Posted by Josh Katzowitz

You might recall the small matter of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the NFL selling seats to Super Bowl XLV that didn’t exactly exist by gametime. And you might remember that the fans who didn’t get to sit where they assumed they would (after buying the tickets and all) were not pleased about it.

Ticket-gate fallout

Super Bowl ticket-gate fall-out continues Jerry Jones takes responsibility for SB woes Katzowitz: NFL still dealing with SB fallout Brinson: NFL knew about seating issue

Two fans filed a class-action lawsuit in February, and on Thursday, Jones and the NFL asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit because they say reimbursement offers to the fans were more than adequate.

Via the Fort Worth Star Telegram, in their court filing, Jones and the NFL said, “These offers were made to be accommodating to the NFL's valued fans, but in fact, they exceed the amount to which any of the ticket-holders is entitled.”

The lawsuit filed said fans suffered damages totaling more than $5 million, and the league says it has offered to pay fans between $4.5 and $9.3 million.

You know, as the lockout continues and fans continue to get angrier and angrier, it makes perfect sense that Jones and the NFL would use the court system to make sure they don’t have to give the fans their just due.

As fans spent thousands of dollars to travel to the Super Bowl for what could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, only to get completely screwed by Jones and the NFL, perhaps the NFL should think about doing more than what is legally adequate to compensate them.

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Posted by Andy Benoit

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is getting married this Saturday. And Jerry Jones will be on hand. The lockout prevents owners and players from being in touch, but Jones told ESPN Dallas that he is getting around those rules.

"I've gotten special permission," Jones said. "But more than anything, [I got the] right ticket from him and his fianceé -- Romo's wife-to-be. [It's] one of prettiest invitations I've ever seen.

"So, yes, I will be there, and [I'm] proud for him. He's got the best end of this deal."

Romo is marrying former television reporter and Miss Missouri, Candice Crawford. Virtually the entire Cowboys roster is expected to attend the wedding and reception.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

You might recall how there were some problems with some temporary seats at Super Bowl XLV. It wasn’t a big deal or anything, but the people who were in those seats had to wait in lines for hours and then weren’t allowed to sit at the spot where the ticket they bought said they could.

It was a minor controversy that was quickly forgotten once the game started. Heck, you probably don’t even remember what I’m talking about, right?

Oh, that’s right. It was a huge deal – very embarrassing to the NFL and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones – with lawsuits and livid fans, and the fallout continues even three months later.

Ticket-gate fallout

Jerry Jones takes responsibility for SB woes Katzowitz: NFL still dealing with SB fallout Brinson: NFL knew about seating issue

The Fort Worth Star Telegram reports that Jack Hill, the stadium manager for Cowboys Stadium, has resigned and will leave his position June 1.

Though Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said the Super Bowl fiasco didn’t play a part in Hill’s decision to leave – and maybe it didn’t, as Jones implied Hill is more of a stadium builder than a stadium manager – there’s little doubt that Hill took much of the blame for the massive Super Bowl screw-up.

Hill was the one who asked for the permits to install the temporary seating, and he assured Arlington, Texas city leaders that he would use extra workers to make sure the job was complete, you know, before the game started.

That obviously didn’t happen. Not that it was a big deal or anything.

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Posted by Will Brinson

Mediation in the Brady v. NFL matter resumes Tuesday, and there will be some changes in the people present for the two parties.

For starters, NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith won't be present at the mediation, due to "a family medical emergency," per Mark Maske of the Washington Post.

Meanwhile, Albert Breer of the NFL Network reports that the NFL's negotiating team will feature Commissioner Roger Goodell, lead counsel Jeff Pash, Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, and Packers CEO Mark Murphy.

Out of the owners present, only Richardson -- considered perhaps the lead negotiator for the owners -- is a holdover from last week. And it's interesting that the group heading into the second week of court-ordered mediation is in stark contrast to the group (Bob Kraft of the Pats, Clark Hunt of the Chiefs and Art Rooney of the Steelers) that was in Minnesota last week.

Jones, as you'll recall, allegedly had a bit of a confrontation with the players when the two sides mediated before George Cohen in Washington, D.C. That's not to say this will end poorly, because however the two sides act over the course of the mediation ends up reflecting on their position to Judge Susan Nelson.

And maybe it's a good thing that a new group of owners gets to see the proceedings and gauge the NFLPA's position at this point in time through an in-person experience.

Smith's absence is regrettable, certainly, but a family illness is one of the things that get you excused from almost any mediation. It probably also means that we're unlikely to see any settlement on Tuesday.

But that was likely to be the case anyway -- as our own Mike Freeman wrote recently, this second round of mediation might theoretically hold more water because it's court-ordered, but it's just about as likely to produce a happy ending to this labor dispute as the UFL is to produce football that will satisfy America come the fall.

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Posted by Andy Benoit



Eye on Football's playing doctor for every NFL team with our Offseason Check-ups.



In terms of disappointment, the 2010 Dallas Cowboys more than lived up to the “Everything’s big in Texas” phrase. The year that was supposed to end with Jerry Jones’ team being the first to play a Super Bowl in its home stadium instead ended in effect before Thanksgiving.

Wade Phillips was no longer the coach at that point and Tony Romo had been sidelined for the past month with what would turn out to be a season-ending fractured clavicle. Can’t blame the face-plant on Romo’s injury, though.

After all, the Cowboys were 1-5 in games their star quarterback started.



Brooking quickly established himself as the defense’s emotional leader when he arrived in 2009. Because he’s been in his 30s since the Bush Administration, everyone has assumed he’s on the cusp of washing up.

That simply hasn’t been true…until now. Last season Brooking showed hints of decline in struggling to get off blocks. He is still a dominant player when pursuing the ball untouched, but in a 3-4, inside linebackers can’t count on regularly being untouched.

Lee, a second-round pick out of Penn Stage last year, overtook Bradie James in nickel packages. Lee has good natural change of direction ability and, in a limited sampling, has shown adequate instincts. As great organizations like the Eagles and Patriots have illustrated over the years, it’s better to replace someone a year too early rather than risk keeping him a year too long.




1. Safety
The game is evolving to where safeties are becoming vital for creating deception and disguise in a defensive scheme. The only experienced safety on Dallas’ roster is Alan Ball, and he just converted from cornerback last year.

2. Offensive Linemen
Right tackle Marc Colombo’s lack of athleticism finally caught up to him last season. Right guard Leonard Davis may have remained benched if backup Montrae Holland had been more reliable. Davis really struggled with lateral movement in pass protection last season. Left guard Kyle Kosier is an unrestricted free agent.

3. Cornerback
It may be time to start grooming Terence Newman’s replacement. Newman will be 33 when (if) this season opens up. He’s no longer quick enough to play man coverage with the cushy buffer zone he prefers. Orlando Scandrick is not the guy to replace Newman long-term. The third-year pro is better equipped to defend the slot and must first bounce back from a difficult sophomore campaign.




It’s “America’s Team”, so there’s always talk of a Lombardi Trophy. But how about having no expectations and just shutting up for a change?

It’s well known the Cowboys have as much talent as any team. What needs changing is the way they manage that talent.

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Posted by Andy Benoit

• Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated says teams are willing to trade a first-round draft pick for Kevin Kolb. But not all teams seem as certain about meeting the 26-year-old quarterback’s contract demands in 2012.
  
   
• Thanks to the new screen at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Jerry Jones’ ballyhooed screen is about to become the world’s second largest HD display.
  
   
• Some are speculating (merely speculating) that Kris Jenkins could return to Carolina.
  
   
• It’s not all negative news in the NFL these days.
  
   
• Get your Hines Ward Dancing With the Stars update right here. (Or, instead of clicking the link, you can just visit the Bingo room at your nearest community center and ask the senior citizens that make up 99 percent of the show’s audience about the smiley Steelers receiver.)
  
   
• NFL players have put a specific number on how much they want the league to pay in punitive damages for revenue that was left on the table from the NFL’s 2009 and 2010 TV deals. That number? It was redacted from court documents. Judge David Doty will hear this issue May 12. 
  
   
• Was it cool for DeSean Jackson to appear on NFL Network during the lockout?
  
   
• Larry Johnson wants a change of venue for his upcoming lawsuit trial stemming from the 2008 incident where he allegedly spat his drink on a lady. The former Chiefs running back doesn’t believe he can get a fair trial in Kansas City.
  
   
• Simeon Rice wants to get back into the NFL, but his movie career (and 37 years of age) might get in the way.
  
   
• Citizens of Los Angeles will have a chance to voice their thoughts about AEG’s impending NFL stadium project. (This begs the question: are Los Anglesites capable of thinking about anything NFL-related?).
  
  For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsnfl on Twitter and subscribe to our RSS Feed .
  
  

Posted by Andy Benoit

In a recent sit down interview with ESPN’s George Hill, NFLPA executive committee members Mike Vrabel, Drew Brees, Domonique Foxworth, Brian Dawkins and Jeff Saturday told their side of several of the stories that have come to define the acrimonious labor negotiations.

One of the things Vrabel said was that the players would love to get back to the negotiating table . . . as long as it’s Jerry Jones, Bob Kraft, Jerry Richardson and other owners seated at that table, not owners and their cadre of lawyers and negotiators. Vrabel specifically said no Jeff Pash.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello responded: “The NFL’s negotiating team — accompanied by the three owners (Vrabel) mentioned, Jerry Jones, Jerry Richardson and Robert Kraft — is prepared to meet immediately. Just tell us when and where.”

Of course, this was hardly a response at all, as the NFL’s negotiating team includes Roger Goodell and Pash.

In the end, it’s more verbal posturing by two sides that everyone is starting to root against.


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Posted by Will Brinson

It's pretty obvious, regardless of what the two sides may say, that there's no love lost between the owners and the players in this labor dispute.

Still, a story that Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated relayed from the Wednesday mediation session, paints quite the ugly picture of Jerry Jones' behavior during what was supposed to be a time of sincere negotiating.

To set the scene: mediator George Cohen invited each owner, sitting across the table from the union's executive committee, to speak. Eventually, things came around to Jones.

"I don't think we've got your attention," Jones said to the players, per Trotter, who says several of them recounted the incident. "You clearly don't understand what we're saying, and we're not hearing what you're saying. So I guess we're going to have to show you to get your attention."

Jones then proceeded to "tap his fists together for emphasis," stand up and walk out of the room (Jerry Richardson started to leave with him, but Robert Kraft apparently kept the Panthers owner from bolting).

This went over -- as you might expect -- really, really well.

"I think everybody in the room thought it was overly dramatic, almost hilarious," one player told Trotter. "It was like a Jerry Maguire moment. You know, 'I'm leaving. Who's coming with me?' I know it didn't scare any of us."

And it subsequently led to a standoff-ish 48-hour period where it seemed like there wasn't any reason to be optimistic towards the labor talks (Thursday night was the worst of things, the actual lockout itself notwithstanding).

That non-negotiating attitude from each side, of course, led to a lawsuit and a lockout and the pretty depressing possibility that their might not be football in 2011.

Does the Jones' story shift all the blame to the owners? No. But it's pretty clear that they -- just like the players -- were prepared for this scenario and willing to go through with it if they didn't get what they want out of mediation.

That's especially problematic because it means that there won't be a solution to America's professional football issue until both sides hash out their personal problems.

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