Hill: Jerry Jones, Cowboys focused on keeping rookies healthy so they can instant imp

Cotton

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Jerry Jones, Cowboys focused on keeping rookies healthy so they can instant impact

Despite undergoing surgery to repair a damaged left retina on Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made a point to keep a watchful eye on rookie minicamp Friday and Saturday from his luxury box overlooking the practice field at the team’s Valley Ranch headquarters.

Jones is especially interested in seeing the progress of a rookie draft class that the Cowboys expect to get significant playing time.

Jones is not just talking about center Travis Frederick, the first-round pick from Wisconsin. He is looking for big contributions from the first six picks: tight end Gavin Escobar (second round), receiver Terrance Williams and safety J.J. Wilcox (third round), cornerback B.W. Webb (fourth round) and running back Joseph Randle (fifth round).

“This is where it starts,” Jones said. “Hopefully we will be able to have more of these rookies on the field for us than we had last year. I think we have made a pretty big commitment in this draft to get these guys on the field.”

Five of the seven picks last year missed time from minicamp through the regular season because of injuries.

First-round pick Morris Claiborne was sidelined until training camp with a wrist injury. Fourth-round pick Kyle Wilber suffered a fractured finger in minicamp.

Fourth-round pick pick Matt Johnson missed minicamp because of school and most of training camp and the regular season because of hamstring injuries.

Fifth-round pick Danny Coale suffered a fractured foot in organized team activities, and seventh-round pick Caleb McSurdy suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon in training camp.

Jones said the Cowboys have made a point to monitor the rookies’ activities, contact and stretching in an attempt to avoid some of the setbacks this year.

"We have tried to keep that in mind as we take these guys through practice," Jones said. "We are trying to make sure we are doing the things as best we can to not have some of the pulls we had last year."

Clarence Hill
 

Genghis Khan

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Funny how they've run out of money and all of a sudden say they want to play all of the rookies immediately, as if this was some great idea they thought up as opposed to necessity.
 

Lotuseater

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Only difference is, this year they have actually picked guys who I think will have significant impact. Webb and Wilcox, Holloman and McGee are all good enough to significantly imrpove special teams, if nothing else.

Escobar is a red zone weapon. Gotta think he plays a lot. Frederick's is a lock starter. Randle may as well be, as he'll play a lot. Ditto Williams.

Not trying to prop the " family " or be a Homer, but some of these players may be good enough to make a big difference. They actually got good players.
 

boozeman

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They actually got good players.
Maybe they got good players who can play sooner, because, well...they FRICKING HAVE TO.

Doesn't excuse years of organizational ineptitude.
 

Lotuseater

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Its a step in the right direction. Hey, I thought even necessity was beyond Jerry Jones, as its never worked before in 17 years but even stubborn old assholes have a limit, I suppose.
 

Plan9Misfit

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Its a step in the right direction. Hey, I thought even necessity was beyond Jerry Jones, as its never worked before in 17 years but even stubborn old assholes have a limit, I suppose.
No, they don't. See 2009. Plus, this draft was nothing but a financial management draft. It didn't play into the strengths of the draft at all. We filled needs based on attempting to replace players with bloated contracts, not selecting genuine impact players.
 

ravidubey

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The draft wont help as much as it could have, but what were we honestly expecting? A "Replacements" draft, poor practice that it is, is infinitely preferable to a "Backups" or "Special Teams" draft.

Real drafts like 2003 and 2005 are officially things of the past without a Parcells-type figure guiding things.
 

Lotuseater

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I disagree. I think they actually did their homework and got good players because they couldn't afford to miss. They players they got are ALL very good players. I was as shocked as everyone else but it obvious the team is drafting better over the past few years, and I think we'll be just as pleasantly surprised with a couple of these players like we were with Carter, Lee, or Harris.

Don't know who's eye is finding some these players but I'm leaning toward Garrett. Its not dumb luck.
 

boozeman

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I disagree. I think they actually did their homework and got good players because they couldn't afford to miss. They players they got are ALL very good players. I was as shocked as everyone else but it obvious the team is drafting better over the past few years, and I think we'll be just as pleasantly surprised with a couple of these players like we were with Carter, Lee, or Harris.

Don't know who's eye is finding some these players but I'm leaning toward Garrett. Its not dumb luck.
Wilcox is a project pick. I wouldn't qualify him as VERY good based off one year at Georgia Southern.
 

Lotuseater

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You may be right. He looked damn good at the senior bowl, though. He is a very fast safety, and his special teams impact should be high. All these defensive guys they got are guys that have a nose for the ball. Holloman and Wilcox are going to be great on specials.
 

Carp

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We could have done better all the way around. I can't hate on the Frederick pick because I am not sure he would have been there at 47, but there were huge question marks almost with every pick after. We could have taken ALL very good players and actually filled positions of need as well.
 

Carp

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Passing on Hunt, Brown, and Warford over Escobar just cannot be explained to me in a way I will understand. Particularly when we have a developmental prospect at TE that shows some potential in Hanna.
 
D

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Passing on Hunt, Brown, and Warford over Escobar just cannot be explained to me in a way I will understand. Particularly when we have a developmental prospect at TE that shows some potential in Hanna.
That's the only pick that I just can't get over. I like the player and the possibilities he can bring to the passing game, but that's a luxury pick in a round where we needed an impact player.
 

boozeman

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Passing on Hunt, Brown, and Warford over Escobar just cannot be explained to me in a way I will understand. Particularly when we have a developmental prospect at TE that shows some potential in Hanna.
A Sooper Genius like Garrett could never dumb it down enough for you.

We are running a New England offense and that is all the people need to know!
 

Cotton

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A Sooper Genius like Garrett could never dumb it down enough for you.

We are running a New England offense and that is all the people need to know!
12 personnel. But with only 11 players to keep it fair for Bipo. :unsure
 

Lotuseater

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I agree with you on the Escobar pick. Its a head scratcher, unless he turns into Tony Gonzales. I would have liked Warford a lot there too, because I think we be looking at another year of Bernardeau. And that makes me want to cry.
 

Carp

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That's the only pick that I just can't get over. I like the player and the possibilities he can bring to the passing game, but that's a luxury pick in a round where we needed an impact player.
If we were dead set on a safety at 80 I preferred both Shamarko and Phillip Thomas to Wilcox.
 

ravidubey

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Outside of Terrance Williams, Dallas reached in rounds 1-5 so they could get specific players they liked. They reached at least a full round on both Wilcox and Webb, and probably Escobar.
 

Carp

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I think Escobar and Webb would have gone in those rounds, but yeah, we reached.

Also...we seem to be going after a headhunter type of safety now, which goes against pretty much everything the NFL is doing now with the protection of players.
 

Smitty

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I don't think we got a single player in this draft as good as Sean Lee and maybe not as good as Bruce Carter. Tap the breaks there.
 
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