Week 10 & 11 Recaps

Hi everyone, I have returned from my vacation of sun, surf and pina coladas and am very happy to be updating my Cowboys' blog again... so let's get right into it.

Week 10 Recap - Dallas (33) @ NY Giants (20)

After a turbulent start to a season where The Cowboys were only getting worse and worse, the embarrassing loss to The Packers in week 9 finally led Jerry Jones to give Head Coach Wade Phillips the pink slip and head into the Jason Garrett era.

There was immediate change as Garrett came on board and changed the entire approach to practice and game-planning. The results have also immediately improved on the field as well.

In week 10 Dallas went into New York (well, New Jersey, technically) to face off against The Giants on a prime-time Sunday Night match-up. No one had expected them to win, in fact they were 14 point underdogs.

I don't know if it was the fact they were facing near-impossible odds or what, but Dallas showed up ready-to-play in the first Dallas/Giant game at the NEW Meadowlands Stadium.

Dallas not only showed up, but they showed off, with Dez Bryant leading the charge and a rookie cornerback, Bryan McCann returning an interception 101 yards for a touchdown.

In the end, Dallas left with a score of 33 to New York's 20.

So that's what a win feels like.

Week 11 Recap - Detroit (19) @ Dallas (35)

In a low-profile, uneventful game where The Cowboys were hosting Detroit at 1:00 pm, no one knew what to expect.

Before the season began, this game was immediately one I put in the 'will-win' category, but after the way 2010 was going, it was anybody's guess at this point who would come out alive.

Dallas continued to improve.

After falling behind 12-7 early in the 3rd quarter, a Bryan (who is he again?) McCann punt return led to a 97 yard touchdown which swung the momentum Dallas' way and didn't stop until after Jon Kitna's career long 29 yard scramble for a late 4th quarter touchdown to put Dallas ahead 35-19.

Can you believe it, Dallas just won 2 in a row and have sailed to the... well, still sort-of depressing record of 3-7... but hey, at least it ain't 1-9.

See Ya Soon

Just wanted to write a quick post to say that I will be on vacation beginning tomorrow so unfortunately I won't be giving any picks this week or writing a game preview. I will do my best to write up a recap for Sunday's game, but it'll probably be a week late, so I'll just do a double header recap with The Giants game and the Detroit game in two weeks, unless I get bored on vacation and decide to write something up... I probably won't though.

So, farewell, I'll see you in about two weeks. Have fun, stay safe.

My Thoughts on Garrett

Jason Garrett has taken the helm of the U.S.S. Dallas Cowboys and so far in just 3 days there have been noticeable changes.

The newly implemented podium at press conferences, instead of table and chairs, was the first change, which started Monday. This not only makes him appear very political, but it allows him to control the situation with the media. He is making it obvious that he will not fall for a trick question and he will be the one dictating the direction of the press conference. This is a good change of pace and it already sends a message to the fans and the players that this is Garrett's team and it's going to be his way... we'll have to see if 'or the highway' comes into play anytime soon.

The next change was the tempo of practice. The first practice of the week was on Wednesday, and for one, the players were in full pads, something Wade rarely did. Second, it was non-stop... even between drills or when players were walking off the field, they were forced to run. Garrett was also said to be very hands-on in all aspects of the game, working with the offense, the defense and special teams.

I'm really liking the way Jason Garrett is starting his role as head coach. He knows that changes needed to come and he's implementing them. He insists upon accountability and moving forward. He allegedly suspended all locker-room distractions, which included loud music, dominoes and cards. He is Princeton smart and has a storied history with Cowboys' football, learning under some of the best coaches in the game. Garrett has surprisingly surprised me, maybe he'll be better as a head coach than he's been lately as offensive coordinator. Time will tell.

On Sunday against the Giants, we'll already have some more answers as to what Garrett is doing different that actually contributes to progress, although he only had a week to get the team ready, so don't expect much. The fact that 'change' is in the air is enough to generate some excitement, but Garrett will need to make obvious improvements if he wants that excitement to continue.

It is my belief that if there is any sort of positive change at all, Jerry Jones will more than likely keep Garrett on board as head coach next year. This is due to the potential hold-out next year as well as the fact that Jerry has had Garrett waiting in the wings since he hired him. It seemed that Jerry has been developing Garrett like a rookie quarterback and the hiring of Wade was basically to give him an experienced veteran to ease him into the head coach position. Now is his moment to shine. Will he take the ball and run or will he have a heartbreaking fumble.

This season just got a bit more interesting and gave me a reason to keep watching. In Red We Trust!

NFL Picks - Week 9 Recap

Wasn't a horrible week for my picks, not exactly ideal, but not horrible... I went 7 of 13 and for the whole season overall I am 59 of 115 or 51%, so I miraculously jumped back above .500. Whew.

The starred games are games I correctly picked and the records reflect their current record.

1:00 Games

*Tampa Bay 21 (5-3) @ Atlanta 27 (6-2)
Miami 10 (4-4) @ Baltimore 26 (6-2)
*Chicago 22 (5-3) @ Buffalo 19 (0-8)
*New Orleans 34 (6-3) @ Carolina 3 (1-7)
New England 14 (6-2) @ Cleveland 34 (3-5)
*NY Jets 23 (6-2) @ Detroit 20 (2-6)
San Diego 29 (4-5) @ Houston 23 (4-4)
*Arizona 24 (3-5) @ Minnesota 27 (3-5)

4:00 Games

*NY Giants 41 (6-2) @ Seattle 7 (4-4)
Kansas City 20 (5-3) @ Oakland 23 (5-4)
Indianapolis 24 (5-3) @ Philly 26 (5-3)

SNF

Dallas 7 (1-7) @ Green Bay 45 (6-3)

MNF

*Pittsburgh 27 (6-2) @ Cincinnatti 21 (2-6)

Wade Phillips FIRED!!

Bill Jones of CBS 11 Dallas/Fort Worth was the first to report (via Twitter) at around 2:00 pm EST that Wade Phillips has been fired and Jason Garrett will be filling in as interim head coach.

It was something that should have happened two weeks ago, if not two years ago... Wade may not be responsible for all of the horrible play lately, but ultimately he is responsible for this team and with a 1-7 record and no signs of improvement coming anytime soon, something had to be done and Wade is the one who unfortunately gets the boot.

The regular Monday press conference is scheduled for 5 pm EST and that is probably when we will get more details, such as who will become defensive coordinator and if Jason Garrett will still be offensive coordinator or if someone else will be promoted to that position.

*UPDATE*

Jerry Jones held his press conference at 5 pm EST, and as expected, he officially announced Wade Phillips' dismissal, the promotion of Jason Garrett to [interim] head coach and the promotion of linebackers coach, Paul Pasqualoni, to [interim] defensive coach. When asked if Garrett will find himself in the head coaching role in 2011, Jones pretty much said (in 'Jerry-speak') that these last 8 games will pretty much be his audition. He has expectations for a 'culture change,' in this organization and although it was hard for him to do, the embarrassing loss to Green Bay pretty much forced his hand in firing Wade.

Jason Garrett held a press conference at around 7:30 pm EST, and although he acknowledged and appreciated Wade Phillips' tenure as head coach, he focused on the future and putting his stamp on this team, having expectations, and holding players accountable.

In my opinion, Garrett certainly shined in his first press conference as head coach. Sure he was very much like a politician, from his poise to his commanding speech at the podium (which he requested, as opposed to Wade's table and chair,) but he gave me confidence and he seemed very authoritative and intelligent. I could see that he has been waiting a long time for this moment.

His focus was on moving ahead and when asked what changes he plans to implement and how, he emphasized that changes will come because the team's personality will change to match that of it's leader... which I took as a subtle dig at Wade's way of coaching. He talked about how it's important to be consistent and pile up the positives.

I might regret saying this, and maybe I'm just so used to Wade's 'ho-hum' speeches, but my opinion on Garrett has changed. I still think he made some awful mistakes with playcalling for parts of last year and most of this year, but he seems like he'll bring some much needed changes. He can't possibly make it worse, and I have a feeling that ever since he was hired in 2007 he's been pining for that head coach job... plotting and planning and maybe even scheming...hmmm.

We'll see... On Sunday, Dallas will travel to the Meadowlands and face The Giants for the second time this season... to say it'll be a challenge is a major understatement.

Go Cowboys!! And Congratulations to Jason Garrett, the 8th head coach in Dallas Cowboys history and the very first interim coach.

Week 9 Recap - Dallas (7) @ Green Bay (45)

The score says it all.

This game easily jumps near the top of my '3 most embarrassing games of all time,' list. There is no excuse for the kind of play that they are exhibiting. Nothing is happening right and practically every single player is playing like they already gave up. Mike Jenkins in particular was abysmal on defense, but honestly no one came to play (Dez Bryant is one of the few exceptions.)

I figured they would lose, but the manner in which they lost this game was truly breathtaking. It was such a 'comedy of errors' that I was really close to just laughing at the whole performance like Deniro in Cape Fear.

I can't even recall all of the turnovers and poor play, it was so pathetic I can barely even believe that I'm not dreaming. Unfortunately, pinch after pinch and I don't wake up... this is real... this is how bad my beloved Dallas Cowboys truly are.

A full recap is pointless... I can't even bring myself to look up all the stats because they were that bad... they barely broke 100 total yards on offense and the defense allowed 45 freakin' points! Thankfully, Green Bay decided just to run on 4th down late in the 4th quarter in the redzone instead of kicking a field goal... they were even embarrassed for The Cowboys.

Dallas is 1-7... Unbelievable... They are heading to New York next week to play The Giants... oh joy!...

It doesn't get much worse than this, my only hope is that Wade Phillips is gone by tomorrow... it has to happen, there isn't any way to right this ship at this point and these players are obviously not playing to keep Wade's job so even if it isn't a good decision, it's what has to happen.

Jerry Jones is hurting himself, the team, and us fans if he doesn't make some very serious changes to this organization immediately. The way this season is going, Dallas is going to end up 1-15... we are just now halfway through the season and there is not one microscopic bit of evidence that this team has what they need to turn their losing streak around and win any games.

Well, this season is a wrap... On to The Giants to get another beat down.

NFL Picks - Week 9

Better late than never. I usually try to get my picks done on Friday, but got a little caught up with life, so at least I will get my picks posted a couple hours before the game.

Anyway, here we go...

1:00 Games

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta - Atlanta
Miami @ Baltimore - Miami
Chicago @ Buffalo - Chicago
New Orleans @ Carolina - New Orleans
New England @ Cleveland - New England
NY Jets @ Detroit - NY Jets
San Diego @ Houston - Houston
Arizona @ Minnesota - Minnesota

4:00 Games

NY Giants @ Seattle - NY Giants
Kansas City @ Oakland - Kansas City
Indianapolis @ Philly - Indianapolis

SNF

Dallas @ Green Bay - Dallas

MNF

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnatti - Pittsburgh

Week 9 Preview - Dallas @ Green Bay

For any Cowboys fan that has been watching this team all year, there is certainly not much hope that they can win Sunday Night's game, let alone play anything resembling 'professional' football.

This will be one of the biggest challenges of the season, and it's coming at a bad time when Dallas is fractured and falling apart. The Packers are coming off of an impressive 9-0 win over The Jets and although they may be having just as many injury woes as Dallas, they are still playing good football and winning games. The Cowboys are without their star quarterback and are dealing with a hobbled secondary, O-Line and D-Line, and they're playing like they gave-up weeks ago.

I wish I could say I believe Dallas could win this game, but in all honesty, I do not have any faith reserved for them the rest of the season, (with the Detroit game being the possible only exception.)

The "changes" that Jerry Jones said would be coming right after the loss to Jacksonville are apparently forgotten. Everyone's hope that Wade Phillips would be gone have evaporated and it seems that no matter what happens, Wade will be here for at least the rest of this year. The roster changes seem pretty minor too, as LB Jason Williams was cut this week, but that's barely going to 'shake things up' so what's the point.

Dallas is just plain bad. If they manage a win, I will be shocked.

My Hope - Dallas 42 @ Green Bay 14
My Fear - Dallas 0 @ Green Bay 24
My Guess - Dallas 17 @ Green Bay 30

NFL Picks - Week 8 Recap

My football picks just keep getting worse and worse. This week I went for an unimpressive 5 for 13 and now I am overall at 52 for 102 which is just a chin hair higher than 50%.

The football gods certainly aren't looking upon me this year.

(The starred games are the games I correctly guessed and the records have been updated to reflect this weeks outcomes.)

1:00 Games

Denver 16 (2-6) @ San Fransisco 24 (2-6)
Jacksonville 35 (4-4) @ Dallas 17 (1-6)
Miami 22 (4-3) @ Cincinnati 14 (2-5)
Buffalo 10 (0-7) @ Kansas City 13 (5-2)
*Washington 25 (4-4) @ Detroit 37 (2-5)
Carolina 10 (1-6) @ St. Louis 20 (4-4)
Green Bay 9 (5-3) @ New York Jets 0 (5-2)

4:00 Games

*Tennessee 25 (5-3) @ San Diego 33 (3-5)
*Minnesota 18 (2-5) @ New England 28 (6-1)
*Tampa Bay 38 (5-2) @ Arizona 35 (3-4)
Seattle 3 (4-3) @ Oakland 33 (4-4)

SNF

Pittsburgh 10 (5-2) @ New Orleans 20 (5-3)

MNF

*Houston 17 (4-3) @ Indianapolis 30 (5-2)

Week 8 Recap - Jacksonville (35) @ Dallas (17)

Chalk up another loss for this despicable Cowboys' team, who for the most part, looked like they forgot how to play football altogether. Dallas made The Jags look like they are Super Bowl Contenders. David Garrard had a career day and only had 4 incompletions all game, Maurice Jones-Drew ran for well over 100 yards and that one wide receiver, Sims-Walker, had about 130 yards. Ridiculous. Dallas couldn't run the ball at all and was plagued by interceptions and heartless play throughout the game.

Dallas now stands at 1-6... it's pretty crazy to even believe.

Jerry Jones came out and stated how much of an embarrassment this is, how he is dumbfounded and how he must make changes. One can only imagine and hope that this 'change' comes in the form of firing Wade Phillips right away (and hopefully Jason Garrett too,) although more than likely, Phillips would be gone and Garrett promoted, which certainly won't fix things this year.

Speaking of next year, if it wasn't last week, it's definitely now that it is just best to look ahead. With Kitna playing instead of Romo, with a battered, bruised and pathetic O-Line and Defense, there's not much positivity left in 2010, but next season, Dallas will have a top 5 draft pick (if not number 1) and a much easier schedule. Add to that a new coaching staff and a rearranging of players... 2011 could be a good year. That's about all we have to look forward to from this franchise.

NFL Picks - Week 8

Here go my week 8 picks... Interesting to note that not one away-team is favored to win in the point spread...

1:00 Games

+1 Denver (2-5) @ San Fransisco (1-6) - Denver
+6.5 Jacksonville (3-4) @ Dallas (1-5) - Dallas
+0.5 Miami (3-3) @ Cincinnati (2-4) - Cincinnati
+8 Buffalo (0-6) @ Kansas City (4-2) - Buffalo
+2 Washington (4-3) @ Detroit (1-5) - Detroit
+3 Carolina (1-5) @ St. Louis (3-4) - Carolina
+6 Green Bay (4-3) @ New York Jets (5-1) - NY Jets

4:00 Games

+3.5 Tennessee (5-2) @ San Diego (2-5) - San Diego
+6 Minnesota (2-4) @ New England (5-1) - New England
+3 Tampa Bay (4-2) @ Arizona (3-3) - Tampa Bay
+2 Seattle (4-2) @ Oakland (3-4) - Seattle

SNF

+0.5 Pittsburgh (5-1) @ New Orleans (4-3) - Pittsburgh

MNF

+5.5 Houston (4-2) @ Indianapolis (4-2) - Indianapolis

Bold Prediction #3

Hahaha... I am at a point where I just have to laugh.

I was just re-reading one of my earlier season 'Bold Predictions' posts where I went out on a limb and guessed that Dallas would go 11-5 or maybe 10-6, possibly winning every home game and easily making the playoffs due to the weak division. How wrong I was.

I am going to re-evaluate my guesses now that Dallas has started at a horrifying 1-5 and lost Tony Romo for possibly a month or more.

Let's see... Dallas has some tough match-ups on the horizon, and just a couple games that they definitely 'should' win... but hell, we were saying they 'should' have won against Washington, Chicago & Tennessee, and we see how that played out.

I'll go down the rest of the games one by one:
- Jacksonville... even with Kitna at QB, I think we can win this one (2-5)
- Green Bay... well, that's a loss (2-6)
- NY Giants... another loss (2-7)
- Detroit... should be a win, hopefully (3-7)
- New Orleans... it is a home game on Thanksgiving, but no Romo = no win (3-8)
- Indianapolis... haha (3-9)
- Philly... Romo may be back for this, I'll stay positive and say we win (4-9)
- Washington... too hard to tell, but probably a loss (4-10)
- Arizona... another winnable game [crosses fingers] (5-10)
- Philly... nah, why win now, with so little on the line (5-11)

So I guess that's my prediction... 5-11 to end the season. This should lead to the firing of Wade Phillips and if Jerry Jones is smart, the firing of Jason Garrett. Any change would be a positive for 2011.

Week 7 Recap - NY Giants (41) @ Dallas (35)

Another weekend of football, another Dallas Cowboys loss. This is becoming an embarrassing trend. They are now holding the pathetic record of 1-5 and are about 3 games behind in the division. The season is pretty much over, and it isn't even November yet...sheesh.

There's no helping this team. Mistakes, which include penalties, poor coverage, missed tackles and fumbles, just do not seem to be going away. This team's identity is tripping over their own feet just when things start going good, that's just who they are.

There were actually a few positive things from the game, namely the defense getting 5 turnovers, and Dez Bryant proving his worth with a punt return touchdown... but it just wasn't enough to get the job done.

It would take too long to go over all the negative things from the game but one of the worst things that happened was the injury to Tony Romo, who may be absent from the lineup until December with a broken clavicle.

Jon Kitna will be leading this team for a while, and it's anyone's guess how that's going to play out. He's a capable back-up and maybe he will bring his experience and leadership to the table and make positive things happen, but he's no Romo, and with a tough November schedule that features Green Bay, The Giants (again) and New Orleans, my hopes of a successful season have gone far, far away.

While the rest of the nation cheers another Dallas loss, it is truly a sad day for a Cowboys fan who watched this team throw their entire season away in just the first 6 games. It's a shame, but I'm already looking forward to 2011.

Week 7 Preview - NY Giants @ Dallas (MNF)

I'm not sure why I am even writing a preview. I'm becoming less and less enthusiastic as each week comes and goes with such horrid results. Dallas is 1-4. 1 freakin' 4. Pathetic. Embarrassing. Depressing.

If ever there was a must-win game... it's, well... every single game left on the schedule, but most definitely it is tonight's game against divisional rivals, The Giants.

The spotlight is bright as it's a Monday Night Match-Up. The Giants have been doing great lately and stand at 4-2, and with a win tonight they will take the #1 spot in the NFC East. Dallas is in trouble and have their backs against the wall. They would like to call this a revenge game... last season they were swept by The Giants, and not only that, but The Giants spoiled the grand opening of Cowboys Stadium by delivering a loss to these 'Boys.

It's all on the line and it's time to see if Dallas can shut up all the criticism and play football like professionals. I am slightly positive that they can and will get a victory tonight... they pretty much have to... but the devil on my shoulder tells me that it's not going to happen. Do I think Dallas can stop stepping over their own feet and win? Nah... I haven't seen any progress in that area all season, except for the Houston victory, but after that win and a bye week, they went right back to their penalty-laden ways.

My Hope - Dallas 33 Giants 14
My Fear - Dallas 3 Giants 37
My Guess - Dallas 21 Giants 27

LET'S GO COWBOYS!! Let's Go... let's go... let's go... let's...oh forget it...

NFL Picks - Week 6 Recap

Again, I apologize for my tardiness... I'm so late with these that I already missed Week 7's picks... Oh well.

As for Week 6, I went 6 for 14, which is my worst week yet... ugh... This is definitely not my year when it comes to football. Overall, I am 47 for 89 which is about 53%.

The Starred games are the games I correctly picked and the records are updated to reflect their current record.

1:00 Games

Seattle 23 (3-2) @ Chicago 20 (4-2)
Miami 23 (3-2) @ Green Bay 20 (3-3)
San Diego 17 (2-4) @ St. Louis 20 (3-3)
*Baltimore 20 (4-2) @ New England 23 (4-1)
*Detroit 20 (1-5) @ NY Giants 28 (4-2)
Atlanta 17 (4-2) @ Philly 31 (4-2)
*Cleveland 10 (1-5) @ Pittsburgh 28 (4-1)
New Orleans 31 (4-2) @ Tampa Bay 6 (3-2)
Kansas City 31 (3-2) @ Houston 35 (4-2)

4:00 Games

*NY Jets 24 (5-1) @ Denver 20 (2-4)
*Oakland 9 (2-4) @ San Fransisco 17 (1-5)
Dallas 21 (1-4) @ Minnesota 24 (2-3)

SNF

*Indianapolis 27 (4-2) @ Washington 24 (3-3)

MNF

Tennessee 30 (4-2) @ Jacksonville 3 (3-3)

Week 6 Recap - Dallas (21) @ Minnesota (24)

Excuse my tardiness, it has been a busy week and I wasn't in the mood to rush out a recap of yet another loss... but another loss is what we're dealing with and the Cowboys now hold a pathetic losing record of 1-4.

It would be redundant of me to say it again, but once again, The Cowboys beat themselves. Poor coverage, no discipline as the penalties once again hit the double-digits and more mental mistakes than you can count with your fingers. Ridiculous.

It is becoming very embarrassing to just be a fan, I don't know what the players have to contend with, but it seems at this point that they are beyond help. It's a numbers game and at this point, it seems very slim that they will conquer their woes and make it to the playoffs. How's next year sound for you?

NFL Picks - Week 6

I'm back at it with my picks for week 6. I Haven't been doing great the last two weeks, so I'm hoping that luck swings my way for this Sunday's games.

Due to an overloaded work and home schedule, I won't be able to give more than just the picks, so let's just get right into it.

1:00 Games

Seattle (2-2) @ Chicago (4-1) - Chicago
Miami (2-2) @ Green Bay (3-2) - Green Bay
San Diego (2-3) @ St. Louis (2-3) - San Diego
Baltimore (4-1) @ New England (3-1) - New England
Detroit (1-4) @ NY Giants (3-2) - NY Giants
Atlanta (4-1) @ Philly (3-2) - Atlanta
Cleveland (1-4) @ Pittsburgh (3-1) - Pittsburgh
New Orleans (3-2) @ Tampa Bay (3-1) - Tampa Bay
Kansas City (3-1) @ Houston (3-2) - Kansas City

4:00 Games

NY Jets (4-1) @ Denver (2-3) - NY Jets
Oakland (2-3) @ San Fransisco (0-5) - San Fransisco
Dallas (1-3) @ Minnesota (1-3) - Dallas

SNF

Indianapolis (3-2) @ Washington (3-2) - Indianapolis

MNF

Tennessee (3-2) @ Jacksonville (3-2) - Jacksonville

NFL Picks - Week 5 Recap

Here are the results from my Week 5 picks. Again, I went 7 for 14 games and overall I am 41 for 75 or 55% (I seem to be dropping 1% every week, ugh...) Anyway, it was a weird weekend for football, I went with my brain on most of these picks but there were just a lot of upsets. Oh well, better luck next week.

The Starred games are the games I correctly picked and the records are updated to reflect their current record.

1:00 Games

*Denver 17 (2-3) @ Baltimore 31 (4-1) - Baltimore didn't have much of a problem with this game.

Green Bay 13 (3-2) @ Washington 16 (3-2) - It took overtime, numerous Packer penalties and numerous Packer injuries for Washington to win.

*Kansas City 9 (3-1) @ Indianapolis 19 (3-2) - No surprise here.

NY Giants 34 (3-2) @ Houston 10 (3-2) - Either Houston is showing how much they are getting worse or The Giants are proving how good they are.

St. Louis 6 (2-3) @ Detroit 44 (1-4) - Definitely a surprise. Calvin Johnson got injured in the game but it didn't matter, St. Louis looked pretty bad.

*Atlanta 20 (4-1) @ Cleveland 10 (1-4) - Atlanta is riding high right now, Cleveland is not.

*Tampa Bay 24 (3-1) @ Cincinnati 21 (2-3) - Wow, a crazy close game where Tampa Bay came back in the second half and ended up winning with a field goal in overtime.

Chicago 23 (4-1) @ Carolina 6 (0-5) - I guess Jimmy Clausen just isn't ready yet, Chicago pounced on them.

*Jacksonville 36 (3-2) @ Buffalo 26 (0-5) - Buffalo was hanging in there, but The Jags were the better team for sure.


4:00 Games

*New Orleans 20 (3-2) @ Arizona 30 (3-2) - The Cardinals being led by who? Max Hall?! They succeeded in victory against the defending Super Bowl Champs, who have been looking shakey all year.

Tennessee 34 (3-2) @ Dallas 27 (1-3) - Dallas got problems, mostly with discipline. Tennesse came out strong and played a solid game.

San Diego 27 (2-3) @ Oakland 35 (2-3) - Wow. Bet this knocked some people out of suicide pools around the nation.


SNF

Philly 27 (3-2) @ San Fransisco 24 (0-5) - San Fransisco sucks! Alex Smith sucks! Although San Fransisco almost got in position to tie it up late in the 4th quarter, they just didn't have it together enough to win.


MNF

*Minnesota 20 (1-3) @ NY Jets 29 (4-1) - Minnesota wasn't able to do anything right. The Jets defense was powerful, and although Favre was able to get The Vikings in position to win the game, he threw a costly pick six which took the game out of reach with less than a minute left in the game.

Week 5 Recap - Tennessee (34) @ Dallas (27)

I'm going to be brief because it's an embarrassment to even write about The Cowboys anymore. They are now 1-3, 0-2 at home and don't look worthy of winning any more games. Penalties and mental mistakes plaque this team, and although they may have been able to overcome them in the past couple of seasons, they are costing them wins this season and there is honestly no excuse.

I once stood up for the coaches, but I believe Wade Phillips and especially Jason Garrett are either in over their heads or they just plain suck. If there isn't a coaching change during the season, which I highly doubt Jerry Jones will do, they better be hunting for replacements in the off-season. This franchise is too important to leave in the hands of a 'cupcake' coach in Phillips and an inexperienced Garrett. If it wasn't obvious before, the coaching is The Cowboys number 1 problem. They have the talent, but not the focus or discipline. Embarrassing.

Romo threw for record yards, Miles Austin had over 100 yards receiving and Felix Jones had over 100 yards rushing, but it was all for naught. Vince Young and the Titans were barely contained and made Dallas look like a sub-par college team.

I really can't even type any more words about this loss, maybe later in the week, but right now I'm too upset to even want to think about it.

NFL Picks - Week 5

Time for Week 5 of my NFL Picks... Hoping I can improve from last week... I'm going with my brain this week instead of my gut, let's see how that pans out.

1:00 Games

Denver (2-2) @ Baltimore (3-1) - Baltimore - The Ravens are at home and coming off of a nice win against Pittsburgh. If they can keep the momentum flowing, they should be able to take care of Denver.

Green Bay (3-1) @ Washington (2-2) - Green Bay - Although Washington is actually looking pretty good and they are enjoying last week's win against Philly, I think that Aaron Rodgers and that defense will lead The Pack to the win.

Kansas City (3-0) @ Indianapolis (2-2) - Indianapolis - Peyton Manning has got to be upset about last week's loss, I expect The Colts to come out strong and ready to roll. They will give the undefeated Chiefs their first loss of the season.

NY Giants (2-2) @ Houston (3-1) - Houston - The Giants are heading down to Houston and I know they will be hoping their win last week against Chicago will heed good things, but I don't think they are consistent enough to handle The Texans at home.

St. Louis (2-2) @ Detroit (0-4) - St. Louis - Sam Bradford seems to be making things happen in St. Louis and although Detroit is almost coming together, I don't think they will have it together enough to win.

Atlanta (3-1) @ Cleveland (1-3) - Atlanta - Cleveland isn't quite ready yet while Matt Ryan and The Falcons are playing pretty damn good ball.

Tampa Bay (2-1) @ Cincinnati (2-2) - Tampa Bay - I just don't think The Bengals are that good, not even having the dynamic duo on the roster. Coming off of a bye week, The Bucs and their defense have a good shot of getting a road win.

Chicago (3-1) @ Carolina (0-4) - Carolina - It's gotta happen sooner or later and facing a crippled Bears team is a good opportunity for The Panthers to get a win. I think it's been announced that Cutler is not healthy enough to play (concussion) and although Chicago's defense is a top-tier squad, Jimmy Clausen may be adjusting just enough to get their first 'W'.

Jacksonville (2-2) @ Buffalo (0-4) - Jacksonville - This is another tough game to predict, I'm just going with Jacksonville because Buffalo is pretty horrible.


4:00 Games

New Orleans (3-1) @ Arizona (2-2) - Arizona - New Orleans is getting pretty lucky with some of their wins this season and although The Cardinals are starting a new quarterback this week after Derek Anderson struggled in the first four weeks, I think they can pull off a home victory.

Tennessee (2-2) @ Dallas (1-2) - Dallas - Yep!

San Diego (2-2) @ Oakland (1-3) - San Diego - The Chargers are getting their groove back and should be able to handle The Raiders without too much problem, as long as they don't make many mistakes.


SNF

Philly (2-2) @ San Fransisco (0-4) - San Fransisco - Under the bright Sunday Night Lights with the desperate 49ers at home against a questionable Eagles' team led by Kevin Kolb, I think San Fransisco gets their first win.


MNF

Minnesota (1-2) @ NY Jets (3-1) - NY Jets - The Vikings have finally given Favre a deep threat with the signing of Randy Moss, they're also coming off a bye week, but I still don't think they'll have all their new pieces put in place in time to beat The Jets' defense and the increasingly better Sanchez leading the offense.


BYE
New England (3-1)
Miami (2-2)
Pittsburgh (3-1)
Seattle (2-2)

Week 5 Preview - Tennessee @ Dallas

I'm not exactly sure what to make of The Titans after 4 weeks. They are a 2-2 team with victories against Oakland and The Giants and losses against Pittsburgh and Denver.

You can't deny their running game, which is basically Chris Johnson and QB Vince Young, although there is inconsistency in Young as an actual QB. You also can't deny their defense, which has been playing pretty stout so far.

It will be up to Dallas to set the tempo in this game and follow-through with little to no mistakes and penalties. Can they do it? We'll know on Sunday.

Kyle Kosier should be ready to play, Dez Bryant should be a lot more healthy and ready to be unleashed. Jason Witten and the rest of the slightly injured should also be in good shape. This is great news for this team.

The fact Dallas will be hosting this game is also a good thing, I know they only played one home game so far, but they lost it. They will be fighting hard for their fans to get the first home victory of the season... it's the least they can do.

Seriously, as long as Romo has a good day, they can minimize penalties and everyone sticks to their assignments, Dallas shouldn't have a problem winning this game. It will be essential to stop Chris Johnson and stop him early, because if the game is left up to Vince Young's arm, Dallas' chances of victory increases tenfold.

Also Note... Dallas is 6.5 point favorites in this game. Just saying.

Questions and Answers - Volume 2

Q: Will Dallas be prepared for Tennessee?

A: They better be! They had the whole Bye week to figure out ways to stop The Titans. What kind of stupid question is that?


Q: What does Randy Moss being traded to Minnesota mean for Dallas?

A: Well since The Vikings are next on the schedule after Tennessee it means something. Moss will be just a week injected into a new system, and although a receiver as experienced as Moss shouldn't have much of a problem fitting in, he still needs time to feel comfortable with Favre and vice versa, so maybe it won't be as impactful as the media will make it seem. His best days may be behind him anyway... we shall see.


Q: I heard Miles Austin and Kim Kardashian split up?

A: Is that really a question? I heard they did too! Who cares.


Q: How are Jason Witten and Kyle Kosier recovering from their knee sprains?

A: Finally a legitimate question. Jason Witten should be fine to go on Sunday and Kosier thinks he will be too. They are both expected to have full participation in today's practice. The bye week came at a perfect time for some of these key injuries.


Q: How good are Dallas' chances to win the division this year?

A: Thankfully most of the NFC East kind of sucks, so that leaves it wide open for Dallas. With last week's games, every other NFC East team now holds a 2-2 record (except Dallas of course, who had a bye,) and Washington technically has the top spot because they are 2-0 in the division, but I'd say The Cowboys could easily win this division, the ball is in their court.


Q: Who, so far, has been the best rookie on this team?

A: Duh, Dez Bryant, obviously. He was The Cowboys' number 1 draft pick and he is the number 1 rookie thus far. Sean Lee and all the rest of them fools need to step up their game.


Q: What are your thoughts on an 18 game season?

A: Good Question. As a fan, I am all for it. I am more 'hate' in my 'love/hate' relationship with the preseason anyway, so if we could make those final two preseason games actually count, that's just more football to enjoy... although I do see the players' perspective that two more games may equal more injuries and sorer muscles. Whatever... as long as they aren't shortening the season.


Q: Now that we are heading into week 5, who do you now see as the toughest team on the schedule?

A: Another good question. We're starting to see some cracks in the teams we feared in the off-season, such as Green Bay, New Orleans and Indianapolis, but looking at the schedule I now fear the rest of the NFC East the most, simply because it's never easy in this division and you never know what you're going to get.


Q: How's the wife?

A: Oh she's doing great, Thanks for asking.


Q: I heard Julius Jones just got cut by the Seahawks, should we pick him back up?

A: Ok, that's the final dumb question of the day, this Q&A session is over!

NFL Picks - Week 4 Recap

Not the best week for my picks, split it right down the middle with 7 out of 14 which puts my overall picks at 34 of 61 or 56%. I definitely went with my gut on too many of these games when I probably should've went with my brain. Oh well, there's always next week. Anyway... here's the results of my picks.

The starred games are ones that I guessed correctly and the records are updated to reflect this week's results.

1:00 Games

*Detroit 26 (0-4) @ Green Bay 28 (3-1) - This game was closer than I thought. Green Bay needs to find a replacement running back for Grant badly.

*NY Jets 38 (3-1) @ Buffalo 14 (0-4) - No surprise Here, Buffalo just isn't good.

*Carolina 14 (0-4) @ New Orleans 16 (3-1) - New Orleans isn't what they used to be, they could have easily lost this matchup. Jimmy Clausen made plenty of rookie mistakes, but he's not that bad... he has a lot of potential.

San Fransisco 14 (0-4) @ Atlanta 16 (3-1) - A close game, but Matt Ryan led the Falcons to victory and The 49ers sail to 0-4.

Seattle 3 (2-2) @ St. Louis 20 (2-2) - I was wayyyy off on this prediction. Who would have thought Sam Bradford would lead the Rams to such a big win? Apparently not me.

Cincinnati 20 (2-2) @ Cleveland 23 (1-3) - Cincinnati officially blows... Batman and Robin?! Child Please!

Denver 26 (2-2) @ Tennessee 20 (2-2) - Tennessee had a chance to come back in the final seconds but Vince Young just couldn't finish.

*Baltimore 17 (3-1) @ Pittsburgh 14 (3-1) - Hahaha... Pittsburgh was looking good on defense, especially Paolumammu (sp lol) but Baltimore edged them out with a final second TD to Houshmanzadah (sp lol)

4:00 Games

*Houston 31 (3-1) @ Oakland 24 (1-3) - Oakland gave Houston a bigger fight than I was expecting, but Houston still won over a fairly pathetic Raiders team.

Indy 28 (2-2) @ Jacksonville 31 (2-2) - Wow... didn't expect this, I'm sure no one did. Jacksonville won in the final second with a 59 yard field goal to clinch the victory. Indy is 0-2 in division games so far this season, wow.

Washington 17 (2-2) @ Philly 12 (2-2) - Michael Vick injured a rib and the Kolb-era started once again... which meant that Donovan McNabb's return to Philly was successful. A final second hail mary was nearly caught but The Eagles lost all their luck and it bounced out of Avant's hands.

*Arizona 10 (2-2) @ San Diego 41 (2-2) - Again, this game wasn't a surprise, Arizona needs to drag Kurt Warner back from Dancing with the Stars.

SNF

Chicago 3 (3-1) @ NY Giants 17 (2-2) - A defensive battle where both offenses struggled to do anything. Cutler was sacked for a record 9 times (and got a concussion on the last sack) in the first half before being replaced by veteran backup Todd Collins, who couldn't do jack for Chicago either. The good thing is that the NFC East is all 2-2 except Dallas who had a Bye week, this division is wide open.

MNF

*New England 41 (3-1-) @ Miami 14 (2-2) - Easy to predict, but not in the fashion it happened. This was a wild Monday Night Game which had New England (especially their special teams) dominate Miami. There were 4 interceptions by The Patriots and 3 blocked kicks. They also made history for being the first team to score touchdowns by rushing, passing, getting an interception return, a kickoff return and a return of a blocked field goal. Whew.

NFL Picks - Week 4

Well, it's Friday, which means it's time for my NFL Picks for Week 4. I am pretty happy with the format I used last week, so I will do that again, which is list all of the games, the records and the spreads and then choose who I think will be the straight-up winner. With byes starting this week, there are only 14 games to pick... here goes nothing.

1:00 Games

Detroit (0-3) +15 @ Green Bay (2-1) - Green Bay - After their tough Monday Night loss last week, Green Bay should come back strong at home against a Detroit team that is less than impressive.

NY Jets (2-1) @ Buffalo (0-3) +5 - NY Jets - The Jets should continue to dominate against a really discombobulated Bills team.

Carolina (0-3) +14 @ New Orleans (2-1) - New Orleans - Sorry to say, but The Saints will probably be back "on" this week against a mediocre Carolina team.

San Fransisco (0-3) +7 @ Atlanta (2-1) - San Fransisco - This is a tough one to predict, San Fransisco isn't horrible, but they've had bad breaks... Atlanta is good, but for some reason I just think The 49ers have a shot at this game.

Seattle (2-1) @ St. Louis (1-2) +0.5 - Seattle - Seattle should take this game easily

Cincinnati (2-1) @ Cleveland (0-3) +3 - Cincinnati - Cleveland could win at home, but the talent favors Cincinnati and I think they'll win it.

Denver (1-2) +6.5 @ Tennessee (2-1) - Tennessee - Tennessee at home... It might be closer than I am thinking, but The Titans should still win.

Baltimore (2-1) +1 @ Pittsburgh (3-0) - Baltimore - C'mon... this Rothlisberger-less Pittsburgh team just has to lose sometime... if anyone can knock them off their pedestal, it's Baltimore.

4:00 Games

Houston (2-1) @ Oakland (1-2) +3.5 - Houston - No brainer.

Indy (2-1) @ Jacksonville (1-2) +7.5 - Indy - Might be close since it's a division match-up but Indy will still win.

Washington (1-2) +5.5 @ Philly (2-1) - Philly - I will be hoping that Washington wins, but my instinct is that with Michael Vick leading the Eagles, they will take the 'W'

Arizona (2-1) +9 @ San Diego (1-2) - San Diego - San Diego needs to find their rhythm, and this will not be an easy matchup, but I think they pull it together at home.

SNF

Chicago (3-0) +3.5 @ NY Giants (1-2) - Chicago - I don't even know how The Giants are favored for this matchup... if Chicago can keep playing like they have been playing, they should win convincingly.

MNF

New England (2-1) @ Miami (2-1) +0.5 - New England - Another close game, but Brady and Moss give The Patriots the edge.

NFL Picks - Week 3 Recap

This week I once again went 10 for 16 with my straight-up picks and overall I am 27 for 47 which ups my percentage to 57%.

The starred games are the games I guessed correctly, the records are updated to reflect this week's games.

*San Fransisco 10 (0-3) @ Kansas City 31 (3-0)

*Dallas 27 (1-2) @ Houston 13 (2-1)

Cincinnatti 20 (2-1) @ Carolina 7 (0-3)

*Cleveland 17 (0-3) @ Baltimore 24 (2-1)

Atlanta 27 (2-1) @ New Orleans 24 (2-1)

*Pittsburgh 38 (3-0) @ Tampa Bay 13 (2-1)

*Tennessee 29 (2-1) @ NY Giants 10 (1-2)

*Detroit 10 (0-3) @ Minnesota 24 (1-2)

*Buffalo 30 (0-3) @ New England 38 (2-1)

4:00 Games

Washington 16 (1-2) @ St. Louis 30 (1-2)

Philadelphia 28 (2-1) @ Jacksonville 3 (1-2)

San Diego 20 (1-2) @ Seattle 27 (2-1)

*Oakland 23 (1-2) @ Arizona 24 (2-1)

*Indianapolis 27 (2-1) @ Denver 13 (1-2)

SNF

*NY Jets 31 (2-1) @ Miami 23 (2-1)

MNF

Green Bay 17 (2-1) @ Chicago 20 (3-0)

NOTES:

Who would have ever guessed that Chicago, Kansas City and Pittsburgh are the only three undefeated teams heading into week 4!?

Buffalo, Detroit, Cleveland and San Fransisco are all 0-3, which actually seems about right.

Week 3 Recap - Dallas (27) @ Houston (13)

Dallas absolutely had to win this game. They were facing an 0-3 start to their season, which would historically give them a 3% chance to even make the playoffs. A team filled with talent but were playing undisciplined and sloppy, beating themselves more than not.

So what did they do? Well, they figured out some of their problems and got together as a team. Wade did what he does to motivate them in these moments of desperation and they followed. Jason Garrett dumbed down his fancy play-calling and went back to playing a gritty chess match. These Dallas Cowboys did what they had to do and won the game.

Believe me when I said that they "won" the game. They didn't get lucky because of inexcusable Texan penalties and fall into victory, they played a hell of a game and deserved this win.


The defense gave it their all and more. Dallas had 4 sacks, all on 3rd down plays with Ware leading the charge with 3 and Keith Brooking with a late game sack in the red zone. They also got their first turnover(s) of the year with Jenkins intercepting one, Spencer and Newman getting a fumble, and rookie Danny McCray with a 4th quarter interception to pretty much put the game away.

Hell I almost forgot to mention the goal line stands by the defense. The game should have been Dallas 27 and Houston 6 because twice in the red zone the defense held them to a field goal and the only touchdown came late in garbage time. This defense was playing lights out and didn't let Schaub get into any kind of rhythm.


The offense... Superb. Tony Romo was near perfect, hitting 23 of 30 for 284 yards and 2 touchdowns, which were shockingly both to Roy Williams who ended up with 117 yards on 5 catches. Witten, Bryant, Austin and even Bennett and Hurd all made clutch catches throughout the game, with Bryant especially showing signs of greatness, with time he has all the qualities of a top tier receiver.

The running game was also prominently featured. Garrett was calling up run after run early in the game, mostly Barber who ended up with 55 yards and Felix Jones with 43 yards. Choice had a couple yards but thankfully they decided to play it basic with just a feature back and a change of pace back. Also, there was no stupid razorback/wildcat formation, good decision Garrett, I hope you ripped all the wildcat plays out of the playbook, we don't need 'em.


Another big worry heading into the game was kicker David Buehler, who was 2 for 4 successful field goals in the first two games, both misses were crucial. He must have practiced like hell because this might have been his final game if he screwed up, and he didn't.

It was obvious that Wade was hesitant to let Beuhler kick on the first drive when they were at 4th and 2 with a 46 yard field goal possible and instead they went for it, unsuccessfully. Faith was restored when he nailed a 49 yard field goal to end the first half, giving Dallas a 10-3 lead going into the locker room. He also kicked a 40 yarder late in the 4th quarter to cushion the lead to 27-6 with just 3 minutes left in the game. He saved his job for at least another 2 weeks.


All in all it was a win, and a win solves all problems... for a little while anyway. Dallas was playing with their backs against the wall and they fought hard. They still showed some problems with penalties and although the running game was working, I'm sure they would have like a better average than 3.7 a rush, but it all worked out in the end.

Another negative was the injuries of Kyle Kosier and Jason Witten, who both sprained their knees. Kosier may miss upwards to 4 weeks, but at least they are going into the bye week, which should be a great time to rehab. Witten's injury was less severe and he should be good to go after the bye.


The Cowboys are going to need to play with this same desperation for the rest of the season... every game from here on out has to be a 'must-win' game. If it works, why fix it. They need to continue focusing on fundamentals and stick to the basics. Throw in some tricks here and there, but overall they just need to come out and beat teams, this team is talented beyond belief, if you just let them play, they will win.

Next up after the bye week is The Tennessee Titans, with the major threat of Chris Johnson and a slowly improving Vince Young. Let's Go Cowboys, Let's Go!


P.S.

Even with Dallas at 1-2, they are still tied for second place in the NFC East, with Philly in the lead at 2-1 but Washington and The Giants both at 1-2. Thankfully all four teams are pretty weak this year and if The Cowboys get their game together, they still have a great shot at taking the division.



-- Posted From My iPad

NFL Picks - Week 3

I'm still tweaking the exact format that I'd like to use for this weekly post... I think I will list the games and then simply list who I think will win. I will put in the spread, but my picks are not with the spread, they are straight-up.

This way should be pretty easy and clear-cut... then for my NFL Picks Recap I will just list the final scores with a star next to it if I picked correctly... Let's see how it goes for Week 3...

1:00 Games

San Fransisco (0-2) @ Kansas City (2-0) +1 - Kansas City - Chiefs are playing some impressive football, San Fransisco will be fighting hard to not go 0-3 but I think KC might pull out a victory.

Dallas (0-2) +3 @ Houston (2-0) - Dallas - I'm being optimistic here.

Cincinnatti (1-1) @ Carolina (0-2) +3 - Carolina - I thought that Jimmy Clausen was starting last week but I was wrong... he is actually starting this week though, so I'm picking Carolina just because of that.

Cleveland (0-2) +10.5 @ Baltimore (1-1) - Baltimore - Shouldn't be too much of a problem for The Ravens at home against a weak Cleveland team.

Atlanta (1-1) +4 @ New Orleans (2-0) - New Orleans - This should be a close game, especially figuring New Orleans was barely able to win last week against San Fransisco, plus Reggie Bush will be sidelined for a month or more.

Pittsburgh (2-0) @ Tampa Bay (2-0) +1 - Pittsburgh - The Bucs may be on a roll right now, but so is Pittsburgh, and I believe this game will be pretty defensive, which means The Steelers have the edge.

Tennessee (1-1) +3 @ NY Giants (1-1) - Tennessee - They failed to get a run going last week, but I think Chris Johnson will get back to form and they will tear holes all over The Giants.

Detroit (0-2) +11.5 @ Minnesota (0-2) - Minnesota - It's not hard to believe that Detroit is 0-2, but The Vikes? Wow. I think Brett Favre will get out of his slump and destroy The Lions.

Buffalo (0-2) +14.5 @ New England (1-1) - New England - The Pats will be looking to rebound from last week's loss to The Jets and Buffalo will try to rebound, but they will fail.

4:00 Games

Washington (1-1) @ St. Louis (0-2) +3.5 - Washington - St. Louis has a shot at winning since they'll be home, but I think McNabb and the Redskins will take this game, they are looking pretty good.

Philadelphia (1-1) @ Jacksonville (1-1) +3 - Jacksonville - This matchup is hard to predict, but I am just hoping Jacksonville wins, that's all I'm going off of. Michael Vick gives The Eagles the best shot at winning, but I hope Garrard fairs one better.

San Diego (1-1) @ Seattle (1-1) +5.5 - San Diego - Gotta go with The Chargers for this one. Seattle looked good game one, but last week, not so much.

Oakland (1-1) +4.5 @ Arizona (1-1) - Arizona - The Cardinals should easily win this game.

Indianapolis (1-1) @ Denver (1-1) +5.5 - Indianapolis - Denver is not looking bad, but Indy is still creme of the crop.

SNF

NY Jets (1-1) +1 @ Miami (2-0) - NY Jets - Good Monday Night Game, I thnk it'll be close, Miami might even win, but I think The Jets are getting into a rhythm.

MNF

Green Bay (2-0) @ Chicago (2-0) +3 - Green Bay - C'mon Son... Green Bay is on fire, Chicago is just getting lucky.

Week 3 Preview - Dallas @ Houston

This game is a biggie. There's not too many times that you have must-win games in week 3, but after prematurely being crowned Super Bowl competitors and then coming out of the gate 0-2, this game will need to be won if Dallas wants any shot of playing past the regular season. Teams who start 0-3 have less than a 3% chance of even making the playoffs, so if they lose this game, the season is pretty much done.

Houston has been doing great things. In game one they defeated Indy without much resistance at all, making it only the second time they won against The Colts, ever. They did struggle a bit against Washington last week, needing a field goal in overtime to win it, but all-in-all, The Texans are definitely a playoff caliber team right now. This is not going to be an easy victory for Dallas.

For The Cowboys to win, they will need to play perfect, mistake-free football and they'll probably need a nice dose of good luck too. Unfortunately, I have seen no evidence that they will turn around their woes and start piling up wins, but stranger things have happened and I gotta try and stay optimistic.

It's really a toss-up and I have no way of predicting how this game will end. Houston is playing lights-out football and Dallas has been tripping over their own feet lately. The logical prediction will be The Texans winning, but deep in my heart I know that The Cowboys have the talent to pull off an upset... but do they have the discipline and desire? That will be the big question mark come Sunday afternoon.

*In Other Cowboys News*

Not a major shocker, but FB Deon Anderson has been cut from The Cowboys roster and replaced by TE Scott Chandler. Anderson was expected to miss at least 2-4 more weeks after he torn his meniscus (sp). He will be put on waivers to see if another team wants to pick him up.

Anderson was a good player, great at blocking, not so great with carries or receptions and he was in legal trouble earlier this year for some kind of weapons charge, so maybe that had something to do with his release as well. Farewell Deon, it has been fun.

NFL Picks - Week 2 Recap

This past week in my picks I went 10 for 16, which is pretty good... I was much better with the later games (including Monday Night,) going 6 for 7... Overall for Weeks 1 & 2 combined, I am 17 for 31 (about 54%.)

Here's a recap of the results from this past week's games.

Please Note, the starred games are the games I correctly guessed and the highlighted team is the team I initially chose, the score is the actual score...

1:00 Games:

Baltimore (10) @ Cincinnati (15) - I would not have predicted this.

Miami (14) @ Minnesota (10) - Again, who would've thought Miami would win over Minnesota who is now 0-2.

Chicago (27) @ Dallas (20) - Ugh... I don't want to talk about it.

*Philly (35) @ Detroit (32) - Michael Vick earned himself a starting job in Week 3 with his performance in this game.

*Arizona (7) @ Atlanta (41) - Atlanta sailed to victory without problem.

*Kansas City (16) @ Cleveland (14) - Kansas City is starting to look pretty sharp... Cleveland doesn't.

*Buffalo (7) @ Green Bay (34) - As if there was any question.

Pittsburgh (19) @ Tennessee (11) - Pittsburgh is thriving with defense and handling things pretty well in Roethlisberger's absence.

Tampa Bay (20) @ Carolina (7) - Tampa Bay is making things happen.

4:00 Games:

*St. Louis (14) @ Oakland (16) - I just had a feeling Oakland would win this game... and they did.

Seattle (14) @ Denver (31) - Denver destroyed Seattle, I was way off on this prediction.

*Houston (30) @ Washington (27) - It took overtime for Houston to win against The Redskins... maybe they're better than we thought... The Redskins I mean.

*Jacksonville (13) @ San Diego (38) - San Diego bounced back from their defeat last week and won convincingly.

*New England (14) @ NY Jets (28) - Wow... what a game, The Jets finally put their money where their mouth is and defeated a very tough division rival.

SNF:

*NY Giants (14) @ Indy (38) - Indy mopped the floor with Eli Manning and the Giants.

MNF:

*New Orleans (25) @ San Fransisco (22) - In a game that the 49ers outplayed The Saints... New Orleans got lucky with turnovers at the right time.

It's already Thursday, I will try to get my Week 3 picks in as soon as possible.

Questions & Answers Volume 1

Here's a new feature I want to try out... I receive millions and trillions of emails and questions everyday, so I figured I might as well try to actually answer some of them... that's about the gist of it... here we go...

Q: How do you feel about this dismal 0-2 start?

A: How do you think I feel... shitty! With such a talented team, it's shocking that they suck this much.


Q: What changes do you think would benefit Dallas this year?

A: Where to begin... how about a new coach, a new offensive coordinator, a new kicker... oh hell, just scrap the whole team and start over... if we were in rebuilding years, at least we would have a viable excuse for all these losses piling up.


Q: Why do you think Dez Bryant was only targeted on offense twice versus last game where he was targeted 12 times?

A: Because Jason Garrett is a fucking idiot. Dez wasn't even on the field much at all. After the punt return touchdown, he could've been set up to have a record breaking game if only he was actually playing on offense and using his momentum from that touchdown. it's just another sign of Garrett fucking this team over.


Q: Do you think Dallas has a chance against The Texans next week?

A: Sure they have a "chance" but this team has not given me any confidence that they will actually win. I don't have confidence about the play-calling, the coaching or the kicker, and if Witten and Mike Jenkins are out next week, my confidence will drop even further. I say it'll be a miracle if they can turn it around and go 1-2 heading into the bye week.


Q: After seeing these first two games, how do you expect Dallas to finish the season?

A: A lot will depend on the next two games. If they can somehow win at Houston and then carry that victory over the bye and beat Tennessee at home, they will be 2-2 heading to Minnesota. 2-2 is much easier to stomach than 0-4... (if they go 0-4, I will consider this season a wash and just hope they can win a couple games,) if they go 2-2 and show 'some' promise, I think they have a shot at going 9-7... not sure about the playoffs though... these NFC games were the games they needed to win... winning against AFC teams isn't going to mean much when it comes down to tiebreakers for playoff spots.


Q: How long will it be before they get rid of Buehler?

A: Should have been last week, but for some reason Jerry Jones has a hard-on for this kid and is telling us that his 'instincts are telling him to be patient with Buehler'... fuck... The NFL is a great sport, but there's only 16 games... if Beuhler misses another crucial kick next week inside the 40 yard line and they don't cut him or at least find a dedicated field goal kicker, I will be absolutely shocked beyond belief.


Q: What's up with Romo?

A: What do you mean? He was about average in this game, not great, but not horrible. He wasn't the entire reason they lost. He had some inaccurate passes, but the interceptions weren't his, they were both tipped or bobbled catches. I still wouldn't want any other quarterback under center for Dallas (except maybe Peyton Manning.)


Q: What's up with Roy Williams?

A: He is officially a bust... although many were saying that two years ago, but after his most recent fumble in the forth quarter which pretty much took the game away from Dallas, it's hard not to hate him.


Q: How do you think Dallas will fair against the NFC East this year?

A: Well, we are only one game down, The Giants, Philly and Washington are all 1-1, and Dallas is 0-2... although one of our loses is to Washington, I still think Dallas could come out ahead in the division... a lot of things will have to go right though, and that includes a lot of NFC East rival losses.


Q: How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

A: Well a woodchuck can chuck wood, but how much depends on a lot of optimistic variables. To say that a woodchuck could chuck as much as a woodchuck could, he will be chucking a lot of wood, but most woodchuck's just aren't ready for the amount of wood chucking that they should be doing. Laziness, plain and simple. The answer is 6.


Q: When is it time to push the panic button?

A: Most people would agree that now is the time for Dallas to push the panic button... I will wait until this upcoming Sunday's game. If Dallas goes 0-3 into the bye, the alarms will definitely be sounding.

Week 2 Recap - Chicago (27) @ Dallas (20)

I'm writing this very fresh off the loss Dallas was just dealt, so emotions are still strong. I may say things I later change my mind about but right now I'm feeling pretty gloomy. Let's get right into the recap, no matter how tough it is to write.

In an early must-win game against an NFC foe, Dallas dropped the ball again (literally... plus two interceptions) and will start their season 0-2 for the first time since 2001, when we began our Quincy Carter era.

It's easy to overlook the positives and focus on the negatives at a time like this, and I will be no different, simply because the negatives were far too frequent.

Who gets crucified this week? Buehler? Jason Garrett? Wade? Sure... How about Romo? Roy Williams? Alan Ball? Yea, them too. The whole organization failed miserably in many ways.

Before I go into the problems, I do however want to acknowledge Dez Bryant's 62 yard punt return touchdown and Miles Austin's impressive 10 catches for 142 yards. These two were rays of sunshine peaking through an overcast cloud.

Now on to the problems... where to begin... How about play-calling. The worst call which changed momentum terribly was the pooch kick right after Dez's punt return touchdown. Whatever the thought was, it failed. Chicago had great field position and drove for a three play touchdown drive. Dallas couldn't get any rhythm after this.

Another frustrating bit of play-calling was giving up on the run so early in the game and constantly throwing on first down. The running game was just picking up when Garrett decided to shut it down and pass. Garrett needs to work on fundamentals and stop playing so damn fancy. Just get the basic things to work and then experiment a little. Simple as that.


David Buehler. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. I had really high hopes for this kid but he failed to get a touchback again, messed up the pooch kick and of course missed a crucial 40 some yard field goal.

I think we're going to have to bring in a new kicker either this week or during the bye. Maybe we keep Buehler in his kick-off specialist role, but we need a dedicated field goal kicker soon... He's had his chance and now for whatever reason he's just not showing up under pressure.


Roy Williams... another guy that we want so badly to be good, just can't do it. Sure, he had some good catches but he had a few more bad drops and he was behind the very costly fumble in the forth quarter.

Roy, it just seems that it wasn't meant to be, I wish it would've worked out but there just isn't any chemistry. It's not you, it's me, I swear... Oh wait, maybe it is you.


The Cowboys' defense was not horrible, but they were not great. They gave up some critical big plays that changed the game and they failed to have any turnovers. 2 weeks, 0 turnovers... this was something Wade was hoping to rectify in the off-season. I guess it's back to the drawing board.

Also, our co-number 1 cornerback, Mike Jenkins was injured late in the game. Initial x-ray's were negative, but he will be getting an MRI today to determine the extent of his injuries. It appears to be a knee problem. Crossing my fingers that he is back sooner than later, Jenkins is a key element in this defense.


There were tons of other errors, too many to list unless I want this blog post to be too long to comfortably read (which is already is.)

The Bottom line is this... Dallas is in trouble. You wouldn't often say that after only the second game of the season, but after losing two winnable games, going 0-2 and looking ahead at an extremely difficult schedule, these Cowboys are in trouble.

NFL Picks - Week 2

Ok, let's get into this again. As I continue doing my picks I'm sure I will be changing things around and reformatting it... For this week I've decided not to try and guess the exact score, I will just pick the winner and give my thoughts about the match-up... also, I will add each teams' records this time around.

*Fun Fact* 12 out of the 16 games are pitting a team who won last week against a team that lost, only two games feature teams that both won (PIT/TEN & HOU/WAS), and two games will showcase two winless teams (PHI/DET & STL/OAK.)

Note, my picks are the bold teams and the starred games (*) are divisional match-ups

1:00 Games:

*Baltimore (1-0) @ Cincinnati (0-1) - If Baltimore's defense plays like it did on Monday Night, no T.O., Ocho Cinco, Michael Irving or Jerry Rice on the field could help The Bengals win. I think The Ravens will keep their streak going.

Miami (1-0) @ Minnesota (0-1) - Minnesota wants to rebound, they are at home and will likely pounce hard on Miami. The Vikes also have the extra two days of rest and game planning since they played last Thursday in the season opener.

Chicago (1-0) @ Dallas (0-1) - Dallas wants to rebound, they are at home and will likely pounce hard on Chicago... woah, de ja vu... Anyway, this is a Cowboys blog and I will always more than likely pick Dallas to win. I think they have a good shot at this one, as long as they cut down on the mistakes and penalties.

Philly (0-1) @ Detroit (0-1) - Detroit's record should have an asterisk next to it because of the way that they lost to Chicago last week. The Lions are starting their climb once again to become a contender, although QB Stafford is out due to injury. Philly's QB Kevin Kolb only played a half and didn't look good before he got a concussion and Michael Vick came in for the second half. Vick brought the team on the brink of a huge comeback passing for over 150 yards while also rushing for over 100 yards. Vick will be starting this week due to Kolb's concussion and I think he gives The Eagles the best shot to win.

Arizona (1-0) @ Atlanta (0-1) - Arizona is good, there's no doubt, but they are seriously missing Kurt Warner and Anquan Bolden, I think Atlanta will take advantage of this and should win convincingly.

Kansas City (1-0) @ Cleveland (0-1) - Kansas City is looking good this year with their new coaches and QB Matt Cassell is looking good, Cleveland is not looking that good, in fact I'm trying to rack my brain to think of how they played last week and I can't recall anything they did, good or bad.

Buffalo (0-1) @ Green Bay (1-0) - Green Bay is a well oiled machine and should roll over Buffalo with no problem, especially being at Lambeau.

Pittsburgh (1-0) @ Tennessee (1-0) - Pittsburgh is sorely missing it's QB Roethelisburger (sp), but the defense is still damn good... I think Chris Johnson is better though... As long as Vince Young just keeps handing it off to Johnson and doesn't try anything crazy like passing, Tennessee should easily take this game.

*Tampa Bay (1-0) @ Carolina (0-1) - I don't know much about how Tampa Bay did... I know they beat Cleveland last week but that's about it. Carolina... I think their quarterback is hurt or something and they might actually start my homie Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame. That's really the only reason I'm picking the Panthers.

4:00 Games:

St. Louis (0-1) @ Oakland (0-1) - This is another tough team to pick. Rookie QB Bradford vs Suckie QB Jason Campbell... I guess I'll go with experience for this one. Honestly I really wanted to pick St. Louis but for some reason something is telling me The Raiders will win... I dunno.

Seattle (1-0) @ Denver (0-1) - Denver's not the team they once were, there are definitely good things going on but I think they need a couple years to mature... Seattle is benefiting nicely from Pete Carroll's direction and I think they will go into Denver and take a 'W'.

Houston (1-0) @ Washington (1-0) - Houston looks dangerous this year and Washington looks mediocre. Maybe I'm biased against The Redskins because of last week, but I really don't think the 'New' Redskins will be ready for Houston this week, even being at home again. For Washington to win, Houston will need a couple horrible plays and about a hundred yards in penalties, then maybe.

Jacksonville (1-0) @ San Diego (0-1) - San Diego is pissed they couldn't take care of business in Arrowhead on Monday Night. I expect them to bounce back at home... just thinking of The Chargers I can already see Philip River's fiery temper leading a late 4th quarter drive for the win... this time they will win.

*New England (1-0) @ NY Jets (0-1) - This game is going to be a good one. I really don't know who will win this match-up... Behind Rex Ryan, these Jets have a good shot at winning although The Patriots are looking like they did during their undefeated regular season, so we'll see. I am picking the Jets though... just because...

SNF:

NY Giants (1-0) @ Indy (0-1) - The Manning Bowl... Brother vs Brother... It's anyone's game... well to be more specific, it'll be Indy's game. The Giant's are good but Indy should own them at home. Peyton doesn't like two loses in a row.

MNF:

New Orleans (1-0) @ San Fransisco (0-1) - If someone wants a sure-thing in a straight up pick I would go with this game and pick New Orleans. They have the extra two days of rest, they have the talent and I think they are defending Super Bowl champions, or so I've heard. San Fransisco on the other hand is having their fair share of problems right now, the most recent being Alex Smith and Head Coach Singletary's public disagreements. New Orleans will win, mark my words.

Bold Prediction # 2

I made a bold prediction back in April that Dallas could go 12-4 this season, losing to Minnesota, Indy, Washington (once) and Philly (once.) I am, however, going to re-evaluate my guesses now that week 1 is in the books.

I am still staying optimistic as hell... but instead of 12-4, I'm guessing 11-5 or possibly 10-6, and the loses I could see happening are: Washington (once... which just happened,) Houston, Green Bay, Indy and Philly once (and I might also put one loss by The Giants, I need a couple more weeks to see how they continue to play.)

If the lower end guess is right, 10-6... There is still a chance to win the NFC East, or at least get into the playoffs as a wildcard. I refuse to predict how they will do in the playoffs (if they get there,) because there are far too many factors that are unknown.

I think Dallas really does have a great shot at winning every home game. Chicago, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Detroit, New Orleans, and of course Philly, Washington and The Giants. Tennessee and New Orleans are the teams on that list I would be the most hesitant about, but Dallas usually gets lucky on those Thanksgiving Day games so the edge goes to the 'Boys against New Orleans, and Dallas' run defense can hopefully shut down Chris Johnson and if they do that, they should win against The Titans.

It may actually be good that Dallas got their first loss out of the way to start the season. Of course, you want to start out strong and compile wins early, but this particular loss could be a nice wake-up call. There is no doubt in my mind that Dallas could win 12, 13 or even 14 games this year... the talent level is there... unfortunately, the coaching is not there, which makes the 10 or 11 game scenario more possible (although even that may be too optimistic.) Oh how I wish there was a Jimmy Johnson or a Bill Parcells leading this team... things would certainly be different. Oh well...

NFL Picks - Week 1 Recap

Ok here's a recap of my week 1 picks... I didn't do so well... My actual score totals were pretty close for some games but as far as picks themselves for the winner, I was 7 out of 15, which is less than 50%... I should do better next week now that I know what I'm dealing with a bit.

My predicted score is on the left, and the actual results are obviously on the right. This time, the starred match-ups are the one's I guessed correctly.

*Miami 31 @ Buffalo 17- Miami 15 @ Buffalo 10 - Miami was pretty good, but mostly Buffalo was pretty bad. My prediction of the winner was right at least.

Indy 27 @ Houston 20 - Indy 24 @ Houston 34 - I was way off on this one, but nobody thought Houston would win... they were due, having only 1 victory out of the last 15 match-ups.

Cleveland 17 @ Tampa Bay 6 - Cleveland 14 @ Tampa Bay 17 - Wrong again... I forget what happened in this game, sorry. Who are these teams quarterbacks again?

Atlanta 21@ Pittsburgh 10 - Atlanta 9 @ Pittsburgh 15 - Pittsburgh won in over-time with a great rush from Mendenhall... other than that it was all field goals all game, pretty boring.

*Carolina 14 @ NY Giants 28 - Carolina 18 @ NY Giants 31 - NY Giants looked kinda sucky but so did Carolina, The Giants were able to pull it off though.

*Detroit 16 @ Chicago 31 - Detroit 14 @ Chicago 19 - Detroit really should've won this game but due to a foolish rule about holding the ball after you fall, even after both feet are down and it's obviously caught... anyway, Chicago won, but neither team was that great.

Cincinnati 24 @ New England 23 - Cincinnati 24 @ New England 38 - Again, I was way off... Cincinnati kinda sucked and New England kind of rocked. They dominated.

Denver 14 @ Jacksonville 10 - Denver 17 @ Jacksonville 24 - David Garrard is pretty good.

*Oakland 10 @ Tennessee 33 - Oakland 13 @ Tennessee 38 - I had no doubts about this one, Chris Johnson is such a beast, he ran for like 13,000 yards this game.

*Green Bay 42 @ Philly 28 - Green Bay 27 @ Philly 20 - Green Bay was just OK... they weren't as dominate as we would expect, and Rodgers recorded two interceptions, but they knocked Kolb out of the game at halftime. Michael Vick finished the game and actually started to rally The Eagles nicely, but they couldn't quite pull it off. Started a nice little QB controversy in Philly though... people want Vick, but Reid says Kolb's still the dude. Stupid.

*Arizona 21 @ St. Louis 14 - Arizona 17 @ St. Louis 13 - Fitzgerald was good, but they are definitely missing Kurt Warner. St. Louis was not horrible with that new guy, but they still got room to grow.

*San Fransisco 22 @ Seattle 27 - San Fransisco 6 @ Seattle 31 - Seattle and new coach Pete Carroll dominated in this game.

Dallas 27 @ Washington 10 - Dallas 7 @ Washington 13 - ugh... don't remind me.

Baltimore 17 @ NY Jets 24 - Baltimore 10 @ NY Jets 9 - A defensive battle was assumed and that is what was delivered. Both offenses struggled immensely, struggling to even put up 10-9, but in the end it was Baltimore who managed to hold The Jets to a 4th and 10 and a wideout who stepped out of bounds about a yard too short... game over.

San Diego 26 @ Kansas City 7 - San Diego 14 @ Kansas City 21 - Wow, again I was wayyy off on this one, Kansas City completely dominated in this rainy night game in Missouri. There was a 94 yard punt return for a touchdown, a 56 yard run for a touchdown, a fumble recovery by Kansas City which set up a heroic dive by Matt Cassell to secure a first down at the 1 yard line which led to the go-ahead-score, and that was just the first half. San Diego started to comeback late in the game but were stopped on 4th down. Crazy.

Week 1 Recap - Dallas (7) @ Washington (13)

A devastating loss to a much hated division rival... what a way to kick off the 2010 season.

Dallas wasn't beat by The Redskins last night, Dallas was beat by Dallas. Mistakes, penalties and questionable play-calling all resulted in a heart-breaking loss which puts The Cowboys at an 0-1 record to start the year.

Where to begin my rant? The first person that comes to mind is Alex Barron, who was playing for injured right tackle, Marc Columbo. Barron was penalized for two holds that stopped crucial drives and he followed up his performance with a monster hold as the game clock struck :00 and negated what would have been the winning touchdown of the game. Good job Barron.

Another person that comes to mind for screw-ups is assistant head coach, Jason Garrett, who had more than his share of questionable play-calls. He called the same play, back to back numerous times throughout the game, and it was his decision to 'go for it' with :04 seconds left in the first half which resulted in a fumble that led to 7 points for Washington. Congrats Jason, you're a real winner.

I'm on the bubble if I want to put David Buehler on my list of people to vilify... he did miss a 34 yard field goal and didn't get one touch-back on 3 attempts, but he did get special teams tackles on two runs that could have been touchdowns. For that I would let him stay on the team. Special Teams in general though looked shaky.

I would not keep Alex Barron if I had any say in the matter, I would cut him today. Jason Garrett is also on very thin ice, he needs to stop trying to be so fancy and just call plays that work. He has really fallen far from where he was two years ago.

Amid all the negatives there were a few positive things that happened in the game, although it is hard to recall them right now since I'm still reeling from the loss.

Miles Austin didn't let the contract go to his head. He racked up 146 yards and was great every time he got the ball. Austin is a true number 1 wideout.

Tony Romo did well enough. 282 yards, 1 touchdown and zero interceptions. He can get yards, that's not a problem, and the final drive proved that Romo is one of the best quarterbacks to have during the 2 minute offense. He just needs help on the O-Line.

Roy Williams... eh. He made a great 1st down catch, leaping high into the air, but he did have a drop, although he would've made up for it with the final touchdown reception... if it would have counted, that is.

Ware took 4 games to get his first sack last year... yesterday he got it out of the way in week 1 with a beautiful sack to McNabb, that's one down, 20 more to go (to break the record which he was aiming for last year, but fell short.) Ware also provided everyone quite a scare when he went down with a neck sprain but all reports point to him playing next week.

I'm sure there were more negatives and more positives that I haven't listed, but that's pretty much the gist of it all. It was a tough loss to swallow since victory was so close, but we have to look ahead to Chicago, who Dallas will host next week. Let's see if they can turn it around.

I expect there to be a turnaround for at least this week, I have a bad feeling that even if problems are corrected, they will revert back to the same old ways around mid-season.