Mosley: Here's the dirty little secret about Jones drafting QB high

Cotton

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Mosley: Here's the dirty little secret that no one's bringing up about Jerry Jones possibly drafting Tony Romo's successor

By Matt Mosley

SAN FRANCISCO -- One of the few upsides to having a 4-12 record in the NFL is earning the right to coach in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., a port city mostly known as the eternal resting spot of the USS Alabama Battleship. Jason Garrett and his staff coached against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

These organizations will have the fourth and fifth-overall picks in this April's draft. It's a time-honored tradition that most coaches who secure a spot ahead of the Jaguars end up looking for other work. But Jerry Jones has chosen continuity over change mainly based on one successful season (2014) in the midst of several mediocre campaigns.

He finds himself in the awkward spot of wanting to fall in love with a new quarterback while being true to the soon-to-be-36-year-old Tony Romo. Jerry and son Stephen had to catch themselves while gushing over North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz during Senior Bowl practices. They quickly added that Romo had plenty of good years left.

Here's the dirty little secret that no one's bringing up: Jerry's incapable of watching the No. 4 overall pick in the draft cool his heels behind Romo. Packers GM Ted Thompson was successful in drafting and stashing Aaron Rodgers behind Brett Favre, but it still turned into a public relations fiasco due to Favre's decision to unretire. Thompson was able to navigate the awkward situation, in part because he's not controlled by emotion and rarely makes eye contact with anyone.

Jerry likes to take risks,which is how Johnny Manziel nearly became the Cowboys' problem child. When last heard from, Manziel was being tracked by a Fort Worth police helicopter after another potential domestic disturbance with a former girlfriend. Jones has most likely lost the stomach for Johnny and I think his heart belongs to Wentz for the time being.

If Jerry takes a quarterback in the first round, I want to see how Romo reacts. Tony has endorsed the idea of selecting a quarterback publicly, but something tells me he'll be in Jerry's ear to look for a wide receiver or a pass-rusher with that No. 4 pick. The fact that Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer all led their teams to conference title games has Romo more convinced than ever that he can play at a high level for three or four more years. But it's unrealistic for the Cowboys to think that way. They must take into account the three times Romo has broken his clavicle and the impending surgery that is supposed to stabilize the area.

For now, Wentz has captured the attention of the scouting and coaching communities. I had a chance to check in with severeal coaches and executives in the immediate aftermath of the Senior Bowl. Some of these same men will pick Wentz apart over the next three months, but for now he's the big mover in this draft.

"He has a really quick and high release," said one veteran AFC scout. "He has a high release that is compact without any wasted motion. It goes up and back and out at about 8 feet at the release point. He's very smart and he's 6-5."

Wentz impressed scouts with how he looked the part in practices. He certainly wasn't in awe as he performed next to players from larger programs.

"The most impressive thing about him was the way he presented himself," said the NFL Network's draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former college quarterback himself. "He has all the physical tools but I was anxious to see how he'd carry himself in this atmosphere. He was very comfortable and it wasn't too big for him."

The one thing every scout brought up was Wentz's release. That's probably Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch's biggest negative at this point. He sort of loops the ball down near his waist during his delivery. Lynch told us on 103.3 FM's "The Afternoon Show" last week that it's something he's already hearing about and that he's open to altering his delivery. Wentz won't have to make as many changes.

"He had the best quarterback skill-set by far [in Mobile]," said an executive from the AFC South. "He has great size and enough arm talent. He's a better athlete than you think. He's also a very good kid who won a lot of games and some titles."

The success of former FCS quarterbacks such as Romo and Joe Flacco will help some teams get past the fact Wentz hasn't faced too many major college programs. Both Lynch and Wentz were late bloomers, which explains their lack of big-time offers coming out of high school. Scouts seem to think Wentz should go in the 10-20 range, but one executive expects him to go higher because the "quarterback market is so irrational."

It still seems far-fetched that a quarterback out of North Dakota State would go fourth overall in the draft, but Wentz has already made a significant move in a lot of minds. We'll know soon enough whether Jerry can pull off the delicate balancing act of being devoted to Romo while pursuing his heir. My guess is that it won't be a smooth ride. But at least Jones has avoided the Last Temptation of Johnny...for now.
 

L.T. Fan

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So what's the dirty little secret?
 

Chocolate Lab

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So what's the dirty little secret?
Agree... With the "incapable of watching the #4 pick cool his heels behind Romo" I thought he was going to say they wouldn't take a QB there.

But then he said we very well might.
 

boozeman

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Three years, minimum. It's not a damn debate, guys.
 

L.T. Fan

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Three years, minimum. It's not a damn debate, guys.
Just can't see Griffin or Manziel landing here. Jerry might be the goofy but surely the rest of the organization can't be that screwball.
 

VA Cowboy

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Just can't see Griffin or Manziel landing here. Jerry might be the goofy but surely the rest of the organization can't be that screwball.
If Jerry wants one he'll get him. Stephen has more power now, but Jerry still can override anyone.
 

L.T. Fan

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If Jerry wants one he'll get him. Stephen has more power now, but Jerry still can override anyone.
I know he can but I would like to think he can be talked down again.
 

Cowboysrock55

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If Jerry wants one he'll get him. Stephen has more power now, but Jerry still can override anyone.
He was talked down from it once before. And now Manziel looks a lot worse and so does Griffin. So I have faith.
 

boozeman

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If Jerry wants one he'll get him. Stephen has more power now, but Jerry still can override anyone.
Will Wentz jerseys sell more than Manziel jerseys?

There is your answer.
 

Cotton

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He was talked down from it once before. And now Manziel looks a lot worse and so does Griffin. So I have faith.
There was more on the line then. Using a first round pick versus signing a QB off the street for pennies are completely different arguments. I doubt Stephen wins this time.
 

L.T. Fan

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Will Wentz jerseys sell more than Manziel jerseys?

There is your answer.
I would like to think that Jones would remember how a division title got away and a chance at the playoffs by not having a capable back up QB. Surely he realizes that Romo is still potentially vulnerable to miss some games. This is not a difficult decision to make and hopefully would pay more dividends than a few jerseys.
 

boozeman

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I would like to think that Jones would remember how a division title got away and a chance at the playoffs by not having a capable back up QB. Surely he realizes that Romo is still potentially vulnerable to miss some games. This is not a difficult decision to make and hopefully would pay more dividends than a few jerseys.
You appear to mistake him for someone with a brain.

He doesn't give a shit about winning, relevance and money are all that matter to him.
 

fortsbest

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Barring an injury Romo could easily play another 3 years and likely at a high level. But that's just the point isn't it? How many years has Tony played with no injury at a younger age? And I thin he's just one good hit from saying it isn't worth it despite what everyone else thinks. A good back scare will make a man think about not being able to play with his young kids as they grow.
Draft Goff or Wentz and be done with it Jerry!
#dontbadumass!
 

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You appear to mistake him for someone with a brain.

He doesn't give a shit about winning, relevance and money are all that matter to him.
Maybe so but I think he does care about winning and I think this past season had to really sting. I think he referenced a couple of times that he made a mistake not having paid enough attention to Romo s back up. I know he has his binges where he gets a player boner but surely he has got to see that this upcoming draft opportunity may not come around again for a while. He can have his cake and eat it too. That doesn't happen very often. Bottom line though is he is still Jerry Jones.
 

townsend

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Far he got a couple more years after Rodgers got picked, even managed to choke in an NFC championship for old times sake. There's no reason to pass on a QB because your QB may be around for a few more years.
 

VA Cowboy

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Also, what was the dirty secret? I figured it would've had something to do with him liking to watch them in the shower or something.
 
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