NFL Draft 2011-From a Fan's Perspective

Cowboys Earn a B- From Their #1 FAN

By Eric Brookes (with Cody Phillips)

Tyron Smith-Cowboy's 1st Rd. Pick

As a Cowboys fan, the NFL draft can be confusing, surprising, and sometimes downright scary. The main reason for my trepidation every April can be directly attributed to a man by the name of Jerry Jones. Since becoming owner of the Cowboys,  Jerry has rarely done anything in a conventional manner and that includes the NFL draft. The best example of Jerry’s unconventional methods could be witnessed in the blockbuster trade involving then Cowboy’s running back Hershel Walker in 1989.  The Cowboys received five players and six assorted draft picks from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for Walker, who at the time was one of the better runners in the league. The conditional picks from Minnesota became a 1st and 2nd round pick in 1990, a 1st and 2nd round pick in 1991, and 1st and 3rd round picks in 1992. Wow!!!! Are you kidding me? And to think I was getting ready to start bashing Jerry Jones. Who in their right mind would not make that trade? Or put it this way, is there any current player in the NFL that you wouldn't give up for all of that? I doubt it.  For that trade, Jerry has always earned a “pass” from me, but after looking closely at his draft resume, the free pass has officially worn out its welcome!

             Jerry has always moved around in the draft.  I find it fascinating how he will consistently trade in and out of rounds, moving up and down the draft order, looking for any edge to make his team better. I sometimes think he does it to make sure people haven't forgotten who runs Americas Team. The Hershel Walker deal was the first step in the Cowboys becoming the team of the 90's and winning 3 (Dale Murphy) Super Bowls in four years.  In making that great trade, I think it instilled in Jerry's mind that he was smarter than the system...a draft genius perhaps.  

In subsequent drafts he has negatively effected the Cowboys roster by continually trying to hit a grand slam when all the Cowboy’s needed was a single up the middle. Since that trade, it is my contention that the draft hasn't been Mr. Jones' strong suit. I’m not here to critique every pick from every draft because I openly acknowledge he has had some good picks, like moving up in last years 1st round to get Dez Bryant who appears to be the real deal (although he also appears to be an extreme knucklehead off the field).  And I will never forget or lose sight of the fact that he drafted Hall of Famer's, Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith in back to back years in 1989 and 1990. The pick used to  select Smith was courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings, a direct result of the aforementioned Hershel Walker trade. But if you take away the years when Bill Parcells was “buying the groceries” and the first two drafts Jerry ran (where they had so many picks that they were bound to land a couple stars), his drafts have been somewhat pedestrian...I’ll say average at best!

The late nineties drafts led the Cowboys to three straight 5-11 (George Brett & Mark Messier) seasons from 2000-2002. I wasn't going to do it, but I simply can’t write this piece without mentioning the horrendous Quincy Carter pick.  Enamored with finding the Next Troy Aikman, Jones clearly reached for Carter in the 2nd round of the 2001 draft even though most draft gurus had Carter as a 4th round pick at best. After a few years in the league and a couple of arrests, Carter recently retired from the Arena Football League. I could go on and on with missed picks over the past 15 (Bart Starr) years, but here is the ultimate point I am trying to make. In fact, it's a very encouraging point for Cowboy’s fans.

Bruce Carter-Cowboy's 2nd Rd. Pick

           This 2011 draft was the first in Jerry's 23 (Ryne Sandberg) years as Owner of the Dallas Cowboys that he did not complete a draft day trade. What does this tell me?  It tells me he has a remarkable trust in Head Coach, Jason Garrett. In the months leading up to this year’s draft, Garrett consistently stated he wanted to stick to their plan.  It appears from the outside looking in, that that is exactly what they did.  They drafted the best player available on their board and not necessarily by need. That’s not Jerry's style at all.  No big splashes.  Just solid, straight to the point, uneventful selections.  To drive the point home, he drafted an Offensive Lineman in the 1st round for the first time as owner of the Cowboys. Did you see HBO’s critically acclaimed reality series, Hard Knocks in 2008, when camera’s showed Jerry and the Head Coach, Wade Phillips sitting by the phone, getting ready to make their decision on who to select with their 1st round pick.  Jerry looked over to then second year offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and asked, “Jason who do you think?”  Garrett responded by saying he liked Felix Jones, a running back out of Arkansas.  Jerry promptly replied, "Let’s go with Felix!"  I don’t think I fully realized it at the time, but it showed a glimpse of Jerry’s strong belief in Garett’s opinion as a football evaluator.  That belief and trust between the two obviously hasn’t wavered here in 2011.  

           As always, they made some picks in this draft that made me scratch my head, but I am ok with that.  I don’t claim to be Mel Kiper Jr.'s Jr.  The draft by no means is an exact science.  If you’re 50% right in any given draft, you’ve done a helluva job.  We must also remember Free Agency has yet to begin, (thanks to the lovely work stoppage) so some of these choices may make a little more sense three or four months from now. The Cowboys got the the guy they wanted with their 1st round pick in Tyron Smith, the big Left Tackle out of USC.  He’s a kid with great feet and loves (not likes) the game of football.  I have a firm belief that whoever you draft in the 1st round must LOVE the game, because it’s awful easy to be paid $25,000,000 in Guaranteed Cash and lose the desire it takes to be great!  As for the rest of the draft...I’m not sure they drafted anyone who will make a major impact, but that is the beauty of the draft, you simply never know. 

Two of the Cowboys biggest stars, quarterback, Tony Romo, & wide receiver, Miles Austin, were signed as Undrafted Free Agents. If it weren't for Quincy Carter carrying a little Marijuana around with him and Bill Parcells strong belief in the little known QB’s abilities, Tony Romo probably would have been released in 2004. Instead Carter got released and Romo stayed on as the 3rd string QB. Funny how the world works. 

To an outsider the Cowboys draft probably came across as somewhat uneventful, but as a huge fan I am looking at that as a plus. I have grown tired over the years watching Jerry Jones flop around from pick to pick and in the end feeling like these players never live up to their potential or expectations. I’ve grown weary of watching him draft a player simply because he is a big name. Let me also clarify this piece by saying, I think it’s absolutely ridiculous to give a team a grade on their draft when we’re yet to see any of the picks play a single down in The League!  In my opinion, a team’s draft shouldn’t be graded until 3 (Dale Earnhardt) years down the road.  Based purely on speculation and the love of a fan, I give the 2011 Cowboys draft a B-.  Here’s to hoping I’m right and that my crystal ball can accurately predict how these players will perform at an entirely different level than they’ve ever played on!  

Ultimately, the 2011 NFL Draft provided me with a sense of happiness and ease as a fan.  To see Jerry settling down, trusting others within the organization, and keeping the Cowboys hovering in the background for the moment was encouraging to witness.  Now we'll see once the ball is kicked in the air if any of these boys can play?