...but every circus needs transportation
By Kevin Sherrington , Staff Columnist Contact Kevin Sherrington on Twitter: @KSherringtonDMN
Jerry Jones has added a nine-passenger helicopter to go with his private jet and pair of luxury buses. He still doesn't have an NFL-caliber pass rush, and he's starting the season with a rookie quarterback, but, hey, first thing any circus needs is transportation.
Frankly, I'd have been more impressed if he'd gone out and bought a bona fide defensive end, like the Giants did. Dak Prescott may feel the same before Sunday's opener at JerryWorld is over.
Dak's ability to remain clear of Olivier Vernon's grill, not to mention the rest of the traffic in the Giants' rush, probably bears watching.
If the fourth-rounder not only survives this test in his debut, but wins it, it'll say a lot about the offseason approach of the two old NFC East rivals.
First, an NFL axiom: The two items you need most, even more than an H145 Airbus, are a good quarterback and a top-flight pass rush. This has been the case pretty much since the invention of the forward pass.
Now Jerry couldn't help the fact that Tony Romo broke something else, but he's certainly responsible for an alternative, as noted in this space repeatedly. The fact that Dak immediately went to the head of the class demonstrates just how backward Jerry does business.
Consider that the Giants' No. 2 quarterback is Ryan Nassib, drafted in the fourth round in 2013. He's played in only a handful of games ever since, basically because Eli Manning, love him or hate him, hasn't missed a start since 2004.
Guy never misses a game, and the Giants still picked Nassib in 2013.
Meanwhile, Jerry has to watch Tony Romo carried off in a dustpan before he drafts a backup plan.
Dak seems like a perfectly good prospect, but, as previously noted, starting so soon seems a bit much. A few peers argue it won't be as bad as you might think because the Cowboys are dialing back to 2014, when DeMarco Murray carried the offense and Romo was just along for the ride. They support that premise with the example of Denver, which won a Super Bowl last season with a caretaker quarterback.
Here's the problem with the run-it-down-their-throats plan: Even as good as DeMarco was in 2014, the Cowboys still had Romo as a pretty fair second option. If your quarterback doesn't present a threat, it doesn't matter how expensive your offensive line is. You're not going to run on anyone. Teams will simply stack the box. So the onus will be on Dak to do more than just hand off.
And here's the other thing about Denver and its "caretaker" quarterback last season: What made Peyton Manning great wasn't his arm. It was the brain behind that big forehead. He consistently put his teams in a place to succeed.
Of course, Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware helped a little, too. The Broncos' bookends did for Manning last season what they did Thursday for Trevor Siemian, a seventh-rounder in 2015. Siemian finished 18 of 26 for 178 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, which is about as average as it gets. Still, the Broncos won 21-20 because they once again harassed Cam Newton relentlessly.
Let me ask you: Who's going to make Sunday a nightmare for Eli from the NFL's second-most important position?
Even before it became clear that DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory wouldn't be available, I mounted a campaign of sorts for the Cowboys to sign Vernon, the top free-agent defensive end on the market. Yes, he was expensive. Got more guaranteed money ($52.5 million) than J.J. Watt. And, no, it's usually not smart to throw big money at free agents.
Except the Cowboys have tried drafting defensive ends, and it hasn't worked out so hot. Jerry has taken six in the first round, and only Ware and Greg Ellis have proved worth the investment.
The Giants gambled on Vernon, as well as defensive tackle Damon Harrison and cornerback Janoris Jenkins. They desperately needed to improve their defense, and this is how they chose to do it.
We'll see Sunday if it pays off, and which team took the right approach. For now, anyway, I like the Giants' chances.
But as rival owners go, give me Jerry Jones. On his G-Bag Nation radio show the other day, he revealed that, among other things, he could shoot pigs out of his chopper. Perfect. Can't you just see Jerry plugging away, cackling, Stephen doing all he can to keep his father from falling out? Jerry may not be the NFL's best GM, or close to it, but the man's a never-ending source of material.
By Kevin Sherrington , Staff Columnist Contact Kevin Sherrington on Twitter: @KSherringtonDMN
Jerry Jones has added a nine-passenger helicopter to go with his private jet and pair of luxury buses. He still doesn't have an NFL-caliber pass rush, and he's starting the season with a rookie quarterback, but, hey, first thing any circus needs is transportation.
Frankly, I'd have been more impressed if he'd gone out and bought a bona fide defensive end, like the Giants did. Dak Prescott may feel the same before Sunday's opener at JerryWorld is over.
Dak's ability to remain clear of Olivier Vernon's grill, not to mention the rest of the traffic in the Giants' rush, probably bears watching.
If the fourth-rounder not only survives this test in his debut, but wins it, it'll say a lot about the offseason approach of the two old NFC East rivals.
First, an NFL axiom: The two items you need most, even more than an H145 Airbus, are a good quarterback and a top-flight pass rush. This has been the case pretty much since the invention of the forward pass.
Now Jerry couldn't help the fact that Tony Romo broke something else, but he's certainly responsible for an alternative, as noted in this space repeatedly. The fact that Dak immediately went to the head of the class demonstrates just how backward Jerry does business.
Consider that the Giants' No. 2 quarterback is Ryan Nassib, drafted in the fourth round in 2013. He's played in only a handful of games ever since, basically because Eli Manning, love him or hate him, hasn't missed a start since 2004.
Guy never misses a game, and the Giants still picked Nassib in 2013.
Meanwhile, Jerry has to watch Tony Romo carried off in a dustpan before he drafts a backup plan.
Dak seems like a perfectly good prospect, but, as previously noted, starting so soon seems a bit much. A few peers argue it won't be as bad as you might think because the Cowboys are dialing back to 2014, when DeMarco Murray carried the offense and Romo was just along for the ride. They support that premise with the example of Denver, which won a Super Bowl last season with a caretaker quarterback.
Here's the problem with the run-it-down-their-throats plan: Even as good as DeMarco was in 2014, the Cowboys still had Romo as a pretty fair second option. If your quarterback doesn't present a threat, it doesn't matter how expensive your offensive line is. You're not going to run on anyone. Teams will simply stack the box. So the onus will be on Dak to do more than just hand off.
And here's the other thing about Denver and its "caretaker" quarterback last season: What made Peyton Manning great wasn't his arm. It was the brain behind that big forehead. He consistently put his teams in a place to succeed.
Of course, Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware helped a little, too. The Broncos' bookends did for Manning last season what they did Thursday for Trevor Siemian, a seventh-rounder in 2015. Siemian finished 18 of 26 for 178 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, which is about as average as it gets. Still, the Broncos won 21-20 because they once again harassed Cam Newton relentlessly.
Let me ask you: Who's going to make Sunday a nightmare for Eli from the NFL's second-most important position?
Even before it became clear that DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory wouldn't be available, I mounted a campaign of sorts for the Cowboys to sign Vernon, the top free-agent defensive end on the market. Yes, he was expensive. Got more guaranteed money ($52.5 million) than J.J. Watt. And, no, it's usually not smart to throw big money at free agents.
Except the Cowboys have tried drafting defensive ends, and it hasn't worked out so hot. Jerry has taken six in the first round, and only Ware and Greg Ellis have proved worth the investment.
The Giants gambled on Vernon, as well as defensive tackle Damon Harrison and cornerback Janoris Jenkins. They desperately needed to improve their defense, and this is how they chose to do it.
We'll see Sunday if it pays off, and which team took the right approach. For now, anyway, I like the Giants' chances.
But as rival owners go, give me Jerry Jones. On his G-Bag Nation radio show the other day, he revealed that, among other things, he could shoot pigs out of his chopper. Perfect. Can't you just see Jerry plugging away, cackling, Stephen doing all he can to keep his father from falling out? Jerry may not be the NFL's best GM, or close to it, but the man's a never-ending source of material.
