spain Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 What have the Cowboys done to address their offensive line this off season? A buddy of mine is a Dallas fan and he bullish on the upcoming season. But I asked him about the O-line and he didnt know what they did to address this need area, so I thought I would ask the board. I think the entire NFC East will be tough except for a declining Eagles team. But I am concerned that the Cowboys offensive line may be their achillis heel. How will their O-line be this year and how will that effect their ff players? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 While they lost the aging Larry Allen, they picked up OT Jason Fabini from the Jets and OG Kyle Kossier from the Lions. They already had OG Marco Rivera come in last year and Flozell Adams has the left OT slot. This should be as good or better than any line in Dallas for years across the board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 While they lost the aging Larry Allen, they picked up OT Jason Fabini from the Jets and OG Kyle Kossier from the Lions. They already had OG Marco Rivera come in last year and Flozell Adams has the left OT slot. This should be as good or better than any line in Dallas for years across the board. 1492336[/snapback] Agreed. That's why I laugh when I still hear people question the o-line and bring it up as a weakness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Agreed. That's why I laugh when I still hear people question the o-line and bring it up as a weakness. 1492400[/snapback] I hope it was lingering effects of the surgery. Rivera was not right last year. He will need to be better this year if Peter King is going to be correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Score 1 Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 I hope it was lingering effects of the surgery. Rivera was not right last year. He will need to be better this year if Peter King is going to be correct. 1492411[/snapback] Club, What's your honest assesment / take on the Cowboys O'line for this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Itals Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 I have no idea why the Cowboys think that a scrub from the Detroit Lions is an upgrade over Larry Allen. Marco Rivera played poorly last year. As Club indicated, it was most likely a result of not healing well from surgery. Hopefully he is well this year. Al Johnson has been average at best. He needs to come into his own this year. Flozell Adams was injured for most of last year, but even when he wasn't he played poorly. He has the most talent on that o-line, but he also needs a fire lit under his butt 24/7 to get him to play well. How well he plays this year is an indicator of how well Parcells is coaching this year. Fabini, Pettitti, etc. will fight it out at the RT spot. Personally, I like Pettitti. I think he has a chance to be pretty good. A few late round draft choices and guys like Stephen Peterman will compete to supply depth. Right now, the O-line is average at best with a lot of question marks. To think that all those questions will be easily and quickly answered is naive. This is a work in progress. (emphasis on the word "work") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kansas State 2000 Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 A healthy Flozel Adams will make all the difference. The Cowboys line was great last year with Adams I believe they only gave up two sacks with Adams in. After Adams went down the Cowboys were forced to use rookies, with the additions of experienced players they will be better. Adams+Experience=Solid O-Line Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kansas State 2000 Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Flozell Adams was injured for most of last year, but even when he wasn't he played poorly. 1492720[/snapback] Wrong ... Adams played great before the injury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Itals Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 I was under the impression that Adams gave up a few sacks and played unevenly before his injury. I'd have to find the stats on it to confirm or deny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 I think the entire NFC East will be tough except for a declining Eagles team. 1492321[/snapback] Declining Eagles?? Hmm, let's take a look: 1. Upgraded LB corps with Barber 2. Cancer treatment successful in ridding themselves of T.O 3. Starting RB Westbrook now healthy 4. Starting QB McNabb now fully healthy 5. Upgraded DL via free agency 6. Top 5 draft 7. Added depth at WR with Gaffney 8. Core players from SB run in 2005 in tact. Not sure where they are declining....care to elaborate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Itals Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 (edited) Picked this up from a Cowboys homer board. It compares Adams to some of the other premier LT's in the league and others in the NFC East. Flozell gave up two sacks while he played 5+ games. During that time, The Cowboys O-line gave up 14 sacks. I'm sure the fact that Drew Bledsoe is less mobile than a statute has something to do with it, but still. I'll stick by my upgrade of Adams from poor to uneven. Games Played Sacks Holding False Starts Flozell Adams 6 2 2 2 Willie Roaf 8 2 2 2 Walter Jones 16 2 1 2 Jon Ogden 16 8.25 0 6 Orlando Pace 16 5.5 0 7 Willie Anderson 16 3.5 1 1 Tra Thomas 10 2 2 2 Luke Petitgout 16 5 4 9 Edited May 31, 2006 by General Itals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 (edited) Club, What's your honest assesment / take on the Cowboys O'line for this year? 1492675[/snapback] The line itself is nothing great, IMHO. I liked it a lot better when I went to bed than when I woke up. Our 7th round pick from Texas Tech, EJ Whitley, is done for the year. He had surgery for a torn ACL yesterday. If you find the two threads on the Cowboys' draft you'll see he was one of my favorite picks. Over the course of his career he started for Tech at all 5 offensive line positions. The depth got a lot thinner. Allen being gone isn't that big of a deal, IMHO. He was good for a great player or two about every other game. Aside form those plays, he was pedestrian otherwise. I like Fabini and Kosser. I'm somewhere between Sarge and Itals on Flozell Adams. One, I'm a Michigan fan. Two we've probably already seen the best he can be - 2004. If Rivera is right and Flozell can play like he did in 2004 the line will be a little better than average. Thing is, with TO Glen, Jones and Barber (Lightning and Lightning) and the 2 TE offense I'm not sure you need a great offensive line. TO can turn a 3 yard out into a 70 yard TD pass. You can dump to Jones and Barber and you can always keep both TEs on the line if you need them to run. Short version, I'd rate it average. If Flozell and Rivera aren't right it will be pretty bad. If those two are healthy and play like we've all seen them play when healthy it will be a pretty decent line. My honest opinion is with the new offensive scheme if everything goes as planned that will be quite good enough. Declining Eagles?? Hmm, let's take a look: 1. Upgraded LB corps with Barber 2. Cancer treatment successful in ridding themselves of T.O 3. Starting RB Westbrook now healthy 4. Starting QB McNabb now fully healthy 5. Upgraded DL via free agency 6. Top 5 draft 7. Added depth at WR with Gaffney 8. Core players from SB run in 2005 in tact. Not sure where they are declining....care to elaborate? 1492812[/snapback] If Jabar Gaffney ever makes my list of reasons to feel good about my team's upcoming season, someone around here please put me out of my misery. Edited May 31, 2006 by Clubfoothead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spain Posted May 31, 2006 Author Share Posted May 31, 2006 Declining Eagles?? Hmm, let's take a look: 1. Upgraded LB corps with Barber 2. Cancer treatment successful in ridding themselves of T.O 3. Starting RB Westbrook now healthy 4. Starting QB McNabb now fully healthy 5. Upgraded DL via free agency 6. Top 5 draft 7. Added depth at WR with Gaffney 8. Core players from SB run in 2005 in tact. Not sure where they are declining....care to elaborate? 1492812[/snapback] I am just going to chalk this one up to a fishing expedition and move on. Quite humorous though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Their line will be better than it was last year, but not great, I'd say it will be average. My guess is the addition of TO, and the two tight formation that they plan on using the majority of the time will make it look better than it it really is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Their line will be better than it was last year, but not great, I'd say it will be average. My guess is the addition of TO, and the two tight formation that they plan on using the majority of the time will make it look better than it it really is. 1493057[/snapback] That's what I meant to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EZDoesit Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 I am just going to chalk this one up to a fishing expedition and move on. Quite humorous though! 1492906[/snapback] I'm glad I read this before I started typing.....It was hard deciding where to start attacking that list of improvements by the Eagles..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Fabini is living on an old reputation. Several years ago, he was a pretty decent LT, but after he started to have back problems, his play really fell off the last two years. Last year he was plain awful. The Jets with one of the worst O lines in the NFL wasted no time in cutting him, and most Jet fans were very happy to see him go. Maybe he can rebound in Dallas, but I would be very surprised if he started, and would not be surprised to see him get cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Fabini is living on an old reputation. Several years ago, he was a pretty decent LT, but after he started to have back problems, his play really fell off the last two years. Last year he was plain awful. The Jets with one of the worst O lines in the NFL wasted no time in cutting him, and most Jet fans were very happy to see him go. Maybe he can rebound in Dallas, but I would be very surprised if he started, and would not be surprised to see him get cut. 1493230[/snapback] He won't be cut. With EJ Whitley being done and Allen being gone, there's no way Fabini or Kosier will be cut. Fabini started 89 games in a row for the Jets until he tore his pectoral last year so he can't be that bad. And if he is then he won't beat out Petitti in camp but he'll be kept since he can play both guard positions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 He won't be cut. With EJ Whitley being done and Allen being gone, there's no way Fabini or Kosier will be cut. Fabini started 89 games in a row for the Jets until he tore his pectoral last year so he can't be that bad. And if he is then he won't beat out Petitti in camp but he'll be kept since he can play both guard positions. 1493313[/snapback] The Cowboys paid Fabini a $1.75 M signing bonus and a $4.5M contract for 3 years. Kosier just got a $5M SB and a $15M, 5 year contract. Neither are going to get cut and both are projected to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 The Cowboys paid Fabini a $1.75 M signing bonus and a $4.5M contract for 3 years. Kosier just got a $5M SB and a $15M, 5 year contract. Neither are going to get cut and both are projected to start. 1493375[/snapback] That too. Plus they are competing with Petitti and Peterman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 (edited) Well, after watching evey single game Fabini ever played in, I have to disagree.... if Edwards wasn't such an idiot, Fabini would have been benched last year. He was demoted from LT to RT after he got a few QB's killed, but the Jets had zero depth on the o line. When Mawae got hurt, they had to move Kendall from LG to C, and that was a disaster too. Fabini played because he was the only body they had to plug in there. Edwards didn't have a single capable backup at T, G or C on the roster last year. I happen to like Fabini.... he's a hard working team player, but since he hurt his back in late 2003, he just hasn't been the same player. Edwards also seemed to take it very easy on him at training camps, for fear of reinjuring that back, I have to think. That is a guess, but not the part about him going easy in TC's.... that much I saw. I hope for his sake, he can rebound and play well for Dallas. PS: When Fabini was moved to RT, Edwards says it was because of a knee injury, but I'm not sure I buy that. He didn't miss any playing time, but his play was far below what it used to be. Edited May 31, 2006 by Rovers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Their line will be better than it was last year, but not great, I'd say it will be average. My guess is the addition of TO, and the two tight formation that they plan on using the majority of the time will make it look better than it it really is. 1493057[/snapback] yup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Score 1 Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 The line itself is nothing great, IMHO. I liked it a lot better when I went to bed than when I woke up. Our 7th round pick from Texas Tech, EJ Whitley, is done for the year. He had surgery for a torn ACL yesterday. If you find the two threads on the Cowboys' draft you'll see he was one of my favorite picks. Over the course of his career he started for Tech at all 5 offensive line positions. The depth got a lot thinner. Allen being gone isn't that big of a deal, IMHO. He was good for a great player or two about every other game. Aside form those plays, he was pedestrian otherwise. I like Fabini and Kosser. I'm somewhere between Sarge and Itals on Flozell Adams. One, I'm a Michigan fan. Two we've probably already seen the best he can be - 2004. If Rivera is right and Flozell can play like he did in 2004 the line will be a little better than average. Thing is, with TO Glen, Jones and Barber (Lightning and Lightning) and the 2 TE offense I'm not sure you need a great offensive line. TO can turn a 3 yard out into a 70 yard TD pass. You can dump to Jones and Barber and you can always keep both TEs on the line if you need them to run. Short version, I'd rate it average. If Flozell and Rivera aren't right it will be pretty bad. If those two are healthy and play like we've all seen them play when healthy it will be a pretty decent line. My honest opinion is with the new offensive scheme if everything goes as planned that will be quite good enough. 1492899[/snapback] Thanks & great post Club. DMD, appreciate the heads up on contract details for Fabini & Kosier Rovers, as always You da Man for Jets info & apprciate your personal observations on Fabini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 I am just going to chalk this one up to a fishing expedition and move on. Quite humorous though! 1492906[/snapback] Nah, not a fishing expedition, and I know this is a thread about the Cowboys offensive line, but if you are going to, for some reason, state that the Eagles are declining, you will be called on the carpet for it. And if you can't back it up, even better. They were 6-10 last year without their starting QB or RB, a ridiculous situation with a ridiculous WR, the wrong guy playing OLB, and no help on the d-line opposite Kearse. They have solved all those problems, so for you to say they are declining means you are intimating that they will be worse than their 6-10 record last year. And I am just wondering why....but I am glad you were amused by the question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrograde assault Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Looks like a throw'd together unit to me, they better cohere quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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