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November 2009
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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.



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...



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...



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...



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...



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...



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...



The Cowboys' problems: penalties and turnovers

1:23 PM Thu, Oct 22, 2009 |
Ted Madden

We know turnovers and penalties can kill a football team ... so why aren't the Cowboys dead yet?

This is a team that ranks high in penalties and low in turnover margin.

Start with the penalties - Dallas is 5th in penalties per game, at 7-point-4. And those flags are costing the Cowboys 66 yards per game, which is 4th worst in the league.

23 different Cowboys players have commtted a total of 37 penalties.

Floze...



Tom Brady looks 100% today

5:04 PM Sun, Oct 18, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

I'm guessing Tom Brady has been pretty sick of the questions from the national media lately. Some NFL analysts have been saying that the future hall of famer will never be the same after his injury. If you are going just by what he has done on the field, today proves that he is still the best quarterback in the NFL.

It's halftime in New England, but the second half really doesn't need to be played. Brady



Jim Zorn on the hot seat

3:55 PM Sun, Oct 18, 2009 |
Ted Madden

After another disappointing loss, the Redskins can't keep Jim Zorn, can they? Washington is 2-4, and next week they have a home game against Philadelphia.

This column was written in February 2008, right after Zorn was hired. The columnist is so on the money with his criticism of Zorn, that it's almost eerie r...



Tiger Woods visits Valley Ranch

7:20 PM Wed, Oct 14, 2009 |
George Riba

Tiger Woods spent a few days in North Texas the last few days, even hanging out with the Cowboys after attending the U2 concert Monday night.

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips says he enjoyed the opportunity to speak with Woods, who "talked about being a leader." Woods was at the Valley Ranch practice facility on Tuesday after sharing a suite at Cowboys Stadium Monday night with Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and tight end Jason Witten.

...


Felix Jones hopes to practice again next Wednesday

4:27 PM Wed, Oct 14, 2009 |
George Riba

Cowboys Running back Felix Jones knows the bye week has come at a perfect time. "Right now, I'm just looking at right now," says Jones.

Jones hurt his left knee in week three against Carolina, and he hasn't played in a game since. "Well, it's frustrating but this is football, a very physical sport. It's going to happen," says Jones. "It's just how you deal with it and how you come back."

Jones says there is a good possibility t...



Deion talks about the Dez Bryant situation

9:49 AM Sun, Oct 11, 2009 |
Ted Madden

Deion Sanders is an NFL Network analyst, and this morning they had him talk about the Dez Bryant situation (Bryant was suspended earlier this week for lying to the NCAA about his relationship with Sanders).

The whole interview is transcribed below, but a couple highlights first:

Deion: "Now the problem w...



The 49ers did the right thing

4:59 PM Thu, Oct 08, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

From ESPN.com

"Everybody came to a reachable agreement and it happened," Crabtree said, sporting a red No. 15 practice jersey and charcoal gray sweats. "I'm just glad I'm past that part. I'm very humble right now, man, it's a very humbling experience. Just getting a chance to sit back and better myself as a person, as a player, as a teammate. ... I feel like going throug...



Still not a Bronco believer

11:24 AM Thu, Oct 08, 2009 |
Ted Madden

Count me out on the Broncos. Despite their 4-0 start, and despite the league's best defense to this point (6 points per game), I'm not jumping on the bandwagon. And Kyle Orton is the reason why.

As a Bears fan, I've watched a lot of Orton, and he's just not that good. What he's done to this point (5 TD's, 0 INT's) is the absolute best he can do -- and the Broncos are still 4-0 by a razor-thin margin. The "immaculate deflection" in week...



Big NFL news

10:49 AM Wed, Oct 07, 2009 |
Ted Madden

Braylon Edwards is a Jet, and Michael Crabtree is a 49er.

Those were the big news items that came out this morning. The Cleveland Browns traded Edwards to the New York Jets, in return getting WR Chansi Stuckey and LB Jason Trusnik, along with two draft picks (I'm reading a 3rd and a 5th rounder). Edwards went without a catch in Sunday's loss to Cincinnati for the first time in his NFL career. That night he went out at a Cleveland bar a...



Report: Crabtree in San Francisco

4:58 PM Tue, Oct 06, 2009 |
Ted Madden

ESPN is reporting that Michael Crabtree met with the San Francisco 49ers about playing this season.

The former Dallas Carter quarterback and Texas Tech wide receiver was picked 10th overall by the 49ers in April's NFL draft. Crabtree was the second WR taken in the draft, behind Darrius Heyward-Bey (picked 7th by Oakland), even though Crabtree was widely reg...



Be careful what you wish for ...

11:00 AM Tue, Oct 06, 2009 |
Ted Madden

Fans, coaches, and Tony Romo himself wanted him to get better at protecting the ball. In 2008, he played 13 games, threw 14 interceptions and lost 7 fumbles (out of 13 total fumbles). This off-season, Romo worked hard to improve his ball-protection while in the pocket, hoping to elminate those fumbles.

Who else thought that Romo was playing tight on Sunday in Denver? He looked like a guy trying not to make a mistake, and we didn't see...



Key battle on both sides of the ball: left end

1:47 PM Sun, Oct 04, 2009 |
Joe Trahan

Here's a key battle to watch on both sides of the ball. Left tackle versus outsdie linebacker.

Broncos outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil is second in the league in sacks with 6 and will be going up against Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams. Flo's been racking up fines - $25,000 total - 1 fine in each of the first 3 weeks. But offensive line coach Hudson Houck has praised Flo's work on the edge; he's yet to give up a sack this season...



Why can't we stop talking about TO?

12:11 PM Thu, Oct 01, 2009 |
Ted Madden

I don't know the answer to this, but I do know that I'm part of the problem....

A couple quick thoughts on Terrell Owens. I think he has the maturity of a 12-year-old, I KNOW that he manipulates the media (in one case it led to him being the lead story on Sports Center), and I thought the Cowboys served themselves well to let him go in the off-season.

But then there's this: when we did a story on DeSoto's Corey Borner -- the y...



Cowboys RB Felix Jones has pcl injury

5:43 PM Tue, Sep 29, 2009 |
George Riba

We found out today what kind of injury Cowboys Running Back Felix Jones suffered Monday night. "He sprained his PCL and it's yet to be determined how long or if he'll be out very long," says Cowboys Head Coach Wade Phillips.

It doesn't sound like Phillips is too worried about his injury, but he really doesn't know yet. "Yeah, it could have been worse. I could have said he's out, or he's going to be out 2-to-4 or 6-to-10, or whatever,"...



Why Marion Barber wasn't seen on the sideline monday night

5:23 PM Tue, Sep 29, 2009 |
George Riba

I heard a lot of talk on the way in to work today, questioning Cowboys Running Back Marion Barber and why he wasn't on the sidelines during Monday night's game. Apparently there was a good a reason.

Head Coach Wade Phillips said he didn't want his running back standing on a bad leg that long. "We don't want him standing up four hours when you've got a quad injury," Phillips said. "I don't think that would have helped him either."

...


Romo's better at protecting the ball .... really

5:04 PM Tue, Sep 29, 2009 |
Ted Madden

During his press conference following Dallas' 21-7 win over Carolina, Tony Romo was talking about avoiding turnovers. Here's the transcript:

"And I thought about this the other day, and I know we don't include pre-season games in anything we talk about, but we do as players. We had three preseason games and we had one turnover. We've played 3 regular season games, and -- (here, he caught himself mis-speaking a bit; Romo meant that he -...



Another stadium issue

5:28 PM Wed, Sep 23, 2009 |
Ted Madden

This may be old news, but I just heard about it last night. A friend of mine went to the Cowboys-Giants game Sunday night; he and his wife had tickets in the end zone, about two rows in front of the Party Pass section.

As you know, the Cowboys sold way too many of the standing-room-only tickets, which caused problems when customers who paid for seats were not allowed into the stadium itself. His problem was that the Party Pass area ri...



Romo accepts blame for loss

9:18 AM Mon, Sep 21, 2009 |
Arnold Payne

Following their embarrassing 33-31 mistake riddled loss to the New York Giants; Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo says that he personally let him teammates down in his worst performance since taking over as the teams starting quarterback.

In his post-game press conference Romo sat, often seemingly near tears, and took personal ownership for the team's loss. "The team played some really good football and obviously my mistakes put us ...



NFL injury update

3:05 PM Fri, Sep 18, 2009 |
Ted Madden

Ok ... this is probably more of a fantasy football update. LaDainian Tomlinson has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Baltimore. In the opener against Oakland, Tomlinson rushed 13 times for 55 yards - he was injured in the first quarter but played off and on the rest of the game.

...


Vince Young does a noble thing

5:53 PM Thu, Sep 17, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

It's been a tough year and a half for Vince Young. The former Longhorn lost his starting spot for the Titans, his family called the police after Young went missing for several hours while depressed, and he is involved in a lawsuit against former Major League baseball player Enos Cabell dealing with the trademark of his nickname.

On Tuesday morning, he might have gotten the little spark he needs to turn it all around.



Sneak peak at Cowboys opener

11:08 AM Thu, Sep 17, 2009 |
Ted Madden

George Riba and I went out to the new stadium, where Director of Corperate Communcations Brett Daniels gave us a mini-tour. Some of the highlights ....

The Cowboys plan to have the roof open, and the huge "doors" behind either end zone will be open as well. Daniels described those doors like ones you'd see at an airplane hanger, and they are huge. So with the roof open and the doors on both ends open, it should feel like an outdoor gam...



QB Tony Romo says his ankle is fine

5:15 PM Wed, Sep 16, 2009 |
George Riba

Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo didn't look like he was having any problems with his sprained right ankle in practice today. "We'll see when I get out there but I'm sure I'll be fine," said Romo. "I was dropping back earlier and it felt good, so we'll be able to do everything."

Romo had his ankle taped for practice, but that was the only visible sign that he had sustained an injury. "It'll be a hundred percent for sure," he said.

<...


Cowboys need to stop the run

12:49 PM Wed, Sep 16, 2009 |
Ted Madden

That seems pretty obvious, doesn't it?

A few numbers to consider, going into Sunday night's game against the NY Giants, a that loves to run:

*Tampa Bay rushed for 174 yards vs. Dallas, averaging 5.6 yards per attempt.

*New York rushed for 103 yards against Washington, averaging 3.3 yards per attempt.

Tampa Bay has one of the top backfields in the NFL (along with teams like Dallas and Tennessee). Derrick Ward and...



Cowboy on opening day - as good as it gets

11:20 AM Sun, Sep 13, 2009 |
Joe Trahan

According to the NFL - the Cowboys rule on opening day. And they should improve that record against a Tampa Bay team that's re-building.

The DALLAS COWBOYS own a 33-15-1 (.688) record on Kickoff Weekend, the top mark in the NFL, including wins in a record 17 consecutive openers from 1965-81. The Cowboys have the league's best record in road openers at 31-18 (.633). In Week 2, Dallas will host the New York Giants on Sunday night in ...



Report: Owner Jones gets opening day present from Commish

10:41 AM Sun, Sep 13, 2009 |
Joe Trahan

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been fined a nice chunk of change for not abiding by a gag order on labor relations that commissioner Roger Goodell handed down to team ownership.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen has more on the story here.


What you need to know about the labor deal in a nuthsell: if a new agreement isn't reached by next March, 2010 will be an uncapped year and 2011 will be in ...



In depth: Q&A with Bucs Blogger

1:09 PM Fri, Sep 11, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

The preseason is over and the NFL is finally here. The Cowboys head to Florida this weekend for a match-up with the new look Tampa Bay Bucaneers.

Considered by many a Super Bowl favorite the previous two years, Dallas is off the radar this year, and will look to jump out to a fast start in their first five games.

We emailed St. Petersburg Times Bucs Blogger Rick Stroud to learn more about what we should expect this weekend fr...



Life is good ... the NFL is back

11:55 AM Wed, Sep 09, 2009 |
Ted Madden

I love the NFL.

It begins again Thursday night with the Steelers-Titans game (what a great opener). Let's talk a little about the league as we head into the 2009 season.

First of all, after looking at all the teams and studying for my fantasy football draft and reading the Sports Illustrated preview issue and doing other assorted NFL reading, I've decided that the following teams will suck: Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Oakland....



Ohio State's Pryor put himself in Vick controversy

10:38 AM Wed, Sep 09, 2009 |
Ted Madden

Ohio State's tremendously talented quarterback Terrelle Pryor wore a piece of eye black before Saturday's game with the word "Vick" on it. Here's what he said after the game about it.

I've never had a problem with athletes speaking out or having opinions. A lot of people do, both fans and members of the media. I had this very conversation with Kelly Webster from ESP...



Stanback to be QB in New England

10:57 PM Tue, Sep 08, 2009 |
Ted Madden

Apparently, the New England Patriots brass thinks more of the recently-cut Isaiah Stanback as a quarterback than the Dallas Cowboys ever did.

When the Cowboys drafted Stanback in 2007, it was to be a wide receiver and kick returner, even though Stanback played quarterback at Washington. I never saw Stanback line up at QB, even as a wildcat (of course, the media doesn't get to watch practice during the season, just training camp). Dall...



Cowboy hopefuls: Now or Never

3:31 PM Fri, Sep 04, 2009 |
Arnold Payne

Behuler2.jpgAlthough for many fans as well as most veteran players of the NFL, the conclusion of pre-season play ca...



Impressions from Valley Ranch

2:04 PM Wed, Sep 02, 2009 |
Ted Madden

I was out at Valley Ranch for the first time since the draft in April, which actually sounds worse than it is, considering they held OTA's at Standridge Stadium in Carrollton after the indoor facility collapsed. But I hadn't been out there since the team returned from San Antonio. A couple of impressions....

The locker room had a slightly different look. There were a couple of tables surrounded by four chairs, and guys were sitting aro...



Five bucks will get you to cowboys stadium from Fort Worth

11:07 AM Wed, Sep 02, 2009 |
George Riba

So where is Dallas Area Rapid Transit? The Fort Worth Star Telegram says today that the Fort Worth Transportation Authority will offer football fans a more economical way to get to Dallas Cowboys games by providing $5 round-trip bus service from downtown Fort Worth.

It's not a new idea. DART used to provide that kind of service to Texas Stadium. It was called the Cowboy Flyer, express bus service from park & ride lots around the area ...



Adam Pacman Jones is back in football

1:43 PM Tue, Sep 01, 2009 |
George Riba

Adam "Pacman" Jones is back on the football field. It's not in the NFL, but instead, it's the Canadian Football League.

According to reports, Jones will join the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. It's amazing that no NFL team wanted to take another chance on the 26-year old cornerback, but apparently his record is too much for any team to deal with.

Jones missed the entire year before signing with the Cowboys last season. His suspension ...



Sports Illustrated previews Cowboys

11:52 AM Tue, Sep 01, 2009 |
Ted Madden

The NFL preview issue of Sports Illustrated comes out tomorrow, and we were e-mailed the preview for the Dallas Cowboys. The magazine has them finishing 2nd in the NFC East.

These preview articles always have a hook - something or someone specific to write around - and SI uses Roy Williams. Not a bad choice, considering how much talk he has generated here in Dallas.In the article, Williams talks about trying to forge a relationship wit...



Roy Williams likely out against the Vikings

12:29 PM Mon, Aug 31, 2009 |
Josh Harvey

If the Cowboys 1st team offensive starters hit the field this Friday night, don't expect Roy Williams to join them. roy williams 2.jpg



Cowboys first team plays first half against 49ers

8:54 PM Sat, Aug 29, 2009 |
George Riba

The Cowboys first team offense played exactly one half tonight and the results didn't seem too bad either. Quarterback Tony Romo left the game with 17 passes thrown and 11 completions, but he was a perfect 5-for-5 in the second quarter.

The Cowboys first touchdown came at 7:27 of the second quarter and it came after a 14-play drive of 94 yards. It's similar to what the offense did last week, long sustained drives that lead to scores...



Cowboys host 49ers in second preseason game in new stadium

7:15 PM Sat, Aug 29, 2009 |
George Riba

The second preseason game at the new Cowboys stadium is supposed to be a dress rehearsal for the regular season but so far, it's been a show that hasn't impressed.

A pass intended for Kevin Ogletree was intercepted by Mark Roman and returned 57 yards. It was Tony Romo's first interception of the preseason.

Two wide receivers are missing for the Cowboys tonight. Roy Williams is out as is Sam Hurd, but that meant Patrick Crayton...



Random youtube moment - NFL related

4:50 PM Fri, Aug 28, 2009 |
Ted Madden

This is one of my all-time favorite commercials. It ran last year, leading up to the NFL season.

Anyway, as I was watching it again, I wondered, How did the guys featured in this commercial do in the 2008 season? Remember, this spot was created following the 2007 season, which ended with a NY Giants Super Bowl win. Did this commercial jinx those players who starred ...



Official statement on Roy Williams Injury

11:10 AM Fri, Aug 28, 2009 |
Joe Trahan

There's been some misinformation out there about Roy Williams injury. NBC's ProFootballTalk.com jumped the gun and reported sources told them Williams had a broken collarbone and would miss 6-8 weeks. Not so fast.

Williams has said the X-rays came back negative, meaning there was no break. Here's what the Cowboys are saying officially:

Results of last night's X-ray examination of Roy Williams' shoulder revealed no f...


League rules on video boards

11:03 AM Fri, Aug 28, 2009 |
Joe Trahan

The league has released its ruling on the video boards at Jerry World. Keep reading, I've included it below.

The significant change here is that the replay official can institute the challenge (even prior to the 2 minunte warning) so teams don't have to "waste" a challenge, if the officials don't see the ball hit the board.

In essence it's a "win" for Cowboys owner Jerry because he doesn't have to move the video boards. But t...