Pete Prisco of CBSSports ranks the top 50 players in the NFL. He places DeMarcus Ware just behind QBs Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
3. DeMarcus Ware, OLB, Cowboys: One number says it all: 20. That's his sack total from 2008. He's the best pass-rushing linebacker in football.
Jason Witten also made the list.
33. Jason Witten, TE, Cowboys: He's a great threat in the middle of the field and has improved as a blocker. Tony Romo loves him and with T.O. gone he might be even more of a factor.
Just a bit outside were Tony Romo and Andre Gurode.
Mike Perrin at The Birmingham News agrees with Prisco's ranking of Ware.
If Prisco's list weren't intended to spark arguments, then you might not argue his choice. Ware had 20 sacks last season for Dallas, his fourth in the NFL after earning All-America honors for coach Larry Blakeney's Trojans.
The Cowboys are doing a top 50 list of their own, counting down the best players in their history to celebrate the 50th anniversary season. Ware is No. 23 on that list - which is at No. 21 today.
That's pretty impressive.
More VRR after the jump.
Jerry Jones says all those injured Cowboys receivers will be ready come training camp. Hallelujah!
"My expectations are that all receivers that were limited, maybe not [Travis] Wilson [knee] — he might not be ready — but other than him, all the rest should be ready for training camp," Jones said.
Scout.com blurbs about one of the Cowboys' rookies who is making an impression.
LB Stephen Hodge is making the transition from college safety. He is a little small but he is very instinctive and aggressive. Hodge will make his biggest impact for the Cowboys on special teams. That was his forte in college and that will be his forte in the NFL. He is expected to be the next standout special team player in the line of Bill Bates, Kenneth Gant and Keith Davis.
The Johnson City Medical Center in Tennessee will rename its children's emergency department in honor of Jason Witten, who has donated $200,000 to the hospital.
Cowboys legend Randy White did a Q & A during an annual Salvation Army Dinner. Here's what he had to say about today's Dallas team:
I’m still a fan. I root for them and I go through the ups and downs with them. Obviously at the end of last season I was very disappointed like everybody else and I’m looking forward to bigger and better things."
"This year, we really don’t know what we’re going to get. Two years ago they looked like a playoff team that was going somewhere and last year, they kind of struggled. I don’t know what we’re going to get this year."
The 'Manster' will be running a football camp this Saturday in Corpus Christi.
Jazmyn Reynolds-Dorsett, "Touchdown" Tony's daughter, will be a Cowboy--an Oklahoma State Cowboy, that is. She recently agreed to play basketball for OSU.
The 5-foot-11 shooting guard is considered one of the top shooting guards in the country, by ESPN's scouting service. The daughter of former Dallas Cowboys and Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett averaged 14.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in her junior year at Frisco (Texas) High School.
It looks like Dorsett will be playing against Jim Jeffcoat's daughter, Jacqueline, who says she will commit to the Oklahoma Sooners.
Jeffcoat, a 6-2 center, averaged 7.6 points and 6.5 rebounds – both team highs – last season. Jeffcoat plays AAU basketball for the Fort Worth Frogs.
Cowboys Stadium: the Ring of Honor, trees, and tailgating. Jerry Jones said no new Cowboys will be inducted into the ROH this season.
"We are of course excited about the Ring of Honor. We won't be doing anything in the Ring of Honor this year, as far as any new inductees but it will be every bit as emphasized in our new stadium as it was at Texas Stadium."
[snip]
12 trees were planted on the west side of the stadium. The trees were rescued from Texas Stadium as the site will be converted for other uses.
"These trees were a part of the stadium property and they were going to more than likely just be removed and be dealt away with and its a great honor to share in a kinship with the City of Arlington" explains Irving Mayor Herbert Gears.
In addition to the Cowboys adding shade and scenery to the parking lot, some parking spaces at the new stadium specifically include a grassy area for tailgaters to park. Arlington's Greene Park is also being transformed into an area for fans to gather before and after events, complete with picnic tables and walking paths.
Stadium tours, anyone?
Stadium tours, at $15 for adults and $12 for children, will be conducted every half-hour and last up to 75 minutes.
The tour includes the high-tech scoreboard control room, the press box, the Cowboys locker-room and limited field access.
DC.com posted some vids of Michael Jackson's halftime performance during the 52-17 smackdown the 'Boys put on the Bills in Super Bowl XXVII. Pourin' some out for you, "King of Pop".