Never has the above phrase meant so much. On Monday, the NFL lockout was officially lifted and teams began business Tuesday.
Fans everywhere rejoiced.
The next several days will be a whirlwind of activity as a normal offseason has been condensed into a few weeks. On Tuesday, teams could sign undrafted rookie free agents and also negotiate with free agents. They can't cut players but some players were notified Tuesday that they will be cut. On Thursday, teams can start cutting players and signing veteran free agents. The Cowboys are one of the teams that will be doing a lot of cutting. They are one of the top teams in the league at being over the salary cap (not a good thing to be good at), so they need to shed some weight.
Running back Marion Barber, offensive linemen Marc Columbo and Leonard Davis, and receiver Roy Williams were notified Tuesday they will be cut. I don't have a problem with any of these releases and none come as a surprise. Barber's production has gone down the past couple seasons and Tashard Choice and Felix Jones have shown what they are capable of at the position. Additionally, DeMarco Murray, out of Oklahoma, is a drafted rookie being added to the backfield.
Columbo and Davis are both aging linemen who haven't performed as well recently. Dallas' top draft pick was Tyron Smith, a linemen out of USC. Watching the Dallas offensive line the past few seasons has been quite frustrating. I feel at times as though Tony Romo is one of the top QBs in the league and Dallas is capable of having one of the best running games in the league as well. However, the line hasn't always been effective at run or pass blocking. Thankfully, Romo is mobile and can make plays on the run, but he has gotten hit a lot. Penalties have also been an issue for the line. Hopefully with the line getting younger Dallas can start anew somewhat and create some new chemistry.
Roy Williams never lived up to his big contract at Dallas. Maybe the pressure of playing in the same state he went to college in got to him. Maybe he didn't like being the focal point on a popular team with a storied history. Perhaps he liked playing on a team with lower expectations where there wasn't as much pressure on him every Sunday (Detroit). It's a shame because I was always pulling for him. I thought he kept a pretty good attitude the past few seasons he's been a Cowboy. One of the knocks on him coming here was his attitude, but I think he always said the right thing and showed the minimal amount of frustration you would expect to see out of someone who was brought in as a highly touted receiver but only performed as the second-best receiver on the team (and those were the good times).
It will be interesting to see in the coming days who else Dallas might release and the types of free agents it could try to sign. Terence Newman, Keith Brooking and Bradie James are all players on the defensive side of the ball who are nicked up often and perhaps a step slow in recent seasons, so I would be surprised if there weren't some cuts on defense.
Wednesday, 10 training camps are opening around the league. Thursday, 10 more are opening. Friday, 10 more are opening and Sunday, the Jets' and Texans' training camps are opening. The league is allowing teams to open training camps two weeks before their first preseason game and that is why the schedule is constructed the way it is for different teams. Dallas plays in the first batch of preseason games Aug. 11 at home vs. Denver so Dallas is one of the teams that has training camp starting Wednesday.
Football season is nearing and it is an exciting time. The weather will be getting cooler (who wouldn't like that right now?), the leaves will be changing colors and we will be hearing the TV stations' various NFL theme songs before we know it. The NFL season, in doubt for some time, is now a reality and is just around the corner. The college season will come even sooner. Virginia opens its season Sept. 3 at home vs. William & Mary. I'll talk more about the Cavaliers and the other ACC football teams as the season gets closer.
Fans everywhere rejoiced.
The next several days will be a whirlwind of activity as a normal offseason has been condensed into a few weeks. On Tuesday, teams could sign undrafted rookie free agents and also negotiate with free agents. They can't cut players but some players were notified Tuesday that they will be cut. On Thursday, teams can start cutting players and signing veteran free agents. The Cowboys are one of the teams that will be doing a lot of cutting. They are one of the top teams in the league at being over the salary cap (not a good thing to be good at), so they need to shed some weight.
Running back Marion Barber, offensive linemen Marc Columbo and Leonard Davis, and receiver Roy Williams were notified Tuesday they will be cut. I don't have a problem with any of these releases and none come as a surprise. Barber's production has gone down the past couple seasons and Tashard Choice and Felix Jones have shown what they are capable of at the position. Additionally, DeMarco Murray, out of Oklahoma, is a drafted rookie being added to the backfield.
Columbo and Davis are both aging linemen who haven't performed as well recently. Dallas' top draft pick was Tyron Smith, a linemen out of USC. Watching the Dallas offensive line the past few seasons has been quite frustrating. I feel at times as though Tony Romo is one of the top QBs in the league and Dallas is capable of having one of the best running games in the league as well. However, the line hasn't always been effective at run or pass blocking. Thankfully, Romo is mobile and can make plays on the run, but he has gotten hit a lot. Penalties have also been an issue for the line. Hopefully with the line getting younger Dallas can start anew somewhat and create some new chemistry.
Roy Williams never lived up to his big contract at Dallas. Maybe the pressure of playing in the same state he went to college in got to him. Maybe he didn't like being the focal point on a popular team with a storied history. Perhaps he liked playing on a team with lower expectations where there wasn't as much pressure on him every Sunday (Detroit). It's a shame because I was always pulling for him. I thought he kept a pretty good attitude the past few seasons he's been a Cowboy. One of the knocks on him coming here was his attitude, but I think he always said the right thing and showed the minimal amount of frustration you would expect to see out of someone who was brought in as a highly touted receiver but only performed as the second-best receiver on the team (and those were the good times).
It will be interesting to see in the coming days who else Dallas might release and the types of free agents it could try to sign. Terence Newman, Keith Brooking and Bradie James are all players on the defensive side of the ball who are nicked up often and perhaps a step slow in recent seasons, so I would be surprised if there weren't some cuts on defense.
Wednesday, 10 training camps are opening around the league. Thursday, 10 more are opening. Friday, 10 more are opening and Sunday, the Jets' and Texans' training camps are opening. The league is allowing teams to open training camps two weeks before their first preseason game and that is why the schedule is constructed the way it is for different teams. Dallas plays in the first batch of preseason games Aug. 11 at home vs. Denver so Dallas is one of the teams that has training camp starting Wednesday.
Football season is nearing and it is an exciting time. The weather will be getting cooler (who wouldn't like that right now?), the leaves will be changing colors and we will be hearing the TV stations' various NFL theme songs before we know it. The NFL season, in doubt for some time, is now a reality and is just around the corner. The college season will come even sooner. Virginia opens its season Sept. 3 at home vs. William & Mary. I'll talk more about the Cavaliers and the other ACC football teams as the season gets closer.
Comments
Post a Comment