News and Notes: Are Cowboys actually cursed? Ranking Super Bowls, reliving NFL Honors
With the big game almost upon us, one outlet takes a look back at the previous 56 iterations to see how all the Super Bowls have ranked in watchability and quality of play. The Cowboys are all over the countdown… literally. And could a dead grandmother’s actual curse stemming from a paved-over flower patch be the reason the Cowboys haven’t been back to the title game?
Meanwhile, we’re reliving some of the best Dallas-centric moments from NFL Honors, and we’re looking forward to two of the franchise’s legends being featured in a cool special about the most exclusive club in sports. Michael Irvin and several lesser-known Cowboys are involved in a pair of major lawsuits, and Tony Romo’s new boss is coming to his defense in the wake of perceived criticism. All that plus a three-round mock, tinkering with what the WR room needs, eyeing an Illini DB, and the surprising reason that a Chiefs superstar singled out one Cowboys rookie in a recent interview. That’s all in News and Notes.
CBS Sports president responds to Tony Romo backlash, ‘intervention’ report :: SI.com
Sean McManus thinks the recent wave of criticism hurled at Romo “is being overplayed.” He admitted that he sits down with Romo periodically to review their performance in the booth, but he also does so with other CBS network talent. “The thought that there is some kind of story behind the fact that I sat down with Tony to talk about how he can get better is just inaccurate,” McManus said.
Report: Michael Irvin files $100M lawsuit against accuser, hotel over misconduct claims :: Cowboys Wire
Claiming that he is being “railroaded” as a target of “cancel culture,” the Hall of Famer has filed a nine-figure lawsuit against his unnamed accuser as well as Marriott, the parent company of the hotel where Sunday’s alleged incident took place. Irvin says he has witnesses who back up his side of the story, but the hotel “refused to listen.”
WATCH: Dak Prescott's Man of the Year acceptance speech :: Cowboys Wire
If you missed Prescott’s emotional acceptance speech Thursday night, it’s worth your time. The significance of the award to him was evident as he spotlighted his late mother and brother, recognized the Cowboys’ unique legacy with the award, and spoke about the ongoing mission of his Faith, Fight, Finish Foundation.
Overheard at NFL Honors: A special moment between comedy legend and Cowboys royalty :: Rich Eisen (Twitter)
Tracy Morgan just sat down behind me and immediately told Tony Dorsett: “You are my biological father. I love you, Tony Dorsett” pic.twitter.com/A6oa8M76S0
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) February 10, 2023
Kelly Clarkson's Cowboys dress stole the show at NFL Honors :: NFL (Twitter)
.@kellyclarkson's @dallascowboys dress 👀
📺: #NFLHonors on NBC pic.twitter.com/rIUz1CQR5x
— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2023
DeMarcus Ware getting used to his new HoF teammates :: DeMarcus Ware (Twitter)
I’m in THIS club 🤯!! @ProFootballHOF pic.twitter.com/MonjzbtZVr
— D-Ware (@DeMarcusWare) February 10, 2023
Cowboys Jake Ferguson gets high praise from Super Bowl tight end :: Blogging the Boys
Travis Kelce says he’s excited about the league’s current crop of young tight ends. He singled out three by name; one of them was the Cowboys 2022 rookie from Wisconsin. He didn’t compile huge stats behind Dalton Schultz, but he recorded a catch percentage of 86.4 on the season, placing him second among all tight ends behind only Will Dissly.
Emmitt Smith on 'Zeke vs Pollard' debate :: USA Today Sports
The all-time rushing king believes the Cowboys need to keep Ezekiel Elliott on the roster, if for no other reason than Tony Pollard’s broken fibula. “I have no other option,” Smith explained. “And you got to make sure Malik Davis is ready to go.”
Ranking every Super Bowl from worst to first :: The 33rd Team
The Cowboys bookend this countdown ranking the quality of all the previous Super Bowls. Dallas’s Super Bowl VI win over Miami comes in as the worst Super Bowl ever played, and the 52-17 rout over Buffalo didn’t do much better, finishing 53rd. The “Blunder Bowl” loss to the Colts in Super Bowl V finished 49th, and “Doomsday”‘s 27-10 win over Denver placed 38th. The Cowboys-Bills rematch in Super Bowl XXVIII sits at No. 33; Dallas’s most recent title game appearance ranks 31st. And then the biggies against Pittsburgh in the 1970s: Super Bowl X comes in at the 14 spot, and Super Bowl XIII’s epic clash versus the Steelers is crowned the greatest Super Bowl ever played.
Is a Texas granny’s curse behind the Cowboys’ Super Bowl drought? :: Texas Monthly
It turns out Myrtle Smith’s prized five-acre flower garden used to sit where one of AT&T Stadium’s parking lots now stands in Arlington. She’s passed on, but her granddaughter Marcy remembers the day the bulldozers ripped up the gardens in the name of a new home for America’s Team. Marcy says she has written to Jerry Jones, pleading for a commemorative plot of bluebonnets somewhere on the site to coax some positive vibes from the land and bring another title to the team. “In my mind, I can hear Granny agreeing they will never come back and neither will the Cowboys,” she says. “It’s kind of a joke, but it’s also therapeutic for me.”
Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett to figure prominently in special airing Saturday night :: FOX Sports
Tomorrow on FOX…
Only 10 legendary football icons have achieved one of the rarest dual accomplishments in all professional sports: winning the Heisman Trophy and being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
THE PERFECT 10 premieres tomorrow, February 11th at 8pm ET on FOX pic.twitter.com/PBkyYGWiIy
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) February 10, 2023
Cowboys must address speed deficiencies at WR this offseason :: Cowboys Wire
Speed kills, but lack of it at wide receiver didn’t do the Cowboys offense any favors in 2022. Based on 40-yard-dash times, Dallas had one of the slowest receiver units in the NFL, in the bottom 10. With Mike McCarthy now leading the offense, Dallas will shift to an offense with more West-Coast tendencies and run-after-the-catch opportunities than before, so getting players who can break away and create cushion is even more imperative and has to be a priority heading into the offseason.
3-round mock draft sends Cowboys trio of defenders to fortify strength :: Cowboys Wire
Draft Wire’s three-round mock has Dallas looking at Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders with the 26th pick, Southern Cal defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu at 58, and Michigan cornerback DJ Turner with the 90th selection. So much for fixing the problems on offense.
Devon Witherspoon's versatility could be useful weapon for Cowboys :: Cowboys Wire
It’s a huge cornerback pool in this year’s draft class, with as many as seven shaping up to be first-round possibilities. This Illinois product’s work ethic and film study made him one of the best cover corners in the nation in 2022. His year-long quarterback rating when targeted? Just 24. And the bonus… he also adds toughness in the run game.
Ten former players sue NFL's benefits plan over 'unscrupulous tactics' :: Reuters
The lawsuit says that disability claims were wrongfully denied, and players were often lied to about their health by financially-incentivized doctors, all in an effort to withhold money from the players for whom the benefits plan was designed. Several of the 10 named plaintiffs are former Cowboys: Jamize Olawale, Lance Zeno, Daniel Loper, and Joey Thomas.
