BLITZ BLOG

The Cleveland Cavaliers are pulling out all the stops to keep their hometown star Lebron James including this video they showed at their free agent meeting.

They are most intimidating fans in the NFL, well at least the most intimidating skinny white guys with street cones in the NFL. That's right, die hard Washington Redskins have created a sort of hardcore club that yells obscenities at opposing fans in the parking lot. Their main goal is spread Redskin propaganda and deter opposing fans from entering FedEx Field. The individual who has named himself the "Mayor" explains how he plans to maintain the pristine reputation that Redskins fans have across the league. He wants every fan in the NFL to know that coming to FedEx field is a family friendly experience that shouldn't be missed. Hey, it's only a football game, no reason to take it too seriously and hurl profanities at one another and scare little children.



Here is an except from their website: http://www.deadtreecrew.com/

During the 70th Anniversary season, the DTC brought the ruckus with one of the best tailgates in FedEx Field history at the Monday Night Football game against Philadelphia including the entire F-51 lot singing “Hail to the Redskins” led by the founding DTC members directing from atop a Suburban. A record number of Philly fans were turned away from F-51 that day, beginning the domination of the DTC over F-51. Later that year, The C.E.O unleashed the Porta-potty incident during which he destroyed a Colts fan taking a dump in the Porta-potty in the north corner of F-51. Since then, that particular Porta-potty has been used sparingly.





What are they doing when their not making Cowboys fans cry by yelling into a street cone? They make gangsta rap videos and their latest hit "Hit a Muthafukka Eagles fan" is screaming up the DC charts.



The song doesn't start until the 2:00 minute mark but you have to admire these guys commitment to making sure the rest of the NFL knows the Redskins are more than just a bunch of overpaid free-agents. They are a bunch of overpaid free agents with absolute nut jobs for fans. Remember the last Redskin fans that had massive "Daddy issues"?


That's us!

The first 20 minutes of the game will make you understand that this game is ahead of it's time in terms of technological content. The team at Rockstar games created the early 1900 down to the very last detail including the drunk guys stumbling out of the saloon. The gameplay world is a wide open sandbox complete with night/day cycles and random weather generation. Imagine riding across the prairie and seeing a cloud of thunderheads with flickering lighting off on the distance, yep you're in for a major storm. It might be time to go play some poker/blackjack/liar's dice in the local saloon and ride out the soaking rain storm. The game is so packed with things to do and random gunfights that it might take you 20+ hours to get through the main story.


Launch trailer

The game play is tight and includes some pretty sweet Max Payne bullet-time slow mo that allows you to pick off multiple bandits while blazing through a hideout on horseback. The story is solid with top notch voice actors and includes one of the all time great soundtracks in video game history. The Grand Theft Auto mission dynamics (ride here and do X and then go there and do Y) actually work better in this game because a lot of the game is experiencing the world and coming across random bandits robbing people/hunting game/treasure hunting with obscure maps. This is one of the most extensive and deep games in terms of content and technological breakthroughs I've ever played.

This is without question my heavy favorite for Game of the Year so far.




Where else can you punch a grizzly bear in the mouth with a group of your friends?
Warning : Strong Language




The video quality is crap but the hilarity is not. "F**k that bear!"

Warning: I've had this song stuck in my head for two freaking weeks.

By Geoff Case






Caron Butler hadn’t fully earned his nickname “Tough Juice” in Dallas until he dropped a career playoff-best 35 points and had 11 rebounds last night. In a herculean display of aggression, Butler relentlessly drove to the rim and muscled his way to secure rebounds. The entire team followed suit outplaying the Spurs from the opening tip but still only lead by seven at the half. “He had a great rhythm going,” Dallas Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle said. “I was really thrilled to see him have a big game like that. … Caron’s always aggressive. I thought his game tonight was a function of not only how well he was playing, but the guys around him had a feel for getting him the ball, creating space for him to drive, that sort of thing.” Dallas would open the third quarter with a 10-0 run that included a lay-up by Butler and a pair of free throws and the Spurs would soon call it quits. Opting to rest their starters and prepare for Game 6 in San Antonio on Thursday night in the hostile AT&T Center. “We had a wonderful opportunity tonight,” Spurs Coach Greg Popovich said. “We gave it away.”The Spurs lead the series 3-2, and will try and land their best punch in San Antonio on Thursday. The veteran squad knows how hard it is to close out a series on the road and doesn’t want to make a return trip to Dallas. Only eight teams in NBA history have ever blown a 3-1 lead so the odds are still in their favor.

Fellow new-comer Brendan Haywood was inserted into the starting line-up over Erick Dampier and provided a strong inside presence at both ends. “It was a decision to change the dynamics a little bit,” Rick Carlisle said of the lineup change. “It was a bit of a gut feel. I just felt the time was right to do it. Damp was great about it.” Haywood had eight points and eight rebounds on only three shots. The aggressive nature of his play helped him to get to the free throw line and got several key players in foul trouble. However, he made only 6-of-12 free throws. It seemed like the Mavs finally played an entire game at the heighten energy level required to win tough playoff games. The team has been known to coast at times during the season especially after securing a big lead. Now that the Mavericks face elimination there appears to be no lack of intensity. “This series is all about being aggressive, the kind of spirit you bring to it,” Carlisle said. “There were plenty of times tonight when our team wasn’t necessarily in the right place coverage-wise, but we hard-played our way through it. That’s what it takes. We’re going to have to continue with this going forward.”

The biggest milestone that was passed on Tuesday night was the Mavericks finally won a game without having to rely on Dirk Nowitzki to carry them over the finish line. The entire team played with a sense of desperation that transferred into securing rebounds and loose balls that had been going San Antonio’s way. The Mavericks will need to keep up the intensity and circle the wagons in San Antonio if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Note: The Mavs’ Jason Terry has finished second to Hawks guard Jamal Crawford for NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors.

He are some of my in game notes from Game 2:

-I was surprised to see George Hill starting over Tony Parker once again but noticed during Hill's pregame warm-ups that he looked pretty sharp. I don't think the ankle is bothering him as much as it did in game one.

- The Spurs got Dirk Nowitzki into early foul trouble and the Mavs offense never got started. It was a line-up where Caron Butler and Jason Kidd were the primary options for points. Butler was having an off night (6-17) and it screeched the offense to a slow crawl.

- Carlisle debuts the three guard line-up to mixed success.

- I wondered when the slow starts of the regular season would rear it's ugly head. I think in these situations when the Mavs lack intensity and energy it's time to free Roddy B!

-At the 9:49 mark of the first quarter I noted that every Maverick except Damp had one foul.

-9:14, Damp finally picks up his foul.

- Parker's dibble penetration set up a majority of the Spurs successful baskets.

- George Hill is constantly trying to create his own one man fast break.

- Butler was pulled early to start the game, was this because of the 3 blown defensive assignments that Rick Carlisle noted in his press conference?

- Terry finally got hot but continued to fire questionable jump shots in the fourth quarter.

- Out rebounded 51-42 on the boards, the Mavs were definitely out hustled tonight.

- Richard Jefferson finally earned his paycheck this week.

- Tony Parker's "Balance Toi" music video was shown at half time to a chorus of boos from mavs fans.

Check it out.

1. Portland - If Brandon Roy is really hurt then this is your best bet.

2. San Antonio - This is the most likely scenario that will play out. The Spurs are still a great team especially with Ginobli playing out of his mind right now. I don't think they have enough weapons to outlast the Mavs because San Antonio can go on severe scoring droughts. I think Duncan is playing on half a leg right now and am anxious to see if he can ramp up his game for another post-season.

3. Thunder - Even though this is very unlikely, I don't think anybody wants a piece of what Kevin Durant's serving up these days. The Lakers are going to have their hands full.

Greatest highlight in Mavs history?

Get out of the way ballboy!



The Clippers shouldn't cash in their paychecks for this game, they didn't even try.



By the way if you haven't heard Jason Kidd's rap song from 1994 by now..............

Mavs put on the best show in the NBA every year.



The Big Nowitzki



Mavs Musk Body Wash



Tron



Roddy, Roddy, Roddy

The Mavericks trade with the Wizards was basically a salvage sale and Dallas was the first in line at the scene of the . Getting two players so perfectly streamlined to fix our team's problem areas and get rid of the slumping Josh Howard was any GM's dream scenario. Give some credit to Donnie Nelson and the Cubes for pulling off highway robbery while the Wizards push the reset button on the Gilbert Arenas era.

I can't blame them for wanting to rebuild but the story here is that two contenders just got remarkably better. Dallas finally gets the tough interior big-man that instantly takes them up two pegs defensively. The Mavericks haven't had a center the caliber of a Brendan Haywood in Dirk's entire career in Dallas. We finally have people that will commit hard fouls and get in the opponents face. I felt like there was a transformation during the Suns game. They started out flat as usual but progressively started to generate turnovers. They started to out-hustle the Suns for boards and began to simply push them around. The new Mavs were visibly excited after the game. I think they finally realized what I described, they are tailor made for this team.


On top of that we got "Tuff Juice" (Caron Butler) who is a realistic 2nd scoring option for Rick Carlisle. When Kobe Bryant says "Your gonna love this kid" to the Dallas fans that usually is a good thing. He's tough and physical and provides an additional athletic outlet for Kidd on the fast break. The most important detail in the trade is we kept our options open for the Summer of 2010 because I just realized we hosted the biggest recruitment trip in NBA history. I wonder how many 100,000 crowds they could draw if LeBron James played for the Mavericks? I bet that wasn't far from Lebron's mind either.

Check out this Ben and Skin interview
"we do things on a bigger scale here in Dallas." Cuban is trying to lure the All-Star free agents using the Cowboys stadium as the big old carrot. Damn, I'm starting to see Mad Mark's master scheme come together and it's brilliant.

I keep having this dream that goes a little something like this:


Will the Mavericks be playing any games at Cowboys Stadium?





They sure are buddy!






The Cavaliers got Antwan Jameson as another quality big to throw at the Lakers. The former Mavs is a great rebounder and has got a perimeter jumper that will be lethal outlet for the galloping LeBron James.

The Mavericks have limped to the All-Star break and will hopefully use this time to regroup for the second half of the season. The mixed messages from the front office have gone from “we like our group” to “we’re exploring our options.” It’s impossible to say that the recent struggles haven’t influenced the Mavs in conjuring up trade negotiations. The Mavs need someone who can be a secondary scoring threat alongside Dirk. Jason Terry has been that in recent years but he’s the easiest threat opposing teams can neutralize because he’s a jump shooter. Josh Howard has been inconsistent the last three years due to injuries and isn’t reliable enough to fill that role. The Mavs might pull the trigger before the trade deadline but don’t be surprised if they hold off until the summer when multiple superstars will be available. Who are the Mavs looking at before the deadline? The package that’s likely being shopped is Josh Howard and whoever’s contact would make the numbers work out. Keep in mind these are all based off rumors.

The Sixers’ Andre Igudola and Elton Brand- The Sixers are wanting to unload Brand’s gut wrenching contract and are willing to give up Iggy to do that. This would be an expensive trade for the Mavs.

The Kings’ Kevin Martin- The Kings are trying to figure out how to get Martin and Tyreke Evens to complement each other but it’s not happening. The Mavs would have to most likely get another team involved here so it’s highly unlikely but still possible.

The Clippers’ Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby – The Clippers recently demoted Mike Dunleavy as head coach to strictly GM. This change could influence the availability of one of their bigs whom the Mavs should be interested in.

The Wizards’ Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood- Word is that the Mavs have cooled on their option of Butler because of his struggles this season but he’s available for the right price. The Mavs should be asking about Haywood because we’ve always have need for defensive centers.


Upcoming Opponents:

2/16 vs Oklahoma City Thunder – This young and talented roster has the most future potential in the NBA. Durantula has still yet to consistently have big games against the Mavs.

2/17 at Phoenix Suns – The Mavs blew a fourth quarter lead to Steve Nash and Company last outing. Expect the Mavs to be focused for this one.

Here is a potential deal that the Mavericks should be looking out for.

The Sixers have been rumored to be offering Samuel Dalembert and Andre Iguodala to the Rockets for Tracy McGrady and his expiring contract. Those two would offer significant upgrades for the Mavs and could unload Josh Howard and Erick Dampier and their expiring deals. I think Cuban and Donnie should be on the phone with Philly right now. Dalembert is likely on the downside of his career but is still a good defensive presence and there would virtually no difference offensively from what we've gotten from Dampier. Iggy could provide Dallas with what we've been needing for a long time here. The second scoring option that could take some of the load off Dirk. He'll make a marathon of going to the basket and has good court sense and is willing to pass the ball, something Howard has lacked throughout his career. It may not be Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade but it would really dissolve some the issues that have plagued this team for years.

Props to Bill Ingram at hoopsworld.com for coming up with the scenario.

Nothing concrete yet but if the Sixers are looking for cap relief the Mavs can offer them just as much and with more flexibility than the McGrady deal would allow. The real question is whether Mark Cuban is willing to take on Iggy's huge financial commitment and if he thinks it would truly send them over the top. The Mavs have been reported to be making some offers to the Jazz for Carlos Boozer so it doesn't look like Dallas is worried about money. The Mavericks need to make a move before Nowitzki's window closes for good and this could help.

Wanna try to see if you could make your fantasy NBA deal work? Check out this trade machine at ESPN.com.

Tony goes loco!

Tony Romo reverted to his alter ego "Mr. ." Remember the guy who shuffles his feet, throws ill advised passes to the opposition, and treats the football like it's covered in a thin layer of bacon grease? He's back. The good thing is at this point of the season we only have to see him once before the whole things over. Okay, I might be a little harsh on the guy because to be honest he was scrambling around for his life back there. Losing Flozell Adams pretty much sealed the deal on the Vikings getting a consistent pass rush. I honestly doubt we'd even win that game if he'd stayed in. The Vikings were by far the more physically dominating team and should be a handful for the Saints. It was tough to watch the Cowboys not be able to come away with points on some key drives. It's been a problem throughout year and is directly related to Marion Barber's injury. Remember when we'd get to the red zone and let Marion do the rest? That running back was missing this season and hopefully it's got more to do with injuries rather than a multimillion dollar contract sucking the motivation out of him. The Cowboy defense played pretty well considering all the horrible positions they were put into by the multiple turnovers and fought to keep the game within reach. In the end the Cowboys were crushed by a dominating defense that turned Romo back into the bad Brett Farve imitation he rolls out from time to time. Somewhere Drew Bledsoe is kicking up his feet and cracking open a beer, and softly saying to himself. "F....in Tony Homo"



Looking back........
It's hard to be disappointed in a season that saw the first playoff win since the Clinton administration. Wade Phillips likely earned himself another year but it's hard to argue against it after the defense played so well down the stretch. I'd still wait to sign him onto an extension because there were still some red flags this season. The Cowboys don't seem to have very much discipline in retrospect, from multiple penalties and getting complacent after experiencing success. I think the players love playing for him because he's laid back and doesn't bust their ass all the time like Bill Parcells used to do. I wonder if this sudden inspired football was a result of Wade finally figuring out how to motivate this team or the players realizing that some hardass coach like John Gruden would be making their lives hell this off-season after Phillips got canned. The team has got some young players that could really blossom and turn this into a true contender. Felix Jones will never get enough carries in my book and Anthony Spencer finally started playing like he did in training camp. If the defense can play a whole season like this and Marion Barber revisits his days as the "Closer" we might be having a divisional playoff game at Jerryworld next year.



Season Awards:

Team MVP:
Miles Austin

Most Improved:
Mike Jenkins, Anthony Spencer, Miles Austin

Defensive Player of the Year:
DeMarcus Ware

Offensive Player of the Year:
Miles Austin, Felix Jones

WTF was that Award:
Roy Williams

Most Seagull Arms Award:
Bobby Carpenter

Highest point of the season:
Beating the Saints in the Superdome

Lowest point of the season:
A couple has sex on the urine soaked floor of a bathroom stall at JerryWorld / Ware gets carted off the field

Keep getting blitzed and thanks for checking us out!



The Packers worst nightmare continues



Does anyone else think Prince only likes the Vikes because they wear purple?

Here is the intro they played at Jerry World before the playoff game. It's been a long time coming and I don't think anybody wants a piece of what Dallas is breaking off these days.



Brooking gets the troops pumped up.

Cowboys beat the Eagles and win NFC EAST.

Cowboys defense get back to back shut outs? Pinch me I must be dreaming. They are finally playing up the hype and Wade Phillips is saving his job.

Some quick thoughts:

- Mike Jenkins is a top 5 corner in the NFL. Terence Newman might not be in the top 10 anymore.
- Screw the record, get Romo out of the game.
- DeSean Jackson was either hurt, or will be after Andy Reid watching his route running on the game film
- Jeremy Maclin doesn't hear footsteps, he watches them
- Doug Free had his best game as a pro.
- Marion Barber has lost whatever little "burst" he had.
- More touches for Felix Jones please.
- Bench Roy Williams and start Kevin Ogletree.
- Can we just switch Roy Williams and Miles Austin contracts?
- Anthony Spencer is becoming a stud, Bobby Carpenter however still blows goats

Images by: Matt Pearce

The first ever Cotton Bowl played in the new Cowboys Stadium had 12 total turnovers. Houston Nutt and Ole Miss played in the old Cotton Bowl Stadium last year and the first team to play in the Cotton Bowl at Cowboys Stadium. The first quarter was dominated by Ole Miss but they failed to put any points on the board. Dexter McCluster became the fourth Rebel all time to rush for 1,000 in a season with 10 first quarter carries for 41 yards. Jerrell Powe a 340 pound defensive tackle was given the ball on 3rd and goal from the one and was stopped at the goal line. The play was reviewed but the play stood. Ole Miss went for it again with Powe on fourth and one. He was stuffed again by a huge defensive stand. Early in the second quarter Jevan Snead threw his second interception of the game and was laid out when trying to make the tackle sending his helmet flying. It was ugly and he did not come back in the next series. Apparently he didn't suffer a concussion as he was not sent to an electrical closet. On the next Ole Miss possession backup quarterback Nathan Stanley handed the ball to McCluster who broke for an 86 yard touchdown, the second longest TD run in Cotton Bowl history. He became the first player in SEC history with over 1,000 yards rushing and 500 receiving. "I always dreamt about coming in and being an SEC runningback. A lot of people said I couldn't do it" he said after the game. A remarkable accomplishment for a guy who is only 5-9 and 170 pounds. He was the first runner to gain over 100 yards this year against OSU. The Cowboys only had three first downs in first half and 73 yards as opposed to 12 and 257. In the third quarter, OSU finally got on the board as running back Keith Toston threw a jump pass to Wilson Youman out of the wildcat formation to make it 7-7. Late in the third Oklahoma State went for it on fourth and goal from the one and was stopped. Ole Miss kicker Joshua Shene who had only missed three field goals all year missed his second of the game in fourth quarter. Was it the ghost of Nick Folk? OSU killed any hopes it had with six turnovers in the fourth quarter. Patrick Trahan of Ole Miss picked up a fumble and ran for 34 yards to end zone to make it 21-7 which was the final score. McCluster was named the Outstanding Offensive Player of the game for the second year in a row.

By: Craig Smith
“Sportsologist”
csmith@blitzweekly.com