Tag: news and notes

Every little edge is sought in the NFL postseason, and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is taking his visualization of the team’s ultimate goal down to the tiniest detail. We’ve got that in this edition of News and Notes, but we start with a Packers preview. We’ll take you into the trenches for the battle that could decide the wild-card showdown, explain why Jourdan Lewis and CeeDee Lamb are hitting their strides at the ideal time, clue you in to who the Cowboys’ biggest X-factor could be, check in on Stephon Gilmore’s rehab, and check out which Green Bay star suffered a “freak” injury this week that could definitely impact Sunday’s game.

Meanwhile, Hall of Famer Michael Irvin is the subject of new legal allegations, but the specifics are anything but. One NFL insider paints Dallas’s playoff opener as a win-or-go-home scenario for Mike McCarthy, Micah Parsons knows his time with Dan Quinn could be limited, one Cowboy is rewarded despite a statistically rough outing, and another is up for a big end-of-year honor. All that, plus the TV ratings prove once again that the Cowboys truly are America’s Team.

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It seems strange that a head coach turning in his third straight 12-win season would be sitting on a hot seat, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones found himself having to reaffirm the job status of Mike McCarthy just as the team prepares to enter the postseason. This comes as other clubs are sniffing around about the No. 3 man in the Cowboys organization.

On the field, the Dallas defense must prepare for the unknown in Packers quarterback Jordan Love, all while Love can’t be sure two of his top pass-catching targets will be there for him Sunday. The Cowboys hope to force Green Bay into making a costly choice on fourth downs, we get insight into the special brotherhood that the Dallas offense has become, and we learn that Dak Prescott may have a million extra reasons to want that Super Bowl ring. We check out the going rate for wild-card tickets, we look at the power rankings heading into the first round, and we do a little daydreaming about what a (late) first-round draft pick might bring. All that, plus Sounds from the Sideline, shenanigans surrounding a popular online vote, and a Ring of Honor legend is tackling a new opponent after the opioid crisis hits close to home. News and Notes, coming right up…

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The Cowboys still have plenty of business to take care of in the postseason, but several teams are already looking ahead to Dallas’s defensive coordinator for next year’s business. We’ll tell you who’s pursuing Dan Quinn for a head coaching interview, even as he’s prepping his unit for a wild-card clash with Green Bay. And we’ll explain why Mike McCarthy says he’s taking a very different approach to facing his former club than he did last year.

Elsewhere, we look back at Week 18’s big win in Washington with an update on Stephon Gilmore’s shoulder injury, a look at how two undrafted offensive linemen stepped up as fill-ins, and why Brandon Aubrey’s first misses of the season might be a good thing. All that, plus a preview of who Dallas will face in 2024, a big-time honor for another member of the dynasty teams, the Cowboys have a laundry request for fans coming to Sunday’s game, and which quarterback do you trust the most heading into the playoffs? Yeah, News and Notes, here we go…

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It’s a tough time of year for a team like the Cowboys to keep their focus. Some players are celebrating a Pro Bowl nod while others are dealing with not getting chosen. Some are closing in on personal records, some will be facing questions about new contracts, and some will be testing the water of free agency very soon. But there’s still one more regular-season game to be played, and winning it is going to be of significance as the team looks ahead to its ulitmate goal, so we’ll also look ahead to Week 18 in Washington.

Meanwhile, Dak Prescott looks to have narrowly avoided a catastrophic injury last week after the latest instance of the controversial hip-drop tackle. Micah Parsons is done with learning lessons and gaining confidence, La’el Collins says he’s in his best shape ever as he returns to the the fold, and Tony Pollard’s pursuit of 1,000 rushing yards comes with some ominous historical footnotes. We’ll review the latest roster shuffling in Dallas, explain what has John Fassel earning top honors, and reveal why Drew Pearson is in a group text with… Post Malone?!? All that and more, in this edition of News and Notes.

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Seven Cowboys players learned Wednesday they’ll be going to the Pro Bowl, although all of them hope they’ll have a much bigger game to prepare for. Find out which stars got the honor- and which defensive superstar was left out- in this edition of News and Notes. We’ve also got the latest on the team’s new practice squad signings, as well as one expected addition that likely won’t happen until Thursday.

We’re also prepping for Week 18 in Washington with a look at why the Cowboys can’t afford to treat this season finale like last year’s. We’ll look at what specific goal Micah Parsons is looking to achieve in D.C., and how Brandin Cooks couldn’t have timed his hot streak within the Cowboys offense any better. We’ve got two rookies swapping places on the active roster and IR, we’ll look at possible returns for Johnathan Hankins and Tyler Smith, and we wonder what’s happened to Terence Steele’s game this season. All that, plus Daryl “Moose” Johnston has a fantastically simple suggestion that could help to address the NFL’s obvious officiating problem.

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It’s been more than 48 hours since the Cowboys pulled out a dramatic Week 17 win against the Lions, but some of the finer details may still seem blurry amidst a fog of Sunday afternoon surprises, New Year’s Eve toasts, and college bowl game action. This edition of News and Notes recaps everything from CeeDee Lamb’s monster day to what he found at his locker afterward, why DeMarcus Lawrence’s clutch performance was nothing new, and what the league plans to do about the tackle-eligible rule after it played such a controversial role on Saturday.

Meanwhile, we get encouraging news on two Dallas linemen, the Cowboys may be on a collision course with a familiar face in the playoffs, and we dig into the ins and out of the current postseason seeding possibilities. All that, plus power rankings, quarterback ratings, and two former Cowboys coaches get new gigs in a new-look spring league. Oh, and The Rock finally makes good on a promise he tried to make to Jimmy Johnson more than a quarter-century ago.

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The outcome of an NFL game can hinge on so many things. This Saturday’s meeting with Detroit will no doubt be influenced by which players are unable to take the field (like Johnathan Hankins and Rico Dowdle), but there are a few hidden keys to success, too. The Prescott-to-Lamb connection could be huge in this one, for instance, and don’t discount the importance of what happens in “the middle eight.” We’ll also discuss Dallas’s penalty problem, the hard lesson they still haven’t learned about one specific positional group, why Brandin Cooks is more than his stats suggest, and how the Cowboys can solve the equation for momentum heading into the playoffs.

Meanwhile, is Jerry Jones already eyeing Jason Witten as the Cowboys’ head coach someday? What did Tony Pollard admit about that failed touchdown run of his last week in Miami? And what critical piece of their offensive role-sort do the Cowboys still not have figured out 16 games into the season? All that and more, in this edition of News and Notes.

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Wednesday brought an unexpected roster move to Dallas with the release of Rashaan Evans. While he hadn’t contributed much, his exit leaves the linebacker corps even thinner than it had been. And then word came that Evans had been arrested the day prior. In the shuffle, the offensive line gets back a very big piece of depth for the home stretch of the season, and the injury report has mixed news for Cowboys Nation.

Meanwhile, we wrap up our postgame analysis on the Miami loss, including still more about Micah Parsons and all those penalties. One insider says things will have to change for next year, at least when it comes to roughing the passer. We’ll look ahead to Saturday night and Jimmy Johnson’s long-awaited induction… and how the Lions hope to co-opt the night’s energy to steal a win. Darren Woodson is once again one step away from football immortality, the Cowboys still have decent odds to win the whole darn thing, and we flash back to the ugliest playoff game in NFL history and an occasion when defense truly ruled the day. That’s all next in News and Notes.

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The reaction from Mike McCarthy after Sunday’s 22-20 loss in Miami was not the same as what most fans were experiencing. Rather than give voice to the obvious frustrations, the Cowboys coach is preaching positivity, talking about the Week 16 defeat as the kind of game the team will need to have been in once they reach the postseason. We’ll see if that psychology works.

Meanwhile, we’re dissecting the South Beach stumble by looking at how the defense has become the team’s weakness and how the offense’s missed opportunities proved fatal. Micah Parsons had strong words and took to social media as he vented over the officials’ continued blind eye toward holding calls against him. We’re also talking about the Cowboys’ current playoff outlook, how Vegas is viewing Dallas’s date with the Lions in Week 17, and how two former Cowboys stars shone brightly for their new teams on Sunday. That’s all up in News and Notes.

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We’re getting down to the nuts and bolts of Sunday’s clash between the Cowboys and Dolphins and paying very close attention to the injury report. The Dallas O-line and Miami’s top speedster look to be the biggest questions, with the Fins’ top playmaker visibly limping and the intrigue expected to go right up until kickoff. We’ll explore how a novel technique is giving Miami receivers an almost unguardable head start just before the snap, we’ll look at why the Cowboys are still putting their faith in rookie Mazi Smith, and we’ll see why Jake Ferguson could be the key to the Dallas passing attack on Sunday.

Meanwhile, CeeDee Lamb is on the cusp of setting a Cowboys record, an AFC underachiever cuts loose a team captain who just might be able to help out a team in need (hint, hint), and is Jerry Jones kicking the tires on adding a British soccer club to his portfolio? All that and more, in this edition of News and Notes.

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