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Sniff The Jockocracy

In his later, bitter days as a commentator Howard Cosell railed against what he termed the “jockocracy,” a class of former sports stars appointed to the broadcast booth because of their on-field fame, though they had displayed so skills as announcers.

Old Howard must be spinning at rapid RPMs in his grave right now. ESPN’s Seth Wickersham notes that the NFL has instituted “broadcasting bootcamps” for current players who aspire to stay in the lights once their playing days are over.

At the risk of sounding like Howard’s crusty colleague, I see no value to this. That Wickersham uses his post (protected) to offer his preferred list of next-generation jockocrats shows that Cosells’ worst fear has long been realized: the jockocracy has become orthodoxy, beyond question.

Why? I tune in to watch these guys play, not to listen to what they have to say. Some of them do manage excellent careers in the booth, but how many O.J. Simpsons, Joe Namaths, Alex Karrases, Joe Theismanns and Michael Irvins must we endure for one Ron Jaworski?

Analysts should be able to explain the most complex game in the world in real time. To me, this sounds like a job for the most articulate ex-offensive and defensive coordinators the NFL can find.

Who would you expect to give you the best rapid-fire explication of what’s happening — Norv Turner or Jerome Bettis? Dom Capers or Brian Baldinger? I already know what the jocks can, or better yet what they can’t do.

As Sports Illustrated’s Paul Zimmerman points out in his yearly TV ratings, mediocre analysts only focus on the area of play they know; a former running back will lock onto the backfield; the former QB will talk about the passing game. Coordinators watch tape for a living. They focus on attacking whole schemes. They’re skilled at taking in offense or defensive play at all levels.

I’m not saying that ex-players should be banished, but can we try something else, too? The best pro and college analysts the past 20 years have been John Madden and Dick Vermeil. At the very least, the NFL should balance the ranks of former players with former coaches.

My ears will thank them if they do. If not, there’s always satellite radio.

Don’t Blink, You’ll Miss NFL Coverage

The NFL is restricting all news organizations to video clips of no more than 45 seconds.

This is understandable, if irritating. In the growing internet marketplace, where ad revenue is growing, team sites are competing with local and national press for viewers and hence, ad dollars. Since practices take place on team property the teams are within their rights to limit access.

As a site with no press access, I don’t mind. It pushes the local news outfits closer to me. In the long run, however, I don’t think this will work. The NFL is trying to monopolize the internet, a medium that thrives on resisting media limitations. I guess it comes down to how much Mickey and Nick you can take.

Paranoia the Destroyer

The Redskins, always tinkering with camp.

You’ll recall that back in the Norv Turner ’90s, owner Daniel Snyder charged admission for one of his camps. The league has a policy in place that makes camp free to the public but restricts opposing scouts from attending. When the Redskins charged for camp, scouts were permitted to attend, as long as they paid their fee like everybody else.

The Cowboys had a scout at Redskins practice every day that year and gave him some credit for their sweep of Washington.

Needless to say, the policy did not continue.

This year the Redskins are limited public access to only 8 practices. When you factor in the two a day/one a day pattern NFL clubs have not adopted for camp, that means only five days of camp are open to fan eyes.

And you thought the Cowboys camp was short.

Joe Gibbs must have some wild changes up his sleeve. You think the single wing is coming back?

Meet Your Draft Picks: Anthony Spencer

Anthony Spencer, DE/OLB, Purdue University, 1^st round draft pick

Measurables: 6′3”, 261, 4.71 forty yard dash

Positives: An explosive pass rusher and up-the-field defender. Possesses excellent overall athleticism and top-end speed. Flashes the burst and closing quickness necessary to rush from the outside in the NFL. Has demonstrated good knowledge of technique and play recognition ability, particularly in his 2006 senior season. Great motor, good at backside pursuit, and a fairly strong overall run defender, even against larger blockers. Works well down the line and changes direction well. Has a developing frame with good upper-body muscle tone and room to add at least another 10 pounds of bulk with no loss in quickness. Plays through pain, as evidenced by his 15-tackle performance vs. Notre Dame in 2006 despite a hyper-extended knee. Named Purdue Boilermaker’s Most Valuable Player for 2006 season. First team 2006 All Big-10 selection.

Negatives: As an NFL defensive end, Spencer would be undersized, but he fits the prototypical mold for the 3-4 OLB. Can struggle when going head-up against larger offensive linemen, but possesses enough speed that this should not be expected to be a significant problem. Learning a new position at LB and has only moderate experience dropping into downfield coverage. Rarely used in space. In a strong TE division like the NFC East, may have to be protected in coverage against receiving TEs. Will need to further develop his array of pass rush moves as he progresses in the NFL, but has a solid foundation to work from.

Outlook: Anthony Spencer certainly appears to be the real deal — the ideal specimen for a 3-4 outside pass rusher, displaying excellent speed and strength and a strong production record to back it up. As a pass rusher he can generate instant penetration, both from his natural athletic ability and from his excellent knowledge of technique. He combines proper hand technique with an array of rip-and-swim moves to explosively close on quarterbacks, he can guard his legs versus the chop block while maintaining the angle to close on the ball, and he gets great production when he beating the offensive tackle with quickness and flashing his lateral range to slip in-line.

The guy is a certified pass-rusher, and there is no doubt that he will help the Cowboys when on the field in that capacity. In addition, his motor, his character, and his toughness are all everything you would want in a first-round pick, and he appears to be the type of player who will do what is necessary to continue his development in the NFL.

The only thing you can really come up with on him as far as a potential flag is that his production underwent a sharp increase his senior season. He was slightly dinged up in 2005, limiting him to 3 sacks and 23 tackles. In 2004, his sophomore season, he rang up 7.5 sacks in just 11 starts, but nothing approaching his 10.5 sacks, 26.5 tackles for a loss, and 5 forced fumbles in 2006. So he’s not quite a Mario Williams, whose reputation was made almost entirely in one year, but his senior year was clearly the reason Spencer was taken in the first round. This is really nitpicking, though. Spencer’s production was consistent from game to game when healthy and he clearly has the physical tools necessary to succeed against the next level of competition.

The big thing to watch this summer and fall is his transition from a 3-point defensive end to a 2-point outside linebacker. While Spencer has some coverage experience from his college career, he is still limited in that area, and is not used to working in space. At the moment, this is probably a minor issue, since he will likely be utilized largely as a pass-rusher, with the speedier and more experienced inside linebackers lending a hand in coverage. Even pass-rushing LBs need to cover occasionally, however (Shawne Merriman, for instance, excels as a pass rusher but is also an underrated cover LB), and eventually Spencer will probably find himself in the flat with a receiving fullback or running an outside curl with Matt Schobel or Chris Cooley. Spencer probably has the athletic ability to succeed in these roles down the line, but right now it will certainly be the rawest area of his game.

Spencer continues the tradition of Purdue defensive ends that have made the leap to the pro level, following in the footsteps of Roosevelt Colvin, Shaun Phillips, Ray Edwards, Chike Okeafor, and Dallas’ very own Akin Ayodele.

Below is a highlight reel on Spencer from his senior year – tough to see much, but it includes a couple big hits, and if you look closely, you can see that it is actually Spencer himself who blocks one of those kicks towards the end.

Jerry Can Bear a Vasher-Like Contract

Nathan Vasher’s new contract with the Bears probably brought some cheers from the bowels of Valley Ranch. Vasher, whom K.C. Joyner claimed had a Pro Bowl-caliber ‘06, inked a five year, $28 million contract with $14 million guaranteed.

That’s good money, but significantly lower than the benchmark eight year, $80 million deal with $22 million guaranteed that Nate Clements received from the 49ers.

Vasher’s deal was met with glee in New England, where the Pats are locked in a standoff with Asante Samuel, who wants Clements money. Samuel’s agent brushed Vasher’s deal aside, saying,

“They didn’t hurt us, either. Vasher’s production is what it is, but he is not Asante.”

True. Vasher may actually be a little better than Asante.

In any case, this new deal will surely be used as a counterweight in Samuel’s negotiations and in Dallas’ negotiations with Terence Newman, whenever they come.

Supplemental Value

There’s speculation that the Patriots could make a bid for early entry CB Paul Oliver. Check out this story (scroll down to “Oliver & a Twist” which argues that New England could jump the line and obtain the former Georgia defender with Oakland’s high 3rd rounder.

That may be a bit high for Oliver, given his so-so 4.5 times at his pro day, but with Samuel threatening a holdout and Brandon Meriweather missing mini-camps with hamstring problems, the Pats may need some secondary reinforcement.

Speculation now is that he’ll go no higher than the 3rd round. I would not be surprised if none of the supplemental entries were selected with first day picks.

Going For Two

The fund drive has almost gone well enough for me to commit to two weeks at camp. I’m predicating that on continued support and urge all regulars on the sideline to join the dozens of readers who are making this possible. The links are in the left hand column. Thanks for your continued support.

How Far Can a Team Go on Half a Tank?

Speculation that Dallas will pursue former Bears’ DT Tank Johnson began almost immediately after his release. Former DMN blogger Matt Mosley has offered teaser after teaser that Dallas has Johnson under consideration. (scroll down)

Big. Deal.

For starters, his Espn blog brother John Clayton wonders out loud if the Bills and Saints could pursue Johnson — after he serves his eight game suspension, of course? This assumes he doesn’t run afoul of Commissioner Roger Goodell another time. (protected story, so no link)

Even if signed, how far can a playoff team go on half a Tank?

Let’s look at his last playoff team, the Super Bowl-losing ‘06 Bears. The stats show that his fellow DT Tommie Harris was infinitely more important to Chicago’s defensive success than Johnson. Consider:

– Johnson did not start the month of September, when the Bears went 3-0 and allowed just 20 points. Harris did. The two paired through game 13, when Harris was lost with a severe hamstring pull that ended his season. Through those 13 games the Bears allowed an average of 11.6 points.

– In the final three games of the season, when Harris was out, Chicago allowed an average of just over 28 points per game. In the six games Harris missed, the Bears allowed an average of 25.5 points per game, two touchdowns more per contest than they did when he was around. Chicago played better defense when BOTH Harris and Johnson were gone than they did when only Harris was missing.

The stat lines won’t show Harris’ influence. Look them up and you’ll see both tackles had 5 sacks last year and similar numbers of tackles. What they don’t show you is the consistent interior pressure Harris generated.

When healthy, the Bears play a fairly vanilla cover-2 scheme, with little blitzing. Lovie Smith as a similar philosophy as Jimmy Johnson did when he ran the Cowboys in the early ’90s. When J.J. had Charles Haley leading a nine man rotation he blitzed less than any coach in the league. Tampa played a similar scheme when it could turn Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice loose in the early ’00s.

The Bears were not a high sack team in ‘06. They produced 40 for the year. (Dallas, by comparison had 34.) However, they generated nearly all that pressure with their front four — 35.5 of the 40 sacks came from five players, the tackles Harris and Johnson and ends Alex Brown, Mark Anderson and Adewale Ogunleye. The rest of the defense split 4.5 sacks among themselves.

Harris was their igniter. He was the player who demanded double-teams and freed the rest to win their guaranteed one-on-one battles. The very speedy Bears back seven was free to drop into zone coverage and fly to the ball. The pressure led to 54 turnovers during the regular season, an average of almost 3.5 per game.

When Harris went down, the Bears had to blitz to maintain the same level of pressure. They’re not built for extensive man-to-man coverage and they were torched frequently. Their secondary gave up more passing yards per game in the playoffs than Dallas’ maligned secondary did. Chicago was able to produce a similar level of turnovers in its two NFC playoff games but sacrificed points to do so. They backed off in the Super Bowl, fearing Peyton Manning’s arm, and were overrun by the Colts running backs.

The numbers don’t lie. The Bears defense maintained its championship level of play when Johnson was out early. It collapsed completely when he returned and Harris faltered. We can speculate all we want but I don’t think Tank Johnson is the missing character in any Cowboys’ Super Bowl dreams.

Tonight We’re Gonna Party Like It’s 19-70!

I’ve ripped on the pre-season annuals for their lack of daring and understanding of parity-era history. Now, it’s my turn to put my money where my mouth is.

As regular readers know, I’ve hammered on the fact that every year since 2000 an average of four teams with losing records one year have made the playoffs the next. In five of the seven seasons four teams have made the jump. In 2001 three teams did it. In 2005 five did.

With that in mind, I need to find at least three, preferably four teams that were 7-9 or weaker for this year’s playoff pool. Here goes:

NFC

Division Winners (’06 records in parentheses; big jumpers in bold):

East — Dallas (9-7)
North — Detroit (3-13)
South — Carolina (8-8)
West — San Francisco (7-9)

Wild Cards — New Orleans (10-6) Washington (5-11)

Three big jumpers from the far more turbulent NFC. San Francisco takes the next step and the all-or-nothing Redskins have a good year. Detroit is this year’s Saints, coming from the bottom into the playoff field. It seems Jon Kitna agrees with me, predicting this past week that his Lions would win at least ten games.

If you’re wondering about the title, the 1970 NFC field included the Cowboys, 49ers and Lions, along with Minnesota.

AFC

Division Winners:

East — New England (12-4)
North — Baltimore (13-3)
South — Indianapolis (12-4)
West — San Diego (14-2)

Wild Cards — Denver (9-7) and Miami (6-10)

The AFC has been a very stable conference this decade and I don’t see much movement at the top. The Patriots and Chargers should repeat, given their talent bases. The Colts are due a letdown but I don’t see Jacksonville jumping past them.

Same in the North. The Bengals have a scary offense and could leapfrog the Ravens, especially with Adalius Thomas’ departure, but Cincy’s defense remains questionable and I think the Ravens offense will be better with Willis McGahee replacing Jamal Lewis.

My choice for the last big jumper came down to Miami and Buffalo. I pick the Dolphins because they’re more stable. Their defense, while old, is tough. New coach Cam Cameron focused nearly all his offseason attention on improving his pop-gun offense, adding C Samson Satele, 3rd down RB Lorenzo Booker and WR Ted Ginn to his offense.

QB Trent Green, whom Cameron coached when both were on Norv Turner’s Redskins teams, offers an upgrade over Joey Harrington.

I’m not predicting Super Bowl for these guys but I think they have enough to elbow past the Bengals, Jets, Bills and Chiefs for the final playoff spot.

Tuesday’s Teaser Card

Browns Watch — June 25th

The Browns’ front office frets that both first round picks, OT Joe Thomas and QB Brady Quinn could hold out. The third overall pick carries a hefty signing bonus. So will the contract for a highly rated QB.

Don’t crack open that cold schadenfraude six-pack just yet. Thomas says he wants to be in camp on time. Agents will argue for the best deal, but if the player is determined not to hold out, he likely won’t. I can’t speak for Quinn, but my hunch is Thomas will be in uniform on day one.

Turn Back the Clock

Folks in threads are complaining of boredom, but let’s turn the clock back one year to see how good bored feels.

– Last year nobody knew if Flozell Adams was going to rehab on time for the season opener. Jason Fabini was the favorite to beat out Rob Petitti for the key right tackle spot.

– One year ago some fans were grumpy about Dallas’ chances with Drew Bledsoe at the controls — and were calling for Drew Henson to get his chance, after his hot NFL Europe campaign.

– At this point in ‘06 the kicking game was safe with NFL record holder Mike Vanderjagt.

– One year ago nobody knew if Al Johnson or Andre Gurode would play center, or if the two would platoon again.

– Twelve months ago fans were linking to YouTube video of Kyle Kosier getting beaten as a rookie 49ers OT and pining for Larry Allen.

– At this time last year Greg Ellis and Bill Parcells were feuding over Ellis’ switch to OLB, with the player saying it wasn’t fair to him and he needed more money if he was going to change. This year, Ellis is settled and contented. Oh, wait!

The ‘07 Cowboys have their fair share of questions, from Jason Ferguson’s NT partner to whether the good or bad Tony Romo will appear? To my eyes, the question marks seem fewer and less severe.

Camp Update: Some big gains from some generous donors pushed The ‘Boys Blog to it’s own 47 yard line. We’re at $2120 and about to cross midfield in our Training Camp Drive. Our most sincere thanks to all new and past contributors.

How Many Cowboys Positions Are Up For Grabs?

Looking over the Dallas roster, I’m surprised to see how set it already is. Barring injury, the Cowboys starting 22 will see very few battles in camp. The focus will be on repetition and creating familiarity and hence smoothness within the new offensive and defensive schemes.

Here’s a very short list of the players who could crack this year’s lineup and the spots I believe are in play:

1. Pat McQuistan — LT/LG

We continue to hear good things about the ‘06 7th rounder’s progress. He impressed me with his mobility and fight in camp last year and he looked good in his limited preseason play. I was told in December that McQuistan spent his rookie season wisely, hitting the weight room on a regular and intense basis. He’s bigger now and Wade Phillips said last week that he hoped McQuistan could battle Kyle Kosier for the left guard spot.

He might, but right now McQuistan is working at left tackle, with Flozell Adams rehabbing a scoped knee. Working at tackle might delay his progress at guard but he’s right on schedule to move into the LT spot should Adams leave in 2008. He may jump that schedule and put one of last year’s starters on the bench early. He’ll be one of the players to track when camp begins.

2. Anthony Spencer — LOLB

The Cowboys maintain that Greg Ellis is their starter and that Spencer will be worked in slowly opposite Demarcus Ware. That’s a sensible approach. But I wonder how much of Ellis’ cauterwauling to the press last month was prompted by Spencer’s play. I hope that Spencer makes Ellis fear for his job. Nothing against Ellis, but a breakout rookie year for Spencer would be great for the Cowboys.

3 & 4. Kevin Burnett and Bobby Carpenter — ILBs

The first is a high second round pick who can’t past the nickel package. The second is last year’s top pick, who seemed to dial in the game during December. They’re backing up veterans with big contracts, but Burnett and Carpenter are faster than the steady, unspectacular Akin Ayodele and Bradie James. If either understudy shows a knack for making plays, Wade Phillips has no reason to keep them on the bench. He didn’t draft any of these players and he didn’t give any of them contracts.

That’s about it. I’m sure Dallas would love to see Pat Watkins challenge Ken Hamlin, but right now it’s Hamlin’s job. I’ve heard nothing to suggest he’s in danger of losing free safety.

Update: VTCowboy asks in thread whether FB will also produce a battle? He’s right. Deon Anderson will have a good shot at unseating Lousaka Polite and Oliver Hoyte and could push one or both off the roster with a successful camp.

The related question is how much play the fullbacks will get at all? Given Polite’s and Hoyte’s limitations as receivers and blockers, Dallas preferred to motion tight ends into the backfield and use them as lead blockers the past two years. We need to view this as a fullback vs. tight end question as much as a competition within the fullback group.

Bigg Fuss Over a Small Issue

Cowboys fans saw the national experts rip the team’s signing of Leonard Davis in March. The ripping continues, according to this piece.

Strangely enough, several sources have changed their minds on Davis. The Sporting News preseason annual quotes a rival scout who says this about Mr. Bigg,

“Moving Leonard Davis to guard is a smart thing. That’s his best position. I thought he played really good in his rookie season when he played there.”

The War Room scouts also see quality in Davis as a guard, rating him second on the Dallas o-line behind, drumroll please, Kyle Kosier. (Told ‘ya.)

K.C. Joyner’s run blocking stats for ‘04 and ‘05 showed that Davis was far and away the best lineman on a near all time bad Cardinals line. Davis was the only guy to rate in the middle of the pack while his line mates regularly rated at the bottom at their positions. Putting Davis on a much better line offers the opportunity to improve his play.

People can knock his contract, but the last time I looked the NFL didn’t curve final scores, adding or deducting points based on how well you manage the cap. Will he be the next Larry Allen? Not likely. But the main question anybody should ask is whether Davis represents an upgrade over Marco Rivera? Sight unseen, I can already offer an unqualified yes.

Who Are You? The Results

Shock the Survey Monkey!

Actually no, I’ll thank the Survey Monkey, and all you folks who jumped in and took my snap survey. Survey Monkey is a wonderful online survey tool that lets you design polls. They’re a great tool for university students who want to learn how to test audiences, because small polls are free.

And what I ran today was a free Survey Monkey poll. Unfortunately, that limits me to 100 respondents. I could leave the poll open indefinitely but it would cost me $30, and since the results have been uniform for the 12 hours the poll was open, I don’t think I would learn more for my money.

Enough of the backstory, let’s review the results. Know that this survey is far from scientific; it does not poll all Cowboys fans, only those maniacs who frequent The ‘Boys Blog.

1. How many hours per week do you spend watching football?

You love your football. The results were fairly evenly split — among the higher numbers. 6% of you said you devoted 3 hours or less per week to football. The biggest number was 3-6 hour — 34% of you claimed that. And I’m assuming you’re talking about NOW. I wonder what the numbers would be if I surveyed during the regular season.

2. How many hours per week do you spend on these media?

I offered five media, from newspapers and magazines to TV and the internet.

The bad news for the older “dead tree media” is that my poll confirms what many others have shown — fans rely on print and radio sources less and less. 74% of you spend an hour or less per week following sports on magazines; 65% of you spend less than an hour per week on newspapers and a surprising 50% of you spend an hour or less on sports radio.

Television and the internet are the only media that show heavy regular use. The majority (34%) said you watched sports on TV 1-3 hours a week. Roughly a third of you qualify as heavy users, watching sports on TV six hours or more per week.

The percentages are far more for the net. The majority of respondents (35%) said they spent 3-6 hours per week on the net. 42% of you follow sports on line six or more hours per week.

3. How many sports web pages do you read per day?

You’re modest users. 60% say they read 2-5 pages per day. 28% say 5-10.

4. Which sport do you prefer?

No contest. 98% of you prefer pro football to college ball.

5. How Many Football Games Do You Attend Per Year?

The results show live games are still a novelty — a luxury? — for most respondents. 35% said they never attend a live game. Another 35% said they attend 1-2 games per year. Only 13% attend five or more games in person per fall.

6. How much money do you spend on NFL licensed merchandise?

The numbers are evenly spread: 18% said nothing; 29% said $50 or less; 21% said $50 to $100; 16% said $100 - $200 and another 16% said $200 or more per year.

7. Rate the beatwriters and pundits

The results show you respect the team site’s information more than the rest of the Metroplex press. What’s more, you think the Metroplex media as a whole deserves a mediocre rating. Only three writers or pundits, Mickey Spagnola and Nick Eatman of Dallas Cowboys.com and Todd Archer of the Dallas Morning News, had a majority of respondents rate them as either exemplary or good.

Spagnola had the highest ratings, earning 33% exemplary and 43% good. Eatman had 15% and 44% in those respective categories and Archer had 7% and 46%.

The ratings were worst for the Star-Telegram writers, which suggests the Randy Galloway/Jen Engel inspired “rip ‘em and hate on ‘em” approach doesn’t work, at least with this community. The FWST staff averaged only 34% ratings in the exemplary or good categories. Mac Engel tied the DMN’s Tim McMahon for the dubious honor of the highest “so-so” ratings — each earned 56% in that category.

As for Mr. Hacktacular, is it any surprise in these parts that Galloway ran away with that award? 33% of the respondents rated him as a hack. Only J.J. Taylor, with a 22% hack rating came close.

8. Rate the NFL programs

You’re opinions are mild, on the whole. You like NFL Countdown the best; 37% of you rated it as quality analysis. All the programs earned between 41% and 52% in the soft but entertaining category.

The only show roundly disliked was NBC’s Football Night in America. 52% of you rated it either as fluff or a Stooge Fest.

9. Rate the announcing teams

You like the standards. Al Michaels and John Madden got the highest percentage of respondents who said they gave insight into a better game. 47% of you rated them in that category. 42% rated Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in that category. With Buck going to Fox’s studio show this year, Aikman has a chance to raise his ratings. I know a lot of readers don’t like Troy’s calls, but dislike Buck even more.

The CBS and NFL Network teams topped out in non-offensive category.

Readers saved their bile for the Monday Night Team of Tirico/Jaworski and Kornheiser. 40% of you claimed they made your ears bleed, metaphorically speaking, I hope. I wonder how high this percentage would have been had I kept Joe Theismann, last year’s third wheel, on the list?

10. Which Cowboys site do you use the most?

You’re loyal to the team, with 53% saying you get most of your information off dallascowboys.com. 37% said they turned to other sites. 10% said the DMN. Nobody claimed to use the Star-Telegram as their primary Cowboys’ resource.

Thanks again to everyone who responded.

Who Are You?

Blogads wanted demographic and some psychographic information in their annual readers survey.

I want to know about your football-watching and Cowboys-following habits.

Click Here to take The ‘BoysBlog survey

I’ll link to the results in a couple of days.

Camp Fund Drive, Day 22 — and a Survey

Thanks everybody!

We’re picking up some steam, having passed the 33% mark to our camp targets. A lot of lurkers are signing up and donating. Thanks to the new registrants. Stay and grace us with your comments.

A subtle plea to those who have not yet donated. Early money helps me know my budget and makes it easier to plan the trip. I want to arrange things the first week in July, so donations the next two weeks will go farther, though all donations are greatly appreciated.

I feel much more optimistic today that I’ll be able to cover all two weeks of camp.

And a reminder that every donor is automatically entered to win the Triplets lithograph.

Thanks again for your amazing support.

Update: I see a lot of comments regarding the annuals and TV coverage, pundits, etc. Since the Blogads survey drew such a strong response, I’m designing a sports media survey that I’ll try to roll out tonight. I want an idea of your sports watching habits, your football watching habits and who you respect in the sports media world. Watch this space!

Reviewing the Previews — Part Two

The Sporting News, Pro Football, $7.99, 255 pages.

It’s a dollar more than its peers, but The Sporting News’ 2007 annual is also the biggest, coming in at 255 pages. The editors make clear in their introduction that they’ve surveyed readers for years and find one constant demand — more team profiles.

And that’s what TSN offers — BIG profiles, seven pages per team. The magazine relies on local beat writers and pundits for its information, so the local fan base won’t get anything novel.

In Dallas’ case, DMN regular Jean-Jacques Taylor (who writes the weekly reports for TSN’s web site) handles the writeup. Thankfully, when writing for a national readership, Taylor discards his tiresome “Ripper” persona and offers a sober, upbeat team assessment.

If you want the most optimistic annual to confirm your own Cowboys’ optimism, this is your magazine. TSN predicts a 13-3 season for the Cowboys and a Super Bowl date in Arizona with New England next February.

Predictions: I have to spank all the magazines for their prediction caution. TSN is no exception, but they do take more risks than the others. They have three new division winners — Dallas in the NFC East, San Francisco in the NFC West and Cincinnati in the AFC North. They don’t have much playoff turnover, with only the Bengals, Broncos and 49ers cracking last year’s playoff field. They don’t take any risks with losing teams, but then, nobody in the pundit world does, so that’s no great crime.

Scouting Reports: TSN has an agreement with The War Room and they offer solid thumbnail reports on every offense and defensive starter and on key role players like third receivers.

The magazine takes a longer view on player forms and takes age and potential into consideration. With Dallas, for example, Marcus Spears gets a higher grade than Chris Canty, though Canty has produced more as a pro. The scouts considered Spears game at LSU and predict playing at a lighter weight and being more aggressive under Wade Phillips will bring out the skills that so impressed scouts and personnel men in ‘05.

The TSN folks do not cross reference players, or rate them by position or overall, but they do offer far more reviews than any other magazine.

Special features: TSN doesn’t give you lots of bundled stats. They provide what they promise, in bulk. If you like to play armchair scout, this is the magazine for you. If you’re a Cowboys homer, this is definitely the magazine for you.

Meta Media Thursday: Mix-and-Match Mikes

I’ll take progress, even if it comes in the smallest of doses.

Espn announced that Mike Ditka, Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic will call the 49ers-Cardinals game which will conclude the networks Monday Night Doubleheader. The first unit of Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser gets the earlier Ravens-Bengals game.

This is further proof that Espn needs somebody with prime-time programming experience to create their teams. (Call me folks, I’ve taught TV programming for years. I can help you. Seriously.) The World Wide Leader has enough good people to make their announcing teams work, but not in their present combinations.

Good football announcing teams fit two templates. You have the hardcore analyst teams, which pair two former players or coaches who can analyze complexities on the fly and explain them in layman’s terms. The NFL Network Mr. Magooed their way into this when they paired Dick Vermeil and Marshall Faulk for the Cowboys-Falcons game when Vermeil suffered from a sore throat. They later paired Faulk and Deion Sanders. Giving a talented and experienced analyst an equally talented partner brings out the best in each, rather than forcing them to work off their far less able play-by-play men.

Networks can also produce the Odd Couple teams, that pit opposing personalities with some football knowledge and let them go. Think the Real World hits the announcers’ booth. The original MNF duo of Howard Cosell and Don Meredith offered such a contrast and could hold an audience even when the game’s outcome was certain.

In the current lineups Jaworski, the tape-analyst extraordinaire, is wasted working with Kornheiser, who brings little to the table as a football mind. Pair Jaworski with Golic and some serious, in-depth analysis would be forthcoming.

In addition, pairing the urbane Kornheiser with the crusty Ditka could give us that Felix and Oscar chemistry which would make each of them tolerable. (I argued last year that a Bill Parcells-Kornheiser duo would click, but Ditka could work in the same capacity.)

Come on, Espn, mix it up. Give us some fun. After 18 years of ramming Joe Theismann off our eardrums it’s the least you can do.

We’re only your audience, after all.

Reviewing the Previews

The pro football previews have hit the newsstands and as a group they’re higher on the Cowboys than at any time since 1995. I don’t know whether to feel pleasure in seeing the Cowboys recognized or to feel jinxed at seeing the Cowboys anointed among their NFC peers. Two of the four magazines I viewed today put Dallas in the Super Bowl. Both predict the Cowboys will lose to New England, but that’s grist for another story.

Today I’ll begin my reviews with one of the oldest annuals, Pro Football Weekly’s 2007 preview.

I’ll rate all books on utility, player ratings and predictions, using my own grading systems. I’ve bought this one the past eighteen years, so I have a feel for what’s worthwhile and fluff.

1. Pro Football Weekly 2007 Preview — $6.99, 196 pages.

The former gold standard of annuals has fallen somewhat, but remains a good value. This book has the best format, for those interested in fantasy boards and for those who like to break down tape. That said, the book has slipped a bit since Joel Buchsbaum passed away.

Predictions: I’ve pointed out on many occasions since I started The ‘Boys Blog that NFL parity dictates an average of four new playoff teams per season that had losing records the year before. Let’s repeat that — not four new playoff teams per season, but four losers to playoff transformations per season. At least three teams have accomplished this every year this decade.

So what do the folks at PFW predict?

That all eight 2006 division winners will repeat. That six of the eight second place teams will remain the same. Five of the six NFC playoff teams from last season will repeat and four of the six AFC will do the same. In the NFC the Panthers replace the Giants, who are predicted to fall into the East basement. In the AFC Denver and Cincinnati will squeak in ahead of the Jets and Chiefs, who just miss the tourney.

If you’re this clueless about history, why even bother making predictions? Never in the time I’ve been following pro football has the field remained static from one year to the next. Never.

Think about it. There are several factors that determine a team’s final position — overall talent, health, schedule strength, your conference’s strength, your division’s strength, the age of your roster, the experience of your roster and coaching, and perhaps a few more.

Unless a team’s talent level far surpasses its rivals’ any one of these factors can mean the difference between making the playoffs and being an also ran.

To predict a repeat of history means the Pro Football Weekly people feel NFL talent is divided into clean, easily recognized classes that didn’t change at all this past offseason. That, or they can’t be bothered to look at standings from one year to the next.

For what it’s worth, they have the Patriots beating the Saints in February. (The Cowboys repeat as a wild card entrant.) Get used to seeing the Patriots handed the Lombardi Trophy — every annual does it.

Player ratings: Another feature that separated this magazine from others, but which has slipped in quality. PFW rates the top 50 players regardless of position and the top players at each individual position. The editors claim their ratings are influenced by actual NFL scouts but their boards make me wonder.

This year’s top 50 appears compromised by fantasy football — 12 of the top 15 players on this list are either QBs, RBs or WRs. Only Champ Bailey (6th) Julius Peppers (8th) and Jason Taylor (10th) crack the skill position parade.

What’s more, the position rankings fail to take a long view of player performance and appear, to my eyes anyway, to overvalue last year. Take the 49ers Frank Gore, for example. He had a phenomenal ‘06 but does anybody believe that he’s the 13th best player in the league, given his injury history and ONE outstanding season?

The PFW defensive rankings also show a bias towards 4-3 players. Four 4-3 ends, Julius Peppers, Jason Taylor, Dwight Freeney and Richard Seymour, rank higher than Shawne Merriman, who is only rated as 25th best overall. What’s more, he’s rated one spot behind his teammate, NT Jamal Williams!

Williams is indeed a fine player, but is there a GM alive who would select him before Merriman? And if there are GMs who would take four other rushers before Merriman I’d like to know their names, because I’m submitting my resume for their jobs tomorrow.

On the plus side, the positional ratings give some love to Terence Newman, who rates second behind Champ Bailey at cornerback and to Demarcus Ware, who trails only Merriman and Julian Peterson at OLB.

Format — The PFW guide still deserves a place on your coffee table because no book is a better in season stats resource. The book includes pages of spread sheets with individual and team stats from the previous year.

Each team section includes week by week breakdowns of the team and individual player performances. This is invaluable for the do-it-yourself fantasy player. It allows you to chart a players consistency and separate the week-in and week-out performers from the boom-one-week bust-the-next types.

Overall — Everybody has their down years and ‘07 looks like one for the Pro Football Weekly people. That said, they still put the most and best statistics at your fingertips.

Tomorrow — The Sporting News.

Camp Fund Drive — Day 18

We’re at halftime of the fund drive and we’re making some adjustments. We’re getting a great response from our regulars and have passed the 25% target.

That said, I need to make reservations in about two weeks, while camp doesn’t start for another five to six weeks. And at our current level of fundraising, I only have enough for one week of camp, not the full two weeks. I’m making a plea to the lurkers to check out our product and see if these reports are more to your liking than the usual press fare:

Here’s a practice report from August 2005

Here’s my camp review from that same year.

Compare the reviews to the Cowboys’ season. We’ll put our analysis up with anybody else’s.

Thanks for your support.

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