WR Hurd Re-Signs in Dallas

Restricted free agent Sam Hurd, has signed his one-year, $1.54 million tender and will return to the Dallas Cowboys next season.

Hurd suffered a high ankle sprain in the final preseason game against Minnesota and began the season on the inactive list. He missed the first three games of the regular-season, but returned to the lineup against Washington. He played the next 3 games before re-injuring the ankle on a special teams play. He had surgery on Oct. 14 and was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 16 and missed the remainder of the season.

In three seasons, Hurd has 24 receptions for 389 yards and one touchdown. He originally signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent and made the roster as a rookie in 2006.

Reeves: Coaches Don't Punch a Clock

It seemed like the perfect way for him to finally get back into the league, the deal was almost completed, but in the end things didn’t work out for Reeves.

It all boils down to a contractual technicality, which blew up a multiyear deal that appeared to be in place for the 65-year-old former Cowboys running back/assistant coach to become a consultant for his old team.

The bug-a-boo for Reeves, was a piece of "hours spent working" language that owner Jerry Jones wanted to have in the contract.

"Although I respected Jerry’s decision, I didn’t understand it, and it wasn’t something that was even negotiable," Reeves recalled from his home in Atlanta. "I just couldn’t sign something that, in my opinion, would mean I’d be working day-to-day."

Reeves had another offer on the table, to be the offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers, but had to turn it down because he was so sure he had a better deal in Dallas. A job which Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn't want to complete until after the Super Bowl.

It was during that delay that Jones included the "punch clock" clause which to him was essential to the deal.

In Reeves' view, coaches "never punch a clock", so why should he?

Troy Aikman Says Roy Wiliams Trade Could Be NFL's Biggest Bust

I think it may be an unwritten NFL rule, all former Cowboys players speak publicly on all things Cowboys, good or bad, and Troy Aikman may be their ring leader.

Aikman has been publicly spouting off abouth the Roy Williams-to-Dallas trade could be one of the worst ever if the Cowboys' new No. 1 receiver doesn't produce this fall.

"If Roy Williams doesn't turn out to be the player they thought he would be when they made the trade," Aikman said, "I think this would be one of the biggest busts in the history of the league."

When asked to clarify his thoughts, the former Cowboys quarterback really let it rip.

"I just think that when you have the chance to evaluate a player to the degree the Cowboys were able to and then to give up what you gave up, if he's not a No. 1 receiver and not a highly productive player for this team, that's a huge flaw within their scouting department," Aikman said.

The Cowboys sent three 2009 draft picks – a first-, third- and sixth-rounder – to the Lions for Williams just before the trade deadline on Oct. 14. In a way, the trade also cost them Terrell Owens, whom Jones released after the season partly because of the investment in Williams.

Aikman criticized Williams' route running on TV broadcast of the regular-season finale against the Eagles. Williams and quarterback Tony Romo didn't appear to be on the same page when Williams turned around too late and the pass was intercepted.

"I hear on TV that Troy Aikman tried to blame it on me," Williams said the next day. "And that's not me. I'm a guy that stands up. I stand up for my mistakes. I didn't have a mistake on that one."

With Owens sent packing, Williams will have the chance this season to prove that he was worth the steep price. To prove that his trade is closer to the Hershel Walker trade and not like the Joey Galloway trade in Cowboys history.

"I don't think you can give up what the Cowboys gave up for somebody and not make that a sure bet," Aikman said. "This isn't like drafting a No. 1 receiver out of the college draft and then saying, 'Well, we think he's got all the skills to be a great player for us.' He's been in the NFL. He's caught balls in the NFL. They've got a lot of tape on him, and they had the ability to talk to a lot of people who had coached him, played against him, played with him."

For the record, the best and worst trades to date in Cowboys history,

The Minnesota Vikings gave up five players, six conditional draft picks and the 1992 first-round pick to the Cowboys for Walker. The Cowboys converted the incredible haul into three Super Bowl titles.

The Cowboys sent two No. 1 draft picks to Seattle for receiver Joey Galloway. He suffered a torn knee ligament in the season opener and missed the rest of the year. Over the next three seasons, Galloway caught 151 passes for 2,341 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.

Bengals Get Tank'ed

The Cincinnati Bengals have been publicly saying they want to improve the character of their team and stop signing players who have trouble with the law, or who are "bad character" guys. As is normal with the Bengals franchise they took a step in the opposite direction today with the signing of Tank Johnson. Signing the defensive tackle to a one-year deal, which is believed to be for the league minimum, which would be for $620,000 with a possible signing bonus of $50,000. Johnson will be entering his sixth season.

According to Johnson's agent, Jerrold Colton "Tank had a good meeting with the Bengals last Thursday and is excited to play for Marvin Lewis, (defensive coordinator) Mike Zimmer and (defensive line coach) Jay Hayes,"

Johnson has played the last two seasons in Dallas and struggled in the Cowboys' 3-4 alignment He had 45 tackles and a sack last year. Johnson began his career with the Bears and spent three seasons there, compiling 8.5 sacks. But in Chicago he made more news off the field than on it. After repeated off-the-field incidents, and serving time in prison, he was released by the Bears in 2007.

Cowboys Hogtie Sensabaugh

The Dallas Cowboys released pro-bowl safety Roy Williams last week and may lose unrestricted free agent safety Keith Davis. In a move to address this suddenly thin position the Cowboys have added Jacksonville Jaguars free agent Gerald Sensabaugh. He has reportedly signed a one-year deal and we are all waiting on financial terms of the deal.

Sensabaugh, 25, should compete for the starting job at strong safety. If Sensabaugh, who is a physical player but lacks some coverage skills, doesn't win the starting job alongside free safety Ken Hamlin, he will be a solid reserve safety. Dallas has very little experience at safety besides Hamlin.

A four-year veteran, all with Jacksonville, is coming off his best season as a pro, yet the Jaguars made little attempt to re-sign him. He started 13 games in 2008 and had 70 tackles, four interceptions and eight passes defensed, all career highs.

He has played in 50 games, with 24 starts. For his career, Sensabaugh has 118 tackles, six interceptions and 11 passes defensed.

Igor in Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys have reunited head coach Wade Phillips with one of his former players, Igor Olshansky, Phillips was his defensive coordinator in San Diego before he left for Dallas.

Olshansky agreed to a four-year, $18 million contact with Dallas that includes $8 million in guarantees, according to a source.

A former second-round choice of the Chargers, Olshansky played five seasons in San Diego. Phillips was defensive coordinator in San Diego from 2004 to '06, introduced Olshansky to the 3-4 defense. Olshansky started 57 of 59 games as a Charger. He had 187 tackles and nine sacks during his San Diego.

The native of the Ukraine is the first player from the former Soviet Union to play in the NFL.

Terrell Owens Agrees to Terms with Buffalo

It only took two-days, but Terrell Owens has found a new team, the Buffalo Bills have decided to take the risk and signed Owens to a one-year $6,5 Million deal. The extremely talented receiver was recently cut by the Dallas Cowboys, because his distractions out-weighed his on field productivity.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones brought Terrell Owens to Dallas fully aware of the headaches he would cause but expected Owens' impact to put his team into the Super Bowl, or even win a playoff game, something they have not done since 1996.

"I must move on, and it's another beginning for me," Owens said. "If I can be that extra added piece to get them to the playoffs, then that's what I'm here for. I looked at the defensive side of ball and offensive side of the ball, and these guys have all the pieces."

The Bills playoff drought has lasted since 1993 and Bills owner Ralph Wilson is probably hoping that Owens is the final piece to put his team over the top, just as Jones did, but at 35 years old and with a young mildly experienced QB in Trent Edwards it seems like a recipe for disaster in Western New York. Buffalo needs to prepare itself for a T.O.rnado.

Coach Dick Jauron is willing to take the risk on Owens because his team needs a spark following its third consecutive 7-9 season.

"Our focus is on winning football games, and the production, and everything that goes with that and that speaks for itself," said Bills GM Russ Brandon. "So just the thought of what our receiving corps looks like right now and what our offense can be with (QB) Trent Edwards, is really exciting for all of us."

It's believed most — if not all — of the other teams in the market for a veteran wide receiver shied away from Owens because of his reputation as a selfish player and derisive locker room presence. Owens previously squabbled with veteran quarterbacks like Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb, so it's questionable how well he would handle any growing pains being experienced in 2009 by Edwards, the neophyte starter.

Safety Roy Williams Gets His Wish

Lost in the media circus that followed the release of mercurial WR Terrell Owens, is the fact that the Dallas Cowboys also granted safety Roy Williams his release.

Williams, 28, the Cowboys' first-round pick in the 2002 draft out of Oklahoma, is most well known for his affect on the league in establishing the "horse collar" rule in reaction to Williams' tackling style which has broken more than a few ankles.

The Cowboys have already had to absorb a large cap hit with the release of Owens and have only added to it with Williams' release as he recently signed a $25 million contract extension, which included an $11 million signing bonus.

Blessed with the instincts of a safety and the hitting power of a linebacker, Williams has recently become a liability in pass coverage, some have hinted that he may make the switch to linebacker as he is at his best playing close to the line of scrimmage and an effective defender versus the run.

Evans Chooses 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers have secured the services of Demetric Evans, who signed a two-year, $3.8 Million contract.

The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Evans will be part of the 49ers' rotation of defensive ends in their 3-4 scheme.

2008 was Evans' most productive year as a pro, he started 11 games with 33 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks. The seven-year veteran spent two years in Dallas and his next five in Washington.

Terrell Owens Cut by Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spent countless press conferences trying to convince you it wasn't going to happen, he placed a gag order on his coaches at the Scouting Combine, so his coaching staff couldn't answer the question. Despite all the smoke and mirrors, the Dallas Cowboys finally did what we all expected them to do, they have released WR Terrell Owens.

By cutting Terrell Owens the Cowboys will be able to rid themselves of a locker room cancer and sideline distraction, but the team will have to absorb a huge hit to the salary cap, a reported a $9.675 Million, stemming from the new contract Owens signed last summer, a four-year, $34 Million deal that included a $12 Million bonus.

Owens, who has always been known as a productive receiver, is remembered more often for his outlandish and bizarre touchdown celebrations, like the Sharpie in the sock, or pouring popcorn all over himself. Even more bizarre were his off the field antics, giving an interview while doing sit ups in his driveway, or the accidental overdose/suicide attempt.

It was all of these reasons that Jerry Jones loved T.O., with every outlandish act brought more media attention to "America's Team" and more attention means more money for Jones, but the one thing Owens did not bring to Dallas was playoff victories, and that may have been the straw that broke the camel's back for Jones. Owens is not worth the distraction if he is not winning you championships.

Over his 13-year career, he's a five-time All-Pro and ranks second in career touchdowns, fifth in career yards receiving and sixth in career receptions. He turned 35 in December, but remains a physical specimen.

Look for Owens to re-emerge in a place like New York, with the Giants. Owens would love the bright lights of New York and the Giants may need to replace the production of Plaxico Burress. Another possibe landing spot could be Washington, as owner Dan Snyder loves to spend money on big name players no matter how much baggage they bring with them. I think a wild-card team for getting Owens would be the Oakland Raiders, I think Al Davis will fall in love with T.O.'s production and is arrogant enough to think he could keep him happy.

Cowboys Sign LB Stewart Off the Couch

The Dallas Cowboys have signed free agent linebacker Matt Stewart to a one-year contract, financial terms wer not disclosed.

The 29-year-old Stewart was a fourth-round pick by Atlanta in 2001 and played four seasons with the Falcons. He spent the next three seasons with Cleveland. In 93 career games, Stewart has 357 tackles, eight sacks and an interception.

Stewart, was out of football in 2008 after getting released by Arizona in the final roster cuts before the season started.

Giants Go 3-for-3 This Weekend

The New York Giants had a great first weekend of free agency, first they brought in and signed LB Michael Boley to fill their need at WLB, next they brought in pass rushing DT Rocky Bernard for a visit and he too signed on the dotted line before the meeting was over.

Now, the Giants have gone a very impressive 3 visits, 3 signings with the addition of versatile defensive lineman Chris Canty, who not only adds depth to an already impressive D-line it hurts a division rival as Canty's former team the Dallas Cowboys play in the same NFC East division as the Giants.

Canty has signed a 6-year, $42-Million deal with $17.25 Million guaranteed. Canty, 26 stands 6'7" and tips the scale at 304lbs will likely switch to defensive tackle with the Giants after four seasons as a 3-4 defensive end in Dallas, but his versatility as an end will likely be explored in certain situations.

You have to wonder how the Giants have been so successful this weekend, and perhaps they are taking a hint from The Godfather Series and making these players "an offer they can't refuse." Whatever their strategy the Giants have further solidied and already impressive defense, just 48 hours into free agency.

Seahawks Sign Cole

The Seattle Seahawks have dashed the hopes of the Green Bay Packers by signing away one of the Packers’ biggest offseason priorities, DT Colin Cole.

Early Sunday morning, Cole signed a five-year, $21 Million contract with the Seattle Seahawks. Cole’s contract includes $5 million guaranteed.

Cole had been in discussions with Green Bay, Tampa Bay but in the end decided he wanted to be the man to replace Rocky Bernard in Seattle.

With Cole off the market, Chris Canty finds himself as the only big name free agent defensive lineman left and could find himself the subject of a bidding war with teams like Tampa Bay, Green Bay and the New York Giants interested in his services.

Rocky Bernard Signs with G-Men

New York Giants continue to bolster their defense through free agency today by adding DT Rock Bernard, just a few hours after adding LB Michael Boley. Terms of the contract were no revealed.

Bernard, who turns 30 in April, is a pass rushing threat up the middle and in his 7 seasons in Seattle he has racked up 29 career sacks.

The Giants must have a great pitch man because they are 2-for-2 on free agent recruiting trips so far. The team is hosting another defensive lineman Chris Canty from division rivals the Dallas Cowboys, and as the chances of signing Canty after inking Bernard may appear slim, the Giants proved in their Super Bowl run, you can never have too many good D-lineman.

Dallas Steals Brooking Away from the Peachtree State

Keith Brooking has played his entire career in the state of Georgia, from East Coweta High School on to Georgia Tech and the the Atlanta Falcons. The Dallas Cowboys changed that today when they signed Brooking to a three-year contract. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Brookings, 33, has recorded 1,132 tackles and 17 sacks in his tenure with the Falcons. The 11-year veteran was named to five Pro Bowl squads , and was selected as an All-Pro in two seasons.

Lions Cowboys Swap Players

The Dallas Cowboys have traded CB Anthony Henry to the Detroit Lions for QB Jon Kitna.

Lions GM Martin Mayhew, meanwhile, has been trying for weeks to trade Kitna, who started 36 consecutive games for the team before going on injured reserve last October. Kitna became expendable after the Lions signed veteran QB Daunte Culpepper to a contract extension last month.

The Cowboys are in need of a veteran back-up to starter Tony Romo as they released QB Brad Johnson yesterday. Henry, 31, started 51 of 57 games the last four seasons with the Cowboys, and his six interceptions in 2007 tied for fifth-best in the league.

In Detroit Henry will join newly-acquired Eric King and roster holdovers Keith Smith and Travis Fisher as the cornerbacks under contract for next season.

QB Johnson Released by Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys have released back-up QB Brad Johnson, a move that does not come as a complete surprise.

Brad Johnson was released Thursday after playing just four games over two seasons in Dallas. The 17-year NFL veteran was ineffective as a starter during a three-game stint last season.

Johnson , 40, was 41-of-78 passing for 427 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions for a 50.5 rating. He also was sacked eight times.

In his career Johnson has has 29,054 passing yards with 166 touchdowns. He won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay after the 2002 season

"I Likeded Da' Scrip Clubs"

I was discussing with the Future Mrs. Alldayfootball the other day how Pacman Jones thinks he will be able to sign on with another NFL team this season after being released by the Dallas Cowboys and it reminded me about how much Pacman "likeded da' Scrip Clubs"

Enjoy!

Cowboys Will Let Free Agents Test Market

The Dallas Cowboys will let all eight of their unrestricted free agents test the open market, owner Jerry Jones announced Monday via the team’s Web site.

As we know free agency will begin this Friday Feb 27th. The Cowboys have eight unrestricted free agents: Defensive end Chris Canty, safety Keith Davis, quarterback Brooks Bollinger, guard Joe Berger, defensive tackle Tank Johnson and linebackers Keith Burnett, Zach Thomas and Carlos Polk.

The Cowboys have roughly $12 million in cap space and hope to sign linebacker DeMarcus Ware to a long-term deal. Jones has said repeatedly the team won’t be big players in free agency.
The Cowboys would like to re-sign Canty, but he’s expected to ask for a deal in the range of $50.5 million with $18.5 million guaranteed. If that’s the case, the Cowboys likely wouldn’t match offers from other clubs.

Lewis tells Ware he wants to be a Cowboy

As pointed out by Adam Schefter of the NFL Network, Cowboys LB DeMarcus Ware said flat out in an interview with the Cowboys website that LB Ray Lewis has approached him about playing in Dallas next season. Here is an exerpt from the interview.

“When we played Ray Lewis and Baltimore at the end of the season,” Ware told the the Cowboys website, “He came over and pointed to my helmet. He said, ‘I want to wear this star on my helmet, that’s my dream . . . that’s my dream.’ When we got to the Pro Bowl, he did it again. He came at me every day. It’s a great opportunity for him. His door is open. He’s an unrestricted free agent. He’s trying to get down where the star is. He told me he needed me to get him Jerry Jones‘ phone number for him. I just busted out laughing.

“I think he is genuine,” Ware said. “Believe me, he is genuine. He talked to me before he became a free agent. He talked to me two years ago about it. He calls me about once a week and talks about it then. I even said, ‘Hey, Ray, I’m tired about talking about this. You need to find Jerry Jones’ number and fly out there and talk to him. … He says things like ‘D-Ware, I need to get down there. You’re the pass-rush guy and I need to play with you. Just call Jerry for me. Just call him. Just call him.’”