10:37 AM Thu, May 15, 2008
Tim MacMahon
Moose Johnston blasted the Cowboys when they signed Tank Johnson, so I was a little surprised with his take on the Pacman Jones trade.
"In this era of salary cap management, I like the way that they structured his contract," Moose said yesterday at the Cowboys Golf Club. "Now you've just got to keep your fingers crossed that he's learned from what he's done in the past and the support group within the Dallas Cowboys does its job.
But it's a tough decision. It's a roll of the dice. You get tempted by talent."
Moose cited character concerns as the problem with signing Tank, so what's the difference with the Pacman deal? Real simple: Moose didn't think adding Tank to the defensive line mix got the Cowboys much closer to a Super Bowl.
He sees Pacman as a guy who could be a major impact player.
"It's much more tempting than the [Tank Johnson signing], but it's more of a risk, too," Moose said. "I think he has the potential to be a complete corner in the NFL, a Pro Bowl-type cornerback, which obviously allows your defense to be much more aggressive. I think he adds a dimension in the return game that Dallas really needs to establish field position and give that high-powered offense a short field."
Maybe Moose was just in a Cowboys-friendly mood yesterday. After all, he was riding around on the team's course in a golf cart with his name stenciled on the side.
But his message made sense. If you're going to take a major PR hit and rely on a guy with an ugly off-field track record, make sure the potential payoff is big. And it is with Pacman.
Moose: Talent justifies taking risk on Pacman
Moose: Talent justifies taking risk on Pacman
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