The VRR: Cowboys Preparing for Training Camp
July 22, 2010
Oh, the anticipation! The 2010 Dallas Cowboys Training Camp is right around the corner. The coaches and players are preparing; fans are too.
Leading into camp, which begins this Saturday, we should expect to follow the progress of contract negotiations between the team and its three remaining unsigned rookies: Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, and Josh Price-Brent.
We should also expect to hear much about how this camp will put the Cowboys on the road like no other camp has. Not only are they splitting time between Oxnard, CA and San Antonio, TX, but they will also hold practices at Cowboys Stadium and will be heading out earlier than most teams to play in the Hall of Fame Game to kick off the preseason.
More VRR after the jump.
The Cowboys veterans are ready to practice, no matter what city the team holds training camp.
“You’ve got to have that laser-sharp focus,” linebacker Keith Brooking said. “Put your blinders on and keep moving forward. Focus on the task at hand and take each day as it comes. You play for this organization long enough, you learn real quick you have to do that to be successful.”
Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten said leaving San Antonio to train in breezy Southern California will break up the monotony of camp. “Camp can get old,” Witten told Dallas-Fort Worth’s KESN-FM. “I’ll tell you what, this is better than staying in San Antonio for five weeks.”
Bradie James sums up the sentiment.
“Nobody cares where we practice. People care about whether we win,” linebacker Bradie James said.
If you plan on attending camp in San Antonio, here is SAEN’s information page. As usual, the team begins camp with its Kickoff Event.
Friday at Alamodome (free admission) — Interactive fan zones open at 5 p.m.; dome doors open at 6 p.m.; pep rally/concert featuring musical acts Duelo and Bowling for Soup, players, coaches and cheerleaders starts at 7 p.m.
And here’s a summary of the San Antonio practice schedule:
Practices: 2:15 p.m. Saturday, Monday, Thursday; 9 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday-Wednesday. Runs through Aug. 6. Free; parking $10. Autograph sessions after each practice.
More on what to expect if you plan on attending the Cowboys Kickoff Spectacular at the Alamodome.
Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones and head coach Wade Phillips will address Cowboys fans and share their insights and expectations for the 2010 camp. Brad Sham, the radio voice of the Dallas Cowboys, will introduce the players who will be fighting for a roster spot throughout camp.
The night will include special musical performances from Texas natives and Grammy nominees Bowling for Soup, along with Latin recording artists El Duelo. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and Cowboys mascot Rowdy will make a special appearance.
No Sean or Dez signing yet? Well, as of now, only two players selected in the 2010 NFL Draft’s first two rounds have been signed: Vladimir Ducasse (61st overall) by the Jets and Brian Price (35th) by the Buccaneers.
The Star-T debated the challenges of getting Dez Bryant signed in time for camp, but his agent Eugene Parker, says they would like to get the deal done “as soon as possible”.
The challenges of the uncertain labor negotiations and the possibility of a lock out next year have impacted contract negotiations across the league. No other first round pick is under contract and just one of the top 64 has signed.
Bryant was picked No. 24 overall. The Cowboys generally like to let players around their pick get signed so they can have a basis for negotiations. But with No. 23 and No. 25 unsigned, the Cowboys won’t have any current deals to go on. Parker, however, remains optimistic. He said it shouldn’t take long after they can get to some agreement on how to structure the contract.
“We don’t have to follow, we can lead,” Parker said.
The team’s rookie salary pool will definitely come into effect when the team agrees not only with Bryant, but Sean Lee and Price-Brent as well.
So, of the rookie deals made so far with fourth-rounder Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, sixth-rounders Sam Young and Jamar Wall, and seventh-rounder Sean Lissemore, we can estimate the Cowboys have spent just over $1.8 million of their rookie pool, leaving nearly $2 million more to work with in getting Bryant, Brent and second-rounder Sean Lee signed.
The Cowboys will be challenging supplemental pick, DT Josh Price-Brent, as soon as camp breaks.
The challenge is getting the Illinois product, who was selected in the seventh round of the supplemental draft last week, up to speed on the system as fast as possible.
The Cowboys also would like Price-Brent to drop weight and get down close to 300 pounds, according to a league source. He checked in at nearly 6-2 and 321 pounds at his pro day in Champaign, Ill., earlier this month.
The National Football Post’s Joe Fortenbaugh begins his “position battles to watch” report with a look at the Dallas wideouts.
Williams has been a complete bust since being traded from Detroit to Dallas during the 2008 season, catching just 57 passes in 25 games with the Cowboys. However, Bryant currently isn’t under contract and due to the learning curve that comes with adjusting to press coverage at the NFL level, Williams will likely open the year as the No. 2 receiver on the depth chart.
For the fantasy footballers…
But you have to look at it like this: If the Cowboys had any faith at all in Williams entering 2010, they wouldn’t have spent a first round draft pick on Bryant. Williams is currently being targeted in the 12th round while Bryant is going in the 6th, but it’s only a matter of time before the six-year veteran finds himself with a very limited role in the offense. In our opinion, Williams isn’t worth a draft pick and Bryant should be targeted sometime after the 10th round.
SB Nation Dallas-Ft. Worth’s Brett Perryman asks the questions many of us are wondering as camp approaches.
How is Doug Free going to hold up?
Are Alan Ball and Mike Hamlin any good?
Does Roy Williams have anything more than what he’s shown here?
How good are the young linebackers?
How will the running backs be handled?
Is Martellus Bennett going to step forward as a third year player?
Is Stephen McGee an NFL QB?
And of course, how good will Dez Bryant be?
In his NFC East blog, Matt Mosely asks some of the bigger questions for all four Beasts. For the Cowboys, it’s all about Doug Free.
All the games he played at right tackle last season for an injured Marc Colombo gave him a tremendous amount of confidence. And offensive line coach Hudson Houck, who once tutored Larry Allen, raves about Free.
It’s a risky move by Jerry Jones, but it’s one he didn’t have to contemplate for long.
Hat tip to lonewolfz28 for the FanShot update on Orlando Scandrick’s broken finger.
He missed most of the off-season work with a fractured left index finger suffered early in the organized team activities. He said the finger is healing well after the surgery and rehab but it’s not his call as to whether he will take part in every practice early in camp.
Planning to visit the Hall of Fame? Click here for all the travel information you need.
Jimmy Johnson will compete on this season’s “Survivor”, but it’s the real deal–not a celebrity edition.
This casting stunt also gives “Survivor” an extra dose of credibility because Johnson sees the show as a genuinely competitive endeavor. Few other reality shows have that kind of cachet, and it’s why “Survivor” has remained on the air far longer than many of its peers.
Watch out Manchester United…the Dallas Cowboys are closing the gap!
Forbes released its list of the world’s most valuable teams Wednesday, with the English Premier League club leading the way at $1.84 billion. The top American franchise, the Dallas Cowboys, was second at $1.65 billion.
And if you really want to prep for the Dallas Cowboys 2010 season, then all you need is a copy of The Maple Street Press 2010 Cowboys Annual. Just got mine the other day and I must say, it is super cool! Orders are being processed and shipped as you read this!
Click here to order or visit the Maple Street Press link below DeMarcus Ware, underneath the FanPost section.
The VRR: Cowboys Preparing for Training Camp
July 22, 2010
Oh, the anticipation! The 2010 Dallas Cowboys Training Camp is right around the corner. The coaches and players are preparing; fans are too.
Leading into camp, which begins this Saturday, we should expect to follow the progress of contract negotiations between the team and its three remaining unsigned rookies: Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, and Josh Price-Brent.
We should also expect to hear much about how this camp will put the Cowboys on the road like no other camp has. Not only are they splitting time between Oxnard, CA and San Antonio, TX, but they will also hold practices at Cowboys Stadium and will be heading out earlier than most teams to play in the Hall of Fame Game to kick off the preseason.
More VRR after the jump.
The Cowboys veterans are ready to practice, no matter what city the team holds training camp.
“You’ve got to have that laser-sharp focus,” linebacker Keith Brooking said. “Put your blinders on and keep moving forward. Focus on the task at hand and take each day as it comes. You play for this organization long enough, you learn real quick you have to do that to be successful.”
Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten said leaving San Antonio to train in breezy Southern California will break up the monotony of camp. “Camp can get old,” Witten told Dallas-Fort Worth’s KESN-FM. “I’ll tell you what, this is better than staying in San Antonio for five weeks.”
Bradie James sums up the sentiment.
“Nobody cares where we practice. People care about whether we win,” linebacker Bradie James said.
If you plan on attending camp in San Antonio, here is SAEN’s information page. As usual, the team begins camp with its Kickoff Event.
Friday at Alamodome (free admission) — Interactive fan zones open at 5 p.m.; dome doors open at 6 p.m.; pep rally/concert featuring musical acts Duelo and Bowling for Soup, players, coaches and cheerleaders starts at 7 p.m.
And here’s a summary of the San Antonio practice schedule:
Practices: 2:15 p.m. Saturday, Monday, Thursday; 9 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday-Wednesday. Runs through Aug. 6. Free; parking $10. Autograph sessions after each practice.
More on what to expect if you plan on attending the Cowboys Kickoff Spectacular at the Alamodome.
Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones and head coach Wade Phillips will address Cowboys fans and share their insights and expectations for the 2010 camp. Brad Sham, the radio voice of the Dallas Cowboys, will introduce the players who will be fighting for a roster spot throughout camp.
The night will include special musical performances from Texas natives and Grammy nominees Bowling for Soup, along with Latin recording artists El Duelo. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and Cowboys mascot Rowdy will make a special appearance.
No Sean or Dez signing yet? Well, as of now, only two players selected in the 2010 NFL Draft’s first two rounds have been signed: Vladimir Ducasse (61st overall) by the Jets and Brian Price (35th) by the Buccaneers.
The Star-T debated the challenges of getting Dez Bryant signed in time for camp, but his agent Eugene Parker, says they would like to get the deal done “as soon as possible”.
The challenges of the uncertain labor negotiations and the possibility of a lock out next year have impacted contract negotiations across the league. No other first round pick is under contract and just one of the top 64 has signed.
Bryant was picked No. 24 overall. The Cowboys generally like to let players around their pick get signed so they can have a basis for negotiations. But with No. 23 and No. 25 unsigned, the Cowboys won’t have any current deals to go on. Parker, however, remains optimistic. He said it shouldn’t take long after they can get to some agreement on how to structure the contract.
“We don’t have to follow, we can lead,” Parker said.
The team’s rookie salary pool will definitely come into effect when the team agrees not only with Bryant, but Sean Lee and Price-Brent as well.
So, of the rookie deals made so far with fourth-rounder Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, sixth-rounders Sam Young and Jamar Wall, and seventh-rounder Sean Lissemore, we can estimate the Cowboys have spent just over $1.8 million of their rookie pool, leaving nearly $2 million more to work with in getting Bryant, Brent and second-rounder Sean Lee signed.
The Cowboys will be challenging supplemental pick, DT Josh Price-Brent, as soon as camp breaks.
The challenge is getting the Illinois product, who was selected in the seventh round of the supplemental draft last week, up to speed on the system as fast as possible.
The Cowboys also would like Price-Brent to drop weight and get down close to 300 pounds, according to a league source. He checked in at nearly 6-2 and 321 pounds at his pro day in Champaign, Ill., earlier this month.
The National Football Post’s Joe Fortenbaugh begins his “position battles to watch” report with a look at the Dallas wideouts.
Williams has been a complete bust since being traded from Detroit to Dallas during the 2008 season, catching just 57 passes in 25 games with the Cowboys. However, Bryant currently isn’t under contract and due to the learning curve that comes with adjusting to press coverage at the NFL level, Williams will likely open the year as the No. 2 receiver on the depth chart.
For the fantasy footballers…
But you have to look at it like this: If the Cowboys had any faith at all in Williams entering 2010, they wouldn’t have spent a first round draft pick on Bryant. Williams is currently being targeted in the 12th round while Bryant is going in the 6th, but it’s only a matter of time before the six-year veteran finds himself with a very limited role in the offense. In our opinion, Williams isn’t worth a draft pick and Bryant should be targeted sometime after the 10th round.
SB Nation Dallas-Ft. Worth’s Brett Perryman asks the questions many of us are wondering as camp approaches.
How is Doug Free going to hold up?
Are Alan Ball and Mike Hamlin any good?
Does Roy Williams have anything more than what he’s shown here?
How good are the young linebackers?
How will the running backs be handled?
Is Martellus Bennett going to step forward as a third year player?
Is Stephen McGee an NFL QB?
And of course, how good will Dez Bryant be?
In his NFC East blog, Matt Mosely asks some of the bigger questions for all four Beasts. For the Cowboys, it’s all about Doug Free.
All the games he played at right tackle last season for an injured Marc Colombo gave him a tremendous amount of confidence. And offensive line coach Hudson Houck, who once tutored Larry Allen, raves about Free.
It’s a risky move by Jerry Jones, but it’s one he didn’t have to contemplate for long.
Hat tip to lonewolfz28 for the FanShot update on Orlando Scandrick’s broken finger.
He missed most of the off-season work with a fractured left index finger suffered early in the organized team activities. He said the finger is healing well after the surgery and rehab but it’s not his call as to whether he will take part in every practice early in camp.
Planning to visit the Hall of Fame? Click here for all the travel information you need.
Jimmy Johnson will compete on this season’s “Survivor”, but it’s the real deal–not a celebrity edition.
This casting stunt also gives “Survivor” an extra dose of credibility because Johnson sees the show as a genuinely competitive endeavor. Few other reality shows have that kind of cachet, and it’s why “Survivor” has remained on the air far longer than many of its peers.
Watch out Manchester United…the Dallas Cowboys are closing the gap!
Forbes released its list of the world’s most valuable teams Wednesday, with the English Premier League club leading the way at $1.84 billion. The top American franchise, the Dallas Cowboys, was second at $1.65 billion.
And if you really want to prep for the Dallas Cowboys 2010 season, then all you need is a copy of The Maple Street Press 2010 Cowboys Annual. Just got mine the other day and I must say, it is super cool! Orders are being processed and shipped as you read this!
Click here to order or visit the Maple Street Press link below DeMarcus Ware, underneath the FanPost section.
The VRR: Cowboys Preparing for Training Camp
July 22, 2010
Oh, the anticipation! The 2010 Dallas Cowboys Training Camp is right around the corner. The coaches and players are preparing; fans are too.
Leading into camp, which begins this Saturday, we should expect to follow the progress of contract negotiations between the team and its three remaining unsigned rookies: Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, and Josh Price-Brent.
We should also expect to hear much about how this camp will put the Cowboys on the road like no other camp has. Not only are they splitting time between Oxnard, CA and San Antonio, TX, but they will also hold practices at Cowboys Stadium and will be heading out earlier than most teams to play in the Hall of Fame Game to kick off the preseason.
More VRR after the jump.
The Cowboys veterans are ready to practice, no matter what city the team holds training camp.
“You’ve got to have that laser-sharp focus,” linebacker Keith Brooking said. “Put your blinders on and keep moving forward. Focus on the task at hand and take each day as it comes. You play for this organization long enough, you learn real quick you have to do that to be successful.”
Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten said leaving San Antonio to train in breezy Southern California will break up the monotony of camp. “Camp can get old,” Witten told Dallas-Fort Worth’s KESN-FM. “I’ll tell you what, this is better than staying in San Antonio for five weeks.”
Bradie James sums up the sentiment.
“Nobody cares where we practice. People care about whether we win,” linebacker Bradie James said.
If you plan on attending camp in San Antonio, here is SAEN’s information page. As usual, the team begins camp with its Kickoff Event.
Friday at Alamodome (free admission) — Interactive fan zones open at 5 p.m.; dome doors open at 6 p.m.; pep rally/concert featuring musical acts Duelo and Bowling for Soup, players, coaches and cheerleaders starts at 7 p.m.
And here’s a summary of the San Antonio practice schedule:
Practices: 2:15 p.m. Saturday, Monday, Thursday; 9 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday-Wednesday. Runs through Aug. 6. Free; parking $10. Autograph sessions after each practice.
More on what to expect if you plan on attending the Cowboys Kickoff Spectacular at the Alamodome.
Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones and head coach Wade Phillips will address Cowboys fans and share their insights and expectations for the 2010 camp. Brad Sham, the radio voice of the Dallas Cowboys, will introduce the players who will be fighting for a roster spot throughout camp.
The night will include special musical performances from Texas natives and Grammy nominees Bowling for Soup, along with Latin recording artists El Duelo. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and Cowboys mascot Rowdy will make a special appearance.
No Sean or Dez signing yet? Well, as of now, only two players selected in the 2010 NFL Draft’s first two rounds have been signed: Vladimir Ducasse (61st overall) by the Jets and Brian Price (35th) by the Buccaneers.
The Star-T debated the challenges of getting Dez Bryant signed in time for camp, but his agent Eugene Parker, says they would like to get the deal done “as soon as possible”.
The challenges of the uncertain labor negotiations and the possibility of a lock out next year have impacted contract negotiations across the league. No other first round pick is under contract and just one of the top 64 has signed.
Bryant was picked No. 24 overall. The Cowboys generally like to let players around their pick get signed so they can have a basis for negotiations. But with No. 23 and No. 25 unsigned, the Cowboys won’t have any current deals to go on. Parker, however, remains optimistic. He said it shouldn’t take long after they can get to some agreement on how to structure the contract.
“We don’t have to follow, we can lead,” Parker said.
The team’s rookie salary pool will definitely come into effect when the team agrees not only with Bryant, but Sean Lee and Price-Brent as well.
So, of the rookie deals made so far with fourth-rounder Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, sixth-rounders Sam Young and Jamar Wall, and seventh-rounder Sean Lissemore, we can estimate the Cowboys have spent just over $1.8 million of their rookie pool, leaving nearly $2 million more to work with in getting Bryant, Brent and second-rounder Sean Lee signed.
The Cowboys will be challenging supplemental pick, DT Josh Price-Brent, as soon as camp breaks.
The challenge is getting the Illinois product, who was selected in the seventh round of the supplemental draft last week, up to speed on the system as fast as possible.
The Cowboys also would like Price-Brent to drop weight and get down close to 300 pounds, according to a league source. He checked in at nearly 6-2 and 321 pounds at his pro day in Champaign, Ill., earlier this month.
The National Football Post’s Joe Fortenbaugh begins his “position battles to watch” report with a look at the Dallas wideouts.
Williams has been a complete bust since being traded from Detroit to Dallas during the 2008 season, catching just 57 passes in 25 games with the Cowboys. However, Bryant currently isn’t under contract and due to the learning curve that comes with adjusting to press coverage at the NFL level, Williams will likely open the year as the No. 2 receiver on the depth chart.
For the fantasy footballers…
But you have to look at it like this: If the Cowboys had any faith at all in Williams entering 2010, they wouldn’t have spent a first round draft pick on Bryant. Williams is currently being targeted in the 12th round while Bryant is going in the 6th, but it’s only a matter of time before the six-year veteran finds himself with a very limited role in the offense. In our opinion, Williams isn’t worth a draft pick and Bryant should be targeted sometime after the 10th round.
SB Nation Dallas-Ft. Worth’s Brett Perryman asks the questions many of us are wondering as camp approaches.
How is Doug Free going to hold up?
Are Alan Ball and Mike Hamlin any good?
Does Roy Williams have anything more than what he’s shown here?
How good are the young linebackers?
How will the running backs be handled?
Is Martellus Bennett going to step forward as a third year player?
Is Stephen McGee an NFL QB?
And of course, how good will Dez Bryant be?
In his NFC East blog, Matt Mosely asks some of the bigger questions for all four Beasts. For the Cowboys, it’s all about Doug Free.
All the games he played at right tackle last season for an injured Marc Colombo gave him a tremendous amount of confidence. And offensive line coach Hudson Houck, who once tutored Larry Allen, raves about Free.
It’s a risky move by Jerry Jones, but it’s one he didn’t have to contemplate for long.
Hat tip to lonewolfz28 for the FanShot update on Orlando Scandrick’s broken finger.
He missed most of the off-season work with a fractured left index finger suffered early in the organized team activities. He said the finger is healing well after the surgery and rehab but it’s not his call as to whether he will take part in every practice early in camp.
Planning to visit the Hall of Fame? Click here for all the travel information you need.
Jimmy Johnson will compete on this season’s “Survivor”, but it’s the real deal–not a celebrity edition.
This casting stunt also gives “Survivor” an extra dose of credibility because Johnson sees the show as a genuinely competitive endeavor. Few other reality shows have that kind of cachet, and it’s why “Survivor” has remained on the air far longer than many of its peers.
Watch out Manchester United…the Dallas Cowboys are closing the gap!
Forbes released its list of the world’s most valuable teams Wednesday, with the English Premier League club leading the way at $1.84 billion. The top American franchise, the Dallas Cowboys, was second at $1.65 billion.
And if you really want to prep for the Dallas Cowboys 2010 season, then all you need is a copy of The Maple Street Press 2010 Cowboys Annual. Just got mine the other day and I must say, it is super cool! Orders are being processed and shipped as you read this!
Click here to order or visit the Maple Street Press link below DeMarcus Ware, underneath the FanPost section.
The VRR: Cowboys Preparing for Training Camp
July 22, 2010
Oh, the anticipation! The 2010 Dallas Cowboys Training Camp is right around the corner. The coaches and players are preparing; fans are too.
Leading into camp, which begins this Saturday, we should expect to follow the progress of contract negotiations between the team and its three remaining unsigned rookies: Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, and Josh Price-Brent.
We should also expect to hear much about how this camp will put the Cowboys on the road like no other camp has. Not only are they splitting time between Oxnard, CA and San Antonio, TX, but they will also hold practices at Cowboys Stadium and will be heading out earlier than most teams to play in the Hall of Fame Game to kick off the preseason.
More VRR after the jump.
The Cowboys veterans are ready to practice, no matter what city the team holds training camp.
“You’ve got to have that laser-sharp focus,” linebacker Keith Brooking said. “Put your blinders on and keep moving forward. Focus on the task at hand and take each day as it comes. You play for this organization long enough, you learn real quick you have to do that to be successful.”
Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten said leaving San Antonio to train in breezy Southern California will break up the monotony of camp. “Camp can get old,” Witten told Dallas-Fort Worth’s KESN-FM. “I’ll tell you what, this is better than staying in San Antonio for five weeks.”
Bradie James sums up the sentiment.
“Nobody cares where we practice. People care about whether we win,” linebacker Bradie James said.
If you plan on attending camp in San Antonio, here is SAEN’s information page. As usual, the team begins camp with its Kickoff Event.
Friday at Alamodome (free admission) — Interactive fan zones open at 5 p.m.; dome doors open at 6 p.m.; pep rally/concert featuring musical acts Duelo and Bowling for Soup, players, coaches and cheerleaders starts at 7 p.m.
And here’s a summary of the San Antonio practice schedule:
Practices: 2:15 p.m. Saturday, Monday, Thursday; 9 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday-Wednesday. Runs through Aug. 6. Free; parking $10. Autograph sessions after each practice.
More on what to expect if you plan on attending the Cowboys Kickoff Spectacular at the Alamodome.
Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones and head coach Wade Phillips will address Cowboys fans and share their insights and expectations for the 2010 camp. Brad Sham, the radio voice of the Dallas Cowboys, will introduce the players who will be fighting for a roster spot throughout camp.
The night will include special musical performances from Texas natives and Grammy nominees Bowling for Soup, along with Latin recording artists El Duelo. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and Cowboys mascot Rowdy will make a special appearance.
No Sean or Dez signing yet? Well, as of now, only two players selected in the 2010 NFL Draft’s first two rounds have been signed: Vladimir Ducasse (61st overall) by the Jets and Brian Price (35th) by the Buccaneers.
The Star-T debated the challenges of getting Dez Bryant signed in time for camp, but his agent Eugene Parker, says they would like to get the deal done “as soon as possible”.
The challenges of the uncertain labor negotiations and the possibility of a lock out next year have impacted contract negotiations across the league. No other first round pick is under contract and just one of the top 64 has signed.
Bryant was picked No. 24 overall. The Cowboys generally like to let players around their pick get signed so they can have a basis for negotiations. But with No. 23 and No. 25 unsigned, the Cowboys won’t have any current deals to go on. Parker, however, remains optimistic. He said it shouldn’t take long after they can get to some agreement on how to structure the contract.
“We don’t have to follow, we can lead,” Parker said.
The team’s rookie salary pool will definitely come into effect when the team agrees not only with Bryant, but Sean Lee and Price-Brent as well.
So, of the rookie deals made so far with fourth-rounder Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, sixth-rounders Sam Young and Jamar Wall, and seventh-rounder Sean Lissemore, we can estimate the Cowboys have spent just over $1.8 million of their rookie pool, leaving nearly $2 million more to work with in getting Bryant, Brent and second-rounder Sean Lee signed.
The Cowboys will be challenging supplemental pick, DT Josh Price-Brent, as soon as camp breaks.
The challenge is getting the Illinois product, who was selected in the seventh round of the supplemental draft last week, up to speed on the system as fast as possible.
The Cowboys also would like Price-Brent to drop weight and get down close to 300 pounds, according to a league source. He checked in at nearly 6-2 and 321 pounds at his pro day in Champaign, Ill., earlier this month.
The National Football Post’s Joe Fortenbaugh begins his “position battles to watch” report with a look at the Dallas wideouts.
Williams has been a complete bust since being traded from Detroit to Dallas during the 2008 season, catching just 57 passes in 25 games with the Cowboys. However, Bryant currently isn’t under contract and due to the learning curve that comes with adjusting to press coverage at the NFL level, Williams will likely open the year as the No. 2 receiver on the depth chart.
For the fantasy footballers…
But you have to look at it like this: If the Cowboys had any faith at all in Williams entering 2010, they wouldn’t have spent a first round draft pick on Bryant. Williams is currently being targeted in the 12th round while Bryant is going in the 6th, but it’s only a matter of time before the six-year veteran finds himself with a very limited role in the offense. In our opinion, Williams isn’t worth a draft pick and Bryant should be targeted sometime after the 10th round.
SB Nation Dallas-Ft. Worth’s Brett Perryman asks the questions many of us are wondering as camp approaches.
How is Doug Free going to hold up?
Are Alan Ball and Mike Hamlin any good?
Does Roy Williams have anything more than what he’s shown here?
How good are the young linebackers?
How will the running backs be handled?
Is Martellus Bennett going to step forward as a third year player?
Is Stephen McGee an NFL QB?
And of course, how good will Dez Bryant be?
In his NFC East blog, Matt Mosely asks some of the bigger questions for all four Beasts. For the Cowboys, it’s all about Doug Free.
All the games he played at right tackle last season for an injured Marc Colombo gave him a tremendous amount of confidence. And offensive line coach Hudson Houck, who once tutored Larry Allen, raves about Free.
It’s a risky move by Jerry Jones, but it’s one he didn’t have to contemplate for long.
Hat tip to lonewolfz28 for the FanShot update on Orlando Scandrick’s broken finger.
He missed most of the off-season work with a fractured left index finger suffered early in the organized team activities. He said the finger is healing well after the surgery and rehab but it’s not his call as to whether he will take part in every practice early in camp.
Planning to visit the Hall of Fame? Click here for all the travel information you need.
Jimmy Johnson will compete on this season’s “Survivor”, but it’s the real deal–not a celebrity edition.
This casting stunt also gives “Survivor” an extra dose of credibility because Johnson sees the show as a genuinely competitive endeavor. Few other reality shows have that kind of cachet, and it’s why “Survivor” has remained on the air far longer than many of its peers.
Watch out Manchester United…the Dallas Cowboys are closing the gap!
Forbes released its list of the world’s most valuable teams Wednesday, with the English Premier League club leading the way at $1.84 billion. The top American franchise, the Dallas Cowboys, was second at $1.65 billion.
And if you really want to prep for the Dallas Cowboys 2010 season, then all you need is a copy of The Maple Street Press 2010 Cowboys Annual. Just got mine the other day and I must say, it is super cool! Orders are being processed and shipped as you read this!
Click here to order or visit the Maple Street Press link below DeMarcus Ware, underneath the FanPost section.
The Beasts of the East: Why My Division is Better Than Your Division
July 22, 2010
Mel Evans - AP
8 months ago:
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid, center left, and Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips meet on the field after an NFL football game, Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, in Philadelphia. Dallas won 20-16. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
The NFC East is the best division in football. Everybody knows it, not everybody likes to admit it.
Every offseason a bunch of articles pop up somewhere about why this or that division may be the best division in the NFL. I read them and yawn. 19 Super Bowl appearances between the four NFC East teams and 11 wins between three of the four speak a pretty clear language.
Okay, so you don’t like the Super Bowl argument and ask what has the NFC East done for you lately, like, say, in the last five years?
Well, what about outscoring opponents more than any other division over the last five years? Or sending more teams to the playoffs over the last half decade than any other division. Or having only three teams over a five year span with a losing record.
No other division can match that.
Toughest? Most talented? Best coached? Most successful? Just how good is the NFC East?
Performance by division 2005 - 2009
Over the last 5 years, the Cowboys, Eagles, Giants and Redskins have outscored their opponents by 728 points. Now that may not sound like all that much, but consider that that number is almost twice as high as the 427 point differential put together by the Colts-led AFC South. The AFC South of course also is home to the expansion Texans, who last season quietly celebrated their first ever winning season.
Since 2005 the NFC East has sent 12 teams to the playoffs. Again best in the league and an average of 2.4 playoff-bound teams per year. Each year, the East sent at least two teams to the playoffs, and three teams in the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
Compare that to, say, the NFC West which has sent exactly one team per year to the playoffs for the last five years (Seahawks 05-07, Cardinals 08-09, nothing for the 49ers and Rams). You could argue that the team in the NFC West that managed to lose the least games in a season made the playoffs by default, and in fact only once in the last five years did the NFC West division winner win more than ten games (2005 Seahawks). The NFC North and AFC West one-upped the NFC West by sending one more team to the playoffs in that five year span.
The NFC East racked up a total of 180 wins over the last five years, only 4 wins less than the league leading AFC South.
Equally remarkable is that the Giants, Cowboys and Redskins promoted young quarterbacks into the starting job within the last five years. And the Eagles follow suit this year.
But what is perhaps the most remarkable achievement of the NFC East is the fact that in five years only three teams have had a losing record in the division: the 06 & 09 Redskins and the 05 Eagles. Almost every division has had one or two perpetually bad teams over the last 5 years. Except the NFC East.
| Performance by division 2005 - 2009 |
NFC | AFC | |||||||
| East | North | South | West | East | North | South | West | ||
| Points Differential | +728 | -159 | +20 | -1,216 | 250 | 288 | 427 | -338 | |
| Playoff Teams | 12 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | |
| Total Wins | 180 | 151 | 162 | 129 | 161 | 163 | 184 | 149 | |
| No. of teams with losing record | 3 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 9 | |
As I look at the table above, I can’t help but wonder what’s going on in the West divisions. I’ve detailed the NFC West above, but the AFC West with the Chargers, Broncos, Raiders and Chiefs looks like the second worst division in terms of overall performance. Oh, wait, the Raiders and Chiefs! Question answered.
Coaching & Talent
Heading into the 2010 season, the NFC East head coaches have a combined NFL head coaching experience of 51 years, again almost twice the experience of the next best division. And these coaches don’t just have the experience, they also have the wins to go with it: Their combined .588 winning percentage is second only to the AFC East’s .603 - of course, the AFC East’s combined 20 years of head coaching experience is 15 years Belichick and the Patriots and five combined years for the others (2 years for the Bills‘ Chan Gailey, 2 years for the Dolphins‘ Tony Sparano and one year for Rex Ryan and the Jets).
Every single NFC East head coach has more than 10 years of experience as an NFL head coach. The Chargers, Titans and Patriots are the only teams with similarly tenured coaches. In the youth versus experience vote, the NFC East’s experience gets my ballot - that is, until Jason Garrett takes over in Dallas of course.
In terms of talent, the NFC East again takes the crown among all NFL divisions. 24 Pro Bowlers last year came out of the NFC East, more than any other division.
For the 2010 season, the NFL’s pre-determined scheduling formula has the NFC East meeting the AFC South. Fittingly, these two divisions have the toughest strength of schedule (SOS) heading into the season. In fact, of the 9 teams with the toughest SOS, four are NFC East teams and three (Texans, Titans, and Jaguars) play the NFC East. We’ll see what that strength of schedule was worth once the dust settles.
| Coaching & Talent | NFC | AFC | |||||||
| East | North | South | West | East | North | South | West | ||
| Head Coach Tenure (Years) | 51 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 20 | 16 | 28 | 16 | |
| Head Coach W/L record | 458-321 | 128-112 | 132-108 | 74-79 | 193-127 | 135-121 | 238-200 | 111-138 | |
| Pro Bowlers 2009 | 24 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 18 | 14 | |
| Strength of Schedule 2010 | .528 | .501 | .480 | .451 | .508 | .514 | .536 | .481 | |
Size does matter after all
A large part of the success of the NFC East can be explained in simple dollars and cents. The NFC East teams are the first, second, fourth and seventh most valuable franchises in the NFL. And that’s not because of the amount of Super Bowls won, or - in one particular case - not won, the level of talent, the quality of coaching or anything like that. No, the value of a franchise is largely dependent on its ability to generate revenue.
While the NFL shares television money, league sponsorships and one third of ticket revenues equally among all teams, each franchise retains the sole rights to its so-called ancillary revenue like parking, luxury suites, stadium naming rights and much more. The ability to generate ancillary revenue is largely dependent on the size of the revenue pool available for a franchise to dip into, or to put it simpler: the size of the market.
The NFC East cities are among the largest markets in the U.S., which is particularly important for TV advertising revenue, but also for the ability to drive attendance to games.
And while the salary cap has leveled the playing field somewhat between the 32 teams, the cap’s parity effect only really works when every team spends exactly the same amount, and that’s not going to happen any time soon.
| 2009 NFL team valuations | 2009 TV households in market area (DMA), ranked by households | 2009 NFL total regular season attendance by team | ||||||||
| Rank | Team | Value, $ BLN | Rank | DMA | TV households | Rank | Team | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cowboys | 1.65 | 1. | New York | 7,493,530 | 1. | Cowboys | 1,307,231 | ||
| 2. | Redskins | 1.55 | 2. | Los Angeles | 5,659,170 | 2. | Giants | 1,223,927 | ||
| 3. | Patriots | 1.36 | 3. | Chicago | 3,501,010 | 3. | Redskins | 1,205,404 | ||
| 4. | Giants | 1.18 | 4. | Philadelphia | 2,955,190 | 4. | Panthers | 1,162,625 | ||
| 5. | Jets | 1.17 | 5. | Dallas-Ft. Worth | 2,544,410 | 5. | Eagles | 1,144,895 | ||
| … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | ||
| 7. | Eagles | 1.12 | 9. | Washington, DC | 2,335,040 | … | … | … | ||
There is one little thing though, where the NFC East has come up fairly empty handed recently: The last decade was historically low in terms of Super Bowls for the NFC East. Two Super Bowl wins in the 70’s, three in the 80’s, five in the 90’s but only one in the 00’s. Perhaps this is the year the Cowboys help jump-start the East again.
CB Jamar Wall is latest rookie to agree to a contract with Cowboys.
July 22, 2010
CB Jamar Wall is latest rookie to agree to a contract with Cowboys.
From ESPNDallas:
Wall most likely will sign a four-year contract before he leaves for San Antonio.
The Cowboys are working on deals for nose tackle Josh Brent, wide receiver Dez Bryant and linebacker Sean Lee.
The Beasts of the East: Why My Division is Better Than Your Division
July 22, 2010
Mel Evans - AP
8 months ago:
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid, center left, and Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips meet on the field after an NFL football game, Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, in Philadelphia. Dallas won 20-16. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
The NFC East is the best division in football. Everybody knows it, not everybody likes to admit it.
Every offseason a bunch of articles pop up somewhere about why this or that division may be the best division in the NFL. I read them and yawn. 19 Super Bowl appearances between the four NFC East teams and 11 wins between three of the four speak a pretty clear language.
Okay, so you don’t like the Super Bowl argument and ask what has the NFC East done for you lately, like, say, in the last five years?
Well, what about outscoring opponents more than any other division over the last five years? Or sending more teams to the playoffs over the last half decade than any other division. Or having only three teams over a five year span with a losing record.
No other division can match that.
Toughest? Most talented? Best coached? Most successful? Just how good is the NFC East?
Performance by division 2005 - 2009
Over the last 5 years, the Cowboys, Eagles, Giants and Redskins have outscored their opponents by 728 points. Now that may not sound like all that much, but consider that that number is almost twice as high as the 427 point differential put together by the Colts-led AFC South. The AFC South of course also is home to the expansion Texans, who last season quietly celebrated their first ever winning season.
Since 2005 the NFC East has sent 12 teams to the playoffs. Again best in the league and an average of 2.4 playoff-bound teams per year. Each year, the East sent at least two teams to the playoffs, and three teams in the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
Compare that to, say, the NFC West which has sent exactly one team per year to the playoffs for the last five years (Seahawks 05-07, Cardinals 08-09, nothing for the 49ers and Rams). You could argue that the team in the NFC West that managed to lose the least games in a season made the playoffs by default, and in fact only once in the last five years did the NFC West division winner win more than ten games (2005 Seahawks). The NFC North and AFC West one-upped the NFC West by sending one more team to the playoffs in that five year span.
The NFC East racked up a total of 180 wins over the last five years, only 4 wins less than the league leading AFC South.
Equally remarkable is that the Giants, Cowboys and Redskins promoted young quarterbacks into the starting job within the last five years. And the Eagles follow suit this year.
But what is perhaps the most remarkable achievement of the NFC East is the fact that in five years only three teams have had a losing record in the division: the 06 & 09 Redskins and the 05 Eagles. Almost every division has had one or two perpetually bad teams over the last 5 years. Except the NFC East.
| Performance by division 2005 - 2009 |
NFC | AFC | |||||||
| East | North | South | West | East | North | South | West | ||
| Points Differential | +728 | -159 | +20 | -1,216 | 250 | 288 | 427 | -338 | |
| Playoff Teams | 12 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | |
| Total Wins | 180 | 151 | 162 | 129 | 161 | 163 | 184 | 149 | |
| No. of teams with losing record | 3 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 9 | |
As I look at the table above, I can’t help but wonder what’s going on in the West divisions. I’ve detailed the NFC West above, but the AFC West with the Chargers, Broncos, Raiders and Chiefs looks like the second worst division in terms of overall performance. Oh, wait, the Raiders and Chiefs! Question answered.
Coaching & Talent
Heading into the 2010 season, the NFC East head coaches have a combined NFL head coaching experience of 51 years, again almost twice the experience of the next best division. And these coaches don’t just have the experience, they also have the wins to go with it: Their combined .588 winning percentage is second only to the AFC East’s .603 - of course, the AFC East’s combined 20 years of head coaching experience is 15 years Belichick and the Patriots and five combined years for the others (2 years for the Bills‘ Chan Gailey, 2 years for the Dolphins‘ Tony Sparano and one year for Rex Ryan and the Jets).
Every single NFC East head coach has more than 10 years of experience as an NFL head coach. The Chargers, Titans and Patriots are the only teams with similarly tenured coaches. In the youth versus experience vote, the NFC East’s experience gets my ballot - that is, until Jason Garrett takes over in Dallas of course.
In terms of talent, the NFC East again takes the crown among all NFL divisions. 24 Pro Bowlers last year came out of the NFC East, more than any other division.
For the 2010 season, the NFL’s pre-determined scheduling formula has the NFC East meeting the AFC South. Fittingly, these two divisions have the toughest strength of schedule (SOS) heading into the season. In fact, of the 9 teams with the toughest SOS, four are NFC East teams and three (Texans, Titans, and Jaguars) play the NFC East. We’ll see what that strength of schedule was worth once the dust settles.
| Coaching & Talent | NFC | AFC | |||||||
| East | North | South | West | East | North | South | West | ||
| Head Coach Tenure (Years) | 51 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 20 | 16 | 28 | 16 | |
| Head Coach W/L record | 458-321 | 128-112 | 132-108 | 74-79 | 193-127 | 135-121 | 238-200 | 111-138 | |
| Pro Bowlers 2009 | 24 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 18 | 14 | |
| Strength of Schedule 2010 | .528 | .501 | .480 | .451 | .508 | .514 | .536 | .481 | |
Size does matter after all
A large part of the success of the NFC East can be explained in simple dollars and cents. The NFC East teams are the first, second, fourth and seventh most valuable franchises in the NFL. And that’s not because of the amount of Super Bowls won, or - in one particular case - not won, the level of talent, the quality of coaching or anything like that. No, the value of a franchise is largely dependent on its ability to generate revenue.
While the NFL shares television money, league sponsorships and one third of ticket revenues equally among all teams, each franchise retains the sole rights to its so-called ancillary revenue like parking, luxury suites, stadium naming rights and much more. The ability to generate ancillary revenue is largely dependent on the size of the revenue pool available for a franchise to dip into, or to put it simpler: the size of the market.
The NFC East cities are among the largest markets in the U.S., which is particularly important for TV advertising revenue, but also for the ability to drive attendance to games.
And while the salary cap has leveled the playing field somewhat between the 32 teams, the cap’s parity effect only really works when every team spends exactly the same amount, and that’s not going to happen any time soon.
| 2009 NFL team valuations | 2009 TV households in market area (DMA), ranked by households | 2009 NFL total regular season attendance by team | ||||||||
| Rank | Team | Value, $ BLN | Rank | DMA | TV households | Rank | Team | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cowboys | 1.65 | 1. | New York | 7,493,530 | 1. | Cowboys | 1,307,231 | ||
| 2. | Redskins | 1.55 | 2. | Los Angeles | 5,659,170 | 2. | Giants | 1,223,927 | ||
| 3. | Patriots | 1.36 | 3. | Chicago | 3,501,010 | 3. | Redskins | 1,205,404 | ||
| 4. | Giants | 1.18 | 4. | Philadelphia | 2,955,190 | 4. | Panthers | 1,162,625 | ||
| 5. | Jets | 1.17 | 5. | Dallas-Ft. Worth | 2,544,410 | 5. | Eagles | 1,144,895 | ||
| … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | ||
| 7. | Eagles | 1.12 | 9. | Washington, DC | 2,335,040 | … | … | … | ||
There is one little thing though, where the NFC East has come up fairly empty handed recently: The last decade was historically low in terms of Super Bowls for the NFC East. Two Super Bowl wins in the 70’s, three in the 80’s, five in the 90’s but only one in the 00’s. Perhaps this is the year the Cowboys help jump-start the East again.
The Beasts of the East: Why My Division is Better Than Your Division
July 22, 2010
Mel Evans - AP
8 months ago:
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid, center left, and Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips meet on the field after an NFL football game, Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, in Philadelphia. Dallas won 20-16. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
The NFC East is the best division in football. Everybody knows it, not everybody likes to admit it.
Every offseason a bunch of articles pop up somewhere about why this or that division may be the best division in the NFL. I read them and yawn. 19 Super Bowl appearances between the four NFC East teams and 11 wins between three of the four speak a pretty clear language.
Okay, so you don’t like the Super Bowl argument and ask what has the NFC East done for you lately, like, say, in the last five years?
Well, what about outscoring opponents more than any other division over the last five years? Or sending more teams to the playoffs over the last half decade than any other division. Or having only three teams over a five year span with a losing record.
No other division can match that.
Toughest? Most talented? Best coached? Most successful? Just how good is the NFC East?
Performance by division 2005 - 2009
Over the last 5 years, the Cowboys, Eagles, Giants and Redskins have outscored their opponents by 728 points. Now that may not sound like all that much, but consider that that number is almost twice as high as the 427 point differential put together by the Colts-led AFC South. The AFC South of course also is home to the expansion Texans, who last season quietly celebrated their first ever winning season.
Since 2005 the NFC East has sent 12 teams to the playoffs. Again best in the league and an average of 2.4 playoff-bound teams per year. Each year, the East sent at least two teams to the playoffs, and three teams in the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
Compare that to, say, the NFC West which has sent exactly one team per year to the playoffs for the last five years (Seahawks 05-07, Cardinals 08-09, nothing for the 49ers and Rams). You could argue that the team in the NFC West that managed to lose the least games in a season made the playoffs by default, and in fact only once in the last five years did the NFC West division winner win more than ten games (2005 Seahawks). The NFC North and AFC West one-upped the NFC West by sending one more team to the playoffs in that five year span.
The NFC East racked up a total of 180 wins over the last five years, only 4 wins less than the league leading AFC South.
Equally remarkable is that the Giants, Cowboys and Redskins promoted young quarterbacks into the starting job within the last five years. And the Eagles follow suit this year.
But what is perhaps the most remarkable achievement of the NFC East is the fact that in five years only three teams have had a losing record in the division: the 06 & 09 Redskins and the 05 Eagles. Almost every division has had one or two perpetually bad teams over the last 5 years. Except the NFC East.
| Performance by division 2005 - 2009 |
NFC | AFC | |||||||
| East | North | South | West | East | North | South | West | ||
| Points Differential | +728 | -159 | +20 | -1,216 | 250 | 288 | 427 | -338 | |
| Playoff Teams | 12 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | |
| Total Wins | 180 | 151 | 162 | 129 | 161 | 163 | 184 | 149 | |
| No. of teams with losing record | 3 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 9 | |
As I look at the table above, I can’t help but wonder what’s going on in the West divisions. I’ve detailed the NFC West above, but the AFC West with the Chargers, Broncos, Raiders and Chiefs looks like the second worst division in terms of overall performance. Oh, wait, the Raiders and Chiefs! Question answered.
Coaching & Talent
Heading into the 2010 season, the NFC East head coaches have a combined NFL head coaching experience of 51 years, again almost twice the experience of the next best division. And these coaches don’t just have the experience, they also have the wins to go with it: Their combined .588 winning percentage is second only to the AFC East’s .603 - of course, the AFC East’s combined 20 years of head coaching experience is 15 years Belichick and the Patriots and five combined years for the others (2 years for the Bills‘ Chan Gailey, 2 years for the Dolphins‘ Tony Sparano and one year for Rex Ryan and the Jets).
Every single NFC East head coach has more than 10 years of experience as an NFL head coach. The Chargers, Titans and Patriots are the only teams with similarly tenured coaches. In the youth versus experience vote, the NFC East’s experience gets my ballot - that is, until Jason Garrett takes over in Dallas of course.
In terms of talent, the NFC East again takes the crown among all NFL divisions. 24 Pro Bowlers last year came out of the NFC East, more than any other division.
For the 2010 season, the NFL’s pre-determined scheduling formula has the NFC East meeting the AFC South. Fittingly, these two divisions have the toughest strength of schedule (SOS) heading into the season. In fact, of the 9 teams with the toughest SOS, four are NFC East teams and three (Texans, Titans, and Jaguars) play the NFC East. We’ll see what that strength of schedule was worth once the dust settles.
| Coaching & Talent | NFC | AFC | |||||||
| East | North | South | West | East | North | South | West | ||
| Head Coach Tenure (Years) | 51 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 20 | 16 | 28 | 16 | |
| Head Coach W/L record | 458-321 | 128-112 | 132-108 | 74-79 | 193-127 | 135-121 | 238-200 | 111-138 | |
| Pro Bowlers 2009 | 24 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 18 | 14 | |
| Strength of Schedule 2010 | .528 | .501 | .480 | .451 | .508 | .514 | .536 | .481 | |
Size does matter after all
A large part of the success of the NFC East can be explained in simple dollars and cents. The NFC East teams are the first, second, fourth and seventh most valuable franchises in the NFL. And that’s not because of the amount of Super Bowls won, or - in one particular case - not won, the level of talent, the quality of coaching or anything like that. No, the value of a franchise is largely dependent on its ability to generate revenue.
While the NFL shares television money, league sponsorships and one third of ticket revenues equally among all teams, each franchise retains the sole rights to its so-called ancillary revenue like parking, luxury suites, stadium naming rights and much more. The ability to generate ancillary revenue is largely dependent on the size of the revenue pool available for a franchise to dip into, or to put it simpler: the size of the market.
The NFC East cities are among the largest markets in the U.S., which is particularly important for TV advertising revenue, but also for the ability to drive attendance to games.
And while the salary cap has leveled the playing field somewhat between the 32 teams, the cap’s parity effect only really works when every team spends exactly the same amount, and that’s not going to happen any time soon.
| 2009 NFL team valuations | 2009 TV households in market area (DMA), ranked by households | 2009 NFL total regular season attendance by team | ||||||||
| Rank | Team | Value, $ BLN | Rank | DMA | TV households | Rank | Team | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cowboys | 1.65 | 1. | New York | 7,493,530 | 1. | Cowboys | 1,307,231 | ||
| 2. | Redskins | 1.55 | 2. | Los Angeles | 5,659,170 | 2. | Giants | 1,223,927 | ||
| 3. | Patriots | 1.36 | 3. | Chicago | 3,501,010 | 3. | Redskins | 1,205,404 | ||
| 4. | Giants | 1.18 | 4. | Philadelphia | 2,955,190 | 4. | Panthers | 1,162,625 | ||
| 5. | Jets | 1.17 | 5. | Dallas-Ft. Worth | 2,544,410 | 5. | Eagles | 1,144,895 | ||
| … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | ||
| 7. | Eagles | 1.12 | 9. | Washington, DC | 2,335,040 | … | … | … | ||
There is one little thing though, where the NFC East has come up fairly empty handed recently: The last decade was historically low in terms of Super Bowls for the NFC East. Two Super Bowl wins in the 70’s, three in the 80’s, five in the 90’s but only one in the 00’s. Perhaps this is the year the Cowboys help jump-start the East again.
Cowboys Camp Conundrum #1: Where Is the Guard Depth?
July 22, 2010
Eric Gay - AP
Backup guard Montrae Holland has few challengers on the team’s web-site roster. That should change. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Right Tackle is a Very Crowded Place
I was studying the rookie numbers last night, prepping notes for camp, and noticed some odd numbers on the offensive line.
There are two centers, the starter Andre Gurode and backup wannabe Travis Bright.
There are four players listed as guards on the team’s web-site roster: starters Kyle Kosier and Leonard Davis, and backups Montrae Holland and Phil Costa.
There are two players with experience at the key left tackle spot: anticipated starter Doug Free and challenger Alex Barron.
Right tackle, meanwhile, has a log-jam of listed candidates. Incumbent Marc Colombo has long-time backup Pat McQuistan and second year man Robert Brewster behind him. Joining the scrum are rookies Sam Young, Will Barker and Mike Tepper.
When you consider that Barron also played extensively at right tackle with the Rams, Dallas starts with seven potential right tackle candidates.
That can’t be right, especially when the guard depth looks so thin. Holland has played very little since his arrival from Denver in ‘08 and Costa was not drafted. He starts camp as a long shot.
I think a couple of the right tackle guys will get some early and extensive time inside. I have no inside data, but I’ll guess that Brewster and maybe Tepper will challenge Holland and Costa for reps at guard.
In just four days, we won’t have to speculate.
Cowboys Camp Conundrum #1: Where Is the Guard Depth?
July 22, 2010
Eric Gay - AP
Backup guard Montrae Holland has few challengers on the team’s web-site roster. That should change. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Right Tackle is a Very Crowded Place
I was studying the rookie numbers last night, prepping notes for camp, and noticed some odd numbers on the offensive line.
There are two centers, the starter Andre Gurode and backup wannabe Travis Bright.
There are four players listed as guards on the team’s web-site roster: starters Kyle Kosier and Leonard Davis, and backups Montrae Holland and Phil Costa.
There are two players with experience at the key left tackle spot: anticipated starter Doug Free and challenger Alex Barron.
Right tackle, meanwhile, has a log-jam of listed candidates. Incumbent Marc Colombo has long-time backup Pat McQuistan and second year man Robert Brewster behind him. Joining the scrum are rookies Sam Young, Will Barker and Mike Tepper.
When you consider that Barron also played extensively at right tackle with the Rams, Dallas starts with seven potential right tackle candidates.
That can’t be right, especially when the guard depth looks so thin. Holland has played very little since his arrival from Denver in ‘08 and Costa was not drafted. He starts camp as a long shot.
I think a couple of the right tackle guys will get some early and extensive time inside. I have no inside data, but I’ll guess that Brewster and maybe Tepper will challenge Holland and Costa for reps at guard.
In just four days, we won’t have to speculate.
Cowboys Camp Conundrum #1: Where Is the Guard Depth?
July 22, 2010
Eric Gay - AP
Backup guard Montrae Holland has few challengers on the team’s web-site roster. That should change. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Right Tackle is a Very Crowded Place
I was studying the rookie numbers last night, prepping notes for camp, and noticed some odd numbers on the offensive line.
There are two centers, the starter Andre Gurode and backup wannabe Travis Bright.
There are four players listed as guards on the team’s web-site roster: starters Kyle Kosier and Leonard Davis, and backups Montrae Holland and Phil Costa.
There are two players with experience at the key left tackle spot: anticipated starter Doug Free and challenger Alex Barron.
Right tackle, meanwhile, has a log-jam of listed candidates. Incumbent Marc Colombo has long-time backup Pat McQuistan and second year man Robert Brewster behind him. Joining the scrum are rookies Sam Young, Will Barker and Mike Tepper.
When you consider that Barron also played extensively at right tackle with the Rams, Dallas starts with seven potential right tackle candidates.
That can’t be right, especially when the guard depth looks so thin. Holland has played very little since his arrival from Denver in ‘08 and Costa was not drafted. He starts camp as a long shot.
I think a couple of the right tackle guys will get some early and extensive time inside. I have no inside data, but I’ll guess that Brewster and maybe Tepper will challenge Holland and Costa for reps at guard.
In just four days, we won’t have to speculate.
CB Jamar Wall is latest rookie to agree to a contract with Cowboys.
July 22, 2010
CB Jamar Wall is latest rookie to agree to a contract with Cowboys.
From ESPNDallas:
Wall most likely will sign a four-year contract before he leaves for San Antonio.
The Cowboys are working on deals for nose tackle Josh Brent, wide receiver Dez Bryant and linebacker Sean Lee.
CB Jamar Wall is latest rookie to agree to a contract with Cowboys.
July 22, 2010
CB Jamar Wall is latest rookie to agree to a contract with Cowboys.
From ESPNDallas:
Wall most likely will sign a four-year contract before he leaves for San Antonio.
The Cowboys are working on deals for nose tackle Josh Brent, wide receiver Dez Bryant and linebacker Sean Lee.
Measuring the Immeasurable: Team Chemistry
July 22, 2010
Mike Fuentes - AP
Dallas Cowboys running backs Felix Jones and Tashard Choice, laugh at the title of this post.
I recently ran across a story from David Thomas in the Star-Telegram in which he reflected on how things are eerily quiet with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. And as I sat here pondering his article, the lack of any significant off-season storylines and how different the 2009 season was from the 2008 season, I stumbled on an article by Matt Mosley, who looks back at the 2008 season and how that season went to hell in a hand basket. I cringed a little at his conclusion that team chemistry is something that the Cowboys need to again watch closely in 2010.
I cringed not because his reasoning was faulty or because of anything he wrote. I cringed because I do that every time I read ‘team chemistry’ somewhere. Why? Because it’s a one-size-fits-all argument that is often liberally tossed around, sounds good as a sound bite and suggests an insider understanding of team dynamics, but is a simplistic concept at best and rarely fully understood.
In 2008, the Cowboys‘ poor play and constant locker room drama was often blamed on the lack of team chemistry, and T.O was quickly singled out as a ‘locker room cancer’, reducing a simplistic concept even further and giving it a mass media compatible spin.
Jerry Jones is on record saying he firmly believes team chemistry is a by-product of the team’s success, directly correlated to the number of wins in a season: “I’ve experienced locker rooms that look dysfunctional on the face of it and won world championships. In a pecking order of important things about your team, that is very low on the list”, or as John Madden more eloquently phrased it: “Winning is a great deodorant.” It covers up the stink but - but it doesn’t remove it.
So who’s right? And does team chemistry have anything to do with performance?
Strange happenings in the AFC West
Team chemistry has been on my mind a lot as I pondered some strange recent happenings in the AFC West. It started in early 2009 when new Chiefs GM Scott Pioli announced his philosophy of “The Right 53” and how he was going to build the team: “It’s not necessarily the best 53 players - it’s the right 53 players”. Not the most talented, not the best, not the most exciting - just the ‘right’ ones. I wonder how they measure ‘rightness’, or would that be ‘righteousness’?
Now, I’m no expert on the Chiefs, and in ways that escape me somewhat, theirs may be a sound strategy. But I’ve got to wonder how much the strategy was influenced by the then soon-to-be-hired Chiefs Head Coach Todd Haley and his experience with T.O. in Dallas. Kansas City is the only team the currently employment-seeking T.O. has categorically ruled out so far: “Me and Todd Haley, we don’t get along,” Owens said of Haley, who was T.O’s WR coach in Dallas in 2006. Okay, I’m being a little facetious here, but bear with me.
The second head-scratcher comes courtesy of the Broncos and their draft this year: With their first pick, the Broncos made the second best wide receiver the first wide receiver taken in the draft (Thank you, thank you, thank you). With their second pick, they established a completely new draft pick category. You know how the question during the draft is always about drafting for need vs. drafting for value? Well, the Broncos apparently drafted for character.
McDaniels thus continued a strategy of bringing in players with good character after he had alienated and subsequently shipped out of town the team’s first three picks from the 2006 draft in Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler.
Again, before I get some angry Broncos or Chiefs trolls hunting me down, I’m not close enough to either team to judge whether their strategies will ultimately work or not, but from the outside looking in, it sure does look mighty strange.
Can’t we all just get along?
For me, the two examples above, simplified though they admittedly are, are examples of how many organizations function today. Many organizations - be it teams, companies, schools, religious organizations, you name it - often place harmony over conflict, measure success through achieving consensus instead of results and value acquiescence over critical thinking.
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| Think before you drink |
As a result, many of us have come to accept as fact some organizational feel-good myths: You produce better results in a harmonious working environment; teams with strong personal friendships work better; if everybody would just get along, everything will be ok.
When somebody passes you that pitcher of feel-good Kool Aid, I urge you: Think before you drink!
There is an abundance of organizational and management literature available that shows that the alternative to conflict is usually not agreement but apathy and disengagement, that harmony and good decision making are often polar opposites and that without conflict, groups often lose their effectiveness.
The trick here is to move beyond the notion that all teammates have to be friends or high character guys and instead channel group dynamics - dynamics that occur when members of the team work together - into a united effort to accomplish the goals and objectives of the whole team.
Look no further than the Cowboys of the early 1990’s. It is amazing how dysfunctional the Cowboys were during that period, yet they still managed to become probably the best franchise in sports in their time.
There was no shortage of different and explosive personalities on the ’90s Cowboys teams. Take a guy like Charles Haley. Clearly a couple of screws short of a tool set, yet welcomed to the Cowboys with open arms because he helped the team do one thing: Win.
That was the overriding goal and shared task for everyone that was a part of the Cowboys dynasty. To win and win again.
Team Chemistry or Team Cohesion
A common distinction in group dynamics made by behavioral scientists in social and sport psychology is between task cohesion and social cohesion.
Task cohesion refers to the shared commitment among team members to achieving a goal that requires the collective efforts of the team. A team with high task cohesion is composed of members who share a common goal and who are motivated to coordinate their efforts as a team to achieve that goal. For example, when we say that Tony Romo and Miles Austin ‘are on the same page’ we are effectively stating that they possess a high degree of task cohesion.
Social cohesion refers to the nature and quality of the emotional bonds of friendship, liking, caring, and closeness among team members. A team displays high social cohesion to the extent that its members like each other, prefer to spend their social time together, enjoy each other’s company and feel emotionally close to one another – or start a heavy metal band called Free Reign.
Social cohesion, in other words, refers to whether group members like each other, while task cohesion refers to whether they share the same goals.
(Definitions taken from “Unit Cohesion and the Military Mission“, Dr. Gregory M. Herek, USC)
“ |
Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.“ | ||
| - Tom Landry |
Many studies, both military and civilian, concluded that it is task cohesion - not social cohesion or “group pride” or “team spirit” - that drives group or team performance. Specifically, if a team has a high level of task cohesion, meaning that they play well together and remain united in the pursuit of the team’s goals, then they are more likely to enjoy success.
Social cohesion on the other hand - an admirable team quality and certainly good for many players’ emotional well-being - has not been shown to have a positive correlation with team success.
Where do the Cowboys stand?
Task cohesion and accountability go hand in hand. They’re both about setting the expectation, clearly communicating it, and then holding yourself and everyone within your sphere of influence responsible for the outcomes expected of you, both good and bad.
Cowboys exhibits A, B and C: Dave Campo literally getting in Terence Newman’s face during the Redskins game. Coaches yanking players from reps for false starts and other mistakes, heck, even Jason Witten got yanked for false starts in practice last year. Wade Phillips continuing to stress the importance of getting things ‘exactly right’ in practice last year and in OTA’s this year:
“We need to clean some things up,” Phillips said, “but this is the first day of it and we’ll do it again tomorrow and we’ll do it until we do it right.”
Tony Romo summed up best how task cohesion and accountability helped the team last year:
“It’s very easy in this profession to look at somebody else and blame,” Romo said. “It’s almost difficult to make yourself accountable to the rest of the guys. But when trouble arrived, we stayed committed to the plan. There wasn’t all the little bickering and guys stayed committed to the team.”
Task cohesion is also about making the right personnel decisions for the team, and not playing favorites. Playing Kevin Ogletree over Sam Hurd, initially splitting starts between Orlando Scandrick and Mike Jenkins as both appeared good enough to play, even the ‘flozelling’ of T.O. last year as well as Adams and Hamlin this year. Roy Williams though - don’t know how to explain that one.
Social cohesion on the other hand, I couldn’t care less about. Typically this is the ‘human interest angle’ that reporters try to pounce on to give their reports more ‘color’. Take our three running backs, and the as yet unclear ranking of the three: It is virtually guaranteed that almost every day during training camp some breathless and overeager young thing will ask any of the three RBs a question like “How has this competition affected your friendship/personal relationship?”, hoping fervently that this question will lead straight to a Pulitzer.
Who cares? As long as all three continue trying to become the best halfback each can possibly be, they could send each other pink colored love letters for Valentines Day for all I care. Or, you know, go to Cabo or something.
At the end of the day, we’re discussing an intangible. It is impossible to measure accurately. But you will know it when you see it.
(Note: parts of this article appeared as a fanpost last year, but I thought it was worth examining the topic again)
Measuring the Immeasurable: Team Chemistry
July 22, 2010
Mike Fuentes - AP
Dallas Cowboys running backs Felix Jones and Tashard Choice, laugh at the title of this post.
I recently ran across a story from David Thomas in the Star-Telegram in which he reflected on how things are eerily quiet with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. And as I sat here pondering his article, the lack of any significant off-season storylines and how different the 2009 season was from the 2008 season, I stumbled on an article by Matt Mosley, who looks back at the 2008 season and how that season went to hell in a hand basket. I cringed a little at his conclusion that team chemistry is something that the Cowboys need to again watch closely in 2010.
I cringed not because his reasoning was faulty or because of anything he wrote. I cringed because I do that every time I read ‘team chemistry’ somewhere. Why? Because it’s a one-size-fits-all argument that is often liberally tossed around, sounds good as a sound bite and suggests an insider understanding of team dynamics, but is a simplistic concept at best and rarely fully understood.
In 2008, the Cowboys‘ poor play and constant locker room drama was often blamed on the lack of team chemistry, and T.O was quickly singled out as a ‘locker room cancer’, reducing a simplistic concept even further and giving it a mass media compatible spin.
Jerry Jones is on record saying he firmly believes team chemistry is a by-product of the team’s success, directly correlated to the number of wins in a season: “I’ve experienced locker rooms that look dysfunctional on the face of it and won world championships. In a pecking order of important things about your team, that is very low on the list”, or as John Madden more eloquently phrased it: “Winning is a great deodorant.” It covers up the stink but - but it doesn’t remove it.
So who’s right? And does team chemistry have anything to do with performance?
Strange happenings in the AFC West
Team chemistry has been on my mind a lot as I pondered some strange recent happenings in the AFC West. It started in early 2009 when new Chiefs GM Scott Pioli announced his philosophy of “The Right 53” and how he was going to build the team: “It’s not necessarily the best 53 players - it’s the right 53 players”. Not the most talented, not the best, not the most exciting - just the ‘right’ ones. I wonder how they measure ‘rightness’, or would that be ‘righteousness’?
Now, I’m no expert on the Chiefs, and in ways that escape me somewhat, theirs may be a sound strategy. But I’ve got to wonder how much the strategy was influenced by the then soon-to-be-hired Chiefs Head Coach Todd Haley and his experience with T.O. in Dallas. Kansas City is the only team the currently employment-seeking T.O. has categorically ruled out so far: “Me and Todd Haley, we don’t get along,” Owens said of Haley, who was T.O’s WR coach in Dallas in 2006. Okay, I’m being a little facetious here, but bear with me.
The second head-scratcher comes courtesy of the Broncos and their draft this year: With their first pick, the Broncos made the second best wide receiver the first wide receiver taken in the draft (Thank you, thank you, thank you). With their second pick, they established a completely new draft pick category. You know how the question during the draft is always about drafting for need vs. drafting for value? Well, the Broncos apparently drafted for character.
McDaniels thus continued a strategy of bringing in players with good character after he had alienated and subsequently shipped out of town the team’s first three picks from the 2006 draft in Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler.
Again, before I get some angry Broncos or Chiefs trolls hunting me down, I’m not close enough to either team to judge whether their strategies will ultimately work or not, but from the outside looking in, it sure does look mighty strange.
Can’t we all just get along?
For me, the two examples above, simplified though they admittedly are, are examples of how many organizations function today. Many organizations - be it teams, companies, schools, religious organizations, you name it - often place harmony over conflict, measure success through achieving consensus instead of results and value acquiescence over critical thinking.
|
|
|
|
| Think before you drink |
As a result, many of us have come to accept as fact some organizational feel-good myths: You produce better results in a harmonious working environment; teams with strong personal friendships work better; if everybody would just get along, everything will be ok.
When somebody passes you that pitcher of feel-good Kool Aid, I urge you: Think before you drink!
There is an abundance of organizational and management literature available that shows that the alternative to conflict is usually not agreement but apathy and disengagement, that harmony and good decision making are often polar opposites and that without conflict, groups often lose their effectiveness.
The trick here is to move beyond the notion that all teammates have to be friends or high character guys and instead channel group dynamics - dynamics that occur when members of the team work together - into a united effort to accomplish the goals and objectives of the whole team.
Look no further than the Cowboys of the early 1990’s. It is amazing how dysfunctional the Cowboys were during that period, yet they still managed to become probably the best franchise in sports in their time.
There was no shortage of different and explosive personalities on the ’90s Cowboys teams. Take a guy like Charles Haley. Clearly a couple of screws short of a tool set, yet welcomed to the Cowboys with open arms because he helped the team do one thing: Win.
That was the overriding goal and shared task for everyone that was a part of the Cowboys dynasty. To win and win again.
Team Chemistry or Team Cohesion
A common distinction in group dynamics made by behavioral scientists in social and sport psychology is between task cohesion and social cohesion.
Task cohesion refers to the shared commitment among team members to achieving a goal that requires the collective efforts of the team. A team with high task cohesion is composed of members who share a common goal and who are motivated to coordinate their efforts as a team to achieve that goal. For example, when we say that Tony Romo and Miles Austin ‘are on the same page’ we are effectively stating that they possess a high degree of task cohesion.
Social cohesion refers to the nature and quality of the emotional bonds of friendship, liking, caring, and closeness among team members. A team displays high social cohesion to the extent that its members like each other, prefer to spend their social time together, enjoy each other’s company and feel emotionally close to one another – or start a heavy metal band called Free Reign.
Social cohesion, in other words, refers to whether group members like each other, while task cohesion refers to whether they share the same goals.
(Definitions taken from “Unit Cohesion and the Military Mission“, Dr. Gregory M. Herek, USC)
“ |
Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.“ | ||
| - Tom Landry |
Many studies, both military and civilian, concluded that it is task cohesion - not social cohesion or “group pride” or “team spirit” - that drives group or team performance. Specifically, if a team has a high level of task cohesion, meaning that they play well together and remain united in the pursuit of the team’s goals, then they are more likely to enjoy success.
Social cohesion on the other hand - an admirable team quality and certainly good for many players’ emotional well-being - has not been shown to have a positive correlation with team success.
Where do the Cowboys stand?
Task cohesion and accountability go hand in hand. They’re both about setting the expectation, clearly communicating it, and then holding yourself and everyone within your sphere of influence responsible for the outcomes expected of you, both good and bad.
Cowboys exhibits A, B and C: Dave Campo literally getting in Terence Newman’s face during the Redskins game. Coaches yanking players from reps for false starts and other mistakes, heck, even Jason Witten got yanked for false starts in practice last year. Wade Phillips continuing to stress the importance of getting things ‘exactly right’ in practice last year and in OTA’s this year:
“We need to clean some things up,” Phillips said, “but this is the first day of it and we’ll do it again tomorrow and we’ll do it until we do it right.”
Tony Romo summed up best how task cohesion and accountability helped the team last year:
“It’s very easy in this profession to look at somebody else and blame,” Romo said. “It’s almost difficult to make yourself accountable to the rest of the guys. But when trouble arrived, we stayed committed to the plan. There wasn’t all the little bickering and guys stayed committed to the team.”
Task cohesion is also about making the right personnel decisions for the team, and not playing favorites. Playing Kevin Ogletree over Sam Hurd, initially splitting starts between Orlando Scandrick and Mike Jenkins as both appeared good enough to play, even the ‘flozelling’ of T.O. last year as well as Adams and Hamlin this year. Roy Williams though - don’t know how to explain that one.
Social cohesion on the other hand, I couldn’t care less about. Typically this is the ‘human interest angle’ that reporters try to pounce on to give their reports more ‘color’. Take our three running backs, and the as yet unclear ranking of the three: It is virtually guaranteed that almost every day during training camp some breathless and overeager young thing will ask any of the three RBs a question like “How has this competition affected your friendship/personal relationship?”, hoping fervently that this question will lead straight to a Pulitzer.
Who cares? As long as all three continue trying to become the best halfback each can possibly be, they could send each other pink colored love letters for Valentines Day for all I care. Or, you know, go to Cabo or something.
At the end of the day, we’re discussing an intangible. It is impossible to measure accurately. But you will know it when you see it.
(Note: parts of this article appeared as a fanpost last year, but I thought it was worth examining the topic again)
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