The Rant

Did Parcells sound like he was joking in the press conference? I knew he was serious as soon as he said it. Whatever happened to the days when a player still stood on the sidelines in street clothes to be with and support the team? The plane was going anyway, and a charter means every seat was paid for. Did Jerry Jones invent a new marketing ploy where the player's seat is offered to a season ticket holder for a fee? As for Parcell's kicker decision, given that he's a coach who supposedly bases his decisions on performance, did he have much choice after Vanderjagt missed two game winning shots within 40 yards? If he gave him another chance for whatever reason, injury or not, and then Vand. missed them when it counted, the media would never let him live it down. "Why did you decide to play him when you knew he was having problems?" they'd ask. The saddest part to me, like the T.O. fiasco, is when a team, any team, forks over the big bucks to have these guys produce, then don't get what they paid for. Both players should give back a huge chunk of their paychecks AND signing bonuses. Maybe when teams get burned enough times, they'll start writing contracts that take injuries into consideration. Few people today in the real world get to stay home sick and still get paid, and even those folks are limited to the number of sick days per year which they can enjoy. Like about five of them.

You can't do much about these guys and injuries because of the nfl players association. The most you could do is work out an injury settlement like they did with cundiff last year. These guys don't even have guaranteed contracts and if you tried to penalize them for injuries on top of that it would cause big problems. Can anyone say strike? It's not like he hurt his groin out screwing around. Football related injuries can't be avoided. Few people out there in the real world would get fined or terminated for an on-the-job injury. Hell, some would even sue their employer.  

to bad t.o. wasn't treated like the white guy and left at home

I'm just a little leary when I see players with seemingly minor injuries take weeks to heal. Weeks and months for a hamstring? A groin pull? When the player was conditioned to begin with? Pllleeaaze! Any guy who has worked out in the gym with weights and knows how long it takes to recover from pulled muscles and soreness knows better. We ain't talking cracked ribs or sprained ankles here. If Vand. has really been injured, and his services or so critical, why is he even playing in a pre-season game with a chance to aggrevate it? Especially doing kick-offs! His field goal stroking style shows me that he punches the ball in, not worried about distance. His technique provides the consistency. But they should have kept him out of the pre-season game if he were supposedly injured, then let him kick a couple of days before to test it out. Did he miss those kicks cause he's still injured or cause he's past his prime? I'm not so sure. I think teams like to throw out 'injury' to the media when there may be other factors. I was always suspicious when they immediately started yelling 'neck injury' as the reason Nat Nguyen wasn't playing and 'might retire.' How convenient. I think it's sometimes a way for them to help a player save face, and for management to have a convenient excuse for a player not working out like they had hoped, whether it's talent or just a bad attitude. Has it occurred to anyone that T.O. has decided that at this point in life, he just doesn't want to do training camps or preseason games? Is Jerry Jones not the type that would want a player so badly, that he'd go along with the demands because he's a special player? Maybe it's all a conspiracy that's been planned since negotiations last spring...his agent said 'T.O. doesn't want to do that...how can we work this?"  A 'nagging' hamstring pull is as good an excuse as any... the ole' "injury that never heals" ploy. But yet he's still working out sometimes. Just long enough to decide it isn't really healed yet. And you never hear much about exactly when and how the injury took place to begin with, just that "he's been battling a 'nagging' such-n-such since whenever." Why don't we hear more about it the day it happens? When exactly were these guys injured? I guess I missed that report, never to be heard again. </br></br>As a side note, I do agree with Parcells that field goals are more important than kick offs, especially with a defense that's good enough to hold them when they start on their 40 yard line, but I think a kicker who can put it in the end zone consistently is a VERY valuable commodity. To force a team to start on their 20 each time, like teams used to do when kick offs were from the 40, to me is a big advantage. Why even risk a good return? And if the returner tries to show off by bringing one out from 5 yards deep in the endzone, you've got the chance to nail him inside the 20. I guess those days are gone until kickers start using steroids.  

A huge signing bonus of millions of dollars is guaranteed money, whether or not you want to say their contract is guaranteed. Besides, isn't it guaranteed as long as they are able and willing to play? I'm not into the contract structures, but I'd think that if you cut a guy after 2 years into his 4 year contract, (a guy who is still willing and able to play), you still have to pay on the last two years. Unless maybe another team signs him. Otherwise, they'd all have one-sided contracts or would do one-year deals instead.

In the real world, we all have to buy disability insurance. Why don't they? Too expensive? Ha, they can afford it. To get a 6-figure payoff for a hamstring pull aint a bad deal. Then go to the lake and fish, ala Randy White.

Each position can handle various injuries better and it goes without saying so does each person.  The expert up there that made a comment about a pulled muscle sure doesn't know anything about the hamestring and lower back and glutes and how they work together.  Ask Steve smith about over compensating on one leg and eventually pulling the hammy on that side.  I would have to say most of the people hear have strained a muscle but sure as hell haven't pulled one.  A pull is a tear in the muscle it usual bruises around the tear, the problem with the tear is not some much the muscle as it is the blood that "clotted" in the muscle that can cause issues if you come back to early.  TO's hammy was a non issue because Hines Ward and Steve Smith's were non issues.  As for Vandy if his groin is the problem it will affect his mechanics since most kickers kick at an angle the groin provides a lot of the motion.

To the guy asking why players take weeks to recover from minor injuries, have you ever had a groin or hamstring pull?  I've played soccer my whole life, and if you've never experienced a groin or hamstring pull, then I suggest that you don't say much on this subject.  Those injuries are extremely painful, and linger much longer than you think.  Not to mention asking a guy to kick a football 30-50 yards with the lingering effects of this injury.  I remember having those injuries, and I could barely walk let alone kick a ball hard.  I'm not protecting Vanderjagt or anything like that, but trust me, these types of injuries hurt and last longer than you may think.

Again, anyone who knows Bill and his coaching techniques, would have already known that even IF Vandejerk felf well and said he was ready to go, he would not have gone in uniform. I beg to differ with others who felt Mike V was being sincere in his little speech after two easy misses. This man, who wears a star on his helmet, implied that he needed to be more accurate as a cowboy because he would kick more as one- rather than sit on the sidelines as in Indy- unless it was an extra point.

I seriously doubt his groin hurt as much as the pressure of needing to put points on the board. he is not used to the west coast way of playing ball- and he has gotten lazy!

If all you have to do is put it through the uprights maybe 3 times a game- stop with the antics, and start doing your job.

And I agree, suited up or not, they should be with the team!

I think suisham will show Parcells what he wants to see but he can't replace Vanderjagt. Once he's completely healed, he'll be back up to 89.7 or whatever he was at and he won't miss a single one.

Ok honestly, Yes suisham was good in preseason.  But its vanderjagt were talking about here.  And of any of you fans that watched last year I'm pretty sure we lost a few games because we had no kicking.  Vanderjagt will be back next week against the redskins.  Just because we dont have vanderjagt we dont need to worry.  We have one of the best offensive weapons in the league T.O. So were definatly going to go 12-4

Suisham will do just fine for the first two games.  Then we have a bye week.  Vanderjagt should not push it.  Let it heal until our third game, in week 4 of the season.  Suisham will need to stay on the roster, though, just in case VJ reaggravates it, or can't kickoff very well.

This comes as no surprise he missed two clutch field goals.  Indy saw something they didn't like in Vanderjagt and released him.  Parcells surprises me some, he says he will not take two kickers to a game but they go out and spend Jerry's money on a kicker they new coming in didn't kick off?

I think they signed "THE PLAYER" (Vanderjagt), paid him, and they need to throw him to the wolves and see what they got.

Two Cents and Janice:

Those are some of the most idiotic, ignorant statements I have yet seen on these boards. You two are freakin' clueless. And, ahem, "Anyone who knows Bill and his coaching techniques..."? Obviously, you know nothing, because if you had been paying attention over the last 3 1/2 years you'd know that Parcells does not take injured players to road games. Ever. Vanderjagt is staying in Dallas under Parcell's orders. And Two Cents, you obviously know nothing about sports injuries, as already outlined by others who do, and you obviously know nothing about Owens. And fyi, contracts are not guaranteed in the NFL, period. A player with a four year deal who gets cut after two years does not get squat for those final two years. The lone exception is a vested veteran who is on the roster the first week of the season, if he gets released during the season he has a one-time option during his career to receive his salary for the remaining weeks of the season as if he were still on the team. And if you were an insurance company, would you offer disability insurance to men whose profession it is to crack their heads against each other? If so, it would have to be one hell of a premium. Think about it, if you're even capable of thinking. Really, you people need to get a freakin' clue and do a little research before you open your stupid mouths and go off half-cocked on subjects you obviously know nothing about.

Btw, Owens was injured on Aug 4 during a training camp practice as was pointed out by the web site during his rehab repeatedly, so yeah, Two Cents, I guess you did miss that report, REPEATEDLY!!! And kickers nowadays are taking steroids, just ask Todd Sauerbrun. Try to keep up from now on.

ok no one has talked about this but back in the 70's I think, the Blue Jersey jinx started... we're playing in blue against jacksonville. If you go back in history, you'll notice that our winning % is alot lower than in the white. We just don't do as well. Of course I'm not one to believe in such jinxes but just remember...

melonhead ( or is it ball)
re-read what I wrote- what  said was even if HE WAS well, he would not have suited up! IF you are gonna be mean in your replies- get it right!

Will somebody call Bill Parsell's office and tell him that he has a quarterback now that can not only complete passes but also MOVE around and avoid sacks and throwing interceptions.

Please!  Let's get Romo on the field so we have a chance to go back to the playoffs!

Bledsoe-bashers need to step to the back of the line.

Is the injury worse then what we have been told or is it that bad as they say it is. IF any body knows? when do you think he will return.

Is he by any chance related to Billy Cundiff?  Need I say more?