Can We Play Them Every Week?

I have to keep it a bit short this morning, but the links should provide plenty of reading. Bottom line for the 2nd preseason game last night offered the following:

- Drew Bledsoe can still play a little, despite those who are ready for the Romo era
- The Defense still looks like it can carry this team with its ability to overwhelm its opponent. (of course, not everyone will be the Saints)
- DeMarcus Ware is ready to be a star in this league.
- The Offensive Line still makes me nervous.
- The Saints are really not going to be very good this season.
- The Cowboys need to carry to kickers and Vanderjagt is made of glass.

In preseason, you just try to get people ready and keep them healthy. It looks like the Cowboys are doing ok in each category. This team looks ready to be pretty good this season based on the first 3+ weeks of camp.

Bledsoe and Romo both play well …

Quarterback Drew Bledsoe justified his thinking with a flawless performance before a national television audience on Monday Night Football.

Bledsoe, playing the first half, completed 12 of 16 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns. He led the Cowboys to points on three of four possessions as they pummeled New Orleans, 30-7, before 45,162 at the Independence Bowl.

"Are you ready to anoint a new king or do you want to stay with the old one?" Jones asked rhetorically at halftime, laughing at the thought of a quarterback controversy.

Bledsoe didn't play last week. Tony Romo, playing the entire game, responded by completing 19 of 25 passes for 235 yards and a pair of touchdowns, inspiring talk of a controversy.

That's easy to do with Bledsoe because he is no longer considered among the game's elite. He does, however, remain a solid starter.

He still completed 60 percent of his passes last season for 3,639 yards with 23 touchdowns and 17 interceptions behind an offensive line whose tackles – Rob Petitti and Torrin Tucker – finished 1-2 in the league in sacks allowed.

Jones believes the Cowboys have too good a team to entrust it to Romo, who's full of potential but has never thrown a regular-season pass.

"I've never heard it debated by any coach," Jones said of Bledsoe's status, "and I never debated it in my mind.

"To me, he showed the benefit of a veteran quarterback. He made good decisions the entire half, and we got the benefit of his experience. Drew can throw the ball. If we give him time and he plays the whole year, the fans can have a lot of fun this year."

Bledsoe shocked to hear of story …

Quarterback controversy? What quarterback controversy? Bledsoe asked.

"Honestly, I haven't seen it," said the 13-year pro. "I haven't heard it. We're locked down in training camp, and I'm not hearing anything."

Romo finished his night with 138 yards passing, completing 6 of 8 against the Saints' second- and third-teamers. He did fumble once, not that anyone noticed.
"I've said it, and I'll continue to say it," Bledsoe remarked. "I'm really happy for Tony. He's been playing very, very well. He's a guy who in his fourth year is demonstrating that he can play in this league."

Bledsoe is right, even if it had nothing to do with Monday night.

One of the more unremarkable additions to the Cowboys this spring, Marcus Coleman, has been rumored to be a cut; and now he adds to his unremarkable tenure here with a nice drug suspension …

Safety Marcus Coleman, who was supposed to have an important role in the Cowboys' secondary, has violated the league's substance-abuse policy, several club sources said Monday.

The sources said Coleman, a 10-year veteran, could face a four-game suspension.
"I don't know," Coleman said after the game. "I can't say anything about that."
Citing league policy, he declined further comment.

Rafeal Vela on Demarcus the great …

Demarcus Ware abused Saints LT Jamaal Brown with power moves. He almost caused an interception by pushing Brown back into Drew Bree’s lap. Greg Ellis dropped a gimme TD off Brees’ errant throw.

Ware also made the defensive play of the game. With New Orleans facing a third and short in the Dallas red zone, Sean Payton lined up Reggie Bush in the left slot. Dallas, which stubbornly stays in its base as much as possible, moved Ware out into space over Bush. At the snap, Bush ran a flat route, parallel to the line of scrimmage. He caught a quick Brees pass but could not outrun Ware to the sideline.
Ware wrapped the rookie up for no gain when Bush tried to cut back inside him.

Here is the Peter King column from Monday that stirred up Romo v. Bledsoe ….

I think this is probably just something that stuck out to me, but it's something I can't get out of my mind. Count me among those who think Romo has a good chance to be Dallas' starting quarterback at some point sooner rather than later. And deservedly so. At practice Wednesday afternoon Romo was running a two-minute drill and the clock was running way down. Romo was sprinting to the line, exhorting his linemen to hustle so they could get in one last play. Defensive lineman Kenyon Coleman was slow getting back over the line, and Romo thought time might run out before he'd get off this play. With Coleman still two strides from ambling across the line, Romo gave him something between a punch in the back and strong shove, to hustle him over the line. Then he quickly snapped the ball, just in time. And I thought: Here's a guy who's never thrown a pass in a real NFL game and he's got the presence of mind and the savvy to treat a defensive guy on his own team like that. Impressive, really impressive.

Later in the column, he really started a fire of hot sports opinions:

Koren Robinson will almost certainly be suspended for the year after his DWI and high-speed car chase with the cops near the Vikings' training camp in Mankato, Minn. But I reserve my harshest comment for the Vikings. Whoever decided to pay Robinson any significant guaranteed money (in this case $1 million) and make him the team's No. 1 receiver -- owner Zygi Wilf, GM Rob Brzezinski, coach Brad Childress -- ought to have his head examined in the first place.

Next to the word unreliability in my Webster's is a mug shot of Robinson, who broke Mike Holmgren's all-time record for player mischief-making. Robinson is the type of player you invite to training camp and give a contract with a very low base salary, a tiny bonus (if you give him one at all) and a huge backside to the contract. If he won't take that, fine; let him infect some other team. Wilf has a lot to learn as an owner. The first thing is this: When you say over and over that you're going to run a tight ship and have a team the community can be proud of, mean it. If you import turds like Robinson -- and that is a bit harsh, really, because I've met the guy a couple of times and he seems like a decent fellow, but obviously one plagued by an addiction problem and a truth-telling problem -- and hand him a check for $1 million, you do not mean what you say about not employing the troublemakers. A leopard might change his spots, but it's ridiculous, with so little exposure to the guy, to reward said leopard so handsomely before he proves to you for a long time that he has.

Keith asks, Gay or not Gay? …

Rangers Lose; …and, A’s win after being behind 8-0 so the Rangers drop to 6.5 games back…Will you please listen to me, Rangers fans? This thing has been over for a few weeks now. Basically, since losing the final 2 in Anaheim and the first 2 in Oakland…

Tech tries to get the Aggies to Dallas …

Texas Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said he will resume discussions with Texas A&M counterpart Bill Byrne in the next few days about moving the schools' annual football game to Dallas.

"We're not any closer than we were," Myers said.

Myers said planning would have to begin soon if the game were to move to the Cotton Bowl next season. Tech is interested in playing in the Cotton Bowl, which seats 72,260, or the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium, which will have a seating capacity of 75,000 when it opens in 2009.

State Fair president Errol McKoy said a Tech-A&M game at the Cotton Bowl could generate revenue of close to $10 million in 2008. That's when the Cotton Bowl would expand to 92,000 seats if a November bond package passes.

"We're not hearing much out of A&M's side," McKoy said. "Tech really wants to play in Dallas, because they realize it's a significant opportunity."

And you would think given the Aggies lack of success in Lubbock they would love the chance to avoid it….




Our friend, Dan McGraw writes about the world Of Mixed Martial Arts …

Jon Heder’s new film …

Feature Youtube:

Derek Harper starts a great fight



Total Eclipse of the Heart