Dallas Round-Up – Cowboys Prepare For Colts, Mavs Are On Fire, Stars Rolling Too

Dallas Round-Up – Cowboys Prepare For Colts, Mavs Are On Fire, Stars Rolling Too

College football betting players don’t have much to worry about in the Dallas area, but two of the professional teams are lighting up the league, while the major story in the city are getting ready to face another tough opponent, this time on the road.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys battled hard in a 30-27 loss at home to New Orleans on Thanksgiving Thursday, snapping a two-game winning streak under Jason Garrett. The offense put up 457 yards, but had three turnovers, and a Roy Williams fumble in New Orleans’ territory gave the Saints a chance to score a late touchdown, while David Buehler narrowly missed a 59-yard field goal that would have tied the game. The Cowboys now move onto Indianapolis as 5-point football betting underdogs, but the Colts are struggling, particularly Peyton Manning, and the Cowboys should see this as a chance to build more momentum for next year.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks are one of the hottest teams in the league as they carry a seven-game winning streak into Utah on Friday night, and this is intriguing because both teams have won seven in a row heading into this contest, so something obviously has to give. The Mavericks started last week with a nine-point win in San Antonio on Friday, which ended a 12-game winning streak for the Spurs, then beat the underachieving Miami Heat at home on Saturday night. The Mavericks then beat Houston at home by 10 on Monday, then by 14 points over Minnesota on Wednesday, and they’re coming together better than a lot of people thought.  After the Utah showdown on Friday, the Mavericks head to Sacramento on Saturday, then back home for Golden State on Tuesday.

Dallas Stars

If you checked out the NHL sports news and were surprised to find the Stars on top of the Pacific Division, you weren’t alone, but neither is Dallas: as of Thursday, they were tied with Phoenix and Anaheim on 29 points, while Los Angeles and San Jose are only three points back. The Stars had won four in a row ahead of Thursday’s visit from Washington, winning at Ottawa, followed by back-to-back victories over St. Louis, then another road win at Carolina. The Stars allowed four goals in those four games, and that will always give you a good chance to win. After the Washington game, the Stars host Minnesota on Saturday night, followed by road games at Columbus and Chicago. Even moreso than the Mavericks, no one expected the Stars to be this competitive in the Pacific Division, which is loaded with talent, but if they keep this up, it’ll be more difficult to ignore their NHL betting odds in your online sportsbook.

Dallas Cowboys Update: Romo Almost Ready to Return

Dallas Cowboys Update: Romo Almost Ready to Return

Many in the betting world have been speculating on whether or not the Dallas Cowboys will allow starting quarterback Tony Romo to play after his injury is healed. Many NFL betting enthusiasts remember that Romo was hurt against the New York Giants on October 25. Since Romo’s injury, the Cowboys have put up some winning NFL scores. But since the Cowboys will not be able to live up to the preseason NFL predictions of making the playoffs and going to the Super Bowl, speculation has been that Romo will not play this season even if he is healthy.

But interim head coach Jason Garrett addressed the issue with the media recently after Romo was seen throwing the ball at practice this week. Garrett has stated that Romo will play when he is healthy, regardless of the Cowboys record. Garrett went on to give an estimate of two to three weeks before Romo’s return but was quick to caution that it is all speculative and an exact time table has not been worked out. Romo is not involved in contact drills at practice, and he is limited in how much he can throw right now. Once the doctors deem Romo to be healthy, Garrett says that the quarterback will play.

The Cowboys lost more than the game last week against the New Orleans Saints. Running back Marion Barber has a strained calf muscle and will not be able to play in the upcoming game against the Indianapolis Colts. Barber was starting to establish himself as the starter over his running back counterpart Felix Jones when the injury happened. This gives Tashard Choice the chance to show whether or not he belongs on the 2011 Cowboys roster.

Rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant made headlines in Thursday’s loss to the Saints when he exploded on the sidelines at his coaches, his teammates and anyone else that will listen. Interim head coach Jason Garrett said that Bryant’s display of emotion was a welcome sign from the rookie, and it shows that Bryant deeply cares about winning. The only negative that Garrett pointed out was the potential for opposing defenses to use Bryant’s emotions against him. But Bryant’s teammates came to his defense saying that the outburst was not a problem. Quarterback Jon Kitna even went so far as to say that Bryant was right about what he was saying and that Kitna had indeed made a critical error in a throw to Bryant.

Interim head coach Jason Garrett has showed poise with the media, restored order to the locker room and has produced a winning record in his first three games as Cowboys head coach. All of this makes Garrett a front-runner for the full-time Cowboys head coaching position, but Jerry Jones is still leaving the door open for interviews when the season is over. Names such as Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher continue to come up, but Jones has not said anything about a front-runner or any actual interviews yet.

Peyton Manning Wins NFL MVP Award

Peyton Manning was named the 2008 NFL MVP in a landslide vote. Manning helped the Colts overcome a number of injury problems, including a knee injury to Manning himself, to make the playoffs.

This is Manning’s third NFL MVP win. He also won the award in 2003, when he was named MVP alongside Steve McNair, and in 2004, when Manning was named the sole MVP.

The AP MVP voting is conducted through nationwide balloting of 50 sportswriters and journalists. Manning easily won the award with 32 votes. The next closest candidates were Chad Pennington of the Miami Dolphins and Michael Turner of the Atlanta Falcons.

With his third MVP win, Peyton Manning is now tied with Brett Favre for the most NFL MVP wins. Favre, now with the Jets, won 3 times with the Green Bay Packers, Favre won in 1995 and 1996, and was named co-MVP with Barry Sanders in 1997.

After a 3-4 start, Peyton Manning was able to shake a knee injury and lead the Indianapolis Colts to a 9 game winning streak, during which Manning was 209 for 290 with 2,248 yards and 17 touchdowns. He only threw 3 interceptions during that winning streak. 2008 was Manning’s ninth 4,000 yards season. He threw for a total of 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

When looking at the MVP voting, there are certainly several qualified candidates. Chad Pennington has remade his image by leading the Dolphins in one of the biggest turn around seasons in NFL history. Michael Turner also helped the Atlanta Falcons come back from a disastrous 2007 to make the playoffs.

With numerous players making strong cases, Peyton Manning clearly eclipsed them all. Manning earned the MVP award for this season emphatically. His comeback from injury showed the true class he has. This will not be the last MVP award for Peyton Manning.

Given Manning’s astounding success with the Colts this year, it is no surprise that he is a hot commodity in the acting world as well. Here is a clip of Manning in the role that truly defined him as a method actor, as he plays an older quarterback who still has an eye for shenanigans and general tomfoolery.

With performances like this, it is certain that Manning will be able to soon add an Oscar to his trophy case. Is there anything this MVP cannot do.