A few days ago, Rafael mentioned here about changes that were coming soon.
Those changes are here.
Starting today, we are renaming and moving. I welcome you all to continue to visit here if you so desire, but to continue reading the insightful analysis of Rafael, you can visit us at http://www.blueandsilverreport.com.
Stop by and check out our new digs!
What an abundance of choices! This year’s list of defensive Leon award-worthy players was so deep, I had to leave some qualified players out. Where’s Bradie James? How about some love for Chris Canty, who took his game to a new level this year?
Only five players could make the cut. With apologies to the rest, here are our candidates for the 2007 Defensive Leon.
The 2007 Leon Award
OLB Greg Ellis returned from a serious Achilles tendon injury to be the ideal bookend rusher in Dallas’ 3-4 scheme. Ellis finished 6th in the league with 12.5 sacks, though he played sparingly the first month.
FS Ken Hamlin closed the gaping wound in the deep center of the Dallas secondary. After years of playing strong safeties out of position in centerfield, Hamlin showed us what a true free safety looks like. He was fourth on the team with 62 tackles and snagged five interceptions. Most importantly, the secondary which bled big pass plays in ‘06 cut its TDs allowed total from 25 to 19.
CB Terence Newman returned from a frightening foot injury that threatened to end or at the very least compromise his season. His tight coverage and four interceptions earned Newman his first Pro Bowl spot.
NT Jay Ratliff went from understudy to leading man when starting NT Jason Ferguson tore a biceps muscle one quarter into the season. Ratliff not only anchored the Cowboys rush defense, but he provided a steady inside pass rush, a novelty for a nose guard. He was rewarded with a hefty contract extension.
OLB Demarcus Ware continued to progress, finishing 3rd in the NFL with 14.0 sacks. Ware has raised his sack totals every season and still has room to improve.
Ladies and gentlemen, another regular season has come and gone. The Cowboys have not only made it into the playoffs but have garnered the top seed in the conference. In recognition of their accomplishments, The Boys Blog is proud to announce the inaugural Leon awards.
The 2007 Leon Award
First up we have the Cowboys Offensive Most Valuable Player.
QB Tony Romo followed up a solid half season in 2006, earning his first Pro Bowl, with a stellar 2007 season and another Pro Bowl appearance. Ending the regular season as the top-rated NFC quarterback (97.4) and and set franchise record for passing yards in a season (4211) and touchdowns in a season (35).
WR Terrell Owens followed a solid season in 2006 with a record season as well. He ended the season 5th in yards (1355) and set a franchise record for touchdowns in a season (15) as well as tying the record for touchdowns in a game (4 vs. Washington on 11/18/07). He will be making his 6th Pro Bowl appearance, his first as a Dallas Cowboy.
TE Jason Witten was the 2nd leading tight end in receptions (96, three behind Tony Gonzales) and set a franchise record for receptions in a game (15 vs. Detroit on 12/09/07). He earned his 4th consecutive Pro Bowl appearance.
RB Marion Barber came up just 25 yards short of a 1,000-yard season, despite splitting carries with Julius Jones. He finished with a 4.8 yards-per-carry average and 10 rushing touchdowns while earning his first Pro Bowl berth and establishing himself as close to a “sure thing” in goal situations that Dallas has had since Emmitt Smith.
LT Flozell Adams had a solid (contract) season. He protected Romo’s blind side to allow him to excel. When Dallas ran left, it was usually off tackle, while running wide ore often to the right. His play earned him a starting position in his 4th Pro Bowl.
Sometimes real life interjects itself into this madness that we call football. And when it does, it usually isn’t pretty.
Redskins safety Sean Taylor has passed away from a gunshot wound suffered yesterday at his home in Miami.
The would cut through the femoral artery in his leg and caused significant blood loss. ESPN reported that while undergoing six hours of surgery yesterday, the doctors at one time had to open his chest in an attempt to keep him alive.
The Miami-Dade police are investigating the incident, which came eight days after an intruder was reported at Taylor’s home. There is currently no report of any leads and the investigation is ongoing.
ESPN is reporting that family friend Richard Sharpstein found out the particulars from Taylor’s girlfriend. She told him the couple was awakened by loud noises coming from within the house. Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection and went to investigate. Before he could leave the room, however, someone broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one of which hit Taylor. Neither Taylor’s girlfriend nor his 1-year-old daughter, Jackie, were injured.
Taylor was the 5th overall pick in the 2004 draft out of the University of Miami, where he was an All-American in 2003. However, in 2005, he was accused of brandishing a gun at a man during a fight over ATVs. Last year he pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and would serve 18 months probation.
Since the birth of his daughter, teammates, especially running back Clinton Portis, who played with Taylor at Miami, said that he had matured past the person he was in college.
“It’s hard to expect a man to grow up overnight,” said Portis. “But ever since he had his child, it was like a new Sean, and everybody around here knew it. He was always smiling, always happy, always talking about his child.”
While we as fans can rile and rant against players of other teams, especially from within the division, it’s times like this that bring pause to the game.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Taylor family and their friends.
UPDATE: According to the Washington Post, it appears that this was a premeditated attack:
[Vinny] Cerrato said Taylor’s fiancee tried to call police from the house line, only to discover that the line had been cut. She had to use her cell phone to call 911, which delayed the response time.
“This was a deliberate attack,” Cerrato said without elaborating.
If true, then it could be related to the original complaint from a couple of years ago. More to come …
Open free-for-all until the answers from Roy:
– Redskins safety Sean Taylor will miss this week’s game against the Cowboys, and possibly more. How does that affect the matchup for the Cowboys on Sunday?
– The Packers have a home game against the Panthers and then travel to Detroit on a short week for the Thanksgiving Day game. Should they be 10-1 when they visit Dallas on the 29th?
 – The Cowboys host the Redskins and then the Jets — should they be 10-1 for the Packers game?
– Your truly will be at the Packers game — meet anyone in the Corral?
UPDATE: According to NFL.com, Taylor will miss at least 2 weeks. The Redskins already have lost cornerback Carlos Rogers to a knee injury, cornerback Fred Smoot is playing with a sore hamstring and receiver James Thrash may miss this week’s game with sprained ankle.
No, we’re not opening up a subsidiary paint store. Cowboys safety Roy Williams is participating in the Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP program on Tuesday. The project is to refurbish the football field at the A+ Academy Charter School in Dallas.
Williams is one of 17 NFL players selected league-wide for his ongoing commitment to the community and charitable giving of his time, talent and resources. Between the United Way, the Salvation Army and his own Roy Williams Safety Net Foundation, which helps single mothers get back on their feet.
If you have any questions that you’d like to ask, please post them here. Due to the limited time we have with him, I will only be able to select four or five. I plan on finalizing the list tomorrow morning.
17-17. In New York. Mental mistakes about on the defensive side of the ball, whether it’s the inability to clamp down on Shockey or making stupid penalties to extend Giants’ drives. This cannot continue if the Cowboys expect to win.
Hopefully the coaching staff can get them under control.
 As for the offense, well, maybe they should go no-huddle for a while. Romo appears to work better in that atmosphere. The time of possession leans in New York’s favor, which usually is not the case in a Dallas opponent. The question here will be whether the offensive line can pound the Giants’ front 4 to let Dallas become more balanced.
Plenty of game left. Let’s get a defensive stop and get the ball back.
It’s time.
Media outlets all week have been crowing about the improved Giants defense. They’re fast and lead the league in sacks (12 against the Eagles definitely helped their positioning).
I heard one comment about Dallas having Newman and Ellis for this game, plus Tank Johnson in rotation.
A Giants win puts them in a tie with Dallas atop the division. A Cowboys win gives them, in essense, a 3-game lead in the division, as the sweep gives Dallas the advantage.
Lllllllllletsgetreadytorumbllllllle…..
You might have seen some slight changes in our advertising spots over the past week or so. There’s a good reason for that.
I’d like to welcome Sportsfly on board as an official sponsor of TheBoysBlog.
“Sportsfly is the first casual gaming site that focuses specifically on the male sports fan while offering the benefits of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook,” says Aaron Rose, Marketing Manager at Sportsfly. “In addition to playing original games, users can set-up a personal profile, talk on the forums, check the latest sports news or watch their rank on the Sportsfly leaderboards. Sportsfly’s mission is to serve fun, dynamic games and rich live content to both the avid and casual sports fan while becoming an important part of their daily sports diet.”
Sportsfly offers free games to be played online as well, so don’t think you have to sign up for a fee to play. You can, of course, and gain access to higher level gaming.
We invite you to click on over to Sportsfly and give it a walk through — just look for their ad in the right column or use the link provided above. It’s a way of thanking them for helping us at TheBoysBlog continue to provide you with the in-depth information and analysis on the Cowboys that you cannot get anywhere else.
Buffalo 17, Dallas 10.Â
Wow.
That’s all I can say. Tony Romo throws 4 picks — 3 of which were just bad. The one that DEÂ Chris Kelsey blocked and caught in the end zone was just freaky lucky. That’s how the ball bounces when things aren’t going your way.
Buffalo’s game plan is simple — rely on the run with Marshawn Lynch and have QBÂ Trent Edwards get rid of the ball quickly. Their defense seems to have Romo befuddled.
The pet peeve that I have is not calling time out after Rian Lindell missed the 54-yard field goal. The Cowboys let more than 12 seconds tick off before calling a timeout with 41 seconds left in the half. Buffalo missed the field goal and Dallas had the ball close to midfield. Nick Folk nails 47-yard field goal as time expires to pull within seven.
Again — 4 interceptions with two of them returned for touchdowns and Dallas is only down 7 points.
And gets the ball to open the 2nd half.
Is there any popcorn left?
Just a short note — I have received registrations for 18 people for this year’s fantasy league. Of those, 5 people did not send me their Transaction ID. I have also setup a mailing list for communications about the fantasy league. The 13 people who have been identified have been sent a message. If you did not receive a message, then I do not have your Transaction ID. This should have been in the email you received after making payment.
Info on the mailing list can be found here. If you did not get the email, go to this location and subscribe.
The Blog will be mainly for football-related discussions. Any discussions on Fantasy should be using the mailing list.
Any other questions, email me at FFL@theboysblog.com.
Thanks
UPDATE: We now have only 2 people who have not identified themselves. If you signed up but have not heard from me about the league via email then you need to get me the TransactionID so I can identify you.
I have received emails on what we are doing with the Fantasy league this year. Unlike last year, where the blog became inundated with Fantasy league activities (threads, drafts, etc.), this year I am only mentioning it once on the blog.
There is a link at the top of the left column that tells you how we will do the fantasy league this year and, from there, how to sign up. It also shows last year’s winner with his autographed Troy Aikman helmet. If you are interested in the fantasy league, please click on the link to the left or here to find out more.
If you have any questions you can email me at FFL@theboysblog.com …
TheBoysBlog has confirmed that RT Marc Colombo has re-signed with the Cowboys.
Colombo’s deal is the deal that has beenĂ‚Â on the table: 2 years worth $7 million. He will receive a signing bonus of $4 million signing bonus.
Cap Hit:
- 2007: $3 million ($1M salary, $2M bonus)
- 2008: $4 million ($2M salary, $2M bonus)
The signing should end any speculation that newly acquired Leonard Davis will play right tackle. Davis started his NFL career at guard.
This means that the player on the bubble could be RGĂ‚Â Marco Rivera. He is recovering from his second back surgury since joining the Cowboys.
Rivera is scheduled to receive a $2 million salary this year and $3 million in 2008 and 2009. He received a signing bonus of $8.125 million ($1.625M prorated per year) so if the Cowboys could take a hit if he is released or retires this season:
- Prior to June 1: lose $2.875M in 2007
- After June 1: gain $375K in 2007; lose $250K in 2008
It’s obviously less painful to do the transaction after June 1, but other factors will dictate if that is the case.
Blogger Playmaker reflects on his take of the tenure of Bill Parcells:
My father (an Eagles fan) asked me an interesting question yesterday, hearing my excitement about the hiring of Wade Phillips. “Do you think the team is better off now than with Parcells?” He was really just trying to break my stones, but I found it an interesting question, because my gut tells me “yes”.
If it has come to the point that the team is better off with Phillips than Parcells, does this mean that the Bill Parcells era in Dallas was a failure? I say “NO!” Let’s start off by reviewing Big Bill’s coaching performance. I think everyone on this blog would agree that the team has underachieved the last two years, given the depth of talent on the roster. “You are what you are” is what Parcells always told us … so we are an underachieving team. That is on the head coach. A pretty harsh indictment indeed, but consider not only did this team have seven Pro Bowlers in 2007, but with the very big exception of Greg Ellis, stayed completely healthy all year. “Parcells the coach” has not gotten it done in three of his final four years here, first leading a disappointing 6-10 squad, and then taking talented squads to the brink of contention in December, only to implode spectacularly, as they have done in each of the last two seasons.
Despite Parcells’ coaching failures, his legacy in Dallas should be a very positive one. Here is where we get into “Parcells the Team Builder”. When coach took over this sorry squad from Dave Campo, it was so entirely bereft of talent that you can count the remaining players on one hand. Let’s not kid ourselves here, this was a daunting task, taking this team back to respectability, let alone contention. The toughness and discipline that Parcells instilled in this team was one of the most important things that he did here, the other being the complete revamping of the roster. Eventually, Bill the coach was a victim of Bill the “GM”s success. He put together a talented, deep pool of players, but didn’t coach them into the “team” that was needed to get the job done. Make no mistake though, the roster is now stocked with talented, tough, disciplined, well-coached players. Well, except for Roy Williams, who doesn’t seem to care anymore, but that’s a story for another day.
Here’s to Wade Phillips taking the foundation that Parcells built, and taking it to the next level. The pieces are here. Maybe we are better off with Phillips now. But don’t ever forget how Bill Parcells rebuilt this team into the group that we are so excited about today.
A nice montage. Some notes:
- It’s amazing how many highlights in a row you see Meredith throw a TD to Bob Hayes. Still can’t figure out why the original #22 isn’t in the Hall of Fame.
- Roger had a gun.
- Aikman had a Howitzer — and made it look effortless.
Enjoy.
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Well, the defensive backfield has gotten exposed once again, and the front line still cannot get any pressure on an opposing QB. In fact, the Eagles offensive line is dominating the Cowboys front 7.
The only consolation is that Romo has been a better 2nd half player, but that may not help unless the defensve can stop the Eagles offense.
The Cowboys win and they get the NFC East title and inside track to the 3rd seed.
With all that happened in the first game in Philadelphia, with 5 turnovers and numerous sacks on Drew Bledsoe, the Cowboys still had a chance to tie the game towards the end of regulation.
Let’s hope the players remember that and exact revenge on the Eagles!
Has Romo come back down to earth? Where’s the defense? Payton’s familiarity with Romo seems to be paying dividends…
Other than the continuing winning streak, we have the perfect Christmas present you’ve been searching for to give to that special Cowboys fan.
Blogger mike has generously donated a pair of tickets for the Cowboys’ Christmas day game against the rival Philadelphia Eagles. Without getting into why someone would buy Christmas day tickets only to have to give them up (mrs. mike?), we wholeheartedly appreciate the donation.
So, we at TheBoys Blog will be auctioning off TWO CHRISTMAS DAY TICKETS to the Eagles at Cowboys game (Section/Row/Seat assignments to be published shortly). The game is a 4 PM Local start time.
I am feverishly working on a way to setup an auction link for items such as these (link will probably be in the left column and go directly to eBay or something) but until then I would like to have anyone interested in the tickets to place bids in this thread. The least expensive seats in Texas Stadium are $53, so keep that in mind when you bid. Once the seat assignments are disclosed, I will post what ticket price is. Hopefully, we will already be higher than that by then.
So check your schedules (as if you don’t know already what you’ll be doing on Chrismtas day) and let the bidding begin!
ADDEDNUM: I do not want to turn this into a free-for-all for requests, but I will do this in this one exception: If anyone has two tickets to this weekend’s Saints game that they are unable to make, please contact me or Rafael via email (click on our names). Thank you.
With the new contract between the television networks and the National Football League, a new concept was introduced — the flex schedule. This allows the league and networks to switch games and times to broadcast specific games based on maximizing both revenue (advertising sales, etc.) and viewership. It is designed to bring you marquee matchups for your television and football enjoyment.
The one of the main benefactors of this new concept has been the Dallas Cowboys.
Take a look at what has transpired over the past week or two — the noon game between the Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts was moved to the second slot of games. This gives all of the west coast fans a chance toĂ‚Â see a prime game atĂ‚Â 1PM local time instead ofĂ‚Â 10 o’clock in the morning.
And more recently, not only has the league moved the NFC East matchup of the Cowboys/Giants to a 3:15 CT start, but they also moved the subsequent game — Saints at Cowboys — to the Sunday Night prime time game slot replacing the Bills/Jets game.
The Cowboys already have a Saturday night game at Atlanta and a 4PM CT game on Christmas Day against the Eagles.
The league and networks obviously want the Dallas Cowboys to be a main part of the season’sĂ‚Â second-half lineup and, because of continued success on the field, they appear to be getting what they want.
