Dallas Cowboys 2017 - The Road to Super Bowl LII

[EricaLubarsky]

Ugh

[EricaLubarsky]

Good recovery, but that end to the half and beginning of the third was rough

[Underdog]

I thought for sure we'd find a way to lose this game after the way the 1st half ended... Glad we didn't squander having Zeke around for another week!

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Emergency injunction denied. Elliot to start serving suspension.

Good thing I'm not really invested in the NFL because I can't imagine anyone liking that joke of a commissioner. He makes David Stern look likable in comparison.

[Bryan_Wilson]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Emergency injunction denied. Elliot to start serving suspension.

Good thing I'm not really invested in the NFL because I can't imagine anyone liking that joke of a commissioner. He makes David Stern look likable in comparison.

Yeah this is the first year I'm not waiting around Sunday morning waiting on football. Still watching redzone but it's really hard not to be annoyed with the NFL with everything going on with it.

[Underdog]

[DirkFTW]

[Underdog]

Well, at least I don't have to miss the beginning of the Mavs game today... This one is over.

[Bryan_Wilson]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Well, at least I don't have to miss the beginning of the Mavs game today... This one is over.

I said nearly the same thing about 15min ago haha.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

.

[Bryan_Wilson]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-AOt4XhOBY



Goodell wants 50mill a year salary and lifetime access to a private jet and lifetime health insurance for his family.... SAY WHAT?!?!?!?!

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Bryan_Wilson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-AOt4XhOBY



Goodell wants 50mill a year salary and lifetime access to a private jet and lifetime health insurance for his family.... SAY WHAT?!?!?!?!

Yeah, I don't know if this is a strong negotiating tactic to get the owners to settle on the original deal, or if this is going to push them into Jerry's corner.

[Underdog]

@AdamSchefter: Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott is withdrawing his appeal, per a source. Elliott will serve his six-game suspension and return to the Cowboys on Christmas Eve against Seattle.

@AdamSchefter: Ezekiel Elliott withdrew his appeal because, legally speaking, the case was unlikely to be resolved before the six games were served. So now he will take them and return Dec. 24.

[Underdog]

@AdamSchefter: Roger Goodell told Jerry Jones that he would not suspend Ezekiel Elliott - one more reason this is where it is.


Roger Goodell has a Jerry Jones problem and nobody knows how it will end
http://www.espn.com/espn/otl/story/_...er-jerry-jones

[Jack.Kerr]

Originally Posted by Underdog

@AdamSchefter: Roger Goodell told Jerry Jones that he would not suspend Ezekiel Elliott - one more reason this is where it is.


Roger Goodell has a Jerry Jones problem and nobody knows how it will end
http://www.espn.com/espn/otl/story/_...er-jerry-jones

That was not my takeaway from the piece. The segment did not say that Goodell told Jones that Elliott would not be suspended; rather, Jones came away from a phonecall "with the impression" that Elliott wouldn't be punished with a suspension.

Then, later, after considering the evidence, Goodell determined that a suspsension was appropriate, and informed Jones thusly.

There is a big difference in saying Jones' interpretation was X; or that Goodell informed Jones of one thing, and then changed his mind (a la Stephen Smith's reporting).

Even so, Goodell might rightly change his mind after re-considering the evidence, or considering additional evidence.

Pretty obvious that Jones is pissed about having his stud-headbasher taken out for the season, and that he's hell-bent on taking Goodell down for wrecking his season.

Jones has been channeling Al Davis for years now, and it will be interesting to see if he has the juice to run the league from Dallas, or if he will cement the franchise's prospects in eternal mediocrity by taking on the league and failing.

[Bryan_Wilson]

Originally Posted by Underdog

@AdamSchefter: Roger Goodell told Jerry Jones that he would not suspend Ezekiel Elliott - one more reason this is where it is.


Roger Goodell has a Jerry Jones problem and nobody knows how it will end
http://www.espn.com/espn/otl/story/_...er-jerry-jones

Good read. The NFL really couldn't have screwed this up anymore than they did. A lot of this blame falls at the feet of Goodell and his hand picked staff. He had an image problem after so many hits to the face when he took over. So he did everything he could to rectify that by hiring people to help with those issues or at least boost the public image of the league and send a message that "we are trying to get it right". Then the league screwed up again with Brown. Then Friel leaves out the investigator's findings and doesn't invite her to the final meeting that presents the case for disciplinary action. The only reason to leave the investigator's findings and or the investigator herself out of that meeting was because her voice could sway the vote and thus have the league seem soft for yet another time by not suspending Zeke. Then there's the obvious pressure from other owners who would raise objection if Zeke, and really Jerry, be punished. So Zeke is the victim of a league office trying to make up for several cases of inaction during a time it's never faced more scrutiny, and he's also the victim of the bigger problem boiling for the NFL, a power struggle between owners and other owners and owners and league office, which has basically empowered itself under Goodell.

Messy as hell... and it's basically killed my football interest this year. Thank God for DSJ.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Bryan_Wilson

Messy as hell... and it's basically killed my football interest this year. Thank God for DSJ.

At least your fantasy team is beasting, you're still in the hunt for a first round bye!

[Bryan_Wilson]

Originally Posted by Underdog

At least your fantasy team is beasting, you're still in the hunt for a first round bye!

Luck of the draw with points against/for lol, my team isn't very good. Especially with no zeke

Fantasy is about the only reason i'm watching football currently because of the stuff going on in the nfl.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Bryan_Wilson

Luck of the draw with points against/for lol, my team isn't very good. Especially with no zeke

Fantasy is about the only reason i'm watching football currently because of the stuff going on in the nfl.

Yeah, a majority of the football I watch is RedZone, sometimes even when the Cowboys are playing... Aside from fantasy, the only things keeping me interested are Dak, Zeke, and oracle-mode Romo.

Of course, fantasy kind of hurts my interest as well by making me far more aware of major injuries that I never used to pay attention to unless they happened on the Cowboys... Every torn ACL makes me wonder why anyone would want to play the sport for a living, every story of CTE makes me wonder why the hell I keep supporting it... Then toss in the regularity of domestic violence, ridiculous career-killing weed bans, Goodell's spin-control kangaroo courts, and the dumbass "controversy" over kneeling, and yeah, the NFL just isn't worth my time, energy, or money these days.

Go Mavs.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

What's funny is I do think Zeke deserved a game or two for being screw up. He clearly did things that aren't aligned with the NFL's image. I think most people would agree with that.

But no, they slapped 6 games specifically nailing him for supposedly assaulting a woman who blatantly lied during the whole process. If they clearly had hard evidence against Zeke, then it would have leaked by now. But they don't. They really screwed up on this and it might be damaged beyond repair.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

What's funny is I do think Zeke deserved a game or two for being screw up. He clearly did things that aren't aligned with the NFL's image. I think most people would agree with that.

But no, they slapped 6 games specifically nailing him for supposedly assaulting a woman who blatantly lied during the whole process. If they clearly had hard evidence against Zeke, then it would have leaked by now. But they don't. They really screwed up on this and it might be damaged beyond repair.

The NFL thinks two wrongs make a right -- Zeke is basically serving what should have been Ray Rice's suspension.

[Jack.Kerr]

Originally Posted by Underdog

The NFL thinks two wrongs make a right -- Zeke is basically serving what should have been Ray Rice's suspension.

I don't think Ray Rice has played a down of football since he was suspended. So unless the thought is that Ray Rice was punished excessively, Elliott is arguably getting off light.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Jack.Kerr

I don't think Ray Rice has played a down of football since he was suspended. So unless the thought is that Ray Rice was punished excessively, Elliott is arguably getting off light.

Except the NFL initially only suspended Rice for 2 games, only to extend it after TMZ leaked the video that Goodell had already seen. The league doesn’t give a shit about women or domestic abuse, they just want to create the perception that they do, which is why Goodell dropped the hammer on Zeke, despite being found not guilty in a court of law. Hell, the NFL investigator, Kia Roberts, even recommended no suspension based on interviews with Zeke’s accuser... This is 100% spin control after the league showed their ass in the Rice case — they just want to appear to care about women, and they’re willing to throw Zeke under the bus to sell that lie.

[Jack.Kerr]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Except the NFL initially only suspended Rice for 2 games, only to extend it after TMZ leaked the video that Goodell had already seen. The league doesn’t give a shit about women or domestic abuse, they just want to create the perception that they do, which is why Goodell dropped the hammer on Zeke, despite being found not guilty in a court of law. Hell, the NFL investigator, Kia Roberts, even recommended no suspension based on interviews with Zeke’s accuser... This is 100% spin control after the league showed their ass in the Rice case — they just want to appear to care about women, and they’re willing to throw Zeke under the bus to sell that lie.

The league 'under'-reacted to Rice's assault initially, then corrected when public disclosure of the evidence forced its hand. Rice has not played since. The league also 'under'-reacted to Josh Brown's domestic violence and subsequently corrected. Should the league continue to 'under-react' and then 'correct' based on publicity and how high-profile the player is? Or should it continue to work to establish a standard for punishment when players are involved in domestic violence?

I'm going to disagree that league executives don't give a shit about women or domestic abuse. After the Rice issue, it appears to have created programs and executive positions to deal specifically with that issue. There may be multiple motivations (protecting the NFL brand and image being one of them) but I'm not so cynical (yet) to think that Goodell and the executives he has charged to oversee that issue do not have a human response to women being punched.

Also, Elliott was never tried in a court of law. He was never even charged by local (Columbus, OH) police, despite the police investigators finding that the accuser was 'generally' credible. Apparently there were issues (conflicting statements) with the case that made prosecutors doubt they could get a criminal conviction to a legal standard (beyond reasonable doubt).

The NFL, however, is free to discipline players at a standard lower than "beyond a reasonable doubt". The investigator (Roberts) may have had legitimate questions about the victim's credibility; her boss (Friel) found the victim credible overall, with one exception. It seems like a typical red herring cast by lawyers attempting to create an issue over a difference of opinion between Roberts and Friel, and Roberts' absence at the disciplinary hearing. The league obviously had Roberts' investigative report to consider; are Elliot's attorneys suggesting that Roberts would provide information in addition to or different from that which was provided in her 160-page report?

Ultimately, Goodell gave greater weight to Friel's conclusion than to Roberts',
a judgment call which he had the authority to make. It seems entirely possible too that Goodell was taking into account OTHER well-publicized Elliot-related incidents--an additional claim of domestic violence by the same accuser; a speeding ticket in which Elliott was going in excess of 100mph; Elliott's presence at a nightclub when one of his friends was arrested for illegally bringing a firearm into the club; the videotaped footage of Elliot pulling down a woman's shirt to expose her breast during a March 2017 St.Patrick's Day parade in Dallas. All of this would be information beyond what the NFL investigator (Kia Roberts) would have considered.

In any case, it is impossible for me to look at Zeke Elliott and think of him as a 'victim' of anything; rather, he seems to be the most talented beneficiary of Jerry Jones' willingness to "enable" by turning a blind eye to player misbehavior, or outright deny it when it affects the product he can put on the field, and the profit he can derive from it.

The other NFL owners are going to have to seriously question whether they can/will countenance that mentality in a fellow owner who is attempting to control the entire league for his own benefit, or whether they will take steps to curb his power, and his abuse thereof.

[Underdog]

R.I.P. 2017

[Underdog]

@RapSheet: As frustration grows with the #Cowboys, changes are on the way. RB Darren McFadden is getting waived, CB Anthony Brown is getting demoted, and pass-rusher Datone Jones will be signed, sources say.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Underdog

@RapSheet: As frustration grows with the #Cowboys, changes are on the way. RB Darren McFadden is getting waived, CB Anthony Brown is getting demoted, and pass-rusher Datone Jones will be signed, sources say.

Garrett still has his job?

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Garrett still has his job?

Jerry's favorite flavor is Strawberry-Vanilla.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Underdog

@RapSheet: As frustration grows with the #Cowboys, changes are on the way. RB Darren McFadden is getting waived, CB Anthony Brown is getting demoted, and pass-rusher Datone Jones will be signed, sources say.

@toddarcher: With Dan Bailey (groin) coming out of Thursday’s game against the Chargers well, the Cowboys will release kicker Mike Nugent and call up running back Trey Williams from the practice squad, according to a source. The addition of Williams would give the Cowboys three tailbacks with Darren McFadden set to be released Monday.

[Underdog]

With Cowboys offense suffering from historically bad funk, no coaching job should feel safe
https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dal...-staffs-future

[Underdog]

[Underdog]

Jerry Jones won his fight with NFL commish Roger Goodell
https://sports.yahoo.com/jerry-jones...045522023.html

[Jack.Kerr]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Jerry Jones won his fight with NFL commish Roger Goodell
https://sports.yahoo.com/jerry-jones...045522023.html

Maybe, maybe not.

Alternative perspective: In the N.F.L., Stability Comes With a $200 Million Price Tag

If Goodell walks away in 7 years with $200M, I'd say he won HIS fight against Jones (if Jones is even still alive by then).

Jones' broader dispute is more with the league's bureaucracy, and how the league investigates its players. Jones may be able to degrade the ability of the league to discipline its players, but does that really enhance the league's brand, or just cover up its ugly cosmetic flaws?

There may be even deeper undercurrents at work, and as more is learned and understood about CTE (cf Tom Savage, #fencingresponse), where will the league's popularity be in 10-15 years?

[Bryan_Wilson]

I agree with the consensus of the comments. Can't say for sure who won but the real loser is the fans.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Bryan_Wilson

I agree with the consensus of the comments. Can't say for sure who won but the real loser is the fans.

Isn't that almost always the case with labor disputes?

[Scoobay]

The NFL has to fix this stupid catch rule. What a joke.
Got no love for the Steelers but they got jobbed

[Bryan_Wilson]

Originally Posted by Scoobay

The NFL has to fix this stupid catch rule. What a joke.
Got no love for the Steelers but they got jobbed

Doesn't help that roflburger is an idiot... God I swear the pats luck into half their wins.

[Scoobay]

Originally Posted by Bryan_Wilson

Doesn't help that roflburger is an idiot... God I swear the pats luck into half their wins.

yeah should have thrown a fade to Brown or something and not throw into traffic.

I'll admit that they were consistent in their lousy rule from the Dez play a few years back
that being said it's a stupid rule.

In college or HS that's a catch. Was an amazing play and turn around after the pats just scored and it's BS to take that away. hated the ruling on the Dez play and hated this call too.

[Bryan_Wilson]

Originally Posted by Scoobay

yeah should have thrown a fade to Brown or something and not throw into traffic.

I'll admit that they were consistent in their lousy rule from the Dez play a few years back
that being said it's a stupid rule.

In college or HS that's a catch. Was an amazing play and turn around after the pats just scored and it's BS to take that away. hated the ruling on the Dez play and hated this call too.

Yeah anytime a player catches the ball and turns upfield like Dez did that is the very definition of a football maneuver. Since when is stretching for extra yards not a football maneuver? Oh right, since the NFL decided to change the definition of a "catch" to something completely unnecessary.

[Jack.Kerr]

NFL to take over investigation of Panthers owner Richardson, who paid four (4) ex-employees to settle claims of inappropriate workplace behavior.

Gosh. I wonder if this makes Jerry antsy.

Update: Okay, Richardson is selling the team at the end of the season. Sterling-lite. Crisis averted.