The Mighty Young

Remember the January 4, 2006 BCS championship game when the Texas Longhorns shocked the mighty USC Trojans, winning the game 41–38? Remember the great Vince Young solidifying his legend, taking over a BCS championship game like no one before or since? Remember how he completed 30 of 40 passes for 267 yards and carried the ball 19 times for 200 more yards?

Remember how the mighty Vince Young refused to lose?

I do.

I remember the Vince Young that gave the Longhorns their first national championship since 1970. I remember the Vince Young that was picked third overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2006 NFL Draft.

That Vince Young has failed to achieve anything close to that level of glory in the NFL. In fact, as Young enters his seventh season in the NFL, he has gone from the hopeful savior of a franchise to journeyman quarterback looking for a place to land.

The Tennessee Titans cut ties with him before the 2011–12 season. The Philadelphia Eagles signed him to back up Michael Vick last season. They gave him just a one-year contract and did not invite him back for the coming season.

Now, according to the Dallas Morning News, Young is auditioning to be the consolation prize for the Buffalo Bills. Since they did not land a quarterback in the draft, they are taking a look at Young—not as a starter, but a backup to starter Ryan Fitzgerald.

Young is in possession of the kind of physical tools that may yet allow him to carve out his niche—or even make his mark—in the NFL. But for now,  he is a man with no team and little hope of landing a starting job in the upcoming NFL season.

For those of us who revelled in the glories of Young’s past, who cheered him on to improbable victory after victory, who watched him rise to become one of the greatest players in Big 12 history, it is sad to see how far the mighty has fallen. It is hard to see him vulnerable and expendable. We remember when he was neither.

We had hoped that he might remain invincible and might have stayed forever young.

Junior Seau Dead at 43

Junior Seau was one of the greatest linebackers in NFL history. The hard-hitting phenom posted an astonishing 1,524 tackles, 325 assists, 56.5 sacks, forced 11 fumbles, and recovered 18. At one of the league’s most violent positions, he forged for himself a sparkling 20 year career. Twenty years!

Seau got to play for his hometown San Diego Chargers for 13 years. His name became synonymous with the club and he helped to lead them to their only Super Bowl appearance in the 1994–95 season. He was also a part of the New England Patriots’ undefeated regular season in 2007. Unfortunately, neither campaign resulted in a championship ring for the great linebacker. Championships notwithstanding, Seau’s career is the stuff football legend.

To say that Junior left a mark on the game is a gross understatement.

Now he is dead. At 43. Gone.

Preliminary indications are that Seau took his own life, shooting himself in the chest.

Seau’s death is being compared to the death of former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson. Last year, Duerson also committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest. The stark difference in the two is that Duerson left a suicide note, explaining that he shot himself in the chest rather than the head, because he wanted his brain to be used in the study of how the trauma of professional football damages the human brain.

According to CBS News, Seau left no suicide note. He simply texted “I love you” to his wife and their three children.

What medical science will reveal about the toll football may take on the human brain remains to be seen. There is an emerging picture that seems pretty stark. What Seau’s death says about this subject may forever be unclear.

What seems crystal clear, however, is the message that this man was in the clutches of despair. This man that had reached the highest pinnacle of his profession. This man that had earned millions of dollars in his career. This man that played the game he loved and all but transcended that game. This man who seemed to have so many reasons to live could not think of one that would keep him from ending his own life.

The sadness of it is palpable. The sorrow of those closest to him, those who loved him best is heart-wrenching. 

Even if some good comes of this tragic death—some advancement in medical science, some warning to younger NFL players—it will not assuage the sorrow of his family.

If there is an immediate lesson to be learned, I think it is this: Despair is not reserved for the down and out. Despair may touch the person whose life seems as full and rich as Junior Seau’s. The up and out are as vulnerable to it as the down and out.

Whether it is the emptiness one feels when the stadium lights go out on a career for the last time, or the nagging  feeling there was work left undone, or the stark reality that what has always defined you as a person is now forever a part of the past, despair may may seep into the human psyche and become so entrenched as to skew perception and alter reality.

Most who read this will have never scored a touchdown or recorded a tackle in the NFL. But you do something. You build something. You teach something. You repair something. There is something you do that is a part of you.

But what you do is not you. What you do is not the sum total of who you are. What you do is not what determines your value. You are who you are, even when you cannot do what you do anymore.

And that matters. Not just to you, but to them that know and love you best.

You can accuse Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones of many things,—and I have—but being timid has never been one of them. Especially on the day of the NFL draft.

Last night, the noted oil wildcatter-turned-NFL-general manager was at his root-’n'-tootin’, gunslinging best when he leaped from the pick 14 to pick six (yeah, that’s a pun, and apropos, because the Rams were robbed).

The guys wearing the star were the biggest bandits on day one of the 2012 NFL draft. To hear son Stephen Jones tell it, he and daddy basically held up the St. Louis Rams and robbed them blind:

We said, ‘Well, what we do we need to do to come up?” Stephen Jones recounted. “And the (Rams) said, ‘We may not need as much as we normally would.‘ “

Stephen said he thought the Rams’ pick should have required the Cowboys to yield a second round  and a fourth round pick along with their 14th pick in the first round. All the Rams required was the 14th and 45th picks overall, the Cowboys first and second rounders.

Just like that, out of the (Cowboys) blue, Claiborne is headed to Dallas. Claiborne never saw it coming. I never saw it coming. None of the talking heads on the NFL Network or ESPN saw it coming.

Neither did you. Right?

Nobody did.

Nobody but the wildcattter and his wild bunch of draft day renegades.

Shock and awe? According to Claiborne, this was:

Claiborne spoke with NFL.com just after he was drafted and expressed amazement that the Cowboys took him, not to mention traded up from No. 14 to No. 6 to do it.

“I was shocked,” Claiborne said. “They didn’t even talk to me.”

It was welcome news. Claiborne said his family is full of Cowboys fans, and he cried when he heard he was drafted by them. Now he’s joining a loaded secondary.

Except for the first pick overall, every one of the first seven picks changed hands, either before the draft or during. Thanks to the best component of the new collective bargaining agreement; i.e., the rookie salary cap, the handcuffs are off NFL owners and drafts are fun again.

Picking in the top ten is no longer a one-way ticket to a salary cap jail cell. Consequently, Jerry Jones and his band of draft day bandits can come out with guns blazing. And that is just what they did.

Welcome to Big D, Mr. Claiborne. In this brave new world of draft day high jinks and highway robbery, it’s good to be a Cowboy. It is good to be a member of the notorious Jones Gang.

Isn’t it?

Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com lists five players the Cowboys might take with the 14th pick in tonight’s draft: Alabama strong safety Mark Barron; Mississippi State defensive lineman Fletcher Cox; LSU defensive lineman Michael Brockers; Stanford guard David DeCastro; Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick.

Which would you most like to see the Cowboys draft?

For nearly a decade, the Dallas Cowboys defense has been without a safety net.  That should change Thursday night when Jerry Jones and company adds Alabama Crimson Tide strong safety Mark Barron to the roster.

Barron will become, by all indications, the best player at the position since Roy Willams (the young, ferocious-hitting, play-making variety). He may, in fact, become the best at the position since the great Darren Woodson, the best defensive player on the ’90s Cowboys team, the one that dominated a decade.

In his four years at the University of Alabama, Barron recorded 149 tackles. He had 13 tackles for a loss, five sacks and 12 interseptions. He also forced 12 fumbles. He helped Alabama win two national championships.

NFL.com gives Barron a 90 rating, which means they expect him to be a first-round pick, an impact player and an immediate starter. They offer the following overview of the player:

Barron was an imposing defender at Alabama. He simply looked like a professional, from the way that he prepared and warmed up to his productivity and on-field presence. A stalwart at safety, he has the size and athletic ability to contribute right away in the NFL. He has the range and ball skills to make big plays and is an active defender against the run. Barron projects as a top-50 pick.

Gerald Sensabaugh has manned the position for the Cowboys for the past three seasons. He recorded 158 tackles and eight interceptions during that time. He forced two fumbles and recovered two. He didn’t have the kind of impact blitzing you would want from a man at his position. He recorded just two sacks in three seasons.

Of course, if you watched the Cowboys during that three–year period, you know how porous the Dallas defensive backfield was, especially at critical times in close games. If Barron becomes the professional player he is projected to be, he will be an instant upgrade at a position that has been undermanned for too long.

Charlie Campbell of Walterfootball.com summarizes Barron this way:

When watching Alabama, Barron jumps out and is all over the field. He makes tackles in run support and always seems to be in the right spot in pass coverage. He is a big safety who may be the hardest-hitting player at his position in the 2012 NFL Draft class.

At 6’2, 218, Barron could be the kind of intimidator you want at the strong safety position. If he has receivers hearing footsteps, they will be first footsteps they have heard from a Cowboys’ safety in a very long time.

Joe Avezzano is dead at age 68. He reportedly died of a heart attack in Milan, Italy, where he was coaching the Milan Seamen of the Italian Football League.

Bill Parcells thinks he is always right. When it comes to football, he is right more than he is wrong, I suppose. But he was wrong about Joe Avezzano. When Parcells took over as head coach for the Dallas Cowboys, he fired Avezzano, labeling the out-going, fun-loving, country song-crooning, longtime Cowboys assistant “a celebrity coach.”

I will pass on the opportunity to crotch-kick the tuna-shaped, limelight-hogging pot for calling the kettle black. I will not pass on the opportunity to remember a great coach, a good man and a vital part of Dallas Cowboys history—the man players, fans and media called “Coach Joe.”

Coach Joe was a fiery coach, known for his enthusiastic sideline demeanor. He spent 12 years with the Cowboys, most of them as special teams coach. He helped to lead the Cowboys to three Super Bowl wins in the ’90s. He was named special teams coach of the year three times, as well.

Avezzano managed to sprinkle his special teams with offensive and defensive starters. Clarence Hill quotes one of those players, the great safety, Darren Woodson, who, despite being an elite defensive player, participated on special teams under Avezzano:

“He was going to get the most out of his unit,” Woodson said. “He didn’t care if you were a starter or not. He was a great coach. But he was a better man than he was a coach. Talk to anybody on that team and they all respected the guy for what he was and what he brought. He is going to be missed.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, in a rare moment of lucidity and eloquence, also remembered an old friend and employee:

“Joe Avezzano was a very special part of our Dallas Cowboys family and our organization’s history,” Jones said in a statement released by the team. “No one enjoyed life more than Joe, and no one that I know had a greater appreciation for the people that he loved and the lives that he touched. There was no one else like him.”

So long, Coach Joe. Thanks for everything.

FOOTNOTES:

Darren Woodson remembers Coach Joe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgolTLRvQmw

Channel 8 sports anchor Dale Hansen’s emotional goodbye to Coach Joe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZddKc1svJI

Courtesy of Pro Football Hall of Fame

My heroes have always been Cowboys.

I was six years old when my Uncle Darrell began drilling me on Cowboys’ names and numbers. From the beginning, one of my favorite Cowboys was  the great defensive back Mel Renfro.

Imagine my excitement when I was offered the opportunity to conduct a 15-minute phone interview with this legendary Dallas Cowboy and childhood hero.

The interview was in conjunction with the “Hometown Hall of Famer” program. The following press release provides the details:

Canton, Ohio – March 27, 2012 – Pro football legend Mel Renfro will be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Allstate Insurance Company in Portland on Tuesday, April 3, as part of “Hometown Hall of Famers™,” a national program honoring the hometown roots of the sport’s greatest players with special ceremonies and plaque dedication events in local communities.

“’Hometown Hall of Famers™’ has been warmly embraced by communities and Hall of Famers alike,” said George Veras, Pro Football Hall of Fame Enterprises president and CEO.  “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Allstate to bring the Pro Football Hall of Fame to communities across the country and congratulate Mel Renfro and Jefferson High School on bringing a piece of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to Portland.”

A ten-time Pro Bowl selection as defensive back for the Dallas Cowboys and former high school standout at Jefferson High School in Portland, Renfro will be presented with his “Hometown Hall of Famer™” plaque during a special ceremony at 2:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday, April 3, at the Jefferson High School auditorium, where the plaque will live permanently to serve as an inspiration for the school’s students and athletes. The presentation will be made by Clifford Walker, Renfro’s long-time friend and Portland native.

“To be part of a program that brings the prestige and tradition of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to cities like Portland is an honor for Allstate, our agents and employees,” said Lisa Cochrane, Allstate’s senior vice president of marketing.

The ceremony will be attended by Jefferson High School students, faculty, staff, alumni and Renfro’s family members and close friends. Ray Leary, member of the 1972 Jefferson High School state championship basketball team, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.

In addition to the honor being bestowed on Renfro, we discussed his career, his coach, his Cowboys and his advice to aspiring athletes.

His Career

Mel Renfro had a singular career. He was a 10-time Pro Bowler and an all-NFL player five times. He participated in four Super Bowls and eight NFC championship games. At the University of Oregon, he was a standout track star and earned All-American honors at halfback, as he was a two-way player on the football squad. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

When I asked Mel what the most thrilling moment of his career was, expecting him to talk about the HoF induction or finally winning the Lombardi trophy with his teammates, he talked instead about those years of struggle in the late ’60s when the Cowboys kept coming up just short of winning it all.

“In the 1970 season, finally broke through,” Renfro remembered. “We beat the Detroit Lions 5–0 in the first round. I intercepted a pass to secure that victory. Then, we played the 49ers in the NFC championship game and beat them 17–10. I had an interception in that game, too. We made it to the Super Bowl.”

So, for Mel Renfro, the thrill was in the achievement rather than the accolades. The thrill was what took place on gridiron, rather than the honors that followed.

He did not mention it, but that year, Renfro would also intercept a pass in the Cowboys first Super Bowl appearance. The Cowboys lost 13–16 to the Baltimore Colts.

His Coach

I asked Renfro what it was like to play for Tom Landry.

Renfro answered, “Landry is a legend, of course, and rightfully so. He was a great coach and a great man. He was very devout in his Christian faith and brought the things he learned from the Bible to the football field.”

Renfro said he didn’t like Landry much those first three or four years, but he said he learned that the demands Landry placed on him as a player made him not only a better player, but a better person.

“They don’t make coaches like Tom Landry anymore,” added Renfro. “He was right there with Lombardi as one of the greatest of all time.”

His Cowboys

I asked Mel Renfro which Cowboys team was the greatest, the 1970s or the ’90s team?

“It’s hard to say,” Renfro admitted. “They were both really great, really talented teams.”

“Consistency,” he added, thoughtfully. “Consistency was what set us apart. The Cowboys had 20 consecutive winning seasons under Coach Landry. I was there for 13 of them. In the ’70s, we went to five Super Bowls, but it could have been more. We were in the conference finals eight times in that decade. Eight times!”

Renfro went on to muse that the ’90s Cowboys might have done even more had Jerry Jones not fired Jimmy Johnson.

“He realized afterward it was a mistake,” Renfro asserted. “But it was too late.”

I asked Renfro about the current team and the longest draught in team history: Fifteen years and only two playoff victories.

“They’re soft,” Renfro snapped. “That’s the trouble. They don’t have that killer instinct, that competitive fire that refuses to lose. They are just soft.”

I asked if that wasn’t a leadership issue and he said he thought it was.

Since Renfro played most of his career as an elite cornerback, I asked him about the Cowboys’ signing of FA Brandon Carr. Was it a good move?

“I think so,” Renfro said. “I hope so. I always say the proof is in the pudding. So, we’ll see.”

Renfro said he liked Jason Garrett as a coach. He thinks he has the right mentality and all the tools to be successful, but he brought up the proof and the pudding thing again where Garrett is concerned.

His Parting Advice

Since the Hometown Hall of Famer program is aimed at connecting legendary athletes with today’s youth, I asked Mel what advice he would give a young athlete.

“Conditioning,” he answered without hesitation. “It all starts there. You have to reach peak condition in order to perform at a high level. Instincts ar important, but if your body cannot do what your instincts tells it, your performance will suffer.”

Renfro went on to say, “Besides conditioning, the other important thing is coaching. Absorb the wisdom of the coaches. Learn what they have to teach you. It will make you a better player and a better person.”

That advice comes from as fine a player and person as ever wore the star on his helmet.

Mel Renfro: Hometown hero, all-time Cowboy, Natonal Football League treasure.

Despite another disappointing, middle-of-the-road finish at 8–8, despite missing the playoffs for the third time in four years, despite boasting a roster of very few defensive stars and more than a few offensive underachievers, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has remained optimistic, saying that he expected his team to be a Super Bowl contender in the 2012–13 campaign.

In the first two days of NFL free agency, Jones put his money where his mouth was. Despite being slapped with a $10 million fine by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for salary cap transgressions during last year’s uncapped season (I know, how can you transgress against a nonexistent cap, unless you are violating a wink-wink collusion agreement?), Jones and company stepped into the batter’s box, swinging for the fences.

Two days and eight FA signings later—the most in franchise history—the Cowboys have upgraded their roster and positioned themselves to be a strong contender in the NFC East, where they were edged out by the 9–7 NY Giants last season. (You know, the Super Bowl-winning NY Giants.)

The most significant signing was CB Brandon Carr, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs. Carr was perhaps the best defensive back in the FA market. He recorded four interceptions last year and has posted eight during his four-year career. After saying goodbye to Terence Newman, the Cowboys had to address cornerback either in the draft or free agency.

Jones made Carr a rich man, signing him to a $50 million contract, $26.5 million of it guaranteed.

Jones and his Cowboys also shored up the quarterback position, signing Kyle Orton to back up Tony Romo. Besides being one more statement that this is Romo’s team for the foreseeable future, the Orton signing gives the Cowboys a quality, capable caretaker should Romo go down to injury.

On day one of free agency the Cowboys also signed fullback Lawrence Vickers. With the  one-two punch of DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones at running back, Vickers should help put the running game over the top. Vickers was easily the best fullback available on the market. He is known as a knockout blocker, which is good news for the ball carriers and for Romo.

But, Vickers insists he is more than that…

“I am a West Coast fullback. That’s what they don’t understand,” he said. He said he became typecast as a “knockout fullback” the past two years because that’s how he earned playing time. “I was on a team where they don’t even use a fullback,” he said of the Browns’ offense under former coach Eric Mangini. “Mangini’s era wasn’t really a fullback era. I played just on [the belief that] ‘this person has to be on the field.’ Everything I got wasn’t given. I took it. Our offense was based on New England’s. They don’t even have a fullback.”

Cowboys fans may be as excited about the signing of linebacker Dan Connor as any other. The 2012 edition of the Dallas Cowboys defense was among the worst in team history. They gave DoomsDay Defense new meaning, because their team was inevitably doomed any time they were asked to hold a lead or keep a game close. They failed at the most inopportune times.

The Cowboys have a legitimate game-changer at outside linebacker in DeMarcus Ware. They have a rising star at inside linebacker in Sean Lee. The ‘Boys used the franchise tag to make sure the solid, but not spectacular, Anthony Spencer remains at the other OLB position.

Veteran Connor will compete with second-year man Bruce Carter for the ILB position. Regardless of who wins that competition, the Cowboys will be younger, faster and better at linebacker in 2012.

Safety has been a position of need for the Cowboys for years. Brodney Poole, another Rob Ryan guy, may take the place of Abram Elam, last year’s Ryan guy. Whether Poole is an upgrade or not is debatable. He is younger and has proven himself a solid player, cut from the same cloth as the man whose position he may take.

Along the offensive line, the Cowboys added guards Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings. These signing, apparently, spell the end for Kyle Kosier as a Dallas Cowboy. With tackles Doug free and Tyron Smith swapping spots and the center position still in question, the OL could be completely revamped for the coming season.

No doubt, Tony Romo is fervently praying that revamped means improved.

The eighth—and least intriguing—signing was a re-signing. WR Kevin Ogletree is being brought back to compete for the third wideout position. Hard to get very excited about that, really.

Still, Jerry Jones & Co. have made a splash and served notice that they do not intend to take 15 years of mediocrity lying down. After months of pummeling Jones, I am prepared to give the Devil his due.

Here’s hoping that deal he once claimed, tongue-in-cheek, to have made with God for that third Super Bowl trophy has reached its statute of limitations and the curse of idiocy and ineptness can finally be lifted.

Let’s all join Romo in that that prayer meeting, shall we?

That Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is inept as a general manager in the National Football League is now so painfully obvious that it has ceased to be worthy of mention. Pointing out his management guffaws is like shooting fish in a barrel or beating your seven year old grandson in an arm wrestling match. There is just no joy in it, no sense of fulfillment.

I just happen to be joyous and fulfilled enough to do it anyway.

The announcement that kicker David Buehler has been cut brought to mind the worst draft in the history of the Dallas Cowboys, and one of the worst in the history of professional football.

If you remain unconvinced that Jerry Jones is lost as a GM, unless he has his hand held by an actual football man like Jimmy Johnson or Bill Parcells, I give you (drum roll, please) your Dallas Cowboys’ 2009 NFL Draft extravaganza.

You be the judge, the jury and the helpless fan.

Round by round, here we go…

Round One

Your Heroes had no pick. Jerry had already used it to acquire—wait for it!—wideout Roy Williams. Yes, that Roy Williams. The Lions used the Cowboys’ 20th pick on TE Brandon Pettigrew. Still on the board to be taken later in round one: Clay Matthews (Packers, 26th overall) and Hakeem Nicks (Giants, 29th overall).

I would give this a grade, but I do not want to insult teachers.

Round Two

The Cowboys had the 19th pick and traded it to the Buffalo Bills for the number two third round picks and a fourth rounder. Let’s withhold judgment until we see how this turns out.

Round Three

With the fifth pick (from the Browns), the cowboys take LB Jason Williams out of Western Illinois. In his first three years in the league, Williams has amassed an astounding 20 tackles. (Yes, my tongue was in my cheek there.) He has never worked his way into the starting lineup. He’s a bit player at best; a two-bit player at worst.

With the 11th pick of the third round (from the Bills), the Cowboys take OT Robert Brewster. If you do not know anything about him, don’t bother. He was hurt his rookie season and when he healed, they discovered he couldn’t play. He’s no longer with the team.

Round Four

With the first pick in the fourth round (from the Lions), the Cowboys select QB Stephen McGee out of Texas A&M. McGee was a fabulous high school quarterback, a decent college quarterback on a team that had no real passing game, and has been—and shall forever remain—a backup at best in the NFL.

The 10th pick in the fourth round is spent on LB Victor Butler from Oregon State, because, in a three-four defense, you can never have too many quality linebackers. Butler is a quality backup linebacker. In three years, however, he has managed just 30 tackles and 15 assists. Not the worst mid-round pick ever, but not the man you want to hang your hat on as the best pick of your 2009 draft, which he probably is.

The Cowboys traded for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 20th pick in the fourth to snag DE/LB Brandon Williams—a brilliant move. (Again, facetious.) Williams recorded three tackles in 2010, then moved on to Arizona, where he did nothing at all.

Fifth Round

The Cowboys traded with the Oakland Raiders to get the seventh pick in the fifth round. They saw something they liked in CB DeAngelo Smith, out of Cincinatti. DeAngelo ended up playing in Detroit in 2009, recording six tackles. That’s it. Nothing since.

With the 30th pick in round five, the Cowboys took FS Michael Hamlin. Hamlin made it through the ’09 season and part of 2010 before he was set free. His numbers were nil.

Number 36 in the fifth was spent on K David Buehler, the strong-footed, linebacker-looking kicker our of USC, whom the Cowboys cut yesterday. He was supposed to be for the purpose of kicking the ball too deep to return on kickoffs and for kicking the ridiculously long field goals. He was a luxury the Cowboys could not afford. And he was not that luxurious anyway.

Sixth Round

In this round, the Cowboys picked up SS Stephen Hodge,TCU, and TE John Phillips, Virginia. Hodge is another bust. John Phillips has proved himself a player, especially in the blocking game. He has shown potential as a receiver, as well. That’s good, because the second round pick from the 2008 draft, Martellus “Marty B” Bennett, another colossal bust, is likely on his way out.

Seventh Round

Here, the Cowboys picked up CB Mike Mickens from Cincinatti and WR Manuel Johnson from Oklahoma. For some reason, the Cowboys were completely enamored with the Cincinatti Bearcats’ backfield. They took two players from that unit. One has worked out about as well as the other. If you don’t remember Mickens or Johnson, it is likely because you are not family or a close personal friend to either of them.

I would offer insightful commentary on the lost draft of 2009. I would mention how a team cannot afford to just skip entire years of drafting and developing quality players. I would talk about Jerry Jones and company and how overmatched they are in the NFL.

But the facts do not need me. They speak for themselves.

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