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Jerry Jones on who are the Dallas Cowboys’ top five offensive linemen
By Jon Machota
jmachota@dallasnews.com
12:44 pm on August 23, 2013 | Permalink
Jason Garrett has said the Dallas Cowboys are looking for their five-best offensive linemen to start in front of Tony Romo. Injuries have frequently changed who those five players are.
But if all were healthy, Jerry Jones said Friday that his top five would be Travis Frederick at center, Mackenzy Bernadeau and Ronald Leary at right and left guard and Doug Free and Tyron Smith at right and left tackle.
“Starting from the interior, I’d like to think that Leary when he returns [would be in the group] – we do expect him to return back before the Giants [game],” Jones told the Elf & Slater show on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM]. “Frederick has had a top preseason. He’s everything that we had hoped he would be. He’s arguably in the top two of our offensive linemen. And then Bernadeau has come back, has had a lot of reps, played well against Arizona, having a good week of practice, so the interior guys, those three come to my mind.
“And I look at it as certainly Smith at left tackle and Free at right tackle. We got some good depth here. [Jermey] Parnell will get some playing for the first time this weekend and probably get quite a bit this coming Thursday as well. I’d call that our top five with a couple of guys that would be immediately behind them.”
With Leary and Nate Livings out after having arthroscopic knee surgery, Free has been working at right guard with Parnell at right tackle.
The Cowboys owner and general manager initially advised not to read too much into that alignment, “because to spend a few reps at a different position is as common as the sun coming up.” Jones, however, finished his response by saying, “but the fact that we’re doing it says enough.”
There’s a good chance Free will be getting some snaps at right guard Saturday night against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Free, Smith, Bernadeau and Livings started all 16 games last season with Ryan Cook and Phil Costa splitting starts at center.
Livings has had right knee surgery twice since February and Jones declined to give a prediction on when or if he’ll return this season.
“You’d ask yourself, ‘Is there a degeneration in the knee, as opposed to a fix of an injury that comes back as good as new?’ I think he’s having some of that, a degeneration,” Jones said. “But that’s not uncommon at all at this point in his career, so a combination of those things puts a little guess work into as when he might be back.”
__________________________________
Yes, Jerry, please enlighten us.
By Jon Machota
jmachota@dallasnews.com
12:44 pm on August 23, 2013 | Permalink
Jason Garrett has said the Dallas Cowboys are looking for their five-best offensive linemen to start in front of Tony Romo. Injuries have frequently changed who those five players are.
But if all were healthy, Jerry Jones said Friday that his top five would be Travis Frederick at center, Mackenzy Bernadeau and Ronald Leary at right and left guard and Doug Free and Tyron Smith at right and left tackle.
“Starting from the interior, I’d like to think that Leary when he returns [would be in the group] – we do expect him to return back before the Giants [game],” Jones told the Elf & Slater show on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM]. “Frederick has had a top preseason. He’s everything that we had hoped he would be. He’s arguably in the top two of our offensive linemen. And then Bernadeau has come back, has had a lot of reps, played well against Arizona, having a good week of practice, so the interior guys, those three come to my mind.
“And I look at it as certainly Smith at left tackle and Free at right tackle. We got some good depth here. [Jermey] Parnell will get some playing for the first time this weekend and probably get quite a bit this coming Thursday as well. I’d call that our top five with a couple of guys that would be immediately behind them.”
With Leary and Nate Livings out after having arthroscopic knee surgery, Free has been working at right guard with Parnell at right tackle.
The Cowboys owner and general manager initially advised not to read too much into that alignment, “because to spend a few reps at a different position is as common as the sun coming up.” Jones, however, finished his response by saying, “but the fact that we’re doing it says enough.”
There’s a good chance Free will be getting some snaps at right guard Saturday night against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Free, Smith, Bernadeau and Livings started all 16 games last season with Ryan Cook and Phil Costa splitting starts at center.
Livings has had right knee surgery twice since February and Jones declined to give a prediction on when or if he’ll return this season.
“You’d ask yourself, ‘Is there a degeneration in the knee, as opposed to a fix of an injury that comes back as good as new?’ I think he’s having some of that, a degeneration,” Jones said. “But that’s not uncommon at all at this point in his career, so a combination of those things puts a little guess work into as when he might be back.”
__________________________________
Yes, Jerry, please enlighten us.