Brett Favre Will Play for Vikings in 2010; Cowboys Will be Ready
Vikings quarterback Brett Favre has returned to Minnesota and says he is going to play the 2010 season. Three Vikings players traveled to Favre’s home in Hattisburg, Mississippi on Tuesday to try and get an answer from the 40-year-old. Following the visit, Favre boarded a purple and gold plane bound for the twin cities along with defensive end Jared Allen, guard Steve Hutchinson, and kicker Ryan Longwell. After nearly three hours of conversation in which Favre did most of the talking, Hutchinson said the twenty-year veteran simply concluded with, “Ok, let’s do it.” After landing, Favre waived to the media and fans when riding to the Vikings’ headquarters in Longwell’s black BMW. The rest of the Vikings’ players were pretty excited as wide receiver Bernard Berrian tweeted, “Brett Favre for President!!” So what does all this mean for the Dallas Cowboys? (more…)
Hall of Fame Game Preview: Cowboys vs Bengals
It’s much more difficult to preview a preseason game (especially the Hall of Fame Game) than a regular season game. This won’t be a who-is-going-to-win-and-why column. However, there are several intriguing story lines heading into this showdown between Dallas and six former Cowboys with the Cincinnati Bengals. No one gets to see how first-round draft pick Dez Bryant will perform, but his absence presents opportunities for other youngsters to show their stuff. Special teams have the most anticipated debut besides Bryant, and new starters on both offense and defense are under pressure to shine. Here’s the first preview of a 2010 Dallas Cowboys “game.” (more…)
Cowboys’ 5 Preseason Games Good and Bad
The Cowboys will play the Bengals in the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio on the second Sunday in August. Since these teams have been selected to wrap up the yearly Hall of Fame enshrinement festivities, they will both play one more preseason game than the other 30 NFL teams. This extra exhibition game will benefit several Cowboys’ players, including new draftees and journeymen trying to find an NFL home. However, stars like DeMarcus Ware and Felix Jones dread the extra “practice.” The Cowboys will use the extra game to answer several important questions leading into the 2010 season. (more…)
Cowboys Offensive Line Intact
The Cowboys’ offensive line has been in question since the release of Flozell Adams on April 2nd. Adams was a five-time Pro Bowl left tackle for Dallas, opening holes for Cowboys’ running backs for the past 12 seasons. However, Adams also led the NFL in penalties the past two seasons, the main cause of his release. Dallas also cut center/guard Cory Procter on May 17th after 5 seasons as a Cowboy. Without a left tackle and role player, many Cowboys fans were left asking, “Who is going to protect quarterback Tony Romo’s blind side?” (more…)
Cowboys’ OTA Position Battles
This year the Dallas Cowboys have a few positions that could be interesting as early as the the OTAs. Offseason Team Activities aren’t the final word on who starts, but they give us a starting point. I’d like to take a look at three specific positions to keep an eye out for.
Ball Vs. Hamlin
One position that is very important is safety. No surprise here, but this could be the difference between the Boys’ just making the playoffs and them reaching the Super Bowl. Alan Ball has the upper hand with experience. He’s got great ability, but one knock on him has been his size (he’s listed at 188).
Will the real Hamlin please stand up? Mike Hamlin got a circumcised version of a rookie year, but this guy has what it takes to succeed at this level. He’s instinctive, has good size and speed, and good overall play making ability. Hamlin needs experience. The OTAs should be a good indicator if Hamlin’s ready to make that next step in camp.
Williams Vs. Lee
With Bobby Carpenter gone, the Nickel linebacker position is up for grabs. Last years third round pick, Jason Williams, is the incumbent, but it won’t be by much. The fact that we drafted Sean Lee so early in the draft means that there will be a dogfight for this position. Both have good size and speed. Williams has an advantage from a playbook standpoint. I think this will be the closest race leading up to the season, keep your eye on this one.
Free Vs. Barron
I feel like I’m beating a dead horse, but we all know how important the left tackle position is and how important this battle will be. Free is the unquestionable first stringer until he proves otherwise. It’s his job to lose. Barron has the chance to turn the heat on Free in OTAs and camp. Barron knows the position better than Free. If there’s too much of a learning curve, this could be a closer contest than most originally believed.
I’m excited to see how things will shape up heading into mini-camp this summer. There are other positions out there that will be fun to watch as well, but these three I believe will be the most important. OTAs started today, so let the games begin.
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