Odds and Ends: Hamlin, Garrett

There is some talk among some Cowboys that safety Ken Hamlin has played well enough for a longterm contract. I won't argue they are wrong. In fact, I can argue they are right.

"He needs to be here for the long term," Cowboys linebacker Bradie James said. "For the defense, he fits in real well."

Fair enough. I have vivid memories of the huge plays the secondary gave up last year when rookie Pat Watkins and veteran Keith Davis started. Those plays are exactly why the Cowboys sought Hamlin from the Seahawks. But I was skeptical that the Cowboys were going after a safety with a reputation of being a hard hitter with average coverage skills. We needed a cover safety. But Hamlin has impressed all Cowboys fans.

Hamlin is second on the team with 65 tackles and has four interceptions.

"It's great having him back there," cornerback Jacques Reeves said. "In a certain coverage, if he is supposed to have my back, he's going to be there. We always know what's going on because of him."

Hamlin signed a one year contract for $2.5 million. Add him to the list of players who deserves to stay in the Blue and Silver.

But someone just as important to the team may not be there next year: Jason Garrett. I guess we can consider the source and wonder what acumen he has to make such a prediction, but it still made my skin crawl.

In a Dallas News interview Aikman said Garrett would be a head coach somewhere in the NFL next year. I guess the insight Aikman might have is that Garrett was his back up in Dallas during the glory years. They probably still talk a lot. Has Garrett already been contacted? Can Jerry Jones offer him a package he can't refuse? Do we have the money to do that and keep the nucleus of the team intact?

Big questions. I hope Jones has the answers.

Nick Eatman read my mind....

Nick Eatman of dallascowboys.com writes a great article on the Cowboys' secondary and how it all hinges on the free safety once again. Read it here.

I have written several posts about this very subject. For years, the secondary has baffled me. Last year, and especially the last five games, was down right pitiful. Here is a snippet of what Eatman says:

"The Cowboys not only were giving up points (30.4 per game in that stretch), but yards as well. Five of their six highest opponent yard totals last season occurred in the final five games. And most of the blame went to the Cowboys' secondary, which had trouble defending the big plays down the stretch."

Yeah, Eatman hits the nail on the coffin. But the Cowboys really didn't address this problem. Instead, they went and grabbed Ken Hamlin from the Seahawks, another hard-hitting safety who can't cover the deep ball. If my Seattle buddy was online right now, I'd ask him about Hamlin. But I know the answer: He's not exactly what we needed back there.

Eatman said the Cowboys coaching staff is hoping that a change of philosophy helps the secondary. Some of this new philosophy includes bringing Roy Williams closer to the line of scrimmage. I don't have a real problem with this, but I am concerned this hurts us even more when trying to cover the deep pass. The idea is Williams will use his power to slow down receivers. Henry and Newman are our corners and Glenn would be in for the nickel defense. Hamlin is the free safety, and would be the most responsible for the deep ball protection under this scheme.

I would love everyone to comment on this because I am not sure this scheme and philosophy are really what is needed. I was hoping we'd snag a great cover safety who is fast and agile. Ken Hamlin is neither in my opinion. He wasn't even a star in Seattle.

I don't want to watch a repeat of last season, or the past five years, either. I am going to throw support behind what Coach Phillips is doing, but if it doesn't work, I may be the first one to start blogging about Cowher.

Shit, I said his name.