Tonight’s Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony begins at 6:00 PM (CST), and Emmitt Smith will be the evening’s final speaker.

He will be presented by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who I’m sure will deliver a heartfelt introduction.

Emmitt Smith will then officially re-join his former teammates Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin for eternity in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Triplets Reunited Forever!

“I’m going home. I’m going home with the rest of the Cowboys, and I feel like it’s a place I belong,” Smith said Friday. “I saw some greats, a lot of greats [Friday]. For me even to be considered to be in that class is a wonderful thing. You’re talking about a kid that had so many odds against him.”

Smith officially will join the Hall of Fame Saturday night at the induction ceremony. He will be the last of the seven players to deliver his speech, the Pro Football Hall of Fame confirmed Friday.

Congratulations to you Emmitt on this glorious occasion celebrating your spectacular career.

Until today, your legendary and remarkable achievements belonged to the Dallas Cowboys and millions of adoring Cowboys fans. We always knew just how special you were.

But after tonight, the world will honor you and your name will become etched in the stars.

Your brilliant career will speak to football fans everywhere about your greatness and your thirst for excellence and perfection.

Your records and achievements as a player, will symbolize what all future NFL running backs will strive for and reach for in their own careers. You are the unreachable star and the mark you left on football will never be erased. You are now one for the ages.

The current Cowboys team will be there supporting Emmitt and playing the Hall of a Fame game on Sunday. Interestingly enough, they will be facing the Cincinnati Bengals who now house a number of former Cowboys including Roy Williams and Terrell Owens.

Needless to say, this is our last week without football. This weekend the Dallas Cowboys kickoff the football season with a bang starting with Emmitt Smith and the Hall of Fame.

I couldn’t think of a better way to get the 50th year of Cowboys Football started.

Make sure you tune into the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday on ESPN coverage begins at 6:00 p.m. Central time. Followed by the Hall of Fame game Sunday evening on NBC, kickoff at 7 p.m. Central time.

FOOTBALL IS BACK! How Bout Them Cowboys!

You can find this mural and so much more at profootballhof.com.

The latest rants include Cowboys Number One Draft Pick Dez Bryant and the young tight end Martellus Bennett.

Okay maybe I will give them Dez, thats a valid complaint. He got his money and hasn’t even played in one pro game and already thinks he’s better than the veterans. Not cool Dez. So they are calling him “another Diva Cowboy”. Well the guy just scored nearly 12 million dollars, has been given the coveted number 88 and has already been deemed the super star wide receiver for America’s Team fresh out of college. To say expectations for Dez Bryant are high is an understatement.

You can blame Dez, blame Jerry Jones, or blame the media but I got money that says he produces and blows everyone away this season.

So, rumor is Marty B had a bad break-up and his ex posted nude pictures of him online. Who cares? What in the world does that have to do with football? Absolutely nothing. I have my own issues with Martellus’ off-the-field shenanigans but in reality he’s a backup tight end, a backup to one of the best in the league. Is he the future? Only time will tell. But he’s still young, immature and seems to crave a lot of attention. A professional athlete who wants all eyes on him – well thats totally unheard of, what in the world is he thinking?!

Like it or not all of these ridiculous stories sell, whether true or fabricated. People love to hate the Dallas Cowboys. Why do you think ESPN constantly disses the Cowboys? That’s easy, because hating on Dallas sells. It’s stirs up Cowboy followers and it revs up the haters. Personally, I very rarely watch ESPN for that very reason.

It doesn’t matter that there are players who have violated the league drug law or committed felonies. Hell, there have been times men have been suspected in rapes and murders, but if Tony Romo wants to play golf in the offseason or Miles Austin was in Las Vegas gambling and having a few drinks – well thats front page news! How dare they do something without a football in their hands.

Listen, like I said before it comes with the territory. I spent years defending Terrell Owens, because that’s what we do as Cowboys fans. I will admit I have a limit though, I never defended Pacman Jones. He truly was an embarrassment.

Earlier I went to visit my mom and she started talking about an article she read about Dez not carrying Roy’s pads on Yahoo!, and I immediately went into defense mode. It’s like a parent who’s child can do no wrong.

So when I go into work this morning and my boss who loves sports gossip starts telling me the latest, instead of defending Bryant and Bennett maybe I will turn the conversation around and talk about how great Romo and Austin are projected to be this season. Maybe I will tell him how excellent David Buehler is looking, how he’s blowing the experts away with his kicking talent. How about the fact that the Cowboys have a shot to be the first team in history to go to the Super Bowl in their own stadium and win!

When a hater comes straight up to me trashing my team I will defend them to the end. Call me a cheerleader, call me bias… no, you know what, just call me a Cowboys fan and damn proud of it.

Each off season all players move on to another season whether it be with another team, another step in their life as they retire or maybe even stay with the same team and try to build on the blocks that have already been assembled. For those special few though that are drafted out of college to start their childhood dream of playing for an NFL team they become those mystery players that every fan wonders if they will be able to make it in the NFL. Granted some of them were so well known in college and they were drafted in the first round of the draft but there are those that fly under the radar and no one sees it coming. They end up playing a significant part on their new team. Some take a year to gather all the information before it starts to click but occasionally a team will get that difference maker. Where everything clicks the moment they put that NFL helmet on. Each team has these players but more importantly every Super Bowl Champion has these players. So I venture into the NFL statistics vault to find out who some of these players were over the last five years and who might possibly be candidates for the Dallas Cowboys in 2010 as they drive towards the six-pack of Lombardi Trophy’s.

Over the last five years each NFL champion has had one or two players that were either in their rookie season or in their second year that made a difference on their run to a Super Bowl title. They may not have even started but they may have filled a hole in the lineup due to injury or maybe they were the situational player that wasn’t on the field every down. Either way they made a difference for their team. Last year there was a player on the Saints that many may not have heard of because his name isn’t announced very often and the only time you hear his name spoken is if he makes a mistake. The Saints second year player out of Nebraska, Car Nicks, came into last season and ended up starting all sixteen games of the regular season for them. In fact he had started 29 out of thirty games for them he has given up only two sacks over his first two years and only had his name called six times over two years for penalties while he held down that left guard position and help establish a rushing game and keep Drew Brees upright. The year prior Lamarr Woodley in his second year played fifteen games for the Steelers and racked up 11.5 sacks on their way to their title. Barry Cofield was fourth round pick for the Giants and playe din 16 games for them in their drive for the trophy. The year before that the Colts had two second year corners that played in almost every game during the regular season. Marlin Jackson sealed their victory of the Patriots on their way to the Super Bowl. Kelvin Hayden took a pick back for the Colts against the Bears for a touchdown to seal the win in that game. The Steelers fifth title was highlighted by two players, Ben Roethlisberger and Max Starks, that started 14 and 10 games respectively. Roethlisberger even won the Rookie of the Year trophy the year before.

Now you may start thinking to yourself(at least I did) … Who could be that player for the Cowboys this year? Well lets just say there isnt a lack of players that has the opportunity to do it. Between last years draft and this years draft there are definitely some players with the talent and ability to step up and make the difference during this season. Kevin Ogletree is one of the fastest players on the team and he was really starting to come on at the end of last year. Dez Bryant is fresh out of college and if his production matches his hype the NFC East will be in a world of trouble for years to come. Receivers and those skill position players are easy to pick out by just the average fan. I am looking for that player that comes from no where and as the season starts to progress they start to question… Where did he come from? This is complicated by the fact that the player will need to also have an honest chance at possibly making it on to the field. So below I have listed my top five players based on those two categories mainly but with other factors added in as well.

(1) David Buehler – granted almost every Cowboys fan knows who he is but he is taking on the actually kicker position for field goals as well. They brought in Chris Boniol to help coach him up as he has never really had any formal training by a kicking coach. Boniol, who holds the record for field goals by a Cowboy, has already been with him and working through the off season. With the type of offense many are expecting the Cowboys to have he could have an outstanding year when it comes to points. They really haven’t brought in any competition for him but if he starts to stumble I am sure Jerry will have no problem finding a replacement. That is the main reason he is at the top of this list. The job is his. All he has to do know is … Aim, Plant..   and Swing!!

(2) Michael Hamlin – a fifth round pick out of Clemson a year ago. He was making some strides until he broke his arm. He didn’t do much the rest of the season as he found himself just struggling to get on the field. He makes number two because he the starter from last year is gone. This basically brings the fight for the position to come down to the winner between Alan Ball and him. He is a little bigger than Ball and if he can somehow get his hands on the starting position. He couldreally make a name for himself. Thought they did sign Barry Church out of Toledo after the draft and he could be dangerous as he is talented has nothing to lose.

(3) Sean Lee – Drafted this year in the second round there were a lot of teams that thought prior to the college season that this could have been a sure fire first round pick. He comes form Linebacker U after all. Thinking of all the linebackers that have come out of Penn State just makes me smile when I think of this kid. His only downfall is his injury history. He played like a first rounder through college but had a torn ACL his junior year. Has enough speed to play all three positions in 4-3 defense but in the 3-4 he will be able to roam as an inside backer and with Brooking getting a little long in the tooth it might not be long before we start hearing his name announced in the starting lineup.

(4) Akwasi Owusu-Ansah- though I was initially a big fan of Scandrick when we drafted him this kid has more than just the ability to step in on passing downs and display his coverage ability. He also is a pretty electrifying return man in college. Granted his dancing feet wont work well in the pros he will how ever be able to make people miss no matter how close they are to him. He could make his impact felt not only in the secondary as a nickel corner but also in the return game. If he can beat out Scandrick or even just make it as one of the defensive backs on the team they could also use him as a possible candidate at safety thought he is only 6 feet tall. I am looking forward to seeing what he can do on returns more than anything and I believe he will be an upgrade over what we have now.

(5) Victor Butler- Many already know who he is the limited spot duty he was able to play last year. He came in as a pass rushing specialist to give Spencer and Ware a breather. He ended up tying for fifth in the league for in sacks by rookies and if he is able to improve on his coverage abilities which he has been working on during the off season with Reggie Herring(linebackers coach) and Anthony Spencer he could give Spencer a run for his money and maybe give the Cowboys a depth of riches at the position. Especially with fellow 2009 draftee Brandon Williams earning lots of praise already this year at the same position during off season workouts.

2010 will mark 15 years since the Cowboys last hoisted the Lombardi trophy.  Let’s analyze then and now:

Then:

1995 produced four Pro Bowl offensive linemen (arguably it could have been five).  Names like Erik Williams, Larry Allen, Ray Donaldson, Nate Newton, and Mark Tuinei should bring a smile to any die-hard Dallas fan!  1995 also produced a line that gave up only 14 sacks for the entire season for a drop-back, pocket passer that would only scramble if there was a single, female country singer within his view (yes, I will give credit where credit is due to the slant route and to Emmitt).

Now:

2009 produced two Pro Bowl offensive linemen, Gurode and Davis; however, this line allowed 34 sacks for a scrambling quarterback that could give Houdini a run for his money.  Yet, this line produced 4.8 yards-per-carry for arguably one of the best three-headed running attacks in the league.  Hmm?

Then:

Arguably one of the best shut-down cornerbacks of all time basically cut the field in half (Deion Sanders) allowing Larry Brown, Darren Woodson, and Brock Marion to flourish; with Woodson having a Pro Bowl year.

Now:

2009 produced two Pro Bowl corners in Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins; but the safety positions remain in question.

So my first question – with names like Kosier, Gurode (Pro Bowl ’09), Davis (Pro Bowl ’09), Free, Colombo, Barron (who by all accounts is just another Flozell), and 7^th round pick Young, can they keep Romo healthy enough (and calm enough in the pocket) to hit our targets?  We know they can run block, but can they protect the QB?

My second question – do you feel that the defensive line and the linebacker core are strong enough (which by all indications they are) to be left alone, or will they end up, more times than not, leaving Newman and/or Jenkins alone in space as they keep a safety in the box?  What are their names?  Ball, Church, Hamlin, McCray, Owusu-Ansah, and Sensabaugh.  You be the coach, what lineup do you go with?

In this writer’s opinion, the offensive line (particularly the left tackle) and the safety positions will determine the fate of this upcoming season.

News Flash….

Former NY Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor has been indicted on rape charges, as well as sexual abuse and criminal sexual act with a minor. He faces four years in prison if convicted.

News Flash…

Tony Romo likes to play golf.

News Flash…

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberber has been suspended for the first six games of the 2010 NFL season after being accused of rape.

News Flash…

Tony Romo enjoys his social life, which includes dating.

News Flash…

After acquiring Santonio Holmes in a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the NY Jets learned that Holmes will be suspended the first four games of the 2010 NFL season for violating the NFL substance abuse policy.

News Flash…

Tony Romo likes to play basketball.

News Flash…

Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing has been suspended for the first four games of the 2010 NFL season for violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing substances.

News Flash…

Tony Romo likes speak with young adults about the importance of making the right decisions.

News Flash…

Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Shawn Rogers arrested for carrying a loaded gun in an airport.

News Flash…

Tony Romo likes to play soccer.

News Flash…

Miami Dolphins players Ronnie Brown and Will Allen arrested for DUI.

News Flash…

Tony Romo enjoys vacation time with family and friends.

News Flash…

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill arrested for domestic violence and marijuana possession.

News Flash…

Tony Romo loves to smile (Which is some people’s world means he is not dedicated to football)

News Flash…

Donte Stallworth is making a return to the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens in 2010 after serving a one year suspension after killing a person while driving drunk. He served 24 days in jail and will be under house arrest for two years and cannot drive for four years.

News Flash…

Tony Romo likes to be involved in different charity events.

Tony Romo loves the game of football. He loves being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys and has become a leader for them. He is dedicated to getting better every season and is dedicated to his teammates. He never puts anything ahead of football. In his first three full seasons as the starter he has a 33-15 record and has led the Cowboys to two division championships. He loves life and enjoys everything about it. He likes to be with family and friends. He doesn’t concern himself with the media. He goes about his business and controls only what he can like his attitude, work ethic and faith. He has become a role model for many young children.

What is my point with this post? Get off of Tony Romo’s back and give him the credit he deserves for everything he has accomplished in a short time. And stop worrying about what he does on a daily basis when the focus should be on the people that are doing the wrong things in life and getting themselves into trouble.

Nobody could argue that Pro Bowl nose tackle Jay Ratliff had a tremendous season last year as one of the stars on the Cowboys defensive line, but what makes last season all the more impressive is that according to Ratliff, both of his elbows were ailing for most of the year.

It makes you wonder just how more impactful he could have been had he been healthy and pain-free.

Ratliff said that his pain was so bad at time that he was unable to bench press, and finally did so yesterday for the first time in over a year.

Ratliff had offseason surgery to remove bone spurs from both elbows and said he now feels great and better than ever.

“It was kept quiet because I never talked to anybody about it. When I told the trainers, nobody knew how serious it was until I asked them to do an X-ray and they saw the bone spurs. … Today was the first day that I benched press in two years, and it felt good. No pain at all. So I am excited about that.”

I’m excited too… Just imagine how much more dominating he will be playing with two healthy elbows.. Memo to opposing quarterbacks… Run for cover.

Mike Florio of the Sporting News believes that the Cowboys are one of six teams that are virtually assured of making the playoffs this season.

The NFC East has a quartet of evenly-matched teams. Last year, for example, the Cowboys won the division even though the Giants, who didn’t qualify for the playoffs, swept them.

This year, each franchise has question marks. Of the four, the Cowboys have the fewest.

Then there’s the fact the Cowboys host the Super Bowl. That may not be enough of a carrot to get them to the game, but it should at least get them past the first major cut.

I agree with Florio, and I hope this time they can go all the way. The other teams he sees in the playoffs are the Chargers, Ravens, Colts, Vikings and Packers.

Is Mike Jenkins sounding a little too cocky and starting to take his starting role for granted?

Well according to some recent comments he made, Jenkins gave those listening the distinct impression that he no longer has to give 100% and work as hard as he once did when he was trying to nail down a starting job. According to ESPN Jenkins said,

“I’ve got a Pro Bowl under my belt, so that’s one of the goals I don’t even have to work for. I feel like my job right now is easier, so I don’t have to work as hard. I can just go on and ride that roller-coaster and keep playing.”

Jenkins is a great player and really excelled as one of the cornerbacks last season after leading the team with five interceptions, but there is still plenty of room left to grow and he is far from perfect.

Now that Jenkins sees no real threat to his starting job, rather than working on refining his skills to take his game to another level, he seems to have taken the approach that his starting job is safe and that he doesn’t need to try as hard.

I find that attitude totally unacceptable.

Hopefully, one of the veterans will take him aside and explain the concept of giving it your all and leaving it on the field.

This team needs players who are hungry for a title, and not simply satisfied because they achieved a meaningless individual honor of playing in the NFL’s most meaningless game, the Pro Bowl.

If we are going to make the playoffs, we need to play as a team with one solitary goal and focus.

Every player must give 110% percent every second that game clock is ticking.

The last thing we need is another key player essentially admitting that he is mailing it in.

For starters, we have a serious injury to second-string cornerback, Orlando Scandrick, who “shattered” his finger on the 26th of May. The injury is indefinite for now. Scandrick believes he isn’t going to be catching balls until training camp starts in late July.

He was breaking up a pass intended for wide receiver Manuel Johnson, a seventh round pick from last year, and his hand immediately went numb, but it was a while later before he truly realized how serious the injury was. He had surgery soon after and the pin that was inserted into finger isn’t going to be taken out for a while.

There has been no news about Keith Brooking’s knee surgery, which probably means that his rehab is going according to schedule. He’ll be needed this past season with his amazing leadership and hard tackles.

Roy Williams has stated that he and Tony Romo are now connecting very well, are on the same page, and even made a comparison that I felt wasn’t the most strategic move to Joe Montana and Jerry Rice.

That aside, the Cowboys are doing well at workouts. Marion Barber has actually lost ten pounds, bringing his weight down to the 212-215 range in order to gain some speed on the ground. He’s still strong as an ox, but Barber knows that speed is difference in the open field between a 15 yard gain and a 25 yard gain.

Barber is not going to be the starting running back, that privilege has been awarded to Felix Jones now, but Barber is a team player and will try his hardest whenever he gets his carries, so this news is very encouraging.

Dez Bryant has been on fire lately according to most viewer reports. Bryant, the controversial Oklahoma State receiver, was drafted by Dallas because in 1998, the Cowboys passed on another similar receiver named Randy Moss.

Those who don’t know who Randy Moss is just need to watch the highlight films of the 2007 Patriots. Moss accounted for 23 of Tom Brady’s touchdown passes that year.

In fact, Moss had the greatest rookie season a wide receiver has ever had. He had 17 touchdowns, 69 receptions, and 1313 yards; just an unstoppable player.

Dez Bryant is probably hoping to do the same for us. While that is asking a lot of the young man, I’d be thrilled if he did do it. That could be the finishing move for Dallas to win in the playoffs and go to the Super Bowl.

The team is taking a “best player” approach to every position, including quarterback. It doesn’t matter how long you have been the starter, if you are outplayed then you don’t start. It makes the players play better knowing that they have challenges for their jobs.

Linebacker Jason Williams, a third round pick from last year, is very psyched about the opportunity to be the nickel linebacker. The nickel linebacker is the guy who usually comes in on third down when it is an obvious passing down, and the linebacker from first and second down come out to stay fresh.

Since the Cowboys have traded Bobby Carpenter to the St. Louis Rams, they now have an opening at the nickel linebacker, and challenging Williams will be first and foremost, Sean Lee, the rookie linebacker drafted by Dallas in the second round this past draft.

I can’t say for sure who will win in these competitions. I wish I was in Dallas instead of my tiny town in Texas, but I’m sure that the Cowboys are going to take the right steps, and we can only hope that there isn’t a sudden outbreak of injuries on the team. That would be a real problem.

This post was originally posted at: http://www.mtrmedia.com/cowboys/2010/06/dallas-cowboys-offseason-workout-report-1.html

The last thing the Cowboys need right now is a divided clubhouse, especially after the lessons learned during the Terrell Owens era.

Since drafting wide receiver Dez Bryant in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft, one too many Cowboy players have been chirping about their status on the team and wanting out of silver and blue.

At first, I felt it was just a natural reaction for some players to balk when a team drafts a first rounder that plays the same position as them. But the situation with Patrick Crayton has now evolved into a black cloud that is hanging over the team and it could escalate into a major distraction that could once again divide a locker room and have players taking sides.

Yesterday, Patrick Crayton appeared on a radio and reiterated that he would like to be sent to another team as soon as possible so he can begin competing for a starting position with a new team.

He no longer believes that he will get a fair opportunity to compete for playing time when Cowboys training camp opens in a few weeks and wants out as soon as possible.

As was already reported on this site, Crayton is already boycotting voluntary workouts and has threatened to sit out training camp and the preseason unless he gets his way.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones feels differently and still believes the situation will work itself out, but I strongly disagree and believe that Jones is clearly misreading the situation and needs to address it now either by trading Crayton or giving him his release.

There is nothing left to gain by keeping Crayton at this point and we must act in due haste in eliminating him and his negative attitude from our team.

History has already taught us what can happen when you have one rotten apple in the barrel, lets not tempt fate again and potentially mar a new season even before the season gets officially underway.