Landing Carr big step for Cowboys
The addition of cornerback Brandon Carr is a giant step forward for Dallas, which replaces Terence Newman with a younger and better player.
If you play in a division with Eli Manning and the Giants, you better be able to defend the pass -- and the Cowboys couldn't a year ago. In fact, in their two losses to the Giants, Manning shredded them for five touchdowns, 746 yards and 68 points.
He won both, with the last launching the Giants -- not Dallas -- into the playoffs.
That sent an undeniable message that Dallas acted on: Its secondary was vulnerable and needed to be fixed. It wasn't just bad late in the season; it floundered most of the year, ranking 23rd against the pass and 16th in points allowed.
But it was its performance late, when the Cowboys dropped four of their last five, that convinced the club it had to make significant changes. And it just did. The Cowboys' secondary flat-out stunk, and Newman's departure had been expected for some time.
Getting someone of Carr's value, then, is a major improvement, with the former Kansas City Chief a solid man-cover guy who performed so well some regarded him as the best free-agent cornerback on the market.
His contract reflects that. He basically gained the same deal that took Cortland Finnegan to St. Louis, except his was worth $100,000 more. Both earn an average of $10 million annually over five years.
Carr's departure is no surprise to Kansas City. The Chiefs not only expected it; they prepared for it by signing Stanford Routt last month.
If you play in a division with Eli Manning and the Giants, you better be able to defend the pass -- and the Cowboys couldn't a year ago. In fact, in their two losses to the Giants, Manning shredded them for five touchdowns, 746 yards and 68 points.
He won both, with the last launching the Giants -- not Dallas -- into the playoffs.
That sent an undeniable message that Dallas acted on: Its secondary was vulnerable and needed to be fixed. It wasn't just bad late in the season; it floundered most of the year, ranking 23rd against the pass and 16th in points allowed.
But it was its performance late, when the Cowboys dropped four of their last five, that convinced the club it had to make significant changes. And it just did. The Cowboys' secondary flat-out stunk, and Newman's departure had been expected for some time.
Getting someone of Carr's value, then, is a major improvement, with the former Kansas City Chief a solid man-cover guy who performed so well some regarded him as the best free-agent cornerback on the market.
His contract reflects that. He basically gained the same deal that took Cortland Finnegan to St. Louis, except his was worth $100,000 more. Both earn an average of $10 million annually over five years.
Carr's departure is no surprise to Kansas City. The Chiefs not only expected it; they prepared for it by signing Stanford Routt last month.
