Tag: Michael Irvin

Cowboys News: Defending Dak, sleuthing special teams, picking pet cats

Also, Michael Irvin speaks out about injustice, choosing an all-time Cowboys team, and examining if the defense is really better in 2020.

The Cowboys’ franchise quarterback spoke out about police violence and the current protests taking place in cities across the country, despite his team holding its collective tongue. Hall of Famer Michael Irvin also weighed in with a sobering personal perspective.

More than one media member has issued an epic missive on the merits of paying one Rayne Dakota Prescott. Another put Prescott on a list of best quarterbacks under pressure. Elsewhere on the field, there’s a closer look at this year’s special teams unit and a position-by-position breakdown of the defense. Also, power rankings from Peter King, an all-time Cowboys all-star team, and the ten guys competing to be Cowboys Nation’s next “pet cat.” That’s all included in this latest edition of News and Notes.

Prescott speaks out as Cowboys org remains silent on George Floyd protests :: Cowboys Wire

Regarding the recent events that have gripped the country and sent citizens into the streets in a clarion call for change, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys front office have yet to show where they stand. But their presumptive starting quarterback has. Despite being currently without a contract or a long-term commitment from his team, Dak Prescott has pledged one million dollars in support of police training, education, and advocacy – mentioned in that order.

The complete defense of Dak Prescott: Debunking the nine most common criticisms :: Bobby Belt

For fans who think the Cowboys quarterback isn’t very good, the NFL Network field producer would like a word. Actually, he’d like 6,000-plus words.

Debunking the Dak Prescott contract debate: The facts and fiction, and why the Cowboys should pay him :: ESPN

Not to be outdone, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell went even longer (over 7,000 words) to attack the Dak debate from every angle: the truth about the money, whether Prescott is replaceable, where he ranks against his peers, as well as the various criticisms. In the end, Barnwell concludes that “the preponderance of evidence suggests he’s a top-10 quarterback and somewhere in the six-to-eight range. The idea that the Cowboys can just replace him with a cheaper option and get similar production is not supported by evidence or history.”

Top 10 QBs under pressure: Ryan Tannehill, Derek Carr shine :: NFL.com

When the chips are down, Dak Prescott is among the best in the business. So says this list, which uses Next Gen Stats to measure passer rating under pressure and completion percentage above expectation while under pressure. In 2019, turns out only seven passers were better than Dallas’s No. 4. After a deeper dive into the numbers, writer Nick Shook comes to the conclusion that Prescott is, in fact, really really good.

Position breakdown: Special teams :: The Mothership

Frequently the most maddening unit on the Cowboys roster, the special teams department may be turning it around in 2020. Nick Eatman recalls how kicking cost Dallas four games last season, previews the “blank slate” approach new coordinator John Fassel will bring, and reminds fans that heavily-touted rookie CeeDee Lamb could make a splash in the return game.

NFL power rankings: Surprises take back seat :: NBC Sports

Peter King doesn’t care for offseason power rankings and concedes that this offseason has made it even harder to gauge who’s going to be at the top of the heap come December. But he thinks the Cowboys are the best team in the NFC East, and he ranks them ninth leaguewide. King feels Dallas should have gone defense with the CeeDee Lamb pick in April’s draft, but is nonetheless predicting that the Week 16 showdown with Philadelphia will decide the division title.

Cowboys’ defense has new look and new faces, but has it improved? :: ESPN

The defense may have seen upgrades at defensive tackle and safety, but there are questions at cornerback. And despite the optimism surrounding the return of Aldon Smith and the potential of rookie Bradlee Anae, the Cowboys’ edge rusher position is still below 2019’s caliber.

Stars among stars: Assembling the Dallas Cowboys’ all-time 53-man roster :: The Athletic

Jon Machota goes back to every squad in team history, with every player in his prime, and puts together the ultimate Cowboys roster. Would that lineup be unbeatable? Heck, the players that got left off Machota’s list would make an absolute juggernaut.

Ten pet cat candidates from the Dallas Cowboys roster who are looking for adoption :: Blogging the Boys

It’s sleeper time! Using a favorite Bill Parcells term, this piece examines players- undrafted, drafted outside the top 150, or without a 2019 start- who Cowboys fans may want to root for. Lots of defensive ends on the list, including rookie Bradlee Anae, UDFA Ron’Dell Carter, and last year’s seventh-round pick Jalen Jelks.

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Michael Irvin: ‘Have to root out the problem above the officers’ including general public

The Hall of Famer and former Dallas Cowboys WR spoke with Rich Eisen about the recent protests and his own brush with racial profiling.

During extraordinary times, ordinary people invariably look to their heroes for reaction. Those with fame or wealth or power or status are, at a core level, of course, no different than anyone else. But right or wrong, it has become second nature in today’s world to look to celebrities, actors, comedians, filmmakers, artists, musicians, and athletes for their opinion on matters that touch everyone.

Maybe it’s a way to gauge whether that person we admire is worthy of our admiration. Maybe it’s a way to feel a closer connection with that larger-than-life figure, to hear they feel the same way we do about this issue or that story.

Speaking Wednesday on The Rich Eisen Show, Cowboys Ring of Honor wide receiver Michael Irvin echoed things that many are feeling in the wake of the George Floyd killing.

“We need law enforcement for our protection,” Irvin said. “What we do not need is black men being persecuted and executed. We need law enforcement, and there are a great number of great people out here that do their jobs and do it well. But we’ve got to stop the persecution and certainly the execution.”

The Playmaker shared his thoughts on law enforcement in America, and shared a story about a recent run-in of his own.

“I can tell you over the past few months, I bet I’ve been stopped a couple of times. I even film them. I got stopped driving in Addison, Texas, right up the street. I was just driving around, and the guy stopped me because I did a U-turn… I asked, ‘Why are you stopping me? I didn’t do anything wrong.’ ‘Well,’ he said, ‘you were in a turn lane and didn’t turn on your turn signal.’ I said, ‘Are you joking? C’mon, man…’ I was in the turning lane. He finally broke down and said, ‘Okay, Michael.’ He had found out who I was, and he said, ‘We had a phone call from people that said there was a suspicious black man in a G-Wagen driving around.’ We have to change the mentality… That’s the systemic issue that we have that perpetuates itself, that we’ve got to root out of this country.”

While the week’s protests have largely been viewed as citizens-versus-police, Eisen and Irvin went on to discuss how the necessary changes need to come on a higher level.

“Hey, [former Minneapolis police officer] Derek [Chauvin] felt comfortable enough to lay on this man’s neck for nine minutes,” the Hall of Famer and NFL Network analyst said. “That is insane that you feel comfortable enough to openly do this murder on tape- on film- and feel, ‘Hey, there’s going to be no repercussions.’ He did it thinking there would be no repercussions. So we have to root out the problem above the officers, not just the officers.”

Irvin alluded to another personal incident in which he almost posted the interaction on social media, but then didn’t after considering the potential blowback for that one particular officer. Irvin said a friend, an African-American state trooper, helped him see that the problem is about far more than the one officer who happened to respond to that one call.

“The issue rides deeper than that. The issue rides with the people that are even above them that we have to think out. The issue rides with the people, with us. The kids. Because we ultimately go to court, and you look at the list of officers that have gotten off over the last 10 years on things- even events that we’ve seen happen live- get off on those cases. The jury pool is coming from all of us. So we have to change the way we see all of those things, man. It’s an insane undertaking that we have to start walking.”

As of Wednesday evening, neither the Dallas Cowboys nor owner Jerry Jones had made any public statement about the murder of George Floyd or the resulting protests across the country.

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Report: Jamal Adams, Jets reach impasse; could Cowboys come calling again?

The on-again, off-again courtship could continue as talks between the Jets and their Pro Bowl safety from the DFW area have stalled.

Here we go again. Jamal Adams-to-the-Cowboys rumors are going to be a thing for at least a while longer. And one of the franchise’s Ring of Honor icons is fanning the flames.

Back in the fall, the Dallas front office reportedly failed to swing a trade deal with the New York Jets for the services of the two-time Pro Bowl safety. The awkward courtship continued into the offseason, with the 2017 first-round draft pick making it no secret he would entertain a return to his hometown Metroplex to play for the Cowboys if the Jets were unwilling to meet his contract demands. Whispers of Adams being dangled as trade bait swirled throughout the league, right up through the 2020 NFL Draft, until the Jets made it known that they intended to pick up Adams’s fifth-year option.

But the long and drawn-out dance continues, as reported on Twitter by New York’s Daily News NFL columnist Gary Myers.

ESPN is confirming that contract talks between the Jets and Adams “have reached an impasse.”

According to the network’s Rich Cimini:

“Adams, eligible for a new contract now that he has completed his third season, said in January that he wants an extension by the start of the 2020 season. He is due to make $3.5 million this year. His salary jumps to $9.9 million in 2021, the amount of his fifth-year option.”

As Cimini points out, the Jets have Adams under team control for at least two years, with the option of using the franchise tag on him in 2022.

But if Adams is vocal enough about his unhappiness with the treatment from the organization, one of the more lucrative trade offers soon to be flooding the Jets’ phone lines may indeed persuade the club to sell.

The Cowboys, of course, could still be one of those teams asking about Adams’s price tag. Safety has been a weak spot on the Dallas roster for years, and despite the offseason signing of veteran HaHa Clinton-Dix, it remains an area of some concern for the team as it transitions to a new defense under coordinator Mike Nolan.

Some close to the team are reportedly already clamoring for Jerry and Stephen Jones to start sending out feelers to Gang Green regarding the cover man, who will turn 25 in October.

For now, the Adams soap opera in New York continues, as Adams presses for a new deal, and the Jets apparently remain hesitant to make a long-term commitment.

But the patriarchs in Dallas know a thing or two about soap operas, too. And luring an A-list superstar away to join their all-star cast is a plot twist that’s always within the realm of possibility.

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Cowboys News: So Dak Prescott didn’t ask for a 5th-year salary of $45M

Dallas Cowboys News May 21 2020. Dak Prescott contract negotiations, Randy Gregory seeks reinstatement after Aldon Smith.

This week has been a positive one for the Dallas Cowboys and their fans as they saw one of their bigger off-season gambles start the trend in the right direction. Aldon Smith was reinstated by the NFL and joins a much different looking defensive line for the 2020 season.

That joy was quickly taken away today as reports of a rejected contract offer by franchise quarterback Dak Prescott emerged. An abundance of news sites ran with this rumor and caused mass hysteria amongst the internet. Since then, a few well known trusted NFL analysts have broken up these rumors and have confirmed that none of it is true.

There are going to be a lot of different stories floating out there until the Dak Prescott contract is signed or at least until the July 15 deadline gets here. Outside of the Prescott negotiation news, find out about the virtual off-season along with how Xavier Woods is expecting new looks on defense. Demarcus Ware takes a small friendly jab at the tight end the Cowboys never had, LeBron James.

Why Cowboys QB Dak Prescott didn’t ask for $45 million in Year 5 :: USA Today

Jori Epstein was the first to report that the Chris Simms’-started rumor which was substantiated by some in the local Cowboys media just never happened.

 

Burleson: Dak will be even ‘better’ under McCarthy :: NFL.com

Dak Prescott is being labeled as the “Rodney Dangerfield” of the NFL according to NFL.com’s Nate Burleson. He’s not getting any respect at all.

Cowboys’ Aldon Smith ‘grateful’ to be reinstated by NFL :: ESPN

Fresh off his reinstatement to the NFL and joining the Dallas Cowboys, Aldon Smith took some time with TMZ Sports to explain his second chance at being a success story in the league.

Randy Gregory is working through the process of being reinstated to the NFL :: Blogging The Boys

Now with Aldon Smith being welcomed back into the league, Randy Gregory is officially making his push to also virtually rejoin the Dallas Cowboys defensive line.

DeMarcus Ware: “No Way In Hell” LeBron James Could Block Me :: Inside The Star

Taking a break from the Dak Prescott stories and reinstatements, hear what former defensive end Demarcus Ware thinks about the future NBA Hall of Famer when it comes to playing football.

A Glimpse Into The Cowboys’ Virtual Program :: The Mothership

Take a deeper look into what the Dallas Cowboys have been able to do in the five weeks worth of this virtual off-season program. Everyone is in the same boat except the Cowboys are learning from a brand new coaching staff.

 

Dak Prescott contract talks: Latest offer details, status of negotiations and outlook on looming deal :: CBS Sports

Science class is back in session with another installment from Patrik Walker of CBS Sports as he breaks down the latest on the Dak Prescott contract negotiations.

Woods Speaks On “Totally Different” Secondary :: The Mothership

With an entire new defensive coaching staff, Xavier Woods enters his fourth season as one of the leaders of the secondary. The defensive looks to confuse opponents in ways the Cowboys could not pull off in years past.

Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb Talked to Michael Irvin Before Choosing Jersey No. 88 :: Bleacher Report

The new Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver wants to continue a legacy. Lamb spoke to “The Playmaker” Michael Irvin along with mentioning Dez Bryant as part of the history of No. 88.

10 games that defined Emmitt Smith’s Cowboys career, on his birthday

In honor of the all-time rushing champ’s birthday, we take a look back at 10 games that defined Emmitt Smith’s Hall of Fame career.

Emmitt Smith celebrates his 51st birthday on Friday. Born in Pensacola, Florida, the son of Mary J. Smith and Emmitt James Smith Jr. attended Escambia High School. A prolific runner from an early age, Smith won a state football championship there before accepting a scholarship to the University of Florida. He played three years for the Gators and finished seventh for the Heisman Trophy as a junior before declaring for the 1990 NFL Draft and joining the Dallas Cowboys.

His record-setting career coincides with one of the most integral chapters in the franchise’s rich history, and Smith, in turn, is one of the club’s most decorated icons and beloved stars.

To commemorate Emmitt’s big day, Cowboys Wire has selected the ten games of Smith’s tenure with the team that best tell the story of No. 22.

1. October 7, 1990: Emmitt’s first 100-yard game

Emmitt Smith’s career as a Cowboy got a little stuck coming out of the gate. In Week 1 of 1990, the rookie logged exactly two yards on two carries in a home win over the San Diego Chargers. A week later, 11 yards on six attempts. Smith’s frustration on the sidelines was evident.

But then again, the Cowboys hadn’t even really wanted Smith to begin with. In April’s draft, Dallas had been eyeing Baylor linebacker James Francis. The Bengals got him instead. Their Plan B was Houston linebacker Lamar Lathon. The front office tried to do a deal with the Oilers to move up for him, but Houston declined… and took Lathon for themselves. The Cowboys settled for the running back from Florida they thought was too small and too slow to truly be an effective pro rusher.

But Smith knew he’d be a superstar; the famed to-do list he once wrote announcing his goal of eventually being the all-time rushing champ was proof. And one by one, he was convincing his new Dallas teammates, too.

Offensive guard Crawford Ker had been Smith’s roommate in the early days.

“I told everyone that I was sharing a room with the man who would make Cowboy fans forget about Tony Dorsett,” Ker once said. “Emmitt just wanted a chance to play and show what he could do.”

Dec 30, 1990; Atlanta, GA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith (22) carries the ball against the Atlanta Falcons at Fulton County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

That chance came in Week 5 against Tampa Bay. Finally getting a clear-cut lion’s share of the carries over Tommie Agee and Alonzo Highsmith, Smith was a one-man wrecking ball. He rolled up 121 yards on 23 attempts, and while the tape of his first pro touchdown shows quintessential Emmitt, it’s a 16-yard run with three minutes left in regulation that’s worth finding on YouTube. A mix of quick jukes, off-balance jump cuts, and pure power once he hits his stride, it’s the run that gave Smith his first 100-yard outing… and gave the rest of the league a taste of what was to come.

The Cowboys’ 14-10 win that day kickstarted Smith’s rookie campaign in earnest, a season that ended with a Pro Bowl nod and Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

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Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb jersey outselling every other non-QB rookie

Dallas’s first-round pick trails only Tua Tagovailoa, Tom Brady, Joe Burrow, Rob Gronkowski, and Justin Herbert in jersey sales.

All those who thought Jerry Jones didn’t know what he was doing by wanting CeeDee Lamb to wear No. 88 can apparently rest easy now. The jersey is selling quite well, despite the fact that the Oklahoma rookie hasn’t even officially worn it yet.

According to official sales figures, the navy blue version of Lamb’s 88 is the 14th-best selling jersey in the league at the moment, the highest placement of any 2020 rookie who doesn’t play quarterback, and better than any current non-quarterback not named Rob Gronkowski.

Dolphins rookie Tua Tagovailoa tops the list, with his aqua No. 1 at No. 1 on the sales chart; his white jersey sits in second place. Different-colored iterations of Tom Brady’s Buccaneers jersey rank third through sixth. Gronkowski’s new pewter and red Tampa Bay jerseys fall seventh and ninth, respectively, with Joe Burrow’s black No. 9 in between at eighth. Another Brady jersey sits in tenth place, Burrow’s orange Cincinnati jersey is 11th, Justin Herbert’s powder blue No. 10 is 12th, and a women’s version of Brady’s jersey fill out the slots above Lamb.

Denver’s Jerry Jeudy is the only other rookie to appear in the top 20.

Fans have evidently flocked to the newest incarnation of one of the most storied jersey numbers in Cowboys history. Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin, and Dez Bryant all wore No. 88 for the club previously.

Team owner Jerry Jones made it clear shortly after drafting Lamb that he hoped the team’s first-round pick would wear the famed number, partly as an homage to the Dallas legends who wore it previously.  A recently-departed college teammate of Jones named Jerry Lamb had also worn No. 88 while the two attended Arkansas.

Lamb, who wore No. 2 as well as No. 9 while playing for the Sooners, had originally said on Dallas radio that he would wear No. 10 with the Cowboys.

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Former Dallas Cowboys star Michael Irvin on CeeDee Lamb: ‘I love this kid’

Michael Irvin is one of the Dallas Cowboys greats to wear No. 88, and he gave his approval of the next No. 88 in CeeDee Lamb.

CeeDee Lamb has earned another former great’s approval.

The former Oklahoma WR was drafted No. 17 overall by the Cowboys in the 2020 NFL Draft. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was especially ecstatic about their pick and urged Lamb to don the No. 88 jersey, to which the receiver obliged.

In an interview on ESPN’s First Take on Friday, former Cowboy great Michael Irvin, who also wore the No. 88 jersey, gave Lamb his personal seal of approval.

“We’ve had multiple conversations and I love the kid. He’s going to be exactly what Dallas needs.” He said. “I ain’t talking about I like this kid. I love this kid.”

Irvin played receiver for Dallas for all 12 years of his professional career. He amassed 11,904 receiving yards and finished with 750 receptions. He scored 65 touchdowns and averaged 15.9 yards per catch.

Lamb is coming off a three-year career with Oklahoma. He scored 32 total touchdowns and finished with 3,292 receiving yards.

Dez Bryant seems cool with Cowboys giving CeeDee Lamb No. 88

Dez Bryant was very cool with the Dallas Cowboys handing his number over to top pick CeeDee Lamb.

The rookies are getting their jersey numbers. The Dallas Cowboys have honored their top pick Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb with special numerals: 88.

Those were worn by Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin and most recently Dez Bryant, wideouts who starred for America’s Team.

Jerry Jones suggested recently he thought about bringing Bryant back into the fold while in the shower.

So, why tempt fate by giving his number to Lamb? Because it probably isn’t going to happen.

Anyway. how did Bryant, who played college ball at Oklahoma State, an arch-rival of the Sooners, feel about his digits being handed over to an OU player?

He was cool with it.

Irvin didn’t expect his number to be retired. The Cowboys don’t do that.

Lamb makes jersey decision after stunning offer from Cowboys

The new Cowboys WR will wear 10 in Dallas, but only after owner Jerry Jones offered him one of the most famous numbers in team history.

CeeDee Lamb knows the expectations are high for him coming to Dallas. But the wideout who just turned 21 years old a few weeks ago was catapulted into another whole eschelon of rarefied air in his first conversation with his new employers at America’s Team.

The Cowboys may have been surprised when Lamb fell to them with the 17th overall pick. What was likely downright jaw-dropping for longtime fans of the team may have been the offer the team made to their new pass-catching prospect.

Lamb announced on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan Thursday night that, after wearing No. 2 in college (and even 9 for a while), he would wear the number 10 as a Cowboy. But Jerry Jones first offered 88, to a player he hadn’t even formally interviewed prior to drafting him.

Dallas doesn’t retire jersey numbers, but 88 is special in Cowboys history. It was Michael Irvin’s number when the team won three Super Bowls. It belonged to Drew Pearson, who hauled in the first-ever Hail Mary touchdown pass from Roger Staubach. Most recently, Dez Bryant wore 88; fans who longed for a reunion with the free agent receiver assumed it would be his if he returned.

Jones offered the vaunted jersey to Lamb, but the owner’s offer may have had less to do with the Cowboys who have worn it than with one of Jones’s college ball connections.

Jones said, according to RJ Ochoa:

“I recently lost a great friend. One of my very best, might have been my best. I played ball with him at Arkansas. He was number 88. His name was Jerry Lamb. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. We couldn’t have won a national championship without him. And he was a wonderful player.

“And so when we were- this is a little drama from our perspective- when we were all sitting there and had said our piece, and then we said, ‘Okay, what’s it going to be?’ I said, ‘In honor of my great friend that just passed this year, we’re going to have his namesake come on here and wear old Number 88. Just like Michael and Dez and those guys.’ And we’ve got us a wide receiver. And let me tell you one thing: if he’s got the competes and heart of that Jerry Lamb, he’ll be bad to the bone.”

Tavon Austin wore No. 10 most recently for the Cowboys, but it’s not a number with much history in Dallas. Maybe Lamb will be the one to start a tradition of excellence with it.

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Michael Irvin reveals details behind bad relationship between DeAndre Hopkins, Bill O’Brien

The Arizona Cardinals shocked the NFL on Monday when they were able to get DeAndre Hopkins — one of the top receivers in the league — in exchange for a couple picks and running back David Johnson, whose production has dropped off significantly the past couple seasons.

The Arizona Cardinals shocked the NFL on Monday when they were able to get DeAndre Hopkins — one of the top receivers in the league — in exchange for a couple picks and running back David Johnson, whose production has dropped off significantly the past couple seasons.