SPORTSDAY

01/06/2009

Greatness of Dallas Cowboys' Emmitt Smith was durability

File 2002

Emmitt Smith set the NFL rushing record against the Seahawks in Texas Stadium in 2002.

Watching LaDainian Tomlinson struggle drove home the notion that no one is going to break Emmitt Smith's rushing record any time soon, writes Jean-Jacques Taylor. The reasons vary.
Analyzing Emmitt
Blog: Cowboys
Blog: Taylor

01/04/2009

Jerry Jones a Dallas Cowboy afraid to pull the trigger

MICHAEL MULVEY / DMN

Dallas Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones has seen his team fail to earn a playoff win in 12 straight seasons.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants to win so badly. He just doesn't have a clue how to make it happen, writes Jean-Jacques Taylor. If he did, Wade Phillips wouldn't still be the Cowboys' coach.
Blogs: Cowboys | Taylor
Link: Cowboys shop

12/31/2008

10 plays that shaped that shaped the Dallas Cowboys' season

AP

This sack of Tony Romo by Arizona's Chike Okeafor resulted in a broken pinkie for Romo, who missed the next three games.

Usually, a few plays here or there define a team's season, writes Jean-Jacques Taylor. Taylor examines 10 that shaped the Dallas Cowboys' season, including one on a picturesque fall day in Arizona that, more than any other play, led to the team finishing 9-7 and missing the playoffs.
 Photos: Cowboys in 2008
2008 results
Blogs: Cowboys | Taylor

12/30/2008

Jason Garrett's star no longer shines bright

G.J. MCCARTHY / DMN

Jason Garrett's biggest failure, writes Jean-Jacques Taylor, was not figuring out how to maximize receivers Terrell Owens (right) and Roy Williams.

We ignored Terrell Owens when he complained about Jason Garrett's offense, but Tony Romo's criticism and Ray Lewis' remarks have added to the deserved scrutiny of the Dallas Cowboys' offensive coordinator, writes columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor.
Roster analysis
Final team stats
Blogs: Cowboys | Taylor

12/29/2008

Dallas Cowboys' Phillips new approach tough to believe

VERNON BRYANT / DMN

Coach Wade Phillips' Dallas Cowboys led the league in penalties and nearly led the league in turnovers.

Apparently, the humiliation of a 44-6 defeat for the Dallas Cowboys ran so deep, coach Wade Phillips is willing to concede his approach hasn't worked, writes Jean-Jacques Taylor. Now he wants to be a tough guy who pays attention to detail. It's too late.
Chat: Brian Davis
Video: Phillips speaks
Blog: Dallas Cowboys

12/28/2008

Quittin' time: Dallas Cowboys flop in finale 

LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN

Wade Phillips' two-year record with the Dallas Cowboys is 22-10, but this year's team failed to meet expectations and finished 9-7.

Wade Phillips presides over the most gutless team in franchise history, writes DMN columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor. That's his legacy. Forever. And it should be after Philadelphia stomped the Cowboys, 44-6, in a win-and-you're-in-the-playoffs game Sunday.
 Video: Postgame report
 Game photos
 Blogs: Dallas Cowboys | Taylor

12/27/2008

Follow the money for the real story of Dallas Cowboys' season

DMN file photos

Adam Jones (left) and Roy Williams have been two high-priced acquisitions in the past year for the Dallas Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys players and coaches really seem to want you to believe they're excited about this win-and-they're-in game against Philadelphia this afternoon (3:15 p.m., FOX). Excited? To that I say poppycock, writes DMN columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor.
 Info.: Dal. | Phi.
 Blogs: Dallas Cowboys | Taylor

12/25/2008

A look back, if you're scoring at home
I've been arguing about sports for as long as I can remember with my father and my friends and the know-it-alls at the barber shop.

12/22/2008

Dallas Cowboys must prove how big they are

MICHAEL MULVEY / DMN

Dallas Cowboys defenders show their emotion in the final seconds of last Saturday's loss.

Big-time players make big-time plays in big games. It's really as simple as that. Well, it doesn't get any bigger for the Dallas Cowboys than Sunday's win-and-you're-in battle at the hated Philadelphia Eagles, writes DMN columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor.
 Shop: Dallas Cowboys
 Blogs: Dallas Cowboys | Taylor

Dallas Cowboys' Romo doesn't grasp importance of protecting the football

LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN

Tony Romo scrambles away from a Baltimore defender in Saturday's loss.

Tony Romo's cavalier response to an interception he threw before halftime that cost the Dallas Cowboys three points indicates that after 38 starts, he still doesn't understand the importance of protecting the ball, writes DMN columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor.
 Tell Us: Faith in Romo?
 Blogs: Dallas Cowboys | Taylor

12/20/2008

Dallas Cowboys' Phillips takes another step toward firing line

TOM FOX / DMN

Dallas Cowboys' coaches Wade Phillips (right) and Jason Garrett glare at Terrell Owens after a missed pass.

If the Dallas Cowboys don't make the playoffs – it's pretty iffy after a devastating 33-24 loss to Baltimore on Saturday night – then Jerry Jones must fire Wade Phillips, writes DMN columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor.
 Video: Postgame report
 Tell Us: Faith in Romo?
 Blogs: Dallas Cowboys | Taylor

12/19/2008

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Romo evolving, proving himself in big games
The evolution of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo continues tonight against Baltimore. While Romo has yet to win a playoff game, he has shown he can win big regular-season games. And that is the first step for a quarterback on a championship journey, writes DMN columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor.

12/18/2008

Recruits who boycott Auburn send message about racist hirings

AP

Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs (right) made a controversial move when he chose Gene Chizik to be his next head football coach.

This issue about the lack of African-Americans coaching Football Bowl Subdivision teams is bigger than the dumb decision-makers at Auburn. There's a problem with only four of 119 FBS coaches being African-Americans, writes Jean-Jacques Taylor.
 Blogs: Colleges | JJT
 Tell Us: Auburn biased?

12/14/2008

Drama? This win shows Dallas Cowboys may thrive on it 

TOM FOX / DMN

Dallas Cowboys Jason Witten, Terrell Owens and quarterback Tony Romo appear on NBC after the game.

The Dallas Cowboys quit bickering and searching for locker room snitches and having guys push their own agendas long enough to beat the NFL's best team Sunday night. Impressive, writes DMN columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor.
 Video: Postgame report
 Game photos
 Blogs: Dallas Cowboys | Taylor

12/13/2008

It was an age of innocence at Texas Stadium
Jean-Jacques Taylor: I've covered more than 100 NFL games at Texas Stadium. I've watched Emmitt Smith set the NFL's all-time rushing record and seen Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin ply their trade.

12/12/2008

Phillips has lost control of Dallas Cowboys

VERNON BRYANT / DMN

Wade Phillips is a terrific defensive play caller, but the Dallas Cowboys' head coach has no control over his team, writes Jean-Jacques Taylor.

The owner runs his mouth about the star runner. There are backdoor meetings between petulant receivers and the offensive coordinator. These are systemic problems that accompany a weak head coach like the Dallas Cowboys' Wade Phillips, writes Jean-Jacques Taylor.
Team meeting
Video: Cowboys report (12/12)
Cowboys chat
Blogs: Cowboys | Taylor

12/09/2008

Romo still the man to bring Dallas Cowboys a playoff payoff

VERNON BRYANT / DMN

Tony Romo, who will make just his 37th regular-season start Sunday night against the Giants, is still maturing and learning as a quarterback, writes Jean-Jacques Taylor.

Tony Romo played an awful game against Pittsburgh. No one disputes that. But Jean-Jacques Taylor writes that the best chance the Dallas Cowboys have to ever win another playoff game – it's 11 seasons and counting – let alone a Super Bowl, is with Romo at quarterback.
Tony Romo's stats
Matchup: Cowboys vs. Giants
Blogs: Cowboys | Taylor

12/07/2008

Romo, Witten come up short in fourth in Dallas Cowboys' loss 

VERNON BRYANT / DMN

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) makes his way back to the sideline after throwing an interception that was run back for a Pittsburgh touchdown.

Tony Romo and Jason Witten each accepts the blame for the Dallas Cowboys' 20-13 loss to Pittsburgh, writes DMN columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor. Frankly, it doesn't matter who's at fault with three games left and Dallas fighting to make the playoffs. To do so, the Cowboys had better plan on winning the rest of their games.
 Videos: Postgame report | Motion Pictures
 Game photos
 Blogs: Dallas Cowboys | Taylor

12/04/2008

Team – mostly Aboriginals – learns culture, basketball, life lessons on U.S. journey

LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN

Former OU and Wilmer-Hutchins guard Ricky Grace, the creator of Role Models WA, is giving 10 players a three-week tour of the U.S. for culture and basketball.

High school sports can inspire youth and change lives. That, writes Jean-Jacques Taylor, is why former OU basketball star Ricky Grace created Role Models WA, a foundation designed to help at-risk youth in Australia. And it's why he brought 10 players to the U.S. for three weeks of hoops and culture.
Role Models WA Web site | About Ricky Grace

12/02/2008

Winning in Steel City would prove Dallas Cowboys' mettle

JOHN F. RHODES / DMN

The Cowboys' offense made it look easy against Seattle. Points aren't likely to come easy at Pittsburgh.

Wins against Washington, San Francisco and Seattle don't place the Dallas Cowboys among the league's elite teams again, writes Jean-Jacques Taylor. Beating Pittsburgh will.
Cowboys chat: Brian Davis
Team pages: Cowboys | Steelers
All-time: Cowboys vs. Steelers
Blogs: Cowboys | Taylor

11/28/2008

Run D is key as Dallas Cowboys tackle tough December stretch

MICHAEL MULVEY / DMN

The Cowboys' defense puts the clamps on San Francisco running back Frank Gore (without helmet).

The Dallas Cowboys are playing strong, physical run defense these days. With several of the NFL's most physical teams on the schedule in December, it's the only way Dallas will reach the playoffs, writes Jean-Jacques Taylor.
Cowboys' schedule
NFL leaders: Off. | Def.
Blogs: Cowboys | Taylor

11/27/2008

Confident Dallas Cowboys ready to tackle December stretch 

MICHAEL MULVEY / DMN

Tank Johnson's sack of Matt Hasselbeck was one of seven for the Dallas Cowboys defense.

These Dallas Cowboys needed to dominate an opponent from start to finish so they could feel good about themselves entering December – the month that will define this team's legacy, writes DMN columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor. Consider it done.
 Videos: Postgame report
 Game photos
 Blogs: Dallas Cowboys | Taylor

11/26/2008

Ex-Dallas Cowboy Ike Thomas thankful his daughters are alive

KYE R. LEE / DMN

Ike Thomas, a 1971 Cowboy, is joined by wife Toni and daughters Nikki (center) and Kayla. Nikki and her sister Andi are battling breast cancer.

On Thanksgiving Day in 1971, Dallas Cowboys rookie Ike Tho