The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most popular NFL teams in history and yet they are a team whose past glories seem to be far behind them. In the past, Texas fans could always look forward to a promising new season, given the Cowboys huge vat of resources thanks to the rich team owner Jerry Jones.

However, the latest news and indications of the lockout-affected season indicate major changes to come. The rumor is that a resolution of the NFL lockout (which is looking likely at this point, which is a good thing) is going to bring a salary cap of $120 million per team. If this is true, the Cowboys are already $18 million dollars over the limit. That means some major cuts, and some new limitations when it comes to signing free agents.

One of the biggest names amongst Cowboy free agents is Doug Free. Sources are suggesting that Free could command a large salary once the new season begins, and yet it may be more than the Cowboys can now afford–by law. How will the new cap affect players like DeMarcus Ware, who is currently making $6.7 million in base salary or Tony Romo who is making $9 million? Roy Williams is another much talked about name, as he didn’t have a great season in 2010-2011 and yet has a protruding $10 million salary that merits attention.

The Dallas Cowboys had a horrid season overall in 2010-2011, starting the season with 1-7 and ending the season at a disappointing 6-10. Immediately after the dreadful 1-7 record went into the books, the team announced that coach Wade Phillips was dropped and replaced by interim coach Jason Garrett. Cowboy fans had to watch as Super Bowl XLV took place in Arlington in the Cowboys Stadium, which no Cowboy anywhere in sight. It’s certainly reached a critical point, and this year money is an issue.

There is also talk of the Cowboys training camp being delayed for another couple of weeks, as there are still various legal issues that must be resolved. So thus far, we have a weak team recovering from a poor season, with financial limitations, with many big “ifs” and a late start. How do you think the NFL’s most expensive team will perform this year? Are you hoping for a miracle or is there still some legitimate hope left in Dallas?

With the hard hits that took place in week 6, including two by Pittsburgh Steelers‘ linebacker James Harrison, one by New England Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather and one by Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson. All three players were fined, with Harrison receiving a $75k fine and the other two being hit with a $50k fine each. The hits prompted the NFL to meet immediately, and create rules to prevent players leading with the head, helmet to helmet contact, and other hits deemed “flagrant” or intended to cause injury to another player.

The news has fans, and some players, in an uproar. Football has always been a dangerous – and violent – contact sport. While most agree that “dirty play” should be handled on a case-by-case basis, taking the hits and hard play out of the game will only result in the decline of its popularity.

So we want to know what YOU think. Would a “Steel Curtain” defense be the same, if the players aren’t allowed to hit in the same way they have for more than 75 years? Would the game be the same if a linebacker can’t go at a running back, for fear he will be suspended?

Speak your mind, football fans!

With week 3 in the books, there are some movers and shakers in the collective power ranking pool. The Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers have soared to the top, while pre-season analysis said the Bears were laden with trouble, and the Steelers would be lucky to go 2-2 without Big Ben for the first four games.  The New York Jets had – hands down – the best defense in the NFL.

What we find most interesting, though, is the way the Pittsburgh Steelers have rallied around adversity, touted as a team that is too old, and riddled with problems.  Not even making the post-season last year, the Steelers were – and are – determined to prove everyone wrong.  So far undefeated without their two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback, the Steelers defense has done an amazing job.  And the offense has allowed Charlie Batch to make plays. Entering week 4 of the 2010 NFL season, the Steelers have defeated the Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Not too long ago, Sports Illustrated columnist, Peter King, chose the Steelers to beat the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV. People joked.  They laughed.  They wanted to know what King was smoking when he made that prediction…  But the actions on the field do speak for themselves, don’t they?

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So early in the season, but so much happening. When you have your studs — and duds — picked, the NFL throws you for a loop. Maybe that is why we love it so much. In week two, we saw…

The Super Bowl defending New Orleans Saints lose Reggie Bush to a broken leg. Ouch. Many forecast that one Bush does not make a team. Others say that his loss wll be the team’s detriment. In fantasy world, people are dropping Bush faster than you can say spit. The StubPass folks are divided on whether or not the Saints can pull off a playoff run, without Bush in the mix for the time being…

In a “Leggo my Eggo” moment, Philadelphia Eagles‘ Michael Vick is the starter. There are none more waffly than Andy Reid, who can’t decide from one week to the next , who the starting QB spot belongs to. Initially, he was steadfast that the start belonged to Kevin Kolb. But wait. No. Now it’s Michael Vick. Granted, Vick did quite well for the Eagles. But the team needs to know who the leader is, more than the media does. Lordy.

Charlie Batch, of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was all but released just a few short weeks ago. In the absence of the 102 million dollar QB Ben Roethlisberger, the decision was made. Byron Leftwich was the starter, with Dennis Dixon as 2 string.

And then, Boom Boom Pow. The Steelers’ Leftwich is out with a knee injury and Dixon is the #1 — yet struggling — starter. But no, there’s more. Dixon finds himself in a jam with a knee injury requiring surgery, and now a Steelers (essentially) 4^th string veteran QB, Charlie Batch, is at the helm in week three. Backup? Antwan Randle El (who could, potentially, do quite well if need be). The Steelers defense needs to maintain…

You have got to love the NFL. Predictions mean nothing, when one has no idea what will happen from week to week.

So who is going to be in the “impact player”? What team will suffer more, because of those that cannot play? Will the Saints flounder — or be mediocre at best — without Reggie Bush? Will Michael Vick step up for the Eagles, and show he still has what it takes to be an elite NFL quarterback? Will the Steelers find success with Charlie Batch, and manage to squeak out one (or two) more wins, to take the Steelers to 4-0 upon Roethlisbergers return? Oh yeah — will Brett Favre retire, again, from the Minnesota Vikings? Talk to us.

With week one of the 2010 NFL regular season on the horizon, roster cuts are being made, and trade rumors abound. Whether players like the Cardinal’s Matt Leinart lost their starting positions to other players for the sub par performance, or holdouts like the Jets’ Darrelle Revis just became too much of a pain; teams are slowly but surely trimming their rosters to the required 53.

There are several teams in the market for quarterbacks, including the New York Giants and the Arizona Cardinals. Those who are rumored to be available shortly include current Cardinal’s QB Matt Leinart, Steeler’s QB Charlie Batch, and Viking’s QB Sage Rosenfels. The rumor mill churns that the Steelers may release Batch – an old, yet effective backup – and Arizona will scoop him up.

The New York Jets have been at a stalemate with CB Darrelle Revis, and it appears that, while unlikely, there is the possibility the Jets have tired of the holdout and could trade him over the weekend.

The talented, but injury prone, Marshawn Lynch may be bidding the Buffalo Bills a farewell this weekend. With the Bills having Fred Jackson and first round pick C.J. Spiller, Lynch may be with a new team soon.

Willis McGahee may well be on his way out of Baltimore Ravens, with the Ravens finding great success in Ray Rice. A trade may be in the works over the weekend, and Baltimore may be shipping McGahee off to the Denver Broncos – a team in need of some depth at the running back position.

While the rumor mill churns, fans (and teams) most likely won’t have any definitive answers to who is staying, who is going, or who is playing in week one until the weekend is over.

StubPass has an AMAZING selection of NFL tickets available now!

New York Giants | Eli Manning received 12 stitches in his head, after being lambasted by Jets’ linebacker Calvin Pace, losing his helmet, and having his head get a personal introduction to Jim Leonhard’s facemask.  A concussion was ruled out, but the Giants may be playing the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend without Manning.

Undrafted rookie free agent, Victor Cruz, made his Monday night football debut with significantly better results.  In addition the Giants’ unknown, undrafted wide receiver caught three touchdowns, with one of them being a literal one-handed grab resulting in a 64-yard run for the TD.

Pittsburgh Steelers | With Roethlisberger likely to start for the Steelers against the New York Giants at the New Meadowlands Stadium, there are still several questions regarding who the starting QB will be during Roethlisberger’s four to six game suspension.  It appeared as though Byron Leftwich had the job, but Dennis Dixon played well enough to keep the final decision under wraps.

Additionally, first-round draft pick, Maurkice Pouncey, was all but relegated to playing his first year as a guard now has Tomlin considering throwing him in the mix for the starting (if not rotating) position of center for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Having six seemingly good receivers has also put the future of Stefan Logan in jeopardy, and his performance against the Giants this weekend – or lack thereof – could be a determining factor in the Steelers’ decision.

San Francisco 49ers | Free agent running back, Brian Westbrook, signed a one-year contract with the  49ers.  Westbrook played with the Philadelphia Eagles for eight seasons.

Stay tuned for more information, and get your NFL tickets early!

It was a busy weekend for NFL football.  The Dallas Cowboys saw Emmett Smith inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, and the Cowboys beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the HOF Game, 16-7.  The Pittsburgh Steelers attended to enjoy Dick LeBeau’s induction, and we are now 3 days away from the start of the 2010 NFL pre-season.  Let’s have a look at the Thursday matchups.

Stay tuned for more information, and get your NFL tickets early!

As injuries and drama pile up across NFL training camps, there are some newsworthy bits to share…

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Well, OK, maybe we wouldn’t go that far, but at a Dallas Cowboys preseason event, all of the whispers, worries, jokes, and suspicions about the precariously low-perched video screen housing at the brand new, billion-dollar Cowboy’s Stadium were breathed new life. Whether it was just a little gust from the gods, an astoundingly fit A.J. Trapasso, or one isolated though predictable coincidence, a punt was actually hooded by the enormous video screen casing and redirected toward the ground at midfield.

How do you call that one, ref? The consensus is that referees will never have to deal with this ever-so-slightly-obvious-and-frighteningly-avoidable design choice during the regular season, as the president of the NFL has announced that he will be present for the preseason game being contested on the Cowboy’s home turf against San Francisco on Saturday.

We have to believe, as fans, that the entire game of football, all of its officiating rules, video replay systems, interference calls, and attention will not change because one stadium owner is allowed to hang his pricey, elaborate monitor too low over the field. We want to see the Cowboy’s recognized for what they do best, not for what their stadium contributes to the bloopers shows each year. Surely, this will not stand, or hang, very much longer.

On another note, the new Cowboy’s Stadium is a modern marvel, a beautiful facility with, seemingly, no other faults. The team and management are gearing up for what looks to be an exciting and very challenging season, and fans are getting ready to christen this new building in classic Texas style. For those of you who don’t know what style that is, just think Big. Everything is bigger in Texas, from the hats to the egos to the jumbotron monitors. Fans get your Dallas Cowboys tickets soon, it will be an event to remember!

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