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November 2009
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Johnny Ringo of Plano East faces another former school

5:46 PM Wed, Nov 18, 2009 |
George Riba

Plano East won their first round playoff game last weekend, but things are about to get a lot more interesting for Head Coach Johnny Ringo.

Ringo coached at Irving MacArthur from 1995-96, a team he beat in the first round of the playoffs. This week, his Panthers face Coppell, a team he coached from 1997-99. But Coppell is different. He stills lives there and his wife, still works for the Coppell School District. "She knows where her lo...



Cowboys hit with injuries

4:43 PM Mon, Nov 16, 2009 |
George Riba

The Cowboys lost more than just a football game Sunday. Offensive Tackle Marc Columbo had surgery on Monday for torn ligaments suffered when he broke his leg in Sunday's game against the Packers.

Cowboys Head Coach Wade Phillips says there is a chance Columbo may be able to return before the end of the season. Offensive Tackle Doug Free, who filled in for Columbo on Sunday, will see a lot more playing time along with Offensive Tackle...



Bud Adams fined $250,000 for gesture

4:40 PM Mon, Nov 16, 2009 |
George Riba

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The NFL has fined Titans owner Bud Adams $250,000 for making an obscene gesture at Buffalo fans while celebrating Tennessee's victory over the Bills.

Commissioner Roger Goodell notified Adams of the fine Monday. League spokesman Greg Aiello said it is for conduct detrimental to the NFL. Adams was seen making the gesture while in his luxury suite and again on the field after Sunday's 41-17 victory.



Coach Joe: Cowboys are battered and bruised

2:30 PM Mon, Nov 16, 2009 |
Coach Joe Avezzano

There is a saying that goes, "Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you!" Now when the bear eats you, that's not a good day. You are lucky to get out alive and will probably be worst for the year. When you look back you will be glad that you got out alive. The Cowboys were one of the healthiest teams in the league going into the game at Green Bay, remember it can be a healthy team that moves on in the race, and a battered one...



Defending Belichick

2:10 PM Mon, Nov 16, 2009 |
Ted Madden

Quick reset from last night's Colts-Patriots game. Patriots up by 6 points, just over 2 minutes remain. Colts had one timeout left. Pats had a 4th and 2 from their own 28-yard line, and head coach Bill Belichick decided to go for it. The pass was bobbled and caught, but shy of the first down. Colts got the ball back needing only 30 yards to score the winning touchdown, which they did with 13 seconds left in the game.

In the post-game s...



Romo on leadership style

5:25 PM Thu, Nov 12, 2009 |
Joe Trahan

Winning cures everything. Call it cliche' if you want, but in pro sports that's about the most succinct way to sum it all up. Just win isn't bad either.

With that as a backdrop, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo waxing Tony Robbins today about leadership style, "the best leaders I've ever been around are the guys who obviously walk the walk, number one. You need to go out and do it and show people you're doing it day in day out, and pe...



TCU's Andy Dalton is underrated

1:41 PM Thu, Nov 12, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

How good is TCU quarterback Andy Dalton? Looking at the numbers, very good. But, as a junior, he remains one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country.

"I don't think you can measure how valuable he has been in the last season and a half. He went through his lumps as a freshman, like freshmen do. He's grown up and matured," said TCU coach Gary Patterson. "The game is slower and he goes about his business. You want great play...



Quoting Utah Coach Kyle Whittingham

1:25 PM Thu, Nov 12, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

I thought we played our best game of the year on offense on Saturday. We got into a rhythm and had good production on points, first downs and yardage. Eddie Wide and the offensive line had over 100 yards rushing for the sixth-straight week for a school record. It was good to see him get that, it was well deserved. Jordan Wynn played well in his first start. He was poised, confident and made good decisions. He had a high efficiency rating, and ...



Top 8 Teams of the Decade

11:56 AM Wed, Nov 11, 2009 |
Ted Madden

People love lists. More than that, though, people love to argue about lists. And our sports department's list of the Top 8 teams of the decade is sure to cause some debate.

If you want to see all the teams we considered, click on this link. We looked at 38 teams before deciding on a final 8.

Every night at 10:00, Dale unveils another team. We started Monday with #8, the 2004 Lan...



TCU football team needs a bigger campaign

11:03 AM Wed, Nov 11, 2009 |
George Riba

TCU moved up to 4th in the BCS standings this week but any hopes of qualifying for the national championship game remain slim. One reason, they have to jump over national powerhouses and BCS member teams to get there.

"Everybody will evaluate the Utah game, win or lose, and they'll decide are we worthy," says TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson. "All we can do is control what we can control and that's to try and win by one point."

T...



Broken Bow resident explains how he became a millionaire

6:29 PM Mon, Nov 09, 2009 |
George Riba

You may have heard that Michael McGee from Broken Bow, Oklahoma became a millionaire on Sunday. He was the lucky fan that actually picked Kurt Busch to win the race on Sunday.

So did he expect to win? "Never, this has been absolutely amazing," said McGee in victory lane. "They brought in 12 girls representing the top 12 drivers, and you didn't know what name they had on their back. I had it in my mind before I went out there that I w...



COACH JOE: NOW THEY'RE ON THE BIG STAGE

11:43 AM Mon, Nov 09, 2009 |
Coach Joe Avezzano

The Cowboys are always seemingly on the big stage, but on Sunday night they were front and center, as the football world tuned in to see the Eagles dismantle a Cowboy team that hadn't won a "Big" game in a long time.

The teams entered the game evenly matched as far as stats at the halfway point and record wise. Both teams showed a good plan and played with the intensity that indicates a rivalry between two teams that are not fond of e...



TCU will host ESPN College Game Day

8:18 PM Sun, Nov 08, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

TCU fans don't know what to be more excited about. The fact that they are now 4th in the most recent BCS standings or because their national attention is on the rise.

TCU, which now sports the highest BCS ranking ever for a team from a conference without an auto-bid, will host ESPN's College Game Day this upcoming weekend. The popular college football show, featuring hosts Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard, ha...



Busch wins Dickies 500 running on fumes

7:46 PM Sun, Nov 08, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

Sometimes gambling just pays off. Kurt Busch stretched a tank of gas to win the Dickies 500 on Sunday night. Busch took the lead after young brother Kyle, ran out gas with just two laps remaining.

Kyle Busch won the Nationwide and Camping World Truck races on Friday and kurt-busch-web.jpg



Eagles Westbrook a no go

7:01 PM Sun, Nov 08, 2009 |
Joe Trahan

Its official: no Brian Westbrook for the Cowboys and Eagles showdown tonight at the Linc. He's inactive meaning rookie LeSean McCoy gets the start.

A couple of other Philly starters on the shelf: LB Chris Gocong and DE Victor Abiarmiri both out as well and WR Kevin Curtis also on the inactive list.

All Cowboys starters are active unless you count PR/KR Allen Rossum. Advantage 'Boys.

...


Jimmie Johnson wrecks on lap 2

4:39 PM Sun, Nov 08, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

Jimmie Johnson came to the Dickies 500 looking to get closer to clinching his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup season title. His plan was altered after just two laps.

Johnson made contact with Sam Hornish Jr. on turn two of the third lap. The points leader looked like he was going to be able escape with just a minor fender bender, but lost control and slammed into the inside wall.

Using crew members from teammates Jeff Gordon an...



Jimmy Johnson return to Cowboys?

12:01 PM Sun, Nov 08, 2009 |
Arnold Payne

Jimmy Johnson on Sunday's Fox NFL Pre-Game show didn't deny the possibility of returning to his old team, the Dallas Cowboys, for another tour of duty as head coach.

In recognition of Veterans Day the network traveled to Afghanistan to recognize the many servicemen and women serving their country. In the special two-hour live broadcast, soldiers were allowed to ask the panel of host various questions.

One female soldier stood...



Eagles offense: setting it up to "take a shot"

4:35 PM Fri, Nov 06, 2009 |
Joe Trahan

I was privy to an interesting conversation between veteran Cowboys safety Gerald Sensabaugh and 2nd year cornerback Orlando Scandrick today in the locker room. The two were talking about how to defend the Eagles passing game. I'm no NFL coach, but I was able to glean this: when playing defense against McNabb, most of the time look for the ball to get there on a line. The two were talking about how to defend when one's back is to the quarter...



AccuScore Report: Cowboys at Eagles

3:07 PM Fri, Nov 06, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

DALLAS @ PHILADELPHIA

On paper these are two very similar teams with dynamic, young WRs and hot QBs. The Cowboys have the edge in the running game and if Dallas averages over 5 ypc the Cowboys are the 63 percent favorite. However, if the Eagles hold the Cowboys to under 4 ypc Philadelphia is the heavy 70 percent favorite. Donovan McNabb is projected to have an excellent game with 2 TDs and 250 yards passing. If Dallas...



Romo's prospects for Sunday

12:39 PM Fri, Nov 06, 2009 |
Ted Madden

Adam Duerson from si.com wrote an article previewing the Cowboys-Eagles game this Sunday night. His first few paragraphs talk about Romo's record in big games, which he defines as games against teams that finished the season with an above-.500 record. Whether that definitio...



Texas Rangers select Hurdle as hitting coach

4:24 PM Thu, Nov 05, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

From the Texas Rangers Media Relations Department:

Arlington, Texas - Texas Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels formally announced today that the club has named Clint Hurdle as the team's new hitting coach. The hiring fills the only vacancy on the Rangers' 2010 coaching staff.

"Clint adds another experienced, successful coach to our major league staff," said Daniels. "He's demonstrated an ability to communic...



#4 TCU looks to avoid upset this weekend

12:12 PM Thu, Nov 05, 2009 |
Josh Harvey


If Gary Patterson and TCU are going to finish the year undefeated, it's going to be tough road. Three of the four teams left on their schedule still have the ability to make a bowl game.

The Horned Frogs first test will be this weekend in San Diego State. The Aztecs are 4-4 and are coming off two big wins that make a bowl appearances seem like a reality.

"Anytime we have gone to San Diego, it has been a tough ball game...



Historic coach hiring

6:55 PM Wed, Nov 04, 2009 |
Arnold Payne

Nancy Lieberman, once the recipient of the Wade's Trophy, given to the nation's outstanding women's collegiate basketball player will be named as the first female head coach of the NBA Development League. The hiring of Lieberman as the new head coach of the Frisco NBA Development League franchise will mark the historic first of a female head coach in either the NBA or NBA D-League.

Team owners Donnie Nelson and Evan Wyly will make th...



NFL season too early to judge

12:38 PM Wed, Nov 04, 2009 |
Ted Madden

So after 8 weeks of the NFL season, we have a pretty good idea of what's going on, right? The Saints, Colts, and Vikings are very good. There are a bunch of teams that area really, really bad. And then a whole lot of teams somewhere in between.

But it's interesting to look back at where we were a year ago at this time. Washington began the 2008 season 6-2 (they finished 8-8). Buffalo was 5-2 (finished 7-9). Green Bay started 4-3 (finis...



SMU football players hope to go bowling

1:32 PM Tue, Nov 03, 2009 |
Ted Madden

We were out this morning visiting with June Jones and a couple of the Mustang football players. The turnaround is happening right before our eyes, SMU has a 4-4 record, including 3-1 in Conference USA.

We knew Jones would turn the SMU program around -- that's what he does. And they still have some work to do, because while they've won some close games this year, they've also lost a couple in overtime. But coming off back-to-back 1-11 s...



Numbers nugget: What does 5-2 mean?

2:25 PM Mon, Nov 02, 2009 |
Joe Trahan

Since Jerry Jones has owend the Cowboys, the team has started the season 5-2 or beter 8 times. The DMN had a nice breakdown of the results. Here you go:

2009 - 5-2: we'll see where this 5-2 start takes them.

2007 - 6-1: 13-3, won NFC East, lost to Giants in playoffs

2003 - 5-2: 10-6, lost in wild card round

1995 - 6-1: 12-4, won Super Bowl XXX

1994 - 6-1: 12-4, lost NFC Championship

1993 - 5-2:...



Photo Gallery: DFW's other local college team

11:49 AM Mon, Nov 02, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

While Gary Patterson and TCU are stealing all the headlines in DFW, June Jones has the Mustang .500 with a 4-4 record. Check out these photos from their workout on Monday.


Coach Joe: Good win, yeah but now

11:29 AM Mon, Nov 02, 2009 |
Coach Joe Avezzano

Everyone should be very happy with the way that the Cowboys dispersed of the Seattle Seahawks. The 38-17 win was done with great efficiency in every aspect of the game. Offensively, Romo had another mistake free game with 10 different receivers getting the ball, the defense made some key stops early in the game and applied pressure constantly on Matt Hasselbeck as they continue to improve, the kicking game was again excellent as David Buehler ...



WFAA Live: Cowboys/Seahawks Chat

11:11 AM Sun, Nov 01, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

...


Toys for Tots drive at "Mound Showdown" Tonight

3:39 PM Fri, Oct 30, 2009 |
Ted Madden

This from the Flower Mound Marcus and Flower Mound high school booster clubs. It's for tonight's rivalry game, played at UNT's Fous Field in Denton. Kickoff is 8 pm.


The football booster clubs from Flower Mound High School and Marcus High School will join forces with the US Marines collecting new and unwrapped toys for the "Toys for Tots". Everyone is invited to participate in the "Toys for Tots" collection on October 30th prio...



Ratliff hurts knee, game status in air

2:32 PM Fri, Oct 30, 2009 |
Joe Trahan

Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips says pro bowl defense tackle Jay Ratliff got hurt in practice yesterday.

Its a right knee injury, Ratliff listed as questionable on the team's injury report.

If he can't play, its a huge impact on the defense. I did a story that ran on channel 8 on Wednesday centering on the improved pressure the cowboys defense is generating. Several of the cowboys tell me it all starts with the havoc Ratliff...



Rusty Greer doesn't seem like the right choice

1:53 PM Thu, Oct 29, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

ESPNDallas.com is reporting that Rusty Greer has interviewed for the Texas Rangers hitting coach position. The former Rangers fan favorite is currently serving as the Assistant Head Coach at Texas Wesleyan University under former teammate Mike Jeffcoat.

What does everyone else think about Greer being a possible replacement for Rudy Jaramillo? Greer was a .300 hitter in nine seasons with the Rangers, but does that mean immediate succes...



Does someone miss being in Dallas?

11:51 AM Thu, Oct 29, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

To say that the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills No. 1 receivers have been a disappointment this season, would be an understatement. Roy Williams has 12 catches for 230 yards and a touchdown in a Cowboys uniform. T.O. also has only one touchdown with 18 catches for 242 yards.

I didn't realize that there such a budding rivalry between the two of them?



Who says you can't eat a hot dog?

11:12 AM Thu, Oct 29, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

Never in the history of sports has eating hot dogs been a bigger story. Move over Kobayashi, Jets rookie Mark Sanchez is coming for you.

Does anyone else think this story is just plain dumb? The guy was hungry? He wasn't feeling good. While I can think of better things to eat when feeling queasy, this is not a story.

"I wasn't trying to take away from anything the team had going on," Sanchez told the media on Wednesday. "Peo...



Website claims Romo one of best in history

11:03 AM Thu, Oct 29, 2009 |
Ted Madden

This from the webside coldhardfootballfacts.com. I'm just posting it. So whatever you think of this, don't shoot the messenger. But I am interested in your thoughts.


It's official: Romo one of the best passers in history

The NFL requires 1,500 pass attempts to quality for "official" league records. Dallas QB Tony Romo, after his team's 37-21 w...



Romo better at avoiding turnovers

4:57 PM Wed, Oct 28, 2009 |
Ted Madden

I wrote about this after the Carolina game, and I think it's worth revisiting every once in a while throughout the season. As we all know, one of Tony Romo's goals in the off-season was to work on protecting the ball better. On Sunday, he had his third no-turnover game of the season. Last year, he had only one of those (in the 13 games he played).

When Romo's been bad this year, it's been real bad - 4 turnovers against the Giants and 2...



Dallas Mavericks drop opener 102-to-91

9:58 PM Tue, Oct 27, 2009 |
George Riba

The Dallas Mavericks are expected to be a good team once they get all their players on the floor, but tonight, their start to the season wasn't as good as they hoped.

Dirk Nowitzki looked like a one man show at times as he scored points 34 points, but it wasn't enough. The Washington Wizards won the season opener 102-to-91.

Shawn Marion's debut in a Dallas uniform produced 16-points, but he got into foul trouble early. Drew Go...



Dallas Mavericks kick off 2009 season

7:43 PM Tue, Oct 27, 2009 |
George Riba

The Dallas Mavericks kicked off another season at the American Airlines tonight. Brue Hornsby played the national anthem which was a nice treat. He had a Steinway Piano at center court.

Before tipoff, forward Shawn Marion grabbed the microphone to tell Mavericks fans that the team needed their support this season but he really wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween. You might have guessed, he's not very shy.

Quinton Ross s...



Cowboys good after bye week

3:17 PM Tue, Oct 27, 2009 |
Ted Madden

With their 37-21 win over Atlanta, the Cowboys are now 3-0 under Wade Phillips coming off a bye week. But the winning doesn't stop there.

In 2007 (their 13-3 season), the Cowboys didn't play during Week 8 of the season. They returned from the bye and won 38-17 at Philadelphia. Then they won their next two games as well, at the NY Giants (31-20) and home against Washington (28-23).

In 2008 (their 9-7 season), the Cowboys were of...



Romo finding the right "mix"

4:45 PM Mon, Oct 26, 2009 |
Joe Trahan

From snap to score it took 8 seconds. It was classic Romo. Taking a risk that nearly ended in no points and a crescendo of boos from a fan base wondering what their quarterback was thinking. Instead, it was a game-changing touchdown that helped propel the Cowboys to their biggest win of this young season.

Mesmerizing and magical, Romo eluded a slew of Falcon defenders, and instead of throwing the ball away with time running out in t...



Marcus Spears sack got 'em going

4:35 PM Mon, Oct 26, 2009 |
Joe Trahan

Cowboys linebacker Bradie James says Marcus Spears sack gave the defense a great kick start.

The Falcons put together an 8 minute drive for the games first score, but the next time they had the ball, Spears said he took advantage of the Falcons offensive line paying too much attention to Jay Ratliff. "Spears got the first sack and that set the tone," said James.

Against a Falcon offense that hadn't given up a sack in 4 games...



Updated Breaking News: Ware gets extension

1:36 PM Mon, Oct 26, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

The Cowboys have announced a press conference for 4:30 P.M. today. The players had the day off in what is called a "Victory Monday." Wade Phillips just wrapped up his media availability.

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that the Cowboys have agreed to terms on an extension with linebacker DeMarcus Ware. Ware led the team with 20 sacks last season. At this time, there is no details on the numbers of the contract.

Joe Trah...



Sensabaugh returns with a huge performance

12:38 PM Mon, Oct 26, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

While a lot of the defensive attention was put on Keith Brooking playing his old team, it was safety Gerald Sensabaugh coming back from an injured thumb that proved to be vital to the Cowboys win on Sunday.

"In the NFL you can't hold anything back. When you hold back, that's when the other team's scoring points. As long as I can play full speed, I'll be out there," stated Sensabaugh after the



The Mark McGwire move is a surprise

12:34 PM Mon, Oct 26, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

It's been four years since Mark McGwire elected to "not talk about the past." Since then, the former slugger has been quiet and almost in hiding. Making very few public appearances and electing to not do interviews. It's all about to change!

Today, Tony La Russa announced that McGwire will replace Hal McRae as hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.

"I don't know how many years I have left to manage, and I wanted to take th...



COACH JOE: Enjoy the Journey

11:17 AM Mon, Oct 26, 2009 |
Coach Joe Avezzano

Football in some ways does mirror life. It is a journey, not a quick moment that defines the result. Hopefully life is long and results in ups and downs that ultimately can be judged as having been a success. But since it is a long process, if you don't enjoy the journey you are wasting valuable time. That's how I feel about a football season. There will be ups and downs and hopefully the end result will be a success.

This 37-21 victo...



Should we have expected anything different from the college football polls?

2:19 PM Sun, Oct 25, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

Once again the college football polls have shown how big of a joke they have become.

The mighty USC Trojans have jumped up to No. 4 in both the AP and the USA Today Coaches Poll. With one loss, Pete Carroll and crew are ranked ahead of TCU, Boise State, Cincinnati, and Iowa, who all have no losses.

Now I wouldn't have a problem with this if USC had lost to someone decent, but they didn't.



Frogs take giant leap

12:14 AM Sun, Oct 25, 2009 |
Arnold Payne

The 8th ranked TCU Horned Frogs took a giant leap towards their conference title hopes and a national BCS bid defeating the 16th ranked BYU Cougars 38-7 before a sellout crowd of 64,000 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.

For the second year in a row the Frogs have defeated the Cougars by a 25 point or better margin. Saturday's 31 point defeat by TCU was BYU's largest margin of lost since a 52-21 loss to Utah November 20, 2004. ...



Cowboys offered trade for TE Martellus Bennett

4:53 PM Thu, Oct 22, 2009 |
George Riba

Cowboy's owner Jerry Jones said yesterday that he turned down an offer for one of his young players before Tuesday's trade deadline and today reports indicate that player was Tight End Martellus Bennett.

"I just think that's part of this league and part of things going on the NFL," Bennett says. "I'm happy to be a Cowboy. This is where I want to be so thank you Jerry."

The Cincinnati Bengals were apparently the team trying to a...



"Cricket's chirp:" Let's impose our will

3:57 PM Thu, Oct 22, 2009 |
Joe Trahan

He's best known as the Cowboy player who once ate a cricket on a bet. And his nickname instantly became "Cricket."

I know an almost invisable fullback nicknamed "Cricket" might not hold a great deal of weight to the general public when it comes to his opinion.

But "Cricket" might have a point when it comes to the Atlanta game, "We're stronger than they are up front," he told me. "So let's run the ball and impose our will."



Brooking jokes about bashing their heads in Sunday

3:38 PM Thu, Oct 22, 2009 |
Joe Trahan

Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking says there are plenty of people in the Falcons organization that he still cares about deeply, but he said jokingly he still wants to "bash their heads in" Sunday.

The Senoia, Ga native played 11 seasons for the Falcons, after graduating from Georgia Tech. He's all about Atlanta football. He's also incredibly emotional on the football field: see his head-butt into the chest of linebackers coach Reggie...