He's the best CB on the market and the cap is going up next year.  Last year, that involved a record contract for Nate Clements.  Samuels will likely break that this year, which is why New England will let him go.  They have to resign Randy Moss (getting paid like a number 2 or 3 receiver right now).

I like that plan, but it worries me how much you would have invested in CB's since Henry (who hasn't been bad this year...solid for a No.2 CB when healthy) is still on the books for next year.  Here's what I would do differently though: Sign Nnamdi Asomugha from Oak.  He'll be a free agent, is much less highly touted (because the Raiders are so bad), not that much worse than Samuels, but should be MUCH cheaper.  The only thing that worries me is that he's a big guy who plays well when he can be physical with receivers, and Wade has been playing his CB's in soft coverage a lot this year to prevent the big play.  

We'll see.  I'm hoping that GM's around the league buy the hype on Trufant and Samuels (only Samuels is worth it) and spend big bucks on them while letting Asomugha slip through the cracks.  The Cowboys won't have as much to spend as other teams (although it's still a decent amount) because they are trying to sign some of their restricted free agents for the next year still (Barber, Canty).  

clearly im not now but in college he was a 'hoss...

But I understand the frustration now.  Understand two things about the scenario around those picks:

1. The Cowboys were moving fully to a 3-4 which meant Ellis was going to move to OLB. There was no evidence that he would end up being as good as he's been.  In fact, this decision started his first grumbling that we had basically ever heard from him.  So we needed someone who could play OLB in a 3-4.
2. Cromartie had gotten injured and didn't play his entire last year at Florida State.  The pick at the time was widely criticized because SD was said to have picked a 'workout warrior' with not enough experience to go in the first round.  Fortunately, SD had/has enough talent that they could afford for him to sit on the bench and develop for a couple years.

It's hard to find a better example than Cromartie of what I would like the Cowboys to do with their first pick, I don't know it.  Maybe what Philly and Indy have done in the past (Philly in 2004 and Indy last offseason), when they did it with both CB positions.  But Indy's Cover-2 shields and devaules the CB position (plus, I'd argue they're better off this year).  And Philly would be better if they had Rod Hood right now...

Anthony Fassano (53rd overall) over Devin Hester (57th overall)  I really hated that pick then and now