Cowboys: Mike Zimmer is coming back to the Cowboys as Defensive Coordinator. Jerry Jones revealed on the Red Carpet at NFL Honors on Thursday night that he was finalizing a deal with the former Vikings Head Coach, who spent 13 years here (1994-2006). One of the best players Zim ever coached, Darren Woodson, missed out once again on the Hall of Fame. A finalist for the 2nd straight year, the clock is now ticking on Woody as he only has four more years of eligibility as a Modern Era candidate. After that, he gets cast away with the Everson Walls of the world in the Senior Citizen pool. Julius Peppers (1st ballot), Devin Hester, Dwight Freeney, Andre Johnson, Patrick Willis and Senior inductees Steve McMichael and Randy Gradishar are Canton-bound this year.
NFL Honors: As expected, Lamar Jackson was the near unanimous choice as NFL MVP for the 2nd time in his career. What was not expected was that Dak Prescott was the runner-up! Cee Dee Lamb won “Moment of the Year” for his 92-yard TD catch vs Detroit. So, what happened to the old saying that “Quarterbacks get all the glory but also all of the blame.” This play doesn’t happen if Dak doesn’t somehow avoid the sack in the end zone and then, on the run, throw a perfectly placed laser 50 yards downfield to a wide open Cee Dee who simply had to catch and waltz into the end zone. Why doesn’t Dak get at least half of that award?
One other award of note: Myles Garrett, the 2013 Landry Award winner from Arlington Martin High School and Texas A&M, wins Defensive Player of the Year for his 14 sacks, 17 TFLs, 30 QBHs & 4 FFs playing for a Cleveland defense that gave up the fewest yards. Those are almost identical stats as what Micah Parsons (3rd in voting) produced — 14 sacks, 18 TFLs, 33 QBHs & 1 FF for #5 defense in yards & points allowed.
Mavericks: Luka Doncic scored 39 points as the Mavs (29-23) swept their 3-game road trip with a 122-108 win over the short-handed Knicks, who played without All Star Jalen Brunson (ankle). Meanwhile, Mavs GM Nico Harrison was active at the Trade Deadline, acquiring two front court players. 6-10 rim protector Daniel Gafford, a 2019 2nd round draft pick out Arkansas, comes over from Washington in exchange for Richaun Holmes and an OKC 1st round pick. Gafford is averaging 11 points, 8 rebounds & 2 blocked shots per game. 6-7 P. J. Washington, who was the 12th pick in the draft in 2019 and is averaging 13 points per game, arrives from Charlotte for veterans Grant Williams, Seth Curry and a 2027 1st round pick. Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News is a critic of the P. J. Washington move. Meanwhile, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports even gives the Mavs a grade of D+ for the trades. The Mavs look for their 3rd straight win at Madison Square Garden tonight against former Maverick turned NBA All Star Jalen Brunson and the Knicks. In the meantime, here’s the link to the official NBA Trade Tracker. The new Mavs should be here when the team hosts OKC (35-16) at 2:00 Saturday.
Super Bowl LVIII: As you may have heard, the Super Bowl will be on CBS Texas on Sunday. It’s the 22nd time CBS has televised the big game. The late, great Pat Summerall was the CBS sideline reporter for the 1st big game between Vince Lombardi’s Packers and Hank Stram’s Chiefs. The game was actually simulcast on both CBS and NBC (the AFL’s TV network). Pat used to tell the story that NBC was in a commercial break and missed the 2nd half kickoff. On his sideline headset, Pat was instructed by the CBS Producer that he needed to go tell Coach Lombardi, a coach he used to play for with the Giants, that he has to kick off again because NBC missed the 1st kick. Imagine how that conversation went!
Rangers: All Star OF Adolis Garcia agrees to a 2 year, $14 million contract. The 30-year old ALCS MVP now won’t be arbitration eligible until 2026. Pitchers & Catchers report in 5 days (Feb 14).
Stars: After a 2-1 win in Buffalo on Tuesday night, the Stars ventured north of the border to Toronto on Wednesday night and fell victim to two goals within a 20-second span midway through the 3rd period in a 5-4 loss to the Maple Leafs. Click here for the highlights. They wrap up the road trip in Montreal on Saturday night.
