Dallas Cowboys Update: Dez Bryant Making Waves

As long as there has been sports betting in the NFL, there has been rookie initiations. It is usually harmless stuff like singing in a rookie talent show, cleaning up the cafeteria after lunch or carrying a veteran receiver’s pads after practice. While the NFL betting world is excited that Dez Bryant finally signed a five-year, $11.8 million dollar contract to get him officially into training camp, some of the Cowboy veteran players are not happy with Bryant.

After a practice last week, Dez Bryant refused to carry the pads of veteran wide receiver Roy Williams. Bryant said he was drafted to win football games and not carry pads. Williams said that actions like the one taken by Bryant sometimes result in retaliation by the team veterans. The fact of the matter is that Bryant is competing with Williams for the second or third wide receiver job, and it may be Williams that is carrying Bryant’s shoulder pads before long.

In other Dez Bryant news, the rookie receiver has been showing up to the practice field wearing Nike apparel. Normally that would not be a big deal, except for the fact that Bryant was sponsored by Under Armour. Because of his apparel preference, Under Armour decided to drop Bryant as a paid endorser. According to Nike, Bryant is not under contract with the company in any capacity.

As the NCAA football betting season approaches, it makes football fans wonder how far NFL players leave their college days behind them. Apparently third-year tight end Martellus Bennett is having a difficult time leaving his younger years in the past. Recently, some nude photos of Bennett have surfaced on the Internet. Bennett says they were taken while he was in college, and were kept by a former girlfriend. It is believed that the ex-girlfriend released the photos. Bennett apologized, and the Cowboys have only said that they are dealing with the issue internally.

The Cowboys put a small monkey wrench into the NFL preseason betting when they did not bring any experienced field goal kickers into camp. The team drafted a kicker, and then gave kick-off specialist David Buehler the chance to be the full-time field goal kicker. Cowboy fans held their collective breath as field goal kicking problems hurt the Cowboys last season. It seems that Buehler is on track to be the field goal kicker, and is progressing well. Word out of Cowboys’ camp is that the kicking job is Buehler’s to lose.

Quarterback Tony Romo is a three time NFL all-star, and now he has also won a game in the playoffs. But Romo is not taking anything for granted. He recently spoke to reporters and said that he not only expects to be a Super Bowl champion, it is something that he knows he needs to do to erase mistakes of the past and push him to a higher status among NFL quarterbacks. Romo’s confidence is growing, and with a potent running game behind him and talented receivers to throw to, Romo could be holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end of this season.

2014 Super Bowl Awarded to New York

It just came down that the 2014 Super Bowl will be played in New York / New Jersey at the new home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. This cold weather superbowl may open the door for further Super Bowls to be played in the colder cities of the NFL. Opposition to a Super Bowl in the cold cited the possibility of a weather delayed Super Bowl. Check out the NFL website for more news on the 2014 Super Bowl.

Brian Cushing Re-vote Sends the Wrong Message

Congratulations to Brian Cushing for winning the rookie of the year award again. After receiving a four game suspension for the use of performance enhancing drugs, The Houston Texans Linebacker received the award for the second time after the league called a re-vote.

The most head scratching part of this story is not so much the suspension, but the re-vote on the rookie of the year award. In most sports, athletes are stripped of their medals, titles, or awards for using these substances.

By allowing him to keep the award, is the NFL sending the wrong message about the use of performance enhancing drugs? Is there a more appropriate way to handle this issue?

The NFL’s recent action is sending the wrong message and the main reason is they haven’t had anyone pushing them to do so. The NFL and other leagues have escaped scrutiny and investigation during the last decade because all eyes were on Major League Baseball and their problems with steroid use. Consequently, the NFL has not made a concerted effort to really address the issue. By the NFL allowing for a re-vote on the rookie of the year award, they are basically telling their fans and players that they really do not take this problem seriously. Read more

Dallas Cowboys Report: The Cowboys Finally Making Moves

The football betting community was a little confused when the Dallas Cowboys chose Penn State linebacker Sean Lee in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft. The Cowboys did not really need a linebacker, and they already had an under-achiever in Bobby Carpenter. With all of the wild basketball betting going on causing speculation about the future of Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki, it was rumored that the Cowboys may have plans of their own that included Carpenter and closing up the gap left behind with the release of Flozell Adams.

The Cowboys finally made a move towards getting their offensive line in order when they traded Bobby Carpenter to the St. Louis Rams for offensive tackle Alex Barron. When you bet on NBA playoffs you want to try and grab a sure thing, for the Cowboys Barron is far from a sure thing. He started as a guard and was recently moved to tackle. In his 76 games with the Rams this former first round draft pick has not been impressive at all. Maybe Jerry Jones and his staff see something the Rams did not.

As the World Cup predictions start to fly in anticipation of the tournament opening in South Africa, media and coaches at the Cowboys most recent mini-camp are giving glowing reviews of first round draft pick Dez Bryant. The wide receiver has shown excellent speed, reliable hands and the ability to pick up on the details of the playbook very well in only a short period of time. Cowboys receiver Miles Austin was recently on ESPN commenting on his hopes for a great rookie season from Bryant.

As Dez Bryant continues to impress at Valley Ranch, the question that continues to come up concerns the future of wide receiver Roy Williams. Cowboys wide receiver coach Ray Sherman has maintained that Williams is working hard and hopes to contribute to the Cowboys playoff run in 2010. But it will be interesting to see if the Cowboys use Williams as an outside speed receiver, or if they put him in the slot and give the outside job to Dez Bryant.

In other news that cannot be encouraging to Roy Williams, the Cowboys have allowed Dez Bryant to take the revered number 88 as his jersey number. It was the number worn by Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, and it was recently brought out of retirement to bestow upon Bryant.

The Cowboys were able to grab some players in free agency that were not taken in the draft. Some of the signings of note are Toledo safety Barry Church, Eastern Washington quarterback Matt Nichols and Cal offensive guard Chet Teofilo. The Cowboys continue to avoid adding veteran players into the much needed spots of offensive line and safety, but they have added more options with these signings.

The Cowboys may be looking at another trade before training camp opens as they have made it known that wide receiver Sam Hurd is on the open market. Hurd is a back-up receiver that only had seven receptions for 121 yards in the 2009 season.

Dallas Cowboys Report: Dez Bryant Making Headlines Already

The online sports betting community was a little puzzled when the Dallas Cowboys took wide receiver Dez Bryant with their first round draft pick. The NFL betting experts were expecting the Cowboys to take an offensive lineman or defensive back in the first round to help address the team’s most pressing needs. The Cowboys instead went for the big play threat in Bryant, and now they may have taken on a bit more than they bargained for.

The Dallas Cowboys sit as 10 to 1 favorites to win Super Bowl XLV, which makes Dallas one of the top favorites to take it all this season. But allegations surrounding the mother of their newest top draft pick could prove to be season long distractions that the Cowboys do not need.

Dez Bryant’s mother Angela Bryant was arrested in 1997 and then sent to prison for 18 months for selling crack cocaine. To add to that, Angela Bryant was arrested again in April 2009 again for selling crack cocaine. Now comes allegations from Yahoo Sports that during a pre-draft interview with the Miami Dolphins, Dez Bryant allegedly told the Dolphins that his father was a pimp and his mother worked for his father.

When you bet horse races such as the Preakness betting that is going on, there is a hope that jockeys and trainers learn from their own mistakes and the mistakes of others. Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys have shown that, even in the wake of the recent wave of character scandals in the NFL, sometimes even the top NFL teams have a difficult time learning from past mistakes.

Bryant was brilliant at the Cowboys’ recent rookie camp, and the team expects great things from him. Dez Bryant denies saying those things about his mother and father, but Cowboy fans may want to hold on to something as Bryant’s rookie year could be a rough ride.

As the Celtics Cavaliers betting heats up in basketball, the Dallas Cowboys have made a couple of other moves to their roster. Offensive guard Montrae Holland signed a two-year deal recently. Holland was inactive for all 16 games last season, and he only played in two games the season before. The Cowboys have still not addressed the gaping hole left behind by the release of left tackle Flozell Adams.

Wide receiver Patrick Crayton, who had joined the team for workouts even though he is trying to negotiate a new contract, has walked out on the Cowboys again and is now demanding a trade. It should be noted that the workouts that Crayton left were voluntary and that Crayton expects to be in Valley Ranch when mandatory sessions begin later this spring.

In other unhappy Dallas Cowboy wide receiver news, Miles Austin is also skipping out on voluntary workouts and is hinting he may want a new contract. Tony Romo’s favorite target last season may have made Cowboys fans nervous by his decision, but Romo himself is confident that Austin will be in camp when it is time to get to work on the new season.

Dallas Cowboys Update: Grading the Cowboys Draft Picks

If the sports betting world knew one thing about the Dallas Cowboys going into the 2010 draft it was that the Cowboys had glaring needs on offense and defense. The Cowboys needed an offensive lineman after releasing Flozell Adams earlier in the off-season, and they needed a safety after releasing Ken Hamlin.

When you look at NHL betting odds, there are some things that can be obvious. One team has a more powerful offense that could easily overpower the other team’s weak goaltending. If you bet on the Kentucky Derby, you would take the same straightforward approach as NHL playoff betting. You look at the horse’s past performance against a similar field, and you bet based on that.

If you are a betting person trying to play it straight with the Cowboys in the 2010 draft, then you may have been thrown for a loop at the results. But Jerry Jones and his staff may have proven that, just as with picking Kentucky Derby winners, everything in the NFL draft is not so cut-and-dry.

The Cowboys did what many experts feared they were going to do in the first round, they took Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant. They did not take a first round offensive lineman, nor did they take a safety. But it is important for fans to remember that each team normally only has one pick per round. Trades or punishment from the league can make that situation different, but for the most part each team has one pick per round. When you look at the Cowboys’ draft picks, the team did an excellent job at utilizing the draft properly.

Jerry Jones obviously has plans on filling his safety and offensive line needs through free agency or trades. The offensive line spot vacated by Flozell Adams is on Tony Romo’s blind side. Putting any rookie in that spot, even a first round draft pick, is dicey. The Cowboys secondary is solid, so putting a rookie in at safety could disrupt what is already an experienced bunch. An experienced safety would be a much better fit there.

Dez Bryant will return kicks to start the season, and you may see him in three receiver sets. Roy Williams better look over his shoulder because it is highly probable that the Cowboys will give Bryant the chance to be the star receiver on the side of the field opposite Miles Austin. That makes Williams the odd man out, and with his salary the Cowboys may be better off cutting him rather than letting him sit the bench. Since there is no cap next season, there are no cap considerations with Williams’ salary.

In the second round the Cowboys took Penn State linebacker Sean Lee, and it is likely that Lee will be given the chance to take the starting linebacker job from disappointment Bobby Carpenter.

Indiana University Pennsylvania safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah was picked in the third round, and fans can look for him to return kicks and be a back-up safety in the coming season.

Dallas Cowboys 2010 NFL Mock Draft Coverage

Now that we know OT Flozell Adams & S Ken Hamlin will not be with the team, I think a bunch of experts may be changing their mock drafts. however I am going to weigh in with my admittedly non expert opinion on what logical choices for the Dallas Cowboys 2010 draft are.

With the exception of Mel Kiper who has the Cowboys taking a safety in the draft, the rest of these draft junkies have the Cowboys taking a safety with the 27th pick in the first round. I am not on board with this however, and the reason is that you generally don’t get an offensive lineman that is NFL ready at #27. The second reason I believe that the first Dallas Cowboys Draft pick will not be a lineman is that I don’t believe the Cowboys would have released Flozell Adams if they didn’t already think they had a player to replace him. I have said it before, I think that the starting Left Tackle for 2010 will come from the current roster. Marc Colombo, Doug Free, and Pat McQuistan are the candidates for the position unless the Cowboys move up in the draft. Marion Barber’s name has been floating around in trade rumors, so don’t rule out a trade to fill the Cowboys voids at Left Tackle or Safety.

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Dallas Cowboys Report: Super Bowl this Year?

The 2010 Final Four odds are in, but the fans of the Dallas Cowboys have other things on their minds. Even the best online sportsbook makers had a difficult time keeping the Cowboys out of the Super Bowl contender bracket. The Cowboys even got that December monkey off their backs in 2009 by only losing two games that month as opposed to the four or five they normally lose in December.

But a Dallas Cowboys report for the 2010 season must talk about the Super Bowl. The sports betting community believes that the Cowboys are already 10 to 1 favorites to win the Super Bowl this year, but odds on favorites are the Indianapolis Colts at 6 to 1. To win the Super Bowl the Cowboys need to win a playoff spot in the NFC while building a team that can beat Peyton Manning in February of 2011. The Cowboys may have done that.

The first move the Cowboys will make is to put Felix Jones in as the starting running back over Marion Barber. Why is this important? The New Orleans Saints are an NFC team unlike any other NFC team because they primarily throw the ball. Peyton Manning and the Colts also primarily throw the ball. Felix Jones is very good at pounding the ball for yards, and he also has break-away speed. The longer the Cowboys have the ball on offense, the less guys like Drew Brees and Peyton Manning have the ball.

Only in the land of the Cowboys can the job for place kicker be a primary concern. The Cowboys lost too many games last season due to bad field goal kicking, and now long kicker David Buehler is being given every chance to win both the kick-off and place kicking jobs from Connor Hughes. The Cowboys would prefer to not take up a roster spot for an extra kicker, but they are also not going to make the mistake of putting someone on the field that cannot win the game for them.

Staying with special teams, the Cowboys made sure that restricted free agent and kick return ace Sam Hurd will be on the team this season. Hurd will make an estimated $1.8 million for the season, and he will be a powerful weapon in getting the team field position.

The NBA betting in Dallas is centered around the playoff-bound Mavericks. But in Cowboys’ camp the central focus is that offensive line. This is the area of greatest weakness for the Cowboys right now, and it is also the area that the team has yet to address.

Rumors are beginning to fly about Flozell Adams being let go and someone being brought in from free agency or a trade. The Cowboys have a lot of depth on offense, but they are not likely to give up anything in a trade right now. Free agency offers almost nothing in the way of a good offensive lineman. That leaves the draft. The more the Cowboys wait to solve their offensive line problem, the more obvious it becomes that their first round draft pick will be a lineman that they believe will be a starter. Jerry Jones knows that his team is not winning a Super Bowl if Tony Romo cannot stay standing.

Cowboy Corner: A Look at the Offseason

Cowboys Offseason

Sportsbook Super Bowl Odds (for XLV): Cowboys +1215

NFC Odds (5Dimes Reviews): Cowboys +685

The Cowboys Offense

The sports betting world will be keeping a close eye on the Dallas Cowboys offense in 2010. The Cowboys offense finished 2^nd overall in 2009, but that is in yards per game. The knock against the Cowboys’ offense was not about moving the ball, it was about getting the ball into the end zone. The Cowboys were ranked 13^th in the league with 43 touchdowns in 2009. While that is a far cry better than the 17 scored by the Rams, it still falls short of what a team needs to win a Super Bowl.

All of the pressure this season will be on QB Tony Romo. While the sports world is focused on March madness odds right now, Tony Romo is working on becoming more in tune with his receivers. The surprising emergence of wide receiver Miles Austin threw a monkey wrench into the Cowboys offense. Roy Williams was supposed to be the number one receiver but after several drops early in the season, Williams was seeing the ball less and Austin in the endzone more often.

Another issue is that Tony Romo is 29-years-old and he still does not seem to have hit the height of his skills yet. Quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson is working with Romo on improving, but it is difficult to find that mix between Romo’s gun slinger attitude and the accuracy he so desperately lacks.

Do not look for the Cowboys to make many moves in the off-season at offense. With the exception of the two offensive line guard positions, the Cowboys have very few needs on offense. They have a solid corps of receivers with Williams, Austin, Patrick Crayton and Sam Hurd. The Cowboys may have the best lineup of running backs in the league with Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice. The rumors that LaDainian Tomlinson could wind up in Dallas turned out to be false. There is no need for Dallas to spend that kind of money.

The Cowboys also have one of the best tight ends in the game in Jason Whitten. The football world can feel a little sorry for backup tight end Martellus Bennett who has to wait his turn in a line that never seems to move.

The one pick-up the Cowboys did make in the offseason was QB Jon Kitna to backup Romo. A move like that has a lot of positive implications. Not only is Kitna a quality backup that could step in when Romo is hurt, he can also help to mentor Romo and maybe help Romo find his way in the NFL after all of these years.

The Cowboys did manage to improve their lost fumble ratio to +2 in 2009, which is much better than the -11 they had in 2008. Another improvement in 2009 was Romo’s interceptions. In 2008 he threw 14, but in 2009 he only threw 9.

The Cowboys offense has very few holes in it, but there are some questions to be answered. Will Romo answer the bell this season and get the Cowboys off to a good start instead of a slow one? Will Austin or Williams be the number one WR? How will defenses stop the Dallas run game? It is a lot of questions to be answered for the 2010 season.

Cowboy Corner: Will Miles Austin be a Cowboy in 2010?

Cowboys Offseason

Sportsbook Super Bowl Odds (for XLV): Cowboys +1215

NFC Odds (5Dimes Reviews): Cowboys +685

Is There A Chance Miles Austin Will Not Be A Cowboy In 2010?

After a breakout, Pro Bowl season, there is no question that wide receiver Miles Austin has plenty of value that the Dallas Cowboys not only want, but rely upon. After Terrell Owens departed and Roy Williams never filled his shoes, Austin stepped up and led the wide receiving corps.

The Cowboys brass is saying all of the right things, but fans can’t help but be a little nervous right now.

Austin is a free agent, although he is of the restricted variety. The good news is that the Cowboys can use a tender on him and it would take an opposing team to really make an effort above and beyond the call of duty to pry him from the Cowboys.

But that is possible – just ask the Seattle Seahawks when they lost Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson in a similar situation a few years ago.

The best way to secure Austin would be to either sign him to a long term contract or franchise tag him. The latter method would cost the team just under $10 million, which isn’t appealing and the former way is dicey considering there is no collective bargaining agreement beyond this year.

Right now, Austin is in the driver’s seat. Whether he gets the franchise tag or a long term deal, or is courted by another team for a lucrative contract, he should be thinking big for his next contract.

What the Cowboys are most likely to do is give him the highest restrictive free agency tender, which would mean two things:

For starters, any team that signed him would have to give a first- and third-round pick to the Cowboys in return if Austin did leave and sign with the new team and also, the Cowboys would have the option to match any deal that Austin would agree to with the new team.

Most NFL picks are expecting the Cowboys to use that tender because there won’t be many NFL teams that want to give up first and a third for him. At the same time, most NFL teams won’t find a receiver as good as Austin in the first round of the 2010 draft, so they might be tempted.

At the end of the day, expect Austin to be a Cowboy but there is some anxiety considering he isn’t locked up quite yet.

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