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Fraley: Undrafted free agents hope for spots on veteran Dallas Cowboys roster
04:54 PM CDT on Thursday, August 26, 2010
Gerry Fraley
Column by GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News | gfraley@dallasnews.com
Gerry Fraley
Archive | Bio | E-mail
OXNARD, Calif. * After months of off-season workouts and weeks of training camp, it comes down to this.
The Cowboys have two final exhibition games in a six-day span: Saturday at Houston and Thursday at home against Miami . It's now-or-never time for the ultimate in NFL dreamers: rookie undrafted free agents.
"The next six days are the most important six days we have," Cowboys rookie fullback Chris Gronkowski. "You have to show why you should be here."
Gronkowski spoke for an audacious fivesome of undrafted rookie free agents with the Cowboys. Safeties Barry Church and Danny McCray, cornerback Bryan McCann, center Phil Costa and Gronkowski have put themselves in the position of having a real chance at forcing their way onto the opening-day roster.
The deck is stacked against them.
The Cowboys reek of continuity. They have 20 starters back from last year's club, which won the NFC East. Of the 53 players eligible for the divisional playoff game at Minnesota, 46 are still around.
The deck has been stacked against the undrafted free agents from the start. Only Church was among the 335 players invited to the pre-draft scouting combine. A total of 255 players were selected in the spring draft.
Undrafted free agents are the mutts, the players with much to prove and no margin for error. These five players have persevered to make it this far.
"You have to do special things to get a look," McCray said. "We've been getting those looks and opportunities, and I think we've been taking advantage of them pretty well. .... We have to keep it going to hopefully solidify a spot.
"Right now, it's a grind."
Each player arrived with a significant knock against him.
Church was too slow. McCray was just a guy at LSU, starting less than half the time. McCann would give up as many plays as he made. Gronkowski was caught between positions: too small for tight end; not talented enough for fullback. Costa lacked size.
It's easier for a scout to say what a player cannot do than to find what he can do. Tom Ciskowski, director of college and pro scouting, college scouting coordinator Chris Hall and the scouts found something to like in these players. Each was on the Cowboys' draft board.
"They take pride in that here, having guys on their draft board and going out to get them," coach Wade Phillips said. "I've been impressed with that. It's paid off well for this team."
Phillips' staff saw what the scouts noticed. These five players may be lacking in some ways, but they know how to play the game.
Church has enough speed to be at the right spot at the right time. McCray has been a special teams demon. McCann has shown exceptional speed and athletic ability.
Gronkowski has blocked so well owner-general manager Jerry Jones mentioned Daryl Johnston , whose work at fullback cleared the way for Emmitt Smith to reach the Hall of Fame. Costa has been relentless, waging daily all-out battles with Pro Bowl nose guard Jay Ratliff and veteran inside linebacker Keith Brooking.
"When you're undrafted and been snubbed by a lot of teams, you have to prove a lot," said Costa, son of a champion bodybuilder. "When I came here, it wasn't to make friends in the beginning. ''
Now, they want to be teammates. Phillips holds to the mantra that 53 best players, by the club's definition, will make the opening day roster. Some players who were not good enough to be drafted will be on that list.Breaking them down
A look at the pros and cons of the undrafted free agents with the best chance of making the Cowboys' opening day roster:
Barry Church, safety
Pros: Better than expected in coverage. At the combine, showed quickness by recording best time among safeties in three-cone shuttle and second-best time in 60-yard shuttle. Exceptional instincts.
Cons: Ran 40 in 4.76 seconds at the combine, slowest among safeties. Used more like a blitzing linebacker than a coverage safety during final season at Toledo.
Phil Costa, center
Pros: Started at guard and center at Maryland. At pro day, did 35 reps of bench press with 225 pounds. Plays with a nasty streak.
Cons: Undersized at 6-3, 316 pounds, and lacks wingspan. A 34-inch arm span is ideal for offensive lineman. Costa's arm span is about 30 inches. Played center for only one season.
Chris Gronkowski, fullback
Pros: Strong and technically sound blocker out of fullback spot. At Arizona pro day, ran 4.71 in the 40 and did 24 bench-press reps at 225 pounds.
Cons: True fullback, a dying breed in the NFL. Touched ball only six times as senior because Arizona switched to a wide-open passing game.
Bryan McCann, cornerback
Pros: Has speed and athletic ability of top-flight cornerback. At SMU pro day, ran 4.32 in the 40 and had 40 ½ -inch vertical leap. Both would have ranked among top scores at combine.
Cons: At 5-10, 189 pounds, gives up considerable size and strength against most wide receivers. Needs to refine coverage techniques.
Danny McCray, safety
Pros: Superb on special teams, particularly as outside "gunner' on punt-coverage unit. Average speed but noteworthy strength. Did 23 bench-press reps with 225 pounds at LSU pro day.
Cons: Had only two starts, at strong safety, in senior season and 13 starts overall in LSU career. Never found a set position, playing safety, nickel back and linebacker.
Gerry Fraley
• • •
04:54 PM CDT on Thursday, August 26, 2010
Gerry Fraley
Column by GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News | gfraley@dallasnews.com
Gerry Fraley
Archive | Bio | E-mail
OXNARD, Calif. * After months of off-season workouts and weeks of training camp, it comes down to this.
The Cowboys have two final exhibition games in a six-day span: Saturday at Houston and Thursday at home against Miami . It's now-or-never time for the ultimate in NFL dreamers: rookie undrafted free agents.
"The next six days are the most important six days we have," Cowboys rookie fullback Chris Gronkowski. "You have to show why you should be here."
Gronkowski spoke for an audacious fivesome of undrafted rookie free agents with the Cowboys. Safeties Barry Church and Danny McCray, cornerback Bryan McCann, center Phil Costa and Gronkowski have put themselves in the position of having a real chance at forcing their way onto the opening-day roster.
The deck is stacked against them.
The Cowboys reek of continuity. They have 20 starters back from last year's club, which won the NFC East. Of the 53 players eligible for the divisional playoff game at Minnesota, 46 are still around.
The deck has been stacked against the undrafted free agents from the start. Only Church was among the 335 players invited to the pre-draft scouting combine. A total of 255 players were selected in the spring draft.
Undrafted free agents are the mutts, the players with much to prove and no margin for error. These five players have persevered to make it this far.
"You have to do special things to get a look," McCray said. "We've been getting those looks and opportunities, and I think we've been taking advantage of them pretty well. .... We have to keep it going to hopefully solidify a spot.
"Right now, it's a grind."
Each player arrived with a significant knock against him.
Church was too slow. McCray was just a guy at LSU, starting less than half the time. McCann would give up as many plays as he made. Gronkowski was caught between positions: too small for tight end; not talented enough for fullback. Costa lacked size.
It's easier for a scout to say what a player cannot do than to find what he can do. Tom Ciskowski, director of college and pro scouting, college scouting coordinator Chris Hall and the scouts found something to like in these players. Each was on the Cowboys' draft board.
"They take pride in that here, having guys on their draft board and going out to get them," coach Wade Phillips said. "I've been impressed with that. It's paid off well for this team."
Phillips' staff saw what the scouts noticed. These five players may be lacking in some ways, but they know how to play the game.
Church has enough speed to be at the right spot at the right time. McCray has been a special teams demon. McCann has shown exceptional speed and athletic ability.
Gronkowski has blocked so well owner-general manager Jerry Jones mentioned Daryl Johnston , whose work at fullback cleared the way for Emmitt Smith to reach the Hall of Fame. Costa has been relentless, waging daily all-out battles with Pro Bowl nose guard Jay Ratliff and veteran inside linebacker Keith Brooking.
"When you're undrafted and been snubbed by a lot of teams, you have to prove a lot," said Costa, son of a champion bodybuilder. "When I came here, it wasn't to make friends in the beginning. ''
Now, they want to be teammates. Phillips holds to the mantra that 53 best players, by the club's definition, will make the opening day roster. Some players who were not good enough to be drafted will be on that list.Breaking them down
A look at the pros and cons of the undrafted free agents with the best chance of making the Cowboys' opening day roster:
Barry Church, safety
Pros: Better than expected in coverage. At the combine, showed quickness by recording best time among safeties in three-cone shuttle and second-best time in 60-yard shuttle. Exceptional instincts.
Cons: Ran 40 in 4.76 seconds at the combine, slowest among safeties. Used more like a blitzing linebacker than a coverage safety during final season at Toledo.
Phil Costa, center
Pros: Started at guard and center at Maryland. At pro day, did 35 reps of bench press with 225 pounds. Plays with a nasty streak.
Cons: Undersized at 6-3, 316 pounds, and lacks wingspan. A 34-inch arm span is ideal for offensive lineman. Costa's arm span is about 30 inches. Played center for only one season.
Chris Gronkowski, fullback
Pros: Strong and technically sound blocker out of fullback spot. At Arizona pro day, ran 4.71 in the 40 and did 24 bench-press reps at 225 pounds.
Cons: True fullback, a dying breed in the NFL. Touched ball only six times as senior because Arizona switched to a wide-open passing game.
Bryan McCann, cornerback
Pros: Has speed and athletic ability of top-flight cornerback. At SMU pro day, ran 4.32 in the 40 and had 40 ½ -inch vertical leap. Both would have ranked among top scores at combine.
Cons: At 5-10, 189 pounds, gives up considerable size and strength against most wide receivers. Needs to refine coverage techniques.
Danny McCray, safety
Pros: Superb on special teams, particularly as outside "gunner' on punt-coverage unit. Average speed but noteworthy strength. Did 23 bench-press reps with 225 pounds at LSU pro day.
Cons: Had only two starts, at strong safety, in senior season and 13 starts overall in LSU career. Never found a set position, playing safety, nickel back and linebacker.
Gerry Fraley
• • •