I know there are a lot of Cowboy haters out there, but if there was any doubt that the Cowboys are still America’s Team, it was erased with an article in the East Valley Tribune.     Apparently, there are just too many Cowboys fans showing up for Arizona games, so the Cardinals have a plan in place to limit the number of Cowboys fans that show up to the game.

In order to keep the Cowboys fans out, Arizona is requiring anyone that wants to buy a ticket to the Cardinals-Cowboys game to also buy a ticket to the Cardinals vs Saints preseason game.   This would make buying a ticket a bit steeper for any Cowboys fan who doesn’t want to waste an afternoon watching the Cardinals play a warmup game.

Of course, sneaky Cowboys fans could always buy the tickets then sell the preseason ticket on E-bay.   And the plan could backfire for Arizona if not enough Cardinals fans are willing to buy two tickets instead of just one.   And if the game isn’t sold out before the season starts, are they going to require people to buy a ticket to a game that has already been played?  Or will they risk a blackout?

Another interesting point to the story is whether or not the NFL should even allow such a thing to happen.  There are plenty of games between teams close enough that the opponents fans can have a large contingent in the stadium, and — ultimately — this pairing of tickets is very anti-fan (even if, for the moment, it is anti-Dallas-fan).

But, at the end of the day, we still have one simple fact:  There’s one team in the NFL popular enough that such a rule was put in place to limit their fans at an away game.   And that team is America’s team.

Like many of you, I didn’t have the best opinion of Terrell Owens when he came to the Dallas Cowboys.  And, while he wasn’t as misbehaved in his first year as he had been in previous stops, he still seemed like the old T.O. who was ready to throw a wrench into the wheel at any moment.

At least, until Tony Romo showed up as the starting quarterback.  That seems like it was the turning point between ‘bad’ T.O. and ‘good’ T.O.   Perhaps he just needed someone to throw him the damn ball?

Now, not only do we have a T.O. that comes to his quarterback’s defense, it seems we have a budding superhero in our midst.   After witnessing a man-vs-car accident on his way home from the Espys, T.O. stopped to help the ESPN columnist who’d apparently not been able to get the better of the car that hit him.

While the columnist suffered only minor injuries, the incident does seem to show that T.O. definitely has a kinder and gentler side.   (And, like many who posted on the blog, I too felt it a little sad that the columnist took a mild shot at T.O. in recounting the event.)

It’s not bad enough that we had to go through two years of Will Brett Favre Retire? being asked every ten seconds.  Now, we have the Will Brett Favre Return discussions.   I don’t think we had more than a week of relaxation before Steve Mariucci and the guys at the NFL Network started talking about his return.

Don’t get me wrong,  I love Brett Favre.   I’ve always disliked the Packers — they rub me the wrong way for some reason — but Favre is one of those athletes that transcend the sport.

But give me a break!  Can we go a week without talking about the guy?   I’m hoping he stays retired simply to be done with the discussions — and even if he does stay put this year, we’ll be hearing rumors about his return next year.

I’ve been too busy to stop in for a while, but I wanted to take some time to say that I really like the decisions the Cowboys have been making this off-season.  First, in free agency, they focused on re-signing folks like Flozell Adams.   And, while I didn’t agree with taking Felix Jones over Rashard Mendenhall, I liked picking up a two cornerbacks and two running backs, including one of each in the first round.

Now, the Cowboys continue making the right move by re-signing Terrell Owens.  Wow.  I did not think I would be saying that a couple of years ago when the Cowboys signed the troubled receiver, but he’s really worked out fantastically for the Cowboys.  Who would have thought we would be sitting here hoping Terrell Owens would exert his experienced veteren voice to tell Patrick Crayton to be quiet this year?

The theme of the Cowboys offseason was to bring back (roughly) the same team.  And that’s a smart plan.  Who can argue with re-signing as many free agents as you can when you are a 13-3 team?

I know people are still wishing they would have signed or drafted a wide receiver.   Me too.  Not so much for this coming year as for 2009 when we’ll really need one.  But, one thing not covered as much as it should is the fact that we didn’t have Terry Glenn all last year and we still went 13-3 setting a number of Cowboys passing records while we were at it.  

If Glenn can come back and play, we’ll be even more potent.  If not, we still might have an upgraded attack over last year so long as Felix Jones can provide a little explosion.  And early reports from the minicamps are that Miles Austin is looking fantastic — Austin has the speed to stretch the field, so if he can put it together, he could be a real threat.

I haven’t written anything on the schedule yet. At the point, analyzing the schedule is really just a bunch of guesswork. It won’t be until week 2 and week 3 of the schedule before we really get an idea of who’s good, who’s not so good, and where the surprises are going to be.

But I was glancing over the schedule again and I couldn’t help but think that our first game is going to be one of the most difficult. Cleveland had a pretty good offense last year, and they are going to be a better team. The Stallworth addition at receiver is going to make their passing attack even scarier, and their defense should be improved as well.

The toughest game? No. But almost.

Here’s how I have them ranked:

#1 - Week Sixteen - @ New York Giants

Despite being the defending Super Bowl champs, I don’t think the Giants are a better football team than the Cowboys. I still expect the Cowboys to win the division, and I expect them to actually win a playoff game this year too. But, I don’t think they will sweep the Giants again, and the one they’ll probably lose is the one at Giants stadium.

#2 - Week 1 - @ Cleveland

This is where I put Cleveland. A high-powered passing attack vs. the weakest point on the Cowboys last year (secondary). Cleveland is going to come into the game knowing they can make a statement by beating the Cowboys. What are the Cowboys coming into this game thinking?

One thing is for sure — we’re going to find out pretty quick if the trade for Pacman Jones and the selection of Jenkins pays off.

Week 14 - @ Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is a tough team, especially late in the year and at home. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cowboys have all but wrapped up their spot in the playoffs by this time, and I’d imagine the Steelers will be in a tough fight with the Browns for the division.

Week 3 - @ Green Bay

I think we are going to find out pretty quick that Aaron Rogers can play QB. He might not be Brett Favre, but the Packers will still be the Cowboys main contention for the NFC this coming year. This will be a good week for the Cowboys to come ready to take a fast lead in the NFC.

Week 17 - @ Philadelphia

Week 17 would have made the list even if we were playing the Lions or the 49ers. Pretty much, any team we played in week 17 was going to be one of the toughest teams we’d play simply because the Cowboys are pretty good at fading toward the end of the season. I think the Eagles will struggle to get out of the NFC East’s cellar this year, but they always play the Cowboys tough at home. Add that in with the Cowboys recent history and it spells bad news.

I think we’ll really see what this Cowboys team is made of in week 16 and 17. If they go limping into the playoffs again then don’t expect to see them making it to the big game.

And, if you noticed, all five of these games are away games. For some, that’s what makes them tough, but the two toughest teams we’ll face (which I believe are the Browns and Packers) are both away games which makes them even tougher.

I try not to comment too much outside of the Cowboys sphere, but I have to say that this Matt Walsh character has really been great for the Patriots organization.   First, he pops up with talk about some mysterious tapes and gets everyone in a frenzy about possible new sanctions against New England.  Then, the tapes are revealed to be pretty much what the Patriots said they had done.  Now, everyone thinks Spygate is done.

Well, maybe not everyone, but there does seem to be a major sentiment that the investigation is pretty much over barring any other revelations that come from left field.   Matt Walsh has all but put to rest any idea that New England taped the Rams walkthrough.

Now, let me say that while I thought the Patriots got off too light in punishment, I also think people have overreacted to the situation.  Spying has always been a part of football.   That’s why coaches are quick to kick out any suspicious characters spotted during practice.

But I have to say that this turn of events has been awfully good for New England.   I know that if I wanted to figure out something that would get everyone off the Patriots back about the possibility that they did more than what they admitted, I couldn’t have planned it any better.

No, I’m not going on some crazy conspiracy theory or anything.   I’m just making an observation.

In under two seasons, Tony Romo has become one of the most popular figures in sports. But what about him do defenses around the league fear the most? His arm? His elusive legs?

The answer might surprise you.

Yes. There you have it. His voice.

Able to knock down opposing linebackers in a single lyric, Tony Romo has found a weapon more powerful than his ability to miss qualifying for the pro golf tour by only a few strokes: His ability to completely butcher songs.

DallasCowboys.com has a writeup about Danny Amendola, a rookie free agent out of Texas Tech who has been opening some eyes at minicamp and is drawing comparisons to Wes Welker. Playing alongside Michael Crabtree, Amendola was forced into the position of second fiddle, but he had a strong career at Texas Tech with 224 catches for 2,246 yards and 15 TDs.

Amendola ran a not-so-fast 4.64 in the forty at the combine, but he definitely looks faster in this YouTube video:

And, remember, Felix Jones had a not-so-fast forty time at the combine but is much faster than those numbers would indicate. For a not-so-well-known receiver out of Texas Tech, a bad forty time at the combine is enough to drop you right out of the draft, but if this guy has football quickness, he might just press Miles Austin for a spot on the roster.

I might be the only one with this sentiment, but I am not looking forward to the impending announcement that HBO will be filming a new Hard Knocks series this year and that the Cowboys will be in the limelight.

It’s one thing when it is a 5-11 team being filmed, but I would rather limit the distractions as much as possible for a team that has Super Bowl potential.  I know, I know, the only way you can get to the Super Bowl is to be able to play despite the many distractions that certainly will come up during a run to the big game, but that doesn’t mean we have to invite the distractions to us does it?

I’ll admit, I’ll definitely sign up for HBO if they do film Hard Knocks with the ‘Boys.  I’ll even enjoy it — heck, what fan wouldn’t enjoy being able to see more than just a few sparing highlights shown at the end of the 10 o’clock news?   But, given the choice, I’d definitely pass just to have less distractions.

Heck, it is a given that the Cowboys training camp, preseason, season, and post season will all be one big circus.   That’s what you get when you have a quarterback dating Jessica Simpson and a character like T.O.   I still would skip this Hard Knocks distraction.

But, like most of us, I’ll still enjoy it.

Once again, Dallas leaves a draft with additional picks in the next year’s draft. No extra first rounder this time, but an extra third and an extra fourth isn’t too shabby. Some quality players come out of those rounds. (For example, Marion Barber III.)

Overall, I would say that Dallas had a solid if not sexy draft. Their second day maneuvering was enough to bring them up to around a B- for the entire draft. Not only did the get a few extra picks, but they picked up another running back (much needed for depth) and another sub-4.40 40 cornerback — never can get too many speedy cover guys. At the very least, that guy is going to get some playing time on special teams.

In fact, if you add the special teams impact into the equation, Dallas may very well have improved that area after letting some key players go in the offseason (Keith Davis and Nate Jones being two stars of our special teams unit last year). Both cornerbacks (Jenkins and Scandrick) should see some time on the special teams squad, the tight end (Bennett) should also be able to help out, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Felix Jones lining up to return kickoffs — though Jenkins may be able to fill that role too. That is if the Cowboys don’t just put Pacman back there.

Still, two key moves keep me from giving them anything more than a B-. Choosing Felix Jones over Rashard Mendenhall was a mistake. It was a matter of choosing a player that was right for your team over a player that was rated higher on your board — and when you are talking about two players that are at the same position, that’s a dicey game at best.

In the end, it could very well work out nicely for the Cowboys. So long as Barber remains healthy and on the team (remember, he’s still got to sign a contract at some point), the Felix Jones pick may look very nice indeed. And, to be fair, both Mendenhall and Jones had a little gamble to the pick — Mendenhall could be a one hit wonder while Jones might find it harder to run when teams aren’t keying on McFadden in the same backfield.

The second key move is the tight end headscratcher. I get why they picked up Bennett. He looks like he can become one of those guys who can do a great job blocking and still punish people in the passing game. But, after letting Miami have Fasano, it was a little bit of a let down.

But, the nice thing is that grading a draft immediately after it has happened is worth about as much as a used stick of gum. The real grades will come in three years when these players either become budding superstars, solid starters, roster depth, on another team or out of the NFL completely. If Felix Jones can become that Marshall Faulk type player and Bennett is a formidable weapon at tight end, this draft could be elevated to A caliber. (I didn’t add Jenkins being a starter at cornerback — let’s face it, with Newman and Pacman, I’d be happy if Jenkins was the NFL’s best third cornerback.)

There is some disappointment in not drafting a receiver. Not so much that I would grade them down for it — Dallas has a nice crop of receivers right now — but it would still have been a smart move for Dallas to pick up a receiver in the second round.

I know, a lot of people will spill out some stuff about how rookie receivers don’t make an impact and yada yada yada. Guess what? It’s because rookie receivers don’t make much of an impact that made wide receiver a position of need in this years draft. The Cowboys don’t need a receiver heading into 2008, they need one heading into 2009 when Glenn probably won’t be with the team and T.O. will be officially middle aged. Drafting one now would have been thinking ahead.

But, since they don’t have that immediate need now, and they can fullfill that need in free agency next year, I won’t grade them down because of it. And, perhaps — just perhaps — this Stanback kid will make it all academic.