Post Season Hangover and some news

It's still extremely early to be talking about the '08 Season, but here's a few tidbits that have been popping up about random things for The Dallas Cowboys:

-Long Snapper, L.P. Ladoucear, was given a contract extension of 5 years.

-Linebacker Zach Thomas of the Dolphins was recently released and is supposedly interested with joining The Cowboys.

-Julius Jones' remaining a Cowboy seems more and more doubtful as he heads into unrestricted free agency. That coupled with Marion Barber being a sure shot candidate for starting next season, Jones' departure wouldn't be the end of the world.

Nothing else seems to be happening with The Boys, or the NFL for that matter. Football fever has faded in people's hearts, being replaced with basketball and volleyball competitions.

I'm still in the denial stage of the season's end, choosing instead to watch NFL Replay over and over as if I've never seen the games before. I'm still wearing all my jerseys, going nowhere without a Dallas Cowboys hat, and refusing to stop cuddling with a football to sleep, (also, my boss is starting to get annoyed with the cleats.)

But alas, this fever will fade in my heart as well. Someday, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday soon my attention will be elsewhere, and I will barely even remember the name Tony Romo or Bobby Carpenter. I won't be chatting football with the co-workers who I barely know. I'll end up changing my computer desktop from the Dallas Star to a dog wearing sunglasses. That is, until the draft.

Ah, the draft. The defibrillator of the NFL, which pumps life back into the fans who were thought dead by lack of 'Football Fever!' Fans near and far take a look at their team and realize that they need more. They dive deeper than the paparazzi into draft prospects' stats, then refresh their knowledge of their own team's weaknesses and wish and pray that the right players get picked.

Again, it's too early for such talk, so I must bid you farewell for now. If big news comes down the tube, I'll be back, if not, I'll be amongst the hordes that survey all draft information, so in about 5 months, I'll definitely be back to see what college has to offer.

AJay Signing Off...

Super Bowl XLII Review & Early Off-Season Thoughts

SUPER BOWL XLII REVIEW (NY GIANTS 17, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 14)


Ok, it's over. Congratulations to The New York football Giants on their upset of the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII (42.) In the end, Eli Manning led his team over 80 yards for the winning Touchdown with under 2 minutes left in the game. They entered the playoffs as a wild card team, they started the season 0-2, and they came into this match-up as 12 point underdogs.

The Giants proved that underdogs have big bites. The defense was incredible and the Eli Manning led offense made the plays when it mattered most, converting crucial 3rd downs and capitalizing when in the Red Zone. The Patriots' undefeated season ends, and The Giants win their 3rd Super Bowl Championship Title.

LOOKING AHEAD

So what does this mean for my Dallas Cowboys for the 2008 season?

Well, not much. Dallas will of course play The Giants twice, and both games will be important because they are divisional match-ups. After this loss in the playoffs, it may hopefully give The Boys more incentive for revenge. We shall see.

Other than The Giants and the rest of the NFC East, there's a whole slew of rivals to worry about. The competition this year is going to be the AFC North (Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh,) and the NFC West (San Fransisco, Seattle, Arizona and St. Louis.) Tampa Bay and Green Bay will also be added to the schedule being the next two highest seeds going into the playoffs.

There are also some internal problems, which include a few coaches leaving, and a few rumors floating. Tony Sparano and a few assistant coaches left for Miami, Jason Garrett got promoted to Assistant Head Coach and Dave Campo came back to town to coach the 'sometimes struggling' secondary.

The rumor that floated was that Jerry Jones was interested in a trade with Miami. The deal would give The Dolphins, Marion Barber and at least one first round draft pick for their overall first round pick, enabling Dallas to snatch up RB Darren McFadden. This was proven untrue by Jerry Jones himself.

Thankfully, some things about the team are extremely impressive and need only fine tuning. Tony Romo for example is resilient enough to come back strong in '08, as well as Terrell Owens, Jason Witten, the entire Offensive Line, Marion Barber, Greg Ellis, Bradie James, DeMarcus Ware, Terence Newman, and of course, Nick Folk.

Players I think could use some work are Sam Hurd, Miles Austin, Isaiah Stanback, Anthony Spencer, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Fasano. To a lesser degree, Patrick Crayton could use some lessons in humility, Tank Johnson needs to get back his spark and Terry Glenn has to get back in sync. To a higher degree, Jacques Reeves, Julius Jones and Roy Williams can either step it up or get the stepping (If you ask me.)

The pieces are there, this team is a work in progress that's almost complete. It's hard to say what will happen in the off-season since it's only a few hours since the Super Bowl ended, but if Dallas continues on this path, success can only follow. With heartbreaking disappointment comes experience, and this team has 2 years full of experience to build on, let's hope the best in the 2008 season.

Playoff Wrap Up/Superbowl Preview

Ok, it's been a while since I last posted, which can't be too good for my Dallas Cowboys, can it? No, it can't, and no it certainly wasn't.

Dallas was once again denied a Playoff victory for the 2nd year in a row. This year, instead of The Seahawks it was The New York Giants who held their ground and Tony Romo, who couldn't connect with a Wide Receiver in the potential game-winning throw, which ended up being intercepted.

In the Championship Games, Green Bay couldn't beat the cold or The Giants. The Patriots also cruised right past The San Diego Chargers, which makes SuperBowl 42 a match-up between The Giants and The Patriots.

Tomorrow is the big-game, and personally, I'm at a stand-still as to who I'd rather see win. It doesn't matter to me either way really. If The Patriots win, it will be exciting to witness history as they sail to an undefeated Regular and Post-Season. But, if The Giants win, it will be nice to see the underdog upset one of the greatest teams ever, and manage such an impressive finish to their season.

I expect The Patriots to win, although I would put money on The Giants covering the 12/13 point spread. It should be a defensive game, and in that case, I'd also take the under (52.) Whatever happens, it should be a good game.