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Gosselin: Cowboys offense needs to be fixed 'and both Gruden and Billick have the background and the credibility to fix it'
SportsDayDFW sports
The Dallas Morning News NFL columnist Rick Gosselin answered your Cowboys questions in a chat Thursday. Here are some highlights.
On if the players are playing for their jobs, or for Jason Garrett:
Rick Gosselin: If they win, it doesn't matter. They should play hard because they are professionals. They wear the team helmet but their names are on the backs of their jerseys. If a player dogs it, you see who it is by reading the name on the back of his jersey. If he passes up a tackle, or alligator arms a pass going across the middle, we'll all know who wants to play and who doesn't. To be cut by the Cowboys for lack of effort or heart during these adverse times is not something a player wants to bring to the bargaining table with his future employers. These final eight games have nothing to do with Jason Garrett -- it's about 53 guys looking in the mirror. What do they see? Do they see the talent for a 7-1 team which they were supposed to be at this point -- or the talent for a 1-7 team which they are? These players ought to be embarrassed at how they've played in 2010, especially the last three weeks. Garrett is the head coach now -- but these players need to be held accountable for getting Wade Phillips fired. That accountability will be determined these next eight weeks by the man who writes the checks -- not the man coaching them.
On if the Cowboys should trade down in the draft and acquire more picks:
Rick Gosselin: What do you prefer, a short-term fix to become competitive or a long-term fix that will allow you to once again compete for Super Bowls? The blue-chip players on a roster are what makes a team great. You get them in the Top 10 picks of a draft. Say you had the second overall pick of the 2010 draft. The Detroit Lions used that pick on DT Ndamukong Suh. What if they had traded down and gotten a later first, a second and a third. All would have been nice players, nice additions to the depth chart. But none would dominate at their positions like a Suh has this season. You win with greatness -- and greatness comes at the very top of the draft. The St. Louis Rams and Baltimore Ravens both won Super Bowls at the turn of the last decade because they hit on a series of Top 10 picks. They were bad teams throughout the 1990s and were able to capitalize on a series of high draft picks that put players like Orlando Pace, Kevin Carter, Torry Holt, Grant Wistrom (Rams) and Jonathan Ogden, Peter Boulware, Chris McAllister and Duane Starks (Ravens) on the roster. If the Cowboys have a Top 10 pick, I strongly recommend that they stay right there and draft a great player. Every time you trade down, you leave a better player on the table.
On the Cowboys selecting Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with their top pick:
Rick Gosselin: Does the next head coach believe in Tony Romo? That will be the determination on what to do with that first overall pick. Romo will be 31 next season with one playoff victory to show for his career. If the next coach believes he can make a winner out of Romo, quarterback will not be a priority. If the next coach has doubts about Romo -- and those doubts seem to be growing around the NFL -- then Luck could be a candidate. That is, of course, if the Cowboys wind up with the first overall pick. But that would surprise me. This team has more talent than to wind up 1-15.
On why Brian Billick would not be an option for the Cowboys:
Rick Gosselin: Like I wrote the other day, Jerry Jones needs to make a credibility hire. He needs to hire a coach who can walk to the podium and be embraced by the public and provide reason for hope. I think he needs to hire someone with a name or a ring, preferably both. I mentioned Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden. Brian Billick would be No. 3 on that list. Jerry owes it to his fan base to at least make a phone call to the best possible candidates. Anyone who can pick up the phone with a Super Bowl ring on his hand is worthy of a phone call. This offense needs to be fixed and both Gruden and Billick have the background and the credibility to fix it.
SportsDayDFW sports
The Dallas Morning News NFL columnist Rick Gosselin answered your Cowboys questions in a chat Thursday. Here are some highlights.
On if the players are playing for their jobs, or for Jason Garrett:
Rick Gosselin: If they win, it doesn't matter. They should play hard because they are professionals. They wear the team helmet but their names are on the backs of their jerseys. If a player dogs it, you see who it is by reading the name on the back of his jersey. If he passes up a tackle, or alligator arms a pass going across the middle, we'll all know who wants to play and who doesn't. To be cut by the Cowboys for lack of effort or heart during these adverse times is not something a player wants to bring to the bargaining table with his future employers. These final eight games have nothing to do with Jason Garrett -- it's about 53 guys looking in the mirror. What do they see? Do they see the talent for a 7-1 team which they were supposed to be at this point -- or the talent for a 1-7 team which they are? These players ought to be embarrassed at how they've played in 2010, especially the last three weeks. Garrett is the head coach now -- but these players need to be held accountable for getting Wade Phillips fired. That accountability will be determined these next eight weeks by the man who writes the checks -- not the man coaching them.
On if the Cowboys should trade down in the draft and acquire more picks:
Rick Gosselin: What do you prefer, a short-term fix to become competitive or a long-term fix that will allow you to once again compete for Super Bowls? The blue-chip players on a roster are what makes a team great. You get them in the Top 10 picks of a draft. Say you had the second overall pick of the 2010 draft. The Detroit Lions used that pick on DT Ndamukong Suh. What if they had traded down and gotten a later first, a second and a third. All would have been nice players, nice additions to the depth chart. But none would dominate at their positions like a Suh has this season. You win with greatness -- and greatness comes at the very top of the draft. The St. Louis Rams and Baltimore Ravens both won Super Bowls at the turn of the last decade because they hit on a series of Top 10 picks. They were bad teams throughout the 1990s and were able to capitalize on a series of high draft picks that put players like Orlando Pace, Kevin Carter, Torry Holt, Grant Wistrom (Rams) and Jonathan Ogden, Peter Boulware, Chris McAllister and Duane Starks (Ravens) on the roster. If the Cowboys have a Top 10 pick, I strongly recommend that they stay right there and draft a great player. Every time you trade down, you leave a better player on the table.
On the Cowboys selecting Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with their top pick:
Rick Gosselin: Does the next head coach believe in Tony Romo? That will be the determination on what to do with that first overall pick. Romo will be 31 next season with one playoff victory to show for his career. If the next coach believes he can make a winner out of Romo, quarterback will not be a priority. If the next coach has doubts about Romo -- and those doubts seem to be growing around the NFL -- then Luck could be a candidate. That is, of course, if the Cowboys wind up with the first overall pick. But that would surprise me. This team has more talent than to wind up 1-15.
On why Brian Billick would not be an option for the Cowboys:
Rick Gosselin: Like I wrote the other day, Jerry Jones needs to make a credibility hire. He needs to hire a coach who can walk to the podium and be embraced by the public and provide reason for hope. I think he needs to hire someone with a name or a ring, preferably both. I mentioned Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden. Brian Billick would be No. 3 on that list. Jerry owes it to his fan base to at least make a phone call to the best possible candidates. Anyone who can pick up the phone with a Super Bowl ring on his hand is worthy of a phone call. This offense needs to be fixed and both Gruden and Billick have the background and the credibility to fix it.
