Heavy Rain Causes Cowboys to Move Practice to TCU

Thankfully Hurricane Hermine did not do much damage in the Dallas-Forth Worth area, but its remnants scared some folks on Tuesday night. The heavy showers and high winds left many streets and fields flooded this morning. Among those fields was the Cowboys’ typical practice location at Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas. With the practice field too soggy for the team to be productive, today’s practice has been moved to the indoor practice facility used by the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University in nearby Fort Worth. Like most NFL teams, the Cowboys had their own indoor structure until it collapsed last spring. Since then, the Cowboys have called multiple locations home. (more…)

Maryland County Official Will Regret Friendly Wager With Mayor of Arlington on Cowboys-Redskins Game

Everybody likes good food from somewhere else. People from southern states like fish that’s caught in Alaska while folks from up north love Tex-Mex. Food is well associated with football and the differences in culture surrounding the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins will be on display for the season opener on Sunday. Arlington, Texas mayor Robert Cluck made a friendly bet with Maryland’s Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson over the Cowboys’ first regular season game at the Redskins’ stadium in Landover, Maryland. I must say Johnson is brave considering the outcome of the last game held at FedEx Field between these two teams. That contest was a 17-0 shutout victory by the Cowboys toward the end of last season. Unlike Cluck, I don’t think Johnson knows what he’s getting into with this wager. (more…)

Redskins’ New 3-4 Defense Won’t Faze Dallas Running Game

It’s a given fact the Cowboys struggled last season against teams that ran the 3-4 defense. The Redskins have switched to that scheme this season under new head coach Mike Shanahan. Obviously die-hard Dallas fans and analysts are wondering how the Cowboys will fair against a 3-4 defense that held them to 24 points in two games last year while running the 4-3 scheme. Although the Cowboys won a tight 7-6 contest at home in Week 11 last year, the team finished strong in Week 16 with a 17-0 shutout in our nation’s capital. Despite the criticized “low scoring” in the two games as a whole, the Cowboys running game was stellar. In the first contest, Dallas’ group of Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice combined for 150 yards on 31 carries, an average of nearly five yards per attempt. That bunch compiled 122 yards on 28 runs in the shutout, still topping the rushing milestone of four yards per carry. All the talk about the running game is irrelevant; it was the Dallas passing game that lacked in those two contests. (more…)

Cowboys Receiver Sam Hurd Expected to be Special Teams Captain

Despite all the trade rumors and speculation that he might be released during the roster-trimming cuts, Dallas wide receiver Sam Hurd has the best attitude one could ask for in a player. If anyone would know, it would be his head coach, Wade Phillips. “His attitude is great,” Phillips said. “You ask him how he’s doing, and he says, ‘great’ every day. And he is doing great. He’s just a good guy to be around.” Hurd has never been a big-play threat or a starter in the Cowboys’ receiving rotation, but he is as reliable a backup as you’ll find in the league. A big reason why some backups are kept and valued while others aren’t is their special teams play. Despite only catching 31 passes over the past four season, Hurd led the Cowboys with 19 special teams tackles last season. Phillips believes he will soon be rewarded for his efforts. “We haven’t voted yet, but I bet you he is going to be the special-teams captain for sure,” Phillips said. “He’s been outstanding on special teams, and he’s a very good leader.” (more…)

Cowboys Running Game Anxious for Real Game Action

You might get tired of me saying it, but I hate the preseason and I don’t think you can take an iota from it in regards to the regular season. One huge factor in that aspect this season is the Cowboys’ running game. The three-headed monster that thrives in the Dallas backfield consists of Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice. That rushing unit ranked seventh in the NFL in 2009 with 131.4 yards per game. In that category through five preseason games this year, the Cowboys rank dead last in the league. Am I concerned? Absolutely not. You shouldn’t be, either. Regardless of everyone’s perception of the Cowboys’ running game, I am itching to see them in action during a contest that actually matters. I’d bet my life savings they are chomping at the bit as well. (more…)

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