OFFICIAL GDT - Cowboys vs Falcons!!!

[sike]

Originally Posted by Windmill360

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

[alexamenos]

"It's just one of those things that allows you to really believe in yourself," said quarterback Tony Romo who shook off an apparent neck injury in the first quarter to throw for 311 yards and three touchdowns (141.6 passer rating). "I think that we have that, but until you go out and do it - it's no different than before I started playing.

Does anybody else think Romo talks way too much in the second person?

Not my biggest concern about the cowboys, it's just a bit annoying.

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by Underdog

We weren't talking about who's the best player on the Cowboys - we were talking about who MY favorite players are, and I happen play fantasy football...

But feel free to make your own list by your own standards (and don't forget to include Miles Austin if "dreamy eyes that you could stare into for days" factors into your rankings...)







Oh, and add Miles Austin to my list...

Hey, no skin of my back. You made yourself sound like an idiot.. that's not my problem. I just happened to comment on it.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

Hey, no skin of my back. You made yourself sound like an idiot.. that's not my problem. I just happened to comment on it.

No skin "of" your back? (you should probably check for typos when you're calling someone an idiot...)

But sorry if I'm an idiot for not sharing the same opinion as you - next time I'll ask you who your favorites are so I'll know who I should say my favorites are...


(also, Jason Witten is on track to have his second-worst statistical season since he was a rookie, currently ranked as the 14th-best tight end in the NFL...)

[mkat]

Originally Posted by alexamenos

Does anybody else think Romo talks way too much in the second person?

Not my biggest concern about the cowboys, it's just a bit annoying.

yeah i stopped listening to him last year.

[FINtastic]

I guess I'm alone on this one, but I rather enjoy listening to Romo's press conferences. Romo strikes me as a guy who is always thinking critically about the game when I hear him speak.

Then again I'm a Romo homer so I could probably watch a video of him kicking puppies and somehow find a way to admire the way he did it.

I do like Gordo's fake Romo though. I thought he nailed it with Romo's overuse of the word "football". Even for a guy talking about the sport he plays, he does drop the word "football" a lot into his interviews/press conferences. I don't really get annoyed by it though, I just find it more giggle-worthy than anything.

[DirkFTW]

Originally Posted by FINtastic

I guess I'm alone on this one, but I rather enjoy listening to Romo's press conferences. Romo strikes me as a guy who is always thinking critically about the game when I hear him speak.

Then again I'm a Romo homer so I could probably watch a video of him kicking puppies and somehow find a way to admire the way he did it.

I do like Gordo's fake Romo though. I thought he nailed it with Romo's overuse of the word "football". Even for a guy talking about the sport he plays, he does drop the word "football" a lot into his interviews/press conferences. I don't really get annoyed by it though, I just find it more giggle-worthy than anything.

I bet he relishes talking about the football games against the New York Football Giants.

[Underdog]

Cowboys Ink Ware To Richest Deal In Team History

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IRVING, Texas - There was never a doubt.

The Cowboys said all year a contract extension for outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware was their No. 1 priority, and Monday the two sides made it official just before an afternoon press conference.

Ware's six-year, $78 million deal is the largest in club history. He is guaranteed at least $40 million in the contract, which runs through the 2015 season and can pay him an average of $13 million annually.

The two sides reached a verbal agreement over the contract around noon Sunday, owner-general manager Jerry Jones shaking hands with the pass rush specialist during pregame stretching. Ware will make $34 million in the first 12 months of the contract, $40 million in the first two years and $45 million over the first three years.

It is the largest three-year total for a non-quarterback in league history, and the most the Cowboys have ever paid a player.

Ware will be 33 when the deal expires, and the talk Monday was of the Auburn, Ala. native being a lifetime Cowboy.

"He's a cornerstone player of this franchise, and will be for a long time to come," Jones said.

Club Executive Vice President Stephen Jones acknowledged shortly after last season the Cowboys and Ware's camp had little disagreement about Ware's status as one of the NFL's best defensive players, if not the best. Still, the two sides weren't close to finalizing a deal until just last week.

Agent Pat Dye Jr. said he and the Cowboys first met to discuss an extension at the Senior Bowl in January. The team's initial offer included a $12 million average over the life of the contract. Several counteroffers were traded until August, when the extensions for quarterbacks Eli Manning in New York and Philip Rivers in San Diego set a ceiling for the negotiations.

Dye and Ware had wanted to see the contracts other defensive players around the league would sign during the off-season. In February, the Washington Redskins lured defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth away from Tennessee with a seven-year, $100 million deal, the first four years of which were guaranteed at $12 million annually. And Oakland gave cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha $28.5 million guaranteed through 2010, with an option for a third year that could push the total package to $45 million.

The Cowboys and Ware haggled over the number of years the deal would include - the team wanting seven, and Ware's side preferring no more than six. Dye said the number of years was a sticking point until just last week. Dye admitted the scale of the contract was much smaller than he and Ware had asked originally.

If no agreement was reached, the Cowboys could have used the franchise tag on Ware for the next three seasons. In the final year of the $13 million rookie contract he signed as the 11th overall pick in 2005, Ware was making just over $1 million this season.

"When Manning came in at $16 (million annually) and Rivers came in at $15 (million annually), I felt like it kind of compressed our market some," Dye said. "The fact we were coming off a very low platform, that being $1 million this year, and the fact they had three tags in their pocket they could have used on us, and the fact they did it after the guy had only completed four seasons is what was so compelling about the scenario."

While the Cowboys might have had some advantages at the negotiating table, Ware's production and the team's desire to build around him were also sizeable bargaining chips.

"We didn't' have a lot of leverage either," Jerry Jones said. "It's important for our franchise's future for him to be here. He's gone beyond anything we could've imagined when we drafted him."

A starter from Day One, Ware has totaled 57.5 sacks in 70 career games, including 4.0 this season. He has never missed a game, and Jerry Jones said the Cowboys medical staff sees no signs of an impending physical depreciation.

"I know Pat and myself were wanting to come up with the right deal for both DeMarcus and the franchise," Stephen Jones said. "There was no question we were going to get something done, and it was just a matter of making sure that everybody felt good about it."

Joined at the press conference by his wife, Taniqua, Ware said he the thought the negotiations weren't a distraction during the first part of the season.

"It's just really an honor and a privilege to be a part of sort of the dream team - America's Team," Ware said. "These guys really stepped in and punt their foot into it and said 'DeMarcus, you're the player, you've put in the work and you've put in the time, and we're going to show you how appreciative we are for what you do.'"





Down To Business
With Deal Done, Weight Off Ware's Shoulders & Feet

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IRVING, Texas - When a player signs a mega-deal like the one DeMarcus Ware did on Monday, the first thing you look for is how he responds.

But while all eyes will be on Ware next Sunday when the Seahawks come to town, it won't actually be his first game with the new deal.

Now it wasn't official yet, but Ware already knew it was all but finalized about an hour before kickoff Sunday against the Falcons.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who normally doesn't go down to the playing field until the fourth quarter of home games, made a special trip this time.

"Usually, Jerry doesn't come down to the field, he lets us stretch (before the game)," Ware said. "That should've been a red-flag when he came over to me. But nobody noticed. After the game, he talked a little bit. We already knew what the plans were."

So while the boss telling his star employee that he just gave him a raise that will pay him $78 million over six years might affect an average person, Ware actually shined against Atlanta. He had two sacks and a forced fumble, giving him now four sacks in the last two games.

Ironically enough, these last two outings Ware has played with a stress fracture in his foot. But it's funny how money can make a big difference. Ware joked at his press conference Monday at Valley Ranch how it didn't seem to hurt too bad on Sunday.

"OK, so I had a hurt foot, and a lot of the weight went off of that foot," Ware said. "I think I put a lot of it behind me and now I can say let's give it 110 percent because they've just given you 110 percent."

And actuality, the Cowboys gave Ware a six-year contract extension worth $78 million, including $40 million in guaranteed cash, for a deal that averages $13 million per season and will keep him with the Cowboys through the 2015 season.

While the money obviously stabilizes himself and his family for life, Ware seemed just as excited knowing he will continue to wear the blue star on his helmet, likely for the rest of his playing career.

"It's sort of like a dream," said Ware, when asked about that reality. "When you're younger and playing video games, you see Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin on the game. Now you feel like you're a part of that tradition. It's awesome just to have this opportunity to say, 'This is my job and this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life.'"

As outlandish as a $78 million contract might seem, it's quite a bit lower than Ware and his agent Pat Dye Jr. originally asked when the negotiations began last year. Dye had no qualms admitting they were wanting to get in the range of quarterbacks such as Eli Manning and Philip Rivers, who both signed contract extensions this year. Manning got a six-year, $97 million deal and Rivers went for $92 million over six years as well.

"How do you ask for too much money for a guy like DeMarcus Ware," said Dye, who said he understood the Cowboys have more than just one player to build around. "We eventually came to an agreement and I know where they are coming from. They have to manage a football team. So this is a deal that we like and we think is more than fair."

For Ware, he said it wasn't hard finding the balance between getting fairly compensated, but also not breaking the bank, knowing that the Cowboys have many other talented players to pay as well.

"With me, it's about getting what you deserve. I feel like I've gotten what I deserve in my situation," Ware said. "But you can't ask for too much money when you need other players in here. You've got to be able to build and you can't really build with one guy. It's about a team. You can't ask for just too much money, because they need the ability to work, too. So really, it's about being a team player."

But not just any player. Ware knows the expectations are raised even more now.

"If you want to be the face of the team and the face of the defense, you must also be the leader," Ware said. "We have a lot of leaders on this defense. You can't be about just one guy in football. You have to be able to bring it all together as a team, and that's what I'm here for."

And because of this new deal, Ware is going to be here for quite some time.

[ty]

Originally Posted by Underdog

I like him too (but he's a kicker, best not to get attached...)

"Do I look like JUST a kicker to you?!"

[alby]

those southern californians...

[DirkFTW]

Originally Posted by ty

"Do I look like JUST a kicker to you?!"

It's our very own version of AP!

[mavspwnage]

Rested Cowboys deck Falcons in impressive fashion

Bye weeks, though sometimes annoying from a fan's perspective, can actually be very good.

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by Underdog

No skin "of" your back? (you should probably check for typos when you're calling someone an idiot...)

But sorry if I'm an idiot for not sharing the same opinion as you - next time I'll ask you who your favorites are so I'll know who I should say my favorites are...


(also, Jason Witten is on track to have his second-worst statistical season since he was a rookie, currently ranked as the 14th-best tight end in the NFL...)

Hey, you're allowed to have your football opinion.. but it doesn't make you any less of a football idiot.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

Hey, you're allowed to have your football opinion.. but it doesn't make you any less of a football idiot.

[Dtownsfinest]

Originally Posted by alexamenos

Does anybody else think Romo talks way too much in the second person?

Not my biggest concern about the cowboys, it's just a bit annoying.

He tried a different approach last season and got roasted by fans and the media.

[alexamenos]

Underdog's new signature is a freaking work of art. I'm talking Mona Lisa, Van Gogh stuff, not dogs playing poker.