Projo Pats Blog

-If Cowboys owner Jerry Jones really is, as he says, "very comfortable that the height on our scoreboard is OK," than he is delusional. It's not surprising, though, that Jones puffed out his chest after the embarrassing developments Friday night in the $1.2-billion monument to Jones' hubris that is the new Cowboys Stadium.

The Titans backup punter, A.J. Trapasso, hit the enormous $40-million TV screen that hangs over the playing field with one punt, and almost hit it again later on. Veteran kicker Craig Hentrich said that he "probably hit it a dozen times" in the pregame. Even the Cowboys' own tests using the team's punter Mat McBriar should have indicated to them that putting the screen 90 feet above the field would not do the trick.

But this is Jerry Jones, who is not one to admit a mistake. So the NFL's competition committee -- whose co-chairman, Jeff Fisher, coaches the Titans -- might have to pressure him to make a move. It's pretty comical that Jones would spend $1.2 billion on a stadium, and brag to a Fox TV crew about the fact that his high-def TV screen alone cost more than the original Texas Stadium -- and yet he digs in his heels about simply moving it up to a reasonable height. Jones is even planning on hanging a sponsored banner from the scoreboard. Whenever I think of Jones, I am thankful for the salary cap in pro football. Can you imagine what Jones would do with the unfettered ability to spend on players? He'd make baseball's Yankees look like penny-pinchers.

-Speaking of guys who need a reality check, Jets coach Rex Ryan -- a former Baltimore assistant coach -- says that tonight's nationally televised game against the Ravens will be a "special preseason game," which is an oxymoron.

-Offensive tackle Nick Kaczur, who is close to finalizing a contract extension with the Patriots, has received some support from teammates who say he was unfairly criticized for the sack that Cincinnati's Robert Geathers picked up on Tom Brady on Thursday night. This morning on his weekly radio appearance on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan show, Brady said that the criticism was not informed, and guard Logan Mankins said the sack was the result of a general miscommunication, with the line believing that a running play was coming.

Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald reported that the play was supposed to be a draw with Fred Taylor carrying the ball, and that Kaczur had pushed Geathers upfield with the thought that Taylor would run right by him. Instead, the Bengals' linebacker had a free pass at the quarterback.

-Whatever the cause of the troubles, Matt Bowen of the National Football Post believes that "Teams will blitz New England until they show that they can slide the protection to the side of the pressure, or until Brady demonstrates that he can carve up blitz-man coverage in the backend -- like he has be known to do in the past."

-Guregian also reports that Randy Moss, while silent with the local media, is becoming recognized as a mentor for young players on the Patriots.

-The web site Football Outsiders expects Moss to return to his 2007 production with Brady back at quarterback.

-Although the Vikings want Brett Favre to develop chemistry with his receivers, they are also trying to limit the number of throws he makes in practice so as not to overly strain his surgically repaired shoulder. It's a tough balancing act for Minnesota coach Brad Childress.

-Jean-Jacques Taylor of the Dallas Morning News writes that Vince Young's failure in the NFL is a sad thing to anyone who followed Young's spectacular career at the University of Texas, when every game Young played was a must-see.

-JaMarcus Russell has officially been named the Raiders opening day starting quarterback.

-49ers third-round draft choice Glen Coffee is the leading rusher of the preseason after his 16-carry, 129-yard performance against the Raiders on Saturday; San Francisco hopes Coffee can be a reliable backup to former third-round choice Frank Gore.

-Think you'd like to be a pro football player? Consider the case of Bears defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek, who is in his fourth year in the NFL and has already suffered his fourth season-ending injury -- a torn ACL in his right knee. Previously, he's torn the ACL in his other knee, had foot surgery, and torn a biceps. Ouch, ouch, ouch, again I say ouch.

-Number-six overall draft pick Andre Smith is still holding out (one of two first-round choices not yet signed), and it's looking more likely that the Bengals will not have Smith for the start of the regular season.

-Michael Vick has a full schedule on Thursday. He has to be in Virginia to testify in a hearing in bankruptcy court in the morning before boarding a plane for Philadelphia and (perhaps) his first competitive football of his post-prison life, when the Eagles host the Jaguars.

-Vick generated some attention when he was observed drinking at a Philadelphia hotel bar, but the Eagles say that Vick did not violate the terms of his probation or the conditions of his NFL reinstatement.

-Ravens rookie Tony Fein was arrested Sunday and charged with assaulting a police officer, but Fein's agent says his client was the victim of racial profiling. The confrontation with the officer started after Fein was observed handing a friend a cell phone at a Johnny Rockets restaurant -- a security officer thought it was a handgun. Fein and the police disagree on who became belligerent when police questioned the linebacker.

-Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald believes that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has exceeded his authority in the way he has disciplined players, and he notes that the NFL arrest statistics have not declined under the law-and-order commissioner. Le Batard writes that not many people feel too sorry for the players who end up under Goodell's scrutiny for their brushes with the law, and at least in that point I agree with him.

 Tags  Football Today Jerry Jones Nick Kaczur Tom Brady

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