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Inside the Huddle


Inside the Huddle is a weekly radio show hosted by Terrell Owens and Sam Hurd. They bring on a different player-guest each week, Tuesdays @ 8:30 PM EST. Visit Inside the Huddle and watch the shows.

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2009 Draft Picks

Rd. Player Pos.
3 Jason Williams (Western Illinois)
ILB
3 Robert Brewster (Ball State)
T/G
4 Stephen McGee (Texas A&M)
QB
4 Victor Butler (Oregon State) OLB
4 Brandon Williams (Texas Tech)
OLB
5 DeAngelo Smith (Cincinnati)
CB
5 Michael Hamlin (Clemson)
S
5 David Buehler (USC)
K
6 Stephen Hodge (TCU)
S
6 John Phillips (Virginia)
TE
7 Mike Mickens (Cincinnati)
CB
7 Manuel Johnson (Oklahoma)
WR

Dallas Cowboys Injuries

Probable

Player Injury Type Injury Date
Ken Hamlin foot 12/28/2008
Marion Barber toe 12/28/2008
Tony Romo other-illness 12/28/2008
Jason Witten ankle 12/28/2008

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player Injury Type Injury Date
Jon Kitna back 10/14/2008
Willie Reid leg 11/25/2008
Sam Hurd ankle 10/16/2008
Kyle Kosier foot 11/29/2008
Mat McBriar foot 10/14/2008
Pat Watkins neck 12/02/2008
Isaiah Stanback shoulder 12/26/2008
Scott Chandler toe 08/30/2008
Felix Jones other-excused 11/26/2008

Dallas Cowboys Roster


The Cowboys made a couple of minor roster moves on Thursday, waiving tight end Jamar Hunt and center Matt Spanos.

Spanos was signed to a futures contract in January after getting cut by the Dolphins last August. The Cowboys appear settled at center with starter Andre Gurode and backup Cory Procter, who signed a one-year, $1.545 million restricted tender.

Hunt, a rookie free agent out of UTEP, also had long-snapping experence, but the signing of tight end Scott Chandler squeezed him out of the rotation.

comment about 5 hours ago Me70s_tiny Aaron Novinger (Bigrigga31) comment 3 comments 0 recs

Cowboys links

Fresh batch of links to Cowboys articles.

DC.com goes in-depth on Isaiah Stanback and how injuries have frustrated his career.

Frustration? Yeah, and then some.

"Oh man, it's pretty high," Stanback said when asked to rate his frustration level from 1-10. "I don't know, probably an 11 or 12 maybe."

We're right there with you on that one.

More links below.

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It's Tony Romo Day on ESPN

Tony Romo did a nice thing yesterday. He took a kid with leukemia to a Yankees game and roped in Derek Jeter for some quality time with the kid. Nice job Romo.

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Tony Romo did a nice thing yesterday. He took a kid with leukemia to a Yankees game and roped in Derek Jeter for some quality time with the kid. Nice job Romo.

I'm flipping through the channels on TV when I come across SportsCenter on ESPN. They now show the upcoming stories on the left-hand side of the screen and the next story listed was Tony Romo. Hmm, Tony Romo news? So I stuck around. I thought it was going to be about the chat he held yesterday that Aaron summarized. Or maybe his paring with Tiger in a golf tournament. When the story finally arrived, there was a picture of Romo and T.O. on the screen. Uh oh, what happened now?

I should have known, suckered by ESPN once again.

The anchor started off with the ominous; it's been a drama-filled offseason for the Cowboys once again. Really? And here I was thinking that this is the most boring offseason I've seen from the Cowboys in a while (excepting the practice 'bubble' collapse). On the drama scale, I'd rank this offseason somewhere between a session of Transcendental Meditation and taking a nap while vacationing at a tropical beach. But I figured T.O. or Romo had really stepped in it somehow, since SportsCenter was hyping a conflict.

Turns out, it was Tony Romo taking a kid from the Starlight Foundation to a Yankees game. The kid is battling leukemia and this was his wish. ESPN, at least, did mention this fact and aired a question from everybody's favorite Ed Werder about it with a Romo reply. But we quickly moved to Werder asking Romo about T.O.'s comments on leadership last week. Romo didn't take the bait, chided Werder and the press about misinterpreting what people say, especially T.O., and that he hadn't seen the comment so he's not going to comment. He then went on to praise T.O.'s abilities. All with that "I think you're a total rat" grin on his face while Werder looked for a money quote.

And that was that. Some drama.

Romo also discussed his girlfriend and the idea that he was bottom-heavy. His response to the out-of-shape issue:

"That's just for other people to talk about. All you can do is put your head down and go to work each day and try to achieve. It's all about just trying to achieve a goal and working hard to do it."

Romo is all over SportsCenter this morning. Videos are below so make the jump. BTW, the clip below with the Werder interview is not the same anchor lead-in that I saw this morning.

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Jason Garrett: Meet Your Opponents

Jason Garrett will be facing some new foes this year.

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Jason Garrett will be facing some new foes this year.

General Patton tried to learn everything he could about his enemy. There is a great scene in the movie Patton after the general anticipates and counters Field Marshal Rommel's offensive attack; Patton exclaims, "Rommel, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!"

We know that coaches study game film and will review the same play over and over again, looking to gain an advantage by noticing tendencies or tip-offs from their counterparts. You can bet that Jason Garrett is pouring over game film now but he's going to have difficulty finding any game film on two of his division opponents.

The Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache is the only returning DC in the East. (If you count Wade as a change for Brian Stewart). He's in his second year as the defensive coordinator for the ‘Skins and he has another five years in charge of the Bears defense from 1999 to 2003. The Redskins have had solid defenses since Blache took the helm. The year before he took over (2006) the Redskins defense ranked 31st, in Blache's first year (2007)  they climbed  to 8th and then to 4th in overall defense in 2008. With his leadership and some offseason acquisitions the ‘Skins defense will be a challenge for Garrett this season.

The other two coordinators in the East won't have any actual game film as coordinators for Garrett to work off.

Make the jump.

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The VRR: Tony Romo Chats, Bradie James and Cory Proctor Help Out

The Barbarian, who was drafted in the 2nd round of a recent fantasy draft, taunts Tony Romo, who lasted until the 6th round.

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

The Barbarian, who was drafted in the 2nd round of a recent fantasy draft, taunts Tony Romo, who lasted until the 6th round.

Tony Romo did a live chat today on NFL.com. Thanks for not answering any of my questions, Tony. Anyways, he had a little to say about Roy Williams, more to say about Jason Garrett, and even shared some thoughts on Free Reign.

Roy has worked really hard this offseason. Think it’s shown so far in OTAs and minicamps. He’s going to have a good year this year. He’s been very good so far this offseason.

On Garrett:

I think that Jason has a great feel for the game. He’s a very intelligent individual, and he still maintains a certain level ... There needs to be good, open lines of communication between the QB and the coordinator and the QB coach. They need to trust you as a QB, and you need to be able trust the coaches.

I think we have a great relationship in that regard. He allows me to voice my opinions, and i always like it when he’s coaching me up and we’re doing the things that we need to do to get better as a group. That’s the key -- to improve collectively as a group. He’s an ex player, so he looks at himself through my perspective. He’s always going to try to improve the same way that I do as a player.

I’m lucky to have him around me -- he’s helped make me a better player.

On metal:

Free Reign? Those are some good guys. They love music, and they love getting out there and jamming to hard rock. I think they’re a bunch of good guys. I like it. They do have some good songs ... but they’re still young. They’re still growing.

More VRR after the jump.

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Talking a Little Cowboys @ Buccaneers

I'd bet T-New's already thinking about the Bucs game.

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

I'd bet T-New's already thinking about the Bucs game.

Is it too soon to talk about Tampa?

Obviously, we’ve got training camp to get through. We’ve got players to waive (down to 75 on Sept. 1st; 53 by Sept. 5th), perhaps players to acquire, and almost assuredly will have injuries (hopefully minor) to account for. The fine-tuning will begin in Oakland (Aug. 13th); then, for the first game in Cowboys Stadium against the Titans (Aug. 21st). The next game against the Niners (Aug. 29th) should allow us a real look at the starters for much of the game, and then a preseason wrap-up in Minnesota (Sept. 4th) will define the roster.

Sunday, September 13th, will be Cowboy Kickoff Day. The defense will do its best to limit those pirate cannons from firing at anytime other than during the halftime show. Mike Jenkins will have the opportunity to avenge his infamous missed tackle on new Buccaneer back Derrick Ward. Gerald Sensebaugh’s return to Florida will be tested by the talented, yet oft-injured Kellen Winslow and the former towel-thrower, Antonio Bryant. Will it be Byron Leftwich trying to make the offense forget about Chucky?

More after the jump.

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The VRR: Romo Stuff, Free Reign on Stage

Marc Colombo and Leonard Davis, members of Free Reign, get their rocks off at the House of Blues this weekend.

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

Marc Colombo and Leonard Davis, members of Free Reign, get their rocks off at the House of Blues this weekend.

No real 'football' news coming out from the Cowboys. Here are some links to the 'human interest' side of Dallas. Hey, it's the the 'dead zone' - but only a month to go!

From The Sporting News, a list of QB's that have yet to win a SB, but with a shot this year, includes Romo.

Romo, however, never has won a playoff game and has become perhaps the NFL's most scrutinized QB. The pressure on Romo never has been greater, following the Cowboys' late-season collapse and the decision to cut Terrell Owens. Yet, Romo insists he never has felt better about Dallas' chances.

"This has been the best offseason, as far as people competing at any extremely high level and people getting better," Romo said. "Just because stuff's going well now doesn't guarantee us success this year."

Free Reign gets the Deadspin treatment. Their conclusion:

But they play their own instruments, and they're competent, and that's enough to dub them best crossover athlete/musicians in history.

More VRR after the jump.

Vrr_btb_medium

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Cowboy Stew: Serving Seconds

Could Mike Mickens be an impact rookie for the Cowboys this year?

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Could Mike Mickens be an impact rookie for the Cowboys this year?

When I have some intriguing tidbits to share with you, but those tidbits are not enough to warrant a full post, I save them up and then I throw them into the pot, stir it up and serve you some Cowboy Stew. These bits and bites don't have much in common other than that they are Cowboy related and got stuck in my brain for a while. So, dig into the stew, and share your thoughts.

Will our rookies be able to make an impact? That requires pure speculation and we won't know until the season is fully under way. Now, if we had a powerful computer that could run multiple scenarios and model future behaviors in the NFL based on past behaviors in college we might get some interesting data. Oh wait, there is a computer website that does just that. It's called Whatifsports.com. A few of the Cowboy rookies made the top 100.

Rookies present the biggest challenge. To come up with statistical inputs for rookies, we run a very complex set of algorithms that factors collegiate performance, role in college, strength of collegiate competition, "measurables," likely NFL role, previous performance of a similar player in that NFL role for this coaching staff and trends of similar rookies in the past. This gives us the player's projected ratio stats (expected yards per carry, completion percentage, etc.), as well as his forecasted usage for the upcoming season. From there, we can compare all rookies based on who we think will make the biggest positive impact for his new NFL team in his first year. The Top 100 from this ranking are listed below.

74. Mike Mickens, CB, Dallas
55. Victor Butler, LB, Dallas
52. DeAngelo Smith, CB/S, Dallas

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