Shortly after it sounded like Dallas Cowboys' head coach Jason Garrett was making excuses for Terence Newman's 2011 struggles, owner and General Manager Jerry Jones nipped that in the bud.
While at the Senior Bowl, scouting talent, Jones was straight up asked about Newman. While talking about the injuries that Newman might have been playing with, Jones shook them off as the same kind that everyone has at the end of the season. However, he then drove the point home by saying "we had some skill level drop-off, and that's part of what one of our big challenges are."
I see this clearly though Newman's play in 2011. Just looking at the loss to the New York Giants, Newman was burned bad by Victor Cruz and even had two players, in tight end Bear Pascoe and fullback Henry Hyonski, hurdle him to pick up more yards in the game. After that performance, I'd want to retire rather than embarrass myself like that again.
It also sounds like Newman might be on his way out after all, despite Mike Jenkins injury. When asked about next year's secondary, Jones said he is excited about what Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick can do in 2012 at the position. He also said that there will be news faces in the secondary.
While the cornerbacks look like they will be replaced, the safeties might end up new in 2012 as well. Strong safety Abram Elam is an unrestricted free agent that probably won't be back.
What we do know is that Jones likes Jenkins and Scandrick. We have discussed Jenkins at length but Scandrick has not been touched upon as much. He finished 2011 with 49 tackles, one interception and five pass defenses. He also had two sacks.
I think Dallas needs to target a corner in the first round if Jones really does intend to dump Newman. I just don't see anyone in the 2012 free agent market that is a huge upgrade like Nnamdi Asomugha would have been in 2011. Atlanta Falcons' corner Brent Grimes is a nice option. He had the lowest numbers since he became a starter thanks to a knee injury but has 11 interceptions over the two previous seasons as well as averaging 76 tackles and 18 pass defenses per season over that time.
Either way, I agree that it might be time to cut Newman but I don't know if Jenkins and Scandrick is the answer to improve the secondary in 2012.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys' fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys' related news, good or bad
