Archer: Zack Martin's center snaps to affect Cowboys' game-day roster

[Cotton]

Zack Martin's center snaps to affect Cowboys' game-day roster

Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer

OXNARD, Calif. -- As the Dallas Cowboys go through training camp, the coaches, front-office personnel and scouts go through every imaginable scenario, good and bad, when trying to figure out the roster.

While most of the focus is on the 53-man roster, the team takes a close look at the 46-man game-day roster as well, which is part of the reason why Zack Martin is taking some snaps at center in camp.

The Cowboys like to dress seven offensive linemen for a game with a backup guard/center and tackle. Mackenzy Bernadeau can play guard and center, but La’el Collins can’t. Darrion Weems is the current leader in the clubhouse to be the swing tackle.

If Martin can show the ability to be the center, then the Cowboys can continue to roll with seven offensive linemen on game day.

Martin took some snaps as a rookie, but is not quite comfortable.

“It’s a little better this year because I got to know more schematically what’s going on, but every time I touch the ball I get more respect for what (Travis Frederick) does,” Martin said, “because it’s an awkward position to snap and step and snap and pull. So you gain a bit of perspective for guys like that.”

When the Cowboys drafted Martin in the first round in 2014, they thought he could play all five spots along the offensive line. He was a tackle at Notre Dame and was named an All-Pro at right guard as a rookie.

“You want to put your best five out there,” coach Jason Garrett said. “If you feel like you get to a certain point that these are the five guys who are your best guys, now you’ve got to put them out there and figure out where everyone fits.

“The other question always on the offensive line is who are you taking to the game? Ideally, you want to take seven. Sometimes you’ve got to take eight. Snapping the ball is always a factor there. Typically you have a swing tackle and an interior guy. All of this gives us flexibility, all of this gives us competition when you have some guys who can play some different spots in there and you can move them around. At the end of the day, you want them all prepared and you say, OK, these are our best guys going into the season, these are the best guys week to week and his flexibility there certainly helps that situation.”

 

[boozeman]

This doesn't make a ton of sense to me. I don't see what Martin playing center has anything to do with carrying seven active linemen.

Bernadeau is the center/guard backup and Collins is the tackle. Oh wait, we keep pushing him at guard, so now we have to, oh yeah, now it just like makes complete sense.

Weems better show out these next few weeks or I start getting a little scared about our tackle depth.

We have two guys in Martin and Collins who I think could easily play RT, yet for some damn weird reason, we refuse to work them outside even for a disaster.

 

[Cotton]

This doesn't make a ton of sense to me. I don't see what Martin playing center has anything to do with carrying seven active linemen.

Bernadeau is the center/guard backup and Collins is the tackle. Oh wait, we keep pushing him at guard, so now we have to, oh yeah, now it just like makes complete sense.

Weems better show out these next few weeks or I start getting a little scared about our tackle depth.

We have two guys in Martin and Collins who I think could easily play RT, yet for some damn weird reason, we refuse to work them outside even for a disaster.

You think you're smarter than the coaches? WELL, DO YOU?!

 

[boozeman]

You think you're smarter than the coaches? WELL, DO YOU?!

 

[Genghis Khan]

Instead of working Martin as emergency center, why wouldn't you work him as emergency RT? I get that they might not want to overload Collins, but there's no reason Martin couldn't handle it. And while it might not be his best position, he wouldn't be a disaster. Weems on the other hand might very well be a disaster.

 

[boozeman]

Instead of working Martin as emergency center, why wouldn't you work him as emergency RT? I get that they might not want to overload Collins, but there's no reason Martin couldn't handle it. And while it might not be his best position, he wouldn't be a disaster. Weems on the other hand might very well be a disaster.

Obviously spoken like a guy who has never coached football. They know what they are doing. And that is all the people need to know.

 

[skidadl]

Obviously spoken like a guy who has never coached football. They know what they are doing. And that is all the people need to know.

Whata buncha whiny bitches we have here.

I think that this points to the fact that they really don't believe that Collins is a T at all.

It seems to me that they are focused on having swing T, which makes more sense to me. Then you've got one position switch if we have a T go down. You also have one position switch if the C or G goes down.

If we count on Collins (if he's really not going to be a T, but who knows) then we'd have to make him our swing T or Martin. You start moving them around and you end up with at least two guys out of position.

If the C goes down, Martin (or whoever) slides over and Collins becomes a G where is is ready to go.

Having a swing T seems to be really key. If we have a backup C and a swing T we would be ready wrote pretty much anything that is thrown at us. I'd feel good going into any game.

But does Weems suck? I honesty didn't watch much. You guys say he's awful. I hope not.

 

[boozeman]

I think that this points to the fact that they really don't believe that Collins is a T at all.

Okay, so how about Martin? A left tackle who played against top competition at Notre Dame? Like Collins, he seemed to be okay at the top level of college football.

Having a swing T seems to be really key. If we have a backup C and a swing T we would be ready wrote pretty much anything that is thrown at us. I'd feel good going into any game.

But does Weems suck? I honesty didn't watch much. You guys say he's awful. I hope not.

The same coaches you profess know what they are doing have Weems as the sole tackle backup.

Dorks like Wetzel and the rest of them are not NFL quality and even a layman can tell that after a few minutes.

It's going to be a problem the first time Smith tweaks an ankle and even moreso as Free looks like he is breaking down.

Not only are we arrogant about the OL, we are also arrogant thinking the health will be the same as last year where I don't think they missed many snaps together.

You might call it being a whiny bitch. That's fine.

At the end of the day, there are certain facts that exist.

 

[Cotton]

Okay, so how about Martin? A left tackle who played against top competition at Notre Dame? Like Collins, he seemed to be okay at the top level of college football.



The same coaches you profess know what they are doing have Weems as the sole tackle backup.

Dorks like Wetzel and the rest of them are not NFL quality and even a layman can tell that after a few minutes.

It's going to be a problem the first time Smith tweaks an ankle and even moreso as Free looks like he is breaking down.

Not only are we arrogant about the OL, we are also arrogant thinking the health will be the same as last year where I don't think they missed many snaps together.

You might call it being a whiny bitch. That's fine.

At the end of the day, there are certain facts that exist.

It's apparent that you just don't know football. Have you even coached, bro?

 

[Cotton]

Whata buncha whiny bitches we have here.

I think that this points to the fact that they really don't believe that Collins is a T at all.

It seems to me that they are focused on having swing T, which makes more sense to me. Then you've got one position switch if we have a T go down. You also have one position switch if the C or G goes down.

If we count on Collins (if he's really not going to be a T, but who knows) then we'd have to make him our swing T or Martin. You start moving them around and you end up with at least two guys out of position.

If the C goes down, Martin (or whoever) slides over and Collins becomes a G where is is ready to go.

Having a swing T seems to be really key. If we have a backup C and a swing T we would be ready wrote pretty much anything that is thrown at us. I'd feel good going into any game.

But does Weems suck? I honesty didn't watch much. You guys say he's awful. I hope not.

The problem is, as has been noted, the only option we have a swing T sucks monkey nuts as it stands right now. Maybe he can develop and maybe he can't. From what I have seen, maybe he can, but most likely not fast enough to be ready if something bad happens next week.

 

[boozeman]

The simple fact is we have two of the top tackle prospects from college football on this roster from the last two years and we are farting around playing one as an emergency center and the other as a swing guard. Neither are getting much work at tackle, if at all. And that basically hands the backup tackle job to Weems uncontested.

That seems like a gross misuse of talent.

 

[boozeman]

It's apparent that you just don't know football. Have you even coached, bro?

Yep, a whiny bitch never no coaching MFer.

That's me.

 

[skidadl]

It's apparent that you just don't know football. Have you even coached, bro?

That's pretty good. You pretty said exactly what booze said. Nice work.

 

[Cotton]

That's pretty good. You pretty said exactly what booze said. Nice work.

Cause, he's right.

 

[boozeman]

That's pretty good. You pretty said exactly what booze said. Nice work.

Wait. Is this an sbk/Schmitty thing?

 

[skidadl]

The simple fact is we have two of the top tackle prospects from college football on this roster from the last two years and we are farting around playing one as an emergency center and the other as a swing guard. Neither are getting much work at tackle, if at all. And that basically hands the backup tackle job to Weems uncontested.

That seems like a gross misuse of talent.

It seems pretty awesome to me. Try our damnedest to find a swing T or we have the option of resorting to one of our other badasses on the roster? I like it. This is the best position that I ever remember us being in. It looks like those dumbasses lucked into building a fantastic OL.

 

[skidadl]

Cause, he's right.

nice

 

[skidadl]

We have 4 potential pro-bowlers on the OL. I honestly don't know if we've ever had it this good. Frickin road graders.

The thing I like the most about this? The fact that we are still working our ass off to find a swing T to make life glorious. I just don't see the problem with this.

 

[boozeman]

It seems pretty awesome to me. Try our damnedest to find a swing T or we have the option of resorting to one of our other badasses on the roster? I like it. This is the best position that I ever remember us being in. It looks like those dumbasses lucked into building a fantastic OL.

Trying our damnedest to find a swing tackle might include one or both of two players who were elite college talents at the position.

We are not even doing that.

They might have assembled a fantastic OL, but they are casting roles for the available talent that might not be the most prudent.

Weems is the swing tackle, no question, if the season started today.

That means he starts if there is an injury.

Neither Martin or Collins would have had any pro exposure. What exactly is the harm in experimenting with either, even a little?

Nope. We will have none of that.

 

[boozeman]

We have 4 potential pro-bowlers on the OL. I honestly don't know if we've ever had it this good. Frickin road graders.

The thing I like the most about this? The fact that we are still working our ass off to find a swing T to make life glorious. I just don't see the problem with this.

How are we working our ass off to find a swing tackle?

Letting Weems flop around with crap like Wetzel and Dill as competition?