The economy's in the shitter and we have people doing this
It occurred to me that I didn't really give my non-expert opinion about the Super Bowl.
Let it be known, I thought the New England Patriots would kill the New York Giants last year.
I wasn't alone. The Pats, I think, were 21-point favorite.
So that should tell everyone what they need to know. Don't gamble on sporting events.
Also, that it's a total crapshoot.
You have to take into account that it's the Super Bowl. The typical thing for an athlete to say to the media is that the Super Bowl is "why they play the game."
Maybe that's just not lip service. Maybe players actually do care about playing in the Super Bowl in order to hold aloft the most coveted trophy in the sport.
If you'd like to try and convince me that Ben Roethlisberger, Kurt Warner, Hines Ward, Larry Fitzgerald, Karlos Dansby, James Harrison, Mike Tomlin and guys of that ilk don't want to win the Super Bowl more than anything in the world, feel free. There's a reason those guys are playing on Sunday and dudes like Terrell Owens, Tony Romo, Gregg Ellis and Co. aren't. The old adage of "you've got to want it more makes sense."
With that said, do not count the Cardinals out. Shit happens in the Super Bowl and ill winds can blow at any time for any one team.
I think the Steelers are beatable if that means anything. They can't really score and the Cards defense has played really well in the playoffs. However, don't think the Steelers are just going to rest on their laurels and hope the defense can do all the work. Blink and the Steelers could roll up 40 real quick.
I do think these things:
1. It will be a close game.
2. The Cards will have a good offensive game plan.
3. Bruce Springsteen will play at least one song in which everyone will say "What the hell?! Must be off his new album."
4. A defensive Steeler will be the MVP.
5. The commercials will be very underwhelming.
6. The Steelers win, 23-20.
7. The Cardinals franchise will simultaneously lose 60,000 fans that they didn't have four weeks ago.
Also, the Sox signed Daniel Bard a month or so ago.
So it's very doubtful they'll still want to deal for a catcher ... for now.
Come midseason, talks could continue as Varitek will probably struggle and the Red Sox will have a better idea about their young pitchers (who the Rangers want) and, more importantly, they're aging pitchers.
Should John Smoltz go down or Josh Beckett struggle with injuries, the BoSox might need to depend on the young arms they were going to send to Texas for Salty.
This is no problem. Good for GM Jon Daniels for staying though and not giving guys away. Salty can be used in this line-up and if everyone is right about the guy, he's due for a break out. Barring injury, his value can only increase.
Not having heard it, Keith went up to Aparicio to allegedly bury the hatchet regarding their age-old feud when Nasty attacked and started to strangle Keith before police came and broke up the brouhaha.
The history between Nasty and The Ticket (especially the needling Keith) goes back to some time in the 1990s when the two bickered over something. Since, Nasty's tattled on The Ticket twice before.
It all culminated last year when afternoon host Corby Davidson was accosted by Nasty at the media party (The Snake, sans microphone or recording device) and allegedly called a Jew, in a not-so-nice manner.
OK, let's simplify this:
Nasty wants nothing to do with The Ticket and The Ticket probably shouldn't bother the guy in case the NFL gets to the point that they start taking press passes.
Although Nasty is a gigantic douchebag asshole (I mean, look at the guy), everyone who knows what Keith is about knows that him with a microphone isn't cut and dry radio. Keith likes to ruffle feathers and to get people to react. Nasty knows this. Keith knows it. We all know it. He's called the "arsonist" because he lights a fire and slowly backs away and watches it burn.
Is that any reason to attack a guy? No. But The Ticket has the tendency to sit on the roof and toss rocks and then get pissy when someone tosses rocks back. If you're gonna throw punches, be prepared to fight. Almost literally.
And my initial, God's-honest-truth, gut reaction was this:
He's making this up.
Not that I think Irvin is prone to randomly make shit up about being robbed or crime or whatever. But if you read the story and saw how it came out (locally) and subsequently reported, it just seemed like a fake story.
Allegedly, he was at a red light in North Dallas, a truck pulls up beside him and the passenger (?) "flashes a gun." Of course, I'm only assuming that "flashes a gun" means that the gentleman wanted to abscond with Irvin's car and belongings.
Then, we are led to believe, the alleged criminal realized who he was about to violate: It was the Playmaker himself.
Of course, the criminal was a huge Cowboys fan and wanted to talk turkey about the gridiron.
At first, Irvin was very open about his experience going on several new outlets to talk about it. And now, not.
The police are suspending investigation because Irvin will not return phone calls to discuss the case. It seems he hasn't even contacted them since he filed the report.
They're probably suspending the case because it's bullshit. For one, who reports that kind of thing? Especially a guy like Irvin when there's really been no damage done and catching the guy. Frankly, if Irvin got the make of the vehicle and the license plate, wouldn't the cops have all they really needed to go after the alleged criminal? Isn't that the type of information that you tell the cops at first?
Why do the cops need to know "what happened?" Was there even a police report submitted?
I think Irvin's a chump anyway, but making shit up for publicity (let's face it ... that's the whole reason for this) is dumb.
By the way, Irvin's radio show is from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., daily on 103.3 FM ESPN Radio.
Last week, we had two incidents in Dallas sports, noted here on your faithful Dallas sports blog of note.
The Dallas Mavericks lost in cataclysmic style to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Dallas Stars beat the lowly Florida Panthers 4-1 on the same night.
Both squads have had different paths to the midpoint of the season. The Mavs have been so-so to good in staying in the playoff hunt. The Stars have been horrendous in bringing up the bottom of the Western Conference.
But that night I predicted a shift in power.
Although the Mavs aren't exactly sinking, the Stars are certainly rising.
After a swift 2-0 shutout of Atlanta Tuesday night, the Stars rolled into the vaunted Joe Louis Arena last night and put up three goals in the first period and won 4-2 over the hated Detroit Red Wings.
Friends, it's clearly a new age of Stars hockey.
This simply is not the same team we've seen give up inopportune goals, prime turnovers in their own zone and awkward and bumpy special teams. For the past three games, this is the team we thought we would get from the outset.
And it all started from that innocent 4-1 win over Florida right before the All-Star break. Sports is a wonderful thing.
Notes: 1. Steve Ott's having a really, really good season. He's becoming the king of the "1 goal, 1 assist" night (three this month ... four goals, four assists overall). He's still a pest while pitching in offensively.
2. Stars: 3-4 on the power play.
3. How huge was lil' Chris Connor's goal just before the first period horn? Can't help but think it helped carry momentum into the second period leading to Loui Erikkson's goal two minutes in.
4. Brad Richard's +/- last year was -27. This year: -6.
5. Right now, this is Ott's, Richards', Stephane Robidas' and Mike Modano's team. Nothing against Erikkson and James Neal, but they're contributions are gravy.
My first Super Bowl that I remember watching was 1986 when the Chicago Bears killed the New England Patriots 46-10. I was rooting for the Bears because of Jim McMahon and because the Patriots always seemed odd.
What were "Patriots"? Where was "New England"? What was the guy on the side of the helmet?
At age 6, it doesn't take much to impress.
With that said, here are my personal top 5 Super Bowl memories: 2000 St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16 In college, watching in the dorm room at Stephen F. Austin State University. Although I'm an NFC guy, I was rooting against the Rams because I disliked Kurt Warner's smugness. And his wife.
1988 Washington Redskins 42, Denver Broncos 10 Remember the fake jersey, helmets and pads of NFL teams that you could buy from Sears? One Christmas, I got a Broncos No. 7 John Elway and I don't remember like the Broncos. Especially being a NFC guy. However, I loved the wide receiver in the 1980s and early-1990s. This Super Bowl was the Super Bowl of all Super Bowls: The Three Amigoes vs. The Posse. Plus, Doug Williams proved to everyone that a black quarterback could win a Super Bowl, only to have every racist forget it ever happened.
1992 Dallas Cowboys 52, Buffalo Bills 17 I rooted for the Cowboys. I was so nervous because for the first time in my concious football awareness, the Cowboys were good playing a team that had been to the Super Bowl the last two years. Surely the Bills would break through. Then the total opposite happened.
1991 New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19 You can't beat a good nailbiter especially when you're 10 and you realize what a memorable game it would be. And I used to really like Scott Norwood.
1989 San Francisco 20, Cincinnati Bengals 16 Joe Montana. Jerry Rice. Roger Craig. Ronnie Lott. Rodney Holman. Chris Collinsworth. Stanford Jennings. James Brooks. Ickey Woods. David Fulcher. Tim Krumrie's tore-up leg. This was a really close game between two great teams.
Marty B apologizes, gives some cash back to Jerry Jone
Two days after the world was introduced to the enigmatic Marty B, the world lost Marty B.
At least on YouTube.
Tuesday Dallas Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett enlightened everyone to his various rap skillz.
Thursday he posted another video: The unusual, and rare, rap apology. Well, kinda apology. He never apologizes for embarrassing the team with a profanity-burdened rap, but instead blames "the media" for making a mountain out of a mole hill.
I still stand by my prediction that the Dallas Mavericks will make the playoffs. Not saying they're getting out of the first round nor am I saying they'll jump to a sixth or fifth seed.
I realize that this is a very flawed team and on any given night they can give up the ghost and get beat by 30 by a team that may or may not be 30 points better than them.
Despite their obvious inabilities and inconsistencies, the Mavs are a capable team. They can beat a good team, they could really beat bad teams on any given night. More often than not, aside from some catastrophic event, that is good enough to get you the eighth seed even in the competitive Western Conference.
Another point is that the Portland Trailblazers (a team I really like) is the fifth seed, just two games ahead of the Mavs. It probably wouldn't be totally shocking to see some of these teams drop off and the Mavs sneak into the top six. Not that it matters. Round one in the playoffs will be their limit.
Notes: 1. I thought the Mavs bench outplayed the starters. Of course, they did get some significant minutes. Brandon Bass was great again (16 points, 11 rebounds) and still loving James Singleton's game.
2. Loved J.J. Barea's three minutes and three personals in the first half.
3. Why is it that Rick Carlisle rolls with Erick Dampier and he controls the paint almost all night and Avery Johnson abandoned the guy two years ago?
4. Is there a team that's fallen off more than the Warriors? Two years ago, one of the scariest teams in the league. Now, a cuddling puppy dog willing to lay down every night. The "no defense" thing only works when you're scoring 110 points a night. Maybe once Monta Ellis gets his playing legs underneath him, they'll get going.
Because the Dallas Cowboys are not in the Super Bowl (when everyone was convinced [including me] that they would make the big game), I thought it'd be interesting to run down the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers organizations and find some connections.
You know, guys that will be playing this Sunday as opposed to the current Cowboys.
Jerheme Urban The lean, undrafted white kid who stuck around Cowboys camp two years ago 'til the very end. He was dropped and the Cardinals swooped in and put him in as their third or fourth receiver. Kind of a poor man's Wes Welker and a rich man's Danny Amendola. Not that he would've helped the Cowboys. They have enough fourth receivers to last them a lifetime.
Clancy Pendergrast He's the defensive coordinator for the Cards. He was an assistant from Barry Switzer through Dave Campo, who he -- unfortunately -- followed to Cleveland. Not that the Cards' defense is killer or anything, but they've played really well during the playoffs. They're aggressive and do not back down from anyone. They certainly took it to a Philly team that put up 453 points against the Cowboys in the final week of the season.
Draft Picks Not connected to the Cowboys, but fun: The Cards' first two draft picks in 2004 were Larry Fitzgerald and Karlos Dansby. The Steelers took lil' Ben Roethlisberger out of Miami of Ohio. The Cowboys first two picks: Julius Jones and Jacob Rogers. (It should be noted that the Cards had the No. 3 pick and the Steelers, No. 11. We would hope that the Cowboys would've drafted better in the top 15.
Todd Haley Haley was a big deal in Dallas for two reasons: For one, his wife and nanny went to McDonalds one day, ordered a salad and found a rat inside. Also, Haley also got into an alleged shouting match with receiver Terrell Owens. Owens is in Dallas, not in the Super Bowl. Haley is in Arizona, in the Super Bowl.
Even by late January, it's getting late in the game for a lot of baseball free agents.
That means, maybe, prices go down.
Naturally, I'm tickled pink to see the Texas Rangers in on some guys. Especially pitchers.
First and foremost, the Rangers entered the rumor mill fray for lefty Oliver Perez.
I've always wanted the Rangers to go after Perez, who was so highly touted as a Pirate and incredibly young (27, now). Instead, the Mets swooped in, but he's a free agent now.
Allegedly, the Mets offered him three years, $30 million. He supposedly wants four years.
Perez went 10-7 in New York last year with a 4.22 ERA. Walks are an issue (105 versus 180 strikeouts). Otherwise, he's a 27-year-old lefty, who can toss some heat and feel comfy in the middle or top-part of a rotation.
For me, $10 million per for four years doesn't seem like a lot.
Also, it's looking good for Ben Sheets. It seems the Rangers are the only team involved, really, for the righty starter. The Rangers are allegedly scared at his medicals and want to offer him a one-year deal. Sheets wants more years. I would suspect it'll be less than $10 million per.
I have no problem with signing Sheets at this point, injury problems or no. I figure he'll be cheap enough with little time investment (two years at the most).
I doubt, however, that the Rangers could get both. One could help this team tremendously.
How can anyone be a fan of the Dallas Cowboys? That's unfair. Because if every fan became a non-fan every time their team screwed, they wouldn't be fans.
To the point, how are Cowboys fans dealing with the current state of things.
You come off a very disappointing 9-7 season missing the playoffs and getting beat 237-3 by the Philadelphia Eagles in a play-in game.
I hate the Cowboys and even this display is making me puke. Imagine being a Cowboys fan. You spend every ounce of energy rooting for this team and instead of being down in the dumps like every other dude and dudette that bleeds blue and silver, they're out partying, rapping and making TV shows.
How is this team going to get any better? It's beyond coaching at this point. It doesn't matter what this team does in the draft or free agency. It probably doesn't matter whether Owens is back.
This team's innate ability to give a flying flip about their profession is dumbfounding. This team isn't winning anything against anyone with Jones as GM, with Wade Phillips as coach and with half this team donning the star on the helmet.
Just imagine fans of a 3-loss Ohio State team at the championship game
Another Super Bowl and another two teams I don't really care about.
I have no rooting interest in either the Arizona Cardinals or the Pittsburgh Steelers. I, instead, will be focused on eating the TGIF potato skins my wife said she would buy for our Super Bowl party.
Although, I do think both teams are interesting.
The Steelers because they are the premier franchise in modern-day sports. No one is more popular and consistently good than the Steelers.
And I think they win the right way. Name a marquee free agent on their team. Name a guy they didn't draft or develop. More often than not, that is how teams will win in most if not all professional sports from now on. However, this "trend" is not putting any damper on the free agent marketplace ... yet.
And the Cardinals are interesting because they're the Cardinals. The franchise is a punchline. They've been a joke for decades and it's more than just not winning. It's losing. It's losing badly. It's drafting badly. It's bad coaching and bad players and bad fans ... oops, I guess they're not bad fans anymore because they did start caring for the NFC Conference Championship.
The Cards were fuck-ups. Frankly, I looked at their team pre-season and I counted two handfuls of quality football players. And they've had these guys for a couple of years and they've never put it together. This was not a bad team.
Then they put it together. I'm rooting for the Cards, although I feel they may not win.
The thing about the Cards is what they mean to college sports.
Almost everyone you talk to wants a playoff system in college football. I don't, but others do.
If you have a playoff in college football, a screwball team like the Cards could get into the final dance. Would everyone be happy with that?
What if Utah and Florida played in the national championship game? I'm betting my bottom dollar that even the most vehement non-Utah resident, Utah supporter would hate it. Why? Because if you let eight teams into the college football playoff, there's a good chance that Utah (or another team from a lesser conference) or a two- or three-loss team will get into the final game.
I hope all the folks who want a playoff are willing to deal with having a scrub team get into the championship game. Because it will happen and it may happen more than we can imagine.
There are a billion reasons why high school sports is different from professional sports.
Reason No. 143: How a coach handles the media.
Last week, Dallas infamously made worldwide news after The Covenant School beat Dallas Academy 100-0 in a girls basketball game. Of course, the school (a Christian school) apologizes for the rout.
The head coach Micah Grimes disagreed with the apology (in public) saying his team should not be embarrassed or ashamed for embarassing and shaming another team.
I guarantee that Grimes genuinely thought his team should not feel bad about the incident because it was him telling them to pour it on. I understand that and it was semi-noble to take up for his team (frankly, if his team feels actual embarassment and shame for the school's apology ... how do you think Dallas Academy feels about getting beat 100-0?).
But I also guarantee that Grimes felt he was going to be able to speak freely to the media and share his point of view and calmly disagree with his boss' point of view.
Not so much. He was fired. He deserved it. Say what you want about the Dallas Academy program or coach. Say what you want about how dumb of a story this is. But that guy is a gigantic dick and as good of a coach he may be (it's rough recruiting high school girls to come play for your team), he shouldn't coach a competitive team ever again.
A couple of tidbits regarding local media that deserve a little attention.
First off, The Gordon Keith Show is going on hiatus. In fact, according to Keith himself on his blog, it's a "looong" vacation.
Like a lot of Ticket-oriented things, this is a gray area. Although it sounds like the show is taking time to retool, Keith also notes that it seems WFAA isn't bringing the show back at all due to money being tight.
Sounds like he's prepared for the worst (cancellation), but hoping that the economy turns around the next six months and WFAA is willing to throw money at his project.
Read the Dallas Observer's Sportatorium post and they think it's the biggest deal in the world, The Ticket losing Friedo, which is an overreaction for a blog bent on burying The Ticket, for no clear reason.
Friedo is a great producer. But he's just that: A producer. He'll help Irvin a lot like he helps Norm Hitzges. But in terms of folks not listening to The Ticket to hear Friedo produce, well, that's a stretch.
For one, he has to be taking more money and, let's face it, it's ESPN. Who knows where it may lead in the long run if he wants to maybe get to a bigger market or get higher profile opportunities. Two, he doesn't have to be Hitzges' errand boy any longer. That had to get tired really quick.
Frankly, if Gregg Williams' departure didn't hurt The Ticket, Friedo certainly won't. It'll just make Hitzges' show a lot harder to listen to.
The Cowboys can get a better signal at 105.3. And The Ticket doesn't really need the Cowboys. And it's not like The Ticket had the Cowboys for the last 15 years.
It was another fun year. As Uwe Blog turns two and we all leap into 2009, it's nice to look at the year that was.
It's fun to bitch about the Dallas-Fort Worth sports scene. It's an odd duck. It's a top 5 market. But it's so easy to criticize the media and the fans as being small market hillbillies that are just thankful that they have jobs and a team to root for (see: Dallas Cowboys).
It's a market with one failing newspaper. It's a market where no one truly cares about the basketball, baseball or hockey team unless they're on the verge of a championship; yet, they are so quick to pour their hearts into a football team that should win that doesn't.
It's a market with some of the best minor league and independent baseball, but some of the worst professional baseball. It's a market with some of the best amateur football and some of the most disappointing professional football.
It's a market with the best owners, worst general managers and personalities galore. Like it or not, it's a sports scene that we should all be lucky to be a part of.
Now, if we can only get a WNBA team.
Best Maverick Dirk Nowitzki Doesn't it seem like a decade since Dirk won the NBA MVP? The Golden State Warrior collapse overshadowing that great honor put a bad taste in everyone's mouth. But that doesn't take away the fact that he had the greatest season for any Maverick in history. He was a large part of a 67-win team, which many didn't think would come back from the NBA Finals collapse. A lot of collapses in this paragraph.
Best Ranger Ian Kinsler Hamilton was getting the press, but Kinsler was more of an MVP candidate than anyone until he was hurt. He combines tenacity, the ability to hit, great range at second, a boyish charm, likability, a hot wife and speed.
Best Star Brenden Morrow The key to the Stars post-season run. He solidified his name in the annals of Dallas sports.
Best Cowboy DeMarcus Ware Ware, although good, hadn't met the expectations that we had after drafting him four years ago. He was Jim Jeffcoat good -- double-digit sacks, yeoman effort. Then he became Mark Gastineau/Mike Strahan good. A dominant speed pass rusher this franchise has never seen before. Plus, is there a more likeable guy?
Best Radio Personality Mike Rhyner, 1310 The Ticket The dude essentially lost a longtime working partner and friend and it could've been far more reaching than what that ordeal was. Despite all that, he's come back and has reasserted himself as one of the best radio guys in town (which pretty much includes The Ticket and any local ESPN shows). He sounds inspired and into it. And if you want someone to take up a sports point and run with it, he will. He's made some excellent insightful points all year whether anyone's noticing or not.
Best TV Personality Babe Laufenberg, Channel 11 Not saying I watch him all the time and never miss a newscast, but I find Channel 8 and 5 insufferable. So that leaves Babe and Mike Doocy. And I love Doocy. But Babe puts himself out there more. I believe he's a better interviewer.
Best Blog/Website The Sportatorium It could be better (less gimmicky posts, less self advertising), but it's good that the Dallas Observer has something like this going. I don't like everything they do in terms of content, but in terms of getting off-the-grid info and rumors, they're excellent at putting an entertaining spin on Dallas sports. Except for yours truly, who does? One odd thing about the Observer and Sportatorium: They've becoming increasingly anti-The Ticket over the last couple of months. Just thought I'd state the obvious.
Best General Manager Jon Daniels, Texas Rangers He's rebuilt this team. No one wants to hear about prospects and farm systems. Folks want to win now and that's very understandable. I don't think Daniels will fully see the fruits of his labor, but he's turn this entire franchise around. It came with its bumps and bruises, but he's been stellar in the draft war room, made some fantastic trades and free agent signings, and paced some of these youngs to make an impact at the Major League level.
But it's one thing to establish a front line of solid prospects. It's another to build about four tiers of prospects that could all hit big every other year or two years. If you think the Rangers system begins and ends with Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz, think again. The Rangers could have the best farm system for the next eight years.
Worst General Manager Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys Went from Best to Worst in a year. I was prepared to put the Mavericks' Donnie Nelson here, but I believe his fine work has been established over the past three seasons. Jones, on the other hand, screwed up a perfectly good 13-3, Super Bowl-contending team and made them into a daily lead headline at ESPN. From coaching choices, trades, free agents, PacMan, TO, Romo. For example, when the Rangers' Milton Bradley was about to pound the face in of a Kansas City announcer, who went to stop him? General manager, Jon Daniels. I assume Jones is somewhere in the locker room playing nice, but is he really fixing anything. How far will this need to go before he realizes he needs to stop players from doing harm to others?
Best Free Agent Milton Bradley Another coup for Daniels. A cheap, veteran free agent. He was a switch hitter and filled in nicely as DH for a year. Whatever anger issues the guy had never truly manifested themselves (except for the aforementioned announcer issue) and it turns out the Rangers probably have never had a better teammate in the history of the franchise. Time after time we witnessed Bradley congratulate a teammate, help carry a bag or break up a bench-clearing brawl. Nothing but love for Milton.
Worst Free Agent Sean Avery, Dallas Stars I don't care about the comments regarding Elisha Cuthbert dating some other hockey player. The tell tale sign that he was a bust was when he was subsequently suspended and not one Dallas Star supported him or said they missed his presence on the ice or locker room.
Best College Player Sam Bradford, Oklahoma Sooners He was great all year. Made Sooner games a must-watch every week and led a team that probably wasn't championship calibre to begin the season to the big game.
Best College Team Texas Tech Red Raiders OK, they weren't the best. But actually we can't guarantee or quantify that they weren't the best either. This Red Raider team was different from all others. A ton of offense with some actual defense mixed in. Helped vault the Big XII into the best conference in the nation.
Blogger's Delight PacMan Jones Most people who know, love and talk about sports assume that athletes are intelligent enough to know the absolute threshold they can approach before they reach a tier of annoyance or debauchery that no one can handle. Like Terrell Owens. Signing as a free agent, he realized that he needed to be a good guy for at least two seasons because many teams weren't going to put up with him as he enters the twilight of his career.
PacMan Jones is a different story. He knows no limits and he feels that if the world is not his playground than it should be and it's someone's fault that it isn't. Just when you thought that maybe (just maybe) PacMan would behave for at least one season to get everyone back on his side, he gets in a fight with a team-appointed bodyguard, damages a hotel bathroom and gets suspended. Then he hurts his neck which goes from minor, to season-threatening to life-threatening to minor. Then the newest story that he was involved in, yet, another shooting in Atlanta. Then he's cut. We should never overestimate athletes.
**** Top 5 Stories of 2008
Gregg Williams Not necessarily a "news" story as much as an intriguing story in Dallas sports media. Longtime radio host and sports personality Gregg Williams leaves midshow from his drive-time job on The Ticket. Months pass as folks chant "Where's Greggo?!" Then chatter starts, lawyers get involved and then Greggo, as we knew him, is no more on The Ticket. The station comes clean on the subject and a subsequent Observer article blows it up: Williams had a bad coke habit, station folks (his buddies and longtime friends) are tired of it and he's kicked out (a sordid and disturbing tale to say the least). Media drama at its best.
The Cowboys Believe it or not, a year ago, the Cowboys were at home because they lost in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. Unlike now, everyone was pretty much OK with it. I mean, a loss hurts. But it was a bump in the road and this team was on pace for bigger, better things. Then PacMan. Then TO. Then Romo. Wade Phillips loses his team. Jason Garrett looks like an amateur. 44-6. Home again, home again.
Josh Hamilton You can never beat a story about a former drug addict who turns his life around and becomes of the best athletes in his chosen sport or profession. He not only captivated the city, but he captivated an entire nation, especially during the Home Run Derby. A really special guy. Give me him over Edinson Volquez any day.
Avery Johnson Do you remember being in love with Avery Johnson? This happened. After the finals and after 67 wins, the guy could've been the Mavs' coach forever. Then, over time, it completely fell apart. A collapse of personality and character that's rarely seen. It's funny what losing does to a team and attitudes about an individual.
The Dallas Stars Suddenly, tons of folks became hockey fans again. All it took was an unbelievable trip to the Stanley Cup Western Conference Finals.
The score at half: 59-0. The score after three quarters: 88-0.
It was embarrassing. Covenant coach Micah Grimes almost flippantly explained that it "just happened" and that it was "a real learning opportunity." Bullshit. What a dick. If he were to disappear from coaching girls for the rest of his life it would be too soon. Frankly, he's probably not even that good if he's coaching some TAPPS team (nothing against TAPPS schools, per se).
It's also worth noting that the Dallas Academy is a school for kids with learning disabilities like short attention spans and stuff like that.
Forget Grimes being a dick, he's a douchebag asshole.
The Covenant School "exists to glorify God by equipping students with the tools necessary to pursue a lifetime of learning so that they may discern, reason and defend truth in service to our Lord, Jesus Christ." Have you read a bigger piece of crap in your life?
Since, Covenant's apologized and unwisely asked to forfeit the game. Just move on.
Having a little experience with high school sports and some TAPPS teams in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, I thought I'd offer my two cents.
1. I don't think I'm shocking the world by saying that these private schools recruit heavily. Especially the good ones ... err, the ones with big money. They go far and wide to recruit kids from all over the area. They go to great lengths to make sure these kids get to class and practice. One private Christian school in the southwest part of Dallas County was recruiting kids from local school districts, Fort Worth and as far away as Grapevine, Plano and Carrollton.
2. Christian schools almost prefer to beat the ever-loving snot out of their opponents. I have seen Christian TAPPS teams take on opponents made up of kids that looked 11 and 12 years old against these "Christian" kids who were 17 or 18, clearly. And they took full advantage, playing starters through the fourth quarter and shooting three pointers.
3. Why TAPPS teams tend to be assholes is a mystery. It would've been nothing for the Covenant coach to put in the bench players midway through the second quarter. Also, high school basketball games have no shot clock. They could just dribble the time away or at least take off 30 seconds before taking a shot. If you still score 100 with the back-ups and speeding the game up, then fine.
But some blame also has to go to the Dallas Academy officials. Just dribble the ball out. Or suspend athletics. It is embarrassing and although I believe kids should partake of team sports and be active, there's no reason for them to sit through 100-0. Frankly, if I'm the Dallas Academy coach, I would've decked the Covenant coach square in the nuts. But that's me.
Whatever I just posted about the Dallas Mavericks, please consider the opposite for the Dallas Stars.
If you watch sports ... blah, blah, blah ... cataclysmic events ... blah, blah, blah ... turn a whole season either up or down.
I think the Stars are a better hockey team (with a poorer record) than the Mavericks are a basketball team. I don't think it's entirely clear, or even remotely clear, but I think their arrows are pointing in opposite directions and last night was a perfect example of my train of thought.
The Stars need to start stringing together some wins and put themselves square in the playoff talk. A convincing 4-1 win helps. It coming right before the All-Star break is even better.
The other day, handing out mid-season grades, I said that Mike Ribeiro needed to step up in the second half in order for this team to survive. And I don't mean assists. Ribs is a goal scorer and if he ain't doing that the Stars ain't winning.
Lo and behold, he rolls out his first hat trick of the season and good things happen.
The opposite of the feeling I have for the Mavs in my gut is manifesting itself on the otherside of my gut for the Stars. Just is.
If you've spent any time watching sports over an entire season or a group of seasons, you realize that shit happens.
Some of it doesn't matter. Some of it does. Maybe it doesn't seem like much initially, but when you rewind an entire season of 162 or 82 games, you realize that that was the moment everything turned up or down.
Last night, we might have seen the cataclysmic event that could signal the miserable end to the Dallas Mavericks season.
For a quarter and a half, I actually thought this could be one of the best looking wins on the season. Then the Mavs quit. Simply quit on the defensive end and the Bucks couldn't miss for two and a half quarters on their way to a true ass whipping of catastrophic proportions, 133-99.
And when I say the Bucks didn't miss, I almost literally mean they didn't miss. Every Buck that took the court hit at least one shot. The bench went 16-25. Jason Terry, Brandon Bass and J.J. Barea went 6-24. The Bucks shot almost 58 percent from the floor.
On the other side, there wasn't one good Mav on the floor. Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard were really bad. Jason Terry and Brandon Bass were horrendous. Jason Kidd looked like a zombie with his feet encased in concrete.
I mean, it was bad. Really bad. Cataclysmic. I got a sinking feeling that in April or May, we might look at this game was the lynch pin of a horrible downturn in the season. Don't get me wrong, I hope I'm wrong. I hope this was just a really bad aberration on the road against a hot-shooting team.
A week after Baseball America did it, ESPN's Keith Law (a Ranger hater) ranked Texas' farm system the best in baseball.
As he noted:
GM Jon Daniels has implemented a clear and consistent philosophy for baseball operations, centered on building pitching depth with an emphasis on upside, a tacit acknowledgment that pitching in Arlington requires better stuff or a stronger constitution than pitching in Seattle or Oakland.
Law also ranked three Rangers in his top 25 prospects (Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz and Justin Smoak).
**** The Rangers are in on starting pitcher Kris Benson. He's most noted for his wife, who'sskankyhot.
**** Five guys the Rangers should/could target in free agency right now: Adam Dunn Rumored to only go for a short deal at $5 million per. See: Cheap as hell. He's probably the perfect DH (being a hack in the field) although he could platoon at first. He has five straight years with 40 homers or more. He strikes out a ton, but he also walks a lot: 1,256 career Ks versus 797 career walks. If anything, he becomes a trade chip mid-season if you want to make room for Max Ramirez or someone else down the line.
Ben Sheets His overall value is improving, but his price tag is not necessarily increasing. Only a couple of teams are even remotely interested and not many are very hot for the guy. The more he sits there, the more I want him.
Branden Looper Gonna be honest with you: There are better pitchers out there and dicking around with Looper may not be the best thing for the Rangers. He has won 12 games each of his first two years starting. Plus, he has more than 100 career saves. Right now, he's probably not going to get the money he wants, but he's also not a front of the line rotation guy. But if Kevin Millwood or someone gets hurt, he could be a useful arm.
Manny Ramirez Despite being out there so late in the game, he's probably still going to be pretty expensive. But the Yanks and Red Sox are out of it. And the Dodgers and Giants seem lukewarm to the idea of signing him. But could you find a better 1-2 punch with him and Hamilton in the middle of the line-up?
Orlando Cabrera A good defensive shortstop that can handle the bat. Could be excellent competition for Elvis Andrus in Spring Training. The Rangers are rumored to be close to getting Omar Vizquel, which may be the best move. Why? It appears that Vizquel is not a dick. Or maybe less of a dick than Cabrera. There's no reason why Cabrera should be currently teamless and about to be on his fifth team in his career other than the fact that he's a problem in the clubhouse. It's the only thing I can think of.
Which is OK because when Aikman takes a shot at someone, it's with three rings on his hand.
All of this aside, the biggest problem with this team is one that no one is really willing to take on. Or even talk about. Except for fans, which may or may not be foolish because the reason the media won't discuss it is because they know it'll never change.
The biggest problem for the Dallas Cowboys doesn't have the initials "TO," takes trips to Cabo San Lucas, likes to drink buttermilk and hamburgers. Nor does he take the field ... except in the fourth quarter of a really bad loss or really good win.
The problem: Jerry Jones, the general manager.
We all know the story: Jones has always been the self-appointed general manager despite not necessarily being a football guy (more of a oil guy). They won in the early 1990s with Jimmy Jones was running things. When he left, things went to shit. Bill Parcells comes along, rights the ship. He goes, and now this team is taking it on the chin on the off the field.
The obvious trend: When Jones is steering this ship, it tends to start taking on water.
Now, the solution is incredibly simple to come to, but a billion times more difficult to put into motion. The solution is to fire Jerry Jones, the general manager.
Think about what a general manager does. They make prime decisions for a sports franchise pertaining to administration, team philosophy, players, coaches/managers and just about everything in between. In fact, what they don't deal with is how many beers are concessions selling or who is the most popular jersey in the fan shop.
Most of the general manager's focus is between the lines: on the baseball diamond, between the end zones or on the court.
If you were an owner of a NFL team, you would not have hired Jones as a general manager in 1989. In fact, only a bad team (see: Raiders, Browns) would hire him now with almost 20 years of experience.
If Jones were the general manager of any sports franchise, he would've been fired years ago. Folks think Jon Daniels is screwing the Texas Rangers or that Doug Armstrong hamstrung the Dallas Stars. I think Donnie Nelson is awful. But Jones may take the cake. The Cowboys haven't won a playoff game in 12 years. Enough said.
What's worse is that other sports have to not only draft and sign free agents, but they have to contend with trading players. Obviously, trading players is not as easy in the NFL, so rarely do you have to worry about it. Also, if Daniels, Armstrong or Nelson want a player, they just can't cut a check; they have to ask for the money. If Jones wants a player, as long as he's under the salary cap, he can just cut the check.
So, what I'm saying is that over 20 years, Jones has had only to worry about two areas (drafting, free agency) and he's tended to screw both of those up. First, during the 1990s he attempted to fight the salary cap by signing players to insane long-term contracts that handcuffed this team for a long while.
Then for a decade, he screwed the team in the salary cap era in the draft (when the draft became really important) by totally screwing up each and every draft through Quincy Carter (Shante Carver! David LaFleur! Kavika Pittman! Ebenezer Ekuban! Dwayne Goodrich!). Not until recently has his drafting improve ... but then again it hasn't resulted in a whole bunch (and the DeMarcus Ware draft I credit to Parcells anyway).
As for free agency, name a true impact guy that's come in and put this team over the top? Ken Hamlin is close. Anthony Henry's been OK to bad. Leonard Davis looks like the best free agent Jones has brought in.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this is a general manager who has squandered the talent and money of one of the world's foremost franchises.
And, yet, he'll never, ever lose his job. He's his own boss. A man's dream. But unlike a guy who owns his own deli or hardware store, this business is never going to go bankrupt. There will never be a true bottoming out or alarm clock that goes off indicating changes need to be made.
It's never going to change because folks will still watch, cheer, attend games, buy Romo jerseys and such. It's never going to change because the beast is bigger and badder than the master, no matter how inept the master is.
Folks may cheer and care, but this team will probably never true success until Jones, the general manager, bows out and brings in "football" guys.
I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the giant, pink, gray-haired elephant staring at us from the corner of the room.
It's the halfway point of the NBA season. Frankly, it's tough to be too critical of the Dallas Mavericks.
Aren't they exactly where the optimists thought they'd be and ahead of where the pessimists thought they'd be. They are a good team. That is, if we can define a "good" geam as someone who can do alright on the road, take care of business at home, beat up the bad teams and go from so-so to bad against the really good or great teams.
They're a seventh or eighth seed team and, currently, there's a chance they could jump to the fifth seed or sink to the ninth seed. Who knows?
This team is very flawed. No doubt about it. But is that Dirk Nowitzki's fault? Rick Carlisle? Hardly. Dirk plays his nuts off every night and wants to win more than anyone in this city. Carlisle is kinda making lemonade from cow manure most nights.
If we want a pinata to hit, let's start with management. Until changes are made there (either in personnel or philosophy) not much will change with the team.
Donnie Nelson -- F Again, how does he have a job?
Rick Carlisle -- B Has flown underneath the radar all year. With all the line-up shake ups, we assume he knows what he's doing. Overall, I think the feeling around the league and area is that the Mavs are kinda overachieving. Granted, he's probably doing so.
**** J.J. Barea -- D- I just bring myself to give him an F. He tries too hard and that's something to be commended. He's simply not very good for a rotation guy in the NBA. Is he the worst player ever? No. Is there 1,000 guys in the NBA right now I'd trade him for? Yes. My biggest issue with Barea is that a lot of the stuff that drives me crazy about him is mental, not physical. When you're dealt a bad hand by God and you're only 5-4, you need to be smarter than your physically superior opponent. He's not.
Brandon Bass -- C I thought he started off playing very poorly. In the last month or so, he's maybe been one of the best three Mavs on the court on any given night. I'd like him to take it to the basket more because he's solid at the free-throw line.
Erick Dampier -- C-He still does the solid stuff (picks, defense, paint presence) that you can find with a lot of seven footers. The numbers are the same. It's maddening to see him playing really, really well for a week and then drop off. Everyone knows he has it in him. Nobody but himself can yank it out.
Devean George -- C Say what you will, but George is a solid bench guy. That's all. Not a sixth man nor a seventh. But he can spell you for 15 minutes a game. Is it worth the money we're paying him? Hardly. He's shooting the ball better, too.
Gerald Green -- D I think we all know he can be electrifying and a presence on the court. Something (lack of effort, attitude, injuries) keep him off of it too much to really get a true gauge.
Josh Howard -- C+ Injuries have really hurt. But when he's on the court he makes a difference. No doubt about it.
Jason Kidd -- B+ I can not judge Jason Kidd based on the idiocy of Donnie Nelson and Co. trading Devin Harris for the guy. It's not Kidd's fault. There is no doubt that the Mavs are anywhere near 24 wins at this point without Jason Kidd. He's been really, really good at times and even on his "off" nights, he makes big plays and puts the team in a position to win. Dirk Nowitzki -- B+ It seems that there's more 7-23 and 3-15 nights than usual. Then again, if this wasn't the Mavericks that has blown playoff series to the Heat and Warriors with Dirk as the leader, he'd probably be a legit MVP candidate this year. He's shooting better and leading this team even when he goes 7-23 (on those nights, he usually goes to the charity stripe 10 times and still gets 25 points).
James Singleton -- B I love Singleton's game. I want more of Singleton's game. Make this happen.
Jerry Stackhouse -- F-I doubt there's a bigger turd in Dallas sports right now (yes, even more so than Terrell Owens, Sean Avery or Mike Young).
Jason Terry -- B With Howard hurt a lot and guys like Gerald Green as hit-and-miss propositions, Terry's success offensively was vital. A great season.
Shawne Williams -- F Very disappointing. But maybe he didn't have much anyway.
Antoine Wright -- C More good than bad. I think worth more of a look. I don't think he's a starter, however.
If the Dallas Stars expected to fly underneath the radar in terms of their highly disappointing season (so far) and their reckless play, that went down the tube once the Dallas Cowboys imploded in Philadelphia three weeks ago.
Granted, it helps that the Dallas Mavericks are playing (and not doing too much better ... but indeed better) and that the Cowboys seem to keep lurking in the sports pages despite not playing a down in a month.
Unfortunately, it's hard to completely ignore the Stars. Last season's run to the Western Conference Finals wasn't an end as much as it was a beginning to a solid five years of annual participation deep into the NHL playoffs.
Today, they are a 13th seed in the West. Not even sniffing the crotches of the likes of San Jose or Detroit.
The Stars, at mid-season:
Brett Hull-Les Jackson -- F For the Sean Avery episode alone.
Dave Tippett -- F There is very little different from last year's team to this year. More often than not, it's really dumb, fundamental mistakes that often bury the Stars from night to night. Why aren't these type of things getting fixed?
Krys Barch -- B- Should play in more games this year than the previous two years combined. A pesky guy. Another reason why the Avery signing was awful.
Fabian Brunnstrom -- B Inconsistent at times, but before getting injured in December, he was one of the better offensive players on the team. Ten goals, four game-winners.
Chris Conner -- F He's played sparingly since mid-December.
Trevor Daley -- B He's prone to the costly turnover in his own end, but overall he's been pretty good especially on the offensive end where he's turned it on some. Usually when he's on the ice, there's some winning taking place.
Loui Eriksson -- A A career year. On pace for 40+ goals.
Nik Grossman -- C+ At best, he's been solid this season. Has fallen back some from last year when I thought he was a really solid blue liner.
Jere Lehtinen -- D Healthy and he's the difference at times between winning or losing. Unfortunately, he's been hurt a lot in his career and at 35 you have to wonder how much longer he can take it. The guy has a +183 for his career. Amazing.
Joel Lundqvist -- F Hurt a lot this year and has never gotten into the true groove the team. I think he's considered an important cog in this team despite not being one of the top 10 best players on the team. Team tended to pick up once he and Steve Ott got back. Of course, that might say more about Ott than Lundqvist.
Mike Modano -- B+ Could start stringing together multiple 50+ point seasons in the twilight of his career. Better this year than last.
James Neal -- A The Texas Rangers' Elvis Andrus might vie for the area's top rookie, but he'll need to fight Neal for it. He was the talk of training camp and has not disappointed. Just 21 years old and plays like he belongs.
Matt Niskanen -- D His offensive output hasn't really slipped, but his continuous brain farts defensively have killed the Stars some nights. He has to improve for this team to improve.
Steve Ott -- D Needs to stay healthy. This team is better when he's bugging the shit out of the opponent. He's the typical glue guy. I feel good about this team's chances down the stretch if Otter's OK.
Mark Parrish -- B- Above all the guys the Stars have plugged in with injuries and suspensions, Parrish has made the biggest impact. A good veteran leader, who'll bring some grit and score when he needs to.
Toby Peterson -- C+ Worked himself into the mix after last year's playoff run. He's played really well through the season and plays every night.
Mike Ribeiro -- F Ribs is probably going to match his assist total from last year. Unfortunately, the Stars brought him in to do one thing: score goals. He has eight through 44 games, is futile on the power play and has no game-winning goals. Success depends on him getting the puck in the net.
Brad Richards -- B Early on, Richards was actually getting criticized. Hogwash. He's by far the most consistent offensive player (8, 13, 13, 2 are his point totals by month). He's on pace for 80+ points and his +/- is far better than it was in Tampa Bay. Does he need to play better? Both he and Ribs playing better would mean the difference between 15th in the conference and fifth.
Stephane Robidas -- A If you want the team's mid-season MVP, it may be Robidas. Solid every night especially for a squad that has been up and down all season. A really good veteran presence to keep the ship afloat even during the stormiest times.
Tobias Stephan -- C The guy needs to play more.
Darryl Sydor -- D- I can't tell much of a difference between him playing and not playing. Defense still looks porous.
Marty Turco -- F Not saying you bench the guy for good. But a shake-up can't hurt. Stars need to find a goalie that can go out and win a game for them and not make excuses when he doesn't.
Sergei Zubov -- F At what point do you cut ties? He's a hell of a good player when healthy. But can you continue to hope and pray he doesn't fall down some stairs every off-season and if he doesn't, you have to scramble to fill his spot? It's bad enough that a guy like him is virtually irreplaceable.
Before, I used to harp on opponent's shooting percentage, turnovers and rebounding. Even assists, points in the paint and free throws attempted.
Not anymore. The Mavs are no longer a marquee team that can sit around and depend on those stats to come easily for them. And if they lose all those categories in a game, but still win the game, it's all OK. Just try to approve and bump that win column more and more. Fifty wins tends to be the benchmark here.
So when Jason Kidd scores 22 without attempting a free throw, I'm OK.
When the Mavs get outrebounded by seven, fine.
When Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard go 10-36 from the field, cool.
Because they beat the Philadelphia 76ers on Nowitzki's buzzer beater 95-93 on the road for a morning game. We'll take it.
Notes: 1. With two weekend wins, the Mavs are tied for the seventh seed in the West. But just a game and a half out of the fifth seed. Right in it. Just keep battling.
2. Anyone else like what Ryan Hollins brings to the table? Reminds me some of Josh Powell, except he's 7-0 and a little more athletic. He'll have his downsides but, as Eddie Sefko put it, he's already worked harder than DeSagana Diop in one game than Diop did in three seasons.
3. Thought Josh Howard was really, really good. The Mavs miss that guy when he's out.
4. In my book, J.J. Barea is now the 15th best Maverick on the roster. And he gets 10 minutes a game because he's the only back-up point guard.
If you thought the Dallas Cowboys would cease to be a story, you were wrong.
Dallas Morning News reporter Calvin Watkins had a fantastic piece today about the undisciplined 2008 Cowboys in regards to being late, loudmouthed and generally running amok.
And with little retribution for their actions.
Again, it seems the Cowboys have more than a couple leaks in the organization. From this story, it seems that it's players talking and from we can gather, Watkins has a very good relationship with the players. Nonetheless, it's just more proof that the Cowboys are on incredibly shakey ground when you're players start talking to the media pretty openly about how poorly this team is run -- needless to say, the "sources" in Watkins' story probably ain't Terrell Owens or Tank Johnson; chances are, it's the likes of Bradie James, Terence Newman, Jason Witten or others of their ilk that probably hate to see guys come in late to meetings or lollygag during practices.
Anyway, things I thought were interesting:
1. Five of the eight flights to road destinations were late due to players not being on time. Doesn't any one remember when a player was late, the plane took off and that player had to buy a ticket to the road game?
2. Players are fined just $100 if they're late to a meeting or treatment, as opposed to $5,000 in Bill Parcells' day. According to Watkins, head coach Wade Phillips asked for this fine to be increased only to be "rebuffed" by the owner, Jerry Jones.
3. Anthony Spencer and Terrell Owens were specifically noted as repeat offenders.
4. Basically, no one likes Jason Garrett. The receivers seem to not. And even Tony Romo was miffed at Garrett being critical of his play late in the season.
5. Furthermore, Garrett's inability to communicate with his players (I mean, this was obvious from an outsider's perspective) is pretty plain. What sucks most is that Garrett wasn't hired in St. Louis ... so he's back.
So, what do you do with a team where the coaches aren't necessarily not very good or getting outcoached on the field, but are simply not respected by their players. Why do teams like Arizona and Pittsburgh make Super Bowls? Why do the Giants and Colts continue to kick ass year after year? Because those teams go balls out for their coaches. Those guys want to win, but they really don't want to disappoint those guys on the sidelines. If a coach can't evoke that type of passion, then they are beyond screwed.
Just like that, my record in NFL playoff predictions got a hell of a lot better.
Once 2-6, I'm now a proud 4-6 heading into the Super Bowl. Still got screwed with the road wins in the divisional rounds.
Arizona Cardinals 32, Philadelphia Eagles 25
The Eagles dicked around too long and wound up beat early despite the frantic comeback. Blitz all you want, but the Eagles didn't have any answers for the Cardinals. Again, Larry Fitzgerald is amazing. Until someone learns how to stop him from dominating the game, the Cards will continue to win. I realize that Donovan McNabb's numbers look good and all, but I don't think there's a more overrated player than that guy. He's simply not accurate (missed wide-open guys all day) and he's the epitome of the gutless player (then again, at least his teams make the playoffs unlike some others). And I don't think Andy Reid's all that either.
Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Baltimore Ravens 14
Per our discussion of McNabb above, Ben Roethlisberger had pretty shitty stats, but if you wanted the game, you realize how in control he was. I don't know if he'll ever be a 3-touchdown a game guy or a guy who doesn't get sacked four times a guy, but the guy knows how to get the ball in the end zone and win games. Are the Steelers the greatest NFL franchise ever? Joe Flacco will have better days. Silly to gamble on a rookie quarterback on the road ... in Pittsburgh, no less.
For one, defensive coordinator Brian Stewart is gone. Let's face it: He was useless. The defensive quandary in Dallas was filled with assumptions.
We assumed that Brian Stewart was capable as a defensive coach.
We assumed that head coach Wade Phillips was really running things.
We assumed that Phillips -- the self-described greatest defensive coach in NFL history -- was, you know, calling the defensive sets.
Well, that all fell to crap midway through the season when we learned that Phillips, indeed, wasn't calling the defensive sets and that he would take that duty away from Stewart. Suddenly, the defense starts playing better.
After that, Stewart's fate seemed grim. After a 9-7 finish and no playoffs, Stewart's status was on life support 'til the cord was yanked today.
The other big nugget of news is that offensive coordinator jason Garrett and his wife left for St. Louis today to discuss their head coach opening. And it appears this isn't just a second interview, but a hardcore discussion about the position and possibly an opportunity to accept the job.
When we discussed Terrell Owens earlier today, we never mentioned Garrett. And that's why I don't think much fuss was made about keeping him (although the offensive output this year didn't help). Garrett and Owens can not co-exist. Thing is, Garrett can leave and Owens really can't without it crippling the Cowboys, salary cap-wise.
The comments from Patrick Crayton this week on ESPN regarding the respect Owens has for Garrett. It's non-existent. We can all see that.
It's odd, however, seeing Garrett's full arc here in Dallas. Two years ago, he was the boy genius -- he was the future. The Cowboys would be riding high by now and he'd take over and lead them for the next decade. Now, he's probably going to be captaining an unseaworthy ship in St. Louis. Times have changed.
Honestly, Garrett has never proven one thing nor has he necessarily succeeded on any level. He's like a 5-tool prospect in baseball. Everything's there, but can he pull it together?
I just hate to see Garrett do something in the next five years as Owens continues to flounder in Dallas. That's a very possible scenario.
It's no surprise that I'm 2-6 on my predictions during the NFL playoffs.
What is surprising is how it's gotten to 2-6. I felt going in that there were a number of teams that were bound for the championship weekend.
Well, that wasn't correct.
Three of the four road teams won last week.
Now there's a very distinct chance that either the Ravens, Cardinals or Eagles will make the playoffs. Are we excited about a Ravens-Cardinals Super Bowl? Eagles-Steelers? Ravens-Eagles?
Blech. It's a good thing I have no interest in the Super Bowl other than getting filthy drunk.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Eagles Do not bet on this game. There's probably a dozen things that could go one way or the other. Can't you see Brian Westbrook going nuts? Or Tim Hightower going for three touchdowns? How about Donovan McNabb throwing four interceptions? How about the Cardinals defense imploding? All of this could happen?
But answer me this, Batman: Can the Eagles roll into Arizona again and beat the Cards?
Prediction: Arizona Cardinals
Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers The Steelers beat the Ravens twice by a total of seven points this season. It's so hard to beat a team three times in a season. Things are just too even, especially when the defenses rule. I think this game is decided by a special teams or defensive play for a score. Who gets it is a crapshoot. It's tough to see Kurt Warner vs. Joe Flacco in the Super Bowl.
In case you missed the big, super important announcement this morning on The Ticket, it was actually relatively super and important. It wasn't them announcing that Rusty Greer was signing autographs at an Orphanage Road show in Lewisville next week.
Once the season was finished for the Dallas Cowboys, I stated one fact and I stand by that, especially today: This off-season will be full of a bunch of tough decisions for GM-owner Jerry Jones.
Terrell Owens may be the toughest.
Before we go any further, I want everyone to know that I am a Owens fan and I supported his initial signing, his extension and his play as a Dallas Cowboy.
Now, some questions, some answers but little clarification.
Do the Dallas Cowboys have a major "leak" in their organization that could be a "problem" that no one is "talking" about? To me, this is the question of the season and absolutely no one is talking about it or asking further questions. Probably about a dozen times over the past three years, something has leaked from the film rooms, locker room, practice field and the inner sanctum of the Cowboys. From Todd Haley vs. TO, to the secret meeting of the receivers and Jason Garrett, to TO sleeping during film sessions and Jason Witten and Tony Romo being in secret cahoots in game planning.
Now, there several ways to look at this: Either there is a legitimate leak that has the ear of reporters including ESPN's Ed Werder or Chris Mortensen (if you listen to Cowboys writer Mickey Spagnola on The Ticket, he suggests without saying it that those guys are making shit up, which is ridiculous). Or the Cowboys are simply leaking all of this and keeping it secret. My theory fits with the latter. I think the "source" within the organization is either/or/both Jerry Jones-Stephen Jones. It came out recently that Stephen Jones wants TO out and will need to convince dear ol' dad of the idea. This was "leaked" via a source. Once being a card-carrying media member, I know that when a business, public entity or person wants to keep something secret, they can easily do that. The government does it all the time. No way the Cowboys officials are talking turkey with ball boys, equipment managers or popcorn vendors. There are probably a couple of dudes in the room and if the story "leaks" then chances are Stephen or Jerry could find out who it was pretty easily.
Since they don't seem too worried about it, we can only assume that either Stephen or Jerry is the actual source (secretly, I think we all assume this).
Is Owens a gigantic dick? Yes.
Is Owens responsible for the meltdowns in San Francisco, Philadelphia and, now, Dallas? No way. Everyone should get a bite of all three shit sandwiches. Coaches, teammates, Owens. All three screwed up somewhere along the line, feelings were hurt or ignored and things went to pot in public or private, doesn't really matter.
However, it must be noted certain common themes: And that is TO. If you are a doctor or researcher and you want to find a cause of an illness or your want to define an antidote, you look at the cases and try to find underlying themes that thread themselves in all cases. The coaches are different with TO. The teammates, too. The only constant is TO.
TO doesn't deserve all the blame, but Steve Mariucci, Andy Reid, Donovan McNabb and Jeff Garcia seems to get along fine with just about everyone else. TO's cancerous tendencies are true. Is Owens' play regressing? Certainly. It's natural and we all knew it was coming. Now, is it regressing at the rate that some people intimate? I don't think so. I think he has a number of years left in him and I believe he can truly play on a very high level for, at least, the remaining years on his contract.
How much impact did Owens have on the 2008-09 Dallas Cowboys and their disappointing 9-7, non-playoff outcome? Probably quite a bit. The bigger question: Was it his fault? Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett showed his ass more than once this season, which leads me to believe that there were issues with play calling, design and implementation. On the other hand, football is a game that can turn within seconds. Momentum has been won and loss with a blink of an eye. Considering how close the Cowboys were in pivotal games this year, a correctly run route by TO may change the complexion of a game. The Cowboys choked big time in that final game against Philadelphia. However, isn't it more important that they spit the bit against Arizona, Washington and St. Louis. Frankly, the Philly game wasn't important because it should've never come to that.
Will Owens be a Dallas Cowboy in September 2009? Yes, and here's why: 1. Money. Should TO get cut, the Cowboys will be on the hook for about $9 million on the cap. That's just entirely too much money to have sitting there not doing a damn thing in today's NFL, especially if you think you can still compete and stay in the Super Bowl buzz.
2. Money. The Cowboys are moving into JerryLand next season. Not only do you want $9 million in dead money on the payroll, but you want asses in the seats. You need a playmaker like TO in that brand new Shangri-La.
3. Attention. No matter what, Jerry loves attention. Bad or good, it's all the same to him. Every time Owens opens his mouth, the Cowboys are probably leading some newscast and that pleases Jerry.
4. Roy Williams. The other one. Had he busted out after being traded to the Cowboys, it could justify the Cowboys eating the guaranteed money and cutting ties. He didn't, they won't.
Here's maybe why they could cut TO: 1. There's something to be said for team chemistry. It doesn't win championships and it probably doesn't get most teams close. However, all things even, talent in tow and ready to roll, chemistry can be the exact thing that pushes a good team over the edge. It can take a marginal team or a good team and make them great. It can span the chasm between really talented teams and somewhat talented teams.
2. Money ain't everything. Think Jerry believes that? If you can make your team 20 percent better, is that worth $9 million? If a free agent came on the market and he stated he'd play for $9 million for one year and he would guarantee a trip to the NFC Championship game, do you sign him? Of course you do. The "addition by subtraction" idea does not play well, however, with wildcatters like Jerry.
3. Coup. Should Jerry get an earful from players and coaches to the point that they demand some drastic action, it could force his hand. If this should every happen -- no matter how unlikely -- and it should make it to the media, then the Cowboys will have a serious issue.
