Buchanan Added To Whitaker's Staff

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:04:00 -0500

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech women’s basketball announced Tuesday that former All-Big 12 standout Damitria Buchanan became the newest member of the Lady Raider staff.

Buchanan’s main responsibilities will include recruiting, post play, academic liaison and scouting.

She comes to Tech after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, Texas.
“We are thrilled to have Damitria join the Lady Raider family,” Tech head coach Candi Whitaker said. “She is an outstanding young coach and recruiter with great ties to both the Houston and Dallas regions. I look forward to working with her as we continue the great tradition of the Lady Raider program.”

Buchanan helped guide the Ladyjacks to the Southland Conference Tournament Championship and a 23-win season in 2011-12. The increase in 11 wins from the 2010-11 season (12) to 2011-12 (23) was tied for the sixth-biggest turnaround in the nation.

After receiving her bachelor's degree from Texas A&M in 2010, Buchanan remained in the College Station area to pursue a master's degree while serving as a teacher and coach at A&M Consolidated Middle School. Each of the past four summers she has also served as a women's basketball camp coach at Texas A&M.

Buchanan helped guide the Aggies to three Big 12 titles and four top-25 finishes as a player, including top-10 finishes in each of her final three seasons. Buchanan was named team captain during her senior season in 2009-10, and was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection.

Mavs Must Seize Opportunity

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:03:00 -0500

By Michael Dupont

In the summer following Dallas' 2011 NBA Championship, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban escaped free agency unscathed after making the tough decision to not renew contracts of Tyson Chandler, Caron Butler and fan-favorite, J.J. Berea.

Cuban had his eye on bringing superstar free agent, Deron Williams, back to where his basketball legacy began in the offseason of 2012. 2012 free agency is long gone, and although it was an underwhelming series, Williams was able to guide the team he selected into the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Dallas finds itself in the draft lottery for the first time in a long time, and somewhere, Mark Cuban is out filming "Shark Tank." Now, as the start of free agency looms closer, Cuban appears to have his eggs in one basket, yet again.

The 2013 free agency class is not stacked with superstars, but it is filled with stars. Jarrett Jack, Mo Williams, Monta Ellis, Kevin Martin Tony Allen, Manu Ginobli, Andre Iguodala, Josh Smith, David West, Paul Millsap, Andrew Bynum and Al Jefferson make up a short list of the many players who have the option of testing the market this summer.

However, rather than looking to combine players from this list with a Mavericks roster that is long in the tooth, Cuban seems set on either maxing out Dwight Howard or Chris Paul or maybe, somehow, getting them both to agree to play for less money.

The first and most glaring problem with this scenario is, haven't we seen this show before? Obviously Howard and Paul are the crème de la crème of the group, but don't you think 29 other owners are aware of that as well?

When Dallas missed out on Williams and the hometown kid, who wanted to come home, said no, Dallas was somewhat prepared. They lost both Jason Kidd and Terry, but kept Marion, Carter, Beaubois, Wright and obviously Dirk and signed several one-year contracts in hopes of repeating the same scenario this summer when Dwight Howard becomes a free agent.

Dallas will lose six players this summer to free agency (O.J. Mayo announced he will opt-out), if the Mavericks miss their target yet again, there will only be eight players on the roster. Three are draft picks from the last two seasons, three are at least 34 years of age and the other two are Darren Collison, who lost his job to Mike James, and Rodrique Beaubois, who could not beat out Derek Fisher for backup duties.

There's nothing wrong with not getting the biggest fish in the pond.

It's no secret Dallas has longed for an inside, physical presence. It's what made Shaq at least consider coming to Dallas, it's what made the Chandler deal benefit both sides so well and it's the only thing keeping the Mavericks on Howard's radar (the lack of state income tax doesn't hurt either). But the "upper-middle class" of this free agency is one that hasn't been a normality of the last several offseasons.

What's wrong with taking a shot at an Al Jefferson type of guy (would be great for Dallas) and maybe joining him with Iguodala and Kevin Martin or even pairing Jack with Ellis, his old teammate, and possibly adding Millsap or Jefferson (depending on how much money is left). Cuban was smart about creating cap space and now there are a plethora of possible scenarios that could bring the Mavericks from the bottom of the Southwest division. Now it's time to use it.

I'm sure the best scenario would include Paul and/or Howard, but the one thing you don't want to do is sit back during free agency while other names continue to get signed away and Howard and Paul are "taking their time evaluating every aspect of the decision making process," and end up in a situation similar to last season where you're trying to put together a roster in July. That will not bode well with Mavericks fans for a second year in a row. You will not be able to get away with "we're shooting for LeBron and 2014 free agency," it will not fly.

Insanity defined is repeating the same task over and over and expecting a different result. It's insane of Mark Cuban to think he can continue to sign one-year deals and have a chance at making it back to the NBA Finals, or the playoffs, even, for that matter. There's nothing wrong with banking on team chemistry over athleticism and flair. It's what won your first championship, it's what won the Spurs their championship in 2013. There's nothing wrong with not getting the biggest fish in the pond. Just please, no more Mike James.

What Is Texas Tech's Most Important Game?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:10:00 -0500

By David Ubben ESPNDallas.com

I have my own opinions on that for every team, but I'll ask the fans what they think first before I weigh in on what game I'd pick and why.

You can define "important" in a number of ways, which is why this exercise should be intriguing.

Let's have a closer look at the next team up on our list: Texas Tech.

vs. TCU, Sept. 12: Texas Tech's first major test will come at home with what should be a huge crowd ready for the real start of the Kliff Kingsbury Era. It'll come against a hyped TCU team that, if you weren't aware, Texas Tech fans aren't too fond of. Renewing old Southwest Conference rivalries like these is always fun, and the best part of TCU joining the Big 12. Tech won in triple overtime in Fort Worth last season, but getting off to a good start with a win over a top 10 or top 20 team on national TV on a Thursday night would be huge for the program and could get things rolling for Kingsbury.

at Oklahoma, Oct. 26: Tech's one of just a handful of teams to win in Norman against Bob Stoops, but more often, it's endured some tough beatings at Owen Field. This will be one of the least hyped Oklahoma teams in awhile, but beating one of the Big 12 national powers feels good in any situation. Win this one and you might just make your entire season.

vs. Baylor at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas; Nov. 16: The Bears are a fast-rising program and they've gotten the best of Texas Tech in consecutive seasons after losing 15 consecutive to the Red Raiders since the Big 12 began. Texas Tech's road back to relevance all of a sudden has Baylor right in the middle of it. The Bears are a good team, but not great. Tech needs this win to convince folks they're a legitimate team in the top half of the Big 12 this season.

at Texas, Nov. 28: The Longhorns have only lost to Tech once since 2002, but Tech hasn't won in Austin since before Kliff Kingsbury even played. That was in 1997, and Texas was a sub-.500 team under John Mackovic that year. Kingsbury would turn a lot of heads with a win in this one over what should be a very, very good Texas team, and the Longhorns are a historic in-state rival.

vs. Oklahoma State, Nov. 2: Oklahoma State's my Big 12 favorite, and the Cowboys could definitely be undefeated and in the top five for this game in Lubbock. Regardless of Tech's record, the fans will be hyped for this game. A win over a contender can launch you to bigger things in the future, but it always feels good and can take an average season to another level. Ask Baylor's 2012 team.

The Spurs Go For NBA Championship Tonight

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:42:00 -0500

MIAMI (AP) -- The Miami Heat weren't supposed to be in this situation. Not now, anyway.

Coming home from Texas with their season on the line in 2011 was one thing. They were at the end of their first year together -- LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh still trying to figure it all out and clearly a long way from it.

But this season they were the NBA's best team, one that lost three games in three months and made losing three times in one series look unlikely, if not downright unimaginable.

The San Antonio Spurs can finish Miami off Tuesday night in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, reaffirming themselves as one of the league's greatest franchises.

If so, the Heat's Big Three once again go from celebrated to devastated.

"We're going to see if we're a better team than we were our first year together," James said.

The Spurs took a 3-2 lead with their 114-104 victory Sunday night. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were all brilliant again, and Danny Green added to what could become one of the most out-of-nowhere finals MVP campaigns ever.

One more victory makes the Spurs 5-0 in the NBA Finals, keeping pace with Michael Jordan's 6-0 Chicago Bulls as the only teams to make it here multiple times and never lose.

"We understand Game 6 is huge," Parker said. "Obviously, you want to finish in the first opportunity you get. We understand that Miami is going to come out with a lot more energy, and they're going to play better at home. They're going to shoot the ball better. Their crowd is going to be behind them."

None of that mattered two years ago.

Clearly reeling and their psyches shaken after dropping two straight games in Dallas, the Heat were blitzed early in Game 6. They never recovered, Bosh inconsolable as he made his way back to the locker room afterward while the Mavericks celebrated at center court.

James had to endure the criticisms that came with not getting it done in the finals, a story line that was put to rest last year but will be back again if the Heat don't manage to put together consecutive victories.

"We challenge ourselves to see if we're a better team than we were," Wade said. "Same position no matter how we got to it."

The Heat would also host Game 7 on Thursday. They're trying to join the 1988 and 2010 Los Angeles Lakers and 1994 Houston Rockets as the only teams to rally from 3-2 down by winning the final two on their home floor since the NBA Finals went to a 2-3-2 format in 1985.

Of course, the Heat -- who won 27 in a row during the second-longest winning streak in league history -- haven't put together consecutive victories now in close to a month.

"We're in a position where it's a must-win and everything that we've done all year comes to this point, and we have to win," Heat guard Ray Allen said. "We've found ourselves in so many situations this year, and we've thrived in tough moments because this is a tough team. We will be ready for Game 6."

So will the Spurs, and the Heat know it.

"I'm sure this team, they've been here before many times. They understand winning that last game is one of the hardest things you're going to do. And we understand it as well," Wade said.

"But you know what? It's the game; we've got to play it. I like our chances, just like they like their chances, in this series and in Game 6. We'll see. We'll see which team, which style is going to prevail."

Their four titles have made the Spurs respected but never beloved. Their first, in 1999, came following a 50-game lockout season, and they certainly weren't the team to help the NBA regain its jilted fan base.

Victories in 2003 over New Jersey, 2005 over Detroit and 2007 over James' Cleveland Cavaliers were all low-rated, lukewarm-interest series in which the Spurs were supposed to win and did, just not in a way that erased the idea that they had boring players with a boring brand of basketball.

Win this one, though, and they will surely get their due. They would be knocking off the league's winningest team and the game's best player, with Duncan at 37 and Ginobili soon to be 36, behind a more wide-open offense that has helped Green break Allen's finals record for 3-pointers.

Not that they're thinking about that, or anything else beyond Game 6 at this point.

"We'll reflect back and let it hit us when it's over. We still have a lot more work to do. There's still some business to be done. We have to carry it out and finish it," said Green, who was cut previously by the Cavaliers and Spurs and now has made 25 3-pointers in the first five games.

It looked as though the game was finally passing by the Spurs last year, when the young Oklahoma City Thunder blew by them with four straight victories after San Antonio had taken a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

The Heat routed the Thunder for the championship and the Spurs brought back essentially the same team, believing another year in their system for players like Green and Kawhi Leonard was a better option than seeking out some quick-fix outsider.

That's almost always been the Spurs' way, and it's on the verge of again being the model for an NBA title -- at the expense of the Miami one that once appeared to be the way champions would be built.

"I think every one of us wants this very badly from the top on down," Duncan said. "We're trying to play that way."

Rangers Seek Back To Back Wins Vs A's

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:26:00 -0500

The Texas Rangers showed more spark than they had in the past week by rallying to win their series opener against the AL West-leading Oakland Athletics.

The Rangers will next try to give Yu Darvish some more support while denying A's right-hander Jarrod Parker a career high-tying fourth consecutive victory Tuesday night.

Texas was outscored 34-8 during a six-game losing streak but avoided its longest skid in five years with an 8-7 victory Monday. The Rangers gave up six runs in the fourth inning but responded by taking the lead for good in the fifth.

A.J. Pierzynski hit a two-out RBI double, and Nelson Cruz drove in two more runs with his second homer of the night. The win pushed Texas (39-31) to within two games of Oakland (42-30) in the division.

"We were looking for what happened, get some base hits in RBI situations and just keep grinding," manager Ron Washington said. "They just showed what they have the capability of doing, what they did tonight."

The Rangers will try to slice that deficit again with help from Darvish (7-2, 2.64 ERA), who has a 2.08 ERA in his last five starts. The right-hander, though, is winless in those games and started that stretch with a 1-0 home loss to Oakland on May 21.

Texas has provided him a combined seven runs in those five outings and gave him one in a 3-1 defeat to Toronto on Thursday. Darvish allowed one run and three hits over seven innings while striking out nine and avoiding the loss.

"Some games you get a lot of run support, and some games you don't. My approach to the game is the same, try to minimize the damage as much as I can," Darvish told the team's website through an interpreter. "My job is to contribute to the team as much as possible and make the game as close as possible."

Darvish has lost three straight starts against Oakland but has given up a combined four runs in his last two matchups, covering 13 innings. He has been given two total runs of support in those three games.

Parker, meanwhile, has gotten a combined 25 runs from the A's in four career matchups with Texas. However, only one of those runs came in his most recent start against the Rangers, a 3-1 loss in Arlington on May 22.

Parker (5-6, 4.45) allowed three runs over seven innings in his first career defeat to Texas. He's 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA in four all-time matchups.

Parker is 3-0 with a 1.91 ERA in his last four overall starts but did not earn a victory Thursday for the first time since last month's loss to Texas. He yielded two runs over eight innings to the Yankees before the A's won 3-2 in 18.

Parker earned a career-best four straight wins Sept. 10-Oct. 1.

It's unknown if Oakland's Yoenis Cespedes will return to the outfield Tuesday. Cespedes, batting .185 against Texas this season, has spent four games at designated hitter since injuring his hamstring last Tuesday.

"If he can get in the outfield, then I can DH somebody else and use a little bit more of the roster," manager Bob Melvin told the team's website.

Texas' Lance Berkman might return to the lineup Tuesday for the first time in three games. The 37-year-old designated hitter is batting .194 (12 for 64) with one homer and three RBIs in his last 17 contests, and might be feeling the effects of four career knee operations.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

Astros Open Series With Brewers

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:22:00 -0500

Improved pitching has provided a recent spark for the Milwaukee Brewers.

The same could be said of the Houston Astros, and in particular Jordan Lyles.

The Brewers look for another strong performance on the mound from an unlikely source, while Lyles attempts to continue his impressive stretch in the opener of this three-game set Tuesday night.

Milwaukee's starting pitchers compiled a 7.62 ERA during a recent 3-10 stretch, lasting beyond the sixth inning only twice. However, they've been superb since, posting a 2.26 ERA while the Brewers have won six of nine, including a 5-1 loss at Cincinnati on Sunday.

The recent effectiveness of the rotation has been a welcome surprise since slugger Ryan Braun is on the disabled list with a thumb injury.

"It's unbelievable, and it stems from the pitching," outfielder Logan Schafer told the team's official website. "It's been so great lately, and I think the entire team is feeding off it.

"There's that team confidence. It's a good feeling."

Alfredo Figaro (1-0, 3.47 ERA) certainly felt good about his last start, allowing three hits in seven scoreless innings while retiring 16 in a row at one point of Wednesday's 10-1 win at Miami. It was the right-hander's first victory since Sept, 26, 2009, with Detroit, and a vast improvement after he gave up eight runs in 10 1/3 innings over his previous two starts.

Figaro is scheduled to face the Astros (26-45) for the first time since June 27, 2009, when he was tagged for eight runs in six innings of an 8-1 defeat at Houston.

The Astros had a four-game winning streak end with Monday's 4-2 defeat to the Chicago White Sox, but strong pitching played a big role in their surge.

Houston owns the worst ERA in the majors at 4.73, but the staff has a 2.20 ERA over the past five games and has been getting outstanding work from Lyles (3-1, 3.48) for much longer than that.

The right-hander has pitched to a 1.67 ERA over his last six starts after compiling an 8.36 mark over his first three following his recall from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Despite his recent success, he has just a 2-0 record to show for it thanks in large part to being backed by an average of 2.9 runs.

The offense let him down again Wednesday, when Lyles limited Seattle to three hits over seven scoreless innings with a career-high 10 strikeouts. The Astros, though, scored all their runs in he ninth inning in a 6-1 victory.

"Even the times in which he got into trouble, you can see the look in his eyes and the patience and the poise of 'I'm going to make quality pitches to get out of this,'" manager Bo Porter said.

Lyles was excellent in his most recent meeting with the Brewers on Sept. 30, tossing a four-hitter in a 7-0 road win. He was 0-3 with a 5.54 ERA over his five prior meetings -- four starts.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

5 Wonders Of The Dallas Cowboys World

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:07:00 -0500

By Todd Archer ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys don’t take to the field again until July 21 in Oxnard, Calif., but 5 Wonders is back before its summer vacation.

Off we go:

The contractual future of Anthony Spencer has been a hot topic this offseason, as has the future of Sean Lee. Personally, I don’t see a deal for Spencer before the July 15 deadline, but I can see Lee signed to a long-term deal before the season opener. What about Dan Bailey? I wonder if the Cowboys would look at tying up their kicker to a new deal. He is set to make $555,000 this year and become a restricted free agent after this season. The Cowboys have shown a willingness to get deals done on players before they become restricted free agents (Jermey Parnell and Phil Costa come to mind), so why not take care of Bailey? Considering how close games are every week, having a reliable kicker is a must. Bailey is just about as good as there is in the league.

Center Travis Frederick worked with the starters from his first day of practice. Terrance Williams was with the first-team when the Cowboys went to their three-wide receiver set. Gavin Escobar did not knock James Hanna off his perch as the No. 2 tight end behind Jason Witten. I wonder if Hanna will hold on to that job longer than we think. Escobar got more work in the regular offense later in the minicamp, but Hanna has made it difficult for the second-round pick. That’s a good thing, not a bad thing. Escobar raised his level of play as camp went on, making a nice sliding catch for a touchdown. Too many times the Cowboys seem to hand people jobs, but Escobar will have to earn this one.

I wonder if people are sleeping on Lance Dunbar a little bit. While Joseph Randle is the presumed backup to DeMarco Murray, Dunbar had a terrific offseason and has the trust of the guy who matters most in the offense. No, not Jason Garrett. Not Bill Callahan either. But Tony Romo. Dunbar can be elusive out of the backfield and give linebackers some trouble. Getting the ball to him on a screen or two a game is not out of the question. Defenses might try to take advantage of his lack of size with pass protections, but he is a willing blocker.

I was the first person to kind of chuckle when I heard the Cowboys go on forever about the defensive line being their strength, but I wonder if it will be. Seriously. I don’t want to get too carried away and I want to see the work in the preseason against other teams, but there looks to be quality depth with guys like Tyrone Crawford, Sean Lissemore, Kyle Wilber and Ben Bass. Heck, I even had Nick Hayden on my most recent 53-man roster projection. The key will be Jay Ratliff and if he can find the form that led him to the Pro Bowls. He didn’t practice much this offseason, but when he did, he did a nice job. Same with Jason Hatcher. Add that to a healthy DeMarcus Ware and Spencer and there might be something here.

I wonder about how the Cowboys will be calling the plays this year. Even when Garrett was calling the plays, getting in and out of the huddle had been an issue. Now with Callahan calling them from the coaches’ booth to quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson, who then will relay them to Romo, it just seems like they have created another layer to delay the process. Callahan likes to be up high to get a good view of the game, which I understand. During training camp and in the preseason games the Cowboys will have to pick up the pace. They had a delay of game and were forced to call a timeout in one practice because it took too long for the play to get in. The situation work Garrett has used in practice is as much for the coaches as it is the players.

Rangers end 6-game skid with 8-7 win over A's

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 01:13:00 -0500

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Nelson Cruz homered twice, A.J. Pierzynski drove in three runs and the Texas Rangers snapped a six-game losing streak with an 8-7 win over the AL West-leading Oakland Athletics on Monday night.

The Rangers totaled only eight runs during what was the longest active skid in the majors.

Cruz's second homer was a two-run shot off Jesse Chavez (1-1) on an 0-2 pitch in the fifth inning to put Texas up 7-6. It came right after Pierzynski's RBI double.

Pierzynksi also homered. Cruz added a double in the seventh to match a season high with four RBIs.

Oakland wiped out an early 3-0 deficit with a six-run fourth off rookie Nick Tepesch.

Neal Cotts (3-1) went 2 1-3 innings in relief. Joe Nathan allowed a run in the ninth before earning his 21st save.

White Sox top Astros 4-2

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 01:16:00 -0500

HOUSTON (AP) — Dayan Viciedo's bases-loaded triple in a four-run sixth inning sent the Chicago White Sox to a 4-2 win over the Houston Astros on Monday night.

The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the White Sox and allowed them to avoid being swept in a four-game series for the first time since 2008.

Chicago trailed 2-0 before Alejandro De Aza singled in the sixth and went to third on Adam Dunn's two-out single. Paul Konerko pulled Chicago to 2-1 with an RBI single that went between the legs of starter Bud Norris and into center field.

Conor Gillaspie barely beat the throw to first on a single that loaded the bases. That brought up Viciedo, whose triple landed on Tal's Hill in center field just out of the reach of a diving Brandon Barnes. That sent all three runners home to put Chicago up 4-2.

Cowboys Have Lingering Questions

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:09:00 -0500

By Todd Archer ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas -- With a team that has finished .500 in each of the past two years and did not make any drastic upgrades in the offseason, the Dallas Cowboys have plenty of questions.

Through the on-field teaching sessions, nine organized team activities and three days of minicamp, many things were learned but many questions remain before this team gets to Oxnard, Calif., for training camp.

Here we look at some of the questions that remain:

1. Will Tony Romo be ready to go?

The short answer is yes, but the offseason has always been a big part of Romo's preparation for a season. Normally he will tinker with his mechanics and use the practices to know what works and what doesn't, but he has not thrown a competitive pass since December because of a procedure in April to remove a cyst from his back.

While the team downplayed the surgery, the time lost figures to affect Romo when the Cowboys get to California. He said he should be 100 percent by next week and will attempt to play catch-up by throwing passes to the remaining players at Valley Ranch over the month-long break. While that should get his arm in good enough shape for training camp, there will be some rust when he gets in full team activities with the pads on.

2. What is there to make of the offensive line?

For the second straight offseason right guard Mackenzy Bernadeau was not able to take a snap in the OTAs or minicamp. Left guard Nate Livings hurt his surgically-repaired knee during the OTAs and missed most of the past three weeks. Jermey Parnell, who is expected to battle with Doug Free for the right tackle spot, missed two-plus weeks because of a hamstring injury. Travis Frederick took all of the first-team work, but he's a rookie.

The guy in charge of the line, Bill Callahan, will be spread a little thinner now that he has play-calling duties.

Bernadeau, Livings and Parnell will be fine when the team gets to Oxnard, but if last year proved anything, it's that the line needs time together. Another offseason without that continuity is not a good thing.

3. Is Callahan ready to call the plays?

This has been talked about and talked about, and will continue to be talked about. Like the move to the 4-3 on the other side of the ball, there will be a transition with Callahan calling the plays. He will have a different feel for it than Jason Garrett and that is something Romo will have to adjust to.

All of the situational work Garrett put the team through in the OTAs and minicamp was good for the players, but it was also good for Callahan to get up to speed on calling plays again. There were some hiccups, like a delay-of-game penalty and a needed timeout because the process was too slow. When the Cowboys show up in Oxnard, that process will have to speed up.

4. What are the defensive concerns?

There will be bumps as the Cowboys move to the 4-3 this summer, but the offseason went pretty well. They feel as if they are covered at the safety spot and that the defensive line will be a strength, so let's look past the starters for a moment.

Backup linebacker is a little thin. Alex Albright has never played in this system, but the coaches say they believe he will be fine. Ernie Sims is a better fit for this system than the one he played in the 3-4 last season. DeVonte Holloman and Brandon Magee had moments in the spring, but they're rookies.

5. Will Joseph Randle be ready to contribute?

Randle has not taken a snap because of thumb surgery but should be ready to go for the opening of training camp. He has done everything the athletic training staff has asked, and running backs coach Gary Brown has liked how attentive Randle has been on the practice field even if he can't carry the ball.

The Cowboys believe he can be a full-time back if something happened to DeMarco Murray, but he was a fifth-round pick. Randle will have to show he can beat out Lance Dunbar and Phillip Tanner to do the job. Getting a late start doing that isn't a positive.

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