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Get Dallas Cowboys news on your cellCowboys Awards: Offensive Player of the Year
12:57 PM Sat, Jan 26, 2008 | Permalink
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February 2008
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Movers and Shakers Pre-season Texas Stadium dallasnews.com
Sports Blogs |
The sixth of a seven-part series: WR TERRELL OWENS How do you decide between an All-Pro receiver, an All-Pro tight end and a quarterback who had the best statistical season in franchise history? Put three names in a hat and pull one out. That's not really how we picked T.O., but this was without a doubt the toughest decision. Hate to ruin the grand finale, but part of our thinking was that we didn't want the same guy to be Offensive Player of the Year and MVP. T.O., who arguably had the best season by a receiver in franchise history at the ripe old age of 34, gave the Cowboys a gamebreaker. He averaged 16.7 yards per catch and scored on 15 of his 81 receptions. His presence played a large role in the career years of TE Jason Witten, WR Patrick Crayton, RB Marion "The Barbarian" Barber and QB Tony Romo. If you didn't double-team T.O., he made you pay. The Original 81's A in citizenship this season was a big bonus. He proved to Bill Parcells and everybody else that a healthy, happy T.O. is still one of the league's premier weapons. RUNNERS-UP QB Tony Romo: He rewrote the franchise passing record book with 4,211 yards and 36 touchdowns on 335 completions. Many of his most memorable plays, though, were made with his feet. For example, nobody at Texas Stadium that day will ever forget Romo's scramble after a shotgun snap sailed over his head against the Rams. Romo's playmaking ability provides the Cowboys a swagger they haven't had since their Super Bowl years. TE Jason Witten: Simply put, Witten did everything you could possibly ask a tight end to do. His receiving stats this season -- 96 catches for 1,145 yards and seven TDs -- rank among the best ever produced by a tight end. And he's an outstanding blocker. You won't find a better all-around tight end in the league. AWARDS SCHEDULE |
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Comments
Posted by Paul Zimmerman S.I. @ 1:31 PM Sat, Jan 26, 2008
You're going to find this hard to believe but there are some people out there who actually are challenging my selection of the Giants to beat Patriots in the Supe XLII. This surprises me, too, but I'll get to those people after I answer my E-mailer of the week; is this OK?
Tim MacMahon of Dallas, Tx., a Sportswriter, for shame -- "we here at the Dallas Morning News give due credit to the immortal thinkers, innovators, tactitions, and basically founding fathers of the NFL. But we feel since running our blog sight for the past several years there may need to be another addition to the "faces" of the Mt. Rushmore of the NFL. What do you think?"
Whooo, hold on a minute there, pardner. Hundreds of e-mails come in each week, sometimes thousands, and there was one weekend, right around Arbor Day, when there were millions re this subject...and me and the Flaming red-head thank you for your kind words...and try the 2006 Casa Torres Pinot Noir for your next candle-light dinner with your soulmates Breer and Archer and your fellow bright, young, and alert crew...but back to your question...I for the longest time had Vince Lombardi up there for the power running game and striking the fear of god into his own players; Landry [who coached on the same staff as Lombardi for the Giants but as the defensive guru] as the original innovator of the modern 4-3 defense [flex responsibilities be damned]; Sid Gilliam as the real genius behind the West Coast Offense [not the dink and dunk stuff they now refer to it nowadays, but the real downfield patterns run off the fake slant patterns]; and Bill Walsh [who took the Gilliam offense and tweaked it but in reality it was the same basic concepts employed by Gilliam, but with bigger and stronger receivers]. But after reading the many prescient, tactical, unnervingly prophetic posts that you have submitted for my tape review, I now feel that Tim Burns from San Angelo TX belongs on this immortal "mythical" tribute. If I had my way [which includes having Cliff Harris in the HOF as the best FS I have ever seen], they should chip Vince Lombardi's face off of this tribute and chisel in Tim Burns'. In fact if I had my way, Tim's face would be chiseled in slightly larger than the other 3 exclusively based on his "NFL" contributions from his used car lot in San Angelo TX. I hope that helps Tim MacMahon, but if it doesn't, don't blame me, I'm just a fellow "hack" working in a "non-profession."
Paul Zimmerman
S.I.
Posted by ernest t bass @ 1:40 PM Sat, Jan 26, 2008
So that leaves Witten as Player of the Year.
Cool.
Posted by ernest t bass @ 1:43 PM Sat, Jan 26, 2008
Or, as y'all call it, Most Valuable Player.
Posted by Tim Burns @ 3:19 PM Sat, Jan 26, 2008
Hey, Dr. Z! You're getting lazy!
Why would you cut & paste your rip job on me from another post? Do you really think anybody wants to read that garbage? Fillibuster all you want. I'm back. You're a twunt.
Posted by chris graham @ 6:03 PM Sat, Jan 26, 2008
when t.o. plays we win, we lose him we lose
Posted by Loy Sinor @ 12:46 PM Mon, Jan 28, 2008
Do the cowboys review their own offence for trends snd tendencies? I'm sure they do for upcoming defences. It seems that opposing defences get better as the season goes on. Could be they can guess better as to the most likely play coming up.
Posted by Loy Sinor @ 12:48 PM Mon, Jan 28, 2008
Do the cowboys review their own offence for trends snd tendencies? I'm sure they do for upcoming defences. It seems that opposing defences get better as the season goes on. Could be they can guess better as to the most likely play coming up.