http://sportsblogs.org/entries.php?team_id=47&date=2008-07-06&start=0 Sports Blogs :: Dallas Cowboys Daily Entries en-us Well it's almost that time of the year kiddies. Sundays and Dallas Cowboys Football. We are about a month away from serious Dallas Cowboys coverage and ramblings. I would like to thank Kelly for inviting back to 2008 for my usual "Sunday Spot" feature here on LoneStarStruck and everyone else associated with this website who reads, contributes and gives their two cents. I will also still be contributing some graphics to the site again as well as on my myspace page at http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1265480&src=rss 2008-07-06T08:15:45 The blogger at Bleacher Report had an interesting post about whether he would select Tony Romo over Troy Aikman. There was a bit of a debate at The Blue and Silver, but I wanted to throw in more about this here. This is part of the original post: I want the guy who calls for the [...] http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1265330&src=rss 2008-07-06T04:20:06 I went to the XML Conference in Atlanta in November. They have this little Expo thing during the conference (a product crap show) and I was just walking around looking for all the ... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263575&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 I didn’t catch the whole thing, but Salisbury was on ESPN News Sunday night saying he couldn’t believe Dallas didn’t take a safety. This would have been a stupid idea at the time, and in retrospect, it’s lunacy. Dallas recovers a fumble at their own 1-yard line. Two give-up runs and a throwaway and it’s fourth down at the one. I’m not going to say it didn’t cross my mind to take a safety because it did. But the lead was 7. Making the lead five didn’t ... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263576&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 This is turning into the Dallas Cowboys Offensive Line blog. More on that in a minute. A lot of other stuff happened, like Roy Williams absolutely stinking at a critical time, AGAIN. There was a three-man rush that gave Eli Manning three and a half days to find a receiver, which he did. And there was not going for it on 4th and two inches at the Giants 10 yard line. Doesn’t that violate many rules, written and unwritten. As ponderous as TMQ is, his “kick early, g... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263577&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 During Monday night's game there was a controversial call concerning a muffed fair catch. I didn't see it, but I'd like to comment on it extensively. From listening to honest talk radio, here's what I think I hear happened: The ball was punted. The receiver signaled for a fair catch. When he tried to catch the ball, it bounced off of him and -- before hitting the ground -- into the hands of a member of the kicking team. Turns out that's not legal, and not only did the receivin... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263578&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 Early in the game, even while Dallas was building a quick and impressive 17-0 lead, Larry Allen was getting whipped. He was getting beaten on running plays by whoever lined up over him, or who he should have picked up sliding down the line. Then, something happened. Like he got pissed or something. He started... not just playing, but finishing. He didn't look bored. He didn't look like he was just running drills in practice, he was slugging his guy, he was blocking downfield, ... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263579&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 It's easy to say right now, but I've never cared for Mike Zimmer. I was re-watching the Oakland game and twice in the first half DeMarcus Ware, at the snap, took one step over the line and then retreated. Who is he faking? Number one, this is just wasted motion. Pre-snap, you may give a look, then at the snap do something else in an effort to deceive, but this step over the line is just nonsense. And number two, both plays were running plays. Ware's actions had nothi... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263580&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 With about five minutes to play in the third quarter, down by five, the Cowboys pulled a quasi-fake punt, essentially going for it on 4th down, AT THEIR OWN 35. This is indefensible. This is another case of Parcells saying one thing and doing another. To the press, he talks like he’s Mr. Conservative, like he’s all about field position. But he’s actually beyond a gambler, he’s just reckless. The outcome of the 49er drive, a turnover, is irrelevant. Going for it in that... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263581&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 Don’t be fooled by the big gain Julius Jones made on a screen pass in the first half. It was a combination of him being fast and shifty, and poor tackling by the 49ers. Plus a possible block in the back by Witten. Otherwise, the linemen out in front didn’t block anyone. I backed up the Tivo and laughed. Not only do Dallas OL not block anyone on screen passes, they don’t even touch anyone, unless they run into each other. http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263582&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 I got really annoyed with Bernie Kukar’s holding signal. He grabs his wrist and kind of shakes it. It’s weird and doesn’t make any sense. It’s like he was making a signal for handcuffing. DeMarcus Ware was neutralized, one on one. The Redskins Chris Samuels did the job Monday night and against SF it was Jon Jennings. He’s playing the run well, and actually getting closer than Kavika Pittman or Shante Carver ever did, but he’s hasn’t been the game-changer he showe... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263583&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 Sean Payton is taking some grief about the playcalling Monday night. Whether it was too conservative is debatable, and if it was, I’d wager it was on orders from Parcells. But one thing Payton certainly got right was the flea flicker call. It was in the third quarter, and Dallas had been consistently running the ball. They hadn’t had great success with the run, but they stuck with it. Then when they had sufficiently lulled Washington into playing the run, Payton called the... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263584&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 I blame Roy Williams, though he wasn’t the only one. Bledsoe could have made a pass. Crayton could have held on and gotten the first down. Flozell Adams didn’t have to hold. Jose “The Hook” Cortez could have made that first FG. But great players make great plays – all of them. Roy Williams made a lot of plays, but he didn’t make the ones he really needed to make. The late ones. The important ones. He and Aaron Glenn teamed up to allow two long TDs in t... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263585&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 I hate to be that jackass again, and I’m sure lots of money was raised for hurricane relief, but I’m calling BS on the NFL players and execs working the phones, on several counts. 1 – What was with the phones? My Mom hasn’t had a phone like that since the 80’s. Who would use a phone like that? If it was f’real, they would have had headsets and… b) – Keyboards. Yeah, right, they were manually filling out these for... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263586&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 I’ve got a really bad feeling about Monday night’s game. Like, 7 sacks 3 fumbles bad. Bledsoe played pretty well against San Diego, but he was sacked four times and fumbled twice, losing one on a botched exchange with the center. San Diego doesn’t have a premier pass rusher and had only 33 sacks last year. Washington may not have a premier pass rusher either, but they put 8 in the box on every play. Unless… Unless it’s last year’s Monday night g... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263587&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 Pete starts with an open letter to Saints owner Tom Benson. The "open letter" idea is absurd to begin with, but it suits Pete because it makes his plea more melodramatic. This region needs the Saints, now more than any other time in the 38-year history of the franchise. And the future of this team -- and I would say even this incredibly needy region -- is in your hands as much as any single person in the United States right now. Absurd. Melodra... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263588&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 Fox: The network of debauchery As far as I could tell, Fox’s Sunday night lineup, for one night at least, was four shows about about how funny porn is, and at least two of them were animated. They also had a promo for another show where they show a revolver being fired. No other context, just this scene of someone firing a gun. Number one – does anyone even use a revolver any more? And first of all, did h... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263589&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 I was going to review the last preseason column of TMQ, but it’s not interesting enough to comment on. Dude gives his “predictions” for each team in haiku. Thirty-two freaking haikus. And that’s only about one-fourth of the column. He drones on and on about Star Trek or Star Wars or something. Ponderous. He also agreed with a reader about something that happened in the Syracuse game. The reader says there was a reverse and the announcers called it a “doubl... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263590&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 If you don't read si.com's Peter King every Monday (and mailbag on Tuesday), I highly recommend you don't start. I can't stop, so every week I'll bring you some of his best hypocrisy and superficial analysis. Feel free to add your own. I am going to go ahead -- foolishly, I know -- and predict the order of finish for NFL teams... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263591&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 I didn't read his whole picks explanation, number one, because it took me so long to copy it into a text editor because of each division being on a separate page. That, making single items into multi-pages so we can presumably see more ads, may be the beginning of the end of this internet craze. 2. COWBOYS (10-6 (and wildcard)) In 2004 Vinny Testaverde was sac... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263592&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 Dallas is looking into signing Peerless Price, according to their website. Jerry Jones says they're looking into it, Parcells says he thinks Price is a pretty good player, but no visit is planned, and they would have to visit in order to sign him according to Jones. Translation: Price thinks he can still get a lot of money, more than Dallas is willing to pay. If Price can't find ... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263593&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:26 In the NFL, a QB has to be accurate. Good NFL QBs were accurate QBs in college. It’s not all about accuracy, but there may be no stronger indicator of future NFL ability (not necessarily “success”) as NCAA accuracy. More importantly, there is no stronger indicator of future NFL failure as lack of NCAA accuracy. This is not about what makes a good pro QB. Many things make a good pro QB. But bad NFL QBs share this common thr... http://rd.sportsblogs.org/viewEntry.php?id=1263574&src=rss 2008-07-06T00:09:24