Jones not questioning Barber's toughness

I can't believe all the criticism that Jerry Jones is getting for his remarks that he thought Marion Barber would play in Sunday's game in Pittsburgh.  Not only was this story plastered all over ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sportsline, but even Yahoo.com featured the headline "Owner calls out his player" with this picture of Jerry right next to it.

Here's some of the comments from the Yahoo.com story:

...it's probably not wise to call that guy a wuss.
I wouldn't count on that Barber/Cowboys relationship lasting a whole lot longer. If Jones thinks Barber's a sissy, and is willing to publicly insult him about it, I can't see him making Barber a cornerstone of the franchise, either. And I can't see Barber wanting to play for a guy who thinks he's Charmin-soft.

This is absolutely ridiculous. Look at what Jerry Jones actually said about Barber, "He can play with that injured toe," Jones said. "He can play with the soreness and a combination of those things. I see nothing that led us to believe he couldn’t."

I think this was more about Jerry simply being uninformed as to just how serious the injury. This is also illustrates that Jerry wears many hats as an owner, GM and die-hard fan, but he's not the team doctor.

This is the same guy who has stood by Pacman Jones after all the drama he's caused this season. You really, truly believe that Jerry is calling out his franchise running back? Extremely doubtful.

The idea of Jerry questioning Barber's toughness is so ludicrous that Wade Phillips has become the voice of reason in this whole thing. The entire team has said they knew from early in the week that Marion the Barbarian wouldn't be playing in Pittsburgh. This is simply the case of the owner not being as involved as he thought he was. And while Jerry may not like that, that doesn't mean he's calling out his Pro Bowl running back.

Any hype you hear about this is simply media blowing this WAY out of proportion. Let it die.

Pittsburgh 'steels' a W: Dal 13, Pit 20

This one hurt.

The Cowboys had every opportunity to close out one of 2008's premier teams, earning a signature win and alerting everyone in the NFL that Dallas deserved to be in the playoffs come January. It all evaporated in 7:20. The Cowboys 13-3 lead disintegrated into a 20-13 loss in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, and the teams two most consistent, reliable players found themselves in the middle of it all.

When it mattered most, Tony Romo and Jason Witten, the two rocks of the offense, personified the frigid Pittsburgh weather. They went cold.

Both players spoke out to take the blame for a crushing defeat that brought back the upset feeling in my stomach that first surfaced after a touchdown off a blocked punt return gave the Cardinals a win over Dallas back in October. But unlike that game, Dallas had this all but wrapped up.

They were on their way to 9-4 and a wild card berth. It was in the bag. Think 2006 Mavericks up by 13 with 6:28 left in the third game about to go up 3-0 in the finals. We just witnessed the football version.

And from here, if this team responds similarly to those 2006 Mavericks, a disappointing struggle to an embarrassing letdown, the 7:20 mark of the 4th quarter will be the point at which it began crumbling.

Pittsburgh kicked a field goal to pull with in a touchdown, 13-6. Dallas followed with a three-and-out, and the Steelers calmly drove 67 yards in three minutes for the game-tying touchdown. Two plays from scrimmage later, Deshea Townsend is celebrating his game-winning interception in the end zone, and the Cowboys found themselves wondering "what if."

The loss dropped Dallas to 8-5, and despite now holding the final wild card spot thanks to Atlanta's conference loss to the Saints, the Cowboys once again started December off on a sour note. I'm not disturbed by losing on the road to the Steelers in December without Marion Barber and a slew of other injuries. I'm more worried about the lack of a signature win the Cowboys have had this season. Furthermore, this loss is the first I can think of in Romo's tenure the Cowboys lost when they should have won since the game in Landover against Washington in 2006 (blocked Cowboys FG, 15-yard penalty, Redskins kick for the win). Just look at the Cowboys wins this season. Arguably, only the wins over Philadelphia or in Washington were any good.

Cowboys 2008 wins:

Week 1: @ Cleveland, 28-10
The Cowboys dominated a weak Cleveland team which somehow someway was the first team to beat the Giants this season.

Week 2: Philadelphia, 41-37
This offensive shootout unfolded in front of one of the loudest Texas Stadium crowds in recent memory in the venue's final home opener. Dallas trailed 37-31 early in the fourth quarter before scoring 10 unanswered point to move to 2-0.

Week 3: @ Green Bay, 27-16 (Torn up Tundra)
The rematch of last season's top two NFC teams showcased Dallas to be what everyone expected out of training camp, the class of the conference. Turns out the Packers aren't the same 13-3 bunch as last year. After yesterday's loss at home to the Texans, now how does the Cowboys first ever win in Lambeau look?

Week 5: Cincinnati, 31-22 (Fast Felix)
One week after a close loss to the Redskins at home, the Cowboys beat the Bengals in a game where the majority of the post-game focus was on how bad the Cowboys looked. Raise you hand if you'd trade ugly wins for morale victories? This doesn't look all that bad compared to the consecutive losses to the Cardinals and Rams that would follow.

Week 8: Tampa Bay, 13-9 (The Bucs stopped here)
No doubt the best team Dallas has beaten in 2008. The first-place Bucs held the Cowboys to the lowest offensive output ever in a Cowboys victory, but the defense buckled down to secure the only win of the brief Brad Johnson era. This certainly wasn't a complete win, but might be the win Dallas needed most. The Boys went 1-2 without Romo, but going 0-3 with him would have been devastating.

Week 11: @ Washington, 14-10 (Cowboy Up!)
The best feel-good win of 2008 came in Romo's return to the lineup. Marion Barber bruised through the Skins defense in the fourth quarter to reaffirm his role as the NFL's best closer. Amazing defense led by Jay Ratliff kept Washington QB Jason Campbell on edge all night. If the Cowboys have a signature win in 2008, this is probably it.

Week 12: San Francisco, 35-22 (Enjoying popcorn)
TO's 213-yard explosion against the lowly 49ers gave the Cowboys consecutive wins for the first time since September. Still, the secondary looked far from playoff-ready.

Week 13: Seattle, 34-9 (Thanksgiving Feast)
The secondary again looked ordinary, but that didn't stop the Cowboys from dismantling a bad Seattle team. Wins over a 2-9 should be expected, not celebrated.

So while perhaps only two of those wins were of any substance, the losses have been so ugly that the Cowboys haven't even had great chances to win. Yesterday's loss in Pittsburgh was the Cowboys' first loss that they really gave away all season. The blowouts in St. Louis and in New York were abominations at the hands of Brad Johnson and a sloppy defense. But the losses in Arizona and against Washington were games the Cowboys really had no business winning when the fourth quarter came around.

Against Washington in a late September game in Irving, the Cowboys surrendered three second-half field goals, allowing Washington to take a 26-17 lead with 3:22 left in the game. Yes the Cowboys were an onside kick away from a game-winning drive, but Washington had controlled the tempo all day long. In Arizona, Dallas neeed 10 points in the final two minutes just to force overtime.

So the loss in Pittsburgh was truly the first game the Cowboys let slip away this season. Sadly, with that game may have gone the team's playoff chances. That is not to say the Cowboys can't beat the Giants, Ravens or Eagles in the final three weeks of the season, but already having a win in the bag against a team likely to end up with a first-round bye would have put plenty of confidence in the bank for this Cowboys team. Instead, the Cowboys might be looking for a bailout down the stretch.

Here's my takes from the game:

+ The Tashard Choice experiment worked much better than either the Brad Johnson or Brooks Bollinger experiments. At least the Cowboys know this is one position on the offense where depth is not a problem. Choice gained 166 total yards (88 rush, 78 rec) against the league's top defense. Not too bad for a rookie. You'd like to think, however, that the Cowboys missed Marion Barber's punishing style in the fourth quarter when Jason Garrett decided to get conservative and hold onto the lead. Still, amazing game by the rookie, including a solid blitz pick up of the Steelers equivalent to DeMarcus Ware, James Harrison.

+ Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. This might have been Romo's worst game since the Monday Night Miracle in Buffalo, only with the real-life ending instead of last season's fairy tale. His three interceptions and lost fumble weren't even the worst part. The fact that he overthrew receivers all night long really hurt the Cowboys. Yes, the final INT for TD finished this off, but the Cowboys could have had an even more comfortable lead if Romo had hit some of his targets.

+ However, you have to take the bad with the good when it comes to Romo. He was able to buy time scrambling around until finding TO in the back of the end zone for the Cowboys only TD. And frankly, if he had completed that left-handed fling to Roy Williams, we'd be gushing over the highlights for ages. First thing I could think of was the great line from The Princess Bride, "I'm also not left handed."

+ The Cowboys defense once again put up a solid performance -- eh, for 55 minutes. They finally got after Ben Roethelisberger in the second half, sacking him five times. Dallas gave up 70 yards on the ground, but surrendered 67 yards on the final drive to allow the Steelers to tie things up. Still, the goal line stand early in the fourth quarter was huge.

+ Hello, Bradie James. Easily the best game we've seen him play all season long. He made the 4th down stop on the goal line stand, recovered a fumble, finished with 11 tackles, and personified heart throughout the game. The one bad play he made came when James tried to go Roy Williams (SS version) and turn his body into a missile against Steeler TE Heath Miller, landing the biggest playmaker on the Cowboys defense for the game face down on the turf. When Joe Buck said, "Bobby Carpenter will take his place" did anyone else tense up? James missed only one play, and Jay Ratliff got a big sack on Roethelisberger on 3rd down. Pittsburgh got a bank-shot field goal to pull within one score.

+ Pacman Jones returned to the aid of a much-depleted secondary. He broke up some passes, but he still doesn't really help the Cowboys out as much as they'd like on special teams. He was lucky to fall on a muffed punt that he shouldn't have even been fielding. Any high school special team player or special ed student knows to let the thing go inside the 10. The refs ruled Cowboys football, but Pacman paid for his mistake, as he was roughed up on the play when Andre Fraizer yanked him out from the bottom of the pile.

+ The Cowboys went 0-3 on fourth down conversions. In the first quarter, Deion Anderson could have made it if he followed the right side of the line. Instead he came back to the left and was stopped. Reminiscent of Julius Jones closing his eyes as he gets to the line of scrimmage. The first play of the second quarter (2nd and 9), Choice caught a ball in the flat and stumbles for 7 yards. Call it the crap turf of Heinz Field, but if Choice doesn't stumble, it's a first down. Incomplete pass from Romo on 3rd and 2 puts Cowboys into another 4th down, which the Cowboys failed to convert.

+ Once again, I'd like to reiterate - especially in a game where both the trusty duo of Romo and Witten claim the blame for the loss - the most consistent, dependable, clutch players on the Cowboys are kicker Nick Folk and long-snapper L.P. Ladouceur. After watching Steelers kicker Jeff Reed miss a first-quarter field goal wide right, Folk kicked one toward the same upright in the second quarter. The '07 Pro Bowl kicked the ball left and let the wind bring it back right down the middle for 3 points. If Folk isn't the NFC Pro Bowl kicker again this season, then kickers shouldn't go to the Pro Bowl.

+ Here's the list of players who we saw get banged up during the game: Adam Jones, Terence Newman, Jason Witten, Montrae Holland, Keith Davis, Bradie James. Brad Sham even mentioned that L.P. Ladouceur was slow to get up after a Cowboys punt. When the injury bug bites, it bites hard.

+ On a lighter note, did Wade Phillips look like his mommy overdressed him for a cold day before sending off to school. The guy looked like a freakin overdressed toddler with a paranoid mom. Either that or George Costanza in The Dinner Party episode of Seinfeld. Back off, puff ball, it's not my car!

+ Penalties continue to hurt. The 12 men on the field and a neutral zone infraction kept the Steelers moving toward the goal line in the 2nd quarter. Those are two bad penalties, but the defense held the Steelers to a field goal after Pittsburgh started with the ball on the Dallas 23. Solid bend-but-don't-break performance.

+ Speak of good defense, nice game from Orlando Scandrick. Picks up his first career sack in the 3rd quarter. Also called a smart timeout when Pacman was out of position in the 1st quarter.

So where do the Cowboys go from here? The 8-5 team currently holds the final wild card berth, but with three tough teams ahead, the Cowboys will need more stout defense combined with reliable offense. If Dallas suffers another turnover stroke like they did in Pittsburgh, giving the ball away on four of their first seven possessions and losing the turnover battle -3, they can kiss any and all playoff hopes good bye. Embrace the good from this game and block out the bad. Next week the world champs return to Dallas, and you can bet they won't be too happy after getting stomped at home by the Eagles.

Weekend Quickhits

The Cowboys and Steelers are just a few hours of renewing a rivalry between two of the most historic teams in the NFL.  And as I sit on my couch eating my coconut-topped cake donut and small hot chocolate from the place down the street, there's a few thoughts I need to get out from this past week in sports.

+  Watching the USC game last night, did anyone else chuckle at the awkward silence following the back-to-back uniform-induced timeouts to start the game? With Mike Patrick and Todd Blackledge calling the game for ABC/ESPN, and as the referee announced the timeouts (for the home jersey followed by UCLA's voluntary timeout), here's how it went down:

(Flag thrown)

Referee: "Failure to wear required equipment. By the kicking team. That is a violation. That is a charged timeout. The first of the half by USC. Charged timeout, UCLA, their first of the half. Those will run concurrently. 30 second timeout"

Mike Patrick: "Sounds like the O.J. sentencing."

(silence for my count of 7-Mississippi)

+ I wonder if NHL commissioner Gary Bettman wakes up each morning and gets some sort of national security style briefing like the President does, except Bettman's contains a report on who call whose girlfriend a slut. As much as I think the Stars will be better off without Avery, sort of an addition by subtraction, and that's simply based on what everyone in that locker room is saying, I do think this whole league-imposed suspension is a grown-up version of the middle school assistant principle sending a kid to detention for name-calling.

If the Stars really didn't like what he said, they could have suspended him before the league did, but that wasn't going to happen. If Dallas is really serious about moving on without Avery, they should follow the lead of the NFL's Eagles and Buccaneers when those teams deactivated receivers Terrell Owens and Keyshawn Johnson. Both teams followed Super Bowl seasons, and both teams decided that their high-priced headaches weren't worth it. The Stars, coming off a successful season, might just want to get rid of this name caller. Gawsh!

+ Cowboys are playing the Steelers today without Marion Barber and a questionable DeMarcus Ware on a cold, blustery day in Pittsburgh. If weather could ever truly describe a city, today might be the perfect Pittsburgh day. Chance of snow, Wind chill in single digits. And the only people nuts enough to go outside at all today will be the 65,050 at Heinz Field. With a healthy Barber and Ware, the Cowboys could take down Pittsburgh, but without these two Pro Bowlers, could we see the resurrection of the Steel Curtain? The Cowboys offense better find a spark with Tashard Choice or hope that there's a Doomsday revival on the other side of the ball.

+ Oh, Canada! Today the Buffalo Bills are playing their first "home" game in Toronto, the NFL's first ever game in Canada. We saw a Cardinal/49ers regular season game in Mexico a few years ago. Now the NLF is invading the Great White North. I understand playing in Mexico and England, but Canada has the CFL. Grey Cup enthusiasts will be plenty upset aboot these hosers, eh. All three other major pro sports in the US have Canadian-based teams (although technically, I'd argue the NHL is really Canada's league that we're allowed to play in), and now the NFL is beginning it's move to embrace the Canucks. Goofy-looking 20-yard end zones not required.

+ Did the Mavericks find a useful player in J.J. Barea. He put together solid games against the Clippers, Suns and Hawks, and the Mavs are rolling along at 11-8 now. It's still only good for 7th in the West, but it's a great improvement from 2-7. All without Josh Howard, by the way. Now if they can just take care of Mark Cuban's kindergarden haircut, they'll be great.

+ The GBL made Rickey Henderson a $1M offer to go into the Hall of Fame as a San Diego Surf Dawg. Some league critics on message boards are upset that a league that history doesn't spend a lot of money would solicit Rickey for seven-figures. And that's the genius of it all. Because the Hall of Fame has the final say on which cap a player wears into the HOF, the league knows the possibility of Rickey as a Surf Dawg is virtually none, while the publicity generated is virtually a lot.

+ I tried to get through this week without talking about this, but I just can't. I'm weak. But how the heck does a world class athlete shoot himself in the freakin leg?! I swear, carrying a gun in your sweatpants. Plaxico Burress could lose up to $27M in salary and spend years behind bars. Doesn't make Terrell Owens look so bad now, huh?

+ Obligatory mention of Manny Pacquiao defeating Oscar De La Hoya. I don't care. Moving on.

+ Looks like the college football national championship will go down between Oklahoma and Florida, a pair of one-loss teams, but the Rose Bowl match up between USC and Penn State should be just as good. Penn State runs the spread, while USC has been led by a defense that gave up 93 points on the season. Oh, and these two teams have just one loss each as well. The BCS title will be decided in Miami, but the best game of the BCS Bowls will be played in Pasadena.

+ Finally, speaking of BCS Championship games, we're seen plenty more blowouts than close, amazing games. Here's some of the recent bloodlettings in the title game:

Blowouts
2007-08: LSU 38, Ohio State 24 - enough OSU
2006-07: Florida 41, Ohio State 14 - so much for being undefeated
2004-05: USC 55, Oklahoma 19 - OU was supposed to roll; rolled over instead
2003-04: LSU 21, Oklahoma 14 - not as close as 7 point difference
2001-02: Miami 37, Nebraska 14
2000-01: Oklahoma 13, Florida State 2
Nail-biters
2005-06: Texas 41, USC 38
2002-03: Ohio State 31, Miami 24 (2OT)

Happy football watching today. I'll be back Monday with some thoughts on the Cowboys-Steelers, providing I don't repeatedly slam my head into a wall during this match up.

Surfs up for Rickey Henderson, HOF

Interesting story from the Golden Baseball League - an independent minor league in the Western US... the GBL has offered Rickey Henderson $1 million to go into the Hall of Fame as a San Diego Surf Dawg. Henderson spent his final professional season with the Surf Dawgs in 2005, leading them to the inaugural GBL championship.

How amazing would that be to see this Hall of Fame lock in Cooperstown with the old Surf Dawgs cap on. Of course, the one snag in this plan is that the Hall of Fame museum has the final say as to which logo a player goes in under. Not sure just how much consideration Henderson will get as a Surf Dawg. That's what makes this PR move by the GBL so great.

The craziest part of the story is the fact that the Surf Dawgs are not currently playing in the GBL. The San Diego franchise went dark after the 2006 season, and the St. George (Utah) Roadrunners entered the league.

The same league that brought you Rickey Henderson, Jose Canseco, trading "Leon" from the Budweiser commercials for a case of Bud, trading a player for Maple bats, and so much more, now the GBL is pushing for a Hall of Famer. Gotta love it!

Golden Baseball League Makes Rickey Henderson $1M Hall of Fame Offer
Baseball Legend Would Enter Cooperstown as a San Diego Surf Dawg


Dublin, CA. December 3, 2008) The Golden Baseball League (GBL) announced today that they have offered professional baseball superstar Rickey Henderson $1M if he elects to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown as a San Diego Surf Dawg.

"Rickey played his final professional season in the Golden Baseball League in 2005 as a key member of the championship winning San Diego Surf Dawgs," said Golden Baseball League CEO David Kaval. "Cooperstown is the National Baseball Hall of Fame for professional players and the San Diego Surf Dawgs were Rickey's last professional team and one of only three teams, along with the 1989 Oakland Athletics and 1993 Toronto Blue Jays, that Rickey won a championship with. We stood by Rickey in 2005 when no major league team would sign him and continue to support him with this offer. We are confident that Rickey will be a first ballot selection and we look forward to seeing a bronzed Surf Dawg cap displayed on his Hall of Fame plaque."

Henderson played the entire 2005 season for the San Diego Surf Dawgs in the inaugural season of the Golden Baseball League, the premiere independent professional league in western North America, under Manager Terry Kennedy. He appeared in 73 of his team's 88 games, hitting .270 as he stole 16 bases and led the league with 73 walks as a 46 year old centerfielder. His team went on to post the best record in the league, led by four former Major League 1st round draft choices, and is considered one of the legendary independent professional teams of the modern era. Both coaches, plus the manager ended up signed by major league organizations along with four of the players, although not Henderson.

Rickey thrilled the GBL crowds that gathered to see him play with outstanding baseball on the field and with several uniquely Rickey moments off the field. From being ejected in the first inning during Little League Day at Tony Gwynn Stadium in San Diego and then spending the next nine inninngs in the stands rotating seats throughout the ballpark to sit with different little league teams to driving through the desert in a pickup truck with a lettuce farmer to reach Yuma by game time after being removed from his flight for not hanging up his cellphone fast enough, Rickey embraced the intimacy of the independent minors and demonstrated his love for the game regardless of where he was playing. His quest to be signed that year and spend one last day in a major league uniform and officially retire went unfulfilled. His championship game win at the end of that season was the last time he would wear a professional uniform as a player after first donning one 29 years earlier in 1976 in Boise, Idaho as a rookie in Oakland's farm system.

"This is a legitimate offer and a signed agreement has been sent to Rickey." continued Kaval. "Considering that Rickey played for nine major league teams in his career this gives him an excellent solution to the problem of slighting any of those fine organizations by picking a favorite. We would gladly donate the funds to a charity of Rickey's choice and look forward to being with him in Cooperstown on July 26th next summer."

In addition, the GBL will donate Rickey's final professional jersey and hat, now on display at the San Diego Museum of Sports History to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Golden Baseball League already has a team in the Hall of Fame as the 2005 Japan Samurai Bears, the first professional Japanese team to play as a regular member of a U.S. professional sports league had a jersey and team ball requested by Hall of Fame President Dale Petrosky at the conclusion of the 2005 season (see attached photo of GBL minority owner Todd Anson presenting to Petrosky), but Rickey would be the first GBL player to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

It's either Avery or continuity; not both

The Sean Avery drama continues. And after hearing the most recent comments from head coach Dave Tippett, I've got to believe that the organization is going to do something, anything to delay or deter or prevent his return to the locker room.

Not sure what options the club really has. Anyone willing to trade for him? And what would you really get back? Does the club just cut their losses, lots and lots of financial losses? Or do they try to suck it up and play with a guy who clearly has a lot to do to gain back the trust of his teammates.

Dave Tippett's comments on Sean Avery:



"As far as him coming back, rejoining the team, I think we'll have to wait and see what Mr. Bettman says, our ownership and management. From a coach's standpoint, I try to build a team that has an atmosphere where players care about each other and play for each other and play with continuity. And I find it hard to believe that Sean can come back in that dressing room, and we can find that continuity again. That's up in the air. That's my own personal feeling on it."

The coach just said that the team can't gel together with Sean Avery in the mix. The fact that Avery is a strong personality and a loud clubhouse presence isn't horrible, but when the team's captain Brenden Morrow isn't there every day - he just had his surgery - anarchy can overtake the locker room. And with Avery, it will. That's why Tippett is so concerned.

The team showed a lot of resolve the day of the comments and suspension, pulling together for a win in Calgary. But the fallout doesn't seem to be letting up. The game against the Flames looked like perhaps this team would be, could be better off without Avery. It'd be a much nicer argument had the Stars beaten the Oilers tonight.

One day after the Stars earned their longest winning streak since February (two games), Dallas slipped against the Edmonton Oilers, 5-2.

Not two minutes into the game, Marty Turco allowed the first Edmonton goal from just a few feet inside the blue line. Yikes. Once again, Marty Turco struggled. The defenders *cough* Matt Niskanen *cough* gave up costly turnovers in their own zone leading to a couple of Oilers goals. Mike Modano proved to be the one constant, putting two third period shots in net to pull Dallas within a goal late in the game. But another ugly Stars turnover led to the clinching empty netter. Typical 2008-09 Stars? It seems that way.

Getting rid of Dave Tippett isn't the answer. Trading Marty Turco isn't the answer. And you can't bench him because frankly he's so far and away the best goalie on this roster it ain't even funny. No one watching this team can seriously consider Tobias Stephane is a reasonable alternative. If the Stars are going to turn it around, it will have to be with Turco in net. Otherwise, it just won't happen.

And as for Avery, we'll see how long this suspension will last after his Thursday morning meeting with commission Bettman.

Boom goes Barea: Mavericks 100, Clippers 98

Amazing win by the Mavericks last night. After an extremely disappointing loss to the Clippers early this season, the Mavericks needed to beat this team simply because if - if - the Mavs are truly a playoff-caliber team, then they absolutely must beat the teams they're supposed to beat. Especially at home.

And just as important as winning the game was how this team won it. Just as they did one week ago, the Mavs overcame a double-digit fourth quarter deficit to wrestle away a well-fought win. And just like last week - when Antoine Wright scored 24 points to help beat the Pacers, there was once again an unlikely hero: Jose Juan Barea.

Or as they called him on the Clippers TV broadcast, Juan Jose Barea. But regardless of which order you put his first names, the best comment of the night came from Clippers TV color man Michael Smith after Barea hit the game-winning three-pointer: "Who is this guy?"

I guess we now know why JJ Barea has been able to hang onto the bottom of the Mavericks roster the past few seasons. He has had big games before, but the perception has been that he's merely a JV call-up getting to play in a varsity game. And when coach Rick Carlisle had the smallest player on the Mavs roster on the floor down the stretch, I initially thought it was horrible.

But Barea made plays, including setting up Dirk for one of his two big three-pointers to open the fourth quarter. It's not like Barea was a complete nobody before joining the Mavs, but he's appeared as nothing more than a gimmick at point guard up until recently. Carlisle is really trusting the depth of the Mavs to make plays, and the young players are responding. Perhaps Carlisle really does know how to get more out of his roster, his players than Avery Johnson did.

Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Brandon Bass, and Barea. Those were the five on the floor to finish things off. Obviously when Josh Howard returns, he'll be on the floor in the clutch as well, and depending on if the other team has a big-time center, perhaps Dampier or Diop will be out there. But last night, it worked. Beautifully.

The Mavericks 100-98 win over the Clippers gives this team one more comeback to put in the bank. One more reason when they trail tougher competition late in games to believe they can come back. Yes, they came from 15 points down to beat the Clippers, but if you can't do it against them, how could you be expected to do it against LA's other team?

And really, isn't that what we need to find out about the Mavericks?

Avery unneeded as Stars extinguish Flames

Great win for the Stars last night, who won back to back games for the first time all season (the first consecutive regular season wins since February 26 and 28 last season). The 3-2 win in Calgary came just hours after newly acquired Sean Avery fulfilled the role many expected him to play: the distraction.

I don't think what Sean Avery said is as big of a deal as how he went about saying it. The guy essentially called a mini press conference, making sure everyone was focused on him before his sloppy seconds comment. If he had yelled this comment to Phaneuf on the ice during the game, in the heat of battle (or even after the game if the two got into it), I could understand that. But to go about making this announcement the way he did, he wanted to make sure he stole the headlines.

Only problem is that commissioner Bettman stole them back when he suspended Avery indefinitely. Does the punishment really fit the crime? Probably not. But sadly it does fit the perpetrator.

How long until Avery is back on the ice? And when that time comes, where will the Stars be? Last night, they took major steps forward with Marty Turco making big saves and Fabian Brunnstrom realizing he is in fact allowed to continue scoring goals. Dallas is still in the Western Conference basement, but it's great to beat a tough team like the Flames.

I'm hoping Garry Bettman takes his time to reinstate Avery. Not too long, but perhaps give the Stars a few more opportunities to take the ice. Perhaps removing Avery from the picture can allow this team to refocus on hockey and now his sloppy seconds.

Is it possible Sean Avery is now the biggest knucklehead athlete in Dallas? We've got quite a list of them now with Avery, Pacman, Vicente Padilla, Terrell Owens, Josh Howard...

Elisha Cuthbert

With Sean Avery's comments about Dion Phaneuf and other NHL players falling in love with his sloppy seconds, I figured I'd take the opportunity to show you just how "sloppy" those seconds are. Seriously, would you complain? I think Phaneuf will be just fine...




See more pictures of Elisha Cuthbert...

Sean Avery, sloppy seconds, and suspensions

Stars troublemaking free agent signing Sean Avery decided to run his mouth this morning in Calgary, earning him an indefinite suspension until he meets with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

Perfect. Because the Stars need this now.

With all the head-ache-causing athletes in Dallas, Sean Avery just leapfrogged the entire list. Move over, TO, Pacman, Padilla, Josh Howard…

Why does he just have to open his friggen mouth? Just shut up and play hockey!!! Your team is in last place, and frankly I don’t care who your ex-girlfriend is or who she’s sleeping with. I’d love to know why you can’t put a puck in a net.

Moron. Absolute moron.

Here's the video...


By the way, the best comment I've heard on this subject is from Dallas Morning News blogger Tim MacMahon...
"I won't go into what "sloppy seconds" means, but it's not a hockey term."

NFC Playoff Picture - Week 13 wrap up

So now the NFC playoff picture begins to unfold. Or begins to clutter depending on your point of view. The key for many teams: just keep winning. Others like Washington, Minnesota, Philadelphia need help. Not like Detroit-Lions-help, but just a few key losses here and there.

Looking at NFL.com, they have the current playoff standings listed 1. NYG 2. TB 3. ARZ 4. MIN 5. CAR 6. ATL. Both Atlanta and Dallas have an 8-4 record, and based on the NFL tiebreaking procedures, the Falcons currently hold the sixth and final NFC playoff berth.

The tiebreaking steps as it applies to the Falcons and Cowboys thru 13 weeks (12 games) of the 2008 season:
Step 1: Head-to-head (if applicable)
The Cowboys and Falcons are not scheduled to play during the 2008 regular season. So we must go to...

Step 2: Best won-lost-tied percentage in game played within the conference
So far this year, Dallas is 6-4 in the NFC while the Falcons are 5-3. That gives Atlanta a .625 winning percentage over the Dallas' .600. It didn't take us any more than Step 2 to determine the Falcons are currently the sixth seed while the Cowboys are on the outside looking in.

Tiebreakers are always a big topic of discussion as the NFL season dwindles down. So fascinating. All the little details of who beat whom, and what their record is can make all the difference. I still remember Carolina and Green Bay each running up the score of their respective 1999 regular season finales to gain an edge in conference point rankings (in the end the Cowboys and Lions made the playoffs thanks to preliminary tiebreakers).

This week, we're taking a look at where different teams in the NFL stand in each level of tiebreaking, and we'll keep track through the rest of the season.

Now without further adieu, here are your NFC standings after Week 13...

If the playoffs started today, who need not worry:
1. New York Giants (11-1)
2. Tampa Bay Bucs (9-3)
3. Arizona Cardinals (7-5)
4. Minnesota Vikings (7-5)
5. Carolina Panthers (9-3)
6. Atlanta Falcons (8-4)

Need to keep winning:
7. Dallas Cowboys (8-4)
8. Washington Redskins (7-5)
9. Chicago Bears (6-6)
10. Philadelphia Eagles (6-5-1)
11. New Orleans Saints (6-6)

Needs #4:
12. Green Bay Packers (5-7)

Oh, look. The NFC West:
13. San Francisco 49ers (4-8)
14. Seattle Seahawks (2-10)
15. St. Louis Rams (2-10)

Need Bill Parcells or Rick Moranis:
16. Detroit Lions (0-12)

After the Eagles plastered the Cardinals at home on Thanksgiving night, perhaps we should include Philly in our playoff spotlight. Focusing on the top 11 NFC teams, let's see the remaining schedule for each team, who has the easiest road to the playoffs, and how this could shake out.

Prediction Key:

Win

Loss

	NYG	TB	ARZ	CHI	CAR	WAS	ATL	DAL	MIN	NO	PHI
W-L	11-1	9-3	7-5	6-6	9-3	7-5	8-4	8-4	7-5	6-6	6-5-1
Week 13	W @Was	W NO	L @Phi	L @Min	W @GB	L NYG	W @SD	W Sea	W Chi	L @TB	W Ari
Week 14	Phi	@Car	STL	Jax	TB	@Bal	@NO	@Pit	@Det	Atl	@NYG
Week 15	@Dal	@Atl	Min	NO	Den	@Cin	TB	NYG	@Ari	@Chi	Cle
Week 16	Car	SD	@NE	GB	@NYG	Phi	@Min	Bal	Atl	@Det	@Was
Week 17	@Min	Oak	Sea	@Hou	@NO	@SF	STL	@Phi	NYG	Car	Dal
Predicted Final Record	14-2	11-5	10-6	9-7	11-5	10-6	10-6	11-5	10-6	10-6	7-8-1

Current NFL Tiebreaker rankings

Because the wild card picture is the most cluttered, let's focus on breaking ties at the Wild Card level for now. Considering two divisions (East, West) are all but wrapped up and the South and North are still hotly contested, the final two spots are the one that require the most breakdown. I'll be excluding the Giants and Cardinals from this as both teams appear to be well in control of their respective divisions - and frankly it's just less math to deal with.

Here are the 11 steps for breaking a tie between two wild card contenders:

1. Head-to-head, if applicable.
   
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
   
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
   
4. Strength of victory.
   
5. Strength of schedule.
   
6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
   
7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
   
8. Best net points in conference games.
   
9. Best net points in all games.
   
10. Best net touchdowns in all games.
    
11. Coin toss.
    

For this exercise, we'll be ignoring the head-to-head step as it takes a simple glance at the regular season to solve. We're digging deeper. First, the best W-L-T percentage in the conference.

W-L-T percentage in NFC

Team	TB	CHI	CAR	ATL	DAL	WAS	MIN	PHI	NO
NFC W-L-T	8-2	5-4	6-3	5-3	6-4	6-4	5-3	5-4	3-5
%	.800	.556	.667	.625	.600	.600	.625	.556	.375
Rank	1	T-7	2	T-3	T-5	T-5	T-3	T-7	9

The next step, best won-lost-tied percentage in common games we will skip for two reasons. First, we won't know which two teams to analyze when it comes to common opponents, and secondly because even if we had two teams, they might not have the requisite four games to apply this tiebreaker. Thus, we press onward.

Strength of Victory
This tiebreaker is used to determine the caliber of opponents a team beat throughout the season. If a team racks up a monster record but does it against pansies, they would lose this tiebreaker to a team with the same record who beat tougher opponents. This is really where things start to get technical.

Team	TB	CHI	CAR	ATL	DAL	WAS	MIN	PHI	NO
Beaten Teams	ATL CHI GB CAR SEA KC MIN DET NO	IND PHI DET MIN DET STL	SD CHI ATL KC NO ARI OAK DET GB	DET KC GB CHI OAK NO CAR SD	CLE PHI GB CIN TB WAS SF SEA	NO ARI DAL PHI CLE DET SEA	CAR NO DET HOU GB JAC CHI	STL PIT SF ATL SEA CIN* ARI	DEN SF OAK SD KC GB
Beaten Teams' Record	45-63	23-48-1	41-67	35-61	38-56-2	33-50-1	35-49	33-50-1	25-47
%	.417	.326	.380	.365	.406	.393	.417	.393	.347
Rank	T-1	9	6	7	3	T-4	T-1	T-4	8

*Ties in the NFL count as a half-win and half-loss, therefore the Eagles tie against the Bengals will be counted as half of a win and the game is counted in their strength of victory.

Strength of Schedule
This is similar to strength of victory except it includes the records of all the teams played, not just the teams defeated. Listed are the teams played (italics indicates loss), their combined record and winning percentage, followed by the rankings of where each team falls in this particular tiebreaker.

Team	TB	CHI	CAR	ATL	DAL	WAS	MIN	PHI	NO
Teams Played in 2008	NO ATL CHI GB DEN CAR SEA DAL KC MIN DET NO	IND CAR TB PHI DET ATL MIN DET TEN GB STL MIN	SD CHI MIN ATL KC TB NO ARI OAK DET ATL GB	DET TB KC CAR GB CHI PHI OAK NO DEN CAR SD	CLE PHI GB WAS CIN ARI STL TB NYG WAS SF SEA	NYG NO ARI DAL PHI STL CLE DET PIT DAL SEA NYG	GB IND CAR TEN NO DET CHI HOU GB TB JAC CHI	STL DAL PIT CHI WAS SF ATL SEA NYG CIN* BAL ARI	TB WAS DEN SF MIN OAK CAR SD ATL KC GB TB
Opp. Record	66-78	72-71-1	65-79	66-77-1	65-77-2	74-69-1	74-60	73-70-1	74-70
%	.458	.503	.451	.462	.458	.517	.514	.510	.514
Rank	T-7	5	9	6	T-7	1	T-2	4	T-2

Strength of schedule really illuminates the road each team traveled during the regular season. It's a tiebreaker that the NFL must use every so often when teams log-jam the standings around 8-8. Usually this ends of favoring the teams in a division which plays the toughest division. This season teams in the NFC West are playing the NFC East, and because three teams in the West are severely struggling, that is reflected in the overall winning percentage of the opponents of NFC East teams.

With this formula, however, opponents that have not yet been played (Week 14-17 opponents) have not yet been factored in. A team like Washington with a .517 opponent winning percentage will likely see that number fall significantly after games against Cincinnati and San Francisco.

Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed
I know what you're thinking: what does that even mean? How could anyone ever know that? That's what I'm here for. Here's the breakdown of how these tangled up teams currently rank when it comes to putting up points and preventing teams from scoring.

Team	TB	CHI	CAR	ATL	DAL	WAS	MIN	PHI	NO
Offensive Points Scored	280	281	285	298	299	208	287	319	337
NFC Rank	11	10	9	7	6	14	8	5	3
Defensive Points Allowed	200	268	231	242	260	222	260	249	301
NFC Rank	1	9	4	5	T-7	3	T-7	6	11
Combined Ranking	12	19	13	12	13	17	15	11	12
Who comes out ahead	T-2	9	T-5	T-2	T-5	8	7	1	T-2

Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed
As you can see from the above tiebreaker, it's very easy for several teams to end up tied within a conference with similar combined rankings, especially when you consider that it's really the teams at the top of the conference who are being looked at. At this point, it's time to bring in the entire NFL into the mix to determine whose rankings are the best.

Team	TB	CHI	CAR	ATL	DAL	WAS	MIN	PHI	NO
Offensive Points Scored	280	281	285	298	299	208	287	319	337
NFL Rank	17	16	14	9	8	28	13	6	4
Defensive Points Allowed	200	268	231	242	260	222	260	249	301
NFL Rank	4	18	7	8	T-15	6	T-15	10	23
Combined Ranking	21	34	21	17	23	34	28	16	27
Who comes out ahead	T-3	T-8	T-3	2	5	T-8	7	1	6

Best net points in conference games.
We're getting farther and farther down the list of tiebreakers. By this points, it's extremely rare that two teams remain tied. However, this is simply an exercise to see which teams come out ahead in each category. Now it's time to check net points (Net = Offensive Pts - Defensive Pts).

Team	TB	CHI	CAR	ATL	DAL	WAS	MIN	PHI	NO
Points Scored vs. NFC	237	244	208	214	240	180	197	284	204
Points Allowed vs. NFC	157	234	201	212	228	188	179	194	212
Net	+80	+10	+7	+2	+12	-8	+18	+90	-8
Tiebreaker Rank	2	5	6	7	4	T-8	3	1	T-8

Best net points in all games.
It's only fair to judge a team's body of work against its conference before looking at how it did against the entire NFL. Take a team that gets to play interconference games against the other conference's weakest division (*cough* AFC West *cough*) compared to teams that must play against AFC East opponents. That's why this tiebreaker is so far down the list.

Just take a look at the point differentials of teams like Carolina, Atlanta and New Orleans who each saw their net points skyrocket when taking into account the entire NFL. That's because this season the NFC South played the AFC West. Note: the NFC West is playing the AFC East which could explain why Buffalo, New England, Miami and the Jets are all doing so well this year. It's not the only reason, but it certainly helps.

Team	TB	CHI	CAR	ATL	DAL	WAS	MIN	PHI	NO
Total Points Scored	280	281	285	298	299	208	287	319	337
Total Points Allowed	200	268	231	242	260	222	260	249	301
Net	+80	+13	+54	+56	+39	-14	+27	+70	+36
Tiebreaker Ranking	1	8	4	3	5	9	7	2	6

Best net touchdowns in all games.
This is the final tiebreaker that has anything to do with football played on the field. After this, it comes down to a coin flip. Could you imagine the whole coin flip debacle from Thanksgiving 1998 going down as the final tiebreaker for a playoff spot??? Wouldn't you have to watch? It'd be the most intense coin flip ever - until of course we see overtime in the Super Bowl.

Consider this fact about the net touchdowns tiebreaker. Lets say two teams play each other and tie in the head-to-head (are you listening, Donovan, it's possible), 21-21. Team A scores 21 by kicking seven field goals. Team B finds the end zone three times. If it got down to this tiebreaker, Team B is going to really enjoy how that tie came about. Here are the net TD numbers:

Team	TB	CHI	CAR	ATL	DAL	WAS	MIN	PHI	NO
Total TDs Scored	28	32	32	32	36	21	30	35	41
Total TDs Allowed	19	29	25	29	26	24	29	27	31
Net	+9	+3	+7	+3	+10	-3	+1	+8	+10
Tiebreaker Ranking	3	T-6	5	T-6	T-1	9	8	4	T-1

Fed up with Thanksgiving football nonsense

I'm so sick of hearing about how it's not fair the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys always get to host games on Thanksgiving.  How it's no fun to watch the Detroit Lions lose in non-competitive games.  How other teams have some sort of divine right to host the Turkey Day classics.  

Bull.

There are some sane minds out there, but after reading commentary after commentary about how the NFL should improve it's Thanksgiving Day lineup, I had to respond. Here's my take on why it's ludicrous for the NFL to even consider stripping the Cowboys or even the woeful Lions of their Thanksgiving day hosting duties.

Absolutely not. The entire disappointment with the Thanksgiving line up is the fact that the Lions are battling futility this season. Detroit/Tennessee was a poor match up, there's no questioning that. But so was Dallas/Seattle because the Seahawks were so bad. Philadelphia/Arizona wasn't competitive either.

So the argument for stripping the game from either Dallas or Detroit for a better game is out.

As far as the "make it take it" style of hosting, I think that could work for the third game, but not for the first two. Those games are the right of the Lions and Cowboys. Detroit has had their game since the 1930s. In the 1960s when the NFL wanted to add another game, no other NFL franchise wanted to play on Thanksgiving. Cowboys President Tex Schramm had the foresight to pledge the Cowboys as the host of the second Turkey Day game. He knew how important it would be to have a national audience to brand this young franchise. You mentioned that the Cowboys are America's Team, and it's because of decisions by Tex Schram - decisions like taking the Thanksgiving Day game - they have that reputation.

Also, other teams complain about having to travel on the short week, but frankly it's something that they have to do once every 10 years maybe. For Dallas and Detroit, they must deal with the short week each and every season, so there is definitely a trade off.

The addition of a third NFL game is where other teams can host a Turkey Day classic. If you want to institute your make-it-take-it plan, or have it rotate around the league based on merit, or if you want to take a should-be/could-be good match up and plug it in there, go for it. That's fine. But Dallas and Detroit have both firmly implemented themselves as Thanksgiving Day hosts. The NFL should not take those games away.

There would be no griping over who gets to host the Thanksgiving Day games if not for these two franchises volunteering to host these games in the first place. It's for that the franchises should be rewarded, not punished. The NFL has a monopoly on Thanksgiving. The holiday is synonymous with football. The NFL should be thankful for the Cowboys and Lions.

By the way, if you are looking for some additional sports reading around the web, check out The Sports Flow. Other than getting my blood boiling over Thanksgiving football, it's pretty solid.

Problem between the pipes

Sitting in the American Airlines Center watching shot after shot find its way around Stars goalie Marty Turco, I kept trying to explain to my dad how it's not always the goalie's fault. After each goal tingled the twine, I kept finding ways to explain them. A poor turnover by a Stars defender. A solid screen in front of the net. But after five goals in a 6-2 loss against San Jose, there are simply no more excuses. The problem is #35. And that’s a tough pill to swallow after such an amazing run last spring.

I assumed that coming within two wins of the Stanley Cup finals last year would buy Turco some clemency for his awful start this season. But at what point do we have to just wake up and realize that this thing, which looked so good last spring, is simply not going to be what it was.

When the third period began with the Stars trailing the first-place Sharks 5-1, Tobias Stephan stood in the crease as Marty slumped onto the bench with a towel around his neck. His night was over. And what of his season?

It's getting harder and harder to defend a guy who for two straight postseasons has been otherworldly. It seemed after every game last spring, all anyone could say was that Marty stood on his head again to bail the Stars out and keep the playoff run alive. This year, there will be no deep playoff run. It's time to wake up: the injury-plagued, last-place Stars are done. Their season is over before it really started.

Think about all those Texas Rangers teams that would hit June already 15 or 20 games out of first place. This is the same thing, just colder. Check the standings, the Stars are already 21 points off the division lead. And while Dallas is only a mere 6 points out of the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings, would it matter if they make it? What would lie ahead? A four-game execution-style series at the hands of the Sharks. No thank you.

Turco has six wins this season. Six! His goal against average is 3.64, second-worst in the NHL. But as bad as Marty is, Tobias Stephan is not the answer. In his five games this year, his GAA is 3.47. Great, just great.

Many will say the answer is now between the pipes in Tampa Bay, where Mike Smith is only 5-5-6 on the year. But the answer is really a combination of the two. Having two capable netminders on the roster. Sadly, right now Dallas doesn't even have one.

So you can look to the injuries to Morrow, Lehtinen and Ott as to why this team can't score. You can say acquiring Sean Avery wasn't worth the risk. You can even say the Brad Richards trade was pointless. But you can't deny the problem with the Stars starts between the pipes.

It's a problem that either must fix itself before the front office takes matters into its own hands.

Thanksgiving Feast: Dal 34, Sea 9

The final Thanksgiving Day game at Texas Stadium highlighted all the Cowboys have to be thankful for.  It all amounted to a 34-9 thumping of the Seattle Seahawks in the Turkey Day classic. The 8-4 Cowboys now have 10 days off before a trip to Pittsburgh that could just as easily put this team over the top as it could send it free falling back to earth.

Amazing game for Dallas on Thursday. Tony Romo, playing in his third game with a splint on his right pinkie finger, led Dallas to three TDs on the first three Dallas drives. The QB maneuvered around, avoiding pressuring all day to buy time for his targets. A prime example came on the game's first touchdown, as Romo scrambled right while rookie TE Martellus Bennett slipped behind the zone defense. Romo floated the ball over the outstretched fingers of a linebacker, and the route was one.

The Cowboys will go only as far as Romo and the defense takes them. And speaking of that defense, it seemed like they were more than capable of stopping former Cowboy Julius Jones, but the secondary made Matt Hasselbeck look like he'd returned to Pro Bowl form. The Seattle starter completed 22 of 38 passes for 287 and one deep jump-ball interception. It seemed like the Cowboys defense gave Hasselbeck anything he wanted underneath. Then again, they also gave him plenty of opportunities to stay down, sacking him seven times.

And while there were glowing examples of what Dallas has to be thankful for - a swarming front seven and a healing pinkie - the Cowboys still have much to worry about. Mainly the early departure of Marion Barber and DeMarcus Ware from the game. The status of those two Pro Bowlers will play a major factor in just how much success Dallas can have down the stretch. After taking a look at the NFC playoff picture coming into this week, it's clear that things could be very crowded at the top.

We'll look more into the remaining schedule and updated playoff race after Sunday's games.

A few other notes from the last Turkey tussle at Texas Stadium:

+ While it might be disconcerting to see how Seattle was able to move the ball in the passing game, Hasselbeck was quick to point out the real Cowboys game plan.

"They've got an interesting red-zone plan," Hasselbeck said. "They let you move the ball, but they don't let you score.

"I know one play in particular, basically they had five guys standing at the goal line, one underneath, and the rest of the guys were rushing the passer. I mean, their heels were on the goal line, and they were saying, 'Hey, we'll let you catch it in front of us, and we'll tackle you.' "

+ Seven sacks, with three for DeMarcus Ware, helped shut down the Seahawks in critical situations. They weren't just sacking Hasselbeck whenever. They were doing it on critical downs.  Also, great holiday spirit by flapping around like a turkey for the sack dance of the day.  Here are the seven Cowboys sacks from Thursday:

1st Quarter
1st and 15 at DAL 23 (2:09) M.Hasselbeck sacked at DAL 31 for -8 yards (D.Ware).
2nd Quarter
1st and 10 at SEA 41 (6:21) M.Hasselbeck sacked at SEA 35 for -6 yards (T.Johnson).
3rd and 5 at SEA 46 (5:05) M.Hasselbeck sacked at SEA 38 for -8 yards (B.James).
---
2nd and 10 at DAL 11 (1:47) M.Hasselbeck sacked at DAL 15 for -4 yards (D.Ware).
3rd and 14 at DAL 15 (1:41) M.Hasselbeck sacked at DAL 20 for -5 yards (B.James).
3rd Quarter
3rd and 6 at SEA 24 (7:22) M.Hasselbeck sacked at SEA 15 for -9 yards (D.Ware).
4th Quarter
2nd and 5 at SEA 48 (5:44) M.Hasselbeck sacked at SEA 43 for -5 yards (G.Ellis).

+ T-New with a second pick in as many weeks. On first down no less. Good to have him back.

+ Great game for Cowboys tight ends today. Jason Witten caught 9 balls for 115 yards and a touchdown. Martellus Bennett caught a TD pass in his third straight game. In total, Romo completed 11 passes for 150 and 2 TDs to tight ends on Thursday. With such amazing weapons on the outside in Terrell Owens and Roy Williams, Dallas' ability to work the middle of the field with the tight ends will be the biggest factor in continuing drives and converting third downs.

+ Tashard Choice. Finally! The rookie RB got 11 touches for 38 yards (by the way, I'd trade his touches for a healthy Marion Barber, but whatcha gonna do?) in his first significant amount of game time since the preseason. Dallas needs Choice to gain confidence, and lots of it, quickly as they hit the home stretch of the schedule. If Barber can't go, Tashard is the only other Choice on the roster.

+ Nick Folk made two more 40+ yard field goals. Solid.

+ I don't really know who the Jonas Brothers are, but anyone who makes Hanson look manly is not welcome at an NFL halftime show.

+ Poor Julius Jones. He returns to his former home stadium and gets booed mercilessly. It's bad enough for the guy he fumbled, but I couldn't understand why Cowboys fans were booing the guy? He wasn't exactly a locker room cancer. And for the four seasons he spent in Dallas, this team would have never made it over the hump into a contender without guys like him holding things together for a few years. Then again, it's a short memory in sports. It's a clouded memory when thinking of T.O. disgracing the Star now that he has one on his helmet.

The Cowboys now face a stretch of four teams with a combined record of 31-13-1 (.700 winning percentage). Three of their final four opponents currently hold playoff spots. Two of them currently hold first-round byes. The "worst" team left on the Cowboys schedule just beat a division leader by 28 points. *gulp*

The way the Cowboys are playing, they could pull together and go 12-4. The way their opponents are playing now, Dallas could wind up 8-8. And there's really no way to predict which way this season will tilt. So the game, duh, must be played on the field. And we must wait and see if the Cowboys really do have what it takes when matched up against the elite teams of the NFL.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!