Dallas Cowboys Defensive Tackle Lose Breath Eailer…
Don Smerek, a former defensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys, has died, according to multiple reports.
He was 66.
Smerek had reportedly been battling cancer.
The 6-foot-7, 255 pounder played collegiately at Nevada, and he was an All-Big Sky player there at defensive end. Despite that, Smerek’s name wasn’t called in the 1980 NFL Draft. He did sign with the Cowboys that year, though, and he played for the team through the 1987 season.
Smerek played in 69 games for Dallas, starting four, and wrapping up his career with 14.5 sacks.
His best season came in 1983 when he logged six sacks.
“He was a great teammate, a great person,” former Cowboys star Randy White, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, said. “He was just solid as a football player and I can always count on him. He would come in on third downs and rush the passer and the thing about Don as a football player, he was 100 percent.”
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Cowboys Have ‘Intel’ on Brooks Injury, Se Draft Visit
Texas Longhorns running back Jonathon Brooks continues to work his way back from a torn ACL this past season, but that’s hardly preventing teams from maintaining a high level of interest in him. Per Cowboys.com’s Nick Harris, the Dallas Cowboys have scheduled a top-30 draft visit with Brooks. Harrison reports that Brooks is “expected” to be ready for training camp should Dallas draft him.
side from the in-state connection, Brooks and the Cowboys have already gotten familiar with each other. This appears to be playing a significant factor in Dallas’ interest in the standout running back. Per Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Cowboys team doctor performed Brooks’ surgery.
“Brooks surgery was done by Cowboys team doctor,” Hill tweeted. “They have all the intel on his rehab and recovery.”
Despite the injury, he is viewed as arguably the top running back in this class. Brooks, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the 29-26 win over the TCU Horned Frogs on Nov. 11, finished his breakout season with 187 carries for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns to go along with 25 catches for 286 yards and one score. He was named a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation’s top running back. The 2024 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 25 in Detroit.
FRISCO – We have often praised ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky for his TV work when he discusses serious topics … seriously. But when he is obviously showboating in an attempt to be another “Stephen A. Skip”?
We do not praise that.
Orlovsky, speaking on “First Take,” is calling for the Dallas Cowboys to part ways with Dak Prescott. His reasoning is as odd as his solution is vague, as he cites unmet Super Bowl expectations coupled with his view that the “America’s Team” roster cannot “support” those expectations.
The three problems with Orlovsky’s high-profile rant …
“There are going to be Super Bowl expectations without Super Bowl support,” claims Orlovsky.
“Expectations” from whom? The fan base? We can tell you with some confidence that at this very moment, Cowboys Nation is not “expecting” the presently-stripped-down 2024 Dallas roster of winning the Super Bowl.
Indeed, many of the “expectations” stem from people like Orlovsky at ESPN who keep saying this like this, stoking a fire that we all know is a few logs short. “They can’t afford new people,” Orlovsky says, “because Dak is making $60 million … and the need to pay a CeeDee Lamb …”
The Cowboys CAN use salary-cap tools to buy players in NFL free agency. They are choosing to not do that in order to “keep their powder dry.” We’ve illustrated this concept frequently at CowboysSI.com. (See “Blow It Up!” The 2025 Rebuild.”)
It is accurate to report that Dallas has created a problem for itself here with a team, and a QB, that might only be “almost good” … creating a crossroads situation for all involved. “Rebuild in 2025”? That takes into consideration the finances and the folly.