Goodbye, Nick Folk. Thanks for the Buffalo win in '07. Thanks for making the Pro Bowl and being an All-Pro that year. Clutch. Who would've known that this '09 season would be your last with the Cowboys? Maybe it won't.
Welcome back, Shaun Suisham! Turn that '06 upside down and check out this '09 version of the Cowboys. There's no Billy Cundiff to beat out...no Mike Vanderjagt contract to compete against. There is already a kickoff specialist here, so you don't have to worry about those duties.
These Cowboys just beat the undefeated Saints. Do what you can to help them get into the playoffs. Seventeen weeks of Dallas football just isn't enough!
Matt Mosely spoke with an enthusiastic Suisham.
"I can't thank the Cowboys enough for giving me an opportunity with them," Suisham said. "I'm so happy and excited about it and I feel like I have a lot to offer the organization."
Suisham said he received a call from the Cowboys on Sunday but was not able to get a flight out of northern Virginia because of all the snow. He woke up at 3 a.m. Monday and went to the airport to catch a flight that connected through Atlanta.
"It's been a long time since I've been on the tryout circuit," joked Suisham. "I sort of got used to those charter flights, so it was interesting to be back in the middle seat."
More VRR after the jump.
Here's what Folk had to say:
"The team had to do what it had to do to make the playoff push," Folk said. "I understand the situation. I can't be bitter. They gave me my first shot. I ran with it as far as my leg could take me, literally. It's the way this year has gone first because of the surgery and not being able to prepare the way I needed to prepare to start the season. And then things went the way they had. But I'm not bitter at all. I appreciate the Jones' family giving me everything and Wade and Joe D. for sticking with me. I know it's been a tough run."
Even though Folk was cut, the whole Mason Crosby-was-rated-higher-on-draft-day argument looks to be losing credibility.
If you're a Packers fan, you probably were reaching for the Alka-Seltzer after Mason Crosby's ninth miss of the season, a 34-yard attempt in the second quarter that was the difference in a one-point loss at Pittsburgh.
Suisham has missed 20 FGs during his stint with the 'Skins. Not Pro Bowl-level accuracy, but not bad either.
Suisham had been with the Redskins since Dec. 2, 2006, and made 81 of his 101 field goal tries with Washington. He was replaced by rookie Graham Gano, who kicked for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League in his first season out of Florida State. He also had an extra point blocked against the Buccaneers in Week 4.
With preparation for Sunday night's game against Washington beginning with practice Tuesday afternoon, the Cowboys needed to have their kicker in place by then, to get him as many repetitions as possible.
I haven't found a jersey number for him yet; but, here he is, officially on the depth chart. Also of note here: Kevin Ogletree, not Terence Newman, is listed as the backup punt returner to Crayton. Hmm...
Here are the four other kickers they brought in for a workout.
Guys like Shane Andrus, Steven Hauschka, Connor Hughes and Douglass Parker. Can’t say I had heard of any of them other than Haushka, who made 10-of-15 kicks for the Ravens the past two years.
How about Roy Williams? Should we all just keep yelling "sufferin' succotash" after each drop, or can we simply expect to see less of him?
Critical drops by Williams are magnified because he cost Dallas three draft picks and a $45 million contract extension a year ago. But Phillips flatly rejected a question Monday about whether Williams might be headed to the bench.
"I think we still have hopes that the things we see in practice more and more are going to happen," Phillips said. "He's going to keep working at it, and we're going to keep working at it."
To Miles Austin and Anthony Spencer: thanks.
Austin making seven catches for 139 yards to raise his season yardage total to 1,138, making him the 11th Cowboy to reach 1,000 receiving yards.
Outside linebacker Anthony Spencer putting together a monster game with two sacks, three hurries, two tackles for losses and six tackles overall.
The team signed RB, Herb Donaldson, a former W. Illinois teammate of ILB Jason Williams, to the practice squad.
Leading all Division I runners in 2008, Donaldson rushed for 1,784 yards and 21 touchdowns, en route to being named FCS first-team All-American.
Mike Shanahan interested! No he's not! Confused. It's hard not to agree with Hill on this one. Maybe it's just time to leave this head coaching speculation alone and enjoy this season.
According to Espn's Adam Shefter, Mike Shanahan is not interested in the Cowboys head coaching job. You know the one that is not open. The one that already has a coach in it_a head coach whose team just beat the undefeated Saints. This report comes a day after Fox's Jay Glazer reported that the Cowboys aren't interested in Shanahan.
Bob Stoops? C'mon, man!
On an ESPN radio show Friday, NFL reporter Chris Mortensen speculated that if the Cowboys fired Wade Phillips, a possibility inching closer to reality with a difficult closing schedule and waning playoff hopes, Oklahoma’s head man could get a call.
His exact words: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would have Stoops "in his discussions," should the job open up. Mortensen stressed that to even call the move a rumor was a leap of faith, but did say the speculation came with a "little bit of knowledge."
Hat tip to Cosby Sweater for the FanShot.
Week 17's matchup with the Eagles at Cowboys Stadium could end up being flexed to SNF.
The Jan. 3 meeting at Cowboys Stadium can absolutely, positively be flexed to NBC Sunday Night game. The NFL doesn't even bother to pencil in a game for the final Sunday night. It will designate a game at the last possible moment, which in this case will be at or near the end of the upcoming Cowboys-Redskins game on Sunday Night Football. Playoff implications are key.
ProBowl voting is over, but we still have time to vote for some Cowboys' HOFers on fanschoice.com.
Emmitt has taken a hit as of late; he's at #5 now, behind guys like Ray Guy, Tim Brown, and Jim Plunkett. Obviously, the Raiders' fans have established some mainframes somewhere in the bay to rack up votes.
Charles Haley is at #14 and "Too Tall" is at #20.
Here's something new and fun: the NFL Weekly Countdown. "Romo stops Saints undefeated season" is one of the Top 15 plays you can rank. Here are the details:
NFL Weekly Countdown, which airs each Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. ET on NFL Network, lets fans program the show. Each week, we'll select 15 of the best performances for you to rank in the order you want to see them in the show. Watch this week's nominees below, and cast your vote for the best performances from Week 15.
Many of the players spent time at children's hospitals today. DeMarcus Ware offered his holiday spirit and his perspective.
Thankful for his health and aware of how scared some of these children were, the Cowboys linebacker smiled and chatted comfortably as he signed autographs and handed out gifts. More than 60 children were in a line that stretched outside the auditorium door at Children's Medical Center on Monday morning. One of the girls who came to see Ware and his teammates wore a neck brace.
"You know what, six days ago I had one of those on," Ware told her. "It's really not a good experience. I understand you want to be able to get through it. "Know that I did."