Bill Parcells Continues His Hatred For Cowboys

The Washington Redskins acquired Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor for a second and sixth round pick. The trade comes on the same day that Phillip Daniels was sidelined for the year with a knee injury.

On face, this is a good trade for the foe in Washington. However, it is not a move that is going to change the season for these Redskins. Obviously, Taylor should be an improvement over Daniels. And the Redskins were in need of a pass rusher.

But in the same vain effort of Daniel Snyder’s free agent heydays, parallels can be made that this acquisition won’t have much effect. Remember Bruce Smith? The list goes on. Deion Sanders?

Really, what this boils down to his Bill Parcells’ obvious hatred for a team that treated him well. Hey, Parcells couldn’t take this team to a Super Bowl in four years like he had promised. It was time to move on. And since then, he has done nothing but to attack the players and organization.

The Urgency of This Season Begins

Training camp begins Thursday, and some Dallas Cowboys players smell the urgency of the coming season. Jerry Jones has done his part by signing nearly every big-name player to a long-term deal, solidifying a dynasty if that is what this team wants to become. The talent is there. It will just take commitment.

But the biggest roadblock to success this coming season isn’t the play of Tony Romo or his love life; it isn’t team chemistry with Terrell Owens and Adam Jones playing on the same team; it isn’t an aging offensive line; and it isn’t a questionable secondary.

The chief roadblock to success is finishing games. Adding a dash of consistency to the Cowboys’ effort this coming season makes a recipe of success. Finishing the season strong will do wonders for winning a playoff game.

There will be nothing less Jerry Jones will accept because he invested so much into this team. If the Cowboys come out of the gates and win big against a good team, the Cleveland Browns, it won’t mean hardly as much if they close the season out with a win over the Eagles.

New England Patriots’ Nick Kaczur is an Oxy-Moron

The New England Patriots fallout that began with SpyGate continues its downward spiral of death. Now, offensive fatman Nick Kaczur was caught with 202 Oxycontin pills during a stop in April. The pills were apparently made in Canada, which means he got them without a prescription. Kaczur is not injured, but addicted to painkillers. This is disgusting. What is even more troubling is that Kaczur is claiming that Daniel Ekasala sold him the drugs. His attorney says Kaczur’s credibility should be questions because the pills are from Canada. “Those are Canadian pills, and Ekasala is not the source of those pills,” Grossberg said, according to The Globe. “It just begins to raise questions about Kaczur’s credibility.” This is typical Patriots: Friday, Patriots spokesman Stacey James said “I will confirm that he is still on the team, but we are not providing additional comment,” the newspaper reported. I guess Kaczur still needs to numb himself after the crushing Super Bowl loss to the large underdog New York Giants. I predict the New England Patriots will struggle this year. They’ll make the playoffs, but all of the controversy, egos and troublemakers won’t take them far.

Odds and Ends in Dallas Cowboys Land

• Orlando Scandrick, rookie cornerback selected in the fifth round of the draft, signed a four year, $1.85 million deal with a $185,000 signing bonus. There’s a lot of hope that Scandrick can offer an improvement over the backups and dime packages the Cowboys had last year. The secondary has been the biggest hole for the Cowboys for many years in a row.
• Someone is citing sources that Adam Jones will get a cornerback spot this season. You can see the information here. Apparently Anthony Henry is looking horrible in work outs. There was talk that Henry would move to safety to replace Roy Williams, still reeling from several years of horrible coverage. We’ll see.
• Rumors that Brett Favre might end up in Tampa Bay. Weird.
• SCOUTS and ESPN ranked Dallas the best team in the NFL. Eat your hearts out:
  

The Cowboys have an outstanding group of athletes in their secondary with Terence Newman, Anthony Henry, Roy Williams and Ken Hamlin returning from last year. When you combine that group with the recent additions of Jones and rookie first-round draft pick Mike Jenkins, the Cowboys now have the type of depth that few other teams can match. They will have a tremendous amount of flexibility within their personnel packages to take advantage of each player’s strengths while also being able to disguise coverages. Opposing quarterbacks will have to be smart and accurate to have success against this group. The talents of the secondary combined with the effective pass rush of the front seven will force opposing quarterbacks to make some quick decisions.

ESPN Says Cowboys Have NFL’s Top Defense

I guess my power ranking with the Dallas Cowboys No. 1 is spot on.

When ESPN says anything positive about the Dallas Cowboys, then you know it has got to be their year. When ESPN ranks the Dallas Cowboys’ secondary the best in the NFL, it might be time to celebrate, and the season hasn’t even begun.

But that is exactly what the FOURLETTERNETWORK did in this story here.

The Cowboys have an outstanding group of athletes in their secondary with Terence Newman, Anthony Henry, Roy Williams and Ken Hamlin returning from last year. When you combine that group with the recent additions of Jones and rookie first-round draft pick Mike Jenkins, the Cowboys now have the type of depth that few other teams can match. They will have a tremendous amount of flexibility within their personnel packages to take advantage of each player’s strengths while also being able to disguise coverages. Opposing quarterbacks will have to be smart and accurate to have success against this group. The talents of the secondary combined with the effective pass rush of the front seven will force opposing quarterbacks to make some quick decisions.

I couldn’t agree more, and I know that having Adam Jones on this team is freaking a lot of other teams out, including the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins.

But it gets even better, friends.

The Cowboys also have the best linebackers, according to the FOURLETTERNETWORK.

The Cowboys have three outside linebackers who can get after opposing quarterbacks and DeMarcus Ware is as good as it gets at the position. Ware can do it all with his rare blend of quickness off the ball, pure speed and ideal body type for the position. He sacked the quarterback 14 times last year, but his ability to stay with backs and tight ends in coverage is often overlooked and Ware is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate who keeps getting better. Greg Ellis returned from injury to have a very productive 2007 season while Anthony Spencer, last year’s first-round pick, is going to be tough to keep of the field due to his ability to rush the quarterback. For now, though, Spencer is simply an exceptional No. 3 outside linebacker who could see time on throwing downs and make things very difficult on opposing protection schemes. Bradie James plays inside on the strong side and is a thumper who is always around the football. Zach Thomas came on board to finish his career at home in Texas and will play alongside James on the inside. Thomas played in a 3-4 alignment some in Miami and was very effective, and the transition to playing a 3-4 full-time should not be difficult for such a fundamentally-sound player. Dallas does not have much invested in Thomas so the risk is minimal, but if he can stay healthy it will be interesting to see how much he has left in the tank. Bobby Carpenter has yet to live up to his first-round selection and has shuffled from inside to outside, and while he does provide depth he needs to step up and become more of a contributor. Kevin Barnett is yet another talented young player who will find it hard to get on the field unless injuries intervene, which just goes to show how great this group is overall.

It sure sounds like a Super Bowl caliber defense to me. Now, let’s get to that offense, right? Another Power Ranking is coming soon, and I won’t be moving Dallas from that No. 1 spot.

Fred Brito, Legendary Conman, Says “I Didn’t Do It!”

Oh boy, this Fred Brito stuff keeps on twisting. According to Dallas Observer editor Robert Wolinsky, he spoke to Fred Brito today, and Brito is LIVID. Apparently, the conman claims he never posted on his site that he bought Troy Aikman’s 1993 Super Bowl Ring. He claims someone hacked his site and posted it on there while he is in Mexico. Read it here!!!

“I did not write all this stuff,” he insisted. “But it’s all over the blasted Internet that I am some big liar.”

But you are the Fred Brito who’s the infamous con man, right?

“Yes, that is me,” he said. “But somebody has pirated my Web site, and I don’t appreciate it.”

And, indeed, Brito’s site now has a note that reads, in part:

There appears to be someone in the universe who enjoys impersonating me and is doing a poor job at doing it. They have pirated my websites and precautions have been taken to change the passwords in order to hopefully prevent this from happening in the future.

So, I asked him, somebody’s doing to you what you used to do to other people? He agreed.

“I understand it, but the way people have been talking about me on the Internet, I don’t appreciate it,” he said. “They’re doing what I normally would have done five years ago, but I haven’t done it in a long time. But I am going straight. And I am livid somebody would actually do this. I’ve never done this before to somebody else. This is a first. But what goes around comes around. I guess I earned it. But I do not have a ring and don’t want one. It’s bizarre. I am not even a Cowboys fan. I am a Rams fan.”

What is mind-boggling is Fred Brito saying it is all over the Internet that he is a liar. Well DOH, Burrito, you are a convicted felon for lying and stealing. I mean come on, dude! If the above is true, I guess Burrito does not like a taste of his own medicine, does he now? Must suck to have people impersonate you?

We’re moving on from this saga. It is over. Brito, give it up and move on. You’ve not been harmed. You’re a convicted felon. All we wanted to do was prove no one has Troy Aikman’s ring, and we did that. Time to move on. Fred Burrito Brito is BANNED!

Seriously now, CASE CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Investigative Report: Fred Brito Is A Liar

It didn’t take long to solve the Fred Brito case, and I have to give special kudos to Dallas Observer blogger Robert Wilonsky, who is a true hero in journalism in my book.

Fred Brito made claims that he purchased at auction Troy Aikman’s 1993 Super Bowl ring. I was immediately skeptical of his claim. People like that don’t get prizes like Aikman’s ring.

I launched the investigation this morning. Mr. Wilonsky got word of it, and immediately made a call to Aikman’s circle of friends. You can read his post here.

The folks over at The Landry Hat, a Dallas Cowboys’ site, are trying to debunk the story with “a full investigation,” which Brito’s welcoming with taunting posts of his own. Only, it isn’t necessary, fellas. Because Aikman’s personal assistant, Saye Donovan, tells Unfair Park this morning that the former Cowboys QB “has not had any thefts and has kept all his Super Bowl rings. I am certain it’s not a true story. People like to see what they can get away with.”

Well isn’t that nifty? We all figured Aikman wouldn’t sell his rings. For one, he doesn’t need the money, and two, he went through so much, including a 1-15 season, to reach the biggest prize the NFL offers. We knew the story was bogus from the beginning, which is why Fred Burrito is getting so much beef here.

What irritates me the most, though, is that people still give this guy publicity. And I am not talking about on this blog. Several large TV companies have interviewed this dishrag and given him some form of self satisfaction.

I, and Mr. Wolinsky, performed a public service to our readers by exposing this creep for who he is: a piece of crap convicted criminal. He fooled no one.

It feels so good to say CASE CLOSED. We did it in less than 24 hours.

The ‘Hurd’ Mentality

Special Post from MBIIIEffect

If there’s one backup player on the Dallas Cowboys’ roster that has caught my attention over the past two years, it’s been Sam Hurd. He first drew the media spotlight when he found an unlikely mentor in Pro Bowl wide receiver Terrell Owens.

Hurd’s first year with the Cowboys was 2006. This was the year when a tender hamstring kept “the player” out for most of training camp, and T.O. stuck to riding a stationary bike in his helmet and spandex, grinning whenever cameras turned his way, much to the chagrin of then coach Bill Parcells. But after practice, Hurd would run routes and catch balls with Owens, with the vet giving Hurd tips on route-running and other tricks of the trade gathered over his career.

Let’s face it: T.O. is no saint. He must have seen something in Hurd that impressed him enough to make him want to hang around after practices. Soon enough, Hurd got his chance to shine when Terry Glenn joined T.O. on the sideline with injury. After a few days of practice, other Cowboys were taking notice of the 6′2″, 195-pound undrafted receiver from Northern Illinois.

• Former QB Drew Bledsoe: “The guy has been impressive. He’s going up and catching the ball, coming up with big plays. We’ve asked him to play three positions and he played all three in the scrimmage without making any mistakes. That’s pretty rare for a rookie.”

• Former RB Julius Jones: “Sam Hurd is out there making plays. The way he’s playing right now, (defenses) would have to respect him.”
• WR Patrick Crayton: “He is really taking care of his business a whole lot. I think he’s already overcome a lot of those odds.”

• Former coach Bill Parcells: “He is young. He is inexperienced. But he is in very good physical condition. He has a lot of stamina. He’s extremely bright. He knows more than one position already. I think he will be in contention for a roster spot based on what I have seen so far…You can’t help but notice some things he is doing.”

What impressed me about Hurd, apart from his being able to get T.O. to be his mentor, was his desire to impress from the start. He knew that his chances of making the team were slim. But when he caught a break, not only was Hurd’s work on  his route running evident, it was obvious that he had been studying his playbook. Hats off to Hurd for seizing the day.

After the camp, Hurd was named to the final 53-man roster, but had a very quiet 2006 season. When Terry Glenn was sidelined for almost all of the 2007, Hurd saw more of the field and ended with 314 yards on 19 receptions with a touchdown. My hopes were up for the guy, especially after he snagged a 50-yard touchdown against the Giants in the first game of the season.

Even though he will be Tony Romo’s third, fourth or fifth option when the Cowboys go three wide (it’s hard to look past T.O., Jason Witten and Marion Barber…and even Patrick Crayton from time to time), keep an eye on Hurd. He’s a hard worker in practice and should put pressure on Patrick Crayton’s second WR spot during training camp coming up in a week and a half. He could prove to be another undrafted gem for the Cowboys should he keep up the hard work.

Holy Batman!

The Dark Knight, another series in the Batman saga, opens at midnight. I am a huge Batman fan, and loved Batman Begins.

Adam, one of the Chief’s bloggers, has a great post over at the new and improved main page for Fansided. Check it out here. Adam says he creams his pants for anything Batman. That’s weird dude.

However, I have been very excited for the opening of this movie. It has an extra creepy allure to it because of the death of Heath Ledger.

Also, may I suggest you view fansised.com regularly? The new improved site is chock full of NFL news, power rankings, mock drafts and our sister sites.

Is Convicted Criminal Fred Brito Lying About Troy Aikman’s Ring?

The Landry Hat has launched a full investigation into Fred Brito’s claim that he has purchased at auction Troy Aikman’s 1993 Super Bowl ring.

Mr. Brito obviously doesn’t know what I do for a living, and quite frankly, that’s OK. The investigation won’t end until I can prove he has the ring, and box seats to Dallas Cowboys games. If Mr. Brito had the ring, why would he post a silly fake JPEG of it on his site? If I had that ring I would be showing pictures of it on my hand. I would be showing pictures of it all over my house. I would be kissing it. I would sleep with it.

What I find interesting from the start is Mr. Brito says he is from New Mexico, yet I do not have one visitor from New Mexico in my stats. Interesting. Very interesting.

Secondly, as one poster revealed, auctions do not make people sign confidentiality agreements. Why he doesn’t want to admit how much he paid for the ring is suspicious in its own right. The fact they cost $10,000 to make, and he claims he’ll auction Emmitt Smith’s off for $20,000 is downright odd. And then, even more interesting, is Mr. Brito, convicted criminal of lying, does not present on his Web page that he owns Emmitt Smith’s ring. He does present, however, that he owns three Kennedy rocking chairs from the White House.

Mr. Burrito has been caught lying as early as last year. Read this. Has he truly learned his lesson or paid his debt to society as he states?

Los Angeles readers will recall that Brito made local headlines in August, 2005 after he was fired from UCLA for falsifying his resume and disclosing his previous convictions for embezzlement and theft, along with a lengthy history of gaining employment using false credentials, including work as a Roman Catholic priest and other fundraising positions. At the time the LA Times printed the front page story about him, he had already found work with the American Red Cross in Pasadena, who fired him a month later for, again, falsifying his credentials and not disclosing his criminal history.

Look what Freddy says to the blogger after he made the post. Sound familiar?

His mobile office number is 575.993.3030.

Next Page »