Cowboys are Owned...By Olympics?

I can’t remember ever leading with Galloway, but I must. This little gem leaves me no choice ….The Olympics doubled the Cowboys!

Just so you know:

I’m shocked — no, really. I am actually shocked — to learn the Cowboys have been KO’d this month in local TV ratings. We were all aware it was a team with a glass chin in January, but to be HDed floored in August by … swimmers and teenage pixie gymnasts, well

Jerry Jones might want to demand a recount, but the Olympic telecast Saturday night
doubled the Cows-Denver game in local viewership, and when Mr. Phelps was going for No. 8 just past 10 o’clock, it more than tripled the football game.

This came after the Cowboys had finished a close second to the Olympics in viewers the previous Saturday while playing in San Diego. That was considered an upset, but nothing compared with what would come next.

A friend from a foreign country (New York City) responded with a "duh" to that information, as in: It’s the Olympics; it’s exhibition football. What’d you expect?
How do you explain to these outsiders that the power grip of the Cowboys on local precincts has forever been partly defined by the TV audience for meaningless games in August. But Saturday night may have been the lowest rating in 30 years, if not 40.
In touting its Olympic ratings bonanza, NBC can start right here, the fourth largest market in the land.

Not only that, But the Olympics beat the Cowboys last week, too …

OK, so it was an exhibition game against the San Diego Chargers on Saturday night. But it was a Cowboys game, and if the team's won-loss percentage on the field were anywhere near its won-loss percentage on the preseason ratings charts, they'd be Super Bowl-bound every season.

In the two hours the Olympics and Cowboys butted heads, the Olympics on Channel 5 topped the Cowboys-Chargers on Channel 11 by a score of 15.2 to 13.8. That's a difference of 34,100 homes. For the night, the Olympics scored a 14.1 to the Cowboys 12.8, a difference of 31,663 homes.

CHill gives us 5 and 5 On Los Vaqueros ….

Five reasons to feel good

Adam "Pacman" Jones

The man formerly known as Pacman is back to calling himself Pacman. He doesn’t want the media to address him that way. Whatever he’s called, Jones has more than lived up to expectations. He might not be a shutdown corner in the mold of Deion Sanders, but he is very good and a huge upgrade over former third cornerback Jacques Reeves. His biggest contribution might come on punt returns where Jones plans to challenge Devin Hester for league-best honors.

Thunder and Lightning

The Cowboys apparently pegged it right on draft day by selecting running back Felix Jones as a great complement to Pro Bowl starter Marion Barber. Barber got the team and the fans excited last year with his bull-in-a-china-closet style. It looks as though Jones will put a similar charge in the offense and Texas Stadium crowd with his explosiveness. He is simply lightning in a bottle and will give defenses fits when the Cowboys unleash him following Barber’s thunderous runs.

MVP Ware

There was not a lot of talk about DeMarcus Ware during training camp. But that’s because he’s the quiet sort or doesn’t seek attention. And with the media crazy after Terrell Owens, Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson and Tony Romo on the roster, Ware can find solitude. But make no mistake about it, Ware might be the best athlete on the team. After getting 14 sacks in his first season in Wade Phillips’ attacking defense last year, 20 sacks is distinct possibility. Phillips calls him a defensive MVP candidate.

Tank Johnson and the line

The defensive line is the only unit that did not have a Pro Bowler last season. But don’t cry for this bunch, which is active, deep and versatile. Nose tackle Jay Ratliff is the perfect example. He is the best of the bunch and could see a lot of time at end. Johnson is the wild card. Coming off his first full off-season and training camp since 2006, he is in the best shape of his career. He said it himself; he is a beast again.

Zach Thomas’ nose for the ball

Owner Jerry Jones predicted over the summer that Thomas might have the biggest impact of all their off-season acquisitions. And after watching Thomas in training camp and preseason, it’s hard to disagree. He just has a knack for being around the football. But also a knack for showing up with a thud. If he stays away from the concussion woes that sidelined him last season, look for Thomas to amass more than 100 tackles for the 12th time in his career.

Five reasons to be concerned

Tight end Martellus Bennett

The rookie second-round draft pick from Texas A&M has become a favorite of the Hard Knocks cameras because tight ends coach John Garrett has been all over him. The Cowboys want Bennett to exploit his enormous athletic ability, but this will likely be a season-long project. “I know what’s real and what’s not real, so it doesn’t bother me,” Bennett said, regarding the Hard Knocks-generated perception. “I don’t regret anything I did. I’m picking things up every week.”

Threat of injuries

Injuries are a concern for every team. If the Cowboys sustain injuries at the key positions -- Tony Romo, Flozell Adams, Terrell Owens, DeMarcus Ware, etc. -- there will be problems. The Cowboys are like most teams in that they have depth here and there, but not everywhere.

Call 1-800-Pass-Catcher

“We haven’t played anything yet,” receiver Sam Hurd said. “Give us a chance to show what we can do. We haven’t played to our full ability yet.” Hurd wants the media/fans to allow the backup receivers to at least play a game before they are collectively buried. Before the injury to Miles Austin, who has one career catch, this unit was thought to be an area of concern, even in the front office. Until proven otherwise, this is regarded as a concern.

Big Top becomes a Big Mess

Among a Pacman, a Tank, a T.O. and a Romo, there are a lot of personalities on this team, as well as lots of talent. It should work. But if it doesn’t, it has the ingredients for a finger-pointing salad.

Head coach Wade Phillips

It borders on unfair that a coach with a career record of 61-42 has his feet in the fire, but this is unique. His rumored successor was hired before he was, is his top assistant, and makes a lot of money. If for some reason the season doesn’t start well, do players look or even align themselves with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett? The situation is tenable, largely because of the two personalities involved, but there is a potential distraction should losses become more prevalent than wins.

Do you want Joe Horn? Consider this ….from Michael Lombardi….

As forecast by the National Football Post on August 13th, Joe Horn’s release has more to do with his talent than his loud-mouthing about wanting out. In fact, whichever team signs Horn better make sure he is going to be talented enough to be their third wide receiver. He will never see the field if he is their fourth, and he won’t play in the kicking game. He has to be the second or the third to have any realistic shot at a playing role. So, a word of advice to any teams interested in Horn: before assuming he can come in and play, you might want to check out the tape. Horn has really declined as a player.

Mickey casts sunshine on Cowboys nation …

Who is ready for a little blog hockey? James Mirtle has recently offered his view on the Stars …

Avery says he watched the Stars battle the Red Wings in the Western Conference finals and felt like they were one piece away from getting past Detroit. You can guess who Avery thought that piece might be.

"If you throw me in the lineup in that series, it's definitely going to make the difference," he says.
— Craig Custance, Sporting News

I don't know about that, but I do think the Stars will be a team to watch this season in the Western Conference.

To this point in his career, Avery has received far more pub than his output has merited, something that stems from just how much he stands out among hockey's pretty bland bunch. Being controversial these days is reason enough for copy to be spent, and Avery — along with Ray Emery — is as close as the NHL comes.

Avery's 28 years old, but prior to his latest 104-game stretch with the Rangers (including playoffs), he had only had 42 goals and 114 points in 293 games, the equivalent of three and a half full seasons.

In New York, he scored at a 22-goal, 51-point pace, but his $15.5-million, four-year contract calls for more than that going forward. Dallas is paying for potential, as much as any team does these days with its youngsters, and I don't think that's such a bad bet.

Avery played under 16 minutes a game last season with the Rangers, with very little time on special teams, and that'll change this time around. The Stars have done a decent job adding top-end pieces after being a team short on scoring depth for so long, but they will still lean heavily on their top six forwards: Brendan Morrow, Brad Richards, Jere Lehtinen, Mike Ribeiro, Mike Modano and Avery.

So he's a factor — but hardly the only one. More than anything, what should propel Dallas forward will be some better luck in the health department, as Sergei Zubov, Lehtinen and Philippe Boucher all missed 30-plus games last season. All will be integral when it comes to taking on difficult opposition, especially with some green players like Fabian Brunnstrom coming into the fold.

Toss in a full season for Richards, who should be re-energized after a lost campaign, and they'll be tough to beat in the Pacific Division.

Then, in the comments, there was an interesting number or two on some of the Stars agitation skills:

Penalties:
Morrow Drawn 55 - Committed 40
Avery Drawn 46 - Committed 38

So their penalty +/- is actually a +23 combined. As long as they put us on the PP 23 more times than they put us on the PK, they'll be fine. Factor in Steve Ott:

Ott Drawn 56 - Committed 43

And you have a formidable trio who can run on different lines and cause other team's top players to get off their game and take stupid penalties. They're effective at what they do. Especially when of their combined 121 Penalties taken, 24 of those were fights. That doesn't even take into account those b/s roughing calls that go to players on both teams during scraps.

I don't see a down side when it comes to their penalties especially given the fact that the Dallas PK was 2nd in the league last season (barely) behind San Jose.

AMAZING! Brian from Ball State is now in Waco! …

Brian Came from the great state of Ohio and grew up near Cleveland. Although his family now lives in Cincinnati he remains loyal to the Cleveland Browns regardless of how bad they're doing. He loves going out on the lake to fish, relaxing on the bay, and watching endless amounts of football. He also loves to spend time with his dog Rocky who he rescued from an animal shelter.

While he has never been to Texas before Brian is becoming a big fan of the area. He hopes to soon visit the Dr. Pepper Museum, Cameron park, and Lake Waco. He also loves to travel. While he was only visited Mexico, Jamaica, and Canada so far he hopes to add more countries to that list as soon as possible. Ireland is the next stop on his list.

Brian began working at KXXV in August 2008 after graduating from Ball State University in Indiana with a degree in Telecommunications. While in college he interned at WANE in Fort Wayne Indiana, and at WTHR in Indianapolis, Indiana. Brian Current lives in Waco and encourages residents to contact him about any story ideas.

Reminder time:



Show I am really enjoying right now: When We Left Earth …

Craziest/Wonderful email of the Day:

Dear Bob,

Last night I had a dream where I was watching an A&M vs Arkansas game while at the new Cowboy Stadium in Arlington. I was sitting comfortably at a table, when out of no where LeBron James walks up and just sit down next to me. We start talking about hoops, the Olympics, (fell asleep watching, so maybe contributing the dream), and even a little Aggie football when.......out of no where, storms in the visibly upset Sturminator who is taking LeBron away because he's late for an interview.

So 2 things here:

1. If you're ever cruising through Texas Stadium during an A&M Arkansas football game, please just let LeBron James continue his conversation. I am a fan of his.

2. Is it gay that I had a dream involving Bob Sturm who is admittedly my favorite personality on the station?? You had all of your clothes on, were only in the dream for about 5 seconds, and really didn't do anything special besides cut short my conversation with possibly the best basketball player of all time.

Mike Goodson for Heisman,

-jason in dallas

My Son would be more impressed with me if I could do this:



Low Quality, but you get the idea: Pac Man Highlight Film



And in case you are the type:

Adam "Pacman" Jones
Autograph Signing
This Saturday, August 23rd
1:00 PM
Gameday Connexion
Ridgmar Mall in FT Worth
817.732.7777
Tickets are $50