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There's a nice piece in today's Dallas Morning News by my old pal Todd Archer about the Cowboys still having four members of their 2003 rookie class: quarterback Tony Romo, tight end Jason Witten, linebacker Bradie James and cornerback Terence Newman. Incredibly, Archer notes that this is the first time that Dallas has had four players last eight years together since the Class of 1975 that featured Hall of Fame defensive tackle Randy White. Fans think of Hall of Famers Michael Irvin (1988), Troy Aikman (1989) and Emmitt Smith (1990) as The Triplets, but they were selected in three successive first rounds, not in the same draft.
Nobody else in the NFC East has a group that came in together and has been together nearly as long as the Cowboys' quartet. Center Jamaal Jackson and safety Quentin Mikell arrived in Philadelphia in 2003, the same year that New York drafted tackle David Diehl and defensive end Osi Umenyiora. Guard Derrick Dockery is Washington's only 2003 newcomer still around and he spent two years with Buffalo in the interim.
Romo wasn't even one of new Cowboys coach Bill Parcells' seven picks in the 2003 draft in which Dallas selected Newman in the first round, Witten in the third and James in the fourth. Romo was signed as a rookie free agent. None of the other four selections are active in the NFL.
The Giants chose 11 players in that 2003 draft, the last for coach Jim Fassel. The only ones still in the league besides second-rounder Umenyiora and fifth-rounder Diehl are defensive tackle William Joseph, the first-rounder who's with Oakland, and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, the third-rounder who's with Minnesota.
The Eagles, coming off a second straight NFC Championship Game appearance for coach Andy Reid, picked six players in 2003. Top choice Jerome McDougle couldn't stay healthy. Only sixth-round guard Jeremy Bridges, now with Arizona, is on an active roster.
Signing restricted free agents and making other trades left Steve Spurrier's Redskins with just three picks in 2003. Only Dockery is still in the NFL.
The four NFC East teams chose 33 players -- Philadelphia: 13, Dallas and New York: seven each; Washington: six -- in this year's draft. Only Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams (fourth overall) and Eagles safety Nate Allen, a second-rounder, are likely to start as rookies. I doubt whether a quartet of 2010 rookies still will be playing together in 2017.
Cowboys' Tony Romo Quartet Plays On
Aug 25, 2010 – 11:56 AM
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