*New Ranger pitcher Richard Hardin looks good so far after a rocky start as he struck out the heart of the lineup and has 8 Ks in 4 innings...not a bad start until the 4th inning, when a hit batter and a few walks ends his day. A bit disappointing after all the strikes, but it is early so I give him a pass...
*it is really strange to see Vlad Gurerrro in a Ranger uniform. I mean, I am so used to seeing him as a Ranger-killer that I feel like I am watching an alternate reality...welcome to the dark side, Mel.
*WOO HOO!!! - back to back solo home runs in the 4th by Vlad and Cruz to tie the game in the bottom of the 4th. Vlad powered the high pitch into left field while Cruz hit a bullet to center. Impressive! Okay, I think I can get over my Vlad reservations if he keeps this hitting up...
*Well, the tie didn't last long as Vernon Wells hit a 2 run homer in the next inning...a couple more runs trickled in for both teams as the Rangers lose to the Blue Jays 7-4. Tomorrow CJ Wilson is our starter so we will see how he handles that change. Man, I know there are like 160 more games, but I really hate losing!
April 7, 2010
April 6, 2010
WELCOME BACK!!!
Hello,
Well, April is upon us and that means that baseball season is FINALLY here...Unfortunately, I had to miss Opening Day because of work and since our IT department is crazy about internet retstrictions, I could not watch or listen to the game. I can tell you that it was an exciting game based on the final score, as the Rangers win 5-4 with a Salty walk-off single for the win...Yea, a win streak to start the year, right :)
Will start blogging the new season on Wednesday, so stay tuned....Thanks, and welcome back!!!
PS - Random shout-out to my co-worker Bill that was smart enough to take off work to attend Rangers Opening Day...Lucky Guy!
Well, April is upon us and that means that baseball season is FINALLY here...Unfortunately, I had to miss Opening Day because of work and since our IT department is crazy about internet retstrictions, I could not watch or listen to the game. I can tell you that it was an exciting game based on the final score, as the Rangers win 5-4 with a Salty walk-off single for the win...Yea, a win streak to start the year, right :)
Will start blogging the new season on Wednesday, so stay tuned....Thanks, and welcome back!!!
PS - Random shout-out to my co-worker Bill that was smart enough to take off work to attend Rangers Opening Day...Lucky Guy!
February 15, 2010
ON HIATUS FOR NOW....
Hello All, and welcome to my sports blog. Unfortunately with the Superbowl over and my lack of basketball interest, I am putting this blog on hold until baseball season starts in April.
Thanks for reading, and come back soon to help me cheer on the Rangers to victory!!!
Mel
Thanks for reading, and come back soon to help me cheer on the Rangers to victory!!!
Mel
January 13, 2010
TECH COACHES: OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
Five of Mike Leach’s nine on-field assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill, were released on Wednesday as new Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville continued the work of putting a staff together.
Riley
Meanwhile, Tech appeared closer to hiring James Willis, an assistant from national champion Alabama as defensive coordinator. Citing unnamed sources, the Tuscaloosa News reported Wednesday that Willis, 37, had agreed in principle to take the job.
Only offensive line coach Matt Moore and defensive line coach Charlie Sadler are set to return in their current roles. Dennis Simmons, who has been wide receivers coach the last two years, will remain with the athletic department for the time being, but not in the same capacity, Tech officials said.
Let go in addition to McNeill were inside receivers coach Lincoln Riley, running backs coach Clay McGuire, cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell and special teams coach Eric Russell. Also out are Dave Emerick, the chief of staff/assistant athletic director who coordinated recruiting, and director of player personnel Antonio Huffman.
Tommy McVay, the director of football operations, has been retained, the Avalanche-Journal learned. McVay also survived the transition from Spike Dykes’ staff to Leach’s 10 years ago.
The released coaches will be paid until June 1, unless they get another job before then, athletic director Gerald Myers said.
Safeties coach Carlos Mainord, 65, said he had made up his mind to retire beforehand.
“It was just time to do it,” Mainord said. “My wife and I had talked about it, whoever came in and whoever got the job, we were ready to retire. I respect Tommy, and know he’ll do a good job. It had nothing to do with the new coach or anybody. It was just time to retire.”
Mainord, who had four stints on the Tech staff starting in 1968, said he and his wife, Judy, have no immediate plans to leave Lubbock. Mainord spent one of his 44 years in coaching on the same University of Miami (Fla.) staff with Tuberville.
There’s a chance the next staff could still have a Mainord family member. Carlos Mainord confirmed that his son, Tommy, has had discussions about joining the Red Raiders’ staff. Tommy Mainord is offensive coordinator at Lamar. He was co-offensive coordinator at Sam Houston State in 2008, the last of his three years there.
Both the Red Raiders’ graduate assistant coaches, Sonny Cumbie on offense and Duane Price on defense, will be back.
Earlier this week, strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie was retained on a six-month trial basis.
Tuberville was hired as head coach on Saturday and made his first major addition on Tuesday, when he chose Neal Brown from Troy to be his offensive coordinator.
“Neal is an excellent young coach, and his offensive philosophy fits perfectly here at Texas Tech,” Tuberville said in a statement released through Tech media relations. “We are going to keep the Air Raid offense alive and well, and Neal’s credentials certainly back that up. He understands this system in and out and has had great success with it at Troy and is excited about coming to Texas Tech and the Big 12 Conference.”
Tech officials said the first media availability for Tuberville and Brown since Tuberville’s introductory news conference will be Thursday.
Brown will have one familiar face on his staff: Moore, the Red Raiders’ offensive line coach the last three years, worked with Brown for one season at Troy.
Meanwhile, on the defensive coordinator front, Willis completed a campus tour of a little less than 24 hours and left Wednesday with no announcement. Willis is associate head coach and linebackers coach at national champion Alabama, where he was in his first year this season. He spent six of the previous eight years on Tuberville’s staff at Auburn.
Story courtesy at www.redraiders.com
Riley
Meanwhile, Tech appeared closer to hiring James Willis, an assistant from national champion Alabama as defensive coordinator. Citing unnamed sources, the Tuscaloosa News reported Wednesday that Willis, 37, had agreed in principle to take the job.
Only offensive line coach Matt Moore and defensive line coach Charlie Sadler are set to return in their current roles. Dennis Simmons, who has been wide receivers coach the last two years, will remain with the athletic department for the time being, but not in the same capacity, Tech officials said.
Let go in addition to McNeill were inside receivers coach Lincoln Riley, running backs coach Clay McGuire, cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell and special teams coach Eric Russell. Also out are Dave Emerick, the chief of staff/assistant athletic director who coordinated recruiting, and director of player personnel Antonio Huffman.
Tommy McVay, the director of football operations, has been retained, the Avalanche-Journal learned. McVay also survived the transition from Spike Dykes’ staff to Leach’s 10 years ago.
The released coaches will be paid until June 1, unless they get another job before then, athletic director Gerald Myers said.
Safeties coach Carlos Mainord, 65, said he had made up his mind to retire beforehand.
“It was just time to do it,” Mainord said. “My wife and I had talked about it, whoever came in and whoever got the job, we were ready to retire. I respect Tommy, and know he’ll do a good job. It had nothing to do with the new coach or anybody. It was just time to retire.”
Mainord, who had four stints on the Tech staff starting in 1968, said he and his wife, Judy, have no immediate plans to leave Lubbock. Mainord spent one of his 44 years in coaching on the same University of Miami (Fla.) staff with Tuberville.
There’s a chance the next staff could still have a Mainord family member. Carlos Mainord confirmed that his son, Tommy, has had discussions about joining the Red Raiders’ staff. Tommy Mainord is offensive coordinator at Lamar. He was co-offensive coordinator at Sam Houston State in 2008, the last of his three years there.
Both the Red Raiders’ graduate assistant coaches, Sonny Cumbie on offense and Duane Price on defense, will be back.
Earlier this week, strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie was retained on a six-month trial basis.
Tuberville was hired as head coach on Saturday and made his first major addition on Tuesday, when he chose Neal Brown from Troy to be his offensive coordinator.
“Neal is an excellent young coach, and his offensive philosophy fits perfectly here at Texas Tech,” Tuberville said in a statement released through Tech media relations. “We are going to keep the Air Raid offense alive and well, and Neal’s credentials certainly back that up. He understands this system in and out and has had great success with it at Troy and is excited about coming to Texas Tech and the Big 12 Conference.”
Tech officials said the first media availability for Tuberville and Brown since Tuberville’s introductory news conference will be Thursday.
Brown will have one familiar face on his staff: Moore, the Red Raiders’ offensive line coach the last three years, worked with Brown for one season at Troy.
Meanwhile, on the defensive coordinator front, Willis completed a campus tour of a little less than 24 hours and left Wednesday with no announcement. Willis is associate head coach and linebackers coach at national champion Alabama, where he was in his first year this season. He spent six of the previous eight years on Tuberville’s staff at Auburn.
Story courtesy at www.redraiders.com
JAMES WILLIS TO BE NEXT TECH DC
James Willis will be the next assistant coach hired by Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville.
A source said Willis and his family were in Lubbock on Tuesday and that he will become the Red Raiders' new defensive coordinator.
On Tuesday, Tuberville hired Neal Brown as the Red Raiders' offensive coordinator. Brown, 29, was Troy's offensive coordinator the past two seasons.
Willis, 37, comes to Tech after spending the past season as the associate head coach and linebacker coach for Alabama, which just defeated Texas last Thursday for the national championship.
When Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban hired Willis last January, he said:
"I'm extremely pleased and happy to have James join our staff. We tried to go out and hire the best possible coaches when this process started and I'm confident we've done that.
"James has everything you would want in terms of finding an outstanding coach and an outstanding recruiter with a lot of enthusiasm and intensity. He's played in the SEC and the NFL, and grew up and coached in the state of Alabama so he will be able to contribute in many areas and make a positive impact as we continue to build a championship program here at Alabama.''
Alabama finished this past season ranked among the nation's leaders in several defensive categories, including allowing just 244.1 total yards, 166 passing yards, 78.1 rushing yards and just 11.7 points per game.
Born in Huntsville, Ala., Willis was the linebacker coach at Auburn under Tuberville from 2006-'08. He also was the linebacker coach at Temple (2005) and Rhode Island (2004), was a defensive graduate assistant at Auburn under Tuberville (2003), and a student assistant at Auburn in 2001 and '02 under Tuberville.
Willis also played seven seasons in the NFL with Green Bay, Philadelphia and Seattle, and was a three-year starter for the Eagles.
Story courtesy of www.star-telegram.com
A source said Willis and his family were in Lubbock on Tuesday and that he will become the Red Raiders' new defensive coordinator.
On Tuesday, Tuberville hired Neal Brown as the Red Raiders' offensive coordinator. Brown, 29, was Troy's offensive coordinator the past two seasons.
Willis, 37, comes to Tech after spending the past season as the associate head coach and linebacker coach for Alabama, which just defeated Texas last Thursday for the national championship.
When Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban hired Willis last January, he said:
"I'm extremely pleased and happy to have James join our staff. We tried to go out and hire the best possible coaches when this process started and I'm confident we've done that.
"James has everything you would want in terms of finding an outstanding coach and an outstanding recruiter with a lot of enthusiasm and intensity. He's played in the SEC and the NFL, and grew up and coached in the state of Alabama so he will be able to contribute in many areas and make a positive impact as we continue to build a championship program here at Alabama.''
Alabama finished this past season ranked among the nation's leaders in several defensive categories, including allowing just 244.1 total yards, 166 passing yards, 78.1 rushing yards and just 11.7 points per game.
Born in Huntsville, Ala., Willis was the linebacker coach at Auburn under Tuberville from 2006-'08. He also was the linebacker coach at Temple (2005) and Rhode Island (2004), was a defensive graduate assistant at Auburn under Tuberville (2003), and a student assistant at Auburn in 2001 and '02 under Tuberville.
Willis also played seven seasons in the NFL with Green Bay, Philadelphia and Seattle, and was a three-year starter for the Eagles.
Story courtesy of www.star-telegram.com
TECH FINALIZING TUBERVILLE CONTRACT
Tommy Tuberville’s contract with Texas Tech is expected to be finalized tonight.
But Tuberville made his final decision about his coaching staff earlier in the day, and he didn’t keep many assistants from former coach Mike Leach’s staff.
Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said the assistants from Leach’s staff who Tuberville plans to keep are offensive line coach Matt Moore, defensive ends coach Charlie Sadler and graduate assistant Sonny Cumbie, and wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons will be retained in some capacity.
The assistant coaches who were released include Lincoln Riley (inside receivers), Clay McGuire (running backs), Brian Mitchell (cornerbacks), Carlos Mainord (safeties) and Eric Russell (special teams coordinator).
As for the status of defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill, Myers said: “I don’t think Ruffin’s coming back. I haven’t talked to Ruffin, but I’m pretty sure he’s not going to be on the staff.”
McNeill was a finalist for the head-coaching job.
Myers also said the Red Raiders haven’t finalized anything yet on Alabama associate head coach/linebackers coach James Willis, who is expected to be Tech’s new defensive coordinator.
Myers said Tuberville’s five-year contract is worth $8.6 million, plus incentives. Tuberville will receive $1.5 million this year, $1.6 million in 2011, $1.7 million in 2012, $1.8 million in 2013 and $2 million in the final year of his contract in 2014.
“We’re working on finalizing his contract today,” Myers said. “We’re still talking about [Tuberville’s] buyout.”
Story courtesy of www.star-telgram.com
But Tuberville made his final decision about his coaching staff earlier in the day, and he didn’t keep many assistants from former coach Mike Leach’s staff.
Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said the assistants from Leach’s staff who Tuberville plans to keep are offensive line coach Matt Moore, defensive ends coach Charlie Sadler and graduate assistant Sonny Cumbie, and wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons will be retained in some capacity.
The assistant coaches who were released include Lincoln Riley (inside receivers), Clay McGuire (running backs), Brian Mitchell (cornerbacks), Carlos Mainord (safeties) and Eric Russell (special teams coordinator).
As for the status of defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill, Myers said: “I don’t think Ruffin’s coming back. I haven’t talked to Ruffin, but I’m pretty sure he’s not going to be on the staff.”
McNeill was a finalist for the head-coaching job.
Myers also said the Red Raiders haven’t finalized anything yet on Alabama associate head coach/linebackers coach James Willis, who is expected to be Tech’s new defensive coordinator.
Myers said Tuberville’s five-year contract is worth $8.6 million, plus incentives. Tuberville will receive $1.5 million this year, $1.6 million in 2011, $1.7 million in 2012, $1.8 million in 2013 and $2 million in the final year of his contract in 2014.
“We’re working on finalizing his contract today,” Myers said. “We’re still talking about [Tuberville’s] buyout.”
Story courtesy of www.star-telgram.com
January 12, 2010
TUBERVILLES FIRST HIRE - NEW OC
New Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville has made his first major hire, the Avalanche-Journal confirmed early Tuesday.
Troy University Offensive Coordinator Neal Brown has been hired to run the offense for the Red Raiders. Brown, 29, has been the youngest coordinator in the Football Bowl Subdivision the last two years with the Trojans.
Brown has been a Kentucky native who played wide receiver in college, for three years at Kentucky and for two years at Massachusetts.
Troy ranked third in the nation in total offense, averaging 485.7 yards per game. The Trojans also were fourth in passing offense (336.5), 16th in scoring average (33.7 points per game) and 60th in rushing offense (149.2 ypg). Troy finished 9-4, losing a 44-41 overtime game to Central Michigan in the GMAC Bowl.
In 2008, the Trojans averaged 32.8 points and 414.2 yards per game, ranking 26th in total offense and 27th in scoring offense.
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
Troy University Offensive Coordinator Neal Brown has been hired to run the offense for the Red Raiders. Brown, 29, has been the youngest coordinator in the Football Bowl Subdivision the last two years with the Trojans.
Brown has been a Kentucky native who played wide receiver in college, for three years at Kentucky and for two years at Massachusetts.
Troy ranked third in the nation in total offense, averaging 485.7 yards per game. The Trojans also were fourth in passing offense (336.5), 16th in scoring average (33.7 points per game) and 60th in rushing offense (149.2 ypg). Troy finished 9-4, losing a 44-41 overtime game to Central Michigan in the GMAC Bowl.
In 2008, the Trojans averaged 32.8 points and 414.2 yards per game, ranking 26th in total offense and 27th in scoring offense.
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
January 11, 2010
FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS FOR TUBERVILLE
Texas Tech rebounded nicely. No, make that threw down a slam dunk with the hiring of Tommy Tuberville.
The decision put a Wild, Wild, West, yahoo (not the website) program back on the tracks. Apparently, there is someone out there in West Texas with a level head. Tuberville was, as they say, was the best athlete left on the draft board. National championship caliber, great recruiter, great coach.
Good to see it looks like he will keep some elements of Mike Leach’s offense. This is a coach who could recruit well enough to challenge Texas and Oklahoma now and then.
I’ve got his first order of business, though: Do not renew Adam James’ scholarship. It’s clean, it’s legal and there are no messy entanglements with Craig “The Helicopter” James. It’s clear the kid can’t play. Do what is usually done when players don’t progress or measure up.
Adam James is a redshirt sophomore who has caught 32 career passes. But it’s not even about the production. It’s about Texas Tech cleansing its soul and moving on. Leach was fired for his alleged mistreatment of James. That trumps everything else. I’m not going minimize the issue.
But Tuberville doesn’t need a cancer on the team.
Second thing I’d do: tear down that “shed”, “garage” or whatever you want to call it where Adam James was reportedly placed. If it stands, it will become a landmark where mom, dad and the kids will come to see on vacation. Not good.
Tubs can do without a whiny, daddy’s boy receiver who is lucky to have a scholarship in the first place. But Tuberville doesn’t have to say, or even think, any of that.
Just serve the kid notice, Tubs. No one can complain. You’re trying to build a program. Adam James doesn’t fit in.
Story courtesy of http://dennis-dodd.blogs.cbssports.com
The decision put a Wild, Wild, West, yahoo (not the website) program back on the tracks. Apparently, there is someone out there in West Texas with a level head. Tuberville was, as they say, was the best athlete left on the draft board. National championship caliber, great recruiter, great coach.
Good to see it looks like he will keep some elements of Mike Leach’s offense. This is a coach who could recruit well enough to challenge Texas and Oklahoma now and then.
I’ve got his first order of business, though: Do not renew Adam James’ scholarship. It’s clean, it’s legal and there are no messy entanglements with Craig “The Helicopter” James. It’s clear the kid can’t play. Do what is usually done when players don’t progress or measure up.
Adam James is a redshirt sophomore who has caught 32 career passes. But it’s not even about the production. It’s about Texas Tech cleansing its soul and moving on. Leach was fired for his alleged mistreatment of James. That trumps everything else. I’m not going minimize the issue.
But Tuberville doesn’t need a cancer on the team.
Second thing I’d do: tear down that “shed”, “garage” or whatever you want to call it where Adam James was reportedly placed. If it stands, it will become a landmark where mom, dad and the kids will come to see on vacation. Not good.
Tubs can do without a whiny, daddy’s boy receiver who is lucky to have a scholarship in the first place. But Tuberville doesn’t have to say, or even think, any of that.
Just serve the kid notice, Tubs. No one can complain. You’re trying to build a program. Adam James doesn’t fit in.
Story courtesy of http://dennis-dodd.blogs.cbssports.com
January 10, 2010
13 YEAR DROUGHT OVER FOR DALLAS
The Dallas Cowboys' return to postseason respectability was decisive and at times electrifying Saturday night. They overwhelmed a lackluster Philadelphia Eagles team, 34-14, before a sellout crowd of 92,951 in the inaugural playoff game at Cowboys Stadium.
It had been 13 years since the Cowboys last basked in playoff victory, a 1996 wild-card game against the Minnesota Vikings. They lost the following week to the Carolina Panthers and had tried in vain to recapture postseason glory that had become a staple in the early 1990s. Five playoff defeats followed in the ensuing dozen seasons.
"Can we say it together?" Cowboys owner Jerry Jones crowed with a preacher's fervor as he stood center stage in the winning locker room. "The demons are gone."
The exorcized Cowboys now travel to Minnesota for a divisional-round playoff game next Sunday afternoon against the Vikings. The NFC North champions enjoyed a bye the first weekend of the playoffs.
"We know the challenge," Jones said. "We have a chance to beat Minnesota and we can have something special."
It was a jubilant postgame Cowboys locker room, where coach Wade Phillips and quarterback Tony Romo celebrated their first playoff victories and Jones basked in his franchise's return to Super Bowl contention.
Early-December losses to the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers – the low point of the season, Jones said – seemed like ancient history.
"It seems like a different team ago," said Jones, who called his last several years of Cowboys stewardship "empty."
Jones then was full of praise for Romo and Phillips.
"When you have a quarterback who plays like Tony did tonight, you'll find yourself making a successful uphill climb to the playoffs," he said
And Phillips, about to enter the option year in his contract, "deserves to be here," the owner volunteered.
Phillips had been 0-4 in playoff games during coaching stops in Denver and Buffalo and his rookie season with the Cowboys. In his third season in Dallas, Phillips accomplished what Chan Gailey, Dave Campo and Bill Parcells could not as Cowboys head coaches.
Romo had been 0-2 in the postseason. Remember that bobbled snap on a potential game-winning field goal that might have allowed the Cowboys to eke out a 2006 playoff victory in Seattle? Ancient history. Troy Aikman is no longer the last Cowboys quarterback to win in the postseason.
There was no need to eke out anything against the Eagles. Romo flourished, completing 23 of 35 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. He threw no interceptions.
Romo was aided by Felix Jones, the Cowboys' rushing leader whose 73-yard touchdown run in the third quarter reminded of Emmitt Smith. Coincidentally, Smith served as a smiling, fist-pumping cheerleader for his former team from the comfort of a luxury box. Jones finished with 148 rushing yards on 16 carries.
Smith and former President George W. Bush drew loud cheers when they appeared on the giant video board from the largest crowd to ever witness a non-Super Bowl NFL playoff game.
There had been worrywarts who questioned if the Cowboys could win three games in one season against the same opponent, something they needed to do for the first time to advance. Never have so many worried about what proved to be a cheesesteak-sized speed bump. The Eagles proved barely more competent than they were last week when they lost 24-0 to the Cowboys.
The Cowboys blew open a scoreless game in the second quarter with 27 points thanks to two short touchdown passes by Romo, a short touchdown run by Tashard Choice and two field goals by Shaun Suisham, a free-agent pickup who now has three games on his Cowboys résumé.
The game was never in doubt in the second half.
The only blemish of the second quarter was an Eagles touchdown on a 76-yard pass from reserve quarterback Michael Vick to Jeremy Maclin that tied the game at 7. It was the first touchdown against the Cowboys after consecutive shutouts of the Washington Redskins and the Eagles six days earlier. It was the longest touchdown pass of the season against the Cowboys.
Romo was especially complimentary of the Cowboys defense, which he knows will have to be stalwart against Vikings quarterback Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson, the Vikings' dangerous running back.
"If you have a defense like we do, you have a chance to win no matter how the offense plays," he said
www.dallasnews.com
It had been 13 years since the Cowboys last basked in playoff victory, a 1996 wild-card game against the Minnesota Vikings. They lost the following week to the Carolina Panthers and had tried in vain to recapture postseason glory that had become a staple in the early 1990s. Five playoff defeats followed in the ensuing dozen seasons.
"Can we say it together?" Cowboys owner Jerry Jones crowed with a preacher's fervor as he stood center stage in the winning locker room. "The demons are gone."
The exorcized Cowboys now travel to Minnesota for a divisional-round playoff game next Sunday afternoon against the Vikings. The NFC North champions enjoyed a bye the first weekend of the playoffs.
"We know the challenge," Jones said. "We have a chance to beat Minnesota and we can have something special."
It was a jubilant postgame Cowboys locker room, where coach Wade Phillips and quarterback Tony Romo celebrated their first playoff victories and Jones basked in his franchise's return to Super Bowl contention.
Early-December losses to the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers – the low point of the season, Jones said – seemed like ancient history.
"It seems like a different team ago," said Jones, who called his last several years of Cowboys stewardship "empty."
Jones then was full of praise for Romo and Phillips.
"When you have a quarterback who plays like Tony did tonight, you'll find yourself making a successful uphill climb to the playoffs," he said
And Phillips, about to enter the option year in his contract, "deserves to be here," the owner volunteered.
Phillips had been 0-4 in playoff games during coaching stops in Denver and Buffalo and his rookie season with the Cowboys. In his third season in Dallas, Phillips accomplished what Chan Gailey, Dave Campo and Bill Parcells could not as Cowboys head coaches.
Romo had been 0-2 in the postseason. Remember that bobbled snap on a potential game-winning field goal that might have allowed the Cowboys to eke out a 2006 playoff victory in Seattle? Ancient history. Troy Aikman is no longer the last Cowboys quarterback to win in the postseason.
There was no need to eke out anything against the Eagles. Romo flourished, completing 23 of 35 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. He threw no interceptions.
Romo was aided by Felix Jones, the Cowboys' rushing leader whose 73-yard touchdown run in the third quarter reminded of Emmitt Smith. Coincidentally, Smith served as a smiling, fist-pumping cheerleader for his former team from the comfort of a luxury box. Jones finished with 148 rushing yards on 16 carries.
Smith and former President George W. Bush drew loud cheers when they appeared on the giant video board from the largest crowd to ever witness a non-Super Bowl NFL playoff game.
There had been worrywarts who questioned if the Cowboys could win three games in one season against the same opponent, something they needed to do for the first time to advance. Never have so many worried about what proved to be a cheesesteak-sized speed bump. The Eagles proved barely more competent than they were last week when they lost 24-0 to the Cowboys.
The Cowboys blew open a scoreless game in the second quarter with 27 points thanks to two short touchdown passes by Romo, a short touchdown run by Tashard Choice and two field goals by Shaun Suisham, a free-agent pickup who now has three games on his Cowboys résumé.
The game was never in doubt in the second half.
The only blemish of the second quarter was an Eagles touchdown on a 76-yard pass from reserve quarterback Michael Vick to Jeremy Maclin that tied the game at 7. It was the first touchdown against the Cowboys after consecutive shutouts of the Washington Redskins and the Eagles six days earlier. It was the longest touchdown pass of the season against the Cowboys.
Romo was especially complimentary of the Cowboys defense, which he knows will have to be stalwart against Vikings quarterback Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson, the Vikings' dangerous running back.
"If you have a defense like we do, you have a chance to win no matter how the offense plays," he said
www.dallasnews.com
January 9, 2010
TECH RECRUITS WORRIED ABOUT NEW OFFENSE UNDER TUBERVILLE
Much of Texas Tech’s incoming recruiting class, which is ranked among the top 25 in the nation by the recruiting Web site Rivals.com, is tailored toward Mike Leach’s high-powered passing attack.
The group of 22 oral commitments includes a handful of receivers whose sizes and skill sets translate well to the spread offense, and some of them were concerned Saturday afternoon whether the Red Raiders would continue to employ a similar scheme.
Leach was fired on Dec. 30, and Tommy Tuberville was hired as his replacement on Saturday. During his 14 years as a head coach in the Southeastern Conference, Tuberville built a reputation as a defensive-minded coach whose teams had strong running games.
“Right now, from what I hear, Tommy Tuberville is going to keep most of the offensive staff and hopefully keep all the plays and basically not change that much,” said Tech pledge Shawn Corker, a 6-foot-1, 189-pound wide receiver from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “… (The spread offense) was probably one of the biggest reasons I committed.”
Corker, who had spoken with Tech inside receivers coach Lincoln Riley earlier Saturday, said Tuberville was scheduled to meet with Tech’s assistant coaches at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Corker, who hoping Tech would hire interim head coach and defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill, said he’s “still going to be with Tech no matter what.” But when asked if he might reconsider his non-binding commitment if Tuberville brings in an entirely new coaching staff, Corker said, “Possibly, yes.
“For the fact that I’ve been talking to them and getting to know all these coaches for the last few months or whatever, for him to bring in a new staff, it would just be awkward,” Corker said. “It just wouldn’t feel right.”
Since Leach was fired, Corker said he’s been contacted by coaches from Boston College, Clemson, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Wake Forest and West Virginia.
The guardian of Lakeland, Fla., receivers Ben and Javares McRoy, who are part of Tech’s 2010 and 2011 recruiting classes, respectively, said they’ve been in a “holding pattern.” Bruce Mandish said the small, speedy McRoys are set on playing in a passing offense such as Leach’s, and they also have developed a strong relationship with Riley, who served as Tech’s acting offensive coordinator in last week’s Alamo Bowl.
“We’re just waiting to hear what they’re going to do with the offense, and who the offensive coordinator is going to be,” Mandish said on Saturday afternoon. “… We have contacted other schools, and we have another new offer from Louisville, but as far as de-committing, we haven’t done that. In their hearts they really want to go to Texas Tech and really want to play for coach Riley.
“If nothing changes with the offense at Texas Tech,” Mandish added, “we aren’t going anywhere.”
Corker said another of Tech’s prized receiving recruits, Kadron Boone of Ocala, Fla., feels much the same way as he and the McRoy brothers do.
“I talked to Kadron Boone today,” Corker said. “Right now he’s still shocked about the whole thing. We’ll see where he’s at in the next few days.”
Corker said another Tech pledge he’s been in contact with, defensive back Urell Johnson of New Orleans, is “going to be at Tech no matter what.”
Tech commitment Fred Harvey, a linebacker from Memphis, Tenn., said he wanted McNeill to be named as Leach’s successor. But he also said he’s heard Tuberville is a “real good coach,” and he doesn’t plan to look elsewhere even if McNeill is not part of the Red Raiders’ new coaching staff.
“Either way, I’m going to still come to Texas Tech,” Harvey said. “That’s who I committed to, and that’s the school I want to go to.”
Commitments are non-binding until the national signing period begins Feb. 3
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
The group of 22 oral commitments includes a handful of receivers whose sizes and skill sets translate well to the spread offense, and some of them were concerned Saturday afternoon whether the Red Raiders would continue to employ a similar scheme.
Leach was fired on Dec. 30, and Tommy Tuberville was hired as his replacement on Saturday. During his 14 years as a head coach in the Southeastern Conference, Tuberville built a reputation as a defensive-minded coach whose teams had strong running games.
“Right now, from what I hear, Tommy Tuberville is going to keep most of the offensive staff and hopefully keep all the plays and basically not change that much,” said Tech pledge Shawn Corker, a 6-foot-1, 189-pound wide receiver from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “… (The spread offense) was probably one of the biggest reasons I committed.”
Corker, who had spoken with Tech inside receivers coach Lincoln Riley earlier Saturday, said Tuberville was scheduled to meet with Tech’s assistant coaches at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Corker, who hoping Tech would hire interim head coach and defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill, said he’s “still going to be with Tech no matter what.” But when asked if he might reconsider his non-binding commitment if Tuberville brings in an entirely new coaching staff, Corker said, “Possibly, yes.
“For the fact that I’ve been talking to them and getting to know all these coaches for the last few months or whatever, for him to bring in a new staff, it would just be awkward,” Corker said. “It just wouldn’t feel right.”
Since Leach was fired, Corker said he’s been contacted by coaches from Boston College, Clemson, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Wake Forest and West Virginia.
The guardian of Lakeland, Fla., receivers Ben and Javares McRoy, who are part of Tech’s 2010 and 2011 recruiting classes, respectively, said they’ve been in a “holding pattern.” Bruce Mandish said the small, speedy McRoys are set on playing in a passing offense such as Leach’s, and they also have developed a strong relationship with Riley, who served as Tech’s acting offensive coordinator in last week’s Alamo Bowl.
“We’re just waiting to hear what they’re going to do with the offense, and who the offensive coordinator is going to be,” Mandish said on Saturday afternoon. “… We have contacted other schools, and we have another new offer from Louisville, but as far as de-committing, we haven’t done that. In their hearts they really want to go to Texas Tech and really want to play for coach Riley.
“If nothing changes with the offense at Texas Tech,” Mandish added, “we aren’t going anywhere.”
Corker said another of Tech’s prized receiving recruits, Kadron Boone of Ocala, Fla., feels much the same way as he and the McRoy brothers do.
“I talked to Kadron Boone today,” Corker said. “Right now he’s still shocked about the whole thing. We’ll see where he’s at in the next few days.”
Corker said another Tech pledge he’s been in contact with, defensive back Urell Johnson of New Orleans, is “going to be at Tech no matter what.”
Tech commitment Fred Harvey, a linebacker from Memphis, Tenn., said he wanted McNeill to be named as Leach’s successor. But he also said he’s heard Tuberville is a “real good coach,” and he doesn’t plan to look elsewhere even if McNeill is not part of the Red Raiders’ new coaching staff.
“Either way, I’m going to still come to Texas Tech,” Harvey said. “That’s who I committed to, and that’s the school I want to go to.”
Commitments are non-binding until the national signing period begins Feb. 3
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
TUBERVILLE NEXT TEXAS TECH COACH
Former Mississippi and Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville has been hired as the next head football coach at Texas Tech, the university announced Saturday.
A news conference to introduce Tuberville will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday in the United Spirit Arena. It is closed to the public, Tech officials said. Tuberville was getting ready to fly to Lubbock Saturday afternoon and said university officials had instructed him not to discuss his hiring until Sunday.
Tuberville will have a five-year contract, a source told the A-J.
The future of Tech’s assistant coaches is up in the air. They are scheduled to meet with Tuberville on Saturday night.
Former Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum said he thinks Tuberville is an ideal choice for a program that has won 29 games in the last three years.
“I think that’s a good fit,” said Slocum, who once had Tuberville on his staff. “He’s not one of those guys that feels like he has to come in and tear everything down and put his stamp on it. I don’t see him being that kind of ego guy.
“He’s smart enough to know … They’ve been pretty dang impressive to me, and I think he’d have the same opinion. He can probably lend a little help to the defensive side and shore that up and then kind of keep the scheme offensively, so I think it’s a really good fit.”
Tuberville told the A-J last Sunday that he wouldn’t radically alter what the Red Raiders have been doing on offense under Mike Leach.
“It’d be crazy to change it,” he said. “That’s a trademark of Texas Tech now. It’s helped put them on the map. It’s helped in recruiting, I’ve noticed.”
Slocum hired Tuberville to be Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator in 1994 after Bob Davie left to become defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. At the time, Slocum said he wanted someone to just keep the defense then known as the “Wrecking Crew” pointed in the same direction.
“We had good (assistants) there. I just needed a coordinator, someone to head up the defense and lead it,” Slocum said. “That sounds like a simple thing, but it doesn’t always work out that way. You get someone who wants to change everything, do this and do that, and you end up taking a step backward. The kids played for him and liked him. The other coaches liked him. He came right in and we didn’t miss a beat.”
A&M went 10-0-1 that season, which led to Tuberville getting his first head-coaching job the next year at Ole Miss.
Tuberville interviewed with Tech officials on Tuesday, spending about seven hours on campus. He told the A-J he “aggressively went after the job” for several reasons, among them he thought West Texas fit his personality and he thought his experience recruiting in Texas would make for a smoother transition. In addition to his season at A&M, he said he recruited Dallas and Houston while he was a Miami (Fla.) assistant from 1986 through 1993.
Tuberville used an old Bum Phillips line to describe what he thinks of the Red Raiders’ potential: “Tech has got their foot in the door. I think Tech needs somebody to kick that door in.”
Tuberville, 55, is 110-60 in 14 seasons as a college head coach. His 2004 Auburn team finished 13-0 and was ranked second in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll.
During his 10-season tenure at Auburn, Tuberville went 85-40. The man he’ll replace, fired Tech coach Mike Leach, went 84-43 in 10 seasons with the Red Raiders. Tuberville led the Tigers to eight winning seasons in a row from 2000 through 2007, but he stepped down in December 2008 after going 5-7.
In addition to plunging into the Big 12 Conference, Tuberville will have to sell himself to his new players, most of whom had their heart set on interim head coach Ruffin McNeill getting the job.
“He’s a great coach, a great guy, a great motivator,” Tech middle linebacker Brian Duncan said after the hiring was announced. “It’s pretty disappointing, but that’s the job. We’re just going to have to move on.”
McNeill coached Tech to a 41-31 victory against Michigan State last Saturday in the Alamo Bowl, then became first to interview for the job two days later. Tech quarterback Steven Sheffield said Friday that at least 90 percent of the team wanted McNeill to be hired.
With a different decision being made, Duncan said, “We can’t let it affect us.”
“It’s time to get to work now,” he said. “We’ve got a head coach, and we have to get work and be able to adapt to whatever he brings in and play our game, play Red Raider football.”
Tuberville is a native of Camden, Ark., who was a college defensive back at Southern Arkansas.
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
A news conference to introduce Tuberville will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday in the United Spirit Arena. It is closed to the public, Tech officials said. Tuberville was getting ready to fly to Lubbock Saturday afternoon and said university officials had instructed him not to discuss his hiring until Sunday.
Tuberville will have a five-year contract, a source told the A-J.
The future of Tech’s assistant coaches is up in the air. They are scheduled to meet with Tuberville on Saturday night.
Former Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum said he thinks Tuberville is an ideal choice for a program that has won 29 games in the last three years.
“I think that’s a good fit,” said Slocum, who once had Tuberville on his staff. “He’s not one of those guys that feels like he has to come in and tear everything down and put his stamp on it. I don’t see him being that kind of ego guy.
“He’s smart enough to know … They’ve been pretty dang impressive to me, and I think he’d have the same opinion. He can probably lend a little help to the defensive side and shore that up and then kind of keep the scheme offensively, so I think it’s a really good fit.”
Tuberville told the A-J last Sunday that he wouldn’t radically alter what the Red Raiders have been doing on offense under Mike Leach.
“It’d be crazy to change it,” he said. “That’s a trademark of Texas Tech now. It’s helped put them on the map. It’s helped in recruiting, I’ve noticed.”
Slocum hired Tuberville to be Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator in 1994 after Bob Davie left to become defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. At the time, Slocum said he wanted someone to just keep the defense then known as the “Wrecking Crew” pointed in the same direction.
“We had good (assistants) there. I just needed a coordinator, someone to head up the defense and lead it,” Slocum said. “That sounds like a simple thing, but it doesn’t always work out that way. You get someone who wants to change everything, do this and do that, and you end up taking a step backward. The kids played for him and liked him. The other coaches liked him. He came right in and we didn’t miss a beat.”
A&M went 10-0-1 that season, which led to Tuberville getting his first head-coaching job the next year at Ole Miss.
Tuberville interviewed with Tech officials on Tuesday, spending about seven hours on campus. He told the A-J he “aggressively went after the job” for several reasons, among them he thought West Texas fit his personality and he thought his experience recruiting in Texas would make for a smoother transition. In addition to his season at A&M, he said he recruited Dallas and Houston while he was a Miami (Fla.) assistant from 1986 through 1993.
Tuberville used an old Bum Phillips line to describe what he thinks of the Red Raiders’ potential: “Tech has got their foot in the door. I think Tech needs somebody to kick that door in.”
Tuberville, 55, is 110-60 in 14 seasons as a college head coach. His 2004 Auburn team finished 13-0 and was ranked second in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll.
During his 10-season tenure at Auburn, Tuberville went 85-40. The man he’ll replace, fired Tech coach Mike Leach, went 84-43 in 10 seasons with the Red Raiders. Tuberville led the Tigers to eight winning seasons in a row from 2000 through 2007, but he stepped down in December 2008 after going 5-7.
In addition to plunging into the Big 12 Conference, Tuberville will have to sell himself to his new players, most of whom had their heart set on interim head coach Ruffin McNeill getting the job.
“He’s a great coach, a great guy, a great motivator,” Tech middle linebacker Brian Duncan said after the hiring was announced. “It’s pretty disappointing, but that’s the job. We’re just going to have to move on.”
McNeill coached Tech to a 41-31 victory against Michigan State last Saturday in the Alamo Bowl, then became first to interview for the job two days later. Tech quarterback Steven Sheffield said Friday that at least 90 percent of the team wanted McNeill to be hired.
With a different decision being made, Duncan said, “We can’t let it affect us.”
“It’s time to get to work now,” he said. “We’ve got a head coach, and we have to get work and be able to adapt to whatever he brings in and play our game, play Red Raider football.”
Tuberville is a native of Camden, Ark., who was a college defensive back at Southern Arkansas.
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
BREAKING NEWS: TUBERVILLE TO BE NAMED NEXT COACH AT TECH
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - NewsChannell 11 has learned that Tommy Tuberville will be the next football coach for Texas Tech. An official announcement is expected Monday.
Update courtesy of www.kcbd.com
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WOW....finally a decision...
What are your thoughts on this move? Please share below...
Update courtesy of www.kcbd.com
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WOW....finally a decision...
What are your thoughts on this move? Please share below...
January 7, 2010
RANGERS OFFER CONTRACT TO VLAD
The Rangers have offered free agent slugging outfielder Vladimir Guerrero a one year, $7 million contract, ESPNDeportes reported.
Guerrero, who spent six years in the heart of the Angels' order, has been hobbled by injuries and will turn 35 in February.
The Angels signed Hideki Matsui to a $6 million, 1-year contract recently to replace Guerrero as Los Angeles' primary designated hitter. The Angels didn't offer Guerrero salary arbitration and he became a free agent
The Rangers have reportedly been interested in other free agent outfielders, including Jermaine Dye, Gary Sheffield and Xavier Nady.
The Rangers want to add a bat because they recently lost OF Marlon Byrd to the Cubs in free agency.
UPDATE 6:00 pm THURS:
According to a club source, the Rangers have not offered Vladimir Guerrero $7 million and there has been no real movement on Guerrero in several weeks.
The Rangers had between $3 and $5 million to offer Guerrero before and that has not changed. Guerrero had been searching for a multi-year deal, but there have been none tendered. That may force his agents to reconsider the market and start looking more seriously at one year deals. It's also why reports of a $7 million offer may have surfaced; floating such a rumor could set an artificial market for Guerrero.
Story courtesy of www.dallasnews.com
Guerrero, who spent six years in the heart of the Angels' order, has been hobbled by injuries and will turn 35 in February.
The Angels signed Hideki Matsui to a $6 million, 1-year contract recently to replace Guerrero as Los Angeles' primary designated hitter. The Angels didn't offer Guerrero salary arbitration and he became a free agent
The Rangers have reportedly been interested in other free agent outfielders, including Jermaine Dye, Gary Sheffield and Xavier Nady.
The Rangers want to add a bat because they recently lost OF Marlon Byrd to the Cubs in free agency.
UPDATE 6:00 pm THURS:
According to a club source, the Rangers have not offered Vladimir Guerrero $7 million and there has been no real movement on Guerrero in several weeks.
The Rangers had between $3 and $5 million to offer Guerrero before and that has not changed. Guerrero had been searching for a multi-year deal, but there have been none tendered. That may force his agents to reconsider the market and start looking more seriously at one year deals. It's also why reports of a $7 million offer may have surfaced; floating such a rumor could set an artificial market for Guerrero.
Story courtesy of www.dallasnews.com
January 6, 2010
TECH WILL WIDEN SCOPE SEARCHING FOR NEXT HEAD COACH
Baylor coach Art Briles is no longer a candidate to become Texas Tech’s next head coach. But the search might be getting ready to widen rather than narrow in scope.
Texas Tech interim head coach Ruffin McNeill and former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville have interviewed for the job, but Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said Wednesday night he is likely to contact one or more additional coaches.
“We’ve got a couple of more candidates that we have some interest in,’’ he said.
Myers declined to identify them, but a source familiar with the search said former Tulane and Clemson coach Tommy Bowden is the next candidate in whom there is interest and, after Bowden, Houston coach Kevin Sumlin. The source said Bowden had conveyed his interest “through third parties.’’
Asked if Tech could name a head coach by Thursday, Myers said, “I would say probably not.’’
Briles has been on Tech’s list since Mike Leach was fired last week, but the prospect of his returning to the school where he was an assistant for three years is dead, mostly because of the buyout in Briles’ contract at Baylor.
“It was a big factor,’’ a source said. “It’s $4 million. It was just way too high.’’
The source said Briles was “talked to,’’ but a arranging a formal interview became a moot point because of the money needed to buy out Briles’ contract.
“If there hadn’t been a buyout, he would have been a very serious candidate,’’ the source said. “But he was not as serious as the media was making him out to be, because the $4 million was the stumbling block. So I don’t think anyone in the administration considered him that seriously because of the buyout.’’
Tech Chancellor Kent Hance said he still sees a new Red Raiders coach being named by Sunday or early next week.
“Things are going well, and we plan to have a recommendation from Gerald and Dr. (Guy) Bailey in the next few days,’’ Hance said. “I think the Texas Tech supporters will be enthused when we come up with a new coach.’’
McNeill interviewed for the job Monday, and Tuberville followed him on Tuesday. Neither has been offered the job, but the source familiar with the search said that should not be taken as a lack of confidence in either.
“Absolutely not,’’ the source said. “They both have pluses and minuses. Tuberville’s been a head coach and is a proven commodity. I think a lot of people wonder if he’d stay. On the other hand, Ruffin is very loyal, very dedicated and a very popular person and has a great advantage there. Plus, he’s very familiar with the recruiting class.’’
Myers said there’s not a leader at the moment.
“I think the two we’ve talked to are both still very much in the picture,’’ he said. “They both did a good job.’’
As Tech continues to work through its original list of targets, Bowden could be next to get closer scrutiny, though there’s not been a decision made to bring in either him or Sumlin for an interview.
Bowden, 55, a son of former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, is 90-49 in 11-plus seasons as a college head coach at Tulane and Clemson.
He was forced to step down at Clemson six games into the 2008 season. However, he was 18-4 at Tulane (1997 through 1998) and 72-45 at Clemson (1999 to 2008).
“He had a winning record at Tulane and also at Clemson, and that would be looked at,’’ the source said.
Story courtesy of www.redraider.com
Texas Tech interim head coach Ruffin McNeill and former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville have interviewed for the job, but Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said Wednesday night he is likely to contact one or more additional coaches.
“We’ve got a couple of more candidates that we have some interest in,’’ he said.
Myers declined to identify them, but a source familiar with the search said former Tulane and Clemson coach Tommy Bowden is the next candidate in whom there is interest and, after Bowden, Houston coach Kevin Sumlin. The source said Bowden had conveyed his interest “through third parties.’’
Asked if Tech could name a head coach by Thursday, Myers said, “I would say probably not.’’
Briles has been on Tech’s list since Mike Leach was fired last week, but the prospect of his returning to the school where he was an assistant for three years is dead, mostly because of the buyout in Briles’ contract at Baylor.
“It was a big factor,’’ a source said. “It’s $4 million. It was just way too high.’’
The source said Briles was “talked to,’’ but a arranging a formal interview became a moot point because of the money needed to buy out Briles’ contract.
“If there hadn’t been a buyout, he would have been a very serious candidate,’’ the source said. “But he was not as serious as the media was making him out to be, because the $4 million was the stumbling block. So I don’t think anyone in the administration considered him that seriously because of the buyout.’’
Tech Chancellor Kent Hance said he still sees a new Red Raiders coach being named by Sunday or early next week.
“Things are going well, and we plan to have a recommendation from Gerald and Dr. (Guy) Bailey in the next few days,’’ Hance said. “I think the Texas Tech supporters will be enthused when we come up with a new coach.’’
McNeill interviewed for the job Monday, and Tuberville followed him on Tuesday. Neither has been offered the job, but the source familiar with the search said that should not be taken as a lack of confidence in either.
“Absolutely not,’’ the source said. “They both have pluses and minuses. Tuberville’s been a head coach and is a proven commodity. I think a lot of people wonder if he’d stay. On the other hand, Ruffin is very loyal, very dedicated and a very popular person and has a great advantage there. Plus, he’s very familiar with the recruiting class.’’
Myers said there’s not a leader at the moment.
“I think the two we’ve talked to are both still very much in the picture,’’ he said. “They both did a good job.’’
As Tech continues to work through its original list of targets, Bowden could be next to get closer scrutiny, though there’s not been a decision made to bring in either him or Sumlin for an interview.
Bowden, 55, a son of former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, is 90-49 in 11-plus seasons as a college head coach at Tulane and Clemson.
He was forced to step down at Clemson six games into the 2008 season. However, he was 18-4 at Tulane (1997 through 1998) and 72-45 at Clemson (1999 to 2008).
“He had a winning record at Tulane and also at Clemson, and that would be looked at,’’ the source said.
Story courtesy of www.redraider.com
BRILES TURNS DOWN HEAD COACHING JOB AT TECH
It’s official. Art Briles is staying at Baylor.
Bears athletic director Ian McCaw said Briles has declined to talk to Texas Tech about its vacant head coaching position, and instead wants to finish his job at Baylor.
“We’re proud to have Art Briles as our head football coach,” McCaw said Wednesday, “and we’re looking forward to great success under his leadership.
“Basically he decided he’s going to stay at Baylor and he declined the opportunity for an interview [at Tech].’’
Meanwhile, it’s back to the drawing board for Tech, which was hoping to have a coach in place by the end of this week.
“We’ve got more work to do,’’ Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said. “It would be nice to be able to finish it up.’’
It appeared as though Briles was all set to fly to Lubbock today and possibly become the successor to coach Mike Leach, who was fired Dec. 30. But after Baylor granted Tech permission to talk with Briles, it was Briles who decided he wanted to stay at Baylor.
“I wasn’t surprised,’’ Myers said. “Baylor extended his contract, so he decided he was going to stay there.’’
Raiders interim coach/defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill and ex-Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville interviewed this week to become Leach’s successor, and now it appears as though the job will go to one of them.
Former Clemson coach Tommy Bowden and Arizona offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes could still be in the running. Meanwhile, Houston coach Kevin Sumlin is close to signing an extension with the Cougars.
Briles signed a seven-year, $12.6 million contract with Baylor on Nov. 28, 2007. In his two seasons at Baylor, he has lit a fire under the Bears.
Baylor finished with back-to-back 4-8 seasons the past two years, but enthusiasm was sky-high because of the inspiration Briles brought to the table.
Briles also coached Houston to a 34-28 record and four bowl appearances from 2003-’07, and won four state high school titles at Stephenville.
As far as Tech goes, Myers said the Raiders could still have a coach in place by this weekend.
Story courtesy of www.star-telegram.com
Bears athletic director Ian McCaw said Briles has declined to talk to Texas Tech about its vacant head coaching position, and instead wants to finish his job at Baylor.
“We’re proud to have Art Briles as our head football coach,” McCaw said Wednesday, “and we’re looking forward to great success under his leadership.
“Basically he decided he’s going to stay at Baylor and he declined the opportunity for an interview [at Tech].’’
Meanwhile, it’s back to the drawing board for Tech, which was hoping to have a coach in place by the end of this week.
“We’ve got more work to do,’’ Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said. “It would be nice to be able to finish it up.’’
It appeared as though Briles was all set to fly to Lubbock today and possibly become the successor to coach Mike Leach, who was fired Dec. 30. But after Baylor granted Tech permission to talk with Briles, it was Briles who decided he wanted to stay at Baylor.
“I wasn’t surprised,’’ Myers said. “Baylor extended his contract, so he decided he was going to stay there.’’
Raiders interim coach/defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill and ex-Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville interviewed this week to become Leach’s successor, and now it appears as though the job will go to one of them.
Former Clemson coach Tommy Bowden and Arizona offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes could still be in the running. Meanwhile, Houston coach Kevin Sumlin is close to signing an extension with the Cougars.
Briles signed a seven-year, $12.6 million contract with Baylor on Nov. 28, 2007. In his two seasons at Baylor, he has lit a fire under the Bears.
Baylor finished with back-to-back 4-8 seasons the past two years, but enthusiasm was sky-high because of the inspiration Briles brought to the table.
Briles also coached Houston to a 34-28 record and four bowl appearances from 2003-’07, and won four state high school titles at Stephenville.
As far as Tech goes, Myers said the Raiders could still have a coach in place by this weekend.
Story courtesy of www.star-telegram.com
HARD TO FIND THE TRUTH IN THE TECH ORDEAL
This much we know about what led to Texas Tech firing Mike Leach — it started with wide receiver Adam James being held out of practice because of a concussion.
This much we know about the aftermath of this mess — no one comes out a winner.
Beyond that, it gets murky.
Did Leach confine James to a small, dark electrical closet? Lock him in the room? Have someone guard the door?
Or was it not nearly so sinister?
Depends on who you talk to, and even that’s not always so simple. Assistant Lincoln Riley was among a group of coaches and former players who sent letters of support for Leach to school administrators. He even contended in his letter that what James was doing was "his way of trying to ‘get back’ at us coaches,” but then late last week, Riley said James had his support.
It’s difficult to find the truth in this whole mess, and the only way we’re ever going to know exactly what happened is if it ends up in court with players and coaches and administrators having to raise their right hands and tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
But that isn’t going to happen. Neither side wants their own dirty laundry aired in court, so any lawsuits that arise will likely be settled before anyone ever steps foot in a courtroom.
So, while all of us outsiders are left to gossip and speculate and wonder what really happened, the two sides involved are trying to move forward. Tech is working to hire its next football coach while Leach is trying to find his next coaching job.
My guess — Leach will have an easier time moving on than Texas Tech will.
His career has been dealt a setback. There’s no doubt about that. He is no longer the rising star that he was even a year ago. Back then, his team had just derailed Texas’ national championship hopes and finished the regular season with a school-record 11 wins. He was a national coach of the year, a candidate to surely move on to another high-profile school at some point, a quirky and whacky personality who even lured the pressed-and-buttoned "60 Minutes” to lovely Lubbock to do a profile.
The TV news show might want to come back and do another story, but it won’t be the off-the-cuff, what-a-nutty-guy feature that it did a year ago.
Still, Leach will be quicker to recover than Tech.
There are enough questions about what really happened that another school will hire Leach. Heck, one might do it before the end of the week. New Mexico has a coach it would like to show the door after he attacked and punched an assistant earlier this year. A coach who sends an injured player to the corner — or whatever Leach did — doesn’t seem so bad in Albuquerque.
Leach would win at New Mexico a lot more than he would lose, and in a few years, another BCS school would hire him.
The recovery at Texas Tech won’t be quite so easy. The Red Raiders need a coach who can soothe the feelings of recent weeks, who can unite a team that sounds divided, who can win back boosters who feel betrayed.
Oh, and he needs to be able to win games, too.
Tech needs to keep using Leach’s offensive system, or one similar to it. It isn’t going to be able to win football games by lining up and running over opponents. It needs a system that maximizes the talent of the players, and Leach’s high-flying, pass-happy offense did just that.
Baylor coach and former Leach assistant Art Briles has a similar offensive philosophy. Ditto for Houston coach Kevin Sumlin and Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora.
No wonder all of those men have been mentioned as candidates at Texas Tech.
Ruffin McNeill has said that he wants to continue using Leach’s system. The Red Raider defensive coordinator has served as the interim head coach since Leach’s firing, and he is lobbying to become the head coach permanently.
Leading Tech to an Alamo Bowl victory against Michigan State was an impressive audition, but McNeill has other impressive lines on his resume. He’s seen within the program as a father figure. He’s known to promote a family-type atmosphere. He’s beloved by players.
If having someone who can unify the program and help the healing, McNeill should be the guy.
"I don’t know how it’s going to go because that’s not my business,” Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said of the Texas Tech coaching search, "but I think relationships, relationships players have with coaches, are key to winning.”
They are even more important now at Texas Tech. This job is now about more than X’s and O’s. The new coach will have to deal with many issues that have nothing to do with football because this saga is going to affect the Red Raiders for months to come. The effects will linger, and the program will suffer.
This much we know about the future for Texas Tech and its former coach — there are many difficult days ahead for both.
Story courtesy of http://www.newsok.com/its-difficult-to-find-truth/article/3429680?custom_click=columnist#ixzz0btPXZnXa
This much we know about the aftermath of this mess — no one comes out a winner.
Beyond that, it gets murky.
Did Leach confine James to a small, dark electrical closet? Lock him in the room? Have someone guard the door?
Or was it not nearly so sinister?
Depends on who you talk to, and even that’s not always so simple. Assistant Lincoln Riley was among a group of coaches and former players who sent letters of support for Leach to school administrators. He even contended in his letter that what James was doing was "his way of trying to ‘get back’ at us coaches,” but then late last week, Riley said James had his support.
It’s difficult to find the truth in this whole mess, and the only way we’re ever going to know exactly what happened is if it ends up in court with players and coaches and administrators having to raise their right hands and tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
But that isn’t going to happen. Neither side wants their own dirty laundry aired in court, so any lawsuits that arise will likely be settled before anyone ever steps foot in a courtroom.
So, while all of us outsiders are left to gossip and speculate and wonder what really happened, the two sides involved are trying to move forward. Tech is working to hire its next football coach while Leach is trying to find his next coaching job.
My guess — Leach will have an easier time moving on than Texas Tech will.
His career has been dealt a setback. There’s no doubt about that. He is no longer the rising star that he was even a year ago. Back then, his team had just derailed Texas’ national championship hopes and finished the regular season with a school-record 11 wins. He was a national coach of the year, a candidate to surely move on to another high-profile school at some point, a quirky and whacky personality who even lured the pressed-and-buttoned "60 Minutes” to lovely Lubbock to do a profile.
The TV news show might want to come back and do another story, but it won’t be the off-the-cuff, what-a-nutty-guy feature that it did a year ago.
Still, Leach will be quicker to recover than Tech.
There are enough questions about what really happened that another school will hire Leach. Heck, one might do it before the end of the week. New Mexico has a coach it would like to show the door after he attacked and punched an assistant earlier this year. A coach who sends an injured player to the corner — or whatever Leach did — doesn’t seem so bad in Albuquerque.
Leach would win at New Mexico a lot more than he would lose, and in a few years, another BCS school would hire him.
The recovery at Texas Tech won’t be quite so easy. The Red Raiders need a coach who can soothe the feelings of recent weeks, who can unite a team that sounds divided, who can win back boosters who feel betrayed.
Oh, and he needs to be able to win games, too.
Tech needs to keep using Leach’s offensive system, or one similar to it. It isn’t going to be able to win football games by lining up and running over opponents. It needs a system that maximizes the talent of the players, and Leach’s high-flying, pass-happy offense did just that.
Baylor coach and former Leach assistant Art Briles has a similar offensive philosophy. Ditto for Houston coach Kevin Sumlin and Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora.
No wonder all of those men have been mentioned as candidates at Texas Tech.
Ruffin McNeill has said that he wants to continue using Leach’s system. The Red Raider defensive coordinator has served as the interim head coach since Leach’s firing, and he is lobbying to become the head coach permanently.
Leading Tech to an Alamo Bowl victory against Michigan State was an impressive audition, but McNeill has other impressive lines on his resume. He’s seen within the program as a father figure. He’s known to promote a family-type atmosphere. He’s beloved by players.
If having someone who can unify the program and help the healing, McNeill should be the guy.
"I don’t know how it’s going to go because that’s not my business,” Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said of the Texas Tech coaching search, "but I think relationships, relationships players have with coaches, are key to winning.”
They are even more important now at Texas Tech. This job is now about more than X’s and O’s. The new coach will have to deal with many issues that have nothing to do with football because this saga is going to affect the Red Raiders for months to come. The effects will linger, and the program will suffer.
This much we know about the future for Texas Tech and its former coach — there are many difficult days ahead for both.
Story courtesy of http://www.newsok.com/its-difficult-to-find-truth/article/3429680?custom_click=columnist#ixzz0btPXZnXa
ALAMO BOWL DRAWS LARGEST RATINGS IN ESPN BOWL HISTORY
The saga of Mike Leach proved to be irresistible to football fans -- both devoted to Texas Tech and those who with more casual viewership.
Saturday's broadcast of Texas Tech's 41-31 victory over Michigan State earned the highest rating in ESPN bowl history. The game earned a 5.6 rating, translating to about 5,553,630 households that watched the game.
Valero Alamo Bowl officials announced that the game will finish as the No. 7 highest-rated game among all bowls shown so far this season, trailing only the five BCS bowl games and the Capital One Bowl.
“Our hats go off to the leadership and strength of character of the coaches and players from Texas Tech and Michigan State,” said Derrick Fox, the president and CEO of the Valero Alamo Bowl. "It’s gratifying that fans across the nation again tuned into the Valero Alamo Bowl and delivered tremendous exposure for the City of San Antonio and our game sponsors.”
The San Antonio-based bowl has now produced three of the top six most-watched bowl games in ESPN history. The 2010 game holds the top spot with the 2006 Alamo Bowl (Texas vs. Iowa) as second all-time and the 2005 MasterCard Alamo Bowl (Nebraska vs. Michigan) as sixth.
Those numbers show that Leach's contentious breakup with Texas Tech was widely watched and interesting to the nation.
Now, the next question will be whether his replacement proves to be as interesting to the nation.
Story courtesy of www.espn.go.com/big12
Saturday's broadcast of Texas Tech's 41-31 victory over Michigan State earned the highest rating in ESPN bowl history. The game earned a 5.6 rating, translating to about 5,553,630 households that watched the game.
Valero Alamo Bowl officials announced that the game will finish as the No. 7 highest-rated game among all bowls shown so far this season, trailing only the five BCS bowl games and the Capital One Bowl.
“Our hats go off to the leadership and strength of character of the coaches and players from Texas Tech and Michigan State,” said Derrick Fox, the president and CEO of the Valero Alamo Bowl. "It’s gratifying that fans across the nation again tuned into the Valero Alamo Bowl and delivered tremendous exposure for the City of San Antonio and our game sponsors.”
The San Antonio-based bowl has now produced three of the top six most-watched bowl games in ESPN history. The 2010 game holds the top spot with the 2006 Alamo Bowl (Texas vs. Iowa) as second all-time and the 2005 MasterCard Alamo Bowl (Nebraska vs. Michigan) as sixth.
Those numbers show that Leach's contentious breakup with Texas Tech was widely watched and interesting to the nation.
Now, the next question will be whether his replacement proves to be as interesting to the nation.
Story courtesy of www.espn.go.com/big12
January 5, 2010
FSSW - FINAL THOUGHTS ON LEACH FIRING...
As I watched the events out of Lubbock unfold last week, it made me sad…sad that Texas Tech showed the winningest football coach in its history the door and sad about how it all went down. There are a few things you should know about me (if you don’t already)…I am a proud graduate of Texas Tech and friend of Mike Leach. Neither of those means I agree with anything either of those parties do or say, but it’s important to note I have loyalties to both.
When I first heard the news that Leach would be suspended for the Alamo Bowl and the reason for it, I knew Tech would be in for a fight…that’s the stubborn lawyer in Leach…and once it had gotten that far, I figured there was no turning back, and unfortunately I was right. Do I think sticking Adam James in a storage shed or electrical closet or any other dark, empty room was the best course of action for treating a mild concussion, if that’s in fact what happened? No. Do I think for one second the safety or well-being of Adam James was ever compromised? No. Do I think there was a beef between Leach and the James camp (Adam and Craig) that played a large role in how each party handled the situation? Yes.
Leach is known as a mad scientist, both for his off-the-charts passing attack and his off-the-wall antics. This is a guy who sent one of his players to study in the snow on the 50-yard-line of Jones AT&T Stadium because he missed study hall, who went through the drive-thru and placed a lunch order while on his weekly conference call with the media, who donned an eye patch on the cover of Texas Monthly for goodness sake. This is also a guy who took the Red Raiders to new heights, winning more games and graduating more players than any coach before him. Leach also increased attendance dramatically and made Texas Tech part of the national conversation…not in spite of his unconventional ways but because of his unconventional ways.
One of Leach’s greatest qualities is his refusal to conform. He says what’s on his mind, and he doesn’t back down…ever. As a member of the media, that is refreshing because you never know what you’re going to get, unlike a lot of interviews we do where we get canned answers and coach-speak. He makes no apologies for the things he says or the decisions he makes. But that refusal to conform is also what cost him his job. I believe that if Leach would’ve apologized and acknowledged (even if he didn’t believe it) that his handling of the James situation could have been handled better, he would’ve kept his job. That’s not Leach though. He was not about to admit wrong-doing when he felt he did nothing wrong.
But it may have only prolonged the inevitable. The emails that have been released during those tense contract negotiations last spring show that any excuse to get rid of Leach was a good one, especially if it meant doing so “with cause” a.k.a “without pay”. It’s good to know that Tech’s decades-old good ol’ boy system is alive, well and out in the open in 2010 (cue the sarcasm). The athletic department is in desperate need of some new blood if the Red Raiders want to remain relevant, but that’s a different story for a different day.
At the end of the day, Mike Leach refused to “play the game”…the politically correct game…the half-hearted apology game…the conventional coach game. I admire that about him, but we all have to “play the game” from time to time…in our jobs, in our relationships…it’s just part of life. I don’t know if Leach will ever accept that, and I don’t know where else that will fly on the college football landscape. It worked in Lubbock for 10 years, and as a Red Raider, I am thankful for that. Mike Leach made Texas Tech a better, more interesting place...he could really coach the game, he just couldn’t play it.
Story courtesy of Emily Jones, FOX Sports Southwest
When I first heard the news that Leach would be suspended for the Alamo Bowl and the reason for it, I knew Tech would be in for a fight…that’s the stubborn lawyer in Leach…and once it had gotten that far, I figured there was no turning back, and unfortunately I was right. Do I think sticking Adam James in a storage shed or electrical closet or any other dark, empty room was the best course of action for treating a mild concussion, if that’s in fact what happened? No. Do I think for one second the safety or well-being of Adam James was ever compromised? No. Do I think there was a beef between Leach and the James camp (Adam and Craig) that played a large role in how each party handled the situation? Yes.
Leach is known as a mad scientist, both for his off-the-charts passing attack and his off-the-wall antics. This is a guy who sent one of his players to study in the snow on the 50-yard-line of Jones AT&T Stadium because he missed study hall, who went through the drive-thru and placed a lunch order while on his weekly conference call with the media, who donned an eye patch on the cover of Texas Monthly for goodness sake. This is also a guy who took the Red Raiders to new heights, winning more games and graduating more players than any coach before him. Leach also increased attendance dramatically and made Texas Tech part of the national conversation…not in spite of his unconventional ways but because of his unconventional ways.
One of Leach’s greatest qualities is his refusal to conform. He says what’s on his mind, and he doesn’t back down…ever. As a member of the media, that is refreshing because you never know what you’re going to get, unlike a lot of interviews we do where we get canned answers and coach-speak. He makes no apologies for the things he says or the decisions he makes. But that refusal to conform is also what cost him his job. I believe that if Leach would’ve apologized and acknowledged (even if he didn’t believe it) that his handling of the James situation could have been handled better, he would’ve kept his job. That’s not Leach though. He was not about to admit wrong-doing when he felt he did nothing wrong.
But it may have only prolonged the inevitable. The emails that have been released during those tense contract negotiations last spring show that any excuse to get rid of Leach was a good one, especially if it meant doing so “with cause” a.k.a “without pay”. It’s good to know that Tech’s decades-old good ol’ boy system is alive, well and out in the open in 2010 (cue the sarcasm). The athletic department is in desperate need of some new blood if the Red Raiders want to remain relevant, but that’s a different story for a different day.
At the end of the day, Mike Leach refused to “play the game”…the politically correct game…the half-hearted apology game…the conventional coach game. I admire that about him, but we all have to “play the game” from time to time…in our jobs, in our relationships…it’s just part of life. I don’t know if Leach will ever accept that, and I don’t know where else that will fly on the college football landscape. It worked in Lubbock for 10 years, and as a Red Raider, I am thankful for that. Mike Leach made Texas Tech a better, more interesting place...he could really coach the game, he just couldn’t play it.
Story courtesy of Emily Jones, FOX Sports Southwest
January 4, 2010
COWBOYS BEAT EAGLES 24-0 AND TAKE NFC EAST
The Cowboys have proven during the regular season that they are a better team than Philadelphia.
Now we'll see if they can do it again.
For the second time in three seasons under head coach Wade Phillips, the Cowboys are the NFC East champion. Sunday's 24-0 victory at Cowboys Stadium served notice that these Cowboys, unlike previous versions, have saved the best for last.
Their reward: a return engagement with the Eagles here Saturday night.
Before you fret too much over how difficult it is to beat a team three times in a season, before you have flashbacks to what happened with the New York Giants two years ago, wrap your mind around this: The Cowboys carry a three-game winning streak into the playoffs, making them the hottest team in the NFC. One of those victories came against a New Orleans team that finished 13-3. This one came against a Philadelphia team that rode a six-game winning streak into the regular season finale.
"I think this is the way you need to go into the playoffs," Phillips said. "We certainly couldn't go in on a higher note than we are.
"We know we play Philadelphia again next week, but we have to savor this one right now."
There is so much to savor.
Perhaps you remember how last season ended in 44-6 shambles to the Eagles. It's been mentioned a time or two – or 200 – over the last 12 months. Sunday's result provides a measure of redemption for a team that lost not only that game, but its previous nine regular season finales by an average of 14.3 points.
For the first time in 13 years, the Cowboys finish the regular season with a winning record (3-2) after the Thanksgiving Day game.
"I've said all along I believe in this team, I believe it's a different year," Phillips said. "I think it's played out that way."
This defense is certainly different. A group that allowed 77 points in the final two games of 2008 allowed zero over the final two games of this season.
The Cowboys neutered the Eagles running game, blanketed receiver DeSean Jackson and limited the team's big-strike capability. Philadelphia was 3-of-12 on third down. The one time they did get into the red zone, the Cowboys recovered a fumble to turn them away.
Shutting out Washington, which the Cowboys did one week earlier, is one thing. What the Cowboys did Sunday was blank an Eagles team that had averaged 31.2 points during a six-game winning streak and was playing for the No. 2 seed.
What the Cowboys did was record back-to-back shutouts for the first time in their rich history.
The offense wasn't bad either. Tony Romo wasn't flawless. He forced a pass to Patrick Crayton in the first quarter that was intercepted.
But he finished with 311 yards and two touchdowns while completing passes to seven different receivers. Marion Barber and Felix Jones each rushed for 91 yards. Jones picked up more yards on his 49-yard touchdown run in the third quarter than the Eagles gained on the ground (37 yards) all afternoon.
"Felix Jones is our home run threat," Phillips said.
The Cowboys had plenty of threats this day.
"All of us have a sense of accomplishment," said tight end Jason Witten, who scored a touchdown on the team's opening possession to help put the Eagles on their heels. "We earned this.
"But we're just getting started, and we made that clear together."
Philadelphia coach Andy Reid vowed his team will be ready to play in its return to Cowboys Stadium for the first round. Running back Brian Westbrook said the Eagles, who also lost to the Cowboys 20-16 earlier in the season, "are going to have to wake up and sacrifice."
The Cowboys, meanwhile, allowed themselves a few moments to reflect on this division title compared to the one in '07 and what is left to accomplish.
"This is way more satisfying because in '07, we were just winning," linebacker Bradie James said of that 13-3 season. "It was like a wave. It was so fast, so new.
"This one right here, we earned it. There were times in the year when people counted us out, but all of us stayed together as players and we overcame some things.
"They both are great. The only way it can be more gratifying is to continue to win, to leave no stone unturned."
Story courtesy of www.dallasnews.com
Now we'll see if they can do it again.
For the second time in three seasons under head coach Wade Phillips, the Cowboys are the NFC East champion. Sunday's 24-0 victory at Cowboys Stadium served notice that these Cowboys, unlike previous versions, have saved the best for last.
Their reward: a return engagement with the Eagles here Saturday night.
Before you fret too much over how difficult it is to beat a team three times in a season, before you have flashbacks to what happened with the New York Giants two years ago, wrap your mind around this: The Cowboys carry a three-game winning streak into the playoffs, making them the hottest team in the NFC. One of those victories came against a New Orleans team that finished 13-3. This one came against a Philadelphia team that rode a six-game winning streak into the regular season finale.
"I think this is the way you need to go into the playoffs," Phillips said. "We certainly couldn't go in on a higher note than we are.
"We know we play Philadelphia again next week, but we have to savor this one right now."
There is so much to savor.
Perhaps you remember how last season ended in 44-6 shambles to the Eagles. It's been mentioned a time or two – or 200 – over the last 12 months. Sunday's result provides a measure of redemption for a team that lost not only that game, but its previous nine regular season finales by an average of 14.3 points.
For the first time in 13 years, the Cowboys finish the regular season with a winning record (3-2) after the Thanksgiving Day game.
"I've said all along I believe in this team, I believe it's a different year," Phillips said. "I think it's played out that way."
This defense is certainly different. A group that allowed 77 points in the final two games of 2008 allowed zero over the final two games of this season.
The Cowboys neutered the Eagles running game, blanketed receiver DeSean Jackson and limited the team's big-strike capability. Philadelphia was 3-of-12 on third down. The one time they did get into the red zone, the Cowboys recovered a fumble to turn them away.
Shutting out Washington, which the Cowboys did one week earlier, is one thing. What the Cowboys did Sunday was blank an Eagles team that had averaged 31.2 points during a six-game winning streak and was playing for the No. 2 seed.
What the Cowboys did was record back-to-back shutouts for the first time in their rich history.
The offense wasn't bad either. Tony Romo wasn't flawless. He forced a pass to Patrick Crayton in the first quarter that was intercepted.
But he finished with 311 yards and two touchdowns while completing passes to seven different receivers. Marion Barber and Felix Jones each rushed for 91 yards. Jones picked up more yards on his 49-yard touchdown run in the third quarter than the Eagles gained on the ground (37 yards) all afternoon.
"Felix Jones is our home run threat," Phillips said.
The Cowboys had plenty of threats this day.
"All of us have a sense of accomplishment," said tight end Jason Witten, who scored a touchdown on the team's opening possession to help put the Eagles on their heels. "We earned this.
"But we're just getting started, and we made that clear together."
Philadelphia coach Andy Reid vowed his team will be ready to play in its return to Cowboys Stadium for the first round. Running back Brian Westbrook said the Eagles, who also lost to the Cowboys 20-16 earlier in the season, "are going to have to wake up and sacrifice."
The Cowboys, meanwhile, allowed themselves a few moments to reflect on this division title compared to the one in '07 and what is left to accomplish.
"This is way more satisfying because in '07, we were just winning," linebacker Bradie James said of that 13-3 season. "It was like a wave. It was so fast, so new.
"This one right here, we earned it. There were times in the year when people counted us out, but all of us stayed together as players and we overcame some things.
"They both are great. The only way it can be more gratifying is to continue to win, to leave no stone unturned."
Story courtesy of www.dallasnews.com
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