The Continued Demise of the Dallas Cowboys

Ladies and Gentlemen of the sports world, I find myself perplexed. Perplexed as to how exactly it is that the Dallas Cowboys, in desperate need of Safety and Offensive Line help, find themselves essentially neutered during this NFL Free Agency period. While much has been made of the absolute disaster that is the NY Jets salary cap situation, it seems that the Dallas Cowboys are in an only slightly less precarious position. Granted the Cowboys are facing a preposterous $5 million penalty for exceeding a nonexistent salary cap in the 2010-2011 season (lets not even broach the subject of how owner's managed collude and impose a cap without repercussion from the NFLPA, but I cant quite grasp how exactly it is that they are this hard against the cap given their roster. If Dallas were the 49ers I would be more apt to understand. After all the 49ers roster is littered with Pro Bowl and All Pro caliber players all of whom must be paid, Dallas however does not have a roster of such compliment.

When you look at the Cowboys roster it is indeed a talented one. However many of those talented players are still under their rookie (read inexpensive) contracts, Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, & Dez Bryant to name a few. With so many young impact players the only reasonable explanation for why Dallas has essentially no cap space is that they are grossly overpaying the veterans on the roster. Many would point to Tony Romo's $16+ million salary for this upcoming season as one such instance but I would argue that while Tony may indeed seem overpaid, the cap penalty for this season is due to Dallas' penchant for restructuring contracts as opposed to signing Tony to a lucrative deal. Let us remember that Romo has played 4 of the 6 years on the 6 yr/ $67 million contract in question on a base salary of less than $1 million dollars due to those restructurings. As such, anyone of the opinion that Romo should "take one for the team" needs to realize that he already has...on 4 separate occasions...and all he got for his trouble was an Offensive line that allowed him to get sacked 36 times last year.

Its not so much that the Jones family restructures contracts, its that they don't improve the roster when they do. Take the Anthony Spencer/Victor Butler decision for example. Yes, Spencer is coming off his best season with 11.5 sacks and 95 tackles but that was in his SIXTH NFL season not to mention a contract year. In his previous 5 NFL seasons Spencer had accounted for a total of 21.5 sacks. Now that sounds like an impressive number until you realize 21.5 sacks in 5 years is a paltry 4.3 average per year or in Spencer's case .4 sacks per start as a 3-4 OLB. There are Inside or Middle Linebackers with a better sack per start ratio than Spencer yet Dallas has seen fit to franchise him twice. By comparison, Victor Butler (whom Dallas seems willing to let walk) has 11 sacks in 4 years even though he has only started 2 games in that time span. I am not saying that Butler is a better player than Spencer (although that could turn out to be the case), I'm only saying that Spencer's production doesn't meet the production you would expect from someone being paid $10.63 million for a season.

A less grievous offense is the Jason Witten contract. Now I love Witten's game & work ethic and he's probably been the most consistent Cowboy during his tenure with the team, but I seriously doubt you can find anyone who believes he should have a higher average salary ($7.2 million) than Rob Gronkowski ($6.9 million)

Decisions such as this are why Dallas finds itself in the position of spectator as the deepest free agent pool of Offensive Lineman in seemingly a decade signs elsewhere while Dallas watches replays of Romo running for his life time after time behind a porous O-Line. The inability to pursue quality O-linemen in free agency would be of minimal concern considering the number of Blue Chip prospects available in the Draft, but Dallas also has a need at Safety and only one pick to utilize in the first round. Poor financial decisions mean the Cowboys find themselves in a position to choose between a top flight safety & an upgrade at O-Line as opposed to being able to acquire both. The problem is, Dallas hasn't exactly shown a penchant for making quality decisions of late.

Grizzlies trade Rudy Gay, OKC Rejoices

Upon hearing of last nights 3 team trade involving Rudy Gay the Oklahoma City Thunder may have very well cracked a bit of a smile. Over the last two years the Grizzlies have taken the Thunder to the limit in two highly intense & entertaining playoff series. Now granted while the Thunder managed to prevail in both of those series no one can deny that the Grizzlies had the pieces to challenge them for 7 games both then & if necessary this year as well. However, that was before yesterday. Yesterday afternoon reports began to surface that the rumored trade of Rudy Gay to Toronto had indeed taken place. While this trade was expected it still leaves one to believe that Memphis took this action from a monetary perspective as opposed to a competitive one. Yes, the Grizzlies receive some adequate pieces but none of those piece have the scoring punch of Gay individually or cumulatively for that matter. Ed Davis won't supplant Zach Randolph in the starting lineup so one can assume that his acquisition is a look to the future as Randolph is 31 years old. Even still, unless Davis' quality of play (9.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg) drastically improves he wont be a cornerstone of the franchise in years to come. Tayshaun Prince on the other hand is a very intriguing piece. Most reports indicate he'd grown restless with the habitual losing in Detroit but Prince maintains his reputation as one of the leagues most stingy perimeter defenders which could come in handy during the playoffs against the likes of Durant, Harden, & Curry to name a few. Again however, Prince can't hope to replace Gay's scoring ability (17+ ppg) or flair for momentum changing plays offensively. The bottom line is that while Memphis remains a quality team without Gay, they lose the scoring threat on the perimeter a team needs to contend for a championship. For that matter, they no longer have the personnel to match up with Oklahoma City which means the Thunder are one series closer to a return trip to the finals.

Duke Football: Respectable at last.

The Duke Blue Devils are 5-1! Not an uncommon headline, however its a sentence one usually expects in December, NOT in October. For years, 18 to be exact, the Duke Blue Devils have been bullied mercilessly on the gridiron. This year however, the Blue Devils are the child who had enough and started fighting back. Not only does Duke look like a decent football team, but you can tell that they believe they are a decent football team. With a 5-1 record and two winnable games remaining, Duke could be going bowling for the first time since 1994 when Fred Goldsmith lead they to the Hall of Fame Bowl (Now the Outback Bowl).

Tom O'Brien: Fools Gold

Today I find myself conflicted. I'm exceedingly proud of my fellow Wolves of NC State for upsetting the #3 ranked Seminoles yesterday. However, such a high profile victory means that State will likely refuse to cut ties with respected but ultimately average Tom O'Brien for yet another year. O'Brien has coached the Wolfpack to respectable records for the last two seasons (9-4 & 8-5) but his overall record at NC State is 36-32 over 5 plus seasons. While State may not carry the reputation as a pro factory that recruits look for, it still has a passionate fan base & State of the art Athletic facilities. While the die hard fan base isn't going anywhere, in a few years those facilities wont be state of the art. Between the evolution of new lifting technologies and the construction of new facilities across the nation, that eventuality is certain & State will have squandered its astounding asset under the direction of the infuriatingly inconsistent Chuck Amato & the untiringly average Tom O'Brien. State hasn't been a national power for years, if ever, but they could easily be a perennial top 25 program and O'Brien has failed to deliver on that potential. While high profile victories are great, & O'Brien has his share, they mean nothing if they don't elevate your program, & in that regard O'Brien has failed.

SportsSpeak73: NBA Playoff recap

SportsSpeak73: NBA Playoff recap: Well the 1st Round of the playoffs are about halfway done and there have been some startling developments as well as some expected ones. Th...

NBA Playoff recap

Well the 1st Round of the playoffs are about halfway done and there have been some startling developments as well as some expected ones. The Miami Heat continue to look impressive (& LeBron's actually scoring in the 4th Quarter), as do the Thunder and the previously left for dead San Antonio Spurs. Unfortunately for the consensus contender Chicago Bulls, they had their collective heart shredded when Derrick Rose's ACL did the same essentially ruining any chance they had of making a run at the O'Brien trophy. Speaking of the O'Brien trophy, the question everyone wants to know is who will win it. Well I tend to lean toward the Western Conference for that answer. The Lakers have been impressive, but I wouldn't consider beating up on the Nuggets as a sign of greatness. Nonetheless, its hard to count out a team lead by a 33 yr old who still averages 28 ppg. Especially when he's joined by a talented Pau Gasol and an emerging Andrew Bynum. San Antonio looks more than impressive and has a championship pedigree. No fewer than 5 current Spurs have at least 1 NBA Championship to their credit with Manu, Duncan, and Tony Parker all having multiple rings. The Thunder are young, explosive, talented, and seems to have solved their late game issues which makes them EXTREMELY dangerous. Miami is Miami! When they play to their potential and get out & run there is no team in the league that can stay with them (except maybe OKC). The problem is no one knows if that team can stay on track for the 16 games they'll need to win to capture a championship. I happen to believe that Miami and OKC will meet in the Finals & only time can tell if I am right, but if I am it'll be a great series to watch.

Basketball Reasons: What we have yet to Understand

BASKETBALL REASONS!

That was the reasoning for David Stern's infamous trade veto regarding Chris Paul going to the Lakers, basketball reasons. Well Mr. Stern lets revisit this debacle shall we.

Forced with the unbearable task of moving its Superstar PG, New Orleans actually put together a respectable package for itself. They managed to acquire two adequate scorers in Kevin Martin (17 ppg) & Luis Scola (15 ppg), Mr. Versatility in Lamar Odom, and the serviceable Goran Dragic. Now while this appears to be a lost season for Odom (career lows across the board), Martin and Scola would both be welcome additions on a team that struggles to score points (88.5 ppg) & Dragic would be a competent backup for PG Jarrett Jack...But Stern cancelled that trade for again "basketball reasons"...so he says.

So now lets analyze the deal Stern approved for the Hornets. Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon, Al Farooq-Aminu, and Minnesota's first round pick. Now on paper that seems like a pretty good haul, Kaman's a former All-Star, Gordon's a future one, Aminu is a decent prospect, and Minnesota pick was expected to be a high one. Yet for reasons unknown, Chris Kaman is being ostracized, Eric Gordon has only played 2 games, Aminu has been atrociously inconsistent, and Minnesota may actually sneak into the playoffs. To compound all this, Kaman will likely leave at seasons end, Gordon hasn't signed an extension which means he'll likely leave this summer as well, and that high value pick wont be nearly as high barring a significant shift in the play of Minnesota.

So to recap Mr. Stern, you denied the Hornets two quality starters, a versatile big man, and a backup PG for a Center who barely plays, a SG who never plays (both of whom likely will be in different uniforms next year) an underachieving SF, and an iffy draft pick. How exactly does this benefit New Orleans in the short or long term in regard to its ability to play quality basketball. After all, isn't that why you approved the deal in the first place?

SportsSpeak73: AJ Smith: Incompetent by Way of Ego

SportsSpeak73: AJ Smith: Incompetent by Way of Ego: It appears that yet again AJ Smith has allowed his ego to interfere with his job and legacy. Recent reports indicate that AJ Smith was unwi...

AJ Smith: Incompetent by Way of Ego

It appears that yet again AJ Smith has allowed his ego to interfere with his job and legacy. Recent reports indicate that AJ Smith was unwilling to give WR Vincent Jackson more than $11 million/year to keep him in San Diego, yet the Buccaneers signed Jackson for $11.11/year. How do you lose your Number 1 receiver over $110K a year...REALLY?

Lets put this in perspective...in 2010 the San Diego Chargers had the #1 offense in the National Football League. Since then, the teams GM AJ Smith has allowed several key players walk out the door to other teams with essentially no resistance whatsoever. Darren Sproles was allowed to leave & went on to lead the league in all purpose yards this season for New Orleans. Patrick Crayton has been released, Legedu Naanee is now a Carolina Panther, and now Vincent Jackson is a Tampa Bay Buc. How exactly are you going to move the ball Mr. Smith? Not only have you deprived Philip Rivers, your franchise player, of any & all quality weapons, but you've done so at a time when his protection is breaking down. You've lost 2 former Pro Bowl O-Lineman (1 retired, 1 you released) & I dont quite see how you'll replace them.

Cries to see you relieved of duty were loud at the end of last years debacle of a season. If you have another bad season, after letting ANOTHER star of your offense walk out out the door unchallenged...those cries will be absolutely deafening.

Legacy of the Unheralded: The Lost Secret of Duke Basketball

Legacy of the Unheralded: The Lost Secret of Duke Basketball

Of late, there has been a sense of apprehension within the family known as Cameron Crazies, and that apprehension is mostly tied to Duke’s recent struggles to measure up to the legacy of success that is Duke Basketball.

From 1986 to 2004, the Duke Blue Devils appeared in 10 of 18 possible Final Fours while winning 3 National Championships. In the 7 years since its 2004 Final Four, while Duke has managed to win another National Championship (2010), it has also managed to lose in the Round of 16 four times while failing to make it past the tournament’s first weekend in both 2007 & 2008. Such a span has been practically unheard of at Duke since emergence as a National contender in 1984.

Opinions vary as to why Duke has seemingly hit a wall of tournament mediocrity. Some cite the Devils lack of a true post presence, yet Duke only tallied 1 Final Four against 2 Sweet Sixteen appearances while Shelden Williams was on campus. Others cite recruiting troubles, but Coach K has reeled in a 5 star recruit each of the past 7 years (totaling 11 in that span). The fact of the matter is that recently Duke has failed to land the athletic glue guys that resided on its roster during its most successful times. During Duke’s reign of dominance, the roster was peppered with talented, but unheralded (role player) wings who could defend multiple positions and score when prompted. Early in their prevailing years, Duke had Brian Davis, Antonio Lang, & Thomas Hill. Those players beget Nate James & Chris Carrawell, who gave way to well…No One.

Since the departure of Nate James, Duke has failed to land a role player with the versatility to defend three or more positions while scoring opportunistically. David McClure is the closest to that model of player of any recent Blue Devil, but he not only provided no ammunition offensively, but also lacked the quickness to defend elite guards & was mostly limited to matching up with Small & Power Forwards.

Duke remains one of the top programs in college basketball, as well as continuing to produce the games legitimate stars, but to return to its status as the truly elite, it must first return to the formula that made it so 24 years ago.

*I was recently reminded of Lance Thomas, who also fits the profile, but as Thomas did win a National Championship on the 2010 team I didnt mention him.