Exascor said:
It'd be nice if
you didn't quote an ENTIRE post but only the relevant parts.
Ok... You say that. I was talking about a completely different thing.
texasguy346 said:
The most obvious one to me would be Byron Leftwich back in 03 when Dallas picked up Newman. Another guy I like alot Matt Schaub, but he's backing up Vick so no one has seen much of him yet.
I'd much rather take Newman over Leftwich anyday. Can't beat being co-rookie of the year in 2003. He was one of the biggest factors in Dallas's #1 defense, 10-6 run.
There was a great article on Newman in the Austin-American Statesman today:
OXNARD, Calif. -- Dallas Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman waited for the right moment. Then he darted in and made the play.
With rookie Rob Petitti talking to reporters, Newman came around the group, reached in and popped his teammate on the side of the head -- not with his pads or helmet, but with a punching puppet he'd borrowed from a fan. Laughing and still moving, Newman ran off to sneak up on another unsuspecting friend.
OK, so it's nothing like intercepting a pass and returning it for a touchdown. But it is a sign that the lively, energetic Newman the Cowboys had in 2003 is back, replacing the hesitant, sometimes-lost version from 2004.
"Last year was last year," he said. "I don't remember much from last year."
That's exactly what Coach Bill Parcells wants to hear. He thinks Newman's sophomore slump came from the speedy cornerback having a few bad breaks early on and letting them nag him, which in turn led to more problems.
"He got beat, couldn't find the ball a couple times, got a penalty . . . it just snowballs," Parcells said. "If you can't forget, it's going to be hard for you to be successful. It isn't going to go good all the time."
Newman had reason to think it might.
A star in high school and college, in football and in track, his combination of ability and pizazz reminded the Cowboys of Deion Sanders, and they used the fifth pick of the 2003 draft to get him. Newman started right away at left cornerback on what became the league's top-ranked defense, helping Dallas go 10-6 and make the playoffs.
That off-season, the Cowboys lost their right cornerback and didn't replace him, instead gambling that holdovers and newcomers could pick up the slack. They couldn't. Injuries, including a career-ender for safety Darren Woodson, only made things worse for the secondary.
Perhaps trying to do too much, Newman wound up doing less. Even with unproven players around him, teams didn't hesitate to throw his way.
The result: Opposing quarterbacks completed 61.8 percent of their passes, the highest ever against a Dallas defense. The 31 passing touchdowns allowed matched the second-worst. Five covered at least 50 yards, which helps explain why the Cowboys gave up 898 more yards through the air than the previous season.
So the Cowboys made big changes this off-season.
The day free agency began they signed cornerback Anthony Henry, then later added Aaron Glenn. Their arrival turned last year's rookie regulars into sophomore backups and, best of all, should maximize Newman's skills.
Consider this: Newman has become so unburdened that Parcells is considering using him to cover slot receivers in three-cornerback formations and may finally let him show off on punt returns.
"He looks to be much improved," Parcells said. "But what happens when he gets stung the first time? That's what you're waiting for."
Glenn, a 12-year veteran, is tutoring Newman.
"He's by far one of the quicker, faster, better corners that I've seen," Glenn said. "He's an explosive guy that can make a lot of plays. If he can get his hands on the ball, it's going to be trouble for a lot of teams."
Returning punts is another way Newman can be a troublemaker. He had 27 returns in college and took three to the end zone, averaging 15.4 yards overall. That 1-in-9 scoring ratio sounds pretty good to a club that hasn't had a punt return for a touchdown since Thanksgiving 2001, a span of 55 games.
Newman's focus remains on becoming one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, the kind said to make quarterbacks ignore their side of the field.
"I don't know if there's a corner who can completely take away half the field -- maybe a quarter of it. And I got that covered," he said, laughing. "Half the field? I'm still working on that."
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http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/auto/epaper/editions/friday/sports_3450484ed5f671630083.html
Huge said:
There is no good QB in Dallas. Bledsoe is past his prime (as average as his prime was) and the other two haven't done diddily poo.
But my thoughts on this are well documented here. No need to
I really wouldn't consider Bledsoe a "bad" QB. At the end of 2004 he really stepped it up for the Bills and almost led them to the playoffs.
We'll see what he can really do when he takes it to the field against San Diego on September 11th. He won't be half bad with Jason Witten, Terry Glenn, and Keyshawn, not to mention a solid RB in Julius Jones.
