JORGE NEGRETE
EDINBURG, TX
We all know we need defensive help, but what do you all think about drafting a wide receiver in the fourth or fifth round -- someone that has blazing speed?
Rowan: I'd be for it, and how about even the second or third? I think defensive line is the obvious need right now, but if there's a player available after the first round that the scouts deem to have first-round, No. 1 receiver-type talent, I wouldn't mind taking a flier there. This team will pass even when that's not what it's best at during the course of a game, and if that's the case, it needs the weapons to make that mission fruitful.
David: Earlier this week I thought this was a bad or short-sighted decision, but I'm coming around. Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams are valuable assets and they'll be key pieces of the offense in 2014. Miles Austin hasn't proven to be reliable at making big plays in the last three years, and he might be done playing for this team anyway. That leaves Cole Beasley as your next man up if your No. 1 or No. 2 goes down. I like Beasley's skill set, but he's not the guy you want lining up outside against a team's best corner. A third young receiver – preferably one with some speed – could be a big boost for the passing game. At a reasonable price, of course.
JORGE MORALES
MIAMI, FL
I think this team for the past few years has lacked a personality -- i.e., Pittsburgh, you know they will run the ball & play physical defense. What do you think?
Rowan:"Identity," "personality," call it what you want, but you're right. I think a lot of that has to do with what's said before and after games. They say they want to be balanced when I don't think that's what they mean and that's not what their actions would show. And the problem with developing that personality is they're rarely [embedded_ad] consistently great in one area. The one thing they can count on consistently is their back shoulder fade near the goal line to Dez Bryant, and there's considerable risk and lack of consistency to follow when that's the team's bread and butter. They became a stout running team toward the end of the year, but they rarely stuck with it. I usually hate when "identity" is thrown around, but I agree with your point.
David: Rowan has been harping on this for a while now, and I think it's a great point. This is a team with a $20 million quarterback, a Hall of Fame tight end and one of the game's great young receivers, but the consistent narrative is to strive for balance and to let the running game dictate the offense. Firstly, I think those are backward priorities – the offense is built to throw, so let it throw. Secondly, the Cowboys often don't follow through on the narrative, as the Green Bay game perfectly encapsulated. The running game really did emerge as a strength in the last month of the season, and that's good. Cliché as it sounds, you do need balance. It's weird to think how wildly the Cowboys' methods for moving the ball vary from game to game.
