JAMES JORDAN
SAN ANTONIO, TX
Should Cowboys fans be that worried about the free agents Washington and Philly got this offseason? I remember in seasons past that they both were anointed Super Bowl contenders after great free agent pickups, but they lost the division.
Nick: I don't know if worried is the right word. I think we know those games are always going to be tough. It sounds like the Giants added some key pieces as well. Washington's key addition was at the expense of the Eagles. Let's not forget the Cowboys have added some pieces to the defensive line, getting younger at least, and probably more talented at the defensive tackle position. Time will tell how they replace Ware. So I think it's always hard to tell how people are doing based off free agency because the jury is typically still out on most of these guys.
Rowan: They should still be more worried about their own roster than the ones in the division. The truth is we don't know how well rosters will mesh until they're out on the field. As you mentioned, that was the case with the old "Dream Team" Philly team a few years back. For all we know the Giants, quietly stacking up their offensive line and secondary, may be the team in the division that's helped themselves the most this offseason.
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ROB GRAY
FAIR LAWN, NJ
It seems to me that we try to find value in the draft with players falling due to injury. With our inability to keep starters consistently on the field, is it time to abandon this mentality?
Nick: Not a bad question at all. The Cowboys love value and you usually find it with injured players. They wanted to do that with Sean Lee and Bruce Carter. Both of them have been banged up. Those are just two examples but yeah usually if players are injury-prone in college, it carries over to the NFL. Maybe they should look for those players who never miss a game for one reason or another. Good thought.
Rowan: Not entirely. I still think a lot of people would have been content with the Sean Lee pick in the second round. I think they should think twice about using a top pick on an injury-prone player, but sometimes there's just no way to tell. Morris Claiborne didn't struggle with injuries at all during college and has dealt with a load of them in the pros. Matt Johnson certainly wasn't labeled as an injury-prone player in college. It's important the team's up-to-date on the player's physical circumstances, but that doesn't mean to completely abandon the mentality, particularly late in the draft, that value can be found with players who have an injury concern.
