Monte Kiffin told his players to study two teams’ defenses from last season: the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks. A couple of Kiffin disciples (new Dallas defensive line coach Rod Marinelli and new Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley) coordinated those two units, which ranked among the NFL’s top five in scoring defense, total defense and turnovers forced.
GRAPEVINE, Texas -- Change is nothing new for Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr. After all, he'll be adjusting to a new defensive coordinator for the third consecutive season. Carr played for Romeo Crennel in 2011 with Kansas City, Rob Ryan last year and now readies for the 2013 season with Monte Kiffin.
IRVING, Texas -- Over the last few years, the Cowboys have had draft picks who weren't ready to start practicing come rookie minicamp. Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, Matt Johnson and Morris Claiborne were just some of the players whose careers were delayed by either post-college surgeries or an early injury in camp.
Where they're picking: No. 18 Conventional wisdom tells us the top six offensive linemen will be gone by 18, depriving the Cowboys of the chance to address their most significant short-term and long-term need.
Todd Archer ran some numbers, and his conclusion is that the Dallas Cowboys struggle with the draft. Here's some of his data: Since 2007, the Cowboys have drafted 47 players and only 18 remain. That’s not good.
IRVING, Texas – On Tuesday I upset some people when I questioned the philosophy the Cowboys chose in 2011 and ’12 to select Tyron Smith and Morris Claiborne. I believe they left too much on the table by not taking a trade with Jacksonville in 2011, and then by giving up their second-rounder to move up to get Claiborne.
There was concern, I won't lie, as I sat there with the No. 18 pick for the Dallas Cowboys in the ESPN.com blogger mock draft. Dallas absolutely needs to come out of the first round with a new starting offensive lineman, and they were going off the board quickly.
The Cowboys moved up from the No. 14 spot of the 2012 NFL draft to select LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne with the sixth overall pick. Claiborne was the second-highest rated player on the Cowboys' draft board, following quarterback Andrew Luck.
Missing the playoffs again isn't an acceptable notion around Valley Ranch for the Dallas Cowboys. There are many questions surrounding this draft class, but the Cowboys can't miss here. The Cowboys have to find a starter or a significant contributor in the first two rounds, regardless if they trade up or down.
IRVING, Texas – Jerry Jones views himself as something of a gambler when it comes to the NFL draft. The Cowboys owner and general manager is willing to take some risks that others may not make. With their first-round picks the last two seasons, the Cowboys appeared to skip the risky route with Tyron Smith and Morris Claiborne.
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