Cowboys work out/sign Marvin Austin

UncleMilti said:

Marinelli can get this guy playing and when he does the DL goes from a weakness to a strength, esp if Ware can get back out there.

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I wouldn't go that far.

mschmidt64 said:

Love this signing.

It may not pan out, but this guy has first round talent.

He might be a head case, but he's not out there beating up hookers or getting arrested for weapon possession or failing drug tests.

Great shot in the dark, certainly better than some of the other shitfests we've brought in like David Martin or whoever that other DT was.

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Well this was kind of a letdown.

Now a 4-3 team, Cowboys want to 'tap into some of that ability' of 4-3 defensive lineman Marvin Austin

The Cowboys thought of Marvin Austin as a 4-3 defensive lineman when he was in the draft two years ago, so they stayed away from him because they were playing a 3-4.

But now that they’re a 4-3 team, they decided to take a look at the former second-round pick, signing him Monday after a workout.

“He’s one of those guys we kept our eye on,” coach Jason Garrett said. “Obviously, our situation on the defensive line, we’ve had a lot of injuries up there, so you look at the landscape of personnel and see who you can bring in and try to help your football team.”

The Cowboys are high on bringing in players who have been playing, and Garrett noted that Austin spent training camp with the Giants before he was released and played with Miami until two weeks ago.

“He’s in pretty decent shape because he’s been in training camp and been playing,” Garrett said. “We’d like to tap into some of that ability that caused him to be such a high draft pick.”

Austin was considered a first-round talent, but he slid to the second round, where the Giants drafted him, because of character questions. He was one of the players suspended at North Carolina in 2011 for receiving improper benefits and missed his senior season.

Garrett said the Cowboys have heard good things, however.

"What we know about him is a lot of really positive things," he said. "There are some positive physical traits and some positive character personality traits you want to tap into. You want to give a guy a blank slate when he comes in, and hopefully the environment you create for him brings out the best in him. We’re in a situation where we have to cast the net a little bit wide."

-- Carlos Mendez

Love this signing.

We're not known for making smart, low risk signings like this, so this is a very pleasant surprise.

mschmidt64 said:

I wouldn't go that far.

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Why not?

You keep claiming this D-line is a weakness yet we are tied for #7 in sacks and are 17th against the run and just shut down the lading rusher in the NFL.

That's not weak its slightly above average.

Jiggyfly said:

Why not?

You keep claiming this D-line is a weakness yet we are tied for #7 in sacks and are 17th against the run and just shut down the lading rusher in the NFL.

That's not weak its slightly above average.

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Holla. With a bunch of cast-offs no less.

mschmidt64 said:

I wouldn't go that far.

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I would.

Selvie has been a great surprise and Hatcher has been outstanding. If Marvin gets a nice push, then he's already above what we have playing there right now. If he becomes a threat to get to the QB, then the dynamic really changes.

We have lacked the push in the middle that really help the edge rushers get to the QB.

Dallas Cowboys sign DT Marvin Austin; Stephen Jones: We had him graded as a second-round type talent in 2011
By Jon Machota
jmachota@dallasnews.com
4:05 pm on October 21, 2013 | Permalink

IRVING – The Dallas Cowboys have added another defensive linemen, but this one doesn’t exactly fall into the “no-name” category.

Marvin Austin, a 2011 second-round pick out of North Carolina, signed Monday.

The New York Giants drafted Austin with the 52nd overall pick but he did not play during his rookie season because of a chest injury. The 6-2, 312-pounder played eight games in 2012 before being part of the Giants’ final round of cuts this year. The Miami Dolphins signed Austin, 24, on Sept. 24 and he was released on Oct. 15 after playing in two games.

“He has moved around a little bit, but we had him as a guy we liked if we had been in the 4-3,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Monday on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM]. “Had we been running the 4-3, we had him as a second-round type of talent. Rod [Marinelli], evidently at Chicago, worked him out as well. And they had him high on their board.

“We’re going to give the guy a shot here, just as we have throughout the season, going all the way back to training camp to the George Selvies of the world. Give the guy an opportunity. If he comes in here and buys into what Rod’s doing, he can certainly help us out.”

Those who follow college football recruiting have likely heard of Austin. He was ranked as the top defensive tackle in the country coming out of high school in 2007.

“He’s a good player,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Monday. “He’s a guy we thought a lot of coming out of school. He’s one of those guys we kept our eye on.

“Obviously our situation on the defensive line, we’ve had a lot of different injuries up there, so you look at the landscape of personnel and see you who can bring in and try to help your football team. He’s in pretty decent shape because he’s been in training camp and been playing. We’d like to tap into some of that ability that caused him to be such a high draft pick.”

UncleMilti said:

I would.

Selvie has been a great surprise and Hatcher has been outstanding. If Marvin gets a nice push, then he's already above what we have playing there right now. If he becomes a threat to get to the QB, then the dynamic really changes.

We have lacked the push in the middle that really help the edge rushers get to the QB.

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We are going to have some serious decisions to make after this season. Selvie is on pace for 11 sacks and Hatcher is on pace for 14. Both guys will be free agents after this year. I wouldn't be surprised to see either signed by another team and then disappear into oblivion.

Hatcher has to get an extension... want Selvie back, but I am not giving him a ton of money.

Cowboysrock55 said:

We are going to have some serious decisions to make after this season. Selvie is on pace for 11 sacks and Hatcher is on pace for 14. Both guys will be free agents after this year. I wouldn't be surprised to see either signed by another team and then disappear into oblivion.

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If Hatcher were 27 or 28, then this would be a no-brainer. But being as he's 30, you have to think twice about resigining him.

The thing about Selvie is that he doesn't really have good games. He has a moment here and there and that moment is usually a sack. He isn't a constant disruptive force like Hatcher has been.

Still, he's giving us way more than any of us could have imagined.

Even with the year he's having, Selvie shouldn't cost too much to resign whereas Hatcher could earn himself a significant pay day that I don't think we should try to match.

I feel like Hatcher has tread on the tires...he rotated a lot initially.

Carp said:

I feel like Hatcher has tread on the tires...he rotated a lot initially.

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I hope you're right, but even then, the guy is having an All-Pro season at DT. That's how good that guy has been.

And if he does make the All-Pro team, I think he's going to be too expensive for this team to afford.

I think he wants to be here...I think DL will want to play for Marinelli.

Carp said:

I think he wants to be here...I think DL will want to play for Marinelli.

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Thing is you don't pay age. He might have less tread worn off due to the time he played earlier in his career, but he's already in the stage where we are holding him out of practices.

We just need to be prepared to give him a reasonable and affordable offer, and if he wants more, thanks for the memories.

boozeman said:

Thing is you don't pay age. He might have less tread worn off due to the time he played earlier in his career, but he's already in the stage where we are holding him out of practices.

We just need to be prepared to give him a reasonable and affordable offer, and if he wants more, thanks for the memories.

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Agree fully. Hatcher is the same scenario as Ratliff was. Producing well until he got a contract then age and assignments wore him down pronto. The curve drops swiftly at 30.

L.T. Fan said:

Agree fully. Hatcher is the same scenario as Ratliff was. Producing well until he got a contract then age and assignments wore him down pronto. The curve drops swiftly at 30.

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Yep. Marinelli has shown what he can do with depth. Hatcher gets a reasonable offer, probably low based solely on his production this year, but we cannot pay 32 on the d-line.

I'd be shocked if Hatcher got a big offer anywhere but from teh Jer.

Hell, proven pass rushers in their 20s weren't getting paid this free agency.

Carp said:

I think he wants to be here...I think DL will want to play for Marinelli.

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If I were Selvie that is the way I'd look at it. Dude is 26 years old and was on the street a couple of months ago. He is having a career year in this defensive scheme under Marinelli. I'd try to stay with Marinelli and have a productive career as opposed to signing with another team, that runs a different scheme, and could potentially fall back into obscurity. Odds are if he leaves Dallas and goes to somewhere like Jacksonville he will never repeat the production he had here.

Cowboysrock55 said:

Odds are if he leaves Dallas and goes to somewhere like Jacksonville he will never repeat the production he had here.

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Yeah right, like that's going to happen.[/LaurentRobinson]