Jerry Jones is now asking the same question that George Jones once
asked.
"Who's gonna fill them shoes?"
|  |
| The Cowboys could've bought Ryan Leaf for $100 off waivers. Now he costs a draft pick. |
The sneakers that Troy Aikman has worn for the past 12 years -- and the ones passed down from Eddie Lebaron to Don Meredith to Craig
Morton to Roger Staubach to Danny White to Aikman -- will be inherited
by someone next season.
Here are a few potential candidates for the job:
Ryan Leaf: A couple of weeks ago, the Dallas Cowboys could have had this worthless right arm for the $100 waiver fee. Now, they must give
up a player or a draft choice to Tampa Bay for a quarterback whose
2000 rating (56.2) was just five points better than Anthony Wright.
Why anyone would want the NFL's greatest draft bust and a
quarterback who threw just 13 touchdowns with 33 interceptions in 18
starts with the Chargers is beyond me.
Tony Banks: Lost his starting job with the Ravens to Trent Dilfer
after throwing three interceptions in a 14-6 loss to Tennessee on Oct.
22. His 69.3 quarterback rating in eight games with Baltimore won't
wow you, but it was five points better than Aikman's. His 8-to-8
TD-interception ratio wasn't great but also better than Aikman's
7-to-14.
Trent Dilfer: Nobody seems to want the Super Bowl-winning
quarterback who was 11-1 in his 12 starts with the Ravens last year.
Chris Weinke: Michael Vick and Drew Brees will be long gone before
the Cowboys draft with the sixth pick in the second round this year,
but the Heisman Trophy winner from Florida State could be. The upside
of Weinke is he is a winner. The downside is he will be a 29-year-old
rookie when training camp opens, and Larry Allen might have better mobility.
Anthony Wright: Played in four games and started two for the
Cowboys last year. It was obvious that his job was to "not get us
beaten." Mainly a warm body, but does have the mobility that all NFL
teams are looking for in quarterbacks today. Threw 33 passes in four
games and completed 17 with no touchdowns and three interceptions and
a quarterback rating of 51.5.
Those are the main characters in this soap opera. Here are a few
that you might also think about.
Jamie Foxx: Won a championship game at Texas Stadium with the Miami
Sharks in "On Any Given Sunday." Has a tendency to throw up on the
playing field, but Drew Pearson did the same thing once on Monday
Night Football and nobody complained.
Downside is he probably won't fit under the salary cap. Upside,
he's better than Ryan Leaf.
Babe Laufenberg: Hey, he's at the games any way. Why not let him
leave the radio booth and suit up. Ask anybody in San Diego who's the
better quarterback -- Babe or Ryan Leaf -- and I'm betting Babe wins hands down.
|
(Jerry Jones) spends most of every game on the sidelines anyway. Why not suit up? At least he knows the offense -- or thinks he does. And you can bet he would fit under the salary cap. |
|
|
Clint Longley: Don't laugh. He has thrown one more touchdown pass
for the Cowboys than Anthony Wright.
Downside: He might want weekends off to hunt rattlesnakes. Upside:
Better than Ryan Leaf.
Mike Pawlawski: Who's he? Obviously, you haven't been watching the
XFL. But who has?
Pawlawski started the season on the practice squad of the San
Francisco Demons, but is now the leading quarterback, statistically, in
the league. He has completed 64.5 percent of his passes (111 of 172)
and thrown for 1,023 yards and seven TDs in four games.
He could be the next Kurt Warner. Pawlawski threw for 16,673 yards and 303 touchdowns in five Arena League seasons with the Albany
Firebirds.
Downside: He'll be 32 when training camp opens. Upside: He's better
than Ryan Leaf.
Jerry Jones: Hey, he spends most of every game on the sidelines
anyway. Why not suit up? At least he knows the offense -- or thinks he
does. And you can bet he would fit under the salary cap.
Downside: Hasn't played football in 37 years and was a guard, not a
quarterback, at Arkansas.
Upside: He's probably better than Ryan Leaf.
Nick Gholson writes for the Caller-Times in Corpus Christi, Texas.
