Division title within reach for the Dallas Cowboys

Blogging the Cowboys

By Roger Corralez

Roger Corralez

Roger Corralez

As the Thanksgiving day game wore on I resisted the urge to guzzle pepto or huddle in the corner biting my nails and mumbling to myself. After all, who wants that pepto aftertaste when they’re about to consume there fifth turkey leg?

No mint turkey for me thank you very much! And as for huddling in the corner, I decided to (as always) hang out hope that the ‘Boys would pull it out. My patient optimism was rewarded, my friends, as Tony Romo and company pulled out yet another squeaker from the jaws of death and put themselves in front in the division.

I have to say that Dan Bailey is my new hero. They should start a comic book with him as the superhero. Now that I think about it, maybe that’s not a good idea.

“So Bobby, what was this week’s issue about?”

“Oh, same thing as last week, and every week. He hit his field goals.”

Boooring!

Ha, I crack myself up! But, I digress.

With the Giants continuing to implode and the ‘Boys gelling more each week, the division title is the Cowboys to lose. To make you smile even more, Miles should be back this week, yet another weapon to add to Tony’s arsenal.

Now if the O-line can play solid, we’ll have us a well-oiled scoring machine.

Warning – Arizona will not lie down! Actually, I see the Cardinals much like i do the Dolphins. Not so good a record, but not a bad team. With playmakers like Larry Fitzgerald, Beanie Wells(who ran for almost 200 yards last week) and Patrick Peterson, the Cards can play.

I see the Cowboys winning again with two scenarios.

One, it will be another down to the wire game or two, a close game that gets blown open in the second half. The two possible scores  are Cowboys 20-16 or Cowboys 30-16.

I hope I’m not eating crow after these predictions. I was , after all, 13 for 16 last week. Not bad huh?

Besides, crow probably has a horrible aftertaste also and isn’t nearly as good as turkey.  At least, I would assume so.

So please, no pepto and no crow for me thank you. Just a nice slice of W and I’ll be fine.

Melissa Kellerman has become America’s Sweetheart

Melissa Kellerman

DallasCowboysCheerleaders.com

By Todd E. Jones

Todd E. JonesYou remember Miss Kellerman don’t you?  She’s the pretty Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader who helped Jason Witten break his fall on Thanksgiving Day during the Cowboys dramatic victory over the Miami Dolphins.  Well, of course, she’s very pretty, and we know, if she is a Cowboys Cheerleader, she can dance. And dance well!

Kellerman became famous when the Cowboys Tight End caught a pass and was forced out of bounds and right in to the Cheerleader causing both to go to the ground.  It almost looked as if Witten was using Kellerman to break his fall and cameras caught a very surprised cheerleader who later tweeted about the fall.  (See video here)

This was all in good fun, of course, and Kellerman became an  internet sensation when it was revealed that she was the, uh, um, victim.  Now, this aspiring teacher is one of the most popular searches online.  However, for our beloved Cowboys public relations team, it was somewhat of an inconvenience, although I’m not sure why.  As reported earlier today, the Cowboys pulled Kellerman’s twitter account.

The true sports journalist that I am, ahem, I researched twitter, and, sure enough, Kellerman’s twitter account, which was @MelissaRae, no longer exists.  Now, the hashtag #MelissaRae is trending.  Okay, so it may not be “trending” yet, but there are plenty of folks out there using the hashtag along with #FreeMelissa and #FreeMelisaRae.

Melissa, of course, has a face, and a pretty one!  The face of the Cowboys organization is different depending on who you ask, but Jerry Jones comes to mind.  No matter how much you love or hate Jones, his face just isn’t as pretty as Kellerman’s.  So, Kellerman seems to be winning the PR battle.

My hunch is that this decision was made in the belly of the Cowboys’ PR machine.  It really is a bad decision.  There was absolutely no harm coming from the event, and the PR machine could have gotten with Kellerman to guide her through what was sure to be a barrage of publicity to help give the Cowboys a more positive image.  All that has been done with this move has made the Cowboys look like a censoring organization.

I want to offer the Cowboys three ways that they can re-emerge in a good light.

1.  Set up a Cowboys sanctioned twitter account for Kellerman.

Coach her on the use of social media as an official member of its organization.  They can call in Shama Kabani for some tips.  Further, while Shama is there, she might want to consult the Cowboys PR machine on the effective use of social media.

2.  Send Kellerman to New York!

That’s right, send her to New York.  While she is there, she can capitalize on her new fame and be interviewed by Good Morning America, the Today show and Early Show on CBS.  Then, at night, she could go on the David Letterman Show and offer the night’s Top Ten list.  Maybe, it could be something like, “The Top Ten Ways to not break an NFL star’s fall on the sidelines.”

3.  Let Kellerman be a regular contributor on Dfwfootball.net.

This is not a risk!  Let her come on and write about the Cowboys to complement what Roger does for us here.  Also, make sure we have plenty of pictures we can post on here so that our readers can see the kind of wonderful human being that she is.  I’ve seen a blog post by Kellerman, and she knows how to make it work.

So, Melissa Kellerman, if you are reading this article, and you want to do some writing about being a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, feel free to contact me.  I will be happy to give you a platform to talk all things Cowboys and/or Cowboys Cheerleaders on our website.

Cowboys edge out the Skins

Blogging the Cowboys

By Roger Corralez

Roger Corralez

Roger Corralez

Okay, so it didn’t take long to swing back into nail-biting action did it? The good news is that the ‘Boys pulled it out and that Dan Bailey’s streak is really getting impressive. Bailey kicked the game winner in overtime to give the Cowboys the win and propel them into first place in the NFC east.

Tony Romo had another nice game throwing for three TD’s and no interceptions. DeMarco Murray’s average suffered a bit but he helped keep the ‘Skins defense honest. Felix Jones returned to make a decent contribution in limited action, and the Boys made the plays when needed to win.

I will say that I was expecting a more dominant game by the Cowboys but I’m certainly not too surprised by the Redskins hanging close. These two longtime division rivals know each other well and always come to play.

To help our cause, the Giants lost  as both matchups with them loom ever closer, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.

We go into the Thursday Thanksgiving game to play a hot, that’s right, I said hot, Miami Dolphins team who has won three straight. Dallas cannot afford to take this team lightly.

They need to bring it from the get-go or risk ending their own three game winning streak.

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It looks at this point that the NFC has eight legitimate playoff contenders fighting for the six playoff spots with only two spots virtually locked in. The Boys will have to compete with New York, New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit, and Atlanta for the remaing four spots.

We’ve already played Detroit and lost so a tiebreaker would give them the nod for a wildcard.

Well I’m here to say phooey with the wildcard! Let’s go out there and win this division by gum! Did I just say “by gum”? I guess I did, but that’s material for another conversation I suppose.

Get your turkeys thawing, and your plans mapped out so come this Thursday, we can watch the Cowboys subdue the flippers and inch closer to a playoff spot.

Happy Thanksgiving and here’s to everyone having a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving day!

Go Cowboys!

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Cowboys Roll — Thunder by the Bills

By Roger Corralez

Roger Corralez

Roger Corralez

Well, there ya go. We finally have it! A VERY decisive Cowboys victory and a day filled with only smiles and no frowns; no headaches, heartaches, heartburn or any other forms of queasiness.

And I can confidently say that not one Cowboy fan pulled any hair out or chewed any nails off. Unless of course you were severely concerned whether or not Dan Bailey would extend his kicking streak, which, of course, he did.

So there it is Cowboy fans. A game like we wanted to see, the air filled with Romo rockets perfectly placed and gracefully launched into the secure arms of gleeful receivers. DeMarco Murray looking like a sure-fire pro bowler and the O-line blocking with a vengeance.

This was also a day where the defense made play after play, the only glitch really being Fred Jackson’s nice day. But, wasn’t that part of the game plan? Let one guy have his day so far as it didn’t result in points for the opposition? Well, mission accomplished.

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Terrance Newman looked like Terrance Newman. Snatching interceptions and looking spry, Newman had a very good day.

The rest of the defense ran amuck making bone crunching tackles and reducing Buffalo to pulling IT’S hair out trying to find a way to score but coming up short.

This was the kind of beat-down that as a fan we love to see, even if only occasionally. It assures us that our team can, in fact, “bring it.” It gives us hope that our team can indeed compete for that second season we call the playoffs.

The ‘Boys pulled to within a game of the Giants as Philly and Washington all but limped out of the race.

Seven more games to go with two against the “boys in blue.” The Cowboys have the better schedule, and soon we will have Miles Austin back.

Wow, can you imagine this game if Austin had been healthy? I say we’d have seen a score more in the fifties. Who knows, but the Cowboys certainly would have been even more potent.

I don’t know about you, but i am ever increasingly looking forward to the rest of the year to see where this team finds itself come playoff time.

But as we all know now (thanks coach Garrett!), let’s take this thing one day at a time and one game at a time.

Redskins here we come!

The Cowboys roller coaster is up after the Seattle win

By Roger Corralez

Roger Corralez

Roger Corralez

Well my friends, the roller coaster ride continues on this “Thing” we call the Cowboys season. The ‘Boys scored a 23-13 win over a mediocre Seattle team and did’nt make it look easy although it was apparent they were the better team.

We saw another nice week from DeMarco Murray as he rushed for over 100 yards again and Tony Romo managed to play mistake free football even without Miles Austin for the second half. Miles, unfortunately, tweeked his previously injured hamstring and hopefully won’t be out for long. You hear that Miles? Heal quickly my friend. We need you back!

The Cowboys defense managed to play pretty well and make the big plays when needed despite the absence of second year linebacker and rising star Sean Lee. One big surprise — no sacks for DeMarcus Ware. He was however, as usual, a big factor in the game.

Kicker Dan Bailey continues to impress as he went 3 for 3 and hit both extra points as well. I think it’s safe to say that Mr. Bailey is getting comfortable and more confident each week settling into the Cowboys kicking position.

One sore spot was the red zone offense. I’m frustrated to point out that this is getting to be too familiar. If we can get that straightened out, the offense should be able to pile up more points, especially whe Mr. Austin returns.

As I’ve pointed out more than once, the ‘Boys schedule is very favorable for the next several weeks. With the Eagles losing to the Bears on Monday, the division should all but come down to the Giants and Cowboys. The two still have both head to head meetings to come.

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How nice would it be for the Cowboys to go into the first of those meetings at 8-4? It’s certainly possible as the schedule provides Buffalo, Washington, Miami, and Arizona the next four weeks. But as we’ve seen so far on this “roller coaster ride” we call the Cowboys, it certainly won’t be easy.

My prediction is that at least two of these games go down to the wire. I do however believe the Cowboys will win all four games. There, I said it — ALL four games. Now if they don’t, I hope I’m not showered with too many “I told you so’s.” One can only take so many of those you know. But I will recieve them like a man and stand by my words.

Even if the Cowboys lose one of these games they are still very much in the mix. So let’s pull a “Garrett” and say, “we’re taking this one day at a time and one game at a time.”

So bring on Buffalo.

Just so we’re clear, a “Garrett,” to me, is a positive thing. I do not poke fun at the “Garrett.” So, come on Bills, show us what you’ve got.

Is it enough? I certainly hope not. Go Cowboys!

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Cowboys provide roller coaster ride

By Roger Corralez

Roger Corralez

Roger Corralez

Okay, it’s been a while since I’ve ridden a roller coaster. Six Flags is calling my name. Oh wait, maybe I’m riding a roller coaster as I speak. The coaster that goes by the name – Dallas Cowboys.

As most of you I’m sure, I’ve gone from a week of glee to a week of embarrassment and downers. Eagles 34-7. Wow, really? Did Dallas just lose that badly? Yes Virginia, they did.

As usual I’m going to tell you that I’m not too alarmed because I’m not. But am I disappointed? You bet I am! Chalk this one up to a letdown performance, one in which the first part of the game dictated the rest of it. Once the Cowboys got down early they had to become more one dimensional.

Pretty crafty of the Eagles for using their game plan to take DeMarco Murray out of the game. I do believe they still could have used him more, but when you’re way behind, grinding it out on the ground isn’t much of an option. However, I think they could have thrown to him more.

Either way, the boys got spanked and spanked good. The good news is the schedule is still favorable, but the Cowboys NEED to capitalize on it or they will not be sniffing the postseason. The next few weeks will show us if they can stay in the hunt.

They have to go into it hunting for bear, not rabbits.


Thank God at least one of our stars didn’t embarrass themselves. This weeks game ball goes to DeMarcus Ware. He’s still “the man” as he piled up 4 sacks on a hard-to-get-to Michael Vick. Way to go DeMarcus!

Now if everyone else can replicate that this coming week against Seattle, we’ll do something. If you’re going to the game, be loud and be proud. Forget about Philly and let’s get behind our ‘Boys.

It’s make or break time of the season and we need all the oomph that homefield can bring. So bring it Cowboys fans and let’s get this train back on track shall we?

DeMarco Murray joins the 250 Club

By Daniel Durany

Daniel Durany

Daniel Durany

During the 2011 NFL Draft, Dallas Cowboys selected DeMarco Murray in the third round from University of Oklahoma. In the first five games of this season, Murray played sparingly behind Felix Jones and Tashard Choice.  With both running backs suffering injuries Murray finally made every bit of opportunity count last week. The Cowboys desperately needed his contribution for their running game. Murray flourished in his first opportunity with 25 carries and rushing for Cowboys franchise record 253 yards against winless St. Louis Rams in the 34-7 victory.

The majority of Murray’s yards include his first carry untouched for a 91-yard touchdown, second longest run in Cowboys history behind Tony Dorsett’s 99-yarder against Minnesota Vikings in January 1983.  Also early fourth quarter, Murray’s 43-yard carry put him over the 200-yard mark and third running back in Cowboys history to rush for over 200 yards. The two previous Cowboys to rush for over 200 yards are Dorsett (1977) and Emmitt Smith (1993) whom both achieved against Philadelphia Eagles.

How significant is Murray’s feat of 253 yards rushing compared to other NFL backs achieving 250-yards rushing? Murray becomes the 10th NFL running back and 3nd rookie overall to achieve this feat. Adrian Peterson holds NFL Rushing Record for yards in a game with 296 yards against the San Diego Chargers in November 2007. Like Murray, Peterson achieved his feat during his rookie season and played at the University of Oklahoma.Cowboys Star Logo

Besides Peterson and Murray, six other running backs accomplished the feat of over 250 yards rushing since 2000 NFL Season. Most recently Jamaal Charles and Jerome Harrison accomplished the feat during December 2009 regular season. Jamal Lewis, Shaun Alexander, Corey Dillon, & Mike Anderson are the four other running backs to accomplish the feat of 250 yards in a game since 2000.  Prior to those running backs, Walter Payton held the record for one game with 277 rushing yards for over 20 years.  O.J. Simpson is the only player in NFL History to achieve this feat twice.

Dallas’ next game was Sunday night against division rival, Philadelphia. If Murray were to somehow accumulate over 200 yards rushing, he would become the fourth NFL running back ever to achieve consecutive games rushing for over 200 yards. Only O.J. Simpson (1973 and 1976), Earl Campbell (1980), and Ricky Williams (2002) are the previous running backs to achieve consecutive 200-yard rushing games.  Overall, 24 running backs previously accumulated over 200 yards rushing on multiple occasions during the regular season.

DeMarco Murray and the Cowboys roll over the Rams!

Blogging the Cowboys

By Roger Corralez

Roger Corralez

Roger Corralez

Oh yea, this was the game I was waiting for. A game in which hand wringing, hair pulling, and nail biting were all but a thing of the past. The ‘Boys whooped up on the hapless Rams. As I watched I thought, sure this is the Rams, but I’ll take it.

We did’nt see any letdowns. We saw not a single Romo interception.

And, wow, we saw an awe-inspiring performance from one Mr. DeMarco Murray! I for one am not surprised. I was pleased when the Cowboys selected Murray in this year’s draft. He was a top player on a top tier team at Oklahoma. You knew the guy had skills, and those skills were on full display Sunday.

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Yes, I realize he did this against a porous St. Louis run defense, but there are bad defenses every year, and still how many times has someone run for over 250 yards? Not many.

Philly will be a much tougher test this coming week although they have been struggling. We’ll see just how much the o-line is coming together and if Mr. Murray can have another nice game.

Speaking of the O-line, let’s hear it for one Montrae Holland. He’s back, slightly lighter, and looking good. He seems humble, and ready to be an intregal part of this team. His presence gives Dallas a bigger, more experienced line which obviously looks improved in the running game. No offense Mr. Nagy. We hope for you a speedy recovery as we need you back healthy and ready to go when needed.

This week will no doubt be a dogfight with the Eagles. A Cowboys victory will put the ‘Boys in a nice spot in the division. A loss will basically put them back to where they were coming into last week. Now would be a good time to start a winning streak.

Remember 2009? It was about this same time that year when Dallas went on an 8-2 tear to finish the regular season and win the division. Can there be a repeat? The schedule says yes.

Even something close as, say maybe 10-6, should be enough to win the division this year. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Coach Garrett and the ‘Boys just need to focus on maintaining the positive vibe and improving there execution.

Here’s to hoping the Eagles get grounded and the Dallas Cowboys ride away from the game as victors and that this is the start of a successful season.

Hang on Cowboy fans! Looks like this season is getting interesting!