New Look Cowboys Look to Make a Splash

  With the Cowboys really taking a backseat in the media to the Patriots, yes that is correct we are taking a backseat to the Patriots, it leaves Cowboys fans asking, "What the hell is going on out there?" So allow me to try to help out with all the questions. 

     

What can we expect with Bill Callahan as our new offensive coordinator? Well lets start off with Callahan's history... He led the Oakland Raiders to the 2002 Super Bowl in his first season as their head coach, which is something that has been done only 3 other times in the NFL. Callahan stems from the Bill Walsh coaching tree,  meaning he will most likely implement the West Coast offense, which spreads out the defense and attacks them with underneath throws to the Running Back. Cowboys Running Back Demarco Murray is definitely a versatile back that can catch the ball out of the backfield as he proved in college. He left the University of Oklahoma with the record for receiving yards for a Running Back with 1,571 yards. The Cowboys have a talented bunch of receivers though so Callahan will have to be able to take advantage of that as well, and something tells me he can do that. The 2002 Raiders led the league in passing and were second in yards per completion and the second leading receiver on that team was... the Running Back Charlie Garner who had 941 yards receiving while rushing for 962 with 5.3 yards per attempt. Now we also can't forget about our Tight End situation, the Cowboys have 3 very talented ones, Jason Witten, James Hanna, and rookie Gavin Escobar. How will Callahan incorporate the Tight Ends into the West Coast offense? We will be seeing a lot of 3 Tight End formations which will leave options open for Tony Romo to have a successful year as long as he stays away from the turnovers. This Cowboys offense can potentially  turn out to be one of the most balanced offenses the Cowboys have seen since the years of the Triplets. Hopefully, they'll be better too.

       We can't forget about Defense. That is what wins Championships,  something that every team hopes for at the beginning of every season. The hiring of Monte Kiffin brings a brand new defense to the Cowboys, the 4-3, as well as his baby the "Tampa Cover 2." The 4-3 defense is something that I am very excited about because it allows our two premier edge rushers, Demarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer, to pin their ears back and fly to the Quarterback. These two will no longer have to worry about dropping back into coverage and  that makes me very happy. Now the two other lineman will most likely be Jay Ratliff and Jason Hatcher who are both very experienced and quite large. These two can clog the middle of the field and I feel that Jay Ratliff will return to Pro Bowl form and thrive in the new defense. The thing that has me most excited though is our Linebackers. I believe we have the best

These two must stay healthy for the Cowboys to succeed

linebacking core in the league this year as long as they stay healthy. Sean Lee and Bruce Carter both proved themselves last year before getting injured. Lee has a nose for the football and is a very cerebral player and the same goes for Carter. The other linebacker will be Justin Durant which was a fantastic pick up due to the experience he brings to the field and he can rack up the tackles as well. Something the Cowboys do have to worry about though is the Safety situation. One starter will most likely be Barry Church, who looked great last year until his injury. The other spot will probably be filled with veteran, Will Allen until our 3rd round pick JJ Wilcox is ready. Wilcox had a great Mini-Camp and really proved his athleticism to the coaches and his ability to make big hits. All Cowboys fans hope  is that this new defense leads us to a Championship... something we haven't experienced in awhile.  

      The Cowboys now have two very experienced coaches leading the offensive and defensive play calling, these two coaches faced off with each other in the 2002 Super Bowl with Kiffin's defense getting the best of Callahan's offense. They now find each other working along side one another  hopefully bringing back the Cowboy's dominance as "America's Team."    

Rangers-Cardinals... Take Two

      Meeting for the first time since that unforgettable series in 2011, the Rangers and Cardinals still have some bad blood between them. As Rangers fans, we will never forget how close we were, one strike away... Twice. We will always think if Nelson Cruz could have just made that catch, if Feliz could've just struck out David Freese but it is all over now, and we Rangers fans are still waiting for our first World Series trophy. With that World Series match up really being the only history between these two teams, they met up again this past Friday Night with two completely different looking teams. Both of these teams have received huge makeovers since 2011, both losing their MVP's. For the Rangers they lost Josh Hamilton this past offseason to their divisional foes the Angels, as Brecky from SNL puts it best "Sayonara muchacho." And of course, the Cardinals lost one of the best to ever wear a Cardinals uniform. After their World Series win, Albert Pujols was traded to none other than the Angels. The Rangers have won the first two games of this series but the Cardinals are not an easy team to keep down for long. The Rangers have done one heck of a job so far with timely hitting by Nelson Cruz and newcomer to the Rangers, AJ Pierzynski, along with great pitching. 

     

The last game of the 3 game series will be held tonight at 8 o' clock on ESPN. Nick Tepesch will take the mound tonight against the Cardinals and will try to get back on track because he has been struggling as of late. For the Cardinals, Adam Wainwright will anchor them and will look to get his eleventh win tonight but the Rangers offense will not make it easy as they have been averaging 5.8 runs per game over their 4-game win streak. With these two teams atop their divisions both are poised for deep playoff runs and it looks as if we could have another Rangers-Cardinals World Series. But hopefully this time around the Rangers will be able to win it all and close it out, something they failed to do a couple of years ago. Twice. Follow me on Twitter if you enjoy my blog.

So what's next for the Mavericks?

       There is no doubt that with an owner like Mark Cuban the Mavericks are going to stay quiet for a long time once Free Agency officially starts July 1st. So what are the Mavericks looking for? A Point Guard that can pass the ball off to Dirk and play exceptional defense and also hit some three's. There is one name that comes to mind right away and that is six-time All Star Chris Paul

but it seems as if that possibility is slowly becoming less likely. If the Mavs can not land Chris Paul they will still shoot for Dwight Howard although that doesn't look so promising either... Since Paul and Howard want to try to play for the same team, and the Mavs just can't do that money wise.
           The Mavs could always try to snag up a young, talented player by the name of Monta Ellis who can put up points in a hurry

but has been known to struggle with his consistency. Although picking up Ellis would be nice for the fans it might not be the best thing for the Mavericks organization due to the price tag that Ellis brings with him, a towering 11 million dollars... He also just does not fit the bill of what the Mavs want. The Mavs want a defender and that is something Monta has always struggled with because of his aggressiveness to attack, he usually gets beat very easily.
         Something that I myself as a Mavericks fan can not wait for is the NBA Draft taking place on June 27th. With many mock drafts flying around out there I have noticed a couple that have our Mavs taking Shabazz Muhammad with the 13th overall pick. This kid is a complete athlete with tremendous upside, if he is able to stay healthy and that is a big if. Muhammad struggled with his health this past season at UCLA but when he played he put up tremendous numbers, 17.9 PPG and 5.2 RPG. He is a risky pick, but he could also turn out to be quite a reward. If the Mavericks are able to select Muhammad I think it could turn out to be a great thing for this franchise.