The Dallas Cowboys spent this past offseason trying to turn a glaring weakness into a strength--which is to say, they did some serious remodeling in the secondary, ponying up $50.1 million to acquire cornerback Brandon Carr in free agency, and trading up to the sixth overall pick in April’s draft to land LSU product Morris Claiborne.
On Wednesday, fans will get their first real look at the new-look secondary as the Cowboys open up the 2012 season against the New York Giants and Eli Manning--who torched the Cowboys in two games last year on their way to a second Super Bowl win in five years.
In fact, it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that Manning played a large role in convincing Dallas that a revamped secondary was necessary. In two games against the Cowboys in 2011, Manning was 51 of 80 passing for 746 yards and five touchdowns. As you may remember, neither game was that close, and New York swept the season series.
The $50 million man, Carr, for one, knows that he has his work cut out for him in his debut in Cowboys blue and silver.
“He’s an elite quarterback,” Carr said of Manning, via ESPN Dallas. “He carries himself that way. He runs his offense the exact same way. I haven’t seen too many throws he can’t make. He has a lot of faith and trust in his offensive scheme and his receivers that if he puts it in the right situation, the right spot, they’ll make a play on it. They’re two of the most explosive in the game right now with Cruz and Nicks. I know they’re going to try to get those guys the ball. In the secondary, we’ve got to bring our A game and match that intensity on each play.”
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