Blogs like a girl

Question Of The Day: The T.O. Edition

This is not to bash T.O. for his inexcusable bobble that led to an interception in the end zone. That has been handled here and probably 1,000 other places that I am too lazy to look up.

It was a stupidly bad play by T.O.
He also had seven catches for 156 yards and a touchdown Thursday.

This dichotomy leads to the inevitable brain squeeze of which portion of his performance sticks in your brain, the screw ups or the dominance. Again. I am leaning toward his dominance but I probably could be swayed by a good argument.

Your turn: Which part of T.O.'s Pack performance stands out to you?

 

Question Of The Day, II: The Big 12 Edition

I have a lot of thoughts on this Big 12 game and promise to blog them up (or is down, like in jot it down? I need to remember to ask Cuban this next time I see him since blogging is his domain) when I settle my stomach enough to think about this game.

Yes, I am dying wondering if Mizzou, a team my love and money has gone to since forever, is capable of beating Oklahoma. Consensus around the sportswriting country is no and heck no. Of course, I do not like that answer so I bring it to you, the people, the biased Longhorns, Aggies and Red Raiders who have dealt with years of Stooper heartache.

Your turn: Do you think Mizzou wins?

Emptying My Notebook, Cowboys Edition

My notebook worked overtime in Thursday's 37-27 Cowboy beatdown of Brett Favre and his Packers. In my protracted on-field and lockerroom time, I

* had Owner Jones teasing me mercilessly for my Sunday big-girl offering. I am pretty sure his first words were "Hey Mrs. Hyperbole ... I could shoot you". He said this while throwing an arm around my shoulder and smiling and laughing so my life seemed pretty safe. What I, and everybody else who covers him, absolutely adores about Jerry is his sense of humor about himself and his famously thick skin. He really is one of my Fave 5 players/coaches/owners I have ever covered. Anyway, while waking up the tunnel, we were talking about what this game possibly signaled -- an NFC Championship berth? Super Bowl berth? Super Bowl, period? -- when he became very circumspect.

Him: This was good.
Me: Just good?
Him: I don't want to be Mr. Hyperbole.
Me: Good point.

* learned what all of the noise coming from the locker room after the game is. It is actually a cheer led by, wait for it, Coach Wade. Yes, the head coach of the Cowboys has a weekly postgame ritual where he yells "Let's hear it for ... " and his players go crazy. This was how it went Thursday.
Coach Wade: Let's hear it for the fans.
Players: Cheering.
CW: Let's hear it for the special teams.
Players: Cheering.
CW: Let's hear it for the offense and defense.
Players: Cheering.
CW: Let's hear it for the owner.
Players: Cheering.
This is where observers say Coach Wade became a little giggly. Into this din, he screamed, "Let's hear it for the coaches", at which Cowboy players went absolutely zoo. Is Coach Wade a little Golly-Gee-Whiz-ish, like Mr. Randy says? Definitely. Players love him and his little quirks, though, so who cares.

* talked to Cowboys offensive line coach Tony Sparano afterwards and, frankly, I expected a bigger smile from the leader of the group who did not allow a single sack of Tony Romo and had been singled out for praise by Owner Jones, myself and anybody watching. "It was a good rush and I thought we did a good job against them," he said.
So why this tempered enthusiasm? Was it the false start penalties?
"No," he said. "I'll take a couple of those if it keeps them from getting to Tony."
What I finally figured is Sparano is well aware of the Cowboys' December history. He has lived it. He plans to stay on his offensive linemen because, as good as Thursday felt, it is not their end game. Not even close. He did hint that, maybe, his players might get Nice Tony on Monday. For a little while, at least.

* spent a little post-podium time with Coach Wade. Now, I have to be a little careful here, not to do too much back-patting simply because I was one of the few media types calling for the Cowboys to hire him rather than Norv Turner. Did I mention I said Coach Wade? Anyway, I asked him afterward if he had an "I told you so" waiting to be  unleashed on everybody who predicted failure on this hire?
"No," he said. "That's not me."
I wish it were less me but, alas, all I can think about is every Buffalo Bills fan who flooded my inbox this offseason telling me what a disaster Coach Wade was going to be. To them, I bring a stat: 25-3.
That is Coach Wade and his defensive coordinator, Brian Stewart's, record in the last two NFL regular seasons.

OK, believe it or not, my notebooks is still teeming with unused nuggets that may interest only me. 
More to come later.
I must hustle, though, or I'll be in Austin traffic for approximately 27 hours trying to reach San Antonio.

Fourth-quarter observations

* DeMarcus Ware has a knack not only for big plays but timing his big plays really, really well.

* Remember my love letter to the junk butts from earlier? I think we may need to see other people. I'm just not so sure after three false starts, a hold and a delay of game. 

* Nobody is a bigger backer of Julius Jones than I. Yet even I was wondering why he, not Marion Barber, was in during that crucial series with about 10 minutes left and the Cowboys nursing a field-goal lead.

* Did you notice who the Cowboys started going to when the game was on the line, when they absolutely, positively needed a catch? Jason Witten. Of course, he was absolutely abusing the aforementioned A.J. Hawk, not that a linebacker should be judged on his ability to hang with Witten because that's pretty close to impossible.

* And then, boom, to Patrick Crayton, another hands guy, for what should be a victory-sealing TD. Notice my use of should-be and their use of Crayton.

* Why do I think we will have some Whine to go with our Cheeseheads about the pass interference call on the Miles Austin reception. It was close ... but I can see why Pack coach Mike McCarthy might be a little suspicious. These guys were A-W-F-U-L all game.

OK, I realize this game is way too close to bail on, especially with GBP marching downfield, but .... I am Ms. Quote Runner for Team Star-Telegram so I need to get downstairs or your Friday paper with have nobody saying nothing. Let's make a date, though, shall we? Let's convene back here tomorrow, in the a.m. and talk about my special Friday Musings and What's Left In My Notebook and about a certain Big 12 Championship Game.

Hugs and kisses. Love to all,

jengel 

Uh oh, T.O., he has no hands

T.O., T.O., T.O., T.O.

He has been so good, for so long and then, boom, he drops this stinker on us. Drops and bobbles and obviously letting Al "Ike Turner" Harris jump in his noggin and stay.

His worst transgression, by far, was his volleyball-esque set of a Tony Romo pass, in the end zone, that led to a Harris interception. They needed points there and were going to get points until T.O. tipped them away.

And surprise, surprise, Mr. Randy has a positive spin on T.O.'s ugly game: "This game is only being seen in six dozen homes so nobody is going to know. Put that in your blog."

My positive spin is GBP was unable to do anything with that gift except three and out.

Third-quarter observations

* So not every Ohio State linebacker taken in the first round is doomed to mindless special teams duty, just ours. Good info. Obviously, A.J. Hawk has play-making ability lacking in his Buckeye compadre Bobby Carpenter. Of course, how do we have any clue what Carpenter is capable of since he's (a) A 4-3 guy in a 3-4 system and (2) He never gets to play defense.

* Whatever ends up happening in this game it is worth noting that Green Bay hung tough for a long time despite being without Favre, Woodson and KGB. Hmmmm.

* Idiot Alert, Part III: Sorry boys, the Greg Ellis face-mask penalty was of the 5, not 15-yard, variety.

* Cowboys linebacker Kevin Burnett had a fabulous touchdown-saving tackle on GBP FB John Kuhn that meant nothing since your friendly Packers scored a play later.

* Tony Romo is making the Packers' secondary look like Baylor's.

* This was hardly a state secret. The Packers talked all week about playing rough with T.O. Watching what T.O. has done to Harris, though, has been a little bit shocking. It kind of resembles Ike and Tina: The Ugly Years. He slaps, shoves, pushes, jams him on every single play. Every. Single. Play.

Question Of The Day: No. 31

Let me let you in on a little pressbox debate we have been having all game and, believe me, we have a lot of spirited debates during a game.

Which 31 do you want on your team: Roy Williams? Or Al Harris?

And, no, neither is not an answer. Normally, I'd take Harris every day of the week and twice on Sunday but he looks asleep at the wheel in this game. He has quit on like four plays. He has looked so mediocre that I'm seriously thinking of siding with Roy Willy.

Your turn: Who is your 31?

Halftime observations

* Idiot Alert, Part II: Somebody please explain to me why Anthony Fasano's second TD was not a TD. I know, I know, I heard ref John Parry's explanation. I just do not buy it. What do you have to do to have possession, come down and read the ball a story? It does not matter because T.O. scored but ... this game seemed poorly officiated.

* Any coincidence between questionable officiating and those goofy looking cold-weather pants NFL officials were forced to wear?

* Somewhere, ex-Cowboy QB Drew Bledsoe is watching Aaron Rodgers play for Favre and muttering, "That is what happened to me. That is what happened to me". 

* Whoever is in charge of making sure the Cowboys have the right players and the right number of players on the field needs to get their butt in gear. It looked like a kindergarten fire drill out there right before the two-minute warning, with injury subs and then Roy Willy running off to prevent another 12-men penalty and then Nate Jones running off leaving them with 10 and everything ending with an offsides call on Jones.

* Did I mention that I hate those NFL power rankings that every single media type does? Not me. I do my Non-Power, Non-Rankings, as a joke, with this game being a perfect example. Every "expert" had Green Bay ranked No. 3 behind New England and Dallas. A few "experts" had them No. 2. After 30 minutes of watching this, admittedly banged-up, Packers defense, I am not sure they are Top-5 worthy.

* All in all, good first half by the Cowboys.

Uh oh, never mind, uh oh

Cowboys cornerback and almost surefire Pro Bowler, Terence Newman, just hobbled off the field looking, well, like he may have re-injured his injured heel.

More details as they become available.

Update 1: He's back on the field. He only missed two plays.

Update 2: TV is saying it is his knee but trainers were looking at his heel.

Quick Cowboy Trivia

Cowboys cornerback Nate Jones' claim to fame is:

a. Coming through with sacks of both Tom Brady and Brett Favre in what, obviously, go down as Dallas' two-biggest games in recent memory.

b. Retiring Favre with a wrist elbow injury.

c. Clearing waivers in the same season where he possibly did A and B.

d. All of the above.

My answer: A and C, with D a possibility.Give me D.