"Ants on a Picnic Basket"

The Cowboys appear to be on the verge of signing two new starters on this first day of free agency. As Jen Floyd wrote the other day, “the Cowboys will attack free agency like ants on a picnic basket”. I guess there is no time like the present to jump on it.

First, it appears that the Cowboys have finally addressed what could be argued to be their single biggest void for the last several years. A potentially dominating tackle to place next to Laroi Glover if they stay in the 4-3, or a solid nose tackle if they switch to the 3-4. Either way, before the day is done, it is widely believed that Jason Ferguson will be in the bag.

The Newark Star Ledger is claiming it is done …

Scouts, Inc feels Ferguson was worthy of their 4th highest distinction (solid starter) out of 10, and a grade of 72 out of 100. Here is their summary:

Insider Analysis : Ferguson uses his hands extremely well, he shed blocks quickly and he has the upper body strength to maintain separation from offensive linemen. Ferguson takes good angles to the ball, he shows good range for size and he is relentless in pursuit. As a pass rusher, Ferguson keeps his legs pumping at all times and he is a powerful bull rusher than can collapse the pocket. He has adequate height and he is capable of tipping some passes when he doesn’t get to the quarterback. He lacks the initial quickness to consistently shot the inside and he doesn’t show great closing speed to the quarterback. Ferguson loses his balance too much when he is forced to change direction quickly and he doesn’t always show sound footwork. He lacks ideal instincts and he allows offensive linemen to beat him to the point of attack at times. Ferguson has gotten too heavy at times during his career and conditioning will always be critical to his success.

Meanwhile, according to that very same Jen Floyd, the Boys may also be ready to sign Anthony Henry from Cleveland to play corner opposite Terrence Newman.

Shockingly, there appears to be no real link to Bill Parcells’ past on this guy. Again, Scout, Inc. gave Henry that 4th grade out of 10, and an overall score of 71 out of 100. They label both players as “solid starters”.

Insider Analysis : Henry is built more like a safety and although he has good speed, he doesn’t really fit the mold of a corner in terms of fluid movements, burst and change of direction. He is physical in press and can match-up with most receivers in the red area. Does a nice job of re-routing receivers and can take them out of the play. He possesses decent instincts and recognition skills, but takes too many chances and gives up more plays than he makes in man to man coverage. The problem with Henry is that he needs to keep everything in front of him to be truly effective. He is not a shut down corner in man coverage and at times he is kind of a fish out of water. Is somewhat straight lined in terms of speed and he lacks the acceleration to recover if out of position. If he guesses wrong on a route, he is in trouble. He lacks the change of direction skills and quickness to move inside and line up over the slot as a nickel or dime. Has been a durable player and has proven he can be counted on from week to week. Overall, Henry is a solid corner in the short to intermediate passing game.

Overall, these appear to be two decent players. Nothing special, as Ferguson is not Warren Sapp in his prime, and Anthony Henry is a pretty average corner, but what makes you feel good about these developments is that they appear to know exactly what they want. They are not waiting for discounts. Their scouting and personnel department did their due diligence, and now they will go get their precise choices to fill their needs. This has to be good news.

Links:

Coakley gone …This of course bums me out completely. Dexter was the first athlete that I ever worked with upon my arrival in Dallas for the 1998 season, and he has been one of the nicest athletes I have ever met. I hope he gets to continue his career however he sees fit…Truly, a good Cowboy…

Coakley, the Cowboys' fourth leading career tackler, was likely to have his playing time reduced further in 2005 because of an expected switch to the 3-4 defense. The 5-10, 231-pound veteran is considered too small to play as a 3-4 outside linebacker.

Coakley and the Cowboys were unable to agree on a restructured contract, forcing his release Tuesday. By cutting Coakley, the Cowboys avoided paying a $502,000 roster bonus that was due today. They also saved roughly $1.8 million from the 2005 salary cap. Coakley will count $2.9 million against the cap in 2005, rather than his original cap figure of $4.7 million.

Coakley is building a house in the Dallas area and will consider re-signing with the Cowboys, but he also plans to explore his options on the free-agent market.

Rangers not interested in negotiating with Mench and Drese …

Talk Show Host leaves in middle of his show, resigns ….

As I said last week, Peter King says Moss Trade is addition by subtraction …

NFL is fat??…

Amusing story of Chairwoman of soccer team grabbing a microphone at halftime to scold the crowd …

Jack Nicklaus’ grandson dies in hot tub …

Because you demanded it: Star Jones in a swimsuit …

From P1 Brad, A message to all of you …

Even though I hate Chelsea Apparently, there is a Dallas Chapter of Chelsea fans who congregate to watch their team dominate …