Tag: Jim Nantz

Jim Nantz opens golf shop at Pebble Beach as Vineyard Vines brand grows

The Jim Nantz Collection of Pebble Beach-inspired apparel cut the ribbon on its first brick-and-mortar store at Pebble Beach.

[jwplayer XozrE9KT-9JtFt04J]

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – The next step in Jim Nantz’s grand plan for his eponymous apparel collection became reality with the official opening of the Jim Nantz by Vineyard Vines store at Pebble Beach.

Located next to Golf Links to the Past, the antiquities store, and straight across the practice-putting green from The Tap Room at The Lodge, it is the first golf-inspired apparel brand to ever have its own store there – Robert Talbott had a presence but isn’t a true golf brand – and the first brick-and-mortar store for the Nantz Collection.

“My original plan was for Pebble Beach to be the epicenter for this line,” said Nantz, who cut a ceremonial ribbon today. “Vineyard Vines is an east coast brand. It has a Martha’s Vineyard personality to it. I wanted to take this silo known as golf and give it a different personality and what better place to hitch your wagon to than the mecca of American golf, Pebble Beach. I live there, I see people come here every day on a bucket-list trip and they dress for the occasion. I wanted our clothes and imagery to be aligned with Pebble Beach.”

Photo courtesy Vineyard Vines.

The partnership with Vineyard Vines was born out of a collaboration three years ago on a philanthropic endeavor of neck ties called the “Forget me Knots,” a collection that was a play off of the flower of a similar name.

Proceeds went to the Nantz National Alzheimer Center in honor of Nantz’s father. From a single tie that Nantz wore on the air on numerous occasions creating awareness, it has grown to multiple ties, T-shirts, belts, handbags and totes, scarves and keychains.

That success spurred Shep and Ian Murray, the brothers who founded Vineyard Vines, to approach Nantz about turbo-charging the company’s golf line. By partnering with a popular national brand, Nantz says he’s not starting at home plate and having to circle all the bases. Vineyard Vines already has an established base with its belts and ties, but has struggled to make in-roads with its classic polos and other apparel offerings for golfers. That’s why Nantz is involved and a perfect fit. He brings a certain authenticity within the golf community.

“I’ve had a long relationship with PGA professionals. There’s a trust there,” Nantz said. “Once they take it in, it has to prove it is going to move. All we ask is for a chance. We’ve had a wonderful response.”

“Our green-grass is a very small part of our overall business, but it is so important because it is a great way to enter our brand,” Shep Murray said.

There’s a knee-jerk reaction to think that since Nantz has his name on it, he probably does some appearances and interviews, but that sells his involvement short.

“He’s involved in the nitty gritty of making sure the collar stays, for instance, are a certain way in the shirts so he can wear them with a blazer,” said Patrick Kiely, vice president of sales for Vineyard Vines.

The nitty gritty includes digging into his personal closest. A couple of years ago, Nantz sent three giant boxes filled with nearly 100 items of clothing that he liked and attached a note to every item explaining what made the item special.

“By the way, I sent a ton of things that didn’t work for me,” he said. “I explained why it came up short.”

Vineyard Vines’ Jim Nantz Collection is headlined by this Arnold Palmer-inspired Merino wool cardigan, $175 in heather gray only since it is Pebble Beach and grey days do outnumber the sunny ones.
Vineyard Vines’ Jim Nantz Collection is headlined by this Arnold Palmer-inspired Merino wool cardigan, $175 in heather gray only since it is Pebble Beach and grey days do outnumber the sunny ones.

Lest we forget, Nantz has extensive experience in the golf apparel business. For eight years, he served on the seven-person board of directors for Ashworth, which was a publicly-traded company, and attended five meetings a year without ever missing one.

“I saw every presentation about fabrics, designs, distribution and marketing and long-range planning. It became the No. 1 golf-apparel company in the world,” Nantz said. “I told Shep and Ian that I’d been down this road before and I’d seen it from the top. If I’m going to take on another endeavor to devote my time and energy to, I needed it to go both ways and they gave me their word that they are committed to building something special.”

The Nantz Collection features more rich, elegant, muted colors than the bright shades and preppy styles that made Vineyard Vines a household name. It’s a Pebble Beach-inspired clothing line through and through with each SKU aligned with Nantz’s adopted hometown – from the Morse sweater named after Samuel F. Morse, the Pebble Beach founder, to the Del Ciervo performance jacket, named after a road in the Del Monte Forest, to the Pescadero quarter-zip named for Pescadero Point.

“It’s different than Vineyard Vines and that’s good,” said Nantz, noting that Vineyard Vines has its own separate golf line.

The 700-square-foot store is a reflection of Pebble Beach too. Walk in and on the far end is a wall-to-wall view of the 18th hole taken from the same perspective as the 18th tower where Nantz broadcasts the tournament. In front of the backdrop is a replica of the CBS anchor desk with a microphone, where shoppers can sit and post photos for social media. On the right wall is a 65-inch monitor with a 22-minute video on the history of Pebble Beach that plays on a loop.

“It’s not just a store,” Nantz said. “It awakens the senses.”

[opinary poll=”how-much-would-you-pay-to-play-pebble-be” customer=”golfweek”]

The never-before-told story of how Jim Nantz bought his Pebble Beach dream home

Jim Nantz details his cross-country flight before calling an NFL game to buy his dream home at Pebble Beach.

[jwplayer EmUOgbiT-9JtFt04J]

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – You’ve probably heard about Jim Nantz’s backyard golf hole, a miniaturized replica of the seventh at Pebble Beach Golf Links. You may have seen video of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning at the gate of his private residence. But have you heard the story about how he bought his dream home that overlooks Pebble Beach? Well, pull up a chair and allow the voice of CBS Sports to tell it in his inimitable fashion.

Nantz’s fondness for the Monterey Peninsula dates to 1969, when he was 10 years old and living in the East Bay town of Moraga. His father, Jim II, took the family on the three-hour drive to Pebble Beach and young Jim never forgot peering out the window at the golf course in the distance.

Years later, when he got the assignment to go to Pebble Beach to broadcast the 1986 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, his time there reaffirmed those childhood memories that this was a special place. He even stopped to look at a home for sale near Spyglass.

“I was starting to understand that in my line of work I could live anywhere I want. I don’t have an office at CBS in New York, not a desk, a phone, nothing,” Nantz says. “So, the whole country is yours. It’s a pretty daunting task if you think about it. But I always thought, ‘Where is there a more beautiful place in the world than right here?’ I haven’t found one.”

For 25 years, Nantz harbored a dream of possessing an address overlooking what he calls the Mecca of American golf. Every year during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Nantz awakened while the sky was still dark, jogged to the par-3 seventh hole and sat on the split-rail fence off the back of the tee and took inventory of his life.

“I used to call it my one-man board of directors meeting,” Nantz said.

Its meaning grew in importance when he took his now-wife Courtney there for the first time in 2010.

“Something happened that I had never seen before,” Nantz said. “A rainbow was draped over us across the sky. It was a perfect 180. I mean, Pebble is the end of the rainbow, but you don’t see them often here. It’s not Hawaii. As a matter of fact, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one since.”

CBS' Nick Faldo (far left) and Jim Nantz (center) chat with Jack Nicklaus.
CBS’ Nick Faldo (far left) and Jim Nantz chat with Jack Nicklaus.

Over the years, Nantz also looked at his fair share of homes at Pebble Beach. On Thursday evening, Oct. 20, 2011, a realtor called Nantz with a unique property that he thought would sell very quickly and urged Nantz to fly there immediately. There was just one problem: he was scheduled to call a New York Jets home game on Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. Not willing to take the chance at losing out on his dream home, he arranged with CBS coordinating producer Lance Barrow to miss Friday’s rehearsal and booked a flight to San Francisco.

“I got on a plane with Courtney the next morning at 6 on the first flight out of the New York area. Lo and behold (CBS NFL commentator) Ian Eagle is on the plane. He says, ‘Did I screw up or did you screw up? I think I’m going out to call the Oakland Raiders game and going to their practice today. Please don’t tell me you think you’re doing the Raiders game too.’

“I told him we were going out to Pebble Beach,” Nantz continued. “He knew we were getting married there in June and I said we had some final details to work out. It wasn’t untrue. It was all tied to our future. We landed at 9 a.m., jumped in a car and drove straight to Pebble Beach for a noon appointment. We had one hour. I had seen a lot of real estate through the years and at the end of the tour of the house, our realtor said, ‘What do you think?’ I said, ‘I love it.’ I loved the vibe, I saw the potential to do a lot of the things to make it the kind of house I always wanted. I wanted a Spanish villa with indoor and outdoor, the whole terracotta tile look. He said, ‘I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but I do think it is going to sell. There are appointments scheduled for all afternoon.’ I asked what the number is and I offered the full asking price. I signed a document and got in a car and we raced to the airport and made the last afternoon flight back to New York and still had to hold your breath over the weekend. The short end of it is, we got it.”

Thus ensued an eight-month renovation and expansion project with the goal of having their new home ready to move in on their wedding night, June, 9, 2012.

“By gosh, they did it,” Nantz said. “There were 45 people in the house doing the finishing touches the day before the wedding. We had our rehearsal party and the christening of the house on the eve of the wedding – we didn’t stay in it – and cut a ribbon. The next night, after the reception, I carried her across the threshold to our new home.”

Don’t you just love when a plan comes together?

[lawrence-related id=778024367,778020311,777985085]

At 80, Jack Nicklaus remains as relevant as ever

Nicklaus remains active at designing golf courses, hosting PGA Tour events, passing on his wisdom to PGA Tour pro and philanthropic work.

In December, when Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus played with their grandsons in the PNC Bank Father-Son Challenge in Orlando, the 5-foot, 6-inch, 150-pound Player launched a drive at 18 that trickled past Big Jack, who in his prime would often blow tee shots half a football field past his longtime foe. This didn’t sit well with the Olden Bear.

“He said, ‘Will you stop out-driving me already?’ ” Player recalls. “I said, ‘You out-drove me for the first 40 years. Let me have the last decade.’ I never thought I’d out-drive Jack and I never thought I’d be taller than him either.”

Nicklaus may have shrunk in stature, but he remains a giant in the game as he celebrates his 80th birthday today. Whether it is designing golf courses, passing on his wisdom to the current crop of PGA Tour stars, hosting PGA Tour events or his philanthropic work, Nicklaus is as relevant in the game as ever.

Take the kids, as he calls them, including Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, and just last week Patrick Rodgers, who have come to The Bears Club, the club Nicklaus founded in Jupiter, Florida, in 1999, for lunch with the 18-time major champion or to his house to drink from his fountain of knowledge as if it were ambrosia. Charl Schwartzel and Trevor Immelman both parlayed advice before the Masters into being fitted for green jackets, and Patrick Cantlay asked for some tips on how to play Muirfield Village Golf Club before winning The Memorial at Jack’s Place in June.

“How many 22-year-olds come to an 80-year-old for advice? Not many. I say, ‘You never listened to your dad so why would you listen to your great grandfather?’ They happen to listen to me,” Nicklaus says. “I impart my experience that you have to play within yourself. The whole idea is don’t beat yourself.”

Jack Nicklaus presents the trophy to Patrick Cantlay after winning the 2019 Memorial at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Photo by Joe Maiorana/USA TODAY Sports

“He has been the best at giving advice on how to play golf. Not how to swing, but how to play the game. He’s talked to me about his strategy and how to play the golf course and how to play the game and what he thought,” says Rory McIlroy, who more than nine years ago was winless on the PGA Tour when he listened to Nicklaus preach patience. Soon after, McIlroy shot a final-round 62 at the Quail Hollow Championship to earn his first Tour title.

“The common denominator for him and Tiger is they are the best thinkers in the game. Just to pick Jack’s brain about that, and about preparation, and how he got himself around a golf course, that’s the best advice you can get. He was a master at playing the game.”

Most people retire so they can play golf; Nicklaus retired as a competitor in 2005 and then ramped up his work building golf courses around the globe. Nicklaus is the first to concede that without his playing career, none of his design business happens.

“Nobody would have listened to me. Golf has allowed me to actually discover something I didn’t even know I had. It’s allowed me to leave something beyond my game and my life,” he says. “Fifty years from now, no one’s going to see me play golf. But they’ll see several hundred golf courses, and they’ll understand that they were expressions of how I felt.”

Age has also mellowed Nicklaus the designer, who used to be criticized for making courses that only he could play.

“As you get older and don’t play as much, you realize what a humbling game it is,” Nicklaus says. “I design a lot more for the members’ tee. People of all walks of life and all skill levels want to play, and as an architect, you want them to enjoy it.”

Nicklaus says he has nine or 10 golf courses he’s working on right now in some stage of development. Chris Cochran, one of Nicklaus Design’s longtime associates, tells a story of a course in Greece that is on the drawing board that shows Nicklaus’ passion for design is alive and well. Unhappy with the routing and with a sudden burst of inspiration, Nicklaus pushed away his dinner plate, had flood lights turned on, and toured the site again in a golf cart until he arrived at a solution.

“It was driving him crazy,” Cochran says.

You might have figured that Nicklaus was slowing down when he announced in February 2018 that he was stepping away from day-to-day operations of his companies. You’d have thought wrong. To hear Nicklaus tell it, he basically got rid of all the parts of the job he was tired of doing and maintained the public speaking engagements, occasional golf exhibitions, course design work and fundraising he enjoys.

“I think everybody would like to do that,” he muses.

Indeed, his calendar sure doesn’t look like that of a man who’s taking it easy. Nicklaus struck the opening tee shot at the Masters in April and teamed with Player in the Legends of Golf; hosted the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament the month after that; and opened more golf courses, including one in Russia and his first in Latvia. He has attached his name to products ranging from golf balls, wine, beverages and restaurants to lifestyle items such as apparel and footwear.

Player calls retirement a death warrant, and Nicklaus still only operates at two speeds, says his longtime PR man Scott Tolley: “go and giddy-up.”

“I certainly don’t have any reason to want to go curl up in a corner someplace,” Nicklaus says.

Most of his efforts are geared to raising money with wife, Barbara, chair and co-founder of the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, which was established in 2004 to support numerous pediatric healthcare services in South Florida and across the U.S.

[jwplayer idBqh3UT-9JtFt04J]

“We’re just getting started,” Nicklaus says. “She’s supported me for 50 years; now it’s my turn and that’s what I’m doing and frankly I really enjoy it and it’s been eye opening to me. We’re getting ready to start a legacy fund – something that will last well beyond Barbara and I are gone.”

Last year, Jack and Barbara pledged to raise $100 million over the next five years for children’s hospitals through the Play Yellow campaign.

Nicklaus lives in North Palm Beach, Florida, these days, but his signature tournament has another central purpose, and that is to enrich the community of his youth. The Memorial has generated more than $36 million for central Ohio charities since 1976, with more than $20 million given to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

“It’s the greatest second act maybe in terms of a meaningfulness, what you do with your life to affect others,” says CBS Sports commentator Jim Nantz. “What Jack has done after arguably the greatest golf career of all time to now go to a stage in life, thanks to Barbara’s leadership, all these children they are helping, all these hospitals that have popped up; it’s an amazing thing. I’m in awe of them.”

Nicklaus may be officially an octogenarian, but he won’t let a bad back and a bum shoulder from tennis slow him down. He’s far from done with his second act. Giddy-up.

[lawrence-related id=778020315,778021055,778020897]

Jim Nantz, Nick Faldo predict where Tiger will win No. 83

Tiger Woods needs one PGA Tour title to break a tie with Sam Snead for the all-time win total on Tour.

CBS Sports tees off its 2020 PGA Tour season next Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Farmers Insurance Open (3-6 p.m. ET) from Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, California. 

The network, which will air 20 Tour events, debuts its new announce team with host Jim Nantz, and lead analyst and six-time major champion Nick Faldo anchoring coverage from the 18th tower. Davis Love III makes his CBS Sports debut, alongside analysts Ian Baker-Finch, Frank Nobilo, Dottie Pepper, Mark Immelman and reporter Amanda Balionis.

When asked during a media conference call to predict when Tiger Woods would break the record he shares with Sam Snead and capture his 83rd Tour title, Faldo picked the Masters, where CBS will broadcast for the 65th consecutive year. Woods has won five times and is the defending champion.

“He’s only good when he plays golf courses that have got minimal rough and pine trees left and right,” Faldo said, noting those circumstances happened to be three victories. “I don’t know how he can create the emotion again of what it meant to win his 15th (major)… If the weather is good – it needs to be warm for his back – he’s got a shot at Augusta… You never know what might happen at Augusta again.”

Nantz looked into his crystal ball and predicted Tiger may win even sooner.

“Hardest thing in the world to do in sports is to try to predict who will win a golf tournament, but Tiger in his prime was the surest bet,” he said. “I know when he got 82 I was walking into a stadium and someone came over to me and said, ‘Any regrets you didn’t get to call No. 82?’ My knee-jerk reaction was, ‘No, we’ll be happy to call No. 83.’ I’d rather have 83 than 82.

“I’m always looking for context and he’s signed up to play the Genesis Invitational at Riviera. Yes, he’s never won at Riviera. I think that would be the coolest story if he won at the site where he first competed as a 16-year-old high school kid in the 1992 L.A. Open. He never won there and he started his exposure to professional golf as a 16-year-old amateur there so maybe he comes back 28 years later and wins it for the first time to take over first place on the all-time win list.”

Woods, who matched Snead with a victory at the Zozo Championship in Japan in October, is scheduled to make his season debut next week at the Farmers Insurance Open, too.

[lawrence-related id=778020098,778017253]

2020 Free Agency: ESPN throwing big money at Tony Romo as CBS deal expires

The former Cowboys QB is being courted by a new broadcast team with a contract that would make him the highest-paid sportscaster in history.

As the quarterback of America’s Team, Tony Romo was a polarizing figure, to say the least. Even die-hard Cowboys fans often found themselves divided. One moment he was the cocksure, tough-as-nails, wisecracking, gunslinging magician who could pull a rabbit out of his hat on any given snap. The next, he was accused of trying to do too much, called physically fragile, and being labeled a choker when it mattered the most.

As a broadcaster, though, Romo is almost universally regarded as among the very best, even after just three seasons in the booth. His relaxed and conversational style is uniquely welcoming, and he has shown a knack for breaking down Xs and Os in a way that engages both hardcore football nerds and casual observers. His uncanny forecasting of what’s about to happen on the field has become a calling card. And now, just like a player at the top of his game, Romo has captured the attention of rival organizations who are willing to offer major money for him to switch teams.

In a story first reported by Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy (no relation to the new Cowboys coach), ESPN is “preparing an offer” that would make Romo the highest-paid sportscaster in television history.

The 39-year-old Romo is believed to be currently making $3-4 million a year as the lead color analyst for CBS, with a contract that is about to expire. ESPN is reportedly offering Romo between $10 million and $14 million annually.

It’s a quantum leap in pay and an unprecedented salary for a sportscaster. To put that number in perspective, no football broadcaster has ever pulled down more than $8 million a year. And that was John Madden.

Neither ESPN nor Romo has commented at the time of this writing. It is widely assumed that The Worldwide Leader is eyeing Romo for the color analyst job on Monday Night Football, although they may have other plans in the long-term. ESPN’s parent company Disney could well take a run at one of the NFL packages belonging to CBS, NBC, or Fox when television rights are again up for bid in 2020-2021.

Adding to the intrigue is a nugget dropped from NFL insider Adam Schefter.

The report specifies that it was a “non-ESPN” network asking about putting Brees in the booth. Could that network be CBS, already preparing for a possible exit by Romo by lining up someone with many of the same qualities and traits to be his replacement?

Romo’s addition to the MNF crew would lend instant credibility to a franchise that has flagged badly in recent years. Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, Romo’s former teammate, lasted just one year in the ESPN booth before returning to the field; he was never the broadcasting natural that Romo has shown to be. Booger McFarland did not improve when the network moved him from his sideline spot to the analyst role; he is lambasted every single week for his insipid ramblings spouted as if they are kernels of rare wisdom. Play-by-play man Joe Tessitore tries way too hard to pump up bad matchups, yelling, “OUTRAGEOUS!!” at the most routine plays in the middle of the game. One can only guess that signing an analyst of Romo’s stature would immediately require the ouster of one or both men from the Monday Night booth.

Part of Romo’s easy segue to working behind the mic has come from his pairing at CBS with his good friend Jim Nantz. The two have a real rapport that comes across on the air, with Nantz generally playing the straight man and calling the action while setting Romo up with opportunities to share his football insight and Everyfan enthusiasm. Nantz has gone on record saying that he hopes to continue working alongside Romo “for a generation of games,” but even the easygoing Romo may not be able to turn down a new contract that triples his current salary.

He may want to consider doing just that, though. As Alex Reimer of Forbes astutely points out, there are some compelling reasons for Romo to stay put. Consider the schedule, for one. At CBS, Romo is in the booth for the network’s marquee game every single Sunday. The MNF schedule is set far in advance and cannot be flexed to avoid awful teams or boring matchups.

Also, look at the numbers. Ratings are what it’s all about in television, and CBS trounces ESPN when it comes to viewership. Would Romo have catapulted to the top of the broadcast heap if he hadn’t been on one of the big-boy networks? Would the endorsement deals with Corona, Skechers, and Ralph Lauren still have come?

Finally, think about the workload. ESPN goes 24/7 and across numerous platforms; that’s a lot of airtime to fill. It’s hard to imagine the executives in Bristol wouldn’t expect a superstar like Romo- who famously dabbles in pro-am golf during the offseason- to start doing a lot more than three hours of afternoon TV a week for the exorbitant amount of money being discussed.

Romo probably should be the highest-paid broadcaster in the game, but CBS has the right to match any new offer he gets. Romo could still score an exponential pay raise and not have to put in any more hours or develop chemistry with a new partner, while always getting the best game of the week to share with the biggest audience.

Sunday’s AFC Championship Game between Tennessee and Kansas City will be the final game of Romo’s current contract. And then the longtime Cowboys quarterback will have to call an audible on the next chapter of his career.

[lawrence-newsletter]

News: Jerry Jones addresses Payton rumors, Troy Aikman’s digs

Ezekiel Elliott and three of his blockers may have been named to the 2020 Pro Bowl already, but the Cowboys still have plenty of business to attend to in the 2019 season. In fact, the team is still adding to their roster for the final two games and …

Ezekiel Elliott and three of his blockers may have been named to the 2020 Pro Bowl already, but the Cowboys still have plenty of business to attend to in the 2019 season. In fact, the team is still adding to their roster for the final two games and what they hope will be a strong postseason push.

Focus is starting to shift to this weekend’s showdown with the Eagles, but fans and media alike are still soaking in the decisive win last weekend against the Rams. As always, owner Jerry Jones had things to say, this time about Sean Payton and Troy Aikman and the hypothetical roles some are eyeing them for in Dallas. All that, plus sounds from the sideline and a peek inside the booth with Tony Romo. Here’s all the News and Notes.

Jerry Jones dispels Sean Payton rumors :: 105.3 The Fan

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton used to be the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys under Bill Parcells. He’s also been extraordinarily successful in his current role as head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Even still, he’s long been rumored to be the apple of owner Jerry Jones’s eye. But on the record, Jones says there’s no fire coming from all that smoke.

–TT

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones responds to Troy Aikman’s criticism: ‘He would do it exactly like I do :: USA Today

Jones had plenty more to say about the hypothetical future of the Dallas franchise, this time about former playcaller Troy Aikman. In his current job as lead analyst for FOX Sports, Aikman has been critical of his former employer and the power structure that he intimated has hampered the team’s success since he retired after the 2000 season.

“He emptied the bucket just like I did to become a Cowboy,” Jones said on 105.3, as quoted in an exclusive recap by Mike Fisher. “I would wager that if he (’emptied the bucket’) to buy the team, he would do it exactly like I do it. I would wager that.”

Fisher points out that he believes Jones is referring to how involved Aikman would be as a team owner, not suggesting his style would be the same as Jones’s own.

Aikman has made no secret of his interest in perhaps one day being in a team’s front office. But he does not believe that opportunity will be in Dallas.

“I just don’t think Jerry Jones will bring in anyone that will serve in a role such as the one I would prefer,” Aikman has said.

–TB

 

Cowboys work out 2 LBs, sign one with a high-profile MVP on resume :: Cowboys Wire

Linebacker Malcolm Smith may not exactly be a household name, but he is a known commodity to Cowboys passing game coordinator Kris Richard. Oh, and he’s a Super Bowl MVP. The former Seahawk was signed by Dallas on Tuesday, adding sorely-needed depth to a linebacker corps that is suddenly without Leighton Vander Esch, Joe Thomas, and rookie sensation Luke Gifford.

Smith has spent time recently with New Orleans and Jacksonville, but saw little to no action with those clubs. The 30-year-old had the game of his life in Super Bowl XLVIII, notching 10 combined tackles (six solo), deflecting a pass, recovering a fumble, and returning an interception for a touchdown in the Seattle’s 43-8 victory over Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.

–TB

Week 16 EPA Power Rankings: Rumors of Cowboys demise greatly exaggerated :: Cowboys Wire

Bill Parcells liked to profess, “You are what your record says you are.” To a certain extent, that’s true. But football is largely random. It’s the smallest sample size of any major sport. The ball is a weird shape and bounces funny. So while a team’s record is what determines their lot in life, there are far better predictors out there, one of which is EPA. In this metric, the 7-7 Cowboys are currently a top-five team and rank No. 2 offensively. That may not make fans feel any better, but it should. If Dallas is able to take the NFC East, they can be as formidable as anyone in the playoffs.

–TT

‘Old guys’ Witten and Lee ‘turn back the clock,’ do something new vs. Rams :: Cowboys Wire

The Cowboys have lacked the kind of sideline juice that defines many success stories in the NFL. A year ago, wide receiver Amari Cooper provided exactly that. On Sunday against the Los Angeles, it was provided by seasoned veterans: linebacker Sean Lee and tight end Jason Witten. Lee chose to return to the Cowboys on a modified deal, eschewing more money and a chance at a starting job elsewhere to stay with the team that drafted him. Witten bounced back to Dallas after a dalliance with Monday Night Football. For one day at least, the two veterans provided the kind of boost the Cowboys sorely needed.

–TT

Jim Schwartz details what Eagles defense must do vs. Cowboys to give hobbled offense a chance :: The Philadelphia Inquirer

Ask Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz how he plans to slow down the Cowboys’ top-rated offensive attack on Sunday, and he’ll point to some of the usual things that all coaches harp on: stopping the run, playing clean football, defending well in the red zone, and winning third down battles.

But Schwartz is particularly worried about pursuit, an issue he says is different from poor tackling.

“When you’re pursuing well as a team, you don’t notice missed tackles,” he offered.

His unit let Adrian Peterson run away from them several times last week versus Washington. This week, they’ll be chasing guys like Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott.

“He’s a strong, contact runner. We’re going to have to put a lot of hats on him,” Schwartz said. “It’s not going to be one-on-one tackling.”

–TB

Tyrone Crawford’s recovery :: ESPN

The shrouds of mystery surrounding injuries to players on the Dallas Cowboys isn’t a new thing. Often, it seems both the organization and players are willing to forego immediate surgery in hopes that short-term rehabilitation can get the player back on the field. This offseason, Tyrone Crawford opted for the rehab route, which ultimately may have cost him the majority of the 2019 campaign.

–TT

Cowboys beat a winning team :: FOX Sports

If you can’t find humor in what’s been a disappointing season, then perhaps an evaluation of priorities are in order. The Cowboys finally got a win over a team with a record over .500 and, of course, that’s cause for celebration. Headphones are required for the video below.

–TT

Sounds from the Sideline :: The Mothership

It’s always more fun to listen to players on the sideline during a victory than it is during defeat. This is no exception. It’s rare to actually learn much from these videos, but there’s one new fact that all Cowboys fans will learn: what linebacker Sean Lee really has in his water bottle during games. After his eye-popping performance Sunday, maybe the entire team should follow his lead.

–TT

Behind the scenes with Tony Romo, Jim Nantz, and the NFL’s top broadcasting team :: The Athletic

In an insightful peek behind the curtain, Richard Deitsch embedded with the A-team of CBS Sports during Week 14’s Chiefs-Patriots clash. Among the juicy tidbits for Tony Romo fans to savor? His hotel routine on gameday mornings, his drink of choice while calling the game of the week, and his pregame vocal warmups that include singing along (loudly) to a playlist featuring Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, and U2. If Romo can hit Bono’s high notes in ‘Red Hill Mining Town,’ the former Cowboys quarterback knows he’s ready to take the mic for kickoff.

The article details the nuts and bolts of how the broadcast comes together and also touches on Romo’s future with the network. His contract expires at the end of this season, but his friend Jim Nantz hopes their partnership in the booth goes on for a long while.

“If we could get 15 years,” Nantz says, “that would be a career goal for me. That would cover five or six Super Bowls in that span. I am 60 and Tony is not even 40 yet. He turns 40 in April. He’s like three years younger than Tom Brady! At that point, I would be 75. How I would love to be able to play this out for a generation of games together.”

–TB

[vertical-gallery id=636536][vertical-gallery id=636168][lawrence-newsletter]