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Drafting Tony Romo’s Successor On Day 3? Good Luck
By Rob Phillips on January 26, 2014
Listen, I realize my neglected draft requests to Cowboys brass may seem contradictory in nature. In one breath, I’ve merely asked them to select and develop a quarterback who throws consistent spirals (ahem, Quincy Carter) and dares to attempt passes longer than 6 yards (cough, cough, Stephen McGee).Romo
In another breath, I’ve begged them to avoid luxury picks reserved for teams with more than one playoff win in the 17 years since 30-year-old backup Jason Garrett became 47-year old head coach Jason Garrett. How many times can I say this nicely: I’m sure Gavin Escobar is a talented kid with passion, emotion and enthusiasm, but the team isn’t good enough to take a backup tight end in the second round for the third time in seven years!
(Oh yes, how quickly I forget those revolutionary “12 personnel” plans. That’s when the defense can’t get the right 11 players on the field, correct?)
If the Cowboys want to spend second- and third-round picks on backup/project players like Escobar, who couldn’t beat out James Hanna for No. 2 on the tight end depth chart, or J.J. Wilcox, a “safety” who mostly played on offense at tiny Georgia Southern, then the front office might as well spend a second- or third-round pick on football’s most important position.
Three-plus months from the NFL Draft, I won’t faux-analyze the quarterbacks in that range until the draft magazines hit my local Albertson’s. Who really knows besides Mel and Mayock, anyway?
I do know this: the Cowboys have been wise to avoid a QB prospect in the fourth through seventh rounds.
By my count, 160 quarterbacks have been drafted since 2001, the same year Jerry Jones tabbed Carter as Troy Aikman’s heir. Only 17 of 160 are/were considered “franchise quarterbacks.” 13 were first-round picks; 2 were second-round picks; 2 were third-round picks:
Michael Vick, 2001 1st
Carson Palmer, 2003 1st
Eli Manning, 2004 1st
Philip Rivers, 2004 1st
Ben Roethlisberger, 2004 1st
Aaron Rodgers, 2005 1st
Jay Cutler, 2006 1st
Joe Flacco, 2008 1st
Matt Ryan, 2008 1st
Matthew Stafford, 2009 1st
Cam Newton, 2011 1st
Andrew Luck, 2012 1st
Robert Griffin III, 2012 1st
Drew Brees, 2001 2nd
Matt Schaub, 2004 3rd
Colin Kaepernick, 2011 2nd
Russell Wilson, 2012 3rd
17. That’s it. In the last dozen years, no Day 3 pick has led an NFL franchise for any notable length of time. The Tom Brady legend (2000 sixth-round pick with 3 Super Bowls, 2 NFL MVPs, superdupermodel wife, twin mansions surrounded by moats) is in fact the greatest draft anomaly of all time.
The Cowboys swung and missed on Carter in the 2001 second round, and McGee – Jerry’s famous “war daddy” pick at the top of the 2009 fourth round – was among the infamous 0-for-12 class. The franchise has refused to invest significant developmental money in the position during Romo’s prime, and the numbers support their hesitancy.
Truth be told, the percentages stand fiercely against every team that needs a franchise guy. Since 2001:
First Round – 13 of 36 (36%)
Second Round – 2 of 16 (12%)
Third Round – 2 of 16 (12%)
Fourth-Seventh Round – 0 of 92 (0%)
Romo, of course, doesn’t count because he wasn’t drafted. That he has parlayed a skimpy $10,000 rookie free agent signing bonus into consecutive contract extensions of $67.5 million and $108 million, respectively, is ripped from Charles Perrault fairy tale. With one playoff win to Romo’s credit in eight seasons, haters will argue they’ve been suffering through a Tim Burton nightmare.
We all know the Cowboys have too many defensive holes to go QB hunting in the first three rounds. Part of their troubles are self-inflicted. Because they have missed on so many guys, particularly from 2008 to 2009, they are constantly drafting replacements players for the previous picks that didn’t pan out. It’s a vicious cycle that freezes any depth-building momentum.
The one mitigating factor may be Romo’s bad back. If, for some reason, the team grows concerned about his recovery by April, then perhaps a high-round quarterback comes into play in early May.
We’ll see. For now, let’s enjoy the Pro Bowl. It’s fantasy football … for real!
By Rob Phillips on January 26, 2014
Listen, I realize my neglected draft requests to Cowboys brass may seem contradictory in nature. In one breath, I’ve merely asked them to select and develop a quarterback who throws consistent spirals (ahem, Quincy Carter) and dares to attempt passes longer than 6 yards (cough, cough, Stephen McGee).Romo
In another breath, I’ve begged them to avoid luxury picks reserved for teams with more than one playoff win in the 17 years since 30-year-old backup Jason Garrett became 47-year old head coach Jason Garrett. How many times can I say this nicely: I’m sure Gavin Escobar is a talented kid with passion, emotion and enthusiasm, but the team isn’t good enough to take a backup tight end in the second round for the third time in seven years!
(Oh yes, how quickly I forget those revolutionary “12 personnel” plans. That’s when the defense can’t get the right 11 players on the field, correct?)
If the Cowboys want to spend second- and third-round picks on backup/project players like Escobar, who couldn’t beat out James Hanna for No. 2 on the tight end depth chart, or J.J. Wilcox, a “safety” who mostly played on offense at tiny Georgia Southern, then the front office might as well spend a second- or third-round pick on football’s most important position.
Three-plus months from the NFL Draft, I won’t faux-analyze the quarterbacks in that range until the draft magazines hit my local Albertson’s. Who really knows besides Mel and Mayock, anyway?
I do know this: the Cowboys have been wise to avoid a QB prospect in the fourth through seventh rounds.
By my count, 160 quarterbacks have been drafted since 2001, the same year Jerry Jones tabbed Carter as Troy Aikman’s heir. Only 17 of 160 are/were considered “franchise quarterbacks.” 13 were first-round picks; 2 were second-round picks; 2 were third-round picks:
Michael Vick, 2001 1st
Carson Palmer, 2003 1st
Eli Manning, 2004 1st
Philip Rivers, 2004 1st
Ben Roethlisberger, 2004 1st
Aaron Rodgers, 2005 1st
Jay Cutler, 2006 1st
Joe Flacco, 2008 1st
Matt Ryan, 2008 1st
Matthew Stafford, 2009 1st
Cam Newton, 2011 1st
Andrew Luck, 2012 1st
Robert Griffin III, 2012 1st
Drew Brees, 2001 2nd
Matt Schaub, 2004 3rd
Colin Kaepernick, 2011 2nd
Russell Wilson, 2012 3rd
17. That’s it. In the last dozen years, no Day 3 pick has led an NFL franchise for any notable length of time. The Tom Brady legend (2000 sixth-round pick with 3 Super Bowls, 2 NFL MVPs, superdupermodel wife, twin mansions surrounded by moats) is in fact the greatest draft anomaly of all time.
The Cowboys swung and missed on Carter in the 2001 second round, and McGee – Jerry’s famous “war daddy” pick at the top of the 2009 fourth round – was among the infamous 0-for-12 class. The franchise has refused to invest significant developmental money in the position during Romo’s prime, and the numbers support their hesitancy.
Truth be told, the percentages stand fiercely against every team that needs a franchise guy. Since 2001:
First Round – 13 of 36 (36%)
Second Round – 2 of 16 (12%)
Third Round – 2 of 16 (12%)
Fourth-Seventh Round – 0 of 92 (0%)
Romo, of course, doesn’t count because he wasn’t drafted. That he has parlayed a skimpy $10,000 rookie free agent signing bonus into consecutive contract extensions of $67.5 million and $108 million, respectively, is ripped from Charles Perrault fairy tale. With one playoff win to Romo’s credit in eight seasons, haters will argue they’ve been suffering through a Tim Burton nightmare.
We all know the Cowboys have too many defensive holes to go QB hunting in the first three rounds. Part of their troubles are self-inflicted. Because they have missed on so many guys, particularly from 2008 to 2009, they are constantly drafting replacements players for the previous picks that didn’t pan out. It’s a vicious cycle that freezes any depth-building momentum.
The one mitigating factor may be Romo’s bad back. If, for some reason, the team grows concerned about his recovery by April, then perhaps a high-round quarterback comes into play in early May.
We’ll see. For now, let’s enjoy the Pro Bowl. It’s fantasy football … for real!