You're killin' me, Smalls!

If I was before a congressional sports tribunal, I would repeatedly assert that, "I'm not here to talk about the present." This NFL season was over before it warmed up.

However, I am here to talk about the past, the NFL past. In particular, I can't hold my tongue after watching the NFL Network's Top 100 NFL players of all time.

The Top 10:
10. Dick Butkus, LB
9. Don Hutson, WR
8. Peyton Manning, QB
7. Reggie White, DE
6. Johnny Unitas, QB
5. Walter Payton, RB
4. Joe Montana, QB
3. Lawrence Taylor, LB
2. Jim Brown, RB
1. Jerry Rice, WR

Up front, I'm a Cowboys fan, but I found the list to be rather biased in an anti-Cowboys fashion.

The top Cowboy? Bob Lilly at #26. Emmitt Smith at #28.

Jerry Rice at #1?! Really? I'm not gonna argue that Emmitt should be in the top 10, but I will argue that if Rice is #1, then clearly Emmitt should be in the top 10.

Rice: Most receiving records ... over 18 years. Not a big surprise there. Emmit: Most rushing records ... over 14 years.

Rice & Emmitt ... both 3 Superbowl rings and both one Superbowl MVP. Emmitt: 1 NFL MVP. Rice: Zero. (Manning 4, and many others 3)

Yeah, but Emmitt had that great line! But, didn't Rice have some pretty decent QBs (namely, Hall of Famers Montana & Young)?

I'm not saying Emmitt should be #1, but #28? It seems to me that the criteria used to elevate Rice would naturally secure a high ranking for Emmitt, but clearly that wasn't the case.

Much of the top 10 didn't bother me, but that seemed a strange #1. Jim Brown would be my #1.

Anyone else feelin' me on Rice at #1?

FYI: Cowboys in the Top 100:
#26 Bob Lilly
#28 Emmitt Smith
#46 Roger Staubach
#62 Randy White
#77 Tony Dorsett
#80 Troy Aikman
#92 Michael Irvin
#95 Larry Allen

You play with your head. Not your heart. In your personal life? Heart. But when you get on the field — you’re a businessman.

At 7-5 there are at least 5 teams who can beat the New York football Giants this season.

The Dallas Cowboys are not one of them, despite two golden opportunities.

This is not the first time they've owned us.

• They beat the Cowboys earlier this year in their home opener at the Death Star (i.e., Jerry World).
• They won the MNF game in which the triplets (i.e., Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman, and Emmitt Smith) were inducted into the Ring of Honor in 2005.
• PLUS, the 13-3 and #1 seeded Cowboys were escorted from the playoffs by the Giants in 2007 as they came in and handled up on our bidness.

What can I say? Just tip my hat and call the Giants their daddy.

Forget about sports as a profession. Sports make ya grunt and smell.

While the Cowboys are still undefeated and in 1st place in the NFC East, I thought I'd share this.

Last fall, one of the local channels featured their 10 Greatest Cowboys:
10 Don Meredith
9 Mel Renfro
8 Rayfield Wright
7 Randy White
6 Michael Irvin
5 Tony Dorsett
4 Bob Lilly
3 Emmitt Smith
2 Troy Aikman
1 Roger Staubach


They also shared the fans' top 10 (in alphabetical order).

• Troy Aikman
• Cliff Harris
• Harvey Martin
• Don Meredith
• Drew Pearson
• Mel Renfro
• Emmitt Smith
• Roger Staubach
• Everson Walls
• Randy White

To that I would like to share my FAVORITE Cowboys:

1. Tom Landry*
2. Randy White
3. Troy Aikman
4. Bill Bates
5. Roger Staubach
6. Tony Dorsett
7. Michael Irvin
8. Chad Hennings
9. Darren Woodson
10. Drew Pearson

Forget whatever else you hear. My list is the right one.

* I know the great Tom Landry wasn't actually a Cowboys player, but he was the face of the franchise for decades and my favorite Cowboy.

Just shut up. Play the game. Play it from your heart and you know what, I will show you the Kwan.

Tonight was the last Cowboys game played at Texas Stadium. They apparently handpicked the Ravens in the off-season to be their final home game.

Tonight there were two teams with their backs up against the wall for a playoff spot. But one had the luxury of playing at home and playing with the emotional inspiration of playing the last Cowboys game at Texas Stadium for their fans and their watching legends.

But it was the road team who showed up with the heart, passion, and a sense of urgency. The game could be perhaps seen as another choke. I'm just further convinced this team has no heart.

Watching the legends in the post-game ceremony, I was thinking, "Gun, you think Jimmy would have let this happen? You think Michael Irvin would have let this happen? You think Troy or Roger would have let this happen? You think Darren Woodson would have let this happen? You think Randy White would have let this happen? You think Bill Bates would let the special teams be so bad?"

What a way to end their time at Texas Stadium ... losing to a rookie QB, giving up 33 offensive points, and giving up first recording tying 77 yard TD run by an opponent and then giving up a record 82 yard TD run by an opponent on the very next offensive play.

All in all, they put themselves in a position where they have to win a tough game on the road and get help even to make the playoffs. That's a sad shift of gears from the 13-1 first round bye team last year that sent 13 to the pro-bowl.

P.S. Check out photos of our family tour of Texas Stadium the week after this game.

Oh, it's the deep burn!

"[The Steelers] outscored the Cowboys 17 nothing in the last 7 minutes and 15 seconds."
-Joe Buck, last night

I'm a lifelong Cowboys fan, so it pains me to ask this, but at what point do we have to say the Cowboys are choke artists?

It was a statement game, but I don't like what was stated.

There's been a slight change in the narrative, an unexpected twist, you might say.

The Cowboys beat the Packers for the first time at Lambeau Field Sunday night.

But I was most impressed with Terrell Owens. He impressed me in ways I never would have expected.

His numbers were pedestrian: 2 catches for 17 yards, no touchdowns, and 1 dropped ball.

BUT ...

1. Despite his lack of involvement and assumed frustration, you never saw Owens yelling or asking, "Why am I here?" or complaining in the least. The camera kept on him on the sidelines with the expectation we'd get some of that, but Owens restrained any personal frustration he might have been feeling.

2. Tony Romo threw an interception in the end zone and the safety had visions of running it back. He did for 61 yards, but it could have been much more. After getting knocked to the ground after the interception, Owens was the one who raced up the field and tackled the thief from behind. The bad guys only got a field goal out of that drive, but it certainly could have been more.

3. Felix Jones had a 60 yard touchdown run and on it Terrell Owens hustled down the field to block for him to make sure he made it into the end zone untouched. Another hustle play whereby he was working hard for the glory of another.

I was surprised we didn't hear Madden or Michaels mention these hustle plays, but they may not like Owens. Nonetheless, those plays contributed to a night where I was the most impressed with Terrell Owens that I've been.

I don't want to overly harsh in criticizing his previous corpus of work or overstate his performance in last night's game, but has Terrell Owens perhaps turned the corner in becoming a team player? If last night is any indication, I'd say he certainly has.

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!

All this talk about Brett Favre and his potential un-retirement brings to mind my favorite Favre game of all time, the 1995 NFC Championship game ... in Dallas.

Enjoy these highlights as you see some guys I wish could come out of retirement.

I'm gonna ask directions to the next huge, embarrassing failure.

By now you know. The Cowboys lost.

Well, my thoughts ...

Well, part of me felt that coming on after the Redskins game. It wasn't a shock, but one of the bigger sports disappointments I've experienced in a long time.

The Cowboys were the better team with more time for preparation and more rest. They were playing at home. They should have won.

Fingers will be pointed at the offense, and there's some validity for such, since they only scored 17 points. More were needed, but the did put together 2 90+ yard touchdown drives in the first half, including one that consumed more than 10 minutes over 20 plays. Even their field goal drive was 16 plays. My point being, the offense moved the ball and gave the defense a rest, but they certainly missed opportunities due to lack of execution. The play of the offensive line in the 2nd half was disappointing, especially since that line contains 3 of the 5 starters for the Pro-Bowl.

I'm more disappointed with the defense. The Giants' opening drive demonstrated an offense ready to play and a defense lacking intensity. Poor tackling plagued them on that drive and throughout the game.

Worse still was giving up the touchdown before the half, with less than a minute left. I wasn't surprised they gave up points, I just kind of felt that was going to happen. Giving up the touchdown, however, was inexcusable.

The Cowboys offense played well that first half, very well, and if the defense would have had that same intensity and level of execution, the game would not have been tied at the half.

14-3 is more along the lines of what the score should have been. If that would have been so, then I think you have a much less motivated Giants team in the 3rd quarter. Instead, they were still fired up and started to manhandle the Cowboys offensive line.

Per Giants defensive end Michael Strahan: "That TD was huge . . . we have a chance" he said was their thinking at halftime.

Sloopy tackling, absurd penalties, and dropped passes ... those are the marks of a less intense and/or inadequately coached team.

I know the defense only gave up 7 points in the second half, but that drive further demonstrated the gap between the intensity of the two teams. The Giants were hungrier. They were more physical. They were more intimidating. They were more disciplined. They were more focused.

You can't coach speed and you can't teach hustle. Football is a game of controlled emotion and passion and energy. The inferior team was superior in those areas.

"We played with no emotion – the same way we did in Washington," CB Terence Newman said. "Everybody knows you can't flip the switch."

When you have 12 Pro-Bowlers* and the other team has 1 AND you're playing at home AND you have all your starters healthy AND you've had an extra week of rest AND the other team travels in back to back games AND the other team has spares and practice squad players in the secondary AND their star receiver is hobbled AND their tight end (Shockey) who normally lights you up is injured AND you should be the hungrier team (coach & QB both searching for redemption with their first playoff win and the other QB got his last week) ...

THEN you are expected to win the game and you should. Thus, I would submit to you that this teams has more to be ashamed of and sad about than last year's. The expectations were higher, but they were realistic expectations.

Last year the better team won and the Cowboys lost on an "oops" play on the road. This year there was much blame to go around and it had nothing to do with Tony Romo going to Mexico for vacation. In fact, he played a pretty good game, and I feel bad for him having to hold the bag for another off-seaon since it ended on an intercepted desperation end zone pass.
As a team, they let themselves down and the fans will feel let down as well.

I was embarrassed to be a Cowboys fan last night, even worse than I was when we got beat in the first round by the Arizona Cardinals at home in 1998 by the score of 20-7. That was a huge, embarrassing failure. But this was worse.

13-3 means nothing, but makes the sting of a loss that much worse. Patrick Crayton said it best, "I would have preferred to have gone 8-8 and won a playoff game."

First the Mavericks, now the Cowboys. Pull the truck over ... I'm gonna ask directions to the next huge, embarrassing failure.

*12 Pro-Bowlers is a team record, which is impressive, but also makes this seismic loss a 9.8 on the Choke Scale.

Still, congratulations are in order for:
WR Terrell Owens*
OT Flozell Adams*
OG Leonard Davis*
C Andre Gurode*
TE Jason Witten*
QB Tony Romo
RB Marion Barber
OLB DeMarcus Ware*
CB Terence Newman
FS Roy Williams
FS Ken Hamlin
Kicker Nick Folk

you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall

The Cowboys were humiliated on Sunday, at least the offense was. They were humiliated ... at home ... to the hated Eagles. I'm not sure I'd call that match up a "rivalry," but it got me to thinking about this year's team and what's lacking.

It's not a stretch to think that the Cowboys will make it to the Superbowl this year, but I find myself thinking that there's just a little something missing from a Superbowl run ... a rival.

Winning something is all the more sweet when there's a rival to overcome. Winning in the 90s was great because we got to rub the 49ers noses in it.

I got to thinking about the need for rivals and then to my favorite rivalries. This may be different than "the greatest rivalries" that some sports show may list. Michigan & Notre Dame may be great, but I don't care, so it's not great to me.

--- Be thinking about YOUR favorite rivalries in sports and/or which you think are the greatest. ---

I'll share my favorite rivalries.

Cardinals vs. Cubs - I grew up a Cardinals fan and there's always been great joy in beating the Cubbies. They're the team you love to beat. They're not typically a rival for winning the division, but over the years some great games have been played.


Lakers vs. Celtics (1980s) - After writing a book report about a man named "Lew Alcinder" in 3rd grade, I was forever thereafter a fan of the Mighty Lakers, the new home of "Kareem." How great were those games in the 80s with Lakers (Kareem, Magic, Worthy, Rambis, Scott, Nixon, McAdoo, Cooper, etc.) matching up with the Celtics (Bird, Parrish, McHale, DJ, Ainge, Walton, etc.), particularly in the NBA Finals? That was the Golden Era of the NBA for sure.


Cowboys vs. Redskins - As long as I can remember I've been a Cowboys fan, even while living in Kentucky and Alabama and other parts of the globe that my dad's Army career took us. This rivalry tends to work best when at least one of the teams is good, which is probably why the rivalry has been its weakest the past five years.

Back in the day those 2 teams really hated each other. I remember the recent game where the Cowboys were up by 13 with less than 2 minutes left and the Redskins smoked us with 2 big touchdown passes. I was so mad. But, there were our "paycheck players" yucking it up afterward, smokin' & jokin' with the Redskins as though they were teenagers hanging out at the mall.


Aggies vs. Longhorns - I'm an Aggie, so this one needs little explanation. However, I will point out that the Ags have smoked the t-sips like a cheap cigar the past 2 years in a row. Who's your daddy?


Cowboys vs. 49ers (1990s) - I still rejoice to see the 49ers watching the playoffs on their television screens, but the rivalry has dissipated. With Michael Irvin & Steve Young all friendly-like, you know it's over. I appreciate T.O. trying to resurrect it a few years back when his celebrations on "The Star," but all that did was show us that Emmitt still cared and that George Teague should be in the "Ring of Honor."

Still, in the 90s we had a great rivalry. Remember Kenny Norton, Jr. turning traitor on us by going to San Fran? Remember really turning up the hate meter when Deion left Atlanta for San Fran? Remember how you felt being down 21-3 in the NFC Championship game in '94 inside like the first 3 minutes of the game? I refused to watch the Superbowl that year, knowing that the Cowboys should have been the ones whipping up on the Lightning Bolts to the tune of 55-10.
November 12th 1995 (PM) was the 2nd time ever for me to preach and it was hard dragging my badself up to church to share our obligation to "Serve the Living God" after losing that game, a turning point in the rivalry. Honestly, we were fortunate that SF lost to Green Bay in the '95-96 playoffs so we could play them in the NFC Championship Game instead.

I was not a Barry hater, but I'm thinking that if Jimmy had stayed in Dallas, 5 Superbowls in a row, without a doubt. This rivalry also taught me that the chief characteristic of a fan is rooting for the laundry, a uniform. I loathed nobody more than Deion ... until he became a Cowboy. Then I was a big fan all of the sudden. I'm even warming up to T.O. this year.


Stars vs. Red Wings - This one really kicked in for me in '98 when the Stars were bounced by Wing in the Western Conference Finals. I never had any particular players who bear my ire, but the uniform in general. In both our trips to the Stanley Cup Finals ('99 & 2000) we were fortunate that Lanche knocked off Wing, because I don't think we could have taken Wing in a 7-game series either year. This rivalry died some, but not for me. I got particularly tender (even with the Stars) when Brett Hull AND Derrian Hatcher (my favorite Star) wound up wearing the hated red & white.

Though we've not had any good encounters in the playoffs lately, I still root for the Red Wings to eat it ... Reno-style.


Cardinals vs. disAstros - This one rivals the Longhorns for personal intensity and animosity. In fact, when Rachel was 2 I got in trouble from Mom for teaching Rachel to answer the question, "What do you think of the disAstros?" with "We hate 'em."

During baseball season I check the scores of 2 teams, the Cardinals and the disAstros, and a "W" for the former is just as good as a "L" for the latter. Since the wacky creation of the present divisions, the DisAstros have been the chief competition for the division title.


Honorable Mention: Mavericks vs. Spurs, Rocky vs. Apollo, and the Von Erichs vs. the Fabulous Freebirds.


What are your favorite rivalries in sports? OR What do you think are the greatest rivalries in sports? OR What teams do you love to "hate"?