Cowboys News And Notes On Their Sunday Off

It's an NFL Sunday, but there is no Dallas game on tap. Of course, that is a very good thing as the Cowboys get some extra rest to heal up while they sit alone (at least temporarily) in first place in the NFC East. But you don't care, you still want to know what is going on in the news about the Star.

As someone said here, we should all get over the ridiculous expectations for the team and just enjoy this and every win. That seems a great idea - but someone forgot to tell a certain Jerry Jones, who has his own set of expectations.

All those nail-biters have Cowboys owner Jerry Jones a little nervous.

So Jones is making it known that he'd like to see his coach come up with a game plan that makes it a little bit easier.

I guess when you own the car, you can drive it the way you want. And I will admit, that my heart can use a bit of a break. But I just hope he doesn't interfere a bit too much.

The team is not turning up its collective nose at the wins, though.

The Cowboys' clubhouse unanimously agreed Thursday's triumph over the Dolphins wasn't "pretty," but considering Dallas (7-4) is now on top of the NFC East, how they got there doesn't much matter.

More stuff for your edification after yon jumperoo.

One of the ongoing bits of speculation around these parts is how long Rob Ryan is going to be with the team. Most of us like what he is doing with the people he has to work with, and hope he hangs around long enough to influence a draft or two. Well, maybe you will find his attitude towards his future a bit encouraging.

"The bottom line is we're here together to win a championship," Ryan said. "That's why Jason hired me, that's why Jerry [Jones] hired me, to win a championship. That's what we're going to do."

In the "how things have changed" category, Felix Jones got no carries in the Thanksgiving game - and nobody really cares.

But one player that everyone is caring about is Darth - er, Dan Bailey. The fans and his fellow teammates are absolutely floored by his steely, stone cold performance. But he rather wishes we wouldn't make such a fuss.

Rookie kicker Dan Bailey gives the impression he would rather be doing anything else than talking about the unyielding confidence the Dallas Cowboys have in him.

"It's a good thing," Bailey said. "But it's my job to go out there and make field goals."

Man. Even the kicker, normally the weirdest guy on the team, is definitely RKG material.

One kind of strange story that has come out is that Melissa Kellerman, the Cowboys Cheerleader who got knocked over/tackled by Jason Witten as he was being tackled about 57 yards out of bounds has been forced to drop her Twitter account. Some kind of thing about the team controlling the message or something. Oh, who cares, it has a great picture of Melissa for you to enjoy.

But the incident is not exactly a small one. It is even getting play in Merry Olde England - and if you ever wondered, Jason Witten weighs nineteen stone.

Of course, while our Cowboys are idle, the detested and hated - err, our NFC East rivals are playing. And the atmosphere with them is way more tense than it is for Dallas fans, with our game successfully behind us.

The San Antonio Express has previews of all three games, and you might be interested in some of the comments.

Washingon Redskins (at Seattle Seahawks):

Redskins almost certainly won't get to the break-even mark. On a six-game skid, they have a pitiful run game, and their minus-10 turnover differential is tied for last in the league.

Philadelphia Eagles (hosting New England Patriots):

Patriots own best record after Thanksgiving since 2001 at 61-15.

New York Giants (at New Orleans Saints on Monday night):

Two straight defeats erased the Giants' lead in the NFC East, and they have swooned a few times late in past seasons under Tom Coughlin.

Speaking of the G-men, they do control their own fate - but it's not necessarily in a good way.

Yes, the Giants have control, although they certainly appear to be losing it. Momentum comes and goes in a season, and at the moment it's nowhere in sight for a team riding a two-game losing streak and making yet another injury-induced lineup change for Monday night's game at New Orleans.

One way or another, come late Monday night, the picture in the NFC East will become a little bit clearer. Meanwhile, one message has already started to come through:

Fear the Star.