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This is not exactly a Dallas Cowboys story, but it is an absolutely superb explanation of why the Smoothie King is probably very overrated by the fawning media and some fans. Since most of us here are thoroughly tired of hearing about the towering genius of Chip Kelly, this will probably be a very enjoyable read. Bob Sturm comes up with a nice comparison chart to show which coaches had the most similar records to Kelly's after two years.
If the accomplishment you seek is a playoff win, then look at Mike McCoy, who is still a very young NFL head coach who receives little attention in San Diego. If you want the only guy on that list who made the playoffs in each of his first 2 years at the helm, then perhaps I can interest you in Chan Gailey, who the Cowboys then fired immediately.
Are you honestly trying to compare Chan Gailey to Chip Kelly??? It really is pretty amazing what having the media do your public relations can do for a guy, right?
In some respects, Chip Kelly is kind of like these other guys, but with a cool grasp of sleep monitors and free agency.
Universally Loathed! - About Sports
This is a list of the five NFL teams that, in the author's opinion, generate the most hate among all NFL fans. Don't get too angry at his take, which is full of outdated memes. Embrace the hate. (The article is a slideshow, but there is a convenient button to convert it to one page.)
1. Dallas Cowboys
Dallas owner Jerry Jones is one of those meddling NFL owners who thinks he can manipulate NFL coaches and players like he does the spineless yes-men in his entourage.
In addition, Cowboys fans, at least those who can afford tickets to the games, aren't real football fans.
They just want to see and be seen. It's a social event for them. Most of them wouldn't know a red zone from a no-parking zone.
Then there is simply the legendary Texas arrogance. Any team that has the gall to call itself "America's Team" should be ridiculed, mocked and disliked. Happily, that is the situation here.
Six NFL Teams Fans Love to Love - About Sports
And the same writer shows he is also a part of the love/hate thing going on for the Cowboys (and other teams on both lists as well).
2. Dallas Cowboys
I have to admit it, I'd love the Dallas Cowboys, too if it weren't for their owner Jerry Jones.
They've been a favorite of mine in the past, pre-Jones, mainly because they've had such great players. I loved Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Emmitt Smith, "Bullet Bob" Hayes and even Walt Garrison.
Also, I think a lot of casual fans get them mixed up with Dallas, the prime-time soap opera. This not a poll of the NFL's brightest fans.
2015 Offensive Line Rankings and Fantasy Football Impact: Dallas Cowboys - Rosterwatch.com
This article is all about the positive. Although the author may be a bit premature in predicting La'el Collins to oust Ronald Leary as the starter at left guard, the rest of his analysis is pure music to Dallas fans.
The transformation of the Cowboys organization in recent years has been nothing short of shocking.
Head Coach Jason Garrett admitted they've reached back to the past to uncover their newfound philosophy, which has spurred a renaissance of the offensive line in Dallas. We're talking a Michelangelo/Da Vinci-quality renaissance.
In 2014, Dallas had the best offensive line in football. It's added more talent over the offseason, and is set to be even better in 2015. This is an extremely dominant and versatile unit with youth and depth on its side; a unit which is fully hedged against injury.
Making the Leap, No. 15: Tyrone Crawford - NFL.com
There are actually several players on the Cowboys roster who may be ready to take the next step forward in their contributions to the team. Tyrone Crawford is certainly one of them.
Tyrone Crawford spent last offseason coming off a torn Achilles tendon while playing defensive end. He spent the regular season at defensive tackle overwhelming opposing guards.
Crawford's quick conversion to under tackle in Dallas coordinator Rod Marinelli's defense was one of the secrets to the Cowboys' success last year. Crawford's three sacks only hint at a season of disruption. He finished with 29 quarterback hurries and 12 QB hits, an incredible number for an interior defender who only played 536 snaps.
Daniel Jeremiah, our resident scout at NFL Media, compared Crawford to a poor man's Ndamukong Suh after watching Crawford on film. He uses brute strength to push the pocket back, especially against the pass.
German-born Mark Nzeocha is hoping to be healthy for training camp, but his best shot may be to make the practice squad or become another medical "red-shirt" for Dallas.
Having torn his ACL just eight months ago, it's hard to predict Nzeocha's readiness for training camp, let alone the coming season. He worked mostly alone with team trainers during OTAs and minicamp, and he didn't mix into any full-team activities. He'll have to get fully healthy before he can compete for a roster spot, and the Cowboys will have to hope that's sooner rather than later.
NFC East Q&A: How to defend the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line? - Todd Archer, ESPN
In an ongoing series where NFC East writers answer questions about other teams, the highly regarded Cowboys' offensive line is the topic. Dan Graziano covers the Giants for ESPN, and I for one miss him from his days covering the entire division. As you can tell, he is a perceptive man.
No one in the NFC East has an especially scary front seven, and no one's front seven should feel good about its chances against the Cowboys' offensive line. It is a dominant unit playing in a division in which no team finished in the top 18 in the league in defense last season. It should continue to dominate.
A Tradition Unlike Any Other: Dirk Nowitzki’s Annual Celebrity Baseball Game- Grantland
This may be the best celebrity sporting event in the country. And the Cowboys are a big part of it.
Turns out I was right about the Blue Sox wrecking this game. They won 17-5. Tyron Smith was awarded the MVP trophy for driving in a few runs and always being on base. It never really hit me how lucky the Cowboys are to have him until I saw this giant man hit a triple and run full speed to beat the throw. Unreal.
Dez Goes 1-On-1 With Dirk Nowitzki At Heroes Celebrity Baseball Game | Dallas Cowboys
Only one thing to say about this video: How cool is this?
Tom Condon: The man behind Peyton and Eli Manning - NY Daily News
Among his other clients is one Dez Bryant. Condon has something of a unique background for a sports agent. His first contract negotiation was with Hank Stram of the Kansas City Chiefs over a tenth round offensive lineman who turned down the initial offer - himself. In a day when players were not getting rich, he turned down a $2,000 signing bonus and a then-average $14,000 contract.
Even Condon's father — a lawyer from Ansonia, Conn., whom Condon said "did everything, divorces, murders, real estate closings" — thought he was crazy. But Condon had a $30,000 offer from the Boston Bulls of the brand new — and soon-to-be short-lived — World Football League, so he told Stram he planned to take the WFL's money. He would have too, had Stram not stopped him in his tracks and said "How much is it going to take?"
"I wasn't prepared for it," Condon said. "I didn't have any idea. So I just said, ‘Well, $10,000 for the signing bonus.' He said ‘How much for the salary?' I said ‘18' and he said ‘Done.'
"Then I said ‘I meant 20.'"
The numbers have gotten a tad bigger.
Speaking of Bryant, it seems that Mike Florio still has not given up his belief in unicorns.
I think there are a lot of loose ends out there that haven't been properly explored. But, I understand that a lot of people are still upset about it. What I said was ultimately accurate — for months there had been an open secret within the NFL media that there was a video potentially out there involving Dez Bryant in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart. That police report that Ian Rapoport eventually tracked down confirmed the idea that something involving Dez Bryant and three vehicles registered to him happened in a Wal-Mart somewhere outside of Dallas.
When you read that police report, there's some gaps there. There's some weird stuff there that I don't know why that officer who explored that incident didn't go in and immediately demand to see the footage of any and all surveillance cameras that were pointed in the direction of that parking lot. One thing that I know about Wal-Mart — I had plenty of clients that filed lawsuits against them — they have video cameras everywhere. They don't let anything that happens on any inch of their property not to be fully monitored.
Whatever happened with that video — whether it was naturally erased, whether it exists somewhere — who knows. But, everything I had heard was accurate, and I still think that there are some odd aspects of that story that haven't been fully fleshed out.