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January 24 2012 05:55 PM
Rick Gosselin, sports columnist for The Dallas Morning News and SportsDayDFW.com and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee, answered your questions about the Cowboys and the NFL playoffs in a live chat Monday. Some excerpts:
Your thoughts on Radway if Jerry Jones doesn't sign Laurent Robinson back, and who do you think we get in the first round?
I think the Cowboys are anxious to see what they've got in Radway. If he stayed healthy last fall, the Cowboys may never have signed Robinson. Who knows -- maybe Radway can be the next Victor Cruz. Or he could wash out. The Cowboys certainly want to get to camp to find out. I think the Cowboys are going to know the cornerback board top to bottom and have a feel for which corners to take in which rounds. They need to draft at least two and three wouldn't surprise me.
I saw some great defense in the 49ers-Giants NFC Championship Game. Can teams like the Cowboys, Packers and Saints make the defensive adjustment to contend in one year? Will we see an overwhelming amount of defensive players go in the first round of the NFL Draft?
The rules makes it tough to play defense. So with head coaches who have offensive backgrounds like Mike McCarthy (Packers), Sean Payton (Saints) and Jason Garrett (Cowboys), more resources are likely to be spent on the offensive side of the ball. The Packers can affect a turnaround -- basically the same players who finished fifth in the NFL in defense in winning the Super Bowl sank to 32nd this season. The talent is there to be better. But the Saints finished 25th in the NFL in defense in their Super Bowl season in 2009, so their ceiling is not a high. And the Cowboys are a long way off from where they need to be to compete on defense.
After watching the Giants and Niners, cornerback is a must for the Cowboys. They need CB/S types like Kirkpatrick or Stephon Gillmore or both!
I think Jerry Jones, Jason Garrett and Rob Ryan all agree with you.
Do you think the Cowboys should target bigger, physical players? The Ravens, 49ers, Patriots and Giants have huge players on defense and offense. It's like they overpower their opponent.
Definitely on the offensive line. Costa is a bit undersized and struggled at center. I'd want my interior blockers in the 320 range. I want tackles that are light afoot -- but the three middle guys have to block some giants like Vince Wilfork, Haloti Ngata and B.J. Raji. You'd better have some bulk to hold up at the point of attack. If you go to a 4-3 on defense, you definitely want more size up front. If you play a 3-4, I want all my linebackers in the 250-260 range.
January 24 2012 05:55 PM
Rick Gosselin, sports columnist for The Dallas Morning News and SportsDayDFW.com and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee, answered your questions about the Cowboys and the NFL playoffs in a live chat Monday. Some excerpts:
Your thoughts on Radway if Jerry Jones doesn't sign Laurent Robinson back, and who do you think we get in the first round?
I think the Cowboys are anxious to see what they've got in Radway. If he stayed healthy last fall, the Cowboys may never have signed Robinson. Who knows -- maybe Radway can be the next Victor Cruz. Or he could wash out. The Cowboys certainly want to get to camp to find out. I think the Cowboys are going to know the cornerback board top to bottom and have a feel for which corners to take in which rounds. They need to draft at least two and three wouldn't surprise me.
I saw some great defense in the 49ers-Giants NFC Championship Game. Can teams like the Cowboys, Packers and Saints make the defensive adjustment to contend in one year? Will we see an overwhelming amount of defensive players go in the first round of the NFL Draft?
The rules makes it tough to play defense. So with head coaches who have offensive backgrounds like Mike McCarthy (Packers), Sean Payton (Saints) and Jason Garrett (Cowboys), more resources are likely to be spent on the offensive side of the ball. The Packers can affect a turnaround -- basically the same players who finished fifth in the NFL in defense in winning the Super Bowl sank to 32nd this season. The talent is there to be better. But the Saints finished 25th in the NFL in defense in their Super Bowl season in 2009, so their ceiling is not a high. And the Cowboys are a long way off from where they need to be to compete on defense.
After watching the Giants and Niners, cornerback is a must for the Cowboys. They need CB/S types like Kirkpatrick or Stephon Gillmore or both!
I think Jerry Jones, Jason Garrett and Rob Ryan all agree with you.
Do you think the Cowboys should target bigger, physical players? The Ravens, 49ers, Patriots and Giants have huge players on defense and offense. It's like they overpower their opponent.
Definitely on the offensive line. Costa is a bit undersized and struggled at center. I'd want my interior blockers in the 320 range. I want tackles that are light afoot -- but the three middle guys have to block some giants like Vince Wilfork, Haloti Ngata and B.J. Raji. You'd better have some bulk to hold up at the point of attack. If you go to a 4-3 on defense, you definitely want more size up front. If you play a 3-4, I want all my linebackers in the 250-260 range.