MVN: Most Valuable Network

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 of Valley Ranch. Romo is entering his third full season as quarterback and Marion Barber has help in the backfield with Tashard and Felix Jones.

 

The team cannot pin any offensive shortcomings on Terrell Owens anymore.

 

So, while Tony Romo receives the credit and the criticism for wins and losses, the team will only go as far as the Barbarian will take them.

 

In analyzing Barber's stats from 2007 and 2008, he tailed off a little in the fourth quarter last season due to injury.

 

However, unlike most backs, Barber sustains his production throughout the game.  

 

In the fourth quarter last season, Marion had 53 rushing attempts and averaged 3.5 yards per carry. Compare that to 2007 when he was healthy, and Barber averaged a strong 4.9 yards per carry on 83 attempts.

 

Couple Barber's production with the speed and versatility of Choice and Jones, and the Cowboys could very well have the best offensive backfield in the league next season.

 

That's if they can all stay on the field and healthy.

 

With the offensive firepower the Cowboys have stockpiled in Witten, Jones, Barber, Choice, Romo, and Roy Williams, there is no excuse for failure this season.

 

The Cowboys also have a brand new stadium that has seats that will need to be filled, so the fans' expectations for the team isn't as high as team owner Jerry Jones.

 

If Tony Romo acts as the blood that flows through the Cowboys system, Marion Barber is the teams pulse. Without a pulse, you're dead.

-JH

Dating back more than 10 years ago, the Cowboys were the toast of the NFL. Three championships in four seasons and surefire Hall of Famers on both sides of the ball led the team to glory. That was before the concussions, drugs, neck injuries, diamonds, and trash, and well, you get the picture. The Cowboys have not posted a winning record in the months of December and January since 1996. In fact, the team has gone winless in December and January in two of the 13 seasons since '96. For some reason the 'Boys collapse down the stretch and can't hold on to any type of momentum. So, allow me to examine last season's December and January production and then I'll give my reason why they must...show and prove. The Cowboys posted a record of 1-3 in December 2008, losing games to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Steelers, division-rival Eagles,... Read more

In a report by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and featured on ESPN.com, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is entertaining the idea of bring back embattled cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones. According to Jerry, "Pacman" graded as the best cornerback for the 'Boys last season. Granted Terrance Newman was injured for most of the season, the Cowboys had a liability at safety in Roy Williams, and the team's entire defensive backfield was at a disadvantage due to so many injuries. Jerry made sure to add that bringing Adam back was a long shot, but still a possibility. Jones said that he now believes that the fight between Adam and his bodyguard was indeed the bodyguard's fault. Jerry also added that he has no worries about Adam's off the field problems. While the Cowboys could use a little more help in the secondary department, I'm not sure if Pacman is the right option... Read more

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stated today that he "reads very carefully" what former Cowboys receiver says in the media.   As of late, Owens has been very critical of how his release was handled by Jones. On popular social networking website 'twitter,' Owens stated that offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and quarterback Tony Romo were partly responsible for his departure from the team.   In response to T.O.'s criticism, Jones said that it was "news to him."   Really Jerry, it was news... Read more

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} And so it came to past, Greg Ellis wanted out of Dallas and today he got his wish. The eleven year veteran was officially released by the Cowboys, which is something owner Jerry Jones said would happen. For most Cowboys fans this comes as no surprise. When current Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the Miami Dolphins Bill Parcells was hired to coach the Cowboys a number of years ago, Ellis requested a trade then as well. He wasn't sure of his place on defense, so he wanted out.   Parcells denied his request and the linebacker eventually flourished playing alongside former first round pick DeMarcus Ware.With the move the team stands to save almost... Read more

It was done in a matter of minutes but the choice Jerry Jones made could pay huge dividends for Romo's career. The loss of Owens might seem like a negative or appear to be a regression for Romo but for the first time in his career he will not have to worry about stroking another player's ego. Terrell Owens demanded the ball (I'm sure we can all agree on that) and clearly stated his opinion to the media. If we were annoyed by Owens then imagine how Romo felt. He had to deal with this guy every day and in the huddle during crucial drives, it was only a matter of time before Jones cut the leash. It could have been a matter of things but more than anything it was Owens declining production and his rising volatile attitude that allowed Jones to cut him loose. Simply put, he was not worth... Read more

     What a difference 30 minutes makes.      Had I started writing this just a half-hour before now, you would be reading about some combination of Jerry's gag-order on his coaching staff, the curious trade for Jon Kitna, and the great relief that accompanied the announcement of Ray Lewis' new three-year, $20-25 million deal with the Ravens.       (If I understand correctly, Lewis' acceptance of Baltimore's offer legally prohibits the Cowboys from signing him, thus preventing the team from adding a man who--in addition to being only an average defender--stabbed two people to death in Atlanta and then plea-bargained out of it.)      Instead, lucky reader, you get this breaking news from ESPN and The Dallas Morning News that the Dallas Cowboys have decided to release Terrell Owens.  Now, I support this move in the strongest possible terms, and I believe that it will do a large part to improve... Read more

     All too often, most events fail horribly at matching the hype generated during the time leading up to them.  In fact, if something has an extremely high amount of hype, it probably will stink (see: The Village).      Thus, given today's seemingly lackluster Pittsburgh v. Arizona matchup, you would expect the NFL--a league highly image-conscious--to have spent considerable more time, effort, and money to try to generate more hoopla than ever.      But, this has not been the case; it's been one of the least-promoted Super Bowls I can remember.  Cynics will say this is because even the NFL is willing to admit that it will be a boring game.  Yet, what if this is all just a ruse by Roger Goodell and the other powers that be?  What if they know that this will turn out to be a close, exciting game?      The NFL is practicing the best strategy known to man: always... Read more

     Well, thanks to Anthony Spencer, the Cowboys now have more arrests in the last week than playoff victories in the last 13 years.  As usual, the NFL postseason continues this week, and the team from Dallas has no game for which to prepare.       However, Jerry, Wade, and the rest of the gang would do well to watch and study both of the conference championship games this week because each of the four remaining teams has something to offer Dallas.  The Cowboys are the only team in the league who can say they lost this season to each of the four possible Super Bowl participants.       Obviously, in order to be title contenders, Dallas must be able to beat at least one of these four; as we all know, a win over any of them would have put the Cowboys in the postseason tournament.  Although only one of the... Read more

     Jerry Jones is a polarizing figure.  Similar to George W. Bush, Terrell Owens, and the New York Yankees, when you mention his name, you'll get a strong reaction--positive or negative--from anyone within earshot.  For many fans of the Cowboys, Jones is the only owner they've ever known.       And in Dallas, where the other pro owners are Mark Cuban and Tom Hicks, it's easy to be viewed as the best owner in town.  Yes, Jerry's a greedy, arrogant man, and getting his new $1 billion stadium partly paid for by the people of Arlington is one of the largest legal robberies of all time.  However, on the football side, he's always seemed to be good for the franchise.       He wants to win, and he spends quite a large bit of his money trying to do so.  As a sports fan, nothing is more frustrating than to see an owner close the wallet and give... Read more

     In spite of all that has been written in this space before--about the Cowboys' poor team chemistry, about their lack of heart, and about the ineptitude of the coaching staff--the sheer awfulness of that game Sunday was staggering.      With all that has happened over the previous four months, Dallas still, somehow, found itself only 60 minutes away from a playoff berth and a chance to erase the first 16 weeks of the season.  But they couldn't do it.  The team and coaches couldn't even care enough to show up for one game.  When Nick Folk's opening kickoff sailed out of bounds, it was hardly an auspicious omen.       Now, the Cowboys are done, and their season, for all intents and purposes, is no better than the 0-16 campaign turned in by the Detroit Lions.  Yes, the Cowboys are done, and fans should only expect future seasons to end well short... Read more