Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson, according to the Dallas Morning News, got on a BCS related conference call recently, and given that their area of expertise rolls squarely over into Dallas Cowboys territory, reporters were, naturally, curious as to their thoughts re: Coach Cupcake's return to Big D.
Johnson's answer -- despite possibly wanting to get some payback at Jerry Jones for earier remarks -- was pretty stock in terms of the 'Boys owner just not wanting to make changes. Switzer though, was a little less reserved, and called Tony Romo out for a few things.
They stink right now. Romo might be an overrated quarterback and gunslinger, throws the ball, takes too many chances, gambles. I just know that Jerry doesn't want to do that and he's certainly going to give it another year. I think every coach in pro football gets four years.
First off, as Bacon said, how awesome is it that, suddenly, the term "gunslinger" is considered an insult? Just a year or so ago, people were swooning over Romo's similarities to Brett Favre. But after his apparent [over]exposure in New York, we can freely call people g-slingers again with the intent of calling them reckless.
And secondly, Switzer is right -- the Cowboys do stink and Romo is probably overrated; so much is made of his ability to have big games but look at the freaking offense that's around him and then check out his December splits (hint: not good) and it's not that hard to figure out he might be getting more credit than he's due a lot of the time.
The nice thing about being anyone on the San Antonio Spurs is that, well, you can generally sling criticism around; it's not a characteristic trait of any particular player on that team, but after so many years of solid team play and, well, just winning, they've got some sturdier walls than most glass houses.
Hence Bruce Bowen's recent comments to the San Antonio Expressabout the Dallas Cowboys, his favorite football team. See, it appears that Bruce, like every single person in the free world except Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips, doesn't think the Cowboys really have good chemistry.
"It's very disappointing," Bowen said of Sunday's painful showing by his favorites, "but character wins out over talent any day, at least in my book. You can see how infectious certain characters can be down the end of the road."
Bowen declined to name which of the Cowboys characters he considered "infectious," but he made it clear he believed the Cowboys were doomed by self-centered players.
Well, Bowen might have declined, but allow me: Pacman Jones, Terrell Owens and Roy Williams (the receiver). Of course, Pacman was probably more of a distraction than a totally destructive locker room presence, but still, anyone who thought bringing him to the Cowboys would result in anything positive is running a fool's errand.
And while Bowen is getting a bit aggressive in calling out another sport's players, what are the Cowboys going to do? Tell him he's wrong? Because, um, he's not.
So, given the frustration of having the Chargers make he and his team look like a total choker this year, it's not surprising that Cutler had some spicy words for his opponents after Sunday night's game. It's a little more surprising that he would call out his own team too, but, hey, he's got an arm that's better than Elway!
Cutler stopped to answer an unambiguous question: Was it fair to conclude that the team he just played is for real?
"These guys?" the Pro Bowl quarterback asked, gesturing to the players celebrating behind him. "San Diego? No, I don't think so. I think Indy'll handle 'em pretty good. We really can't stop anybody, and that's the bottom line."
Ro-wr. It might be an accurate assessment, given the not-so, um, competitive nature of the AFC West this year, but still, it doesn't really behoove Cutler to try and sling barbs at a team that just finished slapping him around in a division-clinching, prime-time game.
Additionally, the Chargers, as has been mentioned plenty of places, match up pretty well with the Colts, so should there be a repeat of last year's playoff matchup (Chargers beat Colts, obv), you better believe Rivers will have something to say back at old Jay.
There are lots of things that shouldn't be said publicly about someone else. One basic genre of those things involves death or murder. And Cris Carter's recent statement -- on ESPN airwaves -- regarding Terrell Owens probably qualifies. See, Carter says that if he were in charge of the Cowboys, his first act would involve getting rid of the wideout with a "bullet." Carter says, "If it was me, I'd get rid of T.O. -- T.O. got to go from the beginning. Right from the giddy up. I take one bullet and put it right in him. Bam!" Listen for yourself.
It's all over the news, obviously, and that's because Carter is an idiot for saying this. Maybe it's a euphemism, and maybe our culture is far too PC these days, but still, you just don't say that you would do that to someone if you were in charge. Especially when you're paid to give a professional opinion about something. Ridiculous.
The Dallas Cowboys, based on their 44-6 beatdown at the hands of the Eagles, should have boarded their plane from Philadelphia back to Big D, sat in silence for how many ever hours it took before they landed, and then, without speaking to one another, slowly walked away from the plane and climbed in their individual, expensive automobiles.
Talking, playing games and laughing -- after that whipping -- should be things reserved for a later date. But, according to second hand radio reports (so, yeah, grain of salt and what not) they were all smiles, giggles and games on the way back to Texas Sunday night.
[1310 The Ticket's Mike Friedo] described the scene as "like the last day of school", with dominoes being played in the back and lots of laughing and carrying on. He said that he was reluctant to say anything, seeing as how the Cowboys are nice enough to allow media members on the charter, and that only leads me to believe that he may have muted the reality of what was actually going on. Friedo did not mention any specific names, nor did he say if alcohol was flowing, but he made it pretty clear that if you did not know who won the Cowboys-Eagles game, you just might assume it was the Cowboys from their conduct on the plane.
Presuming this is true, it's a pretty awkward situation for the Cowboys, in that it firmly shows just how out of control the team is under Captain CupcakeWade Phillips and goes a pretty good way towards explaining why Dallas hasn't wont a playoff game since saxophones and cigars ruled the world.
But hey, they barely make any money, and they did play really hard this year, so it's hard to begrudge them too much, even if this is true.
Had Philadelphia taken care of business last Sunday and beaten the Redskins, the Cowboys-Eagles game was set for primetime, Sunday night, must-see, WIN OR GO HOME football. Instead, the 'Guls choked lost and the game suddenly became "Cowboys win = in" as far as the playoffs go.
Naturally, the game would be bumped back to 1:00 EST because it's in Philadelphia. Only it wasn't -- now it kicks off at 4:15 EST ... which is what happened, and also which makes little sense. Or, if you're Tim Cowlishaw and/or freaking love conspiracy theories, a whole lot of sense.
Tampa Bay, Chicago and Minnesota all play noon games. If the Bucs win, or if the Bears and Vikings both win, the Eagles are eliminated from playoff contention.
[...] But the Eagles are going to prepare all week in hopes that a victory will get them into the playoffs. To learn after you have warmed up and just before kickoff that you have been eliminated can be devastating.
Fiction can be funny ... but seriously, this is kind of a stretch, no? Sure, that could potentially be an advantage for Dallas, but the Eagles hate the Cowboys, and people are still going to be screaming for Tony Romo's head. Additionally, as Cowlishaw notes, the 4:15 slot with an NFC rivalry game and the Cowboys' playoff hopes on the line begs for huge ratings.
Besides, why would Roger Goodell bother "pulling a Stern" and landing the Cowboys in the playoffs when they're only going to play one game anyway? Just seems like a little too much effort.
There is always a ton of rain in Seattle. Not so much snow, though. However, in Mike Holmgren's final home game as Seahawks head coach, Mother Nature decided to get a little funky and pelt the 'Hawks homefield with a ton of the white powder. Seahawks fans responded accordingly, pelting everyone in site with snowballs. Including the Jets as they did the George Michael walk off the field. Shaun Ellis, Jets team captain, didn't take this so well, slinging snowballs back at the fans.(Gracias, TJB.)
Holmgren didn't seem to mind the snowballs nearly as much, but that's probably because he didn't take any "direct hits" like Ellis and the Jets. And because he didn't just lose to a three-win team, despite having to coach those unlucky losers all season.
In the midst of a four-game losing streak, with their defense in shambles, the Green Bay Packers have finally taken the band-aid off the bullet wound.
Someone in the organization had the brilliant idea to move Pro Bowl starting cornerback Charles Woodson to safety. Theory was apparently that Woodson could play safety, Tramon Williams could slide into Woodson's spot, and there wouldn't be any reason to adjust the Packers' aggressive man-to-man coverage scheme.
It's too late to change Green Bay's dead-in-the-water playoff plans, but Woodson moves back to cornerback for Monday night's game in Chicago. Second-year pro Aaron Rouse starts at safety.
As Ryan has already pointed out, this game, despite the "Homefield Throughout" nature in which it will be played, isn't the most "important" of the season, since both teams are all but playoff locked (if the Panthers lose out and the Bucs, Falcons and Cowboys win out ... well, then I'm a jackass).
But there's still puh-lenty at stake here. Namely: home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and the likelihood of being favored to rep the NFC in the Super Bowl. The last one of course, is really just a semantical bonus for those that like to gamble.
Make no mistake though -- HFA is a huge deal to both of these teams, considering that they're a combined 14-1 this season at home. So, yeah, it's kind of important.
And as such, this should be a great game, even if it's kind of odd to see the seasonal arc that each team is taking. The Giants were, just a few weeks ago, already being penciled in to rep the NFC in Tampa. However, in just the course of two losses to the Eagles and the Cowboys, people have started to wonder how they can perform when they're not a full strength.
But, as Giants early season roll has slowed, the Panthers have only picked up the pace, moving from a tough team that looked like a contender to a powerhouse that rumbled over Tampa Bay for 300+ rushing yards in a Monday night blowout. Of course, there's the whole matter of DeAngelo Williams being secretly hurt -- yeah, it's weird. It also seems unlikely; he was, after all, tutored by Vinny Testaverde and that goes a long way towards maintaining health. But still, a shoddy performance or an early exit from "Dash" would make this a pretty big deal going forward.
The NFL did a smart thing (or rather, the owners did) by naming "Franchise Tag" what they did. It implies an importance to the franchise and denotes some sort of upper echelon status for certain players. There's only one problem -- the franchise tag essentially hurts the player because, while he gets a nice one year payday, there's little in the way of long term guaranteed money.
"I don't know how I can put this," Houshmandzadeh said. "Would I be happy with it? Yeah, because it's a lot of money. But would I be happy with it? No, I wouldn't. I don't know if that makes sense.
"It's going to be my ninth year (in 2009). I didn't play (much) my first three, so I look at it as being my sixth year. You just want to know what's going to happen. If you get a franchise, they want to keep you for one year and that's it. It'd be cool, but it wouldn't be cool."
That's a pretty solid attitude to take -- other players have been vastly less amicable towards the notion of being locked down for a season, particularly since any sort of long term injury would essentially wipe out a big signing bonus that would come with a new contract.
Housh will still probably pull, as PFT notes, somewhere between $9 and $10 million next year, which is still a pretty freaking nice payday when everything sorts itself out. But at the same time, being designated the "Franchise of the Bengals" is like being called "FanHouse's Sexiest Bachelor". Believe me, it's not that exciting.
Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson, according to the Dallas Morning News, got on a BCS related conference call recently, and given that their area of expertise rolls squarely over into Dallas Cowboys territory, reporters were, naturally, curious as to their thoughts re: Coach Cupcake's return to Big D.
The nice thing about being anyone on the San Antonio Spurs is that, well, you can generally sling criticism around; it's not a characteristic trait of any particular player on that team, but after so many years of solid team play and, well, just winning, they've got some sturdier walls than most glass houses.
The Chargers and Broncos -- and to be more specific, 
The Dallas Cowboys, based on their 44-6 beatdown at the hands of the Eagles, should have boarded their plane from Philadelphia back to Big D, sat in silence for how many ever hours it took before they landed, and then, without speaking to one another, slowly walked away from the plane and climbed in their individual, expensive automobiles.
Had Philadelphia taken care of business last Sunday and beaten the Redskins, the Cowboys-Eagles game was set for primetime, Sunday night, must-see, WIN OR GO HOME football. Instead, the 'Guls 
In the midst of a four-game losing streak, with their defense in shambles, the Green Bay Packers have finally taken the band-aid off the bullet wound.
As Ryan has already 
The NFL did a smart thing (or rather, the owners did) by naming "Franchise Tag" what they did. It implies an importance to the franchise and denotes some sort of upper echelon status for certain players. There's only one problem -- the franchise tag essentially hurts the player because, while he gets a nice one year payday, there's little in the way of long term guaranteed money.
