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The Youth of the Nation
There becomes a time, where teams rebuild, and youth becomes superior and preferable to age. We’ve seen it time and time again. Eli Manning Replaces Kerry Collins, Tom Brady replaces Drew Bledsoe. Typically teams go into a slump, losing game after game while trying to quickly breed a plethora of youth into becoming superstars.
Cowboys Nostalgia: Bob Lilly
Cowboys Nostalgia: Bob Lilly
Always First
The word “first” is a fairly basic word with a profound meaning. Being “first” is a sign of domination, of greatness, and of legends. When you think of dominating, great, and legendary Cowboys- names will arise in your mind such as Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach, and Tom Landry. However, not too many present Cowboys fans will think of the original Cowboy, a mean player, a player nicknamed “Mr. Cowboy”… Bob Lilly.
Bob was the First Cowboys Draft pick, the First Cowboys Pro Bowl selection, the First Cowboy to be elected into the Ring of Honor, and the First ever Cowboy to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. It was Bob’s superior intelligence, agility, speed, and strength that made him consistently victorious against double, and yes, even triple teaming lineman. He was simply unstoppable, and his play was the birth of the Doomsday Defense.
Lilly had 4 Defensive touchdowns, one off of a interception return, the others off of fumble returns. He had 18 fumble returns total. Though sacks weren’t a “official stat” believe me when I say he was a monster. One particular historic Super Bowl memory came in 1972 against the Miami Dolphins, Bob Lilly sacked Bob Griese an NFL Record 29 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Bob Lilly was a reliable player who hardly missed a game.
Bob Lilly’s accomplishments consist of:
· Rookie of the Year in 1961
· 11 Time Pro Bowl Selection
· Won Super Bowl VI
· Won 2 NFC Titles
· Inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor
· Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Bob Lilly was a revolutionary player that defined the guidelines of Smash Mouth defense, Instilling fear into the heart of offensive coordinators, offensive linemen, and quarterbacks throughout the league. He reminds us of what champions are, what legends are, in a league where team playing legends are scarce. He made the Cowboys “America’s Team” and he brought great history to a team that has become the pinnacle of our sports life.
Check Wednesday for Cowboys Nostalgia: Roger Staubach at A Cowboy Nation
Safe or Out?
Safe or Out?
This seems to be the game we’re playing. Desperately in need of veteran leadership the cowboys have successfully pursued Gerald Sensabaugh, signing him to a one year deal. In his 5th season he registered 82 tackles and 4 interceptions so you can’t doubt his upside, but I just have to wonder, with a history of arrests and troubled off-the-field issues is he worth it?
I mean we’re trying to rebuild, we’re trying to become a straight-laced team, with a clear image. It worries me, it worries me because distractions have proven costly, and without distractions this team can potentially be untouchable.
The talent is here, and he can bring a lot to us. However, I have to admit I was sort of liking the idea of moving Orlando Scandrick to Free Safety and bumping Hamlin to Strong Safety. We’ll see what time brings, but Sensbaugh will undoubtedly solidify our special teams void, and possibly some good cover skills as a defensive back.
So my indecision leads me to turn it over to you, do you think that Jerry’s latest move is safe, or did the cowboys strike out?
Cowboys Nostalgia: Mel Renfro
“We’ve never seen anybody that good” said a Houston man in a time where Black athletes weren’t exactly accepted. This was before the Civil Rights Act of 1964; this was the time of segregation, civil rights leaders, and inequality.
That great athlete was a man named Mel Renfro, one of the Dallas greats!
Breaking News: Someone had to pick up the Bill
Well it happened, someone paid up in a big way. Terrell Owens is a cancer, he’s a locker room disturbance, and he’s certainly not a team player. Yet, as always some organization see’s his explosiveness and a chance to win the big one. Winning the lottery this time was the Buffalo Bills who gave Owens a 1 year contract worth 6.5 million according to ESPN.
This move will help assure that Bills a chance to flourish in a tight division that features already explosive receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker from the New England Patriots. T.O. will always find work it seems, and he’s in position again to set a teams perceived playoff hopes into a new atmosphere, where he will again undoubtedly fail again. To you T.O. good luck, and thank you for adding some closure to the finally concluded chapter in your life spent in dallas!
Cowboys Welcome in new Manster
It turns out I was wrong… We haven’t seen the last of our free agents moves. Today the Cowboys signed former San Diego Chargers Defensive End Igor Olshansky to a 4 year 18 millions dollar contract according to Mickey Spagnola of DallasCowboys.com. Olshansky played under coach Wade Phillips while he was a defensive coordinator in San Diego. This guy is no joke, he is 6-6 and 309 lbs. Perfect to line up against some of the bigger linemen in the NFC east. In 5 years he’s totaled 179 tackles, 11.0 sacks, and 1 interception.
The signing of Olshansky fills a deep void at right end, and takes some pressure off of Hatcher and Bowen. This move wont replace canty, but it will add some serious help to a healthy rotation that has to potential to disturb some quarterbacks and fill those running gaps. All and all I find this to be a great decision by the Cowboys front office.
Garrett has a tough Choice
This offseason has been crazy for Jason Garrett. Meetings for head coaching positions, endless ridicule from our (sometimes unfaithful) fan base, and a running gag order, which kept him even more quiet than usual. It seems to me that in the midst of all this, and the hard work he’s putting into his offenses arsenal, he has an obstacle on the horizon.
Tashard Choice finished the season impressively strong. The question is… just how impressive was he? I would say he was a diamond in the rough. Choice finished with 92 rushes for 427 yards with a 5.1 average. On top of that he finished with 21 receptions for 185 yards. Not impressed? How about he accomplished that in 4 games against Pittsburgh, New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia in the thick of a competitive playoff rush. Still not impressed? Against a strong New York Giants Defense Choice dazzled with 9 attempts for 91 yards. Our other running backs? Well, while healthy in Week 9 against the Giants Marion Barber was only 19 for 54.
Now don’t murder me yet Dallas Faithful, if anyone knows how valuable Marion the Barbarian, and Flashy Felix is, it’s me. I love them both and think we are entirely blessed to have them. My argument is simply this: Tashard Choice has earned a chance to have legitimate snaps as a Cowboys tailback. Things that can be done are possibly implementing a split back system with Choice and Jones or implementing him into “I” formations to identify holes to finagle through for some serious downhill running. He would also work well out of the Shotgun. If we can implement all three backs our potential is limitless!
So Jason, you have more to think about than you think, but I think you can handle it!
Beyond Perception
The Cowboys have been relatively quiet this off season, and we are about the witness the last move in this free agency period at least until the draft. Roy Williams has asked to be released or traded by the end of the day today, though I wouldn’t expect a release since the Cowboys would take a considerable hit in the cap area. So I thought we’d take a look at the Cowboys moves in a “Perception Versus Reality” aspect.
A week ago the Cowboys made a jaw dropping move by trading a perceived valuable corner back for a “washed up” Quarterback in John Kitna. Our perceptions are typically based on media, bad tape, and yes even playing video games. But this is reality. The market this year wasn’t great for Quarterbacks, especially backups…Sure there was Byron Leftwich, Jeff Garcia, Kurt Warner-but good luck getting them to agree to a back up roll. John Kitna is a proven jump starter, not flashy, not a star, but solid! He adds the arm strength and accuracy to at least solidify our offense in times of need with huge playmakers like Witten, Owens and Barber. Like it or not (and I like it) Tony Romo is our Quarterback and I wouldn’t have it any other way, so give me a John Kitna as a band aid when small scrapes come along.
Now I’m not stupid and I get frustrated with GM Jerry, but I am getting viciously frustrated with the fair weather fan; who doesn’t understand and verbally slaughters the Keith Brooking signing. This isn’t rocket science, Keith has had a legitimately great career and though he didn’t make a lot of show stopping plays last year, he has that potential. You’re talking about implementing a great player, at a cheap price, in a scheme where he was consistently flourishing. Not to mention he brings leadership unseen since Darren Woodson, and he’ll be able to teach our younger linebackers. He is instant stability in a defense lacking ferociousness.
Lastly, Roy Williams. A great player. We shouldn’t expect much, maybe a 3rd or 4th rounder at best. But let me say this: Was he beat in coverage? Yes. Was he inconsistent? Absolutely. But when he flashed, HE FLASHED! Bone Jarring Tackles, and he instilled fear. 5 pro bowls will say it all… Some years were harder than others but I appreciate what he has done. If he goes you’ll never hear me say anything negative.
It’s easy to get caught in the opinion that is often influenced by media, but perception is not reality in all cases, lets not judge these books by their cover….