Okay so the guy is a beast on special teams – are we really so desperate to shore up the kicking units that we need to sacrifice the roster spot?

I was a fan of Keith Davis for a few years. He was never a great safety, no more so than Roy Williams was anyway, but the guy had enough heart to pump the teams blood and that was important. Now that we’ve cut guys like Anthony Henry, Roy Williams, and Greg Ellis, why are so many of you so quick to welcome KD back to Dallas?

Does it not mean anything to you that he was cut by the Dolphins before he ever played a down for them? Moreover, what about the same thing happening in Oakland? Personally, I don’t see that much wrong with the guy, but you just can’t ignore the same guy being cut only from practice time by two totally different teams.

Besides, we know what KD can do. We do not yet know what the rookie safeties can do. They at least have room to grow. It’s not worth cutting potential for a few good plays a game.

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Hey guys….I’m sitting here watching the Home Run Derby and still can’t manage to get the Cowboys off my mind. So I’m going to try something new, an opinion corner of sorts with a hint of quick shots. So here we go.

- According to US magazine Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson have split up. A close friend of Romo’s has been quoted as saying “it’s been a long time coming.” This will create some closure and happiness for Cowboys fans all around the world. This breakup came on July 10th before Jessica Simpson’s “Barbie and Ken” themed Birthday party.

My Take: I’m a bit upset because I know Romo really probably wanted this to work out, however, the way it benefits the organization is incredible. Romo will instantly feel less pressure because the focus is off of his personal life, and fans will finally find something else to complain about.

- I’ve been gone for a week or so and have come back to hear a lot of chatter about DeMarcus Ware giving up some plays for Greg Ellis. Some skeptics are talking about rehydration, some are saying that it’s crap that Ware would do that. The bottom line is this: Ware is the best defensive player in the league, bar none! He plays hard, and I don’t’ know about you guys but I help a friend out whenever I can. So here’s to you DeMarcus Ware…Way to understand what it means to be a teammate.

- Last thing here my friends, the ‘boys are a legitimate title contender. I read the comments on DC.com and I’m tired of the pessimism. If you’re a fan be a fan, not a ranting annoyance to the organization and the Dallas Faithful. You don’t’ like Romo’s personal life? You don’t like Demarcus Ware helping out a friend? You don’t like Roy Williams half season effort? I don’t care, find a new team. I surely don’t see you all playing in the NFL. As for the rest of you, thanks for being loyal.

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I’ve noticed that there are plenty of lists going out lately. Most of which shed no respect to Cowboys players who have rightfully earned it. So to fulfill the appetite of you fans I’ve created a list of the Best Cowboys of the last 15 Years. .. So get ready!

1 Emmitt Smith-The leagues leading rusher. Smith proved to be a “Go to guy” by coupling hard nose, downhill running with incredible durability. With 3 Super Bowl rings, Smith may be the most noticeable player in Dallas Cowboys History.

2 DeMarcus Ware- Perhaps the most naturally talented player to emerge on this defense in years, Ware consistently strikes fears into opposing offensive coordinators. Ware has increased his sack total in each of his 3 seasons ending with 20 last year. There is no signs of slowing down which is good news for this defense!

3 Troy Aikman- Concussion Troy can’t be forgotten for all the marvelous things he did in Dallas. He was a model field general, orchestrating 3 Super Bowl victories and becoming the Cowboys all time leading passer with 32,942 yards.

4 Darren Woodson- The one player that ANY of us would give ANYTHING to have back. Darren Woodson played the secondary perfectly forcing 23 interceptions. He was the backbone in many great defenses and earned a reputation as one of the fiercest safeties in the league.

5 Michael Irvin-A distraction? Sure. However, Michael’s production was unmatched. He averaged over 15 yards per gain and had over 60 touchdowns in his career. He was a consistent target who was reliable and a HOF athlete.

6 Larry Allen- A big strong offensive lineman who was versatile in his play. At 325 lbs he was an immovable force and a good reason for Emmitt’s success.

7 Jason Witten- Witten is a Blue Collar, Smash mouth player who has, in my opinion, defined the future play of tight ends. He blocks well, He’s intelligent, and He’s a bigger threat in the passing game then most receivers, He can shed tackles, and he’s not afraid to throw his body around.

8 Tony Romo- Though under constant scrutiny, he has produced more 300 yard passing games then any quarterback in Dallas history in 3 years. With a 64 percent completion rate, and a ratio or 2 td’s to 1 interception, his regular season play is comparable to some of the greatest quarterbacks of all time (Coming soon: a comparison against Peyton, Aikman, and Young in there first 4 years) I believe that given the opportunity, Romo will thrive in future playoff appearances.

9 Deion Sanders- Prime time, Sanders electrified the field with his wonderful coverage, ability to force interceptions for touchdowns, and punt returning skills. Sanders had abilities that we will forever miss and may not see for years to come.

10 Terrence Newman- Not Deion Sanders, but that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily worse. Terrence doesn’t produce stats like some of the other elite DB’s but that’s because he’s never really tested. He is a shut down corner with speed and game breaking ability. He will be the staple in this defense for years to come.

11 Greg Ellis- A bitter end to this story. Greg has given his all to this team and that has to be respected. He was a feared defensive end, but an even more devastating OLB with the ability to get to the passer; he’s registered 77 career sacks with the Cowboys.

12 Daryl Johnston- The moose led the way for Emmitt throughout his career… Enough said.

13 Dat Nguyen- Nguyen solidified the middle linebacker slot in his second year after leading the team in special teams tackles the first. His run stopping ability and hard hitting made him well known throughout the league. If it weren’t for a disc injury, Dat would be along Bradie James, supporting the same number 1 defense he helped solidify in 2003.

14 Marion Barber- A hardnosed runner this team hasn’t seen since Smith. After going through Troy Hambricks stages and a little flash of Cason, Barber was a breath of fresh air. He has become a “Closer” and has the talent to become a franchise back and league leader.

15 Flozell Adams- Though penalty prone, Flozell has provided stability to the offensive line in Larry Allen’s Absence. He is big, strong, and mobile. He also uses his hands well and is also a talented blocker. An excellent round out to this list.

**Notable Mention** George Teague- For his incredibly memorable hit on Terrell Owens, when Owens was boastfully disrespecting the star.

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Just a little update for everyone who hasn’t heard, Greg Ellis has signed a 3 year deal with the Oakland Raiders. It’s going to be fun facing them twice this year, once for the preseason opener and again in week 12 of the regular season.

Oakland still runs a 4-3 defense and so Ellis is projected as a defensive end in their system. It makes me wonder how well he’ll do there. I mean he was always at least good for the ‘Boys, but he didn’t really find his position until he stood up as a linebacker.

Most fans seem to think it was a horrible situation that must have unfolded for him to sign with the likes of the Raiders, I say good for him. Easy to shine in a system such as that one.

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Since the departure of Greg Ellis earlier this week, I have had a question tumbling around in my head. Can Anthony Spencer take the next step? I have yet to be able to answer this question.

The opinions, much like the Swine flu, are wide spread. Although I do not feel we should be wearing a mask and disinfecting everything we touch when trying to figure this out, the thought did cross my mind though.

Anthony Spencer has shown flashes of brilliance and mediocrity. Just when we think he is taking the next step, he fails to do the most elementary of tasks or gives a lack luster effort.

Anthony has as much talent as you could ask for in a 3-4 scheme OLB, so what seems to be his major hold up? That is a question I have been struggling with – on one hand one could say that he is a little lazy (as evidence showed in hard knocks last year by failing to go to rehab) but you might also say he lacks drive. Then on the other hand one could reasonably say that “well he is a young guy, and with the small number of reps he has had it is just going to take a little more time.”

As the old saying goes “There are two sides to every story and the truth lies somewhere in the middle!” and this case is no different.

The time however has come for Anthony Spencer to either “shit or get off the pot!” Neither the Cowboys nor he have the luxury of him giving half hearted efforts. There are several young men who were recently drafted by the Cowboys, eager to take that spot.

As a general rule I try not to question a professional athletes “drive” too much, just because if you have made it to “The League” you have obviously been at least somewhat driven, and who am I to speculate on what they have been through to get where they are, because if it were easy we would all be doing it!

The hope is that Anthony has been paying attention and absorbing all he could from Greg Ellis and DeMarcus Ware, and that he has been training hard, and is ready to explode onto the scene this year.

This is his chance! And there will not be another chance quite like this one, and he knows it. Now he just needs to prove that he deserves it, and if he does no one will question the decision to release Greg Ellis.

Spencer will have the opportunity this year to wreak havoc on opposing team’s quarterbacks. Teams will be focusing their attention towards the likes of DeMarcus Ware, Bradie James, and Jay Ratliff leaving Spencer in one on one situation’s.

The thing that concerns me about Spencer is he has shown a knack for having big plays and big games, followed immediately by such sloppy, and half hearted play. These things simply do not just go away.

The team has now completed its OTA campaign for this year, and while there was certainly a lot of talk about him getting the opportunity, there was not much talk about his actual play during those OTA’s.

I understand that there are no pads being worn and it they are primarily walk through and individual work outs, but with as much talking as Wade Phillips likes to do about the status of his players, it’s been somewhat odd to not hear anything about Spencer, Don’t you think?

The jury is still out on Anthony Spencer and will probably be in deliberations for quite a while yet. So for now I am going to wait on answering my questions concerning him, how long I hold onto them is in his hands.

What do you think – Can he be what we all want him to be? Or is he the second coming of Barbie Carpenter?

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Hello world! Been a while. I guess we’re all up to date on the latest out of Valley Ranch, so this won’t be a news posting, but rather some opinion on the happenings of the star.

So I’ve got two words for you – Greg Ellis; and now I have two more words – HA HA – are those really words?

Greg Ellis has been a pain in the butt for the past few years, since the season before he injured his Achilles. Does anyone even remember what his complaint was back then? Anyway, it’s not as if the guy hasn’t been a decent player for us, he’s actually been better than decent. But I agree with the Cowboys – it’s time to move on.

Now considering that he was the resident NFLPA representative, I actually more from him than to say after his release that he wished it would have happened a couple of years ago. Sure, he kisses enough ass to not be mistaken for a complete jerk by badmouthing the Cowboys. But it was still pretty low-class for him to insinuate that his last few years have been wasted in Dallas.

He made his only Pro Bowl coming back from that injury, and even with Anthony Spencer on the squad Ellis has gotten the respect of a skilled veteran on and off the field.

If anything, going to another team to start full time a couple of years ago would have shortened his career. As it stands now, he’s still got a fair amount of value left in the league and should find a cozy gig before the season starts.

Okay, so what’s with all this Roy Williams talk? Is he good, or is he not? How about Austin, can he step up like so many believe? Hurd … Who? And don’t get me started on poor little fragile Isaiah Stanback, I could fart in his direction and he’d be out a few weeks.

Let’s face it; the receiving corps in Dallas is at the beginning of what will either be a very long and painful road, or the turn around of the decade. At this point, if you believe all the media hype that is, our WR’s playing good this year would be more tremendous than what the cardinals did last year … if you believe the hype.

I for one do not, and am glad to see some readers here are looking forward to the passing game this year. I don’t think Stanback will be a part of it, I think he’ll be cut as soon as possible after he heels up. But let’s not forget the still missing piece of this team; there is one more player yet to be named that’s coming from Michael Irvin’s Fourth and Long. I figure it’ll be a receiver simply because we have too many DB’s as it is, and we are hurting at WR, yet none have been signed and there have been no rumors that a WR will be signed.

Yep, it’s only June, but already it’s interesting enough for me, for June at least.

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News came out of Jerry Jones’ mouth today, according to Matt Mosley of Espn and Dallascowboys.com, that saying “It’s likely Greg will play somewhere else next season”. Ellis and his agent have been given permission to inquire about trades throughout the league. Both sides said it’s mutual and that they should “leave it like it is” meaning that the cowboys aren’t rushed in the release of Greg Ellis.

In a 10 year career with the Cowboys, Ellis has acquired 365 tackles and 77 sacks. It’s been his complaining that most would attribute to the decision to go seperate ways. Along with the emergence of 3rd year linebacker Anthony Spencer and the draft which brought the Cowboys plenty of youth and linebacking depth. You have to believe that this is the final step in revamping a locker room that was burdened with complaints and drama which severly hindered team chemistry.

Anthony Spencer has 70 tackles and 4.5 sacks in limited play over the last 2 seasons.

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I was reading Mickey’s article on DC.com last night about the Cowboys seemingly trying to get younger, or more specifically, trying to avoid getting old, and the one part that sticks in my mind is the stuff about Ellis.
If you’ve read the blogs over at CowboysNation.net before, then you might very well know that I have mixed feelings over Ellis between his decent to good play over the years, and his inability to shut up about his contract.
But now the Cowboys have told Ellis that he will not be the starter in 2009, and that Anthony Spencer will instead be given the job. Spencer has developed into a bit of a gamble lately, not really because of his off-the-field incident after the season ended, but because he’s not yet proven that he can stay healthy long-term.

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The frenzy has officially begun. Today marks the first day that teams are allowed to release players, and while the Cowboys made their intentions clear a month ago regarding Adam Jones, today is when he officially got the boot.

There are more players than just Pacman that the Cowboys have to consider cutting ties with, and all indications are that they could save enough money by doing so to afford the free agent moves necessary to replace the cut players.

Greg Ellis is one of the ones to consider, and while he has predicted his own demise in Dallas for the fourth consecutive off-season now, this year just may be the time to prove him right. The talent at linebacker in free agency begins and ends with basically one man, Julius Peppers.

My standing opinion is that Peppers is not needed on this team, but that’s not to say that he couldn’t be useful without Greg Ellis around. The Cowboys have a chance to bring in a strong and proven player, instead of waiting to see if Spencer really can be a starter on this team. We got a small peek at what can happen with Peppers and Ware on the outside, and Ratliff in the middle during the Pro Bowl, and it has got to be enough to warrant a look from Jerry and Wade.

Another selling point may just be the more than $5 million that would be spared under the cap by cutting Ellis. Given that this team likely needs a lot of help at linebacker, depending on what free agents Kevin Burnett and Zach Thomas do, it may even be enough to make everyone happy by bringing in Peppers and Lewis. Okay, maybe they’d want too much cash, but it’s worth a look, right?

Brad Johnson is very doubtful to be in a Cowboys uniform next year after his sub-par play in 2008. Add to it that the Cowboys get an extra $2 million by releasing him, and it’s expected that he will be officially released as early as today.

SS Roy Williams gave an interview last night to Newy Scruggs of NBC’s Out of Bounds, and in that interview he stated that he felt out of place in the 3-4 defensive scheme. It’s something many fans would agree with that he has been less than stellar since the switch was made a few years ago.

It would save the Cowboys over $4 million this year to cut Williams, but given his history in Dallas, it’s possible they’ll go another route with him. He’s offered to restructure his contract, and even to accept a move to linebacker, all so he can stay in Dallas. Many feel he is just too small to be a linebacker in a 3-4 defense, but that’s what everyone said about Dat Nguyen too. So ruling that out wouldn’t be smart.

It’s about time to see what the Cowboys are going to do to initiate the change they talked so adamantly about a month ago. Changing two coaches isn’t enough, especially when they haven’t even announced who the new DC will be. Though I suspect Todd Grantham will be the coordinator in Dallas for 2009, you still need a good line coach to take over for him.

More to come …

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If there is anything I’ve learned over the years being a Cowboys fan it’s this, you don’t win championships with another team’s talent.

We’ve seen it many times in Dallas in this 12 year post-season drought, with the remarkable likely being either Terrell Owens or Zach Thomas; both current players. We have seen good come from these worn out vets, like Romo stepping in for Bledsoe and not only shocking this fan nation back to life, but doing so after learning from an intelligent and once very solid quarterback.

Even when Romo took over for him, it wasn’t because Drew had forgotten how to play like it appears Brad Johnson has, and it wasn’t because he never did anything great. He was a recycled quarterback from Parcels glory days. And he wasn’t the only one that “The Tuna” brought in.

I guess Big Bill thought quarterbacking was like coaching, even past the expiration date, cheese can still be good. I don’t think Bledsoe or Testaverde were ever comparable to even something like cottage cheese while in Dallas, but they weren’t so bad that they single handedly caused seasons to go down the drain.

I mean look at Kurt Warner, how many times has he been written off since that famed season with the Rams in which he led them to a Super Bowl victory, unlike last night as the Cardinals top guy. Yet there he was last night, and nobody was saying, “if Warner can limit his mistakes, they’ll have a shot.” In fact, the worst I heard said about him was from John Madden seconds after the 45 yard completion to Boldin, and it was simply a comment about his ability to throw it deep when he has enough time in the pocket.

Again, it’s less about not taking players well beyond any ability, but taking players that have made a career, a long career, in another city is just not working out too well across the league.

So the talk of picking up players like Ray Lewis and Julius Peppers just sounds like more of the same, and we all know how that’s been so far. I was for the Peppers trade at first, but only when I figured there was a chance he’d stick with a defensive end spot. As time goes by it becomes clearer that he wants be a DeMarcus Ware and switch to a 3-4 and the OLB spot.

The problem for the Cowboys there is simple though; Ware isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Jerry Jones is going to compromise his ability to fill other holes on the team to make sure of that. So that leaves the left side where Ellis and Spencer are currently. Spencer is up and coming still, as long as he stays healthy, and has much more upside than Peppers does at this point, and Ellis would likely contemplate suicide before quitting the team if Peppers were signed. That is a distraction that none of us need, let alone these Dallas Cowboys.

And let’s say we do sign Peppers and figure out a way to make the whole Peppers-Ellis-Spencer thing work out, you’re going to get maybe 4 or 5 years out of Peppers. The same thing goes for Ray Lewis really.

You’d get a few years out of him and there’s no telling how he’d play. A backup has never been the leader of a team with any positive outcome, not even Keith Davis. The one thing that the Lewis rumor has going for it is our need for a good inside linebacker, whether Thomas and Kevin Burnett leave or not.

But perhaps the biggest gamble when signing another teams long standing talent is their ability to adjust. Most of the top players that the media is rumoring and drooling over are on teams that have had consistent coaching, meaning one coach for most of their career and in a system that changed little, if at all.

Suddenly you want to take a guy like Lewis, who is practically a house-hold name as power LB, and throw him into a new defensive scheme. Sure, there may be some similarities and overall you’d expect a team to make some accommodations for a guy like that, but then you’re also changing what you’ve been teaching your guys, some of them too young and inexperienced to handle changes like that right away.

Look at Owens, who has been very vocal about his desires to use more of a west coach offense, his bread and butter before joining the Eagles. And even they used him in a similar way, unlike Garrett and Parcels have since he joined Dallas. He was great before coming to Dallas and that’s why he was signed, but he hasn’t adjusted to this offense well enough to be great again. By great, I mean that a 1,000 yard season shouldn’t be a surprise or even worth mentioning.

All in all, while there is something to be gained from seasoned veteran free agents, it’s just another project in the long run. Hasn’t the Cowboys’ “long run” been long enough?

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Well that didn’t take long. Greg Ellis has already started his campaign for biggest pain in the ass, and it’s not even February yet.

Now maybe we can’t really disagree with him too much since he is saying that he wasn’t used right on the field, but yeah, we can disagree. Ellis is old and he fades fast when he’s used as a 3 down player. He is a good pass rusher, but his coverage skills are below average for a linebacker.

He does have a point when it comes to the coaches not utilizing the players correctly in games, but he was hardly one to focus on. Yes, Wade and Stewart should have kept him out of coverage more than they did, but he wasn’t a liability in coverage, so it’s not that big of a deal.

But we all know about the lack of proper management when it came to players like Felix Jones, Terrell Owens, and others. So I say it’s a good thing that Ellis said some of what he did, but it’s about time that he accepts his position as a linebacker.

This is the fourth year in a row that he has complained about something, and it all started when he was switched from defensive end, his natural position throughout his career, to outside linebacker by Bill Parcels. Maybe he thinks if he becomes a big enough whiner that they’ll move him back to DE.

In reality, he’ll just be released or traded once the team feels they can rely on Spencer to fill his shoes full time. Something tells me that we might be seeing that situation this off-season.

Check out his comments on the DMN Cowboys Blog

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I’m now going to do something that our defense had some issues with this year, tackle another position in my positional breakdown of the current roster. Yeah, cheap shot, but between Jenkins watching Ward run by and everyone missing McClain and McGahee, it kind of fits. Here’s the linebackers.

DeMarcus Ware -

A great overall athlete, big surprise here.

The guy has an outstanding work ethic and drive. He gets to the ball quickly, and is good at deciding where a play is going.

He’s versatile, quick, strong, and doesn’t rely on others to allow him a chance, he makes plays where others wouldn’t.

By far the only must have on this team, or any team.

Brady James -

The soft-spoken leader of this defensive unit, he’s been a steady contributor and a reliable linebacker. Sometimes he shows us why he gets left out of the Pro Bowl, but the 2008 season was certainly his best year. He deserved the vote, and he agreed, but he did publicly express his feelings about not making the all star team, and that isn’t okay.

Still, his play on the field overcomes the very few and minor issues that he brings to the team. An obvious keeper.

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