NFC East: Oakland Raiders
Cowboys preseason has a West Coast feel
As we already knew, the Cowboys will open the preseason against the Bengals in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 8, in Canton, Ohio. They'll host the Oakland Raiders the following weekend at Cowboys Stadium and then likely depart for Oxnard. The fourth game will be Saturday, Aug. 28, in Houston. This game will be for the famed (wink) Governor's Cup.
The Cowboys will close the preseason at home against their old pals, the Miami Dolphins. They'll be able to reconnect with former coaches Tony Sparano, Bill Parcells, David Lee, Todd Bowles and Kacy Rodgers, as well as current Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland and his right-hand man Brian Gaine.
Is anyone actually stoked about the preseason? Let me hear from you.
What the Eagles are demanding for McNabb
Of that group, I think McNabb would prefer the Rams because of his familiarity with their coaching staff. Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur served as quarterbacks coach for the Eagles and head coach Steve Spagnuolo was a secondary coach under Jim Johnson in Philly. We won't know if the Minnesota Vikings are in play until Brett Favre makes a decision regarding his future.
The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that McNabb's first choice would be the Vikings, which makes sense. Minnesota head coach Brad Childress was the offensive coordinator for the Eagles and he runs the West Coast offense that McNabb's accustomed to. It would be a nice fit, but the Eagles can't afford to sit around and wait on Favre. According to the Inquirer report, McNabb's not thrilled about going to the Rams, Bills or Raiders. And why would he be? The only upshot to any of those teams is that McNabb could probably sign a lucrative extension, including a healthy signing bonus.
We'll keep you posted on any developments as the day unfolds.
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
IRVING, Texas -- With Cowboys running back Felix Jones likely out with a left leg injury and Marion Barber still fighting a left quad strain, there's a good chance second-year back Tashard Choice will get the majority of the carries against the Broncos on Sunday. When Choice arrived at his locker Wednesday, a large group of reporters were waiting. He was very animated and said the fact that he slipped to the fourth round of the '08 draft remains a constant source of inspiration for him.
Choice admitted that he's pressed a little bit when he knows he's only going to get three or four carries and talked about how much better he performs when he can get in a rhythm. And he showed that last season during a three-game stretch against the Steelers, Giants and Ravens in which he rushed for 279 yards. It's obvious that Tony Romo already has a ton of confidence in Choice because he looks for him a lot when he's in trouble. Here's what Choice had to say Wednesday when asked about being drafted in the fourth round.
"It pisses me off to be honest with you," Choice said. "It pisses me off all the time. My mindframe is to show them you messed up on Tashard."
Even though he's the third running back, Choice carries himself like he's a starter. He moved his stuff into T.O.'s old locker and replaced him as the team DJ. He has a ton of confidence and he may end up being the team's best all-around back. Marion Barber is obviously a punishing inside runner and Felix Jones is capable of scoring from anywhere on the field.
Choice has the power to run inside, but he also has deceptive speed and acceleration. The fact that he catches the ball so well also is a big part of the offense. And fortunately for the Cowboys, there appears to be no jealousy among the running backs. When Felix Jones was sidelined with a knee injury against the Panthers, he continued to encourage Choice every time he came off the field.
Cowboys running backs coach Skip Peete had this to say about Choice:
"He was one of the most complete backs in that draft. Everyone said he lacked speed, but he’s capable of doing just about everything. He’s an inside runner, he’s an outside runner, he’s capable of [pass] protecting and obviously he can run pass routes and catch the ball. The only knock he had coming out was that he was not a burner, but there have been a lot of good backs in this league who were not burners."
Peete has some experience when it comes to managing talented running backs. At one point he coached Tyrone Wheatley, Charlie Garner and Napoleon Kaufman with the Raiders. Peete told me in training camp that Choice would have a chance to make a huge contribution this season. It's just happening sooner than some of us thought.
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
Each week, thousands of readers leave questions in the NFC East mailbag. Let's take a look at what folks are talking about this weekend.
Don from Ohio writes: Has anyone ever lobbied to have the Skins and Cowboys play on Thanksgiving? I think it would be a great thing to see arguably the biggest rivalry in sports on Turkey Day. I'd much rather see that than meaningless matchups like the Raiders and Cowboys. They should at least have Dallas play an NFC East team every year. They could rotate it every season. Just a thought.Thanks for the great work.
Mosley: Thanks for checking in, Don. I couldn't agree with you more. Al Davis and Jerry Jones might be close friends, but that doesn't make for a great Thanksgiving game. If the league can make sure the Giants open the season in Jones' new stadium, then it could send a division rival to Arlington each Thanksgiving. I'm totally with you, Don. Always have been.
Jon from Westchester, N.Y.: Hey Matt, I'm a big fan of yours. I check your blogs a few times a day and I really have learned a lot from your blogs. Keep up the good work.I have a question regarding the Giants, but not something that I have heard a whole lot about. I am very happy with the defense. I feel that the secondary is very good but doesn't receive the respect it deserves. Kenny Phillips is going to be a top safety in the few years and Michael Johnson is underappreciated in the eyes of the league. The line is amazing and that's all I will say on that, but I am a little worried about the linebackers. I know Michael Boley was brought in and I am hoping he helps out a lot. But what about Pierce? He is a very smart player but he is getting up there in age. Are the Giants going to draft someone this year that can learn from Pierce? Also, I know we drafted Clint Stintim, but are the Giants going to upgrade that position also? I like Blackburn and the other guys, but I feel they are very good backups and not so much stater material.
Mosley: Jon, thanks for stopping by The Bag. Pierce will turn 31 in October, so you're right to a bit concerned about his age. But there are linebackers in this league still performing at a high level on the wrong side of 30. Obviously Ray Lewis comes to mind. Pierce is the backbone of this team. He's an inspirational leader and he still has plenty left in the tank. He looked really old last season because he got in one-on-one matchups with Brian Westbrook in December and January. That's why the Giants brought in Michael Boley, a guy who can help them stay in their base defense more often because of his cover skills. And don't worry too much about the depth. Chase Blackburn is a really good football player and I think he'd start for a lot of teams in this league. Throw in talented players such as Bryan Kehl and Gerris Wilkinson (injury prone) and I think you're doing OK with depth. Clint Sintim needs to get back on the field. He's got the long arms and size that Tom Coughlin loves in a linebacker. He just needs to get healthy.
Matt from Texas writes: Matt, I wanted to check to see if you have your bags packed? Come Monday, most of the media will be trying to jump off the extremely overrated Eli/Giants bandwagon and onto ours. I figured I would give you first dibs. Before you developed a giant-sized man crush on New York, you used to respect the Cowboys. See you on the 'Wagon!
Mosley: Matt, I actually picked the Cowboys to win this game, 28-24. Michael Boley is coming off a long layoff and the secondary's banged up. I think Tony Romo can make plays downfield against reserve corners Terrell Thomas and Bruce Johnson. But I'm still driving the Giants bandwagon. This loss won't knock them out of a Super Bowl trip.
Oscar in Dallas left this note: Some guys at Bloggingtheboys.com were passing this link around. Its a Mic'd up video of Tony Romo during the game last week. For those who think he can't be the leader, you need to watch this video.
Mosley: Oscar, thanks for sharing. Looks like Romo was having a lot of fun last Sunday. Loved the look on Jason Garrett's face when Romo offered to kiss him if he'd call a seam route.
John from Silver Spring, Md. is concerned with my Albert Haynesworth analysis: Mosley, I have to disagree with your statement that Albert Haynesworth is falling. He was personally responsible for both times the Redskins stuffed the Giants on 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1. He made the tackle on 4th and 1 and he blew up the middle so LaRon Landry could make the tackle on 4th and 1. Not to mention the fact that he ripped into the backfield and tore of the helmet of Ahmad Bradshaw as he threw him to the ground.Also, I'm not sure what game you were watching, but they kept showing replays and Troy Aikman kept talking about how Haynesworth was pushing Seibert all over the place.The mark of whether or not Haynesworth is having an impact will not always be found in the stat sheet. You will know if he's having the impact the Redskins expect if he is clogging up the middle, as he did on the two short yardage stuffs and if you see him pushing 1-2 guys into the backfield so the QB cannot step up to avoid a rush off the edge.For someone who covers football, I'm disappointed that you rely so heavily on stats to determine a players worth, especially a defensive tackle.
Mosley: John, I appreciate the note. I may be holding Haynesworth to a ridiculous standard ($41 mil guaranteed), but what I focused on was that he looked completely worn down at the most important juncture of the game. When the Skins were actually hanging around in the third quarter, Haynesworth had to keep making his way to the sideline to catch his breath. Yes, he made some plays in the game. But when Washington truly needed to clog the middle, Haynesworth was sucking wind. Was I too hard on him? Maybe so.
Mike from Atlanta is concerned about where the Eagles are ranked: OK, first off I am a full-on Eagles fan. So this may come off as a little homerish, but how can the Eagles be ranked below the Giants when we absolutely crushed a supposed NFC South power while the Giants let the Skins stay in the game a lot longer than they should have. As well, how in the world can anyone seriously allow the Cowboys to rise in the rankings after beating up on a team that until five minutes before the game even knew who their QB was going to be?! Granted, a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point. And to top that off, the miserable Bucs manage to rack up over 450 yards of offense. Anyone with a reasonably decent offense then should be able to hit what, 600 yards and blow them away? And yes, I cannot wait to see us crush the Cowboys yet again. Come to think of it, I'm looking forward to the Giants doing it, too. The sooner we beat them both, the sooner no one can argue we are truly the Beast of the East!!
Mosley: I certainly didn't have the Panthers as an "NFC South power." I think the Redskins are better than Carolina. Jake Delhomme was just dreadful, and that's becoming a trend. We should let this quarterback situation settle down a little bit and then see where the Eagles are. I have them beating the Saints behind the strong arm of Kevin Kolb. Don't worry about where the Eagles are ranked right now. Let's see where they are at the end of November. OK, you guys have a great Saturday.
Jason Campbell is the right guy to quarterback the team. He could never understand why there were rumors of other quarterbacks in Washington. Hall also weighs in on Michael Vick and the Oakland Raiders.Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall had some unflattering things to say about Raiders owner Al Davis during a recent interview on a Washington radio station. The best story involved the hiring of (then) interim coach Tom Cable.
"Probably the funniest thing, I was pretty close to Lane Kiffin and after they fired Lane and were about to announce who the next coach was, I don't know if you guys saw this in the media world, but I was actually sitting there live, me and a couple other players there in the back," Hall said. "And [Davis] went through this whole spiel of what happened . . . and said our next coach is Tom Cable, he's going to be our interim coach. When everybody paused for Tom to come in, like a breakoff. [Davis] goes to the media guide and not even whispering says 'Hey, anyone got any information on this Tom Cable guy, I don't know where he comes from.'"That's just vintage Al Davis. Making a move, not really knowing why, no real justification for doing it. But just saying, 'Hey, I want this guy, let's get him, I'll figure everything else out later.' And that's just how Al Davis is."
Something tells me Hall might not finish his career in Oakland.
Cowboys' Burnett hasn't made it to Green Bay
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
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The Cowboys might be making a mistake by letting a talented player like Burnett walk, but at least for the time being, there's not much of a market for him. He'd be wise to sign a one-year deal like the one safety Sean Jones agreed to with the Eagles. If he starts and plays well, a team would probably try to lock him down in a long-term deal. If he plays a reserve role, he can take his chances again in free agency -- in what could be an uncapped year.
Owens to Bills -- Anyone see this coming?
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
You had to know Terrell Owens was going to land somewhere in 2009, but most of us didn't think it would happen this quickly. I was actually pulling for Oakland to sign him because the Raiders play at Dallas this season.
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But T.O. will be in a Buffalo Bills uniform in '09. I can't get used to writing that sentence. The fact that he signed with Buffalo tells us what we already figured: There wasn't much of a market for him. AFC East blogger Tim Graham on ESPNEWS called it a "marriage of desperation," which sounds pretty accurate to me.
ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli said on ESPNEWS that Bills owner Ralph Wilson was the impetus for this improbable marriage. Pasquarelli said he talked to a Bills coach who expressed shock over the move. Honestly, it just goes against this organization's nature. But, in this economy, maybe the Bills are feeling more pressure than ever to add some juice.
Here's what T.O.'s agent Drew Rosenhaus said on ESPNEWS:
"[T.O.'s] a good fit from a standpoint of trying to make a statement, trying to make a move. ... They want to add a superstar to the mix and he's a great fit."
Rosenhaus praised Bills quarterback Trent Edwards and Buffalo's receiving corps. He also said that T.O. was "very impressed" with the coaching staff. And in a classic Rosenhaus moment, he took a parting shot at the Dallas Cowboys by pointing out that his client would make $800,000 more than he would have made with his former team.
"[Owens] thanks the Cowboys organization for releasing him and adding to his bank account," said Rosenhaus.
Way to stay classy, Drew. The agent also pointed out that "three or four" other teams were vying for T.O.'s services, and said that's why the Bills made such a competitive offer. As you might expect, Rosenhaus declined to name the "three or four" teams.
Reid doesn't want to know Raiders-Bucs score
The Eagles-Cowboys game Sunday was moved from 1 p.m. ET to 4:15 p.m. ET earlier today. It was a tough break for Andy Reid and the Eagles. Before their game begins, the Eagles will know whether the Raiders were able to knock off Tampa Bay.
Unless the Raiders can pull off the upset, the Eagles will only be playing for pride. We saw how they played against the Redskins when something was actually on the line. I realize how much the Eagles hate the Cowboys, but that's a tough emotional leap to make just before the game.
The Cowboys would never admit it, but they think they caught a huge break with the game being moved back. Asked if he'd rather not know the outcome of the game, Reid said, "Yeah, but that's probably not realistic in this day-in-age of technology. I said this before, you can't worry about all the different things that you can't control. You just have to go play, that's the important thing."
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Dan Graziano
Graziano joined ESPN.com in 2011 after two years as a Senior NFL Writer for AOL FanHouse. He covered Major League Baseball, the Olympics and various other sports during his time at the Star-Ledger and the Palm Beach Post. A New Jersey native and author of two published novels, he now lives in Ridgewood, N.J., with his wife and two sons.
