DallasCowboys.com has a writeup about Danny Amendola, a rookie free agent out of Texas Tech who has been opening some eyes at minicamp and is drawing comparisons to Wes Welker. Playing alongside Michael Crabtree, Amendola was forced into the position of second fiddle, but he had a strong career at Texas Tech with 224 catches for 2,246 yards and 15 TDs.

Amendola ran a not-so-fast 4.64 in the forty at the combine, but he definitely looks faster in this YouTube video:

And, remember, Felix Jones had a not-so-fast forty time at the combine but is much faster than those numbers would indicate. For a not-so-well-known receiver out of Texas Tech, a bad forty time at the combine is enough to drop you right out of the draft, but if this guy has football quickness, he might just press Miles Austin for a spot on the roster.

I might be the only one with this sentiment, but I am not looking forward to the impending announcement that HBO will be filming a new Hard Knocks series this year and that the Cowboys will be in the limelight.

It’s one thing when it is a 5-11 team being filmed, but I would rather limit the distractions as much as possible for a team that has Super Bowl potential.  I know, I know, the only way you can get to the Super Bowl is to be able to play despite the many distractions that certainly will come up during a run to the big game, but that doesn’t mean we have to invite the distractions to us does it?

I’ll admit, I’ll definitely sign up for HBO if they do film Hard Knocks with the ‘Boys.  I’ll even enjoy it — heck, what fan wouldn’t enjoy being able to see more than just a few sparing highlights shown at the end of the 10 o’clock news?   But, given the choice, I’d definitely pass just to have less distractions.

Heck, it is a given that the Cowboys training camp, preseason, season, and post season will all be one big circus.   That’s what you get when you have a quarterback dating Jessica Simpson and a character like T.O.   I still would skip this Hard Knocks distraction.

But, like most of us, I’ll still enjoy it.

Once again, Dallas leaves a draft with additional picks in the next year’s draft. No extra first rounder this time, but an extra third and an extra fourth isn’t too shabby. Some quality players come out of those rounds. (For example, Marion Barber III.)

Overall, I would say that Dallas had a solid if not sexy draft. Their second day maneuvering was enough to bring them up to around a B- for the entire draft. Not only did the get a few extra picks, but they picked up another running back (much needed for depth) and another sub-4.40 40 cornerback — never can get too many speedy cover guys. At the very least, that guy is going to get some playing time on special teams.

In fact, if you add the special teams impact into the equation, Dallas may very well have improved that area after letting some key players go in the offseason (Keith Davis and Nate Jones being two stars of our special teams unit last year). Both cornerbacks (Jenkins and Scandrick) should see some time on the special teams squad, the tight end (Bennett) should also be able to help out, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Felix Jones lining up to return kickoffs — though Jenkins may be able to fill that role too. That is if the Cowboys don’t just put Pacman back there.

Still, two key moves keep me from giving them anything more than a B-. Choosing Felix Jones over Rashard Mendenhall was a mistake. It was a matter of choosing a player that was right for your team over a player that was rated higher on your board — and when you are talking about two players that are at the same position, that’s a dicey game at best.

In the end, it could very well work out nicely for the Cowboys. So long as Barber remains healthy and on the team (remember, he’s still got to sign a contract at some point), the Felix Jones pick may look very nice indeed. And, to be fair, both Mendenhall and Jones had a little gamble to the pick — Mendenhall could be a one hit wonder while Jones might find it harder to run when teams aren’t keying on McFadden in the same backfield.

The second key move is the tight end headscratcher. I get why they picked up Bennett. He looks like he can become one of those guys who can do a great job blocking and still punish people in the passing game. But, after letting Miami have Fasano, it was a little bit of a let down.

But, the nice thing is that grading a draft immediately after it has happened is worth about as much as a used stick of gum. The real grades will come in three years when these players either become budding superstars, solid starters, roster depth, on another team or out of the NFL completely. If Felix Jones can become that Marshall Faulk type player and Bennett is a formidable weapon at tight end, this draft could be elevated to A caliber. (I didn’t add Jenkins being a starter at cornerback — let’s face it, with Newman and Pacman, I’d be happy if Jenkins was the NFL’s best third cornerback.)

There is some disappointment in not drafting a receiver. Not so much that I would grade them down for it — Dallas has a nice crop of receivers right now — but it would still have been a smart move for Dallas to pick up a receiver in the second round.

I know, a lot of people will spill out some stuff about how rookie receivers don’t make an impact and yada yada yada. Guess what? It’s because rookie receivers don’t make much of an impact that made wide receiver a position of need in this years draft. The Cowboys don’t need a receiver heading into 2008, they need one heading into 2009 when Glenn probably won’t be with the team and T.O. will be officially middle aged. Drafting one now would have been thinking ahead.

But, since they don’t have that immediate need now, and they can fullfill that need in free agency next year, I won’t grade them down because of it. And, perhaps — just perhaps — this Stanback kid will make it all academic.

The first day of the draft is over, and it looks like the Cowboys really did have blinders on and were staring down Felix Jones all the way.   After Rashard Mendenhall slipped all the way down to the Cowboys, Dallas went ahead and pulled the trigger on Jones despite the fact that Mendenhall actually posted a faster 40 time at the combine than Felix Jones.

Largely thought of as the most complete back of the draft with both power and speed, Mendenhall’s main knock was that he only started one year.   So, it makes sense that Dallas picks a back that didn’t start at all.

The Felix Jones pick was disappointing, but was evident that Dallas had him circled as the guy they wanted in the backfield with Marion Barber.   Knowing that, if they didn’t take him at 22, the Titans would grab him, they went ahead an pulled the trigger.   And, while a lot of us fans aren’t going to like it, hopefully it will work out in the long run.

One thing that Felix Jones has going for him is an yards per carry average of 7.66.  That’s the second highest average in NCAA history.  If he can translate that speed and shiftiness to the NFL, he could be a good compliment to Barber.

For Dallas’s next pick, they moved up to grab Mike Jenkins.   This kid ran a 4.38 forty, so he’s one of the fastest corners in the draft and he’s also a hard hitter.   He should fit in great on the defense.   Even if Pacman flakes out sometime this year, Jenkins should help us hold down the fort, and if Pacman stays on the field all year, Dallas will have four very strong corners.

The last pick is the real headshaker.  After trading away Fasano and Ayodele for Miami’s fourth rounder, we decide to go with a tight end.  Obviously, Dallas felt that they could upgrade the blocking from their second tight end, but a second round pick for a tight end after trading away a serviceable (and originally second round) tight end?

A real puzzler for Dallas fans and not a very sexy day one of the draft.   Hopefully, these picks will prove us wrong during the season.

I just don’t buy all this hype on Dallas choosing Felix Jones.

I was watching the NFL Network’s mock draft last night and I had to grown when they came to the Cowboys and had them picking Felix Jones with the 22nd pick. It’s bad enough that I’ve seen so many mock drafts with us picking Jones with the 28th pick, now we are going for him right off the bat?

If that’s not bad enough, they had us taking Kenny Phillips the safety out of Florida with that 28th pick. Hey, I’m not saying it’s impossible. If he’s the best player on the board, there’s a chance, but when you have Pro Bowl players manning both your safety spots, it’s a little hard to take a safety in the first round.

Getting back to Felix Jones, we’ve all seen him in mock drafts being taken by Dallas on the pretext of Jerry Jones being an Arkansas alumni and it seems a lot of people haven’t done the research to find out that Jerry Jones has *never* chosen a player from Arkansas in the draft.

Personally, I’m not even sold that Felix Jones is going to make it in the NFL. Of all running backs, it is the speed guys that have the biggest chance at being a bust because you can’t run around people in the NFL. If we want a speed guy, I say go with Chris Johnson. At least that guy — and his 4.24 speed — could be tried at wide receiver if he can’t cut it as a running back.

Also, I’m not completely sold on us drafting a running back in round one at all. When you have a Pro Bowl running back who is no doubt going to command a pretty decent contract, do you really want to tie up a lot more money in the position? Hey, if we could jump up and get a McFadden, yeah, go for it. I even like Rashard Mendenhall of Ill. a whole lot. I wouldn’t be disappointed if we moved up to 16-17 to grab him.

But it had better be a really special running back if we are going to grab him in the first round when we already have Marion Barber — and I don’t see Felix Jones as that special of a running back.

Another thing I didn’t like about the NFL Network’s mock draft is that Limas Sweed was still on the board. I don’t see us taking Jones over Sweed. Perhaps another receiver over Sweed — though I think Sweed is one of the best of the draft with a good combination of size, speed and hands — but Felix Jones over Sweed? I hope not.

None of this is to knock Felix Jones. I think he has some potential in the NFL, I just don’t really see him as a first round back. I think he’s an early second rounder.

Here’s who some other mock drafts have the Cowboys taking:

Fox News has us taking DeSean Jackson, WR, California at 22 and Gosder Cherilus, OT, BC at 28. This is one that actually makes a lot of sense.

Rivals.com has us taking Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida and Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan. Also not a horrible set of picks.

About.com’s James Alder has us taking Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee at 22 and DeSean Jackson, WR, California at 28. I don’t think Rogers-Cromartie stands a chance at being there at 22, but I like the way he thinks.

NFL Draft Countown has us taking Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas at 22 and Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas at 28. Another Felix Jones believer.

The PA SportsTicker has the Cowboys choosing Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon at 22 and Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas at 28. At least they don’t have us taking Felix Jones!

Well, okay, Pacman will arrive in Dallas if and when the commish gives him the thumbs up.   The terms of the deal:  Dallas gives Tennessee a fourth round pick in this draft and an additional sixth round pick in the 2009 draft if Pacman steps on the field this year.  If he doesn’t, Dallas gets Tennessee’s fourth round pick in 2009.

(Correct me if I am wrong on those details — I’m doing it from memory.)

Good deal?

I think so.  Essentially, what you need to ask yourself is if a cornerback who is in the top 10 and probably top 5 of his position in the NFL is worth a fourth round pick for one year of service.   Because, lets face it, we can’t count on him for much more than a year.   If he turns his life around and becomes a great and outstanding fellow, that’s great, but we can’t count on it.

Is it worth it?  If Dallas was still that 5-11 team that was in dire need of long term talent, I’d say no.  But Dallas is a championship caliber team, so a fourth round pick (who would no doubt have to fight to even be a backup) is well worth adding an excellent player for a year in the hopes that the boost will be enough to get you into a Super Bowl.

Because its Super Bowl or Bust, right?  I mean, is anyone going to be happy with just going to the NFC Championship game this year?  With this type of talent on the team?

It’s a small window we have.  It’s hard to count on Glenn for this year, but if he does play and play well, it’s probably his last year.   And Owens isn’t getting any younger.  And our young stars are going  to want paydays, which means we could lose some.  Heck, we could even lose our superstar offensive coordinator.

It’s a good time to take a gamble — so long as that gamble is just a fourth rounder.

And is it me, or is it eerie that last year New England took a ‘gamble’ on a fourth rounder to get a little old receiver named Randy Moss who was supposed to be ‘washed up’ and ‘not the same Randy’?

Now, here’s the downside of the deal.  And no, I’m not talking about the risk of spending a fourth rounder for a guy that might play two games and then get suspended, or for a guy who might be out-of-shape and not make it back to form (if there’s one thing I am confident on is that he’ll come to camp in shape — he’s supposed to be almost as much into working out as T.O.).

No, here’s the real downside:  Personality.  Pacman came into the league pretty full of himself and didn’t endear himself to his teammates in Tennessee.  Has he changed?  Who knows.   But it’s not particularly something I’d want in my locker room.

Though, I must say, T.O. has been a model citizen ever since being here.   Wade Phillips might be just what Pacman needs.

Jaime Aron, an AP sports writer, believes Jerry Jones is “…soooo in his element at this draft.” Why does Jaime think Jerry Jones is happy? “He has two first-round picks, the only team with such lavish trade bait.”

This is what Jaime Aron writes in his article, Jones thrilled with how things stack up for Cowboys in draft.

Unfortunately, Mr. Aron wasn’t paying attention to the news in the NFL. If he did, he would have known about the Jared Allen trade that makes his statement false about the same time it came off the e-press.

Despite the mistake, the article still sums up rather nicely that Dallas is sitting pretty in the draft. I also liked how it calls the secondary the “biggest area of concern” instead of the biggest weakness.

I know it seems standard to label team needs as weaknesses, but does Dallas have any weakness? Its generally agreed upon by fans, media, and no doubt the Cowboys coaching staff and general management that Dallas would like to pick up a cornerback (or two), a wide receiver, and a running back (or two).

But are any of those positions a weakness? At cornerback we have Newman, one of the best in the league, and Henry, who is very solid. What we need is depth. At wide receiver, we have Owens, Glenn, Crayton, and Hurd among others. A pretty solid lineup. Even if Glenn doesn’t make it back, we certainly did a fair enough job at passing the ball around last year, and if Glenn does come back to full health, all the better. Running back? We have a Pro Bowl player and professional barbarian named Marion Barber.

Yeah, I like how Aron put it. What we have are some concerns. And that’s a great way to go into the draft. It gives you the flexibility to move up or down to grab an outstanding player or just pick the most talented where you are, which tends to provide the best drafts.

 (Note:  Jaime Aron made a stealth update to the article to correct his mistake.)

The NFL schedule made its debut last week, and it looks like the Cowboys are in for a tough start to the 2008 campaign. The road does get easier, and it can be a good thing to have the hardest games right up front so long as you have a team capable of rallying if they do suffer through a couple of defeats.

The Cowboys will play four games in the month of September, and two of them are against perhaps the hardest non-division opponents — and both of those are on the road. They open the season against the Cleveland Browns who showed last year that they know how to put up some points and recently added Donte’ Stallworth to their mix of receivers. They will also play their biggest NFC rivals in 2007, the Green Bay Packers, at Green Bay. Their other two games are against Philadelphia and Washington at home, and they’ll need to win both of those.

October should be an easier month for Dallas. They’ll start the month off at home against the Bengals who struggled last year with Chad Johnson and may not have his services in 2008. The game at Arizona should also be a win, but not quite as easy as might be expected. Arizona has some big play receivers, and Dallas hasn’t shored up their secondary quite yet. Next, there is St. Louis who will be harder than last year when Dallas faced an injury-riddled Rams team. They’ll end October by playing Tampa Bay at home, a game they should be able to win.

November opens up against the Giants in New York in game that Dallas will find difficult to pull out the ‘W’. I don’t expect the Giants to repeat, or even win the division, but I don’t think Dallas will sweep them in the regular season again. And if they are going to go 1-1, the loss will probably be in New York. After a bye week, they get a stretch of three games in eleven days: the Redskins in Washington, the 49ers at home, and then Seattle at home on Thanksgiving. All three are winnable games, but look for Julius Jones to come into Texas Stadium all fired up to play against a Dallas defense that will still be tired from the last two games. That one is going to be a tough one to get out of with a win.

December looks good except for the fact that the Cowboys have been playing poorly in December for the last few years. They start out playing the Steelers at Pittsburgh, which should be a tough game. They then come home to face the Giants and should be able to not only notch another win in their belt, but may very well clinch the division early. Next, the play Baltimore in the last regular season home game at Texas Stadium. This might be rather anti-climatic considering the Ravens don’t have a quarterback. They then end the season against the Eagles at Philadelphia, and while I think the 2008 Eagles won’t be much better than the 2007 Eagles, there’s no easy win in Philadelphia.

As always, it is a guessing game at this point. The draft is going to change the dynamics of the schedule, and we really won’t know how good these teams are going to be until well after preseason and into the first few weeks of the regular season. But, considering the Cowboys will be bringing back most of the starting squad from last year, they shouldn’t have any problem repeating as NFC East champs.

The real test will be playing tough in December, going into January with some momentum, and sealing some wins in the playoffs. Honestly, I think we are all going to be disappointed if the Cowboys don’t make it to the big game this year.

Yahoo reports that Bryant Gumbel and the NFL Network will part ways with Gumbel giving up his play-by-play duties on the network.

And it’s about damn time!  It was quite obvious within only a few games that Bryant Gumbel was such a bad announcer that he was making the Monday Night Football crew almost bearrable.

I can still remember him calling Tony Romo about every name in the book *besides* Tony Romo.  Nick Romo?  Tom Romo? Who the heck is that quarterback!

And have we heard a more boring and grating voice on television?

I think we can all breath a collective sigh of relief.  Of course, knowing the NFL Channel, they’ll probably replace him with Dennis Miller.

When asked about the chances of signing Chris Henry, the troubled wide receiver recently cut from the Bengals, Jerry Jones said, “Unlikely, unlikely, just because of what we’re doing at wide receiver.  Just the nature of it, but it’s unlikely.”

His answer makes sense if you think about it.   At cornerback, we don’t have much standing behind Terence Newman and Anthony Henry.   Even if we traded for Pacman, we would still be looking for an additional corner — both as an insurance policy and to fill out the roster.

Wide receiver is another popular position of speculation when people look at who Dallas might draft in the first round.  In fact, it is often listed as a position of ‘need’.   But Dallas has Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn and Patrick Crayton.  The only question mark there is Glenn who much come back from a season of knee injuries, but it is unlikely Dallas will cut him.    They also have Sam Hurd.  He’s looked very promising, so I don’t see him going anywhere.   And there’s also Isaiah Stanback.   I think the Cowboys want to devote more than one year to turning him from a quarterback into a wide receiver.   And then there is Miles Austin who showed that he could be a solid kick returner and showed a little something as a receiver.

That’s six, folks.  Any wide receiver — whether we get them through a trade or the draft — is going to push one of those people off the roster.

So, when you hear the Cowboys having a ‘need’ at WR, take it with a grain of salt.  There isn’t any true need.  The Cowboys would simply like to (1) take out an insurance policy on Glenn in case he is unable to make it back and (2) start getting younger at the position.

The Cowboys are certainly very interested in a top wide receiver prospect.   Hey, just because you are comfortable with a position doesn’t mean you don’t want to upgrade it.  But I wouldn’t bump any of those wide receivers to gamble on Chris Henry.