Jean-Jacques Taylor

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Jason Williams makes a good first impression, which is always a good thing.

He has a chip on his shoulder, the result of not getting invited to the scouting combine. Just so you know, more than 300 players received invitations. The Cowboys drafted him anyway.

This is also the same Williams who was barely recruited as a high school quarterback and signed with Western Illinois.

Few things are better than a hungry player. Williams is starving.

"The whole small-school thing is out the window. I'm not even concerned about it," Williams said. "You fight the small-school stigma at the combine or all-star games.

"Obviously, I did something for them to draft me," he said of the Cowboys. "We're all professional football players. We're all at the same level now."

The Cowboys drafted Williams because he impressed them on his pro day.

The linebacker ran the 40-yard dash in 4.49 seconds – as fast as most running backs – while wearing a T-shirt that read "Numbers don't lie."

He played special teams throughout college, and that's where he'll get an opportunity to make an impact first. Then the Cowboys hope they can get him on the field in the nickel and dime packages.

Eventually, they hope he'll be ready to start at weakside inside linebacker. Their goal: three years from now after Keith Brooking's contract has expired.

His goal: a lot sooner than that.

Q: It appears that 2009 was a very weak draft overall for the entire NFL. Why didn't the Cowboys unload their picks for other selections in 2010?

Ed Wigglesworth, Port Charlotte, Fla.

TAYLOR: I don't know that you can say before a single game has been played in 2009 that this is a weak draft. How could anyone from you to me to Jerry Jones possibly know? I would agree that I would have preferred to see the Cowboys use the 12 picks they had on Day 2 of the draft to move around the board and really try to get some high-value players for their picks. Or it would've been good to try to move some picks and acquire some draft choices next year because we know all 12 picks aren't going to make the team. We just have to wait on this draft class before we can make a real judgment.

Q: When I look at the Cowboys as they head into 2009, I see a near-perfect example of addition by subtraction on offense. But the issue that really makes Terrell Owens' release a blessing for me is it removes the psychological pressures and locker room politics that made Tony Romo feel like he had to force the ball to T.O.

Ross Flowers, Irvine, Calif.

TAYLOR: I understand your point. It's real easy to say that now because you don't miss his production. The Cowboys hope you're still saying that at the end of the season. At some point, you're probably going to miss what T.O. gives his team on the field. I've been pretty consistent in my thought process when it comes to T.O. Whether you are happy or sad to see him go, all questions about his effectiveness and whether the Cowboys should have kept T.O. will be answered by how well Romo and Roy Williams play and how many games the Cowboys win. We can't rush the answers.

Q: Donovan McNabb now has a good corps of receivers with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Kevin Curtis. When Brian Westbrook is healthy, there's no player in the league I'd rather have on my team. What are your thoughts on the Eagles?

Stan Granberry

TAYLOR: The Eagles are my early pick to make the Super Bowl. I love what they did with their first two picks in the draft getting Maclin and running back LeSean McCoy. It gives McNabb a legitimate receiver, and it gives them a quality runner to replace Brian Westbrook on either third down or when he's injured, which has been occurring more frequently. McNabb has always been effective with average receivers. Now he has a couple of playmakers. All that will do is make him more effective.

Q: Adding pressure players like ILB Jason Williams, who can blitz from anywhere on the field, and newcomers Victor Butler and Brandon Williams, who are also pressure players, and we have the makings of an outstanding front seven. I think most Dallas fans will be pleased with this draft. What do you think?

Nathan Shuff

TAYLOR: I think you sound like a fan, which is great because you are a fan. Butler and Williams must make the difficult transition from defensive end to outside linebacker. There is zero guarantee they will successfully do it. Anthony Spencer, a former first-round pick, has done little in his first two seasons after making the transition, which is why you shouldn't automatically assume mid-round picks such as Butler and Williams will work out. Again, this is a draft that will definitely take time to see how good or bad it is. It's filled with developmental players as opposed to players who should make an impact this year outside of special teams.

Q: Is the cost of Jerry World affecting DeMarcus Ware's contract negotiation?

Ladi Bal, Sacramento

TAYLOR: I don't know. No one does. But you can't ignore the fact that these are tough economic times for everyone, and Jerry can't be excited about giving a player – even a fantastic player like Ware – more than $40 million in guaranteed dollars. The Cowboys always get deals done with players they love, so a deal will get done. There's no hurry. He remains under contract, and they could put the franchise tag on him if they wanted. That won't happen, but it's an option. You also have the uncapped year, which has some issues specific to it. Right now, I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about it. It'll get done.

Q: I'm writing to ask you why the Cowboys didn't pick Jarron Gilbert in the second round. The Cowboys wisely let Tank Johnson walk, but they need reinforcements on the defensive line and Gilbert would have made a great swing man at nose tackle or end – especially if they allow let Marcus Spears walk when his contract is up.

Steven Solomon, Westfield, N.J.

TAYLOR: Given the tragedy of last week, I haven't spoken to the people who would know specifically why the Cowboys passed on a certain player. That said, the Cowboys told you why they didn't take a player in the second round regardless of whether you or I deem their explanation worthy. The Cowboys decided there wasn't much difference between a player they would've taken at No. 51 and the player they drafted at No. 69, so they moved out of the second round. They also like Junior Siavii, a 6-5, 320-pound four-year veteran who didn't make the club last year.

Q: It's been said that several of the players we coveted were picked right before the Cowboys picked. Teams sometimes traded up to pick right before them, as well. Could it be that teams are wise to the players the team wants because we've developed a pattern of almost exclusively drafting players that have been brought into town for a predraft visit?

John Kwak, New York

TAYLOR: As far as conspiracy theories go, that's a pretty good one. What you have to remember is that every other team also brings in players for visits, and the Cowboys are aware of whom they bring in. There are few surprises among teams about which teams like which players. In talking to the Cowboys, it seemed like they had a little more bad luck than usual this year, but nothing happened that was so unusual that they were suspicious of the circumstances.

Q: Do you honestly see the Cowboys finishing no better than 8-8? I see another 9-7 season, and a first-round pick of 18-21, but what's the position: receiver, safety, linebacker or offensive or defensive line?

Jonathan Hazel, Glen Allen, Va.

TAYLOR: Are you really trying to figure out whom they're going to draft a year from now? That's impossible. You have no idea who's going to develop or who's going to get hurt or what needs will arise. As of today, I'd say 8-8, but let's see what happens in training camp and I can provide a much more detailed answer on how they'll perform. By the way, there's not much difference between 8-8 and 9-7.