Sept 17, 2011; Houston, TX, USA; Texas A

10. Dat Nguyen

The only good thing about the fall of Saigon was it forced the Nguyens to emigrate to America and we were all blessed with their son Dat’s contributions to America’s Team. Taken in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft, Nguyen instantly became a fan favorite with his top spot in special teams tackles. He eventually led the Cowboys in tackles thrice: 2001, 2003, and 2004. A nagging neck injury forced Nguyen to cut his career short and he retired in 2006. Dat joined Wade Phillips’ staff as an assistant linebackers coach in 2007 and coached there for three seasons before returning to his alma mater, Texas A&M, in the same capacity.

9. Eugene Lockhart

The 1984 fourth rounder from Houston was baptized by fire when stalwart Bob Breunig suffered a back injury. Nicknamed “Eugene, the hitting machine,” Lockhart set a franchise record with 222 tackles on the 1-15 1989 team. That year and Lockhart’s last were his only two All-Pro seasons in Dallas. Lockhart’s lone touchdown was a 19-yard interception of Steelers David Woodley to pad the Cowboys’ lead in Week 6 of 1985, the same year of Lockhart’s lone playoff game, a 20-0 shutout to Los Angeles. Lockhart finished out his final two seasons in New England, and is currently serving a two-year sentence for a mortgage fraud scheme.

8. Flozell Adams

John Madden, in two separate NBC Sunday Night Football telecasts in Weeks 1 and 3, asked rhetorically if Flozell Adams led the world in false starts. Being partially deaf in his right ear and playing left tackle attributed to most of those penalties, but it wasn’t enough to keep “The Hotel” from having a successful career in Dallas. Initially being a right guard, Adams transitioned to tackle in 1999. It was Bill Parcells’ confidence in Flozell that led to his career taking off with five Pro Bowls and an All-Pro selection. Adams is the only offensive lineman to have protected the backside for Troy Aikman and Tony Romo, and all of the jetsam in between. Out of six tries, Adams only played in one victorious playoff game. In 2010, the Cowboys released Adams in favor of swing tackle Doug Free. The Steelrs signed Adams in training camp, and Adams started and played all the way to Super Bowl XLV in Arlington.

7. Dexter Coakley

The undersized linebacker from Appalachian State dropped to the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft before the Cowboys selected him as their “will” linebacker. And he never looked back, only missing one game in his entire eight seasons in Dallas. 2001 was the year he missed a game, the same year he picked off Kerry Collins and Jake Plummer for a touchdown each. Other notable quarterbacks he picked off were Steve McNair and Dan Marino. The Cowboys parted with the three-time Pro Bowler in 2005, as head coach Bill Parcells wanted a bigger weakside linebacker in his new 3-4 defense. The day after his release, the St. Louis Rams signed Coakley to a five-year contract, but Coakley only stayed two and didn’t start 16 games in either of his years with the Rams. After his release in 2007, Coakley retired. Presently, he co-hosts “The Legends Show” with Mickey Spagnola broadcasting from the Hooters in Grapevine, Texas on the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network.

6. George Teague

Having played in Dallas during two different stints, Teague is no more a mercenary than Deion Sanders. Both of his stints are meaningful to Cowboys history. In 1996, the Packers traded Teague to Atlanta for a conditional 7th rounder. Not even making it a week with the team, the Falcons released Teague, whom the Cowboys signed in 1996 training camp. That postseason, Teague’s 29-yard picksix in the wild card playoffs remains Dallas’ most recent postseason defensive score. In Teague’s second tour from 1998-2001, is when Teague endeared himself in the hearts of Cowboys fans forever. On September 24th, 2000, after Terrell Owens celebrated on the midfield Star for a second time, Teague burst from the end zone to deck the showboating receiver, an act that sadly hasn’t become tradition. In 2001, in the Cowboys’ first game after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Teague carried the American flag out of the tunnel as America’s Team ran out of the tunnel in Texas Stadium. Teague never received any accolades during his nine-year career with either the Packers, Dolphins, or Cowboys.

Checkout the Top Five on the next page…

Most times, the answer to this question will be a resounding no. Most times, especially after a loss, fans are too emotionally charged to see past their preconceived notions when it comes to Tony Romo. There is nothing one can say, and especially no statistic to point out, that will alter their perception.

So why even have the conversation/debate in the first place?

Because we are football fans, it’s what we do; and more importantly, we are Dallas Cowboys fans. It’s in our blood; we are a loud and proud bunch (some MUCH more than others). (more…)

Dec 2, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) smiles prior to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Cowboy’s QB, Tony Romo, discontinued contract negotiations during last season because he didn’t want the distraction.  He wanted to concentrate on the games and his performance.  The contract talks could wait til the season was over and see how everything shakes out. Well, we know how the how that turned out. (more…)