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Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: Cowboys Keep Governor's Cup And NFL Appeals Galore

The Dallas Cowboys wrapped up the preseason with a Governor's Cup win against the Houston Texans and now look to the regular season. Plus, Tom Brady won his day in court with the NFL is Greg Hardy on the verge of doing the same?

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys Spoil Perfect Preseason By Beating Texans 21-17 - Tom Ryle -Blogging The Boys
The Governor's Cup will remain in Dallas as the Cowboys go on to defeat the Texans and win their first preseason game since 2013.

For the backups, most of whom will no longer be with the team by Saturday afternoon, it was a good way to go out. The team got some good performances in all three phases of the game to notch the victory and  retain the "coveted" Governor's Cup. All was not rosy, but it leaves a nice taste to finish up the preseason.

Dustin Vaughan Gets The Win, Does He Get Roster Spot? - Todd Archer- ESPN Dallas
Jameill Showers made zero appearances at quarterback as Dustin Vaughan was given every chance to earn the third quarterback spot. Vaughan led the Cowboys past the Texans for 21-17, was it enough?

Will the Cowboys go with him again when they make their final cuts Saturday? He completed 11 of 20 passes for 115 yards, avoiding the big mistake and delivering the game-winning drive with two solid throws to set up Ben Malena’s game-winning touchdown run.

But one thing to consider: in the four preseason games, Vaughan directed 26 non kneel-down drives and the Cowboys scored on only three of them.

GAME RECAP: Cowboys Defeat Texans, 21-14 | Dallas Cowboys
The Mothership gives you the recap of the preseason finale, in case you missed it, but desperately needed to see it.

For those who find themselves concerned with such things, the Cowboys won their exhibition finale, 21-14, over their downstate rivals from Houston, the victory snapping their preseason losing streak at eight games.   Still, regardless of the fact that the sparse crowd went home happy, this game was less about the final score and more about rounding out the final few spots on the roster.

10 Players Who Stood Out In Dallas Cowboys’ Preseason Finale | Jon Machota | Dallas Morning News
Machota runs through all the players that stood out in the preseason finale victory over the Houston Texans.

The Cowboys won their preseason finale Thursday night. The first preseason win for Dallas since 2013. But it was rough to watch at times. Very few of the players you’ll see on Sunday were in the lineup.

So instead of doing the traditional five thoughts on the game, I’ll give you 10 players who stood out during the Cowboys’ 21-14 win over the Houston Texans.

Each NFL team's breakout player for 2015 - Stephen White- SBNation.com
There's always one, that player who comes out of nowhere to surprise fans and the league with a big season. Retired NFL defensive end Stephen White went through each team's roster to try and identify this year's breakout players.

Crawford might have been born to play the under tackle position. Not only was he still outstanding against the run after moving inside, but with his power, Crawford was able to get a helluva lot of push as a pass rusher. I don't know what he lifts in the weight room, but this dude was tossing interior offensive linemen around like rag dolls all year.

Tom Brady Wins Appeal And Will Play In Week Five Against Dallas Cowboys, Now Greg Hardy Wants In On NFL - Michael Sisemore - Blogging The Boys
The Deflate-Gate Scandal has been the topic of discussion all offseason and today it got even nuttier. A court arbitrator has made their ruling, nullifying any punishment against quarterback Tom Brady making him available to play against the Cowboys. However, Cowboys rush-man Greg Hardy sees an out too.

According to Todd Archer, Greg Hardy is now 'heavily considering' taking the NFL to court on his four game suspension. As we all know, Hardy's suspension was reduced by the NFL in hopes that he would accept the punishment, though Hardy was adamant at one point that anything over two games was too much in a case that was dismissed.

Tom Brady’s DeflateGate Win Ccould Trickle Down To Cowboys DE Greg Hardy- Drew Davison - The Star-Telegram
With Hardy possibly losing $2.2 million for missing the first four games, it may be best to work with the NFLPA on taking the NFL to court.

Hardy has a financial incentives to fight the suspension. His one-year deal with the Cowboys calls for him to make $544,412 every game he’s on the roster, which would mean losing $2.2 million for a four-game suspension.

High School Coach Who Never Punts: Cowboys Would 'Have Already Won A Super Bowl If I Was Coaching Them' - Corbett Smith - Dallas Morning News

It may be Coach Kelley's dream job to be the Cowboys head coach but one way to never get in the door is bashing the current coach's style. Okay, so you never punt? I wonder why nobody has asked you to take the reins in the pros?

When envisaging what his dream job would be,  Kelley said, without hesitation, the Dallas Cowboys:

"We'd have already won a Super Bowl if I was coaching them. I love the Cowboys. My love of the game of football, honestly, kept me from committing suicide growing up. I had a horrible childhood growing up, but the one thing that I always had was the Dallas Cowboys. Every Sunday, I'd put on my little helmet and sit in front of the TV to watch the Cowboys."

Cowboys Feel Good About Plan In Place For Suspended Duo Hardy & McClain - Dave Helman - Dallas Cowboys
'Tiny Jim' speaks to Stephen Jones and Jason Garrett about the plan in place to replace the suspended Rolando McClain and Greg Hardy for the first quarter of the season. Of course depth is a good thing and Dallas hopes they have it.

“I think we’ve got a good plan with them,” Jones said. “Obviously, our guys do a great job of giving them direction on what they might want to be doing and how to not lose ground in terms of what they’ve gained here in training camp.”

A Different Kind Of 53-Man Roster Projection For The Cowboys - Tom Ryle- Blogging The Boys
Call it, instead, a 49-man roster for the Cowboys, because there are going to be additions from outside the current group. Tom Ryle brings you the goods as always.

"One of the things Rabs and McCool brought up that we too often forget is that the Cowboys, like almost all NFL franchises, continue to churn the bottom of the roster even after the cutdown from 75 to 53. So that got me to thinking. Which leads to this, a somewhat different take on how the Dallas roster will look as the team heads into the game against the New York Giants."

Star Crossed: The Story of Quincy Carter & Tony Romo - Part 2 | Dallas Cowboys
Part II of the Mothership's amazing documentary series is on tap for Cowboys' fans. This time we see the inevitable conclusion to the Carter-Romo Story.

"Football is a strange and powerful game. Every year fates are forever changed through the twists and turns of life in the National Football League. Some men will be legends... and some, forgotten. On August 4th, 2004, the Dallas Cowboys made a monumental decision that would change the face of the franchise, and the lives of two men. The rest, as they say, is history."

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