Isaiah Stanback.
You don't take guys, just to take them, and if you do, then you're probably doing a redux next year if a first-round guy is available. Or if you had, might that have discouraged you if, say come July, Cincinnati decides to trade Chad Johnson or Detroit decides to trade Roy Williams? And as Stephen Jones said, the Cowboys still are willing to deal for a veteran receiver if someone wants to deal reasonably, which is something Jerry Jones said didn't happen over the weekend.
Plus, while the return of Glenn is certainly no given, there is no give-up there, either.
"When we went into the draft, there was no looking through rose-colored glasses we could replace Terry at receiver," Jerry Jones said. "Where was the realistic way we could find starting types to add to the roster? Running back and corner. Those were the realistic places to go do it, and I think we got it done . . . I think we got it done."
Yes, the Cowboys are limited stretching the field if Glenn is not available, although they were fine last year until Terrell Owens suffered the high ankle sprain late in the season. Because you know what, the Cowboys capably stretched the field with Witten, finishing with 455 points, second most in franchise history. And I'll be darn, despite having once owned Hall of Fame quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, despite having a high-powered offense in the early '80's with Danny White in charge, Tony Romo set the club's single-season record with 4,211 passing yards his first full season starting in the NFL. How, pray tell, did he ever do it without Glenn the first 15 games?
This sort of reminds me of 2001 when the Cowboys were in bad need of a quarterback, but had no first round pick, so they reached in the second round for one, selecting Quincy Carter against some of their better judgments. How'd that work out?
Now then, if you'll just put those veins back in your neck and think a minute, the Cowboys did add speed to this offense - to this team - if you are willing to think a little outside the box.
Think Felix Jones.
And do not think traditional running back. Think Reggie Bush knockoff. Think lining up in the backfield. Think lining up in the slot. Think lining up wide. Think end arounds. Think reverses. Think defenses having to do whatever is necessary to keep him from getting in the open field.
Felix Jones will stretch the field. Felix Jones will threaten defenses. Felix Jones will scare the dickens out of coverage units.
As Jerry Jones was quick to point, "This is the most speed we've had since . . . well, since Joey Galloway." And he's talking young speed.
Which means, the solution to the second problem many had with this Cowboys draft is the answer to the first complaint. Mendenhall is no Felix Jones. He might turn out to be a franchise running back for Pittsburgh, but he would be no complement to Marion Barber, the guy so many think is the Cowboys' franchise running back.
(Timeout: I remember this e-mailer warning about drafting a running back. He warned everyone will fall in love with the guy, and suddenly those who wanted Barber to overtake Julius Jones would immediately begin crying for the new guy, Felix Jones as it turns out, to overtake Barber. He wrote, you watch and see.)
Mendenhall and Barber would be salt and salt. Gotta have you some pepper. Step aside, let Felix season this dish.
"I could see how he could bring a lot of wow," Jerry Jones said of his pre-draft thoughts. "He would bring a different dimension."
Having handed Jerry Jones a little secret truth serum, he said going into the draft he had Felix Jones on his mind, and that if he could have even given up picks to assure drafting him before the process begun, he would have done that. That's how much the Cowboys wanted to add this kind of speed to their offense.
"I could see how he fit in," Jerry Jones said.
The Cowboys also worried how Mendenhall would handle the time-share approach to the position. There were no concerns with Felix Jones. That's what he did in college. Plus, Felix Jones is a worker, and as you can see, that's become big on the Cowboys' draft criteria.
And I hear there is this argument the Cowboys
