I don't know if it is because I now look for things I can write about concerning the Dallas Cowboys, but I had never noticed before how much was going on during the week of the Senior Bowl. Here are some brief items that caught my eye this week.
First, a clarification from an earlier post of mine. I wrote about the offseason conditioning and training for the team. At the time, I put in this information about what the players could do outside of the OTA and minicamps, based on what I thought were the rules under the CBA.
But the players are not allowed to workout at the team facility or work with the S&C coaches if they pass the "exit" physical at the end of the season. If they do not pass it, they are allowed to continue in a rehab program at the team facility under team supervision.
Our resident football insider Birddog26 has provided some clarification of the rules. It turns out that under the CBA all the players can use the team facilities, they just cannot work with any coaches or trainers. That sounds to me like a situation that is ripe for some cheating, since the facilities they can use include the video facilities as well as the weight and training areas. Can you imagine Tony in there looking at video of coverages, and Jason walking by and not getting into a little "casual" conversation about it? But that's just me. Anyway, I wanted to make sure that the information going out was as current and correct as we can make it.
But wait, there's more! Just pay additional shipping and handling, and follow past the jump.
Jason Garrett talked a little about what kind of players he is looking for in Mobile.
"In general, you want smart, tough football players who have a passion for playing," Garrett said. "That's something you want from every guy, regardless of what their position is."
He goes on to talk about the different kinds of smart involved.
"You can factor in instinct, and test scores are certainly part of that. But also a feel for how you play the game is part of that, and that varies from position to position."
This is all certainly consistent with his overall concept of the Right Kind of Guy.
Meanwhile, Jerry Jones is talking. And talking. For better or for worse, the owner and general manager loves the spotlight. Sometimes he says way too much, or the wrong thing. But he also gives a lot of insight into what the thinking of the staff is. If you missed the link elsewhere, here is an interview he had with the NFL Channel guys.
Another topic he talked about this week was the idea that Bruce Carter could have the same kind of sophomore season that Sean Lee had.
"I think that's a jump or presumptuous," Jones said. "It was amazing what Bruce Carter was able to do relative to the time you assess when you have that kind of injury. He was outstanding in his rehab. He was really used with the speed and skill on special teams, he made some good plays for us, did some things out there a lot of normal players can't do. If he can carry that over, which he should be able to do, to defense he should make a good defender for us."
In another fine example of Jerryspeak, he seems to say two completely opposite things there, opening with the disclaimer that you shouldn't jump to conclusions, and then listing all the reasons maybe you should.
In still another interview, Jerry talks about how he likes both Jason Garrett's youth as a head coach and Tony Romo's experience as a starting quarterback. And he also drops a bit of a hint about what the team may intend to do.
"I think we'll coordinate that with what I do, we do, in personnel, and that way we've got a chance to get better. But it'll be a multi-pronged approach."
That certainly fits the idea of going after both free agents and the right draft picks to address the team's issues.
The last thing needs a bit of a set up. I have always had a bit of the fanboy in me, and though I don't read many comic books anymore (for crying out loud, have you seen how much they charge for those things now?), I still have a few old favorites stuck in a box in my closet. And some of the ones I really enjoyed were the alternate universe things, like what if Bruce Wayne had been the one to get the Green Lantern's power ring? Or what if baby Kal-El had been found by Tom and Martha Wayne, and Batman had wound up with Superman's powers? You know, just crazy ideas to mix things up a bit.
So I had to read this little piece about the idea of . . . well, this.
In case it has slipped everyones minds, if (Peyton Manning) doesn't get his wish to stay in Indy, he wants to play for a team that has a chance to make it to the Superbowl within the 2-3 year window he has to work with.
BING!!! The Dallas Cowboys!!!
Now, I don't for a minute think that this would ever happen. It would mean that Tony would be traded, and even though that could mean a real draft pick bonanza that could be used to shore up the holes the team has, I just do not see that happening. But it is a weirdly entertaining idea. Imagine, as this guy does, the Forehead getting to play little brother Dumb Face twice a year. (OK, OK, I'm sorry for calling Eli Manning Dumb Face, but sometimes I go for the cheap laugh.) And of course the Colts would have to let Peyton go right after negotiating his mega contract.
I just figured this is some strange, not very knowledgeable fellow enjoying a nice little daydream (I mean, he even spelled it "Payton" in the original, which I corrected for him). And then I read this about Peyton and the Colts' Jim Irsay.
Shortly after introducing Chuck Pagano as Indianapolis' new coach, the team owner responded to the comments Manning made earlier this week by referring to the only four-time league MVP as a "politician."
Now, we can get rude and even a bit nasty around here - but we never, ever stoop to the level of calling someone as insulting as a "politician"! BTB has standards, after all! I am nervous about getting chewed out just for putting that quote here.
After dropping the "P" word again, and mentioning a reference by Irsay to how there is a certain amount of walking on eggshells in Indy because of the superstar quarterback, the article gets down to the real nub of the matter.
The Colts, who also have the No. 1 pick in this year's draft and could take Andrew Luck as their quarterback of the future, also have to decide whether to pay Manning a $28 million by March 8 or risk losing him as an unrestricted free agent.
It's these kinds of things that sometimes make you go "Hmmmmm".
But I don't see any real chance of Manning coming to Dallas. I think the team has invested too much in Tony Romo, and would shy away from going with a player who has the possible health issues and the age Manning brings to the table. What I do see is a franchise owner setting up a really ugly situation for the end of the career of one of the truly great players in NFL history. And I wonder just what kind of cap impact cutting Peyton loose would have? At the rate things seem to be deteriorating with the Colts, it may come down to that.
Oh, well, at least Indy doesn't have to put up with an owner/general manager the way we do. We all know that is much worse, right?