Cows Next Move?

(First off, apologies for the recent absence. Grant, Roman, and myself have all been extremely busy getting prepared for this upcoming fall, where we will actually be hosting our very own radio show. But do not fret, we will continue to keep you updated and educated with everything going on in the sports world.)


With the free agent frenzy (unlike anything we have seen in NFL history) among us, it is probably a good time to dissect the moves that the Cowboys have made so far, and try and predict where the club should go from here.

Moves already made:
The Cows made a statement yesterday, cutting their loses on long-time veteran players (Marion Barber, Leonard Davis, Roy Williams), players who received lucrative contracts in the past, and simply were not performing at the level necessary for that amount of pay. Jerry Jones and the rest of the Cows staff admitting they were wrong and cut their ties on dead-weight that was no longer going to cut it. Great moves so far, moves that had to and needed to be made. Hats off to Jerry for realizing his mistakes and making a proactive move for the future.

The Cowboys have locked in their biggest question this off season, Doug Free, into a miraculous contract that is phenomenal on both sides. Free signed a 4 year, $32 million deal, with about half of that guaranteed. This is great for both the Cowboys, we didn't have to spend top dollar on a starting left tackle (which other teams are paying in the 6 year, $70 mill range), especially one who only has 1 year full time starting experience. He is only 27, so when his contract is up, he will be in his prime (for tackles), and could look to land a huge contract if his play keeps up. Cowboys got a steal here.

One last thing...do not take the signing of Oklahoma State kicker Dan Bailey (Lou Groza winner for "Best kicker in College" last year) for granted. This is a great move that puts the pressure on the inconsistent David Buehler, creating competition at an extremely important (though always overlooked) position.

Moves that need to be made:

More and more cuts are going to be made, but outside of that, the 'Boys have a few moves that still absolutely have to be made.

Let's first look at the O-line. With Free now under contract, the Cows need to look at left guard Kyle Kosier and lock him up for a few more years, and solidify the left side of the line for a few more years. Kosier is not a superstar, but is more than capable of holding his own (when healthy), and works extremely well center Andre Gurode. Look for the Boys to finalize him in the next few days (as contract talks have already begun). Montrae Holland seems to have inherited the starting right guard spot, with rookie Tyron Smith anchoring the right tackle spot. It also appears that Notre Dame product Sam Young will take over as the swing tackle, with Marc Columbo most likely leaving town. This line, although not the best in the division, is more than capable of protecting Romo (barring injury).

Staying on the offensive side, one position that is worth noting is receiver. Coming into the season, it seemed like this position was sown up. Miles, Dez, and Roy Williams as your #1-3 receivers, with Kevin Ogletree, Dwayne Harris (rookie), and Sam Hurd rounding out the depth chart. We seemed to be set here. But with the departure of Williams, this leaves a gaping hole, with no real replacement on the roster in site. What happens if Dez or Miles get hurt? Who is going to step up? I know this would be icing on the cake (since the secondary and D-line are priorities), but it is definitely something the front office should look into.

Switching sides, much still needs to be done on the defense. The secondary needs a makeover, preferably at the safety position. There are plenty of free agent safeties out there, but the real question is who to choose from? There doesn't seem to be 1 safety that stands out above the rest, but there are guys that are going to cost more than others due to their pedigree. I love love for the Boys to make a run at Eric Weddle from San Diego, and try and convince Sensabaugh to come back (even though he wants a raise). This would be a huge upgrade on the backend. And while fans are ranting and raving about the possibility of signing Raiders corner Nnamdi Asomugha, probably the #1 free agent on the market this year, and one of the dominant corners in the league, I would shy away from this move. Yes, Nnamdi is one of the premier corners in the NFL, and would definitely help out your program right away. But he is 30 years old, and would request HUGE money (18-20 mill a year range), and for a corner-back already at 30, that is pushing it. Even if we were to sign Nnamdi, we would still have a hole at BOTH safety positions, which would cripple the team. I believe Jenkins and Newman can get it done for another year, and safety help is the most important factor on the D right now.

Last, but certainly not least, the Cowboys must make moves on the D-line, at the defensive end position. Bowen, Spears, and Hatcher are all free agents, and the Boys need to try and bring back at least one, if not two (preferably Bowen and Spears). They are also looking outside the organization at names such as Cullen Jenkins from Green Bay. No matter what, this position must be patched up, either by someone in house or a solid, inexpensive player outside of the organization.

This is an exciting week for NFL fans, with a whirlwind of transactions and signings taking place at an unheard of rate. Now, it is time to sit back and see if the Cows take care of business and address the needs noted above. Only time will tell now.

-Taylor
TAG Radio Founding Father

Hyped Up

Let's play a quick game (and no, we're not playing tag). Use the following stats to name the NFL player:

This player has played in 19 out of 68 possible games in his 4 year career. He has a career completion percentage (ok, he's a QB) of 60.8% and averages just 109.6 yards per game. This QB has thrown 11 touchdowns compared to 14 interceptions and has a measly quarterback rating of 73.2%.

This player does not have bad numbers because he plays on a bad team (his team has made the playoffs 3 out of his 4 years in the league), plays in a bad system (his system is known as one of the most potent offensive schemes in the league), has bad coaches (he actually has one of the best offensive-minded head coaches), or lacks offensive weapons around him (he is surrounded by 4 pro bowl caliber skilled position players).

Can you guess him? If you guess the most coveted QB this offseason, Kevin Kolb, then you guessed right.

Let's move onto round two of our little guessing game. Guess this coach:

This coach has a career regular season record of 95-81, a playoff record of 5-4 including 1 Super Bowl, and has been out of the profession for several years now. This coach has been linked with every coaching opening around the country from NFL teams all the way to some D-2 NCAA teams. Who is this guy?

If you guessed any of the Hall of Fame-worthy coaches who currently fit several of the above descriptions such as Bill Cower or Dick Vermeil you would be wrong. If you guessed 47 year old Jon Gruden, you're right.

Why did we play this game? To caution you of the media hype surrounding these guys.

According to the media, Kevin Kolb is the number one QB on the market this offseason and teams are lined up around the block to try to pry this guy from the Eagles for a first or second round draft pick. I'm by no stretch of the imagination a professional scout and I am sure as heck not a numbers guy (…Tommy Guns). What I am is a guy who watches the games and shapes my opinions around what I see and what I saw from Kevin Kolb and what his numbers only prove is that he is not yet worthy of all this hype surrounding him.

Moving to the Jon Gruden exhibit we see a coach who has mediocre career stats but because Jon is all over ESPN including his QB Camp (which is awesome by the way) and Monday Night Football, the media suddenly makes this guy out to be Vince Lombardi or Tom Landry. If Jon Gruden stays out of coaching he just might be elected into the Hall of Fame by inflated hype alone.

Let's pump the brakes. I'm not saying I don't love the way Jon Gruden interacts with players and his work ethic but can we please remember that Tampa fired him because after their Super Bowl victory in 2002, Gruden coached the Bucs to a 45-52 record over the succeeding 6 years?

All of this is to say -- be careful about listening to everything the media tells you (but of course, always listen to what TAG Radio tells you). Use your sports-sense to test the news you hear. Dig into some of the facts for yourself to see if the stories pass the sports lipase test.

Tragedy at the Ballpark

It is with a very heavy heart that I write this today. As I'm sure all of you know by now, a fan fell to his death yesterday at the Ballpark in Arlington, trying to catch a foul ball thrown into the stands by Ranger's left fielder Josh Hamilton.

Shannon Stone, a 39 year old firefighter from Brownwood, TX, lost his balance and flipped over the railing in the top of the 2nd inning, and apparently falling headfirst about 14 feet below. His son and many other fans watched on and gasped as they watched him tumbling down.

Words cannot describe the sadness that his family, friends, co-workers, and the Ranger's organization are feeling at this moment. I admit I was even shook up over this, lying in bed last night, trying to put all the pieces together. It was a restless night.

I was actually attending the game Wednesday night (one night prior to this event), sitting directly underneath the area where exactly one year ago a fan fell from the 2nd deck and luckily survived. It is an extremely frightening scene, watching fans lay out for foul balls, like it is precious gold, only to receive an ovation from the crowd for a spectacular catch, almost like they are the ones playing in the game. One fan was even hit directly in the head behind home plate, and medical personnel had to rush over and examine him. Luckily, the fan walked out under his own power. In the heat of the moment, the last thing you think about is your safety. Fans are so excited to try and catch that foul ball that, for a split second, they are extremely vulnerable, and in a sense, oblivious to their surroundings. It is a natural reaction. It is human nature. And the risk for injury only increases when alcohol is involved.

All these thoughts were running through my head as I tried to sleep. I have been there, I have been that fan to reach out and try and grab that ball, screaming at the players to just toss one up, give me a memory that I wont forget at the ballpark. So I thought. And I thought. And I thought. For about an hour I just sat and thought about what could be done at the ballpark to try and prevent these types of things from happening. The conclusion I came to, at about 2:30 in the morning was as follows:

Nothing.

There really isn't much that can be done to prevent things like this from happening. All the proper height specifications and safety precautions were taken at the Ballpark in Arlington. They were even above and beyond the OSHA recommendations. In life, it seems that things like this happen, no matter how uneasy they seem. Accidents happen, and no matter what regulations or provisions are put into place, things are still going to happen. Each and everyone of us assumes the risk of accidents happening to us by simply walking outside in the morning. It is the world we live in. But what we can't do is live in fear. We cannot be afraid to enjoy such a great moment, like a father and son going to a baseball game together. Because those are memories that people never forget. I know that some of the greater moments I have spent with my father are at the ballpark. And no one else should be denied that feeling, that moment, due to fear. We cannot live in fear, simply because of tragic, tragic accidents like this that occur.

If there is one positive (for lack of a better word) thing that can be taken away from this, it is a reality check. Just a way to put into perspective that this is just a game. It isn't life and death. It should remind people that things can happen, and for everyone to always be on their toes. Do not be paranoid, just be aware of your surroundings. Be careful, and most importantly, be smart.

May God bless the family of Shannon Stone, and may everyone's prayers reach out to them in this tragic time...

-Taylor

TAG Radio Founding Father

Field of Dreams 2: Lockout

Found this hilarious Field of Dreams spoof about the NFL Lockout from the guys at Funny or Die. It is a must see. Click the link to check it out.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Video-8216-Field-of-Dreams-2-8242-brings-a-?urn=nfl-wp3157

The NFL Takes A Page Out of Coke's Playbook?

Since the time of its inception in 1886, Coca-Cola had always been America's favorite soft drink. However, a relatively new competitor, Pepsi, had emerged causing Coke's market share (60% after World War II) to fall to only 24% by 1983. Young Americans were being TAGed as the Pepsi Generation and national taste tests often favored Pepsi.   

What happened next shook the Cola World. Coca-Cola replaced their leading cola formula with a new formula, simply called New Coke. This decision caused faithful Coke connoisseurs to disown their loyalty and question Coke's motives. After the public distain and backlash for New Coke had ballooned to epic proportions, Coca-Cola re-introduced their original Coke formula which we know today as Classic Coca-Cola.

The aftermath of this three month experiment with New Coke which resulted in Coke returning to its original formula worked surprisingly well in Coke's  favor. Coke's overall sales increased to twice those of Pepsi's and people became even more in love and addicted to the soft drink.

Because of the tremendous success Coke experienced, many people believe the New Coke blunder was a calculated risk taken by Coke's management. The conspiracy theory says that Coke's management took away Coke for a brief moment in order to remind people just how much they love Coke. Once they had achieved their goal, Coke gambled on the fact that people would flock back to the original drink with more love and loyalty than ever before.

Is it possible that the NFL is trying to reproduce the same results as Coke realized with the current lockout?

Just like Coke, the NFL has been as successful as ever. And just like Coke, the NFL has been presented with a fierce competitor, rising expenses. It’s a far stretch but could the NFL be temporarily taking away the game we have come so accustom to watching every year in order to draw an even larger crowd, and revenue, this coming fall?

One sure way of knowing if this could be a conspiracy is if they settle the lockout soon, before they would lose money, because if the goal of this gamble is to make money and grow a fan base then they wouldn't risk missing games by extending the lockout much longer.

People often refer to the NFL as a copycat league so could anybody blame them for taking a play out of the most successful company in the world's (in terms of brand equity) playbook? All I know is the cards are on the table and we're quickly approaching the time when the NFL needs to show their hand.