Let’s say you’ve gone 20 years without a drink of water. Thirsty, eh? Now you must make a choice:
Do you want the bottle of refreshing liquid now? Or do you want the shovel to start digging a hole that might someday supply of endless water?
Call it short-sighted, desperate or merely sensible, hand me the bottle. Likewise, I think the Cowboys shouldn’t draft a quarterback with the No. 4 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
I covet the Cowboys’ past. I cringe at their present. I cannot be concerned with their future.
When healthy, Tony Romo is a Top 10 quarterback. If he gets hurt, the Cowboys’ season is ruined. This is not, of course, a revelation. In NFL history there are asterisks named Earl Morrall, Jeff Hostetler and even Tom Brady that replaced injured starting quarterbacks and led their teams to the Super Bowl, but more often than not a serious injury to No. 1 on the depth chart is a death sentence.
In other words, the Cowboys – like the other 31 NFL teams – are screwed in 2016 if Romo misses more than, say, six games. Replacing him with a hot-shot rookie taken 4th overall will have zero impact on the season.
What I’m saying is that the Cowboys were close enough in 2014 to not mortgage 2016 thinking about 2018. Make sense?
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Draft a quarterback to possibly develop behind Romo? Sure, in the middle rounds. But there are holes on this team where a No. 1 pick could help immediately, as in this season. Quarterback, however, isn’t one of them. In recent years players like Amari Cooper and A.J. Green have been drafted No. 4. Add a player like that to this offense – with a healthy Romo – and the Cowboys are back in the Super Bowl equation.
Take a quarterback at No. 4 and … you’re sending a loud, clear message that next year is more important than this year. And, remember, the Cowboys neither drafted nor developed Romo. As a free agent, he just one night jogged on the field when Drew Bledsoe bottomed-out. You never know where elite quarterbacks will come from. Free agency? The 5th round? A trade?
Thirsty, impatient Cowboys fans can’t afford to take chances on shovels.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
