Dallas Cowboys Update: Preseason Starts with New Questions

The sports betting fans in Dallas are getting ready for a preseason they did not think would happen. But the Dallas Cowboys seem to be filled with more questions than answers as the team prepares to take on the Denver Broncos Thursday in the preseason opener. Changes in some key positions, and no changes in other positions, have created tense moments for the Cowboys’ fans who are unsure as to what to expect in 2011.

Felix Jones prepares to take on the role of the primary running back after the departure of Marion Barber in the off-season. But NFL betting lines fans remember Jones as the running back that could not stay healthy his first two seasons. Barber was the one that was carrying the load for Dallas while Jones was hurt. When Jones was able to play, he was an electric and exciting running back. But fans are wondering if the loss of Barber will give more time to new back-up running back Tashard Choice as opposed to allowing Jones to flourish as the starter.

The biggest question floating around Valley Ranch involves the Dallas defense. The one major change made to the Cowboys’ defensive unit was new coordinator Rob Ryan. Aside from that, the players on the field are the exact same unit as last year. The defensive secondary was unable to keep up with some offensive opponents, and the defensive line had issues in containing the run. But the Cowboys feel that a change in scheme will help the current players to be more successful and bring out the best in this defensive unit.

NFL fans in Dallas remember Kyle Kosier as being an effective left tackle in the 2010 season. But the addition of rookie right guard Tyron Smith in the 2011 draft means that Kosier will be playing right tackle in 2011. The move does make sense. Kosier has a comfort level on the right side, and he can work with the rookie Smith to develop his skills. That also gives veteran left tackle Doug Free the chance to work with rookie left guard David Arkin. Having two rookies at guard is a risk that the Cowboys are willing to take. It may help an offensive line that had a lot of problems last season, or it could be another step backwards for the Cowboys’ offensive unit.

The Dallas Cowboys love taking their training camp show on the road, but the shortened training camp this season made it difficult for the Cowboys to make multiple stops on their way to Valley Ranch. The Alamodome in San Antonio has been one of the homes of the Dallas Cowboys training camp for the past few years, but the Cowboys are not committing to coming back in 2012. Each team in the NFL picks its training camp sites for extended periods of four and five years. Now is the time for the Cowboys to re-sign their five-year commitment to the Alamodome, and the Cowboys are not certain that they want to do that just yet.

Dallas Sports Fan – Rangers Still Leading The West, Cowboys Hit The Ground Running

Bet Eagle clients are gearing up for a busy time of year in Dallas as the Texas Rangers are headed into the stretch run to the playoffs, and they’ve got their hands full with Los Angeles in the American League West. However, the Cowboys are back and that threatens to grab all of the attention in your sports betting book.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers will be ready to head back home after a road trip that saw them lose four of their first five games in Toronto and Detroit, and they’ll be aiming to avoid a sweep in the Motor City on Thursday afternoon against the Tigers. That leaves the Rangers with a one-game lead over the Angels in the West ahead of that matinee with the Tigers, and Texas will head back home in time for the beginning of their weekend set against Cleveland, who are trying to keep pace with Detroit in the Central, so you know they’ll bring their A-game. Following that series, the Rangers will welcome Seattle to the Ballpark and will likely be the MLB betting favorites, but Texas has to get their act together and do the little things that they seem to have trouble with on the road.

Dallas Cowboys

The lockout ended last week and the Cowboys wasted no time; the major releases were Roy Williams, Marion Barber, Marc Colombo and Kris Brown, while rookies Tyron Smith, DeMarco Murray and Bruce Carter were signed. Linemen Doug Free and Kyle Kosier were re-signed, and along with Smith, they’ll be counted on to keep quarterback Tony Romo on his feet. But you don’t need a Bet Online review to tell you that the Cowboys have to sort out their problems in the secondary, and they missed out on claiming cornerback Nmandi Asomugha, who signed with Dallas’ NFC East rivals from Philadelphia. There isn’t much else out there as Antonio Cromartie decided to re-sign with the New York Jets, so the Cowboys have to deal with who they have, and they can’t afford another season like 2010, when their secondary was lit up on a consistent basis. Philadelphia has improved (although Dallas fans should keep an eye on the contract discussions between DeSean Jackson and the Eagles), while the New York Giants should have a solid aerial attack and Washington…..well, the Eagles and Giants will be tough to stop. It’ll be interesting to see if the Cowboys can swing any more moves before Week 1 kicks off on September 11^th in New York (technically, New Jersey) against the Jets. However, the Cowboys begin preseason action on August 11^th at home against Denver, and they should be the sports betting favorites for that contest.

Dallas Cowboys Update: How Did the Cowboys Do in Free Agency?

At 6:00 PM EST on Friday July 29, all chaos broke loose in the NFL free agency market as teams only had a few days to sign players. The sports betting experts were watching to see where key free agents such as Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha would end up, and Cowboys fans were hoping that the Dallas Cowboys would improve their defense in some way on the open market.

When the dust settled, the NFL betting lines had definitely changed. But Cowboys fans were left wondering what the plan was at Valley Ranch and if the team was trying to gear up for a Super Bowl run. Last year was the ultimate in disappointment if you are a Cowboys fan. This year there have been some changes, but fans will have to see if it will be enough for the Cowboys to make it to the playoffs in 2011.

The first area to look at to see how the Cowboys did in free agency is to see what kind of activity Dallas had in the NFL open market. With all of the potential help that was out there in the defensive secondary, the Cowboys made no free agent signings. Asomugha, cornerback Antonio Cromartie from the Jets and cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from the Cardinals were all on the open market and none of them went to Dallas. Much to the dismay of Cowboys fans, Asomugha and Rodgers-Cromartie both went to the Philadelphia Eagles. A change like that in Philly could go a long way to pointing out the inadequacies of the Cowboys’ own defensive secondary.

The Cowboys did manage to keep some key players and prevent them from getting into the open market. Offensive tackle Doug Free was going to be a hot free agent until the Cowboys signed him to a four-year deal. Defensive end Marcus Spears was retained by Dallas, along with offensive guard Kyle Kosier.

The betonline reviews on the players that the Cowboys let go is mixed. Veteran wide receiver Roy Williams never seemed to fit in to the Dallas offense, so letting him go was a natural move. Running back Marion Barber became part of a crowded Dallas backfield and was the odd-man out. Offensive tackle Marc Colombo and defensive end Stephen Bowen could have been contributors to the Cowboys’ success in 2011, but both were allowed to leave the team via free agency.

The one player that has not been signed by the Cowboys, or any other team at this point, that stands out is safety Gerald Sensabaugh. The Dallas Cowboys have continually ignored their weaknesses in the defensive backfield for the past two or three years. When quality players are available in free agency, the Cowboys do no pursue them. When the Cowboys needed a safety or offensive lineman in the 2010 draft, they took wide receiver Dez Bryant instead.

With Sensabaugh still not signed to a contract, it shows that the Cowboys feel that they have a plan in the backfield but they are unwilling to let anyone know what that plan may be. New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has his hands full trying to put together a defense that can compete for Dallas. Considering the moves that Dallas made in free agency, Ryan’s job just got more difficult.

Dallas Sports Fan – Rangers Working To Improve, Cowboys Back In Business

ABC per head customers in the Dallas area have probably had a busy week between the baseball diamond and the football field as the Texas Rangers now have to share the sports betting spotlight with the Dallas Cowboys now that the NFL lockout is over. The Rangers are aiming to improve their team ahead of the trade deadline on Sunday, while the Cowboys are trying to make a splash via free agency.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers ended the week poorly after winning two of three at home against Toronto last weekend, but all is not lost; they can still earn a split of their four-game set at the Ballpark against Minnesota with a win on Thursday night against the Twins. Texas exploded for 20 runs on 27 hits in the first game of the series, but MLB betting players watched Neftali Feliz continue to have a strange campaign as he blew his fifth save of the year in a 9-8 loss, and then the Rangers were thumped 7-2 on Wednesday night. The Rangers will head to Toronto and Detroit next week, and it’ll be interesting to see what the team looks like by the time they arrive in the Motor City, as Texas is in the running to acquire closer Heath Bell from San Diego, but they missed out on slugger Carlos Beltran, who was dealt by the New York Mets to the San Francisco Giants.

Dallas Cowboys

Whatever attention the CFL was getting will now be taken over by the NFL as the lockout ended on Monday, and the Cowboys have been hot on the heels of free-agent cornerback Nmandi Asomugha, who would really provide a spark in a secondary that was often burned last season. A number of players have been or are on their way to being released, such as running back Marion Barber, receiver Roy Williams, tackle Marc Colombo and kicker Kris Brown, among others. One signing that the Cowboys did make was tackle Doug Free, who received a four-year deal worth $32 million, and Dallas knows that they have keep quarterback Tony Romo on the field after last season’s broken clavicle. Guard Kyle Kosier was also re-signed to a three-year deal worth $9 million, and they will be joined up front by rookie tackle Tyron Smith and center Andre Gurode, but they have to find a replacement for guard Leonard Davis, who is on his way out of Dallas. Now, look for the Cowboys to focus their efforts on Asomugha, the jewel of the free-agent market and one of the top three cornerbacks in the game. If the Cowboys can lure him to “Jerry’s World”, look for their sports betting odds to make a move.

Dallas Cowboys Update: Cowboys Offense is Ready to Attack

Sports betting experts watched as the Dallas Cowboys’ offense functioned effectively last season even though starting quarterback Tony Romo missed most of the season with a broken collarbone. With the changes coming to the Cowboys offense for 2011 which include a return by Romo and the possible exit of running back Marion Barber, online casino wagering football fans are starting to think that the Cowboys have the makings of the best offense in the NFC.

If the Cowboys can get production from last year’s number one pick wide receiver Dez Bryant, then the sportsbook promo crowd is thinking that the Cowboys receiving corps is the best in the NFC. Along with Bryant would be veteran Roy Williams and number one receiver Miles Austin. Tashard Choice and Felix Jones would carry the ball for the Cowboys behind an offensive line that could use a little help. The only place the Cowboys seem vulnerable on offense is at the offensive tackle position. Dallas is hoping that the current roster can help fill in those important spots.

No one is sure when free agency will start up again, but the Philadelphia Eagles have already indicated that they will be making a lot of NFL picks to help bolster Philly’s chances at a playoff spot. The Eagles put the Cowboys and New York Giants on notice that the NFC East will be competitive this year as the Eagles intend to win the division through improving their team in the offseason.

Even though the players are not on the field right now, the media is still evaluating the play from last year and handing out accolades. In a recent USA Today poll of professional football media experts, DeMarcus Ware was voted as the best outside linebacker currently in the league. Ware’s ability to rush the passer and stop the run makes him an all-around linebacker that the rest of the league is taking note of.

While DeMarcus Ware was getting recognized for his play, the rest of the Dallas defense is still on notice about their play last year. New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has not had a chance to work extensively with a unit that gave up a lot of points and a lot of yards last year. The weakest point in the Dallas defense is the defensive secondary. It is difficult to dial up a blitz when there is no confidence that the secondary will be able to contain the receivers. The Cowboys drafted some top rated defensive secondary players, but it will be Ryan’s use of his personnel that will determine how successful the defense will be.

As most of the players sit at home and wonder when they will be able to get to the practice field again, players’ representatives and NFL owners try to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement. But it looks like the owners’ coalition is fragmenting as some owners are resisting the terms being discussed and are trying to negotiate with the players on their own. This week is a critical week as Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones and the rest of the NFL owners meet to try and get on the same page and bring the lockout to an end.

Dallas Cowboys Update: It Is a Tony Romo World that We are Living In

The sports betting experts are still not convinced that the NFL season will start on time, if at all. As the 2011 Belmont betting approaches, the NFL players and owners are still locked in a labor dispute that seems to be playing out in the courts rather than at the negotiating table. While the Belmont betting presses on, lawyers from the players’ side and the owners’ side sit by and wait for a court to give a final decision on the legality of the lockout. In the meantime, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has been getting plenty of press lately.

Top football insiders such as Vic Carucci and Steve Wyche are speculating on the future of Tony Romo if the 2011 season turns out to be a bust. The general consensus is that the 2011 season is the one where Romo needs to establish himself as the starting quarterback by taking a leadership role, winning games in the regular season, winning games in the playoffs and staying healthy. If Romo cannot deliver this season, then the Cowboys may use one of their NFL picks next year to start over again at quarterback.

In other Romo-related news, Tony Romo and former television news reporter Candice Crawford were married over the weekend in a ceremony attended by many of the Cowboys’ royalty. Owner Jerry Jones was on hand, and former Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman was also on hand to witness the event. Romo scheduled the wedding in between training sessions that he is holding with his team in an undisclosed Dallas location.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has been mulling over the team’s needs during this lockout. Last season, Dallas had some strong needs at positions such as offensive line and defensive safety that the team refused to address. This year, Jones has indicated that if free agency ever starts up again, the Cowboys will be in the market for new safeties. Jones did not address the hole that remains at offensive line, or what will become of running backs Felix Jones, Marion Barber and Tashard Choice. But the prevailing feeling is that Barber may be the odd-man out in this situation.

Troubled wide receiver Dez Bryant has been participating in the player-run workouts, and many within the organization feel that spending more time with his teammates is helping Bryant sort out his personal issues. Bryant ran into problems during the offseason when he was banned from a Dallas shopping mall for creating a disturbance and then being sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars in jewelry he has not paid for. Bryant made headlines again when he was supposed to meet with owner Jerry Jones when the lockout was temporarily lifted, but Bryant never showed.

Jones dismisses the missed meeting as being no real event and says that he is not concerned about Dez Bryant. When the Cowboys drafted Bryant, the wide receiver had indicated that it was his life-long dream to play for the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are hoping that the threat of losing that dream will be enough to help Bryant get back on the right path and be a productive member of the team.

Dallas Cowboys Update: Romo Up, Barber May Be Out

Once the NFL combine was over, the sports betting world was buzzing over the flow of young quarterbacks working out at Valley Ranch in preparation for the draft. The prevailing question was whether or not this sudden interest in young quarterbacks meant that current starting quarterback Tony Romo is on his way out in Dallas. The Cowboys front office did not help the situation by remaining silent on the entire issue.

As the online betting for Kentucky Derby favorites started to appear, Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett made things worse by insisting that the Cowboys allow Jon Kitna to compete with Tony Romo for the starting quarterback job when the new collective bargaining agreement is in place. Throughout all of this sports betting bonus action, Tony Romo kept quiet and tended to his golf game. It was all a very unusual situation.

Now that the lockout is more than a month old and players are missing out on their scheduled workouts, Tony Romo has suddenly come to the forefront again as a team leader by organizing workouts for the players. The locations of the workouts are being kept secret. But Romo is working to organize the gatherings and he is also said to have paid for much of it as well. The players, and Romo, are still not commenting on the possibility that the Cowboys will draft a quarterback with the ninth overall pick in the draft. But many of them are now praising Romo’s leadership and indicating that they feel comfortable with Romo as the starting quarterback.

Marion Barber has been on the bubble as far as a roster spot goes since the 2010 season ended. While the Cowboys are not expected to take a running back with one of their higher NFL picks, there is now a consensus among Cowboys observers that, once the new collective bargaining agreement is in place and the dates for paying roster bonuses are set, that Marion Barber could be released from the Cowboys to avoid having to pay his roster bonus. It could happen this summer, or it could happen as late as the beginning of next season. It all depends on when the new collective bargaining agreement is put in place and what the roster bonus cut-of dates will be. But the general feeling is that Marion Barber’s days in Dallas are numbered.

Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant is slowly trying to climb out of the public relations hole he dug for himself when it was revealed that he has hundreds of thousands of dollars in money owed for jewelry. Bryant recently reached an agreement with A+A Diamonds of New York for a lawsuit that totaled $246,000. It is not clear how much was paid to settle the suit, but it was enough for the owner of the store to indicate that he would welcome Bryant’s business again in the future.

In a show of player solidarity, Dallas defensive lineman DeMarcus Ware donated $60,000 to a fund to help struggling NFL players. Ware also donated $5,000 to help the family of a six-year-old boy and his mother who were injured in a car accident. Ware did not make any comments on his donations, only saying that he wanted to help out his fellow players and the family of the boy.

Dallas Cowboys News: Cowboys Still Big Business

Dallas Cowboys News: Cowboys Still Big Business

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. Read more

Dallas Cowboys Update: Making The Wrong Choice

Dallas Cowboys Update: Making The Wrong Choice

The betting experts can be a fickle bunch, and NFL betting experts are particularly brutal in their assessments. But when you serve up a home run pitch like Cowboys running back Tashard Choice did after the Cowboys loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in week 14, then the NFL predictions are going to weight heavily against you.

The Eagles beat the Cowboys 30-27 in one of the closer NFL scores of the week. But when the game was over, backup running back Tashard Choice was captured on camera getting Michael Vick’s autograph. Choice had waited all season to finally get a chance to play. He had sat on the bench behind Felix Jones and Marion Barber all season long. In one of his chances to shine, Choice lavishes praise on the opposing quarterback by asking for his autograph.

Choice said the autograph was for his three-year-old nephew, and most of the Cowboys players support Choice. But it is the fans that the Dallas players should be worried about, and the fans are not happy. Dallas sports radio lit up the next day with calls to bench or release Choice. Dallas Cowboys fans are already sensitive about not making the playoffs this year. When one of their running backs does the celebrity worship thing with the opposing quarterback, it is not going to go over well in Dallas. Read more

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.

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