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It was truly a great game for the NCAA
National Championship last night in Phoenix.
The game fittingly came down to the number
one and number two teams in the polls. Last
year's game was a disappointment as the
injury to Colt McCoy put Texas out of the game
against Alabama and made it a one-sided affair.
Last nights game was a match of Auburn's defense
against the highly acclaimed offense of Oregon.
The Ducks of Oregon came into the game averaging
forty points per game, but Auburn seemed to have
the answer to their every play. This game was about
as even as they come, as Oregon scored to tie the
game at 19 with two minutes to play. The Auburn
offense is built around quarterback Cam Newton,
but despite running for 65 yards, and passing for
267 yards and two touchdowns, the Heisman Award
winner was overshadowed by his freshman running
back Mark Dyer. He ran for over 120 yards and was
named the Offensive MVP of the game. On the final
drive, Dyer ran off tackle and was thought to be downed,
but his knee never hit the ground and coaches along
the sideline shouted for him to continue to run. Dyer
carried it down close and Auburn kicked a last-second
field goal to win the game 22-19. For Newton, it is his
3rd National Championship in a row. In 2008 he was a
freshman on the title team of Florida and Tim Tebow, in
2009 he played on the Blinn Junior College national
title team, and now with Auburn. Chances are he will be playing on Sunday next season.
Thursday Jason Garrett was introduced
as the newest Head Coach of the Dallas
Cowboys. He is the seventh coach hired
by Jerry Jones since he bought the team
22 years ago. Unlike his predecessors, the
Garrett family is linked with this team. Jason's
father is in the scouting department of the
Cowboys, and his two brothers work in the
Valley Ranch complex where the team trains
on a daily basis. Thursday Jerry Jones said
the team would be Garrett's responsibility. The
new coach will have total charge over who
plays for the team and who will be on his coaching
staff. It sounds good now, but Jones had that
biological itch to be part of the coaching staff and
that led to Jimmy Johnson's demise. With the college
draft just around the corner, you must remember
it is Jones who likes to dominate the spotlight on draft
day. When it comes down to making some important
choices for the 2011 season, here is my list of some of
the players that should NOT be on the team.
1. Roy Williams- A perfect example of a good college player
that never panned out in the pro game. Simply a wash-out that Detroit traded to Dallas.
2. Marion Barber- A running back whose time has passed. He does not perform like he did three years ago. Garrett's dress code has already gotten Barber in the doghouse.
3. Alex Barron- This offensive tackle was almost unheard of this year despite the Cowboys needing early season help on the offensive line.
4. Keith Brooking- A great fill-in linebacker but nobody outruns Father Time. Brooking played longer than expected but it is time to go.
5.Tashard Choice- Showed a lot of improvement over 2009 but needs to find a fresh start with another team. Might be a
back-up player but never a regular down player.
6. Alan Ball- To call this guy a pro safety is a gross misstatement. He was beaten more times than a snare drum.
7. Marc Colombo- Average offensive tackle but injuries are become more often and he has slowed down considerably.
8. Marcus Spears- The left side defensive end is compared with the right side and that is DeMarcus Ware. No comparison!
9. Igor Olshansky- Another defensive end that gets lost in the game, but looks good on the practice field.
10. Leonard Davis- A gigantic offensive guard that just does not play up to his size. Has a problem moving to the right snap count and often penalized.
11. The majority of the defensive secondary. They don't even look for the ball until the opponents receiver has it in their grasp.
Just some of the problems facing new coach Jason Garrett. He has a big task ahead of him, but I believe he is the man for the job. 2011 is a long way off for you and I, but 2011 begins today for Garrett. Get to work, Jason!
It finally came to an end today...the Dallas
Cowboys 2010 NFL season ended with the
Cowboys beating the Philadelphia Eagles
14-13. Although it sounds like a victory, there
is little to be cheered about by Cowboy fans.
Philadelphia is preparing for the playoffs and
held out most of their star players. Dallas had
its first string players in the game facing the
back-ups for Philly and trailed in the game until
the final minute. Steven McGee was starting his
very first game as a member of the Cowboys
and played well, but veteran teammates
Roy Williams, Martilis Bennett, and others failed
to play up to par. Dallas needs to take a look at
some of the players that turned 2010 into a dismal
6-10 season. This is the team that pre-season polls
picked to be in the Super Bowl. The Cowboys first
move should be to re-build the defensive secondary.
The current secondary has more holes in it than a
slice of Swiss cheese. Linebacker Keith Brooking has
given the Cowboys two good years, but it is time for
him to go also. I am not one of the Cowboy fans spoiled
by the successful years; I was a fan in 1960 when Dallas
went through the season 0-11-1. They sucked then but
they were still my team. The same goes for now, but I
just can't stand it when lesser teams have such success
against the Cowboys, and most of the time it is on big
plays involving the secondary. Interim Head Coach Jason
Garrett is not the worst pick to coach the Cowboys in 2011, but he too needs to show some improvement in play-calling when the team is on offense. 2010 is behind us, and now it is time to start looking forward to next year.
I came across this photograph while doing some
background work about Don Meredith. The photo
shows most of the starting quarterbacks of the Dallas Cowboys
over the years who played for Coach Tom Landry. It got me to thinking about the quarterbacks missing from the photo.
Don Heinrick started one game in 1960 before Eddie LaBaron took over.
Meredith was slowly worked into the line-up beginning in
1961. John Roach started four games in 1964. My old high school
teammate Jerry Rhome started 2 games in 1965 and one in 66. 'The
Mad Bomber', Clint Longley, started only one game in 1975.
Others include Glenn Carano, who started one game in 1981,
Gary Hogeboom started two games in 1985. Steve Pelluer
became the starting QB for Dallas and played 9 games in
1986, 4 games in 1987, and 14 games in 1988. Kevin Sweeney
started 2 games in 1987 and 2 more in 1988....
BUT the photo is evidence of the love the players had for Coach Tom Landry.
He remains the 3rd winningest coach in NFL history. He was coach
of the Cowboys from 1960 thru 1988, compiling a record of 270
wins, 178 losses, and 6 tied games. 'The Coach' also led Dallas to two Super Bowl victories, five NFC titles, and thirteen Divisional titles. Landry was Coach of the Year in 1966 and 1975. His total of 20 career playoff victories is still tops in the NFL. Landry led the Cowboys to a NFL record 20 consecutive winning seasons from 1966 through 1985. The 4-3 defense was developed by Landry while he was an assistant coach
with the New York Giants. In the photo from left to right..DannyWhite, Troy Aikman, Don Meredith, Eddie LaBaron, Craig Morton, Coach Tom Landry, and Roger Staubach.
I have been interested in old cars since I
was a small boy.. My brother was the 1957 & 1959
National Champion at the NHRA Nationals and he
always had an old car in some stage of rebuild.
We used to go to drag races around the country and he would always come back on the back roads to see if he could find some automotive treasure. More times than not, he succeeded. Today I was taking my wife to breakfast and I spotted this deuce coupe on a side street in Denison.. It is powered by a V-6 engine and the interior was still a little rough, but it is a start. Cars like this are not seen as often as they should be and I blame the imported car makers for that. Why should someone spend money on fixing up a vintage car when he can drive a cheap Japanese car for a lot less? The answer to that question is simple...Because nobody else will have a car like yours.. It will be uniquely yours.
The 2010 edition of Toys For Tots motorcycle run
came off without a hitch on Saturday. This was the first year
that Texoma Harley-Davidson has been the primary
sponsor of the event. We had 358 bikes register for
the event and most of them were two-up (passenger also).
The ride was a 29 mile procession through Pottsboro,
Denison, and then back to Sherman. Many thanks to
the police, sheriffs deputies, and DPS units that held
up the auto traffic at major intersections. Upon returning
to the dealership, riders were treated to a vast buffet of
food. My wife was in charge of the food and nobody left
hungry. Riders were offered Chili, Stew, Chicken Wings,
Burritos, Tacos, Pastries, plus plenty of coffee and water.
The Marines filled up a trailer with toys, and we took in
donations of over $2,000. The weather could not have been
better. I took off my leather jacket and rode in a long-sleeve
tee-shirt. Best of all, we did not have a single rider injured in the event. The planning committee is to be commended for the smoothness of the event. Many thanks to our sponsors: Kroger's, Albertson's, Wal-Mart, The Boiler Room, Starbuck's, El Chico's, Panera's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Texas Select, Dr Pepper, T-Bones Restaurant, Cracker Barrel, and the Texas Roadhouse. Thanks again to all the participants and I know your Christmas will be good,...as we helped make it a brighter Christmas for some child that would not have had anything at all.. God Bless !
Last year at this time SMU's football team
was invited to a post-season bowl game for the
first time in twenty-five years. The Mustangs had
to travel all the way to Hawaii to play in that game.
This year the Ponies are back in a bowl game and it
will be a lot closer to home. Actually, it could not be
any closer. SMU will host Army in the 'Bell Helicopter
Armed Forces Bowl' on December 30th. The bowl game
would have been played in Fort Worth, but Amon Carter
Stadium is being refurbished and construction prohibits
the game from being played there. SMU qualified for the
game with a 7-5 season, but they were 6-2 in Conferense USA. The University of Central Florida defeated SMU in
the conference championship game 17-7 yesterday. The
United States Military Academy (Army) still has a date against Navy next Saturday in Philadelphia. Navy defeated SMU 28-21 earlier this season. The December 30th bowl game between SMU and Army will be played at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the SMU campus and will be televised by ESPN.
All Photos courtesy of the Dallas Morning News
