SB Nation User Blog: Raul Villaronga

"BirdBrain"

Raul Villaronga — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:11:36 -0000

"BirdBrain"

From the wackies at Bang Cartoon...

An Amateur's Take

Raul Villaronga — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 03:19:20 -0000

OK, so I'm no technician for the crime lab. And I don't claim to be an expert in handwriting (just ask my wife). But peering into the deep crevace that is all of the he-said, she-said of whether Lucille Hester is truly the sister, half-sister or play-sister [sic] of Bob Hayes, I start to feel like I'm watching a cross between episodes of CSI and The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.

So let's look at something that cannot, or at least would be difficult to, lie - the autograph. This could let me know whether what was read truly came from Bob Hayes.

The good folks over at DallasBasketball.com have continually harped on one piece of evidence, and that is the differences between the autograph on Bob Hayes' player card and the Hayes autograph on the letter that Hester read after the announcement of his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

So I decided to take a closer look. Again, I'm no expert but some differences are clearly obvious.

The Capital "B"

The card "B" is more round. It also has a hesitation at the bottom of the vertical line indicating that the line is made with a down stroke. There is a distinct loop to the left of the vertical line and has a continuation at the bottom of the "B" loop that continues to the left of that line, indicating that the next letter was started after the pen was lifted. i.e., not continuous.

The letter "B" starts at the base and is made in an upward stroke. It is more rounded than vertical. The loop at the bottom of the "B" does not continue to the left of the vertical line but instead loops over itself to begin the next letter in a continuous fashion.

The small "o"

Again, the card "o" is rounder and, as stated above, appears to have been started with a different stroke than the capital letter. Also note that the final stroke of the letter that crosses over the "circle" of the letter is made at the 11 o'clock position, or left of top center.

The letter "o" is more slanted to the right and not as round. The final stroke of this letter crosses over at the 1 o'clock position, or right of top center.

The small "b"

The card "b" again is round. Its final stroke at the bottom of the letter continues back behind the vertical line, indicating that the end of the letter was made in a downward and back to the right (clockwise) stroke.

The letter "b" has a more slanted vertical, much like the capital "B". The ending stroke of this letter, instead of continuing past the vertical line, loops up, indicating the end of the letter was made in an upward loop stroke, or counter-clockwise.

The Capital "H"

The card "H" has vertical lines similar to the Capital "B". The distinction here is that the crossing line on the "H" is made as a continuous stroke after the right vertical line.

The letter "H" has straight vertical lines, unlike the capital "B". The more distinctive mark here, however, is the absence of the continuation for the horizontal line across the verticals.

The small "a"

The card "a" is started at the top on a separate stroke from the capital H. You can clear see where the pen was lifted after the "H" and started again with the "a".

The letter "a" is clearly a continuation of the capital "H".

I won't continue with the rest of the signature because the latter part of the card signature becomes more difficult to view as it is over the blue and white of the socks. But looking at the first five out of five letters, I have serious questions as to whether the two signatures are from the same person.

I say again - I am not a handwriting expert. But I would hope that this exercise would prompt more noteworthy professionals in that line of work to examine these documents. With all of the reporting that has gone back and forth since his induction announcement, his legacy deserves to have this episode settled.

As a fan, I want to know that the words I was told came from Bob Hayes truly came from the man. If not, I would feel cheated.

Is Bob Hayes’ ‘Sister’ Conning The Cowboys, The Hall Of Fame And The NFL?

Raul Villaronga — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:07:11 -0000

Is Bob Hayes’ ‘Sister’ Conning The Cowboys, The Hall Of Fame And The NFL?

Mike Fisher has an interesting column regarding Bob Hayes' "sister". If this is true, then there should be an investigation. It would be outrageous to lessen this well-deserved moment with a charlatan.

I hope it's not true but with all of Hayes' family members on one side and Lucille Hester on the other, it definitely sounds legitimate.

The Real Terrell Owens Cap Numbers

Raul Villaronga — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:31:08 -0000

OK, for those who are curious, we've heard $12 million, $9 million, $680,000, both $12 million plus $9 million.

What's a fan to believe??

OK, here it is – the real, REAL numbers:

Owens deal included $13 guaranteed – $12.9M was in a signing bonus and the other $100,000 was guaranteed as part of his 2008 salary. Therefore, prorate $12.9 over 4 years and you have $3,225,000 per season.

Cutting T.O.
If Dallas cuts Owens before paying him his roster bonus due June 3, the remaining amount of his signing bonus is accelerated into the 2009 cap figure:

$9,675,000 ($3.225M x 3 years remaining)

Keeping T.O.
If Dallas keeps him for 2009, they owe him a $3M roster bonus on June 3, plus a salary of $2.67M. Add that to the prorated signing bonus ($3.225M) and you get:

$8,895,000 ($3M + $2.67M + $3.225M)

So:

Cut: $9.675,000
Keep: $8.895,000

Difference: $680,000 more if he is cut.

Q.E.D.

The 2008 Leons - Offensive MVP

Raul Villaronga — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:00:57 -0000

This week's look at The Leon award is about the Offensive MVP. While we may joke and guffaw that it was, well, offensive, we none the less have candidates on this side of the ball that are deserving when looking at the entire season.

The 2008 Leons

Offensive MVP

The nominees are:

QB Tony Romo
TE Jason Witten
WR Terrell Owens
RB Marion Barber
OT Marc Colombo

Let's look at each player individually:

QB Tony Romo

Romo missed 3 games after injuring his throwing hand in the overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals but ended the season as the 4th rated QB in the NFC, behind Kurt Warner, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. In 2008 his yards per game average (265.2 ypg) continued to increase and, while his touchdown percentage dropped slightly (5.8% from 6.9%) his interception percentage dropped, declining from 3.7% to 3.1%). He finished the season completing 276 of 450 passing attempts for 3,446 yards, with 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. While his care of the ball (13 fumbles, 7 lost) has been discussed, it's not even a question if Romo is this team's best alternative at quarterback (see Rams game).

TE Jason Witten

Witten's importance to this team cannot be solely judged on numbers. He declined from his 2007 campaign, with 81 receptions for 952 yards and 4 touchdowns. 14 of those receptions went 20 yards or more and a whopping 50 receptions went for first downs, cementing Witten as the "go-to" guy for Tony Romo. Even hampered with a sprained ankle, knee and cracked ribs, he didn't miss a game. A more telling stat is that between the 20 yard lines, 65% of his receptions are for first downs. That's clutch.

WR Terrell Owens

Owens had an off year by his standards, he still eclipsed 1,000 yards, ending up with 1,052 yards on 69 receptions and 10 touchdowns (Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson led the league with 12). His monster game came against the San Francisco 49ers, where he caught 7 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown. Owens is still the #1 receiver on this team and, until proven otherwise, not having him on the field would stagnate the offense, as it did after his high ankle sprain last year in the Carolina game.

RB Marion Barber

Barber had a shortened 12-game season, basically shutting down after injuring tendons in his toe during the Seattle game on Thanksgiving. He was on track for a 1,000 yard season, finishing with 238 carries for 885 yards and 7 touchdowns. His style of running showed up well against AFC teams, where he averaged 4.0 yards per carry, and a paltry 3.7 yards against the NFC.

OT Marc Colombo

As Rafael posted in his autopsy of the offensive line, Colombo was the Cowboys' most consistent lineman, despite his penchant for false starts. I'll let his words speak for themselves:

He handled the big rushers on his side and run blocked more consistently than any of his peers. The toss right to Marion Barber was Dallas' best run play, in week one and in week seventeen.

Poll

Who gets your vote for Cowboys' Offensive MVP?

QB Tony Romo

136 votes

TE Jason Witten

802 votes

WR Terrell Owens

33 votes

RB Marion Barber

22 votes

OT Marc Colombo

58 votes

1051 votes | Poll has closed

The 2008 Leons - Defensive MVP

Raul Villaronga — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 21:47:41 -0000

Welcome to this new feature at Blogging The Boys, where we vote and hand out The Leon, a soon-to-be prestigious award for members of the Dallas Cowboys. What we want to do is have our own vote for most valuable players for the Cowboys and get your opinion on who you voted for and why.

This week we are looking at the defense.

The 2008 Leons

Defensive MVP

And the nominees are:

LB DeMarcus Ware
NT Jay Ratliff
LB Bradie James
CB Terence Newman

Let's look at each player individually:

LB Demarcus Ware

Ware has to been a phenom since he came out of college in 2005. Coming to the NFL he converted from defensive end to linebacker in Bill Parcells' 3-4 defense. Ware's numbers have increased in each of his four seasons and in 2008 he ended up with 20 sacks and 84 tackles. He also earned his 3rd consecutive Pro Bowl invitation.

NT Jay Ratliff

Ratliff has been a pleasant surprise this season. As a 7th round draft pick in 2005, he got his first start that season. He became a starter with the injury to Jason Ferguson in 2007. His play garnered him a 5-year extension last year worth $20.5 million and his first Pro Bowl selection this year. He had 7½ sacks in 2008 and was a solid force in the middle.

LB Bradie James

James had a breakout season in 2008 with 8 total sacks and a 3-game sack streak. He also ended the season with a career high 116 tackles. Through the middle of December, James finished 4 out of 5 games with double-digit tackles, including 13 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble in the Thursday Thanksgiviing Day game against the Seattle Seahawks. He emerged as the captain of the defense and led by example.

CB Terence Newman

Newman had some injury issues to deal with this season but, once healthy, was instrumental in the rise of the Cowboys defense this year. He was put on the opponents' top receivers and took them out of the equation. He silenced Cowboys-killer Santana Moss at Washington and rendered Dominek Hixon invisible in the Giants game. He still has excellent speed and can play press coverage better than any other player on the team.

Poll

Who gets your vote for Cowboys' Defensive MVP?

LB DeMarcus Ware

1055 votes

NT Jay Ratliff

95 votes

LB Bradie James

31 votes

CB Terence Newman

11 votes

1192 votes | Poll has closed

Locker Room Transcript after Eagles Game

Raul Villaronga — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 02:33:59 -0000

This was at KissingSuzyKolber.com and, after deciding I'm "over it", O kinda got a good chuckle out of it ...

Int. Dallas Cowboys team shower

[cellphone rings]

Tony: You got Romo!

Jessica: Hi, Tony. Sorry about the game.

Tony: Oh hey, Jess. It’s cool.

Jess: So I have some good news that might cheer you up!

Tony: Oh yeah, did you book our off-season vacation to celebrity sex and drug island?

Jess: No, even better!

(towel snaps in the background)

Jess: I’m pregnant!

Tony: [collapses]

Cris Carter and Revisionist History

Raul Villaronga — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:54:27 -0000

Yesterday former Vikings wide receiver and current NFL analyst Cris Carter made the comment that if the Cowboys made a playoff run it would be a disgrace.

While on ESPN radio, Carter made the following quote:

"I mean, it's a discredit to all the things that we sacrifice when we put together a football team. I would be surprised. If you can do that, I would be shocked. I've been around the league a long time. I'd be shocked. Because the NFL, part of the story is talent. There are other stories, and they do have the talent thing, but they also have the dysfunction thing down pat, too."

Unfortunately, Carter seems to have forgotten his own history, where he and teammate Randy Moss repeatedly tossed quarterback Daunte Culpepper under the bus when things didn't go their way.

Carter sounds like the "team" guy now, but he hasn't played in years.

One year, specifically, catches my eye.

September 21, 2001. Vikings vs. Bears. Minnesota loses their opening game. They then lose in Chicago and start the season 0-2. Carter blows up on the sidelines, caught on camera and played over and over on national sports shows (sound familiar, anyone?).

Does anyone also recall the comments that Moss made about not playing all out all of the time? He took a lot of heat for that.

Yet Carter didn't agree. He told the papers that:

"I don't believe any player plays 100 percent all of the time. If you look at other people's occupation, are they doing the best they can every day? Of course not."

CNNSI's Don Banks even wrote about this at the time.

Carter needs to pull himself down from his high-and-mighty perch and spend a little time thinking about what he did when he was playing. While the Vikings finished 5-11 that year, I don't think Carter would have thought it a "disgrace to team unity" if they had pulled it together and made a playoff run.

You don't think it had anything to do with Terrell Owens passing him on the all-time touchdown list with his 131st against Baltimore, passing Carter at 130?

Nah, that can't be it ...

Mike Fisher over at DallasBasketball.com has a story up which pokes some fun at the whole TO/Werder...

Raul Villaronga — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:39:01 -0000

Mike Fisher over at DallasBasketball.com has a story up which pokes some fun at the whole TO/Werder situation.

Read for yourself...

Marion Barber out for Steelers game

Raul Villaronga — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 21:01:18 -0000

The Dallas Cowboys official website is reporting that RB Marion Barber is out for this week's game against the Steelers. Barber didn't make the trip.

Barber was held out of practice all week with a dislocated toe. The Cowboys will turn to rookie Tashard Choice and signed Alonzo Coleman from the practice squad as a backup.