The Dallas Cowboys worst draft picks of all time - No. 4

As a celebration of NFL draft week, The Big Mac Blog will look back at the best and worst of the Dallas Cowboys' draft history. We will start with The Bad:

4. Bobby Carpenter, Ohio State, LB, 2006, 18^th pick
The last first round pick by Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells, the head coach knew on the first weekend of rookie minicamp this pick was a miss. Carpenter played outside linebacker in a 4-3 at Ohio State, and the transition to pro 3-4 outside linebacker never happened.

He is a very nice and professional guy, but the league appeared to be just over his head.

There was a flicker that he was going to come around at the end of his rookie year when he made some plays in a win at Atlanta, and in the playoff loss at Seattle.

The Parcells retired, and new head coach Wade Phillips was never too big on Carpenter. In four seasons with the Cowboys, Carpenter started three games and had two sacks.

He spent a little bit of time with the Miami Dolphins, and a little bit longer with the Detroit Lions.

The biggest contribution Carpenter made in a game was for the Detroit Lions against the Cowboys in Arlington. On Oct. 2, 2011, Carpenter intercepted a Tony Romo pass and returned it for a touchdown that began one of the biggest collapses in NFL history. The Cowboys led 27-3 in the third quarter when Carpenter's pick six started a comeback; the Lions won, 34-30.

Carpenter spent last season with the New England Patriots where he played two games.

Picked immediately after: Chad Greenway, LB, Iowa
Picked immediately ahead of: Antonio Cromatrie, DB, Florida State 

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Doug Free has to be gone for the Cowboys to move forward, or right

IRVING, Texas - Jerry Jones 'n' friends addressed the media today as part of a mandated pre-NFL draft press conference that was much shorter than these meetings in the past.

Most of the questions anchored around the draft, but one did touch on a specific player - right tackle Doug Free.

"We haven't said where we are and he hasn't said where he is as we go into this draft," Jerry Jones said Monday. "That's by design. We want to see how what we do in the draft. We talked about it as late as this morning. If we draft a tackle how does that impact a player like Doug. And I'm sure he's looking it at there as well."

Fans of the Dallas Cowboys know that Free's best days are gone; those good days were short lived. He embodies the guy paid on potential, based on a limited number of productive NFL games.

Of the many large contracts this team has handed out in recent years (Roy Williams I, Roy Williams II, etc.) there may not be any more glaring example of spending gone stupid than Doug Free. He signed a four-year, $32 million deal two years ago. The Cowboys signed him to be a left tackle, then moved him to the right one season after Tyron Smith's rookie year.

Even on the right Free couldn't play.

What is left is a guy who cashed a huge check and has since then been an over-powered starting NFL tackle. He is best suited as a backup, swing tackle. If he is starting for your team, your team isn't very good. And this idea that he can play guard is unrealistic; guard is a power position and Free's biggest problem is that he routinely pushed backwards. 

The sad part is that Free is not dogging it. This is not a lack of effort. He is a pro. He is simply not a high caliber pro.

The Cowboys have asked Free to take a pay cut, and right now both sides are being quiet. Free is due $7 million this season, while his cap hit is an incredible $10 million. That's a big hit to make a guy go away.

No way is he going to take a pay cut. The two sides may part ways before the draft starts Thursday.

By Saturday evening both the Cowboys and Free will know if they think have his replacement on the roster. The Cowboys have to find someone better than Doug Free.

 

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The Dallas Cowboys worst draft picks of all time - No. 5

It's the best time of the season for fans of the Nationall Football League - a collection of young kids who have never played a down of professional football (by professional I mean receiving money over the table) will save your favorite team.

On Thursday night in New York City, the league will blow away the TV ratings by not actually playing a game. It's the damndest thing you've ever seen, and speaks to the sickening popularity of this sport.

As a celebration of this week, The Big Mac Blog will look back at the best and worst of the Dallas Cowboys' draft history. We will start with The Bad:

5. Sonny Gibbs, TCU, QB, 1962, 18^th pick
This was the second draft in the history of the franchise, and the first time they really blew it. Gibbs was one of the most celebrated and decorated quarterbacks in the Southwest Conference, and was probably going to challenge Eddie LeBaron for some time.

He is listed as having made the active roster, but he never played in a game for the Cowboys. He was eventually cut, and picked up by the Detroit Lions. He appeared in two games for the Detroit Lions in 1964, attempted three passes, was picked off once, and never played again.

Picked immediately after: Ed Blaine, OG, Green Bay Packers
Picked immediately ahead of: Bobby Thompson, DB, Detroit Lions 

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Video: Galloway & Big Mac debate whether to sign or wait on Tony Romo

 

 

 

 

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Jerry Hughes & TCU's defensive end issues in the NFL

FORT WORTH, Texas - Since Gary Patterson was the TCU defensive coordinator his defenses have routinely produce quality defensive ends.

Jerry Hughes, Chase Ortiz, Braylon Broughton, Tommy Blake, Wayne Daniels, Bo Schobel, Robert Pollard, Aaron Schobel, and now Stansly Maponga and sophomore Devonte Fields.

These men produced lots of sacks, forced fumbles, and were All Americans, All Conference picks, etc. What else do all of these guys have in common? With the exception of Aaron Schobel, none of their college success translated up. They were all too short.

On Thursday at TCU Pro Day, Hughes watched Maponga and a handful of other hopefuls run through the myriad of drills in front of the many scouts and the three NFL assistant coaches who attended. 

Hughes was a first round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2010; the team thought he could be one of those smaller, but quick, defensive ends like Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis and eventually replace one. Those two may have been the quickest defensive ends in the league in their prime.

It wasn't until last offseason when the team moved Hughes to outside linebacker did he begin to produce.

"I am very grateful (Colts owner Robert) Irsay selected me in the first round," Hughes told me Thursday. "But when I first got there I wasn't sure what they wanted. I really never did get a straight answer. ... This past season went well. I think I adjusted pretty well and I'm getting more comfortable at linebacker and playing in space."

Hughes should always have been an outside linebacker in the NFL. In '12, he played in 16 games and finished with 41 tackles and a career-best four sacks. Hughes may never be a star, but he can be pretty good and have an NFL job.

Maponga is about the same height and weight as Hughes, and he should be converted into an OLB. That's what Pittsburgh Steelers scout and former LB Joe Greene told Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram.

Here is a look at some of the big name TCU defensive linemen in the past decade or so, and how they fared after college.

Jerry Hughes 6-2, 254. 1st rd pick of Colts in '10. Now an OLB.
Chase Ortiz 6-2, 255. Never made it out of preseason.
Braylon Broughton, 6-6, 272. Currently with Saints. Keeps getting looks because he is so big.
Tommy Blake, 6-3, 252. Never made it. Such a sad story of what should have been.
Aaron Schobel, 6-4, 243. The very best; 78 sacks in nine NFL seasons.
Wayne Daniels, 6-2, 250. Never made it.
Bo Schobel, 6-5, 264. Played 29 NFL games for three NFL teams from '04-'07.
Robert Pollard, 6-2, 261. Played for two teams in three NFL seasons.

These guys were all very good on defenses that thrived in Conference USA or the Mountain West. 

In the Big 12, Patterson is going to need bigger bodies, such as sophomore-to be Devonte Fields (6-4, 240), and as a result more of these guys should have a bit more luck sticking in the pros.

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Why TCU defensive end Stansly Maponga had to leave

FORT WORTH, Texas - The name "Maponga" used to be a bit of a four-letter expression around TCU a few years ago.

When a player screwed up, TCU coach Gary Patterson would send said player - usually then freshman defensive end Stansly Maponga - to do a series of nasty conditioning drills that included rope work, pushing a heavy ball up a steep hill, etc. They were called "Mapongas".

Any time a player screws up during a TCU practice, they are often "asked" to do Mapongas.

"I'm glad that's part of my legacy here," Maponga said at TCU today after completing his Pro Day workouts for the NFL scouts and coaches. "Those were fun."

Even though Patterson tried like a dog to talk Maponga out of it, and this rookie class is heavy on defensive linemen, he is going to the NFL with one year left of college eligibility remaining.

"He did. It is what it is," Maponga said. "I appreciate everything he did for me and my family."

It's the impossible equation where the coach wants to keep the player because he knows it's going to make his team better vs. the player, who either needs to, or wants to, go.

It sounds like family is a big reason why Maponga is leaving. He said his mother is working three jobs, and Maponga himself recently became a father to a little girl, who is four months old. A handful of people around the program said they thought Maponga was also just tired of school as well.

Maponga, who is battling a recurring foot problem that may require surgery, is being talked about as a fourth round pick. At TCU's pro day, his 40-yard dash times were 4.84 and 4.85.

Coaches from three NFL teams attended the pro day - Eagles, Dolphins, Steelers - and he said he feels comfortable either as a defensive end or outside linebacker. He said he has a scheduled meeting with the Atlanta Falcons soon.

The one NFL scout I talked to liked him a lot, and thought he would be a fourth or fifth round pick. 

 

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Vince Young simply will not quit

The stories about former University of Texas quarterback and NFL bust Vince Young are as plentiful as they are sad.

No NFL team wants him. Not even the Buffalo Bills. He is broke. He took a $300,000 loan out to throw himself a party.

But, according to University of Texas head football coach Mack Brown, VY is back at UT and his working towards finishing his degree. Only needs about 112 more hours (sorry, that's an easy shot).

Now the weird part - according to Sports Illustrated's college football writer Stewart Mandel, VY has not given up on the NFL just yet; Brown said that VY is planning on working out at UT's Pro Day.

That's right, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft and a man with a career record of 31-19 as an NFL starting quarterback will be working out with potential draftees in Austin soon. It's just stupid enough it could work.

Vince is 29, and athletically it's there. He didn't play at all last season after he was cut in training camp by the Buffalo Bills because he couldn't beat out Tavaris Jackson behind Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The question is whether VY be trusted as a backup - to know the plays, be a pro, show up on time, and not be any kind of distraction for a minimum price. He's never going to be a reliable starter again, not that he ever was.

These types of moves - earning the degree and trying out again on Pro Day - suggest a man who once boasted how humble he was truly has been humbled. Teams like that. 

VY would have been wise to try to play in the CFL, but appears to want this bad enough to stand next to a bunch of college kids for another shot.

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1-year deal the best way to go with Anthony Spencer

Since he was a kid playing sports in Fort Wayne, Indiana his coaches had to beg Anthony Spencer to care just a little bit more. His indifference and apathy got him in trouble with his high school coach. He was the classic case of a young man who took his considerable ability for granted.

When he was in high school at Bishop Luers, it wasn't until his high school coach pointed out the college recruiters who were watching him practice and play in games was Spencer suddenly interested in dominating games. He signed with Purdue.

When Spencer was at Purdue, it wasn't until his college coaches told him he could potentially be a high selection in the NFL draft did his interest level change. He was a first round draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys.

Keeping with a similar football trajectory, when Spencer saw that he could cash in huge as a free agent did his interest level match his talent, and the production took off.

For the second time in as many offseasons the Dallas Cowboys put the franchise tag on Spencer. It's expensive - Spencer will make a guaranteed $10.6 mil' in '13, but the best move to make regarding this player. He can't be trusted with a long term deal. The short term is the only way.

The Cowboys ensure they will have the services of a talented outside linebacker who will have the carrot of playing for a large contract after this season. He will be asked to return to defensive end, the position he played at Purdue, in defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin's 4-3 scheme.

According to Star-Telegram Cowboys' man Clarence E. Hill Jr., the team and Spencer's agent are talking about a long-term deal.

What's the rush? They have Spencer locked in for one season, and the allure of a long-term deal. It's best to keep it that way.

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Marquise Goodwin, future Oakland Raider

The NFL combine is done, and now we can proceed to listening to all of the lies and minimalizations of the 2013 rookie class by draft experts, scouts and NFL coaches and general managers.

Among the most curious of prospects is University of Texas WR Marquise Goodwin. He is only 5-foot-10, 175 pounds but he is stupid fast. 

In Indianapolis during the combine, Goodwin recorded a 4.27 in the 40-yard dash, the fastest of any player at this non-event event. 

This season in Austin, Goodwin carried the ball 13 times for 167 yards (net 140) with three touchdowns. He averaged 10.8 yards per carry. He ranked third on the team in receptions with 26 for 340 yards and three touchdowns.

Can someone explain why Mack Brown didn't get the football more to this man?

Is there a direct correlation between a fast 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and future success on the football field in the National Football League?

Goodwin's 4.27 is the second-fastest time in the 40 at the combine since 2006. It all but ensures he will play for the Oakland Raiders.

Here is a look at the fastest 40 times since 2006, and the respective careers.

1. Chris Johnson, 2008, 4.24 ... RB drafted 24th in the 1st round. Has played in every game but one since his rookie year in 2008. In that time he's rushed for 6,888 yards with 44 TDs and averaged 4.7 yards per carry.

2. Jacoby Ford, 2010, 4.28 ... KR drafted in the 4th round by the Oakland Raiders. Used primarily as a kick returner. Returned four kicks for TDs between '10 and '11. Spent last season with Raiders but did not play.

3. DeMarcus Van Dyke, 2011, 4.28 ... DB drafted in 3rd round by the Raiders. Played in 14 games for the Raiders in '11 and had one INT. Spent last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers where he played in nine games.

4. Yamon Figurs, 2007, 4.30 ... WR drafted in the 3rd round by the Baltimore Ravens. Was in the NFL from '07 to '10 and played for Ravens, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Bucs, Cleveland Browns and Raiders. Appeared in a total of 34 games and used almost exclusively as a returner.

5. Darrius Heyward-Bey, 2009, 4.30 ... WR drafted 7th overall by Raiders. Has played in 56 games with Raiders; has 140 receptions with 2,071 yards and 11 TDs.

6. Tye Hill, 2006, 4.30 ... DB drafted 15th overall by the St. Louis Rams. Played 3 seasons for the Rams before spending '09 with the Atlanta Falcons and '10 with the Detroit Lions. Appeared in a total of 40 NFL games.

7. Tyvon Branch, 2008, 4.31 ... DB drafted by the Raiders in fourth round. Has appeared in 70 games, including 61 starts, for the Raiders from 2008 through the '12 season.

8. Johnathan Joseph, 2006, 4.31 ... DB drafted 24th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. Was a starter for the Bengals from '06 to '10. Has spent the last two seasons as a starter for the Houston Texans.

9. Justin King, 2008, 4.31 ...DB drafted in the 4th round by the Rams. Spent three seasons with the Rams; split last season with the Indianapolis Colts and Steelers.

10. Jason Hill, 2007, 4.32 ... WR drafted in the 3rd round by the San Francisco 49ers. Spent three season with the 49ers. Played in 6 games for the Jacksonville Jaguars in '10 and all of the '11 season. Appeared in three games in '12 for the New York Jets.

 

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Buy a ticket for Andy Dalton's charity event in FW

Anything Andy Dalton is all good. The former TCU Horned Frogs quarterback, who should have his number retired by the school by now, will be hosting a charity event soon so it's time to spread the word and buy a ticket to attend an event that will benefit the Andy and Jordan Dalton Foundation.

At 7 p.m. on Monday, March 4 at Texas de Brazil in downtown Fort Worth Dalton's foundation will host a "steak out" with proceeds benefiting his charity.  The Andy and Jordan Dalton Foundation provide opportunities, support and resources to children and families in need in Cincinnati and Fort Worth. 

Guests will have the chance to meet Dalton, get an autograph, and dine on the greatness that is Texas de Brazil. TCU stuff will be on sale on site. According to the press release, no outside memorabilia will be allowed in.

Tickets are $100 for general admission, and $150 for VIP.

For ticket information please click here - www.AndyDalton.org

Texas De Brazil
101 N. Houston St. 
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
817-882-9500

 

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