Patrick Watkins

leroyisgod · 03-07-2007, 08:20 AM

Do you think the organization has given up on Patrick Watkins after one year?

bigmac076 · 03-07-2007, 09:08 AM

it seems like he will be a career backup

nrcirc · 03-07-2007, 09:16 AM

"Stephen Jones said the Cowboys won't be paying a $10 million signing bonus for a free safety. He said the club still is high on the two young guys they have, Patrick Watkins and Abram Elam. He said if they picked up a veteran safety, it might be later in free agency when the prices come down."

It does not sound like we will draft a FS either.

bigmac076 · 03-07-2007, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrcirc

"Stephen Jones said the Cowboys won't be paying a $10 million signing bonus for a free safety. He said the club still is high on the two young guys they have, Patrick Watkins and Abram Elam. He said if they picked up a veteran safety, it might be later in free agency when the prices come down."

It does not sound like we will draft a FS either.

hopefully D-Unit doesn't see this.

robert_in_bigd · 03-07-2007, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrcirc

"Stephen Jones said the Cowboys won't be paying a $10 million signing bonus for a free safety. He said the club still is high on the two young guys they have, Patrick Watkins and Abram Elam. He said if they picked up a veteran safety, it might be later in free agency when the prices come down."

It does not sound like we will draft a FS either.

Sadly, Elam is a SS. I like both of them. Both are top shelf athletes. Better than Roy W and Davis.

UTPATS · 03-07-2007, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robert_in_bigd

Sadly, Elam is a SS. I like both of them. Both are top shelf athletes. Better than Roy W and Davis.

Better than Roy Williams, are you serious? You need to go back and watch some film on that guy!!!

TheFan0520 · 03-07-2007, 10:43 AM

I still have hope for him. He will hit his peak in 2 to 3 more years. Unfortunately, patience is tough to come by, especially at that position.

bigmac076 · 03-07-2007, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robert_in_bigd

Sadly, Elam is a SS. I like both of them. Both are top shelf athletes. Better than Roy W and Davis.

over exaggerate much?

thule · 03-07-2007, 05:13 PM

Reports make it sound like Watkins will have his shot to start.

Go Cowboys · 03-07-2007, 05:15 PM

Watkins is very good and everyone here tends to forget the actuall playing aspect of the game. The best player plays, otherwise some guys would still be playing. If Watkins wins the job in camp and Pre-Season then he will start. If not he will end up being a backup or cut. Much like every other player not getting paid the tp 10 at their position in the league.

TNewFan41 · 03-07-2007, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigmac076

over exaggerate much?

Not really, he ment they were better athletes, which is true. Not better players, but better athletes for sure.

DMWSackMachine · 03-07-2007, 07:20 PM

Definitely not. It's funny to see the way people's perspectives shift over a period of time. This was a hot topic on this board right after the season, and much of the popular sentiment was that Watkins has a chance to be a very good player as soon as next year, but that we might not be able to take the gamble on counting him as our guy for next year.

Now, with the talk of Henry moving to FS and all the speculation regarding Nelson, Griffin and some other DBs in the draft, poor Patrick is being swept under the rug. I, for one, still think there is an excellent chance that he will be an above average guy for us in that position next year, and that we should hedge our bets by taking a guy that can play both CB and S on the first day of the draft. We could let the draft pick play CB, and then closely monitor Watkins' progress during the minicamps and early TC. If Watkins appears to be clearly unfit for the starting FS spot, then you can move Henry there and plug the CB gap with the draft pick.

Either way you slice it, I don't think it will end up being a problem. I, for one, am much more concerned about getting younger/deeper at CB for next year and beyond than I am about whether Watkins will develop. I have seen enough from him to be confident that he will be a nice player eventually.

DMWSackMachine · 03-07-2007, 07:21 PM

No, that is not true. You don't get taken 8th overall at a position like safety without being top shelf athletically. Roy may have lost a half step by putting on that extra 10-15 pounds, but no more than that.

TNewFan41 · 03-07-2007, 08:23 PM

I guess your right, but at 6'5, running a 4.42 (which is what watkins ran), is pretty impressive.

-black · 03-07-2007, 09:19 PM

Mod D-Unit, could you please clear your PM box?

thanks

D-Unit · 03-07-2007, 09:25 PM

You all know my hopes are high for Nelson, but that does not mean that I am down on Watkins. For a rookie Watkins did about as well as you could have hoped for. While I do believe he can be an adequate, maybe even an above average player over his career, I do not consider him a playmaker or a difference maker at the position. I believe that as long as we have Roy at SS, that we need an exceptional coverage guy next to him or we will continue to get blasted.

Watkins can provide excellent depth at the position and I feel more comfortable with him in that role.

Henry at FS is a scary thought for me. If it happens, I'll cross my fingers, hope for the best and cheer him on. Only in that scenario would I favor a CB in round 1.

If Nelson is not there, I prefer OT or OLB.

Paul · 03-08-2007, 12:31 PM

I may be the only one, but I've haven't been a fan of watkins for awhile now, since the middle of the season in fact. He seems to have no confidence in his ability. I mean he has all the measurables in the world, but he doesn't have the "ballskills" as many people would say. In the beginning of the season when he gave up a couple of big plays, you see him on the bench distraught and his head down, and to me he never gained any confidence back or at all. That to me shows the weak mindset he has. Even though he was only a rookie, I just don't believe he has what it takes at all. And I still feel Nelson, Merriweather and those type of guys can be a huge improvement over Watkins. Just my opinion.

bigbluedefense · 03-08-2007, 12:50 PM

Watkins still has potential. Give him a chance.

Don't take Nelson from us!!!

Worst case scenario, I see Watkins excelling at SS. He can cover TEs with his length and speed, and he's great at providing run support in the box. Sounds like a nice fit at SS to me. Especially in a 3-4 scheme.

DMWSackMachine · 03-08-2007, 06:23 PM

umm, TO was crying on the sidelines in the playoffs against GB. It was the exact same game where he caugth the 26-yard TD heave on the last play of the game between two defenders, the famous one you see all the time. He had already dropped 3 or 4 passes on the day, and he was seen crying like a baby on the sideline.

Just because you are distraught over your mistakes does not make you mentally weak. TO is as strong mentally as anyone in the league. Emotionally?....that's a different story.

Paul · 03-08-2007, 07:04 PM

Whoa now, that is TO. He is the epitome of a narcissistic self-assured receiver, even if it was before he was "T.O". And that is far different then a fragile rookie safety. Even in the 2nd half of the season, Watkins was serviceable, not on the same level that Nelson and I think other S in this class can be.

LonghornsLegend · 03-08-2007, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-Unit

I believe that as long as we have Roy at SS, that we need an exceptional coverage guy next to him or we will continue to get blasted.

thats been my thought process all along...watkins is good enough, but i think with an exceptional cover safety, roy wont have to cover shockey man to man anymore, and he can do what he is more comfortable with, which would make him even better...

its the perfect complement, and i dont think watkins will ever be great for us, but id love to keep him around for depth