Would you trust Tyron Smith at LT this year?

[Sheik]

If my LT is good enough, I draft a RT.

If my LT leaves something to be desired, but can play the right side, I draft a franchise LT at #9.

If I'm a GM and I start taking RTs in the top ten, I'm a ****** and should be fired yesterday.


I think you guys are agreeing with me. You just don't want to admit that Free isn't what you guys hoped he would be. A dominant LT that was home grown.

 

[Cr122]

Gallery is starting at RG.

I could of sworn they put him at RT too.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

If my LT is good enough, I draft a RT.

If my LT leaves something to be desired, but can play the right side, I draft a franchise LT at #9.

If I'm a GM and I start taking RTs in the top ten, I'm a ****** and should be fired yesterday.


I think you guys are agreeing with me. You just don't want to admit that Free isn't what you guys hoped he would be. A dominant LT that was home grown.

I wouldn't label Free as "dominant". I wouldn't give anyone that moniker who's only started at the position for one season.

To me "dominant" is reserved for the Anthony Munoz, Walter Jones and Larry Allen's of the world.

Flozell was never "dominant" in my book. He was good, sometimes very good. I think Free can be very good at either LT or RT. I think the difference between he an Smith is that Smith has the athletic ability to be dominant. But who knows? He could end up being very good, and that's OK too.

 

[Sheik]

I wouldn't label Free as "dominant". I wouldn't give anyone that moniker who's only started at the position for one season.

To me "dominant" is reserved for the Anthony Munoz, Walter Jones and Larry Allen's of the world.

Flozell was never "dominant" in my book. He was good, sometimes very good. I think Free can be very good at either LT or RT. I think the difference between he an Smith is that Smith has the athletic ability to be dominant. But who knows? He could end up being very good, and that's OK too.

That's where you and I disagree. I think Free could be a middle of the road JAG at LT until you find someone better. Luckily it only took one year to find his eventual replacement, that's assuming that Smith doesn't go bust on us.

I do agree that Free can be a good RT. So I'm not completely writing the player off as a scout team LT.

 

[Sheik]

I didn't mean to ignore the first part of your post about dominance and what it means. I agree that dominant wasn't the right choice of word.

What I should have said was, Free is who I thought he was, and I let him off the hook!

 

[Cr122]

That's where you and I disagree. I think Free could be a middle of the road JAG at LT until you find someone better. Luckily it only took one year to find his eventual replacement, that's assuming that Smith doesn't go bust on us.

I do agree that Free can be a good RT. So I'm not completely writing the player off as a scout team LT.

So do I.

 

[Midswat]

Free is better than a JAG at LT.

Free's a very good LT, and he'd play better once the rest of the offensive line played worth a shit.

But this discussion is getting especially tired.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I wouldn't say he's very good, but for his 1st ever season starting at LT, he was above average.

Again, first ever starting season and with a lot of help going Colombo's way as the season wore along.

He's only 26, has starting experience and athletic ability, so he only has one way to go but up.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Free is better than a JAG at LT.

Free's a very good LT, and he'd play better once the rest of the offensive line played worth a shit.

But this discussion is getting especially tired.

True.

 

[Midswat]

I wouldn't say he's very good, but for his 1st ever season starting at LT, he was above average.

Again, first ever starting season and with a lot of help going Colombo's way as the season wore along.

He's only 26, has starting experience and athletic ability, so he only has one way to go, up.

Above average. Very good. Seem to be splitting hairs.

Nevertheless, I agree with the rest of your post.

He's a talented player, and he'll be a fixture on our line for years. We're lucky to have him.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Above average. Very good. Seem to be splitting hairs.

Nevertheless, I agree with the rest of your post.

He's a talented player, and he'll be a fixture on our line for years. We're lucky to have him.

Just because I like to argue, but not really, there's below average, good, above average, very good and then there's great/HOF which is on a different plateau.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Above average. Very good. Seem to be splitting hairs.

Nevertheless, I agree with the rest of your post.

He's a talented player, and he'll be a fixture on our line for years. We're lucky to have him.

Agreed. The Cowboys are lucky.

Some make it sound like he's the second coming of Rob Pettiti for kryst's sakes.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Agreed. The Cowboys are lucky.

Some make it sound like he's the second coming of Rob Pettiti for kryst's sakes.

Some? There is only one and his name rhymes with "****ing, stupid asshole".

 

[Sheik]

Forgive me if I don't count my lucky stars when I think of Doug Free.

We were lucky to have Larry Allen.

We'll get by with Doug Free.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

Forgive me if I don't count my lucky stars when I think of Doug Free.

We were lucky to have Larry Allen.

We'll get by with Doug Free.

I respect your opinion Sheik, but i think you need to really watch Free closer. He performed very well with little help last season on the blind side. He was in the top 3rd of starting LT's in this league last season.

 

[sbk92]

lol The Cowboys are lucky to have Free.

lol

Jesus Christ. There are Doug Frees littering every roster in the league. But thank God we got one!!

 

[sbk92]

I respect your opinion Sheik, but i think you need to really watch Free closer. He performed very well with little help last season on the blind side. He was in the top 3rd of starting LT's in this league last season.

If you think he was a top 3 LT last year, maybe you're the one who needs to watch closer. Don't give me some stat formula from one of those sites that also has Roy Williams better than Miles Austin in 2010. Use your eyes. Your common sense.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

If you think he was a top 3 LT last year, maybe you're the one who needs to watch closer. Don't give me some stat formula from one of those sites that also has Roy Williams better than Miles Austin in 2010. Use your eyes. Your common sense.

Or maybe you could use your comprehension skills to read what was actually written.

Just a thought.. :thumbsup

 

[Cythim]

I'll take Free at RT if we don't have to pay him like he is a top level LT. I hope the new rules will keep him as an RFA so we can get a least one more year of him starting before he signs a long term deal. I do not think he is the long term answer at RT and I do not think his performance at RT in 2009 was good enough to give him the job. He performed so well at RT that he lost his job to Colombo in the playoffs. Big mistake by the coaches, but why did they do this? Pre-injury Colombo was better than Free. They had so much faith in Free last offseason they decided to bring in Alex Barron for insurance.

Next year I think we have to start Free at LT and Smith at RT, though I would prefer to do it the other way around. If Smith had the entire offseason to work with our coaches I would give him the job right away, or at least have him starting before the year is out. I also want Free to play RT because we obviously have little interest in starting him at LT in the future and he needs to prove he can do it before we sign him long term. This won't happen because Smith will not have enough time to be ready for the LT position this year. Free gets the start at LT and hopefully we learn more about him as he has a solid RT on the opposite side.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

I'll take Free at RT if we don't have to pay him like he is a top level LT. I hope the new rules will keep him as an RFA so we can get a least one more year of him starting before he signs a long term deal. I do not think he is the long term answer at RT and I do not think his performance at RT in 2009 was good enough to give him the job. He performed so well at RT that he lost his job to Colombo in the playoffs. Big mistake by the coaches, but why did they do this? Pre-injury Colombo was better than Free. They had so much faith in Free last offseason they decided to bring in Alex Barron for insurance.

Next year I think we have to start Free at LT and Smith at RT, though I would prefer to do it the other way around. If Smith had the entire offseason to work with our coaches I would give him the job right away, or at least have him starting before the year is out. I also want Free to play RT because we obviously have little interest in starting him at LT in the future and he needs to prove he can do it before we sign him long term. This won't happen because Smith will not have enough time to be ready for the LT position this year. Free gets the start at LT and hopefully we learn more about him as he has a solid RT on the opposite side.

Free didn't "lose a job".. he was taking over for Colombo while he was injured. It was Colombo's job when he got back.

Also, i love you guys who scrutinize every move the team makes, looking for little things that it might say about the team or its players, etc..

Ever think that we may have just traded for Barron because we needed depth and thought maybe he could live up to his first round hype? We had little depth on the OL so we thought we'd trade a piece we didn't want to get some. There doesn't have to be any hidden or secret agenda behind everything, most of the time its pretty simple to see what we're trying to do. Everytime we bring a player in, its not an indictment of some other player.