SB Nation User Blog: no1cowboysfan

The Hydra

no1cowboysfan — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 07:26:35 -0000

Can we start calling our running back tandem "The Hydra"?

I just think it's awesome. It needs a name; a good, original name. Hit and Run was cool when it was just MBIII and El Gato. But now that The People's Choice is in the mix, we need a new name.

The Three-Headed Monster is already taken ... at least I think it is. I'm relatively sure that was used by Filthydelphia back in the days of Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook and Corell Buckhalter. And we certainly don't need to piggyback on any history of the Eagles' ... especially considering they have no history worth mentioning.

Earth, Wind and Fire is a hot name, too. Gotta love that name. I guess the NFC East knows how to market themselves.

This is why I recommend The Hydra. A multi-headed beast with snake heads, taken from Greek mythology. Chop off one head, and another grows in its place. Fits in perfectly with what happened this season. Stop our hottest RB in El Gato, and you have MBIII to pick up the slack. He goes down, and The People's Choice steps into his place with no dropoff. Just like the heads of a Hydra.

Just let it perkilate. The name will grow on you.

Most Penalized Team in the league...

no1cowboysfan — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:03:32 -0000

... is our very own Dallas Cowboys.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/sortableStatsTeam?div=NFL&stype=offense&stable=downs&stat=penTot&dir=descending

Coming into December, I was on the fences about Wade. I was more on the keep-Wade camp. But maybe the stinging of the loss is just too recent, but I've switched camps.

I love our players. And I think we have the best positional coaches in the league.

It's discipline and intensity this team lacks, and I'm choosing to blame both on the highest level of coaching. Sure, there were injuries, but those happen to every team. Good teams win in spite of injuries, they don't blame injuries for their losses.

Fire Wade. Fire Brian Stewart. Fire, yes, Jason Garrett, or at least diminish his role until he can learn to vary his playcalling (it's embarassing how predictable our offense has become -- I don't think it's any coincidence that our best offense play last game came on an improvised play). Fire, tar and feather Bruce Read.

Hire Cowher.

But I hope whoever takes the reins of Dallas next season keeps most of the players and position coaches in place (particularly Campo, Sherman, Peete, Houck and Grantham).

The Dark Secret to Why We Lost to the Redskins...

no1cowboysfan — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:56:03 -0000

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart during the first half of the game...

"OK ... here's the analysis. WAS has three light, speedy receivers who run quick underneath routes. None of them are very physical and can easily be pushed off their routes with the right personnel.

"Luckily, we have the right personnel. We have three physical CBs who are fairly good at man coverage and have great recovery speed. We also have a great pass rush, so if we can force receivers off their routes at the line, we can get a decent amount of coverage sacks, and maybe a pick here or there when they try to run underneath routes on us.

[The thrilling conclusion after the jump]

"Our gameplan is clear; we ... line up TEN ****ING YARDS off the receivers, allow Jason Campbell to dink-and-dunk on us all the way down the field, and give WAS the momentum for the ENTIRE GAME!

<HALFTIME>

Wade: "But why, Brian? Why have you sabotaged our team? Unless ... YOU'RE NOT BRIAN STEWART AT ALL!"

'Brian': Mwah ha ha ha ha ha ha! You fool! You foolish fool! How easily you fell into my trap! I am not Brian Stewart ... I am ... SNYDERBOT 2000, AND I WILL ENSURE THE REDSKINS WIN THEIR FINAL GAME AT TEXAS STADIUM! MUAH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

<DUH DUH DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!>

...honestly, as a relatively young Cowboys fan (21) -- one who really started to get a grasp of the game just after we stopped winning -- I've been used to the Cowboys losing all my life. I was raised a Cowboys fan, so there was no getting around it ... I just had to hope for small victories here and there. And through the Gailey years ... through the Campo years ... I had one mantra: 2-14 is alright ... JUST BEAT THE ****ING REDSKINS!

I'm a little more used to Dallas winning now, so I become a wreck after every loss. But I am never more dismal than after a loss to the Redskins (unless its a playoff game loss, or a loss that has playoff implications). A Redskins loss isn't terrible -- it's completely, totally, 100% unacceptable. We need to get that back into the team's culture. Above all else ... BEAT. THE. REDSKINS.

Interesting PacMan misprint

no1cowboysfan — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:18:45 -0000

...at least I assume it's a misprint.

From Fanball.com's daily e-mailer (NFL Newsbreaks).

April 10, 2008 11:35 AM ET
Cowboys not interested in Henry
The News
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that acquiring troubled receiver Chris Henry is not in his plans, according to the Star Telegram. He was a college team-mate of newly acquired cornerback Pacman Jones (at West Virginia) but it remains unlikely they will be re-united in Dallas. Henry was cut by the Bengals last week after an alleged assault, and he could face a season long suspension by the NFL.
Our View
Henry holds no fantasy value until a team shows interest in him.

[note emphasis added by me]

There's no way PacMan became a Cowboy without any of us knowing ... nor is there a chance the first time Fanball would mention something this big would be in a daily email.

Just a misprint. But an entertaining one.

DJax waived by San Fran

no1cowboysfan — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:19:37 -0000

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/scorec...

49ers part ways with Jackson
San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - The San Francisco 49ers waived veteran wide receiver Darrell Jackson on Saturday.
"I always had a great deal of respect for Darrell as a player in the NFL," said San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan. "I appreciated his dedication and work ethic during his season with the 49ers. He always had a positive attitude every day he came to work. While we are going in a different direction, I know he can still produce and be an asset to an NFL team this year."
Jackson was acquired in a draft day trade with Seattle last April and started 15 games in 2007, catching 46 passes for 497 yards with three touchdowns. The veteran has recorded 487 catches for 6,942 yards with 50 touchdowns and three 1,000-yard seasons over eight NFL campaigns.

Obviously, this is big news, as DJax was once a big name. And we all know how much Double J likes big names.

With a competent QB, I think Jackson could return to the form he was at only two years ago. You can't blame a guy for not thriving in San Francisco, which has become a receiver's wasteland since Owens left.

The question is ... does Dallas try to add Jackson?

The upside: he's very talented, he has several years of consistent productivity, and he'll give opposing DCs nightmares when they attempt to gameplan for Owens, Witten and DJax in the passing attack.

The downside: he's 29 years old and has a long history of injury problems. He had an awful year in 2007. He's likely going to be expensive.

I'm guessing this will be a nice piece of rumor mill fodder for the next few days before he signs elsewhere. My guess? Washington. He's old, aging, and a big name. That's everything the Deadskins stand for. Besides, WAS is the home of new head coach Jim Zorn (snicker), who has plenty of experience with DJax, as they were both with Seattle for the better part of a decade.

Thoughts?

Don't shun the Sooner

no1cowboysfan — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 23:23:09 -0000

Lay off #31 for his coverage flaws, and try to remember the guy who made football fun again.

Before this year began, I made a prediction to my friends ... Roy Williams would have his best season this season, but he would also miss the Pro Bowl.

Why? Because the Pro Bowl is a joke. It's a popularity contest. That's why Newman and T.O. didn't make the cut last season.

For most of his career, Roy has been an icon. People loved Roy for his electrifying hits, his on-the-field drive/energy, and his generally nice persona with his off-the-field charitable work. In today's NFL, Roy has taken a new image. He's an overrated, sub-par strong safety who's a liability in coverage. Even Dallas fans are growing weary of the safety whom we all loved two years ago.

Well so far, after seven games, Roy has lived up to my prediction. He's on pace to reach the tackle numbers he put up in his first few years in the league (85 projected right now), and he's doing it in a defense with a lot more playmakers. He's on pace to reach (tie) his career high of INTs, for five (which he also reached last season). And he's done it all while keeping his blown coverages at a minimum.

Oh, sure, he's not perfect in coverage. He still has bonehead blown assignments and bad pursuit angles. But he still hasn't let too many of those mistakes go for scores. He's keeping the receivers in front of him, he's wrapping up his tackles (most of the time), he's making pass deflections, and he's giving very good run support. And he's doing it all amidst the constant berating from his own hometown media.

Call me a homer if you must, but I can't bring myself to harshly criticize Roy. As all of you know, being a Cowboys fan after the run in the 90's has been tough ... the team sucked, but everyone hated us anyway (and I don't live in Texas). Same with the early 2000's. Then, in 2002, Roy was drafted. We knew him. Many of us hated him (being a Sooner), but we were captivated by him. In the midst of a crappy, crappy team, we finally had something to root for on Sundays. "Sure, we're gonna get killed," I'd say, "but hey, I think Roy's gonna kill someone today." He made Cowboys football exciting again ...

Then Tuna came the next season, and the rest is history. But Roy, while maybe not the league's best safety, is still in the premier group. I get it ... he has coverage issues. But what strong safety doesn't? Show me a strong safety in this league who hasn't made a bonehead play in coverage this year, and I'll show you one who's ridden the pine all season. Every SS makes mistakes in coverage. That's not what strong safeties excel at. But NOT every strong safety is as energetic or as good in run support as Our Boy Roy.

I guess the thing that triggered this discourse for the Roy Lovin' was reading a post in the DMN blog about how Roy would likely be elected to the Pro Bowl on reputation this season, as he presumably is every season. And Cowboys fans chimed in, saying how they were hoping other Cowboys get in ahead of Roy, or maybe that Roy doesn't deserve the honor at all.

Well, I'll say this ... I'm voting for Roy to go to Honolulu this year. And I will next year, and the year after that. And the year he retires, I'm writing his name in the ballot and voting for him again.

Why? Because he's Roy.

SI lists the Top 25 Hardest Hitters of all time

no1cowboysfan — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 22:39:23 -0000

... And Roy Williams doesn't make the cut.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mul...

Ridiculous. One look at my favorite Roy Williams video should make him a lock for this list.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thQAC...
(There's some NSFW language on the video, so you may want to have speakers off at work)

But back to the list, I'm glad to see a lot of guys I thought of make the cut ... Ronnie Lott, Jack Lambert, Lawrence Taylor, John Lynch, Cliff Harris (of course), Mean Joe, Dick Butkus, etc.

But leaving off Roy seems like a major oversight. He's been the biggest cause of alligator arms in the league in at least five years ... maybe a decade. And while he's not always on target with his hits, he at least always brings it.

Woe to you, oh Earth and Sea,
For the Devil sends the beast with wrath,
Because he knows his time is short ...
Let him who hath understanding
Reckon the number of the beast
For it is a human number, it's number is 31.