What should we talk about this week on SJ Radio? You Decide!
August 31, 2009 | Filed Under sports | Comments Off Your Discussion Goes Live! Hey guys, this week we're talking some AFC West...we also want to cover the big stories going on around the sports world. What topic do you guys want us to discuss a ...Ogletree Gives Cowboys A Lot To Think About
August 31, 2009 | Filed Under Features, Kevin Olgetree | Comments OffWho would have thought that we would be talking about a free agent rookie named Kevin Olgetree after the first three preseason games? Ogletree, an undrafted rookie from Virginia, has been the biggest surprise of the preseason for the Cowboys. On Saturday, he continued to show the quickness and soft hands that has made him the top candidate in the battle for the fifth receiver spot on this Cowboys roster behind Williams, Crayton, Austin, and Hurd.
Heading into camp the receiver position has been surrounded with questions concerning Roy Williams and his ability to step up and lead this team. Few thought we would be debating whether the Cowboys should keep an undrafted rookie over 4th year receiver Isaiah Stanback. Stanback has done little to impress anyone this preseason, including catching only one ball and fumbling it away on Saturday against the 49ers. Couple that with his injury problems during his short career and it looks like this competition could be over.
One thing is certain, if the Cowboys want to retain Ogletree they will have keep him on the roster. Ogletree has shown too much for the Cowboys to sneak him onto the practice squad. I would say the Cowboys have some thinking to do.
The circus comes to town
August 31, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off
So I’m away on vacation at a place called Club Getaway, which is sort of a Club Med for the northeast. Not totally my cup of tea (I hate smelling like a campfire), but it’s an excellent spot for the kids. Sports, crafts, games.
Tonight, they had a circus.
Now when I heard about “The Circus,” I assumed it’d be 20 staffers in face paint, balancing balls on their noses and riding pretend horses. But, no, “The Circus” was actually “The Circus”—a four-person operation known as Circus R Us. A stranger sight I have rarely seen.
It took place in a run-down gymnasium. There were about 200 of us, sitting on a dusty floor, with techno music blasting at unbearable decibels. “Welcome to the circus!” the MC screamed. “Circus R Us!” From behind the stage curtain, three females emerged. One was a kid—probably 12 or 13. The second, Daniella, looked about 18 (turns out she was 15). And then there was the lead woman—a 35-year-old named Anna Jack.
The show was sorta lame. OK for a four-person gymnasium circus, but stale and yawn-inducing. But Anna Jack—dazzling. Spun nine hula-hoops at the same time; balanced this and that, this and that. Just did a ton of stuff that was really impressive. I turned to my sister-in-law and said, “Wow, pretty good for a local circus. She’s got some skills.”
Came back to my laptop, looked up “Circus R Us” and found this. Anna Jack ain’t no joke—she’s performed for absolutely everyone; has appeared on Letterman several times; Olympic ceremonies; etc.
My long-winded point is this: What does it say about the circus business that a great, great, great performer with a lengthy resume is spending her Friday night jumping through hoops for some snot-nosed vacationers at a mid-level retreat in suburban Connecticut?
Hurting For Time
August 31, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off The Cowboys are fortunate three preseason games are down and their starters are healthy for the most part. That'll be a good thing against Tampa Bay.Nothing’s Perfect
August 31, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off Here is the Cowboys' biggest problem, short of having injuries currently wiping out half their 2009 12-man draft squad:Take A Seat
August 31, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips says he hasn't ruled out his starters for Friday's preseason finale at Minnesota. Yet.Cowboys Add DBs to Roster; More Rookies Out
August 31, 2009 | Filed Under DeAngelo Willingham, Jeremy Haynes, Kelly H, Rookies | Comments Off As reported at DallasCowboys.com the Cowboys added two defensive backs today. DeAngelo Willingham was claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Bucs and Jeremy Haynes was also picked up. Willingham was cut by Tampa Bay following its last preseason...(This is a content summary only. Visit lonestarstruck.com for full links, other content, and more!)
Juggernaut Index No. 9: The Dallas Cowboys
August 31, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off By Scott PianowskiSource: Yahoo Sports
No. 9: Dallas Cowboys
When a team falls as far as the Cowboys have over a year's time – they were last year's Juggernaut No. 1 after all – a lot of critics take their shots. I'm here to make excuses.
The Pokes were actually living up to the hype until midway through 2008 – that's when everything fell apart. Tony Romo(notes) busted his pinkie, and replacement Brad Johnson(notes) wasn't equipped to run the offense. Marion Barber(notes) dislocated his toe. Felix Jones(notes) came down with hamstring and toe injuries. Roy Williams came over from Detroit and couldn't pick up the scheme. Terrell Owens(notes) whined about his role in the offense. And so it goes.
The key to getting the offensive gravy train going again is Romo, of course. He's looked pretty snappy in the preseason, completing 70 percent of his passes and getting 7.5 yards per attempt. Keep in mind this guy posted 265 yards per game and 2 TDs per start last year, elite numbers. Owens didn't help the bottom line as much as you might think; TO only caught about half of the balls intended for him last year and at times was counter-productive to the offense. If you can wait on quarterback and still land Romo in the 5-8 range, you've done well.
Assuming Williams can quickly recover from the shoulder problem he ran into last week, I like him as a bounce-back player in 2009 and a good value. You rarely see NFL trades around the October deadline because mid-season scheme changes are so daunting. Williams was a very good if not great receiver in Detroit while he had a collection of scrubs throwing him the ball. Keep him hale for four months and this looks like 1,100 yards and 7-9 TDs, easy.
Tight end Jason Witten(notes) is the most reliable pass-catcher in this offense, a fact that drove Owens crazy over the years. He's been to four straight Pro Bowls and his moderate TD count (12 in three years) figures to get a push now that TO is gone. I don't think it's the type of year where a designed tight end makes a lot of sense for fantasy – there's outstanding depth at this position – but if the rest of the room agrees with that and Witten slides to the fifth or sixth round, I'd at least consider him.
The secondary receivers aren't particularly exciting. Miles Austin(notes) entered camp with a chance to secure a starting spot, but he's been outplayed by Patrick Crayton(notes) and Sam Hurd(notes) for most of the summer. All three of those guys are going to get their share of snaps, and No. 2 tight end Martellus Bennett(notes) is also talented enough to demand looks. Lump all of these players into the "prove it to me" file as we enter the regular season.
Barber's stock has slipped during the summer, in part because of the fantastic depth behind him (Jones gets everyone excited, Tashard Choice(notes) can play too). But let's not forget everything Barber has going for him. He's capable of being a lead back, he's dynamic at the goal line (37 scores in three years), he's vastly underrated as a receiver and borderline unfair when the Pokes are salting away a fourth-quarter lead (defenders don't want to tackle him). Barber's been slipping to the middle-to-late part of the second round in a lot of drafts and that sounds great to me. He legitimately deserves a push forward in the PPR format, too.
Jones was too good to be true on a per-touch basis last year (8.9 YPC), but Jason Garrett struggled to include the rookie at times; Prince Felix never had more than nine carries in a game, and somehow we went without a touch in Week 4's loss to Washington. Garrett is a little handcuffed when it comes to Jones in the passing game; Felix is far behind the learning curve in that area. Look for about 10-12 touches per week for Jones this year and probably something around five yards a carry, but even if Barber were to get hurt, Jones isn't ideally suited for every-down play. He'll also get work in the return game, which takes away from how many scrimmage snaps you can expect.
Choice won't see as much action as Jones initially, but if Barber can't stay healthy Choice might get a look in the No. 1 role. He quietly collected 5.1 yards a pop on his 92 carries last year and he's a far better receiver (21 catches) than Jones is. That said, Jones has worked with the first-team offense in preseason games this month while Choice has not.
Cowboy Up: Nick Folk(notes) is coming off hip surgery but he looked healthy in the third preseason game, nailing two short field goals and connecting on a 49-yarder that was negated by a penalty. He only missed two attempts last year. … Jon Kitna(notes) is no longer qualified to be an NFL starter but he can't be any worse at the backup position than Johnson was last year. His rapport with Williams doesn't hurt the cause either. … There's plenty of IDP juice in the Dallas linebacking corps. DeMarcus Ware(notes) is a monster with the sacks and forced fumbles, Bradie James(notes) is a safe source for tackles (plus eight sacks last year), and Keith Brooking(notes) was an interesting addition from Atlanta. … Terence Newman(notes) is the best cover guy in the secondary but that's typically not a place to look for stats – teams throw away from him. He's never had more than four picks in any season. … If Witten suffers any significant injury during the year, run to the waiver wire and grab Bennett. He quietly collected four scores over his last 10 games as a rookie and turned out to be a more-developed receiver than the team expected. … I don't know about you, but I'm rooting for every punt to hit the video screen in Dallas this year – followed by the obligatory Jerry Jones reaction shot. … On paper the schedule looks friendly enough, as the Pokes get a full go-round with the ordinary NFC South and the leaky AFC West. But our perceptions of those teams might be completely different in 4-5 weeks.
Romo gladly dousing his celebrity QB status
August 31, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off By JAIME ARON AP Sports WriterPosted: 08/26/2009 02:57:28 PM MDT
IRVING, Texas—Tony Romo is ruining his reputation as a celebrity quarterback.
Since training camp opened, Romo has avoided the sloppy mistakes that trigger debates about his recklessness and leadership. There hasn't been a single squabble with a receiver. And if he has a new Hollywood hottie in his life, he's kept their canoodling out of the tabloids.
Romo is all about football these days, and the Dallas Cowboys can only hope things keep going this smoothly during the season.
Through two preseason games, Romo has yet to throw an interception, lose a fumble or take a sack. Sure, it's only been seven drives and it's not like he's faced ferocious pressure, but at least he's off to a good start, showing the poise and patience the team is expecting—and remembering to keep two hands on the ball when he scrambles.
It's boring stuff, especially for a guy who rode to stardom by taking his chances and enjoying his share of victories. But sticking to the fundamentals can help a team win playoff games, something the Cowboys haven't done since 1996.
"Obviously the way I was before wasn't getting the job done to the extent to the goal you want to accomplish," Romo said. "So you just keep going and keep going and hopefully you are able to accomplish that one day. I can see improvement."
Over two games, Romo has led the Cowboys to three touchdowns and a missed field goal. That's a points-worthy drives in four of his seven series. He's 22 of 30 for 228 yards, with a quarterback rating of 106.
"Either you are trying to get better or you are content as a player," Romo said. "I am not content. I don't think this team is. We are striving to be a team that we hope can make everybody excited or have an exciting time watching us play this season. We are enjoying it."
Perhaps the best sign of Romo's new demeanor is how he's spreading around the ball. Seven players already have caught his passes, plus he's thrown to three others.
Romo's willingness to look at all his receivers, tight ends and running backs (even a backup fullback) shows he's snapped out of the must-throw-to-T.O. mindset that sometimes doomed Dallas during the Terrell Owens days.
Taking Owens out of the equation obviously removed a big threat, but it's helped broaden the Cowboys' plans.
They will be going with more two-tight end formations because of how Martellus Bennett has developed in his second year. They also have three proven running backs in Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice, and plan to get all of them involved as runners and receivers. The receiving corps, led by Roy Williams, lacks a T.O.-caliber player, but should benefit from defenses worrying about Jones, Bennett and Jason Witten.
All those options should make Dallas less predictable. It's up to offensive coordinator Jason Garrett to dream up a variety of plays, and then it's up to Romo to pull them off.
If Romo does, no one will question his weight, his work ethic, his passion for the game or his love life, all of which were cross-examined in the wake of last season's December meltdown, when the Cowboys lost three of their last four games and didn't make the playoffs.
"I feel like each year I play this game I get better just because you work at it, you think about it, you try and correct it," said Romo, who is coming off his first non-Pro Bowl season since becoming the full-time starter in 2006. "I had a friend tell me once, 'You just keep getting better and everything will take care of itself.'"
Now back at their Valley Ranch headquarters, Romo feels good about how things went in training camp in San Antonio. He likes the tone that was set during a controversy-free month.
"Everything was just football 24-7," Romo said. "I think that's the way we want to work around here."
It's a change, but it might be one for the better.