Kobe Brady? LeBron Manning? There are more similarities than you may think...

A comparison between the NFL and NBA...? Say whaaaaaat?

That may be the initial reaction, but when you look in at this Kobe-Lebron vs. Brady-Manning comparison, interestingly enough, it isn't that off.
Kobe Bryant is to Tom Brady as LeBron James is to Peyton Manning.

Let's take a look at some of the similarities:

1) 
Kobe Bryant and Lebron James are two of the most iconic players representing the NBA. 
Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are two of the most iconic players representing the NFL. 

2)
Kobe Bryant had some draft day drama of being traded from the Charlotte Hornets to the Los Angeles Lakers. 
Tom Brady had his own version of draft day drama by falling to the sixth round and being picked 199 overall. 

3)
LeBron James was a highly touted prospect prior to entering the NBA and was picked number 1 overall. Also, there was plenty of talk of LeBron or one other player, Carmelo Anthony. 
Peyton Manning was also a highly touted prospect prior to entering the NFL and was also picked number 1 overall. There was also strong debate about whether the top pick should be Manning or one other player, Ryan Leaf. 

4)
Kobe Bryant has played his entire career on one team, winning numerous championships (5), and losing twice on the grandest stage in the NBA. 
Tom Brady has also played his entire career on one team, winning numerous championships (3), and losing twice on the grandest stage in the NFL. 

5)
LeBron James has played on two different teams in his career, taking both to championship games (2007 with Cleveland Cavaliers, 2010-2014 with Miami Heat).
Peyton Manning has also played for two different teams in his career, also taking both to championship games (2006 and 2009 with Indianapolis Colts, 2013 with Denver Broncos).

6)
Kobe Bryant is currently playing on a roster devoid of too much superstar talent, and one of his biggest weapons was just lost for the season to injury in Julius Randle. 
Tom Brady is also playing on a roster that many consider to be devoid of a lot of superstar talent, and he too lost a key weapon for the year to injury in Stevan Ridley. 

7)
LeBron James has played with a plethora of weapons in his career (Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, etc) and has a star-studded roster right now as well (Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, etc). 
Peyton Manning has also played with a plethora of weapons throughout his career (Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, etc) and has a star-studded roster right now as well (Demaryius Thomas, Emannuel Sanders, etc)

8)
Kobe Bryant played a good portion of his career with a legendary coach in Phil Jackson, and won all of his rings with him. 
Tom Brady has played his entire career with a legendary coach in Bill Belichick and also won all of his championship rings with him. 

9)
LeBron James has played for five different head coaches and won his rings with a coach on the rise (Erik Spoelstra). 
Peyton Manning has played for four different head coaches and won his lone ring with a rising head coach at the time (Tony Dungy). 

10)
Kobe Bryant has been widely documented to looking up to, and copying, the player considered to be the greatest ever at his position in Michael Jordan. Most people say Kobe is "the closest thing to Jordan." Along with that, Kobe is currently one ring shy of matching Jordan (6).
Tom Brady's childhood idol was Joe Montana, and Montana is widely considered the greatest quarterback to ever play. Brady is also currently one ring shy of matching Joe Montana's total (4).

11)
LeBron James gets somewhat criticized for showing up relatively small in big games, even though he has won a championship. 
Peyton Manning gets faulted for showing up small in the playoffs and Super Bowls and he too has won a ring. 

12)
Kobe Bryant is known for showing up big in big moments, such as the playoffs and the Finals. 
Tom Brady is known for his big-game performances, including the playoffs and Super Bowls. 

13)
LeBron James leads Kobe Bryant by three regular season MVPs (4-1).
Peyton Manning leads Tom Brady by three regular season MVPs (5-2).

14)
Kobe Bryant is considered to have that extreme killer instinct inside of him that comes out on the court, unmatched by anybody in his sport. 
Tom Brady is also considered to have a ruthless killer instinct that is on display on the field, unmatched by anybody in his sport.

15)
LeBron James is playing his sport at the highest level of anybody currently in the NBA. 
Peyton Manning is playing the quarterback position at the highest level of anybody in the NFL. 

16)
Kobe Bryant is considered to have a better, more legendary career compared to LeBron James as of now. 
Tom Brady is considered to have a better, more legendary career compared to Peyton Manning as of now. 

It's always fun to compare greatness amongst the greatest in the game, but it's pretty interesting to compare athletes in two sports and see so many similarities! At the end of the day, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady are all the best at what they do and we are blessed to be able to witness it.

Post-game Power Points: Utah Jazz 102 Dallas Mavericks 120

Mavs thump Utah Jazz 120-102 in scoring outburst

Big D changes nickname to LOB City for the first half- Was this a regular season game or the All-Star game? It sure seemed like an All-Star game the way they Mavs came out of the gate with Dirk kicking off the scoring. Then, very quickly, Tyson Chandler was the beneficiary of lob passes from Jameer Nelson and Chandler Parsons on two possessions that had a Dirk three-pointer sandwiched in-between. Then midway through the 1^st quarter, Nelson chunked a pass from half-court towards the rim and Tyson Chandler went up and finished it. In fitting fashion, the first quarter ended with Devin Harris throwing up an alley-oop to Al-Farouq Aminu.

Contributions from EVERYBODY- The Mavs had their usual superstar in Dirk Nowitzki dominate, but the entire roster was insanely on fire. Chandler Parsons started off struggling, going 2-for-8 with his lone two shots being attacks at the rim. But he got on track really quick and finished 8-for-16 and 21 points. Mavs had a total of seven players in double digits including Nowitzki (21), Parsons (21), Aminu (16), Monta Ellis (14), Tyson Chandler (13), Devin Harris (12), and Brandan Wright (14).  These Dallas Mavericks are an offensive juggernaut and can score with anybody in the league.

Lineup experiments continue- Coach Rick Carlisle played every guy possible in this game and had some interesting combinations. The intriguing lineup of the night was when he went small with newly signed J.J Barrea, Devin Harris, Richard Jefferson, Dirk Nowitzki, and Brandan Wright. The scoring was through the roof with the smaller lineup.

Minute management- Maybe it was the fact that it was the Utah Jazz and the Mavs were up by 30 in the first half, but Carlisle was Popovich-esque in managing minutes for all the players. No player hit 30 minutes for the game, as Monta Ellis led the team in playng time with 29:22.

Dallas hits the road to face the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday November 1^st at the Smoothie King Center.

The War of 1812: Legacy Check

Tom Brady or Peyton Manning?
It's the question that leads to some heated debates. It's a question, that after hours of debating, seemingly goes unanswered.

It's also a very tricky question to answer, especially with both quarterbacks playing at an extremely high level in the twilight of their respective careers. On Sunday, they go head-to-head for the 16th time, with Tom Brady leading the series 10-5. Let's take a look at who has a better legacy thus far:

First of all, I want to make sure it's clear what the question is that I'm about to address: Who's legacy is better at this point, as of October 30, 2014. My definition of legacy is the following: What is the impact you had while playing and how will people look back on your career?

With that being said, to determine who's career has been better, I'm going to use the help of Peyton Manning's former coach and Hall of Fame teammate: Tony Dungy (currently with NBC as an analyst) and Marshall Faulk (currently with NFL Network as an analyst).
Tony Dungy was on the Dan Patrick show just three weeks ago and when asked about who's career he would want right now, he said, "I'd definitely want Tom Brady's career...Right now I'd definitely say Brady's in the lead"
Last year, in the midst of Peyton Manning's best season as a pro, Marshall Faulk was asked the question of who was better all-time. He replied, "As much as I love Peyton Manning and what he can do, I'm riding with Tom Brady." Many analysts around him were shocked he wasn't going with the homer pick in Peyton but he said he's just doing his job being an analyst.
These are two individuals with close ties to Peyton Manning and are now two of his biggest fans in the media. Yet providing an objective take, they both took Brady.

Contrary to many Tom Brady supporters, I don't believe the reason Brady is ahead of Manning is his Super Bowl rings. It certainly helps him, but that doesn't catapult him over. And Manning supporters always want to bring up Manning's supremacy in statistics, which I don't consider fair either, because it ignores many factors (i.e. playing in a dome for 11 years vs. Boston). The way to determine the legacy is a combination of everything. From supporting cast, regular season, postseason, super bowls, and stats. Factor in all of those things, and you get your answer. Let's take a look

Regular Season winning success

Tom Brady has been dominant in the regular season, and followed that with a stellar postseason. In the regular season, Tom Brady has never in his career posted less than nine wins in a season, and that only happened once in 2002. Aside from that, Brady has had double digit wins in every season, including an undefeated regular season in 2007.
Manning has been just as impressive as Brady in regards to winning in the regular season. Unlike Brady though, Manning has had two seasons where his team posted losing records, his first as a rookie in 1998 when the team went 3-13, and the second in 2001 when he lead his team to 6-10. Aside from those two early hiccups, every season has been double digits for Manning.

Stats

When comparing career stats by the numbers between the two quarterbacks, it is actually pretty surprising how close it actually is, because it seems like Peyton Manning runs away with the numbers.
But for Manning's career, he averages 271.7 yards per game versus Tom Brady's 254.8 yards per game. Those numbers come with Manning's attempts per game average being at 35.2 versus Tom Brady being at 34. With Tom Brady's 7.5 yards per attempt, if you add another attempt to match Manning's, Brady would be just 10 yards shy of Manning per game.
Peyton Manning's career touchdown percentage is at 5.7%, with Brady checking in at a 5.5% career touchdown percentage. Though Manning has the slightest edge over Brady in that, Brady has the edge with interceptions. Tom Brady has a career interception average of 2.0% while Manning is at 2.6%.

Peyton Manning's career quarterback rating stands at a 97.9 right now, while Brady is at a 96.4.
Both quarterbacks also have a plethora of astounding records, far too many to individually list each record Brady and Manning hold. A few significant ones include Manning holding the single season record for touchdown passes with 55, breaking Tom Brady's previous record of 50. Tom Brady holds the record for the highest winning percentage ever for any starting quarterback in NFL history, in which Peyton Manning checks in at third place behind Brady and Joe Montana.
Peyton Manning also has an NFL record FIVE regular season Most Valuable Player awards, to Tom Brady's two.
Tom Brady is the only player in NFL history to be a unanimous decision for MVP (2010), a season in which he set a record for pass attempts without an interception (335).

Again, each quarterback has plenty of records and statistics but in the big picture, Manning and Brady are fairly close in those categories.
*Note: Peyton Manning has the record for most touchdowns in a career and is second in passing yards all-time. However, when considering those marks, it is important to take into account that Tom Brady has played 46 fewer games than Manning as Manning started out from week 1 in 1998 and Tom Brady started his career in week 3 (against Manning) in 2001. If Brady's averages were to be added to his current career totals for 46 games, Brady would be a very close to Manning in career touchdowns (about 40 less) and passing yards (about 4,000 less). 

Supporting Cast

Each player has had different advantages in supporting cast through the years. Peyton Manning has had an offensive arsenal that has been unmatched. He walked into the league with Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk taking handoffs from him and Future Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison catching his first NFL pass for a touchdown. After Faulk left, Manning gained Edgerrin James, who was 1st team All-Pro in 1999 and was the NFL rushing champion in 1999 and 2000. Through his career in Indianapolis, Manning had Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark, all consistently great. Peyton Manning definitely elevated the play of all of them, but Clark went on to being a productive player for Joe Flacco in Baltimore and Reggie Wayne is still making plays for Andrew Luck in Indy. When Manning switched over to the Denver Broncos, he embraced the arguably greatest arsenal off all time. He had/has Demaryius Thomas, who was the number one receiver for Tim Tebow and was making plays. He had Eric Decker, who was productive for Denver before and is now a number one receiver for the New York Jets. When Manning lost Decker, the Broncos gave him and upgrade in Emmanuel Sanders, who was a top receiving option is Pittsburgh before. As if all of that wasn't enough, Manning also has had Tom Brady's favorite target Wes Welker at his disposal for the past two years. In Indianapolis, Manning always had a stellar offensive line, but in Denver, he has had arguably the top pass protecting offensive line in the entire league.

With Tom Brady, he was winning super bowls early with the likes of David Patten, who was a journeyman receiver for SEVEN different teams. He also was throwing to Troy Brown, who has one Pro Bowl under his belt, as a special teamer. Brady had Deion Branch for three years before he left for Seattle after his Super Bowl MVP and was irrelevant up in the northwest until he came back to New England. His starting tight end was Jermaine Wiggins, who was more of a blocking tight end and really didn't strike fear in the hearts of too many defensive coordinators. In 2006, Brady was throwing to a cast that featured Reche Caldwell as his primary target and Troy Brown, Jabar Gaffney, and Doug Gabriel rounded out the rest. After 2006, Brady's arsenal vastly improved with the addition of Randy Moss and Wes Welker, and with those weapons, Brady showed he is fully capable of putting up the numbers if given the weapons as he threw for a then-NFL record 50 touchdowns. Brady only had Moss for two seasons, 2007 and 2009 as Moss was traded away in the 3rd week of 2010. That was the year Brady changed from a vertical offense to working the middle of the field with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Starting in late 2011, Gronkowski's injuries started piling up and Brady took the Patriots to the Super Bowl that year with Gronk being not fully healthy. In 2012, Gronkowski only played the first 11 games before breaking his arm. 2013 was probably the most frustrating season for Tom Brady, in regards to his arsenal. To start the season he lost 84.1% of his receptions from the previous season with Gronkowski not coming back till week 6, Welker going to Denver, Hernandez going to jail, Danny Woodhead going to San Diego, and Brandon Llyod walking away. Defensively, the Patriots lost leaders like Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo within the first five weeks of the season, yet Brady carried them to the AFC Championship game throwing to Julian Edelman (a quarterback in college), where he fell short to Peyton Manning. In 2014, Brady faced a new challenge, losing his top offensive lineman Logan Mankins the week before the season and had a terrible offensive line for the start of the season. His receivers feature Edelman, Gronkowski, and Brandon LaFell, who has been buried on the Carolina Panthers depth chart up until this point.
The advantage Brady did have early in his career over Manning was much better defenses during his Super Bowl years. However Brady is also the only quarterback to take the 31st ranked defense to the Super Bowl in 2011, the lowest ranked defense to ever reach the grand stage. Also, Brady's stellar defenses are also a big reason why his stats are slightly edged out by Manning, because Brady played a ball control offense while Manning was forced to air it out. Another very key thing to keep in mind while comparing stats is that Manning played in a dome from 1998-2009, which is a lot easier conditions to throw the ball in compared to the northern inclement weather Brady starts to face in Boston from October till the end of the season. Also, ever since Brady has dealt with mediocre defenses since 2007, he has averaged 36 touchdowns a year compared to his 26 he was averaging early in his career when he had good defenses. In 2014, Manning is now playing with his all-time great offensive arsenal to go along a defense that is top 5 in the league.
So, Brady early on had the defense, while Manning had the offense so they were pretty equal. But lately, Brady hasn't had the defense and also has no where near Manning's offensive arsenal. So judging the bigger picture of the whole career, Manning has been blessed with the better cast.
Aside from the field, Brady has had the advantage over Manning when it comes to the sideline. Brady has played his entire career with one coach, Bill Belichick. Manning played with Jim Mora, Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell and now John Fox. Though Belichick is considered one of the greatest ever, it isn't a monumental advantage. The biggest advantage for Brady is the consistency. But when it comes to coaching, Belichick was 36-44 before Brady. He truly tasted success with Brady so an argument could be made on who makes the other better, but that's for another day. What can't be denied is that Belichick is an all-time great and Brady has played with him his entire career, so on consistency alone, it is an advantage for Brady that Manning didn't have.

Playoffs

Here is where Brady's legacy starts to pull away from Manning. Winning is definitely a team effort, but it is undeniable that the quarterback position has a large part in the outcome of a football game. As the legendary Bill Parcells said, "Quarterbacks, like coaches, are judged by their jewelry." The problem with Manning's postseason narrative is that unlike the regular season success, supporting casts, or stats, it isn't even remotely close to Tom Brady's. It is actually nearly the opposite.
Tom Brady has played three less seasons than Manning, yet Tom Brady has played in three more playoff games than him. Brady is 18-8 in the playoffs, giving him the most wins of any starting quarterback in NFL history. Peyton Manning has a losing record, 11-12, which gives the most losses by any quarterback in NFL history.

Peyton Manning has been one-and-done EIGHT times in his career. Tom Brady on the flip side has been one-and-done just twice and been in EIGHT conference championship games.
The playoffs are where the competition reaches the highest points, and Manning has put up some real stinkers, such as his 41-0 loss to the Jets in 2002 and his four interceptions agains the Patriots in 2003. Manning has also put on clinics, such as his game against Kansas City in 2003 divisional round, but the bad far outweighs the good for him in the bigger picture. For Brady, he has a couple of stinkers, such as a 33-14 loss to Baltimore in 2009, but his good, such as six touchdowns against Denver in 2011 and a perfect game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2007, outweighs the bad. In this category, Brady has a huge edge.

Super Bowls

The Super Bowl category also largely favors Brady over Peyton Manning.
Brady has won three Super Bowls to Manning's one.
Brady's Super Bowl record is 3-2 to Manning being 1-2.
Brady is a two-time Super Bowl MVP to Manning's one.
Brady has two career interceptions in his five Super Bowl games. Manning has two interceptions returned for touchdowns in his three career games, and four interceptions total.
When you think of the first Super Bowl Tom Brady lost, the primary thing most people point to is the lucky helmet catch. In his second loss, a lot of people point to the Wes Welker drop. Brady is not brought up as the main culprit in either.
With Peyton Manning's two losses, the first one everybody points to Peyton Manning. Down by seven and driving, Manning threw an interception returned for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. In his second Super Bowl, Manning's record breaking offense didn't put up a point against Seattle until the third quarter and ended up scoring a grand total of EIGHT points.
Even in the lone Super Bowl Manning won, through that postseason, he threw more interceptions (7) than touchdowns (3). In the Super Bowl, he went up against an inept Rex Grossman, who aided Manning in throwing as many touchdowns to the Colts as Manning did (1).

Conclusion

Brady and Manning are pretty equal when it comes to regular season success. 

Statistically, Manning edges out Brady by a little bit. 

Manning also has had the better supporting cast for the totality of his career. Early on Brady had the defense, while Manning had the offense. More recently, Brady hasn't had that much of a defense and his offense hasn't been surrounded by those kind of weapons either. 

The playoffs and Super Bowl are not even close. Brady dominates in those two categories. He has been historically good, while Manning has almost been historically bad. 

So in conclusion, Brady gets the edge in legacy so far. Again, that's in legacy. This is NOT an analysis which player plays the quarterback position at a higher level or is more accurate, etc. It is judging the entire picture. So as Tony Dungy said, Brady has had the better career so far. But another quote from Dungy in that same interview that is very important is, "your career is not over, until it's over." With that being said, Manning still has time to change this narrative, and is seemingly on the fast track to doing that. In fact, I was one to say that had Manning beat Seattle in the Super Bowl last year, he would have had a stronger legacy than Brady and his one less Super Bowl would be made up by his strong other areas. That win would have gave him a winning record in the playoffs and super bowls. However, it didn't happen. 

Therefore, at this point, Tom Brady reigns over Peyton Manning as the quarterback with the stronger legacy and better career.

The 16th battle of the War of 1812 will take place Sunday November 2nd, 2014 at 3:25 p.m.

Rapid Reaction: Memphis Grizzlies at Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks 108, Memphis Grizzlies 103     

     For it being the last time the Dallas home crowd would get to see their team in the preseason, Mavs put on quite a show. All of the starters were in double digits (Nelson 11, Ellis 14, Parsons 11, Dirk 10, Chandler 14), as well as Al-Farouq Aminu (10) and Richard Jefferson (13). Mavs proved today that they have the potential to be an offensive juggernaut and keep pace with anybody in the league.

Starting lineup unveiled, impressive- For the first time, the Dallas Mavericks had all of their projected starters available and healthy at home. Jameer Nelson ran the point, Monta Ellis and Chandler Parsons manned the wings, Dirk posted up at power forward and Tyson Chandler was the anchor in the middle. They played very impressively together and built a lead the Mavs would not relinquish.

Dirk Management- An interesting little nugget came in the second quarter with seven minutes remaining. All of the starters were in the game, except for Dirk who was replaced by Al-Farouq Aminu. Aminu had a solid effort, as did the others around him. This could be a sign as the Mavs try to manage Nowitzki’s minutes in his 17^th season to allow him to have fresh legs throughout the season.

Name of the Day: Chandler- Both Chandler’s had quite a game, often times feeding off each other. Chandler Parsons had three big 3-pointers and five assists. Of those five assists, one was an alley-oop to Tyson Chandler and another was an inside feed to Tyson. Tyson Chandler also had a few electrifying slams of his own and a solid defensive effort.

Gal Mekel shows up, Point Guard intrigue goes up- Gal Mekel played early, and played well. He was also a part of a small lineup that featured him and fellow point guard Devin Harris both on the floor at the same time, with Mekel seeming to play more of a shooting guard role. With Raymond Felton recovering from a high ankle sprain and Mekel play at a high level, it will be interesting which makes the roster, if both don’t. Jameer Nelson and Devin Harris are virtually locks for the final roster.

Richard Jefferson ELECTRIFYING- Plenty of players had exciting plays, but nobody sent the crowd in frenzy the way Jefferson did. He played aggressive and attacked the rim early, hit a three pointer, and then finished with a monstrous dunk on fast break that led to the AAC erupting.

Fun Fact: The Dallas mavericks had 57 points at the half and only four of them came from Dirk Nowitzki. That tells you how scary deep and good this Mavs roster is, offensively at least.

How good are these Dallas Cowboys?

Just how good are the 2014 Dallas Cowboys exactly? That’s a fair question to ask because if you take recent history into account, the Cowboys are giving us all a reason to be skeptical. In the Tony Romo era, the Cowboys always find a way to build you up sky high, and then throw you off the cliff. Whether it be Romo fumbling a hold in the playoffs, Romo throwing a game ending pick against a dvision rival in the playoffs, taking Peyton Manning to the brink and just messing up, or quite simply, losing to each division opponent at the last game of the season with the playoffs on the line for the last three years.

HOWEVER. This year is different for the Cowboys. And the reason for that is that they aren’t playing like the Cowboys of the Tony Romo era. They are playing like the Cowboys of the Demarco Murray era. And that is a winning formula.

I truly believe that Demarco Murray is the MVP of the NFL thus far. Of course you have the Peyton Mannings and the Phillip Rivers of the world, but no guy is carrying his team like Murray. Murray is the best running back in football, and is also the best defensive player on the Cowboys as well because his ground game helps keep that defense (that is better than most expected) that could get exposed, off the field. Murray also does the Cowboys a favor by keeping the ball out of Tony Romo’s hands to where Romo doesn’t have to do everything. It has been proven over time, if you rely on Romo too much, he will eventually cost you a game, or the season. He is a good quarterback, but he is not Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady or Drew Brees: He needs a lot more help.

But this offensive line and running game is more than enough help to keep Romo out of trouble, and keep the Cowboys surging.

Many Cowboys naysayers want to point out that Demarco Murray is on pace to set a new record for carries in a season by a running back and that he won’t last, especially because of his injury history. Here are my two points against that:

1. First of all, Demarco Murray is carrying the ball a lot but he is taking a lot less punishment. How is that possible? Because of his offensive line. This offensive line is so dominant; they blast off the ball and control the line of scrimmage. This helps Demarco get past the line and into the second and third levels of the defense. So instead of getting hit by these big monster defensive linemen, between 28-380 pounds, he is getting hit by smaller linebacker and even players in the secondary, which saves his body for a lot of the brutal punishment.
2. My second point is also in relation to the offensive line. They are so good, I firmly believe that if Murray was to miss some time, Randle and Dunbar could do a respectable job running the ball because they open holes that any decent running back could run through. They may not have Demarco’s running ability, but they would be formidable and the running game would not just fall off the map.

Season In Review: Through Six Games 

The Cowboys opened up the season against the San Francisco 49ers and had everybody rolling their eyes and saying “Same ole Cowboys”. The most obvious reasons were the turnovers, specifically interceptions by Tony Romo on three consecutive drives as well as the Demarco Murray fumble. But the fact that the Cowboys had those ugly turnovers, including an interception in the red zone, they lost by 11, which had to be inspiring. That flipped the switch for Scott Linehan, the new Cowboys offensive coordinator.

He realized that day that only is Tony Romo the quarterback you want to fully depend on, but he isn’t even fully healthy yet. He was moving quite gingerly in that game. In the next game, Cowboys won handily against the Titans, a game any contender should win. Then came the Rams. Cowboys fell behind 21-0, with Romo contributing to the cause by throwing a pick 6 to Janoris Jenkins of the Rams. But unlike Cowboys teams of the past, they rallied and edged the Rams by 3.

Next up was what most people considered to be the Cowboys statement game up until that point. They played Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints and welcomed Rob Ryan and his defense back to Dallas. They didn’t just beat the Saints, but they dominated then on Sunday Night Football almost the exact same way the Saints had torched the Cowboys the year before. Riding high, they won a gut check game against the Texans at home.

A note to keep in mind is that through all of these games, Demarco Murray posted rushing totals of 118, 167, 100, 149, and 136.

Then came one of the top three games for the Cowboys at least since Troy Aikman hung up his cleats. The Cowboys packed there bags and headed to Seattle to take on the Super Bowl champs. Most people said that the Cowboys would prove a lot to them if they could just remain competitive. Did they ever… The Cowboys beat the Seahawks by seven points despite gifting them a touchdown on a block punt and a muffed punt. The Cowboys really won pretty easily and had the entire football nation in frenzy. The Seahawks had allowed just under 70 yards a game before the game and the Cowboys racked up 162. They hadn’t allowed a rusher to have more than 43 yards, and the Cowboys had two: Demarco Murray had 115 for his record tying 6^th game in a row to open the season in triple digits, and Joseph Randle had 52, and 38 on one run alone.

Next up: The Cowboys first division game as they host the New York Giants on Sunday. 

Rapid Reaction: Indiana Pacers at Dallas Mavericks

Indiana Pacers 98, Dallas Mavericks 106

Mavs finish up there three game home stand to start out the preseason with a strong effort vs. the Indiana Pacers.

Dirk returns with a bang- After resting Dirk's right hip for the first couple of preseason games, the Big German returned to the floor with a resounding effort. Nowitzki was doing it all and his final stat line was a thing of beauty: 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Six of his 16 points came on three-pointers, as he was 2 of 3 beyond the arch. His impact was even bigger beyond the stat sheet as he spread the floor and made it easier for the guards to operate. 

Chandler Parsons uses weight to post up- After Coach Rick Carlisle publicly criticized (then apologized) that Parsons was a little "too heavy", Parsons used his weight to post up down low. Through the game, he was seen manning up Luis Scola, Chris Copeland, and even Shayne Whittington in the 3rd quarter and did a pretty good job of holding his own. Parson also had some nifty layups and his final stat line 10 points, 2 assists, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals. 

Interesting lineups- Rick Carlisle is trying everything out and today at one point, he went very small with point guards Jameer Nelson and Devin Harris, Richard Jefferson, Chandler Parsons at power forward, and Tyson Chandler at center. It is important to keep in mind that Monta Ellis did miss the game due to injury, so Carlisle would probably incorporate him when he returns. 

Charlie Villanueva all but locks up a roster spot- Charlie Villanueva had the performance of the night, if not the performance of the preseason so far. He did enter the game until the 4th quarter, but made an immediate impact. Villanueva ended with 16 points on 7 of 8 shooting, including 4 of 5 from the three-point line. He had back to back three pointers that helped put the Mavs up 95-85, a lead they would not relinquish. He also added four rebounds and a blocked shot. 

What's next?

Mavs have a FOUR day break before hitting the road for back-to-back games, Friday vs. the Cavaliers and Saturday vs. the Pacers. They return home on October 20th to welcome the Memphis Grizzlies for their home preseason finale. 

Other notes: 

Mark Cuban said before the game that "ChubbyGate" (in regards to Chandler Parsons was not a big deal and Carlisle was smart to apologize.

Rapid Reaction: Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks

Oklahoma City Thunder 118, Dallas Mavericks 109

     Dallas Mavericks without their “two best players” according to Mark Cuban in Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis, fall for the second straight game at the American Airlines Center.

Jae Crowder statement- Of the “locks” on this team, this game belonged to Jae Crowder. Known for his defensive play, he showed off his offensive work from the offseason and finished with a team-high 14 points (along with Al-Farouq Aminu, who also had 14).

Richard Jefferson makes his case- Last game Charlie Villanueva stood out and showed he belonged. Tonight it was Jefferson. Jefferson finished with 13 points, three rebounds, and a steal. At one point in the third quarter, Jefferson drew a charge on the defensive end, then had a layup on the offensive end and knocked down a three pointer on the next offensive possession. Very impressive.

Ricky Ledo sighting- About an hour before the game, Mark Cuban raved about the talent of Ricky Ledo. When the game started, it was clear why. Starting in place of the injured Monta Ellis (knee, not believed to be severe), Ledo had 8 points and knocked down two of his three 3-pointers.

Injury front- Raymond Felton left in the first quarter after a scary injury to his right ankle after a hard drive to the basket. Per Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas, Felton has a sprained right ankle and X-rays were negative. He did not return to the game.

Defensive worries- It is just preseason, so maybe we shouldn’t read too much into it. But after giving up 111 in a loss to Houston on Tuesday, Dallas gave up 000 to the Thunder and they had six players in double digits. Kevin Durant(12), Steven Adams(19), Russell Westbrook(13), Anthony Morrow(13), Jeremy Lamb(13), and Reggie Jackson(13).

What’s next? 

Mavs conclude their three-game home stand on Sunday, welcoming the Indiana Pacers. Dirk Nowitzki is expected to see his first action of the preseason. Monta Ellis will remain out.