Over Analysis: My Cowboys Rookie to Watch

As a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan, much to the similarity of the regular season, Draft Night has for the most part become an annual disappointment for me. However, I was slightly humbled by this year’s draft--- or the 1^st-round, at least--- when JJ made a surprisingly good decision by selecting another offensive lineman instead of the World’s greatest pine-riding jersey salesman, Johnny Manziel--- honorable mention goes to Michael Sam. Even though I still disagree with the Cowboys taking ANY offensive player in the first two rounds of this year’s draft after trotting out the third worst defense in NFL history in 2013, I’m taking the high road by choosing to look at Zack Martin as the lesser of two evils, hoping that the Cowboys are constructing an offensive line that will set the foundation of the team for the future.

Complaints aside, the Cowboys kickoff their preseason tonight as they face the Chargers, and while the preseason can easily be over analyzed by optimists and pessimists, alike, I always feel it’s important to watch the rookies and second year players as they get an opportunity to showcase themselves. As far as the rookies go, we already know 1^st-round pick Zack Martin will be highly scrutinized, and rightfully so for reasons I previously alluded to, not including being the guy Sean Lee took on in non-contact drills which resulted in a torn ACL. 2^nd-round pick Demarcus Lawrence was set to be placed under the microscope, also, as he was drafted to replace future Ring of Honor inductee DeMarcus Ware, but won’t likely be able to play for another 10 weeks because of a broken foot he sustained in training camp.

So who does that leave? The rookie I’m most excited to evaluate in the preseason is 5^th-round wide receiver Devin Street. He’s not the fastest wide out, and he could definitely add some muscle to that lanky 6’3” 200lb frame of his. But with the departure of Miles Austin and the emergence of second year receiver Terrance Williams, Street could pick up an interesting role in the Cowboys’ offense. Much like Williams, he’s a versatile guy with experience playing in the slot and on the perimeter, but I’m interested to see if he can steal the slot receiver role from Cole Beasley or special teams ace Dwayne Harris.

With Austin out, Williams will be the fulltime outside receiver opposite of Dez Bryant, which is really where he needs to be because not only is he a deep threat, he also has an uncanny ability in assisting Tony Romo as he extends plays when they breakdown, particularly in play-action. As far as Street’s potential fit, I think he’s very comparable to Laurent Robinson or possibly Patrick Crayton. Robinson was also a versatile receiver who was able to play in the slot and on the perimeter. And because Bryant, Witten and Austin could draw a double team at any point, Robinson was consistently left open, allowing him to lead the team with 11 receiving touchdowns in his lone season as a Dallas Cowboy in 2011.

Let’s be realistic for a second, don’t quote me as saying Street is going to come in and put up double digit touchdowns upon arrival; the game doesn’t work like that, and I’m not a blind homer. If it does happen, it’s going to be over a period of time. I do, however, think comparing him to Robinson is a fair ceiling to give to a guy who ranks as one of the best receivers to play at Pitt, especially considering he’s been working out over the past few offseasons with Cardinals All-Pro wide receiver and Pitt alum Larry Fitzgerald.

So ultimately here’s the way I see it, you’re going to read this and ask me why you should exude any optimism about a 5^th-round player on a team that is destined to go 6-10 after you either express your disdain for Tony Romo, or actually understand the game of football and explain that the defense can’t hold a lead and the last seven weeks of the Cowboys’ schedule has “collapse” written all over it, as they play five of their last seven games on the road, one of them being in London. I say if you have it all figured out, why dwell on it? Why not try to find something positive to look forward to as the Cowboys approach yet another unfavorable situation? I mean really, didn’t we do that with the Rangers for nearly 10 years? Look, am I putting high expectations on Street as a 5^th-round pick in year one? Absolutely. But I don’t think they’re unrealistic over the next few seasons. He could easily wind up being the next Andre Holmes just as easily as he could become the next Robinson or Crayton. When he becomes Holmes, you can repost this and laugh. But if he becomes a solid contributor in the slot, just remember, you heard it here first.

@GeraldWWhite

"Ware" has the Time Gone?



Tuesday was a different kind of “Doomsday” associated with the Dallas Cowboys. A day many began speculating was coming in November of last year, but chose to ignore because its possibility seemed unfathomable. Following the paths of former greats Don Meredith and Don Perkins, DeMarcus Ware is the latest Dallas legend facing the heartbreaking reality that, unlike in the movies, not all great Cowboys ride off heroically into the sunset. As the franchise’s all time leader in sacks (117) and forced fumbles (32), Ware will undoubtedly be enshrined in the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor one day, where he'll be joining Meredith and Perkins as the only members that didn’t play on a Dallas Super Bowl team. As a fan who’s been donning a #94 jersey since his rookie year, the only thing more painful for me to admit is that cutting Ware was the appropriate move for both sides.

In the Cowboys' case, they have been struggling to meet the NFL’s salary cap requirement year after year, especially after being penalized $10 Million in 2012 for front loading contracts during the 2010 season. Before Ware’s release, Dallas was less than $1 Million over the cap, and by cutting Ware, they saved $7.4 of the $16 Million that was scheduled to count against it. For Dallas, being able to create cap space is huge considering they trotted out one of the worst defenses in NFL history in 2013, and Ware’s release should enable them to fill a couple of gaps via Free Agency and the NFL Draft.

The other key factors to consider are age, health, and production. Contrary to popular opinion, the Cowboys have a younger roster than people realize. And while I don’t dare call Ware “old” as he nears the age of 32, it’s unquestionable that he hasn’t aged well since spraining his neck in 2009.

From 2006 to 2012, Ware etched his name in NFL history alongside Hall of Famers John Randle and the late Reggie White by becoming only the third player ever to record 10 or more sacks in seven straight seasons. However, the injury bug began to bite him in 2012 as he dealt with nagging nerve injuries in his neck, shoulder, and elbow, which ultimately resulted in two separate offseason surgeries.

In 2013, Ware missed multiple games for the first time in his entire career with a quadriceps injury that lingered throughout the season, and finished with his worst career single-season totals in sacks (6) and tackles (28). Some of the decline in production can be attributed to a change in defensive scheme, but if you watched the games you could tell he wasn’t the same Ware we were accustomed to watching slap the turf after sacking NFL quarterbacks every Sunday afternoon. So if the Cowboys were planning on starting a youth movement in an effort to rebuild, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, cutting Ware to free up some much needed cap space made sense.

As I alluded to, the release made sense schematically for Ware. I’ll spare you by not attempting to delve into the brainlessness behind replacing Rob Ryan with Monte Kiffin after two seasons, but the fact is that the coaching change didn’t play to Ware’s strengths. As a converted high school wide receiver before enrolling at Troy University, it should come as no surprise why Ware possesses the ability to run a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. But when you couple his exceptional speed with his 6’4”, 265 pound frame, you have a hybrid outside linebacker that was bred with the sole purpose of wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks, and has no business putting his hand in the dirt as a down lineman. So in 2005, that’s what Ware, along with Marcus Spears, was drafted by Bill Parcells to do as “The Big Tuna” intended to set the foundation for the first ever 3-4 defense in Dallas Cowboys history.

Another reason you could argue that Ware needed to make a move in free agency to a team that runs a 3-4 is his injury history. In recent seasons, Ware has been pulled from games due to recurring neck stingers. If Ware were to stay in Dallas as a true defensive end in their new 4-3 defense, he’d be taking more frequent blows to his shoulders, which would cause these stingers to become more common than if he were to make the move back to outside linebacker in a 3-4. And at this point you’ve got to think he’d like to give himself the chance to play as long as possible, and with as little pain as possible, as he pursues a title in the final years of his career.

Finally, the issue comes back to money. The Cowboys had no choice but to ask for a pay cut from Ware given their salary cap woes. So in his case, if you’re an aging All-Pro knowing you’re going to have to take a pay cut just to stay with the epitome of mediocrity that is the Dallas Cowboys who just happened to undermine you by changing defensive schemes, of course you’re going to test the waters of free agency. You’ve broken franchise records; you’ve accumulated Hall of Fame worthy numbers. The only thing you have left to do is pursue the Lombardi Trophy, and Jerry Jones has proven that it damn sure won’t be coming back to Dallas any time soon.

Listen, could Ware have come back to Dallas for $250,000 per year less than what he was offered by Denver? Absolutely. But should he be questioned for bolting to the Mile High City just a day after his release? Absolutely not. Cowboy fans, it’s not your right to request a hometown discount from a future Hall of Famer who would essentially be setting himself up for failure, just like it’s not your birthright to win Super Bowls. Ware served his time in Dallas, he provided us with nine years of highlight reel football. And when he’s eventually enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, hopefully you’ll be able to look back at all the greatness he achieved as a Cowboy and appreciate it. It’s not his fault that Dallas didn’t make a deep playoff run during his tenure. Football is the ultimate team game and he’s just one man.

Super Bowl or not, Ware was a winner on and off the field in Dallas, and he proved it time and time again. He’s been to seven Pro Bowls, he’s one of eight players in NFL history to lead the league in sacks in two separate seasons, he was named the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, and he was named to the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade Second Team, despite having only played five seasons in said decade. Along with the numerous contributions he made off the field, you couldn’t have asked much more from him.

Let me be clear, I was just as depressed as anybody when I read the news of Ware’s release, regardless of the fact that it was the right move. For at least eight years, he was one of the few constants in an otherwise erratic and dismal era of Dallas Cowboys football, and will always be defined in my mind by his infamous game-ending sack-fumble of Drew Brees that sealed an upset victory over the 13-0---and eventual Super Bowl Champion---New Orleans Saints in 2009, just one week after suffering a neck sprain in a loss to the Chargers. But as depressed as I am that he’s no longer a Cowboy, I’m twice as excited for him that he’ll finally be competing for a title with a legitimate contender. I’ve owned his jersey since his rookie year when I was in the 8^th grade—damn, do I feel old saying that---and as far as I’m concerned, if he wins a Super Bowl with the Broncos, it’s a partial win for Cowboys fans. The dude’s a warrior who’s earned a shot at the Lombardi Trophy, and I’d love nothing more for him than to get a chance to hoist it before returning to Dallas to take his rightful place in the Cowboys Ring of Honor.

From a lifelong fan, thanks for the memories, DeMarcus. AFC Quarterbacks, "BeWare!"

Gerald White

@GeraldWWhite

Defining Michael Young

Selflessness. Of the many cliché words we use to define the careers of our favorite athletes, “selflessness” was the first word that came to mind when I heard Michael Young was finally hanging them up. In our current state of professional sports, you could look back and argue that he became somewhat of a Unicorn. Think about it. How many times do we see prominent athletes demanding trades or transferring from schools because they’re too prideful to agree with coaching and management that they need make a position change or take a lesser role for the betterment of their team?

From 2004 until his final year as a Ranger in 2012, fans watched Young make position changes three times, play all four infield positions in 2011 and 2012 serving as a designated hitter almost double the amount of games he played at any defensive position during that time, all while he was being shopped around in trade talks every offseason after 2008. When you look at it that way, it starts to make a little sense why he might have become a defensive liability from an advanced metric perspective, particularly after the move from shortstop to third base. I realize he didn’t handle that move as cheerfully as the others, because in that case he did request a trade, but can you really blame him? The guy had just come off a 2008 season in which he won a Gold Glove at shortstop and combined with Ian Kinsler to have one of the best single seasons by a shortstop second base defensive tandem in Major League history. How would you handle a move like that at your job?

Forget defense for a minute, though. The word most commonly associated with Michael Young’s career is undoubtedly “consistency,” this pertaining to him as an offensive player. As a hitter, Young recorded at least 150 hits every season from 2002 to 2012, six of which were 200 plus hit seasons (2003-2007, 2011), and he’s retiring as a career .300 hitter. However, it appeared to me that he became a victim of his past successes in 2012, as many Rangers fans--or “Post-Cliff Lee Trade” fans as I like to call them—began acting like spoiled children when he didn’t produce the usual cookie-cutter numbers he had in his previous nine seasons, failing to understand that an off year for Young is a benchmark year for an average Major League hitter.

Nowadays around the water cooler, your basic baseball card stats hold no weight in arguments regarding a player’s production, and scientifically speaking, it’s indisputable that Young had a down year at the plate after being deemed the club’s “Super Utility” Designated Hitter in 2012. Hell, you could even say he hurt the team considering he posted a negative Win Probability Added (WPA) that year. But what amazed me in 2012 was the amount of backlash he received from fans. If you followed Twitter closely during games that year, nearly every time he struck out, flew out, or grounded out, there were fans expressing this growing sentiment that he had received more credit than he was due, and that the perception of him being a “veteran leader” or “classy ballplayer” was the only reason he continued to see the field, in spite of his declining offensive production. The reason it shocked me so much was because he had just put up one of the best years of his career at the plate in 2011, as he led the league in hits (213), posted a .338/.380/.474 slash line, and finished Top 8 in the American League MVP race. I’ll even go so far as to say that he was the unsung hero for the Rangers when they made the postseason in 2011, as he had to fill in at third base for Adrian Beltre after a hamstring injury caused him to miss 37 games, during which he posted a slash line of .354/.399/.469, 21 RBIs, and a .645 WPA. Yet, the increasing resentment of him in 2012 made it seem as if none of that ever happened.

From a personal standpoint, the final word I would like to affix to Michael Young’s career is “unorthodox.” Growing up a lifelong fan of DFW sports, I often like to make comparisons of Michael Young and Dallas Mavericks Power Forward, Dirk Nowitzki. I could bore you with numerous reasons as to why I do this—trust me, it’s a completely different article in itself--- but I’ve always been awestruck by how they’ve managed to take the most difficult aspects of their respective sports and turn them into the prominent reasons they have had such successful careers. Dirk is continuing to play out a Hall of Fame career that has been defined by an indefensible, off-balance one-legged fade away that had never been seen before. NBA players take off-balance shots all of the time, but there has never been a player make a career out of shooting them the way Dirk has. And even as more and more players attempt to mimic it, we may never see it again.  

While it’s not nearly as unprecedented as Dirk’s signature “Flamingo Fade,” Michael Young’s uncanny ability to hit to the opposite field is comparable when considering the level of difficulty and the fact that both have had consistently prolonged success. Ask any Physics Professor what the hardest skill to master in all of sports is and I can almost guarantee nine out of ten will say hitting a baseball. Because in order for it to work, two round objects have to make contact squarely---casual fans, feel free to take a moment to wrap your mind around that if you need to. Now pair that with the fact that hitting to the opposite field is the most difficult aspect of being a successful hitter, and you should have a little more appreciation for Young’s craft when you consider that this is where he made his money in the league. His production never came from the long ball, but he managed to make hitting hard line drives into right center field the staple of his offensive proficiency. So to reiterate, Young’s mastery of a skill you rarely see a player find consistent success with for a sustained period of time is just one reason why I love to compare him to Dirk, besides my bias for all things DFW.

As a Rangers fan, if you took a true “Seamheadian” approach in your analysis of Michael Young’s career, I get it, science and sabermetrics don’t come to his defense---even though he was ranked as a Top 40 hitter from 2003 to 2011 according to WAR---but you don’t go about owning franchise records in runs, hits, doubles, triples, and total bases by being a mediocre player, especially when your franchise has featured prolific hitters like Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, and Rafael Palmeiro. Sure, Young was a poor defender at different times during his career---this may come as a newsflash, but Derek Jeter has been one of the worst defensive players in the league for more than a decade, but you don't hear too many Yankees fans calling for his head, do you? Sure, Young had a couple of spats with management, but did he ever put himself ahead of his team by failing to comply? Like I said earlier, I will always acknowledge the sabermetrical aspect of baseball. Personally, I love studying sabermetrics. They’ve created a new cult of baseball fans, and it’s been tremendous for the game. But at some point, I think fans need to see beyond the numbers with Young when it comes to evaluating him, and instead, appreciate the fact that he served the game the right way for more than a decade, realizing that he’ll be one of the last “good guys” to come through professional sports. And let’s face it, I can sit here and continue to attach more adjectives to MY's career, but what’s the point? It’s more for me to type when I could just tell you to go Google the damn Boy Scout Law.

Of course I’m sad he’s calling it quits, but I can’t blame him. Look at all he’s accomplished in his career. The Batting Titles, the All-Star Game appearances and MVP, and all the club records he holds in Texas. Look at all the awesome memories he gave Rangers fans that starved for a competitive team throughout the mid 2000’s before helping lead them to the franchise’s first ever postseason series victory and back-to-back American League titles. The only thing he had left to do was chase a title on a contending team, and the only team knocking on his door with the intentions of making him a starter was the Brewers. Sure, Young won’t be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and you can always point to science when debating his value. But after watching him play the game the way he did for 14 years with his exceptional combination of versatility and durability, I stand firm in my belief that if you had a team full of competitors like Young, they’d likely contend year after year.

Gerald White

@GeraldWWhite