Laying the Foundation

Jones may be fast but he was arm tackled twice against KC. Barber seems much harder to bring down and finishes his runs still fighting for the extra yard. Bradie James is a keeper and Jerry Jones should pay him what he’s worth.

If I’m not mistaken, Bradie has the same deal in his contract for an option to buy the fourth year for $10 + First round tender.

But the question is not whether or not to sign these guys to long term contracts, we will.

The question is when. No contracts will be extended, and free agency is going to be extremely difficult (in fact it will be basically a one-year deal for all FAs this year) if the collective bargaining agreement is not extended.

This is a huge deal that’s getting little press. 2007 will be an uncapped year if the agreement is not extended early next year.

While some may say “Hell yes, Cowboys with Jerry can outbid everyone”, it’s not really the case. It means all creative deals (incentives, bonuses, pro-rated signing bonus, etc) will be accelerated to ’06.

All FA’s for ‘06 will count against the cap, thus hamstringing the Cowboys, although we’re middle of the pack cap-wise.

When’s the CBA going to be signed?

Hey Cowboy Fans,

I cringe everytime someone mentions that this year or next year BP is gone. Being from NY BP does have the reputation of just turning around & saying goodbye . But for some reason I think he has different outlook on things now. He wasn`t having fun in NY or new England. But now I really think he is enjoying himself. As I said in a previous blog, he rebuilt an entire defense in 1 year & they are ranked in the top 10. They will become a force within a year or two & I think he knows it. Hopefully he will want to hang around until they reach the Super Bowl & win it. Up here in New York there is tremedous pressure from fans & media & things are a little more laid back in Texas.
Anyrate I hope he sticks around for a while. Hands down the best coach I have seen between drafting raw talent, motivating, and coming up with game plans that when executed correctly are right on. Being A Tom Landry fan for 25 years I am Giving him quite a compliment.

Rafael,

Its odd how time changes things. I can remember, just this preseason, how I (and others) had all but burried Bradie James. I am so glad that we have Bill Parcells as our head coach. He stood by Bradie, kind of like he is doing with Tucker now too, and for the most part Julius Jones this season as well. The ole ball coach didn’t let Terrence Newman get down on his game, and that has made all the difference. We may have the best “2nd TE” in the league with Keyshawn, but Parcells knows his kin, and Key is tough as nails. Johnson had set the tone early in the season making tough catches as the offense made plays and let this young defense band together (and they have). Nothing was more enjoyable about last weeks win than seeing #19 and his QB jousting like two little boys on the sidelines. Like I said Parcells knows his kind! While the nay sayers will rip me for saying this, having gottten rid of the Antonio Bryants and Pete Hunters has helped this unit come together. I can’t help but look at them and have a sense of them being a “family”. When you say “foundation”, I see a group of guys that play together. Win or loose they have played together as a team. When you say “foundation” I see “family”, I see “character”, I see “teamwork” … Parcells has built it … and I am glad he is our coach!!!

LETS GO COWBOYS BABY!!!! LETS WUP THOSE REDSKINS!!!!!

the cowboys will be in the nfc championship game i think

Rafael,
Witten and James wont go anywhere this off season. I’m not surprised if they bring back Gurode as a back up (he is versatile and can play center and guard). I think they’ll sign a center and a guard (draft) in the offseason. I think they will go with Petitti on the right side next year unless they see a tackle fall to them who is high on their draft board.
LB, FS, and WR will also get signed through a combo of draft and FA. Im not surprsed if they sign a QB in the 3rd or 4th round too. This is an exciting time to be a boys fan if they keep the continuity in the off-season.
As to this season, Im practicing my deep breathing too.

Hey fellas,
Lets not write the boys in for the NFC championship just yet. It looks like they’d have to win 2 on the road in the playoffs to make that happen. The way the NFC looks, Im not sure we can seriously talk the playoffs until late sunday on week 16.
Either way, this has been a fun year and this is a great website. Keep up the good work.

Hey fella’s, just wanted to chime in and say I’m new to this site, but you guys have done a great job. I’m an Alaskan trying to keep track of my Cowboys in the midst of a bunch of Seahawk fans.

jarhead, I agree with you on the NFC championship point. But, we can still win the division if the Giants lose to the Skins and if we win out. Now that’s a big “if”, but there is always the chance.
     Let’s worry about making the playoffs though, and then go from there. Anything can happen once we’re in the tournament, and there is no overwhelming team to beat as in the AFC.

well i am still predicting the boys make it to the nfc title game, there is no reason why i shouldnt.

bushpilot –
hello and welcome!

tipp007
i’m with u man – parcells even said something to that effect early in the season – something along the lines that you have to EXPECT to be good – “get your expectations up” i think is what he said – so NFC championship? why the heck not i say?

it seems like this year we’ve had time after time where the offense tried to throw the game away but the D kept it close, and we got out of it with a win – then there were times where the D played ok, but less than stellar, and the offense stepped up and took over – personally i’m still waiting to see a string of games where they BOTH perform at the level they’re capable of…at the same time…in the same game (KC was sort of an example of this, 1st Eagles game was a PERFECT example of this) – if they can start to “gel” and string some games together where they perform on both sides of the ball…then there’s nobody on the NFC side of the bracket that they can’t beat – beat “convincingly” for that matter.

tipp007 and Loozeeana, I honestly believe that we will be there at the end, I just don’t know the route we will take.
Loozeeana, you make a good point about the O and D having the kind of game they had in the 1st Philly game. Let’s hope that show’s up this week and the remainder of the schedule.

I like the points about the turnaround and how quickly it has moved along. I was feeling disappointed last season because of the slide in our record and not making the playoffs. The Eagles seemed nearly invincible and our defense was looking soft, particularly in the secondary. I remember watching the final game against the Giants on ESPN Sunday Night Football and hearing Theismann making his usual negative remarks about the Cowboys. The only part of that game or last season that made me feel confident was the play of Julius Jones and Jason Witten. Our QB was Vinny Testeverde and Drew Henson intrigued me but hadn’t looked too good in his few chances. I was feeling very down.

Then I remembered…hey, we’ve got two first round draft picks in April, and a lot of room under the cap to sign free agents. I was hoping BP would go after Fred Smoot or Samari Rolle to help rebuild the secondary, but obviously he knew Henry would be the better man. Then Bledsoe got let go by the Bills and we finally got a decent quarterback. We got Rivera and Henry through free agency. I started feeling more confident that BP and JJ were serious about getting better quick.

Then came the draft. I think last April’s draft was the best I have seen the Cowboys have since the early years of the Jimmy Johnson era. I was glad BP traded down the year before to get Julius Jones, that helped us land Marcus Spears this year, who I had always been very impressed with at LSU. Canty and Barber were great picks. Pettiti will hopefully pan out over time too.

I hope we make the NFC Championship game too, but I am trying to not get my hopes up too high. I am excited about this year and even more excited about next year. I truly believe the Cowboys are only a year or two at the very most away from another Super Bowl.

loozeana. thats what im talkin bout. we have very small problems that can be fixed. the defense is good the offense can be good at times and if they were consistent then i can easily see us take out any nfc team. hell the giants beat us by 7 and we had a 5hity azz game! im predictin parcells pulls this team together by the time the playoffs get here and crayton,jj,barber, roy, and henry all step up and the boys make the nfc title game.

My Kansas City sports media is now saying that the Giants aren’t as good as Cowboys (bulging their muscles in anticipation of Saturday Chiefs vs Giants)
Everyone should be a Chief’s fan tomorrow!
I think KC will win pretty substantially given KC running game and NY injuries to defense — not to speak of favorable matchups for KC.

yeah, the giants will lose this one im most certain of, kc is a really good team and have been on a roll for a minute, we just played very well also and pulled one out. now the giants will get beat.

If KC beats NY in the Meadowlands maybe it will send them into a tailspin and they will lose their last two games because of all the pressure.

EricR,

Damn! Every time I’m ready to write you off, you come through. Way to own up!

I agree on every single point you made. Now, let’s talk about JJ vs. MBIII (really, I’m just kidding)

Raf & Raul:
Been reading you fabulous site! Lots of Canadian Boys Fans in the true north!
 Here’s the slate:
KC beat Giants
Bears beat Falcons
NE beat Bucs
Boys wildcard hopes shine as they beat Skins 24-17!

Livin’ the dream, Northstar.

I love you’re mojo.

Northstar, agree with your picks except the Bears/Falcons. I think the Bears may have trouble if Atlanta gets up early, their offense stinks.
     Where in Canada? I’m up here in Alaska, can’t get much farther north in North America. Of course it’s 44 degrees and raining right now, go figure.

I hate to say this but, I have seen the Cowboys go into games so many times with the opponent weakened by injuries throughout their lineup only to have the Cowboys, with vitually their entire first string intact, get beat badly anyway. The more Redskins injured, the more I worry about Sundays game.

I don’t see Witten and James going anywhere. Witten is a no brainer, and James with his much improved play as well as the possible retirement of Dat Nguyen, is also a keeper.