Is it really an offseason in Big D without the D standing for Drama? Dallas is in the news again, this time for a multitude of reasons. The Cowboys coaching changes already made huge waves throughout the NFL landscape, and with the new staff their seems to be more answers than questions at this early stage in the offseason. The offense should look similar, but the defense is due for an overhaul. The contract negotiations for stars Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, and Byron Jones are amongst some of the most important negotiations in the whole league. It isn’t an overstatement to say the season starts in free agency for Dallas this year, and they need to get off to a hot start.
Speaking of hot things, Hot Boyz leader Demarcus Lawrence found his way into some less pertinent news; a nickname dispute with the 49ers. Drew Pearson was recently in the news again, and a story on how Romo is living his best life, not on the field, but in the booth. Here’s the News and Notes.
53 Super Bowl Rings, 53 Stories :: ESPN
Here’s a look at every single Super Bowl ring that’s ever been handed out to the champions accompanied by a story from a player who holds it proudly. The Cowboys, of course, have five of them so nearly 10% of the list is out of Dallas. The best of the bunch belongs to the snubbed-again wide receiver Drew Pearson who tells the story of how he misplaced his 1977 ring at Studio 54.
–TT
Stephen Jones: Here’s where Mike McCarthy’s Cowboys will differ from Rod Marinelli’s defense :: USA Today
The Cowboys have been running largely the same defense in some form or fashion since Monte Kiffin’s arrival in Dallas back in 2013. His role was taken over by defensive line guru Rod Marinelli the year after and, while the defense has had some highs, it has struggled with making big plays. The offense under Mike McCarthy will likely remain in tact, but as the article outlines, expect sweeping changes on the other side of the ball as his staff seeks to turn that around.
–TT
Media Circus: How did these two men land gigs assisting Tony Romo and Jim Nantz? :: The Athletic
Tony Romo has never been more universally praised than he has been as the color man for Jim Nantz on the number one announcing team with CBS. However, his success isn’t solely because of his high football IQ and high enthusiasm, but to unsung help from a friend he met back at Eastern Illinois.
–TT
Cowboys contracts: ‘No. 1 priority’ is Dak Prescott extension, team wants to avoid franchise tag :: CBSSports
Ask any Cowboy fan what the most pressing offseason move for the ‘Boys is as you should get the same answer all around; retaining Prescott one way or another. Prescott had his best season in 2019 under first-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, and Mike McCarthy made a point to retain Moore in his role.
The Cowboys have discussed this deal many times in the last year and a half. These discussions led to reports that Dak turned down an extension in the $35 million dollar range; a contract that would be on par with fellow 2016 draftee Jared Goff. If the Cowboys can’t get a deal done soon, they may turn to the franchise tag, but even that would most likely just be a bridge until a longer extension is agreed upon. Jerry Jones knows the value Prescott adds to this team, and it’s really hard to imagine the sides not coming to terms.
–AH
Will McClay: “It’s going to be a tough deal”, on re-signing current free agents :: ProFootballTalk
The Cowboys front office made it very clear that Prescott and Amari Cooper are their first and second free agent priorities. After the two offensive stars the decisions get tougher to make; most notably on unrestricted free agent CB Byron Jones. Will McClay, the Cowboys VP of personnel, talked the challenges a team this talented can have trying to re-sign their important free agents while also keeping your cap space flexible.
Will McClay on Cowboys No. 1 CB Byron Jones, who is an unrestricted free agent: “He’s a starting caliber NFL corner. He’s a really good player. We have to figure out his financial value and if it fits for us.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 22, 2020
— AH
Cowboys and 49ers defenses involved in nickname dispute :: Forbes
While most recent news pertaining to the 49ers is about their run to the Super Bowl, San Francisco LB Kwon Alexander made different news after trying to trademark the term “Hot Boyzz” and similar terms as a name for the SF defense.
You don’t even have to be a Cowboys fan to know that the Cowboys defense, more specifically the D-Line, had already been using the term “Hot Boyz” since the 2018 season. Cowboys branded Hot Boyz merchandise has already been sold for the past year. Demarcus Lawrence, the originator of the phrase in Dallas, was the first Cowboy to speak up on social media defending their nickname. Lawrence said the Cowboys had already trademarked the term and he was getting updates from the NFL regarding the situation.
Final thoughts: Everyone wants to make this about T-shirts, nickname, on field performance, etc. THIS is about a brotherhood & passing along that mentality to our youth. We created @HotBoyzTM to help break out of the "Athlete" box we are put in by the league, team, fans everyday.
— DeMarcus Lawrence (@TankLawrence) January 22, 2020
This isn’t the biggest story of the offseason, but a legal nickname dispute is a unique NFL news story that we haven’t happen many times before this.
— Asa H
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