Two members of the Dallas Cowboys were named to the Pro Bowl today, with both earning starting nods. The game will once again be held at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii and be played one week before the Super Bowl on Sunday, January 29.

Two defensive players – Jay Ratliff (fourth) and DeMarcus Ware (sixth) were selected. Ware was named as a starter for the sixth straight year, and Ratliff earned his fourth straight selection, third overall as a starter.

2011 DALLAS COWBOYS PRO BOWL PLAYERS

** DeMarcus Ware, LB (sixth selection)  

** Jay Ratliff, NT (fourth selection)

** denotes starter

DeMarcus Ware on being selected:

“It’s a great honor to be selected to play in the Pro Bowl. It shows that all the work through the offseason and season pays off. It’s special because you are selected by the fans, your peers and coaches around the league. I am excited to represent the Dallas Cowboys and the entire NFL in the game. Since my rookie season, I always strived on working hard, being consistent and playing at a high level, and it really means something on a personal level to be rewarded.” 

Jerry Jones had great news for Dallas Cowboys’ head coach Jeff Garrett and horrible news for the fan uprising that wants him gone. When asked if Garrett’s job is in danger, Jones responded by saying, “No. We’re just getting started here.”

That will probably send many fans screaming to their keyboards in anger, demanding Garrett’s head and wishing Jones would just go away. The thing is it won’t happen. Jones is here to stay. He took over the team and fired a legendary head coach in 1989, bringing in a college coach to take his place. That coach exceeded all expectations and led Dallas to two Super Bowl victories.

When Jimmy Johnson left, the team fell short the next year and a new head coach, another former college coach, came in and brought in just the right replacements to win a third Super Bowl. Since Barry Switzer left, no one has been very successful in Big D.

Chan Gailey arrived and did decent but was cut loose too early and Dave Campo drove the team to the depths of the NFC. Troy Aikman retired and Dallas found no one worth taking his place. Bill Parcells came in and did a decent job but he couldn’t even bring them back. Wade Phillips did the best of any of them when he finally found a franchise quarterback in Tony Romo.

Then, in the middle of a disastrous season, Phillips was let go. I don’t know if he should have taken the responsibility for the season. Dallas was coming off their best season since the Super Bowl years and was playing with a backup quarterback. However, Phillips was gone and Jason Garrett took over. Garrett finished the season with a 5-3 record and came into 2011 as the new head coach.

Now, with Dallas sitting at 7-6 and tied for the lead in the NFL East, everyone wants Garrett fired and Tony Romo chased out of town. This could only happen in Dallas. If the Cowboys fall completely off the boat in the last three weeks and lose two of the three final games, Jones might change his tune. Otherwise, it is a wait and see attitude in Dallas right now.

Jason Garrett and Tony Romo have the Cowboys in position to fight for the NFC East title. The doomsday button should not be pushed yet.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: NFL.COM

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With Laurent Robinson(notes) joining the Dallas Cowboys, he proved himself as he substituted for starter Miles Austin(notes) during the stars hamstring injury. After Austin came back, Robinson impressed the Cowboys enough to keep him on the roster, which was great since Austin went down again weeks later. With Robinson’s performance, here is a look at reserve receivers from past Dallas teams that came through big as well.

Kelvin Martin

In the days of the early ’90s Cowboys teams, there was Michael Irvin and Jay Novacek and then there was everyone else. The No. 2 man through most of that time is Alvin Harper. However, one receiver who made his name as a fan favorite during this time was Kelvin Martin. K-Mart played for the Cowboys from 1987-1992 and won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys as one of the most valuable third receivers in the nation. He caught 237 receptions for 3,083 yards and nine touchdowns over his career in Dallas.

Patrick Crayton(notes)

Patrick Crayton joined the Cowboys in the 2004 season and played there until moving on to San Diego in 2009. During his time in Dallas, he backed up Terrell Owens(notes) and made his name as a solid third option in the Cowboys’ offense during his time there. He finished his career in Dallas with 196 receptions for 2,888 yards and 23 touchdowns, with his best season coming in 2007 (50 receptions, 697 yards, seven touchdowns). Despite his strong play, he couldn’t earn the starting job when Owens left the team.

Butch Johnson

In the ’70s, the main receivers for the Dallas Cowboys were Drew Pearson and Tony Hill, with Pearson the starter until giving way to the younger, more explosive Hill in the early ’80s. However, Butch Johnson was an integral part of the offense during that time as well. Johnson played for Dallas from 1976-1983 and caught 132 receptions for 2,124 yards and 19 touchdowns in his time there. Over his career at Dallas, he became the second best punt returner for the Cowboys and caught touchdown passes in back-to-back Super Bowls.

Kevin Williams(notes)

While Kelvin Martin was the big name in the first ’90s Super Bowl win, it was Kevin Williams who took his place from 1993-1996. A second round draft choice from Miami, he played on the other two Super Bowl squads as the third receiver on the team. He finished his Cowboys career with 98 receptions for 1,268 yards and five touchdowns.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has followed the Dallas Cowboys since he was a child, his favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s. Through the great years of the ’90s and the hard times of the ’80s, Shawn never turned his back on America’s Team.

Source: all stats from fantasyfootballchallenge.com

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With Dallas and Buffalo playing on Sunday, Nov. 13, I can’t help but remember one of the best times to be a Dallas Cowboys fan. In 1992 and 1993, there were not any teams in the NFL better than the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills.

Jimmy Johnson had effectively rebuilt the Dallas Cowboys from the ground up. When Jerry Jones purchased the team in 1989, he released the only head coach the team had ever known in Tom Landry. It was a tragic moment for a longtime Dallas fan and I hated Jones for the move when it happened. I remained a Cowboys fan but hated Jimmy Johnson when he came in and acted like he could replace a legend.

I still don’t like Jimmy Johnson but I give him credit because he took a broken down, old team in Dallas and turned it into the most powerful NFL franchise in the league. He built it from the ground up. Landry drafted Michael Irvin, but Johnson drafted Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith. Johnson built that offensive line and the amazing defensive unit that helped the Cowboys win two Super Bowls in a row.

Meanwhile, Marv Levy did the same thing for Buffalo. He took over the Bills franchise in 1986 and brought in men like Jim Kelly, Andre Reed, James Lofton and Thurman Thomas. He created a dominant franchise in Buffalo that few teams have ever matched. People like to make fun of Buffalo for losing four consecutive Super Bowls. I want to know how many teams have made it to even three straight Super Bowls. Yes, Buffalo lost in the big game but that means they were the second best team in the entire NFL for three years running and the best the AFC had to offer. They were one game away from a fifth appearance in 1988.

That makes the results of their final two Super Bowls hard to take for Buffalo. I often talk about Pittsburgh and San Francisco as teams I hate because they beat Dallas when it meant the most. Because of that, I would not be surprised to know that Buffalo fans hate Dallas for the same reason.

In Super Bowl XXVII, Dallas beat Buffalo, 52-17. Troy Aikman won the MVP with 273 passing yards and four touchdowns. In Super Bowl XXVIII, it was a closer affair as Dallas beat Buffalo, 30-13. Emmitt Smith won the MVP award in that game, rushing for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

The two teams combined for eight Hall of Fame members, as of 2011, including Marv Levy, Jim Kelly, James Lofton, Brice Smith, Thurman Thomas, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith.

While the two teams playing in 2011 are drastically different from their counterparts, the game allows fans a time to remember the brightest days from their individual franchise’s storied history.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has followed the Dallas Cowboys since he was a child, his favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s. Through the great years of the ’90s and the hard times of the ’80s, Shawn never turned his back on America’s Team.

Source: Dallas Cowboys website

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It is nice to remember the past as a Dallas Cowboys fan. The team has won five Super Bowl titles, while playing in the big game eight times, remaining one of the NFL’s most successful franchises. On Sunday, Nov. 6, the Cowboys will be honoring three more of their historical players by adding them to the Ring of Honor.

This is the first addition to the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor since the Triplets went up in 2005. With so many legendary players encircling the stadium, there is one that has been overlooked for far too long. While names like Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett went up in 1983 and 1994 respectively, the best receiver of the era is heading up there now as well. The Dallas Cowboys are honoring Drew Pearson as well as two members of the Cowboys’ teams of the ’90s in Larry Allen and Charles Haley.

Drew Pearson

The Dallas Cowboys enjoy handing out the No. 88 to the best wide receivers coming aboard the team. Names like Michael Irvin, Antonio Bryant(notes) and Dez Bryant(notes) all received the number as the Cowboys looked for their next big thing. Out of the three, only Irvin lived up to the reputation in Dallas, although Dez Bryant is still young. However, it all began with Drew Pearson.

28 years after his retirement, Pearson is finally getting on the Ring of Honor and I have to ask, “What took so long?” Drew Pearson was the best wide receiver on the Cowboys team in the ’70s and most of the ’80s. There were other receivers who played alongside him but there was only one Drew Pearson. He finished his career with 489 receptions for 7,822 yards and 48 touchdowns. He only played on one Super Bowl team.

Those numbers are nothing really special but ask any Dallas Cowboys’ fan and they will tell you how important Pearson is to the history of the Cowboys. Out of everyone in the Cowboys’ past that was not in the Ring of Honor, it is Drew Pearson who deserved to be up there the most. He is the one I am happiest about.

Larry Allen

Larry Allen was a member of the famed Dallas Cowboys offensive line. This is, of course, the line that people credit with Emmitt Smith’s record. He played with Dallas for 12 seasons and made 10 Pro Bowls while wearing the Cowboys’ star. He was only there for one Super Bowl, the Barry Switzer win, but he was dominant the entire time he played and protected his quarterbacks at all costs.

Charles Haley

I’m not going to say much here. I don’t think Haley deserves to be on the Ring of Honor, although I am sure there are many who will disagree. To each his own and everyone has a right to their opinion. However, he only played for Dallas from 1992-1996 and that is not enough time to warrant this inclusion. Haley played on all three Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl teams but also won two for the San Francisco 49ers as well. He now gets his sixth ring, in the Ring of Honor.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has followed the Dallas Cowboys since he was a child, his favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s. Through the great years of the ’90s and the hard times of the ’80s, Shawn never turned his back on America’s Team.

Source: Dallas Cowboys

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