January 31, 2009 | Filed Under Dallas Cowboys, NFL | Comments Off
One of the most controversial wide receivers ever is Dallas Cowboys superstar Terrell Owens. He has always had personal issues with the quarterbacks he's played with, is always complaining about his role in the offense, and seems to care more about individual statistics than the state of his team. But, hate him or love him, Terrell Owens is one of the greatest receivers in NFL history.
It started on December 7, 1973 in Alexander City, Alabama. Terrell's mom, Marilyn Heard, was just 17 when she gave birth to the future NFL icon we know as Terrell Owens. "T.O.'s" father, L.C. Russell, was 14 years older then his mom. Awkward, yes, but also true. Despite it being weird, Russell stayed in the neighborhood—but not with the family. After she gave birth to Terrell, Heard gave birth to a girl named Latasha.Then in the early 1980's, Heard gave birth to two more babies—fathered by another man.
Despite the battered family life, Terrell remained stable. He spent most of his time with his grandmother, Alice. Young T.O. was abused, didn't have much of a social life, could only ride his bike in the front yard and could not watch TV. He escaped it. How? Sports.
In high school, Owens played basketball, track and swimming. But, he also played football—and very well, at that. His idol back then and his idol to this day was San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice.
Rice was also a receiver from the south, and became possibly the best one ever. Rice finished with just under 23,000 yards and scored 197 touchdowns. T.O. wanted to be just like him. He started in 1988, going out for sports teams. He lettered in football and track four times, three times in basketball and even once in baseball.
T.O. considered quitting football before senior year and pursuing basketball, but his coaches talked him out of it. T.O. shined as a senior. He had the size, potential and competitiveness to be an ideal Division I reciever.
But, the scouts were too late. Just like Rice, T.O. got into a small school. Rice went to Mississippi Valley State and T.O. decided to enroll at Tennessee-Chattanooga. Terrell proved the scouts that snubbed him wrong. He played football for four years, basketball for three and led the 4x100 meter track team.
As a freshman in 1992, T.O. got barely any playing time. He caught just six passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. After the team finished 2-9, head coach Buddy Nix was fired. The new guy to lead was Tommy West.
West, unlike Nix, saw T.O.'s abilities. He gave T.O. the playing time he needed, and it paid off. He caught just 38 passes, but gained 724 yards (19.1 YPC) and scored eight touchdowns. In a game against Marshall, he scored a school record four touchdowns. UTC improved to 4-7 and also fired West. They then brought in Buddy Green.
The team struggled under Green, too, finishing just 3-8. But Owens improved. He caught 58 passes for 836 yards and scored six touchdowns. He earned second team All Southern Conference. As a senior, T.O. had problems. He was double teamed and his numbers suffered. He caught 43 passes for 666 yards and a touchdown.
The 1996 draft would be an awkward experience for Terrell. He figured he'd be drafted, but he hasn't sure exactly where. If the scouts saw what he could do, he could be a first rounder. But some scouts judge a player for a bad game in prime time and T.O.'s abysmal UTC squad could hurt him.
After all, the UTC Moccasins were 13-31 with Owens. That may not be the leadership for a No. 1 receiver teams are looking for. But it was enough for the San Francisco 49ers.
They selected him in the third round with the 89th overall pick in a draft that featured Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis, Keyshawn Johnson, Eddie George, Mike Alstott and Brian Dawkins. T.O. would now be playing with his hero: Jerry Rice.
T.O., like most rookies, came into camp humble and shy. When looking for advice, he went to Rice. When the 49ers second receiver J.J. Stokes got hurt, a door opened for Terrell. In Owens' first start, he caught four passes for 94 yards and scored a touchdown. The 49ers finished 12-4 that season and Owens had a very respectable rookie year, at least for a late third round pick from a small school in Tennessee. He caught 35 passes for 520 yards and scored four touchdowns.
After a disappointing playoff loss to Brett Favre's Green Bay Packers, head coach George Seifert was fired. Steve Mariucci would be the sucessor. And with Rice at 35, T.O. would likely see an increase in his role in the offense.
When both Rice and star quarterback Steve Young went down in Week one, it looked to be a bad year for the 49ers. But, T.O. and the defense stepped up. Owens nearly doubled his rookie numbers, catching 60 passes for 936 yards and eight touchdowns in 1997 as the 49ers improved to 13-3 despite losing both Rice for every game except two and Young for the first game of the year.
They cruised past the Vikings in the Divisional Playoffs, 38-22. T.O. caught four passes for 49 yards and scored once, but Terry Kirby did it best.
He ran the ball 22 times for 120 yards and scored two touchdowns. The 49ers would try to get revenge on the Packers in the NFC Championship. But it didn't happen. The Packers won, 23-10, particularly because of Favre's 16-of-27 passing, 222 yards, one touchdown and Dorsey Levens 114 yards rushing and a touchdown. Owens had a fine game, though, with six catches for 100 yards. Nonetheless, the dream season was over.
What San Francisco could do in 1998 was through the roof. Young and Rice were back, 100 percent healthy, Owens was one of the brighest receivers in football and first round pick R.W, McQuarters would lead a talented secondary. Young, Rice and Owens lived up to their hype. Young passed for 4,170 yards and 36 touchdowns, Rice had 1,157 receiving yards and nine touchdowns and T.O. caught 67 passes for 1,097 yards and scored 14 touchdowns.
In 1988, T.O. was envying Rice as a fan. In 1998, Terrell was above Rice in the depth chart.
The 49ers again went to the playoffs after finishing 12-4, but would have to go through Green Bay. They did, winning 30-27. Owens caught just three passes, but gained 73 yards and scored a touchdown.
San Francisco took a heartbreaking loss the next week to the Falcons, 20-18. Falcons tailback Jamal Anderson ran for 113 yards and scored twice. T.O. had a good game, with eight catches for 73 yards, but it wasn't enough as the 49ers again went home early.
1999 would be no different. Expectations were high. But they were not met. Steve Young went down with a series of concussions and the 49ers would have two young quarterbacks: Jeff Garcia and Steve Senstrom.
The 49ers finished a dismal 4-12. T.O.'s stats dipped in all areas. He caught 60 passes for 754 yards and scored three touchdowns. 2000 was different for T.O. He caught a whopping 97 passes for 1,451 yards and 13 touchdowns. In a December game against the Chicago Bears, he caught 20 passes.
The team improved, but only to 6-10. But he was involved in a controversial incident. When he scored a touchdown against the Cowboys, he rushed to the Dallas star to celebrate. It offended the crowd. When he scored again, he repeated his actions. Cowboys defensive back George Teague came full speed and tackled him. The 49ers suspended Owens and fined him $24,000. Former great tight end Shannon Sharpe put it best: "You don't like it? Keep Terrell Owens out of the end zone."
2001 was almost as good for Owens. He caught 93 passes for 1,412 yards and 16 touchdowns. This time, the 49ers went 12-4.
Jeff Garcia threw 32 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions in a breakthrough year. Again, the 49ers lost to Green Bay, 25-15. Favre was 22-of-29 with 269 yards and two touchdowns and sent the 49ers home yet again.
After the loss, T.O. demanded a trade. He was tired of losing when it mattered. The 49ers realized T.O. was beneficial to their success, and they held on to him. The team seemed on the rise with an improving defense and Jeff Garcia was one of the best young quarterbacks in the National Football League at the time.
2002 was a good year, not great, for the 49ers. They finished 10-6 with Garcia under center. He finished with 3,344 yards, 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Owens caught 100 passes for 1,300 yards and scored 13 touchdowns.
The all-too controversial Owens got into another end zone dance struggle. After scoring a touchdown against the Seahawks, he pulled out a Sharpie pen and signed the football. (Should we go back to the Sharpe quote for my take on this?) The 49ers again went to the playoffs. They beat the Giants, 39-38 in one of the most exciting games in 49ers history. T.O. had an amazing game, with nine receptions for 177 yards and two touchdowns. But the next week, they were creamed by Tampa Bay, 31-6. Garcia threw three interceptions and T.O. was limited to four catches for 35 yards.
But it was clear Owens, a star receiver, wasn't happy with his situation. In 2003, the 49ers were a very mediocre team, to say the least. They finished 7-9. T.O. caught 80 passes for 1,302 yards and 11 TD's. It would be his last year in San Francisco. He wanted to be traded, and soon.
He was pursued heavily by the Jets, Eagles and Ravens. After the Ravens and 49ers reached a deal to trade Owens to Baltimore, T.O. said he didn't want to play there and reached a deal with the Eagles. Terrell Owens became a Philadelphia Eagle. Now that the Eagles finally had a wide receiver threat, a Super Bowl win in Philly was expected.
The 2004 Philadelphia Eagles were a team Philadelphia sports fans want to revert back to. They finished 13-3, winning the NFC East and eventually, the NFC Championship. McNabb had a fantastic season, with 3,875 yards, 31 touchdowns and just eight interceptions.
His numbers were much due to the arrival of Terrell. The star receiver caught 77 passes for 1,200 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. In the Divisonal Playoffs, Terrell's injury kept him out, as it did in the NFC Championship against Atlanta. But, the Eagles were able to win without him, and rather easily, 27-14 and 27-10, respectively. He returned for the Super Bowl against New England.
With a bum leg, T.O. caught nine passes for 122 yards; a truly heroic performance. But Tom Brady and Adam Vinatieri did their thing, and that was enough for a 24-21 Super Bowl XXXIX win.
Brady was 23-for-33 with 236 yards and three touchdown passes and Adam Vinateri game up big when it mattered, making it 24-14 in the fourth quarter and a 30-yard touchdown pass from McNabb to Greg Lewis was not enough.
The 2005 offseason was a rough one for T.O., to say the least. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who became much too familiar with Eagles fans, demanded T.O. have a renegotiated contract with the Eagles.
The press criticized T.O. considering the fact that Owens was earning $49M through his seven year contract. But, T.O. was only set to earn $3.5M, far less then wide receivers who didn't match up well with Owens. Terrell talked about skipping training camp, but went anyway. Terrell took shots at the Eagles, whether it be the fans, Donovan McNabb or owner Jeff Lurie. The star receiver even got in a fistfight with Hugh Douglas. For the brawl, T.O. was suspended the first four games.
In his short 2005 season, he was on a monster pace. In seven games, he caught 47 passes for 763 yards and six touchdowns. In a 14 game season, which is what he played in 2004, he would have had 94 receptions for 1,526 yards and 12 touchdowns. It's very ironic that what could have been T.O.'s best year was shortened. After more troubles with the Eagles, the team decided to deactivate him for the entire year. In a 49-21 win over Denver, T.O. caught three passes for 154 yards and scored once. It was his last game as an Eagle.
In the spring of 2006, the Eagles released Owens. Days later, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones threw him a check worth three years/$25M. Owens signed and after causing havoc for the Eagles inside the clubhouse, he would be causing havoc for Eagles defensive backs.
Owens' 2006 season was a very good one, as usual for Terrell.
In an Opening Day 24-17 loss to Jacksonville, Owens caught six passes for 80 yards and scored a touchdown. The next game, he got hurt. After a bye week, he returned to face the Eagles. The Eagles shellacked the Cowboys, 38-24. Owens was limited to three catches for 45 yards.
Despite a slow start, Owens managed to catch 85 passes for 1,180 yards and 13 TD. Even though the Cowboys finished just 9-7, they made the playoffs. They faced Seattle in the Wild Card game. Terrell caught just two passes for 26 yards, but the Cowboys had a chance to win with a 19-yard field goal. But, quarterback and holder Tony Romo muffed the snap and Seattle won, 21-20.
T.O.'s 2007 season was phenomenal. He had a much better 2007 Opening Day then 2006. In a 45-35 win over the Giants, Owens caught three passes for 87 yards and scored twice. The Cowboys were the best NFC team during the regular season, finishing 13-3. After the first 13 games, the 'Boys were 12-1.
In a 28-23 win over the Washington Redskins, Owens caught eight passes for 173 yards and scored a whopping four touchdowns. T.O. matched up against the Eagles twice and won once, lost once. In the first game, a 38-17 win in Philadelphia, Owens caught ten passes for 174 yards and scored once. But in a disappointing and meaningless 10-6 loss at home to the Eagles, T.O. caught just two passes for 37 yards.
However, the Cowboys marched on to the playoffs. They earned a first round bye and after the Giants won their Wild Card Game, there would be an NFC East showdown of New York/Dallas at Texas Stadium. The Giants shocked Dallas, 21-17. Owens caught four passes for 49 yards and scored once, but it wasn't near enough. That led to his infamous press conference in which he cried over the media's discrimination.
2008 would be a disappointing year for Terrell. He complained about his shrinking role in the offense and the Cowboys finished 9-7, missing the playoffs. Owens had another solid season, catching 69 passes for 1,052 yards and scoring ten touchdowns. The Eagles got their revenge against T.O. in Week 17, shellacking Owens' Cowboys, 44-6.
Expectations are sky-high for Owens and the Cowboys next season, and who knows what will happen?
January 31, 2009 | Filed Under Fantasy Baseball | Comments Off
The Counselor is IN:
Pitchers and catchers and are preparing to start camp in the next couple of weeks. Football season wraps up this weekend with the big game. My attention is beginning to sway to the national pastime. It is time to examine the kind of fantasy baseball league (or leagues) that are right for you because there are various types and assortments.
Draft vs. Auctions
Draft leagues select players based on their draft order in turns. Most drafts are serpentine so the team with the last pick in the first round will have the first pick of the second round. This gives every team a chance to pick a portion of the stud players, average players, and sleepers. This is the basic draft style which is pretty standard. Owners in this style of league will want to order the players by the most desirable to the least desirable players to draft.
Auction leagues are a whole different style of selecting players. Each team in an auction league is given an allotment of fantasy dollars to bid on players with. The standard amount is $260 fantasy dollars but this can very from league to league. The auction starts with a team throwing out the name of a player and dollar amount. Each team gets a chance to up the amount of money for the player. The last team to bid on the baseball player will receive the player for that value and that money is removed from the amount of fantasy dollars. There is strategy on what players to bid on, if they want to run the price up on a player that a team does not want, and when to stop bidding on a player. Teams in an auction could have half their team of stud players and the other half rookies while another team may not have stud players but all good players. There are numerous strategies used in an auction.
Single season vs. keeper leagues
A single season league focuses only on this season. You draft for this year’s stats only and what players can do for you now. The advantage of a single season is that you get to start fresh and new every year. If you missed out on the stud player last year, he will be there for you draft this year.
Keep leagues allow you to keep a portion of your players from year to year. Usually keeper leagues have a method of limiting how many years in a row. If you draft a rookie that develops into a stud, then you can keep him at the auction amount or draft position next year. This encourages owners to research and examine sleepers because they may be a great value for next year.
Rotisserie vs. Head to Head
Rotisserie baseball was the original fantasy sport. This is a method of compiling stats in various categories of offense and pitch. Where your team ranks in each category at the end of the year determines where your team finishes. During the season, your rank in a category may change daily. In a 10 team 4X4 Rotisserie league, you will have a ranking of 10 for the highest in a category to a 1 ranking for the lowest. You add the totals in each category for that team’s grand total. The highest grand total wins the league championship. There is no great way to have a playoff with this type of league.
Head to Head has each team playing against another team. You usually play against one team each week and then it changes to a different team. You use the same stats categories as in Rotisserie. You compete in each category and you count how many of the categories each team wins against the other team. In a 4X4 league, you may have one team with 4 points, the other with 3 and a tie in a category. This system does allow a playoff system.
4X4, 5X5, and others
The section is about the categories and how many a league uses. Owners need to pay close attention to the type and amount of categories. A standard league is a 4X4 league with 4 offensive and 4 pitching categories: Batting Average, Home Runs, RBI, and Stolen Bases, Wins, Saves, ERA, and WHIP (Walk & Hits divided by Innings Pitched). In a 5X5, there are an extra offense like Walks or OBP and an extra pitching category like Holds or Strike Outs. These are the usual categories but other leagues will throw in various other categories. You need to know what categories your league will be using so you can draft appropriately.
Free Leagues vs. Pay LeaguesThere are an abundance of Free leagues online. You can play for free on Yahoo with a public or private league.
There are plenty of other sites that will do the same thing.
Often these leagues are not flexible to some of the specific rules of a private league so league Commissioner should check on this before starting a private free league.
Pay leagues greatly vary in price and style. Some pay leagues only charge enough to pay for the use of the website and expenses of the Commissioner. Other leagues offer prize money to the winner or top tier teams. The amount of the entry can be as little as a few dollars or as much as hundreds of dollars.
Most Leagues are a combination of these different types of leagues.
The Counselor is OUT:
January 31, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off
Nick Eatman - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
January 31, 2009 2:25 PM
He was once tagged the World's Fastest Human. He has also been credited for changing the way football was played. He has a Super Bowl ring, an Olympic gold medal and a spot in the Cowboys' Ring of Honor.
Yet until Saturday, Bob Hayes' accomplishments have not been complete.
But that changed in Tampa when the "Bullet" was finally elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, along with five other players on Saturday, the eve of Super Bowl XLIII.
The 2009 Hall of Fame class will include the late Hayes, Randall McDaniel, Bruce Smith, Ralph Wilson Jr., Rod Woodson and Derrick Thomas. Woodson and Smith were the only two first-year eligible candidates to make it. The official induction will take place at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 8.
Hayes passed away in 2002 after a battle with prostate cancer and liver ailments, nearly a month after he was able to witness his induction into the Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium.
Hayes also was a finalist for the Hall of Fame in 2004, as one of the automatic finalist candidates picked by the Senior Committee. However, Hayes didn't receive the necessary 80-percent vote on that day.
But five years later, Hayes finally got his call in his home state of Florida.
"I think not only did he bring speed and a great sense of humor, but I think he brought a change, and I think that change was felt all around the world," said Hayes' sister, Lucille Hester, who also read an emotional Hall of Fame acceptance letter written by Hayes in 1999, three years before his death. "Hopefully that change caused an impact that his legacy will always entail. He changed the revolution of the (zone) defense. I think he left that. I think he left hope for others, other pigeon-toed boys on the east side of Jacksonville running up and down the streets. I think thats what he left and his impact was great."
Hayes was one of two senior candidates this year, along with Claude Humphrey. However, Humphrey was the only finalist among the seven not to get inducted.
Hayes becomes the ninth former Cowboys player to make the Hall of Fame, joining Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Bob Lilly, Randy White, Mel Renfro, Rayfield Wright, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin. The Cowboys are also represented in Canton by legendary head coach Tom Landry and former president and general manager Tex Schramm.
The Cowboys have been rather busy producing Hall of Famers here recently. There was a 10-year gap of Cowboys making the Hall between Renfro's induction in 1996 and Aikman and Wright being inducted in 2006. Irvin joined them the following year, making the Hall in 2007.
"This is a deserving honor for one of the Cowboys' most and truly gifted stars," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. "We all know he changed the game on the field, but he also brought a unique star quality to the NFL that helped make professional football the most popular sport in the world. He was a world champion in two different sports, and he had a world class heart. I couldn't be happier for Bob, he was always one of my personal favorites.
"This is a great day for Bob Hayes' legacy, his family and the Dallas Cowboys."
Hayes gives the Cowboys four former players in a four-year span, and that will certainly improve to five in five years when Emmitt Smith gets inducted in 2010 as a first-time inductee.
But this day, this year, was all about Hayes, who joins Irvin as the only receivers in Cowboys history to make the Hall of Fame.
From the sound of things, Irvin doesn't mind sharing the honor.
"It's a guy that I spent many days with in an apartment when I first got to Dallas, getting to know him and talking to him about the game and talking to him about him," Irvin said. "Talking to him about bouncing back from difficult times before I knew I'd go through some of the difficult things that I've gone through. He helped me in those matters even before I went through it. Just to be here today and be able to celebrate with his family and everybody here is huge for me."
Hayes won the 100 meters gold medal in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo with a world record of 10.0 seconds. He also helped win another gold medal that year in the 4x100 meter relay, which also produced a new world record at the time of 39.06 seconds.
Those feats helped Hayes earn the nickname "World's Fastest Human." But Hayes also became the first pure speed wide receiver in the NFL and changed the way defenses covered receivers. Because of his track-star speed, Hayes was the reason defenses started applying the zone defenses.
Hayes was a member of the Cowboys' Super Bowl VI winning team in 1971 and finished his career with 71 touchdown catches, which remains a Cowboys career record. Hayes is currently fourth in club history in receiving yards with 7,295 and he ranks seventh with 365 catches.
He has three of the Cowboys' 10 longest pass receptions, including the longest -- a 95-yard reception against Washington in 1966 -- and also ranks second in club history with an 11.1-yard average on punt returns, with three career touchdowns.
"You can get guys that have numbers and say he deserves it," Irvin said. "You can get guys that have rings and say that he deserves it. You can even have guys with a number of rings and see if he's a Hall of Famer or not. But when you have guys you had to change the game for, all these other rods or measuring things in catches, touchdowns, wins, Super Bowls and Pro Bowls are good.
"Understand this -- when you get those very few guys that they had to go into a room and come up with an idea of how to do something about this person, that's a Hall of Famer. That's got to be a Hall of Famer."
At last.
January 31, 2009 | Filed Under CP Staff Articles | Comments Off
SB XLIII/HOF Wrap-Up
Hey Cowboys Priders! Check out
Doyle, Larry, and their guests as they discuss the results of the Super Bowl, the NFL Hall of Fame class for 2009, and anything else they decide is interesting! Come join the fun by calling in or chatting with us!
Call in and discuss the game and Bob Hayes & the other HOF selections with us live or join us for the live in-show chat session!
Date/Time: Thursday, 2/5/09 @ 10:30PM ET (9:30PM CT)
You can check it out at
www.blogtalkradio.com/Cowboyspride to listen in or ask a question by hitting "Click to Talk". You can also call in to the show at
(347) 826-7420.
Or, join us in the show chat link and ask your question there!
We'll see you then!
More...
January 31, 2009 | Filed Under Cowboys News, Player Info | Comments Off
Why this man had to wait so long is beyond me because when he was playing there was no better deep threat in the game.
Then he was also a big part of the Cowboys historical rise and he was a Super Bowl champion too.
Here's a good article from Charean Williams from the Star Telegram,
read here.
Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Bob Hayes, whose Olympic speed changed the way defenses played in the NFL, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame today.
Hayes is joined in the Class of 2009 by lineman Randall McDaniel (Minnesota, Tampa Bay), defensive end Bruce Smith (Buffalo, Washington), linebacker Derrick Thomas (Kansas City), defensive back Rod Woodson (Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Baltimore, Oakland), and Buffalo Bills founder/owner Ralph Wilson.
Hayes, a finalist in 2004, was one of two candidates on the ballot nominated by the seniors committee. Claude Humphrey was the other.
The discussion of Hayes’ candidacy was the longest of any of the 17 finalists. It lasted 50 minutes.
The Class of 2009 will be enshrined at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday, Aug. 8.
Hayes, who died in 2002 of kidney failure, becomes the 11th Dallas Cowboys representative in the Hall. He joins Bob Lilly, Roger Staubach, Tom Landry, Tex Schramm, Tony Dorsett, Randy White, Mel Renfro, Troy Aikman, Rayfield Wright and Michael Irvin.
I still don't understand why it took 50 minutes to decide.
I mean they made him wait until he was in the Senior slot and then still were trying to block him?
Talk about hating.
Congrats to Bob Hayes and his family.
January 31, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off
IRVING, Texas (AP) - The undisputed star of Texas Stadium has left the field.
Crews on Friday rolled up the star section of blue artificial turf, about 30 feet by 30 feet, as part of plans to remove and sell items from the former home of the Dallas Cowboys.
John Linville of Hellas Construction says the company laid the latest artificial field in 2002, including the more than 1-ton section of the star.
The star graced the 50-yard line at Texas Stadium, which hosted its final Cowboys game on Dec. 20, a 33-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
The Cowboys this year will inaugurate their $1.2 billion retractable-roof stadium in Arlington.
An online auction was held to sell items, such as an American flag hanging in the stadium that went for $850. A Cowboys helmet golf cart sold for $12,500.
Some fans on Friday picked up items they had purchased.
January 31, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off
by Calvin Watkins
Say the Cowboys cut ties with Terrell Owens this spring. Should the team work a deal and get Arizona's Anquan Boldin?
The problem of course is the lack of a first round pick to offer Arizona. The Cowboys have nine draft picks available to trade. They gave up three picks including a first rounder to Detroit last fall to get Roy Williams.
Jerry Jones said he doubts the team will be a player in free agency and expects teams to reach out to him regarding trading for one of his many picks.
However, the Cowboys could rid themselves of Owens and maybe get Boldin in return. The catch of course is do you rework Boldin's deal, he has two years remaining, or do you let him play it out?
Boldin most likely would want a new deal, which is what the Cowboys did with Williams when they traded for him.
Is Boldin and Williams a better combination than Williams and Owens?
January 31, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off
By HOWARD ALTMAN
haltman@tampatrib.com
Published: January 31, 2009
TAMPA - At the Hyde Park Cafe, a couple of dozen fans, the vast majority men, waited for Dallas Cowboys' wide receiver Terrell Owens to arrive Thursday night. They milled about as Grand Master Flash blasted from the speakers.
A few platters of food sat mostly untouched.
Four words describe the banquet: Pigs in a blanket.
Sometime after 9, T.O. showed up, accompanied by a rather beefy, yet friendly bodyguard.
Shaking hands, laughing with fans, he predicted a Cardinal victory.
"It's pretty much a toss-up," he said. "You have a team with a good defense and a so-so offense and a team with a high-powered offense and not much defense. If things go well, it will break for the Cardinals."
Owens, who had a well-publicized feud with Jeff Garcia when both played for the Niners, shied away from talking about events at One Buc Place.
"I don't want to comment on Tampa Bay," he said. "The Buccaneers are not my concern."
Answering a question relayed by News Channel 8 reporter Sam Sodos, Owens said the huge diamonds in each earlobe never hurt during games.
"They make me shine a little more," he said. "They make me more of a star."
January 31, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off
Posted by Mike Farley (01/31/2009 @ 8:25 am)
The Super Bowl has been played since the 1966 season, so while NFL championships before that are not irrelevant, many records are based on the “Super Bowl era.” And while some teams have a great track record in Super Bowls (49ers), there are others that have awful records (Vikings, Bills). Here is a list of the Top 10 teams record-wise (based primarily on wins) in the Super Bowl era…..
1. San Francisco 49ers (5-0)—The 49ers are undefeated in Super Bowl history, and when you have guys like Joe Montana and Jerry Rice and Steve Young leading the way, it’s easy to see how that happens. But these teams were deep on both offense and defense, and were coached by Bill Walsh and George Seifert. What might be even more remarkable is that the Niners have scored 188 points while giving up 89 in those five games, a 99-point differential. Truly, ahem, super.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1)—The Steelers are looking to become the first team to win six Super Bowls this Sunday in Tampa against the Cardinals and the second one in the Ben Roethlisberger era. They are already one of the NFL’s premier franchises, but more is always better when it comes to championships.
3. Dallas Cowboys (5-3)—The Cowboys have a rich history of winning, but in today’s what-have-you-done-for-me-lately NFL, all anyone remembers is that they haven’t won a playoff game since 1996, and that dysfunction follows them around like tabloids following QB Tony Romo.
4. Green Bay Packers (3-1)—You might immediately think of Brett Favre, but he is only 1-1 in Super Bowls. The other two were Super Bowls I and II, when Bart Starr was the Packers’ QB and the coach was the legendary Vince Lombardi.
5. New York Giants (3-1)—The Giants climbed up a few notches with that improbable upset of the Patriots last season. Bill Parcells has two of the wins, one with Phil Simms at the helm and the other with Jeff Hostetler—and both with one of the greatest defensive players in history, Lawrence Taylor, terrorizing the other teams’ quarterbacks.
6. Oakland/LA Raiders (3-2)—It’s been about a quarter century since the Raiders won a Super Bowl, or around the same time Al Davis started to lose his marbles.
7. Washington Redskins (3-2)—The Redskins lost to Miami in Super Bowl 7, 14-7, to cap Miami’s (and the NFL’s only) perfect season, and have had mixed results since then, last appearing in 1991 when they beat Buffalo. Hard to believe it’s been almost 20 years since their last Super Bowl, but Dan Snyder makes Al Davis type decisions at times, so the drought could be long.
8. New England Patriots (3-3)—Have the Patriots have lost as many Super Bowls as they’ve won? Yes, when you realize the first two losses were to the mighty ’85 Bears, and to the unstoppable Favre/Holmgren Packers in ’96.
9. Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts (2-1)—You would think Peyton Manning should have more than one Super Bowl appearance, but that very fact was the big knock on him until he got his ring two years ago.
10. Miami Dolphins (2-3)—It’s been 25 years since the D-men have been in the big game, but mark my words…with Bill Parcells at the helm, this team will get back there within a few years, maybe even next year.
Source: Pro Football Reference
January 31, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off
By USAToday Sports
Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt couldn't help but jab at the preseason prognosticators who projected the Cowboys as the NFC's Super Bowl representative.
Recalling Arizona's 30-24 win against Dallas on Oct. 12, Whisenhunt referred to the Cowboys as a "Super Bowl team."
Many preseason projectors (including this author) were high on Dallas at the season's start. When the teams met in Week 6, the Cardinals (then 3-2) didn't look like much of a threat.
But Sean Morey blocked a Cowboys punt in overtime that the Cardinals recovered in the end zone for a game-winning touchdown.
"It was a big game for us," Whisenhunt said. "It gave us confidence against a team that a lot of people thought was very good.
"There was a lot of talk about them in the preseason and how good they were and how they could go to the Super Bowl. That was a big game for us."
And while the Cardinals used the win as a springboard to their first NFC title, the game heightened the Cowboys' fall from grace.
Dallas QB Tony Romo broke his pinkie finger in that game, which forced him out of the next three games.
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