The Draft has Come and Gone...Here's the Results

Draft Weekend is over. After many trades of picks and positions in the draft, Dallas walks away with 6 new players, some should be able to immediately lend a hand, while some will probably be on the practice squad for a while.

To start it off, Dallas' first pick was running back Felix Jones from Arkansas. Although the more complete back is arguably Reshard Mendenhall, who was also available, The Cowboys went with Jones, who should prove to be more of a compliment to Marion Barber. I am very excited to see these two work back to back and see how well they do compliment each other.

Dallas' second pick was to provide a little depth at cornerback and South Florida's Mike Jenkins was chosen to represent at this position. With 'Pacman' Jones now added to the cornerback position as well, Jenkins will nicely round out the impressive lineup and allow much more freedom.

Day 1 of the draft ended for Dallas with tight end Martellus Bennett, who some argue is the overall best athlete out of all tight ends in the draft. Losing Fasano just a day earlier made Bennett an easy target for Day 1, and with his potential, Witten and Bennett may be a great duo.

Day 2 saw many trades, but Dallas still retained 3 more picks. Tashard Choice from Georgia Tech gave Dallas another running back, one whose style is closer to Barber. If needed, he will be a nice addition at the 3rd RB slot.

Dallas' next pick added yet another corner back to certainly insure depth. Orlando Scandrick from Boise State will join the ranks of more secondary CB's such as Alan Ball, Quincy Butler and Evan Oglesby.

The last pick for Dallas was pass rusher Erik Walden from Middle Tennessee State. With the guidance of Greg Ellis, Demarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer, Walden should have plenty experienced guidance and abiltiy to make a name of himself in the years to come.

Well that's it. Overall, draft weekend was a success. There weren't too many positions that were in desperate need of players, but the ones that were a little weaker (CB, RB) were both addressed and by the early looks of it, 2008 is the year to bet on.

There should be no more excuses, the pieces are all in place. It'll be the 2nd year of Wade Phillips' reign, and hopefully everyone feels more comfortable in this scheme and are prepared to give it their all. We will see.

Pre-Draft Moves

As the countdown to the draft nears completion, a couple things have happened for the Cowboys' organization.

For one, the 'Pacman' Jones question has finally been answered officially. It appears The Cowboys and The Tennessee Titans have come to an agreement that would allow Jones to be acquired by The 'Boys for a 4th round draft pick and possibly a 6th round pick next year. Pacman would also receive a new contract and I'm sure a hefty salary as well.

As I've said before, Pacman can certainly bring a lot to Dallas. Wether it is a lot of success or a lot of drama is yet to be seen, but the potential for success is definitly there. The way that Dallas seems to rotate cornerbacks (especially late last season,) should lead to Pacman being in a position to make a difference throughout the year.

Also, speaking of last season, Dallas was facing an obvious problem with punt and kickoff returners. It seemed that almost every week there was a different person returning kicks. Was it Miles Austin, was it Issiah Stanback, was it Tyson Thompson... who knows. With Pacman Jones jumping aboard, he could seriously help turn around the return game, most notably, punt returns, where he beat out Devin Hester in average return yards in 2006.

Adam 'Pacman' Jones could provide the perfect tweak to fine tune The Cowboys' game and I'm sure everyone will have their eyes focused directly on him all season long, for good or for bad.

Ok, the other news story from the Cowboys' camp that did shock me a bit was yet another trade with The Miami Dolphins.

It seems Dallas really didn't want to lose that 4th round pick for Pacman, so they got it right back by trading for The Dolphins' 4th round pick. Inside linebacker Akin Ayodele and tight end Anthony Fasano were thrown to Miami in this trade that gives The 'Boys the 100th overall pick.

The Miami Dolphins are now peppered with almost enough former Dallas players to make a Miami vs. Dallas matchup look like a 2007 training camp scrimmage (there isn't a Miami/Dallas matchup this year, however.)

The most logical reason for these two loses would be confidence in recently acquired players and up and coming players. Recently acquired from Miami, Zach Thomas should provide the needed depth at linebacker. Tight end Tony Curtis, who made an impressive run last season, creating opportunities whenever he was on the field, will fill Anthony Fasano's role perfectly, but will not provide as much depth at tight end.

Regardless, The Cowboys' key players are all staying put, and are all at a top level of play. Minor changes here and there won't upset the formula that's already set up, and it seems that Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips are smart enough to make the right moves to make this team even better.

The draft is tomorrow, and I'll post all of Dallas' selections as soon as the weekend is over and the dust has settled. I expect to see a running back, a tight end, a cornerback and maybe some linemen being drafted. We shall see..

Schedule Released

As we await the draft, and await word on Pacman Jones... The NFL has finally released the 2008/2009 schedule. Without further ado.

Week Date Game Time (EST) Network

1 Sep 07 DAL @ CLE 4:15 PM FOX
2 Sep 15 PHI @ DAL 8:30 PM ESPN
3 Sep 21 DAL @ GB 8:15 PM NBC
4 Sep 28 WAS @ DAL 4:15 PM FOX
5 Oct 05 CIN @ DAL 4:15 PM CBS
6 Oct 12 DAL @ ARI 4:15 PM FOX
7 Oct 19 DAL @ STL 1:00 PM FOX
8 Oct 26 TB @ DAL 1:00 PM FOX
9 Nov 02 DAL @ NYG 4:15 PM FOX
10 Bye
11 Nov 16 DAL @ WAS 8:15 PM NBC
12 Nov 23 SF @ DAL 1:00 PM FOX
13 Nov 27 SEA @ DAL 4:15 PM FOX
14 Dec 07 DAL @ PIT 4:15 PM FOX
15 Dec 14 NYG @ DAL 8:15 PM NBC
16 Dec 20 BAL @ DAL 8:15 PM NFL NETWORK
17 Dec 28 DAL @ PHI 1:00 PM FOX