My Interview with Dallas Cowboy Jason Witten

I have to preface this story about my interview with Jason Witten. I have been a die-hard Cowboys fan since they day the came into the league. I have never had the chance to ever do an interview of any kind ever. Never have talked to a Cowboy, (except for Drew Pearson last year at Quick Trip Park). It was such a highlight to be able to talk with Jason on the phone today.

Please bear in mind, I am recounting the conversation from memory, so the actual conversation wasn’t recorded, but I will try and give the best answers from memory I can. He is in Hawaii getting ready for the Pro Bowl.

Me:  Hello Jason, my name is Lew Patton, and I just want to say it’s a tremendous honor meet and talk with you since I am a huge Cowboys fan. I’ll try not to sound too much like a homer while I ask you some questions is that ok?

Witten: That’s fine, it’s always good to talk to Cowboys fans.

Me: Jason, I know that Proctor and Gamble is a huge sponsor of the Pro Bowl there in Hawaii, what are they helping the NFL with there?

Witten: They are working with the Slant 45 program to help kids experience the NFL. It’s a lot fun helping the kids in that regard.

Me: That’s great. I have seen your “I am second” video and I wanted to say congratulations on making your 2nd Pro Bowl. Do you ever think about the possibility of going in to the Hall of Fame?

Witten: To be honest, I never really think about that. The players that are in the Hall of Fame are such great players, I just don’t think about myself in there. I think about just playing today.

Me:  Jason, I know you are from Tennessee, and I have relatives in Tennessee too, what teams did you follow when you were growing up there, and who were some of your favorite players?

Witten:  Well, when I was growing up the Tennessee Titans weren’t there yet, but some of my favorite players were Steve McNair, and when I was in school, I played linebacker. I always admired Junior Seau.

Me:  Do you think there will be a strike next season?

Witten: I sure hope not. Our Union is working with the owners and so hopefully they can get an agreement in place without any stoppage. A strike wouldn’t be good for the fans.

Me:  What needs do the Cowboys have to address in the next draft?

Witten: Well, Jerry is good about handling that, but we have to be able to replace a safety if they leave, just be able to have good players if anyone leaves.

Me:  What do you and your family like to do in the off-season.

Witten:  Well you know, just be a family and hang out together. This Pro Bowl trip to Hawaii is a nice gift to start the off-season with.

Me: Do you think the Cowboys will be able to clear that last hurdle to next year’s Super Bowl With Jason Garrett and his staff with having a full off-season to put his plans in effect?

Witten: Absolutely! Jason Garrett is very organized and meticulous in getting things done. He expects the best from his staff and players and that’s the way it’s going to be.

Me: Do you think the Pro Bowl should be played after the Super Bowl?

Witten: Yes! I’m an old-school kind of guy and I liked the way the Pro Bowl was played before. This format has been in place for two years now, but I like the old way better.

Me: And finally Jason, obviously we would much rather have seen the Cowboys getting ready for Super Bowl XLV, but since the Boys aren’t going to play there, who do yo like the Packers or Steelers?

Witten: Well, the Packers represent the NFC so I have to pull for them, but Pittsburgh has a pretty good defense so I don’t know.

Me: Thanks so much Jason, it was great speaking to you today!

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Thanks so much to Rick Chandler at Off the Bench, for this great opportunity to talk to Jason Witten. Thanks also to Brian Manning and Christian Matthews of Taylor’s Strategy for the hook-up, you guys are awesome!

It’s time for Super Bowl XLV!

Wow, can it get any more crazier here in north Texas than having a Super Bowl in the back yard?

Thanks to my good friend Rick Chandler over at Off the Bench an NBC owned blog, I am able to do some work for that site and it’s a blast so far. I’m getting calls to do interviews of players.  I’ll be interviewing Jason Witten later on this evening via phone, and next week Jerome Bettis.

Is this country great or what?? Stay tuned!

Which NFL jerseys are women buying?

Apparantly, there is a large segment of this society (women), that buy NFL jerseys differently from men. In other words, women like certain jerseys differently than men. Case in point. 

With more than 40 percent of NFL fans being female, jerseys tailored for women have become popular in recent years. So it’s interesting to see what jerseys men buy that women don’t and vice versa.

So what player experienced a nice jump in the women’s jersey market as compared to the men’s market?

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is reportedly dating Gossip Girl star Jessica Szohr, is fourth on the women’s jersey list one spot ahead of Tom Brady. He ranks seventh on the list of regular jerseys.

And women clearly love their Dallas Cowboys. Wide receiver Miles Austin is seventh on the women’s list, but 13th on the men’s list. Quarterback Tony Romo is ninth on the women’s list and 11th on the men’s list. And the biggest jump of anyone on the list is tight end Jason Witten, who is 21st on the men’s list, but 10th on the women’s list.

 Best Selling NFL Women’s Jerseys

1. Troy Polamalu, Steelers
2. Peyton Manning, Colts
3. Drew Brees, Saints
4. Aaron Rodgers, Packers
5. Tom Brady, Patriots
6. Tim Tebow, Broncos
7. Miles Austin, Cowboys
8. Eli Manning, Giants
9. Tony Romo, Cowboys
10. Jason Witten, Cowboys

Interesting. I think I’ll drag out my Cowboys jersey for the Super Bowl.

Whose NFL Jerseys Scores the Most With Women? (CNBC)

Troyble in Paradise

Oh this just can’t be.

Fox football analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman confirms he and his wife, Rhonda, have separated after being married for 10 years.

 

The timing for this bombshell is great. Right as Super Bowl XLV hits Dallas.

I thought everything was perfect for golden-haired Troy. Well, it just proves he’s human after all.

 

Great, maybe we’ll see him at Rick’s.

  

“This has been a difficult decision for Rhonda and me, but after 10 years of marriage we have decided to separate. We remain deeply committed to our children and respectfully ask that you honor our family’s privacy during this period of adjustment.”

 

I don’t think you get much privacy when you are a quarterback of a winning Super Bowl team. Twice.

 

Troy Aikman confirms he and wife have split (DMN)

 

 

 

 

 

My tribute to Ralph

Back in 1971 when I arrived at Fort Riley Kansas, there was this guy named Ralph, from Bulger Pa. that was assigned to my squad room on post barracks. On top of being some where I didn’t want to be in the first place, here was this guy always, always talking about anything related to Pittsburgh sports. The Pittsburgh Pirates had a great baseball team, and of course the Pittsburgh Steelers had Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swan and all of those guys. There were some great games those Steelers had against my Cowboys by the way.

Ralph was always, always talking up how good the Steelers were. It got old pretty quick to me. I was in a situation that made me think about other priorities at the time, including a pregnant wife back home. I endured Ralph and all of his Pittsburgh bragging.

I guess I endured it long enough, for he and I became best friends. Aside from him bragging on Pittsburgh, he was a funny guy and helped me laugh about things that were pretty much serious otherwise. We were best friends after all.

And then like so many times in the Army, our tours ended and we were going to be going home soon. Of course you always say you will write, but you never do. But Ralph and I had such a special bond and friendship, we made a pact that every year, on Super Bowl Sunday, we would call each other and catch up and hopefully, be talking either Cowboys or Steelers in the Super Bowl.

We called each other for years. We helped each other through some tough times together. His cancer, and my divorce. We were still friends after all those years. He survived and so did I.

Time has sort of gotten by me now. It’s been several years since I have heard from Ralph, so since I see Pittsburgh is going back to the Super Bowl, I thought I would call Ralph and see what his plans are. Maybe he needed a place to stay to watch his Steelers and this being the first time Dallas has hosted a Super Bowl, what a great idea if I invited him down for the game.

I didn’t have his phone number so I Googled him and found this.

Ralph E. Campbell Jr.
Millworker from Bulger
Ralph Edwin Campbell Jr., 49, of Bulger, died Friday, June 30, 2000, in his home. He was born August 19, 1950, in Midway, a son of Alverta Stewart Campbell of Clinton and the late Ralph Campbell Sr. Mr. Campbell graduated from Fort Cherry High School and was a millworker at Climax Molybdenum. On October 7, 1972, he married Sharon Holmes, who survives. Surviving, in addition to his wife and mother, are a son, Brant Edwin Campbell of Bulger; a daughter, Angela Lynn Shaffer of Bulger; two sisters, Anna Black of Midway and Alice Reese of West Palm Beach, Fla.; and two grandchildren, Matthew Paul and Brianne Nicole Shaffer.

Wow. I’m pretty stunned. I should have called sooner. I just figured he would be there.

Maybe I’ll call his wife someday, just not now. Ralph was a great guy. Hang in there Ralph, your doing ok now.

If your favorite NFL team is a bird, you lost this weekend

Wow the Ravens, Seahawks, and Falcons all lost this playoff weekend past. Some incredible games for certain. Even the Jets’ win over the Pats was a shocker. So the Jets talked smack, but they were able to back it up. As we say in west Texas, ”it ain’t smack talkin if you can back it up.” So give the Jets credit, they won their playoff game against the Pats in the Pats’ backyard. 

But I digress. How do you let a team that is 3rd and 19, with 2:00 to go, not only get a first down, but complete a pass down to your 4 yard line? Incredible.

So there ya have it. The Jets vs. the Steelers for the AFC Championship this weekend, and the Bears vs the Packers for the NFC Championship.

Speaking of the Packers and QB Aaron Rodgers, does he snub a cancer patient trying to get his autograph? See for yourself:

Wow.

Let’s see how all this goes while my Cowboys sit home and introduce a new defensive coordinator.

So, let’s have a great week and see if we can even come close to predicting who will go to the Super Bowl after this weekend. Have a good one.

Enjoy the music for the day

And we’re walking, and we’re walking

Sometimes there are things to write, and sometimes there are things to write but I just can’t write. Right?

As I try to get my fingers used to the keyboard again, lots of things have happened. The Texas Rangers made it to the World Series and put up a valiant effort but lost.  The Cowboys fire another coach. Veteran’s Day has come and gone, and we are now looking right at plans for Thanksgiving. Wow, where does the time go?  Of course moving and going to school took up a large part of that gap.

Hey Jerry, I think YOU are the problem!

No one wants to read about how bad their team is, but you just can’t help it right? I hate writing about a losing team, especially since it’s been my team for 50 years now.

Why are the Cowboys 1-4 after the game today in Minnesota? Because we don’t have effective coaching. Why don’t we have effective coaching? Because Jerry Jones wants to be the man. He wants to be the Alpha Male. He’s willing to gamble that if his team makes it to the Super Bowl, in some sick sort of way, he can stand on the podium and claim responsibility. Since that isn’t going to happen given the poor record so far this year, then he should take the blame right?

Everyone in North America knows Jerry only hires people he can train as puppets. If they won’t be a Jerry puppet, they go elsewhere. (See Bill Parcells and Jimmy Johnson).

Which NFL Team Is Really “America’s Team?”

From Ted Williams Head

The Dallas Cowboys have self-anointed themselves “America’s Team.” The proclamation was made in a 1978 Dallas Cowboys highlight film when the narrator said:

They appear on television so often that their faces are as familiar to the public as presidents and movie stars. They are the Dallas Cowboys, “America’s Team.”

30 years later, Cowboys fans are still boasting about being “America’s Team,” but are they really? What about the Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, and the New York Giants?

Cowboys continue trade happy ways

The Miami Trifecta of Bill Parcells, Tony Sparano, and Jeff Ireland have brought another former Cowboys’ talents to South Beach.

The Dolphins acquired offensive lineman Pat McQuistan from Dallas for an undisclosed 2011 pick, according to Todd Archer of the Dallas Morning News.  (It’s probably a sixth- or seventh-round pick.)

McQuistan was set to make $1.1 million this year.  He’ll provide depth, likely as a swing tackle behind Vernon Carey and Jake Long.  McQuistan can also play guard.

It’s the second trade the Cowboys made this afternoon after they shipped Patrick Crayton to San Diego in a salary-related move.