Dallas Cowboys Update: Cowboys Were Very Busy Prior to Lockout
March 15, 2011 by Guest Contributor · 1 Comment
The sports betting world feared it, and now it is here. The NFL owners have locked out the players, and now the legal battles begin. For now, sports fans have March Madness betting to occupy their time. But when the final March Madness scores are posted and the price per head betting enthusiasts start thinking about football training camps, there won’t be any training camps to follow.
Prior to all of this legal maneuvering, the Dallas Cowboys were a very busy football team. One of the more interesting moves made by the Cowboys prior to the lockout was the announcement that they will be working out TCU quarterback Andy Dalton prior to the NFL draft. The Cowboys don’t intend to just attend Dalton’s pro workout day. The Cowboys are setting up a private workout for the senior. Dalton was 42-7 as a quarterback for TCU, and the Cowboys have publicly said that they like the way Dalton plays quarterback.
In 2009, the Cowboys drafted quarterback Stephen McGee in the fourth round. Dallas was convinced that it had a diamond in the rough with McGee, but so far it has not worked out that way. All of this quarterback talk has led to more speculation about the stability of current quarterback Tony Romo’s job. Romo has struggled his entire career and missed a large portion of the 2010 season with a broken collarbone. The Cowboys insist that McGee and Dalton are projects for the distant future. But fans are wondering if the Cowboys are lining up their options at quarterback for the start of the 2011 season.
New Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is known for his complicated defensive schemes. It will be all new to the Dallas players, so there will be a lot of learning to do. With the lockout looming for much of the winter, the players and Ryan knew that they would not have much time. But they made due with the time they had, and it was reported that nearly the entire Dallas defense showed up to classroom sessions with Ryan prior to the lockout.
It is unusual for veterans and rookies to get together any time before mandatory team activities. But the Cowboys knew that if they wanted to improve on their dismal performance from 2010, then they would need all of the time together that they could get. Hours were spent in the classroom before the Cowboys officially locked the players out of the Valley Ranch training facility.
The Dallas Cowboys have a lot of needs for the 2011 season. Most pressing are the needs for a defensive safety and an offensive lineman. With the collective bargaining agreement expiring, there is no current NFL salary cap. The last salary cap was for the 2009 season and it was set at $127 million. The Cowboys current player payroll is $137 million. Depending on what happens with the CBA negotiations, the Cowboys may have to cut some players just to be at the cap when the season starts. So don’t expect the Cowboys to make any big name free agent signings when the new CBA is signed and free agency is back in effect.
No. 11 TCU beats No. 9 Boise St. in 2008 Poinsettia Bowl
December 24, 2008 by Travis L. Brown · Leave a Comment
The TCU Horned Frogs should finish the year inside the top 10 after beating the Boise State Broncos 17-16 Tuesday.
TCU came back from being down 13-0 in the second quarter to win it by one in the last 4 minutes of the game.
Boise St. started the scoring on a 20-yard touchdown run by star running back Ian Johnson of Fiesta Bowl fame. This play gave Johnson the career record for touchdowns in the WAC, passing Marshall Faulk and bumping former Horned Frog LaDanian Tomlinson to third.
After an Andy Dalton Interception, the TCU defense held the Broncos to a fieldgoal making it 13-0 in the first quarter.
TCU drove down the field at the end of the second and scored on a 16 yard touchdown on an Aaron Brown run, cutting and weaving through the Bronco defense. TCU went into the locker room cutting the score to 13-7 and gaining momentum into halftime.
TCU more than doubled BSU’s offensive production, yet trailed in the score until Joseph Turner powered through the Boise St. secondary and scored on a 17-yard touchdown run.
Stephen Hodge defensive MVP
Boise St. had two opportunities to try and win it within the last two minutes, both being cast aside by TCU interceptions, one coming from the bowl defensive MVP Stephen Hodge. The Broncos also had one opportunity to take the lead on a field goal, but missed wide left.
TCU finished with a total of 475 yards of offence, 278 coming by way of ground and 197 through the air. The Horned Frogs held the high powered Bronco offense to only 255 yards of offence, only 29 on the groud. The nations sack leader Jerry Hughes had one key sack in the second half. Andy Dalton, the games offensive MVP, went 22-35 with one INT.
The game was ended when defensive end Matt Panfil intercepted a pitch attempt after a completed pass with no time left on the clock. Sportscenter closed the highlight piece saying, “Boise State tries and pull another last minute upset and TCU’s Matt Panfil says ‘No, I am NOT Oklahoma.’”
Aaron Brown scores a TD at the end of the first half.
The Horned Frogs only ran the “Wild Frog” offense twice, once trying to throw a deep fade towards the endzone which ended in an interception charged to Jeremy Kerly.
TCU finishes the season 11-2 with losses to no. 1 Oklahoma and no 7 Utah. While TCU sat no 11 before the game, with a few key losses by a large number TCU has the potential to finish as high as no 7 in the nation. Worst case scenario, the Horned Frogs finish 9, the spot occupied by the Bronco’s before the game.
