The online sportsbook experts know that the Dallas Cowboys have always been big business in the state of Texas and throughout the NFL. But with the way the NFL football betting has gone this season, some people had started to wonder if the love for “America’s Team” would start to fade. But the football betting world was not surprised to learn this week that the Cowboys are still America’s richest team as well as being America’s most popular team.

According to numbers recently released, the Cowboys are still the NFL pick for the most profitable franchise based on ticket sales, television revenue and merchandise sales. The Cowboys are now valued at $1.8 billion, which makes them the single most valuable sports franchise in North America. It is estimated that some 32 million viewers tuned in to watch the Cowboys play on Thanksgiving Day, and the Cowboys-Eagles game remains the highest rated Sunday night game of the season.

One of the things that helped increase the value of the franchise was the completion of their new $1.2 billion stadium funded primarily by the team itself. The state-of-the-art facility helped to increase fan attendance by offering an increase in seating capacity, and it helped increase revenue by allowing the Cowboys to raise their ticket prices. The list of the top 20 selling player jerseys in the NFL includes three Dallas Cowboys. Win or lose, the fans love their Dallas Cowboys.

Interim head coach Jason Garrett is making a positive impact on the Dallas players, and the players are not afraid to mention it in public. Defensive lineman DeMarcus Ware said that Garrett makes things very direct and simple for the team to understand. The coach’s message is not complicated and has helped the Cowboys players get a hold of the offensive and defensive schemes. The players also mentioned Garrett’s no-nonsense approach to delivering his message as part of the reason why it is so easy to understand.

The speculation that owner Jerry Jones may lift the interim tag off of Garrett and keep him as head coach is growing. The Cowboys are 4-2 under Garrett including impressive wins over the New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts. The Cowboys are now tied with the Washington Redskins for third place in the NFC East, and Dallas can climb out of the NFC East basement if they can win their last two games. It may not be winning the division and heading to the playoffs, but it is also not last place.

Running back Marion Barber plans on starting the Christmas Day game against the Arizona Cardinals in the Dallas backfield. But that does not necessarily mean that autograph hound Tashard Choice will be sitting. Featured running back Felix Jones sat out the last practice with an injured shin and his status for the upcoming holiday game is still doubtful. The Cowboys will continue to practice and make a determination as to Jones’ status as they get closer to game time in Arizona.

This NFL betting season has been difficult on the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys could not live up to NFL predictions because of a disorganized coach and injuries. But, right when it is too late and the NFL scores cannot get the Cowboys into the playoffs, some of the injured Cowboys start to make their way back. The Cowboys may be betting favorites for the rest of the NFL season.

On defense the Cowboys will get back cornerback Orlando Scandrick for the upcoming game against the Eagles. Scandrick passed all of his concussion tests and is ready to play this weekend. The Cowboys will also get back linebacker Sean Lee this weekend. Lee has been nursing a sprained shoulder but was able to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday. He plans on playing this weekend against the Eagles.

On the offensive side, it looks like quarterback Tony Romo is just about ready to come back to the active roster. The Cowboys still do not have Romo listed on their depth chart, but the quarterback has been throwing and should be available to play in the next week or two.

Wide receiver Dez Bryant is out for the season as he has had surgery on his broken ankle. There was more than just fractured bones in Bryant’s ankle, he also had torn ligaments that needed to be re-attached. Bryant has been fighting injuries all season long, but the most well-known of his injuries was the high ankle sprain that kept him out of the preseason and hampered him noticeably throughout the first few games of the season.

There is some good news for Dez Bryant as he recovers in a hospital bed in Dallas. Because he played on at least 35 percent of the offensive plays, and had 41 catches or more this season, Bryant is eligible for a $1 million bonus. Because he qualified for that bonus, he is now also eligible for a $1.4 million bonus at the end of the 2012 season as well.

Dez Bryant was an important part of the Cowboys punt return team and the offense as well. It looks like interim head coach Jason Garrett will be using two, or possibly three, different players to replace Bryant. On the offense, wide receiver Sam Hurd will try to step in as the number three receiver, taking Bryant’s spot. On punt returns, Garrett had rookie Bryan McCann returning punts in the Indianapolis game immediately after Bryant’s injury. But it may be veteran cornerback Terence Newman who will get the job the rest of the season. Garrett has not indicated if one player or the other will get the punt return job, or if he will platoon the two players.

In what has to be a breath of fresh air to the Cowboys fans, wide receiver Miles Austin has not complained one bit about his lack of production. Austin has recently said that it does not matter to him how many catches he has in a game, just so long as the Cowboys win. Austin has had 11 catches total in the last four Cowboys games, but Dallas has won three out of those four games.

Dallas Cowboys vs Philadelphia Eagles Preview

Dallas Sports Fans is the place to get the Cowboys Eagles TV Time, Kickoff Time, TV Announcers and Cowboys Stadium parking information
Cowboys-Eagles Game Day / Date: Sunday – December 12 2010
Cowboys-Eagles TV Time: 7:20PM Central Time
Cowboys-Eagles Kickoff: 7:30PM Central Time
Cowboys-Eagles TV Channel: NBC
Cowboys-Eagles TV Announcers: Al Michaels & Cris Collinsworth
Cowboys-Eagles Tickets: Buy Cowboys Tickets at Razorgator ]]> http://www.dallassportsfans.com/week-14-preview-dallas-cowboys-vs-philadelphia-eagles/feed/ 0 http://fantasy.midwestsportsfans.com/2010/11/updated-the-best-defenses-for-weeks-14-17/ http://fantasy.midwestsportsfans.com/2010/11/updated-the-best-defenses-for-weeks-14-17/#comments Sun, 21 Nov 2010 14:13:21 +0000 Guest Contributor http://fantasy.midwestsportsfans.com/?p=6224

My list of the top-10 defenses for the fantasy playoffs broken down by each team’s schedule for weeks 14-17. Every team’s overall performance for weeks 1-10 was cross-referenced with their performances during weeks 6-10 to see how teams have changed throughout the season.

The overall ability of each defense, and how many fantasy-points teams give away to opposing defenses was taken into account.

Don’t forget to check out our Week-11 contest where you can win some fabulous prizes from Bridgford Jerky!

If contests are not your thing you should still check out the store. Use the promotional code,”fantasy“, during checkout and receive Free Shipping on any order.

Key:

Green = Good

Orange = Bad

Red = Ugly

The numbers beside each team represent how favorable of a match-up I view it to be. (1 = Good, 10=Ugly)

1. Eagles – 14, 15, 16, 17

2. Redskins – 14, 15, 16, 17

3. Cardinals – 14, 15, 16, 17

4. Packers – 14, 15, 16, 17

5. Steelers – 14, 15, 16, 17

6. Cowboys – 14, 15, 16, 17

7. Giants – 14, 15, 16, 17

8. Bucs – 14, 15, 16, 17

9. Seahawks – 14, 15, 16, 17

10. Bears – 14, 15, 16, 17

My list of the top-10 defenses for the fantasy playoffs broken down by each team’s schedule for weeks 14-17. Every team’s overall performance for weeks 1-10 was cross-referenced with their performances during weeks 6-10 to see how teams have changed throughout the season.

The overall ability of each defense, and how many fantasy-points teams give away to opposing defenses was taken into account.

Don’t forget to check out our Week-11 contest where you can win some fabulous prizes from Bridgford Jerky!

If contests are not your thing you should still check out the store. Use the promotional code,”fantasy“, during checkout and receive Free Shipping on any order.

Key:

Green = Good

Orange = Bad

Red = Ugly

The numbers beside each team represent how favorable of a match-up I view it to be.  (1 = Good, 10=Ugly)

1. Eagles – 14, 15, 16, 17

2. Redskins – 14, 15, 16, 17

3. Cardinals – 14, 15, 16, 17

4. Packers – 14, 15, 16, 17

5. Steelers – 14, 15, 16, 17

6. Cowboys – 14, 15, 16, 17

7. Giants – 14, 15, 16, 17

8. Bucs – 14, 15, 16, 17

9. Seahawks – 14, 15, 16, 17

10. Bears – 14, 15, 16, 17

Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys

Sunday, January 10, 8:00 p.m. ET

5Dimes Odds (5Dimes Reviews): Cowboys -4

Cowboys offense vs Eagles defense

The formula should be the same, but what kind of adjustments will be made?

Last week, sports wagering handicappers saw the Cowboys play with a fire that was fueled from revenge from a previous Week 17 loss, but will the Cowboys be as hungry this time around?

The Cowboys had their running game going as Marion Barber and Felix Jones each ran for 91 yards. Meanwhile, quarterback Tony Romo was superb once again and has now achieved a quarterback rating of 100 or higher in five of his last six games.

Considering Miles Austin has stepped up as the big playmaker in the passing game and Jason Witten is as reliable as can be, the Cowboys have a very versatile unit right now.

More importantly, all of their parts are hot.

Read the rest of the article after the jump.

Cowboys defense vs Eagles offense

While the Cowboys offense played well, it’s on this side of the field where the results for this Saturday will be determined.

The Eagles lost starting center Jamaal Jackson for the season two weeks ago and their offensive line has been shaky since. The line got no push for the running game and quarterback Donovan McNabb was sacked four times. More importantly, for a second game this season, the Cowboys shutdown explosive wideout DeSean Jackson.

Without a running game, the Eagles will have a tough time extending their drives. They need the big plays from Jackson to soften up the Cowboys defense but the Cowboys are content blanketing him and allowing everything else.

Look for a similar game plan and considering the Cowboys have the edge on the line of scrimmage here, the results should be similar.

Outlook

It’s always tough to beat a team two weeks in a row but the Cowboys have the right formula: run the ball, avoid mistakes and cover DeSean Jackson.

Internet betting cappers may expect D-Jax to bust loose at some point in this game but the Eagles may need more than that. Their run defense was exposed last week and they were absolutely crushed in the time of possession battle (Cowboys had the ball for 40:23).

The Eagles rely on big plays and as long as the Cowboys don’t give them up, they will advance.

NFL Picks: Cowboys -4

Cowboys Won so the Picture remains

The Cowboys shut out the Eagles big play offense in week 17 of the NFL regular season, and many have speculated that the Eagles didn’t want to show their hand. However that makes no sense considering the fact that if the Eagles won they would have enjoyed a first round bye. Also not many NFL teams would let the Dallas Cowboys shut them out on purpose and let them win the division.

Emmitt Smith you were wrong, not only did the Cowboys finish better than your prediction of 7 and 9, they won the division. This further proves why you are not a broadcaster anymore, not only do you have problems with the spoken word, you are not a good judge of talent. Patrick Crayton put it best when he said a certain someone who predicted 7 and 9 is running around here with a hat on.

This week the Cowboys will face the Eagles at Cowboys Stadium for the second week in a row, and I expect the game to be closer, but the results should be the same. The Cowboys defense looks better each week, the Cowboys are finally developing some talent. The Cowboys offense looked balanced for the first time in awhile, and surprise surprise a balanced attack works. Also Wade Phillips is coaching for his job for as the Dallas Cowboys head coach, so you know he is working extra hard. When you look across the field the coaching staff is pretty confident that they will be back next year no matter what. TV, Game & Matchup information after the jump!

Here is the Cowboys-Eagles TV, Betting, & Game Information, below is a comparison between the teams.
Cowboys-Eagles Day & Date: Saturday – January 9th 2010
Cowboys-Eagles Kickoff Time: 7:00 PM Central Time
Cowboys-Eagles Location: Cowboys Stadium – Arlington, TX
Cowboys-Eagles TV Channel: NBC
Cowboys-Eagles TV Announcers: Cris Collinsworth – Al Michaels
Cowboys-Eagles Point Spreads: Cowboys -4 | Eagles +4
Cowboys-Eagles Over / Under: 45
Cowboys-Eagles Parking: Cowboys Stadium Parking Information
Cowboys-Eagles Tickets:

Get Cowboys Playoff Tickets at StubHub.com!

Cowboys-Eagles Statistical Breakdown | YPG= Yards per Game | PPG= Points per Game
Cowboys Offense
YPG: 399.4 – 2nd | PPG: 22.6 – 14th
Cowboys Defense
YPG: 315.9 – 9th | PPG: 15.6 – 2nd
Eagles Offense
YPG: 357.9 – 11th | PPG: 26.8 – 5th
Eagles Defense
YPG: 321.1 – 12th | PPG: 21.1 – 19th
The Eagles hold a marginal advantage for offense, but played below their average last week. The Cowboys hold the advantage for defense and they played better than their average last week. I expect both teams to come back towards their averages, but still believe the Cowboys will win. My prediction is
Cowboys 21 Eagles 10

Sources:
Dallas Cowboys
NFL