IRVING, Texas - By now, you have a pretty good idea what Jerry Jones thinks of rookie free agent Ronald Leary's upside.
Huge.
That notion was clearly evident during the post-draft press conference on April 28, when the Cowboys owner couldn't wait to inform everyone the Cowboys had signed the Memphis offensive lineman to a contract as soon as the seven-round draft had been completed.
This now will give you an even better idea of how badly Jones wanted to take a chance on a guy rated anywhere from a third- to fifth-round pick who went undrafted because of potential degenerative medical issues.
During lunch at Wednesday's Dallas Cowboys Sponsor Appreciation Golf Tournament, Jerry was emphasizing that in the business world you have to try whatever it takes to get something done – a sale, a deal, a hiring. So he turned the story of how he convinced Leary's agent to have his guy sign with the Cowboys instead of one of the numerous teams also courting him into sort of a business parable.
So Jones says the minute the draft was completed, he himself was on the phone to Leary's agent, expressing how badly the Cowboys wanted to sign the 6-3, 324-pounder whose body screams interior offensive lineman. But the agent said, sorry, we've already signed with another team. Flabbergasted, Jones says, "Well, how can that be, the draft just ended? No way he's already signed with someone else."
The agent insisted Leary had, and remember, teams were limited to consuming just $75,000 in total signing bonuses for however many rookie free agents they signed following the draft. He even told Jones that Leary had signed for good money, too, which in figurative terms meant something like a $20,000 signing bonus, and asked Jones why the Cowboys hadn't just drafted his guy if they thought so highly of him.
Jones, undaunted, continued to mount his argument, saying he couldn't believe the agent would have signed his guy who was good enough to create a multi-team bidding war to the first person that called. The agent insisted he did.
Jones, being the businessman he is, claims he then said incredulously, "You mean he signed for more than $500,000," trying to get the agent's attention. Which he did since Leary's agent, hearing that outrageous number at the other end of the phone conversation, came clean, saying, according to Jones, "Oh wait a minute, he hasn't signed anything," just as Jones suspected.
That was nearly two weeks ago Saturday. By the following Thursday, Leary was at The Ranch, taking pictures and preparing for last weekend's minicamp. By the time the Cowboys begin their 10 Organized Team Activity sessions on May 22, Leary will be back at The Ranch, launching his campaign to potentially earn a starting spot at one of the two guard positions.
Jones and offensive line coach Bill Callahan think that much of Leary, who played offensive tackle and some guard at Memphis, and worked out prior to the draft for the Cowboys new offensive line coach. The catch, though, is Leary's longevity, since the 23-year-old has a degenerative condition under his kneecap where worn down meniscus is causing a bone-on-bone condition that might require microfracture surgery – holes drilled into the unprotected bone under the kneecap in hopes of spurring regeneration of the protective meniscus.
If surgery eventually is needed, and judging from some of those surgeries that have worked – Al Johnston for a short period of time and linebacker Kevin Hardy come to mind – and some of those that haven't – Justin Beriault, Kalen Thornton and Stephen Hodge – we're talking about a 50-50 success rate, ultimately why Leary fell through seven rounds of the NFL Draft.
But as you know, the Cowboys have not left the interior of the offensive line to chance. They have more candidates to fill two guard spots and the center position than the Republicans have running for the open senate seat in the state of Texas. And that's a good thing for the Cowboys, since sure sounds as if the competition will be wide open, and the more potential solutions to throw at a problem the better.
Here are the names: Veteran free-agent signees Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau, expected to line up with the first-team offense when those OTAs commence May 22; last year's fourth-round draft choice David Arkin, inactive all 16 games, and the seventh-rounder Bill Nagy, a four-game starter before landing on season-ending injured reserve; last year's 16-game starting center as a first-year free agent Phil Costa and his rookie free-agent backup Kevin Kowalski.
"I'm very pleased with how we've addressed the interior of our offense," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said while recording the next edition of The Blitz (11 p.m. Sunday on CBS-11 locally), referencing the guard-center positions along with fullback.
And don't get the idea the only candidates at the center position are Costa and Kowalski. A lot of what happens at center might be determined by who ends up winning the starting two guard spots since the likes of Bernadeau, Nagy and even Livings are considered center possibilities.
Also, don't summarily dismiss Arkin winning a starting guard spot just because he never got on the field last year. The Cowboys still think highly of him since a full year in the weight room should do wonders for him. Also, do not throw Costa to the scrap heap just because he struggled some early in his first opportunity to play center in the NFL or that he scattered those shotgun snaps, turning Tony Romo into more of a goalie than a quarterback at times. He improved as the season went along.
"He's another one of those guys who came in last season and earned that position," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said of Costa. "He's an undrafted free agent two years ago, undersized guy – too this, too that, too much the other thing, but he just said, 'Hey, I'm a good football player,' and tried to show us that every day. ... I think he's an under-appreciated athlete."
One of those "too's" Garrett is referring to is "small," as in too small to play center in the NFL. Funny, though, as we stood talking to Costa Wednesday out at Cowboys Golf Club the thought occurred to me that the former Maryland starting center, who played all of four games his rookie season in 2010 before inheriting last year's starting job, didn't appear any smaller than when Cowboys three-time Pro Bowl center Mark Stepnoski arrived here in 1989. Heck, looked bigger to me.
I mean, the Cowboys finished the season last year with Costa checking in at 6-3, 314. Stepnoski was checking in at 6-2, 265 his rookie season, and heading into his fourth year with the Cowboys in 1992 was no heavier than 270. Difference was, Step had the likes of the hefty Nate Newton (320, listed weight) and Kevin Gogan (317) sandwiching him, then a guy by the name of Derek "Big Baby" Kennard, who checked in at 333. Yep, a rather "Big Baby."
Costa, well he started last season with 299-pound rookie Bill Nagy starting to his left and the foot-plagued Kyle Kosier at 309 to the right. So the Cowboys had an undersized center, so to speak, flanked by even more undersized guards. Bad combination.
That will likely change this year since Livings is 332, Bernadeau is 310 and Leary 324. Plus, guarantee you Arkin will check in closer to 320 than his 310 of last year, and Nagy likely at least 310.
Size does matter on the interior of the offensive line.
So will younger legs. Just two years ago, by the 2010 season's end, the Cowboys were starting four 32-year-old offensive linemen and 26-year old Doug Free. However the starting five works out this year, Livings potentially would be the oldest at 30, and Tryon Smith the youngest, having just turned 21 in December of his rookie season last year. Everyone else? Well, in between, including sixth-year tackle Doug Free, the next oldest, however you cut it, who is 28.
Thus the remaking of the Dallas Cowboys offensive line, a process that doesn't necessarily require drafting a whole bunch of first-rounders. Take the Giants for example. Their starting five in Super Bowl XLVI consisted of David Diehl, a fifth-rounder starting more than five games in a season for the first time; Kevin Boothe, a Raiders' sixth-round pick in 2006 that the Giants claimed on waivers in 2007; David Bass, a Niners' second-rounder in 2005 signed as a free agent in 2011; Chris Snee, a Giants' second-rounder in 2004; and Kareem McKenzie, a Jets' third-rounder in 2001, who signed as a free agent by the Giants in 2005 and has not been re-signed for 2012 after 11 seasons in the league.
Just a bunch of guys, really.
So we'll see just what happens with this Cowboys' interior offensive redesign, and if this bunch of guys can turn into the guys by season's end.
Huge.
That notion was clearly evident during the post-draft press conference on April 28, when the Cowboys owner couldn't wait to inform everyone the Cowboys had signed the Memphis offensive lineman to a contract as soon as the seven-round draft had been completed.
This now will give you an even better idea of how badly Jones wanted to take a chance on a guy rated anywhere from a third- to fifth-round pick who went undrafted because of potential degenerative medical issues.
During lunch at Wednesday's Dallas Cowboys Sponsor Appreciation Golf Tournament, Jerry was emphasizing that in the business world you have to try whatever it takes to get something done – a sale, a deal, a hiring. So he turned the story of how he convinced Leary's agent to have his guy sign with the Cowboys instead of one of the numerous teams also courting him into sort of a business parable.
So Jones says the minute the draft was completed, he himself was on the phone to Leary's agent, expressing how badly the Cowboys wanted to sign the 6-3, 324-pounder whose body screams interior offensive lineman. But the agent said, sorry, we've already signed with another team. Flabbergasted, Jones says, "Well, how can that be, the draft just ended? No way he's already signed with someone else."
The agent insisted Leary had, and remember, teams were limited to consuming just $75,000 in total signing bonuses for however many rookie free agents they signed following the draft. He even told Jones that Leary had signed for good money, too, which in figurative terms meant something like a $20,000 signing bonus, and asked Jones why the Cowboys hadn't just drafted his guy if they thought so highly of him.
Jones, undaunted, continued to mount his argument, saying he couldn't believe the agent would have signed his guy who was good enough to create a multi-team bidding war to the first person that called. The agent insisted he did.
Jones, being the businessman he is, claims he then said incredulously, "You mean he signed for more than $500,000," trying to get the agent's attention. Which he did since Leary's agent, hearing that outrageous number at the other end of the phone conversation, came clean, saying, according to Jones, "Oh wait a minute, he hasn't signed anything," just as Jones suspected.
That was nearly two weeks ago Saturday. By the following Thursday, Leary was at The Ranch, taking pictures and preparing for last weekend's minicamp. By the time the Cowboys begin their 10 Organized Team Activity sessions on May 22, Leary will be back at The Ranch, launching his campaign to potentially earn a starting spot at one of the two guard positions.
Jones and offensive line coach Bill Callahan think that much of Leary, who played offensive tackle and some guard at Memphis, and worked out prior to the draft for the Cowboys new offensive line coach. The catch, though, is Leary's longevity, since the 23-year-old has a degenerative condition under his kneecap where worn down meniscus is causing a bone-on-bone condition that might require microfracture surgery – holes drilled into the unprotected bone under the kneecap in hopes of spurring regeneration of the protective meniscus.
If surgery eventually is needed, and judging from some of those surgeries that have worked – Al Johnston for a short period of time and linebacker Kevin Hardy come to mind – and some of those that haven't – Justin Beriault, Kalen Thornton and Stephen Hodge – we're talking about a 50-50 success rate, ultimately why Leary fell through seven rounds of the NFL Draft.
But as you know, the Cowboys have not left the interior of the offensive line to chance. They have more candidates to fill two guard spots and the center position than the Republicans have running for the open senate seat in the state of Texas. And that's a good thing for the Cowboys, since sure sounds as if the competition will be wide open, and the more potential solutions to throw at a problem the better.
Here are the names: Veteran free-agent signees Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau, expected to line up with the first-team offense when those OTAs commence May 22; last year's fourth-round draft choice David Arkin, inactive all 16 games, and the seventh-rounder Bill Nagy, a four-game starter before landing on season-ending injured reserve; last year's 16-game starting center as a first-year free agent Phil Costa and his rookie free-agent backup Kevin Kowalski.
"I'm very pleased with how we've addressed the interior of our offense," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said while recording the next edition of The Blitz (11 p.m. Sunday on CBS-11 locally), referencing the guard-center positions along with fullback.
And don't get the idea the only candidates at the center position are Costa and Kowalski. A lot of what happens at center might be determined by who ends up winning the starting two guard spots since the likes of Bernadeau, Nagy and even Livings are considered center possibilities.
Also, don't summarily dismiss Arkin winning a starting guard spot just because he never got on the field last year. The Cowboys still think highly of him since a full year in the weight room should do wonders for him. Also, do not throw Costa to the scrap heap just because he struggled some early in his first opportunity to play center in the NFL or that he scattered those shotgun snaps, turning Tony Romo into more of a goalie than a quarterback at times. He improved as the season went along.
"He's another one of those guys who came in last season and earned that position," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said of Costa. "He's an undrafted free agent two years ago, undersized guy – too this, too that, too much the other thing, but he just said, 'Hey, I'm a good football player,' and tried to show us that every day. ... I think he's an under-appreciated athlete."
One of those "too's" Garrett is referring to is "small," as in too small to play center in the NFL. Funny, though, as we stood talking to Costa Wednesday out at Cowboys Golf Club the thought occurred to me that the former Maryland starting center, who played all of four games his rookie season in 2010 before inheriting last year's starting job, didn't appear any smaller than when Cowboys three-time Pro Bowl center Mark Stepnoski arrived here in 1989. Heck, looked bigger to me.
I mean, the Cowboys finished the season last year with Costa checking in at 6-3, 314. Stepnoski was checking in at 6-2, 265 his rookie season, and heading into his fourth year with the Cowboys in 1992 was no heavier than 270. Difference was, Step had the likes of the hefty Nate Newton (320, listed weight) and Kevin Gogan (317) sandwiching him, then a guy by the name of Derek "Big Baby" Kennard, who checked in at 333. Yep, a rather "Big Baby."
Costa, well he started last season with 299-pound rookie Bill Nagy starting to his left and the foot-plagued Kyle Kosier at 309 to the right. So the Cowboys had an undersized center, so to speak, flanked by even more undersized guards. Bad combination.
That will likely change this year since Livings is 332, Bernadeau is 310 and Leary 324. Plus, guarantee you Arkin will check in closer to 320 than his 310 of last year, and Nagy likely at least 310.
Size does matter on the interior of the offensive line.
So will younger legs. Just two years ago, by the 2010 season's end, the Cowboys were starting four 32-year-old offensive linemen and 26-year old Doug Free. However the starting five works out this year, Livings potentially would be the oldest at 30, and Tryon Smith the youngest, having just turned 21 in December of his rookie season last year. Everyone else? Well, in between, including sixth-year tackle Doug Free, the next oldest, however you cut it, who is 28.
Thus the remaking of the Dallas Cowboys offensive line, a process that doesn't necessarily require drafting a whole bunch of first-rounders. Take the Giants for example. Their starting five in Super Bowl XLVI consisted of David Diehl, a fifth-rounder starting more than five games in a season for the first time; Kevin Boothe, a Raiders' sixth-round pick in 2006 that the Giants claimed on waivers in 2007; David Bass, a Niners' second-rounder in 2005 signed as a free agent in 2011; Chris Snee, a Giants' second-rounder in 2004; and Kareem McKenzie, a Jets' third-rounder in 2001, who signed as a free agent by the Giants in 2005 and has not been re-signed for 2012 after 11 seasons in the league.
Just a bunch of guys, really.
So we'll see just what happens with this Cowboys' interior offensive redesign, and if this bunch of guys can turn into the guys by season's end.
