After letting Jason Taylor slip into enemy arms and cutting Joey Porter, the Dolphins have two huge holes on defense to fill. Not only do they need to replace their starting OLB's, they also need to replace the veteran leadership they brought to the young defense.

When the Dolphins kickoff the 2010-2011 NFL Season they will have many starters returning, but they will be missing a few key starters on defense. The Dolphins have done a nice job in their rebuilding process and getting a younger and more physical football team on the field.

A few names jump out at you when looking at the Dolphins defense from last year to this year. Jason Taylor, Joey Porter, Jason Ferguson, Gibril Wilson, even Phillip Merling will be missed. Although they have lost their veterans they have done a nice job replacing them: Koa Misi, Cameron Wake, Randy Starks, Jared Odrick, Charles Grant, Reshad Jones, Chris Clemons will all have important shoes to fill.

Late Wednesday night the Dolphins agreed to a contract with DE Charles Grant, former first round pick out of Georgia and picked by 2009-2010 Super Bowl Champions New Orleans Saints. The deal is rumored to be a two year deal worth $4.5 million. Grant will replace Ferguson's leadership on the D-line and will compete with first round pick Jared Odrick for a starting job.

The Dolphins have become one of the younger teams in the league by getting rid of their progress stoppers for the young players and having their acorns in place just in case a rookie needs time to develop into a star or impact contributor.

 

Dolphins Key losses: Jason Taylor, Jason Ferguson, Gibril Wilson, Joey Porter, Philip Merling(out for year: Injury)

Dolphins Key signings/draft/trades: Brandon Marshall , Jared Odrick , Koa Misi, Reshad Jones, Charles Grant , John Jerry

Calvin Pace belongs in New York City and he knows it.

Pace finally feels comfortable, feels at home in the big city after being born in Detroit, growing up in Georgia, playing college ball in North Carolina and four years of professional ball in Arizona.

Now he is home.

Pace was nice enough to set up an interview with Bleacher Report to talk about his love for New York and the trepidation he feels around labor negotiations.

Pace makes it clear that he loves the big city. He is just a metropolitan type of guy. One of his favorite hobbies is food and going out to some of New York's most glamorous restaurants.

Pace's favorite eatery is Per Se owned by superstar chef, Thomas Keller, and features lengthy tasting menus at $275 a seat. Single dinners run upwards of $50.

Midwestern Meat and Potatoes? Southern Chicken and Waffles? Southwestern Fajitas?

Not a chance...

Try Butter Poached Nova Scotia Lobster, Yukon Gold Potato Fondant, Caramelized Cipollini Onion, Scallion Emincée and Red Beet Marmalade with Smoked Soubise.

In addition, Pace loves finding new and exciting places to check out his biggest vice, Asian food: Chinese, Japanese, or Indian.

So, should Jets fans expect Calvin Pace to show up at camp looking more like Kris Jenkins?

"I'm just one of those lucky guys I don't gain weight easily so I can afford to be a foodie."

It's a good thing, because Pace loves going home after a great meal and firing up his own kitchen to try to recreate what he just ate.

It isn't just the food that Pace loves about New York.

He loves the New York Jets as well, especially some of the new additions that will be wearing green this season.

"It's been great having (Jason Taylor) around so far. It's crazy playing with someone you look up to. He's the type of guy who made it fashionable for a guy like me (6'4", 270) to play linebacker. His presence is going to help me."

Pace also says that he hasn't talked a lot of football with Taylor yet, saving that for training camp.

He also likes other additions, calling Kyle Wilson a "great draft pick" and that the Jets were "lucky to get him where they did." He loves having Antonio Cromartie around saying: "you can't have enough cover guys."

Pace knows that opposing quarterbacks will need to spend more time with the ball in their hands if receivers are covered.

That makes him very happy.

It doesn't matter who is on the field for the Jets. Pace says the team "needs to finish games better." If they want to win games.

"It doesn't matter if you play 58 good minutes, you can't let yourself get beat at the end of games."

This season, a decent amount of pressure will fall on the Jets and their media-friendly coach of the year, Rex Ryan. The Jets made the playoffs in 2009 and have added a sizable amount of talent and a few big names. Any step back will ignite the infamous New York Media.

Asked to provide his best Rex Ryan story, Pace took an extra minute to think and chuckled.

"Aw man, I gotta think about this one because a lot of the good stories are x-rated."

Pace went on to tell a story about an ice breaker that Ryan introduced for the players which was a modified version of "Jeopardy," asking members of the team trivia questions about their teammates. One of the better categories was "baby pictures."

Somehow, Ryan had acquired a baby picture of Jets center Nick Mangold. Clad in a German-style outfit complete with lederhosen and garter socks.

Pace says that Ryan loves to keep things loose and usually makes himself the butt of many jokes. It worked for the Jets last year and hasn't compromised the team's ability to prepare for and win games.

The other question that really got Pace laughing was when it was asked if he had a hard time leaving Arizona. Meaning no disrespect, Pace said:

"Ha, no, not hard at all. My time was up there. They had some other things to take care of and I was very happy to come to New York...I just want to thank Mike Tannenbaum every day, thank him face to face, for taking a guy who wasn't a household name and bringing me to New York."

Pace is very cognizant of the fact that 2011 brings a lot of uncertainty in the football world. He is thankful of team reps like Brandon Moore and Tony Richardson who spend a lot of their free time staying abreast of issues of the labor negotiations and keeping the team involved.

"It's just unfortunate man, I mean, what are people supposed to do if there isn't football? Football isn't just the players. It's the people working in the stadiums, restaurants, driving cabs. A lot of people are going to suffer."

Pace blames both sides and says everyone needs to "put aside greed," and get a deal done. However, he also makes it clear that he doesn't believe players are being too demanding.

"When you break it down, people come to see the players play. No one comes to see Jerry Jones or Arthur Blank. Why would players take less from a sport that isn't suffering, that is making lots of money. Players just want to be treated fairly. Don't let these owners make you think that they're losing money."

It is important, Pace believes, that people form their own opinions and do their own research. This is an important issue and people and the media need to talk about it more, in order to put pressure on both sides to come together.

"The game is never going to be the same after a lockout."

Unlike many of his teammates, Pace doesn't plan on taking up other work during a possible lockout, but he is continuing to plan on life after football, doing internships and working with charities to improve the lives of others.

"Football isn't life." Pace says, not sure exactly what he wants to do at the end of his career. He hopes to play seven or eight more years. After that, he knows he wants to spend time with his family and right now couldn't imagine coaching or refereeing and traveling most of the year.

In the meantime, Pace wants no part of switching teams again. He hopes to retire a New York Jet. Taking time again to thank the team for bringing him in and the team and media for accepting him so quickly.

Asked to give one more statement to tell fans what Calvin Pace is all about, he said.

"Tell fans that Calvin Pace is humble, hungry, and always ready to try and get better and win the big one, the big trophy, for you guys."

It's clear a good meal isn't the only thing Calvin Pace is hungry for.

Duo join Further, Jimmy Cliff, Sharon Jones and more at the festival beginning Thursday in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
By James Dinh

Nas and Damian Marley
Photo: Redferns

Bridgeport, Connecticut's Seaside Park is about to be transformed into the annual celebration of art, camping and jamming known as the Gathering of the Vibes festival. From Thursday (July 29) to Sunday, fans will be treated to the sounds of Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley and Nas, Further (a.k.a. the surviving members of the Grateful Dead), Jimmy Cliff, Primus, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and many more.

"This is an event that was put together 15 years ago," event publicist Jonathan Lobdell told MTV News. "And it sort of morphed into this great big family reunion with people who come back every single year and grow these tremendous bonds that last lifetimes."

The Gathering is also literally a family affair, with a crowd that consists of kids, parents and even grandparents that get to escape for a few days. "Every year, when we get into our cars to go home, we have to get back into reality," Lobdell added.

The Gathering of the Vibes began back in 1996 when fans of the late Jerry Garcia came together to celebrate the Grateful Dead frontman's life. Since then, the event has grown in popularity, venue-hopped throughout the Northeast and remained a platform for established and up-and-coming musicians. This weekend marks its sixth return to Seaside Park.

Among the other acts scheduled to perform include the Radiators, Little Feat, New Riders of the Purple Sage and Beastie Boys DJ Mix Master Mike. The festival is anticipating 20,000 plus spectators per day to attend. MTV News spoke to a few attendees about the festivities and it's clear that the Gathering of the Vibes is definitely one anticipated event.

Though he lives just across the street, 29-year-old Tom Prokop has never officially attended the Gathering until this year. "This year will actually be my first trip inside the gates, but I have sat on my porch every year and listened to the great music," he said. "I haven't been inside yet, but have seen many people over the years at Vibes, and I would say that people should be prepared for the best 80 or so hours of their lives."

New York native Colin Cosell pointed to Nas and Damian Marley's presence as a welcome sign of the fest's increasing musical diversity.

"I admit I was surprised when I saw them on the lineup but greatly appreciate the fact that an act like theirs is performing in festival like Vibes," he told MTV News. "It definitely breaks some barriers and expands the Gathering's horizons beyond the Grateful Dead culture and feel."

Jen Waldron, 39, said her first time at the Gathering set the bar high. "It was a life-changing experience," she said. "I've never felt so much positive energy in one place in my life. This is not normally my scene either."

Are you going to go to this year's Gathering of the Vibes festival? Who are you looking forward to seeing? Share your thoughts below!

Related Artists

• Damian Marley
• Nas

Those of you who follow BTB regularly know that we are huge fans of the type of advanced statistical NFL analysis done by Football Outsiders. We have used Football Outsiders (FO) statistics quite frequently here on BTB in the past to quantify and solidify our arguments and we will continue to use their unique statistical analysis and insight in the upcoming season.

FO publish some of the most interesting and incisive work you can find anywhere on football, and if you look closely, you’ll find that many BTB members are also members of footballoutsiders.com. If you've never heard of them, here's a good introduction.

FO's managing editor, Bill Barnwell, was kind enough to take some time and answer Dallas Cowboys questions from his FO perspective. A huge thanks to Bill.

"Bill Barnwell graduated from Northeastern University in 2006 and served as the Sports Editor for IGN.com before becoming FO's Managing Editor. Bill has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and ESPN The Magazine, as well as FOXSports.com and Rotoworld.com, while his research has been cited in papers around the country and on the Freakonomics blog. He also serves as a statistical consultant to a Major League Baseball team. Bill currently writes the "Quick Reads" and "Fantasy Matchups" columns each week for ESPN.com."

For those of you who may have missed it, FO have just published the ‘Football Outsiders Almanac 2010’ and if you’re even remotely interested in football statistics and analysis, it is a must-read. The Almanac is available as a .pdf file or in book form and it can be purchased here or from Amazon here.

The Interview with Bill Barnwell after the break.

Blogging The Boys: Before we get into specific questions about this year’s Almanac, we’ve got to talk about the elephant in the room: Here in Cowboy land, we have the strong feeling that FO’s statistical model, for whatever reason, consistently underrates the Cowboys and consistently overrates teams like the Eagles and the Patriots, whose DVOA rating for example is often higher than their league W-L record. Is there a specific aspect of the Eagles or Patriots game that makes them perform better on the FO statistical model?

Bill Barnwell: Hmmm. I think we got that reputation in 2008, when we started doing a feature with Tim MacMahon at his Dallas Morning News blog. That year, the Eagles had a higher DVOA than the Cowboys for pretty much the entire season, despite the fact that the Eagles appeared to be in turmoil and the Cowboys started off the year on that great run.

I think if there's anything to that idea, it's that the Patriots and Eagles are two of the most pass-happy teams in the league, and DVOA rewards the sort of consistent gains and repeated first downs that such a system entails. Those are two of the most successful teams of the past ten years, so I don't know if I'd say that DVOA is overrating them, but I expect that some might disagree.

Last year, the Cowboys had the fifth-best DVOA in the league; the Eagles were fourth. If we included the playoffs, the Cowboys would be ahead of the Eagles. The Patriots were third, but they played a much harder schedule than either the Cowboys or the Eagles. If we don't include strength of schedule, Dallas ranks ahead of New England. I don't think any of that is unreasonable. The Cowboys were a very good football team last year by any measure, including DVOA.

BTB: The 2010 Almanac FO projected the Cowboys with 7.5 wins for the 2010 season and finishing last in the NFC East behind the first place Eagles, second place Redskins and third place Giants. Can you briefly explain how you arrived at that projection, and what are the Cowboys’ best- and worst-case scenarios for 2010?

BB: Well, I think there's a fair amount of things our projection system would be concerned with when it comes to Dallas. First is that thing we always talk about with the Cowboys -- health. Dallas had the league's second-fewest AGL (Adjusted Games Lost, our injury metric) a year ago. Although I think the world of Jim Maurer and the work that his crew does, that's not going to happen again; their ranks in defensive AGL over the previous four years were 12th, 8th, 22th, and 19th. Obviously, an injury to DeMarcus Ware or Jay Ratliff would be catastrophic. The expected increase in injuries should drive a decline in a defense that was only 12th in the league in DVOA a year ago. There's also not the depth available that the team had a few years ago, as the poor drafts at the end of the Parcells Era have come home to roost.

There are also holes that our projection system doesn't really like, especially the one at left tackle. You could argue that Doug Free will be a very good left tackle at this level, but the truth is that we don't know yet. (I can tell you Alex Barron isn't.) The offensive line is creaky and, after years of staying healthy, has begun to collapse. There's very little experience at safety. The schedule's tough.

I think the best-case scenario is that Dallas stays healthy, wins a bunch of divisional games, and goes 11-5 and takes the NFC East. If that happened, I certainly wouldn't be shocked; it's what happened last year. In the worst-case, Romo or Ware go down with a big injury, Doug Free is Pettiti 2.0, the secondary is a sieve, and they go 6-10 and Jerry Jones drops the scoreboard on Wade Phillips.

BTB: I’d argue that the Cowboys depth on the offensive skill positions, WR, RB and TE and even backup QB is some of the best in the NFL, and our secondary and LB depth is not far behind either. You’ve argued that the Cowboys are short in depth. What do you base that on?

BB: I don't think I can agree with you there. Certainly, I think the world of Tashard Choice, and Martellus Bennett is a very good second tight end. If you include Dez Bryant as wide receiver depth, I think he's a talented player, but rookie wideouts aren't exactly sure things by any stretch of the imagination, even guys who end up as really good players in this league.

Jon Kitna hasn't played since 2008 and he wasn't all that good when he was in the lineup. Again, I think highly of Orlando Scandrick, but he's going to be playing most snaps anyway, he can't play on the outside, and there's nothing behind him. The starters at safety are weak, let alone the reserves, and we don't know anything about Sean Lee. I think we'll have to agree to disagree.

BTB: Earlier this year you examined the injury rates of all NFL teams based on the FO Adjusted Games Lost stat and concluded: "Among the six healthiest teams were organizations that have made a habit of showing up at the bottom of these lists: Tennessee, Kansas City, and Dallas. […] While we've established that injury totals for a team tend to regress to the mean, it's becoming apparent that those organizations might be quantifiably better at keeping their players healthy than the average team". Is this something you factored into your win projections, or did you assume a regression to the mean for the Cowboys in terms of injury?

BB: We do factor this into the win projections. I expect the Cowboys to regress towards the mean in injuries, but I don't expect them to regress in the way that a total flukily-healthy team like the Broncos might.

BTB: Dallas is not the only team that you project to finish far below where the majority of observers would rank them. The Saints, Vikings and Chargers all project badly. What type of reactions have your projections elicited so far, and what were the initial reactions at FO headquarters when you saw the projected results for the first time?

I don't know if I'd say they project badly; they all have win projections between eight and nine wins, which I think isn't stunning. If we know anything about the majority of observers heading into a season, it's that they fail to account for how much change there is likely to be in a team's record from year-to-year. (2009 was a notable exception in this regard.)

Virtually no teams win 11-12 games year after year; whether it be due to injury, a tougher schedule, a change in performance, bad luck ... a fair amount of them drop back to the pack. When our model projects this, I don't think it surprises any of us as writers; it's just taking a longer-term view of the league and its yearly dynamics than most others.

BTB: Heading into last season, Miles Austin was the #1 prospect on FO’s 25 Top NFL Prospects list which you personally compile annually. At that point, Austin had not started a single NFL game, yet you put him in the #1 spot. Hats off for that. Now of course we’re all curious: Did any other Cowboys make the list this year?

BB: See! We don't hate the Cowboys! The Cowboys were represented again on this year's list; Tashard Choice was fourth and Orlando Scandrick was sixth.

BTB: FO also does a lot of research into how college players will perform in the NFL. What do your projections say about Dez Bryant?

BB: We use a statistic called Playmaker Score to measure how wideouts will do at the pro level; it's not an exact science by any means, but it's a good way of separating guys into buckets of "Likely to succeed" and "Likely to fail". Dez Bryant had the best Playmaker Score of any wideout taken in the first two rounds of this year's draft. That's good news for his pro prospects. Again, I don't know if I'd expect him to contribute at a high level this year, but he should be an effective receiver going forward.

BTB: The Cowboys offense ranked in the top 5 in terms of DVOA last season in both pass offense (4th) and run offense (3rd), but ranked only 15th on pass defense. What were the issues from a DVOA perspective?

BB: I actually wrote a lot about this in the Maple Street Press Cowboys Annual that Dave Halprin curated. I think the biggest issue was the regression of the pass rush, driven by the decline in DeMarcus Ware's numbers. Of course, relying on a guy to get 20 sacks a year is crazy. Although the ends in Wade Phillips's system aren't expected to get lots of pass pressure, they should be able to do better than four sacks.

On the whole, the Cowboys had the league's best sack rate (sacks / dropbacks) in 2008, but fell off to 12th in 2009, something that will need to improve for the pass defense to halt what's been a three-year slide in overall performance.

BTB: If you were Jerry Jones for a day, what’s the one decision you would make before the season starts to improve this football team?

BB: I'd get out of the way, but if I did that, I wouldn't be Jerry Jones!

The latest reality show called T.O. Drama hijacks the airwaves in Cincinnati, beyond all the possible circumstances of dividing as a bonding core and plunging mightily at the earliest of September, becoming the epicenter of arguably the biggest tragicomedy in sports.

It’s a risky combination and the most perilous experiment in football, assembling together diva-like receivers with cancerous symptoms of dismantling a franchise’s morale and chemistry. As the most despised NFL star, Terrell Owens is the most controversial receiver with an egomaniacal behavior, demanding the football and crying when he’s not getting enough touches.

It’s baffling that the Cincinnati Bengals are getting the popcorn ready, to witness the most dangerous reality show, to witness a temperamental receiver cause confrontation and isolate a franchise with his self-centered attitude. In the meantime, Owens and Chad Ochocinco’s relationship is unconditional love, of course, as neither has played their first game together, but are evidently close friends and have an amiable bond.

At some point, realizing that Terrible Owens is a curiosity in football either when he’s unemployed or emerging as the famous nuisance on reality shows, we can revisit the previous teams that corroded because of Owens’ dysfunction and development as a saboteur. It’s a marriage of controversy, a relationship expected to weaken early in the regular season as mood swings and infighting chaos are looming ever so quickly.

For all the abuse San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, and somewhat Buffalo took, fans in any other town than Cincinnati are laughing at the clowns of the league for gambling on a dangerous and worthless S.O.B. Once, he was allowed numerous chances to enrich a miserable psyche and polish as the most talented wideout, gifted at running routes and physically bringing in an astonishing catch, but he’s a declining receiver with the knack to launch reality shows on VH1 and be represented as a celebrity bust, rather than a football bust.

So, it’s simple to discern that bringing in Terrible Owens are signs of trouble, and the most horrific blunder by reaching an agreement with a mischief maker. If you don’t think Owens agreeing to a one-year, $2 million contract with a potential $2 million more in incentives is crazy, well, you obviously haven’t seen him yelling at teammates or throwing hissy fits with coaches on the sideline or haven’t seen him generating tirades and blaming all his foolish stunts on the media.

When it comes to Terrible Owens, the arrival of an uncivilized star spells trouble. When it comes to Terrible Owens, reaching a deal is a warning sign of hazardous episodes and the demise of one troubled superstar, engulfed by publicity madness, drama, and baggage to downsize a team’s assurance. By now, we are burned out of Owens’ me-myself-and-I practices, irritating our consciousness and the way we perceive a petulant veteran who usually at times conduct himself as an inexperience rookie, as if he’s still finding his way in the league.

As usual, Owens will drain the executives, coaching staff, and teammates in the Bengals organization, particularly if the team doesn’t compromise within his stingy and greedy demands. Why is he worth the hassle? By entering his 15^th NFL season, he has accomplished unforeseen feats, an explosive receiver with inconceivable agility and crafty footwork, ranking third in career receiving yards and touchdowns and sixth in receptions.

The good-case scenario is that he provides veteran leadership and performs at the highest level alongside teammate Ochocinco, to form a receiver tandem in limbo. But the worst-case scenario is that he tears down chemistry and spirit by initiating rampages and havoc inside the locker room for jealousy and insecurity of his peers and teammates, accumulating more touches or regards.

“It’s really, really interesting we can be on the same team and work together,” Ochocinco said Tuesday on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

To refresh everyone’s memory, he lasted two seasons in Philadelphia and always had heated feuds with quarterback Donovan McNabb by verbally attacking teammates and throwing tantrums on the sidelines. Remember, he cried and created a ruckus in Dallas, initiating tiring feuds that were advertised publicly when he feuded with quarterback Tony Romo, irritated because he wasn’t getting enough touches or participating in a high-powered offense.

Remember, his disturbing antics forced loyal owner Jerry Jones to release a problematic Owens, whose babyish disruptions were very ravaging within a franchise. Remember, he spent eight seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, exploding when he attacked Jeff Garcia and insulting his quarterback by calling him gay.

As a well-known diva, it was a risky move for the Bengals, who advanced to the playoffs last season and had enough talent and problems. It’s bad enough that owner Mike Brown is a dauntless businessman willing to take gambles and lobby for rebellious players. If anything, he’s not concerned with building a depleted franchise with unlawful players, but he prefers to win a significant amount of games and advance to the playoffs, having a troubled Larry Johnson and Matt Jones, including a mobile running back Cedric Benson, who benefited on the field while running into unlawful troubles of the field.

Without carefully considering, Brown accepts a mystic Terrible Owens and welcomes the wideout to the Bengals family, based on talent and not a poor reputation. All of which, quarterback Carson Palmer, who has worked with Owens and has been “highly impressed,” is the victim of T.O. attacks if he loses his mind and self-control.

It figures that Cincinnati is Owens' last franchise before he announces his retirement, with the aging receiver’s style suddenly declining and approaching the late stages of his disillusioning career. It’s a tremendous opportunity for T.O. to mellow as the innocent sports figure and prove to all the populace that he’s not such a villain or franchise suicide, garnering a sense the world revolves around Terrible Owens.

He must discard all the diva acts, an annoying trend needless within a franchise on a mission, so maybe it’s his last resort for avoiding unemployment and salvaging job security and maybe it’s his last resort at thriving with a championship-caliber team and winning a title.

Then again, maybe he’ll be the crybaby that will mope over the amount of touches and receptions. Then again, maybe at the end of the season Marvin Lewis, who is responsible for babysitting Terrible Owens, may have to stroll to the nearest Babies “R” Us and stick a pacifier in Owens’ mouth for weeping and bickering.

“Yes, people can make mistakes,” said Brown. “It doesn’t mean that they go on the rest of their lives making mistakes. They can get their ship pointed in the right direction. This is a 36-year-old man. He’s been through a lot. He’s proven as a player and as a person.”

He’s a little baby and cries out loud. It’s common that he’ll excel and blend in well at the beginning, but as time carries on, he could become the attention-seeker and create havoc, especially when the team is performing poorly and losing a critical amount of games.

Oftentimes, he has blamed ESPN for defaming a troubled reputation and exposing erroneous images. Now, it’s the worldwide leader in sports fault, if he acts like a foolish dimwit, unwilling and blinded by the truth. It’s the actions of Owens, not a television network or Internet source that he deeply targets and holds accountable.

“The teams I’ve been on, if you ask in that locker room how I’ve been as a teammate and as a person, it’s contradictory to what’s been displayed out there,” Owens said. “I’ve never been in any trouble. I know right from wrong. I try to make the right choices and judgments when I’m out in the public.

“It’s not like I can’t play. There is some type of influence that they’re making in the minds of teams and owners and GMs. I feel like I have enough talent to be a starter on any team. That’s what’s so frustrating.”

At anytime, he could lose his mind, throw a hissy fit, and verbally attack teammates. At anytime, Owens’, Ochocinco’s and Palmer’s egos may helplessly collide. With the poor character of Terrible Owens, anything is possible. You never know. 

If you are tuning in to the latest reality show, your regularly scheduled program could be cancelled, allowing Terrible Owens to return to “The T.O. Show,” or even Oprah or Dr. Phil for some advice on how to avoid dysfunction. As we all know, Ochocinco appeared on “Dancing With the Stars” and currently starring in a dating show called “Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch." It’s easy to postulate that they are obsessed with popularity and attention, but also have mental and personal issues.

There’s a reality show in Cincinnati. It’s called the "Team of Dysfunction."

Oh, Lord…

by Randy Rieland.

We finally got a look at what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) considers climate and energy legislation. Don’t cheer all at once. 

What we have is a spill bill with trinkets [PDF]—some money for Home Star, which would provide rebates to people who do energy-efficiency retrofits on their homes; some money to help convert commercial trucks to natural gas; some money for the Land and Water Conservation Fund; and some money to start building an infrastructure to support electric cars—a project pushed by the Electrification Coalition, a group of executives from companies like PG&E and Nissan. (Coincidentally, it just so happens that Nissan has a new electric car about to hit the market.)

The rest of the Senate bill cracks down on offshore drilling. A House bill [PDF], also trotted out yesterday, deals exclusively with tightening regulation of oil and gas drillers. Kate Sheppard of Mother Jones provides a good rundown of both bills.

The pain is almost pleasure: While all of the above might sound pretty unobjectionable, au contraire. Republicans are moaning about some of the measures aimed at offshore drillers, particularly one that eliminates the cap on a company’s liability for a spill, and another that would raise the current oil production tax from 8 cents per barrel to as much as 49 cents per barrel. The House bill also includes a provision that would forbid any company with a history of safety violations from bidding on new leases. (That’s a big uh-oh for BP.) 

Aside from complaining that they won’t have time to debate the bills (like this whole energy issue just came up last week), some Republicans are saying they’re being set up, since the bills include changes they can’t possibly support. And that will make it easier to portray them as tools of Big Oil. As one Democratic strategist told Politico’s Coral Davenport, “Republicans have found themselves on the defensive on that issue, and they are sitting on piles of big oil contributions. Absolutely, this is something we will be playing up before Election Day.”

Dr. Squealgood:  The American Petroleum Institute (API) immediately went into High Whine. (Bet you didn’t see that coming.) It issued a statement warning that the bills would “cut domestic production, kill American jobs, slow economic growth, and cost billions in federal oil and natural gas revenues.” (It stopped short of claiming it would mean the end of the world as we know it.) Later, API CEO Jack Gerard took his shots, badmouthing a measure in the House bill that would raise the standards for blowout preventers, the last-stop devices designed to keep wells from rupturing. It was premature, he kvetched, since no one has officially determined the cause of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. He said it was “like going into surgery without a diagnosis.” It was, he concluded, “the ultimate in malpractice.” 

Slime after slime: Meanwhile, back at the spill, a squad of federal investigators is gathering in New Orleans to start a criminal probe of Deepwater Horizon’s Big Three—BP, Transocean, which owned the rig, and Halliburton, which poured cement for the well, reports Jerry Markon in The Washington Post. The federal agency formerly known as the Minerals Management Service could also take a hit.

One emerging line of inquiry, sources said, is whether inspectors for the Minerals Management Service, the federal agency charged with regulating the oil industry—which is itself investigating the disaster—went easy on the companies in exchange for money or other inducements. A series of federal audits has documented the MMS’s close relationship with the industry.

Masters of perception:  There’s no question that the BP spill hasn’t been good for Obama. But you can’t say the same thing for Gulf Coast governors. Jeanne Cummings, writing in Politico, reports how Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R), Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R), and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) have all been able to spin the oil slick into political fortune. Their photo ops on beaches and rants against the feds have boosted their popularity—Jindal’s approval rating is now up to 74 percent. Is it sour grapes to bring up how his pet project to build sand berms has been condemned by almost two dozen Gulf Coast scientists? Or that Barbour, as head of the Republican Governors Association, was able to raise $2 million from oil and gas interests last quarter?

How BP goes green:  It was tough enough to swallow that BP Bad Boy Tony Hayward will get a pension of almost $1 million a year. But now it looks like BP, due to the huge cost of dealing with the spill, will be able to write off almost $10 billion in U.S. taxes—or roughly half the amount it pledged to victims of the spill.

They know slick.

Related Links:

On day 100 of the Gulf gusher, a timeline of the tragedy

Obama vows to fight on for climate change bill

Energy bill could save PACE clean-energy program—if a Republican will help

Woodstock Mixed Martial Arts is a tournament at the school in May 2008 and two of our best students fought in a match controlled contact MMA. Developed by Schulenburg Family Woodstock Mixed Martial Arts teaching degrees Pro-Star John, Joe Brignoli and Jerry Jones.

The greatest revolution in California history has begun and its leader, California candidate for governor Chelene Nightingale, has gone 'viral' and worldwide.

While mainstream media outlets cooperate with orders to promote gubernatorial candidates Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman, global internet interest in Chelene Nightingale is exploding in the final 100 days before the November election.

Support From Voters From All Political Parties

Supporters of Ron Paul, Rand Paul, Ronald Reagan, Alex Jones, Martin Luther King, Jr., Glenn Beck, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, Sarah Palin, Cesar Chavez, the American Founding Fathers and the U.S. Constitution are uniting in common support for Nightingale's campaign for California governor.

Belief in the adage, "As goes California, so goes the nation", has millions of Constitutional supporters from 48 states and 21 nations interested in seeing Chelene Nightingale become the 39th Governor of California.

California's status as America's richest, most populated, most powerful, and most desirable state makes it, and its governor's race, an international focal point.  A revolution headed by a woman, who is frequently compared to Joan of Arc, makes it the most compelling political story of 2010 by far.

Public Demand Exploding

Californiality has received more than 200 emails advising against further coverage of the Nightingale Revolution, but 743,000 emails requesting more Chelene Nightingale coverage cannot be denied.  A modern revolution is too compelling to ignore.

The California Revolution of 2010 is a political nuclear blast that expands with each new day.  Its power and intensity are building. 

 One of my favorite summer traditions is watching Richard Linklatter's classic "Dazed and Confused." Twins games, grilling and watching "Dazed and Confused." You can set your watch to me watching this movie each June, reviving a college tradition where Jash, Troll and I would watch it basically every night in late May, until we departed for the summer.

I got behind the 8-ball on my tradition this year, having popped it in the ol' Blue Ray in mid-July. It made it almost better, in a way. One of the coolest opening sequences ever produced, the slow-motion filing of stoned high school kids into the last day of school to Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion," seemed even more timeless.

Maybe that's what got me to see it in a different light, but I found it even more enjoyable in 2010. My wife and I laughed hugely around the idea of what would happen if kids tried to do even one aspect of what Randall "Pink" Floyd, Donny, Bennie and Slater did that night.

At its root, the ritual hazing of the freshman-to-be, up to and including forcing them to bend over and accept paddling by the newly minted senior class.

I'm sure that's not what Cowboys veteran WR Roy Williams was thinking when he asked rookie Dez Bryant to carry his shoulder pads as Dallas kicked off training camp.

Or was it?

Williams grew up in Odessa, Tex., attending Permian High School, the rival of the subject school of Dazed and Confused, Midland Lee. Bryant's a Texan, too, hailing from Lufkin.

The incident allegedly played out when Williams told Bryant to carry his shoulder pads, and Bryant refused. It's sort of akin to O'Banion chasing Carl and Mitch down through their neighborhood, paddle in hand (FAH-Q) ready to dish out punishment for making it to the 9^th grade. Carl and Mitch obtain refuge in Carl's house, while Carl's mom (Jerry Jones?) cocks a shotgun in O'Banion's face.

"Oh, and Mitch, Carl...we'll be seeing each other again soon."

Not to pick on Texans, but the Steelers have a few of their own. Casey Hampton, Tony Hills and Jonathon Scott all went to Texas, but former Steelers P Josh Miller told Christine Newby (perfect last name for this column) on 93.7 The Fan's web site that hazing is a part of the game.

"You got a guy that says, ‘No.' What does that mean? ‘OK, let's really get him.' So I mean, (Bryant) is setting himself up before the first snap has even started in training camp so hopefully he'll turn around and just accept anything that's coming to him and then they will get off of him," Miller said to the radio station.

These kinds of stories aren't reported around the Steelers very often. The most notable of late was what the veterans did to Rashard Mendenhall after fumbling twice at Minnesota in the preseason of 2008.

Steelers players got $100 for stealing a football that Mendenhall was required to carry with him at all times. They got $500 if they were able to return it to the running backs meeting. Mendenhall was responsible for paying the player who took it from him.

Hines Ward and Willie Parker were behind the scheme, which may or may not have helped; Mendenhall fumbled three times last season. But coach Mike Tomlin's words about the inter-team discipline is very fitting: "Peer pressure is the ultimate motivator."

While Williams tries to deflect the shine from the O'Banion spotlight he's been placed under, and people everywhere debate whether Bryant's Mitch-and-Carl act is good or bad, it seems as if the Steelers locker room acts much like what the self-described ineffectual nothing Mike says when the senior girls are telling the freshmen to "fry like bacon," or to "air raid."

"What amazes me about this is that everyone seems to be condoning this, or at least turning their heads. I mean, they gave them permission to use the parking lot, they're selling refreshments."

Then again, telling players to not fumble the ball isn't the same as telling them to carry their shoulder pads. Williams' motivation comes into question. Maybe he didn't want to drop them, like he dropped most of what was thrown at him last year.

The Steelers are a veteran-laden team, well-known around the league as being very open to helping rookies contribute to the team. Maybe they have to carry shoulder pads here and there, which seems a trifle lame, but if Hampton or Ward tells a rookie to do something, we gotta think he'll do it.

Or, at the least, we're not going to read much about it. Like Tomlin says, peer pressure is the ultimate motivator. Or, as Miller said, if you refuse, then they're really going to get you.

I'm looking forward to seeing Bryant being driven through a car wash.

Dez Bryant just agreed to a five year deal with the Dallas Cowboys, which means he will be in camp and was when the Cowboys reported last weekend. This showed that he ready to get to work right away. He was the first first-round draft pick to sign, and obviously wanted to get to camp right away so he could learn the offense, and be a major contributor this season. However, the question is, will he be a stud or dud in the NFL? 

He was a breakout receiver in college at Oklahoma State known for his speed and touchdown catches. However, he had some character issues, and as a result of them only played in first three games last season as he was suspended the remainder of the season.

He is one of those make or break players. He can produce when he is on the field, but when he is making dumb decisions, he can hurt your team. 

The Cowboys took a risk in drafting him as he fell into their laps in the first round. Will Dez reward the Cowboys with big plays, and a big target for Tony Romo? Jerry Jones sure hopes so.

He gave Dez number 88 to wear, the same number that Michael Irvin wore when he caught balls from Troy Aikman. We know how that ended. Both lead the Cowboys to the Super Bowl, and now are in the Hall of Fame in Canton. Will Romo finally step up now that he has great talent not only in Dez, but also in Miles Austin?

For Dez Bryant to be a stud in the NFL his rookie season and beyond, he must stay out of trouble. That's the first step. Next, he must give Romo a deep threat target, and be someone that will hold onto the ball.

Dez also must be a receiver that plays after the catch and sparks the Cowboys offense. He must give the fans in Dallas at Cowboys Stadium something to cheer about. Finally, he must earn the trust of Romo, Wade Phillips, and Jason Garrett, so the ball will be thrown his way, and that starts by holding onto the ball, being a leader, and staying out of trouble. 

He already got into the news as he said no to Roy Williams, fellow Cowboys receiver, as Williams told him to carry his shoulder pads as part of rookie hazing. This could be good or bad.

It's good becuase he stood up for himself, but possibly bad, because he needs to respect veterans. I guess we'll see as the season goes on if Dez continues to stand up for himself, which he needs to do, but also respect his other teammates. 

Another positive is he went with Tony Romo to a quarterbacks only part of training camp, solely to catch balls. This shows that he really wants to learn and really wants Romo's trust. Hopefully, he continues to show this kind of hard work ethic. 

If Dez Bryant turns out to be a dud, he will either underperform, find himself in legal trouble, or feud with his teammates. That is definitely not what Cowboy fans want or need. They don't need another Terrell Owens, who dropped balls and was a distraction for that football team. 

As the season approaches, and as Cowboys camp is now underway in Dallas, keep an eye on Dez. He has real talent, he just has to be smart with it. 

Imagine a picture-perfect cold November Sunday. You wake up, make your cup of coffee, log in to Yahoo sports and set your….fantasy basketball lineup?

Or worse, your family gathers for Thanksgiving, dad, brother, cousins, uncles, slamming beers in the living room sitting down to...Fox’s paid programming.

The mere thought of a year without football is enough to make the majority of America cringe and enough to make it blatantly obvious that the National Football League has transcended its roll as sports entertainment.

The lengths people will go for their beloved franchises are remarkable and beyond ridiculous. That passion, for 21 weeks a year, fuels an entire nation.

It’s no longer fun and games. It’s religion.

Yet, it’s in jeopardy of disappearing.

The NFL is dangerously close to a lockout for reasons like Cowboy’s receiver Dez Bryant’s arrogant display in what was essentially his first day on the job.

Bryant refused to carry fellow receiver Roy Williams’ pads after practice. It sounds pretty elementary, but it’s the principle in play here that disappoints and really disgusts me.

Enter first-round pick. Young millionaire. Future prodigy. On top of the world.

Now enter underachieving wideout who currently holds first round picks starting job and will likely lose it in this very training camp. “Hey rook, grab my pads on the way out.”

A sense of entitlement overwhelms Dez Bryant. He wasn’t brought here to carry Roy Williams’ pads. He was brought here to take his job, to push him, to put him out of work.

Except he was brought here to carry Roy Williams’ pads. Kind of.

He is a rookie wide receiver in the NFL and first rounder or not, starter or special teams player, he should not be exempt from being treated like one.

Now, to say that hazing is a team-building activity may not be completely accurate. It depends on the subject. But there is also a clear difference between taping a player to the goal-post and pouring ice down his pants, and asking a player to carry a helmet and pads to the locker room.

Bryant is the same guy who forgot his cleats to his own pro day workout. The same guy that was suspended by his own school for lying about a meeting he had with Deion Sanders. Primetime was also housing and taking care of West Virginia star Noel Devine. You go ahead and read between the lines. Nick Saban would likely call it prostitution.

So one would think that Bryant would come into camp and do what’s asked of him without a peep. To rid himself of the “poor character guy” image that allowed him to slip far enough down in the first round to end up in the lap of Jerry Jones.

Instead, right off the bat, literally the moment the 2010 season begins, Bryant is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Some attribute it to his competitive nature, and argue if it wasn’t the player whose job Bryant seeks, it may have played out differently. But honestly, can you imagine Sergio Kindle walking into camp (I know it won’t happen anytime soon, as Kindle is injured) and telling Terrell Suggs where to go if Suggs asked him to carry out a rookie tradition?

Let’s just say Dez is lucky Ray Lewis isn’t Roy Williams’ teammate.

And yet we wonder how the NFL could be on the verge of a lockout. How rookies, yet to take their first snap in a game situation, feel as if they’re entitled to more money than future hall-of-famers at their position.

We allow this to happen. Not that we can actually prevent it from happening. Better yet, we praise him for taking a stand. Applaud his bravery. Imitate his “swag.” We try to put ourselves in his shoes, and imagine that we’d handle it the same way.

For that, it’s hard to blame Bryant for acting that way. As is any young, impressionable millionaire, he is a product of his environment. An environment that included Deion Sanders, and now Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. Arrogance and flamboyance on the grandest of scales.

Dez Bryant made it very easy for us to realize why we may be sitting down on a Sunday to ESPN’s bowling coverage; Why the passion of the NFL fan could lay dormant for more than just one off-season.

To see more from the author, and similar articles, check out: The Sports Cohorts

 

DENVER — The federal government is rapidly expanding a program to identify illegal immigrants using fingerprints from arrests, drawing opposition from local authorities and advocates who argue the initiative amounts to an excessive dragnet.

The program has gotten less attention than Arizona's new immigration law, but it may end up having a bigger impact because of its potential to round up and deport so many immigrants nationwide.

The San Francisco sheriff wanted nothing to do with the program, and the City Council in Washington, D.C., blocked use of the fingerprint plan in the nation's capital. Colorado is the latest to debate the program, called Secure Communities, and immigrant groups have begun to speak up, telling the governor in a letter last week that the initiative will make crime victims reluctant to cooperate with police "due to fear of being drawn into the immigration regime."

Under the program, the fingerprints of everyone who is booked into jail for any crime are run against FBI criminal history records and Department of Homeland Security immigration records to determine who is in the country illegally and whether they've been arrested previously. Most jurisdictions are not included in the program, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been expanding the initiative.

Since 2007, 467 jurisdictions in 26 states have joined. ICE has said it plans to have it in every jail in the country by 2013. Secure Communities is currently being phased into the places where the government sees as having the greatest need for it based on population estimates of illegal immigrants and crime statistics.

Since everyone arrested would be screened, the program could easily deport more people than Arizona's new law, said Sunita Patel, an attorney who filed a lawsuit in New York against the federal government on behalf of a group worried about the program. Patel said that because illegal immigrants could be referred to ICE at the point of arrest, even before a conviction, the program can create an incentive for profiling and create a pipeline to deport more people.

"It has the potential to revolutionize immigration enforcement," said Patel.

Patel filed the lawsuit on behalf of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, which is concerned the program could soon come to New York. The lawsuit seeks, among other things, statistical information about who has been deported as a result of the program and what they were arrested for.

Supporters of the program argue it is helping identify dangerous criminals that would otherwise go undetected. Since Oct. 27, 2008 through the end of May, almost 2.6 million people have been screened with Secure Communities. Of those, almost 35,000 were identified as illegal immigrants previously arrested or convicted for the most serious crimes, including murder and rape, ICE said Thursday. More than 205,000 who were identified as illegal immigrants had arrest records for less serious crimes.

In Ohio, Butler County Sheriff Rick Jones praised the program, which was implemented in his jurisdiction earlier this month.

"It's really a heaven-sent for us," Jones said. He said the program helps solve the problem police often have of not knowing whether someone they arrested has a criminal history and is in the country illegally.

"I don't want them in my community," Jones said. "I've got enough homegrown criminals here."

Carl Rusnok, an ICE spokesman, said Secure Communities is a way for law enforcement to identify illegal immigrants after their arrest at no additional cost to local jurisdictions. Jones agreed.

"We arrest these people anyway," he said. "All it does is help us deport people who shouldn't be here."

Rusnok said ICE created the program after Congress directed the agency to improve the way it identifies and deports illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds. ICE has gotten $550 million for the program since 2008, Rusnok said.

Rusnok said the only place he knows of that has requested not to be a part of Secure Communities is San Francisco, which began the program June 8. Eileen Hirst, the chief of staff for San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey, said it happened "without our input or approval."

Hirst said the sheriff thought Secure Communities cast too wide a net and worried that it would sweep up U.S. citizens and minor offenders, such as people who commit traffic infractions but miss their court hearings. Hirst also said the program goes against San Francisco's sanctuary city policy that calls for authorities to only report foreign-born suspects booked for felonies.

"Now, we're reporting every single individual who comes into our custody and gets fingerprinted," Hirst said.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown denied Hennessey's request to opt out. Brown said that prior to Secure Communities, illegal immigrants with criminal histories were often released before their status was discovered.

This month, Washington, D.C., police decided not to pursue the program because the City Council introduced a bill that would prohibit authorities from sharing arrest data with ICE out of concern for immigrants' civil rights. Matthew Bromeland, special assistant to the police chief, said police wanted the program and were talking with ICE about how address concerns from immigrant advocates before the bill forced them to halt negotiations.

Colorado officials became interested in the program after an illegal immigrant from Guatemala with a long criminal record was accused of causing a car crash at a suburban Denver ice-cream shop, killing two women in a truck and a 3-year-old inside the store. Authorities say the illegal immigrant, Francis M. Hernandez, stayed off ICE's radar because he conned police with 12 aliases and two different dates of birth.

A task-force assembled after the crash recommended Secure Communities as a solution.

Evan Dreyer, a spokesman for Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, said Ritter recognizes that other states have had issues with the program and he wants to take time to consider the concerns raised by immigrant rights groups before deciding "how or if to move forward."

The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition said in its letter to the governor that the Secure Communities is "inherently flawed and should not be implemented." CIRC said one of its main concerns is that in cases of domestic violence, where both parties may be taken into custody while authorities investigate a case, victims may feel reluctant to report a crime out of fear that their illegal status will be discovered.

ICE maintains that only suspects arrested for crimes – and not the people reporting them – will be screened for their legal status.

___

Online:

Secure Communities: http://www.ice.gov/secure_communities/

-- Felix Jones Reports Heavier Than Marion Barber --

Mon Jul 26, 2010 --from FFMastermind.com
The Dallas Morning News reports Cowboys RB Felix Jones can claim two distinctions on the Cowboys: biggest and fastest of the running backs. HC Wade Phillips acknowledged Sunday the speedster Jones reported to camp heavier than RB Marion Barber, the power back. Jones said he weighed in at 218 pounds. Phillips said Barber reported at 214 pounds. Both body changes were by design. Jones added his weight through increased upper-body strength. Jones wanted the strength to help him handle an anticipated heavier workload. In the final six games – including playoffs – last season, Jones averaged 13 carries and 79.1 yards. "Anything that helps me out," Jones said. "It's a physical game. I think this will help me out throughout the season." Barber, down by about eight pounds, is among numerous players who have dropped weight in search of increased speed and agility. The group includes OT Marc Colombo and OL Robert Brewster, LB Bradie James and LB DeMarcus Ware, the entire secondary other than FS Alan Ball, QB Tony Romo and WR Roy Williams. Their weight losses ranged from five to 10-plus pounds. "I always tell them that I want them to be able to run as fast as they can," Phillips said. "You can see they can play up to their ability even though they're not as gigantic as they were." Williams' weight loss is striking, but he kiddingly claimed it was because of the slimming effect of a black shirt he was wearing. Owner and GM Jerry Jones said the club believes the weight loss could be the answer to Williams' woes. "Roy Williams will be better lighter," Jones said.

The full pads returned Monday afternoon and the contact increased, giving observers their first extended view of the Cowboys first offense versus the first defense.  The increased hitting also started the process of shaking out the competition in certain key areas.  

As is the Cowboys custom, they started with special teams.  Joe D's guys worked for a third straight session on punt coverage.  It's impossible to get strong reads on special teams units before a single pre-season game is played, but if you want an early view of rankings (and hence of chances to make a final roster) consider the nine players who drilled with snapper L.P. Ladouceur and punter Mat McBriar today:

16 - Jesse Holley; 17- Sam Hurd; 23- Tashard Choice; 34 -- Deon Anderson; 36- Michael Hamlin; 53-Steve Octavien; 57-Victor Butler; 58- Jason Williams; 89- John Phillips.

The backup linebackers, safeties, fullback, tight end and receivers.  The traditional core of coverage groups come from this bunch.  With so many of the perennial Cowboys core special teammers gone, the new core should come from this bunch.

Before DeCamillis worked with the full unit, John Garrett took the receivers and other gunner candidates to the far end where they practiced covering fair catches inside the ten yard line, putting one man in front of the returner and another behind him, in the event the rival let the ball hit the ground in the hopes of a touchback.  He then had an assistant lob volleyballs towards the goal-line, so his guys could practice knocking the ball back into the field of play.

When the units broke up, the offense worked on three receiver packages, and today the stock three WR set had Dez Bryant wide and Miles Austin in the slot.  This has become the primary personnel package and suggests that this will be the grouping when the games count. 

While the offense worked on its nickel sets, the defensive back seven worked extensively on coverage in the nickel set.  The 2nd team D put on the colored balaclavas and the inside linebackers and five d-backs practiced against a variety of sets from the 11 and 12 sets, with three WRs and two TEs with one of the TEs split wide.  Interestingly, the first team nickel LB duo consisted of starters Bradie James and Keith Brooking.  

When the 2nd team nickel drilled, Sean Lee and Jason Williams replaced Brooking and James, respectively.  Reggie Herring gave Williams an earful for missing a couple of switches.  Things would get better for Williams later in the session.

The team then began another 9-on-9 drill, which had the offenses squaring off against the defenses, sans receivers or corners.  The plays were exclusively runs, giving the coaches a chance to see how the line matched up when the defense knew what was coming.  

Early results show the left side of the O-line is currently the power side.  Doug Free shows a regular ability to turn and push Igor Olshanky, no easy feat.  He flipped Olshansky wide on a stretch play in this drill, creating a huge cut back lane inside for the back.  Later, he hooked Igor inside on a toss play that produced acres of space for Felix Jones.   Kyle Kosier looks good next to him.  

When the second unit played, there was more of push to the right, behind Robert Brewster and pulling LT Alex Barron, who ran a neat counter to the right. 

The third unit looks lost.  It got extensive reps against the 2nd and 3rd defensive fronts, but could not generate a consistent push.   Most of the runs went to the right, behind Pat McQuistan and Sam Young, and most of them were turned back.  Phil Costa looks overmatched at center and Will Barker is running hot and cold at left tackle.  Only LG Mike Tepper produced consistently in the entire sequence.  He and Barker did a solid job sealing off the backside on several plays.  Tepper also pulled right and kicked out OLB Curtis Johnson on a counter.  Tepper was the only player on the 3rd unit to get a decent push on every down.  That said, he still has a lot of work to do.  He lunged into his blocks in the practice-ending 11-on-11 drill, and wound up on his knees.  Tepper needs to maintain his balance to get out in space and sustain his blocks on linebackers.  He still looks like a long-shot, but looked a bit better than his rookie peers today.

Later, the team repeated the split-screen drills from yesterday, with the D-backs and skill position guys going one-one-one while the linemen went one-on-one in a pass rushing drill on the opposite end of the field.  I focused exclusively on the rush drill and think an o-line totem is emerging:

Definites:

The starting five of Free, Kosier, Gurode, Davis and Colombo.  Gurode gave me a chicken-egg moment when Junior Siavii beat him with a swim move, just as Josh Brent did yesteday.  Is Siavii better with his hands and rush moves, or is Gurode vulnerable to this type of interior rush.  The correct answer, if camp history provides any guide, is likely "both."

Pretty solid:  

Barron and Bright.  Barron can move with Demarcus Ware.  I'd like to see him get more reps, but Barron worked at both LT and RT today and his play inspired a lot more confidence than the other OTs.  Bright is well ahead of Costa and got a few turns at RG today.

Pretty safe:

Holland.  He's nothing special, but he's the one backup guard with experience.  

Needs more work:  Brewster:  He looks like a rookie, good on some plays and shaky on others.  He'll anchor well on one rush, then give too much ground on the next.  His lost rookie training camp has him behind.  The numbers are in his favor and for all I know a couple more weeks of reps against the Spencers, Spears and Hatchers will improve his game.  Having Barron on board is huge, because I don't think Brewster could handle extensive real-game playing time right now.

Everybody else is a long shot.  One of the kids could step forward, but they'll all look at sea at the moment. 

The practice ended with an 11-on-11, which offered the 1st teams against one another.  For all the one-on-one foibles from the mid-practice drills, the first team line gave Tony Romo solid protection against the first team D and Romo carved them up, finding a flexed Witten on a slant for a big gain and a seam-running Witten a few plays later for another huge pickup.  I'll repeat what I wrote yesterday -- the Senator looks faster this year.  

Notes:

-- Jason Hatcher appears to be making a slow, steady push at LE.  He's blowing up runs to this side, he's beating his men in pass drills. He gave Marc Colombo a tough time today.  Hatchers is a perennial quick starter, however, who always seems to roll into the injury ditch sometime around week two of camp.  Hope he leaves San Antonio in one healthy piece.  He could really contribute if he does. 

-- Jason Williams is making more plays on the ball, against the run and the pass.  He, like Robert Brewster, shows the effects of missing most of his rookie camp.  He's still getting his mind around some of the coverages, but he stood up Tashard Choice on a counter, and appears to be more at ease locating and flying to the football. 

-- The screen isn't going anywhere.  The Cowboys practiced an abundance of screens of all flavors, to the backs and receivers today.

-- Travis Bright got some reps at right guard with the third unit today.  With Pat McQuistan looking fuzzy I take this as a strong sign for Bright, who looks like a cinch for the backup center role.  

-- Scott Sicko's package got bigger, as he worked today at F-back, flexing into the backfield to lead the ball carrier a few times. 

-- The Cowboys unwrapped an old Jerry Glanville play today, with Gurode snapping the ball directly to Felix Jones, who ran a sweep right while Tony Romo faked watching the ball sail over his head.

DENVER — The federal government is rapidly expanding a program to identify illegal immigrants using fingerprints from arrests, drawing opposition from local authorities and advocates who argue the initiative amounts to an excessive dragnet.

The program has gotten less attention than Arizona's new immigration law, but it may end up having a bigger impact because of its potential to round up and deport so many immigrants nationwide.

The San Francisco sheriff wanted nothing to do with the program, and the City Council in Washington, D.C., blocked use of the fingerprint plan in the nation's capital. Colorado is the latest to debate the program, called Secure Communities, and immigrant groups have begun to speak up, telling the governor in a letter last week that the initiative will make crime victims reluctant to cooperate with police "due to fear of being drawn into the immigration regime."

Under the program, the fingerprints of everyone who is booked into jail for any crime are run against FBI criminal history records and Department of Homeland Security immigration records to determine who is in the country illegally and whether they've been arrested previously. Most jurisdictions are not included in the program, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been expanding the initiative.

Since 2007, 467 jurisdictions in 26 states have joined. ICE has said it plans to have it in every jail in the country by 2013. Secure Communities is currently being phased into the places where the government sees as having the greatest need for it based on population estimates of illegal immigrants and crime statistics.

Since everyone arrested would be screened, the program could easily deport more people than Arizona's new law, said Sunita Patel, an attorney who filed a lawsuit in New York against the federal government on behalf of a group worried about the program. Patel said that because illegal immigrants could be referred to ICE at the point of arrest, even before a conviction, the program can create an incentive for profiling and create a pipeline to deport more people.

"It has the potential to revolutionize immigration enforcement," said Patel.

Patel filed the lawsuit on behalf of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, which is concerned the program could soon come to New York. The lawsuit seeks, among other things, statistical information about who has been deported as a result of the program and what they were arrested for.

Supporters of the program argue it is helping identify dangerous criminals that would otherwise go undetected. Since Oct. 27, 2008 through the end of May, almost 2.6 million people have been screened with Secure Communities. Of those, almost 35,000 were identified as illegal immigrants previously arrested or convicted for the most serious crimes, including murder and rape, ICE said Thursday. More than 205,000 who were identified as illegal immigrants had arrest records for less serious crimes.

In Ohio, Butler County Sheriff Rick Jones praised program, which was implemented in his jurisdiction earlier this month.

"It's really a heaven-sent for us," Jones said. He said the program helps solve the problem police often have of not knowing whether someone they arrested has a criminal history and is in the country illegally.

"I don't want them in my community," Jones said. "I've got enough homegrown criminals here."

Carl Rusnok, an ICE spokesman, said Secure Communities is a way for law enforcement to identify illegal immigrants after their arrest at no additional cost to local jurisdictions. Jones agreed.

"We arrest these people anyway," he said. "All it does is help us deport people who shouldn't be here."

Rusnok said ICE created the program after Congress directed the agency to improve the way it identifies and deports illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds. ICE has gotten $550 million for the program since 2008, Rusnok said.

Rusnok said the only place he knows of that has requested not to be a part of Secure Communities is San Francisco, which began the program June 8. Eileen Hirst, the chief of staff for San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey, said it happened "without our input or approval."

Hirst said the sheriff thought Secure Communities cast too wide a net and worried that it would sweep up U.S. citizens and minor offenders, such as people who commit traffic infractions but miss their court hearings. Hirst also said the program goes against San Francisco's sanctuary city policy that calls for authorities to only report foreign-born suspects booked for felonies.

"Now, we're reporting every single individual who comes into our custody and gets fingerprinted," Hirst said.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown denied Hennessey's request to opt out. Brown said that prior to Secure Communities, illegal immigrants with criminal histories were often released before their status was discovered.

This month, Washington, D.C., police decided not to pursue the program because the City Council introduced a bill that would prohibit authorities from sharing arrest data with ICE out of concern for immigrants' civil rights. Matthew Bromeland, special assistant to the police chief, said police wanted the program and were talking with ICE about how address concerns from immigrant advocates before the bill forced them to halt negotiations.

Colorado officials became interested in the program after an illegal immigrant from Guatemala with a long criminal record was accused of causing a car crash at a suburban Denver ice-cream shop, killing two women in a truck and a 3-year-old inside the store. Authorities say the illegal immigrant, Francis M. Hernandez, stayed off ICE's radar because he conned police with 12 aliases and two different dates of birth.

A task-force assembled after the crash recommended Secure Communities as a solution.

Evan Dreyer, a spokesman for Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, said Ritter recognizes that other states have had issues with the program and he wants to take time to consider the concerns raised by immigrant rights groups before deciding "how or if to move forward."

The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition said in its letter to the governor that the Secure Communities is "inherently flawed and should not be implemented." CIRC said one of its main concerns is that in cases of domestic violence, where both parties may be taken into custody while authorities investigate a case, victims may feel reluctant to report a crime out of fear that their illegal status will be discovered.

ICE maintains that only suspects arrested for crimes – and not the people reporting them – will be screened for their legal status.

___

Online:

Secure Communities: http://www.ice.gov/secure_communities/

More on Immigration

After winning the division title for the second time in five years in 2009, the Bengals drew a schedule that is considered one of the toughest in the league. Their ability to repeat as division champions will be tested every game with each opponent looking to hang a loss on a respected team. So when you start breaking down the season into four game segments, you being to see parts that could prove either beneficial or detrimental based on the opponent. The second quarter of the season could make the season or break our hearts. 

In this four game segment, the Bengals face teams that went deep into the playoffs last season with two of them meeting each other in the Super Bowl; their combined record was 42-20 -- a.667 winning percentage. It starts with the AFC Champion Colts in Indianapolis, followed by the Bills at home, and then off to New York to face the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets on Thanksgiving Night. If you think the schedule gets easier after the Jets game, they face Super Bowl Champ New Orleans at Paul Brown Stadium to round out this quarter post. This could arguably be the toughest part of the season.

Week 10: Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday November 14

Indianapolis 2009 Record: 14-2, lost in Super Bowl
2009 Road Record: 7-1
2009 Home Record: 7-1
Head to Head against the Bengals: 15-8

Key Acquisitions: Adam Terry, Alleman
Key Losses: Freddie Keiaho, Aaron Francisco, Chad Simpson, Tim Jennings, Hank Baskett, Marlin Jackson, Ryan Lilja, Jim Sorgi

Indianapolis 2010 Draft Picks: Rd 1, (31)  Hughes, Jerry DE, Texas Christian University; Rd 2, (63) Angerer, Pat LB, Iowa; Rd 3, (94) Thomas, Kevin CB, Southern Cal; Rd 4, (129) McClendon, Jacques OG, Tennessee; Rd 5, (162) Eldridge, Brody TE, Oklahoma; Rd 7, (238) Mathews, Ricardo DT, Cincinnati; Rd 7,(240) Conner, Kavell LB, Clemson; Rd 7, (246) Fisher, Ray DB Indiana.

Offense (2009)	Bengals	Colts
Total	309.1 (24th)	363.1 (9th)
Scoring	19.1 (22nd)	26.0 (7th)
Third Downs	41% (12th)	49% (1st)
Passing	180.6 (26th)	282.2 (2nd)
Passing TD's	21 (16th)	34 (t-1st)
Rushing	128.5 (9th)	80.9 (32nd)
Rushing TD's	9 (t-22nd)	16 (t-12th)
Sacks Allowed	29 (9th)	13 (1st)
20-yard Passes	36 (26th)	62 (t-5th)
Defense (2009)	Bengals	Colts
Total	301.4  (4th)	339.2 (18th)
Scoring	18.2 (6th)	19.2 (8th)
3rd Downs Allowed	39% (16th)	45% (31st)
Passing	203.1 (6th)	212.7 (14th)
Passing TDs	18 (8th)	19 (t-10th)
Rushing	98.3 (7th)	126.5 (24th)
Rushing TDs	12 (14th)	10 (t-7th)
Sacks	34 (t-16th)	34 (t-16th)
QB Rating	73.6 (7th)	80.6 (12th)
20-Yard Passes Allowed	41 (9th)	27 (1st)
Interceptions	19 (t-9th)	16 (15th)

The Game: The Colts are coming into the season with a Super Bowl hangover after losing to New Orleans. This may not bode well as recent history shows the losing team has difficulty making the playoffs the following season. However, the Colts - having made the playoffs seven straight seasons - would make one think they may be the exception. Coupled with a high flying offense and quick defense, the likelihood of another playoff appearance could be realized. The Bengals have had trouble with the Colts recently losing the previous six meetings including a high scoring affair in 2005. The Bengals last victory against the Colts came in 1997, the final season without Peyton Manning. This game could feature two teams possessing high-powered offenses and stalwart defenses as the Bengals have added offensive help and Colts look to strengthen their defense. Heading into this game, if both teams are having their way with their opponents, this could cause CBS to change the start time to 4:15. And if both teams are playing up to expectations, this game could be one that no one will want to miss.

Week 11: Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals Paul Brown Stadium Sunday, November 21

Buffalo 2009 Record: 6-10, 4th AFC East
2009 Road Record: 3-5
2009 Home Record: 3-5
Head to Head against the Bengals: 14-9

Key Acquisitions: Dwan Edwards, Andra Davis, Reggie Torbor, Cornell Green
Key Loss: Terrell Owens, Josh Reed, LB Chris Draft, OL Kendall Simmons, OL Rich Incognito, DE Ryan Denney

Buffalo 2010 Draft Picks: Rd 1, (9) Spiller, C.J. RB, Clemson; Rd 2, (41) Troup, Torell DT, Central Florida; Rd 3, (72) Carrington, Alex DE, Arkansas State; Rd 4, (107) Easley, Marcus WR, Connecticut; Rd 5, (140) Wang, Ed OT, Virginia Tech; Rd 6, (178) Moats, Arthur DE, James Madison; Rd 6, (192) Batten, Danny DE, South Dakota State; Rd 7, (209) Brown, Levi QB, Troy; Rd 7, (216) Calloway, Kyle OT, Iowa.

Offense (2009)	Bengals	Bills
Total	309.1 (24th)	273.9 (30th)
Scoring	19.1 (22nd)	16.0 (28th)
Third Downs	41% (12th)	26% (32nd)
Passing	180.6 (26th)	157.2 (30th)
Passing TD's	21 (16th)	17 (23rd)
Rushing	128.5 (9th)	116 (16th)
Rushing TD's	9 (t-22nd)	6 (29th)
Sacks Allowed	29 (9th)	46 (28th)
20-yard Passes	36 (26th)	31 (29th)
Defense (2009)	Bengals	Bills
Total	301.4  (4th)	340.6 (19th)
Scoring	18.2 (6th)	20.4 (16th)
3rd Downs Allowed	39% (16th)	40% (24th)
Passing	203.1 (6th)	184.2 (2nd)
Passing TDs	18 (8th)	14 (t-2nd)
Rushing	98.3 (7th)	156.3 (30th)
Rushing TDs	12 (14th)	19 (t-28th)
Sacks	34 (t-16th)	32 (t-18th)
QB Rating	73.6 (7th)	61.1 (2nd)
20-Yard Passes Allowed	41 (9th)	34 (t-3rd)
Interceptions	19 (t-9th)	28 (2nd)

On paper, this looks to be a shoe in. Just wrap it up and mail it to the "W" column. That's on paper. The Bills have been a non-factor in the league for several years and this season may not be any different. Funny thing, though. The Bengals have not beaten the Bills since the 1988 AFC Championship game.  The last regular season victory against Buffalo came that same season. Since then, they have faced each other nine times with the Bills victorious in each. This streak also includes a loss during the 2005 season, the Bengals first playoff appearance since, well, forever. The Bills are coming into the season in flux and turmoil. The Bills coaching carousel continued as Dick Jauron was fired after three seasons and replaced by offensive guru Chan Gaily, who hasn't been a head coach in the NFL since 1999. The Bills have a tough road ahead and may view this season as a rebuilding year then one with playoff hopes.

Week 12: Cincinnati Bengals at New York Jets Meadowlands Stadium Thursday, November 25th

New York Jets 2009 Record: 9-7, 2nd AFC East
2009 Road Record: 5-3
2009 Home Record: 4-4
Head to Head against the Bengals: 13-7

Key Acquisitions: Antonio Cromartie, LaDainian Tomlinson, Brodney Pool, Santonio Holmes, Jason Taylor
Key Loss: Alan Faneca, Thomas Jones, Lito Sheppard, Kerry Rhodes

New York Jets 2010 Draft Picks: Rd 1, (29) Wilson, Kyle CB, Boise State; Rd 2, (61) Ducasse, Vlad OT, Massachusetts; Rd 4, (112) McKnight, Joe RB, Southern Cal; Rd 5, (139) Conner, John RB, Kentucky

Offense (2009)	Bengals	Jets
Total	309.1 (24th)	321.0 (20th)
Scoring	19.1 (22nd)	21.8 (17th)
Third Downs	41% (12th)	37% (20th)
Passing	180.6 (26th)	148.8 (31st)
Passing TD's	21 (16th)	12 (29th)
Rushing	128.5 (9th)	172.2 (1st)
Rushing TD's	9 (t-22nd)	21 (3rd)
Sacks Allowed	29 (9th)	30 (11th)
20-yard Passes	36 (26th)	37 (25th)
Defense (2009)	Bengals	Jets
Total	301.4  (4th)	252.3 (1st)
Scoring	18.2 (6th)	14.8 (1st)
3rd Downs Allowed	39% (16th)	32% (1st)
Passing	203.1 (6th)	153.7 (1st)
Passing TDs	18 (8th)	8 (1st)
Rushing	98.3 (7th)	98.6 (8th)
Rushing TDs	12 (14th)	11 (t-11th)
Sacks	34 (t-16th)	32 (t-18th)
QB Rating	73.6 (7th)	58.8 (1st)
20-Yard Passes Allowed	41 (9th)	31 (2nd)
Interceptions	19 (t-9th)	17 (t-13th)

I would bet on the schedule in the Bengals locker room this game has a big circle around it, if not for the fact it will be the Bengals first appearance on Thanksgiving, but they will be looking avenge back-to-back losses to the Jets at the end of last season. Coming into this game, which will be broadcasted on the NFL Network, the Bengals have to be thinking about sending the message that those losses were a fluke. The sooth sayers and prognosticators have already anointed the Jets as the team to beat in the AFC, which could make this game an AFC playoff preview. The Jets have made several additions that look to make them formidable. We know that it may not always be the case. The Bengals have not had recent success against the Jets losing eight of the previous nine meetings including last season. The lone Bengals victory came in 2007, prior to that, 1990. The Bengals love the primetime lights and may the New Meadowlands lights shine brightly on them this game. 

Week 13: New Orleans Saints at Cincinnati Bengals Paul Brown Stadium Sunday, December 5

New Orleans 2009 Record: 13-3, 1st NFC South
2009 Road Record: 7-1
2009 Home Record: 6-2
Head to Head against the Bengals: 5-6

Key Acquisitions: Alex Brown, Jimmy Wilkerson, Terrence Metcalf
Key Loss: Paul Spicer, Charles Grant, Scott Fujita, Billy Miller

New Orleans 2010 Draft Picks: Rd 1, (32) Robinson, Patrick CB, Florida State; Rd 2, (64) Brown, Charles OT, Southern Cal; Rd 3, (95) Graham, Jimmy TE, Miami; Rd 4, (123) Woods, Al DT, LSU; Rd 5, (158) Tennant, Matt C, Boston College; Rd 7, (239) Canfield, Sean QB, Oregon State.

Offense (2009)	Bengals	Saints
Total	309.1 (24th)	403.8 (1st)
Scoring	19.1 (22nd)	31.9 (1st)
Third Downs	41% (12th)	45% (6th)
Passing	180.6 (26th)	272.2 (4th)
Passing TD's	21 (16th)	34 (1st)
Rushing	128.5 (9th)	131.6 (6th)
Rushing TD's	9 (t-22nd)	21 (3rd)
Sacks Allowed	29 (9th)	20 (4th)
20-yard Passes	36 (26th)	58 (8th)
Defense (2009)	Bengals	Saints
Total	301.4  (4th)	357.8 (25th)
Scoring	18.2 (6th)	21.3 (20th)
3rd Downs Allowed	39% (16th)	38 (14th)
Passing	203.1 (6th)	235.6 (26th)
Passing TDs	18 (8th)	15 (5th)
Rushing	98.3 (7th)	122.2 (21st)
Rushing TDs	12 (14th)	19 (t-28th)
Sacks	34 (t-16th)	35 (t-13th)
QB Rating	73.6 (7th)	68.6 (3rd)
20-Yard Passes Allowed	41 (9th)	48 (t-19th)
Interceptions	19 (t-9th)	26 (3rd)

I have a message for those Cowboy fans that may be reading this; STOP! You will not like what I am about to say: The Saints are America's Team! No other city deserves a champion as much as New Orleans. After hell visited in the form of Hurricane Katrina, there needed to be a ray of hope for Saints fans and the Lombardi Trophy is it. Oh, by the way, the Cowboys never were "America's Team". Coming fresh off their only Super Bowl appearance and victory, the Saints are looking to do something that is difficult in any sport, except the NBA, and that is to repeat. There is little to think it won't happen. A high powered offense led by Drew Brees coupled with a good defense should help them meet that lofty goal. However, there is a rivalry brewing between the Bengals and Saints, and it isn't on the field. It is over the "Who Dey" vs "Who Dat" chant. There is a thought that "Who Dat" was adopted by the Saints and Cincy copied it changing the verbiage to "Who Dey". The truth be told that Bengals players and fans started using "Who Dey" in 1980 while the Saints organization adopted "Who Dat" in 1983. So when watching the game, which is sure to be entertaining, don't confuse the chants since it is at Paul Brown Stadium and not in New Orleans. WHO DEY!

Training camp is just around the corner for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and for most of the NFL.  This means that, in large, the full team will be assembling for the first time.  Of course, you have your rare holdouts (See Penn, Donald) and for-the-moment unsigned rookies (McCoy, Gerald), but to generalize, the entire team will be present and accounted for as the Bucs get ready to kick off their season.

What's lacking from the Bucs is what's lacking from most NFL teams, the high priced, much ballyhooed free agent signing.  Strip away your expectations and the team you root for (I'll assume it's the Bucs) and think back to February about a week after the Saints (gag) won the Super Bowl.  All the talk focused on the lack of CBA for the 2010 season and how the coffers would be opened up for free agency and every player would walk away with a boatload of cash.  It also raised concerns that some teams would tighten the purse strings and take spending to a comically low level for the NFL.

Then, nothing happened.

It had been rumored among players that only the true top line players would receive the money while the second and lower tier players would be forced to take less.  Truth be told, there wasn't a real move in spending.  Sure there were a few signings that garnered headlines, but nothing like the cash bonanza many people envisioned.  More news was made in the trade market (McNabb, Boldin, Marshall to name a few).  For all the fear mongering by owners and dollar signs in the eyes of players, nothing really materialized.

This holds true for the Bucs as much as any other team.  There were hopes that the team would jump in head first and sign several free agent players.  There were others that feared the Glazers would go all "Replacements" on us and sign Shane Falco to quarterback the team.  The truth lay somewhere in the middle.  Neither extreme came to fruition.  This seemed to be the norm for most teams.  Even the generally spend happy Washington Redskins didn't break the bank.

The results of not having a CBA in place (which meant no salary cap or floor) ended being a bigger deal for restricted free agents, and players looking for a raise that were still under contract.  Now, this doesn't mean the league will continue in it's current form, but that the Armageddon scenario where Jerry Jones, Dan Snyder and Robert Kraft purchased all the available talent to form their own Miami Heat just isn't plausible at this time.

So while the Bucs are gearing up to start the 2010 season and we realize that 2010's roster doesn't have that big free agent punch, that puts us in good company with the majority of the league.

Dez Bryant: clearly not burdened with carrying AT&T’s nation-wide network

Cowboys rookie receiver Dez Bryant has so enamored football pundits that he has almost single-handedly vaulted Dallas into the role of preseason NFC favorites, even though they have pretty much the same weaknesses they had before and Wade Phillips is still the coach and don’t we go through this every year? In what is either evidence of looming rookie intransigence or, more likely, that Dez was quick to learn that no one cares what Roy Williams wants, news has come out that Bryant is refusing to carry Williams’ pads during camp. This is a horrible violation of The Rookie Code, which states that first-year players happily submit to hazing and subjugation on penalty of bitchy comments to the media about their commitment.

As usual, the media is fixated on the controversy but not the underlying issues behind it. KSK, as always, is better informed and better attuned to the interests of its audience. Here, then, are some actual reasons as to why Dez Bryant will not carry Roy Williams’ shoulder pads. Surprisingly, fewer than half have to do with being the son of a prostitute.

Deion Sanders told him he didn’t have to.

Dez doesn’t see why he should have to carry his backup’s shit.

Dez too busy carrying crates for Humpty Hump.

At Bengals camp, carrying safety’s pads.

Jerry Jones specifically hired cage dancers to haul bags during camp. Avoiding redundancies in labor is key.

While his mother serviced johns, a young Dez Bryant was forced to watch Dunston Checks In. Evokes bad memories to this day.

Roy Williams even offered several blintzes for his pads to be carried, but Dez later countered that those blintzes were terrible.

David Buehler challenged Dez to a Roy Williams pad carrying race. Such contests having been recently banned at Cowboys camp, the rookie’s hands were tied.

For reasons known only to him, Dez likes to imagine that he plays for Eric Mangini.

Dez was running late for Vernon Davis’ curling tournament, and if he didn’t get there in time he’d have to sweep.

Having been identified by Jason Garrett as a low-born functionary, Dez is unfortunately on pruning duties while practice is scheduled.

Roy Williams is also a whore. Dez knows better than to show them respect.

ProFootballTalk: Jerry Jones: "Close doesn't count" http://is.gd/dJVOt #NFL More... (http://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/statuses/19577423721)

Dez Bryant came into the NFL draft with plenty of headlines following him. He had been suspended five games into his final college football season, the Dolphins had asked if his mother was a prostitute and he was repped by the same agent that held Michael Crabree out until October.

Many thought those types of headlines would continue in the NFL but Bryant has been a good soldier even becoming the only first round pick to sign to date.

He sparked a minute controversy at the Cowboys opening weekend of training camp by refusing to carry Roy Williams pads to the locker room, a long-honored tradition in the NFL.

"I'm not doing it," Bryant said. "I feel like I was drafted to play football, not carry another player's pads."

"If I was a free agent, it would still be the same thing. I just feel like I'm here to play football. I'm here to try to help win a championship, not carry someone's pads. I'm saying that out of no disrespect to [anyone]."

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been hyping up his first round pick all summer so I don't expect him to take Williams side on this one.

Meanwhile, Chargers LB Shawne Merriman heard about Bryant's refusal to carry Williams' pads and offered up a nice suggestion for retaliation: "Dump his ass in the COLD TUB".

As they left the field on the floor of the Jerry Jones Pleasure Dome and Pole-Dancing Palace last January, beaten soundly for the second straight weekend by the Dallas Cowboys, every member of the Eagles carried something other than his helmet to the locker room.

The first two episodes of White Sox reality show "The Club" are sitting patiently on my DVR.  The trailer for this show promised Ozzie pledging to kill himself for his employer, Kenny Williams acting like Patrick Bateman, and a lot of very serious poses of the two of them with Jerry Reinsdorf, embracing each other and staring intensely into the camera, as if to say "Yyyyyeaaahh......baseball is SERIOUS." First episode:

Aaaahhh!  Jump-cuts!  Do I need to drink some Amp before I watch this?

The crazy quotes from Ozzie come fast and furious:

"I love Jerry Reinsdorf more than I love my dad"

"If you want to say something about your teammates, say it to his F@#$%&^ face"

That's actually a pretty good policy, just worded harshly, and it seems more sudden if it's thrown into a barrage of jump-cuts.

I really can't quantify how much all the shots of Williams, Guillen, and Reinsdorf posing together staring stoically at the camera makes this show seem friggin ridiculous.  So does the overwrought narration from Michael Clarke Duncan.  The two of them together......it's like OD'ing on cough syrup.

Who the hell is Kenny cutting off the team in the opening sequence?  And why is it not Scott Linebrink?  The show covers the fact that Kenny Williams used to play for the White Sox; they cover up the fact that he was pretty mediocre, (.608 career OPS).

How many cuts to the group super-serious shot in the first ten minutes?  I'd say 27.

The discussion of the decision of whether to keep Jim Thome is displayed as if it were a decision of roster space; between Thome an extra relievers.  Beyond the thought that that means Thome was penciled below Jayson Nix, Andruw Jones, and Mark Kotsay, it means that Thome was bypassed in favor of Randy Williams.....good lord...that's scary.

When the White Sox players get lectured by three different guys about commitment to winning, honesty, focus, etc., is it as boring for them as employee orientation meetings were for me? 

It's really pretty dull to sit though forced drama about the team being worried about Ozzie's twitter account, knowing that he rarely tweets anything besides what his youngest son ordered for dinner at Benihana, or things in Spanish, or things in gibberish.

There's just something about Michael Clarke Duncan saying "Mark Kotsay" in a booming bass voice that gives me a severe case of the giggles. 

The first really revealing quote from Reinsdorf, "I like to get guys who were good, had bad years, and now have something to prove."  Uhh...yeah, that can work, but a lot of the times guys who have bad years have moved past their primes, and aren't any good anymore...as in never again.   So as many times as you catch some guy having a rejuvenation years, you probably will find about two Andruw Joneses.

Apparently during casual conversations with his son in his house, Kenny Williams puffs from a cigar and drinks from a red solo cup.  I always wondered what it would be like if Archie Bunker was black and ran the Chicago White Sox. 

This discussion of determining two roster spots between Randy Williams, Daniel Hudson, and Sergio Santos is like watching a slow-moving car accident.  Not that they should have turned Hudson into a reliever, but any situation that ends in Randy Williams being chosen is heart-breaking.  As they reeled off facts from Williams; that's he's 34, hasn't pitched in the big leagues in 4 years before last season, bounced around to four different teams, I feel like a 'RED FLAG' graphic should appear in the corner of the screen.

I like the setup of the room where the brass tells the players if they made the team or not.  Ozzie behind the desk sipping on a vodka-like substance, Kenny sitting in a chair across from the player, and Don Cooper on the couch to touch the players on the small of their backs as they weep.

Man!  I thought that Sergio Santos was messed with when they told him he was on the team, Kenny goes so far as to flat-out lie to Randy Williams and tell him he's not going to make it, then tells him he's been punked, and that he's made the team.  Unfortunately, being a 34 year-old journeyman who has never made a team out of spring training, Randy is far too beaten down to punch Kenny in the face.  For shame, we could have really had a TV moment right there.

Steve Stone comments that Opening Day is the most exciting day of the season; I would rank clinching the division, first game of the playoffs, etc., as more exciting.  By a lot.

Why the hell does Ozzie wear those reading glasses.  He looks like a hairy Lisa Loeb.

Is it bad that when Ozzie's son anti-White Sox tweets were shown, where he comments that 9 of the players on the team last season aren't on big leagues rosters now, that my reaction was "Oh crap, really?!?!  That's not a great sign!"  I'm sure my blogger reaction should have been "Every team carries a number of fringe guys who are rotating in and out of the major league, and that kinda of turnover really isn't indicative of the quality of the White Sox core roster."

Wait....how long has it been since Michael Clarke Duncan was in a movie?!?!?  Is this his first job in a year?  This is all suddenly became a lot more lame.

Guh, this recap of the early season struggles is just needlessly depressing.  It's too late on a Sunday night to fix a drink, isn't it?  Ozzie says something confusing about showering with the players.  Bradley Whitford once said that showering together is what it means to be an ensemble....so there's that.

What can I say about that first episode of The Club?  It was initially amazing in its noveltly, then I slowly got bored as it ran out of interesting things to show me, and recapped a season that I already know like the back of my hand.  What's on for the next episode??!!


Episode 2:

Yay!  We're recapping the first episode!  Great!  Oohh...I'm getting testy, maybe I need a cookie.

Arrgghhh!!!! I'm out of cookies!  This is not going to be a good episode

We open the show with the team last in the league in batting average, 28th in ERA for the starters, and a hilarious montage of Ozzie cursing in different ways.  Kenny's shock and horror at the prospect of entering into a fire sale is almost adorable in its exaggeration.  I don't think he'd have a much different face if he came home and found a bear chasing his children through the house. 

"If you're hearing your name out there [referring to Jenks and Pierzynski] it's because other teams are asking about you, we're not putting your name out there.  I mean, we're the Chicago White Sox!"  As excited as I was that Kenny actually said this, I am sad that he stopped short of adding, "WE NEVER REBUILD!"

Personally, I'm glad that the White Sox Director of Amatuer Scouting looks like a guy who's spent a lot of days baking in the sun in a Hawaiian shirt and sipping on an umbrella drink.  It seems old school.  Hmm, what a long segment of the White Sox brass discussing players that they completely threw out the window once Chris Sale fell to them.

Kenny apparently legitimately wanted to draft a player who was both a pitcher and a positional player, with the intention that he would be a major-league quality contributor at both.  This seems dubious.  As the Director of Amateur Scouting shares "Kenny would rather take a guy who has the potential to be a star than someone who could be seen as a safe pick."  Ahh, I see, so that's how Josh Fields and Joe Borchard happen.  We swing for the fences, and in turn, get players who swing for the fences.

'09 1st-round draft pick Jared Mitchell is at the draft in a suit....because he's not doing anything else!!!

Director of Amateur Scouting is wearing a short-sleeve dress shirt for the draft.  Function over form wins today.

Kenny Williams calls Chris Sale to welcome him to the White Sox organization, Chris Sale's initial reaction is to giggle.  I'm writing off the next 10 years of White Sox baseball.

Apparently whenever the White Sox are losing, Kenny Williams watches from the gym inside U.S. Cellular and works out like a madman.  At least that means that whenever the White Sox truly bottom out, Kenny will finally be able to pry Prince Fielder from the Brewers when he physically overpowers the entire Milwaukee front office. 

A fun sequence of scene switching.  During the first game at Wrigley Field, Kenny eats at his restaurant far away from the game and discusses managing stress by staying a little detached, as the shot repeatedly cuts back to Ozzie flipping out in the dugout, often muttering gibberish to himself with a towel over his head.  Yeah, I can see these guys fighting.


The show managed to completely gloss over the allegations of a physical confrontation between Guillen and Williams despite being a show about Guillen and Williams.  Nor is there really much exploration of relationships with the players, nor is the question "Does Kenny Williams follow the press and think Phil Rogers is crazy too?"  Ideally the show will get more entertaining as the season wears on, more topics get explored, and the team turns it around, but I'm pretty sure this wouldn't be that entertaining if I wasn't a White Sox fan.


But I am.  Whoo!  Can't wait till next week!




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As the offseason is comes to a close, it is about time for players to wipe the dust out of their lockers and for fans to make sure they have their favorite game-day chair ready to go.

As the Miami Dolphins are presumably eager to start the season, they have to get through a rigorous training camp so they can show the staff and fans what they are made of.

The Dolphins are set to begin training camp July 30th, at the Nova University practice facilities.

 

Quarterbacks

Chad Henne comes into the season as the clear-cut starter. His play last season allowed the coaching staff to make that decision long before this offseason.

He was 7-6 as a starter, and he is only going to get better as time goes on.

The real battle will be between Tyler Thigpen and Pat White for the second quarterback spot. Many feel that White is a bust, especially after Miami reached to get him in the second round.

Thigpen is definitely the likely candidate for the backup spot, and he has more experience. Depending on the outcome, either player could warrant trade value in the upcoming season.

 

Running Backs and Fullbacks

The coaching staff has a hard decision to make for this position. Ronnie Brown is coming off of another injury, and Ricky Williams isn't getting any younger.

Last season showed that Ricky is feeling rejuvenated, and if Brown doesn't end the season on a healthy note, his days could be numbered.

Williams has shown that he thrives out of the spotlight, but he can also carry the load when necessary. Brown brings a more complete style while Ricky is a brutal, between-the-tackles runner.

As those two will be locks to make the roster, there are three other players that will be competing for one to two spots.

Patrick Cobbs is coming off an ACL tear, and while he is an incredibly versatile player, he may not be ready for the wear and tear that his versatility brings.

Lex Hilliard and Kory Sheets could be the odd men out if Cobbs shows he is healthy. Hilliard is a solid third or fourth running back, and Sheets is a fast, shifty type of runner.

No matter the line-up, this is a pretty deep group.

Lousaka Polite is also a lock to make the roster at fullback after his stellar 2009 season.

 

Tight Ends

After a solid first season with Miami, Anthony Fasano had a definite sophomore slump with the team in 2009. His play last season has left the door open for the likes of Joey Haynos and Kory Sperry.

Sperry has a ton of upside, as does Haynos. They are both young and they both possess big bodies suitable for red zone success.

Haynos is the tallest of all the tight ends, but Fasano has the most experience.

John Nalbone is also competing, but he is the least likely to make a push.

Fasano will most benefit from the Brandon Marshall acquisition, as he will finally have room to run his routes. Even if Fasano has a good season, Miami will likely try to look for a young playmaker at tight end in the draft.

All of these players are suitable for Miami's system, but none of them have deep threat ability.

 

Wide Receivers

Miami finally has a number one receiver.

Brandon Marshall helps this entire team. He helps the offense score more points, and he gives the defense a little breathing room.

Brian Hartline, Greg Camarillo, and Davone Bess will all also make this team. Hartline and Camarillo will likely compete for the spot opposite Marshall, while Bess will solidly play in the slot.

Bess had 76 receptions last season, which is the fourth-most in Miami Dolphins history.

Hartline is able to stretch the field a little more than Camarillo, however, Camarillo has possibly the best hands in this corps. 

Patrick Turner, who didn't see the field last season, is on the verge of losing his roster spot. Newcomer Ryan Grice-Mullen, who played with Bess at Hawaii, could make a push for the fifth receiver spot. There is other decent talent competing for this last spot, but it is most likely down to Turner or Grice-Mullen.

 

Offensive Line

The locks to start are Jake Long at left tackle and Vernon Carey at right tackle. It will be interesting to see who will start on the interior line. There will be six players competing for the three interior line spots, which also gives this offensive line incredible depth.

At center, Joe Berger will try to take Jake Grove's spot. Grove has been banged up in his time here with Miami, and Berger has shown the ability to make his presence felt when the team needs him.

As for the other two guard spots, newcomers Richie Incognito and John Jerry will battle it out with Nate Garner and Donald Thomas. You can’t go wrong with any of these guys in the starting position. as each has tremendous upside.

The only issues reside in Incognito’s ability to keep his head on his shoulders and Thomas’ ability to stay healthy. Other than that, I expect a very competitive training camp from these six players.

 

Defensive Line

This defensive line consists of all types of players. Possibly the most talked about player has been Randy Starks, after he was moved from defensive end to nose tackle. Starks had a brilliant season at defensive end, and with Paul Soliai’s struggles and Jason Ferguson’s recent retirement, Starks will have to be just as brilliant to anchor this line.

Ryan Baker is also a decent rotation guy.

At the moment of me typing these words, Jared Odrick has yet to sign his rookie contract, which should (hopefully) change by the time July 30 rolls around. At this point, Odrick has the edge to start at the defensive end spot opposite Kendall Langford.

Phillip Merling, who is facing legal troubles, was recently injured. In response to this injury, Miami signed former Jet Marques Douglas. If Douglas doesn’t make a push to start, he will at least bring a veteran tenacity to this young line. For the second year in a row, Miami has great depth on their defensive line.

Miami also recently signed Montavious Stanley from Jacksonville. Stanley played defensive tackle in the Jags 4-3 scheme, which likely means a transition to 3-4 defensive end.

If Stanley can play in the middle and outside, he will quickly become an asset to this team.

 

Linebackers

Before the off season began, Miami had a huge hole at inside linebacker. After signing Karlos Dansby, releasing Akin Ayodele and Reggie Torbor, drafting AJ Edds and Austin Spitler, and trading for Tim Dobbins, this group has been infused with tons of young talent.

If Channing Crowder can make a full recovery, the inside linebackers would be very solid. As Edds is more suited for pass coverage, he will likely play more on passing downs than Crowder.

Dobbins is serviceable at any linebacker spot, and will be a big time contributor on special teams. He could also push Crowder for the starting spot next to Dansby.

Spitler has the chance to sit for a few years, which will help the former Ohio State captain learn this defense.

However, questions still loom on the outside of this linebacker group. Cameron Wake has not proven that he can be an every down player, and second round pick Koa Misi will need to mature quickly in order to acclimate himself to the speed of the NFL.

Quentin Moses hasn’t really shown that he can be a consistent player on the outside, and Charlie Anderson has shown flashes, both good and bad.

Late round pick Chris McCoy hasn’t been talked about much, but he has the physical tools that the NFL craves.

Erik Walden will also fight for a roster spot on the outside.

 

Defensive Backs

In their second year, both Sean Smith and Vontae Davis will try to avoid the sophomore slump. If Vontae steadily improves this year, he should be a great corner for this team for the next decade. Sean Smith, who compiled a grand total of zero interceptions last season, has personally guaranteed that he will get more interceptions this season.

As these two are prepared to start opposite each other, questions remain whether Will Allen will be ready to play and if Nolan Carroll can prepare his mind for the NFL.

Allen, who has started at corner with Miami for the past four seasons, will likely begin the season in a backup role. His veteran leadership is more valued at this point than his play is.

Former first round pick Jason Allen will also try to make the team as a special teams contributor.

Yeremiah Bell comes into camp as the starting strong safety, while a battle looms at free safety between Chris Clemons and Tyrone Culver. Clemons, who was drafted last year, has more physical tools than Culver, while Culver has the intelligence to play the position. If Clemons shows he can play intelligently, he will be the answer at free safety for this team.

Reshad Jones will also be in the mix, though his skill set is more suited for the strong safety position.

 

Special Teams

Brandon Fields and Dan Carpenter have shown that they are reliable enough to keep around.

Miami has yet to find their option in the return game. With Ted Ginn’s departure to San Francisco, Miami is left with a sub-par return game. Davone Bess was average as a punt returner, however, Miami needs to find a more explosive option for a returner.

Ryan Grice-Mullen could make the roster as a returner. Kory Sheets could also make a push as a returner.

 

Pre-Camp Predictions

Backup Quarterback : Tyler Thigpen over Pat White

 

• Thigpen has more experience and a better NFL arm. White has struggled thus far with everything. Thigpen would be suitable if Henne were to get injured.

Third Running Back : Patrick Cobbs over Lex Hilliard and Kory Sheets

 

• Cobbs tore his ACL last season, but if he is up to the challenge, this team will need his contributions. He can do everything from being a third down running back, a slot receiver, and a gunner on special teams.

Fifth Receiver : Ryan Grice-Mullen over Patrick Turner

 

• Grice-Mullen was in a pass happy offense in Hawaii, and showed that he can catch a ton of passes. At this point, he would be more valuable to this team than Patrick Turner.

Offensive Guard : Richie Incognito and Donald Thomas over Nate Garner and John Jerry

 

• This can really go any way. It will depend on who brings their A-game. Incognito and Thomas have more experience than Garner and Jerry, but that doesn’t count those two out at all.

Center : Jake Grove over Joe Berger

 

• See above explanation. Grove has more experience than Berger, but this group is so deep that you cannot go wrong with any starting rotation.

Defensive End : Jared Odrick over Marques Douglas

 

• Odrick has already been getting praise, while Douglas is a new addition to this team. This is an interesting battle between a rookie and a veteran, while in this case Odrick has an edge. (Langford will start at the other end spot)

Inside Linebacker : Channing Crowder over Tim Dobbins and AJ Edds

 

• With Karlos Dansby present, Crowder will no longer be looked at as “the man” in this corps of linebackers. Crowder will benefit from Dansby, and he will also benefit from being out of the spotlight.
• Dobbins has shined when he got the chance to play, but it has yet to be seen whether he can shine as a full-time starter. If Crowder wins the starting spot, Dobbins and Edds will battle each other for playing time.

Outside Linebacker : Cameron Wake and Koa Misi over Quentin Moses and Charlie Anderson

 

• The Dolphins and their fans hope Wake and Misi show the ability to be starters. If Wake improves as a stand up linebacker, he will thrive in Mike Nolan’s defense.
• Misi, on the other hand, needs to show that he can be a pass rushing option. Moses and Anderson should see playing time, although, barring a catastrophe on Wake and Misi’s end, they will not start.

Free Safety : Chris Clemons over Tyron Culver

 

• Clemons has the speed and instincts to be a ball hawking safety, while Culver has shown he can minimize the big play by playing smartly.
• If Clemons is not ready for this role, Culver will be a suitable stop-gap player until Clemons has matured or until a new safety is brought in.
• In Clemons' case, he needs to show what he can do in order to ensure his future with this team.

Kick/Punt Returner : Ryan Grice-Mullen over Davone Bess, Kory Sheets, and Patrick Cobbs

 

• Grice-Mullen will, hopefully, show the burst necessary to be a solid option at returner. Bess is shifty, but doesn’t have breakaway speed. Cobbs has a decent burst, but coming off an ACL tear, he might not be able to take this role.
• Sheets needs to show he can make the team as a running back, although it would be a great find if he was the answer as a returner
• With lots of unlikely candidates at receiver to make this team, this could be the calling for guys like Julius Pruitt, Taurus Johnson, Marlon Moore, and Roberto Wallace.

 

Coaching

This is year three of the Bill Parcells, Tony Sparano, and Jeff Ireland experiment. This roster has been completely transformed from when they first took over the team.

This is when the team should start showing the mentality of a contender. It is too early, still, to put any of the coaching staff on the hot seat, although don't expect it to go over easily if this team struggles this season.

Surprises on the final roster should be expected, although a good bit of this roster is already set in stone.

Henning should have more success this season as a play caller, and Mike Nolan has some good pieces to make this a tenacious defense.

The first results can be seen August 14, in Miami's first preseason game against Tampa Bay.

Seventh in a series of training-camp reports.

ATLANTA FALCONS

Training-camp site: Falcons headquarters, Flowery Branch, Ga.

Training-camp report date: July 29.

Key veteran arrival: CB Dunta Robinson.

Key veteran departures: CB Tye Hill, CB Chris Houston, LS Mike Schneck.

Drafted rookies: (1) LB Sean Weatherspoon; (3) DT Corey Peters, OG Mike Johnson; (4) OG Joe Hawley; (5) CB Dominique Franks, WR Kerry Meier; (6) S Shann Schillinger.

Offensive overview: The offseason gave QB Matt Ryan, RB Michael Turner and WR Harry Douglas time to recover from the injuries they suffered last year, and Atlanta is expecting each of them to come back strong in 2010. The Falcons, who made few personnel changes on offense, will continue to employ a power-running attack led by Turner and a gritty offensive line, which should lead to opportunities for Ryan to keep defenses off-balance with play-action. There has been talk of the unit operating out of the no-huddle more often in 2010 and offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey could get more creative with a maturing Ryan under center. The third-year quarterback has a talented tandem of targets in WR Roddy White and TE Tony Gonzalez.

Defensive overview: The Falcons made a major upgrade at a position of need by signing CB Dunta Robinson on the first weekend of free agency, and they also spent their top draft pick on OLB Sean Weatherspoon. With its top two draft picks from 2009 — DT Peria Jerry and S William Moore — on the mend after landing on injured reserve early last season, Atlanta believes it has the pieces necessary to make significant improvements on defense. The personnel have changed, but head coach Mike Smith is a proponent of zone coverage, and he's not expected to alter his philosophy much. Getting more production out of the pass rush will be key, and there will be a competition between DEs Kroy Biermann, Jamaal Anderson and Lawrence Sidbury for reps opposite DE John Abraham.

Battle to watch: Brent Grimes, Brian Williams, Chris Owens and Chevis Jackson will compete to become the starting left cornerback. It's believed that Grimes and Williams, who have the most starting experience of the four, are the most legitimate contenders, but Owens showed promise as a rookie. Jackson appears to be the least likely of the four to win the job.

Injury update: Jerry, who is recovering from a torn ACL, is expected to be ready for training camp after sitting out minicamps and OTAs, but it's possible that he'll be eased back into the routine. Douglas is apparently progressing well from his recovery from a torn ACL and is expected to participate when camp starts, as is Williams, who also tore an ACL in '09. Turner is in better condition than he was last season and his ankle is reportedly close to 100 percent. He missed most of the second half of last season with a high ankle sprain. Ryan said in April that the turf toe injury he suffered last season is no longer an issue.

Fantasy sleeper: Douglas flashed big-play ability as a rookie and he could have a breakout season if the ACL tear didn't diminish his explosiveness. The Falcons envision him playing a Wes Welker-like role in the slot.

 

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Training-camp site: Wofford College, Spartanburg, S.C.

Training-camp report date: July 28.

Key veteran arrivals: DT Ed Johnson, S Aaron Francisco, OLB Jamar Williams.

Key veteran departures: QB Jake Delhomme, OLB Na'il Diggs, S Chris Harris, FB Brad Hoover, LB Landon Johnson, DT Maake Kemoeatu, DT Damione Lewis, PK Rhys Lloyd, WR Muhsin Muhammad, DE Julius Peppers.

Drafted rookies: (2) QB Jimmy Clausen; (3) WR Brandon LaFell, WR Armanti Edwards; (4) OLB-DE Eric Norwood; (6) DE Greg Hardy, WR David Gettis, CB Jordan Pugh, QB Tony Pike; (7) CB R.J. Stanford, CB Robert McClain.

Offensive overview: The Panthers are entering a season without Jake Delhomme as their starting quarterback for the first time since 2002. QB Matt Moore is expected to take over after performing well in a starting stint last season, but he could face a challenge from rookie Jimmy Clausen. No matter who is under center, Carolina will prominently feature its top running backs, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, who form one of the most effective rushing tandems in the league. The Panthers will try to strike a better balance between the air and ground games this season now that the turnover-prone Delhomme is gone, but the performances of rookie WRs Brandon LaFell and Armanti Edwards will play a major role in deciding the passing game's capabilities.

Defensive overview: The front seven on defense will look significantly different. DE Julius Peppers departed in free agency and WLB Thomas Davis could miss the entire season after tearing his ACL for the second time in seven months during June practice. Carolina is considering moving Jon Beason from middle to weak-side linebacker, and second-year DE Everette Brown is expected to help replace Peppers' production as a pass rusher. The interior of the defensive line also will require some sorting out in training camp and could be a major weakness in coordinator Ron Meeks' cover-2 zone. The secondary wasn't immune to the offseason overhaul either, as S Chris Harris was traded to Chicago. Safeties Sherrod Martin and Charles Godfrey will team to form the Panthers' new last line of defense.

Battle to watch: The disappointing Dwayne Jarrett will get another chance to earn a starting spot at wide receiver opposite Steve Smith — assuming his broken arm has healed before the regular season — but he'll face a challenge from LaFell, who was selected in the third round.

Injury update: The Panthers expect Smith to recover from a broken arm he suffered in a June flag-football game before the regular season. It's the same arm he broke in December. Davis hasn't been placed on injured reserve yet, and Carolina will wait to see how he recovers before making a decision on whether to place him on the physically unable to perform list or I.R. Stewart is said to be progressing well from offseason surgery. The Panthers were cautious with him in practices during his first two seasons and it wouldn't be a surprise if they took a similar tack this season. OLT Jordan Gross took part in team drills in June and appears to be recovering well after breaking his leg in Week 10 last season.

Fantasy sleeper: Before Clausen replaces him as the starter, Moore might just continue doing what he did late last season — prove himself as a serviceable fantasy starter. In five starts at the end of the '09 campaign, Moore compiled a touchdown-interception ration of 8-2. He's a worth a flier late in drafts in deep leagues.

 

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Training-camp site: Saints training facility, Metairie, La.

Training-camp report date: July 29.

Key veteran arrivals: DE Alex Brown, LB Clint Ingram, FB Jason McKie, DE Jimmy Wilkerson.

Key veteran departures: RB Mike Bell, OLB Scott Fujita, DE Charles Grant, OG Jamar Nesbit.

Drafted rookies: (1) CB Patrick Robinson; (2) OT Charles Brown; (3) TE Jimmy Graham; (4) DT Al Woods; (5) C Matt Tennant; (7) QB Sean Canfield.

Offensive overview: It would seem like there's nowhere to go but down for the Saints' offense, which has finished first in the league in three of the past four seasons, but this is still a highly talented group with a smart, aggressive mind in Sean Payton at the helm. There wasn't much turnover on offense in the offseason, and most roles in Payton's West Coast-hybrid system are clearly defined heading into training camp. QB Drew Brees is one of the most valuable players in the league and the passing game should be potent once again. Pierre Thomas returns as the team's top back and will share reps with RBs Reggie Bush and Lynell Hamilton. Jermon Bushrod, who started for almost the entire regular season and throughout the playoffs last season, is locked in as Brees' blind-side protector following the team's decision to trade OLT Jammal Brown to the Redskins. New Orleans' offensive line is considered one of the league's best.

Defensive overview: Coordinator Gregg Williams' aggressive, pressure-heavy system worked wonders in forcing takeaways in his first year on the job. He'll look to get similar results from a slightly different-looking unit in 2010. Gone are SLB Scott Fujita and DEs Charles Grant and Bobby McCray. The Saints didn't make any major free-agent signings, but did add some solid veterans, like DE Alex Brown and OLB Clint Ingram, who are expected to make major contributions. Malcolm Jenkins, the team's first-round pick in '09, has moved from cornerback to free safety and is being groomed as the eventual replacement for Darren Sharper, who returned on a one-year deal. Improving a run defense that ranked 21st in the league last season will be key for New Orleans.

Battle to watch: Ingram is hoping to be 100 percent healthy by the start of training camp, where he's expected to face a challenge from Jo-Lonn Dunbar, and perhaps others, for the starting spot at strong-side linebacker. Ingram underwent knee surgery in the offseason that reportedly included some microfracture techniques. Dunbar, who started on the strong side when Fujita missed time with an injury last season, is the most likely challenger, although the Saints have other young 'backers that could also get a chance at the job. The backup QB battle between Chase Daniel and Patrick Ramsey, who is expected to sign with the team later this month, also could be an intriguing one.

Injury update: Sharper, who tied for the league lead with nine interceptions in '09, will be on what Payton described as a "pitch count," in the early part of training camp as he returns from knee surgery. It's not yet clear when he'll be able to participate in full practices. Robert Meachem, who could challenge Devery Henderson for the role of No. 2 wide receiver, is coming off of toe surgery and the Saints will be cautious with him early in camp as well. The same goes for RB Heath Evans, who tore an ACL in Week Seven last season, and DE Jimmy Wilkerson, who tore his ACL in Week 15.

Fantasy sleeper: Lynell Hamilton is expected to back up Thomas as the featured back and will be asked to replace some of the production that Mike Bell, who signed with the Eagles, provided last season in short-yardage and goal-line situations. In deep leagues, Hamilton could be an intriguing piece at the end of the bench. His stock would rise significantly if Thomas were to miss time with an injury.

 

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Training-camp site: One Buccaneer Place, Tampa, Fla.

Training-camp report date: July 30.

Key veteran arrivals: LB Jon Alston, WR Reggie Brown, S Sean Jones.

Key veteran departures: S Will Allen, FB B.J. Askew, P Josh Bidwell, WR Antonio Bryant, LB Angelo Crowell, CB Torrie Cox, DT Chris Hovan, P Dirk Johnson, QB Byron Leftwich, LB Matt McCoy, OG Arron Sears, DE Jimmy Wilkerson.

Drafted rookies: (1) DT Gerald McCoy; (2) DT Brian Price, WR Arrelious Benn; (3) CB Myron Lewis; (4) WR Mike Williams; (6) P Brent Bowden; (7) S Cody Grimm, OLB Dekoda Watson, DE Erik Lorig.

Offensive overview: The Buccaneers will return to a more traditional version of the West Coast offense in QB Josh Freeman's second season. Coordinator Greg Olson implemented a more aggressive deep passing element into the playbook last season, when QB Byron Leftwich opened the season as the starter, but Freeman will be focusing more on short and intermediate throws this time. The Bucs added a veteran, Reggie Brown, and two rookies, Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams, to bolster an unimpressive receiving corps, and there could be competition for the starting jobs in camp. TE Kellen Winslow could be Freeman's go-to target once again, if his surgically repaired knee holds up. Cadillac Williams and Derrick Ward, who is looking to redeem himself after a disappointing first season in Tampa, will share carries, and the offensive line returns without any significant personnel changes.

Defensive overview: Tampa Bay's defense improved after head coach Raheem Morris assumed coordinator duties and returned the team to it's old cover-2 zone around the middle of last season. A more complete and much better performance from the defense is expected, as Morris continues to run the "D." Tampa Bay spent its top two draft picks on DTs Gerald McCoy, who was selected third overall, and Brian Price. McCoy will start right away at the three-technique and Price will line up next to him at nose tackle. The Bucs' pass rush has been a major problem in recent years, and Morris is hoping McCoy and Price will help create pressure. Tampa Bay is set to return the same three starting linebackers from a year ago, including MLB Barrett Ruud, who has led the team in tackles in each of the past three seasons. CB Ronde Barber could be entering his final season with the team. The Bucs spent a third-round pick on CB Myron Lewis, and he should, at minimum, play in the nickel package.  

Battle to watch: Sabby Piscitelli will get a chance to keep Sean Jones from taking his starting job at strong safety, but Jones is the clear favorite in the competition. The Bucs targeted competition for Piscitelli in free agency after he struggled in his first season as a starter and they landed Jones, a seventh-year veteran with starting experience.

Injury update: Winslow underwent the fifth surgery on his right knee since 2005 this offseason. He reportedly plans on being ready for the start of training camp, but recently admitted that knee pain is something he deals with every day. Benn missed time in offseason practices with an ankle injury, but he's expected to participate when camp opens.

Fantasy sleeper: Benn could be a player taken late in drafts who outproduces receivers taken ahead of him. He has a shot to become Freeman's top target, and his run-after-the-catch ability was one of the reasons the Bucs took him in the second round. We've seen several rookie receivers make an immediate impact in recent years, and Benn has the tools to do the same.

 

Other training-camp reports: NFC North | NFC East | AFC West | AFC South | AFC North | AFC East

 

You can learn even more about each team in the Volume XXV, Issue 6 print edition, with training-camp previews that address additional topics, such as juiciest story line, burning questions and fearless prediction for every team. The Issue 6 print edition is on sale at retail outlets, or you can buy a PDF or print copy online at PFWstore.com.

The Padres go for the sweep today with Wade LeBlanc on the mound against the Pirates' Brad Lincoln.

Today's lineup features Jerry Hairston Jr. and Chris Denorfia at the top of the lineup. We also get to see Will "the Thrill" Venable, the Savior Chase Headley and Everth "Tha Terror" Cabrera.

A sweep today sends a message to the rest of the NL West: We are not afraid of pirates.

GO PADRES!!!

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Can you imagine it?

 

Wouldn’t that be great, Lions fans?! 

 

Wouldn’t it be unbelievably fantastic if the Detroit Lions were to roll into south Florida and feast on ‘Phish for an after-Christmas delight on Sunday afternoon, December 26, 2010?

 

It could happen, and it isn’t as far fetched an idea as some might think.

 

I got to wondering the other day, what would it take for the Lions to pull off an upset,  on-the-road victory against a team highly capable of winning the AFC East? What conditions would have to be present in order for the Lions to beat the Dolphins on the road at Sun Life Stadium?

 

My first response?

 

A miracle.

 

One of my most anticipated matchups during Week 2 of the 2010 NFL season is Miami at Minnesota.  The league and its fans will have a pretty good idea of what they have on their hands in both teams by close of business on September 19, 2010.

 

Fortunately for the Detroit Lions and their fans, a Sunday afternoon contest on the day after Christmas in Miami comes in Week 16, the week before the regular season finale.

 

It would actually be in the Lions favor if they were facing a Miami team boasting a 12-win record.  If the Dolphins had the AFC East already locked up by Week 16, there’s a good chance the Miami leadership might suggest a pragmatic “rest” for certain key starters in lieu of risking injury to them right before the start of the playoffs.

 

Go Dolphins, Go!

 

Right up until Christmas, that is.

 

The Dolphins will face each team in the NFC North this year, and I will be especially interested not only in their second-week game against the Vikings, but also their October 17th trip to Green Bay, not to mention their hosting of the Bears on the 18th of November.

 

I will be hoping for DE Jared Odrick and LB Karlos Dansby to put the “Mallachi Crunch” on both Aaron Rodgers and Jay “Breaded Veal” Cutler, as each co-stars as Pinky Tusacdero (yes, Happy Days, circa 1976).  (Think Dick Sergeant – Rodgers - then Dick York – Cutler - and you’ll be just fine.  Yes, Bewitched, but you get it I think.)

 

Many pro football fans find it okay to have a home team that your root for —you know, “your team” (for me, obviously the Detroit Lions). They also happens to be in the National Football Conference, which means I have a team to secondarily cheer for in the other conference.  So as a youth, my team was the Detroit Lions followed by my AFC team, the Miami Dolphins.

 

Larry Czonka (Hall of Fame Class of 1987) was probably my favorite Dolphins player on offense, and I loved to watch the “Killer B” defense.

 

Although the Miami Dolphins offense presents its own particular threat to any NFL defense, it is the Miami defense that concerns me the most.

 

Now if the Dolphins leadership team finds it practical to rest certain defenders, I for one wouldn’t mind at all.  I would find their “rather safe than sorry” attitude a real blessing for the Detroit Lions in late December. It gives the visiting Leos a good shot at ending 2010 on a victorious note.

 

Of all the 2010 Detroit Lions road games I would be most interested in attending, the Miami contest is my runaway winner.  For vanity’s sake, it would be nice to let the south Florida sun tan my freshly shaved dome, but that is neither here nor there.  A natural tan on New Year’s Eve is a rare thing for us Michigan folks!

 

From an offensive perspective, if Chad Henne and Matthew Stafford both start and finish the game, football fans of the quarterback position should be in for a real treat.

 

Two former first-round Michigan men will start at left tackle, Jake Long for the ‘Phins, and Jeff Backus for the Leos.  For many Lions fans, that’s where the comparison stops. 

 

Regardless of Jim Schwartz’ declaration that the play of Jeff Backus was worthy of pro bowl votes based on his 2009 campaign, fans will remain “from Missouri” until they see Backus’ sack total reduced to around three or four on the 2010 season.

 

Let the offenses do what they will.  Somebody has to stop them. 

 

Let’s talk defense.

 

The Dolphins defense placed 22nd in overall NFL defense in 2009, allowing an average of just under 350 yards per game.  Miami finished 18th in rush defense, giving up just under 115 yards per contest.

 

The Miami scoring defense was less than impressive, allowing an average of 24.4 points per game, hence a 7-9 record and third-place finish in the AFC East in 2009.  The 2009 Dolphins were also a bottom-tier team in pass defense, allowing 234.6 yards per game enroute to a 24th-best (or worst, depending on how you look at it) ranking.

 

So, “What’s all the ‘hub-bub’, Bub?”

 

Call it a hunch or a gut feeling, but I think Miami’s 3-4 defense is going to be a machine to be reckoned with during the 2010 season.

 

For draft enthusiasts who enjoy a certain defensive bent in their outlook toward building a successful, championship-caliber franchise, the 2010 Miami Dolphins draft class might really tickle your fancy.  Of the eight selections the Dolphins made, seven were on the defensive side of the ball:

 

Rnd	Ovrl	Player	Pos.	College	Ht.	Wt.
1	28	Jared Odrick	DE	Penn State	6'5"	296
2	40	Koa Misi	OLB	Utah	6'3"	251
3	73	John Jerry	G	Ole Miss	6'5"	328
4	119	A. J. Edds	ILB	Iowa	6'4"	246
5	145	Nolan Carroll	CB	Maryland	5'11"	204
5	163	Reshad Jones	FS	Georgia	6'1"	214
7	212	Chris McCoy	OLB	Mid Tenn State	6'3"	251
7	252	Austin Spitler	ILB	Ohio State	6'3"	234

 

The key to this game, in my opinion, will be whether the Lions' offense can effectively block the Dolphins' front seven, and whether QB Matthew Stafford is able to beat Dolphins sophomore cornerbacks, Vontae Davis and Sean Smith.

 

If the 2010 Miami Dolphins defense isn’t any better on paper (or on the field) than they were during the 2009 season, I’m looking for Matthew Stafford to light it up throwing the ball to Calvin Johnson, Tony Scheffler, Nate Burleson, Brandon Pettigrew, and Jahvid Best.

 

Again, I think opposing defenses might be able to cover some of our offensive weapons some of the time, but they won’t be able to cover them all of the time.

 

This is a game where Calvin Johnson is going to have to run off deep Vontae Davis and his safety help, which should open up the underneath game to Scheffler, Pettigrew, and Best.  The key will be for Stafford to find Scheffler and Best in those timely situations where “the weapon” can get into the open field and make the defense pay by gaining large chunks of yardage after the catch.

 

Can you see it yet?

 

Another key to the December 26, 2010 contest in South Florida with be each team’s collective state of health.  That late in the season, it shouldn’t be a surprise to find key players on each team who have succumbed to injury.  It isn’t anything we wish upon any player, Lions fans especially; it’s just a fact of life in the National Football League.

 

The Detroit Lions will not be afforded the luxury of turning the ball over when in Miami.   If the Lions lose the turnover battle, they will lose the game, plain and simple.  Stafford and Best must protect the ball and C.J., Nate-B, and Scheff all need to be very sure handed during the late-December contest.

 

I think the Detroit Lions will need to see two of their defensive playmakers make a signature play, with at least one of them going for a score, if the Lions are to prevail over the Dolphins in Miami.  Free safety Louis Delmas proved to be Detroit’s most electrifying player on defense last year, and another return for touchdown of any kind would help the Lions best the Dolphins.

 

Cliff Avril, Kyle Vanden Bosch, DeAndre Levy, or Dré Bly might supply the extra defensive game-changing play the Lions could use to defeat the home team.

 

If the Dolphins struggle at offensive guard, Corey Williams, Ndamukong Suh, and Sammie Lee Hill could provide the extra push to stop the run enroute to sacking the quarterback.

 

Chad Henne, if that happens to be you, I’m really sorry.  Go Blue anyway!  Chad Pennington, if you’re behind center, good luck with that.  Welcome to the “Thundering Herd” of Suh, Williams, and Hill trampling you to the ground.

 

Gunther Cunningham must have his defense set on “kill mode” on the afternoon of Sunday, December 26, 2010, and the Detroit defense must execute the “Miami massacre” without hesitation if the Detroit Lions are going to win against a Dolphins team that features a pesky, diverse, and hard-to-defend offense.

 

Schwartz and Cunningham will have 15 weeks of game film to find the “Achilles ‘Gil’” of the Dolphins offense, and I hope their keen film study will provide the requisite impetus to completely stifle the Miami offense.

 

Whether the Miami Dolphins will taut double-digit wins headed into the December 26th contest against Detroit, or the Lions be only marginally improved, I will be looking forward to this match-up with excitement.  (Lions fans get excited about almost every road game —except for the inherent losing part —which hasn't been fun at all, as road games are not subject to local television blackout.)

 

In a hard-fought battle in south Florida, the Lions emerge triumphant by a final score of 24-20!  WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!

 

A little Holiday cheer would be a great thing at Christmas time for Detroit Lions fans, and a Lions road win over the Miami Dolphins would make for an especially cheery beginning to the New Year.

 

I just hope we don’t get coal in our stockings again!

 

 

HäMM ë R

In dicussing the Super Bowl possibilities surrounding his his team, Dallas Cowboys owner-general manager Jerry Jones mentioned the roster includes ``some players .who have had close experiences in maybe knocking...

The Padres take the best record in the NL into the second game of this series with the Pirates.

Who me? No Comic-Con with the kids this year. Next year who knows. For now, I will sit at home with my comics and the Padres.. After I go to the store.

Try to play nice in the comments. JBox wants to start doing Ban Mondays again. We may as well. The comments sections have turned into little troll forests. I tried to tell you not to be too serious, but NOOOOO you guys all seem to know what's best and you've turned yourselves into trolls. If you want to chat with me during the game, I'll be on Twitter.

GO PADRES!!!

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While Yamaha celebrated the fans, Rossi celebrated his entourage, with a special helmet with photos of his friends and crew

Nicky Hayden had pimped his faux-hawk with some fancy racing stripes

Yamaha? Ducati? Back to Honda maybe? Jerry Burgess ponders his future

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HE'S duetted with some of the world's greatest singing legends from Elvis Presley and Stevie Wonder to Johnny Cash and Tina Turner.

Yorkshire teacher Alan Hemsworth is retiring after 40 years at the same school, putting him in a unique position to offer views on an education system in flux

Alan Hemsworth walked into King James's School in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, in September 1971 to begin a career as a German teacher. He was 23.

Margaret Thatcher was education secretary. The old system of grammar schools and secondary moderns was in the process of being scrapped and a new breed of comprehensives was rising in their place.

He probably did not expect still to be there 39 years later – after the winter of discontent, Thatcher's rise and fall, the end of the cold war, Black Wednesday, the death of Princess Diana, New Labour, 9/11, the Iraq war, the election of a black US president, eight prime ministers and 19 secretaries of state. But he was – until Friday, when he finally retired.

He bows out at a time when education is rarely out of the news. Britain's schools are a top priority for the coalition government, which showed off its academies bill and "free schools" plan before being mired in controversy over proposals to axe the rebuilding of classrooms and other infrastructure. And there has been a fierce debate about the quality of teaching – amid allegations that too many "bad" teachers are being allowed to remain in post.

After four decades, Hemsworth is remarkably well-placed to offer a view on life in Britain's state education system. "I have survived, reasonably intact, with a smile on my face," he says, after a thoughtful pause. "I feel really privileged to be in the best job in the world. But it is time to move on."

The enthusiasm remains as he describes, in a broad Yorkshire accent, how he has loved his time at King James's. There have been highs (36 German exchanges with Knaresborough's twin town of Bebra, pupils gaining places at Oxbridge, hysterical laughter in the staffroom) and lows (the advent of Ofsted, "targets", league tables – and once lashing out in anger and hitting a child).

We sit down to talk inside the languages department – in which shiny floors squeak underfoot and glass-fronted displays are covered with pictures of children on trips abroad.

Asked to compare the classroom of 2010 to the one he entered in 1971, Hemsworth starts with the basics. "There is no blackboard, there is no dust, there is no chalk. Instead, there is a computer and smart-board in every room. The desks and chairs are arranged according to teacher and pupils' wishes. It used to be in rows, with boys on one side and girls on the other."

In his first years at the school, boys did woodwork and dominated the sciences, while girls went to sewing lessons and tended towards the arts and humanities. No more, he says, talking of boys in cookery classes and girls in craft. There are plenty of other changes, too.

When Hemsworth began, teachers expected "silence and obedience" and children generally complied. "There were some truculent ones in the 1970s, but the bulk of kids were much less in your face. The corridors were certainly quieter, the classrooms were quieter. They are much more confident now – and I am not saying this is in a negative sense. They do not accept any more, but question things."

They also swear more, he admits. In the 1970s, it would be exceptional to hear a child hurl verbal abuse – including the rudest words – at a teacher, but now it is far more common. Hemsworth says he is still "shocked" by bad language after an upbringing that was somewhat "Victorian", on a council estate in South Yorkshire with no indoor toilet, a bed shared with his brother, and a mother who stayed at home and carried out the domestic chores. In that world, "dad's word" – and the teacher's – "went".

His first year at King James's was also its first year as a comprehensive school, bringing together the old grammar on the site and two secondary moderns. He admits that there were teething problems as the separate tribes of children were drawn together.

"They were already in their clans, there was already a pattern of behaviour, so I think many members of staff, especially in the grammar school, were very apprehensive. There were divisions – academic divisions, attitude divisions. There were frictions occasionally between the kids – the occasional fight, children establishing their territory. But overall it worked amazingly well, and a lot of credit goes to the head."

He remembers an early discussion among staff about how to address boys in this new world. "Do we call them Smith, Jones and Brown – as in the grammar schools – or Tom and Jerry?" he mimics. In the end, a decision was taken to stick with first names – "revolutionary thinking", says Hemsworth, laughing.

At first there was corporal punishment, he says, describing "lads" being summoned to their canings. "Some teachers took a great big run up and whacked them – I think they enjoyed it," he says. "Not the kids, but the teachers." Others, including him, hated it. "It did no good whatsoever. The kids would have a sore backside, but they would also have a bit of status."

By the early 1980s, the memories of the grammar school were starting to fade as its last teachers retired.

As Hemsworth talks it becomes clear that while – physically – it is the same King James's in which he has always taught, the school today is unrecognisable from the one he joined.

The memories pour out: when the school closed because of a lack of coal during the miners' strikes; an "incandescent" headteacher hollering in the staffroom; setting up the Bebra exchange with an English teacher in Germany; walking out with the National Union of Teachers in the 1980s; arriving back from a school trip at 2am and disrupting a burglary. Then there was the lowest point – "the scariest moment of my life" – when he reacted angrily and hit a child. "I lost my cool because I was a nice teacher, trying to be liberal. This kid was winding me up, answering back, but then I lost my temper and hit him, around the head."

Hemsworth remembers thinking: "Oh my God – what have I done?" and that his career was over. In fact, the pupil's parents decided to take it no further. He knows things would be very different now – when male teachers are afraid to pat a girl on the back and say well done, or stay in a room alone with her. "That is really sad," he says.

In 2010, children even look different, he says. "The corridors are very narrow and there is a bit of a joke that you get more crushed these days because the kids are bigger. They are taller on average, and a lot are overweight."

With the increasing influences of television and advertising, the other big change is that children are much more aware of how they look, he says.

"In the 1970s, the girls wore A-line and long kilts," says Hemsworth, placing his hand at his knee. "If you see them now, they are like belts. And there is more makeup, dangling earrings, hair out of place, and so on."

Even the staffroom chat has been transformed. In the past, it "was more relaxed, there was intellectual talk, there was football talk, rugby talk, talk about husbands or wives or about families, there was talk about the kids in the school, there was talk about the headmaster behind his back". Nowadays, teachers sit in separate rooms, preparing lessons and marking.

So what has changed? "The Baker act stands out in my mind," he says of the 1988 Education Act that heralded the start of the national curriculum.

"It brought in league tables, more regular inspections – Ofsted. I hate league tables – I think they are so destructive – and it has a spin-off in the classroom, because then everything becomes focused on results, results, results."

Hemsworth says all schools feel under pressure and focus relentlessly on the children whose grades are at the D-C borderline. "Ofsted is always lurking. It is quite scary at times. Results day – most teachers in this school are very anxious about the results." And children, too, are more stressed, he says.

Hemsworth blames Labour for bringing in a rigid structure of lessons. "If you get inspected now and you are not doing that, you get failed." But he is no fan of the coalition government's "free schools" because he fears they will harm existing comprehensives. King James's longest-serving languages teacher confesses that he left the school with tears in his eyes on Friday. But he also left with a settled conclusion about the country's education system.

"I believe profoundly in comprehensive schools – we help all the kids, whether they are rich or poor. The grammar system was good for me: at the time, I would have hated to go to a secondary modern that did not teach languages, but if it was today I could have that same opportunity in a school like this. I do prefer the comprehensive system."

I have been asked by a couple of readers for lists of prospects to look for in the second half of the season. Apparently you guys want to know both the prospects that should be up soon and the prospects that will be making cameos before making their impacts next season. I am nothing if not obliging.

Brett Wallace, 1B, Toronto Blue Jays - One of my favorite hitting prospects, Wallace is showing improved homerun power. He is a disciplined hitter, although his patience seems to have slipped just a bit. He should eventually hit for high averages, with very nice OBAs, good power (say 20-30 homers annually), and provide zero speed. Lyle Overbay is still in the way at first base. Overbay's sub-par season has not helped the Blue Jays in their attempts to move him. The Jays are also trying to move Jose Bautista (selling high, just as you would) which would also open a spot, though Travis Snider may get the first opening.

Jeremy Hellickson, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays - Hellickson has everything you want to see in a pitching prospect. He wins. He induces strikeouts. A large chunk of the flyballs he allows are of the harmless infield variety. When you subtract the infield flies from the other variety he induces more groundballs than fly outs. He has excellent command (3.55 K/BB) and is just 23-years old pitching in the International League. He should already be in the majors.

Kyle Gibson, RHP, Minnesota Twins - He induces groundballs on almost 60 percent of the balls put into play. He induces strikeouts at nice rate and his improving changeup promises that that rate can improve even further. With the Twins appearing reluctant to part with their better prospects in a trade for pitching, Gibson looks like a nice option down the stretch.

Jerry Sands, 1B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers - Right now, no one is talking about Jerry Sands, but all he does is hit. He hits for average (batting .319/.422/.636 at two levels) and he hits for power (27 homers in 332 at-bats). He draws walks and makes pretty good contact for a slugger. This 25th-round pick from the 2008 draft looks unstoppable right now. The Dodgers could certainly use an unstoppable slugger in their lineup. Who couldn't?

Thomas Diamond, RHP, Chicago Cubs - He was left for dead by the Rangers. Okay, they sacrificed his place on the roster for a fresher crop of prospects. This is all to the Cubs benefit. He looks exactly like the talented rotation starter he was expected to become a few years ago. He is still just 27-years old. The Cubs have absolutely nothing to lose by promoting him into the major league rotation.

Brock Bond, 2B, San Francisco Giants - Bond is not the type of player that usually gets put on fantasy-oriented prospect lists. But his .417 OBP in 4 seasons is exactly the style of player the Giants need at the top of their lineup. If they make the move watch him get on base and score runs like crazy.

Buck Harvey, San Antonio Express-News
Jerry Jones walks across the tarmac toward his Cowboys private jet. He's on his cell phone. “You may be the man!” Jones says. “How would you like to own an NFL team, Mr. Gold?” That's Mr. Gold, as in Ari Gold. As in the arrogant, cursing, fictional agent in the HBO series, “Entourage.” Jones' part is minimal. But the show's creator wanted him, and not another NFL figure, because he thinks Jones is the face of the league (truth is, Wade Phillips and Turtle would have also been a good fit). All of which is...

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seemed to be trying to temper the obvious expectations he has for his team. Not so easy when the next Super Bowl...

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seemed to be trying to temper the obvious expectations he has for his team.

The Cowboys made a strong move, signing first-round WR Dez Bryant to a five-year deal worth $11.8 million total. Why was it such a strong signing? In addition to it being the first first-round pick to sign this year, the Cowboys also cleared their table for future business — and there are more significant items to take care of. Considering that Bryant was represented by Eugene Parker, who also is the agent for Michael Crabtree, the good news is that a long holdout — like Crabtree, who finally signed last October and missed five games — was prevented, despite some similar circumstances happening in the draft between the two players. Now this allows Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones to move on and start working on a new deal for WR Miles Austin, who could form a dangerous pair with Bryant for years to come. Austin is playing this season on a one-year tender for $3.168 million, but the good news is that both sides want to hammer out a long-term deal. so it will happen — the biggest question is when. Roy Williams' skewed deal throws a wrench into the negotiations, and other big-name restricted free agents have signed for major money this offseason, which raises the stakes.

 

For authoritative coverage and analysis of NFL news, free agency and fantasy football, visit ProFootballWeekly.com.

Filed under: Cowboys, NFL Training Camp

SAN ANTONIO -- They do everything bigger in Texas. But the asteroid of expectations bearing down on the Dallas Cowboys seems a little extreme, even for America's Team.

A checklist:

o. The Cowboys turn 50 years old this year and will spend the 2010 season honoring their glorious history and an all-time record that equals the best winning percentage in NFL history.

o. Emmitt Smith, the former Cowboy, icon and league's career rushing leader, will be inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame next month, the same weekend the Cowboys open the NFL preseason against the Cincinnati Bengals.

o. Super Bowl XLV, where the league champion will be crowned Feb. 6, 2011, will be played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, at the palace owner Jerry Jones built and opened last season. With a capacity in excess of 105,000, the region's first Super Bowl is expected to draw the largest crowd in NFL history.

o. Which brings us to the actually Dallas pro football team. The '10 Cowboys will christen the season Saturday by being the first club to open training camp. About 20,000 fans turned out Friday night at the Alamodome for a free concert and pep rally to see their mighty campers paraded onto the stage. The Cowboys return 20 of 22 starters to a team that went 11-5 last season, won the NFC East behind top-10 offenses and defenses, claimed the club's first playoff victory in 14 years, and in April added a potential game-breaker in rookie wideout and first-round pick Dez Bryant, out of Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are just about everybody's preseason pick to represent the NFC in that February football festival that will play out in Big D.

 

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Filed under: Cowboys, NFL Training Camp

The Cowboys hymn for the last two seasons has been finish. Finish every run, catch, block, tackle, practice and game.

We know how that finished.

Wade Phillips' first three seasons as Dallas coach has stirred the finish chant. His first season (2007) produced a spicy 13-3 regular season but a frazzled 21-17 playoff loss at home to the Giants that helped rocket the Giants -- not the Cowboys -- toward the Super Bowl XLII championship.

It was 9-7 two seasons ago for Phillips and Dallas and no playoffs. It was 11-5 last season, the NFC East crown, a playoff victory (the franchise's first in 13 years) over Philadelphia before a wipeout, rotten 34-3 playoff loss at Minnesota.

So, the finish message still needs kneading.

And Dallas must tweak it with this in 2010 -- patience.

We don't think Cowboys and patience. We don't think owner Jerry Jones and patience. But as Dallas opens its training camp on Saturday in San Antonio, a huge reason why this team is a legitimate Super Bowl contender is patience.

 

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Speaking of Pirates did you dudes see the trailer for the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie from Comic Con?  Jack Sparrow be sexy.  I liked the first movie until the last hour and a half, when that pointless ghost battle broke out. The seemingly never ending pirate ghost skirmish was a waste of time since none of the pirates could die... again. That part bored me.  The second movie had very little to do with Pirates and more to do with CGI fish faces  that made me sick to my stomach. I still haven't figured out what the third movie was about, more pointless battles or something.  I think they filmed the second and third movie at the same time.  Has that film making and money saving technique ever produced good movies?  I hope the powers of be find a way to make this movie more like the ride, which i love.

In any case I  hope this series with the Pirates is better than the movie series about the Pirates, but just as sexy.

Today's game isn't televised so that next Thursday  the 8/12 game can be. Listen on the radio.

Go Padres!

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ProFootballTalk: Jerry Jones: We're not trading Marcus Spears http://is.gd/dDRBK #NFL More......

SAN ANTONIO -- Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seemed to be trying to temper the obvious expectations he has for his team.

Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson has never been afraid to swim with the sharks. He worked for Jerry Jones for crying out loud. Johnson is now going to be swimming with a different set of sharks as he reportedly will be taking part in the upcoming season of Survivor — full article at blogs.nfl.com

Here's what I know about Jon Garland: He works really really slowly. He's old, but I'm older than he is, and in fact my younger brother is older than he is, so that means I'm getting super old.

Here's what I know about Tommy Hanson: He's a young buck, not afraid to go out there and try to take the bull by storm... the world by the horns... I also watched my mother-in-law give him a very long hug while whispering into his ear. I was like, "woah".

In other news, if we win tonight, we even up the series for a rubbergamematch tomorrow. Lose tonight, and our fading continues. I'm hoping for the win part of it.

GAME STARTS LIKE IN A MINUTE OR TWO!!! GO PADRES!!!

 

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For the Dallas Cowboys, the road home could lead to the next Super Bowl. Since the end of last season, and even before that, Jerry Jones has constantly reminded his Cowboys that Super Bowl XLV will be played at their own stadium in February.



Dallas Cowboys - Super Bowl - Super Bowl XLV - Jerry Jones - sport

Remember when there were something like 12 PT's in Las Vegas? That was about 15 years ago. Not even close to tapped out, Golden Gaming is pouring it on with a steady flow of expansion that will lead to "last call" for this sentence of regretful tavern metaphors.

Golden Gaming announced Tuesday that two new PT's-branded taverns. One is located at Buffalo Drive, near I-215 and Sunset Road. The other is on Craig Road and Decatur Boulevard. Plans are for both to be open by the end of August.

Not to sound like a free ad or anything, I have always had a blast at PT's — when I've remembered the previous night, anyway. My fondest memory of any PT's in town was many years ago, dating back 10-15 years, when PT's on West Sahara and Decatur hosted UFC viewing parties. The club aired videos of UFC bouts each week, fairly rare footage as the sport still was a fairly underground attraction at the time. But one of the bartenders knew a guy who knew a guy who had all of the UFC fight cards on trusty VHS tapes.

So each week the process was: Beer quaffing, pool tournament, beer quaffing, UFC viewing party, and we close with ... beer quaffing.

PT's has since grown into a valley-wide institution. The two new bars boost the total number of PTs or Sierra Gold taverns to 35 in Southern Nevada. How it breaks down statistically: There are 28 PT's in Las Vegas (or unincorporated Clark County), counting the two new bars. There are four PT's in Henderson, two PT's in North Las Vegas. There is one Sierra Gold each in Las Vegas (Jones and 215), North Las Vegas (in Aliante) and Henderson (on Warm Springs).

But the most pertinent stat is the total number of jobs created, which the company says will be between 25 and 35. The new positions (which according to a company news release will include cooks, kitchen managers, assistant kitchen managers, bar hosts and servers), will be filled through three job fairs. They are set for July 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Aug. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Aug. 9 from 4 to 8 p.m. Theses job fairs also will be used to fill positions available in other taverns citywide. All three job fairs will be held at Sierra Gold at 6515 S. Jones Road, the one just off the 215. Hit the company website or call (702) 893-7777 for more info.

Nostalgically, we salute the company and all of its staff — past, present and future. It leads the league in good times.

Play information a Jarr

You might be reading this blog — wait, you are reading this blog — expecting an item about longtime Vegas lounge icon and Harrah's Carnaval Court headliner Cook E. Jarr, and a play centered on Las Vegas that he's reportedly been writing. Not so. We're backing off this right now.

The Jarr is not working on a play about Vegas. I had been following a lead on this purported Jarr Spectacular on Tuesday, and that afternoon actually wrote a sentence for the Sun print edition to "tease" to this upcoming column note. My mistake. As I worked on verifying the information to write the actual note, it became clear this was a staggeringly strange case of mistaken identity.

Short story: On Wednesday, a friend and former colleague ran into a person at Super Summer Theatre's opening-night production of "Ain't Misbehavin'" who is remarkably similar in appearance to Cook E. Jarr. This person and a friend approached the faux Jarr, introduced themselves and started asking what this person's upcoming plans might be. That would be interesting — especially if the person were actually Cook E. Jarr.

The person, not aware of he was being mistaken for a Vegas lounge legend, described a play-in-progress he's been working on, a satire in which no Las Vegas issue is spared: College sports, UNLV in general, the UNLV football program in particular, the Clark County School District, education funding, sports wagering, political corruption, religion and immigration. The title is to be, "Fourth and Goal From the 39." Sound familiar, Rebel fans?

It was then excitedly relayed to me that Jarr was working on this play, and I was even sent detailed information via e-mail about plans for the production in Las Vegas. Awesometown, as Holly Madison would say. So I sent out e-mail messages and made a round of calls and waited for confirmation and more specifics. This morning, one Michael Paoli sent back an e-mail saying, "I think you've answered a question that's been bugging me for five years: Why do so many people around town recognize me and think they know me?"

Yes, Michael Paoli is often mistaken for Cook E. Jarr, including that night at Spring Mountain Ranch. But he is in fact a Las Vegas writer/photographer/world traveler who is one of only 6,000 or so people to have set foot on all seven continents — the so-called Seven Continents Club. More recently Paoli has worked as a political speechwriter for such office-seekers as State Assembly hopeful Kevinn Donovan (of Henderson's District 22) and Clark County School District Trustee hopeful Ken Small (who represents District F).

Paoli's idea for the production was actually the Rebels' 63-28 loss to UNR in last season's Fremont Cannon matchup. "The idea just came to me then," Paoli says, drawing unexpected inspiration from a demolishing that helped lead to UNLV coach Mike Sanford's ouster.

Paoli expects that the finished version of the play can play well anywhere, not only Las Vegas.

"If you take the local references out, it could play in Wisconsin," Paoli says.

He faces some obstacles, of course, in bringing the play to a local stage. There is the matter of production costs, but because the plot deals largely in the sport of football, he might take it to local high schools and use the uniforms and equipment already provided. He'd like the cast to be made up of high school students, provided those students have a grasp of the mature themes he's envisioning.

Paoli is hoping, eventually, for a run at UNLV's Black Box Theatre and seeing where it goes from there. He's not quite finished with the process, having most of the play written "in my head," but as far-fetched as it sounds, it might have a shot.

If not, there is always Carnaval Court ...

Swiss invasion

Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns are known to have a faithful following, but Monday the band's reach extended across the globe. Seated in the front row of the band's late-night show at the were a quartet of Swiss tourists, who planned their trip to Vegas around the band's appearance at the Lounge at the Palms.

Seriously.

The ambassador of the troupe, all of whom were from Bern, the country's fourth-largest city, was one Tom Mesuerli. He's a trumpet player, a serious musician, and unearthed a clip of Santa Fe performing its swirling version of The Beatles' "Come Together" online. After watching it, he tapped out a quick e-mail to Santa Fe front man Jerry Lopez, telling Lopez how much he enjoyed the performance.

Mesuerli says he expected the e-mail would find its way into Lopez's "Delete" folder. Not so.

Lopez responded with a note of thanks, and soon the two were in corresponding regularly. At one point, Lopez gave Mesuerli the traditional, "If you're ever in Vegas, look us up!" offer — and Mesuerli took him up on it. The trumpeter and travel companions Samira Luetscher and Sarah and Micha Reusch had been planning an extended trip to Vegas and the West Coast that would cover six weeks, total. One condition was that the trip coincide with a Santa Fe appearance wherever and whenever the band was playing.

It turned out that appearance was Monday at the Palms, and the band, as always, blew the roof off the place.

"I've never seen so many great musicians assembled in one place at one time," Mesuerli said after the show ended at midnight. "I've been playing trumpet since age 9, and I've never seen musicians like this." So Vegas trumps Bern, for its number of great trumpeters.

And I would be Swiss remiss if I didn't give due credit to vocalist Tony Davich for his inspired piece of improv from the stage. Lopez invited the foursome onstage, saying, "You can stand back with the horns, or down here with the vocalists. You came all the way from Switzerland, you can hang out wherever you want."

When the group declined, Davich noted, "Looks like they're staying neutral."

Nice.

Killian's returns to Orleans

Details are yet to be chiseled into the band and hotel schedules, but the popular-among-locals act Killian's Angels are returning to Brenden's Irish Pub in August. The band's leader, Beth Mullaney, texted fellow members Monday night that the gig was "back on," and the band again would be appearing at the Orleans' Irish haunt at least through the winter.

They played what was, at the time, their final gig at Brenden's in April.

The Angels play all over town, in venues of all variety, but this has always been their best fit. Once more, "Slainte!"

"Inception" vs. Ted Nugent

Why did I hit the bed suffering from a case of the spins Tuesday night? During the day I spent 30 minutes on the phone with Ted Nugent, for a piece previewing his Aug. 14 show at Primm's Buffalo Bill's Star of the Desert Arena. A sampling. "What's this nonsense I hear about the NRA possibly endorsing Harry Reid!? Do you know anything about this!? Harry Reid does not represent anything for me, except maybe a foal!"

At night, it was the dizzying film, "Inception." Suffice to say I had me some very weird dreams, in which Ted Nugent was actually a character in "Inception." Or, did that really happen? ...

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats.

For the Dallas Cowboys, the road home could lead to the next Super Bowl. Since the end of last season, and even before that, Jerry Jones has constantly reminded his Cowboys that Super Bowl XLV will be played at their own stadium in February.



Dallas Cowboys - Super Bowl - Jerry Jones - Super Bowl XLV - Sports

For the Dallas Cowboys, the road home could lead to the next Super Bowl. Since the end of last season, and even before that, Jerry Jones has constantly reminded his Cowboys that Super Bowl XLV will be played at their own stadium in February.



Dallas Cowboys - Jerry Jones - Super Bowl - Super Bowl XLV - NFL

Richard Jefferson and the San Antonio Spurs will dance again.

This time, he will take the floor with a fresh start in his sights. He will waltz and jive against a backdrop of lower, more accurate expectations.

Experience and a more palatable contract should alleviate the city-and organization-wide frustration caused by his 2009-2010 underachievement.

Maybe he wanted to avoid being a free agent during a lockout and opted out for the above reasons.

The San Antonio Express-News reported Tuesday that Jefferson will sign a new long-term deal today. Mike Monroe's story did not include specific terms. Previous reports suggested three to five years and a price tag of $30 to $45 million.

The money doesn't matter much anymore, and that should make the athletic forward and Spurs fans rejoice.

Those who wanted Jefferson gone did not understand how his departure would have cursed the squad's championship chances more than his imagined despondency.

The Spurs' payroll far exceeded the salary cap and luxury tax threshold. Majority Owner Peter Holt forked up more than $80 million last year for his 50-win team.

That exorbitant roster roll call left R.C. Buford with the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions to use on two-time Spanish league MVP Tiago Splitter, draft pick James Anderson, and perhaps another wing player.

In simpler terms, the Spurs had $7 million to work with— not enough to pay Splitter, Anderson, and find a replacement for Jefferson.

Some said a post-haste exit by No. 24 would give Buford some necessary wiggle room. How can a team have wiggle room without cap space?

The Spurs can sign Jefferson by claiming his Bird Rights. Factor in Splitter's ultra-reasonable starting salary of $3 million, and they now have $4 million more to spend if they feel the urge to chase another insurance big man or a reserve small forward.

Had Jefferson defected, Buford's free agent options would have been limited. In case you haven't noticed, the small forward market dried up almost the minute it opened.

Paul Pierce, whom the Spurs could not afford, re-signed with the Boston Celtics. LeBron James, in a little-known secret, decided to take his talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat.

Since those dominoes fell, Spurs' targets James Jones, Wesley Matthews, Raja Bell, and Matt Barnes have all signed with Miami, Portland, Utah, and Toronto, respectively.

Those who hated Jefferson's $14 million salary last year would have demonized Buford for handing Matthews— an undrafted rookie who cracked Jerry Sloan's rotation and even started in the playoffs— a $55 million deal.

That eye-popping signing makes something clear: small forwards often get overpaid. It happens. Deal with it.

Jones, a much more limited role player than Jefferson, agreed to a $1 million minimum deal. He will recoup much of the money and ego he surrendered by playing alongside LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

Bell told the Salt Lake Tribune that he didn't want to win a ring as someone "just along for the ride." He would have embodied that backseat role with the Spurs or Lakers.

Barnes' motivations for heading to the woeful Raptors are less clear. The Spurs should remain thankful he did not leave the Orlando Magic for a Western Conference rival.

Everything I have said about this summer for two years proved true.

The most heralded free agency class in sports history boasted two franchise players and borderline franchise big man. All three joined the same team. Blame it on Pat Riley.

The Spurs traded three aging bit players for Jefferson's mammoth contract last June, and one NBA columnist said they had mortgaged the chance to sign someone special come July 1. James, Wade, and Bosh are special.

No one else approaches that level. Not Amar'e Stoudemire. Not Carlos Boozer.

Sure, they could have given $20 million to Darko Milicic or more than $30 million to Amir Johnson. The front office folks may make mistakes like the rest of us, but they do not enjoy behind-the-scenes crack habits.

They do not pass LSD or stale weed around the office when the commish isn't looking. David Stern would know. He sees everything, even if he looks the other way at convenient (or not so convenient) moments.

A "special" player was never going to come here via free agency.

Bosh, it now seems, was destined to join his Olympic teammates from the start. Stoudemire is the anti-Spur, and Buford could not afford and did not want Boozer's defenselessness.

The Jefferson exchange makes even more sense now. His half-priced paycheck could push the Spurs below the luxury tax threshold. His salary will now better match his production.

I was among his harshest critics. Peruse my archives to read the vitriol. I also realized the Spurs were not going to find a better fit in the open market. With the burden of his contract no longer weighing him down, he should feel more comfortable and play better in one of the league's most complicated two-way systems.

NBA observers were wrong to peg him as a franchise savior. He had never worn a substantial beard or turned water into wine. As the sweep at the hands of the Phoenix Suns showed, the Spurs needed another seven-footer as much as Jefferson.

One small forward, even a disappointing one, did not cause a four-win regular season decline or a shocking second-round showing.

San Antonio may have found that "special" player in Splitter. Pair the Brazilian Banger with an angry Tony Parker, determined to return to All-Star and All-NBA form, and Tim Duncan, a healthy Manu Ginobili, Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, and others, and you might just concoct a title recipe. Nothing comes guaranteed in the pros.

Youngsters George Hill and Dejuan Blair will improve, Malik Hairston could finally crack the regular rotation, and Anderson figures to get a shot to play some minutes at the two.

The absurd expectations from one year ago left everyone from Gregg Popovich to Jefferson to loyal fans unsettled. Not every new acquisition fits as quickly or as seamlessly as Pau Gasol.

That was a mirage, a feat rarely accomplished in any pro sport.

The Spurs should have known that an open court finisher might struggle on a team that emphasizes half-court sets. The dream that Jefferson might add another wrinkle to the offense, though, was not as unfulfilled as some think.

His 12-point average was the lowest of his career. The Spurs also last received that caliber of scoring production from a small forward when Sean Elliott wore silver and black. Maybe more people should allow that fact to soak in before rendering merciless judgments.

He will never average 17-plus points in San Antonio, and he does not need to do so.

Popovich wanted an upgrade over Michael Finley and got one. Trevor Ariza was not available when the Spurs dealt for Jefferson. No other potential fit was, either. Do not get me started on Corey Maggette.

The hype surrounding the Spurs' offseason pales in comparison to this time last year, when most in the know deified the front office. The tempered expectations should also be seen as great news.

Popovich never wanted the hype or suggestions that his roster had become "a lock to make the NBA Finals." The Spurs do not operate that way.

Buford did not trade for Jefferson so people would anoint him the greatest GM ever. He saw the move as a way to extend Tim Duncan's title window.

The post-transaction positives often get lost in the shuffle.

The Spurs jumped from the bottom 10 in points in the paint to top five. They vanquished their cross-state tormentors from 2006 and 2009 in six games.

The Phoenix Suns represented a fluke bad matchup, not an accurate barometer of how far San Antonio is from contention.

If the teams meet again, with Stoudemire now in New York, does anyone expect the Suns to make at least 15 treys in two out of four playoff games?

Parker will be back to his old tricks, the ones that confounded Steve Nash and former coach Mike D'Antoni. Splitter will give Jared Dudley and Channing Frye something more to think about. They will not abuse Duncan in pick-and-rolls as easily.

My B/R colleague Hadarii Jones wrote a few weeks ago about the Los Angeles Lakers' rare chemistry and experience. The Spurs three best players have that in spades.

What situation has the trio of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili not faced? Jefferson's resume still boasts two Finals trips, and McDyess remains as hungry as ever for that elusive championship.

Those who doubt the extended Jefferson experiment can work should remember how many in L.A. viewed Ron Artest six weeks ago. Some Lakers fans wondered then if his off-the-mark shooting and wacky ways would cost the team its repeat bid.

He saved a game he almost caused the Lakers to lose with a right-place, right-time put-back. L.A. beat Phoenix in Game Five and then closed out the Western Conference Finals a few nights later at U.S. Airways Center.

What would people say about Artest sans that tip-in, if the lasting memory of that game was his ill-advised three-point heave a minute earlier with a full shot clock?

He locked down Paul Pierce for most of the Finals and harangued Kevin Durant in a tense first-round joust with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Selective memory is an amazing thing. Lakers fans do not need to rue those what-the-hell-were-you-thinking moments because their team won it all. Winning cures a lot of ills.

How many of you have already forgotten Christmas Day, when James torched and embarrassed Artest on national TV? How many of you have forgotten the two-month stretch where Artest was shooting in the high 20s and low 30s? Or his two-for-nine Finals disasterpiece?

The Lakers won with Artest because he did not define them. The wealth of talent allowed his wonderful moments to become huge pluses and his frequent struggles to become blips on a distant radar screen.

If L.A. can win with Artest not really mastering the triangle offense, the Spurs can win with Jefferson.

Just as Artest's former critics have erased his rotten displays from their minds, maybe Jefferson's detractors have done the same with his brilliant moments.

He does not have to define the Spurs. The team's most important win this spring was Game Two against the Dallas Mavericks, and Jefferson scored 19 points that night. He set the tone. He bombarded the rim.

The Spurs would not have comeback from an 0-2 deficit. Some will argue that Popovich had to cleverly snipe at Jefferson after his Game One clunker ("I thought we had a lot of guys who played like dogs") to get him to play with gusto. Sometimes, that may come with the territory.

If the Spurs can get primo production from Jefferson two times, maybe three, in a series, that should be enough. Duncan's numbers will continue to teeter between MVP-caliber and washed up, and Ginobili will have more off nights than ever before.

The roster is strong and talented enough to make up for those developments. The Spurs need to win now, with Duncan's presumed 2012 retirement fast approaching.

Buford should worry about what Jefferson's new contract and a Parker extension will do to future payrolls later. He needs to worry about now. All the Spurs have is now.

When the time to rebuild arrives, the team will already employ more than respectable young building blocks.

Anderson, I think, can play. Hill can play. Blair can play. Splitter, I think, can play. Ditto for Hairston, Alonzo Gee, and maybe down the line, James Gist.

The post-Duncan Spurs will not win 50 games or make routine playoff appearances in the first few years, but they will compete. Save that talk, though, for 2012, or 2011, if a lockout ends Duncan's career.

Buford has one thing left to do. He must get Parker to the bargaining table this year and hand him the extension he has earned. Maybe that will cause those damn Knicks to stop calling.

No, Mr. Walsh, the Spurs have zero interest in Eddy Curry. There are plenty of fat people who can't jump high in San Antonio already. I know a guy at a legendary Tex-Mex eatery who could clog the middle— and everyone else's arteries— for a lot less money.

Better yet, I could tackle the task.

The Big Three should remain in San Antonio until Duncan exits. If this core cannot win four playoff rounds, no other combination Buford might assemble on the fly will, either.

Jefferson will soon ink a deal that makes his marriage with San Antonio more sensible and tolerable. It just makes sense.

The Spurs should sigh in relief that he did not leave them at the altar.

That divorce, unlike the one with his handsomely paid ex-fiance, would have been more difficult to overcome than you think.

 

Cowboys camp begins hopeful title road home IRVING, Texas ? For the Dallas Cowboys, the road home could lead to the next Super Bowl. Since the end of last season, and even before that, Jerry Jones has constantly reminded his Cowboys that Super Bowl XLV will be played at their own stadium in February. “Our owner lets us ... Read more : Dallas Cowboys’ road to possible Super Bowl at home begins with quite a summer camp trip.

Keith Jones leans against a tree while listening to Sheila Brown, Glen Wilburn, middle, and Jerry Brown, right, play a tune on their guitars Saturday afternoon during the first day of the 29th annual Prescott Bluegrass Festival at the courthouse square. More: continued here