The Dallas Cowboys drafted Dak Prescott in 2016 out of Mississippi State in the 4th round a draft class with quarterbacks including Jared Goff and Carson Wentz.

In year three, you can now make the case that Dak Prescott is under the most pressure he has yet to see ever in his football career. Going into this season he lost his number 1 premiere target in Dez Bryant and has lost one of the greatest tight ends to play the game in Jason Witten to retirement.

Losing such great talent in the passing game you would think the Dallas Cowboys would have a bright plan in line for Dak and the offense but the front office did such a terrible job replacing their two stars that departed. In offseason they acquired Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson through free agency. They also acquired Michael Gallup who they drafted and Tavon Austin who they traded for during the draft in the 6th round. They still also have Terrance Williams and Cole Beasely.

With most young franchise quarterbacks you see teams flooding their rosters with talent. Jared Goff was 0-7 as a rookie starting for the Los Angeles Rams, yes he was playing under Jeff Fisher and not Sean McVey but the fact of the matter is he didn’t have success  being the first pick of the draft.  Carson Wentz was 7-9 his rookie for the Philadelphia Eagles.  With these two quarterbacks on their first contracts both teams made it their priority to surround it as much talent as possible to contend for a title.

The Rams went out to acquire massive defensive talent in the offseason getting Aqib Taleb, Marcus Peters, and Ndamukong Suh. Also making a strength stronger getting Brandon Cooks a deep threat receiver who will make their offense more explosive. The Eagles knew that their running game was the Achilles hill of the team and that they lacked receivers and help in their secondary. They made it their priority to give Carson Wentz the talent to help the team get to the next level getting Jay Ajayi.

Going into week 1 the Dallas Cowboys are thin at secondary. Two of their safeties,  Xavier Woods and Kavon Frazier  probably won’t be available due to injuries. Woods dealing with a torn hamstring and Frazier has a dislocated shoulder.

Problem with the Cowboys is that they’ve letting go more talent than they’ve acquired refer to my last article Do the Dallas Cowboys Acquire Star Talent Anymore. It is such a disappointment as a fan to watch falter so early in a new era of the team. You never know when your window is closing as a franchise to win a championship. Dallas has Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott on their rookie contracts while Tank is playing under the franchise tag and has made it clear he won’t play under it again.

Now is the time to gamble in the off-season now that you have a little bit of cap space to work with. The Dallas Cowboys offered the Seattle Seahawks a second round draft pick for Earl Thomas which was turned down. The Seahawks would like more than just a second round draft pick clearly after seeing Khalil Mack go to Chicago for two first round picks. Clearly Earl Thomas is at the end of his prime however still one of top the free safeties in this league. Why wouldn’t you want get Earl Thomas by any means, if your Jerry Jones  and believe that your not far from a Super Bowl, than why not to make sure.

Every offseason in some shape or form we anticipate what kind of season America’s team is going to have.  They haven’t seemed to be making any splashes in free agency and they draft just enough to say their good but not enough to be precise. Every offseason as of lately they’ve been signing a lot of subpar players. They’ve drafted pretty well and could make the case that it is about time that their prospects will emerge.

This offseason former Seattle Seahawks defensive backs coach Kris Richard was signed to the team. Knowing although Dallas has potential talent in that area there are still some uncertainties in the secondary. In this year’s draft they didn’t draft any positions in the secondary knowing their are some vacant spots that need to be filled. In the past two offseasons they’ve let go 5 defensive backs in total three cornerbacks and two safeties all starters fro the team.

In the 2017 Draft they picked up Chidobe Awuizie, Jourdan Lewis, Xavier Woods, Kavon Frazier, and Marquez White. Last season Lewis showed he capable of being starter, Woods showed his versatility, Awuizie only played 5 full games but showed that he has potential, Frazier showed flashes, and White didn’t make the team. On that note it’s hard to believe that with this young secondary they can to where they want for sure.  Xavier Woods tore his hamstring, Kavon Frazier has been having blood clots as well as other minor injuries, and starter Jeff Heath has been banged up the bit he even missed two games last year with a concussion.

Bringing in all the young talent that they have as well as coach Richard you would think the Dallas Cowboys are close to completing for a title. However, it would just take that one move to excel. They had a chance to acquire Earl Thomas through the NFL Draft fro a second rounder and they passed still to this day considering the circumstances and the setbacks they have they still haven’t to look at any big name safeties on the market like George Iloka and Eric Reid who is still available but it is very unlikely they even look his way. Neither are they showing any interest in trading for Earl Thomas.

For insurance they signed safety Jeron Johnson who played under coach Kris Richard during his time in Seattle. Johnson is a Boise State alum as well which figures why Dallas is somehow sold on him. He’s only started three games in his 7 year career which doesn’t seem to be the kind of guy that help the team better. For whatever reasons the Cowboys are no longer taking chances with players they haven’t drafted which can be a problem at times when you need veteran players for depth.

Its been a solid four months since the Dallas Cowboys have parted ways with their former star receiver Dez Bryant. He turned down a deal with the Baltimore Ravens that was worth $21 million for 3 years. Since turning down that offer he’s been very picky where he plays neither has any team really been dying to reach out and sign him like he would think.

Two weeks ago during a press conference Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey expressed interest in Dez Bryant. The absence of wide receiver Josh Gordon and the uncertainty of his return has brought the idea of bringing Bryant in for a shot. Problem is when the Browns were originally reaching out to Bryant and his club they weren’t returning calls. Many things haven’t went right for Bryant lately from his decline in production since 2014, injuries, being released poorly 2 weeks prior to the NFL draft, and many misconception of what kind of player and teammate Dez Bryant is today. Is it some of Dez’s fault things are going left, maybe. Does Dez need put his pride to the side and understand that he is starting a new chapter of his NFL career, which means possibly taking lesser role, yes. However the way things are looking for Cleveland they could use Dez Bryant and should land a deal.

They traded Corey Coleman to the Buffalo Bills, Josh Gordon is dealing with issues off the field related, and Jarvis Landry is highly productive but not very gifted physically. With new additions and talent already in Cleveland, adding Dez Bryant to the mix can be a plus.

During his time in Dallas he was always known to have nasty attitude with teammates, coaches, and with the media it has now cost him his job in Washington.  After Washington traded Kendall Fuller to Carolina and signed Scandrick, it was pretty clear that Orlando Scandrick’s role with the team was going to be major. Playing on the opposite side of Josh Norman could’ve been good for both sides a chance of redemption twice a year against his former team and for the Skins to have another veteran presence in the locker room.

Orlando Scandrick has never really been a great vocal leader during his time in Dallas. Neither was he ever the number one corner at any point consistently. He has eight interceptions in nine seasons and has dwelt injuries. Never has Scandrick been to Pro Bowl or been a real playmaker. Players who have high production with high personality are tolerated.  Those with high personality who give you limited production not so much.

After being cut from the team Scandrick is set to visit the Kansas City Chiefs.

Final Four Team Loyola-Chicago

Another Surprised Team made it to the Final Four.         

On March 30, 2018, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, the Full Court Press covered the Final Four. The Loyola-Chicago Ramblers a team who hasn’t appeared in the Final Four for over five decades were to play Michigan in their Final Four matchup.

For the most part, it’s the powerhouse teams that usually dominate the NCAA tournament however it’s always an unusual team slips up high on the brackets. An 11^th seed team made the semifinal and intended to make a statement for Loyola-Chicago basketball. Loyola-Chicago being the fourth team in NCAA basketball to be an 11^th ranked team to appear in the Final Four. Other teams to accomplish that was LSU in 1986, George Mason in 2006, and VCU in 2011. Last time we recall the Ramblers being this great was back in 1963 when the team went on to win the NCAA National Championship title against Cinncinati.

This past Friday witnessed a team in person a team that was hard working basketball team from a university that was Catholic faith driven. The face of Loyola-Chicago University Sister Jean who receives high praise for her influence on religion. Sister Jean who is the chaplain of the University has a major influence on the basketball team. Unintentionally becoming a celebrity and now a 98-year-old icon. Sister Jean was thrilled receiving the recognition she deserved, “I’m very surprised at the attention I’m receiving for pushing my boys to be great in their profession,” Sister Jean being asked about all the attention she gets from the media. “I’m shocked Sister Jean is this big I honestly wasn’t expecting her to be bigger than us at this,” Marques Townes on Sister Jean. Guard Marques Townes also mentioned her as a good motivator. “Sister Jean would always uplift us whether if it’s talking to us in the locker room,  the greeting us coming in and out of the tunnels, and after every game, she would email us on our performance telling us the good and the bad.”

Townes is a former high school teammate of young NBA Star Karl-Anthony Towns who told Marques Towns after his team making the Final Four said: “Finish it for me.” Marques Townes and Karl-Anthony Towns both attended St. Joseph High School in New Jersey. “He’s a really good person he’s always has been a big brother to me and he talks a lot,” Marques Towns on Karl-Anthony Towns.

During Loyola’s travels, they’ve come across NBA players of the Oklahoma City Thunder. “It was nice seeing Carmelo, Paul George, especially Westbrook. I ran into Raymond Felton on the elevator and just told me good luck,” Marques Townes on meeting NBA players.

Sister has made an impact on Loyola-Chicago basketball just as much she has in the city of Chicago helping those in need with scholarships, mainly targeting those in the inner-city who maybe less fortunate. Having her Final Four charity going towards the Big Shoulder Fund in Chicago. Sister Jean also gave her support to her sisters of Blessed Virgin Mary. BVM principles are freedom, education, charity, and justice. The overall impact and success was a reflection of Loyola’s season to remember. Something of what they call a Cinderella story. A college basketball team that isn’t known for being so dominant has a chance at making a National Championship appearance which hasn’t been done in 55 years.

“We go in every day with the same routine not really changing anything because what we’ve been doing is working,” head coach Porter Moser on the practices with the team. “I’ve really been stressing, in particular, the defensive side of the ball. The level of guard play is at an all-time high and our perimeter defense has to be solid.” Facing up against one the premier guards of NCAA basketball in Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rhahkman and the 6-11 center from Germany Moritz Wagner. Mortiz the 69^th Wolverine player to play a 100 plus games and the 46^th to reach 1,000 points or more. “I am very confident in the versatile style of play,” Wagner when asked about his versatility. “We understand that they are a very talented team across the board the board we just have to match up with them,” said Marques Townes Coming into the semifinals as the underdogs the Ramblers wanted to prove everyone wrong.