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Taylor: Cowboys won't pursue Chargers' left tackle McNeill
08:11 PM CDT on Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor answered your questions in his weekly e-mail newsletter - Inside the Dallas Cowboys. Here are some highlights.
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Q: The San Diego Chargers have mishandled negotiations with left tackle Marcus McNeill. I believe his restricted offer is now $600,000. Would the Cowboys look into trading for McNeill and moving Free to right tackle?
Steve Ortiz
TAYLOR: That's not a bad thought, but the Chargers probably want a first-round pick for him, and then he's going to want a new big-money contract. That's a big price to pay from the Cowboys' perspective, when they believe Free is the left tackle of the future for a much cheaper price.
• • •
Q: I am not a fan of Donovan McNabb, but he was in mid-season form with Washington. Their offense, with no-name running backs, made the Cowboys look like a Model T. They have a new coach, new offense and new people, yet they drastically outperform the Cowboys.
Tommy Caughran, Dallas
TAYLOR: After the Cowboys played last week, I wrote that it's silly to overreact, positively or negatively, to a preseason game. The Bills are one of the worst teams in the league, and they didn't play many of their starters for a variety of reasons. It was a good performance by McNabb, but don't put too much stock in the preseason because there are way too many variables. Look at individual performances, they're more important, to me, than team results.
• • •
Q: Let's not forget the Cowboys hadn't practiced for nearly a week before the Hall of Fame game Sunday and practice ended last Thursday. Maybe that's why they played so poorly.
Wendell Stewart
TAYLOR: No excuses. The Cowboys are supposed to be a championship-caliber team. They must learn to fight through adversity and tough circumstances. They missed an opportunity to do that against Oakland. It would've been OK for the rookies and youngsters to struggle, but not the first-team offense.
• • •
Q: If coaching is anything, it's fixing weaknesses and maximizing strengths. How many times have we seen the Cowboys' preseason issues extend into the regular season? If they have people who can't get it done up front, they should have been replaced. No excuses.
Tim Allen
TAYLOR: I understand your frustration, but this was one of the better offensive lines last season. If it avoids injury, there's no reason to think that can't happen again, though the offensive linemen must play much better than they did against the Raiders. There was no need to replace anyone, based on last season's performance, in the off-season – unless it was Flozell Adams. And that was only because Doug Free had proven he deserved a chance to play.
Click here to read the entire newsletter
• • •
08:11 PM CDT on Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor answered your questions in his weekly e-mail newsletter - Inside the Dallas Cowboys. Here are some highlights.
• • •
Q: The San Diego Chargers have mishandled negotiations with left tackle Marcus McNeill. I believe his restricted offer is now $600,000. Would the Cowboys look into trading for McNeill and moving Free to right tackle?
Steve Ortiz
TAYLOR: That's not a bad thought, but the Chargers probably want a first-round pick for him, and then he's going to want a new big-money contract. That's a big price to pay from the Cowboys' perspective, when they believe Free is the left tackle of the future for a much cheaper price.
• • •
Q: I am not a fan of Donovan McNabb, but he was in mid-season form with Washington. Their offense, with no-name running backs, made the Cowboys look like a Model T. They have a new coach, new offense and new people, yet they drastically outperform the Cowboys.
Tommy Caughran, Dallas
TAYLOR: After the Cowboys played last week, I wrote that it's silly to overreact, positively or negatively, to a preseason game. The Bills are one of the worst teams in the league, and they didn't play many of their starters for a variety of reasons. It was a good performance by McNabb, but don't put too much stock in the preseason because there are way too many variables. Look at individual performances, they're more important, to me, than team results.
• • •
Q: Let's not forget the Cowboys hadn't practiced for nearly a week before the Hall of Fame game Sunday and practice ended last Thursday. Maybe that's why they played so poorly.
Wendell Stewart
TAYLOR: No excuses. The Cowboys are supposed to be a championship-caliber team. They must learn to fight through adversity and tough circumstances. They missed an opportunity to do that against Oakland. It would've been OK for the rookies and youngsters to struggle, but not the first-team offense.
• • •
Q: If coaching is anything, it's fixing weaknesses and maximizing strengths. How many times have we seen the Cowboys' preseason issues extend into the regular season? If they have people who can't get it done up front, they should have been replaced. No excuses.
Tim Allen
TAYLOR: I understand your frustration, but this was one of the better offensive lines last season. If it avoids injury, there's no reason to think that can't happen again, though the offensive linemen must play much better than they did against the Raiders. There was no need to replace anyone, based on last season's performance, in the off-season – unless it was Flozell Adams. And that was only because Doug Free had proven he deserved a chance to play.
Click here to read the entire newsletter
• • •