Dallas City News

Inside Cowboys Brandin Cooks’ unique hobby of piloting planes – Todd Archer, ESPN

Cooks goes from catching passes through the air, to flying in it himself.

FRISCO, Texas — Looking back into the blue sky as Dak Prescott’s pass rose high along the right sideline during a Dallas Cowboys minicamp practice, Brandin Cooks sensed he needed to pick up speed.

His head went down. His legs powerfully churned as the rest of his body remained calm. Within a blink of an eye, he accelerated away from a defender and made the long catch. It was a sign that his greatest physical trait — his ability to fly — remained, even as he is entering his 11th NFL season.

Growing up, Cooks’ trainers and track coaches always mentioned airplanes when they talked about that acceleration.

“We used a term a lot, like, ‘Oh, that guy’s floating,’” Cooks said.

Cooks laughed at the memory because now he knows what it really means to be floating.

Literally.

He earned his private pilot’s license in 2021, and he owns a 2016 Cirrus SR22 Turbo aircraft.

Cooks was 9 when he first got on a plane, flying by himself from California to Pennsylvania for a USA Track & Field meet.

“I really didn’t think nothing of it,” Cooks said. “ I didn’t think to be scared. I didn’t think to have fun.

“I remember looking at [my mother] and I remember her making a big deal. She’d never been on a plane. I think her first time she was on the plane was when I went to college. So she was like, ‘You’ve got to understand how special this is.’”

It wasn’t until he was selected in the first round of the 2014 draft by the New Orleans Saints that he got hooked on aviation. Tight end Jimmy Graham took Cooks up in his single-engine plane and showed him the Superdome from a completely different view.

“Got in the air,” Cooks said, “I fell in love.”

Why CeeDee Lamb could break Calvin Johnson’s NFL single-season receiving record in 2024 – Brian Martin, BloggingTheBoys.com

There’s no reason to think Lamb won’t go from one record-breaking season to another.

Lamb is one of the few receivers who has the ability and talent to seriously threaten Johnson’s record of 1,964 yards. No. 88 actually came somewhat close to the record in 2023, amassing 1,749 receiving yards along with 12 touchdowns on 135 receptions, all career highs for him. While those numbers are impressive, they could be even better in 2024.

If you’ve followed along with Lamb’s career, you already know his production has continued to increase across-the-board year after year. Since his rookie season his totals in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns have significantly improved and if that trend continues Johnson’s single-season receiving record could finally fall.

Lamb has somehow managed to increase his receiving yards total by pretty close to 200 yards each season. If he were to continue that trend in 2024, he would at the very least be close to tying Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yards record. If he wants to surpass that though he’ll need to average 118 receiving yards in 17 games next year.

Averaging 118 receiving yards a game sounds like a lot, but might be doable for Lamb in 2024. He is the unquestioned WR1 with the Cowboys and Dak Prescott’s favorite target in the passing game. Not only that, but Dallas’ offense will likely be even more pass-centric due to their questionable decision to go with the RB-by-committee approach this year.

Ezekiel Elliott and the rest of the running backs aren’t going to strike much fear in opposing defensive coordinators. Yes, that could mean they sit back in coverage more, but it also means Prescott will have to rely more on Dallas’ aerial attack to keep the chains moving. If true, that should give Lamb ample opportunity to pad his stats.

Role Call: Brevyn Spann-Ford fits the Cowboys TE prototype – Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com

Getting to know Dallas’ rookie tight end.

How He Got Here: Signed as a rookie free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft, Spann-Ford had a lengthy career at the University of Minnesota that began with him earning Scout Team Player of the Year in 2018. As he developed his game, Spann-Ford earned consecutive All-Big 10 honorable mentions in 2022 and 2023. Overall, he played in 60 career games at Minnesota, catching 95 passes and seven touchdowns. Spann-Ford was a standout in Mobile, Ala., at the Senior Bowl, where the Cowboys have had recent success finding talented players from the All-Star Game.

What’s Next: The last two years, the Cowboys have seemingly found an undrafted tight end prospect to develop. In 2022, it was Peyton Hendershot, followed by John Stephens last year, although he got hurt before the season started. Now, it could be Spann-Ford, who has the size and measureables to be an instant-ready player for the Cowboys. The problem is that he’ll likely have to beat out both Hendershot and Stephens, who are still on the roster and ready to compete.

Did You Know: Spann-Ford earned All-Big 10 Academic honors five straight years from 2019-2023.

Quotable: “It’s really good quality player that we got in Brevyn. He comes here, experienced. He has great measureables – in terms of size and length. He’s really athletic. He’s smart. Our ability to get him, especially where we got him in free agency – it makes you get excited as a coach. He’s another young guy that you have in your room to develop. He’ll fit in with the room really well.” Tight ends coach Lunda Wells on adding Spann-Ford.

Cowboys’ Jerry Jones takes jab at Bengals during testimony in court at NFL’s Sunday Ticket trial – Jordan Dajani, CBS Sports

Cincinnati caught shade during Jones’ testimony.

There is no such thing as an “offseason” for the NFL, and that’s especially true this year. The NFL’s Sunday Ticket package, which is the only way for football fans to watch non-prime-time games out of market, is being called into question in a class-action lawsuit filed by subscribers, and some of the biggest names in the NFL have been called to testify.

As explained by the Associated Press, this class-action covers 2.4 million subscribers and 48,000 businesses who paid for Sunday Ticket from 2011 through 2022, and claims the NFL broke antitrust laws by selling it at an inflated price. Subscribers also claim the NFL restricted potential competition.

“We have been clear throughout that it is a premium product. Not just on pricing but quality,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell testified on Monday, via the AP. “Fans make that choice whether they wanted it or not. I’m sure there were fans who said it was too costly.”

Another big name called to testify is Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who also reportedly defended the NFL’s current broadcast model. If it were not for Sunday Ticket, one option for NFL teams could be for clubs to sell their out-of-market rights completely separate. As you can imagine, “America’s Team” would rake in the dough if that were the new reality. Still, Jones didn’t seem too interested in the possibility, and took a shot at the Cincinnati Bengals as well.

“I am convinced I would make a lot more money than the Bengals,” Jones said, via AP. “I’m completely against each team doing TV deals. It is flawed.”