John Lynch finally made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the Class of 2021, in his ninth year of eligibility and his eighth year as a finalist. Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens said he believes Cowboys safety Darren Woodson should be in Canton over Lynch, a safety for the Buccaneers and the Broncos in the same era as Woodson.
“I’m thinking about a guy like Darren Woodson that’s not in the Hall of Fame, but John Lynch is. How in the hell do you quantify that?” Owens asked rhetorically, on Fubo Sports’ Getcha Popcorn Ready.
Hall of Fame receiver Andre Reed, who appeared as a guest with Owens, agreed that Woodson “no doubt” should be in the Hall of Fame.
Woodson and Lynch’s careers overlapped by 11 seasons. Woodson was named All-Pro three times to twice for Lynch, though Lynch’s nine Pro Bowls were four more than Woodson. Neither was all-decade. Woodson won three Super Bowl rings and Lynch one.
“When I got with the Niners, like I said, I didn’t know anything about no rivalry with the Cowboys and the Niners, I knew nothing about that,” Owens told Reed. “But when it comes to the game plan [it was about where is Woodson]? Granted John Lynch did some great things here and there, but I’m not looking for John [on the field]. I wasn’t. But when I played from my rookie year on, and I played against the Cowboys, I had to identify [where Woodson was]. Just because a guy starts on a defense and he is the No. 1 guy back there in the secondary for that defense, for me overall in totality, that doesn’t mean he’s impacting what I’m going to be doing. Yeah, he has to be accounted for that day because you’re game planning, but I wasn’t scared of No. 47 (Lynch]. And when I was with the Eagles and he was with Denver at the time [shrugs].”
Woodson got a step closer to Canton this year, becoming a finalist for the first time.
Dak Prescott already has more passing yards than Roger Staubach and more touchdowns than both Troy Aikman and Staubach. What he doesn’t have yet is a Super Bowl title.
The Cowboys quarterback is 61-36 in the regular season, but, like Tony Romo, only 2-4 in the postseason. The Cowboys, of course, have not reached the NFC Championship Game since 1995, with only the Commanders and Lions having gone that long or longer without a trip to the NFC’s title game.
Prescott, entering his eighth season with the same goal he had his rookie season, turns 30 on July 29.
“I’ve always felt older I guess. Just being 30 doesn’t necessarily bother me,” Prescott said Saturday, via Nick Eatman of the team website. “Knowing that I am the old guy, going into Year 8, seeing some of the young guys, some of the rookies and seeing the difference in eight years. It’s fun and challenging at times, knowing that I stay connected and stay in the now with what’s cool and whatnot. But this game is beautiful. It doesn’t matter how old you are because you play this game like a kid.”
Prescott, though, admits that his milestone birthday only increases the urgency to get the Cowboys where they haven’t been in a long, long time.
“One thousand percent,” Prescott said. “Just understanding injuries and what I’ve been throughout my career and understanding that you don’t have forever to play this game. I’m blessed for every moment that I get. Just trying to take it with a sense of urgency.”
Prescott has not made the Pro Bowl since 2018. He has passed for 24,943 yards and 166 touchdowns in his career.
The Cowboys needed another kicker to compete with Tristan Vizcaino for the job. Despite several proven veteran kickers still on the market, the team went a different direction.
The Cowboys announced Thursday they have signed kicker Brandon Aubrey from the USFL.
Aubrey, a native of Plano, Texas, made 14 of 15 field goals and all 35 extra points for the Birmingham Stallions this spring.
He signed to play soccer for Notre Dame coming out of high school in 2013, and Toronto FC made him a first-round draft choice in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft.
He transitioned to football in 2022 and made All-USFL honors last season.
The Cowboys will have a new kicker for the third time in three years, deciding to move on from Brett Maher after he developed the yips last season. Maher set an NFL record in missing four extra point attempts in the wild card win over the Bucs.
Vizcaino joined the Cowboys as insurance before the divisional round game against the 49ers, but the Cowboys went with Maher.
The Cowboys did not sign Maher to the roster until after training camp started last season. So, it’s possible that the kicker for the Cowboys in 2023 isn’t yet on the roster.
The partnership between the NFL and Netflix is expanding.
Next week, the first NFL property debuts on Netflix, with the Quarterback series focusing on Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariota. Eventually, Netflix will air the NFL Films docu-series focusing on Cowboys owner Jerry Jones .
Matthew Belloni of Puck.news reports that Netflix will pay “just under $50 million ” for the property. While the deal is not officially done, Netflix has essentialy won a “bidding war” with ESPN. Amazon and “a couple others” showed early interest.
NFL Films will produce the 10-episode show with Skydance Sports. It focuses on the gloryhole days of the 1990s.
The move will serve only to increase speculation that Netflix could eventually get a package of NFL games — if Netflix can solve the issues that led to the Love is Blind live-show fiasco from earlier this year.
Kellen Moore left Dallas this offseason after coaching Dak Prescott for the last four years, and Moore is going to miss the quarterback he describes as one of the best people he’s ever known.
Asked about his experience with Prescott, Moore told Peter Schrager that there’s no one else like him.
“The best person . I think the best leader I’ve ever been around, easily,” Moore said. “And in all honesty, player or coach or anything. I think his ability to connect with a team in all spectrums is rare and I’ve never seen it in any other way. His work ethic, his command, I think he’s incredible. We’ve all been through that Dallas journey and he has a phenomenal way of being able to deal with probably more than your average NFL starting quarterback. And he handles it beautifully. He’s certainly a guy you forever root for.”
Moore is now the offensive coordinator of the Chargers, and he’ll try to build the same rapport with Justin Herbert.