Rainer Sabin joins us at 1 p.m. Tuesday, but ask your questions now and he will have them when he arrives. Thanks for your readership!
by SportsDayDFW 1/8/2013 12:04:19 AM
Welcome to today's live chat. I'm here to answer your questions. Fire away.
by Rainer Sabin 1/8/2013 7:01:56 PM
I think the Cowboys could cut bait with a couple of their well-known players. Jay Ratliff and Doug Free have high cap numbers and have offered diminishing returns. Dan Connor will cost $4.4 million against the cap and that's a large number for a player who is expected to play a reserve role.
by Rainer Sabin 1/8/2013 7:04:31 PM
No because Jones is a free agent.
by Rainer Sabin 1/8/2013 7:04:50 PM
He's not the only one who has succeeded after being cut by the Cowboys. Erik Walden, Green Bay's linebacker, has had a pretty good career after being cut by the Cowboys in 2008.
by Rainer Sabin 1/8/2013 7:07:10 PM
No. I don't think they are any closer than they were last year. Before the season, I predicted the Cowboys to finish 8-8 and in third place in the division. Of course, I also predicted Philadelphia to finish in first place and Washington in last. But I digress. To get back to your point, I think the Cowboys still have many weak areas -- most obvious being the offensive and defensive lines. They also need to build depth on their roster. At this moment the Cowboys don't resemble a legitimate contender.
by Rainer Sabin 1/8/2013 7:10:56 PM
The only way Jerry Jones would conceivably change his outlook if he thought he was losing fans. But there is no evidence of that. People still flock to watch the Cowboys play even though they haven't won a championship since January 1996.
by Rainer Sabin 1/8/2013 7:12:40 PM
Well, I don't think that's the type of line they want. Jason Garrett wanted more agile linemen who can get out and block in space. When the Cowboys began rebuilding the line in 2011, he said he wanted those kinds of players as opposed to the big maulers.
by Rainer Sabin 1/8/2013 7:14:49 PM
Good questions. As of late, they haven't been able to identify great line prospects with the exception of Tyron Smith. Of course, lineman are probably the toughest players to evaluate because they have intangible characteristics and virtually no statistical record.
by Rainer Sabin 1/8/2013 7:18:19 PM
I've always thought that would be a move that made sense but I don't think Ratliff sees himself as an end. I don't know if he would embrace switching spots on the line.
by Rainer Sabin 1/8/2013 7:19:56 PM
Well, the Cowboys have some problems. There is no doubt about that. But I don't think the strength and conditioning program is faulty. Mike Woicik couldn't have prevented Sean Lee from tearing up his toe or Kenyon Coleman from tearing his triceps. Certainly, we're in agreement about the offensive line being suspect.
by Rainer Sabin 1/8/2013 7:24:21 PM