Media Continue to Protect Patriots & Belicheat

So there's this "bad guy" who is a very productive player for an NFL team.  The head coach of this NFL team knew he was a bad guy, and told the player how to "lay low".  This head coach said he threatened to cut this bad guy AFTER the 2013 season.  Not before the season, because it would be the right thing to do, but after the season and assumed production on the field was used.  

All of this occurred without any media attention.  From this article it states that media people knew about this but "didn't have a second source so they didn't report it".  Uuuuuhhhh OK, I understand not reporting it, but how 'bout INVESTIGATING IT AND FIND ANOTHER SOURCE!

Not to mention this is the same team and head coach that just a few years removed were found guilty of cheating by filming other teams' practices.  Nothing to see here folks, just keep on walking......

Once again the might Northeast Media either doesn't investigate, or do investigate and choose not to report certain teams and certain coaches and certain players.  In this case the continued cover up of the great New England Patriots and their spotless owner, Bob Kraft and their future Hall of Fame Coach, Bill Belichick.

I wonder how this story would've played out if this would've happened to the Dallas Cowboys or New Orleans Saints franchices??

Read the article here from CBS Sports and decide for  yourself.

cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/23363898/report-bill-belichick-knew-aaron-hernandez-felt-his-life-was-in-danger

By the way, where is the illustrious Patriots apologist and MMQB creator, Peter King, on all of this.  I thought he knew everything about the NFL.  Did he know and not report it to protect Belicheat, or just doesn't do any investigating?

Continued Hypocrisy by the NFL/Goodell

Not that it is a surprise, but the NFL New York Offices have decided that DeMarcus Ware will not be allowed to wear his new facemask, click on the link below to read the article from ESPN.....

demarcus-ware-dallas-cowboys-wear-eight-bar-face-mask


Here is a pic of the face mask he wanted to wear in order to reduce the amount of hands to face from the offensive lineman who block him.






 In contrast, here is the mask that Ray Lewis wore....



AND here is the face mask that NY Giants players Justin Tuck and Chris Canty (Chris Canty now with the Baltimore Ravens) have been and will continue to be allowed to wear due to a "medical condition"......

Chris Canty
 

Justin Tuck
 
So I don't think any further discussion of the hypocrisy and bias against the Dallas Cowboys by the NFL Offices in the Northeast is necessary.  As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Vick Named Starter for Eagles

Not that this comes as any kind of a surprise, even though the new head coach for the Eagles Chip Kelly kept saying there was a Quarterback competition, but the Eagles named Michael Vick as the starting Quarterback for 2013 Vick Named Starter.  

This of course means that Michael Vick will lead the much talked about up tempo offense of the Oregon Ducks until he gets hurt and backup Nick Foles takes his place.  Just a word of caution for all of you fantasy football fans out there, if you pick Vick as your QB, only do so with another good QB as a back up.  Vick will not last 16 games.

ESPN Starts Individual Blog for Each NFL Team

While in general I am not a fan of the sports media coverage, particularly ESPN (could the Sunday NFL ESPN show be any more boring??...Berman, Ditka, Keyshon, Carter and the other guy....yawn..yawn..yawn), however, ESPN is stepping up to the plate with this one.  They are creating an individual blog for each of the NFL's 32 teams.  Sounds good to me.  Todd Archer will be the dedicated writer for the Dallas Cowboys blog.  Let's check it out and see if it is good.

http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2013/08/espn-com-expands-nfl-nation-network-with-sites-for-all-32-nfl-teams/

America's Team

While the moniker, "America's Team" to this day gets under the skin of every other NFL team, players, fans, etc... and each year a new team self proclaims themselves as America's Team, when anyone hears this term, they immediately think (even if they won't admit it)....... Dallas Cowboys.  

Well now Emory Professors have put together a very detailed study to show, that yes, in fact the Dallas Cowboys are America's Team.  And as noted in the article, the two professors who did the study were Redskins and Steelers fans, and were not happy with the results.  But like good scientists, they published their results unbiased and the data speaks for itself.  Take a look at the link below.....

https://blogs.emory.edu/sportsmarketing/2013/08/15/nfl-fan-equity-maybe-the-cowboys-are-america%E2%80%99s-team/

Media Stretches Their Statements to Make Points

OK, so I know it's just a little thing, but I was reading a question and answer thing on Dallas Morning News with Rick Gosselin.  The question he was posed to comment on was the following:

On the Cowboys’ running game (or lack thereof):

Gosselin's Response:

 Gosselin: "I wish they spent more time working on the run. They couldn’t run it last year. Show me you can run the ball. If you can run the ball, you’ll hold onto the ball and four of the turnovers last week came on pass play."

While I completely agree with Gosselin that the Cowboys need to run the ball better this year or they will end the year again around 8-8 and no playoff spot, his statement is obviously strangely skewed to make his point...... 

"you'll hold onto the ball and four of the turnovers last week came on a pass play"...... 

while technically correct, four of the turnovers did occur on passing plays, two of these four turnovers, which Gosselin fails to mention, were fumbles which occurred well after the catch was made and had nothing to do with it being a passing play.  In fact one of these "passing turnovers" occurred by the running back, Lance Dunbar, 40 yards down the field after he had caught a little 2 yard pass.  So again, I know it's just a little thing, but I get so tired of media people really stretching the facts to make their point.  Especially in this case when there are many arguments to be made about how important it is that the Cowboys run the ball better, without stooping to using skewed data.

Cowboys Offensive Line Shuffle

I started this post before reading the story linked below to Dallas Morning News Cowboys Blog.  I had only read the headline of the story "More moves on the way at guard for Cowboys after Arizona Game".  By the title, I thought there was going to be some "real" information about the offensive line.  However, after reading the story, I realize there was actually no information at all.  It was Callahan saying that they are continuing to evaluate the offensive line....... uh yeah, kinda already knew that.  So as we all know, headlines can be deceiving.  Nothing to see here folks, keep on walking......

dallasnews.com/2013/08/more-moves-on-the-way-at-guard-for-cowboys-after-arizona-game.html/

Bryan Broaddus on Lance Dunbar Injury

Here's what Bryan Broaddus of DallasCowboys.com has to say about Dunbars injury and loss for the Cowboys offense.

• Lance Dunbar suffered a left foot sprain in the game against Arizona this past Saturday and will be out of the lineup for the next three to four weeks which means his availability for the opening game against the New York Giants is questionable. For Dunbar, it’s a major setback to an off season where he has done nothing but shine in every opportunity he has been given. He came into the OTA and minicamp practices in outstanding physical condition and was ready to compete. Through his work in those practices and training camp, I did not get the impression that he could not handle more of a physical work load. He might lack height but that’s the only trait that would handicap him. He showed the ability to run with explosive quickness off the edge, but he also showed the ability to take the ball, cut it back inside and deal with linebackers and safeties.
  We have seen him break down the linebackers in space consistently with the ball in his hands. His ability to catch and get up the field is a feature that Bill Callahan and this offensive staff are going to take advantage of. Where Dunbar will also be missed is on special teams. When you study him on tape, he is one of the most productive cover men that Rich Bisaccia has on the squad. Usually the first man down, and secure in his ability to bring the ball carrier down.
  Injury to a player is never a good thing but when it affects a player that the club is counting on to play a major role in the offense and special teams, it can be even more painful and to lose this player, it is.
  

Lance Dunbar out with Sprained Foot

As with a lot of the teams in the NFL, the Cowboys suffered another key injury during the preseason game against the Cardinals Saturday.  Lance Dunbar sprained his foot and will be out 3 - 4 weeks.  This is the same type of injury that DeMarco Murray had last year which cost him 6 games/weeks.  Hopefully Dunbar's injury is not as bad and he can get back quickly.  Unfortunately, if it's 3 - 4 week, probably no way he can make it for the Giants opening week game.  This is very disappointing, Dunbar had looked great with break away speed all through camp and the first 3 preseason games.
Click link below for a summary of Garrett's press conference from DallasCowboys.com

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DavidHelman/Mon-Presser-Garrett-Hopes-Dunbars-Foot-Is-Only-Mild-Setback

Size Matters

In a state where everything is always bigger, it's no surprise that the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans are competing for who has the biggest video screen.  Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made headlines over the worlds largest HD video back when AT&T stadium (formerly known as Cowboys Stadium) opened it's doors in the not so distant past.  But now, just a few years removed, and not to be outdown, the Houston Texans now have the largest HD Video.  Of course the Houston videos aren't hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the field like the Cowboys, they're just located at each end of the stadium, but for the moment, they do hold the distinction as the biggest.  But since size does matter, and everything is bigger in Texas, I can't wait to see what Jerry does next to one up the intrastate rivalry.  Click links below for details of the story from Dallas Morning News and Yahoo....

new-reliant-stadium-video-screens-surpass-cowboys-for-nfl-s-biggest.ece

texans-reveal-cowboy-topping-giant-hd-video-screen-160624609.html

Galloway on the Dez No Speak List

My favorite Cowboy player, Dez Bryant, and favorite Sports Writer, Randy Galloway apparently don't speak to each other.  The No Speak List is Bryant's desire NOT to speak to Galloway due to some of the criticism spoken and written by Galloway in the past.  Which is fair, I would probably do the same.  Nonetheless, Galloway wrote a good article today about the new Dez and how great he is doing both on and off the field.  Article also touches on the Johnny Manziel/Dez Bryant/NCAA hypocrisy issue which continues to be a big story with the investigation into Johnny Football's signing escapades.  Click here to read another great story from Randy Galloway and Fort Worth Star Telegram:  http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/08/14/5081368/this-dez-bryant-has-left-troubled.html

Getting a Little Chippy

It appears 3 weeks of training camp with guys banging against each other twice a day is beginning to wear thin.  Cowboys Training Camp got a little chippy Tuesday between the offense and defense with a lot of pushing and shoving after the plays and one big dust up between rookie WR Terrance Williams and LB Sean Lee.  See link to Forth Worth Star Telegram Blog for a summary of all of the action.

sean-lee-yells-at-rookie-receiver-demarco-murray-baits-jason-hatcher-allen-floors-witten-all-this-an.html 

RG3 Says McNabb Not an Idiot

This story is great.  It made me laugh out loud (there ya go, I did it. I typed out Laugh out Loud instead of LOL).....
Apparently McNabb reached out to RG3 to offer him fatherly Quarterback advice.  RG3 responded with....thanks but no thanks.....and on top of that, without any prompting said "I don't think McNabb is an IDIOT".... Good ta know...... now if that doesn't make you laugh out loud, then you're way to serious.  Give the link from PFT a read and Laugh Out Loud with me, it's hilarious.

rg3-i-dont-think-mcnabb-is-an-idiot-but-its-best-we-dont-talk/related/

DWare Too Scary

As a follow up to the previous post, I guess the reason the NFL won't let DeMarcus Ware have his new custom face mask is because it would make him too scary.  Click on link from Dallas Morning News to see how RGIII named DWare as the scariest.....

robert-griffin-iii-says-scariest-defensive-player-in-the-nfl-is-dallas-cowboys-de-demarcus-ware.html/

NFL Northeast Bias In Full Bloom for 2013

The NFL announced that custom face masks will not be permitted, see link from Bleacher Report.

the-nfl-bans-customized-facemasks-because-football-isnt-supposed-to-be-fun

Now let me take you a little further down the rabbit hole.  I'm just going to present the facts, then let you make your own conclusion.

The NFL league offices which reside in New York, favor the northeast teams.... especially the Giants/Mara family, Patriots/Kraft Family, Steelers/Rooney Family.

A little history of the NFL "new rules":

1.  Emmit Smith taking off his helmet after scoring TDs in the '90s which at the time broke the record of most Rushing TDs in a regular season at 25.  Next year, NFL bans players from removing helmets..... became known as the "Emmit Rule".

2.  Eric Williams, Cowboys Offensive Lineman, who dominated all opposing Defensive Lineman, and as described by Michael Strahan...."Eric makes you have a real bad day".  So the NFL put in the "Eric Williams Rule", No Hands to the Face.

3.  Patriots/Billicheat - film opposing teams' practices and use the tape to prepare.  During that period the Patriots won 3 Superbowls.  Since being found out, the Partriots have won ZERO Superbowls.  For punishment, Patriots lose no draft picks, no suspensions and all of the recorded evidence is BURNED by Goodell and the NFL NY offices.  Move forward a few years, the Saints have a little internal bounty pool, where if defensive players knock an opposing player out of the game they win some money.  NFL suspends the head coach for one year, several players are suspended for multiple games (after which this was overturned by a judge in a court ruling), defensive coordinator banned indefinitely..... which by all accounts destroys and negates the Saints season in 2012.  So to Summarize - the NFL Northeast biased offices found that cheating to win a game is OK by the Patriots, but an internal pool with some defensive players' money, deserves a full year knocked from the Saints....... uh yeah, like I said, I will let you make your own conclusions......

But now we get to the new rule..... No Custom Face Masks.  I find it amazingly coincidental that this becomes an issue, 2 weeks after DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys DE, announces he is going to use a new facemask (aka grill) to keep defenders hands and fingers out of his face (which is odd, because I thought there was a "no hands to the face" rule, see #2 above..... I guess this only applies to teams not playing the Cowboys, because apparently Ware has been having problems with people getting their hands under his grill and in his face, but with "no calls" by the refs.... but I digress)......So DeMarcus Ware shows up in training camp with a new grill and the NFL/NY Offices, 2 weeks later announce "NO CUSTOM FACEMASKS"..... yet if you read the article, they conveniently have already excluded players Chris Canty/Ravens Lineman and Jason Tuck/Giants Lineman.  How convenient.  So The Giants and Ravens Lineman are allowed to keep their custom facemasks, but not DeMarcus Ware.  It's so sad and biased, it's almost laughable.  Yet this northeast bias continues, year after year.  The other owners not in this special little North East Bubble need to stand up to Goodell and demand it stop.

Again, I'll let you draw you're own conclusions, but I call NFL NY NorthEast Office B@#$&*$T.

Jason Hatcher Will Do Well in the 4-3

Well, much to the chagrin of the media "experts" it appears Jason Hatcher will have no problem switching to the 4-3 defense.  See this article from Fort Worth Star-Telegram's, Carlos Mendez, the defensive staff is excited about Hatcher's prospects this year.

jason-hatcher-showing-cowboys.html

Cowboys Camp Day 15 Observations

Check out this link to Dallas Morning News, has a summary of events from Day 15 Cowboys Training Camp......

day-15-observations-from-dallas-cowboys-training-camp-practice-dt-jason-hatcher-has-two-sacks-rookie-te-gavin-escobar-has-day-to-forget.html/

Offensive Line, No Longer Offensive

I never thought I would say this about the Cowboys Offensive line, but they continue to look pretty good.  It's only preseason, but they look good so far.  Couple of comments by Tony Romo and Lance Dunbar is all you need to know that this is not just my opinion:

“I don’t want to get away from here without talking about the offensive line,” Romo said. “There were a couple of times I had all day and we had a sack, an incompletion on those two plays, so that’s going to help us a lot if we’re able to do that.
“That’s different. I know what it’s like to play behind that, and having that ability like they did tonight would be a huge bonus for us.”

Lance Dunbar -- “It’s probably the biggest the holes have ever been,” Dunbar said.

Sean Lee

Great article (click on link below) about Sean Lee from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Clarence Hill.  As noted in the article, Sean Lee didn't play last year after week 6 due to injury.  So even though there were 10 more games played, he still ended up 4th in tackles on the year.  Now that either means the rest of the team REALLY Sucks, which was part of the problem, or that Sean Lee is a BEAST.  I think it's probably a little bit of both.  Barring another injury, I think Sean Lee is going to be ESPN's highlight real every week in this 4-3 defense.

Sean Lee FWST Article

Day 14 Observations from Cowboys Training Camp

Click on the link for a great summary of the Day 14 Cowboys Training Camp from the Dallas Morning News......

day-14-observations-from-dallas-cowboys-training-camp-practice

By the way, sorry about the lack of a video from the previous post.  Still working on trying to get the video to upload......

Video Post - Cowboys 2nd Preseason Game

Video post with myself, Wavemkr and special guest Dylan Mr Snupe Dog, discussing the Dallas Cowboys 2nd Preseason game of 2013 against the Oakland Raiders......

Video Part 1

Video Part 2

Kicker

So no one wants to spend too much time talking about kickers when it comes to the NFL, but having a good one is nice.  Dan Bailey has been a nice security blanket for the Cowboys, and it looks like it will continue this year..... Click link for quick blog mention from Dallas Morning News:

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2013/08/cowboys-coach-jason-garrett-on-k-dan-bailey-we-are-just-lucky-to-have-him.html/

To Rodgers or Not To Rodgers, That's The Question

So happy that football season is here, like Christmas time for football junkies like myself.  And along with football talk in general, there is of course the all important Fantasy Football.  So to kick off the fantasy football season, I want to pose a question and hope that I get many comments from readers, as I love fantasy football opinions.  This question is about Aaron Rodgers.  

• How high do you draft Aaron Rodgers this year in fantasy football?

Now of course Aaron Rodgers will go in the first round of all FF drafts.  The question is where?
For example, I pick 3rd in this years' FF draft.  Do you pick Aaron Rodgers at this spot if he is still there?  When I look at all of the "experts" on cbssportline, where I play FF, they all have Aaron Rodgers listed 2nd in QBs behind Drew Brees.  With the porous Green Bay offensive line (which now just lost their best Left Tackle Bulaga for the year to an ACL injury), no running game to speak of, and a hobbled wide receiver core of Cobbs and Jordy.  It just all seems kind of weak.  I'm not saying Aaron Rodgers can't do it, I just think he has nothing around him this year.  For me personally, I just can't take Aaron Rodgers above the 6th or 7th pick.  I would take Peyton Manning and his many weapons ahead of Rodgers.

Let me know your thoughts?

Randy Galloway Retiring from Broadcasting

For those of you not from the Dallas/Fortworth Area, this will be of no interest.  But for those sports fans who live in DFW or have ever lived in DFW, hands down, Randy Galloway is the best sports broadcaster and best sports writer in the state of TX.  Galloway announced he is retiring from his ESPN 103.3 DFW Sports Broadcast gig, "Galloway and Company" the end of this year.  He doesn't mention his writing gig at Fort Worth Star-Telegram where he writes sports opinion columns (all of which are always extremely insightful, but in true Galloway fashion, always very entertaining).

I no longer live in Dallas, but routinely listen to Galloway and Company on 103.3 via internet streaming.  I will definitely miss his entertaining and insightful slant on all things sports.
Here's a couple of links to Dallas Morning News and Forth Worth Star Telegram reporting the news.
As mentioned in the DMN article, ESPN 103.3 announced yesterday that they had been bought out by Cumulus, who coincidentally owns/operates 1310AM The Ticket.  The number one sports station in DFW.  This probably had a little to do with Galloway's announcement.

DMN Galloway Retiring

Star Telegram Galloway Retiring 

Good To Know

Nice piece from Bleacher Report..... Apparently Romo gives high praise for first round draft pick Travis Frederick.

Bleacher Report - Romo + Frederick

Blogging The Boys

Bloggintheboys.com does a great job covering the Cowboys Training Camp...... here's some links to their site and stories from the day:

• pro football focus grades dallas cowboys hall of fame game performance
• dallas cowboys start fast again in oakland raiders tony romo bill callahan
• dallas cowboys in praise of jason witten from lacerated spleens to option routes
• jason garrett dallas cowboys 2013 training camp hot seat jerry jones
• Random Thoughts From Cowboys 2013 Training Camp: The Physical Nature Of The Game
• cowboys training camp report practice number thirteen: a crisp day in

Tyron Smith is a "Garrett Guy"

Unfortunately the mainstream sports media, and that includes the local Dallas media, very seldom do stories on the good guys.  They spend most of their time writing about the Aaron Hernandez's and Josh Brent's of the world.  And while these stories need reporting, I think a little balance about the good guys should occur also.  However, I doubt in today's tabloid world that will ever happen.  But thanks to the internet, stories can be written and published by other sources.  DallasCowboys.com has a great story about one of the good guys that you'll probably never hear about on ESPN or MMQB.  Take a look here, great read about Tyron Smith (right tackle), another one of those "Garrett Guys" that seems to fill the Cowboys ranks these days.

The Protege Becomes the Teacher

So it's only been one offseason of OTAs and two weeks of training camp and a veteran offensive lineman (Bernadeau) is asking for tips from a rookie center (Travis Frederic).  How good is Frederic going to be after a couple of years?!  See excerpt from "Cowboys Corner" from Star-Telegram below.

Right guard Mackenzy Bernadeau said he can be ready to play against Oakland with just two days of practice, and he wants to play because he wants to get to know center Travis Frederick on the field.
“Just being around Doug Free for a while, we kind of understand one another a little bit more,” Bernadeau said. “We’ll say, ‘Hey, heads up, look at this,’ and I’ll know what he’s thinking. You know where he’s going to be, and you have trust. You build trust in the guys around you. So that’s always good. Just being able to come back and play with Frederick, Free next to me, play with everybody and get the trust factor involved and the continuity is huge.”
Bernadeau, who returned to practice last week after a hamstring injury kept him from practicing the first two weeks of training camp, said he can tell from sitting next to Frederick in the film room that he is a smart player.
“I pick his brain a little bit, ask him what he’s thinking when he comes back to the sideline,” Bernadeau said. “He’s a smart player. Real smart player. He’s a strong guy. He’s stout. It’s going to be fun just playing next to him.”
Bernadeau evaluated Frederick’s play at guard and said he is good enough to play either guard spot.
“He’s got a little bit of technique stuff. That comes with just playing different positions, especially coming into the league and learning a different technique,” Bernadeau said. “But he’s stout. He’s stout in his stance. He’s stout with his punches. He’s a real strong guy, has good hands, and is a real smart guy. I feel like he can learn all three interior positions and play at a decent level.”

Read more here: http://sportsblogs.star-telegram.com/cowboys/#storylink=cpy

First Fight at Cowboys Camp

It's been more than two weeks at camp and no fights.  But Linebacker Ernie Simms and Running Back Lance Dunbar got into a little spat after Simms slung Dunbar to the ground after a run.
The guys are probably feeling that middle of training camp dun-drums with tempers beginning to flare.  Will be good for them to hit another team on Friday night against Oakland.

America's Passion

The TV ratings for the Cowboys/Miami Pre-season Hall of Fame Game was 10.1 Million Viewers. 
I think a lot of the country, like me, are ready for some football. 

Keeping with the Daily Theme.....

He may be an off the street free agent, but this is exactly what I've been discussing today --  Guys who step in and get it done......

As nice as Holloman's play was, the defensive star of the night was George Selvie. A street free agent just a few weeks ago, called into camp when defensive ends started dropping, he's done nothing but impressing. Including making it to practice on his first day.
"It’s gone real fast. Getting the call at six o’clock in the morning, flying out to California, and getting there it was like, ‘Ok, nice to meet you – we’re going to need you to practice at 4 o’clock,’" Selvie said. "I’m like ‘Uh, alright.’ But I’m just grateful for the opportunity.

More Few Good Men

As a follow up to the previous post, here's another young guy who is saying (and displaying on the field) all the right things.  Ronald Leary comments from the Star-Telegram:

“It’s man-on-man,” he said. “You line up, he puts his hand down, and it’s, ‘Who’s going to knock who off the ball?’ ”

Leary played every snap in the game.
“You never want anybody to get hurt,” Leary said. “The game of football is about opportunities, so if I get an opportunity, I’m going to take full advantage of it. … You always want to start.”
Leary said he was tired after the game but that it was a “good” tired. And he was glad to hear that he was praised by owner Jerry Jones, one of his champions last year when he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cowboys.
“I didn’t hear him say that, but for you to say he said it, that’s an honor for him to say that,” Leary said. “There have been a lot of great offensive linemen to come through here, and for him to say that after one game, it’s a good feeling. I know I’m nowhere near where I want to be.”

A Few Good Men

You have to like the attitude and comments from Travis Frederick, the Cowboys first round draft pick Offensive Lineman who will most likely play Center but also played Guard Sunday Night in the Hall of Fame Game.  Here's a quote from Frederick from the Star-Telegram:

Travis Frederick liked his first NFL action at center.
“I thought that went pretty well,” he said.
His time at guard? Not as well. The Cowboys’ rookie first-round pick said he wasn’t as clean at right guard, where he played in the second half of Sunday night’s game against Miami.
“The mistake at guard was I overstepped on a shade technique in pass protection,” he said. “That was on me. It caused a pressure, not a sack. But a pressure is still not what we are looking for. I need to be solid.”
Frederick has been working at center the majority of the time in training camp, but the Cowboys are still looking at him at guard, potentially to play him at right guard and use veteran Phil Costa at center.

That's the kind of football players that are needed.  When asked about his performance, he talked about one technique misstep which created a QB "pressure", not a sack.  This attention to detail and desire to be perfect on every down is what has been missing for such a long time with the Cowboys.  There's a reason that only ~ 7 players are left on this team since Jason Garrett took over.  They didn't want to use the word re-building since Romo and Witten were in their prime.  But that's exactly what has been taking place.  And now we can only hope that the youth and "Garrett" kind of football guys can play at a level to help propel Romo, Witten, Ware deep into the playoffs before they are too old.  It may already be too late, but we'll see if the two timelines can overlap for a year or two before the "old" guys' physical ability begin to deteriorate to a fault.

Another point I want to make, is the drafting of Travis Frederick.  I get so tired of the "experts" in print, tv and radio, talking about how the Cowboys drafted Frederick too early.  If he ends up being a 10 - 12 year starter at center, gives continuity to the line, directs the line play calling, prevents pressure up the middle and clears holes for the RBs, then isn't that worth a first round draft pick?   My point is, you don't know how a good a draft is until at least 3 years later.  And amazingly, the "experts" love to talk about how poorly a team did with the draft, but they never come back and discuss their mistakes three years later.  I remember many experts saying that the Cowboys should've drafted Shawn Merriman instead of DeMarcus Ware.  So how did that work out??

I like the kind of people the Cowboys are drafting these days, and hopefully it will pay off in the next 2 -3 years before the "older" guys begin to fade.

Read more here: http://sportsblogs.star-telegram.com/cowboys/2013/08/tr.html#storylink=cpy

Offensive Line Analysis

I always love reading Bob Sturm's blog.  He does some great analysis.  Read today's blog by Sturm reviewing the play of the Cowboys' offensive line during the first preseason hall of fame game against Miami........Here

Let The Games Begin!

Sorry for disappearing last week.  I was hanging out in Charlotte, NC home of the Carolina Panthers.  I attended the Cowboys/Panthers regular season game in Charlotte last year, October 2012.  It was great fun and the tailgating was awesome.  Unlike Eagles fans, the Panthers fans were very hospitable.

Well, we finally have football!  Albeit pre-season football, but after 7 months of nothing, even pre-season football was an awesome respite.  Personally, I like the pre-season games.  While I think its ridiculous that teams charge full ticket prices for these games, they are fun to watch if you are looking at individuals and not the team prospective.  I really enjoyed watching the Cowboys rookie RB, Randle; first round draft pick Frederick, etc.  These guys get a full work out and while they are playing against other 2nd or 3rd string personnel, it's fun to see how they perform.

So my thoughts on the Cowboys after the first pre-season game.......

1. I thought the team as a whole looked very well prepared, especially when compared to the Dolphins.  There were very few penalties, both offense and defense were lining up properly, and they didn't have to call timeouts because the play didn't get in in time (unlike last year when this was occurring on defense as late as week 17).  There were no huge busts in position, (ie. a safety letting a WR run free for an easy catch).  While you might read this and say, these are pro-football teams they shouldn't have these problems, and you would be right.  But if you've watched many pre-season games, you will see this happens a lot, especially in the first one or two pre-season games where 3rd and 4th stringers are playing. So I thought the coaches had done an excellent job, particularly on defense where Monte Kiffin's new 4-3 scheme was being used for the first time.  So I would give Jason Garret an A on his first game as a "walk around" coach.
2. Speaking of coaching and changes, obviously the big story (other than Romo's cyst), has been the change in offensive play calling.  Both Garrett and Callahan have repeatedly discussed their need to run the ball more effectively.  When you talk about running the ball, obviously everyone thinks Running Back, but we all know, the offensive line is vital in running effectively.  Part of the reason the Cowboys ran so little in 2012, was the absolute inability to run the ball.  After a while you can only run into a brick wall so many times, until you say Eff it and throw the ball.  But last night, Callahan showed the Cowboys propensity to run the ball early and often.  And different from last night, they looked very effective doing it.  They rushed for a total of 170 yards and a couple of rushing TD's.  All of the backs looked very good.... Dunbar, Tanner, Randle..... of course we didn't see DeMarco, but the offensive line, grounded by Leary and Travis Frederick, opened some huge holes and the RBs did what they were supposed to do, which is make at least one person miss a tackle.  So it was a great first week outing for the running game which has to improve over last year.
3. Defense --- well the talk is of course about "can the Cowboys convert to the Mone Kiffin 4-3 defense?".  While I don't want to get too excited about the first of a 5 game preseason schedule, the simple answer is YES.  The defense looked organized, well coached, completed the simple tasks of lining up properly, no huge blown coverages, did well stopping the run, got multiple sacks on the QB, recovered a fumble, got an interception, then ran the interception back for a 75 yard Touch Down.  The squad played aggressively and instinctively, as though they had always played the 4-3.  But I think this is why the move to the 4-3 is good idea.  Because at the heart of defense, the 4-3 is just a simpler scheme than the 3-4.  And in an age with huge turnover in personnel from year to year with free agency, injuries that occur throughout the year and change in coaching, you need a simpler base scheme in order to be able to plug people in without them having to had been in the scheme for 15 years.  Can't say enough good things about the defense, but I would be remiss, if I didn't bring up Selvie.  He looked like a manbeast out there, throwing offensive lineman around like they were rag dolls.  We may have found the replacement for Tyrone Crawford who was lost for the year at DT with a torn Achilles.

So great start to a very long season.  And the best news of all, no major injuries.  Matt Johnson injured his ankle, but hey what else is new.  Other than that, no major injuries to speak of.  As a Baylor Alum, I was personally disappointed that I didn't get to see Terrance Williams play, but from what I have read, he will play Friday night against the Raiders.