Among the most tired arguments against fantasy football are that people playing it need to "get a girlfriend" or "get a life." First of all, as an avid fantasy football player, I'd like to point out that my wife probably wouldn't appreciate it if I got a girlfriend. Secondly, when seven well-known NFL players play, how can you really question if it's "cool" while comparing it to Dungeons and Dragons? Just get over yourself and try it before knocking it. It's fun.
The Cowboys cutTerrell Owens in early March, and we've been subjected to a story or so a week about why it happened, who was to blame, and what it means for both parties going forward.
This is newsworthy for a few reasons: it's the offseason, it's the Cowboys and it's T.O. Anybody else, or any other time of year, and these headlines have a shelf life of a few days. But it's June, so here we are.
And according to Yahoo.com's Michael Silver, who spent a couple days talking to Jerry and Stephen Jones, the real reason T.O. got axed was because he was too popular. Seriously.
CARROLLTON, Texas -- There was a moment during Monday's minicamp practice where Cowboys wide receiver Roy Williams was wide open and didn't get the ball.
Quarterback Tony Romo missed his new lead receiver over the middle, and as a result, Williams shot Romo a look, then talked to him when the play was over.
If this had been Terrell Owens, who is now in Buffalo, there would have been a federal investigation into why and how Romo missed him.
But the facts are Williams wants the ball just as much as Owens, and isn't afraid to complain about it. The difference is that Williams will not do his complaining through the media, he will do it in private.
In an effort to talk about something college basketball-related other than scandals in the summer, let's talk best current coaches. We'll attempt to order the top 25 current coaches in the nation. This is about the present and the future, not the distant past. What a guy did in the mid-90s doesn't matter near as much as the direction his program is currently headed. Past pedigree also matters, to an extent. For the perfect mix of past accomplishments with present achievement and a paved road for future success, look no further than the man atop the list.
CARROLLTON, Texas -- Tony Romo sits on a small set of bleaches wearing a blue baseball hat turned backward with a beard sprouting from his face.
Romo looks like the second-line center for the Bruins instead of the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, who just completed the first day of organized team activities on Tuesday. But Romo is getting paid to lead the Cowboys. Last year, Romo led them to a 9-7 finish and a seat on the couch for the postseason.
Romo put up decent numbers, second in the NFL in touchdown percentage and eighth in quarterback rating despite missing three games with a broken pinkie.
But 2009, more than any other season for Romo, is about him.
In February, ESPN mercifully pulled the plug on Emmitt Smith's television career. I think they did it as much for him as for us. Either way, thanks, World Wide Leader. But the NFL rushing leader still has opinions, and when asked, he'll happily share them. Especially if it involves the Cowboys, a team Smith helped win three Super Bowls in the 1990s.
At a Tuesday news conference in Arlington, Texas, Smith talked about the direction of the 2009 club -- one that managed to miss the playoffs last season, and, the year before, lost in the divisional round after a 13-3 record -- and he didn't sound impressed. A lot of that, it seems, has to do with Jerry Jones' decision to cut Terrell Owens.
Free safety Roy Williams was released this offseason by the only employer he's ever known in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys. The release came on the heels of several years of malign when it came to the pass defense provided by Williams. The former first-rounder can still hit and tackle like a linebacker in a defensive back's body, though, so he continued to rack up Pro Bowl appearances (he has five).
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.
To say the 2008 Dallas Cowboys season was tumultuous wouldn't really be giving credit to the word. The team had suspensions, Jessica Simpsons and the incredible absence of TD-ing. Dallas missed the playoffs after being a favored team going into the season and now has gone through a total redesign.
With Terrell Owens shipped to Buffalo, the passing game will go through Roy Williams, who has never been the player to take control of an offense. Balking on Ray Lewis and sticking with Tony Romo, this crew has a long way to go to be the best in their division, which is the toughest in the NFL. Along with all their obvious holes, the offensive line is a tad thin and the safety position could be improve drastically.
DETROIT -- They celebrated together, arm in arm, bouncing and hugging and laughing and ultimately crying as the confetti buried them. It isn't the best time for traditional brand names in America, with even the surest things reduced to chilling vulnerability in a volatile, wacky world. But the North Carolina basketball name, a constant for ages in this country, remains safe and secure.
DETROIT -- They celebrated together, arm in arm, bouncing and hugging and laughing and ultimately crying as the confetti buried them. It isn't the best time for traditional brand names in America, with even the surest things reduced to chilling vulnerability in a volatile, wacky world. But the North Carolina basketball name, a constant for ages in this country, remains safe and secure.