Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers, NFC Championship Game, January 10, 1982

The second game of The Canon Review football fix weekend is one of the most memorable games of all time, the 1981 NFC Championship Game between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. This game is remembered for 'The Catch', as Dwight Clark leaped high in the air to score the winning touchdown for the 49ers with less than a minute to go. The 49ers won this game 28-27, in a game that put them on the map and sent them on their way to becoming the team of the 1980s. In a way, this was almost a passing of the torch, as the Cowboys had been the dominant power in the NFC during the 1970s while the 49ers would become the top dog in the 1980s. This game featured five Hall of Fame players, two Hall of Fame coaches on the sideline and a third one, Hank Stram, in the broadcast booth with Vin Scully, and also featured a bunch of obscure running backs for the 49ers, including Lenvil Elliott. Elliott had been cut before the season and was only activated the week before due to injury, but ended up starting the game despite carrying the ball seven times during the regular season. A few other notes from this game:

- The 49ers started their game winning drive from their own 11 yard line with less than five minutes to go. The Cowboys played the pass by putting in six defensive backs, but coach Bill Walsh crossed the Cowboys up by relying a lot on the running game even though the 49ers had mixed success with the running game up to that point. The team relied on Elliott to carry the ball and short passes to move the ball downfield. Also, they called a reverse to WR Freddie Solomon which gained 12 yards after the two minute warning. A risky play, but unlike the reverse the Bears called in the 2010 NFC Championship Game, this one worked like a charm. Right after that, Montana fired a pass into double coverage which Dwight Clark somehow caught. If CB Everson Walls had gotten to that spot a split second earlier, he would have had an interception (which would have been his third) and the Cowboys would have won the game. Also, two plays before The Catch, Solomon was wide open in the end zone, but Montana rushed his throw and overthrew his receiver, just like he nearly overthrew Clark.

- Even though the niners gained the lead after 'The Catch', the game had 52 seconds left and the Cowboys had two timeouts. On the first play from scrimmage, QB Danny White hit Drew Pearson streaking down the middle of the field, and only a horse-collar tackle by 49ers CB Eric Wright stopped Dallas from taking the lead. On the next play, the 49ers defense recovered, as lineman Lawrence Pillers tore through the Cowboys' offensive line and forced a fumble, which DE Jim Stuckey recovered to salt the game. Nevertheless, the Cowboys were only a step away from going to the Super Bowl.

- One thing that struck me about this game is that the 49ers seemed to be the more talented team of the two, as they easily moved the ball down the field all game long and their defense caused all sorts of trouble for Danny White. However, the 49ers kept shooting themselves in the foot, as they turned the ball over six times. Montana threw three interceptions, two deep balls that Walls picked off, and one short pass that was tipped and picked off by DT Randy White. Also, the Cowboys scored two touchdowns after fumbles by RBs Bill Ring and Walt Easley in 49ers territory. If the 49ers were able to hold on to the ball better, they would have won this game by two touchdowns. Perhaps nerves got the better of them early on, but at least the 49ers were cool and collected when it mattered most.

- The Cowboys scored another touchdown after an interception by Ronnie Lott was called back due to pass interference. It was a terrible call, as Lott never even touched Pearson when the two were going for the ball. Maybe it's by anti-Cowboy bias, but it sure seemed as if the refs were favoring the so called "America's Team". On the play just before Lott's penalty, Tony Hill seemed to be out of bounds on a catch, but the catch was allowed anyway, and the Cowboys seemed to get some generous spots on plays close to the first down marker. Later on in the game, Lott was called for another pass interefernce penalty, although this one was obvious, and in the fourth quarter, Lott injured his hand and after every play would bend over wincing in pain. So, all in all, not the greatest day for Lott, although maybe at the time he felt it was the greatest day he ever had.

- This was an intense, hard-hitting football game between two top notch teams, although it wasn't the greatest game ever played. For one, all the turnovers didn't help, and also the field at Candlestick Park was a mess. Even though the grounds crew did the best they could, players were slipping and sliding all game long on the field, and the Cowboys seemed more effected by it than the 49ers. I don't think it made a difference in the final result, but who knows what would have happened if the game was played on a drier field.

- The 49ers played rather well on defense given the fact that they had to overcome six turnovers. DEs Dwaine Board and Fred Dean applied pressure all day, and while Tony Dorsett gained 91 yards, he never popped off a huge gain, as his longest gain went 11 yards. OLB Willie Harper was probably the best player on the 49ers defense this day, as he was all over the field making key stops on both the run and the pass. The game must have extra important for Harper, as he was the longest tenured 49er on the roster having been there since 1973, and played on some really bad teams. Also, the other outside linebacker, Keena Turner, played the game despite having the chicken pox. Hopefully the Cowboys got some shots before the game or at least had chicken pox during their childhoods.

- Here's something that I found interesting. The Cowboys punter was also their starting quarterback, Danny White, and I beleive that he was the last full-time starting quarterback who also doubled as a punter (Tom Tupa played QB and punter a few times during his career, but he was never a long term starter). Also, San Francisco's punter Jim Miller punted barefoot, which I can't imagine doing without hurting. But I guess it worked for him.

- One thing that I noticed about the telecast was that there weren't a lot of cutaways to the head coaches. Sure, there were some, but it's nothing like modern day telecasts where every play is followed by a shot of Andy Reid or Bill Belicheck reacting to the previous play. I think it was better back then, as we really don't need to see Belicheck have the same stone faced look after every play or Norv Turner looking befuddled as usual. As for the broadcast team, I though Vin Scully and Stram did a great job calling the game, as Stram was very informative and Scully was his typical great self.

So, that's that. As you may know, the 49ers would go on to win the Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks after this game, and would win three more during the decade. While the Dallas Cowboys would rebound and make another appearance in the NFC Championship Game next year, 1981 was probably the Landry Cowboys last best shot at winning a title, and a few years later, the Cowboys would fade into mediocrity before Jimmy Johnson brought them back a decade later. Well, thanks for reading, and if you any ideas for future posts, or thoughts about this post, than either leave a comment on the blog or send them to me at e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.

Your 2010 Canon Review Pro Football Preview End of Season Review

2010 was quite possibly the wildest and wackiest season the NFL has ever had. Well, except for the 1987 season where teams put out replacement players due to the strike, but that's another story. This season had all sorts of unexpected occurrences, from the collapse of the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, to a team with a losing record, the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks, winning their division and becoming the first losing team to ever make the postseason. This season saw the redemption of Michael Vick, the reestablishment of Tom Brady as the NFL's best quarterback, and saw Donovan McNabb get traded to the Redskins, sign a multi-million dollar contract extension the same night his team gets crushed by his former team, the Eagles, and eventually sees coach Mike Shanahan bench McNabb for the immortal Rex Grossman. Also, 2010 was (hopefully) the final season of Brett Favre, who proved two things, that even he can't play at a high level forever, and that it's not a good idea to send pictures of your junk to female team employees. We also saw the saga of Randy Moss, who in a matter of weeks managed to complain about his current team (the Patriots) not offering him a contract extension, get traded to the Vikings, come back to play the Patriots and then praise the Patriots organization during his entire post-game press conference, complain about the team's catering to such an extent that the Vikings cut him, and sign with the Titans where he does absolutely nothing (6 catches for 80 yards).. Those events are only the tip of the iceberg in a crazy season that will probably be followed by the craziest offeseaon in recent memory, as the owners and players union try to work out a new collective bargaining agreement which has been greatly complicated due to commissioner Roger Goodell's insistence to extend the regular season to 18 games, among other factors, and if an agreement is not reached, well we could be without pro football next year. But that's next year, instead it's time for me to take a look back at my picks at the beginning of this season and see just how good, or bad, I was able to prognosticate the 2010 NFL season. If you want, you can take a look at my original picks here, and my midseason review here.

AFC East (* - Wild Card)

Predictions:                              Current Record:

1. New England Patriots          1. New England Patriots (14-2)

2. Miami Dolphins*                 2. New York Jets* (11-5)

3. New York Jets                     3. Miami Dolphins (7-9)

4. Buffalo Bills                         4. Buffalo Bills (4-12)

Although I was correct about New England, I'd be lying if I said I expected the Patriots to dominate to the extent that they have this season. QB Tom Brady has the Patriots offense firing on all cylinders, and unheralded players such as RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis and TE Rob Gronkowski have developed into dangerous offensive players. After finishing the season on an eight game winning streak, the Patriots are the odds on favorite to win the Super Bowl. I was wrong about the Jets, as the team that I thought was overrated proved me wrong and won 11 games to earn a spot in the playoffs. A Super Bowl appearance seems unlikely for New York, but Rex Ryan and his boys are hungry, and will be looking to snack on their playoff foes. The Dolphins has a solid defense, but their offense wasn't so good, as they scored the third fewest points in the NFL this year. At midseason, some people, including me, were afraid that the Bills would go the entire season without a win. But those fears were unfounded, as the Bills went 4-4 in the second half, and were a dropped pass away from beating the playoff bound Steelers. Maybe next year will be the year that the Bills get out of the cellar in back into playoff contention. After all, if the Raiders, Chiefs, and Bucs can drastically improve, then why not the Bills.

AFC North

1. Baltimore Ravens               1. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)

2. Pittsburgh Steelers*            2. Baltimore Ravens* (12-4)

3. Cincinnati Bengals               3. Cleveland Browns (5-11)

4. Cleveland Browns                4. Cincinnati Bengals (4-12)

Well, I had the top two teams making the playoffs, but just in the wrong order. The Steelers, despite missing QB Ben Roethlisberger for the first four games of the season, cruised to a 12-4 record and a first round bye, thanks in large part due to their top ranked defense and running game. Meanwhile, the Ravens also went 12-4 behind their third ranked defense, but could have gone 15-1 had they been able to close out games against Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and New England. To be fair, those teams had the three best records in the NFL, so the Ravens have at least proven they can hang with anybody in the league. Here's hoping for a third matchup between the Ravens and Steelers in the playoffs. I didn't think too highly of the Bengals at the beginning of the season, but I didn't think they would sink from 11 wins to 4 this year. It might be time to make massive changes in Cincinnati this offseason. The Browns were what we thought they were, although to their credit, they are only one of two teams to beat the Patriots this year. That wasn't enough to save coach Eric Mangini's job, but at least the Browns showed some glimmers of hope this season.

AFC South

1. Indianapolis Colts                1. Indianapolis Colts (10-6)
2. Tennessee Titans                 2. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars           3. Tennessee Titans (6-10)
4. Houston Texans                   4. Houston Texans (6-10)

The Colts may have been banged up this year, but QB Peyton Manning and his crew survived enough injuries to put up a ten win season and win another division title. Of course, it helped that the other three teams had issues of their own. The Jaguars went 8-8 after a three game losing streak at the end of the season. In week 15, the Jaguars could have clinched the division with a win against the Colts, but fell, and then injuries to players such as RB Maurice Jones-Drew did the Jags in in the next two games. The Titans started the season 5-2 and had signed Randy Moss to gear up for the stretch run. After that, the Titans won one game as QB Vince Young and coach Jeff Fisher had a falling out, and the team collapsed along with the Young-Fisher relationship. The Texans had the league's leading rusher in Arian Foster, but once again found new and exciting ways to lose close games. In spite of this and other problems, the Texans are bringing back head coach Gary Kubiak. Well, it's not something I would do, but maybe the sixth year is the charm for Kubiak, assuming that there is any football next season.

AFC West:

1. San Diego Chargers            1. Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)
2. Denver Broncos                  2. San Diego Chargers (9-7)
3. Oakland Raiders                 3. Oakland Raiders (8-8)
4. Kansas City Chiefs             4. Denver Broncos (4-12)

Well, I was quite wrong about the Kansas City Chiefs, who won most of the games they were supposed to win to win the division. Well, it wasn't quite that simple, as RB Jamaal Charles, WR Dwayne Bowe, and OLB Tamba Hali put together great seasons for Kansas City on their way to the division crown. The Chargers had the second highest scoring team, a defense that allowed the fewest yards in the league, and still find themselves out of the playoffs, thanks in large part to some horrendous play on special teams and key players missing time due to injuries and holdouts, like TE Antonio Gates and WR Vincent Jackson. I did have the Raiders third, although to be honest I thought they would be 6-10 instead of 8-8. Somehow, the Raiders went 6-0 against AFC West opponents and became the only team in NFL history to go undefeated in their division and miss the playoffs. The Broncos weren't so good this year, and so coach Josh McDaniels was shown the door before the end of the year. But kudos to WR Brandon Lloyd, who came back from obscurity to lead the NFL in receiving yards this year with 1,448.

NFC East:

1. Dallas Cowboys                   1. Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)
2. New York Giants                 2. New York Giants (10-6)
3. Washington Redskins         3. Washington Redskins (6-10)
4. Philadelphia Eagles             4. Dallas Cowboys (6-10) 

The Cowboys let everybody down in the first half of the season, but did show signs of life with a 5-3 finish under interim coach Jason Garrett. Nevertheless, 2010 was a disappointment for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys. 2010 was also disappointing for the Giants, particularly their 4th quarter collapse against the Eagles and their 45-17 shellacking by Green Bay late in the season. As it turns out, I had the Giants pretty much exactly where they finished, but the Giants had a team talented enough to do much more. The Eagles found their quarterback, although it wasn't Kevin Kolb, but Michael Vick, who put together his best season and became the player everybody hoped he would after being drafted number one in 2001. As for the Redskins, it seems to happen every year, but once again their big name acquisition, in this case QB Donovan McNabb, disappoints and is unable to make the Redskins a winning team again. After over a decade of big name players underachieving in Washington, you would think that Daniel Snyder and company would try something else, but I'm sure they'll go out and get Steve Smith or somebody like that next year and repeat the cycle all over again.

NFC North:

1. Green Bay Packers             1. Chicago Bears (11-5)
2. Minnesota Vikings*            2. Green Bay Packers* (10-6)
3. Chicago Bears                     3. Detroit Lions (6-10)
4. Detroit Lions                       4. Minnesota Vikings (6-10) 

At the beginning of the season, I felt that the Bears were too risky of a team to pick for the playoffs, as I figured that they would struggle on offense and finish 8-8 or something similar. Instead, the Bears won some close games, QB Jay Cutler and company improved enough on offense and now the Bears are the number two seed in the division. At least my choice for NFC Champions, the Packers, bailed me out and made the playoffs after wins against the Giants and the Bears in the season's final two weeks. However, despite their 10-6 record, only the Patriots had a bigger point differential then the Packers, who scored 148 more points then they allowed, so they could be a darkhorse in the postseason. The 2010 Minnesota Vikings season was so wacky and chaotic that there will probably be multiple books written about it. Their quarterback was involved in a sex scandal, they cut an All-Pro wide receiver three weeks after trading for him, they fired their coach after multiple reports leaked out about how little his team respected him, the roof on their stadium collapsed, and to top it all off, they won the NFL's first Tuesday game in 64 years behind a third-string quarterback. Other than that, it was business as usual for the Vikings, who at least got another strong season out of RB Adrian Peterson. The Lions were 6-10, losing six games by five points or less, and finishing the season with a four game winning streak that will probably make them the chic sleeper pick in the next football season, whenever that will be. Seriously, if QB Matthew Stafford stays healthy and the Lions get a consistent running game, then the Lions might see postseason play for the first time this century.

NFC South:

1. Atlanta Falcons                  1. Atlanta Falcons (13-3)
2. New Orleans Saints*         2. New Orleans Saints* (11-5)
3. Carolina Panthers              3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-6)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers    4. Carolina Panthers (2-14) 

Hey, I was right about the top two teams in this division, as the Falcons were able to stay healthy this season and win 13 games behind a mistake-free offense powered by QB Matt Ryan, RB Michael Turner, and WR Roddy White. The Saints weren't quite as dominant as they were in 2009, but were still one of the best teams in the league, and QB Drew Brees, despite his higher interception total, is able to lead his team to victory in even the toughest circumstances, as we saw last Monday night in Atlanta. Tampa Bay won one game against a winning team this year (Sunday against the Saints) but nevertheless, it was quite a comeback season for the Bucs, who found their quarterback of the future in Josh Freeman (25 TDs, 6 INTs). The Panthers had the worst offense in the NFL, as their two 1,000 yard running backs from 2009, DeAngelo Williams and Johnathan Stewart, missed time due to injuries. Not to mention the issues Carolina had at quarterback, which were so bad that the Panthers were not able to use their best offensive player, WR Steve Smith, effectively. The Panthers were so inept that no offensive player scored more than three touchdowns. Predictably, the Panthers decided to fire their entire coaching staff, and will probably get rid of a lot of players as well.

 

NFC West:

1. Arizona Cardinals                1. Seattle Seahawks (7-9)
2. San Francisco 49ers            2. St. Louis Rams (7-9)
3. St. Louis Rams                    3. San Francisco 49ers (6-10)
4. Seattle Seahawks                4. Arizona Cardinals (5-11) 

The worst division in the history of football, bar none. The Seahawks, to their credit, exceeded expectations by winning seven games and the division, which isn't too bad considering that most people felt they would be the worst team in football in 2010. The 49ers were a popular pick to win the division this year, but poor quarterback play and disputes with coach Mike Singletary did them in, and ultimately led to Singletary being fired last week. I felt that despite the loss of Kurt Warner, the Cardinals would be fine with QB Derek Anderson leading the way. Whoops. The Rams were the favorites to win the division as of Sunday Night behind a strong rookie season from QB Sam Bradford. But the Rams couldn't win against Seattle last night. If it makes them feel any better, at least the Rams made me look bad by finishing second instead of third, although not quite as bad as the Cardinals made me look.

AFC Championship Game: Ravens over Colts

NFC Championship Game: Packers over Falcons

Super Bowl: Ravens over Packers

Well, My NFC Championship Game pick can't happen, as the Packers will have to play the Falcons in round two if they survive against the Eagles this week. I am surprised that all four of my 'final four' picks made the playoffs, so that's something. Since the Ravens and Packers are still alive, I'm going to keep my picks and go down with the ship, even if the Patriots and Steelers are probably better choices in the AFC, and the Falcons, Saints, and Eagles are better candidates to win the Super Bowl out of the NFC. Then again, the Ravens nearly beat the Patriots and have beaten the Steelers, while the Packers nearly beat the Falcons and beat the Eagles, so it wouldn't be too surprising if Baltimore and Green Bay were to make it through to postseason into the Super Bowl.

 

NFL MVP:

Preseason Picks:

1. QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (312 completions in 475 attempts, 3,922 yards, 28 TD passes, 11 interceptions, 101.2 QB Rating)

2. QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts (450-649, 4700, 33-17, 91.9)

3. QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots (324-492, 3900, 36-4)

Dark Horse: QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (357-571, 3705, 28-9, 91.0)

Midseason Favorites:

1. Manning

2. Brady

3. QB Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers (357-541, 4710, 30-13, 101.8)

4. OLB Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers (13.5 Sacks, 1 INT, 1 TD) 

At the end of the season, Brady is the obvious choice for MVP, as he led the league in touchdown passes, quarterback rating, and set a record for most consecutive passes without an interception (335) while leading the Patriots to a league best 14-2 record. With all due respect to Manning, Rodgers, and Eagles QB Michael Vick (233-372, 3018, 21-6, 100.2, 676 rushing yards, 9 rushing TDs), it's really not even close. Ryan and Rivers also had solid seasons, but each player is a notch below Brady and Vick as well. 

NFL Most Outstanding Offensive Player:

Preseason Picks:

1. Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings (283 attempts, 1298 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns, 36 catches)

2. Aaron Rodgers

3. Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans  (316, 1364, 11, 44 catches)
Dark Horse: Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals (90 catches, 1137 yards, 6 TDs)

Midseason Favorites:

 

1. Rivers

2. Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans (327, 1616, 16, 66 catches)

3. Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons (115, 1389, 11)

4. Peterson 

Peterson was good once again this year, but his team's poor performance doesn't help him any here. Same for Johnson, while Fitzgerald had no chance at this award due mainly to the poor play of his quarterbacks. Once again, despite strong seasons from Foster, White, Vick, and Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles (230, 1467, 5, 45 catches), this is basically Brady's award here as well, as no other player in the NFL had a better season on offense than Tom Brady.

NFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player:

Preseason Favorites:

1. DeMarcus Ware, OLB, Dallas Cowboys (15.5 sacks, 2 fumble recovery, 1 TD)

2.Troy Polamalu, S, Pittsburgh Steelers (7 INTs, 49 tackles, 1 TD)

3. Patrick Willis, ILB, San Francisco 49ers (101 tackles, 6 sack)

Dark Horse: Darrelle Revis, CB, New York Jets (2 fumble recoveries)

Midseason Favorites:

1. Matthews

2. Haloti Ngata, DT, Baltimore Ravens (5.5 sacks, 47 tackles)

3. Tamba Hali, OLB, Kansas City Chiefs (14.5 sacks)

4. Aqib Talib, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6 Ints, 1TDs)

Ware led the NFL in sacks, but normally players on losing teams don't win the Defensive POY award unless they are clearly dominant over the field. Matthews somewhat slumped in the second half (3 sacks in the final eight games), while Willis played well, but like Ware, played for a losing team. Revis was nowhere near the impact player he was in 2009. In my estimation, there are five main contenders for the award, Matthews, Ngata, Hali, Polamalu, and the Ravens S Ed Reed (8 INT in 10 games). Each player is probably deserving of the award, but if it were up to me, I'd give it to Polamalu, as his return from an injury filled 2009 season made all the difference for the Steelers. Without Polamalu, the Steelers defense is not nearly as good as it is with him, and in my opinion, no other player on defense has a bigger impact on his team's performance than Troy Polamalu. But, we'll see who wins the award at the end of the day.

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year:

Preseason Picks:

1. Ryan Matthews, RB, San Diego Chargers (158 carries, 678 yards, 7 touchdowns)

2. Jahvid Best, RB, Detroit Lions (171, 555, 4, 58 catches, 487 yards)

3. Sam Bradford, QB, St. Louis Rams (354-590, 3512, 18-15, 76.5 rating)

Dark Horse: Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys (45 catches, 561 yards, 6 TDs, 2 punt return TDs)

Midseason Favorites:

1. Bradford

2. Bryant

3. Mike Williams, WR, (65 catches, 964 yards, 11 TDs)

4. Maurkice Pouncey, C, Steelers 

Williams might have a strong case for the award, and Pouncey is the only offensive rookie to make the Pro Bowl, but Bradford had quite a rookie season for the Rams, setting a rookie record for most completions in the seasons and making the Rams passing game succeed despite losing his top two receivers to injury early in the year. Matthews and Best had their moments, while Bryant proved to be a top-notch playmaker before suffering an injury of his own, but Bradford is the clear favorite here.

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year:

Preseason Picks:

1. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Detroit Lions (10 sacks, 48 tackles)

2. Eric Berry, S, Kansas City Chiefs (4 INTs, 72 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 TD)

3. Rolando McClain, ILB, Oakland Raiders (59 tackles, 0.5 sack, 1 INT)

Dark Horse: Derrick Morgan, DE, Tennessee Titans (1.5 sacks)

Midseason Favorites:

 

1. Suh

2. Berry

3. Earl Thomas, S, Seattle Seahawks (5 INTs, 60 tackles)

4. Koa Misi, OLB, Miami Dolphins (4.5 sacks, 29 tackles)

This is another award that will not be a close vote, as Suh was everything the Lions hoped for and then some, giving the team a disruptive force in the middle of the line, and you could make the case that he is the best defensive tackle in the NFL right now (I'd say Ngata is the only one better than Suh, but still). Patriots CB Devin McCourty (7 INT), like Suh, will be going to the Pro Bowl, while both Thomas and Berry proved to be playmakers from the safety position for their respective teams. But I would be shocked beyond belief if Suh did not win this award. 

Coach Most Likely to be Fired: 

1. John Fox, Panthers

2. Lovie Smith, Bears

3. Jack Del Rio, Jaguars

Dark Horse: Andy Reid, Eagles 

Of the four listed here, only one, John Fox, ended up being fired. Smith and Reid led their teams to division championships, so I'm pretty sure that they're safe, while it looks like the Jaguars will bring Jack Del Rio back for another season. As of this writing, there are six teams (Dallas, Minnesota, Denver, San Francisco, Carolina, and Cleveland) that fired their coaches, but there are whispers that Oakland's Tom Cable, Cincinnati's Marvin Lewis, and Tennessee's Jeff Fisher might also be on the chopping block.

Well, thanks for reading this rather long post, and if you have any comments about this or previous posts, or ideas for future reviews or posts, than share them either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.  

Canon Book Review: Boys Will be Boys

Right now, I am trying to type up this book review over my cat, who has decided to lay down right in front of my keyboard. This has nothing to do with the book, I just wanted to explain beforehand in case you catch some typos so you will know why. Anyway, since I recently bought a few books, I've decide to read and review some of them, and those will be coming up sporadically over the next few weeks. Up first is Jeff Pearlman's tome about the Dallas Cowboys dynasty of the 90s, Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty.

First of all, this book is definitely not for kids to read, as the book starts with a player being stabbed with a pair of scissors and only escalates from there. Pearlman conducted interviews with 146 Cowboys players, coaches, and administrators, as well as members of the media that covered the team during this time. The result is a tale of a team that was immensely talented, who played hard and partied harder. The book also explores the love-hate relationship between owner Jerry Jones and coach Jimmy Johnson, as each man felt they were solely responsible for the Cowboys success, and their egos caused Johnson to be shockingly fired after the Cowboys second Super Bowl victory. Like another book of Pearlman's, "The Bad Guys Won", this is an expose of one of sport's most popular and well-known teams, a team that made headlines in the sports pages and the legal pages. A few notes about this book.

- One of the few players that come across as a normal person is Troy Aikman. In the book, Aikman is portrayed as a quiet man who would rather spend a night in than stay out all night, a player that came to detest the lack of discipline shown by Johnson's replacement, Barry Switzer, and a player who everybody interviewed for the book thought was as tough as a two dollar steak, a rare compliment for a quarterback. Even wide receiver Michael Irvin, a man seemingly with nothing in common with Aikman besides the same team, respected and loved Aikman more than any other teammate he ever had.
- Speaking of Irvin, although he garners a lot of respect for his play and work ethic, he seemed to be more respected for the ability to go out all night, smoke dope and get drunk with at least three women with him, and come back early in the morning as if nothing had happened. However, it was Irvin's run in with the law in 1996 that helped bring about the demise of the team. Well, that and Jerry Jones's lack of ability to draft decent players.
- After reading this book, if there was one player in professional sports of all time I would least like to be teammates with, it would be Charles Haley. While Haley was an incredibly talented pass rusher that was a key figure in Dallas' run, he also was insane. Haley, to put it politely, was a menace both to the opposition and to his own teammates, constantly ripping teammates because they were ugly or white or whatever reason he could find. One story involving Haley took place while he was with the 49ers. The 49ers acquired a player, Tim Harris, with skills similar to Haley's. Because Haley was paranoid that Harris was going to take his job, the two did not get along at all. It escalated one day when Haley cut a hole in the roof of Harris's BMW 733i convertible, stood on top of the car, and pissed on the steering wheel. That's a creative way of expressing your dislike of someone, I would say. To make things worse, Haley was a chronic self-pleasurer, often doing the deed in front of teammates during meetings or in the locker room, and sometimes talking about players' wives while doing so. There's more, but I have to leave some things out, don't I?
- As I stated earlier, a main theme of this book is the battle over glory between owner Jerry Jones and coach Jimmy Johnson, who first met as teammates at the University of Arkansas in the 1960s. When Jones first bought the team, he fired Cowboys icon Tom Landry and replaced him with Johnson, the then coach of college football's powerhouse, the University of Miami. In four short years, Dallas went from the bottom of the league to the top, but each man felt they were the reason for the success. Both men come of as flawed in the book, as Johnson, while a top-notch coach and draftnik, comes across as a callous man who played favorites and generally seemed to not give a damn about his players, while Jones is a man that, much like some of his players, possessed a huge ego and an affinity for the nightlife. Eventually, Johnson left/was fired and was replaced by Barry Switzer, who tended to let his team run amuck and seemed like a nice guy, but one that made questionable coaching decisions and, much like Jones and his players, never missed a chance to party.

There's more, a lot more, such as Kevin Smith talking so much trash that he got under the great Jerry Rice's skin to the point where Rice wanted to hurt Smith, to the tales of Larry Brown and Robert Jones, two quiet guys along for the ride who took grief for their strait-laced lifestyles, and Brown's tale of tragedy and ultimately, Super Bowl glory. Also, the egos of superstars Deion Sanders and Emmitt Smith are talked about, and both men seemed to think of themselves as players above the game. The bottom line is, this is a great book, and Pearlman did a ton of research in creating this story. So, whether you like the Cowboys or not (especially not), this is one of the most honest and revealing books about football that you will find on the market. I'll give it an 8.59 out of 10.

Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any ideas for future posts or feedback on past posts, than share them either by contacting me via e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com or by leaving a comment. I leave you with two world-class blunders by Leon Lett, a great player otherwise, but a man who will always be remembered to two colossal screwups.