LKelley67

Jerry Jones might have been the antitheses of Benson for many years- passionate about football, knowledgeable, and OVER-involved in decisions. It does seem he is learning more in time though. Some good owner statements here:

INDIANAPOLIS - Hiring Bill Parcells was one of the most pride-swallowing, gut-wrenching decisions Cowboys owner Jerry Jones ever made. Jerry, in essence, agreed to be less Jerry.

He ceded absolute control in hope of wins.

"What I wouldn't want it to look like is, 'Well, Jerry just turned it over to Bill.' That's not true," Jones said. "It's kind of like getting married, through good times and hard times. I think it's just a fairy tale to think you will just bring him in and things are just going to go perfect. I don't mean that negatively at all. You have to work to make it work. You have to be dedicated to the overall vision. You have to be willing to make concessions.

"If I'm not willing to do that, then I'm a flawed person. If I'm not willing to do that, then why bring [Parcells] in at all?"

The perception is maybe Jones has done too much of that. The perception is Parcells strong-armed Jones into signing 33-year-old Drew Bledsoe when Jones really wanted to play second-year quarterback Drew Henson. The perception is Jones is letting Parcells sacrifice the long-term health of the franchise because the coach might be a short-timer.

Jones says perception is not reality. He insists he was more "gung-ho" about signing Bledsoe than Parcells because he has less tolerance for the real bad year.

"I don't have time to have a bad time now. It's not on my schedule," Jones said. "It's a little different than where I had been. Bill is there, too. We are more in the same spot."

The confluence of impatience and opportunity makes this arguably the most important off-season in Jones' tenure.

The Cowboys have $15 million in salary-cap room to spend on players when free agency begins Wednesday. They have two first-round picks in the April draft. And, unlike last season when they did not believe there was value for their free-agent dollars, the Cowboys see players well worth the money burning a hole in their pockets this time around.

"You can't go out and pay Rolls Royce dollars and end up with a '70 Chevy," Jones said. "The players that are out there this year are at an age and stage of their career where it could be appealing to us to make a big commitment."

The Cowboys have holes, plenty of holes, and the decision to sign Bledsoe and try to win now makes it imperative to fill them.

They need a pressure player in the front seven, probably two, and a cornerback and a safety and an offensive lineman (or men) and a backup running back and a speed receiver. Now, if the Cowboys were ranking based on most-needed needs, the defense is first.

And what about a cornerback versus a front-seven pressure player?

"I think they're both of equal importance," Jones said. "And even though it is a competitive world out here in free agency and the draft, because we got the two picks and where things are in terms of free agency, I think we'll be able to do both."

Jones and Parcells said they are going to attack free agency like ants on a picnic basket.

They have a well-thought-out plan, multiple targets at every position and a consensus about what they want to do. This is not Parcells telling Jones to sign somebody or Jones telling Parcells to sign somebody. This is the two of them trying to get enough players to make a run at a Super Bowl before time runs out while also building for the future.

"We were trying to win, but we were trying to build too, understand?" Parcells said. "But that deal where it's, 'We're looking for years down the road.' Well, they won't tolerate that now. You can't approach it that way now. They want you to win every year and big, if you can. So I always look at it where I'm trying to win. What about the players that are playing? They deserve a chance to win. You're trying to give them the best chance to win that year, but you're not necessarily foregoing the future by doing that."

This is his philosophy. This is the philosophy behind signing Bledsoe. This is also Jones' philosophy.

It did not used to be. He admittedly was, and had great success being, a risk-taker, and four or five years ago, he would have been champing at the bit to play Henson. He didn't mind playing a young quarterback, paying the price and going through a lean year or two in hopes of the big Troy Aikman-like payoff.

He admits "there might have been a problem" if he had wanted to do this with Parcells.

Jones doesn't have the tolerance for those lean years, which is why he bit the bullet and hired Parcells to begin with.

"It was made a little easier by the fact that, since Troy, that we haven't had the success," Jones said. "We paid a high enough price to spend two or three years with a guy like Quincy [Carter] and not have success there. But it adds insult to injury if there are millions of dollars and a first-round draft pick. The experience I've had makes me more willing than I would have been on a veteran giving us a chance to win some ballgames than I would have been two or three years ago."

Yes, Jones is on the same page as Parcells.

Like he said, why bother hiring him if he wasn't going to let him do things his way?

Cornerback

Fred Smoot, Redskins: Will likely be too expensive for Cowboys.

Gary Baxter, Ravens: Baylor ex might want to return to Texas.

Ken Lucas, Seahawks: An affordable option in expensive CB market.

Defensive line

Jason Ferguson, Jets: Big, mean -- exactly what the Cowboys need.

Marques Douglas, Ravens: Has plenty of experience in 3-4 defense.

Kevin Carter, Titans: Has the ability to also play end.

Offensive line

Kareem McKenzie, Jets: In lean tackle market, he's among the best.

Marco Rivera, Packers: A crafty veteran who still has something left.

Mike Wahle, Packers: Not the biggest name, but could be a gem.

Safety

Kenoy Kennedy, Broncos: An intriguing playmaker.

Darren Sharper, Packers: A likely cap casualty in Green Bay.

Dwight Smith, Bucs: A good safety, but wants to play corner.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/football/11012348.htm

LKelley67

the tennesseean-
First round or not, the Titans will be major players in the April draft when it comes to cornerback. They cut Samari Rolle in a salary cap purge and will allow Andre Dyson to depart as unrestricted free agent. Tennessee will be left looking for someone to pair with Andre Woolfolk as it reshapes the roster.
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also it seems if kurt warner sticks to his line of wanting to go to the best opportunity to start arizona would be the place. taking them out of the equation for qb\'s rodgers or smith would have a trickle down effect.

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Coles/Redskins- The bigger problem for the Redskins is that, if they don\'t move Coles by Wednesday, they\'ll likely be required to keep him through the 2005 season. His apparent willingness to forfeit $5 million in a deferred signing bonus payment due on April 1 will give the team cap relief this year only if the payment is waived before March 2.
The team also has been exploring strategies for trading Coles without getting back the $5 million, which would allow them to trade his rights to another team without his request for an extension being honored. But, really, who wants to give up draft picks for a guy who might have a stick up his rear end until he gets an extension?
The Ravens, Vikings, and Bucs reportedly are still interested in Coles. According to the Washington Times, the supposedly dead deal with the Jets for receiver Santana Moss still could happen.
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first i have heard of this one...
rocky mountain news-
The Broncos have offered former Pro Bowl quarterback Jeff Garcia a chance to back up Jake Plummer in 2005.
Garcia, who turned 35 Thursday, met with Broncos coach Mike Shanahan on Saturday night in Indianapolis while Broncos officials were attending the NFL\'s scouting combine.
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anyone have a take on this guy? he\'s from this fins earlier last year...
stltoday.com-
The Rams have what is believed to be a three-year deal on the table for free safety Antuan Edwards, but it appears Edwards is intent on testing the market.
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nfl.com-
Recently-released cornerback Samari Rolle from the Titans is going to sign a deal that includes a signing bonus of $12-$15 million, and is worth anywhere from $24-$26 million over the first three years of the deal.
Ravens free-agent corner Gary Baxter already has turned down a $10 million signing bonus from Baltimore.
Browns free-agent cornerback Anthony Henry is going to get at least a $10 million signing bonus.
And if recently-released cornerback Ty Law is healthy, watch out. Some team such as the Chiefs or Colts is going to pay him big dollars for the big task of trying to knock off the Patriots.
Suddenly, the one-year, $10.5 million tender that Oakland cornerback Charles Woodson signed looks like a bargain.

[Edited on 28/2/2005 by LKelley67]