Lone Star Struck

Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware finished second to San Francisco’s Patrick Willis in voting for the Dick Butkus Award, which is awarded each offseason to the NFL’s best linebacker. Ware won the award last year and narrowly missed repeating after tallying 39 votes and falling short to Willis who had 50. The Butkus Award has was always been awarded to college and high school football players, but at the suggestion of Hall of Famer Dick Butkus, the NFL began  honoring pro football players as of last year when Ware became the first recipient. Willis had 154 tackles, four sacks, three forced fumbles and three interceptions for the Niners last season. Ware finished with 57 tackles,...

Driving into work this morning I was flipping between Fox Sports Radio and ESPN Radio on XM. Most of the talk was about baseball and March Madness, but for a few minutes I heard some ranting regarding the new Jets/Giants stadium and their dilemma about who will open the season in the new home. After a coin toss by the commissioner it was decided that the Giants will open the stadium on Sunday September 12th and the Jets will open on the following Monday night to the huge MNF crowd. First of all, can you imagine your team sharing a stadium with another team, even if they were in the other conference? I still find it ridiculous that they aren’t even in the state of New York. I guess some...

For those of you who are home tonight, you might want to tune into NBC at 7:00 PM CST to watch a new series entitled “Who Do You Think You Are“. Tonight, the show centers around legendary Cowboys running back Emmit Smith, who discovers his genealogical roots on a journey that takes him beyond his expectations. In this short video preview, Emmitt Smith discovers that his ancestor, a slave girl named Mariah, was sold in 1826 at the age of 11 years old. If you do watch, come back and share your thoughts after the show.

I’m sure we have all watched over the last week as the 2010 Free Agent class has made their rounds. Some teams have made a splash like Chicago signing Julius Peppers and Chester Taylor. Other teams have been quiet like our very own Dallas Cowboys. I like how Jerry Jones has approached Free Agency. He’s letting things settle down before he starts making some phone calls. I read on DallasNews.com that Jones is getting ready to schedule some visits with some players, although no names were mentioned. I’ve had my eye on a few players that are still available and that could really help the Cowboys in areas that they need. The Redskins made a mistake in my opinion when they released...

It’s been pretty quiet this week as far as Cowboys news goes, but here’s a few things that might interest some of you. To begin, the Oakland Raiders have released ex-Cowboy Greg Ellis after a dismal injury-plagued season. one-year stint on the West Coast. he still has some money coming to him from the guaranteed $10 million dollars he received from the Raiders. It looks like it might be the end of the road for Ellis who is still battling an arthritic knee. Martellus Bennett continues to voice displeasure over his role with the Cowboys. In an interview which you could watch here courtesy of the DMN, he said, “I think I could be one of the all-time greats. Probably the system...

  Well after what has seemed to be an eternity, I have decided to crawl out of my off-season hole and get back into the real world. I apologize to my co-writers and to our Lone Star Struck fans for not blogging about our Cowboys. Ever since that loss to the Vikings, I have been in, what I did not want to believe, a depressed state of mind. I have finally realized that loss affected me more than I thought it did. I said right after the loss, just like most of us did, its ok we got our first playoff win in 12 years. We had a great season and this season was a step forward. While all of that is true, that loss devastated me. Not because it was such a great season and I know we have the team to...

Terrell Owens is now a UFA which means unrestricted free agent. Anyone can pick him up for however much money he and his agent agree to. He is an example of the joys of free agency which give hope to struggling teams looking to improve their team by going after experienced players for lucrative contracts. According to Sports Illustrated, Cowboys wide receiver, Patrick Crayton, has stated that he would welcome the return of Terrell Owens should he come back to the Dallas Cowboys. However, I don’t think the Cowboys will go after Terrell due to a few reasons. A: He’s a year older and we don’t know if he’ll keep up his previous production of the past. B: Terrell has publicly stated many unflattering...

Help could be on the way for the Cowboys as the official start of free agency begins in a little less than an hour. As expected, the Arizona Cardinals released safety Antrel Rolle this afternoon to avoid ponying up a $4 million roster bonus. Expect the Cowboys to take a long, hard look at bringing Rolle in to fill the ever-vacant safety position. Rolle is a young 27-years old, and played cornerback for the first few years of his career before being moved to safety. Because his résumé includes a stint at cornerback, he could be the candidate the Cowboys are looking for to provide adequate coverage at the safety position. If Dallas pulls the trigger on Rolle, expect Ken Hamlin to be shown the...

Only a few hours before Free Agency starts, the Cowboys have made offers to the following players as reported by DallasNews.com… Miles Austin, First Round Tender Sam Hurd, Second Round Tender Corey Procter, Second Round Tender Jason Hatcher, Second Round Tender Pat McQuistan, Original Draft Pick Junior Siavii, Original Draft Pick Marcus Spears, Original Draft Pick Stephen Bowen, Second Round Tender Pat Watkins, Original Draft Pick Duke Preston, Original Draft Pick Gerald Sensabaugh, Second Round Tender Kicker Shaun Suisham was not offered any Tender which makes him a Free Agent. The Cowboys also signed cornerback Cletis Gordon to a one year contract today. I don’t expect much from...

Today is a big day for the Cowboys as they must tender offers to their 13 restricted free agents by the 11:00 pm CST deadline tonight. You can be sure that both wide receiver Miles Austin and safety Gerald Sensabaugh will both receive high tenders from the Cowboys and that neither will be going anywhere. Clarence E. Hill of the Star-Telegram speculates that Austin will receive the highest tender possible — a one-year salary of $3.168 million and compensation of a first- and third-round pick if he signs with another team. Sensabaugh will likely be tagged with the first-round tender of $2.62 million. If he signs with another team, the Cowboys would get a first-round pick in return. The...

Every offseason we go through the same drought. After five years you would think one would be used to it. Every now and again you will find a story the media has brewed up to stir some controversy. Nine times out of ten those stories are speculation and hype that never develops. The most interesting subject this offseason will no doubt be the salary cap issue and how it affects free agency. The draft is always exciting as well. We don’t have a high pick but definitely have some needs, anything can happen when Jerry Jones is in the war room. This summer will definitely be a memorable one for many Cowboys fans. The great Emmitt Smith will finally claim his place in the National Football League’s...

Over the next few weeks leading up to the draft, I will put together a Cowboys Draft Series covering prospects and positions that I feel the Cowboys will be most interested in come the first round on April 22. The main factors for choosing the prospects to watch include the Cowboys’ position in the draft and players that fit their schemes on offense and defense. This week I will focus on the wide receiver position. There are many potential prospects that the Cowboys will likely be interested in, especially in this year’s fairly deep receiver class. Here are a few names to put on your list. Jordan Shipley – Texas, 5′11″ 193 Jordan Shipley is a name that is tangled...

Is it me or do people put way to much thought into the overtime rules in the NFL? We have heard the arguments for years. Should things stay the way they are? Should teams get at least one possession in overtime? Should a team win by at least a touchdown? Should overtime be taken away all together? The latest proposal from the competition committee is below as reported by ESPN.com… Under the new format, both teams would get the ball at least once unless the first team to get the ball scores a touchdown, Greg Aiello said. If the first team to get the ball makes a field goal and the other team ties the game, action would continue until a team scores again. I’m just not sure things have...

As the NFL Draft quickly approaches and festivities at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis get underway, big names like Ndamukong Suh, Tim Tebow, and Sam Bradford will take the spotlight and dominate the headlines. But as we have seen in past drafts, it is sometimes the not-so-famous prospects from smaller schools that go on to make the biggest splash in the NFL (see Marques Colston, Tim Hightower, Joe Flacco, Brandon Marshall). Like in every draft, there are sure to be a few small school gems in this draft as well. Here are a few names to keep an eye and ear out for as the draft nears. Vladimir Ducasse – Offensive Lineman, UMass Vladimir Ducasse was not a name that appeared high on many teams’...