Cortland Finnegan: Reasons Dallas Cowboys a Good Fit for Ex-Titans CB

With the start of free agency rapidly approaching, the talk for the Dallas Cowboys continues to swirl around the cornerback position. The two names continuing to be linked to the Cowboys are Brandon Carr and Cortland Finnegan.

While it's not likely the Cowboys would sign them both, I feel that one of them is warranted in light of the performance of the secondary in 2011.

I focused my previous article on Brandon Carr and now I will do the same for Finnegan. The bottom line is that both players bring unique qualities—both tangible and intangible—that instantly upgrade the level of talent to the existing roster and put the Cowboys in a nice position to remake their secondary. 

For now, let's examine Finnegan a little more closely by displaying why he'd look good in silver in blue.

Overall Attributes

Cortland Finnegan is mostly well known around the NFL for episodes like the brawl with Andre Johnson. While some people perceive this as dirty play, others perceive it as playing with an edge and somewhat of a positive.

Finnegan is 5'10" and 190 pounds, which is by most standards average for an NFL cornerback. What he brings to he table is his ability to fight, scratch and claw on every play. That is what jumps out at me the most when I went back and watched him this past season.

Is it a by-product of being drafted 215th overall in 2006 from a small school? Is it simply because he feels the need to prove himself over and over, or is it just the nature in which he plays? I'm going with all of those reasons, because it translates in his play.

Quite simply, Finnegan is an outstanding corner pound-for-pound and he gets the most out his ability. By most standards, he is not regarded as "elite," but there is something to be said for consistent, steady play even if it is perceived as dirty at times.

He's athletic, he locates the ball well, he's quick in and out of his breaks and provides solid run support. It's almost as if he relishes the contact and the opportunity to make a play on the ball. He's a bit undersized and gets beat no more than the average corner, but from a tangible standpoint, he could slide in and replace Terence Newman seamlessly.

This is the type of player that could fit well into a Rob Ryan defense by being versatile enough to play outside or in the slot against receivers like Victor Cruz.   

Intangible Qualities

When you go back and watch what transpired for the Dallas Cowboys in 2011, it's hard not to say that there is just something missing at times in all phases of the game. Putting talent and depth aside, I feel that the Cowboys play with an emotional disadvantage and it might contribute to their frequent collapses.

Finnegan can bring that emotional edge to the Cowboys by playing his style of football and leading by example. He is a high-motor, high-energy player that could have a trickle-down effect for the whole defense.

While it's easy to think that if he plays with such intensity, it would lead to frequent injuries, the stats prove otherwise. Since entering the league in 2006, he's only missed three games during the 2009 season and he has 14 career interceptions, with three for touchdowns.

Another outstanding intangible—which I like the most—is that he can get under the skin of the opposing wide receivers. It was evidenced in his epic brawl with Andre Johnson and I see it as a positive intangible quality—the Cowboys can use that as a tool in their fierce NFC East battles.

Remember, in 2011 the Cowboys were winless against the Eagles and Giants and barely scraped by Washington twice. Not only would Finnegan be a pest for receivers like Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and DeSean Jackson, but he and the Cowboys would send a clear message to those teams: They're not backing down.

That's something that is missing from this team.

Fitting into the Scheme

As I mentioned earlier, Finnegan would bring an element of versatility to this defense along with his toughness and intangible qualities. He could play inside or outside at corner and when I watched some of his footage this past season, I noticed that he is also an effective blitzer.

One other area in which he could excel is helping the Cowboys defense against the screen pass. Finnegan instinctively blew up several of those plays and they really stood out. I can still picture in my mind the LaRod Stephens-Howling screen play in overtime of the Arizona game and what a devastating loss that turned out to be. Having a feisty, fearless corner could've made a difference in that game and that particular play.

Overall, Finnegan would fit into Rob Ryan's scheme because of his versatility, toughness, intangibles and fearless attitude. Quite frankly, he'd thrive in any scheme.

Motivation and Something to Prove

When the Tennessee Titans failed to tag Finnegan as their franchise player, it all but sealed his fate with the team. Finnegan, sounding pretty disappointed in the outcome, was quoted as saying:

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"The Titans told us they were not going to offer us a deal this year, so that is pretty black and white to me. They didn't franchise me. So this is all on the Titans; there is nothing that we could decline and say no to. It just baffles me that we never got anything from them. I don't know what I did to turn them off on me. I felt I did everything I could do," he told The Tennessean.

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This statement speaks volumes and I'm sure that the true feelings that lie within him are saying something else. I think Finnegan uses this as motivation to fuel his fire even more for his next employer.

This would benefit the Cowboys greatly. In any sport, there's always something to be said for a player with something to prove after feeling unwanted or rejected. 

Free Agency Decisions

When free agency begins on March 13th, Jerry Jones will have some tough decisions to make that will affect this franchise for years to come. With cornerback being a dire need, the time has come to finally address it in a big way.

The pre-free-agency buzz continues to link the Cowboys to Brandon Carr and Cortland Finnegan despite some recent reports that Finnegan may not be a good fit.

Not only do I believe Finnegan would be a good fit for this team, but he would bring an array of qualities and talent while becoming the best corner on the team.

The one key ingredient he would add is that he would give this defense an identity—one that would scream out to the entire NFL that the Dallas Cowboys are not backing down. Finnegan not only brings that mentality to the table, but he proves it in his play.

That would look good in Dallas.