Dec 24, 2011; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oakland Raiders receiver Stanford Routt (26) celebrates with safety Tyvon Branch (33) after intercepting a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Chiefs 16-13 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

So who wants a defense? Although there is evidence of an offensive movement around the NFL, that makes defense that much more important. According to Vince Verhei of Football Outsiders the Dallas Cowboys need a cornerback and a guard in that order. So here is my 2012 NFL Offseason wish list.

-Stanford Routt formerly of the Oakland Raiders would have been my number one goal in free agency. If we were to somehow able to scoop up Routt before the Kansas City Chiefs did early this week, it would have given the Cowboys a little more freedom to draft whoever they wanted at the 14th draft pick, OL, DL, whoever. Routt is a hometown boy (Austin, Texas) and a heck of a player who could’ve played like a champ while wearing the Star.  Nice going ,Jerry! If we had signed Routt, I would have felt a little better about taking David DeCastro with the 14th overall. Side note: What is going on with the Oakland Raiders letting good players go? Is anyone considering Jason Campbell as the Cowboys backup if he is released by the Raiders?

-Nick Foles of the Arizona Wildcats would be my first pick at quarterback of the future for the Dallas Cowboys. Another hometown boy from Austin, this Foles is 6’5 240 pounds and has a cannon for an arm. I think, with Tony Romo’s guidance, Nick Foles could become the Dallas Cowboys next big quarterback.

-LaMichael James from Oregon is, in my opinion, one of the most intriguing running backs in the draft class. While he is considered a finesse runner he isn’t scared to run between the tackles. This guy could be the next Darren Sproles with his speed and athletic ability and but his hands aren’t incredible. Don’t let it scare you that he ran the spread offense at Oregon as I don’t see learning a new offense to be a problem for James. The only unknown factor here is whether or not he can stay healthy.

-Quinton Coples another draft day beast, Coples from North Carolina would give the Dallas Cowboys that elite D. line they’ve always wanted. Opposing quarterbacks wouldn’t know what to do with Coples and DeMarcus Ware tearing through holes coming after them. If the key to the Super Bowl is a pass rush, we would be well on our way with Coples.

-Michael Griffin would be a huge free agent pick up for the Dallas Cowboys. Yep, another Austin boy from Bowie High School, Michael Griffin shows a high football IQ and can be a leader of the back field. He’s also in NFLtraderumors.com ‘s top fifty free agents of 2012. If we can, I think we should.

-Peyton Hillis I would absolutely love having Peyton Hillis on the Dallas Cowboys. Don’t worry about all the drama with the Cleveland Browns, the kid runs and plays hard but due to the average career length of running backs with his type of style, Cleveland didn’t want to pay him. Would anyone else love to have a bull nosed running back sharing the load with DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones? It would be a dream come true for me.

-Michael Bush If you think the only big named running back in the Oakland Raiders’ backfield is Darren McFadden then you haven’t watched an Oakland game or played against someone in Fantasy Football with Bush on their roster. This guy puts up great numbers with or without the help of Run DMC.

Dec 24, 2011; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys receiver Laurent Robinson (81) prior to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

-Laurent Robinson isn’t a re-sign ‘must’ but I like how he took Cowboys Nation by storm and developed such good rapport with Tony Romo. For the most part he caught balls he was supposed to catch and that’s all we can ask for. I think that after the Cowboys saw how injury prone Miles Austin and Dez Bryant are, they will make re-signing him a priority.

This is just a few prospects I would like to see wear the Star. Sound of in the comment section with who I forgot.

As the Dallas Cowboys prepare for the Scouting Combine, the start of the 2012 Free Agency period, and then the 2012 NFL Draft, everyone has an opinion on what Jerry Jones should do.  Our reader question this week asks specifically about that all important 14th pick.

If you have questions you would like answered by The Landry Hat staff, please forward them to cjlandryhat@hotmail.com

James Pritchard, El Paso: Which player would you take with the 14th pick if you limited your options to players who are likely to be available at 14?

Joe Owen: The Dallas Cowboys are not the only team in dire need of a top rated guard in this years NFL draft. And as Landry Hat cohort Greyson Jones wrote last week that “DeCastro would seem to be the ‘safe’ pick, the guaranteed quality starter for the next ten years.” The offensive lineman will in all likely-hood not be available by the time pick number fourteen rolls around.

Dec 26, 2011; Shreveport, LA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels defensive end Quinton Coples (90) warms up before the game against the Missouri Tigers in the Independence Bowl at Independence Stadium. Missouri won 41-24. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE

With that being said and along with those likely available once Dallas is on the clock out of Mark Barron, Cody Gleen, Zach Brown, and Quinton Coples my money is on defensive end Quinton Coples.

After an MVP type performance at the Senior Bowl this guy could be the Houston Texans’ J.J. Watt equivalent for the Dallas Cowboys. All this assuming the questions regarding his tendency to take plays off are hugely exaggerated.

Steven Phillips: For me it has to be David DeCastro out of Stanford at number 14. At 6’5″ and weighing in at 310 lbs he’s not a Goliath by any means, but he is fundamentally sound and is a high-motor player who never takes a play off. He has quick feet and excels at run blocking. He isn’t extremely athletic, yet he has light feet and enough speed to get to the next level. The Cowboys have major issues at the interior line positions. Derrick Dockery is a free agent after spending much of the season injured, Phil Costa was inconsistent to put it nicely and who knows what to expect from Montrae Holland? None of the above should be in the starting lineup come opening day. DeCastro is the top interior lineman in the draft at this point and, like Tyron Smith last year, he fills a need and could be plugged in to the starting lineup. Picking DeCastro is a perfect match.

Greyson Jones: If David DeCastro is there at 14 I’d take him no questions asked. However, if he is as good in workouts as I think he will be, he’ll probably be a top 10 pick. In my mind, that leaves Melvin Ingram and Dre Kirkpatrick. Who they pick depends on whether the Cowboys think Victor Butler is ready for full-time OLB. Personally, I think he is. That leaves Kirkpatrick. While recently wrote an article explaining that the chance that Dre Kirkpatrick is going to be a Pro-Bowler is slim (15%,) if the Cowboys are simply looking for a solid cornerback and some depth (which would likely be found in rounds 3-5 with players like Casey Heyward and Cliff Harris) I think Kirkpatrick would be a fine choice, so long as they don’t hype him like they did Tyron Smith.

Seth Jones: Alfonzo Dennard, the CB from Nebraska. He played with Prince Amukamara, who isn’t actually a prince. He can cover fast guys and strong guys. He’s diverse. Maybe Peter Konz, center from Wisconsin. Wouldn’t it be cool to have an awesome center? I’m not saying that Konz would be awesome, but he COULD be. Isn’t that what the draft is about? Yes, yes it is. Don’t get all smart and such.

Mark Contreras: It’s a little early in the process to be deciding. Having said that, I believe the Cowboys need to go the safe route here. They need to draft someone who will be in a Cowboys uniform for years to come. If they decide on an O-lineman, I think it needs to be DeCastro from Stanford. If they decide on an Outside linebacker, I think it needs to be Zach Brown from UNC. So on and so forth. Take the highest rated guy (on THEIR board) with the best head on his shoulders and really start (re)BUILDING a once proud franchise. The 1st through 3rd rounds should be cornerstone players that are around for many years. Rounds 4-7 is when you get to play with projects. Too often, Jerry wants to play with 1st and 2nd round picks which is why the Cowboys find themselves a constant disappointment.

Todd Toombs: Two ways to approach this – actual need or best athlete available.  The Cowboys have lots of needs so I would clearly advocate for the former approach.  In that vein, the defense appears to be the most challenged with cornerback, defensive line, outside linebacker, and possibly safety being the focal points (in that order in my opinion).  Beyond LSU’s Morris Claiborne (very unlikely to be available at #14), the other cornerbacks appear a bit risky.  If Dre Kirkpatrick is available, I’d have to take him even with the recent arrest issue.  His combination of size and speed is hard to find and would likely be worth the risk.  Outside of him however, I’m not sure I would take a cornerback at 14 as quality players will be available in later rounds.  My next choice would be a pass rushing defensive lineman – Courtney Upshaw or Quinton Coples would be fantastic but unlikely to drop all the way to #14.  South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram is likely to be available as is Illinois’ Whitney Mercilus (got to love his name if nothing else), Jerel Worthy from Michigan State, or Dontari Poe from Memphis.  At safety, Alabama’s Mark Barron is likely to be there at #14.

Of course all bets are off if Jerry decides to move up.  I could see him swapping draft spots with a top ten team and giving them our 2nd round pick to get a player he really covets.  The other option is to trade down and get additional picks in the 2nd or 3rd rounds.  Unless a Claiborne or Upshaw or someone close to that calibre is available at 14, that might be the right move (although unpopular with the fan base depending on who they get with the additional picks).

If you have questions you would like answered by The Landry Hat staff, please forward them to cjlandryhat@hotmail.com

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Let’s go back to the first game of the Cowboys season for a second, where we see a loss to the New York Jets twenty first ranked pass offense and twenty second ranked rushing offense. Which mattered more: Romo’s fumble and interception, or the fact that we couldn’t stop Mark Sanchez from connecting with Plaxico Burress? Take into account we had the Jets pinned at their own 15 yard line and didn’t hold them to a 3rd down play until they were at the Dallas 26 yard line. If we had a defense worth their salt we would have won that game, changed our entire season and the seasons of many other teams (including the New York Giants). But we didn’t and sadly our Cowboys were scheduling tee times instead of practice times.

I’ll skip the Detroit Lions game for obvious reasons, but how about our week six match up against the AFC Champion Patriots? The Cowboys were winning heading into the 4th quarter, but once again the Cowboys defense failed to hold Tom Brady to much more than a 3rd and 1. Three plays after that 3rd and 1, we were watching Aaron Hernandez throw imaginary dollar bills into the air from the end zone. Again, another situation where a good defense could come in handy, don’t you think? Keep looking at our loss column and you will see the same thing over and over again.

Cardinals game: Couldn’t stop the mighty Kevin Kolb from hooking up with Stephens-Howling for a 52 yard scamper to win the game.

Both Eagles games: Our defense couldn’t stop a nose bleed.

Both Giants games: Our defense looked like they made a wrong turn heading to the Texas Rangers game.

All 8 of our losses can be credited, in many ways, to the lack of play by our defense. When Romo messes up, we should be feeling confident in our defense making a stop, not holding our breath and betting on the over/under for how long it takes them to score.

Defense is just as important now as it was fifty years ago. Heck, even the best offense in the league can have a bad day. Look at Green Bay. I thought they were Super Bowl bound the very second Aaron Rogers put up 61 points in one of my fantasy leagues. But wouldn’t you know it, the Giant’s defense held the great Aaron Rogers to only two touchdowns. Meanwhile the Packer’s Defense that was so good last year, gave Eli the opportunity to throw for 330 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Putting defense on the back burner this draft could make for another painful season next year. Like I said in my last article, I like DeCastro, from Stanford not USC, but I would feel very disappointed if we were to draft him with our fourteenth pick. If we don’t address the needs of our twenty third ranked pass defense then the Cowboys are in trouble.

Now, if the Cowboys did draft DeCastro and then made some big free agent pick ups I would feel a little more comfortable. But the 2011 Cowboys were interested in getting younger so I don’t see them pulling a 180 and spending what little cap space we have left on a big name free agents. During the Jerry Jones era of the Dallas Cowboys we have seen two types of teams: the Troy Aikmen led winners and the interchangeable Quarterback black hole led by Ryan Leaf and Quincy Carter. I don’t want to be known through out the league as winning one playoff game in 15 years anymore. I want our doomsday defense back. I saw enough offense at Texas Tech during the Mike Leach era to know that however good your offense is you can still lose without a good defense. I know that drafting a DB could be boom or bust, and I know DeCastro could be Pro Bowl material, but we would be picking him just to pick him, or for the “safe play”. Research who our last ‘safe’ draft picks are and you’ll find Barbie…I mean Bobby Carpenter, the slow starting Anthony Spencer, the highly touted yet highly mediocre Felix Jones, and Mike Jenkins. Even if we go with Quinton Couples, like the mock draft 2.0 projects, I would be happy. And at this point, I don’t care who we draft as long as they play defense.

Defense still matters. Go Cows.

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