Mike Jenkins is making some news lately, but it’s not what he’s saying that’s getting all the attention, it’s what he’s writing.

Jenkins has his own official blog, and he has been keeping busy calling things the way he sees them.

“Heading into training camp I’m the starter at right cornerback, and my job is to maintain that position. I’m back in Florida training at IMG to get my body right, get my head right, be mentally ready heading into the season. …It’s my job to lose, but there’s a guy behind me with nothing to lose. If he makes a mistake, it’s not going to cause him to lose his job. If I make a mistake, the coaches are going to take a long, hard look at me in that position.”

I’m all for a good healthy position battle at training camp, but I prefer to see a winner proclaimed after all is said and done on the practice field. Actions speak a lot louder than words. I admire your confidence Mike, but I hope you can follow through and back it up come training camp.

As some of you know, Jenkins recently ditched his uniform number 31 and exchanged it for 21. In a previous entry Jenkins talks about his rookie year.

My rookie season was definitely harder than I expected. I went in and thought I knew all the rules, but I learned the hard way. I learned real quick that the speed of the game is way faster and the game is much harder.

I would rate the season a 6 or 7 from 1-10. There’s a lot of room for improvement and I’m my own hardest critic.

I’m looking forward to seeing both Orlando Scandrick and Mike Jenkins, battle it our for the starting gig in training camp. Scandrick has already show some great cover skills, but hopefully Jenkins can step up in his second year with the team and show even more. 

Let the battle begin, and may the best man win…

Why does the media like to use the Cowboys as a bad joke? I am a Cubs fan, that team is in something of a funk. I was watching SportsCenter this morning when they were talking about the Cubs and their turmoil. The line that the broadcaster said was, “ The Cubs are the Dallas Cowboys of MLB.” I did not like that statement. Just because the team had some “problems” of their own. Every media outlet, or most of them, badmouth the Cowboys. I just would like to remind them the Cowboys still had a winning record. No the Cowboys didn’t make the playoffs, but at least we gave it a try.

The Cubs are nothing like the Cowboys. I love the Cubs but they continuously lose every year. That’s why they are called the lovable losers. I have been trying to ignore the media about the Cowboys but this one irked me. The Cowboys are champions! So, what they haven’t won a playoff game in years. But they at least give good runs toward the playoffs.

Don’t get me wrong I am not defending the Cowboys for losing seasons. I want them to win every single year as much as the next Cowboys fan. Maybe this blog is similar to the Are We Spoiled as Cowboys Fans blog that I wrote. But I’ve taken this in a different direction. I am proud to be a Cowboys fan. This year we we will shut up all the critics and they fans that badmouthed my team.

Another quick story before I am done for the day. I work in a small town Emergency Room. Everyone there knows I am a die-hard Cowboys fan. I get harassed constantly in Chicago Bear Country. One of our ER doctors is from Philly and you guessed it - an Eagles fan. I only see him once in a while. The other day he harassed me about the whipping we received at the hand of his beloved Eagles. Then about 10 minutes later he walked by me and noticed my watch, Cowboys of course. He started to say something about the Eagles are tough and the Cowboys are nothing. But my quick little comeback was, ” At least, my Cowboys own 5 rings, how many does the Eagles have?” Never bothered me again for the rest of the night. Go Cowboys!

The wonder that is the new Cowboys Stadium is on display for all to see.Regardless of your economic status, you can now visit and get an in-depth tour of the greatest sports venue in the world, for near the price of a movie ticket.

Tours are available seven days a week, with tours departing every 30 minutes, beginning at 9 AM (11 AM on Sundays). Of course, you can visit dallascowboys.com for all the fine print. The bottom line is, if you are an D/FW resident or plan to visit the area, make sure you take time to get a close look at the new home of the Cowboys! You will not regret it.

I have to issue a warning however, visiting the stadium will only make it harder to wait for football season to get here. Thanks to all of the friendly staff and tour guides that were working, it felt like they truly enjoyed their jobs, and who can blame them?

Our tour guide, Slim, had a few good jokes to throw in as well. Including the classic, “How do you keep a Redskin out of your backyard? You paint it like an endzone!” Good times.

Go COWBOYS! I can’t wait to see the stadium filled with Cowboys fans! Come on September!!!

Here are a few pictures from my tour this weekend:

COWBOYS FAN FOR LIFE!! – TD

According to a report by Tim MacMahon of the Dallas Morning News, there will be no new inductee into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor in the upcoming season.

Some fans have openly wondered whether some of the traditions of our former stadium would continue in the new Cowboys Stadium and according to Jerry Jones, the Ring of Honor will continue on.

At a ceremony in which 12 oak trees were transplanted from Texas Stadium in Irving to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Jones said there will not be a Ring of Honor ceremony this year.

“But it will be every bit as emphasized in the new stadium as it was at Texas Stadium,” Jones said.

The Cowboys have not inducted any players into the Ring of Honor since the Triplets – Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith – were added on Sept. 19, 2005. Here are the current members…

I thought it would be a nice gesture to open the new stadium with a grand ceremony honoring the latest inductee and at the same time christening the stadium with some of our former glory. But I guess we will have to wait it out at least another year.

Too bad… There are so many former Cowboys who really deserve to be honored and I was hoping to see one of them get in this year.

In other stadium news, the Cowboys have yet to pick a place for the Tom Landry statue at the new stadium but it will be done before the season begins according to team officials.

Memo to Jerry Jones: GIT-R-DONE!

Our great Jason Witten will be honored by a hospital in his home state. Witten made a donation of $200,000 to Johnson City Medical Center in Tennessee. The Emergency Department will be renamed and the waiting room has been redecorated in his honor. Witten and his lovely wife Michelle are expected to be present at the ceremony.

The King of Pop Michael Jackson who left this earth yesterday had a connection with our Dallas Cowboys. If you remember the nineties Super Bowls you remember Michael Jackson performed the halftime show for Super Bowl XXVII. The Cowboys played the Bills at the Rose Bowl and the final score was 52-17.

There will be no new Ring of Honor inductees this season.

At the Texas Stadium tree transfer this morning, Jerry Jones said there would be no new members added to the Ring of Honor at Cowboys Stadium this season.”We of course are excited about what we’re doing in the Ring of Honor. We won’t be doing anything in the Ring of Honor this year as far as any new inductees,” Jones said. “But it’ll be every bit as emphasized in the new stadium as it was in Texas Stadium.”Currently the Ring has 17 members. A spokesman for the venue hinted the team would wait to unveil many of the building’s “bells and whistles” at the regular season opener Sept. 20. No new Cowboys have been enshrined since 2005, when Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin were honored together at halftime of a game against the Washington Redskins.- Josh Ellis of dallascowboys.com

Defensive tackle La’Roi Glover announced his retirement this week. The 6-time Pro Bowler played for Dallas from 2002-2005. He led the NFL with 17 sacks in 2000 and finished his career with 83.5, tied for 37th on the all-time list. He was tied for fifth among active players.

Public tours of the new Cowboys Stadium begin today. Stadium tours, at $15 for adults and $12 for children, will be conducted every half-hour and last up to 75 minutes. The tour includes the high-tech scoreboard control room, the press box, the Cowboys’ locker room and limited field access.

Check out this cool article about Cowboys great Randy White as he talks about charity and football: Cowboys legend White talks charity, football

Lately, all the talk has been about the Dallas Cowboys Top 50 with several posts and articles dedicated to it including on DallasCowboys.com, and even right here on Lone Star Struck courtesy of Rob V.

It has been fun reading all the varying opinions and comments, hearing the debates about who is better than who, and which player needed to be ranked higher or lower. It also got my creative juices flowing, and the result is…

The Ultimate Cowboys Showdown!

This new exclusive series will pit two all time Cowboys who were the best at their position, and and put them in a head to head battle in a good old fashioned death match. Only the strong will survive!

Our Ultimate Cowboys Showdown features three rounds of fist-pounding, gut wrenching, nail-biting action, as two ultimate warriors get in the ring and duke it out until only one Cowboy is left standing. This is certainly not for the squeamish and parental discretion is definitely advised.  

This first battle showcases two of the greatest tight ends in Dallas Cowboys history, and of course we are talking about Pro Bowlers Jay Novacek and Jason Witten.

Ding, Ding, Ding.

Round One – The Tale of the Tape

Round Two – Awards, Accomplishments, Recognition

Pro Bowls
Jay Novacek – 5
Jason Witten – 5

All Pro Selections
Jay Novacek – 1
Jason Witten – 1

Super Bowl Rings
Jay Novacek – 3
Jason Witten – 0

Round Three – The Final Verdict

Can you believe these guys have both played exactly six years and 95 games? And what about the fact that each had 5 Pro Bowl selections and one All Pro selection…

This was the perfect head to head showdown because their careers were so remarkably similar, but it also made this a tough battle to decide.

Both these players were the ultimate warriors in every sense. Each of them were very intense and had a nose for the ball. Both of them were tough as nails and didn’t shy away from laying down a punishing hit when they had to, and both were known to shrug off nagging injuries and play hurt.

There’s a school of thought that subscribes to the notion that winning is everything, and if that was the only deciding factor than Jay Novacek wins this contest hands down simply because of his post season accomplishments. Novacek was a key contributor for Dallas during their 1990s glory years, and helped them to win three Super Bowls in four seasons. In those games, he recorded a combined total of 17 receptions for 148 yards and two touchdowns.

However, if you go simply by the numbers, Jason Witten wins this one by a slight margin. The touchdowns were very close, but Witten edged Novacek by three touchdowns. However, we have to remember that Troy Aikman had so many more targets to throw to than Romo did. He was able to spread the ball around between a few different current and future Hall of Famers. Had Novacek played for this current Cowboys team, he may have outscored Witten by a larger margin and been one of the primary options.

Witten also had the edge on yards, but again that was tied to the number of receptions.

In the final analysis, I have to proclaim Jay Novacek the Ultimate Cowboys Tightend.

Jason Witten may eventually catch Novacek in the years to come, but for now, Novacek stands alone.

Jay Novacek - Ultimate Cowboys Tight End

Have you guys checked out 4th and Long yet?

I have been watching and recording 4th and Long all season and I absolutely love it.

Watching these young players trying to make the cut and playing their hearts out is really something. Michael Irvin has to be one of the hardest coaches I have ever seen.

Of course I have never really witnessed what it’s like behind the scenes of a training camp, or thought about what it takes to be a pro football player, so to me this all new and fascinating.

Last night’s episode displayed what the remaining players are made of and how badly they want to wear the silver and blue. These young players have to not only deal with the pain of playing the game and learning all the plays in such a limited amount of time, but just about everything that comes with making the Dallas Cowboys!

I thought it was a good move for the coaches to give them a little taste of some of the perks of being a Cowboy by taking them to Coach Joe’s Bar and Grill. They got to see and hear the benefits of being a success in the NFL, but that was just a prelude for the onslaught that was to come the next morning.

Michael Irvin, Bill Bates and Coach Joe ramped up what was already a tough test of endurance and perseverance and literally put the remaining players through hell. I really thought at least one of them would give up, but every one of them gutted it out like true warriors.

I also enjoy seeing the former Cowboys appear as guest coaches and sharing their wisdom and their own experiences. Watching Tony Dorsett (TD himself!) spending time with that kid could be the one thing that could change his life. Or, like he said, it is something he can one day tell his great grandchildren about.

All I know is that I sure would not want to be in Irvin’s shoes right now.

Do you have a favorite competing player?

Who do you want to be a Cowboy?

Here is a short video promotion of 4th and Long.

For more information and broadcast times visit Spike TV.

Edited by Joe D.

The phenomenon that is “Free Reign” has signed a record deal, as posted by Josh Ellis on the Dallas Cowboys website.

The press release read:

Their heavy metal group Free Reign, which also includes Dallas-area guitar virtuoso Justin Chapman, has signed a world wide record deal with Australian label Riot Entertainment. From the press release:

Free Reign has been branded ‘Heavier than Metal’ for their intense musical style as well as their intimidating stage presence. They bring something unique to this powerful genre. 

“This is an amazing opportunity for Riot and to further establish our name internationally,” saidRiot Owner / CEO John Howarth. “Free Reign is a band with massive potential. There has been an enormous buzz surrounding them since they appeared on the scene a few months ago. Free Reign has already been flooded with endorsements. Their marketing potential is limitless. These guys are already huge sports stars, but they have shown they have the talent to diversify. I am positive that Metal fans will embrace Free Reign and see them take it to the next level. These are exciting times for Riot and we are excited to see what the future holds. When the opportunity arose to work with Free Reign I jumped to it! This is something that has never been done before and this band is a long term project. It’s also been great working with John Gomez of TQ Management putting this deal to bed”.

Free Reign is made up of Cowboys Marc Colombo, Leonard Davis and Cory Proctor, along with Justin Chapman.

***

Free Reign will be performing their last show before the start of football on June 27 at the House of Blues in Dallas.

You can find tickets and sample some of their music at http://www.myspace.com/freereign  

For those of you who are keeping track of the Cowboys Top 50 players on DallasCowboys.com, they have reached the halfway point. Today they named Jason Witten as number 25. You can see the current list at the following link…

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=09AB1D0B-9A56-1B43-D6FC4D48EEF8DCB4

So who are the top 24? Looking over those who have not been named yet this is what I came up with. Although I have no idea how they will be ranked. I have to disagree with a few of the selections so far like Terrell Owens and La’Roi Glover.  I would have put Dennis Thurman and Larry Cole in the Top 50 instead. I think it’s amazing being a fan of an organization that it’s so hard to name 50 of it’s top players all-time.

Emmitt Smith

Troy Aikman

Tony Dorsett

Michael Irvin

Roger Staubach

Drew Pearson

Don Meredith

Bob Hayes

Deion Sanders

DeMarcus Ware

Randy White

Harvey Martin

Charles Haley

Dan Reeves

Don Perkins

Larry Allen

Rayfield Wright

Bob Lilly

Lee Roy Jordan

Chuck Howley

Darren Woodson

Mel Renfro

Mike Ditka

John Fitzgerald

Did I miss anyone? Who will be named number one all-time? I would think Emmitt Smith, but you can also make an argument over so many others like Lilly, Staubach and Meredith. Should be interesting as we move along.

According to ESPN’s Matt Mosley the United Football League has taken interest in nearly a handful of ex-Cowboys. Ronnie Cruz, Tyson Thompson, Brooks Bollinger and Rob Petitti have been drafted by UFL teams.

So you may ask, what is the UFL?

This info was found on the UFL website.

The UFL will play in the fall, during traditional football season, to establish the league as a viable entity and will offer real, 11-on-11, outdoor professional football in NFL quality stadiums/venues. The UFL will play its regular season games on Thursday and Friday evenings in the fall, with the first regular season game kicking off in October and the Championship Game scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend. 

In its “Premiere” season, the UFL will have four teams playing in seven cities. The four teams selected for 2009 are Las Vegas, New York, Orlando and San Francisco. The additional cities where games may be played include Hartford, Los Angeles and Sacramento.

 The UFL will play a six game season, compared to the NFL’s 16 game season.

There have been other attempts of leagues trying to compete with the National Football League. Needless to say none of them succeeded.

Fans may have a lot of issues and concerns with some of the rules and regulations in the NFL but at the same time every fan will admit it is and always will be the best, nothing will ever come close.

Good luck in the UFL Tyson, and the rest of the guys! (Tyson’s the only one on that list that I really enjoyed watching.)

If there was a national monument built for the Cowboys, what would it be? I think it should be just like Mount Rushmore.

Lets call it Mount Cowboys. Now we have to decide who we think should be on this national monument. If any Cowboys player or staff member had an impact on the Cowboys they should be on this monument. Here are my choices and why I think they deserve to be on Mount Cowboys.

My first choice is the legendary coach Tom Landry. Landry had 20 consecutive winning seasons, 2 Super Bowl titles and was 1966 NFL Coach of the Year. He was the only coach the Cowboys knew until Jerry Jones took over.

My second choice is Roger Staubach. Tom Landry’s quarterback throughout the 69′ to 79′ seasons. He also won 2 Super Bowl titles for coach Landry. Roger was a 6 time Pro-Bowler. Earn the nickname of “Captain Comeback” for many of his come from behind victories.

The third choice for the Mount Cowboys monument is number 22, Emmitt Smith. He is the NFL’s All-Time leading rusher. Just that enough earns him a spot on the monument. Emmitt was elected to the Pro-Bowl 8 times. He was the first player in NFL history to have 5 straight seasons with at least 1,400 rushing yards.

My final and last choice for the Mount Cowboys is Jerry Jones. I know, Some people don’t like Mr. Jones, but what he did was made the Cowboys a dynasty in the 90’s. His buying and trading of Free Agents made all the moves to win 3 championships. He will do everything he can to ensure the Cowboys go to or at least have a shot at being a contender for the Super Bowl. It will be very interesting in the new stadium and the season without T.O.

Here is my choices for the fictional Mount Cowboys monument. If anybody else has another person who deserves to be on this monument let me know. I came up with this as a way to tribute to the Cowboys from past and present. I hope you enjoy this blog as much as I had fun writing it.

Poll Results: How confident are you in the Cowboys Wide Receiver Corps?

Over half the votes (51%) are somewhat confident in the Cowboys wide receiver corps and will wait and see what they can do this upcoming season while nearly a quarter (23%) and very confident. That leaves 26% who are pessimistic about the group of men heading the passing game.

For the most part, Cowboys fans just aren’t sure what to expect this season. Roy Williams doesn’t seem to have the fan support he needs as the #1 wide receiver and has a ton of pressure to prove himself this season.

There is also the concern of injury with Miles Austin, Sam Hurd and Isaiah Stanback constantly fighting ailments.

However, don’t forget the ever reliable Patrick Crayton who has turned heads so far in OTAs this offseason. Crayton isn’t going down without a fight.

Most fans hoped that Jerry Jones and crew would bring on another receiver, but it seems the Cowboys are settled at the position for the new season.

Never underestimate the Dallas Cowboys!

***

New Poll: Which player from the Draft Class of ‘08 will make the biggest impact this season?

Please place your votes in the poll section on the right column.

Lone Star Struck would like to send a message out to all of the wonderful fathers out there.

When I created this website I dedicated to my father. I grew up in Dallas, Texas. I would not be a Dallas Cowboy fan if it weren’t for my dad. Although we may have drifted apart in my adulthood, one positive memory I have and one thing we will always share is love for Dallas Cowboys football.

I can remember my father missing important family holidays such as Thanksgiving, to be at a Cowboys game. I also remember getting to stay up late when the Cowboys played in the Super Bowls back in the 90s.

I rarely see my father these days, but when I visit Dallas for Thanksgiving I see him, and the one thing that’s never awkward to talk about is football.

Sending well wishes and happy thoughts to all the dads out there. I’m sure some of you can relate to my story and I hope this bring you wonderful memories with your father.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

To fans of the Dallas Cowboys, Tony Romo is already a shining star. He is the face of the franchise and our hope for a return to glory for the team. However, our views and opinions are biased because of our love and passion for the Cowboys.

In the football mainstream, Romo is nothing more than just one of hundreds of players oozing with potential, but never realizing that potential. Mention Romo’s name and you usually get responses like “he’s a choker”, or “he’s never won in a game that mattered”, or “he doesn’t know how to lead”.

“What exactly has he accomplished?” they will say.

And they’ll be sure to remind you that the only thing that matters in the NFL is going to the post season.

On Friday, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones sounded like someone who understood the hits on Romo, but also believes that the Cowboys have paved the way for Romo to take that next step and erase all the negativity that has been levied at him.

“It’s hard to take over leadership when you’ve got a strong personality like Terrell,” Stephen Jones said. “If you look back at our old teams [from the 1990s], a lot of people would say maybe Michael Irvin was the leader.

“Then you might say, ‘He was a receiver. What about Troy Aikman? He was the quarterback. Wasn’t he the leader?’ And the answer is, yeah, Troy was a leader. But if Michael wasn’t supportive of him, Troy would’ve had problems.

“A lot of our players thought the world of Terrell — they still do. They loved the way he prepared and how hard he played, and everybody respected his skills and what he’d done in the league. And with him here, I think he was always going to carry that kind of weight.”

Jones is right. What we needed most from T.O. was for him to be supportive and he failed miserably in that department. But this post isn’t about T.O. or about ancient history.

This post is about the future of this team and the new course that has been chartered. Our goal remains the same and that is to secure another Super Bowl for this franchise.  There are several roads a team can take to a championship, but lets face it somewhere along that journey the Cowboys had lost their way.

It’s hard for others to follow when they have lost sight of their leader. In Tony Romo, the Cowboys have always had a potentially great leader, but his hands were bound and he was forced to operate in the shadows of another dominating and intimidating presence. It kept Romo from advancing, and the rest of the team stagnated with him.

A new season will soon be upon us and with it comes a new sense of excitement.  Romo has always had an enormous amount of talent, but for the first time since taking over as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback, we may finally get to see Tony Romo unleashed and unbound.

All of that tremendous talent and all of that unrealized potential has been building up over the last 2 1/2 seasons and now it is ready to explode and send shock waves to all the non-believers that have doubted him.

There are no more excuses… There are no more distractions…

Tony Romo may have been the unquestioned leader in name only before, but now that role finally has some real meaning to it. With Romo at the helm, the rest of the team can now follow someone whose destination is clearly fixed on winning another championship for Dallas.

The Cowboys are no longer just a mighty battleship lost at sea.

We have embarked upon a new course, and we finally have someone who can stand tall and lead the charge.