Dallas Cowboys 24/7

2007-12-03T20:56:00.000-08:00

Dallas Cowboys Offensive Line Not Getting Respect?

2007-12-02T12:10:00.000-08:00

I think it's prime time to honor the Dallas Cowboys offensive line.

Left Tackle Flozell Adams, Left Guard Kyle Kosier, Center Andre Gurode, Right Guard Leonard Davis and Right Tackle Marc Colombo probably had their best game Thursday against the packers, who have the NFL's sack leader Aaron Kampman. Tony Romo was barely touched.

In fact, Romo has been sacked just 16 times this year. The offensive line held the Eagles and Packers sackless in two very key matchups. Other than Flozell's common false start penalties, this offensive line is producing at a much higher level than last year.

I guess we will find out when the Pro Bowlers are named, but there isn't an offensive line in the NFL right now that is better than the Dallas Cowboys front five. They've protected a mobile Tony Romo, and have opened up holes for the dynamic rushing duo of Julius Jones and Marion Barber.

So who leads this squad? Certainly one could say that the addition of Leonard Davis thrusted this offensive line to elite status. Marc Colombo has been stellar. I believe both will be chosen fro the Pro Bowl and it will be well deserved.

Sean Taylor's Murder and the Black KKK

2007-12-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

In CNN's story about the Sean Taylor murder, it's a shocking ending to what was a senseless act of violence.

Remember Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antrel Rolle's comments that Taylor had a lot of enemies on the streets and he strongly doubted this was a random shooting? I, and many other people, took that as damming evidence that something much more premeditated happened at Sean Taylor's Miami home than just a burglary gone awry. I was quick to criticize the Miami-Dade police for not releasing information about this incident on a regular basis. A spokesman for the department told people that this crime did not appear to be premeditated. We doubted him. It just didn't sound right. The Miami-Dade police had it right and deserve kudos. I was wrong to listen to Rolle, a long-time friend of Taylor's

The four suspects, two who have allegedly confessed, are charged with unpremeditated murder. All four have prior arrests for crimes such as selling drugs, theft, and driving infractions. Police said Charles Wardlow, Eric Rivera, Venjah Hunter and Jason Mitchell didn't know Taylor was home. When Taylor surprised them at his bedroom front door with a machete, he was shot.

Eric Rivera, according to the Associated Press, apparently had a myspace page. I cannot find it, but when you type in Eric Rivera and his nickname "$Mr. FLorida$" it's no surprise you get a few profiles of some seriously angry black men, some holding automatic weapons and plastering the "N" word all over the page. Several people with the same name have posted messages asking people to stop sending them mail because they are not the "Eric Rivera."

Headline: "NO! I did not kill Sean Taylor, that was unfortunately another Eric Rivera in Florida. Can I please stop getting messages?"

Remember NFL-FOX writer Jason Whitlock's piece on the Black KKK? The article now has an editor's note: This column originally appeared Wednesday, two days before Friday's arrests of four men in the shooting death of Sean Taylor. Mr. Whitlock was heavily criticized for that article, and others that have a similar theme. The criticism is misdirected. He hit a nerve with the general public because most people shun the truth because it hurts too much. Will people still attack Mr. Whitlock for his prophetic article?

Taylor's murder is a tragedy that will affect the NFL's image and the Washington Redskins for many years. An omen of sorts, the 'badass' images many football players, and even worse NBA basketball players, try to portray is getting old. The rap society has gone berserk with violence and it's spreading across America. Rivera's Web page was proof of this poison. His photographs showed him lying on a bed draped in $100 bills as he fanned a wad of dough. His page was wallpapered with money signs.

I am tired of this anger. And I don't think the The National Association of Black Journalists should be telling me that because I am white, I have no right to write about this subject because I don't get it. I'm tired of this argument. You live a good, peaceful life, and work hard, then you won't run into any trouble. But when your own race is knocking of one another, how is it that I don't get it? Obviously, they don't get it.

Major Announcement For Dallas Cowboys 24/7 Blog Readers

2007-12-01T19:54:00.000-08:00

When I started this blog in June, one of the reasons I did it was to have some fun with my favorite football team. I love the Dallas Cowboys. I have been watching them since I was 5 years old and I grew up in the late 70s and 80s during the Tom Landry era. I loved Tom Landry and the teams he created.

I was recently approached by the owners of this blog who told me they really liked my blog and its edginess. They asked me if I would be interested in partnering with them, and in exchange, they would help me become the best Dallas Cowboys blog on the planet.

With all of the Cowboys blogs out there, I thought mine was one of the more edgier ones, with stinging criticism, realistic commentary and even some funny information about the NFL. I also wrote about some very serious topics, such as the Sean Taylor murder, and recently my readership numbers have surged.

I didn't have to think very hard about this partnership with fansided.com. I think this will be good for my readers, and good for this blog. I will team up with some of the best NFL bloggers on the Internet. Together, we will create an NFL blogging network, and together we will become the largest NFL blogging network in the world.

With that said, the new name of this blog will honor the best Cowboys coach ever: Tom Landry.

This site will be retired, and I will redirect readers to the new site soon. In the coming days, I will announce the name of this new Web site.

The content and mission of this blog will not change. In fact, it should all improve. I will have a graphic artist team and guest bloggers, who have great knowledge about the Dallas Cowboys. You will see at least five posts a week, and probably much more.

This will be the premier spot to go for Dallas Cowboys chatter. I hope you continue to visit the new site, and bring a horde of new followers. There's a lot of fun ahead of us, and more Super Bowls to win.

Go Dallas!

Sincerely,
DallasCowboys24/7

Arrests Made in Sean Taylor Murder

2007-12-01T06:42:00.000-08:00

Miami-Dade police arrested four men in connection with the shooting death of Sean Taylor. And it appears that the police were correct in that this was a random act of violence by men who did not know Taylor personally. The story is here.

"They were expecting a residence that was not occupied, so murder or shooting someone was not their initial motive," Robert Parker, director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, said Friday night."They were certainly not looking to go there and kill anyone," he said. "Their obvious motive was to go there and steal the contents of the house."

This provides the Taylor family with some peace of mind. Police have more than one confession in this case, according to CNN.

I have to get ready for work. But good work by the Miami-Dade police. Despite my criticism and that of other people, they pulled this one out. I will blog more on this later.

Hi, I am Bryant Gumbel. Please Shoot Me. Yes Me. And Then Him!

2007-11-29T21:42:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: People are e-mailing me more Gumbel blunders from last night. Check below for the new ones!!! This is insane!

For nearly four hours I was subjected to some of the worst play-by-play football announcing ever in the history of the NFL. And all on a network that cable companies and the NFL make half the country pay for because it's "that good."

I am speaking about Bryant Gumbel. Folks, how does this guy have a job in the NFL? What the hell are they thinking?

Let's review some of the Gumbel Fumble Follies:

Kevin Burnett is on the bench, with a possible hurt shoulder.

1. Gumbel : Oh it looks like Akin Ayo... wait that's Bradie James.. is hurt.
Collinsworth : That's Kevin Burnett.

2. Gumbel says Green Bay and Dallas have won 17 NFL championships. Does he mean NFC? Yep. Does he know what the NFC is? Nope. Who the hell writes his script? Dawg has pointed out that I am wrong here. SHows my ignorance but I didn't think the Packers won 12 NFL championships. I will review this alleged error later.

3. Gumbel says "Rick Romo" will be interviewed after the game. Yes, he said Rick. Then, earlier, he calls him Antonio Romo.

4. Gumbel called Nick Folk, Nick Arizona. Yes, Folk graduated from the University of Arizona, but can this guy read a damn piece of paper? Come the hell on!!!

5. At the beginning of the second half, Gumbel announces it as the second period. This ain't hockey douchebag!

6. "Marion Barber is the heartbeat of the Green Bay offense."

7. "Here comes the Green Bay Packers" Gumbel said as the Cowboys came out of the tunnel.

Finally, what the hell is that turkey gizzard hanging from his damn neck. Get some damn plastic surgery, Mr. Moneybags. Man, I know you've lost a lot of weight, but get that shit tucked in. And find a new job. You are HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!

Terrell Owens' Popcorn Got Too Much Butter?

2007-11-29T20:57:00.001-08:00

7 Catches. 156 Yards. 1 touchdown.

Great game, right? Not so fast. After Terrell Owens caught that single touchdown in the Dallas Cowboys dominating 37-27 win against the Green Bay Packers, he grabbed the fan's popcorn container and pretended he was eating some of that famed popcorn he likes to talk about so much. Apparently, he got some butter on his hands because later in the game, when it really counted, he flopped.

That was not an innocuous drop in the fourth quarter. Not only was that fourth-quarter drop pathetic (we were up by just 3 points), it almost cost the Dallas Cowboys the game.

Up by just 3 points and driving, Tony Romo (19/30, 309 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 INT) threw a hard pass into the chest of Owens, who appeared to make one of the easiest catches all year. But somehow, someway, he juggled the ball and it flew up in the air, and into the hands of Al Harris for an interception. It was Owens' second drop of the game, and although I was away from my favorite Cowboys forum to see the fans' reactions, I heard the din of a collective jaw drop.

How can such a star receiver drop so many passes, especially ones that seem so easy to catch? Owens seems to make the catches we don't expect receivers to make. But when it's thrown perfectly to him, he drops or juggles it. That's why it's hard to attack him so much, because he does make those great catches. And he also gets 156 yards on 7 catches.

But tonight really upset a lot of Cowboys fans. Once up by 17 points, the Cowboys floundered the lead, and by the fourth quarter the team was only up by a field goal. Thank you Nick Folk.

DeMarcus Ware really came through with a key sack in the fourth quarter after the Owens' error, which gave the ball back to the Cowboys. The game was over after that, despite the good play from back-up quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

I go to bed tonight very happy, despite the Owens bull shit. We beat a good team tonight, although I expect and am fully prepared for Packers fans and anti-Cowboy fans to talk crap about how we played a team with Brett Favre injured before half time and their second-best corner out with an injury. Whatever. In one ear and out the other. We would have won if Tom Brady was guiding that team. It was domination from the get-go in my opinion.

That game was telling for me. And I am now going to say on the record that the cheating New England Patriots better watch out. The Dallas Cowboys are looking for you. They are seeking revenge, a rematch, an all-out war. If the Pats think they've got this Super Bowl wrapped up, think again.

We're not playing around anymore, New England. We have our eyes set on you guys. We are bleeding blue and silver. We haven't forgotten. We're coming for you!

Down With Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers! Chant it!!!!!!!!!

2007-11-29T15:54:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: If you don't have the NFL Network, try this to watch the game. Good luck. I hope it works for all of you screwed over by the NFL and the cable companies.

OK Dallas Cowboys fans, here we go. We are less than 90 minutes away from kick off for what is the biggest game for the NFC so far this year.

Both teams are 10-1, a match-up made in heaven. The aging Brett Favre is having one of his best seasons, while Tony Romo is devouring the Cowboys record book.

How do I see this game playing out? I won't sway from my last post: I do think Dallas will win tonight, and I also think they can dominate this Packers team. Will they? I won't be surprised if they do, but I see the game close until the middle of the fourth quarter, when Dallas pulls away with a touchdown and wins by 10 points. I think rookie kicker Nick Folk will be faced with at least one 50-plus yard kick, which he will make to put the Cowboys ahead at half time.

As I said before, Favre will lose this game for the Packers. He will try too hard and turn over the ball at a key moment in this game. Not to mention, Dallas has a superior running game, and I expect the coaches will use the Julius Jones-Marion Barber duo possibly more than they have all season. Thirty carries total? Maybe.

Let's look at some statistics:
1. Green Bay has allowed a lot less points, nearly a touchdown a game less. But they have also played far worse offensive teams like Minnesota and Chicago, their only loss of the season.
2. Favre has a better completion rate, 300 more yards and five less interceptions than Romo, who threw five in one game. But Romo has a whopping seven more touchdowns than Favre, and he has already broken the single-season TD record for the Cowboys.
3. The Packer rushing game has nothing on Dallas.

Green Bay Rushing
	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD
Grant	107	494	4.6	2
Wynn	50	203	4.1	4

Dallas Rushing
	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD
Barber	145	715	4.9	7
Jones	124	495	4.0	2

4. Jason Witten has almost as many catches and yards as Donald Driver, the top receiver for the packers. Get real. Witten is going to have a huge game. Terrell Owens is blowing them all out of the water, with already over 1000 yards and 13 touchdowns, tying what he had last year.

Green Bay Receiving
	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
Driver	63	832	13.2	2
Jennin...	39	625	16.0	9

Dallas Receiving
	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
Owens	64	1093	17.1	13
Witten	59	750	12.7	6

Offensively, statistics show we are very close outside of rushing the ball, where the Cowboys hold a distinct edge. Again, I think we will run the ball very well today and more than 30 times. No reason to get into a passing battle with Favre. On defense, Dallas has given up slightly less yards per game. In fact, the defenses, statistically, are nearly identical until you get to one category: rushing. Dallas has shut down the running game for opposing teams, giving up less than 100 yards per game. Green Bay, however, is right at the century mark for opposing teams' rushing. That's good news for Dallas.

Here are the full statistics:

TEAM AVERAGES & NFL RANKS
TEAM OFFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Total Yards	GNB	380.0
Total Yards	DAL	389.0
Yards Passing	GNB	298.5
Yards Passing	DAL	265.9
Yards Rushing	GNB	81.8
Yards Rushing	DAL	122.9
TEAM DEFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Yards Allowed	GNB	315.4
Yards Allowed	DAL	299.1
Pass Yds Allowed	GNB	215.3
Pass Yds Allowed	DAL	217.0
Rush Yds Allowed	GNB	100.1
Rush Yds Allowed	DAL	82.1

The only concern I have is the secondary, and namely Roy Williams. Favre is doing a lot of dump passes and slants for 10-yard gains. This is where Roy has trouble. I think all Cowboys fans are concerned about this and the big pass play. However, Williams has to show up sooner or later, and this is the game to do it. I expect him to play well, possibly even intercept one of those slants if he watched the film this week.

I am so pumped up for this game I can barely breathe. I had to skip the gym today because I didn't eat anything and I was too overwhelmed. I finally ate, and now it's time to drink some beer.

For the first time this year, sadly, I won't be able to live blog. I have to watch this game at a friend's house because I don't get the NFL Network since Comcast took it off the basic cable lineup. I don't even want to get into it, but hey, I cannot complain too much: My friend has a big-screen HD television. Plus, he apparently bought the beer!!!

Dallas Cowboys vs Green Bay Packers: Brett Favre is Going to be Tony ROMO-IZED

2007-11-28T19:08:00.000-08:00

In case you are wondering, $330 will get you a ticket to the blockbuster matchup tomorrow night between America's Team, the Dallas Cowboys and the Cheesy Green Bay Packers.

A few notes about the game: WR Patrick Crayton is expected to start, but it's not going to be a game breaker if he doesn't get a lot of catches. As expected, Terry Glenn is not playing. I believe this is a game in which Jason Witten can shine. I also believe Marion Barber can expose the Packer defense for big, punishing runs into the endzone.

The Packers will have Nick Collins back at free safety, and corner Charles Woodson will play even though he is listed as questionable.

This is how I see this game transpiring tomorrow night. Favre is going to cost this game for the Packers. He is going to force throws, get sacked and fumble the ball once. He will try too hard to create plays because they won't have an ounce of life in the running game. The Dallas Defense is aware that Favre likes to dump the ball off in slants and to his running backs, for short gains. Although Roy Williams has hurt us in this capacity at times, tomorrow night he will show up, and put some heavy hits on these guys. A turnover is surely to occur. The only scary statistic is Favre is 0-8 against Dallas at Texas Stadium. That's scary because it's hard to believe he'll go 0-9. But believe it. He will.

This doesn't mean Dallas will blow them out, even though I think they can. I do think Dallas will run the ball a lot. Tony Romo is in no hurry to show off against his hero, Favre.

I'm excited for this game. Because of the cable scandal, I have to watch this game at a friend's house. I may not be around to provide regular commentary and posts. But I will come home that night and write something about the game. Go COWBOYS!

Finally, the NFL.com has a cool video of the Dallas-GB rivalry here.

Sean Taylor Murder Creates Black KKK Argument by a Black Realist Journalist

2007-11-28T18:25:00.000-08:00

Although the Miami-Dade police believe Sean Taylor's death is a random act of violence, one of his friends disagrees.

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antrel Rolle says in this article that Sean Taylor had many enemies on the streets of Miami. Scary, ain't it?

"This was not the first incident," Rolle said. "They've been targeting him for three years now." Rolle said many former "friends" had it in for Taylor, who was trying to build a more stable life.

Rolle says this was not a burglary or a random act of violence. This was a calculated murder by those envious of Taylor's success. Rolle and Taylor grew up together in Miami. Oddly, both their fathers were police officers. Rolle said Taylor lived in fear.

But why?

NFL-FOX writer Jason Whitlock believes he has the answers in this controversial article. I think what makes this article controversial is that it's written by a black man. Whitlock says the Black KKK killed Taylor. Here's a snippet from this powerful article:

When the traditional, white KKK lynched, terrorized and intimidated black folks at a slower rate than its modern-day dark-skinned replacement, at least we had the good sense to be outraged and in no mood to contemplate rationalizations or be fooled by distractions. Our new millennium strategy is to pray the Black KKK goes away or ignores us. How's that working? About as well as the attempt to shift attention away from this uniquely African-American crisis by focusing on an alleged injustice the white media allegedly perpetrated against Sean Taylor.

Whitlock, a realist and intelligent man, cites a column by a less intelligent man trying to make a name for himself here. Just his leading sentence is enough to make me sick:

The shooting death of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor has left some African American sportswriters concerned that coverage by their predominantly white colleagues will unfairly emphasize negative aspects of Taylor's past.

Jesus dude, get a grip. White journalists aren't out to emphasize negative aspects of Taylor's "past." This guy fails to realize that Taylor's past is his LIFE. The Boston Globe's Gregory Lee, another goofball, says white journalists shouldn't be writing about this murder because we don't get it.

"Don't speak or write on things you don't know. What I mean by that is often times when sports turns into social issues, most don't get it and don't have the background to speak about it. The only thing they can go off is stereotypical images of rap videos or watching New Jack City."

Come on, Lee!!! Are you kidding me? What Lee is saying is the white journalists ought to mind their business and forget about Taylor's criminal, violent past because they don't have black skin, they don't understand rap music, and they watch too much television.

The National Association of Black Journalists is getting real silly. This group says the media shouldn't be writing about Taylor's laundry list of crime because it's really not relevant to his murder. And tackling isn't relevant to football, guys. Again, this is silly.

I don't know what you guys are buying, but I don't think Whitlock is trying to sell anything. I can't say the same for the rest I cited in this post.

RIP Sean Taylor. I hope the Miami-Dade police find your killer and bring him to justice.

UPDATE: My favorite Dallas Cowboys blog is debating Whitlock's article now. Good timing.

Why are Miami-Dade police so hush-hush about the Taylor murder?

2007-11-28T11:25:00.000-08:00

The Miami-Dade police released no new information today about the Sean Taylor murder, puzzling the major media outlets covering this case.

It's rare for large police agencies to keep quiet on cases that have as high a profile as this one. The police even declined to release the incident report (a public record) or the 911 tapes (public record) because of the ongoing investigation.

Fine. But at least have a press conference with the leader of the force telling the millions of concerned people and perplexed fans that some progress has been made. Keeping quiet has the opposite effect.

Have they turned over any stone that provides some hope a suspect will be caught?

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to conclude that this was not a random murder. The basic facts the media has released spell out a planned-out attack by someone who knew where Taylor lived, knew where his bedroom is, knew he was home and knew to cut the phone lines to the house so his girlfriend couldn't call 911.

Despite that, the police believe this was a random act of violance. Unbelievable.

The Miami-Dade police force is either close to making a big announcement or it is fumbling through this case without a lead in sight. As a former police beat reporter for seven years, I know that police do provide details, even small ones, of the case in hope that a suspect may start talking. At times, they even release false or misleading details that may make the suspect try to set the record straight with an acquaintance. But so far, the police haven't even led people to believe they are on to something. To me, it is suspicious behavior from a large police force.

Taylor's girlfriend never saw the intruder? According to police, she did not. As reported by several large media outlets, police said they would explore any possible connection to a dispute between Taylor and several Miami men in 2005 that led to criminal charges against Taylor. One of the men later sued him.

According to the LA Times, the Miami-Dade police were searching for a shooting suspect but conceded in a statement that they had no description of the gunman or reliable information on the number of perpetrators involved. This paper reports that the lack of police information is an an apparent allusion to the lack of witnesses or known suspects.

Police on Monday collected fingerprints and other forensic evidence at the player's pale-yellow ranch house surrounded by a white wall and black metal gates. Processing of that evidence was accelerated after Taylor died, transforming the case from one of a suspected break-in to a murder investigation.
But on a video here a police representative says that in most cases people make mistakes in covering their tracks. However, even with the circumstances of this case, he still thinks it is a random act of violence. The only coincidence to the contrary is the burglary of Taylor's home eight days earlier, which he concedes could be the same person.

Still, they are confident they will catch the person. Why am I less confident?

More on Sean Taylor UPDATED

2007-11-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about Taylor's death and the suspicious circumstances behind it, but I will get to that later. For right now, let's see what people are saying about one of the most feared safeties in the NFL.

From USAToday:

"God made him to play football. ... Sean, he loved football. He loved these guys here."

-- Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs
"The entire NFL is deeply saddened by the death of Sean Taylor. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to Sean's family, friends, teammates and the Redskins organization. This is a terrible tragedy involving the loss of a young man who leaves behind many people struggling to understand it. Our office is staying in close contact with the Redskins to provide all appropriate support to the club and Sean's family. We also are working to determine the facts surrounding this tragic event. We will honor the memory of Sean Taylor at all games this weekend."

-- Commissioner Roger Goodell
"When you lose a young man like that, in the prime of his life, it sets you back. You think about the things you really feel bad about, and you figure out, 'You know what? That's really not too important in the grand scheme of it.' "

-- Kansas City Chiefs coach Herm Edwards
"Sean has been a close friend of mine since our days at the University of Miami. He was a great teammate and an even greater person. It is so hard for me to fathom that I am not going to be able to pick up the phone to call him."

-- New York Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma
"I just take this job very seriously. It's almost like you play a kid's game for a king's ransom. And if you don't take it serious enough, eventually one day you're going to say, 'Oh, I could have done this, I could have done that.' So I just say, 'I'm healthy right now, I'm going into my fourth year, and why not do the best that I can?' "

-- Sean Taylor in an interview during training camp

Now to the circumstances surrounding this murder as reported by the press. I am by no means trying to trivialize Taylor's death, but I want to start addressing these matters here now.

On Monday morning, Taylor and his girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, were awakened by noises coming from inside his Miami home. Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in his bedroom. Then someone busts through his bedroom door and fires two shots. One hits Taylor in his groin area, wounding a vital artery that resulted in a lot of blood loss. Taylor never regained consciousness.

What is suspicious about the current media reports is that why would an apparent robber or intruder enter his bedroom, knowing he was in there? Why would he immediately fire two shots instead of running out of the house? Was Taylor out of bed and at the door, swinging the machete? Was he found unconscious in bed? Isn't this peculiar behavior from a person trying to rob the home? Rarely are homeowners shot during these incidents. Usually, the intruder runs once he knows someone is home. Wasn't it obvious Taylor was home? In fact, it was widely reported during Sunday's game that Taylor stayed home and did not travel with the team for the Tampa Bay game.

Why was Taylor even in Miami?

Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said he did not know why Taylor returned to Miami during the weekend. Taylor was not required to accompany the team to Sunday's game at Tampa Bay because of a knee injury, but it was a key game for the Redskins, who are vying for a wild card spot.

Police had no description of a suspect. Police confiscated a computer from Taylor's home.

Eight days before the shooting someone tried to break into Taylor's home. Why? Police are investigating that. During that incident, someone pried open a front door, checked some drawers and a safe, and left a kitchen knife on a bed. Oddly, nothing was stolen. The New York Times reported that a lawyer close to the family said investigators were apparently exploring possible connections between the break-in and two other recent cases: the burglary of the home on Nov. 17 and a dispute between Taylor and a group of men in southern Miami-Dade County in 2005 that resulted in felony assault and battery charges against him.

I think the intruder knew Taylor.

Maybe a bit insensitive, or maybe a lot, but Michael Wilbon believes Taylor's history followed him:

I know how I feel about Taylor, and this latest news isn't surprising in the least, not to me. Whether this incident is or isn't random, Taylor grew up in a violent world, embraced it, claimed it, loved to run in it and refused to divorce himself from it. He ain't the first and won't be the last. We have no idea what happened, or if what we know now will be revised later. It's sad, yes, but hardly surprising.

There's a ton of speculation about the details of his condition and the details of the incident, but this isn't a blog and we're not going to get into wild guessing and speculating here, though we will try and responsibly discuss other points of interest surrounding the latest strange episode relating to Taylor.

Again, I'm not the least bit surprised about the Taylor episode ... why would I be considering his history, even since he joined the Redskins?

Taylor's girlfriend has declined to comment to the press. So, right now, we don't know what she saw or what she knows. Don't be surprised if some very shocking details are eventually released as a result of this investigation.

His teammates today described Taylor as a young man who turned a new leaf after his daughter was born 18 months ago. He matured and took fathership seriously. His past, which includes several arrests, was just that: the past. But did his past follow him despite his apparent character change?

UPDATE: ESPN just reported that someone cut the telephone lines to Taylor's house. If this was not a deliberate shooting, I don't know what is. The intruder from the prior break in left the knife on Taylor's pillow, ESPN also reported.

RIP: Sean Taylor, 1983-2007

2007-11-27T07:19:00.000-08:00

Sean Taylor died this morning, one day after being shot in the upper leg in an attempted robbery at his Miami home. He was 24.

The bullet damaged his femoral artery and caused major blood loss. Doctors were optimistic after it was reported that Taylor squeezed a nurse's hand. But he never gained consciousness. He leaves behind a 1-year-old daughter.

Taylor was the fifth overall pick in the 2004 draft and had an immediate impact for the Washington Redskins. He was tied for the NFC lead with 5 interceptions this year.

This surely will have a devastating effect on the Redskins who lose their best defensive player. Known for his hard hits, teammates nicknamed him "MEAST" for half-man and half beast. Taylor was an All-American at the University of Miami and was one of just four freshman who played for the 2001 championship team.

"For all of us here, we're obviously in shock," Coach Joe Gibbs had said Monday. "I know I can't put it in words."

Breaking News: Sean Taylor shot in Miami home

2007-11-26T15:04:00.001-08:00

Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor is in a coma after sustaining a gun-shot wound in the groin during what the media is reporting as an apparent robbery at his Miami home. The alleged robbery is the second time in eight days that Taylor's home has been tampered with.

Taylor is no angel, but no one deserves to be shot in his own home. Dallas Cowboys 24/7 will have a moment of silence for the rest of the evening for Taylor and his family. Let's hope he can recover to full health.

More on the NFL Network-Cable Scam

2007-11-26T08:20:00.000-08:00

After reading an e-mail from one angry Cowboys fan today, I decided I can't let this issue die without a few more comments on the situation. Here's a rundown of what the problem is: The NFL Network airs the monumental game of Dallas vs Green Bay on Thursday night. Both teams are 10-1 and fighting for home field in the playoffs.

Recently, the major two monopolistic cable companies, namely Comcast, removed the NFL Network from its lineup of basic cable. Anyone who wants it has to pay more for it. Since then, it's been a comical game of finger pointing between the NFL and the cable scum.

Let's be clear here: This is not a problem caused by the Dallas Cowboys. It is a problem surely caused by the NFL and the cable companies. Two-thirds of America will not get to see the game, and the end result is bad for the fans, of which I am one. I will have to go to some nasty, smoky bar in a town that is anti-Cowboys to watch this game.

Here is an article that gives some idea of how nasty this problem is. The NFL spent $100 million in ads to bash the cable scum for not airing the NFL Network. Money well spent? Hell No! Try diplomacy, guys. The cable companies have been some of the most stubborn, anti-consumer businesses ever on the planet. Yet, they know they are losing customers to satellite television packages. They lost me years ago.

A writer in May stated:

The NFL Network will appeal a judge's ruling that Comcast, the nation's largest cable television operator, can distribute the channel separate from its digital package.

State Supreme Court Justice Bernard J. Fried ruled earlier this month that Comcast can place the NFL Network on a less-popular niche level that has far fewer viewers than the digital level.
"The final word on this issue is most likely going to come from the appellate courts," NFL Network spokesman Seth Palansky said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "If this decision is upheld, the biggest harm will be to consumers. They will have to pay more for less."

In October 2006, the NFL sued Comcast when the cable scum decided to pull the network from its basic cable and add it to its obscure sports tier that had just 750,000 viewers. The regular tier has 7 million viewers.

But here's the rub: The NFL gets 55 cents per subscriber each month. So, when Comcast moved the channel to a tier with less viewers, the NFL loses about $3 million a month! Comcast said it didn't want to charge customers the extra money for the NFL programming they might not want in the digital tier.

When it comes down to it, maybe the NFL needs to buckle and ask for less from Comcast and the other cable giants. It's just not fair for us fans to have to deal with this kind of nonsense.

Down with the NFL Network and Cable Companies

2007-11-25T09:14:00.001-08:00

Anyone without DirecTV knows that they won't be watching the primetime Dallas-Green Bay game unless they pay extra for it. It's scandalous at best that sports fans face such a dilemma.

I have DirecTV but I also commute to my job and stay 90 miles away from my home during the weekdays as I try to sell my house in one of the worst housing markets this country has seen. So I won't be home for this game, and will most likely have to watch it at a noisy, smoky bar somewhere in Virginia, where most customers will be anti-Cowboys.

The monopoly cable companies such as Comcast used to offer this channel on their basic cable lineup. It mysteriously disappeared, and once people complained, the finger pointing started. Here is one story explaining the situation. Here is a snippet of the article:

Not surprisingly, the big cable companies blame the NFL for the eclipse while the NFL points its finger at Big Cable. In a battle where billions of dollars ultimately may be at stake, each has launched a public relations campaign claiming it alone is acting altruistically for the public good.

That's dandy. Here's a quote that made me laugh:

"We will protect our customers from having to pay for a network that we don't think all of them would necessarily want to view," said David Cohen, executive vice president of Comcast.

Mr. Cohen, I watch cable with Comcast here in Virginia. Your basic package has about 35 channels I will never watch, Mr. Cohen, including the four home-shopping networks and the knife network. Why aren't you protecting me from networks that I don't watch?

What the NFL needs to do is take the game off the NFL Network and put it on FOX prime time television, where a game of this quality belongs. I don't really care who is at fault for blocking out 74 million people. I just know it's wrong and greedy.

Dallas cruises to 34-3 win

2007-11-22T15:05:00.000-08:00

The second half was really uneventful as Dallas made attempts at long drives to waste clock time, for two field goals and a touchdown. The Jets never got any offense going and the Dallas D probably had its best game of the year. Good timing, too, with a powerful Green Bay offense coming to Dallas next Thursday.

Julius Jones had a decent game running the ball, continuing his hot Thanksgiving play. Barber had even a better game. Together, they rushed for well over 100 yards for the first time in three games.

Terrell Owens grabbed a late touchdown, coupled with Witten's and Barber's scores. Romo three 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Owen has scored a touchdown in six straight games. Romo tied Danny White for the all-time Cowboys touchdown record. When the season is over, Romo will have mutilated the record and will easily beat all of the Cowboys passing records in his first full year starting. Pretty amazing.

Greg Ellis had two sacks.

Dallas vs. Jets First Half synopsis

2007-11-22T13:08:00.001-08:00

Dallas has dominated the Jets so far, and the defense had a near shut out. The offense has sputtered a little bit, but overall, the Cowboys look great tonight. Marion Barber and Jason Witten have scored the offensive touchdowns. T-Newman returned an interception for a 50-yard touchdown, giving Dallas a 21-3 lead.

The Dallas D has also forced and recovered a fumble and has two sacks, coming from Chris Canty and Greg Ellis.

The Jets aren't really putting up a fight and it looks like it will be a long night for them, a week after upsetting the Steelers.

It's good to see that Dallas wasn't looking ahead to the big game next Thursday against the Packers.

We should crush the Jets...

2007-11-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

We should Crush the Jets today but I've seen wackier games, like the Buffalo matchup on Monday night this year. The Jets are coming off a big win against the third best team in the AFC, the Steelers.

But, I have to work, which really annoys me. Apparently my boss erred when she said I cannot take both Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays off. Yesterday I was told I could. Too late now. In protest, I will do nothing but blog here while at work. I should luckily get out right in time for the start of the game, but it will be close.

Dallas 38 Jets 14

Hello? Is The Cowboys Running Game There?

2007-11-19T18:16:00.000-08:00

For the last two games against the Giants and Deadskins it seems that the Dallas Cowboys running game has softened. Although the JJ-MB3 duo ran for more than 100 yards against the Eagles--113 yards exactly and one TD each--the performance was hardly stellar. What that game showed was a solid team that can spread the offense around to several different players.

But against the Giants and Deadskins, we haven't broken the 100 yard mark. The duo ran for 82 yards against the Giants for no touchdowns and just 70 yards against the Deadskins for no touchdowns.

What happened to the running game? Does Julius Jones realize he is playing for a contract? Does MB3, although he continues to be the harder, more enthusiastic runner, realize he is a free agent, too, playing for a longterm deal? Losing JJ may already be written on the wall, but is it possible we would lose both considering we have two first round draft picks in this upcoming draft?

I hope not. But I am digressing. WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR RUNNING GAME?

One thing that is obvious is both JJ and MB3 seem to bounce outside a lot. Now, that can mean the offensive line is not opening any holes for the backs. It could also mean that neither back is hitting a hole fast enough. MB3 seems to bounce outside a lot looking for a big run when if he just ran straight ahead it's a five yard gain. I see him do this a lot. JJ seems to get tackled for losses too many times, possibly the most in the league.

Another reason the running game may be slowing down is because the passing game is so hot. Romo has had two games in a row with 4 touchdowns. It's tough to start running the ball when the passing game is hitting on all cylinders. But it was also surprising to see the Cowboys, with five minutes left, start passing the ball instead of running it, and taking some clock time with it. We played an injured Deadskins team and barely got away with a win.

And finally, we saw the Deadskins pack the front line, sometimes eight strong. That certainly makes it difficult to run and forces the pass.

Just my observations, but I would love to see the running game come back, especially against the Jets and Packers.

I'd expect with the short week that we will run a lot against the Jets. Green Bay, on the other hand, might be an offensive battle fought in the air.

Dallas wins a tight one 28-23

2007-11-18T15:26:00.000-08:00

Dallas has the ball and on 1st and 10 Crayton gains 8 on a catch and run. On 2nd and 2, Romo is pressured and he throws the ball away. On 3rd and 2 Sam Hurd catches it for a first down on a slant route. On 1st down, Romo throws to Witten for 24 yards. On 1st and 10, a fake reverse to Jones gets two yards. Flo Adams gets his usual false start penalty and it's now 2nd and 13. Romo grabs another high snap and tosses another bomb to T.O. FOR A TOUCHDOWN. T.O. has three touchdowns. Dallas leads 21-13.

The Deadskins were able to drive the ball into the redzone but left with just a field goal. Dallas still leads 21-16.

Dallas has the ball again and appear to be trying to run the clock down with 8:18 left. MB3 has had three carries in a row. Finally a pass to Owens, who breaks a tackle, stays in bounds and SCORES on a 52 yard play. Terrell Owens has 4 touchdowns on the night, and ties Bob Hayes for the team record. Dallas now leads 28-16.

Washington comes right back and scored a touchdown with 3:45 left. Dallas now leads 28-23.

The Cowboys pass and it's incomplete on 1st and 10 which is just mindblowing. Why? Then, a run by MB3 is stuffed. Romo is then sacked. Punt.

The Deadskins get the ball back after a nice punt return into Dallas territory. Campbell on 1st and 10 throws the ball away. On 2nd and 10 the Deadskins gain another first down and they are on the Dallas 20 yard line. On 1st and 10 Campbell throws just out of reach for Moss in the endzone. Lucky. On 2nd and 10 Campbell throws behind Portis on a short sweep pass, and it's dropped. On 3rd and 10 Campbell scrambled a bit and throws right to Newman with 1:39 left in the game!!!

Dallas still can't run the clock out and has to punt it back to the Deadskins, with 34 seconds left. The Skins start at their own 30 with no time outs. On 1st and 10, an illegal contact penalty gives the Skins five yard. On 1st and 5 another flag on the field as Ware is offsides. Moss then catches a pass for 15 yards and gets out of bounds on the 50 yard line with 16 seconds left.

On 1st and 10 Campbell throws it away with 11 seconds left. Newman breaks up a pass and with 5 seconds left Campbell has no choice but to throw a bomb into the end zone. The Hail Mary is broken up and the game is over. Dallas is 9-1!

Too close of a game, but a win is a win. It's always interesting when Dallas plays Washington, ain't it?

Third Quarter: Dallas leads 14-13

2007-11-18T14:56:00.000-08:00

On the Redskins first series, Ware got his ninth sack of the year, causing a fumble that Dallas recovered. But the Cowboys were unable to take advantage of the turnover, and gave the ball right back to the Skins.

On 3rd and 15, unbelievable, the Skins get a first down on a 20 yard toss to Moss. Not good. On 2nd and 6 Betts runs for another first down. But the Cowboys were able to stop the Deadskins after several errant passes from Campbell.

Starting at their own 10 yard line Romo's pass is batted down. On 2nd and 10, Witten catches a pass for six yards. On 3rd and 4 Romo rolls to the right and finds Crayton for a first down. On 2nd and 6 Romo tries to force a pass to Witten, but it's picked off. Romo has thrown two interceptions. The Deadskins McIntosh returns it to the Dallas one yard line. But the play was reviewed and it was determined McIntosh never had control of the ball. LUCKY!!! Correction: Romo only has 1 INT still.

On 3rd and 6 after that lucky recall, Romo throws a bomb to an open Crayton, but it's underthrown. However, the DB ran into Crayton before the ball got there and it's a 51 yard pass interference call. At the Skins 22 yard line, MB3 gets a screen pass and is tackled behind the line of scrimmage. Now 3rd and 19 TERRELL OWENS IS WIDE OPEN FOR A TOUCHDOWN!!!! It was a beautiful pass from Romo. Owens didn't even run a route, unless you call straight to the end zone a "route." Someone screwed up the coverage in the secondary. Dallas leads 14-10.

The Deadskins come right back and Campbell throws a bomb to Moss, who makes an unbelievable one hand catch. On 3rd and 10 Campbell makes another damn first down with a pass to McCardell. The refs also got Ware for roughing the passer. The Deadskins just won't go away. The Deadskins are 1st and 10 at the Dallas 14 and Portis runs for no gain. On 2nd and 10 Ware has Campbell wrapped up. Refs call a intentional grounding and it's a loss of down. On 3rd and 19 the pass is incomplete in the middle. With 2 seconds left in the third quarter, the Deadskins kick a field goal and it's 14-13 Dallas.

At Halftime, Deadskins lead 10-7 with a field goal as the clock expired

2007-11-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

The Deadskins start the second quarter with the ball. On 1st and 10 Portis runs for for 6. On second and 4, Portis runs for two more. On 3rd and 2 Jacque Reeves almost makes an interception but the pass is caught by McCardell for a first. Campbell rolls out and looks to pass but he has a wide open field and runs for 12 yards. Campbell pitches put to Randell El, who appeared to be in trouble in the backfield, but he avoided it and found Cooley in the middle of the field for another first down. On 1st and 10 Betts gets two yards. On 2nd and 8 a pass goes for a few more yards even though it appeared there was a massive hold on the play not called. After consultation it looked like it was Ratliff who was held on that play. On 3rd and 3 Skins can't get. They attempt a 50 yard field goal but miss. Dallas is lucky here not to be down by 10 points.

Dallas needs to score here. MB3 gets the ball and runs for four yards. On 2nd and 6 MB3 gets the pass over the middle and falls over for a first down. On 1st and 10 Barber gets the pitch out and runs hard for six yards. On 2nd and 4 Barber gets it again but cannot break enough tackles for a gain. On 3rd and 4 it's another high snap over Romo's head. Again, the ball has an uncanny bounce right into Romo's hands and he converts the pass to Witten. It's amazing how calm Romo can remain under stress. Note three bad snaps this game, two over Romo's head. On 1st and 10 Barber runs for a yard. On 2nd and 9 a pass to Witten goes for 6. On 3rd and 2 Witten catches a pass for a first down. On 1st and 10 there's a penalty on Witten for hands to the face which nulls a nice run by Barber. On 1st and 20 on the Deadskins 37 yard line Witten catches it for five yards. On 2nd and 15 there's a blitz and Romo rushes the pass into double coverage. A bad decision by Romo almost was intercepted by Fletcher. On 3rd and 15 Romo was under pressure again but he lobs a pass to T.O. who catches it for a first down and goal. Very nice play for Romo, who barely got the ball off under pressure. Springs had poor coverage on Owens.

On First and Goal Jones gets the ball for about 4 yards. On 2nd and Goal Romo throws a touchdown to Terrell Owens who is one on one with Shawn Springs. It was decent coverage but T.O. turned back and made the catch, the 123rd for his career, tying him for third with Marvin Harrison.

The Deadskins with 30 second left are driving and are now on the Dallas 40 after an 8 yard catch and run by Portis. Another 7 or so yards and the Deadskins are in field goal range. Campbell was under pressure and lobs a pass in the middle of the field where Randell El dives for a catch. The Deadskins are able to stop the clock. A 45-yard field goal attempt is good and the Deadskins regain the lead 10-7 at the break.

Summary: I think Gurode may want to practice snapping during the break. Three bad snaps did hurt Dallas. The defense adjusted well after a first-series touchdown drive by the Deadskins, who are obviously playing hard. Romo through one interception on one of those bad snaps, when it seemed Romo should have thrown the ball away. Other than that, it's another slow start for the Cowboys. Dallas has dominated the second half all season long. Expect no different.

First Quarter

2007-11-18T13:13:00.000-08:00

Dallas starts off well with a 27 yard kick off return by Miles Austin.

On 1st and 10 Witten is wide open for 12 yards and a first down. On the second play of the game Julius Jones runs through a wide hole for 13 yards. Dallas is looking great. Jones got it again and he is stuffed for two yards. On a high snap, Romo snags it and passes it to Witten for five yards. On 3rd and 3 Romo was in shotgun. It looked as if he was trying to call an audible and the ball was accidentally snapped. Luckily, it went right into Jones' hands, but he was stuffed. Nick Folk misses a 51 yard field goal.

Washington gets the ball back on their own 41. Clinton Portis runs for five yards. On second and 5 Jason Campbell runs for a first down. Washington is driving, with a pass to Chris Cooley to the Dallas 20. A play action play turned into a touchdown for Chris Cooley, and it's a strong start from Washington. It was an impressive drive and an impressive throw to Cooley. Roy Williams screwed up on this play. Washington leads 7-0.

Dallas gets the ball back and it's a hand off to MB3 for two yards, a punishing run up the middle. On 2nd and 8 Romo has all day, and throws it in the middle where there is decent protection--a near interception. On 3rd and 8 it's a sharp throw to Sam Hurd for 15 yards! On 1st and 10 Romo throws his first pass to Owens, who makes a nice catch for a first down. Tempers flared on the play with Owens and Springs after Springs pounds Owens to the ground. On 2nd and 2 a play action pass to Hoyte is complete for a first down. After some success driving the ball, there's a high snap that flies over Romo's head. He is able to get it and he throws a bomb to Owens. It's tipped by a Redskins and it looked as if Owens might be able to catch it when London Fletcher popped it and intercepted it. Another drive gone bad. Mistakes are killing the Cowboys once again. On the replay, Owens had a very good chance catching that ball, and maybe he should have.

Redskins get the ball back and on 3rd and 6 a pass goes right through the hands of Santana Moss and the drive dies. Redskins still lead 7-0 with 3:18 left in the first.

Crayton gets the punt and has a wonderful return, but it's brought back with an illegal block in the back by Bobby Carpenter. On 1st and 10 Romo rolls out on a play action pass to Witten for seven yards. On 2nd and 3 it's a quick pass to T.O. and he stretches for a first, but the chains show he is 1 inch away, which is ridiculous. On 3rd and 1 inch Romo keeps it for a first down. On 1st and 10 Jones dropped a pass. On 2nd and 10 Jones runs for three yards. On 3rd and 7 Romo throws high to Witten, and it's another stop by the Redskins defense. A great punt by McBriar and the Deadskins will start at the 4 yard line.

The first quarter ends.

Are you ready to rumble?

2007-11-18T13:12:00.000-08:00

Regular game comments and updates for the Redskins vs Cowboys games.

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Odds and Ends: Hamlin, Garrett

2007-11-18T08:41:00.000-08:00

There is some talk among some Cowboys that safety Ken Hamlin has played well enough for a longterm contract. I won't argue they are wrong. In fact, I can argue they are right.

"He needs to be here for the long term," Cowboys linebacker Bradie James said. "For the defense, he fits in real well."

Fair enough. I have vivid memories of the huge plays the secondary gave up last year when rookie Pat Watkins and veteran Keith Davis started. Those plays are exactly why the Cowboys sought Hamlin from the Seahawks. But I was skeptical that the Cowboys were going after a safety with a reputation of being a hard hitter with average coverage skills. We needed a cover safety. But Hamlin has impressed all Cowboys fans.

Hamlin is second on the team with 65 tackles and has four interceptions.

"It's great having him back there," cornerback Jacques Reeves said. "In a certain coverage, if he is supposed to have my back, he's going to be there. We always know what's going on because of him."

Hamlin signed a one year contract for $2.5 million. Add him to the list of players who deserves to stay in the Blue and Silver.

But someone just as important to the team may not be there next year: Jason Garrett. I guess we can consider the source and wonder what acumen he has to make such a prediction, but it still made my skin crawl.

In a Dallas News interview Aikman said Garrett would be a head coach somewhere in the NFL next year. I guess the insight Aikman might have is that Garrett was his back up in Dallas during the glory years. They probably still talk a lot. Has Garrett already been contacted? Can Jerry Jones offer him a package he can't refuse? Do we have the money to do that and keep the nucleus of the team intact?

Big questions. I hope Jones has the answers.

Ron Springs Tribute

2007-11-18T08:31:00.000-08:00

The Washington Post had an article today about former Dallas running back Ron Springs, who has been in a coma since Oct. 12, and his son Shawn Springs, who plays cornerback for the Redskins.

Springs, 51, is at Medical City Dallas Hospital, where he was supposed to have a cyst removed from his arm. He needed full anesthesia and never woke up from it. Springs has diabetes and had toes and a foot amputated because of it. He was traveling the country speaking about diabetes awareness before this happened.

Ron's playing was before my memory of Cowboy games. My memory begins with Tony Dorsett. But I've yet to send out the prayers for this man and his family.

Free Agent Chatter

2007-11-13T18:14:00.001-08:00

When this season ends, the Cowboys will be faced with 15 players who could end up gone for the next season. Of those players, several are very important to the future success of this team. As I review the players on this list, we will see how the Dallas Cowboys could change quite a bit next season.

Some may be expendable. Some are certainly not!

Let's look at unrestricted free agents first: Offensive Tackle Flozell Adams, WR Patrick Crayton, Free Safety Ken Hamlin, Running Back Julius Jones, CB Jacques Reeves, DB Keith Davis and DB Nate Jones.

I think Ken Hamlin, Flozell Adams and Patrick Crayton need to be resigned and not because they are great for betting online. If anyone could have been used as trade bait this year it was Adams. But it would have impacted out offensive line too much, and he is playing great this year despite his common false start penalties. Hamlin is in his first year as a Cowboy and has proven to be a valuable free safety, an actual surprise. Crayton has been a terrific fill in for the injured Terry Glenn. Reeves, Davis and Jones may be too valuable only because we are so weak at corner backs.

Other recognizable restricted free agents are Jay Ratliff. He deserves a contract, but he may be expendable if we keep Tank Johnson. It's also mentionable that Chris Canty may be on the restricted free agency list, too, because of his contract clauses.

Which brings us to Julius Jones. Do we sign him or let some other team bid on him? Frankly, I don't know what team would want him. Packers? Texans? Broncos? Who knows. Julius, in my opinion, hasn't become the back I expected him to be. After the Emmitt Smith years, any back we pick in the first two rounds better wear the Star with pride. JJ doesn't bring it every game.

But the decision to lose him could be a huge factor for 2009 because that means we will either look for a new running back in the draft or make Marion Barber the sole runner for this offense.

But hold on. MB3 is a restricted free agent. This means teams can bid on MB3 but the Cowboys have seven days to match any offers. This could make for a crazy offseason, unless we sign him now. It is possible that MB3 may be used as trade bait for this offseason to collect additional picks.

Our backfield could be completely changed this offseason. Could we really lose Marion the Barbarian? I hope not.

What happened the last time the Cowboys started 8-1?

2007-11-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

Overall, the Dallas Cowboys dominated the New York Football Giants. But, we also can walk away from that game knowing that, finally, the calls went our way. There's not much one can say about the poor clock management from Eli Manning. Three delay of game penalties is just absurd. But a few calls, mainly the kickoff return that was called back because of a Giant penalty, was questionable. A call like that is not always made by the refs, and I was shocked to see it happen in the Cowboys' favor. That penalty was the turning point in the game, when we thought the unsportsman-like conduct from Bradie James did us in at halftime.

As always, the Cowboys turned it on in the second half. The penalties became less of a factor against us and more of a factor in our favor. Tony Romo looked sharp, especially on two perfect passes to Terrell Owens. The pass rush was much more evident in the second half, and we contained the Giants run game, forcing them to pass. Best of all, we contained Plaxico Burress, who blew us up in Week 1.

We did not contain Jeremy Shockey, and he was a the only reason the Giants were able to hang tight in this game for three quarters.

Easily one could say this was the best game the Cowboys have played so far this year. However, there is still is work to do. The secondary gave up a huge play to Shockey seconds before halftime that allowed the Giants to tie the game. The defense needs to play better during these moments of the game. The Dallas secondary continues to be a problem. Shockey beat Roy Williams et al all night.

The offense is cooking, and seems to improve each week. There's not much to complain about regarding how the offense is playing. Tony Romo is having an MVP year. He's the sole reason Dallas is as good as they are. He avoids sacks, makes plays, and usually makes very smart decisions.

The last time Dallas started 8-1 was in 1995. Barry Switzer was our coach. Guess what happened that year?

Marion Barber is religious

2007-11-12T11:23:00.000-08:00

Anyone catch the small piece in the most recent Sports Illustrated called the "Pop Culture Grid?"

Marion Barber was asked five questions.

1. My childhood hero was?
Barber said Jesus Christ was his childhood hero. A very intriguing answer.

2. Vegetable I just won't eat?
Spinach. Another unlikely answer considering Popeye equates strength with spinach. Marion is the Barbarian!

3. Exercise I hate the most?
Long distance running. A running back dislikes long distance running. Makes sense for someone like MB3. But how ironic that MB3 also has the two longest runs this year for the Cowboys.

4. Last thing you bought from an infomercial?
A religious cd. This one got me. He's vague. What religious cd was it? Who the heck buys religious cds anyway?

5. Who should run for president?
Barber didn't answer. Well he did, sort of. "I am not political" he wrote. Gee. I hate to see an adult who isn't active in voting.

6. Last thing you saw on YouTube?
Barber said G. Craige Lewis. I figured this must be a religious figure. I was right.
Here's a snippet from the gospel of Mr. Lewis, aka The Messenger:

Our Christian music is being attacked by godless artists that promote themselves instead of promoting Jesus Christ. Our Christian television is being attacked by artists and ministers that would rather quote their own books and songs rather than quote the Word of God.

DALLAS WINS!!! 31-20!!

2007-11-11T15:27:00.000-08:00

On 3rd and 1 for the Giants Droughns gets a three yard gain. Manning attempts a play action pass that Newman almost intercepts. That was very close. A hand-off to Jacobs goes for a touchdown but it is brought back with a holding penalty. On 2nd and Goal the Giants have a delay of game call. They are now pushed back to the Dallas 20. Ratliff nearly intercepts a screen play and now it is 3rd and Goal. Giants fail to get in the end zone and the Dallas Defense pulled it together, coupled with some damaging Giants penalties. The kick is good and Dallas retains the leads 24-20.

On 1st and 10, Romo avoids some serious pass rush and he takes a pretty good hit. The pass to Fasano is dropped. On 2nd and 10 Romo almost throws another interception. A penalty on the Giants, "hands to the face" and Dallas gets an automatic first down. Barber gets the carry for just a yard. On 2nd and 9 finally there is a slant on a perfect throw to Witten for eight yards. On 3rd and 1 MB3 breaks a tackle in the backfield and gets the first down on a tough hard nose run. On 1st and 10 Romo has ALL DAY AND it's ANOTHER BOMB of 50 yards to T.O. for a touchdown!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOOO!!!!! Dallas leads 31-20.

Dallas Defense stops the Giants again, gaining another sack, and it looks like we are tiring them out. A score here would put the Giants to bed. Barber gets the ball on first down but he is stopped in the backfield. On 2nd and 10 Romo threads a rocket to T.O. for a first down. T.O. has his third straight 100 yard game. Dallas has to punt after a promising drive.

The Giants have it at their own 9 yard line down by 11 points. It's 3rd and 8: Shockey keeps the Giants hopes alive with a 9 yard catch, 4:58 left. On 1st and 10, some no name white guy catches the ball, Kevin Boss?? for a first down. The Giants are now in Dallas territory. Jacobs catches one for a 10 yard gain, and now the Giants are in no huddle. Jacobs runs for 5 yards and the Giants are on the Dallas 32 with all timeouts left. On 2nd and 5, Manning throws the ball away to avoid the sack on a blitz. The Giants are unraveling and it's 4th down and 4, and the pass is INCOMPLETE!

Leading 31-20, Dallas starts to run the clock out with 2:52 left. Giants have 2 time outs left.

Dallas has a 3rd and 25, just running the ball. The Giants get a facemask penalty and give Dallas the automatic first down. What a stupid play for a stupid team. This game is over. Dallas continues to just hand it off to Marion the Barbarian.

The game ends on a Patrick Watson interception. What a game. What a win!

Third Quarter

2007-11-11T14:56:00.001-08:00

The Giants get the ball and right off the bat the quarter starts off bad for the Cowboys with a penalty on Keith Davis. On a 3rd and 8 Manning has serious pressure but gets the ball off to Shockey, who is stopped a yard short for a first down. DeMarcus Ware appeared injured on the play, but he got up and walked off the field.

For the Cowboys first series of the second half and start at their own 15 yard line. Julius gets the ball and has a nice run for 9 yards. On 2nd and 1 Jones gets the first down with a three yard run. On 1st and 10 Jones is tackled in the backfield by Strahan. On 2nd and 11 Romo has all day and he almost throws and INT. Fasano catches the ball. Romo got away with one there. On 3rd and 2 from the Dallas 35 JJ runs for 10 yards. On 3rd and 7 after missing the last few plays because of an annoying call from an Anti Cowboy friend, Crayton catches a nice out for a first down. Dallas is on the move in this tie game. A score right now would be huge for the psyche.

On 1st and 10 Owens was obviously interfered with but no call fromt he biased refs. The Cowboys then ran a pitch out for a 1 yard loss. On 3rd and 11 Romo had time and Crayton was wide open for a first down to the Giants 25! Nice play. It was the third third down conversion on that drive. On the very next play, a 25 yard PASS TO T.O. FOR A TOUCHDOWN!!!!! Dallas leads 24-17. The Giants look deflated!!! Big Mouth Antonio Pierce had a concussion. What a series!!! Romo was 5-6 on that series for 56 yards.

On the kick off the Giants ran it all the way to the Dallas one yard line, but there is a penalty for holding and it comes all the way back. PHEW!!!!

However, the Giants come back strong and are driving with a series of throws, including Shockey's 11th damn catch of the game. The Giants are driving and pushing hard. The Giants continue to run the ball and the 3rd quarter winds down.

At Halftime, Game Ties 17-17.

2007-11-11T14:05:00.000-08:00

Brandon Jacobs gets nine yards on a nice run, breaking tackles through the middle. Tank Johnson got doubled and was pushed right out of the play. On 1st and 10 Ware almost knocks down and possibly intercepts a pass, but Burress gets a 4 yard gain. On 2nd and 6, the defense shuts down the run but Tank Johnson gets a penalty for hands to the face, giving the Giants a first down. Five penalties so far for 34 yards. On a 3rd and 3 with the Giants driving and in field goal range, Jacobs makes a first down for three yards. The Giants now have second and goal on this 10 play drive. Shockey is having his best game of the season, snagging his 7th catch at the two yard line. On 3rd and goal the refs give Droughs the touchdown for a Giants lead 14-10.

Dallas needs to answer here. So far the defense hasn't performed well at all, sans the Hamlin interception. Julius runs for three yards, and the Giants defense is doing a lot of smack talking. On 2nd down there is a busted play. On 3rd and 9, a huge play, and Terrell drops it. Unbelievable.

Chris Canty gets a sack for a loss of eight yards, to make it 2nd and 18. Jacobs loses two and now it's 3rd and 20. Dallas calls a time out before the two minute warning, leaving them with 2. Spencer then pulls in another sack and Dallas may get the ball back with decent field position. WE NEED TO SCORE TO CLOSE OUT THIS HALF!!!

The FINAL SERIES of the first half: Dallas takes it at their own 32 yard line. Dallas gains a first down and the clock is ticking to 1:16. Owens catches a pass and is thrown out of bounds. Looked like a head tackle to me. 1st and 10 and Romo throws to Crayton for 9 yards. We are in field goal range with 40 seconds left. On 2nd and 1 Romo tries to sneak it but the refs give him a bad spot. It is 3rd and inches and it's a great pass to Terrell Owens at the sideline. The Giants are playing some crappy passing defense on this series. On 1st and 10 Crayton grabs a pass, breaks a tackle and SCORES!!!!! That's Crayton's 5th touchdown of the season. WOW!!! Dallas leads 17-14.

As disgusting at is can seem, the Giants capitalize on a Dallas penalty by Burnett and horrible pass defense. With 6 seconds a bomb to Shockey is successful and the Giants are about to tie this game and head into the locker rooms with the boost. Burnett's penalty allowed this 40 yard field goal.

First half comments: Too many penalties. The Burnett penalty was just a bone-headed move. The secondary also flopped a few times. Shockey has 8 catches and Dallas needs to take him out of the game. Witten has not been used yet. He was a huge factor in the Week 1 win. Romo needs to find him in the middle of the field if Dallas is going to pull away with this.

First Quarter: Dallas v Giants

2007-11-11T13:19:00.000-08:00

Apparently Julius Jones had a nice 20 yard run that most missed because they started the game late. Cowboys are driving with their first possession of the game.

Well that was fast. Tony Romo had another athletic, amazing throw to Tony Curtis for a touchdown. Curtis was wide open. It appeared Romo was going to run the ball and then at the last second he just flips the ball high in the air to a wide open Curtis. Dallas leads 7-0.

On the Giants first series Brandon Jacobs has a wide open hole to run through, and he did for nine yards. No pressure and Manning throws to Burress for a first down. Plaxico was a game-time decision to play. Finally the defense has a good play, stuffing Jacobs for no gain on 2nd and 6. On 3rd and 6 the defense imploded with mental errors, two in a row, giving the Giants a first down. On first down, Manning throws to Burress and there's another defensive penalty, a late hit personal foul. Not good. Now all of the sudden the Giants are in the red zone at the Dallas 9. It's 3rd and 4 and Manning throws a touchdown to Shockey to tie the game 7-7.

Dallas gets the ball back for the second time after a disappointing defensive series, and Romo fires low after massive pressure from the Giants D. On 2nd and 10 Barber gets his first carry for three yards. On 3rd and 7 Romo throws an incomplete pass. That was a critical down to keep the Giants restless. Now, they are pumped up.

The Giants get the ball back and Manning throws a 22 yard pass to Shockey. Dallas is not getting any pass rush. On 1st and 10, Roy Williams flies in and gets a shoelace tackle on Brandon Jacobs for two yards. On 2nd and 8 the defense shuts down Jacobs again for no gain. On 3rd and 8 Ken Hamlin intercepts the pass and returns it to the Giants 40 yard line!

Dallas gets the ball back for its third series and Barber runs for two yards. On 2nd and 8 Romo is pressured but he throws a screen to MB3 who just runs over a few Giants for about a 6 yard gain. Romo threw that at risk, as the play seemed to be rushed because of the defense. A penalty for unnecessary roughness on the Giants gives Dallas a first down inside the 20 yard line. On 1st and 10 Barber runs for 3 yards. On 2nd and 7, the Giants blitz again and Romo dumps it off to Barber again but it's an 8 yard loss. On 3rd and 15 Romo is blitzed again and he is stripped of the ball. Dallas recovers. The pass rush from the Giants is intense and they are getting to Romo every play. Folk kicks a 44 yard field goal to give Dallas the lead 10-7.

I had to take a break for a second and came back to some defensive plays including a sack for Ware. Dallas shut down the Giants and get the ball back with a 3 point lead.

On 1st and 15, Romo throws his 11th interception in a poor underthrown ball to Terrell Owens. That wasn't a very good play and the Giants get the ball back at their 40 yard line.

The Giants: OVERRATED! How's that for a S-H-O-C-K, Pierce?

2007-11-11T06:27:00.000-08:00

I am happy to announce that Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce opened his mouth again and stupid things came out of it. You all remember this goofball, right? Week 1, his "prediction?" Let me help you here.

Well, Pierce did it again. You can read his newest prognostication here.

Wow! Pierce said the Giants are going to shock people and shake up the NFC East. This guy has talked so much trash this year. This afternoon, someone needs to shut him up.

We cannot forget that in Week 1, we led that game by 16 points. The defense failed us in the end. But in my opinion we dominated the Giants. We will dominate them again. Eli Manning will show that he has nothing on Romo, even though Giants say Manning is the better QB because he was a first round pick. Yes, these Giants fans are intelligent; about as intelligent as squirrels.

The Giants lost to the Cowboys and Packers, and since then, have beaten some of the worst teams in the NFL, such as the 49ers, the Falcons, Jets and Dolphins, whom they barely beat.

The Giants are overrated. It's that simple. Their offense ranks 15th and passing ranks 20th. Their defense that every "analyst" is yapping about is barely better than the Dallas defense. We're ranked 8th, and the Giants are ranked 7th. And the Giants may not even have Plaxico Burress today, certainly not at 100 percent.

We should glide to victory today. Dallas 45 Giants 16.

Scumbag Eagle Fined

2007-11-08T17:54:00.001-08:00

Remember the nasty late hit Julius Jones took late in the game Sunday night against the Eagles. Well, the NFL fined the idiot.

The NFL took Eagles defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey's entire pay for the game, or $21,176, 1/17 of his annual salary of $400,000.

This is a major fine because the NFL normally doesn't do it this way. The NFL obviously thought Ramsey's hit was particularly egregious. Just look at the picture, he looks like a pot-smoking creep. He's a dirty player, and has already been fined for late hits. I want him booted from the NFL and sent to Canada for CFL play.

What a scumbag!

Chris Cooley Smears TONY ROMO!!!!!!

2007-11-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

I live in Deadskins County in Virginia and it's never easy. Everything is Washington Redskins. The television. The radio. The newspapers. It's gross.

On the way to work this morning, I was listening to DC101. Every Monday Elliot interviews Deadskins tight end Chris Cooley. The entire interview lasts about 10 minutes and Cooley, his bad hair and all, touts the team. It's pathetic and boring. Elliot has no balls to really question Cooley because he's a biased Deadskins fan. In fact, Elliot is probably massaging Cooley's groin during the interview.

But this morning, Cooley went too far. He went after our quarterback, Tony Romo. I tried to search the Web site so you could hear these disparaging remarks, but I couldn't find the interview. But Elliot said he read this article in which it said the Dallas Cowboys QB position is one of the most distinguished positions in all of sports. He asked Cooley if he agreed, which prompted Cooley to go on a tirade against Romo. Cooley said that he spoke with a few Deadskins teammates recently and they all vocalized their disdain for Romo. He said the Deadskins don't like him. They don't like how he jokes around. He's too cocky and arrogant, he said. Romo thinks he's awesome, Cooley said.

"He thinks he's funny," Cooley continued, aggressively bashing Romo for several minutes.

Chris, you sound like a little whiny baby. First off, you need a haircut. You look like a crackhead. Secondly, the Deadskins have lost 16 of the 19 match ups since Nov. 16, 1997, including 15 in a row. Yes, 15 in a row!!!! Chris, you have no right badmouthing Tony Romo, who currently is a Pro Bowl quarterback leading the best team in the NFC. You stick with trying to find positives with your quarterback situation, and the woeful Jason Campbell. Don't bring your posterboard nastiness to Dallas. Chris, I take it you missed the game last night, the drubbing the Eagles took at the hands of the Cowboys, led by you know who: Tony Romo.

Chris, I take it you are looking ahead to the Nov. 18 match up, aren't you? You scared, Chris? You afraid of getting knocked out by Roy Williams, Chris? Is there any other reason you decided to knock one of the best quarterbacks in the game? You think he's a jokester? You think he's not funny?

Want to know what's funny, Chris? The Washington Deadskins are funny. Joe Gibbs? Daniel Snider? Please. You're funny, Chris. You're a jokester. Those 4 catches you had yesterday tire you out, tough guy? Chris, you wishing you were Jason Witten? You see what he did last night?

I hate to look ahead because we have an important game against the Giants coming up, but Chris Cooley forced this out of me.

Chris, you think the Patriots beat on you pretty good? I heard you on the radio last week about that game. You sounded deflated, kind of like Andy Reid did last night.

But on Nov. 18, you're not going to know what hit you. Dallas 55 Redskins 3

Third Quarter----it's a blow out

2007-11-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

Dallas comes out in the second half real strong. T.O. scores on a 45 yard pass. The Cowboys are killing the Eagles 28-7.

The Eagles get the ball back and have a min drive to the Dallas 20 yard line. On 3rd and 16, they throw a short pass, which brings the Eagles fans into a fury of boos. This is beautiful. Philly gets a field goal, 28-10, Dallas.

Dallas gets the ball back and is running down the clock, with three JJ runs in a row. JJ has been very effective today. A near fight occurs with 5:34 left on what looked like a late hit on JJ. Refs call a late hit helmet to helmet on the Eagles. Good call. Dallas is just making it look easy. On the replay you see just how scummy the Eagles are on that late hit. Disgusting and Hamsey should be heavily fined. Romo just throws a 20 yard touchdown to Jason Witten, a perfect pass. Dallas is mutilating the Eagles, 35-10.

Dallas has already scored more points in the Vet since 1971.

This game is a blow out, so I am going to turn down the PC to celebrate GREEN WEEK on NBC.

A great win for Dallas!!!!!!!

Second quarter

2007-11-04T18:01:00.000-08:00

The Iggles continue the drive into Dallas territory as the second quarter begins. Bradie James blew up a screen play with a huge hit, and it's 3rd and 15 for the Eagles. A dropped pass and the drive stalls at the Dallas 36 yard line. Instead of trying a long field goal, the Eagles punt.

The Cowboys on its third offensive series Romo continues his perfect game, 9 for 9 for 99 yards and 1 touchdown. On 3rd and 6 Owens gets the first down and takes it to the Dallas 41 yard line. Owens has 4 catches for 46 yards. Another 3rd down play--we're 5 for 5 so far--and the Eagles finally hold when a pass to Witten is dropped. On the replay, that could have been a pass interference call.

Dallas is able to stop the Eagles with 6:14 left, but the Terence Newman has a 15 yard facemask penalty, allowing the Eagles to continue. On a 3rd and 1 Chris Canty stops Buckhalter. Eagles punt.

The Cowboys get the ball back for the fourth series. The first play is a 24 yard pass to T.O. Julius Jones gets a few effective runs and Dallas is well in Eagle territory as the first half winds down. The great drive ends when Romo throws an interception, a floating pass attempt to Crayton.

Cowboys get the ball right back with 1:33 left when Ken Hamlin intercepts a pass and runs it back to the Eagles 15 yard line. On 3rd and 1 MB3 powers the ball into the endzone!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dallas increases lead 21-7 with :44 seconds left. McNabb looks DEFLATED!!!!!!!!!!
The crowd is boooing!!!!!!!!!

First Quarter Notes: Dallas vs Eagles

2007-11-04T16:57:00.000-08:00

On the first play of the game, Marcus Spears hammers McNabb who fumbles. Dallas recovers and starts on the 37 yard line. On a 3rd and 6 Terrell Owens is wide open and gains 23 yards to the Eagles 10. On 3rd and Goal at the 2 yard line Julius Jones walks into the end zone for a touchdown. This is just the second first-series touchdown for the Cowboys all year. Dallas leads 7-0.

The Iggles come right back and score a touchdown on some atrocious pass defense--Thanks Jacque Reeves. Game is tied 7-7.

For their second offensive series, Dallas on 3rd and 3 gives it to Julius Jones who barely gets a first down. This series quickly turned into the Marion Barber show. He makes two great catches, one for 22 yards, and then a 16 yarder. Romo, who is having a perfect game, then dumps a pass to third-string TE Tony Curtis for a touchdown. Dallas leads 14-7. Romo is 7 for 7 with 1 touchdown.

Philly is driving at the end of the first quarter down by a touchdown.

Some videos to tie us over until gametime

2007-11-04T16:02:00.000-08:00

Analysts say the Eagles have a must win game tonight. Too bad they'll lose.
Warning: this video has the dreaded McNabb flea flicker pass in 2005.

NFLTA Boys Eagles Discussion

Boys Eagles NFLN

Does anyone else think McNabb is scared to play us?

Boys Eagles Preview

The East does go through Philly

2007-11-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

Tonight's game might possibly be the biggest game so far for the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles sure have had Dallas's number recently and certainly since Andy Reid has been the coach. The Eagles have also dominated the East for years.

That all should change tonight. Dallas is the better team. But it's certainly not a game to overlook just because the Eagles are 3-4. The Cowboys' trendy slow starts must end in this game. Newly signed Tony Romo and the pack have to come out strong, scoring early, to drain a good Eagles defense. If not, this game tonight could be scary.

It has been real quiet all week. Very little trash talking, if any, which this rivalry is not used to. The ugliest fans on Earth in Philly are real quiet this week. Well, there's one douchebag talking here. He's not even worth a response, but it's hilarious to read his pitiful prediction.

I'll do my best to give regular updates of the game tonight. I predict Dallas wins 30-13.

Romo Is SIGNED!!!!!!!!!!

2007-10-29T18:27:00.001-07:00

Dallas Cowboy QB Tony Romo has officially signed a long-term contract. The deal is for six years and $67.5 million, with $30 million guaranteed and an $11.5 million signing bonus.

This is huge news for the Dallas Cowboys franchise, the fans, Romo and the team. Even I am surprised with the hot start of the Cowboys and the competitive play considering some of the injuries to impact players this year.

His salary is a bit under what many fans thought he'd get, which is about $15 million a year. In comparison, quarterbacks Matt Schaub ($48 million) and Marc Bulger ($65 million) received six-year contracts. Bulger got $27 million guaranteed. Jamarcus Russell got six-years, $61 million with $29 million guaranteed, and he hasn't even played a down.

Romo has proven to be better all of them. He leads the NFC with 1,984 yards passing and 16 touchdowns. Congrats Tony. You deserve it. Good luck in your six years with Dallas and I hope you can bring us home a couple of Super Bowls.

Bobby Carpenter and the bust factor

2007-10-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

The 18th pick in the 2006 NFL draft is under fire right now amongst Cowboy fans for not meeting expectations. Bobby Carpenter, from the Ohio State Buckeyes, has been a non factor for the Cowboys defense in the two years he has played. Some, if not many, expected he'd be a Pro Bowl linebacker. Instead, names like Bradie James and Greg Ellis have put Carpenter on the shelve, gathering dust.

To be blunt, Carpenter hasn't performed like fans want a first-round pick to perform. He hasn't recorded a sack and his tackle numbers are ineffective.

Why is this happening? Certainly, players who weren't expected to make huge impacts are, and their names are above.

A good debate is taking place on a forum and many are on the fence as to whether BC has been a bust. One argument that can be made is that BC hasn't played one position consistently. He's been moved to different positions throughout his career, and that surely affects his stability. But I expected BC to be a run stopper, playing beside DeMarcus Ware. I figured the two would be Pro Bowlers and our run defense would be one of the best in the NFL. Ware has performed; BC has yet to show he is a starter.

I am not sure what BC will turn into. I am not sure he was a good pick or a bad one. But I can and have said he hasn't played to the potential I thought he had. He and AJ Hawk were a one-two punch linebacker corps that pummeled runners in college. But maybe that's why BC was any good.

Tony Romo on pace to destroy Cowboy passing records

2007-10-24T16:51:00.000-07:00

It may be hard to believe for some, but Tony Romo is on his way to smashing all passing records in Dallas Cowboys history. Here is a breakdown of the current best seasons of the three best Dallas quarterbacks:

Troy Aikman: 23 TDs; 3,445 yards (1992)

Danny White: 29 TDs; 3,980 yards (1983)

Roger Staubach: 27 TDs; 3,586 yards (1979)

You ready for this?

Romo is on pace for 36 TDs and 4,500 yards. I have a feeling he may throw 40 or more touchdowns. This so far has been a great season for Romo. And he's learning game by game. For example, analysts are saying that teams are switching up their defenses against Romo to keep him in the pocket because he's most dangerous in scramble mode. But Romo sees more. He sees that the secondaries are putting more emphasis on taking away the big play to force Romo to beat them with the time-consuming, short-pass and run drives. This explains why either Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett has been hesitant to call the deep plays or that Romo doesn't throw the long ball because it's not there and he's playing smart.

"I'm learning as I move along here," Romo said. "Make them come up and make tackles. If you throw it underneath, guys can still get 8, 10, 12 yards and they're pretty high-percentage throws. It's just, if the defense wants to come up, we'll throw over the top of them; if they want to stay back, we'll throw under it."

Dumb Play Calling Award for Week 7

2007-10-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

Anyone catch the end of the Cardinals-Deadskins game? In my humble opinion, the Deadskins didn't deserve to win that game.
I am not sure if it was Ken Whisenhunt or OC Todd Haley that called the play for the two-point conversion, but both will get the Dumb Play Calling Award for Week 7 in the NFL. Congrats guys. You really earned this one.

The Play:

Anquan Boldin was playing quarterback and he ran to the right side of the field. The thought here was Boldin could run it in if he saw a hole. But the play was so obvious once he snapped it that the Deadskins defense swarmed in on Boldin. Still, a wide open receiver waited for the ball in the end zone, but Boldin just dumps it nearly into a Deadskin's hands. It was awful. If either Tim Ratay or Kurt Warner was in I would put a lot of money on a complete pass and a tie game. The receiver was that open. But that horrible play call lost it for them. I know...the Cardinals got the onside kick and missed a long field goal, but it doesn't matter. The game should have gone to overtime.

Now, as for the Cowboys, I truly believe that the Chris Canty blocked kick and Pat Watkins returning it for a touchdown was the play of the game. Without it, we have a drive to make, and three points to make up.

Finally, it was sad to see Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown tear his ACL. He's gone for the year. He was the only bright spot on that woeful Dolphin team, and he's done.

Dallas heads to bye week 6-1 after beating Minnesota

2007-10-21T16:22:00.001-07:00

Dallas defeated Minnesota 24-14, completely shutting down the Vikings in the second half with zero points. Dallas dominated this game statistically, but two turnovers kept it close. The game could have easily been 24-7 or even worse if Dallas had finished drives.

Marion Barber had a great game, with 98 yards and 1 touchdown. He ran the ball hard and punished the Vikings defense. MB3 scored the first rushing touchdown against the Vikings all year and has the two longest runs against the Vikings defense, which is pretty good.

Tony Romo threw 31-39, which is amazing. He only threw nine passes in the second half. Greg Ellis had two sacks. Chris Canty blocked a field goal and Pat Watkins ran it back for a touchdown that put Dallas ahead for good.

I was bombarded with a lot of negativity today from the Vikings fans. It was a pathetic display of nastiness and bad taste. I hope this game taught them a lesson.

End of THIRD QUARTER, Dallas leads 21-14

2007-10-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

The Dallas Cowboys came out strong in the third quarter on two near safeties that pushed the Vikings deep into their endzone for the punt. After a penalty, we took the offense at the Vikings 36 and quickly ran it down their throats, highlighted by a great catch by T.O.

Romo's passing accuracy is terrific and he is approaching over 300 yards again.

Marion Barber also scored the first rushing touchdown on the Vikings this year. He is running over these guys with passion.

The Vikings came right back. The offense drove to Dallas territory, but were stopped at the 32. A field goal attempt was blocked and Pat Watkins returned it for a touchdown. Dallas is back on top, 14-7 and dominating the game right now.

Hopefully, the nonsense ends from a Vikings fan with a bad attitude.

Horrible. That simple

2007-10-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

One word can describe the Cowboys at halftime of the game against Minnesota: Horrible. We've dominated the game statistically, but thanks to a couple of turnovers, the Vikings lead 14-7 at halftime.

Tony Romo has fumbled the ball. And he's made some mental errors in an otherwise respectable game. Sloppy special teams has really hurt us, but turnovers are killing us. The Vikings defense is reminding me of when the planets aligned in Buffalo, where Dallas pulled off a late, miraculous win. The planets can't align twice in one year so this really mean Dallas needs to wake up.

Once again, I have to criticize Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett's play calling. THROW THE BALL DEEP at least twice a half please!!!! Why can't you have Romo lob a few out there for T.O.?

I'm nowhere near being worried. I am sure Dallas will pull this win out by a 10-point margin, but Dallas needs to play a strong first half game at least once this year. Tony Romo already has thrown 30 times. We seem to be able to run the ball well enough to offset that a little bit with a long touchdown drive. But all Dallas fans need to keep in mind that this is three bad weeks in a row, even if we come out in the second half strong. Buffalo and New England were both bad, bad games for the Dallas Cowboys.

Beating Minnesota

2007-10-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

ALERT********
ALERT********
This blog has been invaded by a few idiot Vikings fans. These fans are not very smart. Please stay tuned for further announcements...

I am having some Internet problems here so I won't be able to do the regular updates unless the situation improves.

I wanted to quickly state that the Vikings pose a couple of matchup problems that concern me, but I still think Dallas should easily win this game. The Cowboys have to stop Adrian Peterson and keep him contained for the entire game. This is especially important because of the Cowboys slow starts.

Secondly, the Vikings defense hasn't allowed a rushing TD yet. So you would think the Cowboys would pass all day and that Crayton, Witten and T.O. will have big games. But, maybe Dallas ought to attack that front line and give the Vikings D a taste of MB3, a Minnesota college native. Let the former Golden Gopher pound them into submission.

Comments from Julius Jones last week that the two-back system hasn't allowed him to get into a groove are alarming. It comes less than three weeks after MB3 welcomed the two-back system and said it's working well for the team. JJ's comments are the first controversial remarks so far about this two-back system, and it could affect the longterm stability of the running game, and quite possibly the entire team. Let's hope not.

Patrick Crayton irks Boston blogger

2007-10-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

I enjoy visiting this blog from time to time because of the hot chicks he posts and he'll occasionally hit a funny bone. But today, "El Prez" hit a nerve with me and probably every Dallas fan who comes across his post on Patrick Crayton.

Here's the background. Most of us may already know about Patrick Crayton's brazen comments after the loss to the Patriots. If not, here is a glimpse into Crayton's mind:

I told my coach yesterday, ‘If they make it to Arizona, we will see them again,’ ” Crayton said. “If they make it to Arizona, we will see them again. Seriously, I’m not backing down from that statement. Yesterday, I told my coach that, and I’m saying it now.” Crayton said watching the tape he had a hard time “not throwing something at my TV.” In particular, he was chagrined the Cowboys didn’t better exploit a Patriots defense he considers overrated. “Offensively, they are the real deal,” he told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I’m not going to lie about that. Defensively, I can tell you no, they’re not. They’re not (that good) at all. The only time they stopped us is when we had penalties. If that’s stopping us, it is what it is. Defensively, they are not the real deal.” He also was incensed at the cavalier attitude of the Pats and the idea that “their (expletive) don’t stink,” throwing the Colts in there as well. He didn’t appreciate the Pats celebrating by eating popcorn to mock the pregame words of receiver Terrell Owens or punching in a meaningless touchdown in the closing seconds. “You put that in the memory bank,” Crayton said. “You remember. You have a chance to sit on it, kick a field goal, whatever, and you score a touchdown. . . . You put it in the memory bank and prepare for the next time you face them.”

I personally like what he said. I think he makes some good points and he is motivated to beat them in a rematch. I like to see that in a player. Would it have been better not to say anything at all and let the two teams meet again in 'Zona like we all think is likely to happen? Probably. But I still like what he said.

In comes "El Prez" the blogger who runs barstoolsports.com. I think he goes too far, as he usually does, with his apparent ignorance of football. He also likes to use the noun "dude" a lot. Warning: There is some potty-mouth language here from this genius, bandwagon Pats-Red Sox fan:

Dude, who the fuck is Patrick Crayton? No seriously who is he? As a rule more than .0001% of NFL fans should be able to recognize you before you talk this much shit. Especially after getting your ass whipped inside out by the team that you are talking junk about. It just sets the entire trash talk movement back a 100 years. Talk as much crap as you want before the game, but don’t wait until you get pummeled and the other team is on a plane heading back home to open your trap. That’s as cowardly as it gets. Also I love the part where he is complaining about the Pats fans in Dallas and how it’s total disrespect. Disrespect by who? The Pats fans for rooting for the Pats? Do me a favor and mix in a clue dude.

I think he knows very well whom Patrick Crayton is. So, allow me to make a few statements:
Crayton is right. The Patriots defense isn't really that good. It is overrated. We lost that game largely because of penalties. To insinuate that the Patriots stopped the Dallas offense is completely ludicrous. Penalties certainly were a major factor in stopping the momentum of the Dallas offense. The Pats don't hit hard. They don't hustle to the ball, and they don't even tackle that well. And, they cheat.

I'm not being a sore loser here. The Patriots won this game because they appeared to be better coached and prepared for this game. But their defense didn't win this game. Sure, Tom Brady is incredible, and his offensive line is full of gems, but we competed. And we could have won.

And like Crayton said, we'll see them again in Arizona. I hope "El Prez" put this one in his memory bank.

What can we learn from Week 6?

2007-10-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

It was a tough loss last night. Although the offense looked OK, there were a lot of things wrong with this game that should be dissected all this week. I will go through a few of those problems here.

1. If the coaches and Jerry Jones don't regret not going after secondary in the draft and the free agency market, they should now. Even with Henry and Newman in the game, I am still not comfortable with how the secondary plays. Maybe it's just the coordinator's schemes, I have no idea. But what I saw during the Patriots game was awful. It seemed like we turned into the Buffalo defense from last week. We were giving the Pats receivers 10-yard cushions.

We made absolutely no contact with these receivers at the line of scrimmage. And we couldn't slow their route running. And to make it worse, the tackling was atrocious. I was real disappointed in the play of the secondary. I knew this was going to happen, too. I knew I'd be moaning all year about the Dallas secondary, and I said at the beginning of the year that if we want to be an elite team we need to improve at the cornerback-safety positions and have tight nickel coverages. We don't.

2. Penalties. Hey, I am used to Flozell Adams' two false starts a game, but what happened last night is unexplainable. A lot of Cowboy fans are complaining about the refs. I'm not going to do that. I didn't see many bad calls. The several holding calls were probably warranted. The offsides calls all seemed fair. (The lack of calls of holding against the Pats might be valid, but my TV didn't show it).

We just committed these penalties at the worst moments: on third downs when we were driving the ball. Too many penalties is a sign of poor team discipline. Nice guy Wade Phillips might want to crack the whip this week because if he doesn't don't be shocked if we go into Minnesota and get beat again. It's possible with the rookie runner they have.

3. Play calling. With the Princeton degree, I was hoping Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett would have some better plays than what we saw last night. We didn't throw one deep ball to Owens or Crayton. Not a single bomb. Although I thought we played smart with the short passes to take what we were getting, we didn't spread out the field at all. We ran the ball 14 damn times. That's it! And we were running it well. Both Julius Jones and MB3 had great runs. I didn't understand why, after we took the lead, that we didn't just run the ball and wear down the Patriots defense.

Not going for it on fourth down in the fourth quarter when we were down by 14 points was possibly the worst call of the year for the Cowboys. I'd like to know how the discussions went between Phillips and Garrett on this call. Who said what? Because it was a dumb call.

A field goal was meaningless. Yes, I know, Phillips said anything can happen. But we're not playing Buffalo, Wade. Our miracles already happened in one damn game this year on Monday night. I doubt we'll get anymore luck. It's time to play, Wade. Stop being Mr. Laid Back Nice Guy and get this team to improve!

Fourth Quarter and it's over.

2007-10-14T16:01:00.001-07:00

Dallas has 4th and 1 Barber gets the first down, but he fumbles only to get it back. Then we have a holding penalty and it's time to punt. Unbelievable. 12 damn penalties for 100 yards is killing us!!!!!!!!!!

Pats get the ball back....
This is a key drive right here and Dallas D needs to stop the Patriots. Going down by 2 scores could be too much to handle this late. So, here we go. On 1st and 10 on their own 20 Faulk runs for 6 yards. On 2nd and 4 Dallas stops Faulk for 2 yards. On 3rd and 2 (huge play!) and Brady scrambles for 3 yards....so damn close. On 1st and 10 and Stallworth catches a 69 yard touchdown because of a horrible secondary. It was a great play action fake and Reeves can't tackle. Pats go up by 14.

Dallas gets it back down by 14...
Thompson has a great kick off return to the Patriots to the Pats 23 yard line. On 1st and 10 with 12 minutes left, a pass to T.O. is caught for 14 yards and it's 1st and Goal! That was a nice catch by T.O., as the ball was near the ground. On 1st and Goal, Romo is sacked. On 2nd and Goal Julius Jones runs it to the 5 yard line for 7 yards. On 3rd and Goal a pass to Hurd is too far and it sails out of the endzone. Dallas decides to kick a field goal here, which is questionable down by 14. I am not sure this is the right call here, but we do it and the score is 38-27.

The Pats get the ball...
The Pats get a first down on two plays to Moss. On 1st and 10 in Dallas territory, Faulk runs for 5 yards. On 2nd and 5 with 8 minutes left Welker gets a first down because Newman can't make a damn tackle. Ware is hurt on the play. He walked off the field. On 1st and down with 7 minutes left Faulk gets nine yards. The Dallas D looks tired. On 2nd and 1 Faulk runs for 5 and a first down. The clock is down to 6 minutes and the Patriots are well in field goal range. On 1st and 10 it's a Moss touchdown with a flag: offensive pass interference. On 1st and 20 Moss catches it for 15 yards and it looks too easy for the Pats. On 2nd and 5 with 5:18 left Faulk runs for a first down and it's First and Goal. On first and goal Faulk runs for 2 yards. On second and goal Faulk is stuffed for no gain. On third ans Goal Brady throws the ball away. Pats kick a field goal to go back up by 14.

Dallas gets the ball back with 3:59 left and down by 14...
On the first play Romo is pressured and he throws a sidearmed interception. Game over. I am stopping the blogging.

Summary: It's pretty simple why we lost this game. Penalties and a horrible secondary killed us from being able to stay in this game. The defense also dried up at the end. A disappointing loss for week 6. I hate Bellichek.

Third Quarter continued

2007-10-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

The Pats get the ball back after losing the lead and on the return there was a block in the back for a 10 yard penalty on the Pats. This backs the Patriots to their 23 yard line. On 1st and 10 Moss catches it for 15 yards and a first down, but a nice quick hit from Williams stops Moss in his tracks. On 1st and 10 Faulk runs for 8 damn yards. On 2nd and 2 a deep pass to Moss is well covered and incomplete. On 3rd and 2 there is no pressure and Welker runs for 10 yards, putting Welker over 100 yards for his first time. On 1st and 10 no gain for Faulk. On 2nd and 10 another short pass to Welker goes for 5 (War eis chop blocked). On 3rd and 5 Brady is pressured but connects with Gafney for 11 yards. On 1st and 10 another screen dump to Stallworth goes for 10 yards. Newman was playing 10 yards of him. On 1st and 10 this little dump off to Moss is quickly stopped by Newman for a 3 yard gain. On 2nd and 7 on the Dallas 23, the pass to Moss is incomplete but there is a penalty on the double coverage for pass interference. Not good. On the replay, it seems like the play was correct. On 1st and Goal Brady connects with Kyle Brady for a Touchdown. Pats take back the lead 28-24.

Dallas gets the ball back....
On 1st and 10 it's another holding penalty on Dallas, good ol' Flozell Adams. On 2nd and 10 deep in D territory, and MB3 has an amazing run that avoid a safety. He broke 6 tackles for the 2 yard run, four in the endzone. Amazing play. On 2nd and 13 Romo has all day but throws behind Witten. Now it is 3rd and long and Romo had all day to lob an incomplete pass to Witten. Dallas punts for the firs time in awhile.

Pats get the ball back...
Pats get the ball in Dallas territory and on 1st and 10 it's a bomb to Moss and he catches it. Refs call it a touchdown but it sure didn't look like he got both feet in. They also call a roughing the passer play. On the replay, it doesn't look like Moss has possession of the ball. The call: INCOMPLETE! WOOO that was close. But the penalty is still against us. On 1st and 10 on the Dallas 28 yard line and Ware shuts down Faulk for a yard loss. On 2nd and 11 a quick pass to Welker after a blitz is dropped. It's 3rd and 11 and the Dallas D holds up by tackling Faulk quickly on a 2 yard pass. Pats kick a 45 yard field goal to pad their lead 31-24.

Dallas gets the ball back...
On 1srt and 10 MB3 runs another passionate run for 11 yards. On 1st and 10 Barber gets just a yard. On 2nd and 9 Romo gets it to Owens but there'sa flag, illegal shit on the damn Cowboys. It's 2nd and 14 and Romo throws it away after pressure. On 3rd and 14 Owens catches it but he's two yards short of a first down. Dallas were going to line up quick to go for it but the quarter ends with Pats leading 31-24.

Third Quarter DALLAS TAKES LEAD 24-21

2007-10-14T14:58:00.000-07:00

Pats get the ball
On 1st and 10 Brady throws it away after some pressure. On 2nd and 10 Morris is stopped for 2 and is shaken up on the play. He is real slow to get up. We've held him to 10 carries and 14 yards. On 3rd and 8 and Brady is sacked by Nathan Jones! Morris heads to the locker room. We've taken out Morris and their tight end.

Cowboys' first series in the second half...
Crayton catches it for a 7 yard gain. On 2nd and 3 Julius Jones has his best run of the year for 25 yards, breaking two tackles. WOW! On 1st and 10, JJ has another amazing run that will make it on ESPN. It looked as if he goes down, and it might come back but it's not challenged. On 1st and 10, a screen to Owens goes for about 6 yards. On 2nd and 4 J.J. is stuffed for no gain. On 3rd and 4, a big play, Romo rolls out to the right and passes to Crayton for a 1st down! On 1st and Goal from the 8 CRAYTON IS OPEN FOR A TOUCHDOWN. Amazing pass from Romo!!!!!! DALLAS LEADS 24-21!!!!!!!! The pass was right between Harrison and Samuel, the two best players on the Pats defense!!!

At Halftime, Dallas down 21-17

2007-10-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

Dallas still has the ball and on 2nd and 5 MB3 gets it again and runs for 4. A flag is thrown on Warren for unecessary roughness. 1st and 10 and Romo passes to Owens for 13 yard. 1st and 10 and Dallas smartly runs a no huddle; MB3 runs for 6. 2nd and 4 and Barber gets it AGAIN for 3 yards. But, there's a flag and it's offensive holding. Not it's 2nd and 14 and Romo throws to Crayton for 11. Crayton was certainly holding on to that ball loosely. On 3rd and 3, Crayton falls down and the pass is no good. Nick Folk comes in for a 38 yard field goal, and it's perfect. At least we score. Score is 14-3 New England.

Patriots get the ball back and on 1st and 10 a quick pass to Gafney for 6. 2nd and 4 and Morris is stuffed for a yard gain. On 3rd and 3 Spencer jumped offsides and we hand them a first down. 1st and 10 and the Pats try a flea flicker for Moss deep. The play wasn't even close, but Moss had Newman beat. On 2nd and 10, Greg Ellis forces a fumble on a sack and Jason Hatcher picks it up and runs it BACK FOR A TOUCHDOWN!!! The Dallas D comes through and makes this a GAME!! Dallas still down 14-10.

And the Patstrris broke a tackle and it seems like he stilled didn't make it. The official call: 4th down. The Patriots go for it and Brady finds a seam for a first down on a sneak. On 1st and 10 from the Dallas 13, Welker is wide open for another touchdown. The ref actually was used to screen coverage a bit on this play. A long drive by the Pats puts them ahead 21-10.

Dallas gets the ball and...
Romo finds Fasano wide open for 26 yards. On 1st and 10 it's a nice dump pass to JJ but it's brought back on an offensive pass interference call. And now it's 1st and 20. Owens catches his second pass of the game for 9 yards. On 2nd and 11 there is another penalty, false start. On 2nd and 16 Witten catches it for an 11 yard gain. On 3rd and 5 Witten catches it again deep for 25 yards. We're in scoring position now. On 1st and 10 Witten catches it again for 11 yards, and the Cowboys are driving. Romo is looking great on these throws. On 1st and 10 with 59 seconds left, there's a flag: false start AGAIN and it costs them 10 seconds. On 1st and 15 on the Pats 23 yard line Crayton was wide open for about 10 yards. On 2nd and 5 TO catches it for a first and goal on the Pats 4 yard line. The refs are going to review the play with 34 seconds left to see if T.O. had both feet down. The call: incomplete. T.O. was obviously pushed out of bounds, but since the refs didn't say he was pushed out, they couldn't come back and make the call. So on 3rd and 5 with 51 seconds left now AND YES Owens catches it after a massive Blitz from the Patriots. Romo was amazing on this drive, going 7 for 8. Five people were coming after Romo and he still saw T.O. wide open. Dallas still down but close 21-17!

The Duel in Dallas FIRST QUARTER

2007-10-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

Well, we missed the first 7 minutes of the game, which apparently was a 3 and out for Dallas and now a Patriots drive inside the 10.

New England has first and goal at the 6. On 3rd and Goal, Brady throws to a wide open Randy Moss for a touchdown. Too much movement for the Dallas Defense who I don't think was sure on what they were doing. Moss was WIIIIIDEEEE OPEN.

Dallas gets the ball backed and is getting throttled. JJ was stuffed for a yard loss and T.O. dropped another ball. Then Romo was sacked by Rodney Harrison. Not good. More slow starts. This may be one of those games I don't want to blog. We can't have a slow start against the Pats.

Pats second series
From the Cowboys 43, a quick pass gets 5. Now it is 2nd and 8 and Brady is sacked by DeMarcus Ware. Then, a screen pass is broken up by Ware again. Two great plays by Ware save the Cowboys from going down by even more.

Cowboys third series
On the Cowboys third series, after two 3 and outs, and Barber comes in for a 3 yard run. On second down, Romo throws a bad pass to the sidelines. On 3rd down, Crayton drops a pass. ANOTHER 3 and out for the Cowboys and we're kicking out three yards out of the endzone.

Patriots third series
Morrins runs for three yards. And when it looked like we were going to hold them again, Brady throws a 29 yard pass to Ben Watson. On a 3rd and 7 Welker was wide open in the middle for a touchdown. YUCK. Just yuck.

Cowboys fourth series
We've abandoned the run game and a short pass to MB3 goes for seven. 2nd and 3 and MB3 gets 2. 3rd and 1 and MB3 has a passionate hard fought run for a first down and about 8 yards. Dallas gets their first 1st down. Another short pass to MB3 ends the first quarter. It's an ugly one with Pats leading 14-0.

Big Day, folks

2007-10-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

I, like most Cowboys fans, couldn't sleep last night. I tossed and turned and just wanted it to be Sunday because of the upcoming matchup against the cheating Patriots. I haven't been this pumped for a Dallas game since the mid-90s.

I am going to skip the predictions this week just to concentrate on this game.

Despite all the NFL "analysts" saying the Patriots are the better team, when you compare the numbers, the two teams actually nearly identical. But, then again, those are just the numbers.

Randy Moss has had a better season this year than any other receiver, including T.O. He has as many touchdowns as T.O. and Jason Witten combined.

Here is what I think will be key to Dallas winning this game: interceptions. Tony Romo cannot throw more than one interception. Why? Because the Patriots are 35-3 since 2000 when they get at least two interceptions. It's certainly a key point to make after Romo's six turnover game last week, a game Dallas won in dramatic fashion.

I am also a tad bit worried about how the secondary will perform against Randy Moss. In Week 1, Plaxico Burress caught 8 passes for 144 yards and 3 touchdowns. Since then, he hasn't had a game even remotely close to that. Moss is three times better than Burress right now. We need to make contact with him at the line and slow his pace, while sending blitzes at Brady to rush him out of the pocket.

If we can limit the interceptions and slow Moss, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility we blow these suckers out.

GO DALLAS!

If it's true, the league needs to hammer down on this

2007-10-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

The Dallas vs Buffalo game continues to have twists and turns, even the day before the big matchup against the cheating Patriots.

Apparently, on the second attempt at the 53-yard field goal, the football was replaced with a new, shiny "slick" ball. ESPN reports that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has notified the league and complained about the situation. Jones and head coach Wade Phillips also complained about the slimy time-out the Bills and refs conspired to call as great rookie kicker Nick Folk booted the football.

At least one Cowboys player confirmed Friday that the ball in question was indeed slick, but veteran holder Brad Johnson and Folk were able to fight through the situation.
"The spirit of the rule is to always have a conditioned ball rather than a slick ball," Jones said Friday. "...That second ball was pretty slick."

I had this awkward feeling during this entire game that the refs were making calls heavily against us. They were missing calls and coming down harsh on the Cowboys. The ref was standing right next to Bills head coach Dick(head) Jauron and you can see Jauron calling for a time out and the ref pausing even longer before he calls it. The reason this time out was called so late was because of the referee. Jauron actually calls the time out before Folk moved. I thought this was an obvious slight against the Cowboys by that ref. Secondly, if you watch the two-point conversion play with T.O., the corner obviously interfered. His hands are all over T.O. as he leaps in the air, and when the ball hits T.O.'s hands, the corner's hands are already all over T.O.'s chest.

Terrell Owens: See me Sunday

2007-10-10T16:14:00.001-07:00

Terrell Owens, who always attracts a horde of press, is taking a different tact to the BIG GAME against the Patriots this Sunday. He tells reporters that because of the hoopla of Sunday's Clash of the 81s he won't answer questions until after Sunday's game. Bring popcorn, Owens says, because it's going to be quite a game.

I love it.

Moss is tied for the NFL lead with seven touchdown catches and has a league-high 551 yards on 34 catches. T.O. has 21 catches for 387 yards and three touchdowns. Moss is getting more opportunities to make plays in the game.

Patriots QB Tom Brady was interviewed today about the game. This is some of what he said:

Q: How much are you looking forward to this matchup of the unbeatens?
TB: It should be a good game. We've been studying hard for the last few days. They present some different challenges and they're a very talented team so we need to play our best. They're good in all facets and anyone who watched that game [on Monday Night] knows that they're never out of it. We've got our work cut out for us so it should be fun.

The last time the Patriots played the Cowboys, the Pats won 12-0 in what was deemed the "Tuna Bowl" because it was Parcells' return to New England after leaving the team behind.

Randy Moss also answered some questions from the press:

JW: It seems that New England is playing in a big game every week. This week all eyes are going to be on Patriots vs. Dallas. How does it feel to be playing in a huge game every week?
RM: “It feels good. You have to love what you’re doing. We like to come to work every day and prepare and hang out with each other. Going into Dallas, we’re just going to practice, prepare and whatever we put out on the field is what we’re going to put out on the field. So hopefully we’ll have a good week of preparation and we’ll see what happens on Sunday.”

Low key, right? No guarantees like the one made by Rams WR Isaac Bruce. No jabbing like the Giants or the Dolphins. It's just a game of two undefeated teams?

Hardly. The amazing win against the Bills, believe it or not, is a wake up call for the Cowboys. They are not invincible against teams playing on high emotions. The Patriots will certainly come into this game ready to play.

The game will likely come down to the two 81s. And I'll have my popcorn ready, T.O., so entertain me.

Unbelievable!!!!! Dallas Wins 25-24!!

2007-10-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

It might have been one of the greatest games ever on Monday night. Dallas, favored by a lot, came in with too much on their minds. Probably none of it had to do with their opponents, the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills came prepared. The defense swarmed on the ball. The Bills intercepted Tony Romo five times, nearly six times. It looked as if Dallas was going to lose their first game of the year. Monday just wasn't going to be their night.

But they never gave up. The Dallas D played a strong game, too. They held the Bills to ZERO offensive touchdowns. Two defensive scores, a field goal and a kick-off return for a TD is all the scoring for the Bills.

How ironic that on a night that seemed to have all the planets aligned in Buffalo and the magic in high-time, Dallas got lucky too.

After a depressing drop from T.O. on a two-point conversion that would have tied the game, we kicked an onside kick and got it back. Thank you Sam Hurd.

Then, with 20 seconds left, we needed to get at least 15 yards to have a chance to win this. Even after T.O. dropped another pass that would have provided a closer field goal, Dallas offensive coordinator and Princeton grad Jason Garrett might have called the two most brilliant plays all year. Two short passes later and Nick Folk was facing a 53 yard field goal.

He kicks it. IT's GOOD!!!! But wait!!!!! The Bills called a time out (by the way, the NFL really needs to change that rule because it does nothing for the game. It's more of a cheap shot) and Folk had to do it all over again. The rookie wasn't distrait. The ball was snapped again and Folk knocked it through for the second time, resulting in an amazing win for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys were never vapid in this game. They showed a winning spirit, and a drive to win. An intrepid team that faced scrutiny all night, Dallas came out on top.

Now, it's time to think about the Patriots. Are we ready? Are we pumped up?

Thirs Quarter

2007-10-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

Dallas drove the ball down the field for their first series of the second half, but fell short of a touchdown when Sam Hurd failed to hang on to a pass in the endzone. Folk kicked his second fieldgoal, and Buffalo still leads 17-13.

Bills then return a kick off for a touchdown. Unbelievable. The damn planets are aligned in Buffalo.
24-13 Bills.

Planets aligned in Buffalo. 10-17

2007-10-08T18:46:00.001-07:00

The planets are aligned in Buffalo tonight. Who would have thought by halftime Tony Romo would have 4 INTs, two of which returned for touchdowns? One of the interceptions was a tipped pass caught by a Bills defensive lineman in the endzone for a touchdown. We haven't had a running game, and although the defense has shown glimpses of great play, the planets are just aligned in Buffalo tonight.

I am sure all Dallas fans like me are in shock right now. But there's good news. We are only down by a single touchdown at halftime. A nice quick drive allowed for our rookie kicker Nick Folk to get us a 47 yard field goal as time expired. Four turnovers, all by Romo, and we're still well in this game.

It was a very interesting first half, folks. One I'd like to forget with a win.

More first quarter

2007-10-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

Dallas has the ball again and on 1st and 10 finally Romo gets a pass off to Witten. Early second quarter Dallas gets into Bills territory for the first time. Once that happened, Romo nearly threw another INT. On next play, T.O. makes a great catch, jumping high to snag the football. Then he gets a penalty for spiking the ball. However, after review, T.O. did nothing wrong. The very next play, Romo finally throws a gem to Witten for a touchdown!

Dallas 7 Bills 7

I am going to relax with the updates for a bit since this is on National Television. Be back at halftime with some comments and review.

First Quarter

2007-10-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

On Buffalo's first series, the defense looked pretty good. A fake punt got Buffalo a first down, but the defense regrouped and it was 3 and out for the Bills after that surprise punt fake. The punter did it again with a kick that gives Dallas its first series for the 2 yard line.

On Dallas' first series, two crappy runs from JJ for a one yard loss led to an interception from Romo, returned for a touchdown. The pass was much too high for an open Jason Witten. A horrible start to the game for the Cowboys.

Dallas gets the ball back and after a nice run from JJ, Romo throws another interception. Oh man.

Bills get the ball back and on 4th and 1 the defense stays strong and holds them. The defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage and Dallas gets the ball back after Romo's second interceptions.

Dallas gets its third series and a run from MBIII goes for a couple yards. Romo throws another pass high and out of bounds and he's not throwing anywhere near receivers. Something doesn't seem right with Romo. On 3rd and 8 there was a delay of game. And the follies continue. Now 3rd and 3, Romo throws a dump pass to the left for MBIII, who is stopped pretty quick. Another poor series from Dallas.

Dallas vs Buffalo!!

2007-10-08T17:19:00.000-07:00

I am originally from New York, near Buffalo. My first and only time seeing the Cowboys, it was at Buffalo, a 10-7 loss.

I remember how nasty the Buffalo fans were to anyone wearing blue and silver. I still have the mustard stain on my Aikman jersey, the result of a Buffalo idiot fan tossing a hotdog at me.

The Bills fans haven't changed. Upon entry of the Dallas Cowboys bus, fans tossed eggs at it ESPN reported today. They don't like Dallas. But we can thank Buffalo for two Super Bowl wins.

This should be an easy win for the Cowboys if they are determined, prepared and not looking ahead to next week's big match up. Let's hope I am right. I will give regular updates tonight, so stay tuned.

Week 5 picks

2007-10-07T07:48:00.002-07:00

Miami vs. Houston
The winless Dolphins head over to Texas to play a much-improved Texans team. However, we found out last week how important WR Andre Johnson is to the Texans. He scores touchdowns. Texans will play again without its starting running back, starting center and three of its best wideouts in 100 percent healthy form. That means another struggle for them, and the Dolphins are hungry for a win. Schaub may throw for 300 yards, but no one can get it into the endzone. Miami 24 Texans 21

Jags vs. Chiefs
I never expected the Chiefs to be 2-2 right now. And this is without a hot Larry Johnson who hasn't been able to throw his running game into overdrive. The Jags have a similar problem, with both their backs lackluster in the first four weeks. No touchdowns for any of them. Rookie Dwayne Bowe looks great, so expect him to have a good game. In fact, this rookie is better than any receiver currently on the Jags roster. So, does this mean a Chiefs upset? I will say yes. Jags 17 Chiefs 23

Browns vs. Patriots
The Browns are worst in the league in defensive yards per game. They give up more than 400 yards a game. And in comes the second best offense in the league. It's a recipe for disaster for the Dawg Pound. My jaw would drop if the Pats lost this game. I don't think they'll need to cheat for this one. Pats 38 Browns 17

Carolina vs Saints
What in the world happened to the Saints? It's unbelievable to see how bad they actually are this year, because last year they had great plays and the players were unstoppable. New year. New team, I guess. Meanwhile, David Carr looked like the draft-day flop we know him as during his first start for the Panthers. The question in this game is whether Reggie Bush can penetrate that Panthers front line. If he can, the Saints can pull this one out, even with an awful-lookingBreese. I think the Saints win, Saints 21 Panthers 14

Jets vs Giants
A buddy of mine who always comes up with fruitless trip ideas suggested we drive to this game, about 4.5 hours away. I would have but he always does this. If I did go, I'd be rooting for the J-J-Jets!! Neither team is healthy, but the ankle injury to Burress might be the most pressing problem. BUT, the Giants are persevering. Tough call, and although I want to say the Jets, I think the Giants pull this one out. Giants 23 Jets 17

Seattle vs Pittsburgh
The Steelers loss to the Cardinals last week showed this team isn't invincible. They may not even be a top-10 team in the NFL. Seattle, however, is surprising people. A team thought to be over the hill seems to still be climbing the mountain. Hasselbeck already has over 1,000 yards passing and 7 touchdowns. Even with Willie Parker's impressive start, I see the Seahawks pulling this one out. They have to if they want to be considered one of the better teams in the NFL. 'Hawks 27 Steelers 14

Arizona vs. Rams
The Rams are awful. Arizona is surrounded with great players but for some reason they just can't seem to hit a winning streak. Here's their chance. I'd say no if they weren't playing the Rams, who might just be the worst team in football. Larry Fitzgerald is going to kill these guys. Cardinals 35 Rams 7

Detroit vs Deadskins
That Jon Kitna isn't too bad, is he? I love it how the Deadskins fans think Jason Campbell is the real deal. He's about as real as the processed cheese slice I just ate. The Lions can win this game only if they get a running game going to offset Kitna's arm and cadre of receivers. The Deadskins can win this game if they hire a new coach, rebuild, and find a new quarterback. I love being a jerk when it comes to the Deadskins. Lions 34 Deadskins 27

Falcons vs Titans
The Falcons got their first win of the season last week, beating an injury-riddled Texans team. Chris Brown is getting nearly 6 yards a carry so I have no idea why the Titans don't give him the ball more. Vince Young is a real deal and if Brown can get the ball more and run over 100 yards, the Titans should cruise to a win. Joey Harrington may throw well again today, but who will score? Titans 30 Falcons 7

Bucs vs Colts
Who ever would have thought the Bucs would be 3-1? I mean seriously. The Loss of Cadillac Williams really hurt the Bucs. Pittman scares no one. So expect a bunch of bombs to Joey Galloway, and I think the Colts can handle that. Just too much offense and the Colts will overpower the Bucs. Colts 38 Bucs 17

Chargers vs Broncos
The Chargers are shocking everyone. This game usually would have been a prime time game. But neither team has shown much excitement or a will to win. No matter how many people believe in Norv Turner, the Chargers coaching change will still come down as one of the dumbest moves in NFL history. Sure, the Chargers play calling in the playoffs last year was disgusting, but why the Chargers waited so long to hire a coach is beyond me. Broncos...over the hill. This is a toss up, but I think the Chargers finally pull one out. Chargers 21 Broncos 17

Ravens vs 49ers
The Ravens aren't doing that well because they have a very old quarterback and Ed Reed isn't intercepting all those passes. The 49ers have shown that it will take a lot more to improve on their 7-9 season from last year. They look like a 6-10 team this year. This game comes down to Gore vs McGahee. Scales right now tip to McGahee. Ravens 14 49ers 7

Bears vs Packers
I would love to see the Bears pull this one out. It would give Dallas another flow of confidence. The Bears are hurting though. No quarterback, no receivers, and the defense is injured. The Packers are healthy and look great. Brett Favre is amazing. Packers 27 Bears 7

Monday night: Dallas vs Buffalo
I am not sure how Buffalo was chosen for a Monday night game, but that's fine. This game is intriguing, maybe just because I am from the Buffalo area. Dallas has the top offense in the league. The key match ups here will be T.O. and Crayton vs Bills cornerbacks Jabari Green and Terrence McGee. Can Crayton have another impressive game? Yes, he can. And T.O. will catch more than three passes. Dallas has some serious offensive weapons this year, and the defense is improving. The loss of Anthony Henry will hurt, so Buffalo should be able to get in the end zone. But not as much as Dallas. Cowboys 35 Buffalo 21

Jerry Jones bails out Greg Ellis

2007-10-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

There's a story on the Dallas Cowboy Web site here about Greg Ellis, his injury, an insurance policy and Jerry Jones. Some Dallas fans are making a big deal of this article, and they believe it taints Ellis' reputation. I recommend everyone read it and then opine here. But here is my take on the whole ordeal.

Greg Ellis had a pretty serious injury last year. His career could have ended. So, Ellis buys an insurance policy.

The policy he paid for gave him a four-game window to determine if he was fully recovered from surgery to repair the torn Achilles he suffered on Nov. 12 of last year. But once he played that first game, Ellis would have to decide within that four-game span if he could continue playing, and if not he was required to officially retire and collect on the policy.

The writer, well-respected Mickey Spagnola, said Ellis was most concerned about his insurance policy protecting him financially against serious injury and lost wages before he stepped on the field Sunday (and had 1.5 sacks in limited play). Fair enough. And why is this wrong? Yes, football players make a ton of money. But they also risk a lot on the field every Sunday for our entertainment and their love of the game. Most athletes don't have what it takes to make it to the NFL. But if a player is returning from a serious injury, why should a player risk his financial stability for a game?

Ellis said he went into Jones' office out here at The Ranch to finalize their agreement, which by the way made the previous insurance policy null and void. Ellis said Jones promised him dollar for dollar of what his policy would have covered if he had an injury this year. So basically what happened is Jones stuffed $500,000 into his 2007 base salary, jumping him from the $2.5 million to $3 million for this year. He also promised him an additional $1.1 million the insurance policy would have covered if he suffered a career-ending injury at any point this season, to be paid next year. And if Ellis completes all his prescribed workouts during the off-season and training camp over the next two off-seasons, he'll receive an additional $1.5 million in 2009, the final year of his contract.

Jones did the right thing. Ellis is invaluable for the money we are paying him: 6 years, $24 million, with a $4.5 million signing bonus. Ellis was drafted by the Cowboys and has stuck with the team through bad times. Only until the past two years has Dallas show signs of success, and Ellis played a huge role in those wins on defense. Sure, I criticized Ellis when he was whining about a contract extension, and I even called him out to play better. But I won't criticize him for protecting himself when he's underpaid as it is for his position in the NFL. Let's hope Ellis' good play continues and he has a career year this year, because it might just be the Cowboys' year. And that, I am sure, will put a smile on Ellis' face.

It's "High Time" in Rumor-ville

2007-10-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard the latest rumor, hold your breath, and slowly exhale. Ricky Williams is looking to get reinstated to the NFL. He's been kicked out three times, all for smoking the ganja. The Dolphins have his rights, but they haven't made contact with him in months, and certainly not since he has expressed interest in returning to the NFL.

We know one team that could use Williams' services immediately: The Tampa Bay Bucs, who lost Cadillac Williams for the season. But another team mentioned in the rumor mill that shocked me was the Dallas Cowboys. What? The Dallas Cowboys? Why in the heck would we even consider taking Ricky Williams? We have two running backs, and a third one would love to get more playing time.

Just because he's an icon in Texas for his college years as a Longhorn doesn't mean he deserves a right to play for America's team. If you're going to smoke pot, do it in the off season so you don't get caught. It makes absolutely no sense to put smoke in your lungs when you're a runner. So, Ricky, here's to you:

Secondly, there is talk about Dallas vying for unhappy Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald. I am unsure about this. I liked Fitz in college, but I also liked the guy who played before him, Antonio Bryant, and he failed in Dallas. In fact, he has failed in the NFL and he's nothing but a below-average receiver now playing for the 49ers. Sure, Fitz seems to be the better receiver, but he hasn't done a whole lot for the Cardinals. And you can't blame this on the new head coach who is run oriented. If he's a playmaker, they'll get him the ball. Yes, Dallas needs to get younger at this position, but we have Crayton and T.O., who could easily play four more years together. A second receiver can be found in the draft, and not in the first round. I say keep that Browns pick and let's get some players. We need corners!

Anthony Henry out 2-4 weeks

2007-10-01T16:03:00.001-07:00

Cowboys cornerback Anthony Henry officially has a high-ankle sprain that will keep him out of action for at least two weeks. This doesn't bode well for the Cowboys, currently the best team in the NFC (we'll get to that later).

I guess the Aaron Glenn cut is coming back to bite us even more. Henry was playing MVP level, a striking difference from last year. He leads the team in interceptions and has been covering receivers well. So when this injury happened, I felt my heart in my throat. It's hard enough to have Terence Newman recovering from injury, but to have Henry out will affect this team. And what makes it even worse is he most likely won't be available for the Oct. 14 game against the Patriots, which will be the true statement game, not the Bears. Jacques Reeves, who has played well, or Even Oglesby will likely replace Henry against Buffalo.

I hate to bring it back up again, but who is going to tell me the Glenn cut was smart considering this current situation? A veteran corner, even if he has "lost a step," would be a good replacement right now.

Now onto the Dallas Cowboys and the top team in the NFC. I love sports pundits who dislike the Cowboys, and try to discredit the Cowboys. This brings me to good ol' Skip Bayless. Yeah, that's dookie below.

Skippy says the Tony Romo factor will come back to bite the Cowboys. Romo is "too short and too sidearm," Skippy said. Well, before Skippy runs at the mouth, we should disclose something. Skippy used to cover the Cowboys.He even wrote some books. Skippy wrote the book Hell-Bent: The Crazy Truth About the "Win or Else" Dallas Cowboys, in which he claimed Aikman was gay. We all remember this, right? How this jerk could have gotten a gig at ESPN after that crap is beyond me, but somehow the fledgling company and creators of "Who's Now!" believe Skippy has some credibility. In other words, this guy is completely anti-Cowboy. Anything he says, about any subject really, needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

Skippy went on to say during a radio show today that the Packers are better, their defense is better and Favre is steaming hot. Has he not watched any Cowboys game this year? Has he not seen Romo play and be compared to the one and only Brett Favre? Did he not see yesterday's game and the plays Romo made? Dallas is better than Green Bay right now. Dallas has better receivers, better running backs and a better offensive line. The defenses are comparable, with decent linebackers and pass rushers.

No matter what Skippy says, he's the one who will be eating crow at the end of the season. I'll make sure of that.

Final Score: Dallas 35 Rams 7

2007-09-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

The Cowboys netted 502 yards on offense in dominating the 0-4 St. Louis Rams 35-7 Sunday afternoon. After a slow, and often stomach-churning, start to the game, Dallas came out in the second half pumped up. Tony Romo threw for 339 yards with 3 touchdowns and1 interception. Most spectacular for Romo were his runs: one a high-snap that he bobbled on the turf before finally picking it up, avoiding a huge deep yardage sack, and running at least 30 yards for a first down. It was magical to see him do it. The play is a sure sign of winning teams that dominate games. This is how Dallas played during the Super Bowl years.

Patrick Crayton had a career day. After his disappointing dropped pass in the end zone last week, he came back on a mission. He caught 7 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns.

Jason Witten had another great game with 6 catches for 71 yards and a touchdown.

The only score for St. Louis was a punt return for a touchdown. St. Louis had opportunities early to make this game competitive longer. But horrible play calling and a bizarre replay call from Rams head coach Scott Linehan sort of tucked this game away for the Cowboys. Plus, leaving Bulger in, with the banging he took, was just awful coaching. DeMarcus Ware had a sack, and Greg Ellis had 1.5 sacks on his first game back since a bad heel injury.

The Dallas Defense continues to improve, but there were some matters to be concerned about. The run defense was questionable at times, but the D made plays when they really, really mattered. The secondary was pretty good, but it had some plays that led to big Ram plays that could have made this game a lot more competitive if Bulger was hitting all cylinders. Ken Hamlin had probably the easiest INT of his life, when the Rams were driving, already down 28-7.

Although it looked as if Dallas may fall into the trap here, they didn't. The second half was pure domination from a team that is the strongest in the NFC, better than the Green Bay Packers, who are also undefeated.

I just hope Dallas can continue this winning stride. They play Buffalo next, and then the Patriots, Vikings and Eagles. That's a tough 3-game run. And we'll still have Green Bay later down the schedule in what could be the pre-NFC Championship matchup.

Notes: Isaac Bruce, the Rams WR who guaranteed a win, had 1 single catch. Yeah, that teaches him for opening his mouth. He'll have the foot out of it some time next week.
It is going to be an exciting year. We play some great teams coming up and all of this good fortune could turn around real fast. Terence Newman was injured in the first half. Little was said about his injury. Huge problem is he is gone or injured for a long period of time, which is one week for these Cowboys already playing on this CBs.

Third Quarter

2007-09-30T11:52:00.001-07:00

Greg Ellis gets his first sack of the year in his first game back from a season-ending injury last year, and the Dallas D starts the second half upbeat. Let's see how the offense does.

On the first series of the second half, Patrick Crayton scored on a 59-yard touchdown run. Wow. Horrible coverage defense left a wide open field for Crayton after the catch and a missed tackle. Good to see Crayton come back after that dropped TD pass last week. 21-7 Dallas

Rams get the ball back and do nothing. Rams Head Coach Linehan is a bonehead. He calls for a replay on an obvious no catch. I have a good friend who is a Rams fan and he complains all the time about the pitiful play calling and that Linehan does crap like this every game. This guy should be canned, now.

Dallas gets the ball again Crayton quickly scored another touchdown!!! I knew I should have started him!!!! Damn! The pass was perfect and Dallas leads 28-7.

Well, it becomes apparent that the Rams are awful, have poor coaching and no leaders. Why they keep Bulger in this game the way he is ailing is beyond me. So, with the Rams driving, Bulger thows a horrible pass and Hamlin has his easiest INT ever. I am going to stop with the updates and come back after the game is over.

Patrick Crayton is having a career day with 174 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Dallas leads 28-7 and driving.....

Second Quarter to Halftime Dallas Leads 14-7. Romo-Quarter!

2007-09-30T10:48:00.001-07:00

The Rams looked as if they wouldn't capitalize on the INT until a 3rd and long throw to Isaac Bruce. That hurt. It was a breakdown by Dallas and good execution by the Rams. The INT Drive continues. On 3rd and 5, a blitz rushed a pass that went out of the end zone. Rams MISSED a short field goal, and that horrible red zone offense continues. Dallas is lucky and it is still 0-0.

On the Cowboys first series of this quarter, the offense continued to sputter at first. But three passes in a row after a seven yard JJ run sparked some movement. Tony Romo recovered well after the INT and led Dallas to their first touchdown. He threw some great passes, chiefly one to Crayton. JJ gets his first touchdown of the year!!!! Good for him. Dallas 7 Rams 0

Rams get the ball again and they still can't move the ball. They may get one decent play, and did, but they cannot capitalize on it any further. Punt, with another penalty on the Rams.

Dallas gets the ball again. I sense a score. Did I just see that right? Two Barber stuffs in a row? I guess so. Shocking. Dallas can't move the ball and punt.

The punt was a disaster and Dante Hall scores.

Dallas 7 Rams 7

With 2:11 seconds left before half time, Dallas gets the ball back. Dallas opened the field up with some short passes. Then the center snaps the ball high over Romo's head. This leads to an amazing play by Romo, who avoids Rams players and runs for a first down. It was an amazing play, one that even made T.O. laugh. It was the highlight of the game so far. Tony Romo is for real.

Right after the Romo play, Crayton goes for 19 yards on a wide open catch. Witten gets 11 more and with 26 seconds left, we're at least in field goal distance. On 3rd and 10 and ROMO SCORES with a run, untouched, his second scoring run of the season! Dallas leads 14-7.

First Quarter Notes 0-0 score: Henry injured? Romo thows third INT for season

2007-09-30T10:04:00.002-07:00

"And he goes nowhere."
That was the case for Julius Jones and his two carries for the Cowboys' first series. Two rushes in a row for 1 yard. Pathetic. He's is not waiting for any blocks to develop and he's being tackled too easily.

On the Rams first offensive series, a 3rd down and 6 conversion reaped no reward after a D-Ware sack left the Rams with 3rd and 19. A punt returns the ball to Dallas.

On the Cowboys second series, T.O. got his first catch, after a bomb sailed out of bounds. Julius Jones gets another 2-yard run. On 2nd and 8, Romo is sacked on a blitz. Now it's 3rd down and 16. A pass to T.O. was too high but nearly caught. Personally, T.O. should have caught that pass. Punt.

On the Rams second series, they ran the ball well. But the drive fizzled on another D-Ware tackle on a backside pursuit. Rams ran the ball on a 3rd and long, which made absolutely zero sense. Rams fans moan about the horrible playcalling, and that was one.

Cowboys third series was uneventful and an overturned T.O. catch on 3rd down killed the drive.

On the Rams third series, Anthony Henry sustained some sort of right leg injury. But the Rams go nowhere and punt.

Terence Newman makes a big mistake on the punt and leaves Dallas to start on its first yard line. Barber gets the ball and almost breaks it, and runs for 7 yards.

On the final play of the first quarter, Romo throws his third INT of the year. Rams run it back in deep into Dallas territory.

Score: 0-0

FIrst Quarter Notes 0-0 score: Henry injured? Romo thows third INT for season

2007-09-30T10:04:00.001-07:00

Week 4 Predictions

2007-09-30T05:59:00.000-07:00

Well, he we are in Week 4 of the NFL season. Here's my predictions:

Houston vs Atlanta
I am not sure why several people are picking Atlanta to win and several fantasy experts are telling me to sit Matt Schaub. Why? Atlanta is not good. They will win probably just three games this year. With that said, Houston is a much-improved team. They look good but one important factor in this improved season is the play of WR Andre Johnson, who has a bum shoulder. So, the game will be closer. Houston 14 Atlanta 10

Jets vs Buffalo
It's hard to believe the Bills are 0-3 after almost beating the Broncos in Week 1. It's the defense, which has just been bad for the Bills this year. Losing rookie linebacker Posluszny doesn't help. The Bills have won three of the last five against the J-J-Jets. But they won't win today. Expect Jets TE Chris Baker to get another TD, sending the fantasy freaks in a frenzy to grab him, and a win for the Jets 21 Buffalo 14.

Baltimore vs Cleveland
Baltimore is one of the worst 2-1 teams in the NFL. Their offense is crap and Steve McNair only has 1 touchdown. Meanwhile, every Cowboys fan on Earth is hoping the Cleveland Browns lose every single game left because we have their first round pick. So, to remain consistent, the Ravens are going to win this game, and let's hope McNair's leg doesn't fall off.
Baltimore 24 Cleveland 10

Chicago vs Detroit
I think the big Dallas win last week really hurt the Bears. Their defense is in shambles with all of the key injuries. But the quarterback change with Griese could spark a fire underneath this offense. Highly unlikely, but it could. Then there is Detroit, with magic man John Kitna, who sustained a concussion this year only to return in the final quarter to win the game. If Detroit wins, they stay a game behind the Packers. If they lose, they fall two games behind, as will the Bears. I think the Lions pull this out only because of the Bears injuries on defense. Detroit 28 Chicago 20

Oakland vs Miami
With Trent Green at the helm, not many figured Miami would be this bad. But they are. Oakland, however, looks slightly improved, but not great. So you would think this game is a toss up. It is. I say pick the team with the most rushing yards, and that would be the Raiders. Jordan has a 5.1 yards per carry with 350 yards so far this season. Ronnie Brown has 177 yards. Yuck.
Oakland 28 Miami 24

Green Bay vs Minnesota
Does Green Bay finally got a loss this week? The Packers don't seem to have much of a running game, so if the Vikings concentrate on Favre and the passing game, they very well may get crushed with the running game that the Packers don't seem to have. The Packers have won three of the last four games in Minnesota. Will they make it four? Well, I know Favre will break the all-time touchdown record. But he'll also throw a couple of interceptions. And the Vikings defense likes to score. In fact, I predict the Viking defense scores to win this game. Green Bay 24 Minnesota 27.

Tampa Bay vs Carolina
David Carr gets his first start for Carolina. Both teams are fighting for the division lead in what might be the worst division in the NFL. Both the Saints and Falcons stink. I suspect the Panthers will give the ball a lot to Deshaun Foster, who will increase his 5.2 yards per carry with a decent game. Sit Cadillac Williams; he won't get much. The running game will be key in this matchup, and the Panthers win it. Tampa Bay 17 Carolina 31

San Fran vs Seattle
San Fran has to win this game if they are going to do anything this year. The Seahawks have dominated this division for the past few years and it appears they could do it again if the 49ers don't pick it up. Frank Gore has been unspectacular this year, and Shaun Alexander has a bad wrist. It's hard to run and carry the football when your wrist is broken. But I still have a hard time picking the 49ers right now. Alex Smith is barely passing above .500 and Hasselback is solid. Seattle 24 San Fran 20

Pittsburgh vs Arizona
Pittsburgh has been a big surprise this year. Arizona has not. In comes old-timer Kurt Warner to see if he can better utilize what looks like on paper as an amazing corp of receivers for the Cardinals. Willie Parker is going to get the ball to slow this game down a bit. But the Steelers haven't gone 4-0 since 1979 and that's a long, long time ago. Steelers 41 Cardinals 21

Denver vs Indianapolis
If Denver is any good, you'd figure they'll have to beat the Colts. Are they any good? It's hard to say. But when you compare Jay Cutler to Peyton Manning you can't help but want to pick the Colts. Addai is looking solid again and yet Travis Henry has a 5 yard per carry stat right now. But the Colts still have Adam Vinatieri, a clutch kicker who won the game for the Colts last year. He'll do it again. Denver 34 Colts 37

Kansas City vs San Diego
San Diego will pick it up for this game and defeat one of the worst teams in football. LT needs to have a good, no a great, game this week. Maybe it will boost this team and catapult them to stardom again. It's hard to believe how bad the Chargers look right now. The Chiefs are hopeless.
Kansas City 17 San Diego 34

Giants vs Eagles
Was Donovan McNabb amazing last week or what? I think he found his groove after a season-ending injury last year. Meanwhile, the Giants have somehow been able to remain competitive, and they beat the Redskins last week. But the Giants have too many injuries this week, with Burress and backup RB Ward hurt. That's too much for the Giants to win. Eagles 35 Giants 14

New England vs Cincinnati
The Patriots got a breath of new life with the smart pick up of Randy Moss in the off season. He's performed like his Viking days. A majority of folks is picking the Patriots to win it all, but it is way too early. We know Cinci is not going to win anything. They just can't get a rushing attack going. New England has one. Just too many weapons. Patriots 38 Bengals 17

Cowboys vs Rams
Ahh, yes. Isaac Bruce guaranteed a win in this game. In three hours we'll find out what this guy is made of. Listen, the Rams won't win this game. Although their defense is ranked 7th in the league, that doesn't mean a whole lot when you look at whom they've played. The Cowboys offense is potent and the Rams haven't faced players like this yet. Then, on the Rams offense, QB Marc Bulger has two broken ribs and RB Steven Jackson is not playing with a bad groin. How in the world will the Rams win this game? Only if the Dallas secondary has a complete fall out. It won't.
Dallas 38 Rams 21

Rams Coach likes Witten. So do we.

2007-09-29T20:18:00.001-07:00

Rams head coach Scott Linehan says here that Jason Witten is "one of the best weapons in football."

Jason Witten, a five-year veteran, is on his way to attaining career highs in all stats. He has 14 catches for 233 yards and 16.6 yards per catch, which is incredible.

Tony Romo and the Dallas offense has been able to use Witten miraculously well. We haven't had a tight end perform like this since Jay Novacek. I couldn't agree more with Linehan's assessment. Witten is a great weapon on the Dallas offense.

Here is a comparison of Novacek's and Witten's stats:

Witten

Career Stats			Receiving								Rushing					Fumbles
Season	Team	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	Lng	YAC	1stD	TD	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Fum	FumL
2003	Dallas	15	35	347	23.1	9.9	36	3.1	18	1	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0
2004	Dallas	16	87	980	61.3	11.3	42	4.0	44	6	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	2	1
2005	Dallas	16	66	757	47.3	11.5	34	4.4	40	6	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0
2006	Dallas	16	64	754	47.1	11.8	42	4.1	37	1	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0
2007	Dallas	3	14	233	77.7	16.6	38	6.1	12	2	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0
Career		66	266	3071	46.5	11.5	42	4.1	151	16	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	2	1

Novacek

Year  TM |   G |   Rec  Yards   Y/R   TD |
+----------+-----+-------------------------+
| 1985 stl |  16 |     1      4   4.0    0 |
| 1986 stl |   8 |     1      2   2.0    0 |
| 1987 stl |   7 |    20    254  12.7    3 |
| 1988 pho |  16 |    38    569  15.0    4 |
| 1989 pho |  16 |    23    225   9.8    1 |
| 1990 dal |  16 |    59    657  11.1    4 |
| 1991 dal |  16 |    59    664  11.3    4 |
| 1992 dal |  16 |    68    630   9.3    6 |
| 1993 dal |  16 |    44    445  10.1    1 |
| 1994 dal |  16 |    47    475  10.1    1 |
| 1995 dal |  15 |    62    705  11.4    5 |
+----------+-----+-------------------------+
|  TOTAL   | 158 |   422   4630  11.0   29 |

Witten's stats are much stronger than Novacek's. What made Novacek so great was how he always made catches in the clutch, and he was a great third-down receiver. Teams still double covered Irvin, and it allowed Novacek to find seams in the defense.

I just visited Witten's Myspace page. His song playing is by Terrell Owens. Yes, I said T.O. I didn't know he's a rapper. "And I've got to say WOW boy."

News Alert: Rams fans think they have a chance

2007-09-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

I love glancing at opposing teams' blogs to read what the fans are saying before and after a match-up against Dallas. The Miami fans were especially funny after the loss.

But these Rams fans, all seven of them in the world, actually think they have a chance to win this game Sunday. How exactly do they think they can win?
Hail Mary. Yes. Hail Mary. Throw the bomb to Tory Holt or Isaac "I guarantee a win" Bruce. Or to one of their four tight ends. And do it all game. Forget the fact that Marc Bulger has two broken ribs and DeMarcus Ware may break three more.

This game plan sounds good to the Rams fans because they saw the Giants game in Week 1. Now, keep in mind that the Giants game was Wade Phillip's first game as head coach of the Cowboys. It was Jason Garrett's first game as offensive coordinator. It was Brian Stewart's first game as a defensive coordinator. To say the Cowboys may come out of the shoot a little rusty wouldn't shock most fans.

But what all the naysayers fail to see is how the Dallas Cowboys have improved each week. In Miami, they manhandled the Dolphins in the second half. In Chicago, they creamed the Bears. It wasn't even close. They place a lot of blame on Wrecks Grossman, but it's misplaced. Where was that Pro Bowl, Super Bowl defense? And where was their hardcore, hard hitting running back to pull some of the pressure of Wrecks? We destroyed the defending Super Bowl NFC team.

So, when the Rams come to Dallas this Sunday, I hope the Rams fans and the rest of the world takes a real hard look at this Dallas Cowboy team. Only one time did we start the season 3-0 and finish like a turtle, and that was in 1999.

So, to quote the famous, or possibly infamous, Dennis Green: The Dallas Cowboys "are who we thought they were!"

Do agents ruin the game?

2007-09-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if everyone has heard it yet but there's a pretty big rumor floating that Tony Romo's new agent, Tom Condon, has requested a guaranteed $30 million to be included in a new Romo deal. Romo is a free agent after this year and many believe he will be tagged as the franchise player, which means he'll get at least $10.7 million for one year.

If Condon asks for that kind of money, it would put Romo in the same category as Peyton Manning, for whom Condon is also an agent. How ironic. Manning is signed to 2012. His largest salary will be in 2010 at $15.8 million. One league source allegedly said Condon and Romo would have accepted Matt Schaub-range money, which is six years, $48 million with $7 million guaranteed and $20 million over three years if something had gotten done before the season started. But that is impractical to think the Cowboys management would do that.

I am one of the fans who argued against giving Romo a longterm contract after his performance last year, and said the management should wait. It's a dicey proposition and one the Cowboys have failed on too many times over the past 10 years. Quincy Carter, Drew Bledsoe and Drew Henson all stunk it up.

I couldn't imagine losing Romo next year. But these agents are pugnacious and can squeeze blood from turnips. I think they ruin the game. But then again, I think I have been a horrible negotiator for my own pay, and if I had an agent maybe I'd me making a few thousand more (which is millions more in football terms).

So, the question is: How will Romo handle this? How will the Cowboys handles this? A 10-year, $90 million deal? A 7-year, $85 million deal? A five-year, $75 million deal? Will Romo hold out? Will he fight? Will mid-season negotiations screw everything up? Or will we move smoothly and sign him mid-season so that everyone is happy.

After three games, Romo appears to be the real deal. But is he worth $100 million dollars?

What's with players on teams facing Dallas making bold predictions?

2007-09-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

Will the insanity ever end? First, it was Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce predicting his team would be beat Dallas. They lost. Then it was Jason Taylor in Miami making similar predictions. They got crushed. The Bears decided to keep their mouths closed. Still crushed.

However, today I got wind of the funniest prediction of the year. You can read it here. Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce has 14 catches for 179 yards and ZERO touchdowns this year. He plays on a Rams team that many picked to win the division. The Rams are 0-3 and look like a Division II college team. Their defense is awful. Their offensive line is riddled with injuries. Yet, Isaac Bruce has the audacity to say: "I guarantee a win this week."

Is he kidding? Usually mild mannered, Bruce has lost his cool. If there were any people who thought Dallas may overlook this match up, you might as well stop. This is certainly going to be stamped on the bulletin board Sunday morning to remind the Cowboys that the woeful Rams think they can beat them.

Stephen Jackson is the only bright spot so far on this team, and he only has 3.4 yards per carry right now. AND HE'S NOT EVEN PLAYING! To make matters worse, QB Marc Bulger has two broken ribs because he's been sacked eight times already.

One of my best friends is a Rams fan. He refuses to watch them this year. "I hate this team," he told me Sunday night. He dislikes the coach, he is tired of Tory Holt, he's annoyed with the injuries, and he's angry the Rams did NOTHING to improve its defense from last year. The special teams still stinks, too.

How could anyone pick the Rams over Dallas this Sunday?

The Rams Blog has nothing about this Bruce Prediction, probably because he is too embarrassed to even print such drivel. I only print it as fodder for the game and readers, because I like to offer some form of comedic value time to time.

Dallas makes statement tonight

2007-09-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

Any football fans who had doubted Dallas can rest assured tonight that this team is once again a force in the National Football League.

Romo led the charge of an offense that slowly, but surely dismantled a very tough defense. Romo avoided the pass rush and made some amazing moves to keep drives alive. He was spectacular. The only major error in the entire game was Patrick Crayton's dropped ball in the endzone. Minus the penalties, the performance was stellar. The Bears lost four Pro Bowl starters in this game.

More surprising is how the defense played. Anthony Henry is well on his way to becoming a Pro Bowler. Demarcus Ware finally got a sack--two to be exact--and rookie Anthony Spencer got one too. He is ensuring himself security when Greg Ellis finally does return from injury.

At halftime, I was concerned with where exactly the Cowboys would be able to take this game. The refereeing was questionable in the first half, which makes this win that more impressive.

The Dallas Cowboys crushed the defending NFC champions and showed a national audience that America's Team is back.

Marion Barber had another spectacular performance, ending with a 54 yard run and a 1-yard touchdown. He tied an NFL record of eight straight games with more than 6 yards per carry.

T.O. had eight catches for 145 yards. The Bears just couldn't cover him.

Anthony Henry had another awesome game, amassing two interceptions including one for a touchdown that wrapped this game up.

The Cowboys were allowing an average of 386 yards on defense but they held the Bears to 230 yards of total offense.

The bad: 12 penalties for 100 yards is not going to help us farther in the season. We can just live with the fact the Flozell Adams is going to have at least two damn penalties a game, but the rest of the team can shape up.

1st Quarter comments

2007-09-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

Dallas is going to make a point to keep the ball out of Hester's hands. And on the first kick off, they kicked it out of bounds. Sure beats a 100 yard touchdown run.

Right off the bat, the Bears are running over Dallas. But the defense recovers on a nice run tackle, pass defense and pass rush for a 4th and 8 punt.

On Dallas' first offensive series, it became apparent quickly that Romo may not be able to avoid sacks like he has against the Giants and Dolphins. The Bears defense is the fastest in the league.

No score on both first series.

Week 3 predictions and a milestone reached

2007-09-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

I was tempted not to use this post to make predictions, instead using it to make some in-depth, widely acclaimed piece on the Cowboys, but I just don't have it in me this morning. I'm on my vacation. But, this is my 100th blog post, and that's something to cheer about.

Now on to the predictions:

Arizona vs Baltimore
Arizona is an improved football team but not that improved. It's a wonder to me how with Edgerrin James and a receiver corps the likes of Fitzgerald and Boldin and QB Matt Leinhart that this Cardinals haven't convinced anyone they're a powerhouse. It's because they're not--yet. Meanwhile, the Ravens have just looked horrible, partially because they are trying to win with an old, crippled quarterback. So far, McGahee has been a wash for the Ravens, and if he can't pick it up expect a pretty awful season for the birds this year.
Cardinals 23 Ravens 13

San Diego vs Green Bay
Listen, don't jump on the GB bandwaggon just yet. I'm not a believer right now. Just too lucky. San Diego on the other hand has probably surprised every fan out there with their slow start. LT has been a non-factor, at least when rushing yards have a lot to do with winning. He'll pick it up today. And Brett Favre will throw 3 INTs to help his team lose this one.
San Diego 24 Green Bay 17

St. Louis vs Tampa Bay
The Rams...oh the Rams. Their defense is awful and in the off season, they did very little to improve it by picking up a halftime starter from the Lions. Yikes. And if the Rams offense isn't grinding it out then it is a recipe for disaster. Tampa Bay isn't much better but they looked great last week and could surprise all of us with a decent season this year. Doubt it. Watch the Rams rebound today in a big way.
Rams 35 TB 30

San Fran vs Pittsburgh
To me, this game is a toss up because I cannot figure out how either team will eventually end up this year. On paper, I want to point to San Fran and say they are better, but I can't. Big Ben started this season a lot better than last year. And San Fran has looked mediocre, still unsure if Alex Smith is 'the one.' I don't think he is.
Pittsburgh 24 San Fran 10

Detroit vs Philly
Detroit is inspired by no other than John Kitna. He's like their force and he'll win some games for them, like today. See, the Eagles just don't have a team. And I fully expect McNabb to whine all year and be traded by the end of the year. The Ravens could use another old quarterback. The Lions are for real in my opinion because they can strike like a good team strikes. When I say "for real" I mean they won't finish below .500 again.
Detroit 27 Philly 20

Miami vs NY Jets
No one should win this game. It may be a tie. Both stink, and the odor is bad. Miami, as we all know, got it handed to them last week. And the Jets looked just as bad. But I still believe the Jets are a better team here, only slightly. The score should show this.
Jets 13 Miami 10

Buffalo vs New England
Gosh I wish the Bills could win this, but they can't. The Patriots by far have looked like the toughest team in the NFL, but nothing is permanent and a lot can change over the next 14 weeks. But not today. Tom Brady is going to have a real good game again, as will Randy Moss, who is playing like a Pro Bowler.
New England 38 Buffalo 14

Minnesota vs Kansas City
Minnesota is starting Kelly Holcomb at QB, as if this is going to help at all. I mean come on, what are they thinking? Funny thing is, they could start me at QB and win this game. The Chiefs are probably the WORST team in the NFL. But the Vikings will show today that the Chiefs can play ball and compete. If you're a fan of either of these teams, expect to be bored...and disgusted.
Vikings 21 Chiefs 17

Colts vs Houston
I told you all Houston is for real. But so are the Colts. The Colts almost blew it against the Titans last week. And Houston is actually a better ball team this year. Can they do it? Let me say this: If the Texans do win today, consider them a true contender finally and an NFL powerhouse team. If the Colts slide by again, we may end up seeing them in the Super Bowl again. But Andre Johnson is a game-time decision. He's awesome. If he doesn't play, who the hell will Schaub pass to? No clue. But the Colts are healthy and they'll barely win this one.
Colts 31 Houston 30

Cincinnati vs Seahawks
The Seahawk era is officially over. And the Bengals can't seem to get their new era off the ground. I am confident the Bengals win this one, but I am not confident to say by how much. So, I will go out on a whim and say Chad Johnson has 3 TDs.
Bengals 21 Seahawks 10

Cleveland vs Oakland
Wow, Cleveland looked great last week. And the Raiders can't seem to pull one out. Expect another squeaker for the Raiders, but they'll pull this one out at home in the worst NFL stadium.
Oakland 21 Cleveland 19

Jaguars vs. Denver
Denver is just getting bye and that's scary for any fan. Travis Henry has looked good for Denver but the RB duo in Jacksonville hasn't done much, which is why this team is struggling. You can't reply on David Garrard to win the games for the Jags. I think you can rely on Jay Cutler though. Denver 23 Jags 13

NYGiants vs Deadskins
Yuck. Watching this game will be like watching the World Knitting Championships. Neither team has a real offense, but the Deadskins do have a better defense. Still though, the Giants can win this game. And they will. Jason Campbell is going to throw a few INTs to lose this game for the Deadskins. Clinton Portis will break a leg.
Giants 9 Deadskins 7

Carolina vs Atlanta
Carolina is going to rebound after a tough loss to the Texans last week. Atlanta went out and grabbed Byron Leftwich to eventually replace Joey Harrington, who probably couldn't start on the Oregon Ducks right now. I like Jake D. to have a big game and Steve Smith to do all the catching.
Carolina 28 Atlanta 10

Dallas vs Chicago
The night game ought to be a doozy. And I am going to change my prediction. I think Barber and Jones will have a great game and the Dallas offense will just overpower the Bears defense with a mixture of pass-run plays, confusing them to all hell. Will we score 45 points? No. But we will score the most points on the Bears this year, and we'll also intercept Rex GROSSman a few times to to win it.
Dallas 29 Bears 17

Tennessee vs New Orleans, Monday night
I predicted New Orleans would be a dump team this year. No matter how awesome they looked, something just didn't seem right with that team. The Titans, however, are coming back again, fresh with a new QB who isn't disappointing anyone. New Orleans has to win one and I do think this is the week. Expect Reggie Bush to get a few screen plays for long runs.
NO 24 Titans 21

Big Test for Cowboys

2007-09-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

Sunday night's game against the Bears will be the Cowboys' first big test. What's been a high-powered offense will face a speedy, quality defense ranked as one of the best. It seems Dallas is the underdog in this game, and that's fine with me. The Bears are favored by 3 points.

Why? Dallas is 24-12 in the month of September when they play as the underdog and 15-9 when the road underdog. This bodes well for the Cowboys. Also, no matter how awesome the Bears' D is, the offense is very poor. Why this team continues to stick with Rex Grossman is beyond me. With 220 yards a game, they rank second to last in the NFL. They scored 20 points on a horrible Kansas City team and just 3 against a struggling Chargers team that were lit up last week by the Patriots.

Dallas 23 Bears 17

Tank drives into Dallas

2007-09-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

As I head for vacation to San Fran, I am lucky enough to have a pitstop at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, at which I have never been. Should I look for something special here during my 3 hour holdover?

Anyway, while I am waiting for my plane in Richmond, I thought I'd bring up the news that embattled former Bears tackle Tank Johnson says he'll be a Cowboy after his suspension for a weapons-related probation violation ends. He is suspended for the first eight games.

As ESPN says, Johnson has never been a nose tackle, but you can bet your bottom dollar that's why we are eying the defensive player. The season-ending injury of Jason Ferguson was a crushing blow to an already injury-riddled team. Although Jay Ratliff has filled in nicely for the Cowboys, the powers-at-be obviously feel as if they need to shore up another player for that position as a safety net. I'm OK with that, even though I've seen no action to secure another cornerback or even a receiver after Crayton's mangled finger.

Personally, I would think we need a larger force for this run-stopping position. Johnson is about the same size as Ratliff, at 300 pounds. Johnson had 3.5 sacks last year for the Bears and 22 solo tackles. The Bears picked Johnson with their second pick in the 2004 draft. He played at Washington U.

I don't think adding TJ to the team will cause any friction. If he screws up, we dump him. I think the team right now has a solid mindset and plays well together. Even T.O. is behaving and that's a huge signal. I think this team wants to prove something to former Coach Bill Parcells, that his 80s coaching style doesn't work anymore and that if he just changed his mindset a little bit he may have had another ring. I just hope Johnson is working out and in good shape, ready to play for a contender, which is what we are.

"It's not discouraging. There's a difference."

2007-09-16T19:47:00.001-07:00

Atlanta Falcons QB Joey Harrington has made some interesting comments during post-season press conferences so far this season. Somehow, this guy has become the leader of this woeful team. Don't ask me how. But tonight's press conference just made me laugh.

I feel a bit bad for him. The guy has been sacked 13 times in two games and seven times today. Ouch. "It happens," he says. "It's not discouraging. There's a difference. It's not discouraging. It's frustrating."

Poor guy.
"We know we can move the ball. We've shown that. Now it's a matter of finishing off some of those drives."

The press continued to hound him on the team's performance. What ticks me off is no one should be surprised this team stinks after the Vick fiasco.

"We've got to play better," Harrington says.

What's happening to Harrington right now reminds me of the hard times with the Cowboys. It was hard to watch the change of quarterbacks and the losses. I am lucky enough to have been able to see Dallas during one of their most powerful and best eras. I'm not ready to say Dallas wins the NFC, but I am feeling pretty good going into Week 3 against the Bears.

Dallas Wins! 37-20!

2007-09-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

Dallas is 2-0 for the first time since 1999.

Highlights: Another great game from Tony Romo, who looks more comfortable in the pocket. Marion Barber had 14 carries for 89 yards and two touchdowns including a 40-yard jaunt, the longest of his career. Romo was 14 for 29, 189 yards and 2 touchdowns. T.O. was the leading receiver with five catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. The defense played better, with four interceptions and two sacks. Although the secondary still had problems, the turnovers helped even it out. Anthony Henry had two interceptions and Ken Hamlin had his first of the year.

The troubling: The offense sputtered for awhile, partially from an ineffective Julius Jones, who ran the ball 15 times for 32 yards. He looked awful once again. The Miami run defense was tough to break through and we just tired them out at the end.

Overall, Dallas was able to win this game because of five Miami turnovers.

Next week will be a real tough match as we head to Chicago to play the Bears. If we beat them, we're the top team in the NFC.

MVP goes to Marion Barber III and Anthony Henry.

Fourth Quarter

2007-09-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

The final minutes of the game.....

I walk away to get my dinner and Green throws a lob pass to Hagan for a TD. Did the secondary give up for that series? What bothers me about this play is the receivers were covered. The corners and safeties just didn't stay with the receivers and Hagan got open as Roy Williams drifted away. Dallas 30 Miami 20 with 3:26 left.
Dallas barely gets the onside kick back and it's time to run the clock out with Marion Barber. WOW, did I get that right!! Marion Barber scored on a 40 yard touchdown for his second of the night and the longest TD run in his career. Dallas 37 Miami 20

Dallas gets the back and gives it to JJ for for yards. Ugh. A quick pass to Hurd didn't work and was scary looking. On 3rd and 6 Barber gets about a yard. On 4th and 4 Dallas can either go for it or give Folk a 51 yard field goal chance. I say give the field goal a chance. Dallas goes for it and TOUCHDOWN to T.O.!!! What a call by offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. Dallas leads 30-13.

Miami second series and on the second place Anthony Henry picks off his second pass of the game!!! Henry beats Chambers to the ball and jumps right in front of it, falling to the ground. Great play.

Dallas gets the ball back and it's time to put this game away: JJ gets tackled behind the line, again. On 1st and 22 Jones gets it again for a yard. On 2nd and 20 Romo runs for 18 yards with no one near him. He could have possibly gotten the first down but he went down to be safe. On 3rd and 3 JJ gets the ball again and DAMN IT he is tripped up for a 2 yard gain. He brings it inside when the outside was wide open. Horrible. Punt.

Miami's first fourth quarter series: On 1st and 15, Green is almost intercepted by Henry. On 2nd and 15 Green passes to Chambers for 7 yards. On 3rd and 8 Roy Williams brings down Jesse Chatman on a nice arm tackle, saving a first down run. Miami punts.

Dallas starts the fourth quarter with the ball. On 1st and 10 Romo runs it for 8 yards after a play action play. On 2nd and 2 Barber gets four yards on a second effort run. On 1st and 10 Flozell Adams gets his second false start. On First and 15 Barber runs for 10 on the left side. On 2nd and 5 Barber gets pummeled by Renaldo Harris for no gain, or maybe Barber pummeled him after I watched the replay. On 3rd and 5 Romo throws to Sam Hurd for a first down but an offensive pass interference and holding calls brings it back. On 3rd and 15 another false start, this time on Marc Columbo. On 3rd and 20 Romo throws out of bounds after getting hit at the knees. Nick Folk for 47 yards is good!! That's his longest field goal of the season. Dallas leads 23-13.

Dallas vs Miami thread continued

2007-09-16T14:29:00.001-07:00

THIRD QUARTER (Miami turnovers keep Dallas in this game, and in the lead)

Dallas gets the ball right back for its fourth series and Romo throws the ball away deep. On 2nd and 10 Barber only gets three yards but he stays on his feet. The Miami run defense is tough. On 3rd and 7 Romo throws to T.O. for a first down. Third quarter ends.

On Miami's fourth series Chris Chambers was wide open for 23 yards. Anthony Henry is nowhere to be found and Ken Hamlin is late again. On 1st and 10 Green fumbles the snap and J. Ratliff RECOVERS.

On Dallas' third series after a turnover, Marion Barber runs for five yard to the right. On 2nd and 5 Romo has no one to pass to and he runs for no gain. On 3rd and 5 Romo avoids some several almost-sacks and throws to T.O. in the endzone, but he drops it out of bounds. Romo might have been better of holding on to that. Rookie kicker Folk gets his second field goal. Dallas leads 20-13.

On Miami's third series Ted Ginn is tackled shy of the 15 yard line on great kick off coverage. On 1st and 10 Jacque Reeves finally has a nice play, breaking up a pass to Chris Chambers. On 2nd and 10 Booker gets a first down on a 16 yard catch. Once again, horrible pass coverage and this appeared to be Henry. On 1st and 10 Green overthrows right into the hands of Ken Hamlin for his first INT. He returns it for 35 yards.

Dallas' second series starts with a band on Crayton's 55 yard kick off return. We begin at the Dolphins 30. However, a Dolphins penalty negated what was a negative-run punt return earlier. On 1st and 10 Romo has all day to complete a 14 yard pass to Witten. JJ is stuffed again for two yards. On 2nd and 8 Romo is pressured and throws it off to Crayton, but it's over his head. However, Dolphins get called for a pass interference call. Crayton was held and he very well may have caught the pass if not held. On 1st and Goal we have three TEs and WOW!!!! Romo, while almost sacked, throws it to TE Tony Curtis for a TD. Romo was nearly sacked and throws it to Curtis just as he gets smacked in the face. Dallas leads 17-13. 4:41 left

On Miami's second series, Dallas gets a penalty on the punt return. On 1st and 10 a quick pass to Chambers ends with a Demarcus Ware tackle. Boy, Ware has been silent and hasn't been a factor in this game yet. On 2nd and 4 Brown gets two yard up the middle. On 3rd and 2 Dallas could use a big stop here. The play: Green's pass it tipped and Miami has to punt. Finally, a defensive stop.

On Dallas' first series in the second half they start at the 19 yard line. On 1st and 10 Romo throws to a triple-teamed Witten. Huh? T.O.was in one on one coverage wide open. On 2nd and 10 Romo throws to Hurd for a first down, and Hurd's second catch. On 1st and 10 JJ is stuffed for a 3 yard gain. 2nd and 7 and FB Oliver Hoyte drops a short pass. 3rd and 7 Romo had plenty of time to pass but throws a little high for T.O. who can't make the catch and takes a big hit after the drop. Punt.

Miami starts the third quarter. On 1st and 10 Ronnie Brown runs through a big hole for a gain of 12. A play action pass to Chambers is good for 13 yards and another first down. On 1st and 10 Ronnie Brown runs up the middle for eight more yards. On 2nd and 3 Browns initially looked like he might be stuffed but he finds a hole and gains enough for a first down. On 1st and 10 Chambers makes a nice 9 yard catch on poor pass coverage from Jacque Reeves. Brown gets the ball again for no gain. On 3rd and 1 Green gets his second QB sneak for a first down. On 1st and 10 TE David Martin gets another first down. What the hell was Roy Williams doing? He blitzes right into a blocker and Martin is wide open. On 1st and 10, Ginn gets a hand off for a 3 yard loss. On 2nd and 13 Booker scores a touchdown on a 18 yard pass. Booker had some nice inadvertent foot work to stay in bounds. Horrible pass coverage from Jacque Reeves again, as he was completely beat and out of position. Miami takes 13-10 lead.

Dallas vs Miami Game Thread

2007-09-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

SECOND QUARTER (Crayton injures pinky, possibly broken. Report is Crayton is on the sidelines and will play. Thanks Silver&Blue4Life for the details)
Dallas has 10-6 halftime lead. Barber scores only touchdown. Dallas D looks much improved.

Highlights: Bradie James is stuffing Ronnie Brown. Anthony Henry had a great coverage INT. The pass rush has improved and we are rushing Green on some passes. But, there are still holes in the secondary.

Romo has looked great in the pocket. T.O. despite his one drop has been money. Witten hasn't been a huge factor yet.

On Miami's fourth series Green throws a duck to Hagan but he's out of bounds. Chatman gets a nine yard run. On 3rd and 1 Green QB sneaks for a first down. 1:21 seconds left in the second quarter. On 1st and 10, incomplete pass to Booker. 2nd and 10 Green throws too high to rookie Ted Ginn, no good. On 3rd and 10 Booker is wide open in the middle for a first down to the Dallas 42. WHERE IS THE SECONDARY? No pass rush either. Hamlin is backing up as if he is playing deep prevent and backs himself 10 yards out of the play. 1st and 10 Green escapes a sack and then tosses the ball for a gain of 1. On 2nd and 10 Green fires a nice pass for a first down to Chris Chambers. 29 seconds left and Miami is driving in Dallas Territory. A bizarre throw down attempt actually was a fumble and Miami loses 13 more seconds. Hilarious. On 3rd and 11 Green throws it in the back of the endzone. 10 seconds left and the field goal team comes in for a 44 yarder: Good. Dallas leads 10-6.

On Dallas' fourth series from their own 40 JJ is hit in the backfield for a loss. JJ drops off a pass from a pressured Romo. On 3rd and 10 Romo has all day again to pass and throws a nice pass to T.O. BUT ANOTHER DAMN holding penalty sends it back. THAT HURTS! On 3rd and 15 Romo has all day and finds T.O again at the Miami 37! T.O. is hit hard and throws the ball. Another flag is a delay of game on T.O. for a five yarder because he throws the ball away. On 1st and 10, JJ gets 2 yards. On 2nd and 8 Romo passes for a first to backup tight end Anthony Fasano for 12 yards. Romo looks great in the pocket. On 1st and 10 Julius Jones is wrapped up for a short gain. On 2nd and 10 Romo throws to Witten on a play action for a gain of 13 yards and another first down. ROMO LOOKS GREAT FOLKS! On 1st and 10 Romo throws to Sam Hurd for 8 yards, and Hurd's first catch. On 2nd and 2 at the Miami 7 Romo calls a time out. After the time out a quick screen to Barber is dropped. That was a bad play and a horrible call. The right side of the field wasn't even open for a play like that. An audible should have been called. On 3rd and 2 we have a Flozell Adams false start. On 3rd and 7 Romo passes to Owens for a first down and almost breaks a shoelace tackle for a touchdown. Owens has 51 yards so far. On 1st and Goal Barber takes it to the 1, unable to break through a hole. He should have scored here. On 2nd and Goal Barber scores a touchdown and a nice two-yard run! He is so unstoppable in the red zone!!!!! Dallas leads 10-3! Romo was 5/7 for 71 yards on this drive.

On Miami's third series and Chambers takes a 4 yard catch. On 2nd and 6 Bradie James almost gets a safety on a blitz! No one picked him up. On 3rd and 15, Miami runs for a few yards and have to punt deep in their territory. Dallas D looks much improved.

Dallas' third series starts at their 37 yard line. Barber gets the ball and gains 8. On 2nd and 2 Barber breaks through the front line and gains about 10 yards. On 1st and 10 Barber strips away from Jason Taylor and gains 4. Barber is running hard. On 2nd and 6 Romo play actions and throws deep to Witten, who bobbles a difficult pass. Romo threw that in double coverage and might have been better off looking for someone else to pass to. On 3rd and 6 Romo has all day to pass, dodges a few people, and decided to run for a first down, making a nice juke at the end. A Romo pass to Patrick Crayton was almost intercepted. Crayton dislocates his pinky on the play, maybe even broken it. On 2nd and 10 Romo throws it to Witten, who gets hit hard by Thomas, throwing the ball in the air and it's nearly intercepted. On 3rd and 10 Julius Jones breaks more tackles and gets a first down, but it's negated with a holding call. On 3rd and 18, JJ slips and falls for no gain. We punt.

Miami's second series starts with a Ronnie Brown stuff for no gain. On 2nd and 10, Anthony Henry picks off a bomb intended for Marty Booker. SWEET. Henry was in great position for this and easily caught it. Great defensive play. Ken Hamlin was late, but it didn't matter.

FIRST QUARTER ends 3-3 tie

On Dallas' second series, Miles Austin doesn't try to run it back and takes the touchback. Dallas starts at their 20 yard line. Romo dumps it off to Julius Jones who breaks a tackle and runs for almost 20 yards. ROmo hands off to him again for 1 yard. Romo loses his footing and throws the ball to T.O. for an incomplete pass, but the defense was off sides. On 2nd and 5, Romo runs it for 1 yards and gets hit hard. On 3rd and 4 Romo has all time to pass and completes it to T.O., who juggles the ball a little bit. Nonetheless, it's a first down. A nice end around to Owens goes for about 5 yards. Originally the play looked wide open but the defence closed in fast, thanks to Zach Thomas. On 2nd and 5 Romo hands off to Julius Jones who breaks a tackle and gets a first down with a 6 yard run. Romo attempts a pass that is broken up and falls right into the hands of Keith Traylor, who drops it. Lucky us. On 2nd and 10 Barber gets his first run, barreling through the line, his helmet popping off. Another personal foul, this time on Jerry Porter, gets us a first down. Porter ripped off Barber's helmet like the scum bag he is. I hate Jerry Porter. On 1st and 10, barber runs through Zach Thomas for 4 yard, and the two shake hands after that hit. Thomas is pissed. On 2nd and goal Barber is stuffed at the line. On 3rd and goal we have split backs and Romo int he shotgun. He makes a short pass to Barber who is tackled for a loss of 2 yards. Barber was trying to break the tackle, but ended up backing up too much. Dallas kick a short field goal to tie it 3-3.

The Cowboys start the game with a less than stellar kick off return by Thompson, but then a defensive kick-off personal foul turned it into a sweet kick off return. Thanks idiot Dolphin.
Julius Jones runs for 6 and then a pass play to T.O. is broken up. Surprising to see them throw to T.O. so quick. Romo had plenty of time. On 3rd and 4, Romo throws to T.O. who drops it. His first drop of the season ends the first series. Owens was wide open and Romo had all day to pass it.

Miami's first series starts at their own 37 after a nice 20-yard punt return. Ronnie Brown gains about 4 yards, and the offensive line seemed to easily push the Dallas D line. Not a good sign. Brown is hit hard and forced back by Bradie James. It was a nice play for the defense. On 3rd and 6 the defense jumps off sides but it doesn't matter after a pass up the middle to Hagan. First down Miami. No pass rush. Didn't we know they'd be passing? Green runs for 6 yards after some decent pass rush. Spencer catches him. Ronnie Brown just cannot gain yards and he was stopped again for less than 3 yards. On 3rd and 2 and Miami runs a nice play, a misdirection play to Jesse Chatman. Another first down. Why did we blitz on that play? Ronnie Brown is stuffed again by Bradie James. A horrible miss tackle after a nice catch by Ronnie Brown gives Miami 1st and 10 at the Dallas 19 yard line. Not sure who missed that tackle, but it was awful. Brown is stuffed again for 1 yard, with Anthony Henry getting the tackle. On 2nd and 10 Miami does an end around to Chambers, and although Roy Williams misses the damn tackle, we still get them for a loss of 4. On 3rd and 14, Green is under pressure and throws it away.
To summarize, the Dallas D looks slightly better this week. They are getting to Green and stuffing the run. Miami gets a 36 yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Week 2 Picks

2007-09-16T07:11:00.000-07:00

Houston vs Carolina
Houston is no joke this year. And I think Carolina played a team last week with a horrible defense. Nonetheless, this game should be close. Andre Johnson looks great and Matt Schaub is paying dividends. Jake Delhomme looked great. Keep in mind that the Panthers are 20-2 when Deshaun Foster carries the ball more than 15 times. Houston 21 Carolina 20

Cincinnati vs Cleveland
I plan to pick against Cleveland every week because I am biased. Dallas has Cleveland's No. 1 Pick in 2008 and wouldn't it be great to get the first pick in thw draft. Cinci 43 Cleveland 10

Indianapolis vs Tennessee
Think the Colts are going to run roughshod over the Titans? Think again. It appears QB Vince Young is for real despite his questionable brain power and that Chris Brown is better than we all thought. However, we know how good the Colts are. Titans D needs to show up or else it will be a long night. Colts 32 Titans 24

New Orleans vs Tampa Bay
Who looked worse in Week 1? On paper, the Saints shouldn't have a problem with beating the Bucs. But they don't play the games on paper. The Saints had a great run last year. They won't this year. Jeff Garcia can win 8 games for the Bucs if they find a running game. Tampa Bay 20 Saints 17

San Francisco vs St. Louis
Both teams were unimpressive in Week 1. Sloppy and questionable play calling hurt both teams. So who wants this game more? Personally, I think the 49ers too. They are younger and the defense is much better than the woeful Rams. But, the Rams offense is still potent, despite last week's game. Look for Frank Gore to have a big game. 49ers 30 Rams 21

Buffalo vs Pittsburgh
What a tough loss for Buffalo last week. I will say this, rookie runner Marshawn Lynch is for real. He's powerful and fast. He may be rookie of the year. But the Bills have a serious quarterback problem. JP Losman is just awful, and it's too bad, because they have a lot of pieces in place to contend. Pittsburgh looked great last week, eh? Ben Roethlisberger had 4 TDs and even I thought it was a misprint. He won't do it today. Buffalo 24 Pittsburgh 10

Green Bay vs NY Giants
Without Eli Manning, the Giants are just a pretty poor ball team. Their defense is porous and the run game won't be as good as it was last week. Derrick Ward? Please! Green Bay surprised a lot of people in Week 1. But the Eagle's pitiful special teams punt return problems was the sole reason for that loss. Green Bay will win this game, too. But not easily. Green Bay 17 Giants 7

Atlanta vs Jacksonville
Atlanta looked awful, and we all expected that. Joey Harrington should just use stats from the preseason because he always does well. Put him in for a real game and he just blows it as usual. His post-game press conference was hilarious. He won't help this team win 1 game. Jacksonville, on the other hand, didn't look much better. The Jags will pull this one out and might use it to catapult them to a contender this year. If they lost, stick a fork in them. Atlanta 7 Jacksonville 20

Seattle vs Arizona
Seattle isn't that good folks. Arizona should be a lot better than they are. So what gives? Each time I watch the Seahawks, I wonder: "How does this team win?" Shaun Alexander is the most overrated runner in the league and I may get bashed for saying that. Edgerrin James plays real well against the 'Hawks. He will today, too. Seattle 17 Arizona 24

Minnesota vs Detroit
Did anyone see the Lions pull it out over the Raiders? The Raiders had a nice comeback and then Detroit just put the stake in them with an overwhelming offense and some decent defensive plays. Could this be the year of the Lions? No. Heck no. But they won't be a doormat of the league. Minnesota's rookie running back Adrian Peterson was money. He is money. But they have quarterback problems and they really ought to look at Byron Leftwich. Minnesota's defense looks good, too. But they didn't face the receivers last week that they will face this week. Expect a good game and Lions win. Detroit 30 Minnesota 17

Oakland vs Denver
Denver looked pretty bad last week. Oakland looked better. But Oakland isn't better than Denver. Jay Cutler threw for 304 yards last week. He will again this week. Look for Daunte Culepeper to have a decent game to in his effort to become the Raiders starter. Denver's O will be too much though. Denver 34 Raiders 21

Kansas City vs Chicago
Kansas City is a painful team to watch. Chicago's defense is so damn fast. Expect Chicago to rebound big after last week's disappointing loss to the Chargers. Kansas City, even with LJ, just won't be good this year. Chicago 35 Kansas City 10

New York Jets vs Baltimore
Would the Jets have won last week if the Patriots didn't cheat? No. But the Patriots are still scummy cheaters. The Jets can be good, but they need their defense to show up every game. Baltimore has quarterback problems, too. This game could be a toss up if Mangini didn't want this win so bad. Don't be surprised if the Jets rebound, and rebound big. The Ravens have ZIP for offense. Jets 45 Baltimore 20

San Diego vs New England
Watch what happens when you can't cheat anymore. No one is picking the Patriots this week because we all hate cheaters. San Diego had it rough last week, but in the late second half, they looked tough...real tough. Believe it or not, it'll actually be easier for the Chargers in Week 2. The Patriots aren't going to win them all. Chargers 24 Patriots 13

And Finally
Dallas v Miami
I love the cocky Miami fans thinking they'll win this game. It's laughable, not laudable. Point is, Dallas will see improvement on the defense, at least with pass rushing. The secondary may still be iffy. But I don't see Chris Chambers doing anything that amazing. Romo will have three touchdowns and will pass for 300 yards. Terrell Owens will catch all the TDs tonight. And Witten will do well, again. Expect problems with the running game this week, but that's OK. Dallas 27 Miami 13

Bulletin Board Fodder

2007-09-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

Wanna get pumped up for tomorrow's game? A Dolphins fan visited a popular message board today. He made a prediction. Before I post it here, I just want to make a few statements:

1. You couldn't even gain 100 yards rushing against Washington. None of your backs averages more than 2.5 yards a play. You are 28th in the league in rushing.
2. Your best receiver, Chris Chambers, had 6 catches for 90 yards. That was your offense.
3. Ronnie Brown sucks. Julius Jones is better than Ronnie Brown.
4. You are 19th in the league is offensive yards.
5. Washington had 400 total net yards to your 273.

I am going to stop there to prevent further embarrassment.

Now, I will release this dolts post:

I just came here to say that you guys have no shot at beating us for several reasons.
1. You can't throw passes from your back, as Romo will be on it all afternoon.
2. Trent Green looked great, which means we aren't starting another Joey Harrington.
3. Your defense gave up 35 points to Eli Manning and made him look like his brother. (I laughed my *** off)
4. Your team is the most overrated team in football, even in the nfc I can easily name 5 teams who are much better than you.
1.Chicago
2.New Orleans
3.Philly
4.Seattle
5.Carolina
I also think San Francisco and St. Louis are better but I could see the debate.
5. We are at home and we are hungry. I love t.o. but he won't be able to do anything because romo won't have any time.
Basically I'm not here to talk trash I'm just here to give you a preview of the 24-10 spanking we are gonna give you.
Have fun watching the game Sunday.

No, "JasonTaylor99," you have fun watching the game Sunday.

Defense, defense, defense. Where did it go?

2007-09-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

It's difficult to take one game, the very first of the season, and be overly critical of a team. But in the case of the Dallas Cowboys game Sunday night, doing so is a little easier. Giving up 35 points to a Giants team that lost its mediocre running back, had an injured quarterback and just one receiver is pretty poor.

Roy Williams is getting a lot of punishment on the Dallas Cowboy message boards.
Too lackadaisical, some are saying. Poor pass coverage. If it weren't for Tony Romo's arm and Witten's hands, Roy Williams could have very well been blamed for missing plays that could have cost Dallas that game. He was completely out of position on Burress' second and third touchdowns. This new scheme of having him play closer to the line of scrimmage was a failed first-game experiment. He becomes a wasted player doing that if the opposing team runs the ball. If you are going to bring Williams closer to the line of scrimmage to blitz, you better damn well know it's a passing down, or a run in his path. At least twice I saw him attempt to blitz and then just stop cold when the Giants ran to the opposite side of the field. One of those times was a double-digit yard jaunt by the Giants third-string running back. Pathetic.

The defensive fiasco Monday night isn't all Williams' fault. I'd be the first to post that on the message board. The pass rush was nowhere to be found (one sack). The linebackers made few plays. Heck, the defensive player of the game was Jay Ratliff, a backup nose-tackle. No matter how painful it was to hear Dallas lost Jason Ferguson for the year, it was surprising to see Ratliff play well.

I have no idea if the Dallas D can be great this year. Odds are against them because of injuries. The defense needs to improve at every facet, and that's discouraging. There really wasn't one good thing to say about how the entire defense played Sunday night.

So, in comes Miami, where the main newspaper is talking about the Dallas offense, not the defense everyone else was talking about in the preseason. Here's a snippet:

The Dolphins might learn a valuable lesson here. Seems the team that once upon a time would start seasons without hesitation has sputtered like an old jalopy when the flag has dropped on the past few seasons.
Since 2004, the Dolphins are 5-17 in the months of September and October, no doubt evidence of multiple coaching and system changes and the transitions those require.
But the Cowboys this season were faced with similar challenges the Dolphins faced the past three seasons. And there are no excuses about it coming out of Valley Ranch where the team trains.
''Once you get into the eighth or ninth game everybody knows how good your team is,'' Phillips said. ``But you always want to start up good and keep going.''

The comments to this article are hilarious. But I am not sure what is more funny: the fact that I could only find one Pro-Dolphin message on a Miami newspaper Web site, or the sheer number of Cowboy fans overwhelming the message board with comments on how we are going to kick some Dolphin ass. Here's the lone dork Miami fan:

From "Attitude", The Fins are going to spank them cowgirls this weekend. They have pride and in our house they will pick it up. The defense will not permit Romo to run around like he did.

Gee, Attitude, that was enlightening.

Here's a real Dolphin fan who's being honest:

The Dolphins are not that good on offense. Period. Trent Green is OK, but is already suffering from Post-Marino Dolphins' Quarterback Disease, short-arming his throws, throwing off his backfoot, throwing while leaning backwards, and using the three step drop and fire, and the 2 second scan downfield and dump off to a back. This disease can be directly linked to prolonged exposure to a sub-NFL caliber offensive line caused by a Randy Mueller infection in the Dolphin front office. This disease has been known to be fatal to careers of both quarterbacks and coaches. Cam Cameron's exposure and probable infection by the Mueller virus is evidenced by his choice of Ted Ginn, Jr. instead of Brady Quinn in the first round of the draft. By the way Mr. Ginn also seems to be exhibiting symptoms of "Over-rated-itis", probably contracted from Chris Chambers. Please Wayne H., sign the wavier for the surgery and have that malignant Randy Mueller surgically removed from our beloved franchise before it's too late. It'll be a lo t less painful than you think and your team and its fans can all get on the road rehab and recovery sooner rather than later.That's my diagnosis.

Yours Truly,
The Dolphin Doctor

I don't expect to lose this game Sunday. In fact, I don't even expect it to be close. But I am not going to go out on a limb and say the defense will turn it around in Week 2. There are just too many holes in Week 1 to fill in seven days.

Dallas 27 Miami 13

The Marion Barber III argument

2007-09-10T16:25:00.000-07:00

When you look at the numbers from last night's game, one could say that Marion Barber and Julius Jones are equal. Jones rushed 16 times for 66 yards, with a longest run of 21 yards.

Barber ran 11 times for 65 yards, and scored one touchdown. His longest run was 19 yards.

But stats don't show heart. Stats don't show effort. And stats certainly don't tell strength. Barber was the stronger back last night. His acrobatic touchdown run was amazing. He broke tackles. He ran over the opposing defense. He ran aggressively and pumped up the team.

Julius Jones, on the other hand, fell down too easily. He didn't break away from tacklers. While trying to run the clock out, he takes an up-the-middle run and turns it outside to avoid tacklers, but then runs out of bounds, which stopped the clock. Fans on message boards starting calling him "Julia." His runs seemed mediocre, at best. That might be overstated. He looked poor. But I am comparing him to Barber, who in my opinion, is the better runner.

The two-back system in Dallas should be scrapped now. Marion Barber should become the full-time back for the Dallas Cowboys immediately. Barber has carried the ball 273 times in the last two seasons for 1192 yards and an amazing 19 touchdowns. That is what we could expect from Barber running full-time for the Dallas Cowboys. We'd probably get more from him if he knew he was our sole back, or should I say "soul" back. Just for comparison, Larry Johnson ran the ball 416 times last year and 336 times in 2005, far more carries than Barber has had in just two seasons.

Julius Jones ran the ball last year almost as much as Barber has in his entire career. Jones ran 267 times, for 1084 yards and 4 touchdowns. Hardly an elite back. Hardly comparable to those of Barber.

But stats don't show effort, right? Stats don't show heart?

Well, playing on the field and performance does show effort and heart. We, the fans, can see it. And I'd love to have one person argue to me that Julius Jones deserves to start for the Dallas Cowboys, how he deserves a majority of the runs, and how he deserves to start the game and run the ball during the most important part of the game: when Dallas is down. Barber has shown time and time again that he's a stronger back, has more heart, and plays harder than his counterpart.

When will the coaches in Dallas recognize this? Hopefully by Sunday.

DALLAS WINS! DALLAS WINS!!! 45-35!

2007-09-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

The Giants, with 2:08 left, turned the ball over on downs. WHEW!!!! Dallas gets the ball on the Giants 44.

Barber carried the rest of the game and ran out the clock. We'll get to the Barber debate later.

What a game!! The Dallas offense looked amazing. Romo naysayers, you look foolish. He had one a career night. Romo goes 15-24, for 345 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT. WOW.

The defense was pathetic. 1 sack by J. Ratliff and the rest is awful history. Giving up 35 points to the woeful Giants is a bad sign when your coach is known for his defensive schemes. I don't care about the injuries...just no excuse for what happened tonight.

Here is a breakdown on the receiving:

Receiving	REC	YDS	TD	LG
J. Witten	6	116	1	38
T. Owens	3	87	2	47
P. Crayton	3	51	0	25
S. Hurd	1	51	1	51
M. Barber	1	29	0	29
J. Jones	1	11	0	11

Here is a rushing breakdown:
Rushing ATT YDS TD LG
J. Jones 16 66 0 21
M. Barber 11 65 1 19
T. Romo 3 11 1 9

I am tired and will give a full review of the game tomorrow night, with comments and some harsh reaction. This was a scary game, but I am glad we won. I will have a great week at work!

MVP goes to Tony Romo!!!

More on the Fourth Quarter scoring spree!!!

2007-09-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

Dallas gets the ball back, leading by just three points. They immediately give it to Julius "Julia" Jones who runs for about two yards. Flozell Adams "leads the world in false starts" quipped Madden. I won't doubt that. Another false start on Adams and it is 2 and 12. JULIUS Jones gets it again and runs out of bounds. Unbelievable. 3rd and 7: SAM HURD SCORES on his first catch of the night, 51 yards!!! WOW!!!! This game is insane!!!!!!

That was a huge play and with 3:03 left, we lead 45-35.

Julius Jones is a huge disappointment. Why is he still in the game?? Give it to Marion!!!!

Did we just put this game out of reach?

Fourth Quarter

2007-09-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

UPDATED 4th Quarter:

Romo throws a bizarre interception in the middle and Giants immediately get the ball back in Dallas territory. We cannot put this game away. Romo was flawless almost until then. That was not good. 6:30 left in the game.

------------------------------------------------------------
Giants continue to drive the ball and on a 3rd and 3 on Dallas 15, a pass to a rookie is good for a first down. THE DEFENSE NEEDS TO STEP UP!!!! NOPE. Burress scores his third damn touchdown on a cross route in the middle of the damn end zone. Pathetic. Roy Williams provided no help. Dallas still leads 38-35, after leading by 16. My golly. This is too close!

-------------------------------

After the Ward run, the Dallas D holds in the red zone. Giants kick another field goal, making it 31-22 Dallas. We can put the game away here with another touchdown.
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Dallas starts with a nice 25-yard gain via Romo to Crayton. The Giants are TIRED. Julius Jones gets stuffed again. He hasn't looked too good. Never really has. Marion Barber should get the rest of the caries this quarter. We'll see.
T.O. BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a throw by ROMO!!! T.O. takes it up the middle for about a 45 yard catch and run. WOW baby!!!! Dallas offense looks great with a 38-22 lead. Owens has 3 catches, 87 yards, and two touchdowns, all in the second half!
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Giants continued to move the ball on Dallas, with runs and passes. With 8 minutes left, the Giants easily drove the ball into Dallas red zone. It was another pathetic exhibit from the defense. And Ward scores on a nice run. Giants go for 2: Anthony SPENCER gets his first great play and keeps this a two-score game. 38-28 Dallas.

Can we PLEASE stop the Giants third string running backs?? Our defense is like Swiss cheese. Not good, folks. Not good. Wade Phillips is a defensive coach. What the hell!!!!

Third Quarter

2007-09-09T19:09:00.001-07:00

Dallas comes out of the third quarter early with some strength. T.O. makes his first catch with 12:38 in the 3rd. Just a cross route. The ball was a little high and T.O. made a nice catch. Julius Jones also had a nice run.

Right back to T.O. for an amazing one-handed touchdown!!! An incredible catch. FINALLY!!!! Dallas up 24-16.

But how will the defense fare in its first series of the second half?
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The Giants fumbled the kick off, but recovered. The crowd booed loudly. It wasn't even a fumble, the replay showed. Still, the secondary cannot make a play and gives up a first on a 3rd and long---another pass to Burress. 10 minutes left in the 3rd.

The 3rd continued with the same: no pass rush and Manning has plenty of time to pass to either Toomer or Burress. The Giants first second-half series ends with a decent play by Reeves in the end zone. Giants kick a 48-yard field goal. Dallas 24 Giants 19.

We can put this game firmly in our hands with a score here. Let's see what happens!
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Dallas didn't do anything on their series and it was 3 and out. Giants did the same and back to Cowboys with 3:08 left in the 3rd.

Time for a rum and ginger, folks!

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Witten continues to have an amazing game. The play action pass play calling has worked well for Dallas. Witten has 6 catches for 116 yards and 1 TD. We reach the Giants red zone when Romo runs it in for a 10-yard touchdown! WOW!!!! What a play by ROMO!!!! Dallas is now pumped and the crowd is roaring!!! 1:12 left and Dallas is up 31-19.
Mann

Romo is 12 for 20, 222 yards and two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. He is outplaying the highly touted Eli Manning.
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The Giants end the third quarter with a huge run from no name Derick Ward. It's shocking how the Dallas D can make a name out of nobody like this. Giants start fourth in scoring position, but down by 11 points.

Halftime commentary. Holy Witten.

2007-09-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

Although we come to Halftime leading 17-16, the performance has been sub par. Sans the Romo to Witten connection, we'd be in big trouble.

We've screwed up at almost every level of the game, including special teams, where Thompson fumbled on a kick-off with 22 seconds left in the first half. The Giants creep back, after a 44-yard field goal, capitalizing on the kick-off fumble. Once up 17-6, Dallas heads to the locker room with a one-point lead at halftime.

Keep in mind it would be tied if the Giants didn't botch an extra point.

T.O. has been a non factor, but Romo hasn't thrown to him. He's dealt with double coverage all night and T.O. needs to figure out how to break the double coverage with good routes.

The defense has been inconsistent. Jacque Reeves came up with a surprising INT, but other than that, it's been weak at ever position. Reeves later gives up a touchdown to Burress (his second, including a first-series bomb), providing very little coverage on a quick pass in the end zone.

Absolutely NO PASS RUSH is unexpected. We have no sacks and one QB pressure.

Romo is 8 for 14 in the first half with no interceptions, which is good. But he hasn't really thrown it deep with any success. If the Giants decide to cover Witten, T.O. should be open.

No Dallas fan should be happy with that first half. Thank God for Witten.

To win this game, our secondary needs to make more plays. Roy Williams cannot get beat deep when he is playing deep coverage. Jacque Reeves needs to loosen up and move. His interception was more of an easy opportunity than a great play. He needs to make some great plays.

Most important in the second half will be the defense. We obviously can find ways to score. But can we stop the Giants? We haven't shown we really can with great success. Ware needs to get to Manning, especially with Feguson out of the game with an elbow injury.

We should win this game.

Giants vs. Dallas

2007-09-09T17:17:00.001-07:00

Second Quarter ends:

The bad tackling, no pash rush and poor secondary continued on Giants first possession in the second quarter. On a 3rd and 7 we had great pressure finally and Manning tossed it, but it was luckily dropped. Would have gone for first maybe.

On the punt return, Crayton had some room but he was slow to hit the hole.

A nice short pass to Barber goes for 29 yards. Barber looks great. Romo is throwing under 50 percent right now after a duck throw away. Again, a nice pass to Witten who is stopped short by a few feet for the first. On the first 4th and feet for new coach Wade Phillips, he goes for it. The result: BArber tries middle and then turns right, and WOW!!!! He breaks several tackles on the outside and scores airborne!!!! WOW!!!! Marion Barber III is a beast.

Dallas up 10-6.

Nose Tackle Jason Ferguson injured his elbow and is out of the game. This hurts. Dallas is facing a lot of injuries early on.

On a Third and 7, Jacque Reeves gets an INTERCEPTION. No. 35, Reeves, just jumped in front of a falling Burress and takes the ball. Poor Eli!!!

After the turnover, we slowly moved closer to the end zone until penalties and we're left with a 3rd and goal from the 15. Why we have Julius Jones in after what Marion Barber did is beyond me.

T.O. is still without a catch. In fact, Romo hasn't even thrown to him.

Witten up the middle and BAM!!! TOUCHDOWN!!! Witten is having a MONSTER game.

With 3:59 left in the 2nd Quarter, Dallas leads 17-6.

Quarter 1 ends with Giants up 6-3

Dallas fell behind early 6-0 on a Manning to Burress bomb of over 60 yards. Secondary looked awful on the play. No pass rush at all early in the game.

Dallas gets the ball and drives to Giants territory on its first possession. Questionable and very conservative play calling after a nice screen play results in just a field goal, kicked by our rookie kicker Nick Folk.

On Giants second possession, we got lucky. Another Manning to Burress bomb led Burress just barely out of bounds. Giants went for it on 4th and 2 and we nearly intercepted the short pass.

On our second possession, Romo did this unusual twirl pass that was nearly intercepted. I have no idea what that was. on 3rd and 7 another clutch throw to Witten. Romo overthrows a bomb and Flozell Adams held anyway. Romo nicely escaped the rush. Another penalty, this on Leonard David and we're 1st and 25.
Oh god....bad snap again almost goes over Romo's head. Third time. Romo recovers well and gains a few yards. Romo can't make the pass. 4th and 17 and time to punt.

The defense just looks awful right now and this is a huge disappointment. Early still, but there's just no pash rush. We have Giants deep in their territory. Let's see what we can do here.