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Bob Sturm / Contributor
SportsDayDFW phoned Bob Sturm to comment on the Cowboys' win at the Indianapolis Colts. The following are highlights of a transcription of the interview:
What do you think of Jerry Jones' comments that Tashard Choice was not playing more because of his performance on special teams. And does Choice, who ran for 100 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown against Indy, deserve a spot in the running back rotation in the future?
The whole public comment from Jerry seemed incredibly odd. It's like relating the ability to return kicks to playing wide receiver, they seem largely unrelated in many respects. Just looking at the job Choice did today and in his other opportunities in the NFL, it sure seems he brings something to the party Marion Barber absolutely does not, and that is the burst to the corner. To beat the Colts to the edge, that's something you cant leave on your sideline. It's a bit disconcerting that the franchise sees him every day in practice and never noticed that playmaking ability and continued to run barber out there in big doses until he's hurt.
We as media and fans depend on the Cowboys to know their roster better than we do. And I swear we seem to talk about this every week. It was Bryan McCann and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (McCann replaced Owusu-Ansah on kick returns) two weeks ago and now we're wondering how Choice can have him nailed to the bench when he has that ability to run to the edge.
On Colts quarterback Peyton Manning's four interceptions:
I really thing the Cowboys deserve credit for the takeaways but it reminds me when star quarterbacks don't have all their personnel, they try to keep their throws the same with the understudies running the routes. This goes back to comparing Brett Favre to Peyton Manning (what I wrote on Friday) I saw Favre throw a record amount of interceptions in 2005. There comes a point with replacements due to injury that you have to change your throw selection to be on the same page. It's odd to see Manning like this right now, but he's been doing it every week. I am not sure it's so much a Cowboys issue as a Colts receiver issue.
It goes back to the Cowboys ability to know their personnel. To see Sean Lee drop into coverage confirms what they told on draft day but disputes what Wade Phillips told us the first two months of the season that they didn't see Lee as a nickel coverage type of linebacker. It's bewildering that they could not use a linebacker to drop back in coverage, that they tried to tell us Jason Williams, whom they subsequently released, was better for that.
That (personnel evaluation) is a big weakness for general manager Jerry Jones. I think Wade and Jerry together saw that they took Jason Williams with their top pick and 2009 draft and trying to use every fiber of their being to find a spot for him and to validate their pick. And sometimes to validate your pick, you don't believe what your eyeballs are telling you. Going back to the Owusu-Ansah, he's a fourth-round pick and Bryan McCann is undrafted. They have more investment in Owusu-Ansah, kind of like they have a bigger investment in Barber than Choice. Or they have a bigger investment in Jason Williams, so they tell us Sean Lee can't play that position when he obviously can. These things that consider a trend, trouble me. Hopefully, Jason Garrett can improve on this.
I thought of another example: The fact that so many capable offensive linemen have been jettisoned to Miami - Pat McQuistan, Joe Berger and Cory Procter. That once again would suggest were you weren't quite sure what you had there.
What about the fact that you have to throw guys into the fire?
There's certainly something to that. And that's why so many fans have been calling for auditions in live game action for guys like Choice and Lee. The best way to find out is to see how they respond on Sunday. Maybe one of the blessings in disguise of 2010 is that we are starting to see more of that.
SportsDayDFW phoned Bob Sturm to comment on the Cowboys' win at the Indianapolis Colts. The following are highlights of a transcription of the interview:
What do you think of Jerry Jones' comments that Tashard Choice was not playing more because of his performance on special teams. And does Choice, who ran for 100 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown against Indy, deserve a spot in the running back rotation in the future?
The whole public comment from Jerry seemed incredibly odd. It's like relating the ability to return kicks to playing wide receiver, they seem largely unrelated in many respects. Just looking at the job Choice did today and in his other opportunities in the NFL, it sure seems he brings something to the party Marion Barber absolutely does not, and that is the burst to the corner. To beat the Colts to the edge, that's something you cant leave on your sideline. It's a bit disconcerting that the franchise sees him every day in practice and never noticed that playmaking ability and continued to run barber out there in big doses until he's hurt.
We as media and fans depend on the Cowboys to know their roster better than we do. And I swear we seem to talk about this every week. It was Bryan McCann and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (McCann replaced Owusu-Ansah on kick returns) two weeks ago and now we're wondering how Choice can have him nailed to the bench when he has that ability to run to the edge.
On Colts quarterback Peyton Manning's four interceptions:
I really thing the Cowboys deserve credit for the takeaways but it reminds me when star quarterbacks don't have all their personnel, they try to keep their throws the same with the understudies running the routes. This goes back to comparing Brett Favre to Peyton Manning (what I wrote on Friday) I saw Favre throw a record amount of interceptions in 2005. There comes a point with replacements due to injury that you have to change your throw selection to be on the same page. It's odd to see Manning like this right now, but he's been doing it every week. I am not sure it's so much a Cowboys issue as a Colts receiver issue.
It goes back to the Cowboys ability to know their personnel. To see Sean Lee drop into coverage confirms what they told on draft day but disputes what Wade Phillips told us the first two months of the season that they didn't see Lee as a nickel coverage type of linebacker. It's bewildering that they could not use a linebacker to drop back in coverage, that they tried to tell us Jason Williams, whom they subsequently released, was better for that.
That (personnel evaluation) is a big weakness for general manager Jerry Jones. I think Wade and Jerry together saw that they took Jason Williams with their top pick and 2009 draft and trying to use every fiber of their being to find a spot for him and to validate their pick. And sometimes to validate your pick, you don't believe what your eyeballs are telling you. Going back to the Owusu-Ansah, he's a fourth-round pick and Bryan McCann is undrafted. They have more investment in Owusu-Ansah, kind of like they have a bigger investment in Barber than Choice. Or they have a bigger investment in Jason Williams, so they tell us Sean Lee can't play that position when he obviously can. These things that consider a trend, trouble me. Hopefully, Jason Garrett can improve on this.
I thought of another example: The fact that so many capable offensive linemen have been jettisoned to Miami - Pat McQuistan, Joe Berger and Cory Procter. That once again would suggest were you weren't quite sure what you had there.
What about the fact that you have to throw guys into the fire?
There's certainly something to that. And that's why so many fans have been calling for auditions in live game action for guys like Choice and Lee. The best way to find out is to see how they respond on Sunday. Maybe one of the blessings in disguise of 2010 is that we are starting to see more of that.