Tony Romo raves about ‘generational’ Scottie Scheffler after Masters victory
Dallas Cowboys 2023 draft review: Opening statements left plenty to be desired
The 2024 NFL draft is right around the corner and with the No. 24 overall pick the Dallas Cowboys have a chance at striking gold.
As the draft nears, let’s look back at the top five draft picks during Jerry Jones’ ownership of the Cowboys.
Draft: 1989, first round, first overall
Position: Quarterback
The first player the Cowboys selected under the ownership of Jerry Jones became the most successful quarterback in franchise history. Aikman wasn’t the most athletic quarterback ever to wear the star on his helmet. He wasn’t the most mobile or statistically the most accurate. But the team captured three Super Bowl titles during his leadership, and Aikman thrived in big games.
The Cowboys won the Lombardi trophy every time Aikman led them to the Super Bowl, including Super Bowl XXVII when he was named MVP. He compiled an 11-4 career record in postseason starts. And though the Cowboys were not a good team upon Aikman’s arrival, he teamed up with Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith to quickly turn the franchise’s fortunes around.
After a rugged rookie season during which he lost all 11 starts, Aikman went 94-60 for the remainder of his regular-season career. He held or tied 47 club passing records at his retirement.
Draft: 1990, first round, 17th overall
Position: Running back
No back in NFL history has rushed for more yards than Smith. And given the changes in the game since Smith’s retirement, it’s a record that could stand the test of time. Smith finished his career with 18,355 yards on the ground and 164 touchdowns.
He wasn’t the flashiest back of his generation, but he was far and away the most durable and consistent. Smith announced his arrival with a season that earned him offensive rookie of the year. He led the NFL in rushing four times, broke the 1,000-yard barrier in a season 11 times and was both league and Super Bowl MVP during the 1993 season.
In addition to his accomplishments on the ground, Smith caught 515 passes for another 3,224 yards and 11 touchdowns in his career.
Draft: 1994, second round, 46th overall
Position: Guard
Allen is the rare athlete who was twice named to all-decade teams, first for the 1990s and then again in the 2000s. He was All-Pro seven seasons and made 11 trips to the Pro Bowl (10 as a Cowboy), a franchise record he held alone for more than a decade. Tight end Jason Witten tied the mark with his 11th berth after the 2017 season. Allen, a hulking lineman, blocked for eight of Emmitt Smith’s 11 seasons surpassing 1,000 yards rushing.
He played every position but center during his Cowboys career and was named to the Pro Bowl as a tackle and a guard. Bruce Matthews and Chris Hinton are the only other players in NFL history to pull off the two-position Pro Bowl combo. In a sport known for brute strength, Allen is legendary. He was able to bench press 700 pounds and squat lift 900 during his playing days.
Amazingly, at 325 pounds, he had some wheels, too:
I’ve seen this video too many times to count and every time my favorite part are the announcers saying “LARRY ALLEN” in pure astonishment after he runs down this linebacker. pic.twitter.com/8UjzVVh3pU
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) July 6, 2018
Draft: 2005, first round, 11th overall
Position: Outside linebacker/defensive end
Few players have gotten to the quarterback more in their career than Ware. He totaled 117 sacks in nine seasons with the Cowboys, making him the franchise’s all-time leader. He recorded double-digit sacks in seven consecutive seasons, only the fifth person in NFL history to accomplish that feat.
It took the Cowboys linebacker 113 games to reach the 100-sack plateau. Hall of Famer Reggie White (96 games) is the only player in league history to get there quicker. A Pro Bowl fixture before leaving for the Broncos, he made seven consecutive trips for Dallas. Ware retired after the 2016 seasons with 138.5 career sacks, the eighth most in NFL history.
In August of 2023 Ware joined the first three entries on this list in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor shortly after.
Draft: 2003, third round, 69th overall
Position: Tight end
In 2012, he set the NFL single-season record for catches by a tight end. In 2015 he surpassed 1,000 receptions in his career. Witten spent the first 16 years of his NFL career with the Cowboys, with a one-year break to go to the Monday Night Football booth. His 1,215 receptions rank fourth in league history and is a franchise record. Witten also holds club records for yards receiving (12,977), most receptions in a single game (18), most games played (239) and most consecutive starts (179).
Witten played the final games of his career as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, signing a one-day contract with Dallas to retire in 2021. Since his retirement he had a stint in the broadcast booth before starting his journey through the high school coaching ranks. His success continued: As head coach of Argyle Liberty Christian, he led the Warriors to the TAPPS Div. II state championship title.
— Dallas Cowboys 2023 draft review: Opening statements left plenty to be desired
— The 2024 NFL draft’s best offensive linemen, including Joe Alt, JC Latham and others
— Potential Dallas Cowboys targets for each round of the NFL draft
— Calvin Watkins’ seven-round Cowboys mock draft: Boosting OL early; Speedy Day 2 pick?
—2024 NFL mock draft roundup: See whom experts say Cowboys will select at No. 24
Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
LOS ANGELES — With all eyes on Luka Doncic’s ability to power through a right knee sprain and an illness, he led the Dallas Mavericks to a 123-93 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. He racked up 35 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds after shooting
Among the adjustments the Mavericks made was to more frequently deploy double big lineups with Maxi Kleber on the court next to one of Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II. It was challenging for the Clippers to attack the paint or get clean looks from beyond the arc, proving to be the result of Dallas tightening up significantly on that front.
Doncic got off to a strong start in the game, getting to the rim more frequently than in prior performances and having his short-range touch in his favor. He scored 15 points while shooting 7 of 10 from inside the arc. However, he continued to struggle to make his 3-point attempts, missing all five he took before halftime.
The Clippers were unable to receive additional dynamic performances from Paul George or James Harden in this match after they both dominated in Game 4. After the Clippers led by two points late the first quarter, Dallas began to take over and never looked after closing the first.
Aside from Maxi Kleber’s four made 3-pointers in the first half, the Mavericks sorely struggled in the perimeter shooting department, going 1 of 15 outside Kleber’s 4 of 6. Beyond Doncic’s 15 points, he added six assists and five rebounds at the break, while Irving had six points and five assists.
The Mavericks struggled to handle Terance Mann and Ivica Zubac throughout the first half, but the rest of the Clippers struggled to contribute. Both players added double-figure scoring, with Zubac having 13 points on 6 of 7 shooting and Mann adding 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting. The rest of the team had 22 points on 7 of 31 shooting at the break.
After a near 24-second shot clock turnover forced by the defense, the Mavericks pushed the pace with Irving throwing a no-look lob to Gafford for an acrobatic finish. The play put Dallas ahead by double figures for the first time, occurring late in the second quarter.
After a series of incredible plays from the Mavericks’ superstar backcourt, including a flashy behind-the-back move into an inside finish from Irving, later followed by Doncic hitting a tough short-range jumper, then Doncic finishing an and-one, Dallas had broken the game open. The Mavericks led by as many as 25 points midway through the third quarter, with Doncic and Irving making no shortage of savvy offensive plays and strong defensive execution to back them up.
There was a significant rise in the frequency the Clippers blitzed Doncic after Irving checked out of the game late in the third quarter. With Dallas deploying a bigger lineup, Doncic signaled to his unit to play out of Horns while having a big in the dunker spot, posing problems for Los Angeles.
The Mavericks closed the third quarter with a four-point play out of the corner from Josh Green being a big play. Dallas continued to control the momentum. Doncic hit a step-back 3-pointer after drawing Zubac on a switch, followed by Irving hitting a paint jumper, pushing the Mavericks’ lead to 27, and entering a timeout with 7:25 left to play.
Continuing to pour it on the Clippers, Doncic attacked the paint for an and-one on a floater to push the Mavericks’ lead to 30 points. He checked out after intentionally fouling following making his free throw. Dallas held a lead too substantial for Los Angeles to make a rallying effort.
The next installment of this series will take place on Friday, May 3, at American Airlines Center.
Dallas Mavericks @ Los Angeles Clippers
Regular Season Records: Dallas 50-32, Los Angeles 51-31
Current Series Standings: Dallas 2, Los Angeles 2
On Wednesday, the Dallas Mavericks will fight it out against the Los Angeles Clippers in a Western Conference playoff contest at 10:00 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena. Despite being away, the Mavericks are looking at a three-point advantage in the spread.
While the experts predicted the Mavericks would be headed into the game after a victory, that’s not how things played out against the Clippers on Sunday. The Mavericks took a 116-111 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Clippers.
Despite the loss, the Mavericks had strong showings from Kyrie Irving, who scored 40 points along with seven rebounds and five assists, and Luka Doncic, who dropped a triple-double on 29 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists. Doncic had some trouble finding his footing against the Clippers on Friday, so this was a step in the right direction.
Even though they lost, the Mavericks smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as the Clippers only pulled down five.
The two teams are all tied up in their series so far, with two wins each. Check back here after the game to see who wins this pivotal Game 5 matchup.
Dallas is a 3-point favorite against Los Angeles, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Clippers as a 1-point favorite.
The oddsmakers are predicting a defensive showdown and set the over/under low at 208 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Los Angeles has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Dallas.
The city of Dallas once again wants to monetize its sidewalks. Later today, the Dallas City Council will be briefed on a plan to enter into a contract in June with a company that will plant interactive digital kiosks in downtown and other neighborhoods, likely on sidewalks. The vendor would make money from advertising and share the revenue with the city for permission to use Dallas’ right of way.
We’ve been through this before. There are 137 bulbous kiosks presently jutting out into walking paths all over the city, from downtown up to Forest Lane. The City Council unanimously approved them in 2005 and by the next year, then Mayor Laura Miller was complaining about the “giant spaceship[s]” on our public sidewalks. Whoops! Today, 18 years since their installation, some slump and lean. The plastic that covers the ad has turned scratched and cloudy, a decent canvas for quick graffiti. Some of them were placed, as the image above these words shows, right where people walk. The city can’t pull them up until 2026, when the existing contract expires.
I suppose it’s important to note that the kiosks the City Council will learn about today are not exactly like the tubes that we’ve learned to live with. They’re sleeker, about 8 feet tall and 3 feet wide, compared to the 6-foot-tall, 4-foot-deep stubs that don’t do much other than show you an Amazon Prime ad. The new ones will have wifi. They can provide directions and highlight events and other amenities. Some can have EV charging, which might work near parks. The presentation also lists such unbelievably vague and nebulous benefits as, in the city’s words, “limitless innovation” that promises “development of state-of-the-art content and features.”
So they’re like a bunch of really big, static smartphones that we may or may not have to dodge as we’re walking to work. And we’ll have them by the World Cup! And when the World Cup leaves, we’ll still have them.
Since 2006, the city has made $16.7 million from the kiosk program, which sort of sounds like the municipal version of a low-yield savings account. There are many people who don’t think the potential revenue is worth the risk of worsening our already subpar pedestrian infrastructure. Too, the Department of Public Works didn’t ask for public input before putting the matter out to bid. Downtown businesses, already frustrated by the existing obstacle course of kiosks, raised a stink. In February, the City Council ordered public works to pull the bid and hold a couple of listening sessions, which concluded this week.
They did not find much support for the idea.
“This plan has been met with overwhelming opposition from stakeholders throughout the greater Downtown area who say there is no appetite for more urban sidewalk obstructions,” said Jennifer Scripps, the executive director of Downtown Dallas Inc. Her concerns were echoed by Councilmember Paul Ridley, whose district includes downtown, Uptown, and portions of East Dallas. DDI on Tuesday night sent a letter to Council urging them to deny issuing another Request for Proposals. (The RFP is the formal name for the bid.)
Stephanie Hudiburg, the executive director of the Deep Ellum Foundation, pointed to the special purpose sign district ordinance that explicitly bans digital displays and signage in the neighborhood just east of downtown. (The foundation hasn’t submitted an official stance to the city, but it seems like they got ahead of the issue.)
“A large part of the intent behind that particular rule was to preclude digital kiosks, which city staff can attest to,” she wrote in an email. “As a historic district, our stakeholders prioritized an analog vs. digital aesthetic as most fitting to Deep Ellum.”
The city’s own presentation lists a litany of concerns: impeding walkability, violating ADA, vehicular distractions, “negative aesthetic,” and potential for vandalism. The two pros include public safety additions like emergency call buttons and cameras, and the promotional aspect of “showcasing local businesses.”
Intentional or not, the RFP appears tailored for an Ohio-based vendor called IKE Smart City, LLC. (That stands for Interactive Kiosk Experience.) Dallas employees identified 18 other cities that have entered into agreements with the company, each of which makes sure to say that their 8-foot-tall kiosks are “multilingual” and “ADA-compliant.” The city wants to move quickly. It is asking Council for permission to reissue the RFP in May and approve it by June.
During a briefing last May, Hatefi could not say how many are being proposed or where they might be located. That would get worked out in the contract. Too, the city doesn’t seem to know how much revenue this might bring in. We do know the revenue is tied to selling ads, so Hatefi expected they would be placed near “the most advantageous locations that their advertising could generate revenue.” Which likely means in places where people are walking. (And 20 percent of them will be in “equity zones” defined by the city.)
City records show that registered lobbyist Randall Bryant organized at least two meetings in 2022 with Assistant City Manager Robert Perez on behalf of IKE Smart City. There was also a phone call with City Councilmember Tennell Atkins that same year. (Bryant didn’t respond to questions.)
There are scenarios where these can work. Dallas Area Rapid Transit has installed more than 300 digital kiosks near some of its bus and rail stations, which are set aside and deliver status updates to riders. The kiosks being considered by the city of Dallas are clearly intended for tourists. Maybe they work around Fair Park, as Councilmember Adam Bazaldua has suggested, or the Southern Gateway Deck Park once it opens. Klyde Warren, the Farmers Market, the future convention center—sure, maybe, but they shouldn’t be in sidewalks.
You can probably walk outside your office right now and find an example of why.
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