Dallas Cowboys Feeling the Flo-Zell Adams

Just hours before the Free Agency period began Friday morning the Dallas Cowboys locked up stand out left tackle Flozell Adams.

The 4-time pro-bowler has been keeping Tony Romo's backside and blindside safe for the last two years. His services convinced the cowboys to give him $42 million for 6 more years. After the deal was announced he was asked about if he had considered leaving he of course said the right thing "Nope, not at all." It's not like he was going to say he really wanted to get the hell out of Dallas but the money was too good.

Not only was he saying the right thing he also did the right thing, for the Cowboys and for himself. He fits well on that line and he has played well there. That doesn't always translate to a new team and a new system. With the Cowboys offering him good money with nearly a third of it guaranteed there is no reason for him to leave.

The Cowboys got a good deal as well. For a guy performing as well as Adams, they could have been forced to pay more. The fact he wouldn't have performed as well elsewhere doesn't lower his value to them. After a year that started with an offensive bang and ended with a whimper, the last thing the Cowboys need is to mess with the chemistry on the offensive line.

Check out my Pre-Free Agency Projections for the Cowboys Offseason

Dallas Cowboys Offseason

The Dallas Cowboys offseason road is going to be key to Wade Phillips job. If he doesn't manage to improve on the one and done playoff appearance he amde this year following the same scenario last season for Parcells. He is likely to be the next Marty Schottenheimer, getting canned even after making the playoffs.

The fact that Jason Garrett is now the highest paid assistant in the league and the de facto coach in waiting. That can't have Wade Phillips sitting back pondering his long-term career at the helm of the Cowboys. He knows he doesn't have to backslide at all , simply by not making any forward progress he will be out the door. Jerry Jones is certainly not one of the owners known for his patience with losing.

The Cowboys really need to address one main proble on the offensive side of the ball. For the last 4 weeks that they played they couldn't get in the endzone. Part of this stems from the fact that Offensive Coordinator, Jason Garrett, went away from the run. Between the fact that teams were able to put their focus on Romo and the Cowboys offensive line was not as strong as years past. Romo constantly found himself running the duck-and-chuck offense. While regular standout Flozell Adams will still be keeping the left side locked down for the 'boys. The right side could use some shoring up.

The Cowboys first pick comes by way of Cleveland as part of the deal that the Browns made to draft Brady Quinn. You have to figure that the Cowboys expected better than 22nd pick from them. Never the less that is where they stand. I think they would be wise to go with Brandon Albert(OG-Virg) while he is a natural Gaurd he has shown the ability to play tackle as well and that flexibility should suit the Cowboys questionable offensive line needs.

On the defensive side of the ball, they reala rea of need is in the defensive backfield. While Terrance Newman managed to make the pro-bowl, all that did was make me less impressed with the pro-bowl, not more impressed with Newman. Like him or not, he is staying. The real concern (or blessing) is that Jacque Reeves is a free agent. He was beaten early and often so don't expect much effort to keep him. The Cowboys could look to Aqib Talib(CB-Ka) who though not the fastest 40 time guy in the class. He has shown the athleticism and football speed needed to be a shutdown corner.

With the Cowboys having two picks so close in the first round. A little strategy comes in to play if both of these guys make it this deep in the draft. While Talib is certainly the better player of these two, if they take him and pass on Albert. Albert will most surely be taken by the Steelers at the next pick. I think the Cowboys would be better suited to take Albert at 22 and hope that Talib makes it the 6 picks to their second selection at 28. Even if Talib is gone there are several talented players at positions they could use. Wide receiver, defensive back, even runningback, if Marion Barber who is a restricted free agent is no longer a Cowboy by draft day.

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NFL's Hot New Trend - The Coaching Succession Plan

The NFL is such a copycat league it is amazing we haven't gotten to a discussion of cloning yet. The hot trend as this season came to end seems to be, the coaching succession plan.

When Jason Garrett the offensive coordinator in Dallas began seriously considering offers to coach in Baltimore and Atlanta. Jerry Jones decided that he didn't want to lose the man he saw as the future coach of the Cowboys. He gave Garrett 3 million a year, nearly equal to the salary of head coach Wade Phillips. While it isn't official since Wade Phillips hasn't even mentioned leaving. It is pretty widely accepted that part of Garretts return to the Cowboys is the fact he will be the next coach.

As the NFL world sat around waiting for Tony Dungy to return with a decision about coaching next season. Jim Caldwell sat around waiting to see if the announcement that he would take over for Dungy, would come into effect three days after it was made. When Dungy held the conference to announce his stay or go decision,. It turned out it will be at least another year before Caldwell takes over, possibly even more. Dungy is staying and has said he will go through the same process at the end of next season. Just as he has for the last several seasons.

You can now add Jim Mora and Seahawks to the list. They announced recently that when Homlgren, who also took a few weeks to make a stay or go decision at the end of this season, retires at the end of the 2008 season. Jim Mora will take over the head coaching duties. In a small bit of irony, Mora had recently withdrew his name from the, still vacant, Redskins head coaching job.

That particular position is still vacant despite the pretty much accepted succession plan that was in place for Greg Williams when Joe Gibbs retired. Thing is, it was pretty much accepted by everyone but 'Skins owner Daniel Snyder. Williams not only isn't the head coach, someone else has his old job at defensive coordinator, and he is gone. So take heed Jason Garrett, these other two teams have held conferences and made announcements about their plans. If Wade Phillips loses that job, it'll be because the team is losing and you're a part of that. I don't see Jerry Jones as a guy turning from one losing coach to the other to solve his problems.

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Kidd Three-Way Deal Isn't Gonna Happen

Ok so there is a lot going on with this deal but here is the short version of the ESPN Breakdown
Portland Gets: Mav's guard Devin Harris and forward Brandon Bass
New Jersey Gets: Draft picks, Cash, Mavs' Jerry Stackhouse, and Portlands' Travis Outlaw, Channing Frye and Jarrett Jack
Dallas Gets: Kidd

You have got to be kidding me. Portland is not in a rebuiling mode, they do not need to cut salary, in the way that the Nets do. So why would the Trailblazers trade away Outlaw, Frye, and Jack for Harris and Bass. This just doesn't make sense for Portland, don't expect to see this deal happen the way it looks right now.

Outside Shot
Just have to relay a Trailblazers bit I heard recently. When Trailblazers assistant coach, and Trailblazers legend, Maurice Lucas was asked why there was some much trash talking back and forth on the court today. Lucas calmly threw back, "because in my time it was only a $50 fine if you socked a guy in the face"

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Jerry Jones don't let Cleveland Browns Out Smart You

Alright Jerry, that trade you made last year didn't turn out to be as sweet as you thought it would be.

When you gave up your pick last year for the Browns’ 2nd round pick in 2007 (#36) and their first round pick in 2008. You know you weren't thinking that pick would be #22. So you already lost a little on your investment. Let's try and get as much as we can for it.

If you can't get the value you expected in draft selection, let's get that value in life lessons. Look at the Browns. They have the guy they took with that pick they got from you last year, Brady Quinn. They also stumbled on a gem in Derek Anderson, but they have the good sense to keep both, this is the NFL you know.

Do you really want to let Marion Barber and a few draft picks out the door to Miami to get the #1 pick for one guy. Don't let that Razorback alumni blood of yours get so hot you can't think clearly. Let's look at the success rate of the two major trades for big time running backs.

The Saints traded away every pick they had in one year in order to get Ricky Williams, but hey at least they got a Superbowl out of it. Oh wait nope they never really got a return on thier investment.

You might actually remember the other trade considering you sent away Herschell Walker and in turn got several Superbowl rings, errr I mean you got several picks and players. Some of those picks shored up your defense but the key pick got you Emmit Smith. The Vikings on the other hand have yet to celebrate a Superbowl.

Don't let the Cleveland Browns pull smarter offseason moves than the Cowboys

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Happy about that Romo-Simpson split... Not so fast Cowboy fan

Ok Magazine reported that Tony Romo called Jessica Simpson to let her know they should go back to being friends.
Sounds great, right Cowboy fan... Not so fast.

The Playoffs are n't coming through the door. That trains has come and gone.

Story time. stick with me there is a point.

See I have a friend, who's girlfriend at the time didn't like me ( I know it's hard to believe but that's another discussion). She made things hard for me (I felt) and I disliked her, and I was vocal about it. What does my friend do? he says to me "look she is a part of my life, and doesn't really affect you" adding"yeah, she is involved but that doesn't affect me or us really so just bear with it".

I think to myself "you know you're right". It really is his relationship and not mine. I will deal with my issues with it in the interest of his long term happiness.

What happens, they split up.

I don't think there is a Cowboy fan out there who would have resented sacrificing the playoffs for the relationship had they gotten married, or even made that second christmas together. Nobody says this or that is more important then your wife. But now she isn't your wife, she is some chick you dated for 3 months.

3 months!? You probably could have squeezed that into the offseason there Tony.

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Cowboys WR Terry Glenn needs surgery... Again

Lost under the noise of the Terell Owens extension with the Dallas Cowboys, was the fact that Terry Glen will require surgery once again.

After missing pretty much all of 2008, Glenn made a small attempt at a comback during the regular season finale against the Redskins. This played out in a way that can only be described as disappointing.

While this isn't a huge concern due to the fact that the Dallas Cowboys receivers seemed to step up as the year progressed. At least until the last few games when the entire franchise under performed.

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