Tuesday, January 09, 2007
The Vault
Here is the vault:
1. You knew it was going to end this way. I have seen to many games that were labeled "important" get ended this way. There was Lito Sheppards' interception returned for a touchdown, Mike Vanderjagt's blocked kick so I felt something was going to happen moments before that field goal was kicked. Unbelievable.
2. Let's get into what went wrong with the Cowboys. How does a secondary with guys like ex-Cowboy Pete Hunter and other guys who were working other jobs just weeks before this game hold Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn to 5 catches? Tapes have shown that Ownes could not shake off Hunter. There have also been reports that Owens does not know all the Cowboys plays. That could explain why he is not where the ball is thrown sometimes. The guy can barely block plus he has way too much baggage. It is time to let him go. If you cannot break off a guy who was not in the league a month ago, then you have no excuse.
3. Romo is taking a lot of heat for blowing the game. Did he blow it? Yeah he did. But there are so many other factors to blame for this besides the botched handling of the snap. Romo needs to put this past him. He cannot let this linger because you have seen what it has done to other people. I don't feel that Mike Vanderjagt never got over his missed kick against the Steelers last year and you saw the effects that had on him. I don't think Romo is as much of a diva as Vanderjagt but he does act cocky at times and I wonder if it came to a boiling point on Saturday Night. It is easy for all this instant fame to be taken away from you easy Tony, so you better start choosing the wise plays and not always be looking for the big play. Next year, the Cowboys need to get McBriar or have Romo's backup do the handling because that is really their job to do. Rarely does the starter hold the snap. Anyway, Romo needs to let this go.
4. Something also needs to be done about the balls that are being used. Why is it they use a fresh brand new ball to kick a field goal? I have heard quarterbacks complain about this before and now they have the opportunity to work with the balls they are going to use in the wek ahead. So why not the deep snapper, holder and kicker work with them as well? And don't use a fresh ball.
5. Besides the above it was a typical Cowboys game. Offensive line was being penalized for false starts. Roy Williams was getting beat deep. And TO was dropping passes.
6. Questions arise about Parcells future already. Do I think he will come back? I would think he would for this. This team is close to winning big. It still has some holes to fill but it is close. Parcells would love to go through a whole training camp with Romo and the Boys will have around $24 million in cap room to spend on these needs. Parcells would not leave and have some other guy come in to win it all with his talent. That is what Ron Zook is feeling right now.
I also do not think it lingers on TO. Owens is not a credible person in the locker room, unlike the Eagles where he had a lot of friends. So he will not divide the locker room but he will be a distraction. I mean the only guys I hear coming to his defense or seem to be buddies with are castoffs Mike Vanderjagt and Drew Henson. So it does nto really hinge on that because it's not like PArcells has to deal with this guy for 10 more years, just 1. I still they should let TO go, but I just feel it depends on whether Parcells stays or not.
7. Should Parcells stay? Has he done enough to merit staying, say if his name was Dave Campo and the last few years was his record, he would have been gone I feel. Parcells has upgraded the talent since the Campo years and laid out a good foundation, but not by a whole lot. But he has added credibility and importance back to this franchise. If Jones were to go back to the days of being in charge of hiring coaching staffs, running the draft, the franchise will be a joke like it was with Gailey and Campo. That is my big fear. That Jerry Jones will go back to those days and hire a figurehead mainly to coach the team. And we all now how that felt. Still the franchise has 0 division titles and 0-2 playoff record plus 34-32 record since he has been here. I say go with Parcells. Hey it is better than 15-32 (Campo record).
8. Like I was saying before TO should be let go. This fool has done nothing to really enhance the talent around us, not a difference-maker. Tim Cowlinshaw of the Dallas Morning NEws broke down Owens' season and showed that none of the wins really secured a victory for the Cowboys this season. Let him go and our headache is gone. It is just not worth it and I don't feel he made the talent around him better.
9. Other off-season moves the Cowboys should make are:
QB-Romo is the starter, get him to get over the debacle in Seatlle and refocus for the upcoming season, get in rhythm with his receivers and sign a veteran backup because Drew Bledsoe will not be back.
RB-Try to get MArion Barber more touches in the gameplan and try to find ways of opening lanes and using Julius' Jones talents to the best he can.
WR-Cut TO. Try to find another receiver that is available to play along side Glenn. I feel Patrick Crayton is almost ready but not quite and the receiving corps even with TO was depleted so there needs more veteran depth. I would trade for Larry Fitzgerald of ARizona. Hey a first round pick for him would be worth it.
OL-Obviously needs an upgrade and whether it is free agency or the draft, we need more depth but also better coaching. If I were Parcells, I would hire a true offensive coordinator who knows the scheme well and can be creative rather than predictable. Also all this PArcells calls plays, than Tony Sparano calls plays sometimes based on what Chris Palmer and Todd Hayley day is ridiculous. One guy needs to be the guy and not hold mutiple duties. Hey how about Jim Fassel? I know he was run out but he was still know to be a good planner.
DL-With Mike Zimmers' departure to Atlanta, a defensive coordiantor with the ability to make adjustments instead of playing the same defense needs to be found. One of the criticisms of the Cowboys especially with the final month was that they played the same defense despite what the opponent was unleashing. With the DL Iwould see the probabilty of Greg Ellis returning. With his injury, he may not be the same but surely it would be better than the absentee pass rush we saw the final month. Reevaluate the rest of the DL to see if it was just a bad year or maybe if there are concerns these guys are not as good as first thought.
LB-Get more pass rushers again. With the pass rush mediocre, I do not know if Ellis would be used his or move back to the DL to get some kind of rush. There is still questions if Ellis will retire. Just get someone that can at least put his hand on a QB.
Secondary-Yeeshh. Get someone who can cover at safety. Roy Williams is now being exposed to what he really is and obviously needs help. The way the secondary has played the last few years should be enough to make Darren Woodson go into the Ring of Honor or the HAll of Fame. I don't know of anyone who is available in the offseason, but this an area of concern.
Special Teams. Keep Martin Gramatica. Hey he isn ot anything special but he is not Vandrjagt. Have Miles Austion and Tyler Thompson pair up on kickoff returns. Terance Newman needs to be a full-time punt returner. He looked an awful lot like Deion Sanders this year. Punter is solid which is sad because it seems like that is the only position that I don't have to address. That is not good.
10. Other NFL thoughts. I thought the Chiefs would run it all over the COlts. THey could not and they did not make adjustments. What is Herman Edwards thinking not opening up and see if you can try to win anotehr way?
11. The Colts defense better not talk trash to long. For a month or so they could not stop the run and now they talk like they are the next Doomsday.
12. MAn did you see Donovan McNabbs expression on the sideline? I mean try to look a little happy man. It is enough your mom is saying a Super Bowl would be bittersweet, but your expression does not help.
13. Too much made about Patriots coach Bill Belicheck pushing the camera man. The media hate it when something is done to one of their own so they hammer on anyone who does it.
14. Florida just ripped out the guts of Ohio State. I feel that the SEC will finally get soem respect as the toughest conference in college football. This makes a Michigan-Ohio State rematch look bad. Of course I do not even know if the two best teams in college football were even on the field that night. Because again in college football, the best teams are voted on and not played out on the football field. Again voted on. I do not want to hear that a playoff will dimish the Boise State upsets of Oklahoma and diminish the regular season importance. Like I said, an 8 tema playoff would put the winners of the 6 major conferences in and two at large. There is no guarantee who would get the at large so teams have to play full out. There will also still be controversy over the two at large teams. But is better than having the teams voted on. The other teams can have the other bowl games and the university presidents can still have their money they fell they will lose if a playoff happens. I mean men's basketball has the NIT, so the football scene will get the other bowls.
15. Ohio State just not look the Ohio State I saw the previous season. Some say the huge layoff was a factor. It could have been but Ohio State ends its seaon at the same time every year, with the Michigan game the weekend before Thanksgiving and they have success before in bowl games despite the long layoff. A factor yes but not a huge one. Florida had two less weeks but still a long waiting period anyway.
16. Ron Zook deserves a lot of credit because of the starters on this national championship team were his recruits. Zook was in a no-win situation with the Florida Alumni and he should feel sick right now beacuse he had no time to get these guys ready. I mean why coach a team when they give you only 3 seasons to prepare.
17. Why are college coaches eager to jump to the NFL? I know they want the next challenge but very few college coaches have succeeded in the NFL. Jimmy Johnson was one and yes Barry Switzer does have s Super Bowl ring with albeit with Johnson's players. What is so bad about making a legacy like Bear Bryant, Joe Paterno, Bobby Bowden, or Tom Osborne, where you stay at a place long enough and become a legend. That is what Pete Carrol and Urban Meyer can do yet they seem to be on an annual list of replacement coaches for vacancies in the NFL. Stay and o what you do best.
18. Saw Jim Rome is Burning interviewing Tigers legendary announcer Ernie Harwell. For a guy that is about to be 89, he looks better than some people I know who are in their fifties.
19. Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn are in the HAll and Mcgwire is not. I mean I don't think this is a surprise of any sorts. I just wonder how long it will be before he is in or ever gets in. I mean will they blackball him forever. I mean I ahve always had a problem with the mindset of well maybe I will vote for the guy in the second year and not the first. Wither he is a HAll of Famer or not. If he is, than it should be the first year. ANother minset you can say is that if you have doubts, than he probably is not a Hall of Famer. Of course McGwire and his situation are different. The question of is did he cheat. We only the lame testimony he gave at the Congressional hearings which suggests he cheated but it just suggests. There is also the mindset of steroids was not illegal when he took them, if he did. Also the theory that we not know how many players during this era were taking and who we should single out as a user and not a user by our own theories is not a wise way of thinking. I cannot make up my mind of this other than if I had a vote, he would not go in.
20. Too much is being made of this Rosie O'Donnel and Donald Trump feud. Who cares? Am I the only one that does not?
Vault is closed. Bye.
1. You knew it was going to end this way. I have seen to many games that were labeled "important" get ended this way. There was Lito Sheppards' interception returned for a touchdown, Mike Vanderjagt's blocked kick so I felt something was going to happen moments before that field goal was kicked. Unbelievable.
2. Let's get into what went wrong with the Cowboys. How does a secondary with guys like ex-Cowboy Pete Hunter and other guys who were working other jobs just weeks before this game hold Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn to 5 catches? Tapes have shown that Ownes could not shake off Hunter. There have also been reports that Owens does not know all the Cowboys plays. That could explain why he is not where the ball is thrown sometimes. The guy can barely block plus he has way too much baggage. It is time to let him go. If you cannot break off a guy who was not in the league a month ago, then you have no excuse.
3. Romo is taking a lot of heat for blowing the game. Did he blow it? Yeah he did. But there are so many other factors to blame for this besides the botched handling of the snap. Romo needs to put this past him. He cannot let this linger because you have seen what it has done to other people. I don't feel that Mike Vanderjagt never got over his missed kick against the Steelers last year and you saw the effects that had on him. I don't think Romo is as much of a diva as Vanderjagt but he does act cocky at times and I wonder if it came to a boiling point on Saturday Night. It is easy for all this instant fame to be taken away from you easy Tony, so you better start choosing the wise plays and not always be looking for the big play. Next year, the Cowboys need to get McBriar or have Romo's backup do the handling because that is really their job to do. Rarely does the starter hold the snap. Anyway, Romo needs to let this go.
4. Something also needs to be done about the balls that are being used. Why is it they use a fresh brand new ball to kick a field goal? I have heard quarterbacks complain about this before and now they have the opportunity to work with the balls they are going to use in the wek ahead. So why not the deep snapper, holder and kicker work with them as well? And don't use a fresh ball.
5. Besides the above it was a typical Cowboys game. Offensive line was being penalized for false starts. Roy Williams was getting beat deep. And TO was dropping passes.
6. Questions arise about Parcells future already. Do I think he will come back? I would think he would for this. This team is close to winning big. It still has some holes to fill but it is close. Parcells would love to go through a whole training camp with Romo and the Boys will have around $24 million in cap room to spend on these needs. Parcells would not leave and have some other guy come in to win it all with his talent. That is what Ron Zook is feeling right now.
I also do not think it lingers on TO. Owens is not a credible person in the locker room, unlike the Eagles where he had a lot of friends. So he will not divide the locker room but he will be a distraction. I mean the only guys I hear coming to his defense or seem to be buddies with are castoffs Mike Vanderjagt and Drew Henson. So it does nto really hinge on that because it's not like PArcells has to deal with this guy for 10 more years, just 1. I still they should let TO go, but I just feel it depends on whether Parcells stays or not.
7. Should Parcells stay? Has he done enough to merit staying, say if his name was Dave Campo and the last few years was his record, he would have been gone I feel. Parcells has upgraded the talent since the Campo years and laid out a good foundation, but not by a whole lot. But he has added credibility and importance back to this franchise. If Jones were to go back to the days of being in charge of hiring coaching staffs, running the draft, the franchise will be a joke like it was with Gailey and Campo. That is my big fear. That Jerry Jones will go back to those days and hire a figurehead mainly to coach the team. And we all now how that felt. Still the franchise has 0 division titles and 0-2 playoff record plus 34-32 record since he has been here. I say go with Parcells. Hey it is better than 15-32 (Campo record).
8. Like I was saying before TO should be let go. This fool has done nothing to really enhance the talent around us, not a difference-maker. Tim Cowlinshaw of the Dallas Morning NEws broke down Owens' season and showed that none of the wins really secured a victory for the Cowboys this season. Let him go and our headache is gone. It is just not worth it and I don't feel he made the talent around him better.
9. Other off-season moves the Cowboys should make are:
QB-Romo is the starter, get him to get over the debacle in Seatlle and refocus for the upcoming season, get in rhythm with his receivers and sign a veteran backup because Drew Bledsoe will not be back.
RB-Try to get MArion Barber more touches in the gameplan and try to find ways of opening lanes and using Julius' Jones talents to the best he can.
WR-Cut TO. Try to find another receiver that is available to play along side Glenn. I feel Patrick Crayton is almost ready but not quite and the receiving corps even with TO was depleted so there needs more veteran depth. I would trade for Larry Fitzgerald of ARizona. Hey a first round pick for him would be worth it.
OL-Obviously needs an upgrade and whether it is free agency or the draft, we need more depth but also better coaching. If I were Parcells, I would hire a true offensive coordinator who knows the scheme well and can be creative rather than predictable. Also all this PArcells calls plays, than Tony Sparano calls plays sometimes based on what Chris Palmer and Todd Hayley day is ridiculous. One guy needs to be the guy and not hold mutiple duties. Hey how about Jim Fassel? I know he was run out but he was still know to be a good planner.
DL-With Mike Zimmers' departure to Atlanta, a defensive coordiantor with the ability to make adjustments instead of playing the same defense needs to be found. One of the criticisms of the Cowboys especially with the final month was that they played the same defense despite what the opponent was unleashing. With the DL Iwould see the probabilty of Greg Ellis returning. With his injury, he may not be the same but surely it would be better than the absentee pass rush we saw the final month. Reevaluate the rest of the DL to see if it was just a bad year or maybe if there are concerns these guys are not as good as first thought.
LB-Get more pass rushers again. With the pass rush mediocre, I do not know if Ellis would be used his or move back to the DL to get some kind of rush. There is still questions if Ellis will retire. Just get someone that can at least put his hand on a QB.
Secondary-Yeeshh. Get someone who can cover at safety. Roy Williams is now being exposed to what he really is and obviously needs help. The way the secondary has played the last few years should be enough to make Darren Woodson go into the Ring of Honor or the HAll of Fame. I don't know of anyone who is available in the offseason, but this an area of concern.
Special Teams. Keep Martin Gramatica. Hey he isn ot anything special but he is not Vandrjagt. Have Miles Austion and Tyler Thompson pair up on kickoff returns. Terance Newman needs to be a full-time punt returner. He looked an awful lot like Deion Sanders this year. Punter is solid which is sad because it seems like that is the only position that I don't have to address. That is not good.
10. Other NFL thoughts. I thought the Chiefs would run it all over the COlts. THey could not and they did not make adjustments. What is Herman Edwards thinking not opening up and see if you can try to win anotehr way?
11. The Colts defense better not talk trash to long. For a month or so they could not stop the run and now they talk like they are the next Doomsday.
12. MAn did you see Donovan McNabbs expression on the sideline? I mean try to look a little happy man. It is enough your mom is saying a Super Bowl would be bittersweet, but your expression does not help.
13. Too much made about Patriots coach Bill Belicheck pushing the camera man. The media hate it when something is done to one of their own so they hammer on anyone who does it.
14. Florida just ripped out the guts of Ohio State. I feel that the SEC will finally get soem respect as the toughest conference in college football. This makes a Michigan-Ohio State rematch look bad. Of course I do not even know if the two best teams in college football were even on the field that night. Because again in college football, the best teams are voted on and not played out on the football field. Again voted on. I do not want to hear that a playoff will dimish the Boise State upsets of Oklahoma and diminish the regular season importance. Like I said, an 8 tema playoff would put the winners of the 6 major conferences in and two at large. There is no guarantee who would get the at large so teams have to play full out. There will also still be controversy over the two at large teams. But is better than having the teams voted on. The other teams can have the other bowl games and the university presidents can still have their money they fell they will lose if a playoff happens. I mean men's basketball has the NIT, so the football scene will get the other bowls.
15. Ohio State just not look the Ohio State I saw the previous season. Some say the huge layoff was a factor. It could have been but Ohio State ends its seaon at the same time every year, with the Michigan game the weekend before Thanksgiving and they have success before in bowl games despite the long layoff. A factor yes but not a huge one. Florida had two less weeks but still a long waiting period anyway.
16. Ron Zook deserves a lot of credit because of the starters on this national championship team were his recruits. Zook was in a no-win situation with the Florida Alumni and he should feel sick right now beacuse he had no time to get these guys ready. I mean why coach a team when they give you only 3 seasons to prepare.
17. Why are college coaches eager to jump to the NFL? I know they want the next challenge but very few college coaches have succeeded in the NFL. Jimmy Johnson was one and yes Barry Switzer does have s Super Bowl ring with albeit with Johnson's players. What is so bad about making a legacy like Bear Bryant, Joe Paterno, Bobby Bowden, or Tom Osborne, where you stay at a place long enough and become a legend. That is what Pete Carrol and Urban Meyer can do yet they seem to be on an annual list of replacement coaches for vacancies in the NFL. Stay and o what you do best.
18. Saw Jim Rome is Burning interviewing Tigers legendary announcer Ernie Harwell. For a guy that is about to be 89, he looks better than some people I know who are in their fifties.
19. Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn are in the HAll and Mcgwire is not. I mean I don't think this is a surprise of any sorts. I just wonder how long it will be before he is in or ever gets in. I mean will they blackball him forever. I mean I ahve always had a problem with the mindset of well maybe I will vote for the guy in the second year and not the first. Wither he is a HAll of Famer or not. If he is, than it should be the first year. ANother minset you can say is that if you have doubts, than he probably is not a Hall of Famer. Of course McGwire and his situation are different. The question of is did he cheat. We only the lame testimony he gave at the Congressional hearings which suggests he cheated but it just suggests. There is also the mindset of steroids was not illegal when he took them, if he did. Also the theory that we not know how many players during this era were taking and who we should single out as a user and not a user by our own theories is not a wise way of thinking. I cannot make up my mind of this other than if I had a vote, he would not go in.
20. Too much is being made of this Rosie O'Donnel and Donald Trump feud. Who cares? Am I the only one that does not?
Vault is closed. Bye.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
The Vault
Been a while folks. Give me a moment to dust the spider-webs in the vault and lets see what is there to offer:
1. The Cowboys will not go far in the Super Bowl with this defense. You got only two guys who are playing at good level and they are Demarcus Ware and Terance Newman. Yes I know Newman botched a punt return and was burned on a TD pass but he is the best we got. What were the Cowboys thinking putting pint-size Aaron Glenn on Roy Williams? Anthony Henry or Terance Newman could have been better. The problem with the Cowboys is they do not adjust their defense. They play with the same style all day.
2. One thing I do like is Tony Romo probably getting humbled. With the 4 game winning streak from the middle of the year to all the comparisons to The Natural and to the supposed hook-ups to Jessica Simpson and now Carrie Underwood at the latest, I worried if all this would get to his head. I don't know if it did, but I think it will serve better in the long run for Romo to have a few bad games. One, he will learn on how to overcome adversity, and two, it will keep him humbled. I know he tries to mimic Brett Favre and Favre did have that kind of swagger but that did not really develop or show until the team started winning. Romo needs to remember that Rick Mirer had a good first year and then no one heard from him again. At the same time, all first year quarterbacks need to make mistakes. That is how they become great. And he must know it is better to take the sack or the short minimal game than having to always make a play.
3. The fans booing at the game at Romo. I hope that was for the whole team. Can you fans remember Drew Bledsoe? The game would not have been this close if had been Bledsoe in the game. Romo did his best, he just tried to hard.
4. It puzzles me how TO can make a great one handed catch and gain a lot of yards, yet drops so many catchable balls. TO should and will be gone at the end of the year. I mean, all you Cowboy fans like myself cannot honestly say he has had a good year. Would our receiving corps be depleted if he left. Sure but look at some of the other receiving corps that are in and not in the playoffs. Can anyone name a Patriots receiver? How about a Chiefs receiver other than Tony Gonzalez? Eagels besides Donte Stallworth? Bad choice there because we were recently burned but you get my point. A receiver tandem of Terry Glenn and Patrick Crayton won't be the end of it. Remember Michael Irvin-Kevin Williams combo? Sure Glenn will draw double coverage, only the better to get Crayton and Jason Witten in single coverage. And with a full training camp with Romo as the starter, this will be good.
5. I did not see a big deal about TO visiting his old teammates in the Eagles hotel. I mean, did it really do any harm? I am not a TO supporter, but that was another overblown debacle.
6. Another question has risen and that is should the Cowboys let go of Parcells? The question all year has been will Parcells want to be back? Now I think the question is does Jerry Jones want him back? There is no question that the last 3 losses have to do with poor coaching. I am an avid Parcells supporter and usually side with the coach on most matters. But he needs to take his share of the blame for this loss. I mean the team is not fired up? No emotion? I am a Rangers fan and if you follow the Rangers there were questions about the recent Rangers manager, Buck Showalter being fired after 4 seasons of producing only one winning season and no playoff appearances. Rangers fans were critical of Showalter and his hard disciplined style and said after 4 years he needed to go. So lets use that analogy to see how the Parcells era is in the last 4 years. 4 seasons, 2 playoff appearances, 0 divisions, and 35-31 record. So, why is there no outrage for one the highest paid head coaches? That is all it produces plus the lackluster play the last few weeks?
I don't know if Parcells should go. I remember the Dave Campo and Chan Gailey years and I have to say I would not want to go back to that. There is better foundation left than what Campo left Parcells, but the bottom line is it has not produced.
I have kind of pushed for the Cowboys to pursue Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis, mainly because Weis was an assistant and offensive coordinator for Parcells so the style of offense and defense is similar to them both. I do not think Weis is going anywhere and there is no body that is available that really blows me away. Pete Carroll? Cam Cameron? Ken Wisenhunt? Russ Grim? Tim Lewis? Mike Singletary? Norm Chow? Jim Mora? Kirk Ferentz? Mike Zimmer?
Again no one blows me away. There could be a sleeper in that group but mentally and emotionally is this the best thing for the team?
The thing that worries me is that Jerry Jones will go back to his old thinking ways, you know where he thought by watching Jimmy Johnson draft players all those years that he could draft and hire just as well. You know where the coach was forced to take on the coaching staff of the owners' liking and sit shotgun to Jone's drafting of players and free agent signings. Rememebr Qunicy Carter anyone? So I have to ask, whose judgement do you trust more in evaluating talent, Parcells or Jones?
7. Seattle is banged up for the upcoming playoffs. They only got one healthy cornerback this week who is a rookie and just barely joined the team. All the other CBs are banged up including Kelly Herndon who has a broken ankle. The reason I give Dallas a shot is because they have not looked like the Seahawks of last year. And Dallas has had a history of playing well in Quest Field. With a banged up secondary, expect the Cowboys to open up to TO and Glenn. This will hoefully also open up the running lanes for Julius Jones and Marion Barber who seemed to have disappeared the last few weeks.
8. But the Cowboys defense is still the Cowboys defense and it will give up plays. The Seahawks offense was banged up but that a while back and they have recovered. Matt Hasselback, Shaun Alexander, Deion Branch, NAte Burleson, Bobby Engram, and Darrel JAackson will torch the defense of the Cowboys. Hey if the Lions cand Eagles could do it, these guys will for sure. Cowboys will win 45-41.
9. Other playoff games, I like the Eagles over the Giants because if there is a team that is in more freefall than the Cowboys, it is the Giants. Then on Monday, we will hear of Tom Coughlin getting fired. (Another coaching candidate?) As a Cowboys fan, I am glad to see Tiki Barber go. As a football fan, I will miss him. I mean where will the Giants have been this year without Barber? They will be searching for answers because they sure cannot rely on Eli MAnning, so look for the Cowboys to sweep the Giants next year.
10. I like the Chiefs in an upset of the Colts mainly because the Colts cannot stop the run and the Chiefs will give Larry Johnson 35-40 carries and just beat up the Colts defense.
I also like the Jets in an upset over the Patriots because the Jets have been overall been playing better football than the Patriots this year and I do not like the Patriots offense against that Jts defense.
11. Anyone catch the halftime of the Fiesta Bowl? Was it just me or was it odd seeing Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson sitting side by side analyzing a game? It was jsut so weird for me.
12. Dennis Green and Jim Mora were fired from their jobs on Black Monday yesterday. I think we all saw this coming. I just wonder if Mora was let go because of his verbal gaffe from a few weeks ago.
13. Broncos CB Darrent Williams was killed overnight New Years mroning when a vehicle that stopped next to his limosine fired bullets into his limo killing him and injuring two others. The death is a tragedy but let me say this, I don't care if it is New Years' Eve, if you are at a nightclub and are out a 3 in the morning, nothing good can happen.
14. I stood by the Michigan Wolverines when they were robbed of another shot against Ohio State. I felt they deserved the rematch. But they just played terrible yesterday. They had a chance to win and start nexy year as the number 1 ranked team in the nation. Now it is a waste and I am sure Michigan fan is calling for Lloyd Carr's firing. Looked at you guys at the M Zone and nobody has done it. Deadspin pointed out that the announcers, Brent Musberger, Kirk Herbstreit, and Bob Davie were saying how quickly the bloggers were going to call for Carr's head.
15. You know, you do not get a Notre Dame guy ( Davie), and an Ohio State guy (Herbstreit), to call the Michigan game. Don't you think Herbstreit was doing some fist pumps when USC kept scoring?
16. Good to see I was not the only one who saw the USC cheerleader without underwear on. Could not get the feed from YouTube but at elast she was cheering for the right side this time.
17. What a finish on the Fiesta Bowl! I have never seen play-calling like that at a high school game much less a college. I have always heard of the Statue of Libery trick but I have never seen it executed well in a game, but man that was great execution yesterday.
18. I hope this game makes the university presidents want a college playoff. As you know I have pushed for a 8 team playoff at the minimum, and after this game, I feel it needs it. A 16 team playoff would be better and I just do not feel this will take away from the regular season.
19. Boise States win gives hope for all the mid-majors who deserve a shot at the top teams in the nation. I feel Boise State should have a shot at Ohio State. A playoff would settle it onca and for all. Wishful thinking.
20. I had no problem going for two based on this reasoning which has been echoed by the media types and that is the Boise State defense could not stop the Sooner offense and the Broncos wanted to end the game once and for all and they felt it was their best chance. If they had lost, yes it would have been scond guessed but the reasoning is good, not like the boneheaded decision of the Cowboys in 1995 with Barry Switzers go for it on 4th and 1.
21. Boise State tailback Ian Johnson propsed to his girlfriend, Broncos cheerleader Chrissy Popadics, on live TV moments after the game ended. Nice TV. I just hope Ian was just not caught up in the moment. Now that he has had time to sleep on it, I hope he is not waking up thinking, What Did I Do?!
22. Nice comeback by Texas Tech against Minnesota. Down 38-7 and win it 44-41. Of course it was on the NFL Network and of course, I could not see it. Don;t get me started there on the NFL.
23. Alabama just is begging Nick Saban to take the job. The question is first when will coaches be held accountable for their contracts? College, NFL, and NBA coaches contracts have no validity to them because a coach can easily leave to another team. Second, suppose Saban does not take it, where does Alabama go from here? Bear Bryant probably would be spinning in his grave knowing that no one wants his old job.
24. Bob Knight became the all-time wins leader in men's college basketball. I missed the Bucknell game where he tied the record beacuse of weather concerns and was set to witness the tying ahd they lost to UNLV. Some have tried to downplay the record as if it is not that important taht is a record based on longetivity. He got the record because he coached a long time and it is not as impressive. The record is impressive though. I mean how many coaches who started coaching when Knight started are still around? For someone to coach 40 years is impressive. It shows you are a good coach. You can say what you want about him, he has his criticisms and deservedly so on some of them. He does have a temper and a very aggresive, militaristic style of coaching. But never have his teams been sanctioned or put on probabtion for rules violation (Jim Harrick, Jerry Tarkanian, Kelvin Sampson) and graduates all his players that finish with him through there time at his school. You cannot count people who dropout because they transfer to another school. His teams play their hearts out for him and many have learned a lot from him and used his teachings throughout their lives. The record is important and impressive. Unfortunately he will be remembered for his antics more than for his coaching.
25. There was a fight in hockey not too long ago and I cannot remember the teams names or the players involved, after all it was hockey. But the incident involved one player sucker-punching another player from behind knocking him to the ground and kept on hitting the guy.
Why do I bring this up? Where is the outrage from this? People made a big deal about the Nuggets-Knicks brawl calling Carmelo Anthony thugs and saying this is what is wrong with the game today. So where is the outrage for this? Is it race? MAybe. I think race is a factor. I am not saying what Anthony did was okay. It was not and he should be and was suspended. I am saying that there is a double standard between what happened in the NHL game and the NBA game. Hockey analyst for ESPN Barry Melrose says fighting must happen because that is the way hockey polices itself, that if there was no fighting, things would be worst in hockey. All I know is if players throw punches at each otehr in hockey, they go to a penalty box for a few minutes and get to come back in tthe game with hardly a mention of it. In the NBA it is the lead story on ESPN and we have all these analysts discussing who and what should be done to the players involved. Hockey needs to do something about the fighting and take it to the level of suspensions of the NBA and maybe it will finally wipe out fighting in hockey once and for all.
26. Barry Zito signs with the Giants. I knew there was very little chance of the Rangers actually getting him but I am gald he is out of OAkland, he had a very good record against the Rangers and almost no-hit us this year. I am also gald he is out of the AL and in the NL.
27. The Rangers traded their top prospect, pitcher John Danks to the White Sox for Brandon McCarthy. I had always said that if the Rangers were to part with one of the DVD pitchers in their farm system that John Danks was untouchable. Now Danks will go on to be a superstar pitcher in the White Sox organization and lets hope we can get a few good seasons from McCarthy. So far here is how I see our most important positions this year:
SP-Brandon McCarthy
Kevin Millwood
Vicente Padilla
Robinson Tejeda
Josh rupe/Kameron Loe/John Koronka
middle relief-Akani Otsuka
closer-ERic Gagne
batting order-
CF Kenny Lofton
DH Frank Catalanotto
SS Michael Young
1B Mark Teixeira
C Gerald Laird
3B Hank Blalock
RF Nelson Cruz
LF Brad Wilkerson
2B Ian Kinsler
Vault is empty , I am out of here.
1. The Cowboys will not go far in the Super Bowl with this defense. You got only two guys who are playing at good level and they are Demarcus Ware and Terance Newman. Yes I know Newman botched a punt return and was burned on a TD pass but he is the best we got. What were the Cowboys thinking putting pint-size Aaron Glenn on Roy Williams? Anthony Henry or Terance Newman could have been better. The problem with the Cowboys is they do not adjust their defense. They play with the same style all day.
2. One thing I do like is Tony Romo probably getting humbled. With the 4 game winning streak from the middle of the year to all the comparisons to The Natural and to the supposed hook-ups to Jessica Simpson and now Carrie Underwood at the latest, I worried if all this would get to his head. I don't know if it did, but I think it will serve better in the long run for Romo to have a few bad games. One, he will learn on how to overcome adversity, and two, it will keep him humbled. I know he tries to mimic Brett Favre and Favre did have that kind of swagger but that did not really develop or show until the team started winning. Romo needs to remember that Rick Mirer had a good first year and then no one heard from him again. At the same time, all first year quarterbacks need to make mistakes. That is how they become great. And he must know it is better to take the sack or the short minimal game than having to always make a play.
3. The fans booing at the game at Romo. I hope that was for the whole team. Can you fans remember Drew Bledsoe? The game would not have been this close if had been Bledsoe in the game. Romo did his best, he just tried to hard.
4. It puzzles me how TO can make a great one handed catch and gain a lot of yards, yet drops so many catchable balls. TO should and will be gone at the end of the year. I mean, all you Cowboy fans like myself cannot honestly say he has had a good year. Would our receiving corps be depleted if he left. Sure but look at some of the other receiving corps that are in and not in the playoffs. Can anyone name a Patriots receiver? How about a Chiefs receiver other than Tony Gonzalez? Eagels besides Donte Stallworth? Bad choice there because we were recently burned but you get my point. A receiver tandem of Terry Glenn and Patrick Crayton won't be the end of it. Remember Michael Irvin-Kevin Williams combo? Sure Glenn will draw double coverage, only the better to get Crayton and Jason Witten in single coverage. And with a full training camp with Romo as the starter, this will be good.
5. I did not see a big deal about TO visiting his old teammates in the Eagles hotel. I mean, did it really do any harm? I am not a TO supporter, but that was another overblown debacle.
6. Another question has risen and that is should the Cowboys let go of Parcells? The question all year has been will Parcells want to be back? Now I think the question is does Jerry Jones want him back? There is no question that the last 3 losses have to do with poor coaching. I am an avid Parcells supporter and usually side with the coach on most matters. But he needs to take his share of the blame for this loss. I mean the team is not fired up? No emotion? I am a Rangers fan and if you follow the Rangers there were questions about the recent Rangers manager, Buck Showalter being fired after 4 seasons of producing only one winning season and no playoff appearances. Rangers fans were critical of Showalter and his hard disciplined style and said after 4 years he needed to go. So lets use that analogy to see how the Parcells era is in the last 4 years. 4 seasons, 2 playoff appearances, 0 divisions, and 35-31 record. So, why is there no outrage for one the highest paid head coaches? That is all it produces plus the lackluster play the last few weeks?
I don't know if Parcells should go. I remember the Dave Campo and Chan Gailey years and I have to say I would not want to go back to that. There is better foundation left than what Campo left Parcells, but the bottom line is it has not produced.
I have kind of pushed for the Cowboys to pursue Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis, mainly because Weis was an assistant and offensive coordinator for Parcells so the style of offense and defense is similar to them both. I do not think Weis is going anywhere and there is no body that is available that really blows me away. Pete Carroll? Cam Cameron? Ken Wisenhunt? Russ Grim? Tim Lewis? Mike Singletary? Norm Chow? Jim Mora? Kirk Ferentz? Mike Zimmer?
Again no one blows me away. There could be a sleeper in that group but mentally and emotionally is this the best thing for the team?
The thing that worries me is that Jerry Jones will go back to his old thinking ways, you know where he thought by watching Jimmy Johnson draft players all those years that he could draft and hire just as well. You know where the coach was forced to take on the coaching staff of the owners' liking and sit shotgun to Jone's drafting of players and free agent signings. Rememebr Qunicy Carter anyone? So I have to ask, whose judgement do you trust more in evaluating talent, Parcells or Jones?
7. Seattle is banged up for the upcoming playoffs. They only got one healthy cornerback this week who is a rookie and just barely joined the team. All the other CBs are banged up including Kelly Herndon who has a broken ankle. The reason I give Dallas a shot is because they have not looked like the Seahawks of last year. And Dallas has had a history of playing well in Quest Field. With a banged up secondary, expect the Cowboys to open up to TO and Glenn. This will hoefully also open up the running lanes for Julius Jones and Marion Barber who seemed to have disappeared the last few weeks.
8. But the Cowboys defense is still the Cowboys defense and it will give up plays. The Seahawks offense was banged up but that a while back and they have recovered. Matt Hasselback, Shaun Alexander, Deion Branch, NAte Burleson, Bobby Engram, and Darrel JAackson will torch the defense of the Cowboys. Hey if the Lions cand Eagles could do it, these guys will for sure. Cowboys will win 45-41.
9. Other playoff games, I like the Eagles over the Giants because if there is a team that is in more freefall than the Cowboys, it is the Giants. Then on Monday, we will hear of Tom Coughlin getting fired. (Another coaching candidate?) As a Cowboys fan, I am glad to see Tiki Barber go. As a football fan, I will miss him. I mean where will the Giants have been this year without Barber? They will be searching for answers because they sure cannot rely on Eli MAnning, so look for the Cowboys to sweep the Giants next year.
10. I like the Chiefs in an upset of the Colts mainly because the Colts cannot stop the run and the Chiefs will give Larry Johnson 35-40 carries and just beat up the Colts defense.
I also like the Jets in an upset over the Patriots because the Jets have been overall been playing better football than the Patriots this year and I do not like the Patriots offense against that Jts defense.
11. Anyone catch the halftime of the Fiesta Bowl? Was it just me or was it odd seeing Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson sitting side by side analyzing a game? It was jsut so weird for me.
12. Dennis Green and Jim Mora were fired from their jobs on Black Monday yesterday. I think we all saw this coming. I just wonder if Mora was let go because of his verbal gaffe from a few weeks ago.
13. Broncos CB Darrent Williams was killed overnight New Years mroning when a vehicle that stopped next to his limosine fired bullets into his limo killing him and injuring two others. The death is a tragedy but let me say this, I don't care if it is New Years' Eve, if you are at a nightclub and are out a 3 in the morning, nothing good can happen.
14. I stood by the Michigan Wolverines when they were robbed of another shot against Ohio State. I felt they deserved the rematch. But they just played terrible yesterday. They had a chance to win and start nexy year as the number 1 ranked team in the nation. Now it is a waste and I am sure Michigan fan is calling for Lloyd Carr's firing. Looked at you guys at the M Zone and nobody has done it. Deadspin pointed out that the announcers, Brent Musberger, Kirk Herbstreit, and Bob Davie were saying how quickly the bloggers were going to call for Carr's head.
15. You know, you do not get a Notre Dame guy ( Davie), and an Ohio State guy (Herbstreit), to call the Michigan game. Don't you think Herbstreit was doing some fist pumps when USC kept scoring?
16. Good to see I was not the only one who saw the USC cheerleader without underwear on. Could not get the feed from YouTube but at elast she was cheering for the right side this time.
17. What a finish on the Fiesta Bowl! I have never seen play-calling like that at a high school game much less a college. I have always heard of the Statue of Libery trick but I have never seen it executed well in a game, but man that was great execution yesterday.
18. I hope this game makes the university presidents want a college playoff. As you know I have pushed for a 8 team playoff at the minimum, and after this game, I feel it needs it. A 16 team playoff would be better and I just do not feel this will take away from the regular season.
19. Boise States win gives hope for all the mid-majors who deserve a shot at the top teams in the nation. I feel Boise State should have a shot at Ohio State. A playoff would settle it onca and for all. Wishful thinking.
20. I had no problem going for two based on this reasoning which has been echoed by the media types and that is the Boise State defense could not stop the Sooner offense and the Broncos wanted to end the game once and for all and they felt it was their best chance. If they had lost, yes it would have been scond guessed but the reasoning is good, not like the boneheaded decision of the Cowboys in 1995 with Barry Switzers go for it on 4th and 1.
21. Boise State tailback Ian Johnson propsed to his girlfriend, Broncos cheerleader Chrissy Popadics, on live TV moments after the game ended. Nice TV. I just hope Ian was just not caught up in the moment. Now that he has had time to sleep on it, I hope he is not waking up thinking, What Did I Do?!
22. Nice comeback by Texas Tech against Minnesota. Down 38-7 and win it 44-41. Of course it was on the NFL Network and of course, I could not see it. Don;t get me started there on the NFL.
23. Alabama just is begging Nick Saban to take the job. The question is first when will coaches be held accountable for their contracts? College, NFL, and NBA coaches contracts have no validity to them because a coach can easily leave to another team. Second, suppose Saban does not take it, where does Alabama go from here? Bear Bryant probably would be spinning in his grave knowing that no one wants his old job.
24. Bob Knight became the all-time wins leader in men's college basketball. I missed the Bucknell game where he tied the record beacuse of weather concerns and was set to witness the tying ahd they lost to UNLV. Some have tried to downplay the record as if it is not that important taht is a record based on longetivity. He got the record because he coached a long time and it is not as impressive. The record is impressive though. I mean how many coaches who started coaching when Knight started are still around? For someone to coach 40 years is impressive. It shows you are a good coach. You can say what you want about him, he has his criticisms and deservedly so on some of them. He does have a temper and a very aggresive, militaristic style of coaching. But never have his teams been sanctioned or put on probabtion for rules violation (Jim Harrick, Jerry Tarkanian, Kelvin Sampson) and graduates all his players that finish with him through there time at his school. You cannot count people who dropout because they transfer to another school. His teams play their hearts out for him and many have learned a lot from him and used his teachings throughout their lives. The record is important and impressive. Unfortunately he will be remembered for his antics more than for his coaching.
25. There was a fight in hockey not too long ago and I cannot remember the teams names or the players involved, after all it was hockey. But the incident involved one player sucker-punching another player from behind knocking him to the ground and kept on hitting the guy.
Why do I bring this up? Where is the outrage from this? People made a big deal about the Nuggets-Knicks brawl calling Carmelo Anthony thugs and saying this is what is wrong with the game today. So where is the outrage for this? Is it race? MAybe. I think race is a factor. I am not saying what Anthony did was okay. It was not and he should be and was suspended. I am saying that there is a double standard between what happened in the NHL game and the NBA game. Hockey analyst for ESPN Barry Melrose says fighting must happen because that is the way hockey polices itself, that if there was no fighting, things would be worst in hockey. All I know is if players throw punches at each otehr in hockey, they go to a penalty box for a few minutes and get to come back in tthe game with hardly a mention of it. In the NBA it is the lead story on ESPN and we have all these analysts discussing who and what should be done to the players involved. Hockey needs to do something about the fighting and take it to the level of suspensions of the NBA and maybe it will finally wipe out fighting in hockey once and for all.
26. Barry Zito signs with the Giants. I knew there was very little chance of the Rangers actually getting him but I am gald he is out of OAkland, he had a very good record against the Rangers and almost no-hit us this year. I am also gald he is out of the AL and in the NL.
27. The Rangers traded their top prospect, pitcher John Danks to the White Sox for Brandon McCarthy. I had always said that if the Rangers were to part with one of the DVD pitchers in their farm system that John Danks was untouchable. Now Danks will go on to be a superstar pitcher in the White Sox organization and lets hope we can get a few good seasons from McCarthy. So far here is how I see our most important positions this year:
SP-Brandon McCarthy
Kevin Millwood
Vicente Padilla
Robinson Tejeda
Josh rupe/Kameron Loe/John Koronka
middle relief-Akani Otsuka
closer-ERic Gagne
batting order-
CF Kenny Lofton
DH Frank Catalanotto
SS Michael Young
1B Mark Teixeira
C Gerald Laird
3B Hank Blalock
RF Nelson Cruz
LF Brad Wilkerson
2B Ian Kinsler
Vault is empty , I am out of here.
