ThoughtExperiment

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Prompted by theebs' mention of Peter King in our 2002 draft room.

Yeah... Jerry doesn't make the decision, does he?

And notice the astute scouting talent shown by Red J's daddy.

http://sportsillustrated.asia/vault/article/magazine/MAG1025631/1/index.htm


On April 9, in the offices of the Dallas Cowboys, 17 of the team's coaches, scouts and executives gathered to dissect the best cornerbacks in the 2002 draft. This was a vital day because the Cowboys' position of biggest need was cornerback. Here's how Dallas analyzed one of those options, 5'9?", 186-pound Phillip Buchanon.

Assistant director of college scouting Tom Ciskowski: "Next player, Phillip Buchanon from Miami, Florida; 4.37 on grass; vertical jump 33; hand 7�; arm 29�. Early-out junior. [Ciskowski begins reading the ratings of Buchanon from those assembled in the room.] Ireland 1.00 [meaning Buchanon is the 10th-best player in the draft], Warfield .85 [between eighth and ninth], Ciskowski .60 [sixth], Hess 1.00, [secondary coach Clancy] Pendergast .80 [eighth]. Jeff, go ahead."

National scout Jeff Ireland: " Fort Myers, Florida. Good kid. No problems off the field. Very cocky. Gym-rat type. Great body control, burst. Rare balance and foot quickness. Not a sure tackier, but he will assert himself. Very tough for a little guy. High motor. Quick route recognition and awareness. Does get bounced around by bigger wide receivers, but he's hard to separate from. As a cover corner, you can match him with the best receiver and he'll mark him all day long. Can mirror abrupt double moves. The only real weakness is he's short. He does get outjumped, and he is suspect in run-support. Very sudden as a returner. Excellent ball skills. We'd get a double whammy because of the return skills. This kid is better than [ Texas corner Quentin] Jammer right now, but I still like Jammer better because of the upside. A top 10 player."

Ciskowski: "I love this guy. He competes like Michael Irvin and is a better kid. He thinks he's Deion Sanders. In his mind he's not 5'10". His intangibles are so incredible. You hear about the size. You remember when we picked Russell Maryland, they said he lacked this or lacked that? Emmitt was too short, too slow. Michael Irvin was too slow. They were just football players, like this kid. He's a backoff corner and a press corner, and he can play in the nickel. No doubt he would start for us from Day One. Kevin Smith [a Cowboys first-round choice in 1992], who we all know could play, was seven eighths of an inch taller than Buchanon. Here's seven eighths. [Ciskowski points to the draft board, where he has drawn two parallel lines about an inch apart.] The real world for us is Steve Spurrier spreading you out, the Rams spreading you out. We don't have a corner who can match up with their best receiver."

[Chairs swivel to the big video screen to watch a tape of Buchanon's workout in Miami, then his highlight tape. After watching the quickest 20-yard cone shuttle of draft-eligible players, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says, "That's Deion stuff." After seeing a relentless Buchanon pursuit on a corner blitz, coach Dave Campo says, "That is a great play!" After a punt return for a touchdown, Campo says, "This guy's a little Deion. What vision." You can feel the opinion in the room shifting toward Buchanon from the scouts' favorite, Jammer. Ciskowski pops in another video. More plays by Buchanon, these against Florida, Florida State and Pitt. Interceptions, passes broken up, wily near-interference noncalls that make him look like a four-year pro. "My concern," says defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer in the middle of the tape, "is his run-support ability." That is the only discouraging word heard during the 21-minute video.]

Scout Jim Garrett: "You divorce yourself from reality if you look at both guys [Buchanon and Jammer] and don't think this guy's better. He's like a veteran. Buchanon would be my choice, hands down."

Jones: "Our grades put him under Jammer. Our exercise before was invalid if we don't put him under [ Oklahoma safety] Roy Williams."

Zimmer: "All the scouts but you, Tom, have Jammer graded higher [than Buchanon]. My question is this: Is the best safety to come out in nine years not as good as the second-best corner in this draft?"

Ciskowski: "Mike, all I'm asking is this: If you had a football person watch tape of both, I bet they'd say Buchanon's a better player."

Garrett: "Absolutely."

Zimmer: "I think I'm a football person."

Ciskowski: "Don't get me wrong. I like Jammer. I'd love to have him, but there's gonna be more training. Buchanon can help us right now. Buchanon will be a better cover guy, Jammer better in run support."

Garrett: "I think we've turned this around. Do we want a run-defending corner or a covering corner? I think you've got to go with the covering corner."

Zimmer: "Well, I think Jammer is a better shutdown corner."

Campo: "The only thing that puts me with Buchanon is that I know his mentality. He believes he's as good as Deion Sanders."

Scout Jim Hess: "I don't know how you turn down a big [Jammer is 6'1", 200], fast corner who plays his best with no help versus a little corner."

Ciskowski: "I believe if Buchanon got out on our track, he'd blow Jammer's doors off."

Hess: "Maybe so, but Jammer's still a big, fast corner."

Campo: "As far as being a shutdown corner, I think Jammer, because of his size, is going to be better."

Zimmer: "Receivers will tell you that they have to work so much harder against a big, physical player. Am I right, Paul?"

Consultant Paul Warfield: "Jammer would be more intimidating. He gets his hands on you, he'll disrupt you from getting into the pattern."

Jones: "Did you know Deion scored a touchdown one out of every seven times he touched the ball? Will we use our shutdown corner to return punts?"

Zimmer: "If it wins games, I'm for it."

Jones: "Let's selectively use him, then."

Ciskowski: "Who sees Buchanon better?" [Ciskowski, Garrett and Warfield raise hands.]

Campo: "I'm right on the fence."

Garrett: "Give them the same grade."

Jones: "Anyone have a problem with that?"

Scouting director Larry Lacewell: "I've got an idea. The guys in favor of the guy we pick, if he's not a player, they get fired."

Zimmer: "Doesn't matter. It's gonna happen to me either way. I'll tell you what, you can put mine on tape: We pick Jammer and he's not a player, fire me."

Jones: "Zim, you've got five years. Because the contract we give him, he's gonna be here five years. Give them the same grade, but put Buchanon below Jammer."

[As the group breaks for lunch, Ciskowski sidles up to Jones. "Buchanon's pretty good, isn't he?" Ciskowski says. Jones nods. "Better than I thought," says the man who will make the final call.]

Epilogue: Jammer went to the Chargers with the fifth pick. Buchanon slid to the Raiders at No. 17, after the Cowboys took Williams.
 

cmd34(work)

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wasn't Buchanon a guy who bounced around and never really loved up to 1st round billing?
 

ThoughtExperiment

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wasn't Buchanon a guy who bounced around and never really loved up to 1st round billing?

Yes. He was a bonehead, too. Jammer turned out to be the better player without question.

Zimmer shows more brains and balls than anyone else in this story. (Sorry dbair.)
 

Theebs

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no wonder parcells passed over ciskowski for Ireland...

and no wonder guys like playing for zimmer and why is still successful in the league.
 

boozeman

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Agree... unfortunately. Even Ciscowski comes off as a jackwagon there.

Ciskowski is another constant, along with Jerry Jones.

There is a reason he's been up for two GM jobs and failed to get either.
 

junk

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Zimmer wouldn't shock me as HC in Dallas if/when Garrett gets canned. Not saying I'd like it, but I could see it.
 

Hoofbite

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meanwhile, Ed Reed is nowhere in that conversation. That's a shame.

Why would he be?

Clearly the entire league was wrong about him, doubtful he'd be in the conversation in any war room with a top 10 pick that year.

Dude was way better than his billing. You can't predict that but you can predict a shitty player to be shitty. Missing out on the guys who were unanimously passed on doesn't bother me nearly as much as taking a guy who would have pretty much been unanimously passed on if it weren't for your team.
 
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