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Marion the Barbarian: A Warrior in the Fourth Quarter

By Jay Henry | July 3, 2009 | The Cowboy Roundup

The NFL has always been a league defined by toughness. To name a few, there's Jack Youngblood playing in the 1980 NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl XIV with a broken leg, Emmitt Smith rushing for 168 yards against the Giants with a separated shoulder, and Ronnie lot electing to cut his pinky finger off after it failed to heal properly. Before his career is over, Marion Barber will be one of the toughest NFL players to ever play the game. Okay, that may be a little much. But he doesn't have the nickname "Marion the Barbarian" because he enjoys gladiator movies. Last year, the Dallas Cowboys suffered due to Marion's absence. The team was able to supplement for a while with rookie Tashard Choice, but the 'Boys were never the same after Barber went down with an injury. This season is make-it-or-break-it for the 'Boys...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones, Marian Barber, NFC East Dallas Cowboys, NFL, Tony Romo

Cowboys Pick Up Two Tonys in the 1977 Draft

By Matt Cordon | July 2, 2009 | Know Your Dallas Cowboys: The Blog

This post is part of the 50 Seasons in 50 Weeks Series. The NFL in 1977 reduced the number of rounds in the draft from 17 to 12. The 1977 draft for the Cowboys is best remembered for the selection of Tony Dorsett with the number two overall pick. The Cowboys also struck gold (or perhaps silver) by taking Stanford wide receiver Tony Hill in the third round. Round Name Pos. College Career 1 Tony Dorsett RB Pittsburgh Dallas 1977-1987; Denver 1988 2 Glenn Carano QB UNLV Dallas 1978-1983 3 Tony Hill WR Stanford Dallas 1977-1986 3 Val Belcher G Houston n/a 4 Guy Brown LB Houston Dallas 1977-1982 5 Andy Frederick T New Mexico Dallas 1977-1981; Cleveland 1982; Chicago 1983-1985 6 Jim Cooper T Temple Dallas 1977-1986 7 Dave Stalls DE Northern Colorado Dallas 1977-1979; Tampa Bay 1980-1983; Raiders 1983, 1985 8 Al Cleveland DE Pacific n/a 8 Fred Williams...

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What other NFC East fans are saying about the "new" Eagles....

By Thomas Jackson | July 1, 2009 | Eagles Eye

(Writer's Note: I've been "away"...no, not that kind of "away", but my email service crashed and burned and I've been fighting my piece-of-junk computer all week trying to find the answer. Turns out it was my lousy provider Excite.com who somehow blew up their new email app last week and still haven't fixed it. How is this company still in business, and how stupid am I to still be with them? Anyway, I'll keep this column light and short today to see if it can be published from my new email links...thanks for your patience---T.J.) Cruising the fan polls of the assorted city-states that populate the NFC East, I was curious to learn how fans in New York City, Dallas and Washington were reacting to the curious predictions of so many "experts" and pundits in the national media who have been predicting the "domination of the NFC East" by the new, improved 2009...

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Season Preview 2009 Minnesota Vikings

By Richie Denis | July 1, 2009 | Vikings War Cry

Anthony Chergosky from DailyNorseman.com gives us a look at the 2009 Minnesota Vikings. When you think of the 2009 Minnesota Vikings, two words probably enter your mind: Brett Favre. But when taking a look at the team, its chances of repeating as NFC North champs, and its opportunity to go further in the playoffs than it did last season, Favre is just the tip of the iceberg. All over the field and on both sides of the ball, the Vikings are a team built for success this season. This team's bread and butter is still its ability to run the...

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NFL Outsider Season Preview 2009: Dallas Cowboys

By Staff Report | July 1, 2009 | MVN Outsider

NFL Outsider is hosting a season preview of all 32 teams. The NFL regular season begins on September 10; in the meantime follow the best NFL bloggers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview.Bryson from Dallas Cowboys Nation chimes in on the Cowboys' latest. Check in on other teams here.2008 ended with a thud for the Dallas Cowboys. Our last vision of the Cowboys was in a pathetic, no show performance by the entire team in Philadelphia, only mustering six points and kissing the playoffs goodbye. The Cowboys organization as a whole was called out, and in many individual cases tar and feathers were brought out. Certain doom and despair for America's Team filled the nation as we looked ahead to 2009. Fast forward to mid-June and just six weeks before the start of training camp, has anything changed? While most of last year was spent battling injuries...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Dallas Cowboys, NFL, Terrell Owens, Tony Romo

Cowboys Steal Tony Dorsett in 1977

By Matt Cordon | June 27, 2009 | Know Your Dallas Cowboys: The Blog

This post is part of the 50 Seasons in 50 Weeks Series. The Cowboys played without a lead running back during both the 1975 and 1976 seasons. Although the team had successful seasons, the lack of a consistently effective running game eventually hurt the team.In the weeks prior to the 1977 draft, Tony Dorsett's agent let the Seattle Seahawks know that Dorsett had no interest in playing in Seattle. Seattle began to shop is number two overall pick around, and the team that became the principal focus of the trade was the Dallas Cowboys. According to a Sports Illustrated article:Meanwhile, Seattle General Manager John Thompson made two proposals to the Cowboys. The first involved some Dallas draft choices and Linebacker Randy White. "The Cowboys bounced that back faster than we could spit it out," Thompson says. The second was the deal that eventually was made. The Dallas general manager, Tex Schramm,...

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Rams End Cowboys' 1976 Season

By Matt Cordon | June 24, 2009 | Know Your Dallas Cowboys: The Blog

This post is part of the 50 Seasons in 50 Weeks Series.The Cowboys had plenty of chances to earn yet another trip to the NFC Championship Game in 1976, but Dallas could not pull out the divisional playoff game against the L.A. Rams. The team's lack of a running game hurt, as the Cowboys managed only 85 rushing yards on 28 carries. But Roger Staubach's performance did not help, either. Staubach completed only 15 of 37 passes for 150 yards with three interceptions.The hero of the game was Charlie Waters, who blocked two punts and recorded an interception. Waters' second block punt came with just under two minutes left in the game with the Cowboys trailing 14-10. The ball went out of bounds at the Ram 17. Needed a touchdown, the Cowboys could not move the ball. On a 4th-and-10 play with 1:37 left, Staubach hit Billy Joe DuPree with...

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NFL Outsider Season Preview 2009: Dallas Cowboys

By Staff Report | July 1, 2009 | MVN Outsider

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NFL Great Debates: What to Do with Michael Vick?

By Staff Report | May 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

NFL Outsider's Greg Trippiedi and Anthony Brown debate the issue: Which team is the best spot for Michael Vick if he overcomes the enormous hurdles necessary to get on the field this year?Greg Trippiedi says Vick shouldn't be a starting quarterback:It's pretty clear that Michael Vick is not going to have a job waiting for him when he gets back. He's 29 years old -- too old and too young in different ways. Vick's open field running abilities were already in decline when we last saw him, and that was in 2006. But that doesn't mean he won't stick somewhere. He's still got a good five or six seasons ahead of him as an effective athlete. The question though remains: Where will Michael Vick fit in, and who will take a chance on him? I don't think Vick is a good fit on a team with a clear need...Read more

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NFL Top 10: Most Valuable Dallas Cowboys

By Greg Trippiedi | May 22, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Continuing with the motif of trying to get equal coverage to all 32 teams here at NFL Outsider, it feels a little weird to point out that the Cowboys have been getting ignored of late, but I have had plenty to say about the Giants, the Eagles, and the Redskins in this space, and haven't really mentioned the ugly stepsister of the NFC East (since when is Dallas "east" of anything?). But, hey, that's just my bias speaking. In actuality, the Cowboys might be a step behind the other three teams in the NFC East right now, but they would be good enough to win any of the other NFC divisions. So clearly, the talent is still here on this team. But how is it distributed? NFL Top 10 takes a cursory look at the Dallas Cowboys roster, right now.10. LB Bradie JamesJames could be described as a consistent performer...Read more

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NFL Top 10: Coaches on the Hot Seat in '09

By Greg Trippiedi | May 13, 2009 | MVN Outsider

You know, I think there are only a handful of topics in sports that would make for great discussion on radio shows, or on blogs, that have no practical meaning in the real world. I think back to debates about running up the score: you'll get tons of callers in on a topic like that, putting in their two cents. Is is right? Did it happen? Does it matter?Well, to me, I see the ever-present NFL Head Coaching Hot Seat as cut from the same mold. It's a debate partially on the merits of certain coaches, partially on the trends of certain owners hiring and firing patterns, and mostly on probability. Does it really matter if Coach 'X' is on the Hot Seat? We're not even wondering if he should be fired, we're asking if he should be/is in a position where you would consider a coaching change.I don't have...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Hot Seat, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins

NFL Top 10: Breakout Candidates in 2009

By Greg Trippiedi | May 4, 2009 | MVN Outsider

If you are an avid fantasy football player who plays in competitive leagues, you know there are only three ways to gain a competitive edge over your opponents. You can:1) Have access to inside information that the rest of your league does not have,2) Search to acquire players that are undervalued by the rest of the league, or3) Draft players with high upside who are likely to "break out" during the next season.The final strategy would be considered the most dangerous. Our MVN Outsider fantasy experts will vouch for this: if you load up your roster with high-upside unproven talent, you risk having a bottom of the barrel fantasy team if your players underachieve your expectations for them.NFL Owners and General Managers have similar interests in identifying breakout candidates. Obviously, trading is not as prevalent in the NFL as it is in, say, Major League Baseball, but the NFL is...Read more

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Fantasy, Houston Texans, Jason Campbell, New Orleans Saints, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins

NFL Outsider's Draft Winners and Losers

By Greg Trippiedi | April 27, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at process points to see who had the best draft objectively. Right now, I'm just going to give some off the cuff reaction on some teams that did really well and others who did not so well.Winners1. Arizona CardinalsI was amazed with the quality of player drafted by the Cardinals. They never moved up or down in the draft, but still managed to have great draft position to land great values at positions of need in every single round. Every one of their draft picks, except for RB LaRod Stephens-Howling, an intriguing prospect, was on the MVN Top 150 big board. There should be between 5-6 full time starters in this draft, and the Cardinals figure to be the class of their division in the next few seasons.2. Cleveland BrownsConversely, the Browns traded down three times in round one, and ended up picking four times...Read more

Read more | 3 Comments | Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, NFL, NFL Draft, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins

Derrick Williams, Jarron Gilbert, Jared Cook Lead Round 3 Recap

By Greg Trippiedi | April 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Process points become negligible after the first day, so lets look at round three and the players that each team got in the middle of the draft.65. New York Jets -- Shonn Green, RB, IowaThe Jets traded up for this pick, so the Green pick was really disappointing. I didn't think he was anywhere near the best available, and with this being the first pick of the day, I expected a great pick here.66. St. Louis Rams -- Bradley Fletcher, CB, Iowa67. Kansas City Chiefs -- Alex Magee, DE, PurdueThe Chiefs pick their second 3-4 DE of the draft. So what does this mean for Glenn Dorsey? Will he split time with Magee and Tyson Jackson, or is he already on his way out?68. Chicago Bears -- Jarron Gilbert, DE, San Jose StateChicago moves forward looking for best player available, while making sure to add a defensive lineman every year. ...Read more

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Alphonzo Smith Trade, Rey Maualuga, Pat White Highlight NFL Draft's Second Round

By Greg Trippiedi | April 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

The second round of the 2009 NFL draft was fronted by some high profile trades. Both the Panthers and the Broncos traded first round picks in 2010 for players they had first round grades on, but drafted in the second round. Pat White ended up getting drafted by the consummate "Wildcat" offense, which seems like a good fit, if not a reach. Inside linebackers Rey Maualuga and James Laurinaitis slipped through the first round, but got drafted by teams in the second with defensive issues. They'll step in right away and help those situations.However, it was some lesser known prospects who will be the story of the second round in a few years.33. Detroit Lions -- Louis Delmas, S, Western MichiganDelmas is a local product who was clearly head and shoulders above all the other safeties in this draft. After going with the QB with a steep developmental curve in...Read more

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