Katrina
August 31, 2005
The images from New Orleans, Eastern Louisiana and Mississippi are spirit crushing, and they get worse by the hour. And while the present is the time for supporting the survivors, though work, donations and prayer, the NFL has a problem it cannot avoid, as much as it would like to:
The season’s first weekend is eleven days away and the New Orleans Saints have lost their city.
While New Orleans will be rebuilt, nobody knows how completely it will resemble its old self, or how long the restoration will take. It is a minor detail in the light of the death and devastation, but one of the many losses could be pro football. The city was already 31st in total revenue and Saints owner Tom Benson was only months away from a battle with the state over a better compensation package. Rumors were emerging during the spring that the Saints might consider San Antonio — where Benson is a major car dealer — or Los Angeles as new destinations.
At some point in the near future, those rumors will re-emerge. For the moment, San Antonio is the Saints’ new headquarters. The league has not decided where the team will play its season opener, but the latest reports suggest longer term thinking will be required. Mayor Ray Nagin said today the city would be uninhabitable for months.
The league has to decide whether it wants to turn the Saints into its version of the Montreal Expos, who spent two seasons in baseball limbo before relocating to Washington this year. San Antonio seems a good bet to get the team for 2005, given that most players want to stay as near New Orleans as possible. If the NFL feels this is the time to settle the Los Angeles issue, it could do so. But new L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told the league earlier this month the city would not be leveraged into spending public funds to build a new stadium. “My hope is that they are going to realize there are a lot of people who want a football team, but every year they are not here is one more year where people start to forget,” the mayor said. It seems unlikely that L.A. would use Katrina as a pretext for moving the Saints west.
After everything the citizens of New Orleans have already endured, the Saints would be just the type of civic hub a recovering city could rally around. Given the NFL’s appetite for cash, however, it does not appear the city could afford to keep the team. A strong business base is necessary in today’s luxury-box driven world and nobody knows how much of New Orleans’ commercial sector will relocate. Considering the P.R. hit the league would take (and make no mistake, this would be the NFL’s worst move since the original Browns fled Cleveland in a huff) could the NFL contemplate moving the Saints permanently?
Cutdown Day Shavings
August 30, 2005
Dallas cut three players today, LB Reggie Love, WR Jamaica Rector and DL Chris Van Hoy.
The Cowboys also tried for a second time to give Jose Cortez some competition, signing former Bears K Nick Novak. Cortez had a shaky game against Houston, missing a 32 yard field goal just before the half.
Trust your eyes On Saturday afternoon, Cowboys Blog posted this about the offensive line:
OL (9) Flozell Adams, Larry Allen, Al Johnson, Marco Rivera and Rob Petitti are set. So are Kurt Vollers and Andre Gurode. Only two of the Stephen Peterman, Ben Noll, Tyson Walter and Torrin Tucker group will survive. I think Peterman has an edge over the other three, with Walter and Tucker running neck and neck for the final spot. Were the cut made today Walter would emerge. The HC seems to like Noll but he’s regressed badly of late.
After the game, we noted this:
Ben Noll is back in the mix, outplaying Tyson Walter at right guard. The final o-line cut(s) will be harder than I anticipated.
Today, the DMN had this to say about the o-line:
Parcells is still trying to decide how many offensive linemen he needs to carry on the 53-man roster. Besides the five probable starters – left tackle Flozell Adams, left guard Larry Allen, center Al Johnson, right guard Marco Rivera and rookie right tackle Rob Petitti – tackle Kurt Vollers, center Andre Gurode and left guard Stephen Peterman appear to be on solid ground.Parcells said he still had to make a decision on two spots, which leaves right tackle Torrin Tucker and guards Ben Noll and Tyson Walter fighting for the final spots. Rookie center Matt Tarullo is a practice squad candidate.
The article implies that Dallas will keep ten o-linemen, which is a high number. Unless Marco Rivera’s injury is serious, I’ll stick by my claim that nine o-linemen will make the final cut.
Still, did you have a sense of deja vu reading that? I can’t promise we’ll always stay three days ahead of the hometown paper, but we’ll do our best. And we won’t charge you a subscription fee for our “insights” either.
Slogging Forward — Dallas Beats Houston 21-9
August 28, 2005
The Cowboys overcame a sluggish start on offense yesterday with strong defensive play, particularly by the secondary to defeat Houston 21-9. The offense wore its throwback Thanksgiving Day uniforms. Fittingly, it played as if it were in a short Thanksgiving week, blowing numerous assignments in a sloppy first quarter.
The Texans played an agressive 3-4 front and brought a variety of blitzes at the offense. In a surprise, most of the exotic rushes were thrown at the left side of the offense, where Keyshawn Johnson, Flozell Adams and Larry Allen reside. Very little overshifting and early blitzing was done on the Cowboys right, where rookie Rob Petitti and backups Tyson Walter and Ben Noll were playing. The Texans may have figured the Cowboys were going to shift protection that way to help Petitti and hoped to catch the veterans off guard.
Whatever Houston’s thinking, it worked. Adams was briefly confused by a corner blitz thrown to his side and let Antwan Peek get past him for a sack that sabotaged the Cowboys opening drive. Adams was fooled again on the next series by another blitz off the perimeter. He recovered but allowed his man to rush a Bledsoe throw on third and long, necessitating another punt.
What was doubly disappointing was that Dallas anticipated heavy pressure. Most early plays saw the offense in a pro set, something they rarely use. The back, Julius Jones and Lousaka Polite, were effective in picking up linebackers and corners but did not get early help from the line. Allen and Johnson added to the frustration on the first series of the second quarter. Keyshawn threw an ole block at a blitzing corner Philip Buchanon and the Texan dropped a promising Julius Jones off tackle run for no gain. Next, Allen blew a snap count, throwing Dallas into third and long.
On the other hand, the defense took an almost nonchalant approach to stopping the Texans offense. Houston’s attack at the moment consists of passes to Andre Johnson, some occasional bursts from the running game and prayers to the heavens to keep David Carr healthy. Houston opened the game in a three receiver, one back set, with Johnson in the slot. The Cowboys stubbornly remained in their base 3-4 package on first and second downs, putting linebackers Al Singleton and Demarcus Ware into the slot to jam Johnson and offering safety help over the top. When Dallas got the Texans into third and long the Cowboys would go into the nickel and put Terence Newman on the Houston star.
Houston got some chances to Johnson on early series against the linebackers but Johnson dropped two passes. Houston was able to move the ball rushing, as the spread formation left Dallas with only six men in the box and opened running lanes. Houston also relied on some daring — and foolish — trickery, running Carr on a naked bootleg left early in the second quarter that pushed Houston past midfield. Three plays later, Johnson slipped inside tight Newman coverage on a slant and moved the ball to the Dallas 25.
Carr has had a brutal start to his career, topping the NFL charts in times sacked. He’s a tough guy, but it was amazing to see the Houston coaches expose him to hits. Two plays after the Johnson completion, Carr again ran a bootleg, this time to his right and looked for Johnson, who was running an out and up against Newman. Carr was pressured by LaRoi Glover and his flat pass to the back of the end zone was intercepted by a leaping Newman, who never let Johnson escape his reach.
The offense finally got untracked with 6:53 left in the half. The staff stuck to the game plan, staying with the split backfield. However, OC Sean Peyton started calling a sequence of three step throws for Bledsoe, allowing him to finally gain a rhythm. From the 20, Bledsoe found Terry Glenn for a quick twelve yards on the left sideline. On the next play, Bledsoe got sound protection from a seven man pocket and again found Glenn, this time on a deep comeback at midfield. Bledsoe went left a third time, this time zinging a pass to Patrick Crayton for nine more yards. A play action fake to Julius Jones sprung Dan Campbell for six yards and a first down at the 35.
Jones broke the string of passes with a slash off left guard for nine yards. Bledsoe again passed on second and one, rolling right and passing up an open Lousaka Polite while he waited for Jason Witten to clear coverage on a delayed cross. The completion to Witten moved Dallas to the 20 at the two minute warning.
On the following play Peyton and the offensive line read a Houston blitz to perfection. The Cowboys lined up in a three WR, one back set with Keyshawn in the left slot. The Texans countered with a 4-2 or a 2-4 if you prefer, with two tackles in four point stances and two outside linebackers in two point stances on the line. All four of these players and both Houston linebackers rushed. The Texans also blitzed Phil Buchanon off the slot from Bledsoe’s left, giving them seven rushers.
Dallas ran Jones on a delay to the right, away from the pressure. Petitti swung wide to push the blitzing Jason Babin past the play and Witten blocked down on the blitzing inside backer. Ben Noll locked up the tackle and when Terry Glenn came down the line and took out the Texans’ safety, Jones had an open lane to the outside, with only cornerback Dunta Robinson standing between him and the end zone. Robinson’s angle to the ball was too steep and Jones burned him with a sharp cut outside. Buchanon could not run Julius down from the backside and his 20 yard romp put Dallas ahead 7-0, after Jose Cortez’ conversion.
Dallas got another chance in the final minute when Dat Nguyen picked off a pass at the Dallas 44. The ball was the product of a vicious hit on a Texans TE by Roy Williams, which popped Carr’s pass free. The TE batted at the ball and kept it alive for Nguyen.
On the next play the Cowboys beat a Houston zone blitz with a Bledsoe dart to Crayton who blew past Babin and took the cross right to left across the field to the Houston 20. The Cowboys took a risk three plays later by running a quick flanker screen to Glenn. Glenn made it to the fourteen, but his failure to convert the third down prevented Bledsoe from spiking the ball and stopping the clock. Dallas ran the kicking team on the field with fifteen seconds left — something they practiced at Oxnard — and were able to snap the ball with three seconds left. Cortez pulled the 32 yard attempt badly to the left, leaving the halftime lead at 7-0.
The first team offense was pulled after two three-and-out series in the third quarter. Tony Romo played the remainder of the game and passed with some efficiency, showing a nice touch on his passes. He led a long third quarter drive that was cut down by a Quincy Morgan drop of a post pattern at the Texans’ 10. Morgan heard the footsteps of the Houston safety and let a potential TD reception slide through his fingers. The drive came to nothing a few plays later when Romo dropped a center snap on a long Cortez attempt.
The backup defenders made up for a Texans field goal drive by forcing a key fumble early in the fourth quarter. Kevin Burnett had been fooled by the first Carr naked bootleg in the first quarter and was ready when Tony Banks tried the play against him. Burnett stayed home, corralled Banks and batted the ball from his hand. Jay Ratliff recovered on the Houston fifteen. After Terrence Copper moved the Cowboys to the one with the team’s first third down conversion of the day Tyson Thompson did his best Herschel Walker impersonation, leaping over the pile for six.
The conversion put Dallas ahead 14-3 but the eleven point lead was short lived. Former Cowboy, Lion and now Texan Reggie Swinton ran the kickoff back 103 yards for Houston’s only TD of the night. Houston tried running the ball in for two points but was stuffed by the Dallas second team interior line.
Thompson provided an electric 23 yard run on the final scoring drive. He followed strong blocks from Andre Gurode and Stephen Peterman inside, hesitated and then accelerated past the Texans linebackers to the Houston fifteen. Morgan redeemed himself somewhat by snatching a stop fade away from a defender in the short front corner of the end zone.
Game notes:
Cowboys - Texans Open Thread
August 27, 2005
To paraphrase what my friend’s dad used to say when his sons were heading out Saturday nights, “don’t say anything dumbass.”
What’s at Stake Tonight?
August 27, 2005
Forget the bragging rights angle. That’s for Texans fans who have nothing else to hang their fake hats on. There are some important objectives for tonight’s game. Most are in the execution department. Surprisingly few are in the personnel area.
1. Stay healthy. The Cowboys have numbers at more positions than last year. Their general talent level is higher than last year. Take a look at running back, for example. At this time 12 months ago Eddie George was getting consideration as the number one. This year, he would be in a losing battle with Anthony Thomas for the fourth spot.
However, there are some areas where an injury would be devastating. Like right tackle. Or nose guard. Or starting QB. No matter what you think of Drew Bledsoe does anybody here want to open the season with Tony Romo at the controls?
2. Improve the execution The Seahawks game saw the emergence of a pass rush, something completely missing against Arizona. There was also a semblance of a running game, even if it started late. Other areas are lagging behind. The overall pass coverage was leaky against Seattle. The running game was sporadic, though the return of Marco Rivera tonight should help matters. Can the running game get untracked tonight? Can the backup QBs show any spark?
3. Settle the positional battles. There are some 2005 Cowboys who could well be playing tonight in another uniform. Going with what’s on the roster, here’s my look at what’s left to fight over. The number of players I think Dallas will keep at a position is in bold.
QB — (3) Unless somebody gets hurt, Bledsoe, Romo and Henson are the QBs;
RB — (4) Julius Jones and Marion Barber are set. Barber makes mistakes but he’s a rookie with talent. He’s not going anywhere. Tyson Thompson likely has the team made and should get a lot of playing time, with Barber out. Anthony Thomas would be on the bubble if Barber and Thompson were not so green. He stays because they are.
FB (1) The team will keep one at the most. Darian Barnes was cut this week which mean Lousaka Polite has the lead. Lousaka makes enough mistakes to keep the competition open. This is a big evening for Erik Bickerstaff. Mr. Whirlpool has again found a way to miss playing time after straining a neck. He has to show something tonight or his star-crossed NFL career comes to an end — in Dallas anyway.
TE (3) Jason Witten and Dan Campbell are sure bets. Brett Pierce has produced enough to stick, especially with Sean Ryan’s health an uncertainty. Dallas may keep four here, but that would mean the FBs are out of work. If Bickerstaff or Polite impresses tonight Ryan may be headed for waivers.
WR (5) Terry Glenn, Keyshawn Johnson, Patrick Crayton and Quincy Morgan are set. Morgan’s swears his complaints are due to a desire to help the team. Were his hands a bit more dependable, I would believe him. Cheapshot aside, he’ll stick. The question is which of the Terrence Copper, Tom Crowder, Reggie Harrell, Jamaica Rector set will persevere? My money is on Crowder, who has made plays on special teams. Were his hands more consistent, this would be an easy pick.
OL (9) Flozell Adams, Larry Allen, Al Johnson, Marco Rivera and Rob Petitti are set. So are Kurt Vollers and Andre Gurode. Only two of the Stephen Peterman, Ben Noll, Tyson Walter and Torrin Tucker group will survive. I think Peterman has an edge over the other three, with Walter and Tucker running neck and neck for the final spot. Were the cut made today Walter would emerge. The HC seems to like Noll but he’s regressed badly of late.
DL (8) Greg Ellis, LaRoi Glover and Kenyon Coleman are starting. Chris Canty, Jason Ferguson and Marcus Spears are also locks. Jay Ratliff, Leo Carson and Thomas Johnson are after the last two spots. Ratliff probably has one of the spots sewn up. Carson and Thomas will duel to see who is the third NT. With Jason Ferguson’s ankle problem this is an important fight.
OLB (4) Demarcus Ware has the weakside spot. Kalen Thornton has been backing him up, but has some knee issues. Al Singleton is starting on the strong side with Kevin Burnett backing him up. Those four should make the squad, though Singleton is the shakiest starter on the team aside from Keith Davis. Eric Ogbogu has shown some rush skills though Parcells hinted he may be traded. If Thornton’s leg problems are serious, Ogbogu may stick. The problem here is that Burnett seems to be the only member of the group with natural pass coverage skills, and he’s a converted ILB. Ogbogu and Thornton look like decent rushers but are real liabilites against the pass.
ILB (4) Dat Nguyen is the weakside inside backer. Right now, Bradie James is the strong sider, though he comes out in the nickel in favor of Scott Shanle, whom the coaches claim is better in coverage. Ryan Fowler has made strides during camp and appears to have pulled ahead of Keith O’Neil for the last inside role.
CB (5) — Anthony Henry and Terence Newman are the starters. Aaron Glenn fills out the nickel set. Jacques Reeves has emerged from the gaggle of second year players. The major question here is which of the Nathan Jones, Bruce Thornton, Lenny Williams group stays around. Special teams will have a lot to say here.
SS (2) Roy Williams is the man. Justin Beriualt should be the backup but has a knee that has needed to be drained this preseason. If it can’t be kept under control, he may need surgery. There is nobody on the roster right now who inspires confidence as Williams’ backup, though Rich Coady may get that role by default if Beriualt’s knee flares up again.
FS (2) Nobody has stepped up to challenge Keith Davis. The job is his. Coady is the backup, though he may become the backup SS, depending on Beriualt’s knee. If he does, Lynn Scott may have earned another NFL roster spot. Dallas will surely be watching the waiver wire intensely in the next few days. If a decent FS shakes out, they’ll jump at him.
K (1) Jose Cortez has the job, since Seth Marler failed his physical today, negating the trade with Jacksonville. This may be another position where Dallas claims a late veteran cut next week.
P (1) — Mat McBriar has looked like Ray Guy’s son this preseason. He’s got the job.
Snapper (1) Nobody has shown the skill to challenge Jeff Robinson.
So there you have it. Kicker, OLB and FS continue to bedevil the team. I still believe the team would consider trading a second day draft pick if a decent OLB became available. It would also be interesting to see what the staff would do if a decent QB shook free early next week.
Gender Blending
August 26, 2005
I was reading one of my favorite soccer blogs (yes, I follow that other football too) and noticed that it had a thread for women fans. I have lots of lady friends who are manic football fans, but I can’t recall seeing any members of the fairer sex post here since the draft. This thread is for you. Let us know you’re out there. — if you’re out there.
Thread Ettiquette
August 26, 2005
The open thread will make another appearance tomorrow, soiled as it was Monday night. I know it’s inevitable that yahoos from other teams will come into the friendly neighborhood bar that is Cowboys Blog. But please, folks, ignore the trolls. The thread works really well when the focus is football.
I’ve seen other blogs where flamers are met with recipes, as a code for ignoring and confusing them. Perhaps we could start a tradition of listing favorite drink recipes. Or barbecue recipes. Or a good potato salad. Shoot, if it’s good, I’ll even use it in one of my pregame cookouts.
Cowboys Acquire Kicker
August 26, 2005
Dallas acquired kicker Seth Marler from the Jacksonville Jaguars for an undisclosed pick in next year’s draft.
Marler missed the entire 2004 season with a leg injury and was just 20 of 33 on field goal attempts as a rookie in 2003. He will provide competition for Jose Cortez, who became the only kicker on the roster when Billy Cundiff was cut.
My guess is that the pick is conditional on Marler making the team. Moreover, I doubt it is more than a sixth rounder. More likely a seventh.
Any Big Splashes Left in the Offseason?
August 25, 2005
By this time a week from now the Cowboys will have a firm idea of their roster. They may be tinkering with the last two or so spots but the real important decisions will be set. The late roster cuts will have an effect on the team, as the Parcells Cowboys have made a few late pickups to bolster weak spots and special teams. The bigger question is whether they might make a bolder move like, say, a trade to fill in an area of need? And if they did, who would be out there?
FS — This is still an area of need, even with the Rich Coady signing. When I was in Oxnard, I happened to stand near one of the many volunteers who work the camp. These guys get close to the players and their families and love to tell stories to show off the fact that they get close to the players and their families. The volunteer on this day had a story on Lynn Scott, who was practicing just a few feet away with the secondary. He said that Scott’s wife had relayed that he was very unsure of making the team, where he had shown more confidence in the past.
The Coady signing shows that Scott was right. His presence endangers Scott more than anybody else. However, I’m not sure that Coady has any right to feel secure. Izell Reese was a longtime NFL vet and where is he today? Looking for work. Coady will have to produce on special teams to win a spot. And because he was signed for such a small salary, I would not be at all surprised to see Coady and Scott get the boot if a better veteran option became available next week.
RT– The Cowboys may have contacted Scott Gragg’s agent and Ross Verba may be out there, but there are no new rumors to replace these. The Cowboys may still be considering one of these veterans, but if they were desperate to fill the RT position, would they not have signed one of them in the last two days? They are veterans, but they need some time to prepare for the season and learn your blocking schemes. With Marco Rivera returning to practice yesterday, Petitti gets an even longer lease on right tackle.
WR — The discussion this week has centered on Quincy Morgan versus Patrick Crayton, but I think it’s misguided, since they are now playing different positions. Crayton has won the spot as the third WR and as Terry Glenn’s backup. Morgan, thought known as a speedster, is backing up Keyshawn. Behind Morgan is a lot of question marks. I would not be surprised to see the Cowboys pick up a late veteran cut here if he could handle Johnson’s role.
OLB — This was Bill Parcells concern going into the Seahawks game and the ability of the first team Seattle offense to riddle the linebacking corps with passes to tight ends and receivers running crossing routes over the middle has to concern him. If there was a spot that might see a surprise move, through waiver claim or trade, this might be it. Hey, I understand John Abraham still hasn’t reported to Jets’ camp! (Sound of me staggering out of my opium den heard in the background.) Yeah, it’s crazy, but I can dream, can’t I?
In all seriousness, Abraham in a Cowboys uniform is a pipe dream. The thought of new OLB with the team next week is not.
Cowboys Crumbs
August 24, 2005
Roster Thinned — Cowboys Jettison Six
Bill Parcells was not joking yesterday when he said he would “thin” his roster soon. Dallas cut six players this afternoon, including OT Jacob Rogers, FB Darian Barnes, WR Ahmad Merritt, K Billy Cundiff, LB Mike Goolsby and FS Izell Reese.
The cuts represent a serious clearing of what one blog poster called “The Tour de Cowboys,” the row of exercise bikes lining the training camp fields where the injured players rode the hours away. Rogers and Barnes spent much of last week on the bikes at Oxnard, trying to rehab injuries. Cundiff was injured prior to the Seahawks game and would not be available for the season’s opening games. Merritt injured a foot in the Seahawks game and would have to be carried on injured reserve were he not cut. The Cowboys apparently did not feel he deserved this treatment. All four will receive injury settlements as they were cut while hurt.
Goolsby was caught in a numbers game, running behind Ryan Fowler and Keith O’Neill. He had a hard time getting playing time. Reese had been fairly anonymous during camp and became expendable when the Cowboys signed Rich Coady this morning.
Churning the Secondary: Dallas added some apparent depth to its secondary corp Wednesday, signing FS Rich Coady to a one year deal. The former Ram will get a shot at Keith Davis’, but the man now on the hot seat is Lynn Scott, who must beat out Coady to keep his roster spot.
Poutville: Quincy Morgan may be trying to lighten Bill Parcells’ load. The WR accused the coaching staff of running an unfair competition for the third receiver spot and says they’re playing favorites with WR Patrick Crayton. Morgan feels he’s better than a fourth receiver and can help another team in the league.
Whether it’s premeditated or not, Morgan may get his wish.
Crying Wolf on Vollers? DMN scribe Matt Moseley reported that OT Kurt Vollers left the Seahawks game with a wrist wrapped in ice and that the injury “did not look good.”
As we know, bad news travels fast. Especially bad news about a Cowboys player. However, there was no word in either paper, the AP or on other football wires I check about Vollers’ injury today. I’m hopefull it now looks a lot better to the training staff than it did to Moseley.
We Get Letters
August 24, 2005
A week or two ago, I posted an article about Cowboys saloons, asking where folks watched their favorite team. The Oiler Troll has sent me an e-mail about a Cowboys Saloon from the Twilight Zone. Enjoy — and learn!
Here now, the Troll:
Hi Everybody!
Yes, yes, to some extent we all love blogging as it is a way to be heard and attract attention to ourselves. Oiler Troll is no exception and apologizes for this following post…but it was a little freaky.
Basically, I bet my experience in watching the Cowboys-Seaturds game was different than yours.
Around this time of year, Oiler Troll gets a little blue that his team no longer resides in Texas, so he gets a little restless and must travel far, far away from football. Oiler Troll chose Costa Rica this time.
So Oiler Troll went to the surfing community of Jaco, Costa Rica, unaware of what kind of town that is. Within 2 hours 3 dudes on bikes accosted Oiler Troll demanding, not asking, but demanding openly that he purchase illicit narcotics. Oiler Trolls straits are not quite that dire, thank you.
Oiler Troll and his buddies went barhopping in this humble little town. Most of the bars were pretty lifeless…until we came across a place called ¨The Beatle¨ complete with many, many forms of copyright and trademark enfringements…but Oiler troll will get to why Yoko may want to shut the place down later.
So there are many people there, there is music, and yes, through the crowd Oiler Troll sees a big screen TV with the game on. Decision made - we shall have a drink at The Beatle (we were guessing Ringo was behind it if any of them had anything to do with the place).
The women seemed strangely friendly as we went to pick a seat. We sat down and another woman walked by and ran her fingers through Oiler Troll´s hair as she passed with a smile. Now, this may happen to some of you, but not Oiler Troll. Finally, after we received our beers, another woman pulled ùp a chair next to Oiler troll and dropped her hand in his lap. It occurred to Oiler Troll that hey, this was not an ordinary bar in this humble little surfside town in Costa Rica.
Oiler trolled tried to stammer in his best Spanish, ¨We ain´t had much of a first date yet,¨which was met with a blank stare, a repositioned hand then followed by a sacharrine smile. Oiler troll next asked the woman if she was working. She made some remark that no, but her sister was working the bar.(?)
The waiter then asked us for another beer. We said yes. The woman ordered a drink and then asked us if that was ok. Oiler Troll innocently asked why didn´t the woman get her sister to get her a free drink. This appeared to anger the woman which resulted in her leaving in a huff. She was not pursued.
At this point Demarcus Ware did his thing and got an INT. Sure enough, there was another Cowboys fan and playfully yelled ¨How ´bout them Cowboys!¨ Oiler Troll looked over at the Cowboys fan and noticed that the cheer produced a faint echo cheer from a woman who was giving the Cowboys fan a similar friendliness that the other woman had given Oiler Troll. We settled our tab and got out of there as Drew Henson appropriately enough took a knee to run out the clock.
Putting two and two together, Oiler Troll realized that he was in bar where, well, to keep the Beatle ™ thing going, yes, money CAN in fact buy me love. I just would not recommend it as your respective Oiler Trollettes would not be cool with it. So yes, Oiler Troll unwittingly walked into a whorehouse in a foreign country and it scared the shit out of him. Oiler Troll later checked the guide book which plain as day described the place accurately as such - another lesson - read the friggin’ guide books.
I hope your Cowboys viewing experience was much, much more wholesome.
Read the guide books, Kids.
OT
You Make the Cuts
August 23, 2005
You’re the GM. The first league-mandated cut down is August 30th, one week from today and three days after the Texans game this Saturday. You’ve got time.
But Houston represents the third pre-season game. This is usually the exhibition most teams take the most seriously. The one treated as a “dress rehearsal” for the season. The one where the coaching staffs trot out a legit, if stripped down, game plan. The one where the starters get to play around three quarters.
If there are any sure cuts to be made, it makes little sense to keep those guys around until next week. Bill Parcells has already hinted that he may “thin the roster” this week. (Scroll down to bottom.)
You’re the GM. Is there anybody who has already, without question, failed the audition? Is there anyone you would cut tomorrow?
Freshmen First — Rookies Lead Dallas to Win Over Seattle
August 23, 2005
Some early returns on the Cowboys 2005 draft are in and they look good for Dallas. The team got solid to exceptional play from nearly all of its rookies Monday night in an 18-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Here, in reverse order, is a rundown of the rookies and some other key “on the bubble” players, as they appeared to my highly distracted eyes.
Whatever was said to Petitti worked, because he was much more assured in his play afterwards. He still makes you nervous, but it is clear that he’s got talent.
However, he made an unbelievable unforced error, fumbing the ball while trying to switch hands and bounce outside. The Cowboys were lucky an illegal block in the back was called because the fumble was run back for a touchdown that would have cut the lead to 18-17. Barber got an earful from Bill Parcells and was much better at protecting the ball on the Cowboys final drive. He’ll stick because he’s got too much talent, but he won’t last too long if the silly mistakes continue.
Ware blew up the Seahawks first series with a prototype 3-4 WOLB rush. It’s been so long since I’ve watched a good 3-4 work I forgot that the guy responsible for trying to take on the OLB in most blocking packages is the guard and not the tackle. Since most guards are good at pulling and running but not as adept as OTs at pass blocking in space, we can start drooling over Ware’s sack potential right now. On the third play of Seattle’s first series, RE Greg Ellis took a hard inside drive pulling OT Walter Jones with him. Ware blitzed in the vacated lane at QB Matt Hasselbeck. LG Steve Hutchingson took a run outside to cut off Ware, but Demarcus simply cut inside him and attacked Hasselbeck from the blind side. He swatted the ball from the QB’s hand and recovered the fumble, setting up a Dallas field goal.
Two series later Hasselbeck ran a bootleg to his right. The TE on the right side was covered so the QB looked for his second TE, running a drag across the field from his position outside the LT. Ware followed the TE, put on a burst of speed, cut under his man and intercepted Hasselbeck’s pass, killing a second Seahawk drive.
Later in the half, Ware ran down a scrambling Seneca Wallace and forced a second fumble. Ware got some playing time in the fourth quarter but it took only about 20 minutes of game for him to prove his point. He’s sure to get better, but he’s really good — already.
Other players of note:
Game Impressions: Dallas showed some effective 3-4 blitzes, getting pressure on the Seattle QBs throughout the game.
On the other hand, the coverage on Seattle’s early TD drive was soft. Both corners were victimized for big gains. The real vulnerability appeared to be at the ILB positions. Seattle tight ends and receivers were running free in the middle of the field early. The coverage tightened as the game progressed but I’d like to see more third down stops from the first team back seven against a starting NFL unit before I start feeling comfortable with the defense. Overall, however the emergence of a pass rush is a giant step forward from last week.
Offensively, I think the Cowboys are still far from tipping their hand. All week long Drew Bledsoe looked for, and found, Jason Witten and Terry Glenn. Today, he worked the left side, where Keyshawn, Polite and Crayton were lined up. Parcells mentioned after the Arizona game that they still “haven’t shown what Bledsoe does best.” I don’t think we saw that tonight either. Bledsoe had a slow start, but improved rapidly and was solid Dallas’ long TD drive.
The one concern I have is his tendency to lock in on receivers. It almost resulted in an INT early in the game. Dallas lined Witten up wide left, with Keyshawn in the slot and called a deep out and up to the TE. Johnson was supposed to draw the free safety to the deep middle by running a post. The safety turned to follow Keyshawn but quickly pulled off him and ran to cover Witten. He almost intercepted the pass. My guess is that he didn’t fall for Keyshawn’s pattern because Bledsoe locked on to Witten and the safety was able to follow Bledsoe’s eyes to the ball.
Cowboys - Seahawks Open Thread
August 22, 2005
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Names to Watch Tonight
August 22, 2005
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