MikeDoocy's Blog

   So, here we go again.  The Cowboys win a game.  But it's not an impressive enough victory to satisfy those of us in the local media.   They're 4 and 1, but had to "survive" to beat a winless Bengals team.   Was it a flawed victory?  Of course.  Should anybody in the Cowboys lockerroom have to apologize for it?  Absolutely not.

  The Monday story line pushed by some in my profession has to do with Wade Phillips not being "tough" enough on his football team.   What would be the ideal reaction for Phillips to show at the post-game press conference?   He admitted that his team had areas where it needs to improve.   True.  He also said that any  NFL win is to be valued.  True also.   But the instant media evaluation says that  Wade is a softie because he  wasn't chewing on the podium in post-game anger.  He doesn't rip his players through the media.  Jimmy would have.  Bill would have.  

   Those two coaches are hall of fame calibre.  They're also two of the all-time great coaching self-promoters.  Nothing wrong with that, mind you.  But Parcells and Johnson knew how to endear themselves to influential media members.  Once they did that,  they could do no wrong in some quarters.

    Phillips would be wise to throw the media a bone from time to time.  Play the game. Be less defensive.     Act  "tough."  Get mad.  Remind the media that you're the guy in charge.   Criticize a player or two by name.   He'd earn some praise on air and in print.   But something tells me that won't happen.   Phillps isn't worried about credibility with us.   He's worried about credibility in his lockeroom.  Until he loses that,  there's no reason to change.     

JUST A REMINDER..HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US FOR THE "DASH FOR DIGNITY."  IT'S A 5K RUN/WALK BENEFITTING CITIZENS DEVELOPMENT CENTER OF DALLAS, BENEFITTING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.

DASH FOR DIGNITY/WHITE ROCK LAKE

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11 8AM

CALL 214 637 2911 FOR MORE INFO

OR GO TO CDCDALLAS.ORG

Thanks!

Several stories on my mind today...

  --- Perhaps you've heard that Terrell Owens is complaining again.  If I were him,  I'd be complaining about media overreaction.  True,  Owens did indicate after Sunday's loss that he was frustrated over not seeing more of the football.  Yes, the Cowboys did try on 20 different occasions to get the ball into his hands.   Add to that, the Morning News report that Owens and Romo had a 'serious discussion" after the game---and you have a  classic over-blown media creation.

   Given T.O.'s baggage,  this is to be expected.  But come on.  They lost one football game.  Owens was frustrated immediately after.  Romo's done a masterful job of working with this guy,  and I think that will continue.  

---Josh Howard Monday began his image rehab.  In the past few months, Howard has made one bone-head decision after another . When he mocked the national anthem (a memorable YouTube moment) it created quite a stir.   Monday ,  at the Mavs media day,  Howard apologized for his behavior.   But for many,  no apology will do.  He'll still be booed by many at the AAC and at arenas around the league.  But I'll stick by what I've written before.   I think it's entirely possible that this was a young guy just goofing around with his buddies.  He said something stupid,  and it was recorded.  His patriotism has been, and will continue to be questioned.   But this is a forgiving nation as well.  Maybe some of that will allow Howard to prove that he's not such a bad guy after all.

     As I write this..it's 7-7 early second quarter at Texas STadium.  I picked 35-20 Dallas on air this morning.    If the early stages of this game are any indication..the point total won't be that high.

    Hope you'll join us for Sports Sunday tonight at 10..your FIRST local look at today's Cowboys game.

 Good morning from Green Bay (actually Manitowoc, where we're staying about 35 miles away).   Had a chance to head over to Lambeau Field last night for some fan interviews.  Already people tailgating 24 hours before the game.  It's truly a unique NFL atmosphere.

   Last night, we had dinner at "Fuzzy's," which is owned by former Packer Fuzzy Thurston.  It's a real slice of Packer nation.   Along with the usual fare of cheese curds and brew,  there's a Packer pro shop,  offering T-shirts and other memorabilia.  And in the corner is Thurston,  now in his 70's.   He had throat cancer years ago,  and has no voice box.  But he's as spry as ever,  posing for photos with everybody who asks for one.

   Mostly Packer jersies in the place of course.  But there was one couple wearing Cowboy gear,  including Romo jersies.  They happened to live in Tony's hometown of Burlington,  about  two hours south of GB.

   As for Sunday night's game,  I think Packer QB Aaron Rodgers will make one or two more crucial mistakes than Tony Romo will.  Give me Dallas 31-27..

 By now, you've probably seen/heard the Josh Howard video.  In it, the Mavs foward disrespects the national anthem.  He's with a group of friends at a charity flag football game.  The anthem is playing,  and Howard looks into a cell phone camera, using language to disparage the Star Spangled Banner.

  Don't get me wrong,  I'm true blue when it comes to the anthem. I've stood and respected the flag before hundreds of ballgames.  To my knowledge, Howard has done the same.  He should not have made the comments.  They're sickening.

   But you know what?  I've done and said stupid things when I think it's "just among friends."    I'm glad that a number of our sports department conversations haven't been captured by cellphone video/audio.

  I know I'm going to come off as defending Howard here,  but is it  POSSIBLE that this guy was just being goofy..showing off for his buddies?   It's stupid of him to make those comments.  Especially if there's any chance of them being captured on video.  Video that will later be spread across the nation. 

    I realize Howard's had a very spotty track record over the past  few months.  He's made one bad decision after another.  The Mavericks haven't been able to handle him.  His game and his franchise's public image have suffered.  

    Maybe Josh Howard doesn't love America as much as you and I.   But I'm not willing to make that judgement based on one piece of off-the-cuff cell phone video.  I don't know how patriotic he is. 

    But I do know this.  Howard's in for more grief than he can possibly imagine.  The punishment will far outweigh the crime. 

 Interesting listening to Tony Romo's post-game comments Monday night.  He repeatedly mentioned his mistakes and how his team overcame them.  To me, that's a key factor in this victory.  The fact that Romo himself was able to shake off the errors and continue to move the football.

   Tony the Quarterback is a fascinating mix of determination, smarts, improvisation and guts.  He buys into the Jason Garrett Cowboy offense.  He has improved his footwork and decision making.   But his ability to make something out of nothing is part of what makes him special.   Monday night , he tried it and turned it over twice.   There will be other times where his gunslinger mentality pays dividends.   But here's the point-  Most of the time these days,  Tony the gambler takes a back seat to Tony the sensible student of the game.   With Brady out and Peyton still recovering,  it's quite possible that , right now, Romo is the NFL's best quarterback.

     30-24 Eagles at halftime..the buzz here in the pressbox?  This is one of the few "hyped" games that's sort of lived up to it at this point.   It's been a half filled with big plays..some potential trends to look for in the second half.

--Dallas started to finally get some pressure on Donovan McNabb..it could pay dividends

--Cowboys offensive line tends to wear down opponents...look for them to force feed the football to Marion Barber.  And they'll use Felix Jones to try and jump-start the running game.

--Jason Witten went to the lockerroom to have his sore shoulder examined..then returned with two big catches on that final scoring drive of the first half.  Romo will use his "security blanket" even more in the second half.

--Anybody up for a 61-10 final?

     Not much going on here tonight at Texas Stadium.  Through the first 16 minutes..

---Romo to T.O. for a 71 yard TD

---Felix Jones 98 yard kick return TD

---Romo picked off by Asante Samuel..leads to a Philly touchdown

---Romo fumbles in his own end zone..Philly TD

20-14 Eagles early 2nd quarter

   It's not often that a week 2 matchup brings with it this type of buzz.  But why not?  Both Philly and Dallas opened with impressive victories.  In the NFC East, the league's best division,  every game vs. a division opponent is big,  no matter what time of the year.

   The outcome of this game will be determined by pressure.  The Cowboys ability to protect Romo from the Eagle pressure and the Dallas defense's ability to pressure McNabb.

   Tony hasn't played well at home against Philly, losing in each of the last two years. 

    And to be honest, I really hope Terrell Owens scores in this game.  I've gone from a guy who couldn't stand the end zone celebrations to one who kind of gets a kick out of seeing what he might do next.  As long as he's not taunting an opponent, what's the harm?  Just play by the NFL rules, don't get penalized and still do something creative.  That's Owens' challenge, assuming he gets into the end zone.  This being a Monday night, vs. his former team..something tells me he will.

  The Cowboys were really impressive in their victory over the Browns on opening.  The most impressive elements of the win?

---The offensive line.  Tony Romo was hardly touched.  Unfortunately for him,  one of the few times he was hit,  it resulted in a cut to the chin that needed 13 stitches.

---Romo's efficency.  His numbers were very solid (an 11th career 300 yard game.  But his demeanor on the field showed that his offseason work with Jason Garrett has paid off.  He stood taller and more calmly in the pocket.  Better mechanics resulted in even better accuracy.  Obviously,  a blitzing Eagle defense could change all that next week.

---Defensive pressure.  Derek Anderson was sacked only once,  but the Cowboys managed to take him out of his rythm quite often.  Cleveland was far from sharp, with plenty of unforced errors on offense.  But credit the Dallas "D" with holding a once potent Cleveland air attack to 114 yards.

    Up next,  the Eagles..and a week where the headline story will revolve around Marion Barber's sore ribs.  Will he play next week?   More tomorrow from Valley Ranch.

Several outlets are reporting that Adam "Pacman" Jones has been fully reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.  No surprise here.  Pacman's been able to practice and play in the pre-season games.  Since joining the Cowboys,  he has managed to avoid being arrested.  That's something he failed to do six times in the past three years or so.

   More details to come..we'll see what Jerry and the boys have to say about it before tonight's exhibition finale at Texas Stadium.

   Hope you can join us for the "Dash for Dignity," coming up in October.  It's a 5K run/walk benefitting the Citizens Development Center of Dallas.  That's a tremendous facility that helps persons with disabilities, providing employment.  I"m proud to be involved.  Here are the paticulars.

DASH FOR DIGNITY/5K RUN AND WALK

OCTOBER 11/WHITE ROCK LAKE

CALL 214 637 2911 or CDCDALLAS.ORG

THANKS!

  The Summer games are FINALLY over.  Don't get me wrong.  I enjoyed them as much as the next guy.   Loved the Phelps story in the pool,  the Bolt story on the track and the exploits of the Redeem Team on the hardwood.

    But Parker's Nastia Liukin stole the show in my book.   I hadn't heard of her until a few weeks before the Olympics started.   It was then that our FOX 4 cameras filmed Nastia at her gym in Plano preparing for the games.  It was clear that this young lady was really something special.

     Then, last week I was on hand at DFW airport to cover Liukin's homecoming.  She showed the grace and composure of the champion she is.  Five medals in Beijing, including the all-around gold for Nastia.   And now,  a lifetime full of memories.