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DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING — An owner who loves the art of the deal suppressed his tendencies, stayed put and curbed his philosophical qualms to pull the trigger on an offensive tackle.
When Jerry Jones and the Cowboys invested the No. 9 pick in Thursday’s draft on Tyron Smith, 30 years of first-round neglect toward the offensive line came to an end. The athletic tackle from USC was the lone offensive lineman the team has selected this high since Howard Richards in 1981 at No. 26 overall.
Remember him?
The Cowboys are convinced that Smith, ranked as the fifth best player on the team’s draft board, will have a longer and more productive shelf life. While he doesn’t have the wow factor Jones often talks about, he’s a good, smart pick and shows the influence Jason Garrett likely exerted in his first draft as head coach.
“I think our fans are sophisticated enough to know how important a talented, offensive lineman can be, and I think we got one here,” Jones said. “I’m not concerned at all about not making a big splash.
“This is what we should do, make decisions on the best things to do to win football games.”
Smith accepted the challenge and expectations of being a high pick, promised to work hard and is confident he’ll have an impact.
“I think I have the potential to be a Pro Bowler and a Hall of Famer,” Smith said.
It will take time to see if those declarations pan out. But he certainly addresses an immediate need for a Cowboys team coming off a 6-10 season.
Left tackle Doug Free is the only starter in the offensive line under the age of 30, and he’s a free agent. The Cowboys have said signing him is their top priority once the NFL resumes business. Jones said late Thursday night that the team will work the rookie at right tackle.
This leaves Marc Colombo on shaky ground. The veteran right tackle has struggled physically the last two seasons and is due a $500,000 bonus if he’s still on the roster 15 days into the league’s new season. Since offensive line coach Hudson Houck matter-of-factly stated that Smith will start in 2011, it’s unlikely there will be a spot for Colombo moving forward.
“We don’t have to make that decision tonight,” Jones said. “I think any time you’re making a pick of that stature, that high, he’s going to play. That was a big part of the decision.
“He [Smith] can play and will play. If he plays, he’s going to have to take somebody’s place.”
This is the first time in five years — and only the sixth time since Jones purchased the team in 1989 — that the Cowboys have not moved up, down or out of the first round.
“We looked at possible trades,” Jones said. “I think I said to some of you before, it had to be a blockbuster to take us out.
“I was real concerned. I really felt someone would take him if I made a move and he got past us (at No. 9).”
There was speculation that the Cowboys didn’t have much separation between Smith and Boston College offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo. But Houck threw cold water on that theory when he said that Smith, “was much better than the other guys we looked at” in the offensive line.
Here’s something else to keep in mind. Smith is 20 years old and will still be 20 when he takes his first snap in a Cowboys uniform. Cornerback Terence Newman, the last player the club selected in the top 10, was 25 years old when he lined up with the club for the first time.
It’s enough to make an owner change his long-standing policy about taking offensive linemen in the first round.
“He really has worked hard,” Jones said. “He is young and very athletic."
"If we were going to go that high on an offensive lineman, then I had to get comfortable that he was unique enough in his skills and can get better."
“There is a big upside on him.”
Staying put
This is the first time in five years that the Cowboys stayed put in the first round.
2011: Stayed put and selected Tyron Smith.
2010: Moved up to get Dez Bryant.
2009: No choice. Traded the pick for Roy Williams.
2008: Moved up to select Mike Jenkins (also drafted Felix Jones with Cleveland's pick acquired in a draft-day trade in 2007).
2007: Moved out (traded to Cleveland for first round pick in ’08), then back in (traded with Philadelphia ) and selected Anthony Spencer.
2006: Stayed put and selected Bobby Carpenter.
IRVING — An owner who loves the art of the deal suppressed his tendencies, stayed put and curbed his philosophical qualms to pull the trigger on an offensive tackle.
When Jerry Jones and the Cowboys invested the No. 9 pick in Thursday’s draft on Tyron Smith, 30 years of first-round neglect toward the offensive line came to an end. The athletic tackle from USC was the lone offensive lineman the team has selected this high since Howard Richards in 1981 at No. 26 overall.
Remember him?
The Cowboys are convinced that Smith, ranked as the fifth best player on the team’s draft board, will have a longer and more productive shelf life. While he doesn’t have the wow factor Jones often talks about, he’s a good, smart pick and shows the influence Jason Garrett likely exerted in his first draft as head coach.
“I think our fans are sophisticated enough to know how important a talented, offensive lineman can be, and I think we got one here,” Jones said. “I’m not concerned at all about not making a big splash.
“This is what we should do, make decisions on the best things to do to win football games.”
Smith accepted the challenge and expectations of being a high pick, promised to work hard and is confident he’ll have an impact.
“I think I have the potential to be a Pro Bowler and a Hall of Famer,” Smith said.
It will take time to see if those declarations pan out. But he certainly addresses an immediate need for a Cowboys team coming off a 6-10 season.
Left tackle Doug Free is the only starter in the offensive line under the age of 30, and he’s a free agent. The Cowboys have said signing him is their top priority once the NFL resumes business. Jones said late Thursday night that the team will work the rookie at right tackle.
This leaves Marc Colombo on shaky ground. The veteran right tackle has struggled physically the last two seasons and is due a $500,000 bonus if he’s still on the roster 15 days into the league’s new season. Since offensive line coach Hudson Houck matter-of-factly stated that Smith will start in 2011, it’s unlikely there will be a spot for Colombo moving forward.
“We don’t have to make that decision tonight,” Jones said. “I think any time you’re making a pick of that stature, that high, he’s going to play. That was a big part of the decision.
“He [Smith] can play and will play. If he plays, he’s going to have to take somebody’s place.”
This is the first time in five years — and only the sixth time since Jones purchased the team in 1989 — that the Cowboys have not moved up, down or out of the first round.
“We looked at possible trades,” Jones said. “I think I said to some of you before, it had to be a blockbuster to take us out.
“I was real concerned. I really felt someone would take him if I made a move and he got past us (at No. 9).”
There was speculation that the Cowboys didn’t have much separation between Smith and Boston College offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo. But Houck threw cold water on that theory when he said that Smith, “was much better than the other guys we looked at” in the offensive line.
Here’s something else to keep in mind. Smith is 20 years old and will still be 20 when he takes his first snap in a Cowboys uniform. Cornerback Terence Newman, the last player the club selected in the top 10, was 25 years old when he lined up with the club for the first time.
It’s enough to make an owner change his long-standing policy about taking offensive linemen in the first round.
“He really has worked hard,” Jones said. “He is young and very athletic."
"If we were going to go that high on an offensive lineman, then I had to get comfortable that he was unique enough in his skills and can get better."
“There is a big upside on him.”
Staying put
This is the first time in five years that the Cowboys stayed put in the first round.
2011: Stayed put and selected Tyron Smith.
2010: Moved up to get Dez Bryant.
2009: No choice. Traded the pick for Roy Williams.
2008: Moved up to select Mike Jenkins (also drafted Felix Jones with Cleveland's pick acquired in a draft-day trade in 2007).
2007: Moved out (traded to Cleveland for first round pick in ’08), then back in (traded with Philadelphia ) and selected Anthony Spencer.
2006: Stayed put and selected Bobby Carpenter.