I think this is what they mean when they say hard hittin interview. Terrence Newman isn't one to sugarcoat things. I mean, hell, hes called out the entire coaching staff before. Well heres exhibit 137. This interview was filmed before TO was released so I'm not really sure what took so long for WFAA to post it.
Amongst the highlights are him openly saying that in-team bickering affected the teams performance down the stretch, talking about how Romo needs to take more of a leadership position, alluding that Jessica might have affected Romo, and calling out the coaching staff by saying the Cowboys 3-4 scheme is too simple. He elaborates on the 3-4 scheme by saying that opposing offenses were calling out where rushers were coming from... which completely negates the point of the 3-4. He also goes to great lengths to talk about how much he likes Pacman Jones. In a twist of almost too obvious irony he says that too many players went to the media to air out grievances. Well um... nevermind.
This probably won't help improve locker room chemistry much but at least it provides us fans with more entertainment.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Lets talk TO
Its been several days now since the TO release went down. I should have hit on it sooner given the magnitude of the story (if ESPN was any indication it was the biggest story of the decade), but the length of time has allowed me to fully process my thoughts on it. And they're still mixed.
When I first heard it my initial reaction was of surprise simply because I didn't think Jerry would do it. I figured in his mind, the financial and on-the-field implications would outweigh the off-the-field issues. Initially I didn't feel good about the move. Thats 10 TDs and 1000 yards minimum that you're taking off the field. Some argue that his play declined significantly but I still contend that scheme and poor game planning were more to blame than anything for his down numbers in 2008. Declining numbers or not, thats a lot of production you're removing from the team. Even though skinny Roy Williams (I guess we don't have to make that distinction anymore since the fat one got cut) is my boy, I don't know if hes ready to be a number 1 receiver on a team that actually wants to win. I would prepare for a very run oriented offense next year.
Like I said though, that was my initial reaction. Eventually I came back around to my original reaction of shock that Jerry actually made the move. As the ringleader, and I do mean ringleader, nobody wants to win more than Jerry. If anyone were to keep a guy like TO around despite all the ancillary issues, it would be Jerry. He takes more risks than anyone and has always believed that "chemistry" is only a buzz word used by teams that already win football games. He will be the first to point to his mid-90s teams as evidence that you can win despite a circus atmosphere. So if Jerry of all people was resigned to releasing TO, I'd have to believe that Owens was a real issue... despite my previous assertion that this season TO was a victim of his past.
Going forward, the pressure just got turned up on Jason Garrett. This is what he wanted. His offense was subpar this year and he believes that TO was part of the cause. He tried to draw a line in the sand while interviewing for other jobs... its me or TO. Of course, that blew up when he didn't get any other offers. Nevertheless, lets see some results this year then. Whatever pressure Garrett feels though, multiply that by about 10 and you'll be in the ballpark of Romo's pressure cooker. This is what Jerry alluded to when he said they wanted to make the team more Romo-friendly. Jerry has chosen to go forward into the new stadium with Romo as the FOTF and its never been more clear. Tony might want to work on a different version of his "life goes on" stance after crushing defeats.
I realized that when watching Cowboys games I was always keeping track of TO's touches. Have we thrown to him enough today? How many catches does he have? Does he have 100 yards? If he doesn't have 100, does he at least have a TD? Is hes going to be mad after the game? If I'm thinking that, what must Romo be thinking. That in itself is an issue and I suppose it says something about TO as a teammate. Heres hoping this frees things up for Romo a bit... and in turn, loosens up the rest of the team so we can avoid the purgatory of 9-7 in 2009.
When I first heard it my initial reaction was of surprise simply because I didn't think Jerry would do it. I figured in his mind, the financial and on-the-field implications would outweigh the off-the-field issues. Initially I didn't feel good about the move. Thats 10 TDs and 1000 yards minimum that you're taking off the field. Some argue that his play declined significantly but I still contend that scheme and poor game planning were more to blame than anything for his down numbers in 2008. Declining numbers or not, thats a lot of production you're removing from the team. Even though skinny Roy Williams (I guess we don't have to make that distinction anymore since the fat one got cut) is my boy, I don't know if hes ready to be a number 1 receiver on a team that actually wants to win. I would prepare for a very run oriented offense next year.
Like I said though, that was my initial reaction. Eventually I came back around to my original reaction of shock that Jerry actually made the move. As the ringleader, and I do mean ringleader, nobody wants to win more than Jerry. If anyone were to keep a guy like TO around despite all the ancillary issues, it would be Jerry. He takes more risks than anyone and has always believed that "chemistry" is only a buzz word used by teams that already win football games. He will be the first to point to his mid-90s teams as evidence that you can win despite a circus atmosphere. So if Jerry of all people was resigned to releasing TO, I'd have to believe that Owens was a real issue... despite my previous assertion that this season TO was a victim of his past.
Going forward, the pressure just got turned up on Jason Garrett. This is what he wanted. His offense was subpar this year and he believes that TO was part of the cause. He tried to draw a line in the sand while interviewing for other jobs... its me or TO. Of course, that blew up when he didn't get any other offers. Nevertheless, lets see some results this year then. Whatever pressure Garrett feels though, multiply that by about 10 and you'll be in the ballpark of Romo's pressure cooker. This is what Jerry alluded to when he said they wanted to make the team more Romo-friendly. Jerry has chosen to go forward into the new stadium with Romo as the FOTF and its never been more clear. Tony might want to work on a different version of his "life goes on" stance after crushing defeats.
I realized that when watching Cowboys games I was always keeping track of TO's touches. Have we thrown to him enough today? How many catches does he have? Does he have 100 yards? If he doesn't have 100, does he at least have a TD? Is hes going to be mad after the game? If I'm thinking that, what must Romo be thinking. That in itself is an issue and I suppose it says something about TO as a teammate. Heres hoping this frees things up for Romo a bit... and in turn, loosens up the rest of the team so we can avoid the purgatory of 9-7 in 2009.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Interesting Rangers notes
Apparently Brandon McCarthy has decided to scrap the pitch that made him a legit prospect. His curveball is being shelved for a slider. I found this interview with him very insightful. It provides some insight into a pitchers thought process on the mound and how he feels about his own pitches. Hes fairly straight forward in saying that he his curveball could get minor leaguers out but simply wasn't fooling anyone in the majors. They could identify it on release based on his arm slot and since he couldn't throw it for strikes they just wouldn't swing. On the flipside, this interview from BBTIA states that sliders are actually more stressful on the arm than curves. McCarthy says he doesn't feel anything in his arm when he throws the slider though. Heres hoping hes finally healthy but I wouldn't count on it.
Global warming comes to the Ballpark. At least according to Rudy Jaramillo and some environmentalist from the WSJ. Apparently the jetstream is moving north about 1 mile per year. The jetstream shoots out into right center at the ballpark which is in a southeasterly direction. So moving north would shift it more towards straight away center which presumably would be better for pitchers as more line drives carried by the jetstream would die at the wall.
Global warming comes to the Ballpark. At least according to Rudy Jaramillo and some environmentalist from the WSJ. Apparently the jetstream is moving north about 1 mile per year. The jetstream shoots out into right center at the ballpark which is in a southeasterly direction. So moving north would shift it more towards straight away center which presumably would be better for pitchers as more line drives carried by the jetstream would die at the wall.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Those middle of the road Mavs
While their recent stretch of good play was promising, it doesn't change what the Mavs are. A middle of the road NBA team. That fact was on display tonight as they couldn't hold on against a Celtics team looking ahead to the All Star break. Sure, the Mavs will probably make the playoffs. If the Suns complete their rumored fire sale this will be a foregone conclusion. Where does that leave us though? A 1st or 2nd round exit and a nice pat on the back? Then what? Where does this team go from there with a free agent point guard whos closer to 40 than 30 and a superstar who (despite my love for Dirk) isn't a born leader.
So why such gloom and doom? Shouldn't I be happy with consistently making the playoffs? I'm sure Clippers fans would feel that way. After all, it is more than the Cowboys could say this year. Well, the source of my glass half empty approach with the Mavs is that in the NBA, moreso than any other sport, you just don't want to be an average team. Average teams don't win titles in the NBA. Think about it, when did a 5 seed win a title in the NBA? Now think about how often you see wild card teams and low seeds win titles in the NFL, MLB, and NHL. In the NBA, you need to be an elite team whos a true title contender or a bad team with cap room thats rebuilding. An average team in the NBA can stay average for as long as they want. It takes chutzpah to tear it all down but I truly believe thats what the Mavs are faced with. Call this my official declaration that I'm putting my vote behind Mavs Cap Room In The Summer of 2010.
So why such gloom and doom? Shouldn't I be happy with consistently making the playoffs? I'm sure Clippers fans would feel that way. After all, it is more than the Cowboys could say this year. Well, the source of my glass half empty approach with the Mavs is that in the NBA, moreso than any other sport, you just don't want to be an average team. Average teams don't win titles in the NBA. Think about it, when did a 5 seed win a title in the NBA? Now think about how often you see wild card teams and low seeds win titles in the NFL, MLB, and NHL. In the NBA, you need to be an elite team whos a true title contender or a bad team with cap room thats rebuilding. An average team in the NBA can stay average for as long as they want. It takes chutzpah to tear it all down but I truly believe thats what the Mavs are faced with. Call this my official declaration that I'm putting my vote behind Mavs Cap Room In The Summer of 2010.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Keepin it simple
I wanted to get a few thoughts down....
-I'm tired of hearing "who cares about prospects, who knows if they will ever pan out". This seems to be the typical response when people are told that the Rangers have the number 1 minor league system according to Baseball America. While in theory this statement is true, its ignoring the fact that the whole point of having a deep system is that improves the odds that you will hit on more prospects. Its self explanatory. Its been proven by people with more money to spend than I do (i.e. subscriptions to Baseball America) that top ranking minor league systems generally leads to a successful product at the major league level a few years down the line. Prior teams with minor league systems ranked #1 by BA have shown that more often than not, it will lead to a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Congrats to my man JD.
-The Ben Sheets courtship and its eventual dissolution was frustrating. That, I realize, is obvious. If I may though, I'd add that with him manning the front of our rotation, our little Rangers would have been a playoff contender. I believe in the power of the contract year. With Millwood and Padilla as contract year 2nd and 3rd starters, we would have had something cooking. Alas...
-Rick Barnes, for all his wonderful ability as a coach and recruiter, becomes a fair to middling coach if his team does not have a true PG. Think Royal Ivey as the UT PG and this year's 9 headed monster of everyone on the roster being tried at PG. Its his Achille's heal as a coach. Having said that, its hard to ask for much more than what Barnes has done for the UT basketball program.
-Everyone else seems to be a lot more up in arms over this A-Rod deal than I am. My stance is that I really don't care. No check that... I cared when it was an original story. Now its just tiresome. Its obvious steroid use was rampant. Why are we so shocked that another of the best in the game has admitted to using steroids. Spare relief pitchers use(d) steroids. I'm supposed to be shocked that 50+ home run hitters did too? A lot of money is at stake here, its what happens. Theres this grand argument that steroid users should be excommunicated because they weren't on an equal playing field. Are we sure about that? Maybe its the other way around. What did send my head spinning though was A-Rod indirectly faulting the Rangers, the clubhouse atmosphere, and best of all, the Texas heat. I guess thats an apology. It puts the microscope on the Rangers again as some writers have insinuated the Rangers were at the intersection of 1st and 1st for steroid use in baseball. That would be the nexus of the universe for those that didn't catch the Seinfeld reference. I think its ridiculous to cite the Rangers for something that was obviously a part of MLB culture as a whole. If I may quote myself circa 1993... "but mom! Everyone else is doing it!" Wait, isn't that what A-Rod said also?
-I'm tired of hearing "who cares about prospects, who knows if they will ever pan out". This seems to be the typical response when people are told that the Rangers have the number 1 minor league system according to Baseball America. While in theory this statement is true, its ignoring the fact that the whole point of having a deep system is that improves the odds that you will hit on more prospects. Its self explanatory. Its been proven by people with more money to spend than I do (i.e. subscriptions to Baseball America) that top ranking minor league systems generally leads to a successful product at the major league level a few years down the line. Prior teams with minor league systems ranked #1 by BA have shown that more often than not, it will lead to a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Congrats to my man JD.
-The Ben Sheets courtship and its eventual dissolution was frustrating. That, I realize, is obvious. If I may though, I'd add that with him manning the front of our rotation, our little Rangers would have been a playoff contender. I believe in the power of the contract year. With Millwood and Padilla as contract year 2nd and 3rd starters, we would have had something cooking. Alas...
-Rick Barnes, for all his wonderful ability as a coach and recruiter, becomes a fair to middling coach if his team does not have a true PG. Think Royal Ivey as the UT PG and this year's 9 headed monster of everyone on the roster being tried at PG. Its his Achille's heal as a coach. Having said that, its hard to ask for much more than what Barnes has done for the UT basketball program.
-Everyone else seems to be a lot more up in arms over this A-Rod deal than I am. My stance is that I really don't care. No check that... I cared when it was an original story. Now its just tiresome. Its obvious steroid use was rampant. Why are we so shocked that another of the best in the game has admitted to using steroids. Spare relief pitchers use(d) steroids. I'm supposed to be shocked that 50+ home run hitters did too? A lot of money is at stake here, its what happens. Theres this grand argument that steroid users should be excommunicated because they weren't on an equal playing field. Are we sure about that? Maybe its the other way around. What did send my head spinning though was A-Rod indirectly faulting the Rangers, the clubhouse atmosphere, and best of all, the Texas heat. I guess thats an apology. It puts the microscope on the Rangers again as some writers have insinuated the Rangers were at the intersection of 1st and 1st for steroid use in baseball. That would be the nexus of the universe for those that didn't catch the Seinfeld reference. I think its ridiculous to cite the Rangers for something that was obviously a part of MLB culture as a whole. If I may quote myself circa 1993... "but mom! Everyone else is doing it!" Wait, isn't that what A-Rod said also?
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Stewie, Garrett, TO, Wade, and everything in between
The Valley Ranch circus never ends. It must be fascinating to be a reporter that covers this team. You don't even have to try to go look for stories. So lets see, this week we have:
Brian Stewart
I was a little surprised hearing about his firing yesterday. True, in the second half of the season he was reduced to Ryan Leaf (i.e. clipboard holder) without a 'tude, but if Wade is going to be calling plays next year as well, then who will want to take this DC job? Stewie always came off as a guy that wanted badly to be respected by his players but was just never taken seriously. Remind anyone of someone else on the coaching staff? Yeah, its not a coincidence. It points to a much larger issue of there being no respected heirarchy on this team. If you want to get to the bottom of the issues of what ails the supremely talented Dallas Cowboys, you can start there. Which takes me to the big story of the week.
Garret vs. TO
This belief that TO is holding the team back is nonsense to me. While his "throw me the damn ball" media outbursts may be a distraction, its far down the list as far as I'm concerned if you want to talk about how 9-7 happened. While writing this entry, news broke that the Rams have hired Steve Spagnuolo from the Giants despite Garrett traveling to St. Louis yesterday for a 2nd interview/job offer/whatever speculation Adam Schefter wants to throw against the wall. That news makes what I'm writing about somewhat irrelevant. However, there is still this issue of Garrett apparently throwing his perceived might around at Valley Ranch and demanding that TO be released or else Jason's going to take his toys and go home. However, this power play seems to have failed miserably as apparently he has no head coaching offers. So... where does that leave the Cowboys. Garrett can no longer say its me or TO because where is he going to go? Such is life at Valley Ranch.
I wasn't really worried about losing Garrett. If it was TO or Garrett, I think I'd take TO. I'm not going to pretend that I've reviewed game film or broken down Garrett's playcalling tendencies and can thus provide X and O commentary about why he sputtered as an OC this year. However, I can see pretty plain as day that we weren't getting the ball to playmakers. I don't care if we played good defenses in December. The point of having a good offense is not to put up 35 on the 49ers, but to score enough points to help your team out when you're up against the best. Starpower on offense did not equate to an elite offense this year. This has been a downward trending offense since last December. Dare I say the league has caught up to the boy genius? And dare I say the boy genius hasn't shown the chops to properly adjust? He got flat worked by Dick Lebeau, Rex Ryan, and Jim Johnson. I'm talkin Pat Riley vs. Avery Johnson style. If you don't believe me just listen to the players. When Ray Lewis talks openly about how simplistic your offense is and how he was able to call out your plays before you ran them and when DeShea Townsend says he knew exactly where Witten was going to be on the pick six you have problems. The most telling piece of evidence came after the Philly game though. When TO complains about the offense people brush it off as TO being TO. But when your franchise QB who never deviates from the company line makes veiled but pointed comments about being out gameplanned and outsmarted... ruh roh. The moral of the story here is that Garrett is in no position to be throwing his weight around and drawing lines in the sand.
Michelin Man
Poor Wade. I think he still has a job because Jerry didn't have enough faith in Garrett to promote him to head coach. Wade has so little respect that immediately after saying that next season he would try and run a tighter ship and command more respect, Bradie James, a team captain no less, promptly stated that he didn't buy it. Make no mistake, the man can coach a defense. However, if this team wins next year under Wade, it will be talent overcoming lack of other intangibles as opposed to Wade doing any General MacArthur impersonations. Can we just make Wade the DC and hire Shanahan or Gruden? That would be bliss.
Brian Stewart
I was a little surprised hearing about his firing yesterday. True, in the second half of the season he was reduced to Ryan Leaf (i.e. clipboard holder) without a 'tude, but if Wade is going to be calling plays next year as well, then who will want to take this DC job? Stewie always came off as a guy that wanted badly to be respected by his players but was just never taken seriously. Remind anyone of someone else on the coaching staff? Yeah, its not a coincidence. It points to a much larger issue of there being no respected heirarchy on this team. If you want to get to the bottom of the issues of what ails the supremely talented Dallas Cowboys, you can start there. Which takes me to the big story of the week.
Garret vs. TO
This belief that TO is holding the team back is nonsense to me. While his "throw me the damn ball" media outbursts may be a distraction, its far down the list as far as I'm concerned if you want to talk about how 9-7 happened. While writing this entry, news broke that the Rams have hired Steve Spagnuolo from the Giants despite Garrett traveling to St. Louis yesterday for a 2nd interview/job offer/whatever speculation Adam Schefter wants to throw against the wall. That news makes what I'm writing about somewhat irrelevant. However, there is still this issue of Garrett apparently throwing his perceived might around at Valley Ranch and demanding that TO be released or else Jason's going to take his toys and go home. However, this power play seems to have failed miserably as apparently he has no head coaching offers. So... where does that leave the Cowboys. Garrett can no longer say its me or TO because where is he going to go? Such is life at Valley Ranch.
I wasn't really worried about losing Garrett. If it was TO or Garrett, I think I'd take TO. I'm not going to pretend that I've reviewed game film or broken down Garrett's playcalling tendencies and can thus provide X and O commentary about why he sputtered as an OC this year. However, I can see pretty plain as day that we weren't getting the ball to playmakers. I don't care if we played good defenses in December. The point of having a good offense is not to put up 35 on the 49ers, but to score enough points to help your team out when you're up against the best. Starpower on offense did not equate to an elite offense this year. This has been a downward trending offense since last December. Dare I say the league has caught up to the boy genius? And dare I say the boy genius hasn't shown the chops to properly adjust? He got flat worked by Dick Lebeau, Rex Ryan, and Jim Johnson. I'm talkin Pat Riley vs. Avery Johnson style. If you don't believe me just listen to the players. When Ray Lewis talks openly about how simplistic your offense is and how he was able to call out your plays before you ran them and when DeShea Townsend says he knew exactly where Witten was going to be on the pick six you have problems. The most telling piece of evidence came after the Philly game though. When TO complains about the offense people brush it off as TO being TO. But when your franchise QB who never deviates from the company line makes veiled but pointed comments about being out gameplanned and outsmarted... ruh roh. The moral of the story here is that Garrett is in no position to be throwing his weight around and drawing lines in the sand.
Michelin Man
Poor Wade. I think he still has a job because Jerry didn't have enough faith in Garrett to promote him to head coach. Wade has so little respect that immediately after saying that next season he would try and run a tighter ship and command more respect, Bradie James, a team captain no less, promptly stated that he didn't buy it. Make no mistake, the man can coach a defense. However, if this team wins next year under Wade, it will be talent overcoming lack of other intangibles as opposed to Wade doing any General MacArthur impersonations. Can we just make Wade the DC and hire Shanahan or Gruden? That would be bliss.
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