Once again through the first 2 weeks of December the Dallas Cowboys were being haunted by December’s past. Fans and media alike had one phrase circling through their minds, “Here we go again”. This time however, things would be different.

As soon as the final second ticked off the clock, with the loss at home to the San Diego Chargers Sunday a week ago, Cowboys coaches, players, and front office personnel were enveloped by a storm of fans and media, calling for the dismissal of Wade Phillips, and Jason Garrett. No one and I do mean no one, gave this team a chance to knock off the “unbeatable” Saints.

Quietly however, a transformation had begun to take shape inside the locker room. That transformation was ignited, not by coaches, or by fans, or even by the owner, no this transformation was ignited by the two “Leaders” of this football team, Tony Romo and DeMarcus Ware.

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Where do we go from here? As much as I want to sit here and say “people do not go into hysterics, this team will be there in the end” I simply cannot!

This team is in trouble! The type of trouble no one wants to be in, the type of trouble that could send this team spiraling out of control, like a speeding car on an icy road.

Our quarterback is trying to play in a way that is uncomfortable and unknown to him. Our coaching staff is so enamored with creating exotic plays that they think can cause other teams to play a style that they are uncomfortable with, that they have stopped trying to do the small things. The things that win championships!

The 2009 Dallas Cowboys are now officially in desperation mode, and it’s only the second week in October!

My associates here with this blog are doing there very best to try to keep everyone’s spirits up, and I am very appreciative of that!

The problem with trying to keep everyone from freaking out is that when we preach allegiance and “staying true to your fandom” we tend to block out what the truth is!

I do and always will Love the Dallas Cowboys, but I cannot sit quietly and not call this team out for failing to do the most elementary of football things. My disgust has nothing to do with winning and losing, but all to do with people simply not putting forth enough effort.

Effort is what will win and lose you football games! This effort thing that I am speaking of is something that this team is missing. To hell with T.O.! To hell with how many times Romo plays golf! To hell with “Roy Williams is not a #1”, To hell with Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett! To hell with “we just gotta keep working and getting better”!

None of those things mean anything! This team has gone thru hundreds “meetings” and “practices” with only a handful of players that actually “get it”! They are soft mentally and physically, and to be honest with you judging by the way they have played so far, I don’t think that bothers them!

Keep in mind now I am not calling one individual out, and I am not just referencing the players. I am talking about the entire staff! The saddest thing about all of this is that I really do like the people on this team.

The coaching staff here is a very intelligent staff, and very good people. The players on this team are some of the most gifted in the league. They simply have no guts!

I have tried my best to keep up with the “rah, rah, go team” stuff, but enough is enough! It is time to call it like I see it!

Jason Garrett continues to refuse to work the middle of the field while having not one, but two very big, athletic tight ends (oh by the way one of them is the best this team has ever had), no instead he decides to use one of them as nothing more than a decoy! He has as sure handed a receiver as you can find in the NFL in Roy Williams, yet cannot seem to understand the concept of the slant route (come on Jason how many times did you sit on the sidelines and watch Troy and Mike hook up on this route?). Hey Jason here is a novel idea, how about you get some receivers in motion to maybe help them create some space? How about you try and help Romo a little bit and play to his strength’s? You know maybe an occasional roll out! No your too f*@# hard headed to do that!

Wade Phillips while I commend you for trying to become what this football team needs in its leader, you just simply cannot do it! Maybe it’s time to meet with Jerry and make it known that you would be willing to step down and become solely the Def. Coordinator?

Notice to all players if your name does not appear on the list I am about to give, then I am talking to you!

Demarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, Keith Brooking, Marion Barber, Tashard Choice, Jason Witten, Felix Jones. Tony Romo you will have your own section!

Are you guys tired of hearing the media and fans rip you guys to shreds every week? I am sure you are! Well I have a sure fire way for you to rid yourselves of all of that negative press, if you are interested in hearing it.

This is a very simple and elementary idea. Play the game like it is your last! For many of you this game of football is all you know, and you are smart enough to know that you cannot play forever. So why not go out there each and everyday and play the game like you will never get to suit up again?

The fault does not lay with your ability, it really doesn’t! The problem is with your will! You guys have lost that thing that got you to the “league”. All of you guys in college had a desire to become a professional, and now that you are one you have stopped playing with that killer instinct that got you there! Why? Is it the money? Have you all made so much money now that you are content to just ride it out? Or have you just lost the “want to”?

I and many of your fans have become so accustomed to you playing half heartedly that you no longer have to make excuses for your poor play, we make them for you! I am sick of it! YOU and only YOU are responsible for the effort that you put forth each Sunday, and the one you have been giving SUX!

Tony, Tony, Tony, I can understand the predicament you are in, I really can. We the fans have beat you over the head with wanting you to be more like Troy, that now you do not even know how to be you. Tie that in with Jason Garrett calling the plays and you are in a losing situation.

However you are in control of your destiny, not the coaches and certainly not the fans! My father told me many, many years ago, “Son be yourself and to hell with anyone who does not like who you are”! That stands true with the way you play football too. You were a very confident football player, so confident in your ability that you were willing to take a chance! Now you do not have enough confidence in yourself to find your way to the lunch room? It is gut check time Tony, time for you to step and take control of the situation or fall back to obscurity, the decision is yours.

My allegiance to this team has not wavered, but my patience is wearing thin with the group that is here.

While I still have high hopes for this team, those hopes and dreams are becoming cloudier by the second. Now if only someone would hear me and start the recovery process!

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Earlier this week we were asked to participate in a podcast segment on Cat Crave Radio. John White at Cat Crave Radio was kind enough to invite me to give the Cowboys perspective on their weekly segment entitled “The Enemy.” This was our first such venture, and hopefully not the last.

You can hear the full program on Cat Crave Radio, or you can listen below. Afterward, be sure to let me know what you think!

Thanks again to John and the folks at Cat Crave Radio I had a great time and look forward to doing this sort of thing again.

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This is the second installation of a series charged with the responsibility of keeping the local, as well as national media, honest when it comes to our Dallas Cowboys.  I have yet to see an article that has been as blatant as the infamous “Jerry calls Marion Barber a wuss,” which was somehow derived from Jerry’s statement, “I was told he was healthy enough to play!”  Even still, here and there the media is still trying to throw out potential land minds in hopes of filling their monthly quota to talk about the same thing, that if you are anything like me, you could not care less about.

My first entry picked on Dallas Morning News Jean-Jacques Taylor, a reporter whose arrogance and panache for twisting the truth is only rivaled by none other than ESPN Radio’s own and Ft. Worth Star Tribune contributor Randy Galloway.  In Jean’s latest article, entitled “Cowboys need a leader in Romo,” at face value it would seem he is offering praise to Romo.  But read between the lines:

Sometimes, leaders aren’t popular, and Romo must realize that’s OK.

He can’t worry about whether guys want to play golf or racquetball with him. He can’t worry about what they’re saying about him when he’s not around.

Who cares?

Romo’s job is to demand excellence every time he walks into the team’s Valley Ranch training complex. Do that consistently and the players will follow him on the football field – even if they don’t want to share a meal with him.

It doesn’t matter whether Romo agrees with what his teammates say about him. It doesn’t even matter whether their perceptions are true.

After all, perception is reality.

Understand, leadership doesn’t come easy to Romo. There’s no shame in that since we’re all built differently

That’s why he doesn’t like talking about it. And that’s why he acts, at times, like leadership isn’t a big deal.

(visit the following link for the whole article: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/cowboys/stories/081909dnspotaylorcol.316491e.html1e.html)

Has anyone heard any complaints about Romo from the players?  Has there been any reports of infighting involving Romo?

To me, JJT’s motivation was clear:  To create drama where there is no drama.  The truth is, if Romo really cared about thing’s like this and actually looked for an individual on this team that didn’t like him, there is a good chance he could find one.  But it would only become an issue if he found that individual.  Whether or not this prompts him to go looking for that trouble, articles like this have a tendency to help the players who do have a problem surface.

Imagine you are an individual who has an issue with Romo and you are on the team.  As far as you know, you are the only one, so why make more of an issue and bring it to light?  But then you read this article and knowing that you haven’t said anything to the media, you are led to believe that you are not the only one who has an issue, which vastly changes the complexion of the situation.  Because if you now believe that there are more that are fed up with whatever it is about Romo you don’t like, the  problem likely need’s to be addressed.  You bring it to light, and JJT has a real story; not one that is the mental equivalent of pulling teeth, like actually complementing Romo for his efforts to improve as a leader and Quarterback.

Make no mistake, this article was difficult for Jean to write; but in the guise of a compliment, he’s looking for this assertion to pay dividends in the currency of future articles, without the pesky backlash that otherwise could blow up in his face.  It’s diabolical.  It’s borderline genius.  And it’s why he’s the focus of yet another Keeping the mediots honest!

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If it’s about the Cowboy’s and is published in a public forum, chances are, my eyes don’t miss it.  Regardless of my opinion of the writer, which varies from one media outlet to the next, I give each article a fair shake, not so much as a result of them being deserving, but by virtue of my ardent insatiable Cowboy information addiction.  In my daily dose, I must weather quite a bit of negative speculation; which I’m okay with for the most part, considering that in many cases in the past it has been deserved.  But sometimes the media’s opinion will take a quote and completely twist it around to make the news more interesting and more marketable.  I further believe they do this because it creates an opening for them to write more articles on the same subject either posting a retraction or to further prove their assertion, with, in the end, helps them meet whatever quota their bosses demand of them.

Last year, this issue, in my mind, was an epidemic, which led to Jerry Jones finally imposing a mandate that gagged the whole of the organization from speaking to the media during the early part of the off-season; Jerry being the only exception to the rule.  I, personally, applauded this move.  The media, obviously, was pretty upset about it.  But when you take words out of the owner’s mouth such as, “I was told he was healthy enough to play” said in regards to Marion Barber, and turn it into “Jerry Jones calls Marion Barber a wuss,” you have to know there will be consequences.

Nevertheless, it’s a new year, and the mediots are at it again.  With it sprung in my head an idea:  There should be some forum that makes an effort at keeping these particular  media members honest.  Just as they notoriously paraphrase  the various gum-bumping of members of the Cowboys organization, so shall I do what I can to paint the picture that was originally intended by the benefactor of said quote.

The latest quote receiving negative attention is Jerry Jones assertion that he believes the Cowboy’s team will play to the level of the new stadium; that these player’s will feel a slight push towards winning  surrounded by a structure that could only be described as elite compared to it’s peers Texas Stadium  and the Cotton Bowl, as well any other stadium ever built in the world.  While the following doesn’t exactly twist Jerry’s word’s, it is worthy of correction.

In Jean-Jacques Taylor blog entry “Jerry Jones has lost his mind,” he contends that the stadium will have absolutely no effect on the players or the outcome in the game.

Jerry Jones is a marketing genius, but he has lost his mind if he thinks Cowboys Stadium will make a single bit of difference in the team’s performance this year.

It won’t.

Just like the emotion of the final game at Texas Stadium didn’t help the Cowboys beat Baltimore last December. And just like the raucous crowd the night “The Triplets” were inducted into the Ring of Honor didn’t help the Cowboys beat the hated Redskins.

I suppose it’s fairly easy to take this out of context; not much reaching is necessary to do so.  And, granted, the last thing I want anybody within the organization vocalizing is lofty expectations, such as the Cowboy’s being Super Bowl bound in 2009.  But I think what Jerry was trying to relate to the media is that this team is going to fight to make us forget 44 to 6, 9 and 7, and 12 years without a play off win.  And this stadium, built with the teams storied history and prior dynasties in mind, is going to motivate them all the more to ensure their play reflects the excellence that their predecessor’s demanded of themselves.

Furthermore, the interior of Cowboy’s stadium creates an atmosphere ripe for a fanatic frenzy.  As you walk from your car to your seat, having been inundated with Cowboy’s lore and past glory, I would imagine you won’t be able to  resist screaming at the top of your lungs as the Cowboy’s take the field, move the ball, and destroy the opposing team’s various ball carriers and signal callers.  JJT seems to believe that the price of the ticket will ultimately create a golf crowd, highlighted by the occasional clinking of glasses, as the fans toast various well-performed plays, considering his quote:

Actually, Jerry should be concerned that there will be so many corporate butts in the stands that it’ll be a quieter venue Texas Stadium, known for being a wine-and-cheese crowd.

Yeah, okay.  If you say so, Jean.

Those “corporate butts” at the end of the day are still human, and chances are they are still fans, and therefore are not immune to getting drawn into the hype that just sitting in that stadium must create.  Also, I would further predict that the ability to see every detail of the game in high definition via that 60 yard long big screen will help fuel the excitement.  Make no mistake, the media may need to yell their questions at the top of their lungs in the wake of a football game, as they question the ringing ears of players from both sides of the field.

But, hey, that’s just me speculating from a positive angle.  As the season progresses, I’m sure the media will afford me plenty of opportunities to offer up a corrected translation of what was actually said vs. their misguided misinformation.

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This marks the beginning of a highly controversial and highly opinionated series. We have deeply analyzed the 2009 Dallas Cowboys Schedule and will target those teams that have the potential of giving us problems. Today we start with those crazy New York Football Giants.

The Giants will immediately come to town in Week 2, as the Cowboys open the new stadium. Here is the outlook:

Key Offseason Additions:

DE Chris Canty from Dallas.

OLB Michael Boley from Atlanta.

DT Rock Bernard from Seattle.

DB C.C. Brown from Houston.

Key Offseason Subtractions:

RB Derrick Ward

WR Plaxico Burress

CB R.W. McQuarters

CB Sam Madison

S Sammy Knight

Key Draft Picks:

WR Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina- Nicks is a potential game-breaker, whose known for making spectacular catches

OLB Clint Sintim- A great linebacker with good size, should start opposite Boley. Read the rest of this entry »

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Got to give props to anyone who attempts a top list for Dallas Cowboys history – I mean whether it’s for the best players, worst players, best plays, or worst plays, you’ve got enough ammo to stretch a top 1,000 on just about any aspect. So here we have the Top Ten Worst Moments in Dallas Cowboys’ History from (Silver and) BlueBlood.

Let’s preface this list with an important qualifying statement: the only moments up for consideration are on-the-field occurrences. In other words, this is a list of the ten most devastating plays in team history. Consequently, we won’t be mentioning moments many may consider catastrophic, like the day Landry was fired or the day Jimmy Johnson walked away or the day Switzer was hired. Nor will we talk about the “white house” or the Michael Irvin trial. We may long debate the impact of such happenings on the team. But that is a different discussion.

In selecting the plays included in this list, several factors were considered:

• Was it a catastrophic moment for the team?
• Do Cowboys fans still remember it?
• Does it still hurt?

You can check out the list and some other good reads from Gene at www.SilverandBlueBlood.com.

Mike Jenkins also has a new blog posted from yesterday. He talks about getting ready for training camp and who he’s working with as he tries to balance his body to start camp next week.

I’m just ready to get into camp. I’m focused and ready to get this season popped off.

I’ve been going out to IMG here in Bradenton every day, working out with guys like Ryan Grant, Fabian Washington, Cliff Avril and a lot of others from Sportstars. But today was my last day as I shut it down and get my body back right, hit the cold tub through the weekend and just focus.

Working out meant speed drills in the morning and power in the afternoon, running hills, pushing sleds, working with medicine balls, just keeping the body moving. You have to have everything equal and balanced out for when you go to camp.

Check out the rest and more insights from the second year cornerback at www.MikeJenkins21.com. Don’t forget, for those of you always on the go, you can check out Mike Jenkins’ Twitter page as well – you can even check out our DCNation Twitter page too while you’re there.

Over at www.DefendingTheStar.net they’ve got a pretty good series going previewing the upcoming training camp.

Defending The Star’s Training Camp Preview Series:

Training Camp Preview – Part 7 – Defensive Line
Training Camp Preview – Part 6 – Special Teams
Training Camp Preview – Part 5 -Offensive Line
Training Camp Preview – Part 4 -Wide Receivers
Training Camp Preview – Part 3 -Tight Ends
Training Camp Preview – Part 2 -Running Backs
Training Camp Preview – Part 1 – Quarterbacks

It’s a pretty extensive list and it’s not even complete yet as they still have the secondary to go. Go check it out.

And while we’re on the subject, Blogging The Boys has also chimed in with an opinion of what’s hot to watch this year in camp with their post – Dallas Cowboys 2009 Training Camp: Five Things To Watch (Part II).

Okay, if you want to be technical about it, I won’t be at Cowboys training camp so I won’t be watching anything. I guess I will be listening for, or reading up on a few different storylines coming out of Cowboys camp. Considering the abundant media coverage these days, coaching staffs are reluctant to reveal much before the regular season kicks off. Still, if we look closely, we can probably gather a few vital tidbits of information about the Cowboys upcoming season. Here are the things that I will be looking for at Cowboys camp.

So plenty of action to check out this impatient late July Friday afternoon. One fan to another – can’t wait for training camp to start so we can get a look at every player and see how they’re each coming along. I’m even quite curious to see how lucky dog Jesse Holley comes along. Maybe Holley will be a Dallas Cowboy after all.

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Last year Kevin Burnett maintained a blog on the Dallas Morning News website all year long. This year tight end Martellus Bennett has taken over that duty while also being active on Twitter. Tashard Choice got his new website started by announcing it on BloggingTheBoys.com. And now Mike Jenkins has taken it a step further – he’s got his blog at MikeJenkins21.com, twitters, and has done an interview with TheLandryHat.com.

Seems that more and more of these players, especially the younger ones, are branching out from the normal exposure of television and newspaper journalism and are getting quite comfortable in the social media world.

Some would say that perhaps too comfortable is the correct description after Mike Jenkins gave himself the role of starter opposite Terence Newman in his post titled “My Job to Keep.”

It was taken a little too far by some of the more mainstream outlets since he starts that blog post by saying “Heading into training camp I’m the starter at right cornerback, and my job is to maintain that position.” It’s a true statement and looks as though he’s got a good outlook on things by understanding it’s his job to keep, meaning he’s going to have to work hard and correct some of last years mistakes to keep that job.

But judging by the amount of talk that was generated by that post, it’s probably safe to say that he’s getting off to an entertaining start for us. His blog is new, only three posts to date. He’s got his Twitter page that he updates several times daily, in most cases. And really he’s just getting started. So go check him out and don’t forget that he changed his number for this year from 31 to 21, at MikeJenkins21.com brought to you by the guys at PlayerPress.

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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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When identifying yourself as a Cowboy’s fan for the first time to someone who also is a Cowboy’s fan, the first question that typically come’s up is, “What did you think about them releasing T.O.?”  Beyond being genuinly interested in your perspective, there is an ulterior motive in that question.  The asker want’s to determine what kind of Cowboy’s fan you are.  Are you optimistic, pessimistic, or realistic.

Personally, I try to be realistic about everything in life, but, admittedly, when it comes to my Cowboy’s, the preverbial hope springs eternal.  In all of the forum’s I contribute to, I’m typically regarded as the homer; the guy who always expects the best from this team.  With that in mind, despite the fact that the media and sport’s analyst abroad have already wrote off the 2009 Cowboy season, I will make an attempt to shift the light from the Cowboy’s good side and focus on what could go horribly wrong.

The first thing that comes to mind for me is conditioning.  Considering the barrage of injuries the Cowboy’s weathered last year and the now infamous December swoon the Cowboy’s are known for (14 – 32 since 2000 in December), questioning the Cowboy’s overall conditioning seems like a logical place to begin.  So far, the picture that has been painted by Cowboy’s staffer’s and the kinder mediots, is that quite a few of the Cowboy’s have been working throughout the offseason to make sure they are properly conditioned for the season.  But isn’t that the standard company line every offseason?  The injury list is already stacked, and training camp doesn’t start until the end of July.  How does that happen?  The broken, bruised, and busted I understand; but strains and pulls typically indicates improper hydration and/or stretching.  In my mind, if a player is getting paid millions of dollars to play this game, he should futher understand that preparation for training is just as important as the actual training.

Coaching.  You really have to wonder about the coaching situation.  Making Wade Phillips the Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator is unprecedented in football.  It sends the message that Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett are sharing the role of Head Coach or, the more accurate way of looking at it, Jerry Jones is the Head Coach.  The thought is scary, but to hear him weigh in on strategy before, during and after games, really makes me wonder how much say he has in getting the ball to certain players.  And if he does have a say in this, it’s not hard to figure out what is truly wrong with this team, despite all of their collective talent.

Aside from the questionable dual role, I feel pretty confident in Wade’s ability to make the Cowboy’s defense rank top 10 this year.  However, Jason Garrett’s ability to make a T.O.less offense work is definitely a big question.  Since the beginning of his tenure as OC, the pass first mentality has been evident.  And, to be honest, to a certain extent, that approach based on previous personnel was justifyable.  However, this year, the Cowboy’s offense, despite the very few modifications to the starting line-up on offense, are now built for balance.   Does Jason recognize this need?  Can he effectively call plays designed to spread the ball over that trio of backs, duo of TE’s, and that potentially clutch WR group?

The Offensive Line.  Despite the catalog of failure that was the 2008 season for this group, very little was done to fortify the line.  Enemy #1 amongst Cowboy’s fan’s is likely between Flozell Adams, notorious for False Starts and struggling with speed rushers,  and Cory Proctor who seems to be physically and mentally inferior to the average defensive lineman.   The Cowboy’s added a few rookies, but it will likely be two to three years before any of them see extended playing time, barring another unlucky barrage of injuries.   Therefore, regardless of the dangerous weapons, if Romo doesn’t have adequate time to identify the open receiver and our running back’s don’t have time to accelerate or a hole to accelarate through, this team’s offensive effectiveness will be marginal, at best.  And, obviously, with a steady dose of 3 and out’s you get an exhausted defense in the 2nd half.

Youth served.  Another huge difference in the 2009 Cowboy’s vs. the 2008 Cowboy’s is average age.   The Cowboy’s lost quite a few starting veterans over the offseason, particularly on defense (Anthony Henry, Roy Williams, Keith Davis, Tank Johnson, Zach Thomas, Kevin Burnett, and Chris Canty).  Add to that the fact that the Cowboy’s drafted 12 rookies, and you have a team exceptionally younger than last year.  With youth, typically comes a marked improvement in overall speed.  But, speed minus experience can often lead to going fast in the wrong direction, ultimately, putting said youngster further from where he needs to be in a given play…and no amount of speed can fix that.

Special Teams.  Special Teams has been quite possibly the softest spot on this team for the last few seasons.  In response to that, Wade Phillips went out and got a Special Teams coach that is considered by many to be the best in the business.  But, if you consider that he’s brand new to this team and quite a few of the player’s he will have to work with are also brand new to this team, if not to the league, how much improvement can we really expect?  It’d be one thing if Decamallis was working with the exact same group of player’s as last year, but the truth is,  10 of those 12 rookies are expected to play significant roles on special teams if they want to make the team.  That could be a disaster in the making, regardless of how good the coaching is.

Romo.  It happened with Jeff Garcia.  Then, many speculated, the same happened with Donovan McNabb.  No more T.O., no more impressive numbers.  In two stops previous to Dallas, T.O. left a huge hole in otherwise pedestrian offenses, which led to the cliched theory  that T.O. makes QB’s better than what they really are.  Will this prove to be true of Romo?  Prior to T.O., Romo was an undrafted Free Agent 4th on the depth chart of a bunch of no-bodies and has-beens.  But in 2007, the Romo to T.O. connection rewrote the franchise record book.  In 2008, opposing defenses took T.O. out of the equation and the Cowboy’s go 9 – 7 and miss the Play Off’s.  Coincidence?  I hope so, but it is something to consider before assuming Romo’s name will eventually find it’s place in the Ring of Honor or Hall of Fame.

Obviously, there are question’s about team-wide depth,  overall wide receiver talent, last year’s rookies stepping into starting roles, and the pandoras box of intangible questions about heart, chemistry and leadership.   The truth is, another barrage of injuries could end this season like last year.  If Roy William’s is not, at least, consistent, the ground game will likely suffer significantly.  And if Scandrick or Jenkins don’t, at least, duplicate their last year’s performance the defense will leak like a sieve.   That is football.  All the moving part’s have to be functional, or the machine will not work.  As for the immeasurable contribution of heart, leadership, and chemistry, this will likely be determined by how the team begins the season.

Popularity: unranked

It was about this time two years ago when Lee and I created “A Cowboy Nation”. In the beginning Wow! The posts weren’t so great, but over time we grew and they got better. Then last year I met Bryson at “Cowboys Nation” and together we created the site you see now.

I was born and raised in Arlington, Texas so being a fan of the Cowboys has been in my blood from the beginning, 36 years ago. A Cowboy Nation was started just to have an outlet for my joys and frustrations of being a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, nothing more and nothing less.

In December of 2004 my family and I moved to Houston, Texas to help take care of my wife’s mother after we lost my Father-In-Law to Cancer. Not being in the Dallas area around all my Cowboys friends is really what set these wheels in motion.

During my years of being a Cowboy fan there has been one person whom I have had a lot of admiration for, and just truly enjoyed when it comes to what is happening with the Cowboys. So a couple of months ago I reached out to him about the possibility of him participating in an interview with us.

I really never expected him to actually do the interview, after all he has nothing to gain by helping out a couple of guys he has never met, with a blog! But he gladly accepted the invitation, and now we are very proud to present to you our very first interview! With none other than long time Dallas Cowboy columnist Mickey Spagnola!

DCN:

As a professional sports writer, what is your process for reading the new outlets, such as blogs?

Spagnola:

Depends on their credibility. If they are creditable, I’ll check in, otherwise I don’t even bother, especially when blogs come from bloggers who don’t cover the team on a daily basis. I don’t consider blogs news outlets unless they are from a professional news-gathering outlet.

DCN:

When you write an article or blog post, or even answer Mick’s Mail – what qualities do you really try to convey and emphasize to the fans? For instance, do you aim to be more technical, or freely opinionated? Is there a difference in your goals for your blog vs your newspaper articles?

Spagnola:

Tell the truth. Give people accurate information. No different. Blogs are just faster. More immediate, which you have to be careful of, because sometimes in the effort to be fast with information you do not take care to be as accurate as you should always be. Sometimes being first is not always best, which was one of the better qualities of newspapers in the days gone by because writers had more time to collect information than say the radio or TV.

DCN:

How is DeAngelo Smith developing so far? What do you think he needs to do to succeed at this level?

Spagnola:

Just learn the game. Gain more experience. I really like how athletic he is and how competitive he is. He already seems to be a quick learner, and I’d imagine he’ll be a huge contributor immediately on special teams.

DCN:

Of all the rookies this year, which one for each defense and offense do you believe will make the biggest impact in 2009 and why?

Spagnola:

I really don’t see a rookie making a huge impact on the offense this year, unless you want to count kicker David Buehler if he makes the team as a kick-off specialist. I mean if you don’t count Buehler, then only four of the 11 draft choices were offensive players, and one is competing to become the third quarterback and one is sort of a project offensive lineman. The other two, Jason Phillips and Manual Johnson, would seem headed toward the practice squad. On defense, well, that will depend on opportunity. None figure to be starters. Keep an eye on the outside linebackers, Victor Butler and Brandon Williams, if they have an opportunity to rush in passing situations and the DB’s on special teams.

DCN:

Coverage of the team seems to lead to the denigration of the chemistry of the team and that between Tony Romo and Roy Williams.  From what you see, is the chemistry getting stronger for the team?

Spagnola:

Chemistry always is strong when you win and before you play a game. I can say, though, the coaching staff has to be pleased with how hard these players have competed in the OTA and minicamp practices. When you compete hard, you tend to bond and when you bond chemistry improves and is strong enough for when things go bad, which they will at some point in a season for every team.

DCN:

What do you think would be the best possible rotation for our 3 headed beast of a running game?

Spagnola:

So the running game which gained one yard or less last year on nearly 30 percent of the carries already is a beast is it? That has yet to be proven. You are only a beast running the ball when the other teams know you are going to run it and you do run it successfully. My guess is Marion Barber will open and close and be used in short-yardage and goal line situations. You will see Felix all over the formations and on third downs and Tashard Choice will get a series here and there in the middle quarters. But have seen no evidence to suggest I’m totally accurate.

DCN:

Based on the draft, the free agent acquisitions of Keith Brooking and Gerald Sensabaugh, and the resigning of Miles Austin; which do you believe will impact the organization the most?

Spagnola:

Sensabaugh since that position has the most room for improvement. Remember, Zach Thomas wasn’t a liability out there last year, so if Brooking is at least a push, then that’s good. As for Austin, he can be, but again, how many snaps will he earn and how much do you want to count on from a guy with 19 career catches? But Sensabaugh, with his coverage ability should be a huge improvement over Roy Williams, especially since it doesn’t seem he needs to be substituted for on the nickel defense.

DCN:

There is a perception that you tend to write more fluff when writing about controversial players and issues, what do you say to that?

Spagnola:

Fluff is in the eye of the beholder I guess. My other guess is, if that’s accurate, just because I don’t take out a big hammer and bludgeon the subject away that could be the perception. But I do think I make my point in a more literary way. Plus, I’ve always valued being right more than being tough. Seems to me these days being tough but ultimately wrong is accepted more so than being fair and accurate.

DCN:

Is it difficult to manage calling things as you see them with regards to the coaching staff, players and decision making of the Cowboys, since you are employed by them?

Spagnola:

Not as long as I’m right. Not as long as I have all the facts and don’t buy into perceptions. No one here has ever, ever told me to change a story or take something down, so in my mind there would be no need to feel that way. Sometimes when you are around things and really know what’s going on then calling things as you see them means you see them far differently than the people who don’t really know the truth. Sort of like those stories at the end of the season on why the Cowboys charter flights were routinely taking off late. I was on those charter flights, so I knew that wasn’t accurate and when they did leave late I knew why. Sometimes it’s more difficult when your opinion stands alone. It’s easy to follow the crowd.

DCN:

How did you manage to end up as the top guy for the Cowboys and what is your official title?

Spagnola:

I was hired back when the Cowboys were trying to make their website something more than just a normal PR site as most professional team sites were back in 2000. And they decided they wanted opinions, meaning a columnist.

DCN:

Do you believe that the influx of youth is going to build a team that can contend for years to come?  If not, what is necessary to solidify the future?

Spagnola:

You can’t wait until you’ve grown old to get younger. Must be a constant process, and the Cowboys obviously have made a concerted effort this off-season to prevent growing old. The idea is to sustain goodness over a long period of time and avoid the inevitable down cycles that cripple franchises, as the Cowboys were in the late ‘80s and at the turn of the century.

DCN:

It appears as though the Cowboys are in the middle of making an organizational change in the way they look at players (looking more at their character issues). Do you feel that this is true? Or are they simply trying to relieve some of the scrutiny and will be back to collecting players that require team supplied body guards?

Spagnola:

Chances are the days of running a rehabilitation locker room are over for now. If you build from within, especially continually bringing in good, young players, then you avoid getting into situations where you become so desperate for help you take chances on guys with questionable character. If you already are a successful team, with a strong locker room, then you are better equipped to take chances on guys like Pacman Jones. But a team still seeking success is far too fragile.

Popularity: 2%

Despite the suffering I endured, I learned quite a bit about the little things in football. In a season where your expectations are marginal, you tend to not question all the bad things that can happen in a given season because you expected them. In 2007 my expectations were actually pretty low. Sure we were in the Play Offs the year prior, but we were all aware of our limitations at CB and so I felt are defense was going to get torched every week. My expectations came equipped with knowledge that this team was incomplete and could be exploited.

But in 2008, there wasn’t a weakness to be found, for the exception of behind the QB and, hey, it’s Romo, he doesn’t get sacked. He’s elusive. He’s got a feel for the pocket. He knows how to avoid the defensive rush. Blah, blah, blah. CB was more than fortified with a healthy Newman and the additions of Pacman, Jenkins and Scandrick. Safety was manned by 2 Pro Bowlers. The LB’s and DL had a decent rotation. It was going to be the return of the Dooms Day defense coupled with an offense that outscored every team in the league the year prior. My expectations, needless to say, left no room for any excuses for failure, for the exception of injury.

And then injuries happened, but still…I had questions. And a good many of those questions were answered by my incessant need to feed off all things Dallas Cowboy’s football related in any sports site available. And believe me, despite all that I already knew about this game I love, I learned so much more than all my years combined in this season alone because of this failure to my expectations. What did I learn?

You can’t buy a Super Bowl. My boyhood perception of how the Cowboy’s played other teams was somewhat skewed. I felt, they didn’t simply win. They man-handled their opponents. I’m not sure how I missed it, but in hindsight, those games were hard. Every one of them was a mountain for that team to climb. My memories of Emmitt Smith play out like a highlight reel. But not every run Smith made yielded yards. Not every game was won with Emmitt’s feet. Irvin didn’t make the acrobatic catch to win every game. Aikman, in his time, wasn’t considered a great quarterback with the likes of Dan Marino, Joe Montana, John Elway, Jim Kelly, Phil Simms, Randall Cunningham, Warren Moon and Boomer Esiason playing at that time. They were in fact fallible. And character, well, the undesirables were starters on that roster too. . But everyone played and played hard. They worked together. It wasn’t exactly what you would call a great composition of talent, either. There were players playing above their station, as the Super Bowl MVP of 1995 might have indicated.

I learned about the power of belief. Belief is a strong word in the world of football. I watched the interview of Ray Lewis prior to the Baltimore game assured in my own belief that the Cowboy’s would win having the stronger offense in a game that featured two very stout defenses. But after the interview, I had my doubts. Why? You could see that Ray Lewis believed. And since we all know that he is what makes that defense play beyond their individual reputations, I knew that entire defense believed too. And then, when I saw their offense play with that same sense of entitlement to the win in this game, absolute dread seeped in. And harder still about that game is the Cowboys repeatedly gave me hope in that fourth quarter, only to see those hopes crashed on a shore of missed tackles and missed opportunities.

It reminded of something I remember seeing throughout that successful 2007 season. Remember Romo’s smile? Sure I wrote several articles about the power of his smile and how the offense seemingly played better when he wore that on his face. But I never really delved in, I don’t think, into what that smile meant. But I think we all know that ultimately it meant he believed. He believed in the plays being called, the players that surrounded him, and his ability to do whatever he wanted with that ball without contention. A fumble here, an interception there, but the next time we saw him in the huddle, there was that infectious smile again saying something like “Hey, will get them this time.” And typically he was right. He generally always followed up a bone headed mistake with something to make you forget all about it.

Throughout the offseason following the draft and through the preseason I had a sliver of a doubt about rather or not this collective of talent could play as a team. But that doubt was constantly assuaged away with sports analyst abroad stating with utter confidence this Cowboys team was going to be a force to be reckoned with. Like no team I have heard about in the preseason in years prior, this Cowboys team was the talk of the town with their impressive role call at training camp. This highlighted by the Hard Knocks crews turned the Cowboys into the ultimate Hollywood team. And with that, I wondered what type of effect it would have on these Cowboys. But I wanted to believe what they sold us: That’s part of being a member of the Cowboys. You have to get used to that attention because the Cowboys are America’s team. I learned that no football team is bulletproof to distraction; no body is immune to acting different under the encouragement of the stage lights. These guys, million dollar contract or not, are just like any of us.

The Texans in years past with David Carr under center taught us about how important the Offensive Line is, regardless of the other talent present on the field. But once again I made the mistake of believing irresponsible sports analyst who stated that the Cowboys OL are only second to the Browns, in terms of strength. Then, as the season progressed, I learned how he came to that determination; not through observation, but pure stats and a popularity contest known as the Pro Bowl. How effective were the passing and running games in the year prior? How often did the QB get sacked? Of these players, who went to the Pro Bowl? The first two questions could be answered naming one player: Tony Romo. He made both Jason Garrett and the Offensive Line look great in 2007! I was there; I saw it.

The last question answered itself over time. The Pro Bowl, unfortunately, take’s 1/3 of fans votes. And let’s face it, how many fans vote for players outside of their team? A huge bias is in place in the voting, and well, it pretty much has rendered the game to serving as an ability for a ‘popular’ player to petition for more money on his contract. But because some sport’s analyst from a credible source said my OL was great and I wanted to believe it, my questions of this assessment initially didn’t go very far…not until their performance demanded I do so. And to be honest, I was disgusted. Because I watched these players in the offseason and I saw that they thought very highly of themselves for all the recognition getting poured on them when any Cowboy faithful who watched the 2007 season should know these accolades were completely undeserved.

And so it is in the game football. Fans and analyst alike are not impervious to misleading concepts. As a fan I don’t watch every game and can’t expect a sport analyst to watch every game of the previous season for every team he decides to write an opinion on. But the ultimate lesson here, regardless of whose formula it is that measures performance, they are all based on stats which doesn’t always tell the whole story.

This leads me to my next lesson learned. The media is a monster; the worse kind of monster. Remember Aliens with Sigourney Weaver? The media is that kind of monster. You see, their pretty dangerous in their own right, but then their articles act like those spider-looking creatures with tails (or tales if you prefer) that plant little eggs in you which hatch and create more monsters. See the parallel? Then we get all these disciples regurgitating what was said by a previous reporter with an anonymous source and the epidemic spreads.

Which brings me to the last lesson.

In the wanning moments of that dreadful season, everyone had an opinion of who should be fired, who should be released, and who should change as a player or coach. I’ve offered my opinion on these drastic changes a few times myself. Some have even suggested the Cowboys owner Jerry Jones should fire the Cowboys GM Jerry Jones and have started a fund raiser requesting donations of $5 or more to put said request on billboards throughout the city.

Word? You think that might work? Sorry, I sense an epic fail in the making. Maybe if it was just a strange coincidence that both these individuals had the same name, just maybe, that would work. But we are talking about a wealthy man who made his money in oil. I’m sure he saw plenty of billboards suggesting he fire himself to save the environment and we all see how well he took that suggestion. He bought a football team with his earnings. He didn’t spend it repairing the environment or donating it all to some note worthy cause, though I’m sure he’s made a few contributions here and there that is not a drop in the bucket to his accumulative wealth; he purchased a football franchise to live out the ultimate Fantasy Football League and has been doing so now for twenty years.

So, write your letters. Sing your songs. Make your jokes. But know your role. As a fan, you are static. Your opinion does not effect change even if you have a plane with a huge banner circle Jerry Jones mansion. I have said it before: That is the rub of being a fan of anything in general; you share in the success and failures of outcomes you have nothing to do with as a spectator. It is a frustrating existence when your team loses. But the human condition forces us to believe that we can control all things, which is why we argue, debate, fight, and go to war. This concept in life is bigger than just the game of football. It affects everyone and everything around us. And when you broaden your view to see the big picture and all that it encompasses, such as the war, the suffering that surrounds us, the news filled with inhumanity in a world dominated by humans (irony intended), things like a losing season of your favorite football team seems so small. And that is the biggest lesson of them all…

Popularity: unranked

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.

Popularity: 1%

I would like to start off by giving you all a warning; if you are not a true Cowboys fan you may want to find another article to read! To those that decide to stay and read I would also like to give you a formal up front apology, as I may hurt some of your feelings.

For many years now Cowboy fans everywhere have been subjected to a highly contagious disease called, M.D.M. (Media Diarrhea of the Mouth). This is a world wide epidemic these days. This disease spreads rapidly; in fact it is so contagious that it is transmitted through your television and radio’s.

The real problem with this disease is that as of today there are no known cures, and those infected become moronic blowhards! It is highly advised to everyone that if you hear or see highly moronic activities that you immediately change the channel! Be very aware of your surroundings, the individuals infected with this disease could be someone you would least suspect!

The NFL off season seems to cause major flare ups with those infected, and this year is no different. So far this offseason the Dallas Cowboys have been ridiculed for releasing T.O. as well as for signing him in the first place, how does this make sense? People have also said over the course of the last 3 to 4 years, “Stop going after Big names and get people that can play!” yet when they decide to follow that method, they are blasted for a poor draft! (I think it was one of their better drafts in a long time).

Now I realize that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but you are not entitled (at this blog anyway) to change your opinion to fit what those with M.D.M. have.

There are many of you out there that claim to be Cowboy fans, the only problem with you is that you are only a fan when the team is 13-3 and the rest of the world is proclaiming them “The greatest team ever”! It is these “fans” that concern me the most, for you have already been infected, and are spreading this disgusting disease all over the place!

There are so many of you out there that you have even infected our most prized possessions. Many true fans still feel a connection to some of the great 90′s players like, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, and Troy Aikman. I too was one of those, fortunately for me though I recognized symptoms of M.D.M. and feel the need to quarantine myself after listening to any of them talk! Why can’t you all just shut up!

Apparently the new “IN” thing is to spend as much time possible ripping the team, its players, coaches, and management. Everyday it seems there is a new article or another talking head filling the news stands, and air waves with ridiculous story after story. Some of this team’s players are even being ridiculed for what they do or not do on their off time, why? Can you imagine having people question your abilities for the simple fact that you play golf? And do not even come at me with this he (Tony Romo) is the quarterback of “Americas Team”, he should be at Valley Ranch working crap! That is absolute bull and will not fly with me.

This story is very amusing to me for the simple fact that no more than 3 weeks ago we were hearing about how “Tony and Roy(make sure to read the comments) have been at Valley Ranch everyday working with each other” but as soon as the guy picks up a golf club, instantly he becomes some sort of degenerate that does not care about his football team.

As soon as the infected people begin to talk this nonsense, low and behold a giant percentage of Cowboys fandom starts chiming in. It is these times that you can really see how many people have been infected with this horrible disease!

This disease is NOT like heart disease, it is not passed down from step father to son (don’t you just love Roger Clemens), and you can still take steroids without fear while being infected!

So tell me would you rather have big names with marginal output, or no names that will fight and claw for everything they get? If you want a team full of fighters, I can tell you with the changes made this off season, this team is well on their way to being a hardcore group of fighters.

For some of you neither way will be good enough, but for me this is the type of team I love and want!

Popularity: 1%

A quick look around the blogosphere and already this morning I’m feeling a bit left out. Dozens of articles and nary a one about the Dallas Cowboys, unless of course you check out the Dallas Morning News blog or the Fort Worth Star-Telegram … but they almost have to write about the Cowboys.

In a sense, it’s almost relieving to be without so much of the attention that Dallas has garnered for themselves in recent months. With the variety of gab ranging from Owens to Romo and Witten, and even talk of gag orders, puppets, and the draft; it’s nice to see a lull before the storm.

I say storm, yeah. Pre-draft free agency is basically over in Dallas, unless a gift falls into their laps with having only about $5 million left in cap space this year, so the next thing we really have to look forward to is the NFL owners meetings next week, and then the start of the Cowboys off-season conditioning program. That’ll be it until the draft, or will it?

I mean the conditioning program might not be as uneventful as it tends to be, not this year. Not after seeing so many injuries last year to players that, quite frankly, are expected to be huge factors this year for the Cowboys. Will Felix Jones continue to show signs that he’ll be ready? Sure it’s early, he’ll likely not do anything more than he has been doing with rehab so far, but you know it’ll make a headline somewhere.

What about Roy Williams, is the new top receiver in shape enough to take over for Owens? He probably will be, but I guess we just won’t know until the headlines tell us so, right?

It’ll be fruitful gossip to last us until the next real football action takes place in the draft. Just look around the web and you’ll find big headlines about Plax skipping voluntary workouts in New York; Cutler throwing tantrums because his new team entertains trade offers, and make no mistake about it, it’s a new team under first-time Head Coach Josh McDaniels.

You’ll find articles claiming trade talks have really heated up between Julius Peppers’ agent and the New England Patriots, where the compensation is expected to be the #34 overall pick, the very pick that the Pats obtained when they traded Matt Cassel to Kansas City.

And lest we forget the multitude of mock drafts that are floating around out there, some claiming the Cowboys will take a risk on Pat White even though his biggest stock increase has come from the pure speculatory observations of his proposed value in the draft. Imagine that, determining his draft value is increasing his draft value … in a fashion so fitting with the perceptions of the Jerry World Order, why not say the Cowboys are interested. And while the Cowboys have been known to love QB/WR combo guys, I think we’ve got our hands full enough in that area between Crayton and Stanback.

So it’s a lull before the storm … and for the first time in a while, the Cowboys aren’t topping the charts. Nary an article in sight outside of the local media market. Even the latest news of T-New and his comments regarding Romo and his fling, which some say has ended by the way, was old news being recycled back into the spotlight.

Sure it won’t last, but that’s not the point. It’s inevitable that Terrell Owens will get bored in Buffalo soon and start “setting things straight” with the situation he made sure to set ablaze in Dallas last December.

No, the point is that for now, at least, the Cowboys have fallen out of the spotlight. A sure sign that perhaps the drama has finally ended in Big D … that just maybe Elvis has indeed left the building. It’s going to be interesting to see how and when the next big story breaks about Dallas … any takers for it being an ESPN report? I thought so.

Popularity: 1%

So T.O. is gone, now what?

Jerry Jones has finally stepped up and rid the Dallas Cowboys of their number one troublemaker.

At least, that is what the pundits and critics are saying. For them, the release of Terrell Owens makes the Cowboys a better team – a sort of addition by subtraction.

Overall, the move to release Owens has been met by praise from most members of the media and fans alike.

But, I’m not one who favors the move.

No, Terrell Owens is no saint. Still, he was a very productive member of the Dallas Cowboys. Some point to his numbers and say he is on the decline and no longer an elite receiver. Still, he managed to post yet another 1,000 yard/10 touchdown season, and that was considered a down year. Personally, I believe the lack of creativity in the offense, more specifically, failure on the part of offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett, had more to do with his statistical drop-off than diminishing skills.

Had Owens lost a step? He actually seemed like he was faster this season.

Off the field, Owens has been labeled a distraction or cancer. However, everything seemed to be going okay until the big fiasco involving Owens, Garrett, Romo, and Witten. And, in all honesty, none of us truly know what transpired. The only information leaked to the public came from ESPN’s Ed Werder and his “sources”. The “sources” were never identified. It did seem though that whoever the “sources” were, they definitely had an agenda. Much like the talking heads at ESPN who seemed like they were on a mission to get Owens released from the Cowboys.

I found it particularly funny listening to ESPN analysts Keyshawn Johnson and Chris Carter lambast T.O. at every opportunity for demanding the ball more. These are two individuals who pretty much did the same thing during their careers. Keyshawn even took it one step further and wrote a book. I guess he has forgotten about that.

All we really have to go on is what Owens said publically. Yes, he did criticize Garrett and even Romo. But was he wrong in doing so? I don’t think so. We, as fans, all saw it. And if we’re completely honest, we all thought it too. Owens simply voiced it – and, was vilified by some of the fans and media for doing so.

When the Cowboys were 13-3, and Owens was getting the ball, he was model teammate. Last season, the team went 9-7, and he wasn’t getting the ball, and he was upset. So, he doesn’t like losing. Or, better yet, he like several other superstars, felt like he could help the team win if he had the ball in his hands.

Isn’t that what we want from our top players?

I wonder what the reactions would have been if Jason Witten had made the same statements?

Would he have been vilified? Or, heralded a leader?

I guess we’ll never know.

In listening to Jerry Jones, he insisted that this move had nothing to do with locker room chemistry, but everything to do with change. He also stated that his belief in wide receiver Roy Williams was a major reason for his decision. But, clearly that is not the case. Jerry, uncharacteristically, bowed to the pressure by the media, fans, and some of the people on his staff. Jerry didn’t want to release T.O. You have to believe that after witnessing the success of Arizona and the success of their “81/11 tandem”, Jerry had visions of the Cowboys being able to duplicate or surpass them with their own tandem.

But, Jerry decided to cave in. And he sided with those who wanted T.O. gone. None more so than Jason Garrett, who by all of accounts, told Jones he didn’t feel he and Owens could co-exist.

So now what?

If I’m offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett, I’m feeling the immense pressure.

Even without Owens on the team, the Cowboys have a tremendous amount of talent on offense. They still have the offensive line, Romo, Witten, Bennett, Williams, and their trio of running backs. In my opinion the X-factor is going to be Miles Austin. No disrespect to Patrick Crayton, he proved that he can be a decent 2^nd receiver. But, he is much more effective in the slot but lacks the outside speed the Cowboys need. Austin has the size and speed. He has shown flashes that he is capable of being a 2. He just hasn’t been consistent, mostly due to injury. But, if he is able to step up and be a force, this offense has the ability to be very potent.

That is where Garrett comes in. It will be up him to create mismatches, and free up his playmakers to make plays. He won’t have the luxury of teams doubling Owens on nearly every play, so he is going to have to be creative – something, he definitely wasn’t last season.

Of course, Romo will have to prove that he is the franchise quarterback Jones believes he is as well.

But, that is a topic for another discussion.

As for Garret though, I’m not sure he is up to the tasks, but he had better be. It is not a good sign when opposing defenders comment that your offense is one of the simplest to figure out. And, if the offense is still stagnant much like it was towards the end of last season, he no longer has the Original 81 to point the finger at.

The bright lights will shine squarely on him. And, if he fails, he will no longer be the coach in waiting.

He’ll be amongst the unemployed. Or, at least should be.

The Wizard has spoken.

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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….

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Well I’m excited to start writing for the site however I am not excited about our recent offseason moves. Don’t take this as me slamming the Cowboys I’m just simply highly aggravated lately with our front office management.

So far my grade for this offseason’s moves is a D it certainly can be worse but not much.

We all know Jerry Jones is the GM for the Cowboys and I have to say I am completely disgusted already with the off-season moves.

First we trade Anthony Henry whom lead The Dallas Cowboys in interceptions in 2007 and we already cut Pacman Jones so now all we have is Terence Newman who can’t seem to stay healthy for an entire season to save his life and the Dallas cornerbacks  are weak to begin with!

So we get rid of Henry now it’s Newman, Jenkins, and Scandrick as the top three corners?

Give me a break; remember when Jenkins refused to even attempt to tackle Derrick Ward last season? (footage here) that’s a great guy to have in your top three corners.

I’ve heard rumors about Shaun Springs coming to Dallas and that would certainly help the cornerback situation. However, either way, by trading Henry we lose much needed depth at Corner and actually lose cap space because of Kitna’s contract, when we could have just signed a free agent backup such as Kyle Boller or Rex Grossman who is younger and likely better.

Dallas gave up another late round pick to the Lions did Dallas give them enough this year? We already gave them our 1st round picks and 3rd for Roy Williams and we don’t learn we get ripped off by them again. Kitna is 36 years old I really don’t see much of a difference between him and Brad Johnson.

The Lions were 0-16 last year and by those standars aren’t by any means a good football team yet we keep giving them picks and taking their players that leave much to be desired.

Lastly, hasn’t our entire defense had a problem with this guy? Terence Newman, Ware, and Bradie James. Definitely a good way to get a locker room closer together.

We get the chance to sign Ray Lewis a MLB something we actually need, someone who would take command in the locker room and instead we get Keith Brooking.  The Cowboys had their most disappointing season possibly of all time last year and what do they do to start the off-season? Trade a needed Corner, get a washed up outside linebacker we don’t need and waste a bunch of cap space.

Dallas also has not resigned Chris Canty who was a vital part of the 3-4 defense last year, now he is on the New York Giants.

Now im not completely ignorant not everything you want can happen. Maybe signing Ray Lewis was a strech but wait Demarcus Ware had this to say

“You know, actually, when we played Ray Lewis and Baltimore at the end of the season, he came over and pointed to my helmet. He said, ‘I want to wear this star on my helmet, that’s my dream…that’s my dream.’ When we got to the Pro Bowl, he did it again. He came at me every day. It’s a great opportunity for him. His door is open. He’s an unrestricted free agent. He’s trying to get down where the star is. He told me he needed me to get him Jerry Jones’ phone number for him. I just busted out laughing.” (Link here)

Wait a second…You’re telling me Demarcus Ware and Ray Lewis our both good friends off the field. Yes they are, so with me typing this seething I think to myself we could have had Ray Lewis and Demarcus Ware the two captains of the defense and take over the entire locker room.

There would be no split locker room or animosity with Lewis coming into the Cowboys defense and Ware saying “this is my defense” The two are already friends!

 We aren’t getting a 1st round pick this year so virtually we head into next season with the same exact team as last year. If not a little worse. If that doesn’t scare us Cowboys fan’s i’m not sure what will.

 I hope I’m wrong about all this, because all I want is the Cowboys to actually succeed and not be a joke to the media and fans. 

But I’m starting to think the longer Jerry Jones is GM the worse this team is going to be. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great owner and business man and has made the Cowboys into an economic powerhouse in the NFL. But looks how many coaches we’ve been through in the last 13 years of not winning a playoff game. How many times do you think he would have fired the GM if it wasn’t him?

Dallas fan’s deserve better, and so does this team.

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It’s amazing to me how things can get so out of shape after a disappointing season in Dallas. Never mind that the team did win 9 games on one of the tougher schedules in the league, or that they lost a game to each of the eventual Super Bowl contenders by 6 points, one in overtime. It all comes crashing down.

It’s been a slow end of the week and weekend so far news-wise, so it’s easy to recap what has happened this weekend. There’s been two major stories to come out of Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine, first is Wade’s now infamous “I can’t … against the rules” comment when asked for an update at the combine on Friday, and second is Michael Crabtree and his broken foot.

It’s nothing new for the Cowboys to be thrust into the media spotlight at any event in football, even during the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl the Cowboys were discussed in-game by the analysts calling each game. But the team usually never sinks to such a low as this, one man stepping up and claiming ultimate rule and power over a team, is that even possible?

Jerry Jones has tried to do it in the past, but he’s never been quite so successful at it until now. “I’m the guy that’s got the full picture,” Jones says, and he adds, “I just want to make sure you’re not getting bits and pieces of information. That’s not doing anybody any good and you’re not making accurate reports.” So please, let us see what is accurate.

Since Jerry Jones, who is now beyond any doubt Head Coach Jerry Jones, is the guy then we can safely say that the spread of misinformation amongst the media is his fault. Sure, he’s made it clear today that he wasn’t the one giving the false information to the press, but then he’s also taking control with his gag order, essentially placing his team on lock down. That’s to say that he has the power to do so, to control the situation, why else would he be doing this?

So that must mean that he failed to enforce his rule in the past, that’s how the misinformation leaked to the press.

He says “All I’m trying to say is basically that’s where you need to go to see where the status of that decision is.” Since he is the only Dallas Cowboy allowed to speak to the media now, it means that he is where to go for the status of all decisions.

So how about it Jerry … What’s going on with Terrell Owens? What is the plan to fix the woes of the 2008 season? How will you declare a leader for this team on the field? Who will be coaching the players? What players are staying and going? Can the fans sit down in this new stadium? Is team chemistry important? Is 9-7 good enough?

For most of that, he simply isn’t saying at this point. But Head Coach Jerry has stated that 9-7 is good enough, which brings me to my next point. Sure, the Cardinals went 9-7 and made it to the Super Bowl, they played their best football at the right time of the year. Let us not forget, though, that had they been in any other division they probably wouldn’t have gotten the chance to play their best football in January. The combined record of their NFC West opponents was 13-35, so Arizona knew they were in the playoffs in mid December.

Even the AFC West, with the Chiefs, Raiders, Broncos, and Chargers; still had more combined wins than the NFC West. And it took a week 17 showdown between the Chargers and Broncos to hold all teams in that division at no better a record than .500.

Being that the Cowboys play in the NFC East division, I think it’s safe to say that while a 9-7 division title can happen, it won’t for the Cowboys.

But the real question, the one that will not be asked at this event, or any other, is how can one man run a football team in the NFL? Jerry Jones has tried to do it for 20 years now, and while it started with the likes of Troy Aikman and Jimmy Johnson, without them this team hasn’t even won a playoff game.

A lot of the time, Jimmy Johnson is given credit for running a Super Bowl franchise, but he was just the Head Coach. He was the coach at a time when Jerry Jones didn’t know enough about the sport to try doing so much as he does now, and he had something extra. He knew how to approach Jerry Jones; he knew how to handle his players.

In the years since our last playoff win he’s tried it Jimmy’s way and been tough. He’s tried it Chan’s way and been lenient, he’s even tried being tough the Parcels way, and none of it has really worked for him.

Maybe he’s figured doing it the way someone else would isn’t good enough anymore, so he’s doing it his way, I don’t know. But I can tell you that gagging your entire coaching staff during their time of the year isn’t going to work.

Letting your players be the primary source of misinformation to the media isn’t going to work. Coddling your players with new deals and huge contracts whenever they want isn’t going to work. And bringing in fading talent isn’t going to work either.

The simple truth is that Jerry is asserting his control over this franchise without controlling anything. His players talk to the media, but his coaches can’t. He imposes fines to the players that are cheaper than my gas bill. His overpaid Offensive Coordinator interviews for every job available, every year.

The only thing Jerry is controlling is who gets more time in front of the cameras, and while he’s made it clear that his coaches aren’t good enough for it, he’s also made it clear that his players are.

Personally, I’d rather my coaches talking and my players working, not the other way around.

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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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Okay, I know it’s rather trifle or petty, but after reading the latest blog entry of Barry Horn at DMN, I just couldn’t help myself.

He throws in a little teaser about a incident Michael Irvin told him about. I’ve seen the reports already and know what happened, so I left a comment telling him we knew all about the incident, and that he should write it anyway. That at least we’d know he was telling the truth. I used the name BTreece.

I know Horn hasn’t been one of the major players in the recent rumor mill in the media, but I’m tired of hearing about a “source” and some outrageous claim from that source about the Cowboys.

We should all demand more from our journalists.

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So the story isn’t quite what we would all hope for right now, especially not after how Hard Knocks turned out last year, but the yet-to-be-named reality show that Michael Irvin is doing this spring might actually be a good thing.

I doubt that any real players will come from it because usually the good ones do make it in other, more traditional ways. Then again, I lived next door a lineman on the practice squad for a few years in some ratty apartments in Arlington, and the practice squad players are usually considered worthy prospects.

I do think, however, that this is a step in the right direction for Jerry Jones and his obvious cravings for national media attention. Last year it was Hard Knocks, and we all know how that turned out having the HBO cameras all in training camp. It was a distraction in many ways, some of which only proved true once Martellus Bennett started catching touchdown passes.

This year though, a show that won’t take place at training camp, it won’t be in the players face, and the coaches currently employed won’t be dealing with it. You’ll have former coaches and players participating, but the only current Cowboys member set to be a part of this production is none other than Jerry Jones, who will make appearances as a judge.

Anyone think it’s a bad idea to get Jerry away from the team a little more?
See Tim MacMahon’s article on the DMN Cowboys Blog for the full story.

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You know what? Good for wade Phillips!

He should be shutting out the media after all the crap they’ve gotten started this past year. Even when writing a blog to complain, albeit sarcastically, about his silence in Mobile, Alabama this week, they tried to keep something going that hasn’t been started officially.

Tim MacMahon of the Dallas Morning News writes, and I quote, “Here’s hoping that Wade will share some wisdom with us on draft weekend (assuming he’s still employed, of course).”

More of the same antagonistic crap, though the local media in Dallas hasn’t been that bad about the rumors and drama this year, I guess they’re making up for a late start now.

What’s worse about it is while Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips both have refused to talk about the issues we all want to hear them talk about, people are still doubting that they can change.

The most prevalent trait of the Dallas Cowboys over the years has been Jerry Jones saying what he shouldn’t in the media, and the coach at least speaking to the media. Yet it’s apparently no small feat that they have changed that so far this year.

I say, good for Wade Phillips, Good for Jerry Jones. I realize keeping the media in the dark also keeps the fans in the dark, but the media deserves it right now.

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Did anyone happen to catch that article from Dallas Morning News Cowboys beat writer, Calvin Watkins? If you missed it, check it out – Calvin Watkins Bogus Article.

According to him, and his ‘sources’, the team was basically acting like a family of 40 brothers in one house, aside from the outright fighting that would occur in that situation. I’m not even sure if I can trust any of what this writer claims in his article. Then again, I found myself questioning the DC.com writers as well during this article.

I guess it was Nick Eatman, today, that said on DC.com that he was on the flight to Philly in December with the team, and that the plane was late, but not because of a player. He even said they knew it would be late before they got there. He does work for the organization, and they (DC.com writers) have been known to misstate things before, so I don’t know if he was covering, or being truthful.

Kind of makes me wonder about the media in general. I know the article was all about how players and coaches are bitching about other players and coaches, but to me, the author of the article stood out beyond any of the alleged facts he presented.

I for one, find it very difficult to put any credibility into an unnamed source for the media. If what you’re saying is so good, why not make yourself known? If losing your job was a big concern for you, you wouldn’t be starting crap to begin with, so why not take some pride in being a rat? That’s my thought anyway.

It just goes to show us all one thing; there is not one single person in this organization responsible for all the Cowboys’ struggles this past season. They all had a hand in it, one way or another.

The question now becomes, how do we get this ship sailing smooth again?

So how about it guys, what is it going to take to get the Cowboys back on track after the 2008 season? Comments are open to all.

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