Cowboys 1st & 10: Jamal, Jadeveon & Dallas' Most Underrated
FRISCO - It's not just that so many NFL guys want to play for the Dallas Cowboys (true as that is). It's also that so many guys who write about the NFL want to write about the Dallas Cowboys (which makes me the envy of my peers!) And that's where we begin in our Sunday Cowboys 1st and 10. ...
1) CLOWNEY CONNECTION? It's one thing to speculate, as long as it's billed that way. It's another to stretch the facts in a way that allows us to concoct a tale that doesn't fit the views of those involved.
So it is with the idea that there is a connection between the Cowboys and Jadeveon Clowney. (See: "An NFL Rumor Has Jadeveon Clowney With The Dallas Cowboys Atop His Wish List. The View From The Star? He'll Need To 'Wish' Cheaper.'') Every week that goes by this offseason, somebody writes that "Clowney is attracted to'' this team or that, or it's written that this team or that is "attracted to Clowney.''
But what we know is that he's been issued two offers, from Seattle and Cleveland, and that he has spurned those offers. If Clowney wishes to be a Cowboy? I'm simply saying - with a quote from inside The Star - that he'll need to 'wish' cheaper.
And if he's everything his supporters see him as being (a $20 mil guy, I presume, which is how he saw himself in March), why don't the other 32 teams (including Dallas) see it that way?
Twitter GMs seem to love Clowney, and I've got nothing against him ... except the facts, straight from the Cowboys, on their lukewarm view of him. Therefore, my reporting on Clowney reflects those views. No matter what you (or I) think of him, it doesn't usurp what they think of him.
2) ADAMS' APPLE (OF HIS EYE) This is actually more realistic, because at least one of the parties is on-record as saying he wants it to happen. No, this isn't about trading a premium pick and La'el Collins to the Jets for Jamal. No.
But Dallas should consider this angle: Jamal Adams being traded in the NFC would become the 'tipping point' for power in the conference. ... Cowboys, Niners, Eagles, Bucs, whomever. ...
How much do you want to give up in trade for Jamal Adams? Not too much ... yet, more than the Eagles give up. Right?
3) TALKING DAK AND JAMAL Our Blitzcast gang has some podcast fun here with the question, "Who Loves The Cowboys More? Dak Or Jamal?'' Part of the issue is, we suppose, the "sacrifice'' a player is willing to make to be with "his guys.''
The players' counter, as DeMarcus Lawrence once told COO Stephen Jones: "That's not my job to figure out how it all works under the cap. That's your job.''
4) SPEAKING OF TANK I admire Lawrence's bold stance on the civil-rights movement and on the help not needed from Jerry Jones. But ...
As you can see in my Fish Video Report here, I don't completely agree with the take. Right now, Tank and Jerry are like Jimmy Johnson and yours truly circa 1993, with both of us figuring out how to grab oars in the boat and ... oh, just watch the video. You'll understand.
5) A HOF Party in DFW? If Cliff Harris (and Jimmy) can't have a party in Canton in the summer ... how about a party in Dallas in the winter?
Check out my visit with Dallas Cowboys legend Harris as he offers an upbeat take despite the 2020 Hall of Fame delay: ("I'm still in; It still happened!') and the party idea we are conjuring up.
6) 'PERFECT PAIR'? No, ESPN, you skipped somebody. The Problem with the concept of the 'Cowboys Perfect Pair' at receiver is that three guys does not constitute a "pair.''
7) '88 CLUB' The new kid sure can move some merchandise, though. "Where Does Cowboys Rookie CeeDee Lamb '88' Rank In NFL Jersey Sales?'' is here.
8) ZEKE IS 'MAGIC' But not necessarily in a good way, writes our Richie Whitt, drawing a parallel between COVID-19 today and what Magic Johnson dealt with once upon a time. Meanwhile, Zeke also has himself a dog problem.
9) DA BEARS One of the most popular stories of the week on CowboysSI.com? Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix scooting around some real live bears.
Man, are we hungry for football.
10) THE FINAL WORD "For two straight years now, Chidobe Awuzie has allowed a completion percentage below 60 and, in 2019 added an opposing QB rating of 89. He tackles incredibly well, has A-plus closing speed and plays 95% of the team’s defensive snaps at a critical wide DB position. Though the loss of Byron Jones stings, Awuzie made it a little more palatable.'' - SI's Conor Orr, on the Cowboys "most under-appreciated player (and one pick for all the other NFC teams, too.)
