Dallas Cowboys Football; was there ever a better hobby or pastime? Not for me, aside from family of course, and as we near the midway point in June, and these OTAs wrap up before the minicamp starts, I’ve still got a ways to go before my next Cowboys football fix.

It’s nothing to fret over though, not when we have such brilliant “expert” analysis and coverage as we do from the likes of Fox no less. More specifically, let’s talk about Peter Schrager and his list of the “Top 99 players for ’09” – moreover his brown nose special, as I call it.

I’m betting that most of you have heard of it already from the DMN where we learned that only four Cowboys made the list at all. I know many commenters over there were hung up more on where each of those four players were ranked, but there is something to be said for those that didn’t rank at all.

I mean you’ve got Jay “The Rat” Ratliff first and foremost who wasn’t selected to the list. I guess it’s a fair assumption to say that these types of lists usually are directed more at the offensive guys since it’s offense that’s counted on to score touchdowns, but it’s defense that wins games. There are always exceptions to that rule, such as last year in the first match up between the Cowboys and Eagles with a total score of 78 points during that game. But rarely does a pro football game turn out to be a homerun derby anymore.

But let’s take a guy like Albert Haynesworth and put him up against Ratliff for a moment here, and I’m only talking about 2008 regular season stats here. Haynesworth got a top rating of 14 while Ratliff didn’t even make the list. Both are defensive tackles, both have several years of experience. We could go into the vitals here, but size doesn’t always matter if there is solid production, and both guys obviously perform each week.

• Haynesworth hasn’t played more than 14 games in a season since 2002 while Ratliff hasn’t played less than 15 games in a season since his rookie year.
• Haynesworth had 51 total tackles in 2008; Ratliff also had 51 total tackles.
• Haynesworth registered 8.5 sacks to Ratliff’s 7.5 sacks.
• Ratliff’s sacks netted him 56.5 negative yards while Haynesworth only managed 52.5 with an extra sack.
• The only real benefit I see that Haynesworth has over Ratliff is having forced 3 fumbles to Ratliff’s zero, no forced fumbles.
• Ratliff deflected 5 passes and Haynesworth deflected 2 passes.
• They both recovered 1 fumble each.

I look at the numbers, the actual production of each man, and to me it seems more than just a little one-sided for Haynesworth to make any top X list when Ratliff doesn’t. It’s not a bias on my part, it’s just simple math. You have one guy that is great against the run and in getting pressure, and another guy who good against the run, great at getting pressure, and even gets into the passing game.

It’s only worse for picking Haynesworth since his numbers are significantly higher from last year than in years prior. It was a contract year, and as we all know, he has his $100 million dollars now. Ratliff has been playing like he has and hasn’t faced a contract situation yet. Anyone else really interested to see what he does in a contract year?

But the farce goes on though. DeMarcus Ware headlined the Cowboys’ effort on this list making it in at 6, with Tony Romo following behind him in a distant second at 28’th place. Now Ware, well no one for any team would argue that he deserves at least that high of a ranking. Not only are his numbers great, his attitude positive, and his ability tremendous – but his character is high as well. Being the overall sack leader since being drafted helps too.

Romo is another story. It’s a positive of this list in my mind because while there are a lot of bad things to be said for Romo from last season, there are many good things as well. I actually would have expected a much lower rating given the abundant criticism of him lately. He’s a quarterback though, so he would rank higher overall even though he only ranked 9th among quarterbacks. Putting him behind McNabb and Carson Palmer though? Seriously?

I know the guy seems to tank in the final stretch, but surely he’s worth a better ranking than Carson Palmer.

Marion Barber and Jason Witten also made the list, and that’s where my next point starts – Jason Witten ranked 96th of 99 by this fruitcake of a journalist/expert/assclown as one commenter stated it.

He was the third tight end to appear on the list behind Antonia Gates and Tony Gonzales. I’ll agree that Gonzales is good, and has been good for many years, but to say that Witten in his early age isn’t as good as the old fogy Gonzales just isn’t practical.

So yet again this year we are seeing how the rest of the NFL nation is rooting against the Cowboys in 2009, and that’s a great thing to see and hear. This time last season the Cowboys were being hyped as the Super Bowl winners, a mightily premature assumption to say the least.

But this year, while we have been favored at one point to win the Super Bowl in certain betting circles, once Owens was cut, the outlook went downhill. Our draft was rated like a D I think by the experts; the experts say we have huge problems facing us in our passing game and call it for both the QB and WR positions.

Yet all the while Roy Williams is still a top caliber receiver who had a bad year. Tony Romo had the same – a bad year that featured a finger injury that sidelined him for three weeks, and limited him for another three after that. He also had the task of dealing with Owens and his unwarranted and loud requests for more touches.

I think Owens, a 13 year veteran at the time, should be quite well aware of how it works in the NFL – if you produce at a high level, then you get more opportunity to produce, and if you continue to produce with the extra opportunities, then you keep getting them.

He just never seemed to understand that past success does not warrant current and future security. He started dropping balls, he started bailing on routes too early, he did get older and therefore slower, and he did forget to adjust his own way of thinking to fit his age and the new limitations that came with it.

Do I think a team can win games with Owens running routes? I sure do – do I think it can happen on any team currently in the NFL? I really don’t. He simply fails to account for the other 10 guys on the field with him at any given point, and that is why he became expendable for unproven and in some cases rarely tested youth in Dallas. He simply overstayed his welcome, and his vocal complaints and inability to really be a team player are to blame.

So in 2009 Romo gets to actually follow the rules of being a top quarterback again. He can go through his reads, he can release quickly, and he can find the open man – whether it is Witten, Barber, Jones, Williams, Crayton, Austin, or Bennett – he can return to being a quarterback again, instead of simply a TO placeholder.

Maybe Williams won’t be as good as Owens was in 2007, it won’t be because he isn’t producing, but rather because other guys will be producing too. There are only so many balls in a game.

But hey it’s June; we are silly and desperate fans who have no clue what’s what, right? We need to be spoon fed just enough crap to sell the papers and attract visitors. I got to admit that it’s a good theory, write enough bad crap and people will go there simply to see if the rumors are true – someone really is that moronic.

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This is what I think of Pac-Man: He is an animal, he swallows up the field in front of him, weaving himself through what looks like a maze, demolishing everything in his way. With every step he takes he’s working his way to the next level… He’s amazing and I’d take him on my team any day…

The only problem is… He’s a Video Game character!

The Pac-man that you probably thought I was talking about is a trouble making, slightly talented thug, who consistently ruins the chance to be something by being unable to curb the temptation of mans desire. He has completely been a cancer, finding himself in strip clubs and bars, drowning in pools of violence and poor decisions.

Incase you haven’t been paying attention, there has been increasing speculation that the Cowboys are interested in the second coming of Pac-Man Jones, according to a blog by Nick Eatman.  The blog goes on to say:

“Jones was quoted in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about the slim possibility of bringing back the troubled cornerback, who was released this off-season.”

It’s important to remember that Adam Jones did produce, stacking 33 tackles and 4 interceptions last season for the Cowboys, but that doesn’t justify his childish actions. It’s also important to know that Jones quickly squashed this rumor by sending out his spokesman Rich Dalrymple who said “I have no plans to bring Adam back”.

So when do the rumors stop? I swear I come home from work everyday and there is a new rumor surfacing or criticism being handed where it isn’t needed. In case you haven’t noticed the Cowboys are apparently re-vamping their locker room to paint the portrait of a straight edge franchise, and Pac-Man doesn’t exactly fit the equation.

Besides, Our secondary is better than it’s been in years with Newman, Hamlin, Sensabaugh, Scandrick, Jenkins, Smith, and Mickens. There is so much talent there that the addition of Pac-Man would just cause unneeded competition not to mention the drama that would set Dallas back into a replica Cirque Du Soleil.

So here  is some truth for you Adam isn’t coming back, so if you’re one of the FEW fans who are awaiting the return of Pac-Man… Let it go, for the sake of the franchise, Let it Go!

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It’s Wednesday, just about 28 hours until free agency begins tomorrow night, and the rumors are soaring across the news vine as though they were powered by a jetpack. Ray Lewis seems to be at the top of the list as far as Dallas is concerned, and no I don’t mean that Dallas is considering it, though they certainly may be.

The latest is from FanNation.com and it seems to add fuel to the fire. Apparently Ravens’ owner Steve Bisciotti is irritated with Lewis for not showing loyalty to the team in Hawaii. That is where Lewis made it known that he’d like to play for either the Jets or Cowboys.

I’m still of the mind that Lewis won’t be a huge factor in Dallas and the reasons are clear, this teams’ biggest problem is on offense, and he’ll be brought in as another player, not the commander of the vessel. A point worth debating is whether or not he could control Terrell Owens and inspire Tony Romo to take charge, but the point remains that it wouldn’t be his job to do either.

After the stories came out about DeMarcus Ware and Ray Lewis sharing some not-so-subtle remarks about Lewis wanting to be a Cowboy, it seems this idea is now going wholesale to the public.

The Dallas Cowboys have roughly $12 million in available cap space, and have options to add more by cutting players like Brad Johnson and Roy Williams, but the bulk of it is expected to go to Ware in the form of a new contract, a contract that is expected to be near the top in the history books for a defensive player.

Still, makes you wonder what could be. Bart Scott looks to be real close to signing a new deal in Baltimore, and he had already taken over some duties from Lewis last year. Are the Ravens getting ready to move on without Lewis?

It seems logical to assume they’d only do that if Ray was asking too much to stay, and if so that same asking price wouldn’t translate well to the Cowboys. But would he take a lower figure to fulfill his dream of being a Dallas Cowboy?

Then again, maybe the speculation that Bisciotti is irritated with Lewis is just more fanfare instigated by Lewis and/or his agent to drive his price up, Seems kind of an odd way to do it though.

Given that the rumors and talks of him wanting to come to Dallas have helped Lewis’ worth so far, how much can you take away from that if he does start negotiations with the Cowboys?

We might very well know the answers come Friday afternoon.

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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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Being the off-season after a 9-7 year that followed 13-3 year for the Dallas Cowboys, it’s no great mystery why all these rumors are starting to fly up around Dallas and the league in regards to what Dallas should do to get things turned around.

Perhaps the most widely speculated acquisition at this point seems to be a report out of Baltimore that the Cowboys are interested in signing Ray Lewis, the future Hall of Fame linebacker and undoubted leader of that team for a decade now.

He is very loud, willing to get in anyone’s face, and doesn’t shy away from telling a player when they’ve screwed up. He also makes sure to tell players when they’ve done right, and when they should be fired up for a play or drive.

It’s only logical to think that, with the chemistry problems we’ve had in Dallas, he would be a good fit because of his obvious leadership abilities. It doesn’t hurt that we are likely going to be short a linebacker or two soon.

But I think it would be a bad move to bring in Lewis. Yeah, he’s a great linebacker, but that’s in Baltimore.

And who’s to say that the respect he is given in Baltimore will automatically carry over to Dallas? He’s spent a long time with that team, and been there longer than most everybody else; that’s something that naturally gains respect from any newcomer into the organization.

I still think Lewis is going to be making plays, but it’ll be in Baltimore, and in front of Ed Reed. Few can argue that Lewis would be able to do what he does without Reed at safety, and we certainly don’t have an Ed Reed caliber player at safety in Dallas.

Another rumor, compliments of Adam Jones’ signing last year it seems, is Julius Peppers saying he’d like to play in Dallas. I’m not even sure where he said it, or if he did say it.

I don’t think it would be a bad idea to sign Peppers, but only if Canty doesn’t return. Otherwise we’d be a little well stacked on the line, which doesn’t mean anything more than we’d be too short on cash to take care of bigger needs on the team.

Peppers isn’t exactly a rookie either, which calls into question whether or not he has any good years left in him. Overall, I’d say it’s a good idea to want more experience and power on defense, but it’s a bad fit for Peppers in Dallas.

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