30
Jul
2010
It’s Football, Not Pussyball, Jerry
Word out of Dallas this evening is that Dez Bryant, the Cowboys’ first round draft choice and media magnet, suffered a high ankle sprain that will keep him out of the entire preseason. Any way you cut it, this is a big deal for Big D who was relying on Bryant to turn an already good offense into one of the league’s best.
I hope that ball is traveling slow so it doesn't hurt Dez's hands. Photo from http://photos.newsok.com
That’s the dumbest thing I have heard since Jimmy Johnson announced he was going on Survivor. Make no mistake, Jones has made a pastime of foot-in-mouth comments to the media (and fans) over the years, but this may well take the cake. Bryant is a rookie, getting ready for the first season of his professional career. He has to learn a new scheme. He hardly played last year in college. If practicing hard leads to injury, playing hard during games certainly will. What exactly is the message Jones wants to send here: don’t over-exert yourselves, players? Or, don’t work ‘em too hard, coach?
Wade Phillips should walk into work tomorrow and cold cock Jerry Jones. Dallas is a talented team that, under Phillips, walks a thin line between winning and utter chaos. For a team that has demonstrated about as much toughness as Mel Gibson has restraint, the last thing Dallas needs is the return of Camp Cupcake. Like last training camp (but unlike the Hard Knocks, Cupcake year), the Cowboys were seemingly going about their work with diligence and, almost as importantly, without too much self-inflicted hype. Shoulder-pad-gate aside, there was little news being made, which was good news for a team that has a track record of sucking when distracted. If Bryant goes on to perform poorly, or if the Cowboys struggle out of the gate, the media will feed upon the “should have rested him” comments from Jerry Jones and bury Phillips and the team along with it. Time will tell if Jones’ genetic condition, which renders him incapable of saying nothing in this situation, will have an impact in how the media treats Phillips in the weeks and months ahead.
27
Dec
2009
Cowboys, Redskins, Live Blog
(AP Photo/Nick Wass)
I am late to the NFL party today, having missed most of today’s games (except for some highlights) because of holiday stuff. I am going to blog tonight’s Cowboys-Redskins game (just underway) . . . .
16
Dec
2009
Sex Sting Got Your Tail?
News of Tiger Woods’ troubles have overshadowed another sexcapade: Pat the Patriot (which would be the Patriots’ mascot) was arrested in a prostitution sting in Rhode Island.
Now we know why Pat is smiling (photo: creativecameraconcepts.com)
Pat, aka Robert Sormenti, has been suspended by the team. The most fascinating angle to the story is that if “Pat” had gotten off just a month earlier he would have gotten off: prostitution was legal in Rhode Island until November 2009.
6
Dec
2009
HASSELHOFF-LIKE WEBINAR-OFF
Like Baywatch and Knight-Rider before it, this week’s Webinar-Off is a timeless match-up between the forces of good (Cowboys) and evil (Giants). Dallas puts the flailing, frailing, and failing Giants out of their misery today because:
1. The Giants don’t have Vince Young to bring off the bench- The first time these two teams played, the Giants played with the same confidence that the resurgent Tennessee Titans are playing with now. Mario Manningham ate the Cowboys’ secondary for lunch, catching 10 passes for 150 yards and a score on a 49 yard bomb from a sharp Eli Manning. Steve Smith added 134 more yards and a score. That game was emblematic of the Giants 5-0 start as they answered every punch the Cowboys threw with one of their own. The Giants were a down-hill running, aggressive in the passing game, confident team on offensive that played well-enough on defense to corral the Cowboys’ big play threats. Evenly matched in terms of talent, the difference was that the Giants imposed their will on the Cowboys when it counted. The Giants simply aren’t that team anymore. Since that game, Manningham has put up pedestrian numbers (only one game with 100+ yards receiving), Manning has regressed, Brandon Jacobs has become “tip-toe” Jacobs, and the Giants’ defense has been so lackluster that Usi Umenyiora and Fred Robbins are being benched. The Giants are morphing into what the Cowboys were: soft. Injuries are part of it, but whatever it is, this team has lost its edge and there are no signs that the Giants will get it back in time to win today’s game or salvage what was once a promising season.
2. Mike Jenkins has reported for duty- The last time they matched up, the Cowboys started Orlando Scandrick opposite Terrence Newman. That was the last game Scandrick started, in part because of how he performed against the Giants but also because of the emergence of Mike Jenkins. Jenkins has, in the eyes of many, usurped Newman’s role as the best corner on the team– flashing the ability and aggressiveness that made him a first round talent two years ago. Jenkins has every reason to be motivated for today’s game if for no other reason than to avenge his much-discussed terrible tackling effort against Derrick Ward in his rookie season. Though Jenkins’ and Newman’s ability to cover has not resulted in as many turnovers as one would expect, it has allowed Dallas the opportunity to put more pressure on the quarterback. It has also allowed Dallas to simplify its schemes on defense, which has allowed the Cowboys to avoid the big play breakdowns that killed them against the Giants. Without a legitimate running threat, look for the Cowboys defensive to be more stout today as Jenkins and Newman make matters tougher on their receiving counterparts.
3. The Cowboys have Miles to go- As with Jenkins, Miles Austin has emerged since the Cowboys-Giants first match up. Austin leads the NFL with six touchdown catches of 20 yards are more and has helped take the heat off of Roy Williams. Coupled with the Barber, Choice, and Jones triumverate in the backfield, and the ever-reliable Witten, Austin gives the Cowboys the stretch-the-field weapon that they need to test the Giants’ thin secondary. Also look for Dallas to do more of what they did against the Raiders on Thanksgiving– crossing patterns with Austin– to see if Aaron Ross & Co. can keep up with the speedy Austin.
4. It’s December- The Giants need this win to save their season. Believe it or not: the 8-3 Cowboys do also. Dallas’ struggles in December are well-documented. If Dallas wants to be a team that matters in the playoffs they need to start by showing that they can put teams like the Giants away. Dallas has been focused on their performance in this season’s final month all year– as Bradie James said this week, the time is now to show everyone that this is not the same old fold ‘em Cowboys. Look for the Cowboys to match the Giants intensity today.
5. The Giants will be tighter than Tiger Woods on his wedding anniversary- The Giants look and feel like a team on the verge of imploding. While I don’t think that will happen today, I do think the Giants remind me a bit of last year’s Cowboys. When the going get tough, they play tight, fall behind, and just don’t have enough gumption to win in the end.
Dallas 24, Giants 21.
Fufkin: you agree?
CONTINUE AFTER THE JUMP FOR ARTIEFUFKIN’S RESPONSE
3
Dec
2009
WEBINAROFF: PART II
Last time the Giants played the Cowboys, Artie took me down in a battle of football wits. This week: payback! Giants! Cowboys! Fufkin! C-O-U-R-T-N-E-Y! SUNDAY! WEBINAROFF!
This time it’s mildly personal.
1
Dec
2009
ENCORE: Simpson’s Back Just in Time to Ruin Everything
There is little denying that this December 2007 shimmy changed the course of history:
After losing to the Eagles that day, Dallas went on to play very poorly in a loss to the Giants in the 2007 playoffs and suck crotch-apples in 2008. Many are of the view that the biggest distraction that the Cowboys eliminated this offseason wasn’t T.O., Pacman, or Tank, but Jessica Simpson. Well, guess what Cowboys fans:
What better way to exact revenge against Tony Romo and sabotage a perfectly good run by the Cowboys than to go after Romo’s favorite new target, Miles Austin? While there are no reports that Austin and Simpson are actually dating yet, the mere prospect of it can threaten the precarious balance Dallas seems to have found as they enter what has historically been their toughest month.
17
Nov
2009
Pats Paste Patsies (and the parents engage in a Smerlas campaign)
And here we thought that Bill Belichick was having problems. Over the weekend, former Patriots’ players played in a charity basketball game with some high schoolers. This feel good story quickly turned bad, though, when the Pats’ squad started roughing up their counterparts from Nashoba Regional High School. Now, the parents of the teens are fighting back, the police are involved, and one former Patriot, Garin “Gameday” Veris, may even lose his job over it is on the defensive over it. If you want to see video on the story, you’ll have to go here.
At the center of the bru-ha-ha is this man and his charity, All Pro Productions, who arranged the game:
Fred Smerlas
Smerlas, who as evidenced by the above photo was either a wrestler or a super hero in high school, apparently knows how to fight when he wants to:
Smerlas fought in high school. Smerlas’ charity team fights high schoolers now. Coincidence? Or culture of violence? You decide!
You may only recognize Smerlas when you see him wearing his 'stache.
Photos from www.coachpass33.com and http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/bc/genrel/auto_action/FredSmerlas.jpg
8
Nov
2009
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!
Ogletree is a guy the Cowboys like (Photo: AP)
Big game on the slate tonight between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles. With the Giants loss to San Diego today, the Eagles can really take control in the division with a win tonight. The Cowboys are trying to show that they are legit and not the same team that got humiliated at the Linc last year.
I am going to offer thoughts on the game throughout the evening. If you are interested in following along or participating just join in in the comments section below.
4
Nov
2009
2, 4, 6, 8, Cowboys’ Cheerleader Inolved in Incident of Racial Hate?
Everyone loves a good cheerleader story. I mean, who isn’t inspired by Sunni Cranfill’s “dreams are worth fighting for” comeback story?
Everyone also loves a good joke. Even Eric Mangini:
Eric Mangini demonstrates the healing effects of laughter (AP photo)
But, nobody likes black-face jokes. Yet, when Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Whitney Isleib decided to dress herself as Lil’ Wayne for Halloween, she went there:
Whitney Isleib's idea of a Halloween costume (Facebook Photo)
What may have seemed like a lot of fun to Whitney at the time is causing quite a stir in Big D. The Cowboys, who are aware of the situation, aren’t yet saying what will happen to her. While my guess is that Ms. Isleib was not aware of how offensive her costume was, I suspect that we won’t be seeing her shish-boom-bah come Sunday night against the Eagles.
31
Oct
2009
How do we prove these are fake?
Somebody sent this video along to me. These have to be fake tricks, don’t they?
