The New Dallas Mavericks

Presently the Mavericks are in the midst of a twelve game winning streak. They sit 2.5 games behind the Lakers for the best record in the NBA Western Conference. They currently have the third best record in the NBA. All this with their starting and backup center out with injuries and Jason Terry out with a broken orbital bone in his cheek bone.

The Mavericks made the best trade in the history of the franchise over the All Star break. They acquired two starters for two non-starters. This on a team that was already on pace for a fifty win season. It was such a steal that even Kobe Bryant said "I hate the trade".."It just got harder to win." Now those are the type of words I like to hear from one of our rivals. Well we are now rivals because since the trade the Mavs are 12-1. With the loss coming in the first game out of the break and on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder. One of those wins was against the Lakers.

The Mavericks are in the best position since 2006 to have the number one seed in the Western Conference. It will not be easy but besides having a better team than before the trade deadline, they also play the easiest schedule in the NBA. They have no more back to backs and play less winning teams than any other team. They have finished the season series against the Lakers and have one more game against the Denver Nuggets and that is in Dallas. A win and the Mavs will have the tie breaker against the Nuggets.

In a couple of weeks the Mavericks will have all their players back and match up against any team in the NBA. I have no idea if this team can win a title but none other than Dirk Nowitzki thinks this is the best Mavericks team he has been on. That includes the team that lost in six games in the NBA finals against the Miami Heat. I just know it is going to be hard to beat this team four times in a seven game series. If the season ended today the Mavericks would play the San Antonio Spurs. It would be nice to send the Spurs home for the second year in a row but the Mavs true test will come against the Lakers or Nuggets.

Nineteen games remain of the regular season. The Mavericks play a total of ten games against team with winning records, but only three of them(Portland twice and Memphis)are on the road. They have no games left against the East. If the Mavs go 16 and 3 they will win 60 games again. It may take that to secure the home floor advantage throughout the Western Conference portion of the playoffs. '

Things are indeed looking up for the Mavericks and their fans. Life is good and to top it off Dirk has been named the Western Conference Player of the Week the last two weeks. Jason Kidd has had a number 15 triple double and Roddy Beaubois has been unleashed on the NBA. All this while Caron Butler has been a Robin to Dirk's Batman and The Matrix has been amazing. Go Mavs.

Miles Austin..The Cowboys..The Poison Pill Clause

Jerry Jones is playing a game of chicken with wide receiver Miles Austin. Austin is a restricted free agent and the Cowboys will put a 1st and 3 rd tender on him. That means if Austin signs with another team the Cowboys have two options.

One they can match any offer. Two they can let him walk and receive that teams 1st and 3rd round draft pick, in this draft. The Cowboys had to put a monetary figure on the tender of a little over three million. Jerry is betting on another team not signing Miles. I ask myself, would Miles Austin be a first round pick if he were in the draft. I feel the answer is an over whelming yes. So to add a 3rd round pick is to me, no big deal.

Well you say, the Cowboys can simply match the offer. Well yes and no. This is where the "Poison Pill" can be written into a contract. The tactic has been used before and has been ruled to be perfectly legal. The event started with Steve Hutchinson who was a RFA with the Seattle Seahawks. Well enter the Minnesota Vikings, they signed Hutchinson to a contract but they inserted a clause. A poison pill clause. It simply stated if Hutchinson plays more than four games in a season, in the state of Washington, Steve would have to be the highest paid player in the league. The Seahawks went nuts, filed a grievance and as I stated before, they lost.

Could some team, willing to give up a 1st and a 3rd sign Miles and insert this clause. I think a guy like Daniel Snyder, owner of the Redskins, would love to stick it to the Cowboys. He would set up a win win situation and the Cowboys would be left to scramble.

My Thoughts On Tiger

I just watched Tiger's speech. I was prepared to be underwhelmed. Boy was I wrong. You could feel the pain in every part of his speech and body language. He looked totally defeated. Good, he should be. I thought the most telling part of the speech was the part where he said.."I felt entitled"
He is not the first powerful person to think there are laws and rules for us commoners and then others for himself. He will also not be the last.

I know some will feel it was contrived and not sincere. Time will tell is he is really contrite but for this day he showed his human side for maybe the first time. His wife was so right when she talked of actions will tell the story, not words.

I also think his pledge to be a better person on the golf course is absolutely part of his rehabilitation. He will be not be given a pass as he has been given in the past. Times are changed, maybe forever, for Tiger and that is a good thing. A dose of humility never hurt anyone and he has I feel been humbled.

His detractors wanted more. People who disliked Tiger in the past got nothing from this apology. His fans, which I am one, are looking for this great athlete to get his life in order. I just want to see this man play golf again. The sooner the better. I hope he finds healing and becomes the greatest father and husband along with being the greatest athlete on the planet.

I See No Trades Making Mavs Better

The Dallas Mavericks started the season with a lot of promise. They added new players and were playing at a high level. Lately all the trends are going down and the team is having trouble beating anyone. The bottom may have been hit with a home loss to the Timber wolves. They of three win on the road all season.

Grumblings have become louder with each loss. The ire of the fans seems to have become focused on Josh Howard. This season he has missed a lot of time with injuries. The problem is when he plays he has not played very well. So the rumors have started on the trade front. The Mavs have done nothing to dispel these rumors and instead of fed them. Several suspects have been talked about in the past few days and weeks. Josh trade partners, if rumors are to be believed, are Caron Butler, Andre Iguodala and Kevin Martin. I propose to look at their statistics extended to 48 minutes and see how they stack up with Josh.

Caron Butler......... F/G  16.7 ppg...6.8 rpg..42.2%/31.7 3'S..48 minutes avg..20.54 ppg..8.364 rpg
Andre Iguodala......F/G  20.7 ppg...7.0 rpg..42.6 %/31.7 3'S..48 minutes avg..24.84 ppg..8.4 rpg
Kevin Martin.........G  20.4 ppg...................38.4%/36.3 3'S...48 minutes avg...24.84 ppg
Josh Howard..........G/F 12.5 ppg...3.6 rpg...40%/26.4 3'S......48 minutes avg...23.07 ppg..6.664 rpg

All the potential trade partners have remaining year on their contracts. Josh's contract has a team option for next season. All potential trade partners want something more than Josh in return. They either want the Mavs to take additional contract/contracts or give up a young player. When you extend their minutes I see a lot of the same except with additional cost in additional contracts or the Mavs including a player they don't want to include. Unless I see a trade that makes better sense than these, I don't make any of these trades.

I also see a Josh Howard that is getting better as his injury heals. I see a player who can create his own shot and plays good defense. I am not saying I wouldn't trade Josh. I am saying I wouldn't trade Josh for any of these players.

Dallas Cowboys Season in Review

Considering how the season started it ended about same. In between were a lot of highs and lows. Both NY Giants games seemed to be the lowest points in the season. The Eagles would like to know what the Giants have that they haven't . The three Eagles victories along with the Saints road win are classified as the highs of the year.

We watched Tony Romo wake up after a horrible first Giants and Denver games to set Cowboys season records. Most attempts, completion, QB rating fewest interceptions are now records owned by Tony. We saw a team get better by subtracting T O from the team. We watched Miles Austin become a true number one and Roy Williams fail on the biggest stage.

We watched the Cowboys defense finish number two in the league in scoring defense. We started with a platoon between Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick and ended with Jenkins in the Pro Bowl. All totaled the Cowboys put nine in and that tied the Eagles for most.

We watched "Wade's Guys" perform at a high level..Keith Brookings and Igor Oshanski both performed over what was predicted as did Gerald Sensabaugh. We also saw MartyB with so much potential live down to his. We watched the good and the bad of the Oline. Running wild against NO and Philadelphia,yet being eaten alive by GB and Minnesota.

We stayed healthy until the final game and suffered the consequences when Flozell went down early against the Vikings. If not for a horrible field goal kicker and the inability to make fourth and one, we might still be playing. We saw the offense get yards at will and yet struggle to score.
All in all twelve wins came as a surprise to nearly everyone. If you include the real predictions and not "Homer Calls" this team exceeded every one's expectations. Avenging a 44-6 drubbing by the Eagles was sweet satisfaction only to be eclipsed by a blow out loss to the Vikings a week later.

In conclusion this off season is going to be interesting. The Cowboys have nearly everyone under contract with only Miles Austin as a significant free agent and he is restricted. This team actually has a number one pick and a pick in all seven rounds. Wade got a two year extension and except for Dat Nguyen, all coaches are coming back. This season was a victory in the sense the team won the NFC East and won a playoff game. It could have been better but judging by what happened the year before all is good.

Go Cowboys..

Why The Longhorns Will Defeat The Tide

Nearly everyone is picking Alabama to defeat Texas in the BCS Championship. I hear about the Tide's awesome defense and how Texas was just lucky to be in the Game. Well let us take a look at the team from an unbiased point of view. The Stats.

Nebraska/Tennessee..UT escaped with a field goal on the last play of the game. Few people seem to acknowledge the Tide escaped with a blocked 44 yard field goal attempt by Tennessee on the last play of the game. Texas had more yards than Nebraska..more first downs..Alabama was out gained by over a 100 yards..had fewer first downs and had to block two field goals.

Texas A&M/Auburn..These are both rivalry games. They are hard to play and harder to win. You nearly throw out the records. Texas ran into a QB playing out of his mind. He had done nothing close before this and nothing afterward. Colt McCoy had a career day. In a game where he had to step up he did big time. He threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 175 and another touchdown. Texas out gained A&M..had more first downs and won by 10...Auburn out gained Alabama ..had more first downs and held Alabama to 5/14 on third down. They also held Ingram to 30 yards on 16 carries.

Defense......You hear a lot about Alabama defense and with good reason. They are really good and stand as number one in the NCAA..but...Texas is number eight..Plus on offense Alabama wants to run the ball and UT is the number one rushing defense..On offense Texas wants to pass..Alabama is number thirteen in pass defense..A word about Texas' defense coordinator Will Muschamp. He was the coordinator at Auburn and Texas runs the same defense that held Ingram to 30 yards..Texas is also tied for # 1 in the nation in interceptions..Ala. is # 20..Texas is # 3 in tackles for loss..Ala. is # 20..Sacks Texas # 5..Ala..# 20..

Offense...Not ever close..UT is # 4 in scoring offense..averaging over 40 points a game..Alabama is number 27 and scores more than 10 point a game less..Texas QB Colt McCoy is a fifth year senior and is undefeated in bowl games..Including two previous BCS games..,Alabama QB Greg MeElroy is a junior who wasn't a starter until this season.

My Conclusions:  Special Teams are a wash as both teams are really good. Texas does have a big advantage in KO returner D J Monroe who is number two with nearly 40 yards a return..The big difference is what the teams want to do on offense and what the defenses are good at..Texas wants to pass and will go against the # 13 pass defense..Alabama wants to run and Texas is the # 1 rushing defense..Add this to the historical fact that Alabama has never defeated Texas..(0-9)..

I rest my case..Except for...U T.....28.....Alabama 17

Dallas Faces a Tough Foe in San Diego

Here we go again. We have another week and the Cowboys are facing yet another good QB. Phillip Rivers is having one of the best years in the NFL and no one is noticing. With all the oxygen being drained because of Manning(the good one Peyton),Brees and Favre there is little left for anyone else. Quietly Phillip Rivers,who the Chargers drafted to replace Drew Brees, has went about his business and gotten his team to 9/3 in the AFC..

He has a 108 QB rating with 21 td's and only 6 picks. Unlike Brees who plays great at the Super Dome(131 qb rating at home) but average on the road(90 qb rating with 11 td's and 7 ints on the road), Rivers has a 108 rating but a 102 on the Road.

The Chargers have won 7 in a row..Unlike the Cowboys who sink in December the Chargers are at their best in the same month. In 2008 the Chargers won the last 4 games of the regular season and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. In 2007 they won the last 6 and lost in the Conference finals to N.E. I can go back to 2006 and see they won the last 10. This team is hard to beat anytime but in December they just don't lose. You have to go back to 2005 to see a loss in December.

The come to town this week riding high and playing great. In their 7 in a row wins San Diego has defeated the Giants and Eagles. They are no fluke. Coached by Norv Turner(who Jerry Jones scorned to hire Wade Phillips)has the offense running the same offense as the Cowboys. It is his offense that Jason Garrett learned and runs. In an irony of ironies the Chargers run the same defense as the Cowboys. It is Wade Phillips defense.

With so much inside information, these teams shouldn't surprise the other team..The QB's are close..Romo 20 tds/7 ints...Rivers 21 tds/7 ints..Offenses/Defenses are compairable..Dallas #11 offense/San Diego #3..
Dallas #5 defense/San Diego #13..Penalties..Dallas 62/San Diego 61..

I expect a close game. Dallas plays better at home and San Diego plays the same no matter where they are. The line is Dallas -3..