- Messages
- 79,281
- Reaction score
- 45,652
09:37 AM CDT on Friday, October 7, 2005
IRVING -- I am sitting here in my Valley Ranch cubicle trying to figure out why practice squad receiver Jamaica Rector tried to hug me in the locker room today.
In other breaking news, the Cowboys play the Eagles on Sunday.
On the surface, the Cowboys have little chance of winning this game. The running game is stuck in neutral, the left side of the offensive line is leaking oil, and the best receiver in the world is on his way into town.
And that’s why I’m picking the Cowboys to win this game. There’s really no logic behind this pick. By predicting victory for the Cowboys, I risk losing what little credibility I still had.
But remember where you heard it first: Cowboys 23, Eagles 17. And if you have a better idea, send me a prediction. The e-mailer who comes closest to the final score will receive a free T-shirt – pending my editor’s approval.
OK, let’s begin this week’s edition of Matt’s Mail Call Plus Some Other Stuff:
Clinton Williams and Han Nguyen want to know if running back Anthony Thomas and receiver Peerless Price are causing problems in the locker room by voicing their displeasure about playing time. Clinton and Han, if Julius Jones and Jason Witten start complaining all the time, then you might have problems. But Thomas and Price won’t have much say in the locker room until they have a chance to perform. At this rate, that’ll never happen.
Parcells won’t play them simply because Jerry Jones is paying them a combined $3 million. Although Jones won’t admit it, Thomas and Price are nothing more than expensive insurance policies at this point. I tried to tell you guys that Price wasn’t going to have a spot in this offense, and some of you still don’t believe me.
If you start seeing a lot of Price, it means Terry Glenn’s hurt. And here’s what Parcells had to say about Thomas’ recent comments: "If their personal situation isn't going the way they want, they say, 'Get me out of here.' You couldn't do that years ago. You had to make the best of it. So he'll have to make the best of it."
Now, that doesn’t mean the Cowboys won’t try to trade him by the Oct. 18 deadline. As I mentioned in Wednesday's story, Jacksonville and Arizona might be willing to listen. Get a sixth-round pick for the guy and move on.
In the feel-good moment of the week, Jason writes: "OK, you have grown on me a little. I have gone from hating you to you growing on me."
One reader at a time, folks.
The portion of the column where we rip Rowdy: Chuck Harrelson has a take on the demonic Cowboys mascot.
"Great columns, so keep up the good work. I'm sure I speak for many others, but how on God's green earth do we keep that moron Rowdy as a mascot? He's annoying as hell, and the one thing that is so redundant every game is when the other team converts an extra point, and this nerd is under the goal post showing a missed extra point signal. I'm convinced he has hidden photos of Jerry Jones."
Chuck, I had to edit that last part because this is a family column. But I did laugh.
Rowdy belongs in one of those early 1980s slasher films like The Funhouse (1981). And by the way, Tobe Hooper has to be one of the most underrated directors of our time.
Anyway, introducing Rowdy was a slap in the face to Crazy Ray. Besides scaring the children of North Texas, Rowdy is simply annoying. What a life-draining experience it must be for players to score a touchdown and end up in the arms of this madman.
Three Caballeros: Quarterback Tony Romo, right guard Marco Rivera and kicker Jose Cortez appeared on the cover of Cónnexion, which is a Spanish-language publication from the San Antonio Express-News.
The headline blared "Latino Cowboys" and the subhead said, "Hispanics are a force to be dealt with in the NFL."
As Cortez and Romo admired the photos, we had a discussion regarding the best Hispanic players to play in the league. Bengals offensive tackle Anthony Munoz has to be at the top. And there’s a chance Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez joins Munoz in the Hall of Fame someday.
The Anti-Oprah Book Club: Off to a slow start with A Confederacy of Dunces, but I plan to make up some ground this week. I loaned my copy of John Adams to Cowboys tight end Sean Ryan midway through the 2004 season, and he finally returned it Monday.
The biggest bibliophile in the locker room that I’m aware of is Romo. But he loses points, though, for not embracing fiction. He reads every sports book he can get his hands on, especially the ones about Michael Jordan and Brett Favre.
Former safety Darren Woodson started a book club two years ago, but it’s no longer in existence.
Trotter doing standup? Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said Thursday that Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter plays like a "standup nose tackle."
This struck me as odd, so I actually listened to his explanation.
"If you watch and see him, he attacks the center quite a bit," Parcells said. "Years ago, there was a style of defense that featured that kind of play. Middle linebacker was a hybrid nose tackle. The University of Tennessee made it famous in the early ‘70s. Every once in a while you see kind of a remnant of that kind of style."
Love it when Parcells starts giving history lessons during news conferences. Later in the locker room, I talked things over with center Al Johnson.
"Most linebackers try to hit you and then go around you," Johnson said. "Trotter tries to run right through you. And it works a lot of the time."
Johnson will probably see more time than backup center Andre Gurode against the Eagles because he’s better in space.
House season 2: Missed last week’s episode while on assignment at Pebble Beach. And the baseball playoffs were on Tuesday.
Next week, I’ll finally watch it on my TV. I’m having satellite dish installed Sunday. My wife is thrilled to stay home and wait for the installer from 1 to 5 p.m. while I cover the game.
Bay Area leftovers: Couple of restaurants to keep in mind next time you’re in San Francisco: Antica, a cool little Italian restaurant at 2400 Polk St. and Indigo, which is located near the Civic Center ... Special thanks to friends Tom and Sammy Cilano, who took me to dinner Saturday and forced me to have five courses ... And thanks to the gracious folks at San Jose State and the sandwich shop around the corner, Togo’s, which makes a mean hot pastrami.
http://www.cowboysplus.com/topstorync/stories/100805cpmosley.cbff1c5b.html
IRVING -- I am sitting here in my Valley Ranch cubicle trying to figure out why practice squad receiver Jamaica Rector tried to hug me in the locker room today.
In other breaking news, the Cowboys play the Eagles on Sunday.
On the surface, the Cowboys have little chance of winning this game. The running game is stuck in neutral, the left side of the offensive line is leaking oil, and the best receiver in the world is on his way into town.
And that’s why I’m picking the Cowboys to win this game. There’s really no logic behind this pick. By predicting victory for the Cowboys, I risk losing what little credibility I still had.
But remember where you heard it first: Cowboys 23, Eagles 17. And if you have a better idea, send me a prediction. The e-mailer who comes closest to the final score will receive a free T-shirt – pending my editor’s approval.
OK, let’s begin this week’s edition of Matt’s Mail Call Plus Some Other Stuff:
Clinton Williams and Han Nguyen want to know if running back Anthony Thomas and receiver Peerless Price are causing problems in the locker room by voicing their displeasure about playing time. Clinton and Han, if Julius Jones and Jason Witten start complaining all the time, then you might have problems. But Thomas and Price won’t have much say in the locker room until they have a chance to perform. At this rate, that’ll never happen.
Parcells won’t play them simply because Jerry Jones is paying them a combined $3 million. Although Jones won’t admit it, Thomas and Price are nothing more than expensive insurance policies at this point. I tried to tell you guys that Price wasn’t going to have a spot in this offense, and some of you still don’t believe me.
If you start seeing a lot of Price, it means Terry Glenn’s hurt. And here’s what Parcells had to say about Thomas’ recent comments: "If their personal situation isn't going the way they want, they say, 'Get me out of here.' You couldn't do that years ago. You had to make the best of it. So he'll have to make the best of it."
Now, that doesn’t mean the Cowboys won’t try to trade him by the Oct. 18 deadline. As I mentioned in Wednesday's story, Jacksonville and Arizona might be willing to listen. Get a sixth-round pick for the guy and move on.
In the feel-good moment of the week, Jason writes: "OK, you have grown on me a little. I have gone from hating you to you growing on me."
One reader at a time, folks.
The portion of the column where we rip Rowdy: Chuck Harrelson has a take on the demonic Cowboys mascot.
"Great columns, so keep up the good work. I'm sure I speak for many others, but how on God's green earth do we keep that moron Rowdy as a mascot? He's annoying as hell, and the one thing that is so redundant every game is when the other team converts an extra point, and this nerd is under the goal post showing a missed extra point signal. I'm convinced he has hidden photos of Jerry Jones."
Chuck, I had to edit that last part because this is a family column. But I did laugh.
Rowdy belongs in one of those early 1980s slasher films like The Funhouse (1981). And by the way, Tobe Hooper has to be one of the most underrated directors of our time.
Anyway, introducing Rowdy was a slap in the face to Crazy Ray. Besides scaring the children of North Texas, Rowdy is simply annoying. What a life-draining experience it must be for players to score a touchdown and end up in the arms of this madman.
Three Caballeros: Quarterback Tony Romo, right guard Marco Rivera and kicker Jose Cortez appeared on the cover of Cónnexion, which is a Spanish-language publication from the San Antonio Express-News.
The headline blared "Latino Cowboys" and the subhead said, "Hispanics are a force to be dealt with in the NFL."
As Cortez and Romo admired the photos, we had a discussion regarding the best Hispanic players to play in the league. Bengals offensive tackle Anthony Munoz has to be at the top. And there’s a chance Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez joins Munoz in the Hall of Fame someday.
The Anti-Oprah Book Club: Off to a slow start with A Confederacy of Dunces, but I plan to make up some ground this week. I loaned my copy of John Adams to Cowboys tight end Sean Ryan midway through the 2004 season, and he finally returned it Monday.
The biggest bibliophile in the locker room that I’m aware of is Romo. But he loses points, though, for not embracing fiction. He reads every sports book he can get his hands on, especially the ones about Michael Jordan and Brett Favre.
Former safety Darren Woodson started a book club two years ago, but it’s no longer in existence.
Trotter doing standup? Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said Thursday that Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter plays like a "standup nose tackle."
This struck me as odd, so I actually listened to his explanation.
"If you watch and see him, he attacks the center quite a bit," Parcells said. "Years ago, there was a style of defense that featured that kind of play. Middle linebacker was a hybrid nose tackle. The University of Tennessee made it famous in the early ‘70s. Every once in a while you see kind of a remnant of that kind of style."
Love it when Parcells starts giving history lessons during news conferences. Later in the locker room, I talked things over with center Al Johnson.
"Most linebackers try to hit you and then go around you," Johnson said. "Trotter tries to run right through you. And it works a lot of the time."
Johnson will probably see more time than backup center Andre Gurode against the Eagles because he’s better in space.
House season 2: Missed last week’s episode while on assignment at Pebble Beach. And the baseball playoffs were on Tuesday.
Next week, I’ll finally watch it on my TV. I’m having satellite dish installed Sunday. My wife is thrilled to stay home and wait for the installer from 1 to 5 p.m. while I cover the game.
Bay Area leftovers: Couple of restaurants to keep in mind next time you’re in San Francisco: Antica, a cool little Italian restaurant at 2400 Polk St. and Indigo, which is located near the Civic Center ... Special thanks to friends Tom and Sammy Cilano, who took me to dinner Saturday and forced me to have five courses ... And thanks to the gracious folks at San Jose State and the sandwich shop around the corner, Togo’s, which makes a mean hot pastrami.
http://www.cowboysplus.com/topstorync/stories/100805cpmosley.cbff1c5b.html