sense to many. That's understandable. Beyond the money, however, why would anyone not like Orton for insurance?"
Like I said, it's in general a positive review from The Man Who Watches Film.
But I'll have to take his word for it, particularly with those two offensive linemen, and Connor, the linebacker.
Randy Galloway can be heard on Galloway & Co. weekdays 3-6 p.m. on ESPN/103.3 FM.
Randy Galloway
817-390-7697
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/03/25/3833169/only-time-will-tell-on-dallas.html#storylink=cpy