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If I ask you which Dallas Cowboy linebacker is popular with the fans, had 14 sacks last season and will be receiving a large contract in the near future, who would that be? The answer is DeMarcus Ware #94!

DeMarcus was born July 31, 1982 in Auburn, Alabama. He attended Auburn High School, which produced other NFL greats like Marcus Washington of the Redskins and New York Giants' Osi Umenyiora. Washington started a celebrity basketball game at the school. All three attend making it quite an event.

DeMarcus's senior year, he won "Most Valuable Wide Receiver", "Most Valuable Linebacker" and "Most Valuable Leadership" awards. His senior season alone, he had 7 sacks!

Be-Ware didn't just excel in football. He was a letterman in football, basketball, baseball and track! I still can't get over him playing wide receiver. I would love to see that!

DeMarcus attended Troy University where he majored in Business Information Systems. Where he really excelled, of course, was on the football field.  Ware's senior year he was the League's Defensive Player of the Year, and he was a finalist for the Hendricks Award. He made his mark in Troy history books with 57 tackles for losses.  He finished his college career with amazing stats: 27.5 sacks, 195 tackles, 74 quarterback hurries, 10 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries and 1 interception.

Ware began his NFL career when the Cowboys drafted him in the first round with their 11th pick. He proved to all Cowboy fans that Bill Parcells and Jerry Jones had made the right choice when he went up against the Carolina Panthers offense recording 3 sacks and 3 forced fumbles in one game! Not bad for a Rookie! I think that is the game that fans realized this guy is something special.

In 2006 and 2007, Ware went to the Pro-Bowl, and he also was selected to the All-Pro team. He is the first Cowboy Linebacker named to the All-Pro team since Chuck Howley in 1970. In 2007, Ware also was Co-All Iron Award winner.

DeMarcus had a fantastic year in the 2007 season. Ware became only the second Cowboy to record 14 or more sacks in a season. His stats have improved each year. Staying healthy has certainly helped his total stats, but the rest is talent... and talent alone. In 48 games, he has a total of 215 tackles, 33.5 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, and he has scored 2 touchdowns.

DeMarcus Ware is definitely one of the most popular Cowboys on the team. The fans have respect for him, and he returns the respect by taking the time to spend with his fans anytime he can. He has a myspace page in which he reads his comments. He recently put up his own website and fan club to be more in touch with fans. If you haven't yet, you should check out his website at www.demarcusware94.com. 

I am going to end this with a quote from DeMarcus's website. "When I was young, I was told that I was not big enough and too slow. I worked hard, practiced harder and strived to be the best. Always believe in yourself and you can achieve your dreams." I think he is definitely achieving his dreams so far with the Dallas Cowboys!

Posted by Raina Middleton at 08:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Roy Lee Williams was born August 14, 1980 in Redwood City, California. Roy has been compared to the former Cowboy great Bill Bates. We had no idea that there was a little boy that would grow up to have the same bone jarring hits that Bill Bates was known for and that he would play safety for the Dallas Cowboys.

Roy attended High School at James Logan in Union City, California where he was a gifted athlete that lettered in track but of course excelled in football. Roy played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back. He was one of the top rated defensive backs his Senior year, recording five interception and 56 tackles. Roy's four years at Logan High School they had a winning record of 38-10.

Roy attended the University of Oklahoma, his Sophomore year, they won the 2000 national championship. He also set a school record for tackles that resulted in loss of yardage the same year. His Junior year at OU, he won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top overall defensive player and he also won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back. Williams ended his college career in 2001 with one year of eligibility remaining even though he was considered to be one of nations best collegiate players.

In the 2002 NFL draft Roy Williams was picked 8th in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys needed to improve its secondary. With Darren Woodson mentioning it seemed like the perfect fit.

Roy made quite a impact on the club his rookie year. With 5 interceptions, he was among the leaders in total interceptions. Roy did what every rookie must dream of. Roy added the spark that the defense needed. With every hard hit and tackle he gained respect of fans and teammates. Along with the talent he has on the field, he is a natural leader in the locker room. Roy became an intimidating presence in Dallas's Defense. Everywhere you looked their were #31 jerseys, he had become the face of the Dallas Cowboys.

Roy's stats so far in his NFL career are amazing. Roy has had 500 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 38 pass deflections, 19 interceptions, 307 int. yards and 3 defensive touchdowns.

Williams has announced that he will be changing his number to #38 starting the 2008 season. Williams stated the reason he is switching is because that was his number in college and also "8" in the bible signifies a new beginning.
 

Posted by Raina Middleton at 08:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Can anyone deny that among all players on last season’s roster, no players star shined brighter than our tight end Jason Witten.

Witten has quietly become the premier tight end of the National Football League. He has always been my favorite Cowboy ever since he was first drafted by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Later that year he actually was drafted by me in my fantasy football draft and has been on my team every year since.

What makes Jason so special is not only his God given ability, but his gritty style of play and his passion and intensity when he’s on the field. He leads by example with his hard-nosed style of play and is an inspiration to all his teammates.

Last season we were treated to not only his best season yet, but some have argued that it might be the best overall season ever for a tight end in NFL history.

Some of you may remember his game against the Detroit Lions last season when he tied an NFL record for a tight end with 15 catches. It was just the tip of the iceberg as he finished his magical season with 96 catches and in doing so he set the Cowboys-single season tight end record for receptions. He also became only the third tight end in NFL history with 96 or more catches. By week 15, Witten became the first Dallas tight end ever to gain over 1,000 receiving yards in a season.

So far in his young career he has already amassed 21 touch downs and almost 4,000 yards receiving. In the last three seasons, he has fumbled the ball only once… talk about toughness. Witten became the first tight end in Cowboys history to record three consecutive seasons of at least 60 receptions or more. 

What makes me so excited about Jason Witten is that at age 26, the best is yet to come. Can you understand what I’m talking about Cowboys fans!

I’m so glad that we can actually showcase a talented star like Witten who makes headlines not by what model he’s dating, or by what strip clubs he frequents at 3:00 AM, or even because of his illegal or immoral entanglements. Witten is an All-American clean-cut, working-class family man, and that’s the way he likes it. Last week on March 26^th, Jason and his wife Michelle were blessed with their second child, Cooper Witten. Those are the kind of "off the field" headlines I prefer to see.

 

 

Posted by Joe D. at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Tight End Doug Cosbie was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 3rd Round (76th pick) of the 1979 NFL Draft after a superb collegiate career at Santa Clara University.

In his first three seasons in Dallas, Doug played sparingly catching a total of 24 balls.  Coincidently, Doug's breakout season was the strike-shortened NFL season of 1982, where he started all nine games played that season catching 30 passes for 441 yards and 4 touchdowns for a reciever-like average of 14.7 yards a catch.

Doug spent the next three seasons establishing himself as one of the best TE's in the NFL being selected to three Pro Bowls and being named All-Pro twice.  From a statistical standpoint, Doug's best season as a Cowboy was 1985, when he caught 64 passes for 793 yards and 6 TD's.

He played 10 seasons with the Cowboys ending his remarkable career with 300 receptions, 30 TD's and nearly 4000 yards recieving.

Since retirement, Doug has served as an assistant on Bill Walsh's Stanford coaching staff, Head Coach of Division III Menlo College as well as a two year stint as Offensive Coordinator and Wide Reciever coach at UC Berkeley.

Posted by Marvin McGregor at 08:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The year 1980 was a great year. I know that because I graduated from High School and my hero, Danny White began his reign as QB of the Dallas Cowboys. Little did we know that the future of the Dallas Cowboys would be put upon the shoulders of a certain baby boy born on April 21st of that year in San Diego, California. His name, Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo.
 
Tony Romo is a third generation Mexican-American on his father's side and Polish-German on his Mother's side. As an adolescent Tony's grandfather emigrated to San Antonio, Texas. He believes Tony's success is an example of the possibilities that can happen living in the United States.
 
Tony was born in San Diego where his father was serving in the military, but his family returned to their home in Burlington, Wisconsin when he was 2 years old. He played quarterback his junior and senior years in High School where he made the All Racine County football team.
 
Tony Romo attended college at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois majoring in business. In 1999, his first year of collegiate football he only played in three games but his stats were good and he was red shirted as a true freshman. His sophomore year is when he kicked it into gear and ranked second in Division 1-AA in passing efficiency.
 
On December 19, 2002 Tony Romo was the first player in Eastern Illinois and Ohio Valley Conference history to win the Walter Payton Award given annually to the nation's top player. Tony finished his career holding school and conference records with 85 touchdown passes and 8,212 passing yards. Tony's senior year he racked up 3,149 total yards in offense and ranked third in conference history. Along with the Walter Payton Award he earned consensus All America honors. He was also selected All Ohio Valley Conference and was named OVC player of the Year for the third straight year.
 
To begin his career in the NFL Tony attended the 2003 NFL Scouting Combine hoping to impress scouts. Despite intriguing some he went undrafted during the 2003 draft. However, Sean Payton, the Cowboys assistant head coach/QB coach at the time, had assured Tony that the Cowboys were interested and shortly after was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent. 
 
Entering the 2003 training camp he was  third on the Cowboys' depth chart behind Quincy Carter and Chad Hutchinson. In 2004, the Cowboys released Hutchinson and signed veteran quarterback Vinny Testaverde and traded a 3rd round draft pick to the Houston Texans for quarterback Drew Henson. Tony faced being cut from the roster until Quincy Carter was released  because of   allegations of substance abuse. After Vinny's Testaverde's time in Dallas ended in 2005, the Cowboys signed another veteran quarterback Drew Bledsoe, making him the 8th starting quarterback of the Cowboys since 2000. All along the real deal was standing on the sidelines carrying his clipboard, with his cap on backwards, smiling and learning everything he could, waiting for his chance.
 
In 2005 and 2006 pre-season Tony Romo looked pretty good, a lot of fans were wondering why weren't we giving him a chance to play. Apparently Sean Payton was thinking the same thing because he offered a third round draft pick for Tony, but Jerry Jones refused. Thank you Jerry!
 
Finally to a happy roaring Cowboy crowd, Tony Romo started his legacy by replacing Drew  Bledsoe for the start of the second half during a Monday Night Football game on October 23, 2006. Two days later Bill Parcells announced that Tony Romo would be the starting quarterback for their next game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday Night Football. Tony led the Cowboys to a win in his first game as a starter, 35-14 and was Sunday Night Football's "Rock Star of the Game".  But his first pass and touchdown came three weeks before playing against the Texans when his first NFL pass resulted in a 33 yard completion to Sam Hurd and in the same game he threw his first touchdown pass to guess who, that's right Mr. Terrell Owens.
 
Tony had played in just eight games as a starter when it was announced that Tony would be attending the 2007 Pro Bowl.
 
With success comes the talk of contracts, big contracts. Jerry Jones opted to let the unproven quarterback play unsigned to begin his first year in charge, just to make sure he was worth a huge commitment. Tony answered quickly becoming the NFC's offensive player of the month in September and Dallas finished October as the No. 1 offense in the conference.  Jerry Jones didn't wait until the offseason to sign his quarterback of the future to a six-year $67.5 million contract extension, $30 million of which is guaranteed. The deal includes an $11.5 million signing bonus. Tony replied, "I'm going to be with the Cowboys the rest of my career. I love it! It is a great feeling you have when the organization and the people stand behind you and you can be the quarterback for a long, long time. It makes you feel good as a person and a player."
 
Tony has stepped into the role of quarterback of "America's Team" very nicely. He has already dated country star Carrie Underwood, been linked in the tabloids with Britney Spears, and is currently dating Jessica Simpson. "It comes with the territory, I guess," Tony replied when asked about the huge interest in his love life.
 
With Tony as our quarterback Cowboy fans know we have the leadership and talent to win another Super Bowl. That is what Tony's legacy will depend on. To be a Hall of Fame Quarterback in the NFL and especially of the Dallas Cowboys, a Super Bowl ring must be worn.

One of the things that make fans and players like Tony is his personality, so I am going to let Tony end this article with one of his famous quotes. "You try to work hard and get better each week. I play the game with passion. I enjoy the game. It's a lot of fun when I'm out there. That's the way I play. For some reason, people like that." 

Posted by Raina Middleton at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Linebacker Zack Thomas is back in Texas after he was released by the Miami Dolphins on Valentines Day. Zach was just one of the many released by Bill Parcells as he makes massive changes in the sunshine state. The Dolphins drafted Thomas in 1996 in the 5th round. The 7 time Pro Bowler had been a work horse in their defense for 12 years. He has recorded over 1,800 tackles in his career.
 
Thomas is 1 of 3 players to record 100 or more tackles in each of his first ten seasons in the NFL. Thomas is currently ranking 4th all time in tackles behind Randy Gradishar, Jesse Tuggle and Junior Seau. He has more tackles than any linebacker in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
 
For those who are thinking about his age, I started looking into what he did the last couple of years. In September Oliver Hoyte, who was let go to make room on the roster, coincidentally gave Thomas a concussion which led him to miss most of the season because of migraines and concussions. Playing only five games he was able to rack up 52 total tackles. In 2006 his total tackles were consistent with years past with 165. Through the years his stats have remained the same.
 
Born a Texan, Zach played his college career at Texas Tech where he was a three year starter as linebacker. Thomas has won numerous awards during both his college and professional career.
 
After receiving contract offers from New Orleans and New England he made the decision to move home to Texas and become a Dallas Cowboy.

Posted by Raina Middleton at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

After the Steelers had won their fourth Superbowl title in 1980, they came up with a slogan to describe their hopes for the following season.  The slogan was, “One for the thumb in 81” meaning that many of the players had earned four Superbowl Rings in the past decade and were planning on getting a fifth one for the following season.  Unfortunately for the Steelers, none of those players ever achieved the goal of a fifth ring as a player.

Thus far, the only man in NFL history to earn five Superbowl rings as a player is Charles Haley. Haley earned two of those rings with the San Francisco 49ers and then three more while playing for the Dallas Cowboys.

Haley played outside linebacker for the 49ers from 1986-1991 and helped them earn two championships in Superbowl XXIII  (1988) and Superbowl XXIV (1989). After several  well-publicized confrontations with his 49er teammates and the coaching staff, Haley was traded to Dallas during the 1992 off-season.

Although Haley gained a reputation as a disgruntled and malcontent player during his first years with San Francisco, he found a home in Dallas. From 1992-1996 Haley filled the position of defensive end for the Cowboys and was an integral part of their success and Superbowl Dynasty of the 90s.  During this era, as you know, the Cowboys won Superbowls XXVII (1992), XXVIII (1993) and XXX (1995). 

In 1996, Haley made the decision to retire after suffering a herniated disc five games into the season. In 1998, Haley came out of retirement to aid his old team, the 49ers in post-season play.  The following year, 1999, he returned and played a full season with the 49ers before finally retiring for good.

Haley’s accomplishments during his 12 year career are quite impressive. He had 100.5 sacks, 485 tackles with 13 assists, 26 forced fumbles, and 1 safety.  He had 2 interceptions and 8 fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Haley was named to 5 Pro Bowls (88, 90, 91, 94, and 95) and was named an NFL All-Pro in 1990 and 1994. In addition, he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

The late Bill Walsh called Haley "one of the greatest players of our era." At one point, he was considered the best pass rusher in all of football.” Former Cowboys quarterback, Troy Aikman, said, “In my opinion, we would not have experienced the run of success we enjoyed here if it were not for Charles Haley’s contributions.”

Many people, myself included, believe Haley’s personal accomplishments have earned him a spot in the NFL Hall of Fame, but unfortunately, he has not been able to make the list of 15 finalists in his first few years of eligibility. Hopefully, the NFL will rectify this situation in the near future. Until then, Charles, we Cowboy fans offer up our gratitude and recognize your contributions to America’s Team. Thanks.

Please feel free to visit me at my site:  www.myspace.com/dallas_cowboys_nfl

Posted by Rich Isaacs at 08:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Danny White came to the Cowboys in 1976 as a backup quarterback to Roger Staubach and to do duty as the Cowboys punter.  He had spent the previous two years (1974-1975) in the World Football League with the Memphis Southmen.  Danny remained at the backup quarterback position through the 1979 season when Staubach retired, giving White his opportunity to lead the offense starting in 1980.

White led the Cowboys to three consecutive NFC Championship games (1980-1982) and made the Pro Bowl in 1982.  The Cowboys lost all three championship games despite being favored and White was severely criticized for his role in those losses. In 1983 Danny had his best season ever statistically, leading the Cowboys to a 12-4 record and another playoff appearance.  Despite the 12-4 record, the Cowboys finished 2nd to the Redskins in the NFC East and then lost the Wildcard Playoff game to the L.A. Rams bringing about further calls for White to be replaced.

In 1984, Danny lost the starting QB spot to Gary Hogeboom, but Hogeboom’s ineffectiveness led Landry to place White back in the starting position and the team finished 9-7 missing the playoffs.  In 1985, White led the Cowboys back to the playoffs after finishing first in the NFC East, but once again, they were defeated in the post season by the L.A. Rams. In 1986, the Cowboys found themselves with a 6-2 record, tied for the lead in the NFC East and ranked as the #1 offense in the NFL. Then White suffered a broken wrist against the Giants which ended his season. Steve Pelluer took over as QB and the Cowboys finished with a 7-9 record and their first losing season since 1964. In 1987, White again returned as the starter but was eventually replaced by Steve Pelluer and the Cowboys finished with a 7-8 record (one game was canceled). In 1988, Pelluer became the starter during training camp and White remained as backup for the entire season while the team finished with a dismal 3-13 record. In 1989, with the Cowboys under  a new owner and coach, White’s contract was not renewed and he decided to retire.

At the end of his career, Danny had racked up 1,761 completions on 2,950 attempts for 21,959 yards.  He passed for 155 touchdowns and 132 interceptions. In the area of rushing, he gained 482 yards and scored 8 touchdowns. Another interesting stat about Danny is the fact that he had two pass receptions for touchdowns which resulted from half-back option passes.  As punter, Danny punted 610 times for 24,509 yards, had an average of 40.4 yards per punt. 144 punts were inside the 20 yard line and he had 77 touchbacks. His record as the Cowboys' starting quarterback was 62-32 during the regular season and 5-5 during the playoffs.

After his retirement as a player, Danny White has continued to be successful as a head coach in the Arena Football League, winning two Arena Bowl Championships in 1994 and 1997.

The late Tom Landry, said this of Danny White:  "I don’t know of any quarterback who could have replaced a Roger Staubach and done a better job…Not many people realize what a fine quarterback Danny White was.  He threw more touchdown passes than either Staubach or Meredith.  And in 1983 he had the best statistical year a Cowboys’ quarterback ever had when he set club season records for 3,980 passing yards and twenty-nine touchdown passes.  Danny White was probably as fine a winner as we have had in football."

Here are some team records Danny set during his career:
• Most four-or-more TD-pass games in a career (8)
• Most Pass Attempts in a season (533)
• Completions in a season (334) (Broken by Romo with 335 in 2007)
• Touchdowns (29) in a season (Broken by Romo with 35 TDs in 2007)
• Passing yards (3,980) in a season (Broken by Romo with 4,211 yds in 2007)
• Best Single Game Pass Percentage (21-24, 87.5%)
• Most pass attempts (53) and completions (32) in a playoff game
• Most punts (11) in a game and a career (612)

Statistically, Danny White stacks up very well against other quarterbacks with the Cowboys and other football organizations. He broke many of Staubach’s individual records and Aikman was unable to top White in many areas during his stellar career. Now, under Romo, more of White’s records are starting to fall. Personally, I believe Danny has never received the praise he deserved as a quarterback largely due to the fact that he never led the Boys to a Superbowl title. If the Cowboys had earned at least one Superbowl Championship under Danny, would we see him differently today? Replacing Staubach might have been a no-win situation for any quarterback.  Could he have been one of the “Great Ones” if he had been placed with a better supporting cast?  I’m not sure if he could have been but I do know this:  Danny was a very good quarterback, one who wore the Star well, and one who deserves far more accolades than he gets among fans today.

For more information on Danny and what he’s doing today, visit his personal site at http://www.dannywhite.com/ or go to www.utahblaze.com to check out his team site.

Posted by Rich Isaacs at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)