I Hope Dallas At Least Makes the Game Tomorrow Competitive

I don't have just a whole lot to say about the Dallas - Foreskin game tomorrow. Washington can make the playoffs tomorrow with a win so you know they will be going full speed from start to finish. Dallas, on the other hand, has already secured a #1 seed in the NFC, 1st rd. bye and home field advantage through out the playoffs. Even if they lose tomorrow that will not change. So, I expect Dallas to treat the game tomorrow like a preseason game where the starters, that do play, will only play about half the game...at most. Which means Dallas will probably lose by 10-14 points.

I do hold out a glimmer of hope that Dallas' JV team will play balls out and maybe even have a small chance of winning. Terry Glenn is playing some tomorrow (if it doesn't rain) and getting him back, even if he isn't 100%, is a great thing. However, I think Dallas' game plan, on both sides of the ball, will be very vanilla and they won't show much of what they are planning for the playoffs.

Sweeping Washington, especially if it mean knocking them out of playoff contention, would be sweet however a Super Bowl victory would be 10 times better. So, I'm willing to take a loss tomorrow if it means going deep in the playoffs and possibly going to the Super Bowl.

My prediction: Washington 24, Dallas 13

Damn Patriots

Damn Patriots. There really isn't a damn thing I like about that team, not the least is their cheat for a coach. I really wish Goodell had taken away more draft picks, fined the team more and suspended Belicheat several games, but oh well. I was a serious G-Men fan tonight man. In fact, I kinda feel a little the same way as if Dallas would have lost. Some people want to see New England go undefeated but I'm certainly not one of them. Unfortunately, that may happen but I will not regard this as one of the best teams ever...even if just for spite.

And yes, that is really the way I feel about it.

December Swoon or No?

Well, Dallas plays Carolina tomorrow night on the NFL Network and to be honest I’m not sure where this thing sits. I have gone back and forth in my head about how I think this could go. And make no mistake…even though Carolina is 6-8, they will bring it tomorrow night. For those that think this will be a walk in the park, I would say to remember what happened to Seattle last week. Seattle, which was in the midst of a 5 game win streak and playing some good football, got beat 13-10 by Carolina. Carolina may have some issues at QB but they still have a pretty stout defense and considering Dallas will be playing without their starting center this week, Carolina’s defensive line could wreak some havoc.

As far as Carolina’s offense goes, they are rolling with Matt Moore at QB this week, which is their 4th starting QB this season. Matt Moore was actually in training camp with Dallas and when he got into a couple of preseason games, he did quite well. Dallas didn’t have room for Moore on the team but wanted to sign him to the practice squad. However, Carolina picked him up and signed him to their team before Dallas could sign him back to their practice squad. Even though Moore is a rookie, it should be noted that he has some skills (as evidenced by the win last week vs. Seattle) and shouldn’t be dismissed as simply a “rookie replacement” QB. In fact, in the few preseason games he got in, Moore looked a little like Romo. If Dallas’ defense treats Moore the way they treated Aaron Rogers a few weeks ago when Dallas played Green Bay, Moore will do some damage. Carolina has a few potent offensive weapons and since Dallas is missing Roy Williams this week, Carolina’s offense could get rolling if the Cowboys defense falls asleep.

The Cowboys really need to rebound from the loss to the Eagles last week for several reasons. First and foremost, Dallas has to get home field advantage. To do that, they must win their last two games. Romo has been raked over the coals this week being portrayed as someone easily distracted by blond bombshells (bogus!) so it would behoove him to bounce back and have a solid game. And it would do the team good to bounce back and have a solid game to prove to themselves that December is NOT their enemy (Dallas has not had a winning record in December since 1997). Last season, Dallas was rolling and was seen as a probable Super Bowl team until December hit. They lost 3 of their final 4 games and limped into the playoffs as a Wild Card team. So, not only do the Cowboys need to prove to their fan base there will be no December swoon but they also need to prove it to themselves.

However, I think Dallas is going to do what it takes to win this game. The game may not be easy and it could even be close throughout. But, in the end, Dallas is still 12-2 for a reason, is the better team and I think will have too much for Carolina to hang. I believe Dallas will probably win by 7-10 points although I won’t be surprised if it’s less than a 7 point difference. Prediction: Dallas 24, Carolina 14.

Roy Williams and Jessica Simpson

I can honestly say that I never expected to post a blog with Jessica Simpson’s name anywhere in it. I can also say that I don’t care about Jessica Simpson, in the least (which I’m sure she’s loosing sleep over) and don’t know what she has done recently worth noting besides being linked to Tony Romo. However, I did want to chime in on all the banter regarding the two and the effect I think she had on Sunday’s game vs. the Filthadelphia Foul.

This isn’t high school or college for that matter. We are talking about professional football and the players do this for a living. Do I think Simpson had an adverse effect on Romo which is why he played like crap? No, I don’t. Romo had a bad game for whatever reason. How many bad games has Farve or Manning had in their careers? Quite a few for both of them. It has been reported that Simpson was in attendance for the last 3 games…2 of which Romo played great. You know, IF Romo had driven the team down for a winning TD (like the week before in Detroit) then I don't think there would be one tenth of the people talking about it than there are now. The problem was Fox showing her up in a suite about every ten minutes during the game. If Fox had not even shown her, this would be a non issue.

People are saying that the only two times he has had a blond bombshell girlfriend at the game is when he played poorly. Well, as far as I know, he didn’t invite Carrie Underwood or Jessica Simpson up to Seattle to watch the playoff game last year which ended when he failed to control a snap for a game winning field goal. And, as sited above, Jessica Simpson has been to more games than this past Sunday’s game vs. the Foul. Speaking of Filthadelpia, I don't think you can glaze over the fact that Dallas was playing the Eagles both times when Romo had his bad games. Filthadelpia almost always plays their best when playing Dallas. I mean, it’s not like Dallas lost 35-7 to Atlanta, Oakland, or Miami. So, I don’t think anyone sitting in the stands had an effect, good or bad, on Romo. He is a professional and he is better than that.

Now, on to Roy Williams. I was asked by a friend yesterday if I agreed with Roy being suspended on Saturday for the “horse collar tackle” he made on McNabb on Sunday. I can whole heartedly say I do agree with him being suspended. The “horse collar tackle” was made illegal by the Competition Committee (of which Jerry Jones is a member) a couple of years ago BECAUSE of Roy Williams. The committee outlawed this because Roy seriously hurt 3 different players (one of which was T.O. Owens) tackling them this way. McNabb was pretty damn lucky he didn’t blow out his knee, or worse, Sunday when Roy tackled him like that. And what’s worse is that Roy didn’t have to tackle McNabb that way. He could have brought him down by taking out McNabb’s legs…McNabb wasn’t that far in front of Roy. It is laziness on Roy’s part and generally he has to employ the “horse collar” because he is out of position anyway. The reason I am totally on board with his suspension is that even though the “horse collar tackle” has been outlawed for a couple of years now, Roy keeps doing it. He has been flagged multiple times THIS YEAR for this and it is apparent that fines do not deter him from it. So, if fines don’t work the next step is suspension.

Dallas’ defense will miss Roy, there’s no doubt about it. Roy is at, or near, the top of the team in tackles and he is a presence which offenses need to account for. But, if a suspension is the only way to get his attention, then I am all for it.

Where Did You Go Tony Romo?

Well, the bad game the Cowboys' defense had last week was just that...a bad game. Because today, they did a pretty decent job defending the Filthadelphia. If you would have told me before the game that the Eagles would only score 10 points the whole game, I would have told you that Dallas blew them out by 25+ points. But not this game. Not today.

No, today's game was eerily reminiscent, in one way, of the game these two teams played last Christmas. And that way, was the play of Romo. There have been games this year when Romo started off slow but finished hot (i.e. the Monday night Buffalo game). There have been other games where it took Romo well into the second quarter to get going. But today, he just never got it there. Even when I thought, "ok, that was the throw/play that is going to get him back on track"...it just never materialized for him today.

Romo, did have his worst game as a Cowboy today. He was horrific almost all day. His QB rating for the game was around 22 (he averages over 100). He completed 13 of 36 passes (36%), was sacked 4 times and threw 3 INTs. I don't know where his head was but it certainly wasn't on the football field. Everyone else did their part. Witten was reliable (as usual), when Barber got the ball he ran it pretty well, Patrick Crayton had a couple of nice catches and the defense, for the most part, did a good job. Romo just didn't close the deal.

On Dallas' final drive, I thought the same thing that I thought last week when Romo orchestrated the winning TD against Detroit. And the Eagles were there for the taking. But Romo handed the game to them on a silver platter with that last INT. If it were ANY team by Filthadelplia...and I mean ANY team. Just knowing that Foul fans were out at Texas Stadium crowing about their Eagles victory made me burn. But then I remembered that they aren't going to the playoffs...so that made me feel a bit better.

Since the game has ended and I have calmed down some, I am willing to chalk this up to being a bad game from Romo. He has had so many great games this year so I think he has earned that. However, since I don't think Green Bay is going to lose either of their two remaining games, Romo has now put the team in a position where they have to win their two remaining games to get home field...which means no rest for starters in the Washington game.

Two things during the game (besides Romo's crappy play) that made my bald spot get bigger in diameter:

-If I see another shot of Jessica Simpson watching the game from a suite, I am personally going to go down to Texas Stadium and break every camera Fox has. I DON'T CARE ABOUT JESSICA SIMPSON!!! In fact, I would rather NOT know who Romo is cavorting with. That way, I won't be tempted to think SHE is the reason he played so poorly today. I am watching a football game...not her so keep the damn cameras off her! That made me CRAZY!

-The next time Roy Williams horse collars somebody, sit his butt on the bench for the remainder of the game. Hey Roy, don't you know that rule was created FOR YOU smart guy?!?! Here's a hot tip: learn to tackle without using the horse collar! You will get called on it EVERY time. Why? Because it's your rule. Be in position and take good angles on opposing players running in your direction and you won't need the horse collar. I almost broke our TV when he did that. Stupid, stupid, stupid! As you can tell, that made me crazy too.

No, the sky is not falling...it's just Dallas' 2nd loss of the season. However, they better get their act together or they will be going up to Lambeau field in mid January which I KNOW the don't want to do. Romo needs to put this game behind him and start working on Carolina tomorrow. Carolina, BTW, beat Seattle today so they can't be taken lightly.

Here ends the rant.

Los Vaqueros vs. Filthadelpia Foul - Rd. 2

Last year taught me a valuable lesson about Filthadelpia...never count them out. Just about everyone that I knew of, counting me, did just that last year when McNabb was lost for the season and the Eagles were on shaky ground to start with. But the Eagles, behind Jeff Garcia, went 4-0 in December including 3 road games vs. NFC East opponents and ended up winning the NFC East in the process.

I actually went to the Christmas day game that between Dallas and Filthadelpia and came away pretty dejected because I just knew Dallas was going to dismantle the Eagles. It turned out the other way around. The result - Filthadelpia Foul 23, Dallas Cowboys 7. Romo had, arguably, his worst game as a Cowboy only throwing for 142 yards and he had 2 INTs to boot. The defense didn't exactly put up a great fight either as they surrendered 204 rushing yards and pretty much seemed disinterested in playing most of the day.

Really, only one player on the whole Filthadelpia team scares me and that is Brian Westbrook. He can beat any team in a myriad of ways...he is a strong runner, he catches well out of the backfield, he can return punts and he is a good team leader. If Dallas can stop Westbrook, they can beat the Eagles. It's really that simple.

However, Dallas didn't show a great fire on defense last week when they played Detroit so I'm curious to see what kind of game they have today. Terrance Newman is a little banged up so if he has problems, it could be a long afternoon. Also, the rush defense last week spit the bit, so to speak, and if that happens again the Eagles will have a good chance of beating Dallas. Westbrook is strong, elusive and fast and all he needs is just a seam and he will take it the distance. With the way the defense has gotten better this year, sans last week, I'm willing to give the defense the benefit of the doubt that they just had a bad game last week. If they repeat their horrid performance from last week today, then we got problems.

I think Dallas will do enough to win today although I don't think it will be a blowout like it was on Nov. 4th in Philly. I think the game stays relatively close most of the game and Dallas pulls out a win by 5-8 pts. My prediction: Dallas - 28, Filthadelphia 20.

Thoughts on the Mo-Town Game

Ok, I know it's been several days since Dallas and Detroit played but I have been pretty busy and haven't had time until just now to relay a few of my thoughts on the game. It's strange that the only games I didn't really think Dallas would have a problem with winning are the two games that have been the most challenging for them...Buffalo and Detroit. So, after watching the Detroit game, there are some positives and some negatives to take from it. First the negatives (in my opinion):

-The defense play like dog pooh almost he entire game! I thoroughly thought, with the way the defense (Bradie James, Terrance Newman and others) were shooting off their mouths last week that they would come out and take Kitna's head off. Detroit is almost last in the league in sacks given up and Dallas didn't really even bother Kitna (except for that LATE pile driver Ware put on him) until the final play of the game. Way to go defense...way to get fired up! What the crap was all that, huh? If you are going to talk all that smack, Bradie James, you better go out and knock the snot out of somebody and not do your best matador impression, miss tackles or generally "look lost," again. Terrance Newman got torched most of the day too. Seems like every time I looked up, Kitna was completing a long pass or 3rd down conversion on Newman. So I guess Newman will get to keep that $20,000 he would have had to pay the NFL for hitting Kitna. Utterly freaking ridiculous how the defense played. In fact, that is how I thought Dallas' defense would play against Brett Farve a few weeks ago. I am only hoping that the defense just had a bad game and that this is not the beginning of yet another bad December. I would say that was a wake up call but I already said that when Dallas played Washington several weeks ago so I'm not going there again. They just need to nut up and play. Here ends the rant...

Now for the positives. For as bad as the defense played most of the game, the offense played very well most of the game. Detroit simply had no answer for Witten or Barber. It's almost like Detroit said, "We are going to take T.O. Owens out of the game, so let's see if you can beat us some other way." That was by far the best game a tight end has had for Dallas in about a decade. Witten is a tree trunk of a man with good hands and who, seemingly, has no fear...exactly what a tight end should be. Marion Barber ceases to amaze me each week. Even if he gets 3 yards, he is running extremely hard. And what's more is his high football IQ. He just seems to know the little things to do (like staying in bounds when Dallas is trying to run out the clock toward the end of a game) to help the team win. And Romo...well, his legend is growing by the week. I can only hope his head does not grow as well. That last, and game winning, drive was a thing of beauty. You could almost hear the Detroit fan's/player's stomachs turning every time Romo would complete a 3rd or even 4th down conversion. He is simply greatness.

There are many things that have to happen during a season for a team to go to the Super Bowl. Obviously winning games is paramount. However, if a team is going to have a good season and do well in the playoffs, they also need the football gods to throw some good luck their way. And make no mistake about it, Dallas has had more than their share of favorable bounces by the ball (in the Buffalo, St. Louis and Detroit games) as well as calls/non-calls by the officials. Another thing Dallas hasn't been hit with is the injury bug. Terry Glenn hasn't played a snap all season and Dallas has lost 1 game. When Terrance Newman was out and then Anthony Henry, the defense stepped up and performed rather well all things considered. So dare I say that Dallas might be a team of destiny this year? I'm almost cheesed to the core typing that but really, you can't deny it.

I will post my thoughts on the Filthadelphia game a little later on but suffice it to say that the defense better get their act back together and play with a little more fire than they did in Detroit. If Dallas wants home field advantage, and not a trip up to Lambeau field in late January, the defense has got to play better than they have the last couple of weeks.

But then again, even if the defense sucks it up, with the juggernaut offense Dallas has I'm not sure who can stop the Cowboys. Hopefully, I won't have to find out either.

The Cowboys Invade Mo-Town

This the 13th week of the NFL season finds Dallas playing for it's 12th win in Detroit. Detroit started off the year 6-2 and looked like they would prove me right when I told a few friends before the season started that Detroit would surprise a lot of people this year and make the playoffs. Well, since then, Detroit are losers of 4 straight, to drop to 6-6, including losing to Arizona by 10 points and Minnesota by a whopping 32 points. Detroit is not playing very well right now and probably have lost their best offensive threat, WR Roy Williams, for the year too. So QB Jon Kitna's guaranty, before the season started, of 10 wins is in serious jeopardy. To reach 10 wins, Detroit would have to win out and with playing Dallas, @ San Diego, KC and ending the year @ Green Bay, I really don't see 10 wins in their future. In fact I might only see 1 more win, period (when they play KC at home).

Guaranteeing 10 wins is not the only thing Jon Kitna has shot his mouth off about though. Last season, Dallas and Detroit ended their seasons by playing each other in their respective 16th game on New Year's Eve. Before playing that game, Dallas was 9-6 and had already secured a playoff spot. Detroit on the other hand was 2-13 and, overall, not a very good team. So it was thought Dallas would get an easy victory and cruise into the playoffs with a little momentum despite losing 2 of it's last three games to that point. However, Dallas gave up 362 yards to the Lions, committed 4 turnovers and lost a very ugly game 39-31. The week following that game, Kitna went on a Seattle radio station and said some disparaging things about Dallas' defense singling out LB Bradie James and CB Terrance Newman. Kitna said that #56 (Bradie James) looked lost and while they weren't afraid to throw on Terrance Newman's side of the field. Kitna said a lot more but those were the two things that got the Cowboys fired up this week. And while Kitna may have been right in what he said (Dallas gave up 306 passing yards and 4 TDs to Kitna and the Lions last year), that doesn't mean he was right in saying what he said...especially if your team finishes off the year 3-13.

So, fast forward to today. The Cowboys have the #2 offense in the NFL (#3 in passing, #7 in rushing) and the Lions have #31 defense in the league. The Cowboys clinched a playoff spot, and could be due for a letdown after winning six consecutive games. The Lions have actually played pretty well at home, where they are 4-2, but a loss today could seriously hurt their wild card chances. Even with Roy Williams out, Kitna still has a few weapons to throw to and, if Dallas doesn't get pressure on him (like last year) he will move the ball down the field. However, Kitna's offensive line doesn't give him great protection and with the extra motivation the Dallas' defense has today (because of the Kitna's comments above) I think Dallas will be able to get to Kitna early and often. And since Detroit doesn't really run the ball effectively, I expect Kitna to throw in the neighborhood of 50 passes today and I think Dallas should have 4-6 sacks by the end of the game.

I expect Detroit to score some points...just not as many as Dallas though. In the end, unless Dallas gets silly and makes all kinds of mistakes, Dallas will roll on to it's 12th win and the NFC East crown. Between Dallas and Detroit, the only team really capable of beating Dallas, is Dallas. My prediction: Dallas 34, Detroit 17.

Did the BCS Get It Right This Year?

Well sports fans, this has been one crazy year for college football. In fact, I don’t know if I remember a year that had more twists, turns and surprises. The #2 ranking was a place full of surprises this year as 7, yes 7, teams lost when being ranked #2. The teams unlucky to have been ranked #2 and subsequently loosing were USC, Cal, South Florida, Boston College, Oregon, Kansas and West Virginia. The worst loss out of all these was by West Virginia which was a 28 pt favorite over a sorry Pitt team, (4-7 at that time). Oh and did I mention West Virginia was playing Pitt AT HOME and all WV needed to do was win that game and they would have been playing for the national championship…and they still couldn’t close the deal. Terrible…

The bowl match ups were set on Sunday and after all the dust was settled, the following BCS bowl pairings were announced:

Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia
Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Hawaii
Rose Bowl: Southern Cal vs. Illinois
Championship: Ohio State vs. LSU

I’ve got to be honest here. I’m not real sure the BCS selection committees got this right. I know the BCS is meant for one thing…to pair up #1 vs. #2 in a national championship game. However, while I think Ohio State is a solid team probably worth a BCS bowl bid, I do not think they should be in the national championship game.

Every team has its share of lay up games, especially out of conference games. Ohio State had more than it’s share this year when it’s out of conference schedule included the powerhouses of Youngstown St., Akron, Washington and Kent State. Add in the fact that the Big 10 wasn’t particularly good this year and you have an Ohio State team that could be a bit overrated. They could surprise me and beat LSU but I won’t be shocked if LSU does to them what Florida did to them a year ago, especially since it’s basically a home game for LSU as the national championship is in New Orleans.

LSU, in my opinion, is the best team in the country. They played 7 ranked teams and beat 6 of them. The loss was in 3 overtimes, on the road to Kentucky. LSU also lost in 3 overtimes to Arkansas and while Arkansas was not ranked, the Hogs do have a legit Heisman candidate in Darren McFadden.

The travesty here is that Missouri got left out of the BCS bowl mix. I’m not a Missouri fan, per se, but looking at this objectively I think Mizzou got screwed. On Saturday, they were unanimously #1 in the country…by Sunday evening they were relegated to the Cotton Bowl, which isn’t a bottom feeder bowl but isn’t a BCS bowl either. Let’s look at Mizzou’s case for a BCS bowl:
-The 2 losses Mizzou had were both to a good OU team which was a top 10 team both times Mizzou played them.
-Illinois (with 3 losses) and Kansas both got BCS bowl bids…and Mizzou beat both of them this year.
-The only real test Kansas had this year was Mizzou…Kansas failed that test. Kansas didn’t have to play Texas, OU, or Texas Tech. If they did, I think at least 2 of those 3 would have been losses for the Jayhawks. Kansas also struggled to beat fairly mediocre teams such as Kansas State, Colorado and TX A&M.

I know it’s been argued over and over, to no avail, but I really would be interested to see how a playoff could sort all this out. Put the top 8-10 teams in a playoff and let them solve any question about who is #1 on the field. I know a playoff scenario will never happen because the bowl system is much too lucrative, financially, to the NCAA but it would be fun to see. However, it seems to me that the NCAA could put all their heads together and figure out a way for a playoff that would incorporate the bowls. Div 1 football is the only sport that doesn’t have a playoff system…Div. 1-AA, Div II, and Div III all have playoffs systems and they manage just fine.

The current BCS system is adequate but, as we have seen this year, has flaws. And while I can’t bring myself to root for LSU, I will root for another SEC national championship. Which I predict will happen.

The NFL Network – Why So Bush League?

The NFL is one of the most successful and profitable organizations on the planet grossing in the billions every year from merchandising, tv contracts, marketing, etc. Major League Baseball is no longer “America’s Pastime”…professional football has taken baseball’s place as the favorite sport in the country. In the fall, Sundays are not just associated with going to church but watching pro football in the afternoon as well. And Super Bowl Sunday has become a holiday unto itself...all it’s missing is greeting cards.

So my question is, with all the success the NFL has enjoyed over the past 20-30 years and all the resources it has at it’s finger tips, why can’t the NFL actually produce a quality broadcast of an NFL game? The NFL Network has been around for a couple of years and broadcasts 8 games a year, starting in late November. Before last night’s big game between the Cowboys and the Cheeseheads, I hadn’t had the pleasure of watching an NFL Network broadcast because I am a customer of Time Warner cable, which doesn’t include the NFL Network in its channel line up. And after witnessing last night’s broadcast, I’m pretty sure I’m not missing that much…as far as the broadcast of an actual game.

Last night’s broadcast (not the game, but the broadcast of the game) was so bush league and amateurish that I almost felt I was watching a high school game on public access. The graphics reminded me of watching an NFL game from the 70’s and early 80’s on ESPN Classic. Several times, during a commercial, the network would just cut back to a play getting ready to be run (which I’m sure the company that made that commercial thoroughly enjoyed seeing). There were even quite a few plays where a replay wasn’t shown. But nothing was as terrible as Bryant Gumbel.

Bryant Gumbel DOES NOT need to be doing play-by-play for high school games much less an NFL game. First of all, he doesn’t have the voice for it. When I think of solid play-by-play commentators, I think of Joe Buck, Al Michaels and Bob Costas. They have deep voices that sound clear whereas Gumbel’s voice reminds me of watching Olympic Figure Skating. Also, I imagine Joe Buck and Al Michaels actually prep for games they are announcing. Bryant Gumbel barely knew what the football’s shape was last night. Here are just a few of Bryant Gumbel’s mistakes during the game:

-At the beginning of the game when he’s welcoming the audience to the broadcast, it takes Gumbel several seconds to remember where they are…like Texas Stadium is so hard to remember.

-After the Packers are already on the field and as the Cowboys are taking the field, Gumbel says “Here comes comes the Packers!” Hey Bryant, here’s a hot tip: try watching what is going on before opening your mouth about it.

-As Dallas was setting up for their first field goal, to tie the Packer’s at 3-3, Gumbel says “And Packer fans don’t much like them going for the tie.” What? The Cowboys are the ones kicking for the tie, smart one. But thanks for playing.

-When Gumbel’s partner and color analyst Cris Collinsworth was talking about Cowboys running back Marion Barber, Gumbel added “Mike McCarthy characterized [Barber] as the heart of the Green Bay offense.” All I could do is shake my head.

-After the game was over, Gumbel announces the final score and says that “we will try to get an interview with Rick Romo.” Yeah, I can see how you get the names Tony and Rick mixed up…they sound so much alike.

I’m not a huge fan of Cris Collinsworth but he was really one of the only decent aspects of the broadcast, stem to stern. Bryant Gumbel should stick to Real Sports on HBO, where he is, at least, decent. But, me thinks, he should stay out of the commentating booth altogether.

The NFL probably has more money than some countries in this world yet they can’t produce and broadcast their product without it looking like a high school production. They need to study the presentations of Fox, CBS and NBC and they might learn a thing or two. But at this point, the NFL might not care as they are “America’s Pastime.”

10-1 vs 10-1

Whoa Nellie (as Keith Jackson would say) have we got a wild game coming up tomorrow. Dallas (10-1) and Green Bay (10-1) play Thursday night at Texas Stadium. This is a HUGE game and could well determine who has home field throughout the playoffs. It is quite conceivable that both teams could run the table and win out after Thursday:

Dallas ' remaining games: @ Detroit, Philly, @ Carolina and @ Washington
GB's remaining games: Oakland, @ St. Louis, @ Chicago and Detroit

So the loser of tomorrow's game could be 14-2 and not have home field advantage...crazy. NFC is weak, weak, weak. And I don't know about you but I'm not too crazy about Dallas going up to Green Bay in mid-late January for the playoffs as that is a brutal place to play AND Dallas has NEVER won at Green Bay (they have won in Milwaukee, but not Green Bay). But then again, Brett Farve has never won at Texas Stadium so the idea of the Packers coming back down to Dallas for a possible NFC Championship game may not thrill Packer fans.

I'm not buying into this 'Dallas is going to win by at least 2 TDs crap' that I'm hearing in the local media. I think this is going to be a close game and the one that scores last may end up winning. I see this game shaping up like Dallas' first game this year vs. the Giants, with Dallas winning closely in the end. But I can also see the game going GB's way too because Dallas' secondary is the Achilles heel of the team and passing the ball is what GB does best.

I fear what Farve is going to do to Dallas' secondary. Really, the times that Dallas has faced a decent, or better, QB this year their defensive backfield has been carved up. Look what Eli Manning and Jason Campbell did (I think Campbell is maybe a touch better than Q-Car, but not much) not to mention Tom Brady. I don't want to beat a dead horse but you know the Pack are going to try to get Roy Williams in coverage and you also know if that happens the chances of that pass going for big yardage or even a touchdown are pretty great. Green Bay is running the ball better these days with Ryan Grant so Dallas can't just sit back and wait for Farve to pass every down.

Plus, I think this may be the best defense Dallas has faced to this point. The Packers defensvie line gets after the QB pretty good and if Romo is careless with the ball (as he has been a couple of times this year) then Green Bay has two great cornerbacks in Charles Woodson and Al Harris who can take it back for a score if they get an interception.

I'm not saying GB is going to win but I really think Dallas' only shot is to outscore the Packers. Offensively, I give a slight nod to Dallas and defensively GB is just better in my opinion b/c the Packers have the superior secondary. I don't know...I'm trying to talk myself into Dallas winning by 14-17 pts but for that to happen, I really think GB (and Farve) is going to have to play very badly with Dallas taking advantage of every opportunity...and I just don't think that will happen.

In the end, I think Dallas will win by 3-7 pts...Dallas 35, Green Bay 31.

J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets

Well, Thanksgiving Day is upon us once again. I say this every year but I can't believe it came so quick. I'm sure our family does the same thing that most families do on this day. We sleep in late (or try if we have little ones), eat a later breakfast, sit down for Thanksgiving Dinner about 2:00 and settle in for the Cowboys game about 3:15. Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for everything God has blessed you with. I am blessed to have been given a beautiful and loving wife, a healthy son, good family and friends, a good job to provide for my family and the Cowboys being 9-1 after 10 games (most people, my wife included will probably roll their eyes at that last one...but hey, up until recently America's Team hasn't been very blessed).

The Thanksgiving Day football tradition continues today when Dallas takes on the NY Jets who happen to be 2-8. Now I really don't think Dallas will lose (I spelled it right that time, Chance/Ryan) but there are a few things that scare me about the Jets. Pittsburgh, who everyone thought (and really still thinks) is a top tier AFC team got beat by the Jets in OT this past weekend. That was definitely a "what?" game. That could have been a fluke game where Pittsburgh took for granted they would beat the Jets and wound up getting beat themselves. But of the Jets 8 losses, 6 of them have been 7 points or less meaning that they have been in almost every game but just haven't been able to finish them out. And NY has at least one good player at just about every position, sans quarterback. Also, NY's running back, Thomas Jones, ran really well against what was thought to be a stout Pittsburgh defense. So even though Dallas' strength, on defense, is stopping the run, the Cowboys will need to be on their toes. And Leon Washington is probably up there with Devin Hester as far as running kicks/punts back...and Dallas' kick/punt coverage teams haven't been doing so well lately.

So, those are the things that scare me about the Jets. But even with all those things, I still think Dallas wins. I think that because the Jets beat Pittsburgh this past weekend, Dallas will not take them for granted...NY should have Dallas' full attention. And I think Dallas got a wake up call themselves last weekend when they almost let their game vs. a very mediocre Washington team slip by. In the NFL, you really have to be on your toes for every game because every team has capable players. So even though Dallas will be without Patrick Creighton today (he better be there next week vs. the Packers as Dallas will probably need to outscore Green Bay to win that one), I like Dallas 27-10 over the Jets.

The Deadskins

The are few teams in sports I dislike more than the Washington Deadskins (LSWho?, Filthadelpia Eagles, Neuter Lame Losin' Irish). It doesn't matter how good or bad Washington is, I've got no love for them and hope Dallas beats the tar out of them every time. Washington's coach, Joe Gibbs, is pretty classy though and makes it a little more difficult to dislike the team.

Washington comes to Dallas this weekend and, you know, I really don't know how they hang with Dallas. It feels kinda of weird saying that as I really haven't felt like that in quite a while. I think it might be close for a quarter, maybe a half of the game. Reasons I think this: Dallas' offense is really becoming elite and Washington is missing 2 big cogs on defense (Cornerback Carlos Rogers and Safety Sean Taylor); Dallas' defense has really started to play well and, in my opinion, will only get better with the addition of Tank Johnson in the nose tackle rotation; I look for Witten to have a big day and T.O. Owens as well; Dallas' 3rd down conversion rate is almost 50% (4th best in the league) while Washington is 38% (bottom 10 in the league); Plus Washington has won in Dallas 1 time since the late 90's and I don't see that trend broken this weekend. All that adds up to a Dallas win.

However, Dallas is now 8-1 and this team hasn't had that much success in the last decade really so it will be interesting to see if the team starts "believing their own press" and gets complacent. If that happens Washington, or any other team for that matter, will win. But, I really don't think that will happen. Romo is having too much fun, T.O. Owens is having too much success and the team looks like it's getting better and better each week. My prediction: Dallas 35, Washington 17.

Movie Review - American Gangster

I know this blog is typically sports related but from time to time I will probably post something unrelated to sports, as is the case here. The first movie I've seen, since July, is American Gangster. Now I typically love most things with Denzel Washington...I think he is a tremendous talent. Movies like Glory and Training Day are stellar examples of what he can do.

American Gangster was good, but not great. I mean, it was exactly what I thought it would be, albeit a little long (2 hrs, 45 min.) We've seen this story before though. It is basically the same story as Scarface, staring Al Pacino. There are some variations between the two movies (Scarface was more violent overall) but it was basically the same story.

The interesting part of the movie revolves around Frank Lucas' (Denzel Washington's character) double life. On one hand he is a cold, calculating drug king pin who isn't afraid of putting a bullet in someones head in broad daylight with many people watching. On the other hand, he looks like the perfect son who buys his mom a plantation style house, takes her to church every Sunday and hosts Thanksgiving dinner for his family. Denzel does a good job of the role although it isn't my favorite role he has played (again, Glory and Training Day were better on his part).

Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe's character) is the relentless "good cop" who finally brings down Frank Lucas. Robert's life was interesting as well because he had high integrity and honor in his job (he found 1 million dollars in unmarked bills in a car and didn't keep a single dollar for himself) yet his personal life was a complete mess. And again, I like Russell Crowe in this movie but it isn't my favorite role he has played either (Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind were better).

All in all, it was a solid movie that could have been shortened and made better. But, it was entertaining and worth a look. However, there is a lot of drug use, quite a bit of nudity (nude women made the drugs...they were nude to keep them from stealing any of it) and parts of the movie, especially the end, are pretty violent so leave the kiddos at home for this one.

The Beast of the East

Well, Dallas is now on top of the NFC East by 2 games (really 3 games due to the tie breaker Dallas now has over NY) and legitimately has a chance to run the table and go undefeated in the division. I'm not saying it will happen for sure but they stand a solid chance of doing it. Dallas surprised me for the second straight week. Last week, I was shocked at how easily the Cowboys ran over Filthadelphia. And this week, I was shocked that Dallas won, much less by double digits. The Giants needed the game more than the Cowboys but yet when the chips were down, Manning seemed to crumble. Dallas was able to apply enough pressure to get him thinking too much. This was evident in the delay of game penalties he took. How does a QB have 3 delay of game penalties in one game? No excuse for that. NY is a good team but they have some issues to solve it seems if they are going to go anywhere in the playoffs. Manning needs to get a little tougher and not get rattled so much when things break down.

Dallas played very well but even in the midst of playing well, they screwed up a bunch. The Cowboys are one of the most penalized teams in the league and yesterday was no different. The Dallas penalty that drove me absolutely batty was right before half time when Kevin Burnett tackled Brandon Jacobs and taunted him. It wasn't even a great tackle for a loss or anything like that. The off-shoot of that penalty was the Giants getting a field goal and taking back any momentum Dallas had pulled away from NY. My bald spot got bigger because of that penalty. If I were the coach, I would have sat his butt down and played him very sparingly in the 2nd half letting him think about what he did. But, it's lucky that I'm not the coach because it didn't seem to hurt Dallas in the long run.

I do have a thought or two about T.O. Owens. I've heard people say within the past few weeks that he is a changed man. I've heard people say he seems more at home in Dallas than in San Fran or Philly. I've heard people say that maybe a leopard can change it's spots. Well, I say that is all hogwash. Do I like T.O. Owens? No. Will I ever like him? I doubt it very seriously. He is a tremendous talent and I like what he can do for the team. But the man, I don't like...just as I didn't like Deion when he played in Dallas. I cheer for the team whenever Owens makes a great play or scores a TD. I cheer for the Star, not the player (in this sense at least). Owens is on his "best behavior" because Dallas is 8-1 and he has played a sizable role in that. If Dallas were 4-5 and he had only 4 TDs and 400-500 receiving yds, things WOULD be different...make no mistake. I still think he can be a disruptive force and can destroy ANY team (and he has even said as much) so I just hope the Cowboys can keep him happy.

If things collapse in December the way they did last year, then you WILL see the other side of T.O. Owens and it won't be pretty.

G-Men vs. Los Vaqueros...Rd. 2

Well, it's Saturday night before Dallas and NY play and to tell you the truth, I don't have a strong sense of how the game will go. For instance, I just knew Dallas would beat Buffalo...and they did, albeit they didn't make it easy to watch. And I knew Dallas would get beat by New England. But tomorrow's game...I don't know, I just don't have a strong feeling either way. I guess I'm about 52% sure that NY will find a way to win. I've been thinking it over all week and there are several reasons why I think Dallas will loose, but there are several reasons I think Dallas will win too.

First, I'll go over why I think Dallas could win. I truly believe that Dallas is the best team in the NFC and will remain so the rest of the year (no second December meltdown like last year) having a very good shot at home field advantage in the playoffs and possibly their 9th trip to the Super Bowl. Tony Romo is part Jedi knight and somehow makes winning look easy. The team seems to have gelled pretty well and T.O. Owens has, for the most part, kept his big mouth shut and even played a couple of good games too...plus, Dallas' true deep threat (Terry Glenn) has yet to play a snap so who knows what that offense will do once he can come back! The defense has gotten better since the beginning of the year, still hasn't allowed a 100 yd rusher this year and now Dallas will add another cog in Tank Johnson who can be important in the rotation at nose guard. Dallas is also not afraid or intimidated about playing on the road (see the pounding Dallas gave Filthadelphia last week). So you mix all that up in a pot and what possibly comes out is a "W" for the Cowboys.

Now, reasons why I think Dallas could loose. The Giants, after starting off 0-2 have won 6 straight (even though their last 4 wins were against arguable the worst 4 teams in the NFL). Their defense has really started getting after the QB (they sacked McNabb 12 times in one game) and has played very well during their 6 game win streak. Manning has also improved as the year has progressed and the chemistry he has with WR Plaxico Burress is downright lethal. Brandon Jacobs was the most prolific RB in the league in the last month gaining 100 yds in 3 of the last 4 games. Dallas' secondary is still a question mark, to me, and if NY can get Roy Williams isolated in pass coverage, that will probably either go for major yardage or a touchdown for NY. Plus in this series, in the last 9-10 years, it seems the home team usually fairs better than the road team. So you mix all that up in a pot and what possibly comes out is an "L" for the Cowboys.

If Dallas were playing this in the friendly confines of Texas Stadium, I really think I would pick them to win without hesitation. However, they are playing in NY whose fans dislike Dallas almost as much as Philly fans, so the stadium and atmosphere is going to be rockin'. I think the game is going to be like last year's game in NY where the game will be close and in the end, one team will make one more play than the other which will probably be the difference in the game. And because the game is in NY, I think the Giants win the game by 3-7 pts.

I certainly do hope I'm wrong. A friend of mine that lives in NY and is a Giants fan, Mike Luciano, emailed that he is going to the game and will have a picture of Lawrence Taylor tattooed to his left pec. I just have this feeling Mike will be leaving Giants Stadium in a good mood. And while I normally would never wish any ill will on any friend, I do hope Mike leaves the stadium a little dejected because somehow Dallas pulls out a victory. But I guess we will see...

The City of Brotherly Shove

Most of you who know me know that I have absolutely no love for Philadelphia. In fact, you might have heard me say more than a few times that there are very few redeemable things, besides the cheese steak, Rocky Balboa and my friend Matt Lynskey (one of the best guys I know), that have ever come out of Philly. I don't necessarily dislike the team, per se, and I think Andy Reid is a solid coach. But as far as the fans and the people of the city, they live in a cauldron of hate. They hate their mothers, their fathers, their sisters, their brothers, they person sitting next to them on the city bus, they hate the people they work with, etc. They live to hate. I mean, the Eagles fans once threw battery filled snow balls at Santa...Santa! If they will do that to jolly ole St. Nick, where do they stop? And if you're the QB for the Eagles and you throw 3 TDs and 1 pick, the fans will boo you for throwing that interception rather than cheer you for throwing 3 TDs. They live play by play and it's definitely a "what have you done for me lately (as in the most recent play)" city.

It really seems they hate no city more than Dallas and no team more than the Cowboys. The only time Philadelphians tolerate each other is when they galvanize in the Vet, or now the Link, against America's Team. I remember in the late 90's, when Dallas was playing in Philly, Micheal Irvin was hit by a Philly defender and lay motionless on the turf for several minutes. He ended up being lifted onto a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and taken to the hospital...motionless the whole time. And the sorry fans of Philly cheered. They actually cheered that someone might have just been paralyzed right in front of them. They loved it. I don't think I have ever exhibited worse behavior by a group of fans than that. It's no wonder why the Eagles stadium actually has a judge and a jail inside of it.

Dallas has beaten Philadelphia only 1 time, in Philly, since 2000 (only 3 times total in that span). So needless to say, the Eagles fans have had a lot to cheer about lately. There really is not another game that I dread more than when Dallas plays Philly in Philly. Every year, it just seems they are filled with venom when Dallas comes to town. And the team feeds off that which usually produces good results for the Eagles. However, I sense an ill wind blowing in the face of all those mullet headed, pizza-stained-shirt-wearing Eagles fans.

This year, the Eagles have been up and down every week. You never quite know which team is going to show up. They hang 50+ points on Detroit one week and then get man handled by the Giants the next week. Currently, they are last in the NFC East and even though they have won 2 of their last 3 games, if they have any hope of getting back into the race, they really can't afford to loose this weekend.

However, the Cowboys are returning from some much needed rest on their bye week. And this Dallas team is much different than the Dallas teams from recent years. They have more weapons on offense, they have an offensively minded offensive coordinator, they now have a QB that is half Jedi knight, and their defense can create turnovers and pressure the QB more than in recent years. And even though Philly needs the game more than Dallas does and the game is being played at night, I think Dallas does what it needs to do to win. I don't know how they will do it but someone for Dallas will make enough plays on offense and defense to come out of Philly victorious weather it be by 1 point or 10 points. And even if Philly does loose, the witch won't be dead just yet...but she will be well on her way.

A Subject I Never Thought I Would Blog About

Baylor football. Yes, that's right, I said Baylor football. And I'll bet the 2 or 3 people that actually read this thing never thought in a million years I would have any opinion(s) about Baylor football, especially since I didn't even go there. However, I do have a few good friends that did (and my wife has a few as well) so I am well versed on the subject.

I know every just about every fall season, in recent memory, Baylor has been the big punch line around the Big XII, the school other schools try to schedule for their homecoming. Since the Big XII's creation in 1996, Baylor has 11 conference wins. Kids, that ain't too good. However, being as I went to Mississippi State, I too have been treated to some baaaddddd football in recent years. But things are looking up for State this year which bring me to my point. Everything, and I mean everything, in life (and in sports) is on the wheel. Good teams don't stay good forever and bad teams don't stay bad forever.

I'll give you 2 examples: Nebraska and Kansas State (both Big XII schools coincidentally). Since the dawn of time, it seems Nebraska has had a good football team, that is until the last 4 years. Nebraska went to 25 straight bowl games and had 3 national championships and they were almost impossible to beat in Lincoln. Fast forward to 2007 and where is the team now? Average at very best (and sometimes not even that). Another fine example of a team you never thought would disappear from the top 25 polls is Florida State...they will be lucky to go to a bowl this year.

My second example is Kansas State. Kansas State was dubbed in 1989 by Sports Illustrated as "the worst college football team in history." If Baylor is barely on the conference radar, K-State wasn't even registering on the radar. However, 10 years later, they were one of the best teams in the country (albeit with mostly juco players).

Baylor is a fine school. They seem to be at least competitive, if not very good, in all sports besides football. And I know I may sound loony when I say this but Baylor will not be the doormat of the Big XII much longer. I have nothing to base that on except my 'wheel theory'. But if MS State who competes, recruiting wise, with LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, Florida St., Miami, and Georgia can become competitive again, then Baylor will figure out how to become competitive and get back to the level they were at in the '80's when they went 66-46 in SWC games.

Baylor needs a couple of things for this to happen. First, Baylor needs to hire the right coach who knows how and where to recruit. All it takes is for Baylor to get one player like Chase Daniel (QB of Missouri who went to HS at Southlake Carroll) which I don't think is that far fetched. That kind of player makes other players around him better. Most Baylor fans will remember quarterback JJ Joe...that's the kind of player I'm talking about.

The other thing Baylor needs to do is learn how to win which is where the right coach comes in. The right kind of coach will actually change the climate from a loosing mentality to a winning one. This type of change is a slow process but once the ball gets rolling the momentum picks up and that's when things start happening. Guy Morris may, or may not, be the right man for the job. But I really don't think in 10 years, we will view Baylor the same way. Things may not change over night but I really do believe they will get things figured out and turned around down in Waco.

Take heart my Baylor friends and keep your chin up. Things could be worse for you...you could be a Notre Dame fan.

Running Up The Score...Thumbs Up or Down?

Well, this past Sunday while the Cowboys were on their bye week, the Foreskins were getting dismantled by New England to the tune of 52-7. And ever since then, all I've heard from those whiny little Washington fans, and players, is that the Patriots ran the score up on them. If you ask me if I think Belichick ran up the score, I would tell you yes. And to tell you the truth, I would also tell you I really don't have a problem with it.

I remember, when I was back at State, Steve Spurrier was coaching Florida and became very well known for running up the score. I remember watching Florida and South Carolina play one Saturday. Florida has some crazy lead, like 55-7 or something, and with less than a minute left in the game, Spurrier called a pass play that went for a touchdown. And he didn't care what anyone thought of it. If you were playing Florida, when Spurrier was coaching them, you knew Florida was going to try to win by as many points as possible...which is nothing different than what New England is trying to do.

Now don't get me wrong. I am NOT a Patriot, Belichick or even Boston fan. I generally have no love for that part of the country. However, all this crap about Belichek running up the score is exactly that...crap. Here is my philosophy about a team running up the score: if you don't want it to happen to you, play some freakin' defense and stop them from running up the score! It is that simple, it really is. I'll bet those sorry Washington players (along with their sorry owner) were sitting over on the sidelines feeling sorry for themselves thinking big, bad Belichick was just being a meany when what they should have been thinking about was stopping Belichick from being a meany.

Yes, the Cowboys lost by 21 points and 7 of those came in the final minute as New England scored a late TD. Could New England just have taken a knee and ended the game? Sure. But that isn't beating the other team into submission. That, in a sense, is giving up. If New England could beat a team by 100 points, they would. Is it well within their right to do that? Of course...just as it is well within the defense's right to stop New England from beating them by 100 points. With all the crying going on, you would think all those pansies up there in Foreskin land were wearing tutus and toe shoes rather than shoulder pads and cleats. This is football...and there's no crying in football.

The Mavs Don't Need Kobe!

Recently, rumors have started floating, again, that Kobe is demanding to be traded from the Lakers. He did this earlier this year when he came out on a radio talk show with Screamin' A Smith of ESPN and said that there was nothing the Lakers could do to get him to stay (later that same day, it was reported that he reversed what he said on this talk show). Now, Kobe is back at it with Lakers management and it has been reported that Dallas is on a short list of teams he would like to play for (Kobe basically can name the team he is traded to b/c he has a "no trade clause" in his contract). And while many talking heads on sports radio, ESPN, etc. think that the Mavs should trade the farm for Kobe, I say tap the brakes on that.

First, let me say that Kobe is probably the best player in the league and no one really comes close except maybe LeBron. But what has Kobe shown of himself? Kobe was the one that pretty much told the Lakers a few years ago that he couldn't play with Shaq anymore so they traded Shaq to appease Kobe. And how did Kobe repay them? By getting involved in that rape case in Colorado, which was a massive distraction to the whole team. Now, he is pulling yet another power play to get his way just like a petulant child. And the Mavs, for the most part, have not had to deal with this kind of crap before so bringing Kobe into this mix may not be the wisest idea.

Next, I'm not sure what the Mavs would have to give up for Kobe but it certainly wouldn't be cheap. Dirk for Kobe, straight up, would work but I'm not so sure I would do that seeing as Dirk is still young and will only get better in time. Kobe is not really old but is older and, in my opinion, has maxed out his game (even though his game is mind blowing at times). But the idea, for the Mavs, would be to get Kobe and Dirk on the floor at the same time. And while that intrigues me, in order for that to work, Dallas would probably need to give up Devin Harris, Josh Howard and Jet Terry, plus draft pick(s) to the Lakers. So what you would have is Dirk, Kobe and and bunch of guys, which would probably be championship caliber. My question to that is, what do you have if Kobe or Dirk go down? We all know Dirk has weak ankles and rolls/sprains them more frequently than we would like to see. If that happens, or even if Kobe goes down with some ailment, then the Mavs go from championship caliber to above average...just as the Lakers were last year.

And finally, let's not forget what the Mavs have done the past 2 seasons. I know they have performed 2 of the BIGGEST choke jobs in NBA history in back to back post seasons (I try not to think about either because they both sting). Dallas was on the cusp of winning the championship 2 years ago when they were up 2 games to 0 on the Miami Heat when Miami, with the help of Dwayne Wade, reeled off 4 straight wins to steal the championship from Dallas. Then last year, Dallas wins 67 out of 82 games during the regular season and goes into the playoffs the #1 seed in the NBA only to be the first team in NBA history to get bounced in the first round (in a 7 game series) by an #8 seed in Golden State Warriors (I STILL can't believe that happened...stinkin' Nellie). But, and it is a BIG BUT, the Mavs still got to the NBA finals AND still won 67 games with, primarily, the same crew they have now. And I think they can do it again. They may not win 67 games (few teams in NBA history have won that many) but I truly believe they have what it takes to get back to the NBA finals. So, let's not blow the team up just to get a mal-content in here in hopes that it will work out. And if Kobe and Shaq couldn't get along, what is there to say that Kobe and Dirk could coexist? Dirk would probably acquiesce to Kobe but you never know what Kobe would do with another super star on the floor. He is a knuckle head, that's for sure.

The Mavs will win a title. It may not be this year, but it will happen. And they can do it WITHOUT Kobe.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Introducing Adrian Peterson

I knew when Minnesota took Adrian Peterson with the 7th pick in this year's draft, they got a good player...I just didn't know how good because of a couple of injuries he sustained while at OU. But Peterson looks like he has regained the form he had when he was at his best at OU. Last week, Peterson put up 224 yards rushing against the "vaunted" Bears defense (although, this year, they really don't look so "vaunted") which was the most rushing yards EVER against any Bears defense. And Peterson did that to Chicago in Chicago which is always a tough place to play no matter when the game is played.

There have been a myriad of comparisons of Peterson to Eric Dickerson and I think those comparisons are accurate. It looks like though, that Peterson is about the only real weapon of note Minnesota has (just as Earl Campbell was for Houston in the late 70's). They have a few decent receivers but no real QB to speak of (watch him light up Dallas' secondary today just because I typed that). Anyway, even though Peterson was the really the only player Chicago had to worry about last week, he still put up 224 yards on them. If Peterson gets the ball and gets his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage, look out because he has the capability and speed to take it home every time. Peterson is, in my opinion, the rookie of the year (or at least leading in that category) and is probably one of the 3 best running back in the league right now.

Obviously, stopping Peterson will be the key for the Cowboys, who not only haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher this season, but a run longer than 15 yards from scrimmage since week one of the season. And if there is any running back I think can put up 100+ rushing yards on Dallas , it's Peterson. And although Minnesota has the best rushing defense in the leagues, they have the worst pass defense in the league so today would be a good day to get TO Owens going. Owens only has 27 catches through 6 games so I would expect him to have a pretty salty day today. I also expect to see Jason Witten have a good day too.

I think Dallas will get back to their winning ways today but if for some reason the Cowboys goof around and lose this game, then it could spell trouble on the horizon. The Giants are playing very well these days, Washington has a decent record (although I still think they are frauds) and you really can't count out Philly until that witch is dead. Dallas has to play all three of those in succession right after their bye week (Philly and NY on the road, Washington at home). So if Dallas looses today then they will be going into Philly on a 2 game skid which is not what I would want.

In the end though, my prediction is for a Dallas win, 31-14 which will send Dallas into their bye week 6-1 and with some much needed recovery time before they venture up to Philly to play the Foul.

Not Enough Time in the Day

Well, I'm not sure how many people, besides my wife, even read this as only a couple of people have even commented but I really do have more to say than I have posted...and it's not all about the Cowboys. I've got some HSO's about the Mavericks, college football and even a few things about life in general. I've just been really busy lately and have had much of a chance to post so start checking back and I will do my best to update a couple times a week...yes I have that much hot air to update a blog more than once a week.

Let me hear some comments though, even if it's just to tell me I suck at this (which I probably do).

Undefeated No More

Kind of like last week's game vs Buffalo, I don't really know where to start here. I'm not going to rehash the Dallas/NE game play by play as I did last week as it would depress me too much. However, the Patriots have done the exact same thing to every opponent they have played this season. I was just hoping Dallas would keep it a bit closer.

Dallas needed to play almost a perfect game to have a chance to win and they played far from perfect. The thing that was driving me insane this afternoon was the MASSIVE amount of penalties Dallas committed. They were the kind of penalties that kill their own drives or keep the opponents drive going. Dallas had 100+ yds in penalties while NE only have about 40-50 yds in penalties. I know of twice Dallas gave NE a first down b/c Dallas encroached when NE had a 3rd down and 5 yds or less. And then there was the holing penalty that Kosier committed which negated a nice run by Barber on a 3rd down conversion. Dallas is the most penalized team in the league. If they want to go to the Superbowl, they definitely need address that. A lot of the penalties are just a matter of not staying focused and/or lack of concentration. Dallas couldn't get out of their own way much of the time today.

However, Dallas did not "go quietly into that good night" without putting up a fight. At one point Dallas was down 14-0 and then went up 24-21 in the 3rd quarter. But the offensive machine that is New England just drove right down the field. Just as I said in my previous post, New England has entirely too many weapons to cover at the same time. They kind of remind me of the early - mid 90's Cowboys team although I definitely think those Cowboys teams would put a hurtin' on this New England team (New England doesn't have the offensive line or defense Dallas had back then). But for right now, New England is the best in the NFL. I don't think they will go undefeated...I don't think that will ever happen again. But I'm not sure where they will loose either. Their best chance to loose is to Indy in a few weeks but I guess we will see.

Dallas played pretty well, even with all the penalties they committed, on both sides of the ball. The offense, as usual, got going a bit late but when they did, NE was having a hard time dealing with all their weapons. Romo had a pretty good day, Witten was more productive than I thought he would be and we finally saw a little something out of Julius Jones. Marion Barber ran hard like usual...I love watching that guy run the ball. However, TO Owens didn't have the game I thought he would have. I actually thought he would have the type of game Randy Moss had for NE...but I was wrong. He needs to step up his game and do it now...not later but now.

The defense just couldn't hold up under the assault of the NE offense. They did play well for a while but with Anthony Henry out, Dallas really had no answer for the plethora of receivers NE threw at them. And you could really see Dallas' defense wilting during the last drive NE had. They just looked disinterested in stopping NE. Roy Williams had a couple nice plays but also had a couple bone-headed plays as well. I swear someone needs to teach that guy how to TACKLE, which involves wrapping up and making sure the opponent is on the ground. How many times have we all seen Roy just lay his shoulder into someone while looking for the big SportsCenter highlight. Absolutely ridiculous at this level.

I'll tell you where I think Dallas lost the game. NE had just gone up by 14 and Tyson Thompson took the ensuing kickoff back 70+ yds. Dallas put together a few good plays after that to get down to the 5. Finally with a 4th goal at the 5, down 2 scores, Wade decides to kick a field goal. That is where Dallas lost the game. That decision, in my opinion, sucked the air right out of the team and the stadium...you could hear it on tv. My wife, who normally doesn't watch football games with me was watching then and said the decision didn't make sense to her either. That field goal put Dallas down by 11...they were still down 2 touch downs regardless. I know it's easy to look back with hindsight but I was telling Wade right then he should go for the touch down. If Dallas gets the touchdown, the crowd is energized, the team is energized and NE has it's work cut out for it. If Dallas doesn't get the touch down, they are still down 2 scores so the field goal doesn't make any sense to me at that point.

I had a friend at church today trying to convince me Dallas was going to win. I asked him to convince me of that and he pointed to Monday night's win (vs. Buffalo) asking me if I expected that to happen. And then he said "you've just got to have faith." Well, sorry Carlos but I told you exactly what was going to happen...and it came to fruition (but I do applaud your faith). But, big picture wise, Dallas is still the best team in a weak NFC. This game doesn't change my opinion of them. I mentioned before that I didn't trust the defense and they somewhat proved me right although they played better than I expected. The loss stings a little but doesn't hurt because I think Dallas is going to beat Minnesota next week, get healthy during the bye week and come out guns blazing for the 2nd half of the season. I still think they have the inside track to home field advantage in the NFC. Lets just hope if they do go to the Superbowl that they don't play New England.

The Game of the Season...The Way I See It

I'm starting to get nervous. Little butterflies are already starting to invade my mid section just thinking about it. This weekend's game vs. New England is, in my opinion, the biggest game Dallas has played since their last Super Bowl. I am sitting here trying to think of another game Dallas has played, since beating Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XXX, that had an importance equal to this weekend's game but I can't think of one. There have only been a handful of times, since the merger, that two 5-0 teams or better faced each other. And this is probably the most important game of any of those.

The game is important to both teams but it would hurt New England more if they lost than if Dallas lost. The NFC, as everyone knows, has been down for a while and this year is no different. There are really only a few contenders to challenge Dallas for home field advantage in the playoffs. Yes, the NFC is that bad that I'm talking about Dallas having home field advantage in the playoffs after only the 4th game. The only NFC teams that even look like they might challenge are Green Bay and maybe Seattle...I think Washington is a fraud (Campbell reminds me of a better than average Quincy Carter - Quincy wasn't really even that good). Don't get me wrong...I'm not totally counting out Philly but they look like they have some issues to solve. Anyway, if Dallas keeps rolling the way they have, things should set up nicely for them in the playoffs. However, the AFC is quite a bit stronger and if New England looses a couple of games, Indianapolis could very well get home field advantage (Indy's schedule isn't overly difficult). So, in the end, a loss on Sunday would be more costly to New England than to Dallas because New England has to keep pace with Indy.

This past Monday night in Buffalo, Dallas' offense managed to put 25 points on the board despite 6 turnovers, not much of a running game to speak of and horrible, awful, terrible games from it's 2 most talented players (Romo and TO Owens). And despite being mugged much of the night, Witten had over 100 yds receiving. The offense had a pretty poor night, overall, but still managed to pull out the win.

Dallas' defense played well though. They bent but didn't break. They allowed only 3 points for the entire game (the other 21 came on INTs returned for TD and a kickoff return for a TD). They stopped a 4th and 1 (with Marshawn Lynch running the ball) when Buffalo's crowd was really getting into it. However, as good as they played, they weren't really tested. Buffalo, not once, threw the ball down the field...just little dinks and dunks here and there. And with Newman not 100% (a 100% Newman WOULD NOT have been chased down by a WR) plus Anthony Henry being out, the defense is really going to have it's hands full on Sunday.

New England has been (and probably will be) the team of the decade. They have been the most dominate team since 2001 winning 3 out of 4 Super Bowls and doing it without superior talent and in the free agent era. I really did think the 90's Cowboys would be the last dynasty due to free agency and parity in the league but I was wrong. New England is a well oiled machine and has been for a while. And this year's team is better than any they have had in the past.

This year's Patriot team was pretty much dubbed the best team in the NFL from the start of training camp back in August and they have lived up to their billing, which few teams seldom do. Not only do they have one of the best all time QBs in Brady but now they have given him some cool weapons to use like Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker. Add to those a pretty freaking good RB in Maroney plus an awesome TE in Watson and what you've got is an offense that could set all time offensive records. Their offense is currently ranked #2 in the league (Dallas is #1).

The Patriots defense is just as good as the offense (their not the '85 Bears or the '00 Ravens defenses...but their aren't far from them). I mean when you start looking at names like Tedy Bruschi, Rosevelt Colvin, Rodney Harrison, Asante Samuel, Junior Seau, Mike Vrable and Vince Wilfork you can see how New England's defense is currently ranked #2 in the league (Dallas is #8). They are fast, smart and do what Belichek tells them to do. Belichek is a defensive guru and if your team has a weakness, he can usually find it...and exploit it.

So, looking at the game as objectively as I can, I think New England leaves Sunday with a W (I pray I'm wrong). I think that Romo will be fine...that game on Monday was not the norm for him and he will bounce back to have a good game as I think TO Owens will as well. In fact, I think the whole offense for Dallas will bounce back and have a good game despite playing the Patriots defense. However, I think New England's offense will be too much for Dallas' defense and I will give you the one main reason...Randy Moss. Every time he has played the Cowboys, and I mean EVERY time, he has had a HUGE game. And this Sunday will be no different. I'm not sure how to stop Moss. But if they can, by double teaming him, Brady can just go to Stallworth, Welker or Watson...oh and don't forget about Maroney either.

No, I think the game will match the hype. I think it will be a good game and each team will do it's share of damage to the other. But in the end, I think New England will have a little too much for Dallas. My prediction: New England - 38 Dallas - 28. I really do hope I'm wrong. And if I am wrong, then all that respect Dallas fans have been crowing about will start to be given and the Cowboys will be seen as a consensus front runner to win the NFC. But even if Dallas looses, this could be a preview of another game in Arizona on 2/3/08. And it's pretty dang hard to beat the same team twice in the same season that's for sure.

Oh...My...Dear...Lord. The Cowboys Really ARE God's Team!

I don't know where to start. I am stunned...literally stunned. I was telling a friend of mine today that I thought tonight's game, Dallas vs. Buffalo, would be close for maybe a quarter to a quarter and a half at the very most. I thought at that point Dallas would step on the accelerator and leave the poor little Bills in the dust just like they did with Chicago a few weeks ago. Boy, was I wrong...

Tony Romo's head didn't seem to get off the plane. He was just a tick off most of the night. His first pass was picked off and returned for a touchdown. His second pass was picked off. He also threw 3 more INTs (one of those returned for a TD too) plus fumbled once. At the end of the night, Romo was responsible for 6 turnovers. He was awful, awful, awful...most of the night. But, Buffalo never put the kill shot in Dallas. Buffalo let Dallas hang around and how many times have we all seen that come back to bite the team which doesn't put the other team away? I kept thinking in the back of my mind that all Dallas had to do was get another TD and they were back in business...if Romo would quit turning the ball over.

Dallas' defense played pretty well though. Buffalo's offense only scored 3 points. The only other points scored against Dallas were the 2 INTs returned for TDs and a kickoff return for a TD. In all fairness, Buffalo doesn't have a lot to work with on offense. The one thing they do have, Marshawn Lynch, is very good and will be for years to come. Before the season I told someone I thought the Bills and the Lions would be the surprise teams of the year and the reason I said the Bills was because of Lynch. But Buffalo had 8 different starters on IR already and their QB is their backup, a rookie who was playing for Stanford this time last year. So, all Dallas had to do was keep Buffalo's offense in check...and they did. To win the game, Buffalo's offense had to get 6 points, that's it...only 6. But they could only muster 3.

So here Dallas is at the end of the game. They just scored to cut the lead to 24-22. Dallas has to go for a 2 point conversion. Romo throws a fade to TO and for a second, I thought he came down with it but the defender stripped the ball away (I wanted to kill TO at that moment). I looked at my wife, who watched the final minute with me (no doubt rethinking her decision to marry this 'Mr Hyde' ) and told her that was the game. I told her Dallas would probably try an onside kick but that those hardly ever work. And I'll be darned if it did. Romo then threw a loooooong pass down to TO who looked like he caught the ball but upon further review did not. Romo zipped another pass to Creighton who went out of bounds with 2 seconds to play making it a 52 yd field goal. Nick "Ice Water" Folk comes in and kicks the game winner and I am literally going berserk...until they say that Buffalo called a timeout just before the snap. All I could think of was that Auburn's kicker did this a few weeks ago vs Florida so hopefully Nick could deliver as well. And he drained it...silence (except the Cowboy fans) at Ralph Wilson Stadium. And this time, it was good.

Dallas had absolutely no business winning that game. The gave the ball away 6 times, allowed 2 INT returns for TD, allowed a kickoff return for a TD and never lead until after the game clock read 0:00. But at the end of the day, all that matters is that Dallas came away with one more point than Buffalo. Before tonight's game, my favorite regular season game of all time was the 1999 opener in Washington that Dallas won 41-35 in OT...but not now. This is a game that will be shown and remembered with the Hail Marry. Tonight, Dallas really did prove they ARE God's favorite team.

Gut Check Saturday

Well, in the days leading up to the UT-OU showdown yesterday, there wasn't one writer, analyst or commentator that gave Texas much of a shot, even to be competitive. My prediction was a 17 point OU win and I even thought that was a bit conservative. OU has been dominant every week but last week (vs. Colorado, in Boulder I might add) and the reason they lost was they got out to a lead (like every other week) and stopped attacking...basically, OU's loss last week was a bit of a fluke. Texas, however got thumped pretty hard (in AUSTIN) by Kansas State which has a better team than I thought, but Texas played very sloppy and poor. So, Texas' loss wasn't quite the upset that OU's was, at least in my mind. Put those two elements together and I really thought OU would come out with, at least, a 17 point win if not more.

However, Texas played inspired ball most of the day. Colt McCoy was pretty sharp and the defense, even though giving up a few big plays here and there, played pretty well against an OU offense that is one of the best in the country. OU, at times, played sloppy and allowed Texas to hang around throughout much of the game. However, OU scored one more touchdown than Texas and walked out with a 28-21 win. So even though Texas lost, I was pleased they weren't embarrassed by OU like was the case 4 or 5 years ago. But one thing I got from this game was that OU is definitely beatable and not the machine I thought they were. They are still very good (and still in the hunt for the national championship) but they are beatable all the same. I'm not real sure the same can be said about LSWho? though.

LSWho? (#1) vs. Florida (#9)...in Baton Rouge...at night. Is there any better setting for a Saturday night game? Florida got stunned in The Swamp last week by a last second field goal loss to Auburn and I really expected Florida to rebound from that quite nicely...and they did. But when playing LSWho? in Baton Rouge and at night, you have to play almost a perfect game to win. And Florida hung in for a while but eventually succumbed to Death Valley and lost in the last minute. This was really the only test I saw for LSWho? the rest of the season. They are big, fast, strong, mean and nasty (pretty much like the majority of their fans). So, barring any fluky loss, LSWho should stroll through the rest of the SEC and on to the national championship game which will be, basically, a home game because the Superdome in New Orleans hosts the BCS National Championship game this year...just like when LSWho? won it in '03 pounding OU into oblivion. Forget Ohio State, forget USC, forget OU and any other team you can think of...LSWho? will be this year's national champion.

This is bittersweet for me because I dislike LSWho? with a passion but yet would love to see an SEC team win the championship like last year with Florida. Which is why I was hoping Florida would knock off LSWho and hopefully get back to the NC game. I'm not a Florida fan, per se, but always root for the SEC vs. other conferences. So, this year, I will have to swallow hard and cheer when LSWho carries the trophy off the field at the end of the NC game and just know that the SEC is the most dominate conference there is in college sports...that is really the only good thing I can carry away from Florida's loss last night. But since Stanford beat USC last night (in LA) anything is possible I guess...even an LSWho? loss.

Red River Rivalry 2007

Well, it's one day before the Texas-OU game and I've got to tell you, I'm not feeling it for the 'Horns this year. Here is a little bit about my background as it relates to each school.

I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the 80's and OU was one of the more dominate teams at that time. Now my mom, is all things Longhorn so I was raised with a definite anti-OU bias. But aside from that, I had OU shoved down my neck by just about all my friends and it got to be a bit much. Now I don't hate OU (as I do Alabama, LSU, Neuter Lame) but there is no love there. This is why I started liking the University of Miami b/c it seemed like they seemed to be the only ones who could beat OU when they played in the 80's (or at least that's how I remember it). Even though I was brought up watching Texas play every time they were on tv, I didn't have an extreme love for them either. In fact, I grew an affinity for A&M (mainly because it pissed my mom off at the time) and if I had grown up in Texas would have probably gone there much to my mother's chagrin. But whenever Texas and OU play, I root for Texas.

I've watched a couple of games OU and Texas have played this year. OU looks to be back to their dominating form (despite loosing last weekend to Colorado - I think they were looking ahead to Texas). Texas however looks like they are, somewhat, rebuilding. Texas is a good team but not what they were the past few years. McCoy reminds me a lot of Major Applewhite but still has some improving to do. I know, with a few of my friends, that saying anything negative about UT is borderline sacrilege but to be quite honest (and I hope I'm wrong) I see a big OU win tomorrow. Now this is a rivalry game and the records, for the most part, get tossed out the window when they play but OU has the better team.

My prediction unfortunately: OU - 31 UT - 14

Respect...It Is Given Once It is Earned

Ok, I am a Cowboys homer. I make no apologies about it. Everyone that knows me knows a few unwavering truths about me...I'm Christian, I'm a dork and I'm a Cowboys fan. In college, that was almost all I was known for...being a Cowboys fan. You all know someone like me, the over zealous fan you love to see in misery. You may not give 2 flips about their team...all you know is you want to see that team go down in flames just so you don't have to listen to how great their team is and how their team will never loose and, if on the off chance they do loose, it's because they got screwed by the refs and not because they lost to a better team. That over zealous fan was me in college.

When I was a Junior at Mississippi State University, Dallas played Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XXX. My fraternity was having a Super Bowl party at the house and all week I had people telling me I better hope Dallas wins or I will NEVER hear the end of it. The day of the game, I got up at 9:00 in the morning (early for me on a Sunday) and went down in front of the big screen tv and parked myself all day long waiting for the game. When the party (and game) started, our house was filled with most of my fraternity brothers and their dates (I however purposely did not get a date...I didn't want to subject anyone to what I would face if Dallas lost...). All of my fraternity brothers, but one, was rooting for Pittsburgh (their dates really didn't care...they were there to watch the commercials) which basically meant that the whole house was against me. To tell you the truth, I couldn't even enjoy the game knowing what was at stake if Dallas lost. I mean, if Dallas lost a regular game it was a party in the house for the next 2 days. I would get anonymous notes on my door and car, my phone would ring off the hook only to have 10 messages left with varying degrees of Dallas Sucks! left on my voice mail, any shirt I had with a blue star on it would be held for ransom...those are just a few of the things I endured if Dallas lost a regular season game. So, I couldn't even imagine what kind of torture I would be subjected to if Dallas faltered. And they came close...but in the end, Larry Brown saved my rear end and salted the game away with an interception return for a TD giving Dallas their record tying 5th Super Bowl win. Everyone in the house was dejected and left with a scowl on their face. Me, well I knew I dodged a bullet when Dallas won and ever since then, I've tried to temper my enthusiasm of being a Dallas Cowboys homer

But even though I am a Cowboys homer, that doesn't mean I won't call a spade a spade. Right now, I am cautiously optimistic but, in my opinion, Dallas still has to earn some of the respect a lot of Cowboys fans think they deserve. Why do I think this? Well, the combined record of the 4 opponents Dallas has faced this year: 3-13. And of the four opponents Dallas has faced, only one (Eli Manning) had a decent QB and he carved Dallas' secondary up like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Dallas' defense is a little suspect right now. I know they are getting better with each game. I know that Greg Ellis just came back and had 1.5 sacks vs. St. Louis. I know Terrance Newman is getting his health back with each passing week. But I just can't help but think that when Brady, Moss, and company come in here in 2 weeks, the result is not going to be any different than the last several times Dallas went up against Randy Moss. He has torched them almost every game he has play against them since he has been in the league. And if New England can get Roy Williams in coverage (and I'm betting they will figure out a way) then Brady and Moss will be playing backyard ball all day long. The only chance Dallas has in that situation is a shoot out which is where Romo comes in.

Dallas' offense is awesome right now. They don't seem to miss Terry Glenn like I thought they would so what are they going to be like when he comes back?!?!? Scary good?!? Possibly. Romo is the real deal and that scamper he made yesterday after recovering that errant snap over his head is what legends are made of. I'm not ready to put him in the HOF yet, but if he continues to play like he has this far and continually improve at the same time, then Dallas could well be heading back to elite status in the NFL.

Next week, Dallas should beat Buffalo. If Dallas plays like they can, and like they have, then they shouldn't have any problems against Buffalo. The TRUE measuring stick will come against New England in 2 weeks. Win, no matter how, and Dallas will have all the respect in the world. Loose, and it will be just another AFC power showing why the AFC is head and shoulders above the NFC right now.

Well, I'm Here...Now What?

Well, at the behest of a few of my friends I broke down and decided to start a sports blog. That's not to say that everything on here will be all sports, all the time...just mostly. I have no idea where this will go. I may get tired of it after a while or this may become something I do for a long time. Right now, who really knows. I might post a thought or two a week, a month or even a year...well, maybe not a year but you get my drift.

I guess I listen to a lot of sports talk on the radio (more specifically, The Ticket) and quite often I will have a comment I would like to call in and voice, but I never do. I have only once...after the Texans beat the Cowboys back in 2002. I called in at 6:00 in the morning and said that the Cowboys were gutless, that their performance was gutless, yada, yada, yada and kept talking until I heard a dial tone (I have no idea where they cut me off). My dream job would be to commentate either Sunday night or Monday night football or be a sports talk show host. But, I think it's too late for either of those career choices so this is the closest I can come.

Maybe there will be a reader or two, maybe not. Either way, "my toes are still tappin" as Mike Damone would say (that would be an 80's reference - Fast Times at Ridgemont High - for those wondering who Mike Damone is). You will find I will probably have more than a few 80's references, movie quotes and terms used on The Ticket. Hopefully, this won't bug you too much but if it does, oh well.

Anyway, welcome to the world of blogging, somthing I never thought in a million years I would be doing.