- Yet some more 2008 roster analysis.
Jones working on next season's Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys owner says expectations have been raised for 2008 season
03:21 AM CST on Wednesday, January 23, 2008
By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News
cwatkins@dallasnews.com
MOBILE, Ala. – The sudden end to the Dallas Cowboys' 13-3 season hasn't deterred Jerry Jones.
In fact, the Cowboys owner and general manager said the expectations for 2008 have been raised.
Jones watched two Senior Bowl practices Tuesday and said he's moving on from the divisional-round playoff loss to the New York Giants. But he hasn't forgotten it.
"I am feeling better about our year," he said. "Not taking anything for granted, teams do fall off when they have a big year.
"We won some tight games, and we know they could have gone the other way. But we had an outstanding year, and our expectations are up, and we've got to live up to that."
Jones held personnel meetings Monday night with his staff at a hotel in Point Clear, Ala. On Tuesday afternoon, Jones sat in on discussions between coach Wade Phillips and possible replacements for three defensive assistant coaches who have left.
Some decisions have been made.
Jones said he will pick up the $3 million roster bonus of wide receiver Terrell Owens, which is due June 3. Jones is open to a possible contract extension for Owens, who is entering the final year of a three-year deal.
Jones also is getting closer to finalizing his front-office staff.
He is close to settling on a replacement for vice president of college and pro scouting Jeff Ireland, who left to become the Miami Dolphins' general manager.
Jones said Tom Ciskowski, the Cowboys' assistant director of college scouting, is the frontrunner to replace Ireland.
"He's the obvious," Jones said.
The Cowboys also must find a replacement for Brian Gaine, the assistant director of pro scouting, who now works for Miami as the assistant director of player personnel.
Jones said there are two in-house candidates and one outside of the organization.
"We're in good time," Jones said. "We're not behind the curve at all in terms of our timing."
Over the next few weeks, Jones and his staff plan to get the organization ready to meet those higher expectations, so a Super Bowl run doesn't end after only one playoff game.
"You would almost have to turn away from it and not see that this year has increased our expectations and helped form a foundation for future success," Jones said.
COWBOYS LOOK AHEAD
Staff writer Calvin Watkins looks at some of the key decisions the Cowboys must make this off-season:
TERRELL OWENS
Will the Cowboys give him his roster bonus? Yes.
Why? The Cowboys' leading receiver remains the team's biggest offensive threat. He finished fifth in the NFL in receiving yards (1,355) and third in touchdown receptions (15). Jerry Jones said he's open to a possible contract extension for Owens, but how much and for how long is the question for a receiver who turns 35 on Dec. 7.
UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
Has the team started talks with any? No.
Why? The Cowboys are in no rush to sign any of their unrestricted players. However, free safety Ken Hamlin, who earned a Pro Bowl berth, appears to be No. 1 on the team's list. He solidified the free safety position, and Jerry Jones likes him. The team also has to make decisions on backup cornerbacks Nate Jones and Jacques Reeves. Left tackle Flozell Adams would like to stay in Dallas, but how much it will cost is unknown.
RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
Who gets the tender? Defensive end Chris Canty and long snapper L.P. Ladouceur. But don't be surprised if they receive long-term deals later.
Who doesn't get the tender? Marion Barber isn't going anywhere, and the Cowboys have a good relationship with his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. The sides expect to get a three- to five-year deal done. If any club offers Barber a contract, the Cowboys are expected to match it. The club wanted to start Barber in the last few weeks of the season, but elected not to. Now, he's the starter, and he will get starter's money.
JASON GARRETT
Will Garrett become the Cowboys' next coach? Jerry Jones said Garrett doesn't have anything in his contract that stipulates he will become the next coach of the Cowboys.
Yet, the perception is that Garrett will replace Wade Phillips.
"I personally, for the team, it's very important to us that we keep [Garrett] with what he's bringing to the table," Jones said. "We keep his contribution to the team in place and that covers a lot of areas. He exceeded completely any expectations I may have had as a coordinator or play-caller."
TERRY GLENN
Do the Cowboys want Terry Glenn? Yes and no. Glenn (right) needs microfracture surgery, and the recovery for that could be at least one year. Glenn had two surgeries to his right knee this season, and doctors told him he needs microfracture surgery. Yet, Glenn was determined to play this season and decided against the surgery. Jerry Jones said he will speak with Glenn about his future.
"That's something I will sit down again, over the days ahead and talk to him about," Jones said. "He put a lot of himself into coming back. It was a whole bunch of incentive there."
- Mavs hit halfway point......
Dallas Mavericks are dropping calls
As midseason nears, Mavs letting focus get interrupted
03:33 AM CST on Wednesday, January 23, 2008
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
esefko@dallasnews.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It would be fitting to compare the midseason Mavericks with one of those overhyped cellphone companies.
Remember those five-game miniseasons the Mavericks started focusing on a month or so ago? Coach Avery Johnson said tonight's visit to Charlotte is the start of a new cluster that he would love to make his "fave five," to borrow a phrase from those telecommunications marketers.
But the bottom line is that the Mavericks really are too much like a cellphone at the midpoint of the NBA season to be reliable. They can be dialed in just right for long stretches. Then, out of nowhere, it's like nobody's there.
"Can you hear me now?"
Inconsistency is the one thing that has kept the Mavericks from taking control in the Western Conference. They have had solid runs. Then they disappear for no apparent reason, as they did Monday in Washington.
"Off of our five-game increments, we had a 5-0 stretch and a 4-1 stretch," Johnson said after a spirited practice Tuesday at Johnson C. Smith College. "Our defense was good. We were moving the ball. Everybody overall had steady performances. We knew what we were getting.
"The other two times, when we went 3-2, we were inconsistent on both ends of the floor and individually we weren't consistent. So they have a blueprint of how we need to play and some alarm signs that happen that lead us to more of a malfunction offensively and defensively."
Coaches like to know what they are going to get from individual players on a nightly basis. The Mavericks' staff hasn't reached that level of comfort, yet.
Of course, before the Mavericks get too hard on themselves, they should remember that since that problematic 12-8 start, they are 15-5, including 5-4 on the road. They are firmly in the mix for the best record in the West, even with their troubles.
But when they suffer breakdowns the magnitude of the 102-84 loss to the Wizards, clearly things aren't functioning as smoothly as they could be.
"I don't think we're quite where we want to be," Dirk Nowitzki said. "All the great teams have winning records on the road. They find ways to win ugly games. This year, we've won some, but not the way we want to. Obviously, we feel like every team can play well at home. The road separates the great teams.
"We're still a long way to go. Individually, I still like our team. I still like how the pieces fit together. We just got to quit turning the ball over, play a little better defensively, and I still think we can beat anybody in this league."
They can also lose to anybody in the league on their bad nights. That much has been proven. Not that losing at Washington is a disgrace. The Wizards have won seven of their last nine games and have allowed 100 points only once in that run.
But it was the way the Mavericks lost that is disturbing.
"We're not playing great," Devin Harris said. "Up to last year's standards, we're nowhere near it. And teams are really playing their best ball against us at their home. It's a different story in Dallas. But they're giving us their best games, and we got to match that intensity.
"We need to be way more consistent than we are right now."
Eddie Jones wasn't with the Mavericks last season when they had separate winning streaks of nine, 12, 13 and 17 games. This year, the seven-gamer that ended last week in Sacramento has been their longest.
"The way the season's been going lately, it seems like we're consistent for seven or eight games, then we'll have one game that totally throws us off," Jones said. "Then we'll get it back for one night and then we'll lose another game.
"We're close [to a high level]. I want to go through one of those stretches where we win 14 or 16 games, like they did last year. We haven't had a stretch yet where we've played excellent basketball for 10 games."
- Stars miss golden opportunity to add to the division lead, give up 3 goals in the 3rd period and lose to Hitch, 4-2.
Dallas Stars let it slide in 4-2 loss
04:48 AM CST on Wednesday, January 23, 2008
By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News
mheika@dallasnews.com
There were about 20 things that could have led to a Dallas Stars victory Tuesday night. But Dallas did just enough of them wrong to result in a 4-2 defeat to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Stars went 0-for-4 on the power play, surrendered a key man-advantage goal in the third period, took eight minor penalties and couldn't overcome their frustration with the officiating. It all added up to a squandered two-goal cushion and a wasted opportunity to add to their lead in the Pacific Division.
"We had a lot of little mistakes and a lot of forced errors on our part, and I think a little lack of compete," said Stars winger Steve Ott, who scored his sixth goal of the season. "The little plays add up, and by the third period, they all sunk in."
Dallas fell to 28-19-5 (61 points) but remained in first place. Still, the Stars know points are hard to come by in the West and that every conference team has played less than the 52 games the Stars have in the books.
"We let a couple of points slide, and we know San Jose is collecting games on us," captain Brenden Morrow said. "Every point is important."
Especially when you take a two-goal lead and have a 20-1-3 record when leading after two periods. Dallas hit its bump midway through the second, squandering a couple of power-play chances, and then couldn't hold a 2-1 lead at the second intermission.
The Stars couldn't find their mental compass in the third period. Columbus took advantage of a non-call on what appeared to be an icing situation and then pounded the Stars' net. Jan Hejda put a shot on goal, and Andrew Murray swept in to clean up a loose puck and tied the score at the 8:03 mark.
And although the score was tied, 2-2, Columbus clearly was in control.
"Their second goal was clearly an icing call that was not called, and it ended up in our net," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "The missed call was unfortunate, but you have to overcome the tough breaks."
Morrow said the Stars just couldn't fight through mentally.
"We couldn't deal with our frustration tonight," he said. "It got away from us."
Morrow scored his fourth goal (and fifth point) in the last four games to put the Stars up, 1-0. Ott added another goal to seemingly give the Stars command of the game at the 8:38 mark of the second period. Both tallies came when the Stars fought hard to get to the net. However, Dallas didn't keep up that hard work and frittered away several key power-play opportunities after that.
And while goalie Mike Smith had some nice saves, he couldn't get the big ones he needed in the third period.
"If I'd have made another save or two, it would have been a different game," he said. "You can't sit back and relax when you get a lead in this league."
Whether the Stars relaxed or not, they weren't mentally sharp – and that is something that has to be corrected, Tippett said.
"We took offensive-zone penalties that just killed our momentum," he said. "We took too many penalties, and our margin for error is so slim. Putting a desperate team on the power play is a dangerous recipe."
So the Stars have to try to right the ship by Thursday when they play host to Buffalo in the last game before the All-Star break.
"We certainly want to have the right mindset going into the break," Tippett said. "So we'll need to be ready to go."
- Nebraska OC Shawn Watson staying. And the slithering snake Bill Callahan gets his buyout check.
NU Football: Watson staying put
BY RICH KAIPUST
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
LINCOLN - Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said Tuesday that Alabama's interest in Shawn Watson only reinforces that the Huskers have a pretty solid offensive coordinator on their staff.
"Anytime you have a good coach that people want, a quality coach, that's always a good thing,'' Pelini said.
Watson cut ties with Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, who is looking to replace offensive coordinator Major Applewhite. Saban told rivals.com that Alabama "really didn't offer'' the position to Watson, one of two NU assistants retained by Pelini after he replaced Bill Callahan as head coach.
Watson was offensive coordinator last season after serving as the Huskers' tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator in 2006. Although it's been rumored that Watson might be pursued by others, Pelini said it's been "fairly quiet'' other than the Alabama opening.
"I'm thrilled that he's staying,'' Pelini said from New Orleans. "It's important for the continuity of the program. He's an important cog in the wheel.''
Pelini referred further questions to Watson, who was recruiting in Texas and did not return calls to his cell phone. His only comment was in a statement released by NU media relations.
"I am excited about continuing in my role as the offensive coordinator at Nebraska,'' Watson said. "I deeply appreciate the opportunity that Coach Pelini and Coach (Tom) Osborne have given me. My family and I enjoy being at Nebraska. This is a great place to do what I love and that is coaching football.
"Right now my focus is on helping finish up a strong recruiting class and looking ahead to spring football. We have a great group of kids in our program and I look forward to coaching the offense we have coming back for next season.''
Watson and Callahan combined to direct a Nebraska unit that ranked No. 9 in total offense (468.3 yards per game) and No. 28 in scoring offense (33.4 points) last season. Watson spent seven seasons at Colorado before coming to NU.
"He's a good coach,'' Saban told rivals.com while attending Senior Bowl workouts in Mobile, Ala. "He's got a good history, he's been with some guys, he's a good person, he's a good recruiter and he's done a good job wherever he's been.''
Asked if he could confirm that he offered the job to Watson, Saban said: "We didn't really offer it to him. We called and asked permission to talk to him and he decided to stay at Nebraska.''
Good for the Huskers, said Jeff Jamrog, NU's associate athletic director for football.
"It's great news for everyone involved with Nebraska football,'' Jamrog said. "He's a class act. He's done a great job here, and he's going to continue to do a great job here.''
Callahan issued payment
LINCOLN — Former football coach Bill Callahan was issued a payment on Tuesday of $3.125 million, according to a University of Nebraska-Lincoln spokesman.
The remittance fulfills Nebraska's obligation under Callahan's contract, which required the school to pay him within 60 days of his termination.
Callahan, 51, was fired Nov. 24, one day after the completion of a 5-7 season. His contract, signed in September, ran through January 2012.
He was 27-22 in four years at Nebraska and posted two losing seasons, the first at the school since 1961.
Callahan was hired last week by the New York Jets as assistant head coach in charge of the running game.
- Kiper's take on the 1st round of the NFL draft.
Will Dolphins deal first pick in 2008 NFL draft?
A few notes from my first first-round projection for April's NFL draft:
• The Miami Dolphins need help on defense and Bill Parcells is a defensive-minded coach, so DT Glenn Dorsey would be the logical pick. And while the Dolphins could listen to trade offers for the top pick, there has not been a lot of movement in the top 10 in recent drafts. Why did Adrian Peterson slip to No. 7 last year? Because teams weren't willing to trade up knowing they would have to part with draft picks and pay more money for the higher pick. Also for Miami, QB Matt Ryan has to be in the discussion because the Dolphins may not be sold on John Beck (a second-round pick last year). Miami needs quarterback help and Ryan is going to be a top-five pick. Ryan might be too good to pass up, and he's a better prospect than Beck was when he came out of BYU last year. (Ryan is the only QB I am projecting will go in the first round).
• St. Louis will likely go with Long -- either Chris or Jake. Although the Rams drafted defensive tackle Adam Carriker last year, I could see them taking Virginia defensive end Chris Long. He's similar to Dorsey in that he plays with tremendous intensity and makes everyone around him better. If the Rams don't go with Chris Long, then Michigan left tackle Jake Long should be the pick since they could use help on the offensive line.
• The Atlanta Falcons should be in a good spot to upgrade at either running back or quarterback, so Darren McFadden or Matt Ryan could be the choice. I like Ryan here because this is a franchise that is in desperate need of a quarterback after going from Michael Vick to Joey Harrington to Byron Leftwich before finishing the season with Chris Redman.
• If Atlanta doesn't take McFadden, then Oakland will. (Remember, Oakland and Atlanta have a coin toss to determine who picks third overall.) After drafting first overall in 2007, Oakland could be looking at getting the best player in the draft if McFadden is available.
Also, there are only 31 selections in the first round this year because the New England Patriots had to forfeit their pick after illegally videotaping signals during their Week 1 game against the New York Jets.
The draft projections below are not based on ratings, but on information I have gathered and where I think teams will go based on needs. The first-round projections will be updated Jan. 31 following evaluations from the Senior Bowl.
* denotes underclassman; ** denotes teams that will decide draft order by coin flip.
Kiper's First-Round Projection
Name Team Player Position
1 Miami Dolphins
Glenn Dorsey, DT LSU
2 St. Louis Rams
Chris Long, DE Virginia
3 Atlanta Falcons**
Matt Ryan, QB Boston College
4 Oakland Raiders**
*Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas
5 Kansas City Chiefs**
Jake Long, OT Michigan
6 New York Jets
*Vernon Gholston, DE Ohio St.
7 New England Patriots (from SF)
*Aqib Talib, CB Kansas
8 Baltimore Ravens
Sedrick Ellis, DT USC
9 Cincinnati Bengals
*Phillip Merling, DE Clemson
10 New Orleans Saints
Kentwan Balmer, DT North Carolina
11 Buffalo Bills
*Malcolm Kelly, WR Oklahoma
12 Denver Broncos
*Ryan Clady, OT Boise St.
13 Carolina Panthers
Jeff Otah, OT Pittsburgh
14 Chicago Bears
Sam Baker, OT USC
15 Detroit Lions
Leodis McKelvin, CB Troy
16 Arizona Cardinals
*Jonathan Stewart, RB Oregon
17 Minnesota Vikings
*DeSean Jackson, WR California
18 Houston Texans
Mike Jenkins, CB South Florida
19 Philadelphia Eagles
Chris Williams, OT Vanderbilt
20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
*Felix Jones, RB Arkansas
21 Washington Redskins
*Calais Campbell, DE Miami
22 Dallas Cowboys (from CLE)
*Mario Manningham, WR Michigan
23 Pittsburgh Steelers
*Chilo Rachal, OG USC
24 Tennessee Titans
Limas Sweed, WR Texas
25 Seattle Seahawks
Fred Davis, TE USC
26 Jacksonville Jaguars
*Derrick Harvey, DE Florida
27 San Diego Chargers
*Reggie Smith, CB Oklahoma
28 Dallas Cowboys
*Rashard Mendenhall, RB Illinois
29 San Francisco 49ers (from IND)
*James Hardy, WR Indiana
30 Green Bay Packers
Keith Rivers, LB USC
31 New York Giants
Dan Connor, LB Penn St.
32 New England Patriots
Forfeited pick
- Rangers looking good on the farm.......
Rangers dominate the Sickels Top 100.
By Jamey Newberg January 23, 2008
John Sickels recently put together a Top 100 Prospects list for a fantasy baseball site, and on that list he included eight Rangers. The Rays also had eight. No other team had more than six.
After the Top 100 he listed another 34 prospects "worth your consideration." Three Rangers, one Ray.
And the 11 Rangers on the two lists didn't even include Chris Davis, whom I've ranked number one in the system.
Or Engel Beltre, Mike Hindman's number one.
Or Michael Main or Blake Beavan.
The eight Rangers on Sickels's list:
26. Elvis Andrus, SS (" . . . Excellent defensive skills and developing offense make him a premium investment if you are patient.")
28. Eric Hurley, RHP (" . . . Above average stuff across the board. Will have to watch home run tendencies in Texas.")
43. Taylor Teagarden, C ("The more we study him, the more we like him. He's an underrated hitter and a terrific defensive catcher.")
66. Matt Harrison, LHP (" . . . Could contribute sooner than expected in Texas rotation.")
70. German Duran, 2B (" . . . Sleeper prospect who has surprising pop, a touch of speed and a reliable glove at second base.")
80. Max Ramirez, C ("He has one of the best bats in the minors, but questionable defense hurts his rating. He will hit at any level.")
93. Kasey Kiker, LHP (" . . . Explosive stuff, comparable to Scott Kazmir or Billy Wagner if his command sharpens up. High upside but will need time.")
97. Omar Poveda, RHP (" . . . Has always had command and his stuff took a step forward in '07.")
The honorable mentions were righthander Neftali Feliz, outfielder John Mayberry Jr., and third baseman Johnny Whittleman.
Oakland landed six players on the Sickels Top 100 -- five of whom the A's acquired in this winter's housecleaning trades. Anaheim and Seattle had just three each.
Regarding the omission of Davis, Sickels points out that in his Baseball Prospect Book 2008 -- which is less roto-driven and more in tune with real baseball -- he has Davis as the number 41 hitting prospect in the league. (His book is set for a February be release.)
The Davis issue prompted him to offer to write a guest article for the Newberg Report about the Rangers system and where it stands league-wide. He hopes to get that done in the next few days, and I'll distribute it by e-mail.
Nothing official yet, but it looks like at least six of the players I've named in this report -- and one who I haven't -- are going to be at the Newberg Report booth to sign autographs at FanFest at the Ballpark on Saturday. I promise to shoot you full details once I have them.
- A very young, skinny, hairy Bob Sturm.
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