Cowboys CB tandem poised to be among NFL’s best
Jean-Jacques Taylor
Secondary coach Dave Campo said Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman has never had a better training camp than he’s having this summer.
Newman is finally meshing perfect technique with his array of individual skills and the results have been superb. His interception against San Diego was a perfect example of that.
The Cowboys were playing zone coverage, and Newman turned his shoulders and took a false step, as though he were going to cover the receiver running the post. When Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers saw that, he threw an out route because it appeared his receiver was open – just as Newman wanted him too.
Then Newman stepped in front of the pass and intercepted it.
“He played the coverage perfectly,” Campo said. “He’s been doing it the whole camp. Sometimes, it takes awhile to convince guys that technique is important, especially when they have so many physical gifts.
“Technique is what allows you to be consistent, and it puts you in position to make more plays. He’s doing a great job.”
With Newman playing at a high level and Mike Jenkins emerging as one of the best young cornerbacks in the league, the Cowboys’ cornerback tandem is poised to be among the best in the league.
Newman, a two-time Pro Bowl player, has never had more than four interceptions in a season.
That could change this year because Newman’s football intellect, his athletic ability and his commitment to technique are in perfect harmony.
Q: Wouldn’t it be a good idea to go with youth and upside with a guy like Jesse Holley over Sam Hurd and Patrick Crayton?
Gary Dawson, Midland
TAYLOR: Nope. You go with youth and upside when the competition between two players is close. In this case, Crayton is significantly better and considerably more versatile than Hurd or Holley. Now, if the Cowboys keep six receivers and you want to keep Holley over Hurd, then go for it, and I wouldn’t argue too loudly if you want to keep Holley over Ogletree.
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Q: Call me crazy, but it seems the scouting department is doing a very nice job in identifying players for the draft as well as undrafted free agents.
Dudley Morris, Wichita, Kan.
TAYLOR: I’d say you’re right. For the most part, the Cowboys have done a pretty good job drafting during the last decade. They haven’t really had a No. 1 bust except Bobby Carpenter – and at least he was a starter in the nickel defense last year. That said, they’ve done a poor job over the last five years drafting offensive linemen and quarterbacks. The reason they keep trotting out guys like Brad Johnson and Jon Kitna is because they don’t have a young guy they’re ready to play with any confidence. Stephen McGee doesn’t look like he’s the answer either.
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Q: You cannot praise Jerry Jones for scoring on recent skill-position guys and then tear him down for not drafting enough offensive linemen. Would you trade Felix Jones, Anthony Spencer, Mike Jenkins or Dez Bryant for a fat guy? Let’s be honest, you don’t need stars at all five spots on your line to win a title. Offensive linemen are a dime a dozen. The key is to draft them from the right schools. Jerry needs to quit looking at Sonoma State for another Larry Allen and just stick with SEC or Big 12 guys.
Kevin Oliver, Texarkana, Texas
TAYLOR: Dude, what are you talking about? You can’t do anything if your offensive line isn’t any good. Your guards don’t have to be great, but your center and tackles need to be good. I never said Jerry needed to take an offensive lineman in the first round, but they need to spend some second-round picks on offensive linemen, so they can get some guys with a certain talent level. You’re fooling yourself, if you think any team can do well with a bunch of average linemen.
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Q: I would have liked you to add that the Cowboys, read: Parcells, passed on Marcus McNeil to take Anthony Fasano, a backup tight end. I’m pretty sure they could have drafted a backup tight end much later in the draft. However, poor drafting is poor drafting.
Robert Powell, Midland, Texas
TAYLOR: I don’t like getting caught up in the Cowboys passed on this guy, or they should’ve picked that guy because you never really know how a player is going to work out. It’s easy 3-4 years later to say, they should’ve drafted this guy or that guy. Well, they didn’t. There’s never a guarantee a certain player will work in a certain scheme. The Cowboys had a pair of tackles the year McNeil was available. They wanted to use an offense with two tight ends, so they drafted Fasano to team with Witten. Fasano didn’t work out, which is why they got Martellus Bennett.
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Q: Should Dallas try offering a second-round pick for Marcus McNeill and move Free to right tackle?
Mark Young, Topanga, Calif.
TAYLOR: The Cowboys have no interest in trading a draft pick, and then signing McNeill to a lucrative long-term deal, which is what it would take to acquire McNeill. They will get a tackle next year in the first or second round. Have you considered why the Chargers don’t want to pay McNeill? They’ve paid Philip Rivers, and they paid Antonio Gates last week. Why not McNeill? Until that question is answered, you can’t even consider such a deal.
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Q: It is not a matter of liking or disliking Jason Garrett. He is not a good offensive coordinator. He lacks imagination, and his play calling is sometimes weird. He is also highly predictable. The biggest hurdle the Cowboys have to overcome this year is not the offensive line or the defensive backfield. It is Jason.
Tommy Caughran, Dallas
TAYLOR: I disagree. He was outstanding in 2007 and bad in 2008. He was good last year. The Cowboys finished second in the NFL in total offense, but only 14th in points. Garrett deserves some of the blame, but so does the defense that rarely gave the Cowboys the ball in good field position. Garrett needs to improve the Cowboys’ red-zone production, but the offense should be fine after 16 games.
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Q: I could not figure out why one of the biggest offensive lines in the league can’t just line up and impose their will on the defense with basic running plays. I think I have the answer: the Cowboys’ offensive line’s run-blocking technique (with the exception of maybe Doug Free) is pitiful.
Chuck Cypert, Plano, Texas
TAYLOR: That’s simply not true. The Cowboys finished among the top 10 teams in rushing offense last season with more than 1,900 yards. They averaged 4.9 yards per carry, which led the NFL. They run the draw play to force the linebackers to take a false step, or make it easier for the linemen to see the stunts – that helps their blocking – from the defensive linemen. The Cowboys’ problem is that they don’t try to run the ball enough. But the league is no longer about run the ball and stop the run. You score in today’s NFL by throwing the ball.
• • •
Q: Tony Romo’s priorities then, as they are now: 1. Golf; 2. Women; 3. Tony Romo; 4. The Cowboys.
Eric Hoefnagel, Dallas, Texas
TAYLOR: That’s so blatently false, it’s hard to put a response together. It’s interesting because you sound like he’s not entitled to have a life. No one – not Roger Staubach, not Troy Aikman and not even Tom Landry – spent 24 hours on football. Romo likes to play golf, and he has a girlfriend. It’s hard to rip a guy when he’s coming off a season where he passed for more than 4,000 yards with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He hasn’t won enough playoff games, but you’re wrong when you suggest he doesn’t work hard. He couldn’t put up the numbers he does without working hard.
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Q: The first two offensive series by San Diego were very impressive and were attributed to the play calling of coach (Norv) Turner. Those screen plays were brilliantly executed to slow down the Cowboys’ rush, and especially the calls on third downs. On the other hand, some of Jason’s play calling, especially on second, third-and-long did not help the offense sustain any drive. I was also surprised that Jason did not call enough screens to slow the Charger rush in the first quarter, knowing the situation on the offensive line.
Sam Abraham
TAYLOR: You can’t put a lot of stock into play calling in the preseason. I mentioned a third-and-1 pass out of the shotgun because it seemed like a good opportunity to run the ball and get a first down. Aside from that, I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about play calls in the preseason because so much of the preseason is about individual talent – not team results.
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