Houston, you have a problem: Dal 27, Hou 13

The Dallas Cowboys were courteous enough to allow their neighbors in Arlington a moment in the sun yesterday as baseball's Texas Rangers clinched their first AL West crown in 11 seasons. But after allowing the metroplex less than 24 hours to celebrate the return of post-season baseball, the Cowboys returned the area's focus to football yet again.

Dallas reduced the Houston Texans to stepchild status in the battle for the Lone Star State with a 27-13 win, giving Dallas its first victory of the season while Houston suffered its first loss. Tony Romo connected with Roy Williams for two TDs, first-year placekicker David Buehler quieted his critics with a pair of long field goals, and the defense snatched its first three takeaways of 2010.

It's more than just the first win of the season. It's the all-around good game the Cowboys needed if they want to fulfill the dream of playing a Super Bowl in their home stadium. Let's be clear, however. Realizing that dream is still a long way away, and with 13 regular season games to go, Dallas is merely a fraction of the way there. Still, returning to the top of the division is a lot easier when you avoid falling to 0-3 to start the season.

It might be easy to get caught up in the return of what was an offseason full of Super Bowl hype surrounding the Cowboys. There will certainly be plenty of talking heads proclaiming the Cowboys to be officially back on track, but it takes more than a Week 3 win to earn a playoff berth. Dallas needs to put the blinders on and ignore that hype, ignore that talk which might be tough considering it will build for two weeks through the bye until the next game on October 10.

The Cowboys have three of their next four games at home and can realistically win all four games to find themselves at 5-2 at the end of October. They could also flounder in those games with only a home date with Jacksonville on Oct. 31 as what you could call a "sure thing" win. (Then again, didn't we think that about the Rams game a few years ago?)

There's a lot of potential for the Cowboys on the road ahead. Today they were fortunate to realize some of that potential while erasing the sour taste left by a pair of losses to Washington and Chicago.

A few thoughts and notes from a must-win game in which the Cowboys came through:

+ Roy Williams has needed a game like this since the trade that brought him to Dallas from Detroit in 2008. The former Longhorn caught five balls for 117 yards -- a personal best since joining the Cowboys -- and a pair of touchdowns, including a 63-yard breakaway that helped put Houston away with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Williams has endured plenty of criticism since joining Dallas and signing a big contract extension with little results. A game like this will hush the talk of Miles Austin and Dez Bryant being the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers for Dallas.

+ While Miles Austin had a quiet afternoon (2 catches for 20 yards), the rookie Dez Bryant continued to cause match up problems for smaller defensive backs. Bryant caught four balls for 50 yards, bringing him to 14 catches and 158 yards through three games. Glass half full, he nearly had a pair of TD catches against Houston except he was called for illegal touching when he was forced out of bounds and came back in on a 37-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Bryant came down with another deep ball from Romo but was out of bounds on the front pylon of the end zone when he made the catch. It's two plays where as Bryant become more aware in the NFL, he will be sure not to allow defensive backs to use the sideline as an extra defender. For now, it's still progress for #88.

+ After losing the turnover battle the first two weeks of the season (-1 in Washington, and -3 against Chicago), it looked like Dallas may have to endure another season where the defense can limit its opponents on the scoreboard but can't provide the offense with a short field. The Cowboys took the ball away from the Texans three times to be +3 in turnovers, picking off Matt Schaub twice and forcing a fumble from the NFL's leading rusher Arian Foster. Mike Jenkins made the first INT which helped wipe away the memory of his illegal contact penalty that gave the Texans a fresh set of downs around midfield. It was on an overthrown ball from Schaub, but Jenkins was able to stay with it to ensure the Cowboys kept Houston off the board on that drive.

+ The Cowboys were able to generate 101 yards on the ground this week after running for only 36 against the Bears in Week 2. It's still not enough of a ground game to truly make opponents bite on play fakes. Instead the Cowboys were able to victimize a younger secondary through the air more despite what the ground game was doing rather than as a result of it. For now, that's fine, but perhaps Jason Garrett should pick one running back and let him get some moment as a feature back instead of going with this tricycle.

Dallas Rushing
	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LG
M. Barber	17	55	3.2	1	12
F. Jones	7	43	6.1	0	15
T. Choice	2	4	2.0	0	3
T. Romo	1	-1	-1.0	0	0
Team	27	101	3.7	1	15

Felix Jones provided a healthy yards per carry average, and maybe he can be what Julius Jones was not in 2007 when the Cowboys used Julius to start and Marion Barber as primarily at the end of each half to wear down an opponent. If we're not going to see Felix more prominently in the backfield, it'd be nice to see him back on the kick return team as he has already proven he is capable of taking a kick off to the house.

+ Just a funny moment from the referee asking the fans to "excuse me for a minute" when he needed to confirm the numbers of penalized players on the kickoff following Houston's fourth quarter field goal. I've never seen a ref more tempted to say, "Ah, $#@& it," instead of announcing the actual penalties.

+ Speaking of penalties, the Cowboys earned a win despite plenty of ugly penalties. Dallas was fortunate in holding Houston to a fourth quarter field goal which kept the Cowboys out in front by 11 after a Keith Brooking pass interference penalty was offset by a Texans holding penalty. Here is a look at the Cowboys penalties and penalty yards through the first three games:

Week	Opponent	Penalties	Yards
Week 1	@Washington	12	81
Week 2	CHICAGO	6	50
Week 3	@Houston	8	49

+ Kicker David Buehler, in his first year as placekicker, made a 49-yard field goal to close the first half and tacked on a 40-yard kick in the fourth quarter. After starting the year 2-for-4 with a pair of misses that changed how the Cowboys approached the end of each of the first two games, Buehler first-half ender was a nice appetizer for later this season when he will be called upon for more important kicks. It was good to see him get this opportunity after the Cowboys passed on long field goal attempts on their opening drive, opting to go for it on fourth down twice.

---

The Cowboys are 1-2 on the year, and with three of their next four games at home -- and the one road trip at what doesn't look like the intimidating return to the Metrodome in Minnesota that we might have been expecting before the season -- Dallas has a legitimate chance for a 5-2 record. Here's a look at what lies ahead for the Cowboys after next week's bye:

Date	Opponent	Time (CT)
Oct. 3	BYE	--
Oct. 10	TENNESSEE	3:15 pm
Oct. 17	@Minnesota	3:15 pm
Monday Oct. 25	NEW YORK GIANTS	8:30pm
Oct. 31	JACKSONVILLE	12 pm
Nov. 7	@Green Bay	8:20 pm

Party like it's 1999!

The Texas Rangers are American League West Champions!

Finally!

For the only franchise in Major League Baseball that hasn't won a playoff series and has but one post-season victory to their name, Saturday's division-clinching 4-3 win in Oakland put this much maligned franchise back into the postseason for the first in 11 years. Consider that Michael Young was 22-year old prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays system when the Rangers last played October baseball in 1999.

That franchise promote the "Red October" but the Rangers have changed more than the color of their uniforms since that time. Fourth-year manager Ron Washington becomes just the second skipper in franchise history to guide Texas to the postseason, this coming after a tumultuous start to the year with his admission to using cocaine. The Rangers entire franchise was up in the air -- up in bankruptcy court -- in August, but team president Nolan Ryan's group was able to stake their claim to the club, eliminating one more distraction.

In the end, closer Neftali Feliz set a new MLB rookie record for saves with 1.1 innings of work to close out the Athletics after Jorge Cantu, a mid-season acquisition from the Florida Marlins, twice put the Rangers ahead in the clinching game with an RBI single and a solo homer in the eighth inning, his first as a Ranger. Cantu, who hadn't driven in a single run with Texas all season, was becoming more than a question mark in terms of earning a spot on the playoff roster. In fact, this tweet by Rangers TV play-by-play voice Josh Lewin on Friday pretty much sums it up:

"seeing jorge cantu knock in a run as a ranger is getting pretty high on my bucket list- somwhere betw visiting australia&jamming w ben folds"

Check.

It's a big win for the Rangers because it gives them the spotlight in the hyper-competitive DFW sports market. The Rangers were fortunate to take care of business while the 0-2 Cowboys still have the area not quite eased into the NFL season. For too long the DFW metroplex turns it attention away from the Rangers with the division still up in the air, but the Cowboys slow start has allowed Arlington's original team the chance to shine.

The playoff rotation has been announced, as Cliff Lee, CJ Wilson and Colby Lewis will start Games 1-3 for Texas. The ALDS series will start Oct. 5 in either Tampa Bay or New York.

Can't Bear it: Chi 27, Dal 20

Another week of mistakes mixed with some bad bounces (well, bad tipped passes) that led to an 0-2 start for the Dallas Cowboys. Chicago nabbed their third takeaway of the game in the fourth quarter when Charles Tillman stripped Roy Williams on a play where his forward progress appeared to be stopped, halting what Cowboys fans thought might be a game-changing drive. The Bears came to Cowboys Stadium and left with a 27-20 win, dropping Dallas harder than the Big D defensive line dropped Jay Cutler in the first quarter.

The Bears led 20-17 in the fourth quarter when David Buehler, a second-year player but in his first season as a place-kicker, hooked a 44-yard field goal attempt (we've seen this before in Dallas) that could have tied the game with seven minutes to spare. Instead, Chicago took over at their own 34 and Cutler passed them into the endzone for what would end up being the winning points for Chicago.

My initial thought - especially after in the Cowboys last-ditch drive saw the refs wind the clock on a Martellus Bennett catch where he got out of bounds but his forward progress was in bounds - was that Williams had his forward progress stopped on the fumble, but it's not a challengeable play, and the ball was clearly out before Williams was down. Forward progress or not, Williams has to hold onto the ball, and it's the second straight week a Cowboys player has been stood up as the defense flocked to him to force a fumble. Last week it was Tashard Choice on the ill-advised play to end the first half.

Dallas was the first team to ever reach the Super Bowl after an 0-2 start, reaching the big game in 1993 after Emmitt Smith held out during the first two weeks of the season. That Dallas team was able to overcome the preseason hype of being a Super Bowl team to make it to the Super Bowl. That Dallas team also had (at least) three future Hall of Famers on the offensive side of the ball. The 2010 version should not be confused with that 1993 incarnation until they prove otherwise.

Yes, two of Dallas' turnovers were tipped balls, some of those flukey bounces that happen in the game of football. Sometimes the ball will bounce the other way and into a Cowboys arms for an ill-deserved first down. Other times, like on this Sunday, it falls into the unsuspecting hands of a defensive back, which is how DJ Moore finished the game with two interceptions for the Bears.

For the second straight week, the Cowboys did not take away the football, losing the turnover battle (-3) and the game. And despite what seemed like relentless pressure from the defensive line against Cutler in the first quarter, the Cowboys had only one sack in the game and failed to keep that pressure on him into the second half. Defensively the Cowboys had some flashes of strong plays, but overall they couldn't make the game-changing plays the team desperately needed a close game. Special teams had the big punt-return TD but another season with a shaky kicker is not something a team with Super Bowl aspirations can sit on.

Last season, the Cowboys were 2-2 through the first four weeks, not righting the ship until Miles Austin's breakout game in an overtime victory in Kansas City, a game that started a string of six Cowboys wins in seven games taking them through Thanksgiving. The Cowboys are facing a tougher schedule this season, and are going to need a similar defibrillator-game like the Kansas City game to jump-start this season.

Breaking it down, here's a few notes from the second loss of the season (something that Dallas didn't suffer until Week 15 three years ago):

+ Let's try to get a little glass-half-full to start things off. Two rookies came up with a couple of big plays for the Cowboys, notably the two Dallas TDs. Dez Bryant put the Cowboys on the board in the first quarter with a 62-yard punt return TD, his first career TD, that shaw him burst up the left side and put a nice shake move on the punter to get past him for the final 20 yards. Last season, Patrick Crayton took back a pair of punts for touchdowns while serving as a reliable No. 3 receiver. Through the first two games, it's safe to say Bryant has what it takes to fill that void (not to mention the ability to unseat Roy Williams as the No. 2 receiver if he keeps it up). The first-round pick finished with a pair of catches for 52 yards as well.

Chris Gronkowski, a rookie tight end, introduced himself to Cowboys fans with three catches for 31 yards and a second quarter touchdown that gave the Cowboys a 14-10 lead. Depending on Jason Witten's status after being knocked out of this week's game, Gronkowski might see added responsibilities in upcoming weeks.

+ Speaking of Witten being knocked from the game, as much as it would have been great to see him come back to the game, if the Cowboys are going to recover from an 0-2 start, they will need a healthy and lucid Jason Witten to do so, not a Jason Witten doing a Troy-Aikman-four-concussions-later impersonation. That one doc on the Dallas sideline certainly seemed to take an earful from Witten, but they kept him from returning to the field, which is - big picture - the right move.

+ The offensive line looked dramatically better this week. Perhaps that's because Marc Colombo and Kyle Kosier were back in the fold after missing last week's game. If Alex Barron is on the bench, most Cowboys fans will most likely be happy with that. Colombo did get flagged for a false start in the game, but he's not costing you a game by holding on the last play so I can live with those 5 yards coming back.

+ When the Cowboys needed a well-timed three pointer, Buehler could not connect on a 44-yard field goal attempt to tie the game. He is now 2-for-4 on the season. It's a small sample size, but both misses have been late in games and changed how the Cowboys would have to approach the fourth quarter. Instead of a tied game with the Bears scoring a TD to go up by seven, their touchdown put them up by 10, making it a two-possession game and putting much more pressure on an offense that was able to move the ball but not move it into the endzone when it needed to. And if Cowboys fans aren't already sick of what appears to be the second straight season of "kickergate," Nick Folk made a 49-yarder for the Jets already today. Yes, that Nick Folk. Buehler is an asset for kickoffs as he proved last season when he led the NFL in touchbacks, but when Dallas has already lost a pair of 1-possession games this season, I'd take the reliable place kicker over a long leg on kickoffs every day of the week, and twice on Sundays.

+ Sticking with kicking. Buehler's pop-up kickoff attempt after the first Cowboys TD seemed like a nice gamble in theory, but if you're going to try a surprise onside kick, why not go for a true onside where the kicker drills the ball into the ground for a high bounce instead of a popup that can be fair-caught? Gotta believe that's on the coaches. I don't disagree with the gamble, but there's a reason that late-game onside kicks aren't of the pop-up variety.

+ Dallas looked like they'd be able to run the ball in this game, especially after three straight Marion Barber runs in the first half where the offensive line opened holes large enough that Nate Newton could fit through them. Barber gained 22 yards on those three consecutive first-half runs, which is almost three-quarters of the Cowboys total rushing yards (30) on the day.

+ The Cowboys defense had pressured the Bears early but the turning point seemed to be the first Chicago TD when Cutler found Greg Olson over the middle for a 39-yard touchdown against the Dallas blitz up the middle. After that point, the Cowboys seemed to sit back a bit on defense, giving Cutler the time to go to work.

+ By the way, did anyone get a very awkward feeling watching Joe Buck introduce the broadcast by saying "...and that's Troy Aikman. Old number 8. The old quarterback. Eight-rock. Eight-ball. Just stop me anytime you want." Maybe the teleprompter died, or maybe he just had a stroke. I haven't felt more uncomfortable because of a broadcaster since Bryant Gumble was calling games on the NFL Network.

Cowboys travel to Houston next week in the battle for the Lone Star State. Watching Houston beat Indianapolis in Week 1 and to see them battling the Redskins, and just now blocking a field goal, here in Week 2, this certainly won't be an easy match up for the Cowboys. The Texans are susceptible to deep passes, which means Jason Garrett should have a chance to stretch the field with deep routes to Miles Austin and Dez Bryant. It's tough to have a "must win" game in Week 3, but when you are 0-2 and realize that none of last season's 12 playoff teams began the year 0-2, the Cowboys need to take a win out of Reliant Stadium next week.

I'd be Lion if...

Lots of football fans felt some form of outrage of the perceived injustice in Chicago's 19-14 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Detroit wide out Calvin Johnson hauled in the game-winning touchdown with :24 seconds to spare which would have put Detroit above .500 for the first time since the Nixon Clinton administration. Instead, the referees said that Johnson did not maintain possession through the catch, overturned the touchdown, and the Chicago Bears held on to win.

Sure, it sucks for the people of Detroit who, frankly, have needed a win worse than Cowboys tackle Alex Barron needs anonymity, but the refs got the ruling correct. Furthermore, this is a rule that - despite what many are saying - should not be changed in the offseason.

I know, I know. How can this be?! Clearly Johnson had the ball. Blah Blah. Just hear me out...

The entire purpose of this rule is to provide the clear, undeniable ability of a referee to determine the catch was made. Decisively. Conclusively. With a rule that dictates a receiver must control the ball through the process of the catch, there should be no doubt of if a player made the catch or not. I don't know if Johnson would have held on or not, but I know that the ground contacted the ball after the catch, and the ball came free, and the Johnson got up to celebrate. Perhaps it was a bit of salesmanship on his part, going immediately into the celebration because he knew that the ground was the primarily catalyst for the ball leaving his palm.

If Johnson had simply held onto the ball, it's an easy touchdown. He either A. felt the need to get up and celebrate early before ensuring he controlled the ball, or B. knew the ball was coming loose and tried to "sell" the play to the best of his abilities.

The NFL has these rules to ensure conclusiveness on these calls. It's the reason that the "force out" rule no longer applies and a receive MUST land both feet in bounds. It's to take away from the judgement of a referee that a receive "would have landed in bounds if" the defensive back hadn't pushed him out. That word "if" is the big problem. By taking out that "if" and making everything cut-and-dried, there is less controversy over these calls.

It's like baseball. A player is either safe or out. There is no tie (except for an All-Star Game Bud Selig would like to forget). It's either a catch or incomplete.

The purpose of the rule is to remove the gray area. It's black or white. Either or, but not both. And in Week 1, the Lions couldn't catch a break. Well, they could have, had they possessed it throughout the catch. Instead, their attempt to start the season 1-0 fell incomplete.

Hold everything: Dal 7, Was 13

I sat on the floor against the wall, staring to the left of the television, replays of a blatant holding call in my periphery. And Chris Collinsworth said it best, noting that referees hate to have to throw a flag on the last play of a game, but there was no gray area on that play. Tony Romo's touchdown pass to Roy Williams with no time on the clock, a play that would have tied the game and set up a game-winning extra point, was nullified.

The Dallas Cowboys suffered through a rash of penalties and still had a chance to win in the game's final moments. Instead, Washington emerged with a deep exhale and the 13-7 win.

As for Dallas, they are 0-1.

The offensive tackle who that offensive tackle of a hold, Alex Barron, was highlighted throughout the NBC broadcast as the most penalized player in the NFL in recent seasons, even more so than former Cowboys tackle Flozell Adams. And while Adams may now be a Pittsburgh Steeler, even he wouldn't have made that costly play to negate the game-winning touchdown (but perhaps only because the play is blown dead and reset on a false start, and Barron committed a holding penalty).

Washington's season-opening win will be remembered as the "glorious beginning" of the Donovan McNabb and Mike Shanahan era, but for Dallas it's a gut punch loss to begin a season of Super Bowl aspirations.

Dallas has no one to blame but themselves, and it starts - as always - at the top. Yes, Mr. Fix It had his defense ready to play, limiting the Redskins to three field goals, one of which Shanahan took off the board after the Cowboys jumped offsides on the made kick. While the Cowboys only had one sack on McNabb, the secondary came through on multiple occasions, specifically Mike Jenkins who combatted consecutive throws to the end zone to keep Washington down.

But Wade Phillips, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, and the rest of the Cowboys coaches have to be responsible for a team that not only commits 12 penalties for nearly 100 years, but also for calling plays that put the team in a position to fail. Getting the ball back before the half, the Cowboys did have a legitimate chance to get into field goal range, and in a 3-0 game, it's understandable the Cowboys would want to get points on the board before the half.

But on 1st and 10 from nearly midfield, a Barron holding penalty -- if only they we knew then what we know now, right? -- pushed Dallas back to their own 36 with :04 seconds left in the half. At that point, a 60-yard bomb to the end zone isn't really necessary and the three point deficit at he half isn't as big a deal. Now you just take a knee and go to the locker room, unless you're playing Madden, and the Cowboys were.

Romo drops back, gets flushed out of the pocket, flips to Tashard Choice who gets stood up by the defense and stripped by Dante Hall, who picks up the loose ball and takes it 32 yards the other way for Washington's only TD of the day. Whose fault is it? You can blame Romo for not just sliding when he knew the play wouldn't result in anything or blame Choice for not falling down with the ball after Romo's pitch. But the more appropriate culprit are the coaches that told the competitors on the field to "swing for the fences" when there was no need to even step to the plate.

The Cowboys had the opportunity to win the game. And when it came to the end of each half, with no time on the clock, the Cowboys made two of the biggest blunders this side of Leon Lett.

It's not my place to say whether Barron should or shouldn't have a job by Week 2. Coaches and an owner who places winning above all else will decide his fate. But the line du jour came from Collinsworth in the moments immediately following his game-losing holding call.

Mark Colombo, get well soon.

R1 G4: Spurs 92, Mavs 89 (3-1, Spurs)

Well... that went south in a hurry.

After Dirk's brilliant performance in the playoff opener, the Mavs have faltered, fallen and flat out failed on so many levels that it's hard to see the playoffs lasting much longer than a game or two. After blowing an 11-point halftime lead, does this team even have what it takes, does it have the heart, to earn a win at American Airlines Center in Game 5?

The Mavs held the Spurs "Big Three" of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker to a quiet night, but it was George Hill who continued to knock down big threes from the corner as San Antonio put away the Mavs, 92-89, to take a 3-1 series lead. Hill finished 5-of-6 on three-pointers with a game-high 29 points.

One area where the Mavs could beat the Spurs is in a battle of free throws. Dallas did have a better night from the charity stripe (shooting 78% to the Spurs' 64%), but each team managed to make 18 free throws. So if Dallas is actually going to take advantage of this area of overwhelming ability, then the Mavericks would be wise to drive to the basket and get to the line. Still, this doesn't seem to be a team capable of making the tougher drive to the basket. Instead we are left to watch this team try to shoot itself back into a game. Sometimes it works, but most of the time it doesn't. I felt like we were back watching the 2001-2004 Steve-Nash-led Mavericks.

And for the life of me, I can't figure out why Shawn Marion was on the bench late in this one. Oh, it was nice to hear about how he's more effective in a fast-paced game and not as effective in the half court game, but his defense and size could have helped the Mavs battle with the Spurs late in the game. If he was supposed to be the big upgrade this offseason, head coach Rick Carlisle should think about actually using him when it matters.

In the most physical game of the series, the only Maverick who truly seemed up for the dog-fight was Eduardo Najera, who got tossed almost immediately after getting into the game when he took down Ginobili. Was it a clean play? Hell no. But it seemed like if Mavs scorers were going to get banged up on their way to the rim, then Najera was going to make sure the Spurs felt the fire as well.

Dirk continues to be one of the least respected superstars in the NBA, and it's amazing to see the calls he doesn't get. And while Erick Dampier did have a legit gripe about the refs, maybe he should work on catching the ball when it's passed to him so he doesn't finish with more turnovers (2) than points (0). Dampier and Brendan Haywood each seemed ready to clear out of the lane after each jacked up jump shot launched by the Mavs perimeter. And while the Mavs did win the rebound match up, 48-43, in this game, it doesn't mean the bigs were getting the job done. In 12 minutes, DeJuan Blair grabbed 7 rebounds for the Spurs, while Dampier had 5 in 19 minutes and Haywood had 4 in 25. Ugh.

So now the Mavericks drudge back to Dallas facing elimination from here on out. It might be one more game, maybe two. But if the Mavs are going to get back to Dallas again for Game 7 of this series, they would have to take Game 6 in San Antonio. And despite being the best road team in the NBA this year, the Mavs' road success in the playoffs does not match its regular season record. The Mavs went 27-14 on the road this year, but Dallas hasn't had a solid road playoff win since beating the Spurs in Game 7 in the 2006 conference semifinals.

Here's to hoping Dallas can TCB at home, and find the much-needed spark to get back into this series.

CCCAA MVB State Championship broadcast

The broadcast from Saturday's men's volleyball California Community College Athletic Association championship match. Check it out...

CCCAA Semi-Final #2 Broadcast

Check out the CCCAA Men's Volleyball State Champion Semi-Finals broadcast from Thursday, April 22 featuring play-by-play with yours truly. This video is the 2nd semi-final between Long Beach City College and Orange Coast College.



Calling the championship match tonight between Orange Coast and Moorpark Colleges.

R1 G1: Mavs 100, Spurs 94

The NBA Playoffs are underway, and the phrase Home Sweet Home is resonating loud and clear in the Association this year. With home teams going a combined 7-0 through the first seven games of the postseason, the Dallas Mavericks have done themselves a nice favor by playing their way to the Western Conference's No. 2 seed.

Dallas began its 10th straight postseason with a 100-94 win over the rival San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. And while beating the Spurs, the No. 7 seed in the West, may seem somewhat ho-hum after beating them in five games in last year's playoffs, looking at how the Mavs got there makes it all the more impressive.

Goodbye old friend

Sunday morning, the community of Dallas and football fans nationwide said goodbye to the only stadium to host five Super Bowl champions. Texas Stadium, home to the Dallas Cowboys from 1971 through 2008, was imploded just after 7am, with thousands of fans gathered to pay their respects to a place that has meant so much.

Two generations of Cowboys fans grew up at Texas Stadium. This is the place where the Cowboys transformed from the "next years champions" of the Cotton Bowl, to "America's Team" and a Super Bowl champion in their first season in the stadium with the famous hole in the roof.

I grew up at Texas Stadium. I don't remember my first Cowboys game. The earliest I can remember would be bits and pieces of the 1992 season, being a seven-year-old kid getting to see the hometown team run all the way to the Super Bowl, crushing the Bills and bringing home a third Lombardi Trophy.

I saw too many Troy Aikman to Michael Irvin touchdowns, and even more TD runs by Emmitt Smith. I saw Jay Novacek hold field goals and extra points. I saw Darryl "Moose" Johnston clear running lanes or catch passes to a raucous "Mooooooooose" chant from the crowds. And I saw Prime Time Deion Sanders high-step into the end zone on several occasions.

I was there when George Teague trucked Terrell Owens on the famous midfield star, cheering as loud as I could. And I was there when Terrell Owens helped lead the Cowboys to the playoffs in 2006 and 2007, doing much of the same.

Many Thanksgivings were spent in Section 108, Row 5, with nachos and hot dogs. What was I thankful for? The chance to spend the holiday in Irving, Texas, watching my favorite sports team take the field. My mother even changed our own Thanksgiving tradition of when we ate meals, moving Thanksgiving "dinner" to noon before the Cowboys game to ensure we didn't fill up at the game and not eat our Thanksgiving meal. Texas Stadium shaped our lives, and that was more than okay.

I witnessed many playoff games, including NFC Conference Championship wins over San Francisco and Green Bay. I also saw the Cowboys fall short against the New York Giants in the final playoff game at Texas Stadium in January 2008.

I heard by father yelling at Pro Bowl offensive linemen to "Block! Block! Block!" for Troy Aikman when he would drop back and survey the field, then laugh at whatever comment Brad Sham would be saying through his pocket-radio.

The "Super Bowl Nachos" were an experience, topped with steamy-hot melted cheese, pico de gaillo, jalapenos and Texas chili. Their successors at concession stands at new Cowboys Stadium leave much to be desired. Stacks and stacks of souvenir Cowboys cups take up an entire cabinet in my parents house.

I saw Emmitt Smith become the greatest rusher in NFL history, scampering past Walter Payton on an 11-yard run up the middle against Seattle in 2002, his last year with the club.

I tolerated the lean Dave Campo years, watching the likes of Quincy Carter or Chad Hutchinson lead my beloved Cowboys. A celebrated the arrival of Bill Parcells who helped put the Cowboys back in contention for playoff berths. And I enjoyed every game of 2007, back home in Texas after graduating from college, as the Cowboys racked up a 13-3 record and the team's first Division title since my middle school days.

December 20, 2008, I caught a flight from Los Angeles to Dallas before sunrise on the West Coast. That night, a teary-eyed Saturday in North Texas, I witnessed The Farewell, the final Cowboys game at Texas Stadium, a disappointing loss to the Baltimore Ravens that helped knock the team out of the playoffs.

I was there for great memories, and I have heartbreaking ones as well. But I'm so glad I wasn't there when that contest-winning child pressed the button and the football world said goodbye. It's why I couldn't be in the room when my childhood pet was put down, too. It's hard to say goodbye. And while no one is debating that the team's new palace in Arlington is the greatest football cathedral ever conceived, let alone constructed, Texas Stadium was iconic for so much more. It had notoriety, it had history, and fortunately, we'll always have those memories.

Roddy inspiring memories of Finley

I remember back to a crazy 1998 night in Reunion Arena when the lowly, pre-Cuban Dallas Mavericks shocked the world and Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, 104-97, in front of the largest crowd in the history of the arena. That night a young guard still in his infancy with the Mavericks, Michael Finley, led the way. His amazing quickness, elite athleticism and dynamic scoring ability resulted in 32 points in the stunning upset.

There was no Steve Nash or Dirk Nowitzki. Before the "Big Three", Finley stood alone as The One, the clear cornerstone of the Dallas franchise. Coupled with the future league MVPs Nash and Nowitzki, he helped lead the Mavs to a decade of success. And while he hasn't been a part of the organization since 2004, the Mavs haven't had a player with the abilities of No. 4 since.

Until last night? It's entirely possible.

Rookie guard Rodrigue Beaubois continued displaying his hot hand, dropping 40 points for Dallas in a runaway win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night, 111-90, in Oakland. And while Beaubois isn't a physical carbon-copy of Finley, standing seven inches shorter and weighing more than 50 pounds less, if you squint your eyes watching Beaubois, you'll see more than a hint of Finley.

Obviously Dirk is the franchise player, the greatest Maverick ever, and more important to any other player in terms of the success of this franchise for the next five years, at least. But it certainly can't hurt to have someone like Roddy B emerging from the depths of the bench as a surprise Tonto to Dirk's Lone Ranger act.

Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Caron Butler and Shawn Marrion are now all key cogs in this machine, but since the club said goodbye to Marquise Daniels, traded away Devin Harris for Kidd during the 2007-08 season, and sent Josh Howard to Washington earlier this season, it's been fair to wonder about the youth of this franchise.

Roddy the rookie is the youth movement for this franchise. And while head coach Rick Carlisle now has to figure out where to find more minutes for the youngster, who is more deserving with each performance, it's nice to see someone other than J.J. Barea who isn't already carrying an NBA AARP card.

Here's the current Mavericks 2009-10 roster by age:

Team Roster
NO.	NAME	POS	AGE	HT	WT	COLLEGE	2009 - 2010 SALARY
3	Rodrigue Beaubois	G	22	6-0	170		$1,075,440
11	Jose Juan Barea	PG	25	6-0	175	Northeastern	$1,657,500
92	DeShawn Stevenson	SG	28	6-5	218		$3,883,929
13	Matt Carroll	SG	29	6-6	212	Notre Dame	$4,700,000
4	Caron Butler	SF	30	6-7	228	Connecticut	$9,780,970
33	Brendan Haywood	C	30	7-0	263	North Carolina	$6,000,000
0	Shawn Marion	SF	31	6-7	228	UNLV	$6,635,068
41	Dirk Nowitzki	PF	31	7-0	245		$19,795,714
31	Jason Terry	SG	32	6-2	180	Arizona	$9,075,000
14	Eduardo Najera	PF	33	6-8	235	Oklahoma	$3,000,000
7	Tim Thomas	PF	33	6-10	240	Villanova	$825,497
25	Erick Dampier	C	34	6-11	265	Mississippi State	$12,115,500
2	Jason Kidd	PG	37	6-4	210	California	$8,100,000

Olympics provide pure emotion

The great thing about the Olympics that we are all able to see is the pure joy and undeniable heartbreak that comes with each Games. It's the pinnacle of competition for sports that stumble into the spotlight once every four years, and each of these athletes has just this one chance to etch their names in the respective anthologies of their sports.

Seeing the Americans dominate the Halfpipe, or watching Lindsey Vonn ski to gold a week after thinking she may not even be able to compete, you don't get this type of high-energy and even higher-emotion any other time than the Olympics.

Consider USA Men's Curling skip John Shuster, whose lucky hat just may not have the magic at these games, and yet I found myself unable to pull away from the tv during the USA-Denmark match. He's had chances to be Michael Jordan and make some game-winners, but instead has turned into Mitch Williams instead. I didn't know who Shuster was a month ago, but now, I wanted to see him and his teammates vindicated with at least one win in Vancouver (less and less likely).

Some will take gold. Others will walk away empty handed. But as spectators we are all treated to the most entertaining two weeks in sports. Each moment is the biggest moment of someone's life, and we get to watch.

All-Star Game

A few quick thoughts in the recent aftermath of an All-Star night that was representative of the size and pride of Texas:

- With more than 108,000 packed into Cowboys Stadium, Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban set the attendance record they were after. And by set, I mean SMASH. As Dirk said before the game: everything's bigger in Texas.

- Anyone else sick of Dwyane Wade collecting trophies in Dallas? He hoisted the O'Brien Trophy in 2006 at the American Airlines Center, and tonight took home hardware as the All-Star Game MVP.

- The West had a chance to win with 5 seconds left, but Carmelo Anthony's 3-point look suffered from blurry vision. Gotta believe that Denver coach George Karl wanted his guy to get that last shot rather than drawing up something for Dirk to attempt a game-winning three. Seriously, who would you rather have attempting a game-winner? Carmelo is a great player, a rightful All-Star, but Dirk should have been the one taking that shot. They never even tried to get him the ball.

- As pathetic a showing there was for the All-Star Saturday Night festivities, that's truly how grand tonight was. Jerry Jones sure knows how to throw a party. I wonder what that place will be like a year from now when Cowboys Stadium hosts Super Bowl XLV.

- Kudos to Mavs owner Mark Cuban for sticking to his guns of only wanting to host an All-Star game if he could get a seat for all the Mavs fans. Mission accomplished. With room for 108,713 to pack Cowboys Stadium, Cuban was able to host any and all Mavericks season ticket holders who wanted to get a seat. No special lottery or drawings necessary. As a North Texas sports fan, it's hard to picture any city with a pair of owners as great at Cuban and Jones.

Dirk's Weekend

The NBA's All-Star Game takes place at the Dallas Cowboys palace later this evening. Yet in a North Texas region so devout about its football, this weekend will most likely end up being a celebration of the region's greater NBA player.

Dirk Nowitzki is the defacto host of the All-Star game, the lone Mavericks representative on the Western Conference roster (before Jason Kidd replaced an injured Kobe Bryant). And it's been giving Mavs Maniacs and Dallasites and opportunity to reflect on his journey from Germany to the elites of the NBA.

Even Kobe Bryant thinks Dirk will be the MVP tonight.

It's Dirk's party. Let the fun begin.

All-Star Saturday Night Thoughts

It's "half time" at the All-Star Saturday Night festivities, and it seems there is a 1-to-1 ratio of empty seats to filled ones. Rest assured that is a generous estimate.

Perhaps the most impressive moment of the evening was seeing Steve Nash win the skills competition here in Dallas after helping to light the Olympic cauldron in Vancouver last night.

The North Texas crowd enjoyed seeing Nash take the skills challenge as well as seeing the Dirk-led Texas team win the Shooting Stars contest, with the 9-time All-Star hitting the winning half-court shot in his home building.

The Three Point Shooting contest and Slam Dunk are still on deck. But at least a painful performance by Erykah Badu is behind us.

I'm not sure if the empty seats are more a representation of North Texas non-football apathy, the lack of excitement about All-Star Saturday, or just that the city is still recovering from 12.5 inches of snow on Thursday. Either way, there may be 10,000 to 12,000 people here tonight. It'll take about 70,000 more for the type of crowd Mark Cuban and Jerry Jones would like to see at the actual All-Star Game at Cowboys Stadium.

Dunk Contest Disappointment

Tonight the NBA will hold its Dunk Contest as part of the All-Star Weekend festivities. With the DFW metroplex still melting off the 12.5 inches of snow from Thursday, it's hard to believe this dunk contest can be the fire that heats things up. The participants are middle of the pack at best. And as for the dunks, it's been pretty bland in recent years.

Oh, sure, people like to ooh and aah over Dwight Howard's ability to throw (not dunk) a ball through the hoop while wearing a cape, but I felt like someone from outside the modeling world watching Derek Zoolander. ONE LOOK!

Not much stands out these days. And the only dunking LeBron James is interested in involves a competition for a Big Mac -- a funny commercial but it'd be nice to see some of those moves in the actual official dunk contest.

Don't expect anything to bring you out of your seat tonight. The underwhelming competition is the only "slam dunk" predictable for tonight. The last time the NBA held the All-Star game in Dallas, Spud Webb won the Dunk Contest, all 5-foot-7 of him. Don't expect another Spud of a contest in Dallas, just another dud of a hollowed out shell of what used to be a great spectacle of basketball excitement.

Pro Bowl 2010

The NFL's All-Star game is today, between the Conference Championship games and the upcoming Super Bowl between the Colts and Saints. The game is in the Super Bowl host city of Miami, and the coaches for the AFC and NFC are from teams that advanced only to the Divisional Round of the playoffs this season, not the runners-up of the respective conferences.

As I noted nearly two months ago, this game was a looming pimple that at some point was going to have to be popped. Now the NFL has almost alienated the few fans who actually enjoy watching the Pro Bowl -- myself being one of them. This game does not do anything to truly help the continuity of the NFL's season. Worst of all, because so many soon-to-be Super Bowl participants and recent playoff participants have dropped out of the game, this Pro Bowl is being marred by a surplus of undeserving backups.

Yes, there are usually a few replacements from the initial roster, but this year there will be no players from the Colts and Saints, participants of Super Bowl XLIV, as well as so many other players who haven't had a chance to enjoy some down time or who don't see Miami as the lure that Honolulu is, and thus they bail.

Heck, NFC offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie was booted from the Pro Bowl squad for missing practice. You can make the argument that players don't care about this game, but it seems they care even less this season. Just take a look at the Pro Bowl Rosters for this year's All-Star event, and you'll see seemingly more replacements than original selections that will actually be on the field Sunday. Check the numbers...

SB XLIV: Saints Colts

Initial thoughts on the match up for Super Bowl XLIV, this is going to be a great game to watch providing the Saints are able to get over celebrating their Conference Championship. If they can show up and play like the Saints we saw against the Vikings, they will provide a much tougher test than the Bears gave Peyton Manning and the Colts a few years ago.

It could be a potentially ugly match-up in Miami, however, if the Saints treat this victory as their Super Bowl, a la LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007, who wilted in the finals against the Spurs after winning the NBA's Eastern Conference. Just getting to the Super Bowl is so meaningful for the franchise and the city of New Orleans to represent the city's true resurgence. If anything, the Saints making the Super Bowl should shed some light on how parts of the city of New Orleans have not and will not ever come back. In all seriousness, it's a story worth telling and worth reminding people of.

The Vikings dominated the ebb and flow of the NFC Championship, out-gaining the Saints in total yards (475 to 257), total plays (82 to 55), time of possession (36:49 to 27:56). Offensively, the stats said it was all Minnesota. But it's hard to argue against the important of the turnover ratio. Five times a Vikings drive ended with a turnover, including a Brett Favre interception in the waning moments of regulation that cost the Vikes a chance to attempt a game-winning field goal.

Divisional Disaster: Dal 3, Min 34

The Cowboys had the momentum for four straight wins while the Vikings limped through December while managing to hang on to a first-round bye. It almost seemed too good for Dallas, with analysts and experts aplenty picking the Cowboys to upset the Vikings in Minnesota. Heck, some wouldn't have even considered it an upset. The Cowboys had momentum and a fierce defense while the Vikings had a 40-year-old signal caller and a shaky secondary.

But as the dust settles after Sunday's Division-Round Disaster for Dallas, the NFC Championship game will feature the two teams that looked to be on a collision course for a Super Bowl berth since the first half of the season. Minnesota defeated the Cowboys, 34-3, to advance to the NFC Championship against the New Orleans Saints with next week's winner representing the conference in Super Bowl XLIV. For Dallas, the season ends two games longer than the previous year.

It's easy to declare this season a success compared to the rest of the Tony Romo era. The Cowboys came on strong to win the NFC East and a playoff game, ending a 13-year drought of postseason struggles. But one week after getting the monkey off the back of head coach Wade Phillips (now 1-5 in playoffs), that mangy ape hopped right back on. A successful season? It doesn't feel like it.

With one game left (NYJ at SD) in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, each of the home teams who enjoyed a first-round bye has faced little if any competition from the Wild Card Round winners. Dallas became the latest victim as the rested Vikings abruptly ended the Cowboys season, a season which looked more and more like something that could result in a Super Bowl berth. Had the Cowboys beaten Minnesota, it would have been a rematch against the Saints, which was proven possible a month ago. Not so fast, Dallas.

Cowboys-Vikings halftime report

The Cowboys just completed their worst half of football in over a month, trailing the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome, 17-3, after two quarters. Dallas has encountered more problems in one half than they have in every game since the last loss on December 13 against the Chargers.

Tony Romo has fumbled three times already, losing two of them. His last fumble was half a season ago (9 games). He's been pressured plenty, already being sacked four times.

Left tackle Flozell Adams was going to have a hard time facing pass rusher Jared Allen. Now the Cowboys are in even bigger trouble with Adam out with a strained calf. While his return is questionable/doubtful, it's prognosis negative for the Cowboys protection schemes. Doug Free got plenty of playing time in place of Marc Columbo for half the season, but that was on the other side of the line. And if the Cowboys continue to use Jason Witten to help on Jared Allen -- which by the way didn't work when Allen strip-sacked Romo -- then Dallas loses a solid target in the passing game.

The miscommunication on the offense is apparent. The Cowboys were lucky on a tipped ball where Witten and Miles Austin were in the same area.

Only once in franchise history have the Cowboys come back from a 14-point deficit in franchise history, according to the Fox halftime show. That's a hard stat to believe, considering the long history of the franchise dating back to 1960, but for a Cowboys team that hasn't dwelled on the success/failures of past Cowboys teams, don't expect that stat to bog them down.

Speaking of stats, here's a breakdown of this game through the first half:

Lane Kiffin returning to USC

The reports have just hit the airwaves that former USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin will return to the Trojans as the successor to Pete Carroll as the program's next head coach. Kiffin is walking away from the University of Tennessee after one year as head coach in the SEC (with a 7-6 record). My initial reaction as Trojans fan and alum: I like it.

Consider the lack of options out there for the next coach of the program. Frankly my first choice would be Pete Carroll, followed by Pete Carroll, and then my emergency plan would be to hire Pete Carroll. Unfortunately that is not an option as he was introduced this morning as the next coach of the Seattle Seahawks. The Trojans made a play for Oregon State's Mike Riley. Then Jacksonville Jaguar head coach Jack Del Rio.

But with the announcement that Lane Kiffin will be named the next Trojans head coach, the USC faithful should be just as enthusiastic about the entourage that Kiffin brings with him from Tennessee. Former Tampa Bay Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is just as much a defensive guru as Carroll, and former Trojans recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron is coming back as well. Those three men have the ability to take the existing talent pool and run with it. More importantly, they can continue the recruiting life-blood of this program as Kiffin and Orgeron know the Southern California recruiting trails.

UPDATE 6:51pm: Norm Chow to return as offensive coordinator. This is the football equivalent of getting the band back together. Kiffin himself may not have a ton of experience, but with the staff of coaches he is building, the Trojans are going to be a force again atop the Pac-10 in 2010.

UPDATE #2 1/13/10: The latest reports say that USC AD Mike Garrett wants to pursue Norm Chow, but an agent for Chow told ESPN that there has not been any contact between the school and the current UCLA offensive coordinator.

Kiffin's tenure as offensive coordinator was a bright one at USC with the exception of not having Reggie Bush on the field on 4th and 2 against Texas in the 2006 Rose Bowl.

To put into perspective what some of the current Trojans are thinking, he's a quote from Brice Butler, Trojans receiver, from an article about the news on ESPN's website:

Tailback Allen Bradford and Barkley were among the leaders who called a team meeting before the offseason conditioning program began Tuesday, while receiver Brice Butler and Barkley planned to call all of USC's prospective recruits to urge them to stick with the Trojans.

"I would just tell them what my dad told me: 'Don't commit because of a coach, because that can change,'" said Butler, who came to USC from Georgia. "You've got to commit because of a program, and this is USC."

Butler is right. This is USC, and this a program that is historically capable and destined to be elite. It has been in the past. Carroll resurrected it after a lull, and now Kiffin has been tabbed to carry the torch.

Despite lingering potential NCAA sanctions and violations allegations, Kiffin is ready to bring back his hot-shot offense to the Coliseum and give Traveler plenty of reason to run. For Trojans fans, they have plenty of reason for optimism. Kiffin can get the job done at USC, and we're about to see it happen.

Here's the official announcement from USC's website:

Wild Card Win: Dal 34, Phi 14

Stop counting.

The 4760-day streak between playoff wins is over.

The Cowboys blitzkrieged the Eagles for the second straight week to win the franchise's first playoff game in 13 years, 34-14. Dallas dominated early by controlling the clock and scoring consistently with five consecutive scoring drives in the second quarter. Dallas opened up a 27-7 lead at the half and led in time of possession, 22:53 to 7:07.

And while the Cowboys offense didn't do much in the second half, they didn't really need to. Wade Phillips' defense suffocated the Eagles for the third time this season. Dallas outscored Philly 78-30 in three meetings this season. All talk of how difficult it is to beat the same team three times only applies when one team doesn't flat out own the other. And this season, as Al Michaels said during last night's broadcast: "In the NFC East this year, the Cowboys have owned the Eagles this season. The Eagles owned the Giants, and the Giants owned the Cowboys. And everybody owned the Redskins."

Yes, it's true. The Giants may have owned the Cowboys in 2009, but they aren't in the tournament. Dallas faced Philadelphia again, and the results were the same.

And after decisive wins against the Saints and the division clincher last week against the Eagles, this playoff win now takes the place as the biggest win of Phillips' and quarterback Tony Romo's careers. For now.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of the last time the Cowboys scored on five straight drives like they did in the second quarter on Saturday night. Just as devastating to Philly is that while the Cowboys were scoring, the Dallas defense, dubbed by the Morning News as Doomsday II, held Philly to just nine second quarter plays after the Michael Vick touchdown throw. Meanwhile, the Cowboys had 28 plays in the same span.

Statistically, it was a blowout. However there are plenty of teachable moments for Wade Phillips' defense. Mike Jenkins has been a top cornerback in the division this season. His emergence solidified a secondary that desperately needed balance opposite Terence Newman. He nabbed an interception late in the game but fumbled the ball back to the Eagles on an ill-advised lateral attempt. Tony Romo finished the game without an interception on the stat sheet, but thats more because of a good challenge by Wade Phillips instead of Romo's flawless decision-making.

The Cowboys did make mistakes. They just did a better job of masking them.

Dallas ended it's playoff drought by not only being a better team but playing like a better team. They are now on a four-game winning streak and are heading to the Vikings to take on a quarterback that moves around more in the offseason than in the pocket. If the secondary can limit the number of open targets, Brett Favre will face the heat from the Cowboys pass rush. And while he will take chances to force some throws, that's when the closing speed of Newman, Jenkins and Gerald Sensabaugh comes into play. Against Philly, each had a leaping breakup of a Donovan McNabb pass.

And while it's not as simple to extrapolate run defense data from the Eagles game to the Vikings game -- last night, Chris Collinsworth did say at one point, "for Eagles fans who don't know, that was a run" -- the Cowboys should be able to contain Adrian Peterson on the ground while sticking with Favre's strong options in the passing game. For the Cowboys to keep winning, it will be because of their defense.

Now for a few more thoughts on the first Cowboys playoff win since ... my Bar Mitzvah (geez, this has been too long!)...

Carroll heading to "Starbucks Nation"

It seems the days of Pete Carroll running the USC Trojans football program are done. For years, Carroll has been courted by a half-dozen NFL teams in the past, but he hadn't ever been seriously offered a chance to run a franchise.

The Seattle Seahawks are reportedly giving him that chance. Five years, $35 million.

And while the last nine seasons of USC football have been some of the most prosperous - including seven straight Pac-10 titles and BCS bowl berths, three Heisman Trophy winners, two National Championships - it's hard to argue with Carroll's departure. It would have been great to have him become a Joe Paterno or Bobby Bowden for USC, guiding this program for the next 20+ years with a strong national presence. But the right situation has evolved in Seattle, and Carroll has been looking for that situation since his last NFL head coaching stint in the 90s.

His enthusiasm revitalized a college football powerhouse starved for success. He energized the Cardinal and Gold, winning the AP National Championship in just his third year, and the BCS Championship in his fourth. The Carroll era at USC was by any definition a dynasty.

After Thursday's BCS Championship game, college football experts were ranking the preseason Top 5 teams, and USC was No. 4 or No. 5 on most every expert's list. People around college football know what Carroll is capable of, and they know the kind of talent he has stockpiled in Los Angeles. Returning this program to the top after an otherwise forgettable year under Carroll's standards wouldn't be too difficult a task. As long as the Trojans had Carroll, they'd be fine. And now, they don't have that.

Cuban right to be upset; trust me

With Mark Cuban coming out against the NFL scheduling the Dallas Cowboys playoff game on Saturday night, I have to side with the Mavericks owner. The Mavs are hosting the Utah Jazz on Saturday night, and while the Cowboys/Eagles playoff game may very well be the "biggest" of the first-round playoff games (and NBC's night games are usually the "biggest" games of the week, supplanting the once higher-profile Monday Night Football games of ABC fame), Cuban is right to be upset.

As a native to Dallas and someone who has attended countless Cowboys and Mavericks games in my lifetime, I wouldn't even consider going to the Mavericks game on Saturday night if I was given free tickets. I realize the Mavs are having a great year so far, and Utah is a tough opponent. No doubt this could be a playoff preview. However the Cowboys are in the playoffs now. And Cuban is sadly not far off the mark in calling the Mavs and the NBA pissants compared the Cowboys and NFL in the region.

If I had to choose one to win a championship, it's the Cowboys without hesitation.

And I love the Mavs. I don't want the Dirk years to end. I remember the suffering of 11-71 and 13-69 seasons in the early 90s, however the Dave Campo era Cowboys were even worse to deal with. At least when the Mavs were terrible, the Cowboys were winning Super Bowls.

If you had reservations at Chili's but were invited to dinner at Del Frisco's steakhouse, you're blowing off Chili's. Sure, an Old Timer Burger is great, but one piece of meat is clearly a cut above the other. And come Saturday night, I'll check my phone for the Mavericks score. At halftime, I might even change the channel to see how it's going. But don't think for a second that priority #1 is anything but the Cowboys quest to advance in the playoffs for the first time since two years before Dirk was drafted.

NFC East Champs: Dal 24, Phi 0

The Cowboys have exorcised their December Demons. Now they much conquer their January Jitters.

Wade Phillips' defense posted a second consecutive shutout as the Cowboys rolled to a 24-0 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles to clinch the NFC East and a home playoff game next week, setting up a rematch between Dallas and Philly. The franchise's first-ever posting of back-to-back shutouts gave the Cowboys their third-straight win -- most among all playoff bound teams in the NFC -- and cost the Eagles a chance to clinch a first-round bye.

For all skeptics who say the Eagles held back and figured they'd just regroup to get after the Cowboys next week, I say hooey! No team capable of playing for a first-round bye lollygags through their final game to not only miss out on a week off but also forfeits any chance of a home playoff game. Oh sure, perhaps once the fourth quarter rolls around and Philly was down 24-0 they let up a little, but it's not like they pulled starters.

Dallas had everything to play for and came through to avenge last season's crushing 44-6 loss at the Linc to end the year and cost the Cowboys a shot at the postseason. Now the Cowboys are NFC East Division champs for the second time in Wade Phillips' three seasons as head coach.

The only real glitch of the day seemed to come late in the fourth quarter when the massive video board went out.

The Dallas defense worked efficiently to keep the Eagles off the field and the offense held the ball for more than 40 minutes. The Cowboys dominated every facet of the game to bullrush the Eagles, and while this game may not "count" as much as next week, that does not mean the contest was meaningless. Quite the contrary. The Cowboys now advance to the playoffs with something they haven't had in a decade: momentum.

More thoughts on the Division-winning day:

Turn out the lights!

With just over two minutes left in the Cowboys-Eagles game on Sunday, you could turn out the lights on Philly's chances of winning the NFC East and clinching a first-round bye. In fact, someone at Cowboys Stadium must have taken that literally -- or tripped over a cord somewhere -- as the Godzillavision screen and the display ribbons around the stadium all went dark.

It took about a minute for it all to come back on. Here is video of the ordeal: