Yawwnn

In a move that shocked and surprised no one, Brett Favre has once again announced that he plans to retire from the National Football League before the 2009 season.

At this point I barely even consider this news, it's practically an annual event. "Brett Favre announces retirement," "Brett Favre wants to keep playing," "Brett Favre does not retire and plays for another season," "Brett Favre wants to retire," "Brett Favre doesn't want to retire," "Brett Favre wants to be a Viking," "Brett Favre wants to be a Jet," ect...ect...ect...

It is a never ending cycle of retiring and then not-retiring and being traded or not being traded. It's very exhausting trying to keep up with Mr. Favre's antics.

Even I was hooked into this story last year, watching Brett Favre exit a plane in New York like I was watching O.J. and the white Bronco, but it's been what, three or four years in a row that Favre has announced retirement and then resinded. A fan can only take so much.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I rank this story a 0.5 for 'boorring!'

Ugh

In Dallas Cowboys News

Not much has been happening. Rising Star, Martellus Bennett, got in trouble for posting freestyle rhymes on youtube. It wouldn't have been bad if he wasn't cursing up a storm and wearing his Cowboys helmet. The video was quickly taken down and "Marty B," issued an apology.

Bob Hayes has finally been selected for the Hall of Fame, unfortunately there's been nothing but controversy due to the fact his "alleged" half-sister had a letter that Mr. Hayes wrote years ago, but everyone is now questioning if it's a real letter and if that's really his sister. Oi Vey.

In Other Football News

Ok, The Steelers won the big game and are now the reigning Super Bowl Champions. They also happen to sit alone with the most Super Bowl victories of any team with six.

Six-Pack, Six-Burgh, One for the other thumb, etc, etc, etc... The nicknames are already annoying as hell.

So as it stands, Pittsburgh has 6 rings while Dallas and San Fransisco have 5. Tied for 2nd place isn't horrible, but it's not great either.

Next year a lot of things have to go right if Dallas wants to get to six... do I see it happening? Not without a miracle.

Late to the Party

My apologies for not posting in a while, life has been moving fast and I haven't really had a second to even sit down... besides, with The Cowboys out of the playoffs, my interest in football is slightly diminished, but regardless, I'm back to update.

There hasn't been an overwhelming amount of Dallas Cowboys news, just a few small items sprinkled throughout the last 2 weeks.

- There have been some rumors that T.O. won't be around next year, but merely hours after the rumors surfaced, him and his agent denied this possibility. "Does a bear shit in the woods?" was T.O.'s official response when asked if he believes if he will be a Cowboy next year.

- Jason Garrett is now 0-3 with the interviews he's had for head coaching positions. The Rams looked the most interested, but decided on NY Giants' Steve Spagnaolo instead.

- Ray Lewis rocking the star on his helmet in '09? Rumors erupted recently that if Lewis does indeed head into free agency this year, Jerry Jones will do whatever it takes to secure him. We'll have to see about this one, although he is a beast on the field, he is not getting any younger.

In Other Football News

I didn't even post recaps from the Divisional round, and I won't bore anyone with a recap now, but as for the Championship Games, Philly traveled to Arizona and Baltimore went up to Pittsburgh.

It was all set to be a Pennsylvania Super Bowl, the clear favorites were Pittsburgh and Philly to meet up in Super Bowl 43. Fate was sending these two teams on a collision course in Tampa, but apparently the Eagles misplaced their invitation.

Philly went to Arizona with high hopes, but left with low heads and shattered egos. Arizona completely dominated in the first half, and then gave Philly plenty of chances to comeback in the second, but thanks to Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner, The Cardinals will now be heading to their very first Super Bowl... ever.

Baltimore was also on quite a streak as they went into Pittsburgh, but fate reared it's ugly head again and made this the final game of the season for the Ravens.

The Steelers had a good fight on their hands and the victory didn't come easy, but thanks to the late 4th quarter interception/touchdown by Troy Polomalu, the game was stolen away... just like that.

So there you have it. Pittsburgh vs Arizona in Super Bowl 43, and due to my dislike of the Steelers and the AFC, I'll be forced to be a Cardinals fan on February 1st.

Hey Pacman, Game Over!

Adam Jones was cut from the Cowboys and will be officially released in early February. The news is not surprising following Jones' dissappointing season, which includes the six game suspension he was dealt because of the 'incident' with his bodyguard.

That's just the start of the drama. After the news of his release, not three seconds had even passed before more allegations of trouble erupted. ESPN ran a story which puts Pacman directly in the middle of (another) shooting that occurred in 2007. Jones is being accused of arranging for three men to be shot after he was involved in a dispute with them outside of a club. Jones, of course, denies the claims and threatens a lawsuit toward ESPN.

And I thought Terrell Owens was bad. Compared to the antics of Pacman, Owens' self obsessed, egotistical and arrogant ways are a blessing. At least when Owens is trying to kill someone, it's usually just himself.



Hey Joe!

Special teams coach Bruce Read was finally fired and Joe DeCamillis, who held the same position for Jacksonville, was brought in to fix a unit which did more bad than good last season.

Joe Camillis brings a lot of talent and experience to this team. He was responsible for very successful special team units for the Giants, Atlanta and previously, Jacksonville. He also worked with Wade Phillips in Denver and Atlanta, which I'm sure helped in the interview process.

The special teams unit Dallas has displayed these past two years with Bruce Read at helm has been anything but pretty, so any change will do this squad good.



Head Coach Garrett?

It's looking less likely that Wade Phillips is stepping down or being put down, but what's looking even less likely is Jason Garrett's return to Dallas in 2009.

Even following a disappointing offensive season, Garrett is being hunted by Denver and Detroit, who have both interviewed him for their vacant head coach positions. Detroit has even scheduled him for a second interview sometime next week.

Following the amazing 13-3 season of 2007, Garrett was sought for a couple of head coaching positions then as well, but he declined. In return for his loyalty, Jerry Jones gave him the the sole title of, 'highest paid offensive coordinator/assistant head coach in the NFL.' Loyalty with Jerry Jones = new house and car. I'm sure that's something Garrett is weighing in his mind right now.

Wildcard Weekend Recap

Wildcard Weekend is over, and much like a group of surviving soccer players stranded in the Andes Mountains, some teams have made it through the long, cold season, while others have given up all hope, fallen face down in the bitter-cold snow and are now being eaten by their victors.

Goodbye Indianapolis, Miami, Minnesota and Atlanta, they have all been cooked and devoured. San Diego, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Arizona have survived and will continue to climb the mountain in search of fresh blood.

The blood they search for in the Divisional Round will be Tennessee, Carolina, Pittsburgh and The Giants. Baltimore faces Tennessee, Arizona goes to Carolina, Philly will challenge The Giants and San Diego will meet up with Pitt.

There's only 7 games left in the post season and there's no telling how this crazy season will end. My guess for next week is Tennessee taking Baltimore out, Arizona beating Carolina, Philly continuing their streak by knocking The Giants out and Pittsburgh gets the edge at home against San Diego.

Speaking of predictions... throughout the past two seasons, I have been picking every game, straight-up and painstakingly tallying them all, (thank you, Excel.) Well, I'm happy to announce that my regular season percentage for 2008 was 60%. That's 153 correct picks out of 256 total games. Not half bad...

Welcome to the Off Season

Ok, I'll be brief about the game on Sunday. Dallas lost... Season over... Quite embarassing.

- Jerry Jones says coaching staff will remain in place, plus most of the key elements are already signed to multi-year deals, so they aren't going anywhere.

- Wade Phillips says a change of approach is in order.

- Tony Romo and Terrell Owens, during their press conferences after the game, pretty much blamed this tragedy on Jason Garrett (although not in so many words.)

- Deon Anderson and Flozell Adams got in a fight on the plane home, but quickly squashed the beef, with a little help from Leonard Davis. Bradie James nearly got arrested the morning after the game when he had an argument with an irate fan.

- And oh yea, Romo sustained a rib injury during the game and later passed out from pain in the shower, being quickly attended to by the team's medical staff. He suffered a tear to cartilage in his ribs. He recovered well enough to get to his press conference.

Despite the horror in Philly, and the fact the season is now over for the year, there are a couple positives when looking toward 2009.

- The biggest thing to look forward to, is the biggest thing in Texas... The Cowboys new stadium. It will make it's debut next season and is sure to draw plenty of attention Dallas' way (as if they need help with that.)

- The "changes" that Wade Phillips assures us. It will be interesting to see if he really can make a change, and hopefully turn Camp Cupcake into Army Boot Camp.

- Wounds Healing. The injuries this season have been a major cause for such inconsistency. If it wasn't for injuries to Felix Jones, Roy Williams, Mat McBriar, Kyle Kosier, Marion Barber, a number of corner backs and safetys and of course, Tony Romo, it's tough to argue that this season would have turned out a little differently. A month longer of an off-season can only do good for this injury ridden team.

Another thing that has been announced are the 2009 opponents, which will be the NFC South and the AFC West. Also added to the menu next season are Seattle and Green Bay.

Dallas will play host to Atlanta, Carolina, Oakland, San Diego and Seattle, and will travel to New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Denver, Kansas City and Green Bay, the schedule itself is yet to be determined.

Week 17 Recap - @ Philly

F**K!!

T'is two days before Philly (an interpolation)

T'is 2 days before Philly, and all through the cold,
Not a player is stirring, not even T.O.;
The helmets are placed in the locker with care,
In hopes that the playoffs will soon be theirs;
The coaches are constantly reading playbooks,
With visions of scrambles, play action and hooks;
Through Romo's illness and Witten's bruises,
They're both back in practice, so don't call them losers;
This one final game is now all that matters,
In the end, will we hear their tears or their laughter?;
At kickoff I hope Austin runs like the Flash,
And scores the first Touchdown to start the game fast;
Defense is essential, I hope that they care,
McNabb best prepare for a few sacks from Ware;
Romo just has to play with perfection,
The corner backs need to grab interceptions;
The O-line, needs to break open some holes,
Just ask the right guard, Leonard Davis, he knows;
Wade Phillips will lead and his team will follow,
It will take all of them, to get through to tomorrow;
Witten and Williams and Choice and Folk,
Paulescu and Newman and Barber and Polk;
To the top of the wild card, or at least number 2,
Is all that us fans are hoping they'll do;
It won't be a cakewalk, these Eagles are rough,
In fact any divisional match-up is tough;
So as the clock ticks, and as Sunday gets closer,
Anxiety builds like the heat in a toaster;
And then, when it's time for the game to kick off,
I'll pray and I'll pray that they don't get a loss;
It's 'Do or Die' time, and the chances look slim,
But that's the position these 'Boys like to be in;
When everything's down and it's like a bad dream,
There's magic around... They're America's Team!;
They're all dressed in Blue and Silver and White,
And they will be ready to deliver a fight;
A fumble or two when Big D's 'D' attacks,
Will certainly help get the momentum back;
They must watch McNabb, as he runs all around,
And Westbrook and Jackson and Curtis and Brown;
Plus the Philly D, is a defense that pressures,
With Samuel, Dawkins, Cole and Sheppard;
But thankfully most of our O-Line is beasts,
As they get in position they're clenching their teeth;
Their helmets are down, they'll do more than tap,
As soon as the moment the football is snapped;
Chubby and plump, but physically fit,
They push up the line and don't mind it a bit;
As long as Romo can deliver the ball,
To a back or receiver, the short or the tall;
To convert on third down is a must to succeed,
And fill up the scoreboard with 7 or 14;
21, 28, 31, 34,
As long as it's more than the Eagles can score;
It's all up to them, and this one final game,
If they don't get it done then it will be a shame;
When Monday comes, I hope I can shout,
DALLAS MADE THE PLAYOFFS, and the Eagles are out!!!

Merry Christmas!!

Tomorrow is Christmas, and while the spirit and feeling of the season is abundant in the air, my thoughts are still firmly on the afternoon match-up between Dallas and Philly this upcoming Sunday.

Troubling news from camp however indicates that superstar quarterback, Tony Romo, is not in practice because of an undisclosed illness. Jason Witten was also not in practice today, but his reasons are more obvious. (I'd be willing to guess it's the cracked rib, sprained ankle and sprained knee.)

A few other Cowboys are questionable thus far, and that list includes Montrae Holland, Keith Davis, Ken Hamlin and of course, Marion Barber. There are four days before the 'Do or Die' match-up in Philly, so we'll see how these injuries play out.

That's about all the news I found noteworthy enough to post, so with that, I bid you farewell for now, and to all, have a Merry Christmas!!

One More Chance

I haven't been around for a while due to a new job and being busy with Christmas shopping, but I'm back to continue my extremely fascinating and captivating posts about America's Team.

Ok, where to begin... well, it hasn't been the best December for The 'Boys (yet again.) They lost to Pittsburgh, shockingly won against The Giants and then in an embarrassing fashion, they lost the final game in Texas Stadium to The Ravens.

After that Saturday night debacle against Baltimore, the chances of reaching the playoffs were looking pretty slim. Luckily, the next morning there was an early Christmas present left for Dallas as Tampa Bay lost to San Diego, and Philly lost to Washington. As it now stands, if The Cowboys win their final game in Philly, they will be in the playoffs, no ifs, ands or buts.

The Eagles are still praying for a playoff spot as well (they would need to win against Dallas and for a few teams to lose,) so they aren't going to be taking it easy on Sunday... not at all. There's nothing that Philly loves to do more than beat Dallas, especially under these circumstances.

It's going to be a week full of high anxiety. As the kids wait eagerly for Santa to show up on Thursday, I'll be waiting for Romo to show up on Sunday.

It will all come down to this one final game. In a season that ended up being much more different than early predictions, it's a miracle that there is still hope, and it will be an even bigger miracle if Dallas can pull it off.