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    <title>SB Nation User Blog:  silverblue5</title>
    <link>http://www.sbnation.com/users/silverblue5</link>
    <description>Posts made by silverblue5 on SB Nation</description>
    <item>
      <title>Regarding Cowboys: BTB &gt; MSM</title>
      <link>http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2009/10/12/1082405/regarding-cowboys-btb-msm</link>
      <author>silverblue5</author>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:42:38 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">
&lt;h3 class=&quot;link-title&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/fantasy/player_news/nfl/index.html#175545&quot;&gt;Regarding Cowboys: BTB &gt;&amp;nbsp;MSM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;description&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;How ignorant is SI.com's FF update writer?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;I give you &lt;a href=&quot;http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/fantasy/player_news/nfl/index.html#175545&quot; target=&quot;new&quot;&gt;Exhibit A&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Tony Romo : Big Game in Winning Effort&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Romo had a big day Sunday (in part thanks to Miles Austin having his way with the Kansas City secondary) completing 20-of-34 passes for 351 yards and two TDs, with no INTs. Austin was on the other end of 250 of those yards and both scores, and &lt;strong&gt;it seems as though Romo and the Cowboys might have stumbled upon the home run threat at wide receiver they've been lacking&lt;/strong&gt;. Dallas is on their bye next week, so it will be interesting to see in Week 7 and beyond whether their game plan calls for more Austin and less Roy Williams once Williams is healthy.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Romo and our Cowboys didn't &quot;stumble upon&quot; the home run threat known as Austin. Us knowledgeable Cowboys fans -- thanks in large part to Grizz, Raf, and da BTB posse -- have been telling us about the potential of #19.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;And we've seen glimpses over the past two seasons.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Sounds as though that SI writer may have just &quot;stumbled upon&quot; his limited knowledge. &lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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      <title>How About Preserving Felix Jones by Signing this Proven Return Specialist?</title>
      <link>http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2009/10/12/1082085/how-about-preserving-felix-jones</link>
      <author>silverblue5</author>
      <pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:52:32 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">
&lt;h3 class=&quot;link-title&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://twitter.com/MattMaiocco/status/4815586534&quot;&gt;How About Preserving Felix Jones by Signing this Proven Return&amp;nbsp;Specialist?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;description&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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      <title>Did You See This Animated Cowboys Spoof?</title>
      <link>http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2009/10/12/1082068/did-you-see-this-animated-cowboys</link>
      <author>silverblue5</author>
      <pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:41:46 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">
&lt;h3 class=&quot;link-title&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0pX8df4eLE&quot;&gt;Did You See This Animated Cowboys&amp;nbsp;Spoof?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;description&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;I perused SI.com's &quot;Hot Clicks&quot; section and stumbled across this link to YouTube.com, which parodies our Beloved Boyz.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Normally, I'd get defensive and stand up for the Cowboys, but honestly, I actually kinda chuckled at this one.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Please pardon the poor picture quality.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Click &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0pX8df4eLE&quot; target=&quot;new&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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      <title>Does Garrett Like Cutler Better Than Romo?</title>
      <link>http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2009/3/17/801166/does-garrett-like-cutler-b</link>
      <author>silverblue5</author>
      <pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:18:58 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;For those who said that the drama will leave with Terrell Owens, I hate to break it to you... but you're a little bit wrong.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;First, you had Terence Newman critiquing Tony Romo.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And the latest turn of events has Jason Garrett lauding praises over Jay Cutler.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;NOW HERE'S WHERE I PUT ON THE BRAKES WITH HEAVY-FOOTED INTENSITY!!!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The mediots are reaching again in what Grizz has deemed as the &quot;silly season.&quot; With Cutler's latest publicized bout with newly appointed Denver coach Josh McDaniels, the DMN decides to dig deep and pull out a Garrett quote WHEN he was interviewing for the once-vacant Broncos head coach job.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And THAT'S WHEN he said the following about Denver's #6:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You look at him and you see what you'd like to see in a quarterback, going all the way back to college, just the physical and mental toughness he possesses,&quot; Garrett told Denver media. &quot;To play at Vanderbilt and play in the SEC and play the way he did, that's what really stood out. How he performed in some very difficult situations, how he always seemed to be in control and how he just competed all the time.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;DallasNews.com blogger Tim MacMahon decides to draw traffic to this latest post by adding his two cents with these ill-timed words:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I'll go out on a limb and say that Cutler would rather work for Garrett than Josh McDaniels.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;All I've got to say is that Timmy Mac's entry is a crock of sh__.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For the rest of the piece, click &lt;a href=&quot;http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/03/jason-garrett-on-jay-cutler-you-look-at.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Has to be a slow news day in Valley Ranch.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

  
  


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      <title>The King's Heir Apparent</title>
      <link>http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2009/3/9/786691/glimpse-of-the-king-s-heir</link>
      <author>silverblue5</author>
      <pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:35:41 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;I&amp;rsquo;m usually not a big fan of Fort Worth Star Telegram&amp;rsquo;s Randy Galloway, but I did find his &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.star-telegram.com/332/story/1245141.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; on Stephen Jones rather interesting.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;What Galloway delved into and expounded on provided more support about what I&amp;rsquo;ve read about Stephen on the surface. And the older he gets &amp;ndash; and the more experience he acquires &amp;ndash; the better he&amp;rsquo;s gonna get in making additional personnel moves in the near and distant future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Look, we all know how steadfast da King can be when he wants something or is obsessed with something, but these days, I honestly believe that Stephen has become more of a major influence when it comes to the well-being of America&amp;rsquo;s Team.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Galloway apparently talked to several people to compare the elder and younger Jones:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&quot;The joke is that Jerry was an outsider who wants to be a football guy,&quot; said another former Valley Ranch employee. &quot;But Stephen &lt;i&gt;IS&lt;/i&gt; a football guy. He grew up in the business of running the Cowboys. What he does within the organization, how many hats he wears, is incredible. He is the port in the storm for the front office. Just a real nice and smart young man who gets it. He really gets it.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Asking around last week, I wanted to hear how Stephen differs from Jerry, personality-wise, on a day-to-day basis at Valley Ranch. A few comments follow:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&quot;Stephen knows Jerry really enjoys being the face of the team, and he&amp;rsquo;s happy for his father. Jerry has his ego, good and bad. But if Stephen has an ego, I&amp;rsquo;ve never seen it surface. He&amp;rsquo;s very well-grounded.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&quot;Stephen realizes his dad&amp;rsquo;s weak points, but he also understands his dad&amp;rsquo;s strengths. And more than anything, he worships Jerry.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&quot;Jerry can be hardheaded, to say the least. Stephen is much more open-minded.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&quot;Jerry can handle confrontation, but he&amp;rsquo;s more of a negotiator. Now, Stephen, you don&amp;rsquo;t push him. I remember one day when Big Bill [Parcells] was on one of his hell-on-wheels tears. He was telling some staff members to stay out of the training room. When Stephen walked in, Bill told him, 'I don&amp;rsquo;t want you in the training room, either.&amp;rsquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&quot;Stephen looked hard at him, and said, 'As long as we own this team, I&amp;rsquo;ll come in here any damn time I please.&amp;rsquo; It was the end of that discussion.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Oh no he didn't?!?!&amp;nbsp; I got your Tuna right here!!!!!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Think Stephen hasn't come into his own?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;I&amp;rsquo;ll venture to say that &amp;ldquo;The Son&amp;rdquo; has asserted himself after almost two decades of his apprenticeship. And I&amp;rsquo;ll add that our Beloved Boyz seem to be in good hands -- even after the King&amp;rsquo;s reign.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The future is about as bright as the shimmer on the Cowboys' star right now.&lt;/p&gt;

  
  


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      <title>My final Cowboys tribute to Terrell Owens, The Original #81.  Thanks for all your contributions,...</title>
      <link>http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2009/3/7/785107/my-final-cowboys-tribute-t</link>
      <author>silverblue5</author>
      <pubDate>Sat, 07 Mar 2009 20:36:31 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">
&lt;object height=&quot;344&quot; width=&quot;425&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;movie&quot; value=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/v/a-ZTTvEaku0&amp;amp;hl=en&amp;amp;fs=1&quot; /&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;allowFullScreen&quot; value=&quot;true&quot; /&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;allowscriptaccess&quot; value=&quot;always&quot; /&gt;&lt;embed src=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/v/a-ZTTvEaku0&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;true&quot; allowscriptaccess=&quot;always&quot; height=&quot;344&quot; width=&quot;425&quot;&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;

&lt;div class=&quot;source source-img&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;My final Cowboys tribute to Terrell Owens, The Original #81.  Thanks for all your contributions, TO!!!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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      <title>Take That, Mike Furrey!</title>
      <link>http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2009/1/28/738721/the-curse-of-the-end-zone</link>
      <author>silverblue5</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:35:12 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;I'm superstitious to an extent.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If I go to BloggingTheBoys.com and see that our Cowboys are winning by 21, and the moment I turn on the television set, their opponent scores 10 quick points... I might consider turning the off da TV.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If a black cat is on a sidewalk and looks at the road I'm driving on, I might pull over to the side and hit the hazards -- just in case the dark-complected feline decides to cross the street.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If I'm walking on the pavement and see some cracks along the path I'm taking, you know darn well I'm hopping over each one.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And when it comes to mirrors in my house, I don't even play... cuz you know they're all fastened pretty good to the walls and doors they're attached to.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;All that to say, when Lions WR-Mike Furrey caught his only touchdown pass of the game against the Cowboys - in Dallas' December 31, 2006 loss at home - he eyeballed the famed &quot;Star,&quot; which rested on Texas Stadium's south end zone wall, and heaved the football at it -- out of disrespect --&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores106/106365/NFL702406.htm&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;shattering the symbol&lt;/a&gt; and never getting fined by the league for it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My immediate response...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;First off, I was pissed as hell at our defense for allowing QB-Jon Kitna to pass the ball at will on them.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Next, I verbally went off on that p___y -- Furrey -- and cussed at the television, wishing ill will on that guy and his pro football career... which was only made productive as a WR because of his familiarity with the Mike Martz offense in Detroit and in St. Louis.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Damn, at that moment,&amp;nbsp; I wish somebody on &quot;D&quot; would've speared him in the back with the crown of their helmet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Ah, but fate had something else in mind for Mike Furrey down the road.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Stay with me, now.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We all know that eventually the Lions front office went on to fire Martz as their offensive coordinator, and a year later, the franchise proceeded to regress into a record-breaking 0-16 campaign in 2008.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Since that firing, Furby's stats, production, and playing time began to dwindle and he also began battling an assortment of injuries.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And now, let's fast forward to as recently as today.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;One of Detroit's local newspapers, the Free-Press reported that Furrey was just&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.freep.com/article/20090128/BLOG21/90128047/1049/rss14&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;released&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Wow.&amp;nbsp; Woh.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;How far has Furby fallen?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Cut by the losingest team in NFL history.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I like to call it the &quot;Curse of the End Zone Star.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Karma's a biatch -- ain't it, Mike?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

  
  


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      <title>What's Next?</title>
      <link>http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2009/1/27/737935/america-s-team-becoming-am</link>
      <author>silverblue5</author>
      <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:50:36 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;With the economy in recession, maximizing marketability is at a premium these days.&amp;nbsp; That being the case, it makes sense to get what's yours when you're a member of the Dallas Cowboys these days.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I mean, we've got the new billion dollar stadium that King Jerry's about to unveil to kickoff the first home game of the 2009 season.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That, on the heels of last year's circus.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Mediots following the Cowboys in 2008 for more than just on-the-field stuff.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;- The Pacman watch:&amp;nbsp; how long before he screws up.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;- The tick-tock-tick-tock countdown 'til TO blows a gasket for not gettin' enough targets.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;- The paparazzi MSMers spilling over attempted gossip of Romo and his hottie sweetheart with sports mediots waiting to reach and tie it in with his play between the endzones.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;- The infamous &quot;source&quot; spreading mutinous remarks about a rift between the WRs and Garrett, WRs and Witten, WRs and Insert your enemy here depending on who you talk to&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;- The accounts that Romo throws passes to Witten more than anyone else&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;- The promise after The Philadelphia Debacle that Wade Phillips personally said that he would change as a coach (fat chance, pun intended)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;- The &quot;As The Star Turns&quot; episodes as the NFL playoffs go on which ranged from Jason Garrett's interviews with the Rams and Lions; the rumors that Garrett couldn't relate to black players; the rumors that TO and Garrett couldn't co-exist in '09; the rumors that TO is going to be released&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;- The well-deserved firings of ST coach Bruce Read and DC Brian Stewart&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;- The hiring of new ST coach Joe DeCamillis&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;- The Calvin Watkins &quot;five unnamed sources&quot; story revealing numerously common accounts of undisciplined behavior that went hand-in-hand with the 2008 Dallas Cowboys&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;- The Troy Aikman challenge to Tony Romo&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;- The Dallas Cowboys Reality Show hosted by MIchael Irvin where an amateur attempts to try out for America's Team&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;- Not to be outdone, TO's VH1 Reality Show.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;- The hiring of Dan Reeves as a consultant&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Whew.&amp;nbsp; That's a lot of publicity.&amp;nbsp; And free marketing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Oh, but wait... there's more.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This just in, TE-Martellus Bennett decides that he needs to get in on &quot;the act,&quot; as well -- even if it means &quot;acting a fool.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The talented rookie just released a you tube video, where he performs a lil hip-hop with a barrage of profanity, gay bashing, and disparaging remarks towards his own African-American race -- according to dallasnews.com's Calvin Watkins.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Check out the&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/012709dnspocowbriefs.38ef24b.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt; link.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There, I think that's all.&amp;nbsp; If I missed anything, please feel free to add on the the running sideshow scoreboard in the comments box below.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I guess these days, winning the Marketing Super Bowl is much more important than winning the NFL Super Bowl for today's Dallas Cowboys.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;These are not my father's Cowboys.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That's for damn sure.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Enough already.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

  
  


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      <title>What Dominates The Topics of Discussion Here on BTB?</title>
      <link>http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2009/1/22/731829/dallas-cowboys-discussion</link>
      <author>silverblue5</author>
      <pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:11:05 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;Since our Beloved Cowboys' football season came to a disastrous halt -- thanks to the 44-6 loss to the Eagles in Week 17 on the grass of Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia -- there seems to have been an elevated rise in the number of FanPosts and comments here on BloggingTheBoys.com... has anybody else noticed that?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

  &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Many of us have expressed various ways of coping with this grief.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Some furious, some depressed, some borderline suicidal, some outright maniacal, some through an overindulgence in the substance known as alcohol, and some possessing and experiencing the umbrella called &quot;all of the above.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Whatever your reasons for &quot;getting it all out&quot; the past few days here at the online bar or therapist couch -- with bartenders/shrinks Grizz, Raf, Raul, Brandon, and Tuna Helper serving up the drinks and dishing out the perspective -- I'm hoping that we're all on the road to recovery, on the road to regaining sanity, and on the road to finding hope again in the team we hold undying affection for.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Having stated such extensive drivel, I wish to stand up -- a la &quot;AA&quot; -- and say, &quot;hello, my name is silverblue5&quot; and I am...&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;::intensely slaps face twice::&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Where was I?&amp;nbsp; Oh yeah.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Please participate in my BTB FanPost Poll...&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Everything I wrote above made me curious enough to write this up and throw out a survey asking all of you the following question:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
  


 	&lt;fieldset class=&quot;poll-box&quot;&gt;
  &lt;legend&gt;Poll&lt;/legend&gt; 
  &lt;h5 class=&quot;poll-title&quot;&gt;In your opinion, which person or entity seems to garner the most comments and posts here on BTB?
&lt;/h5&gt;
  
    
&lt;div id=&quot;poll_container_34778_701828022&quot; class=&quot;poll_container&quot;&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;45%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;Terrell Owens &lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;27&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;28%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;Tony Romo&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;17&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;3%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;Wade Phillips  (aka &quot;Son of Bum&quot;)&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;2&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;1%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;Jason Garrett (aka &quot;Red Ball&quot;)&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;1&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;15%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;Jerry Jones (aka &quot;da King&quot;)&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;9&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;0%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;The Starting Offensive Line&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;0&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;0%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;Special Teams (including the recently fired Bruce Read)&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;0&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;1%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;The Safety Position&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;1&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;0%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;2009 NFL Free Agency&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;0&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;0%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;The Upcoming '09 NFL Draft&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;0&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;0%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;Ed Werder (aka &quot;Dead Terder&quot;)&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;0&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;5%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;ESPN (aka &quot;BSPN&quot;)&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;3&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;0%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;The Mainstream Media (as a whole)&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;0&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;0%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;Other (please name person/entity)&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;0&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
  &lt;p class=&quot;poll-total-votes&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;60&lt;/strong&gt; votes
      
    | &lt;span class=&quot;poll-has-closed&quot;&gt;Poll has closed&lt;/span&gt;
  
  &lt;/p&gt;  
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    <item>
      <title>Does Discipline Even Matter Any More in Big D?</title>
      <link>http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2009/1/20/728779/discipline-doesn-t-matter</link>
      <author>silverblue5</author>
      <pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:29:15 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;BSPN is gonna have a field day with this DMN &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/cowboys/stories/012009dnspocowlede.3f77524.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;story &lt;/a&gt;by Calvin Watkins.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But that's not nearly as important as what it's gonna take to get the Cowboys turned around in 2009.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;According to multiple sources, the lack of discipline in 2008 starts from owner Jerry Jones all the way down to the players.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The lowering of fines.&amp;nbsp; The bad practice habits.&amp;nbsp; The increased number of tardies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;WTF?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Before anyone comments on how overrated a heavy-handed disciplinarian is as a Head Coach in the NFL, let me ask you this?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If you were practically a billionaire who owned an NFL team, wouldn't you expect an element of discipline and accountability from your front office, coaches, and players?&amp;nbsp; Think about it, you're investing ungodly sums of cash in them, shouldn't you DEMAND that everyone abides by a strict set of standards with the end goal being a Super Bowl title?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It's more than singling out individuals like Wade Phillips, Terrell Owens, Tony Romo, or Jason Garrett.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It's most importantly about a low-standard culture, a team-wide epidemic that created an apparently lax environment over there in Valley Ranch this past season.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What happened to the owner supporting the head coach and the head coach demanding accountability and the team leaders setting a bar of excellence to teammates and the players striving to meet team goals?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Not playing favorites here.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The entire eff'n team seems to have a piss-poor attitude about what it takes to be a championship caliber franchise.&amp;nbsp; And what happened to working through personal issues for the betterment of the team and the working towards the goal of winning it all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Hell, you're not gonna get along with everybody when you have a large group of people spending lots of time together.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That's just a fact of life.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So get together in secret.&amp;nbsp; Work through the issues.&amp;nbsp; And move forward.&amp;nbsp; If you can't resolve the problems.&amp;nbsp; Endure it and do what it takes to help meet team goals.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Then in the offseason, try to get released or traded -- if the problem still isn't solved.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But don't air that sh_t to eff'n reporters and stupidly disrupt team chemistry.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I keep thinking about what Jimmy J said about our 2008 team, and the way the season turned out, he's most definitely &quot;dead on.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Yes, they were indeed nothing but a &quot;collection of toys.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Talent yes, but team-first mentality no.&amp;nbsp; Marketability yes.&amp;nbsp; Discipline/accountability no.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Will things improve in 2009, only God knows.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Wade says he's gonna try to change next year.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But according to the Watkins article, he may have tried to this past season, but didn't get upper management support.&amp;nbsp; He allegedly tried to push for bigger fines for the sake of accountability.&amp;nbsp; And here's what one of those sources stated:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Phillips may not be completely to blame for the smaller fines. A source said Phillips asked Jones to raise the fine total but was rebuffed by the owner.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jones acknowledged some players are late for meetings. However, he said sometimes a player is late because he has to meet his media responsibilities or had a legitimate excuse.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Yes, the stupid-a__ source shouldn't be leaking this stuff out.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;However, there are multiple sources who have reported the constant breaking of rules.&amp;nbsp; And that, to me, signals a red flag that it's a team wide culture that needs to change... especially if they want to achieve the goal of winning their sixth Super Bowl title.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It's on every single member of the Dallas Cowboys.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I don't know, maybe I'm going overboard.&amp;nbsp; But hey, I'm passionate about my favorite NFL team, and I want them to fully utilize that talented potential all the way to an SB win!!!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

  
  


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