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JON MACHOTA
jmachota@dallasnews.com
NFL general managers don’t usually admit mistakes but Jerry Jones recently did that while discussing the Cowboys’ offensive line.
Jones, the team’s owner and general manager, said that releasing three starters on the offensive line before the start of the 2011 season was a mistake.
Tackle Marc Colombo and guard Leonard Davis were released last July and center Andre Gurode followed a month later. Less experienced replacement options like Phil Costa and rookie Bill Nagy played “amazingly well for training camp and some of the early games,” according to Jones. But that consistent production didn’t last.
“That did not keep us, though, from having Tony [Romo] and having us all say, ‘We’ve got to watch out if our opposing teams think we’re too light in the britches in there,’” Jones told reporters this week, according to audio aired on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM]. “There was no question that Romo had that on his mind when we started the season. And I know that it impacted our year from having that on his mind, not only physically but mentally about the base that we had in the front.”
Those worries forced Jones to sign veteran guards like Montrae Holland and Derrick Dockery. Holland started 10 games in 2011 and Dockery appeared in nine games, starting twice.
“I personally got carried away with, ‘Hey, we’re going to be able to go. These guys are playing well enough as a group. Costa – throw him in there. They’re playing well enough as a group that we’ll be able to not be too compromised and they’ll evolve and get better and better,’” Jones said. “That was a mistake.”
Jones added that prior to extending tackle Doug Free’s contract and drafting tackle Tyron Smith, he didn’t realize how “bankrupt” the Cowboys were up front. The Cowboys owner said adding veterans like Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau, a pair of free agent guards signed earlier this month, is the correct way to address Romo’s protection on the offensive line.
“I believe that we’ve been compromising the offensive line for different reasons for two straight seasons,” Jones said.
jmachota@dallasnews.com
NFL general managers don’t usually admit mistakes but Jerry Jones recently did that while discussing the Cowboys’ offensive line.
Jones, the team’s owner and general manager, said that releasing three starters on the offensive line before the start of the 2011 season was a mistake.
Tackle Marc Colombo and guard Leonard Davis were released last July and center Andre Gurode followed a month later. Less experienced replacement options like Phil Costa and rookie Bill Nagy played “amazingly well for training camp and some of the early games,” according to Jones. But that consistent production didn’t last.
“That did not keep us, though, from having Tony [Romo] and having us all say, ‘We’ve got to watch out if our opposing teams think we’re too light in the britches in there,’” Jones told reporters this week, according to audio aired on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM]. “There was no question that Romo had that on his mind when we started the season. And I know that it impacted our year from having that on his mind, not only physically but mentally about the base that we had in the front.”
Those worries forced Jones to sign veteran guards like Montrae Holland and Derrick Dockery. Holland started 10 games in 2011 and Dockery appeared in nine games, starting twice.
“I personally got carried away with, ‘Hey, we’re going to be able to go. These guys are playing well enough as a group. Costa – throw him in there. They’re playing well enough as a group that we’ll be able to not be too compromised and they’ll evolve and get better and better,’” Jones said. “That was a mistake.”
Jones added that prior to extending tackle Doug Free’s contract and drafting tackle Tyron Smith, he didn’t realize how “bankrupt” the Cowboys were up front. The Cowboys owner said adding veterans like Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau, a pair of free agent guards signed earlier this month, is the correct way to address Romo’s protection on the offensive line.
“I believe that we’ve been compromising the offensive line for different reasons for two straight seasons,” Jones said.
