The days following a loss--especially a close one--to the hated Eagles require bright moments in order to overcome the malaise that comes after such a defeat. Well, its time to brighten up, BTBers! The week has rolled around, once again, to that golden moment in which we recognize the superb contributions offered by the various members of our community. Yes, indeedy, folks, its time for the FanPost of the Week.
As usual, we have a cornucopia of scribblings that merit applause. In a holiday spirit, allow me, a blue and silver-clad Santa, to recognize several good little boys or girls who have gifted us with their thoughtful musings in the past seven days.
First off, I would be remiss if I were not to give a shout out to KD Drummond (the former KDP), who was recently promoted from avid FanPoster to (thus far, prolific) front-page scribe. Congrats, KD! Also, I have to give some love to Jeterian 2, a youngster who has come on strong of late with some passionate and well-penned posts. Keep an eye on this kid; once he's honed his game a little, I think he'll be impossible to keep out of the starting lineup.
This week's other honorable mention goes to the man who could (and probably should) have a wall filled with these awards by season's end. Yep, it's our resident statistical magician, Fan in Thick and Thin. Garnering praise this week is his brilliant piece on the basic requirements for pass rushers. In it, Thick shows that there are two primary measurables that contribute to an elite level of pass rush success: short shuttle time and vertical jump. After looking at the current Cowboys' numbers in these categories (not surprisingly, only DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff's numbers approach the cutoff for top pass rushers), Thick argues that its better to field five pass rushers who can't play the run than the other way around. As always, its fascinating stuff; check it out here!
And now this week's winner, an old timer (judging from his moniker) who shows that he's still got some zip to his fastball. Here, he serves up a reaction piece in response to Jerry Jones' famous (or should I say infamous) 60 minutes interview. Ladies and Germs, I'm pleased to welcome....(drum roll).... Fan Since '65 to the list of FanPost luminaries. To achieve this illustrious and much-coveted position, '65 got up on his soapbox and shook his fist at the Cowboys owner/ GM. In the process, he covers Jerry's relationship with George Steinbrenner; Jerry as salesman; and the necessary deal with the devil that might be the only way to bring a sixth Lombardi to Dallas. But the piece de resistance is this little snippet:
Talking about the Deion Sanders contract, Jerry said that his son Stephen did not like what Jerry was doing. Jerry said that Stephen cornered Jerry in a hallway and physically pushed Jerry up against a wall and said "dad, think about what you are doing here." Jerry replied, "Stephen, what are you going to do? Hit me? I want to do this!" (This little nugget is for everyone who thinks that Stephen might bring some sanity to the organization before Jerry dies.)
This pretty much sums up the state of the Cowboys, and tops it with a Christmas bow. The rest of the post can be found here. Nice work, '65; may we all see another championship in your lifetime!