2009-11-20T17:31:17Z Smart takes from players, coaches, and people in the know about NFL news. tag:views.washingtonpost.com,2009:/theleague/panelists/51 Copyright (c) 2009, WashingtonPost.Newsweek Interactive 2009-11-20T17:31:17Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-20:/theleague/panelists2009/11/dallas_cowboys_redskins_fans_hate_wang.html

Everyone loves an underdog, and during the Super Bowl era, that means just about every team other than the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have won five Super Bowls, made eight appearances in our country's biggest game and have the most playoff wins of any team in league history. Dallas haters point to the arrogance stemming from that virtually unmatched level of success as to why so many football fans love seeing the Cowboys lose. In...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Gene Wang 2009-11-20T16:29:57Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-20:/theleague/panelists2009/11/dallas_cowboys_redskins_fans_hate_levy.html

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the arrogance. From Jimmy Johnson to Barry Switzer to Michael Irvin all circling upstairs to the guy named Jerry Jones who owns and runs the franchise -- it's all arrogance. It's amazing that guys like Troy Aikman and Daryl Johnston came out of that franchise as well adjusted as they seem. It's no wonder that Emmitt Smith acted the way he did with his terrible stint on ESPN --...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Dan Levy 2009-11-20T16:15:14Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-20:/theleague/panelists2009/11/like_yanks_cowboys_under_microscope.html

Tony Romo is a career 33-15 (69%) as a starter. Wade Phillips has a career 76-52 (59%) record, and is 28-13 (68%) coaching the Cowboys. What do both Romo and Phillips have in common? Well to the national public, they either stink, are overrated, and and/or are choke-artists. Like the New York Yankees, the Cowboys are judged under an intense microscope every single day, and to most fans are very easy to hate. Actually, hate...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Sean Moroney 2009-11-20T15:09:16Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-20:/theleague/panelists2009/11/cowboys_bandwagon_sucks.html

Now here's a topic I could write a book on... There's a lot of reasons people hate the Cowboys but, in my opinion, the biggest is that guy wearing the Cowboys jacket in your office. Or that guy wearing the Aikman jersey in your local bar. Or that guy driving around with a Cowboys bumper sticker. Wherever you are in this country, you know the guy I'm talking about. He's the same guy in every...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Jason Brewer 2009-11-20T06:23:11Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-20:/theleague/panelists2009/11/dallas_cowboys_redskins_fans_hate_goldberg.html

When I think of the Cowboys, I think of "Dallas,'' the prime-time soap opera of a generation or so ago. Too rich, too ostentatious, too ... Everything. That's not the only reason "America's Team'' is also America's most hated sports franchise. But when the stereotype fits -- as in a new $1 billion-plus pleasure palace for the Cowboys' games -- you savor it. Was there anyone outside the Cowboys' considerable fan base who didn't enjoy...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Dave Goldberg 2009-11-20T16:18:47Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-20:/theleague/panelists2009/11/dallas_cowboys_redskins_fans_hate_valentine.html

Why do fans outside of Texas hate the Dallas Cowboys so much? There are a million reasons, including that whole "America's Team" nonsense. The arrogance of the owner certainly doesn't help. Pardon me while I not only root for a punter to hit the 'JerryTron' during a game, but for somebody to knock the darn thing down and have it smash into smithereens right on the field. Yet, as a Yankee fan I can't really...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Edward Valentine 2009-11-20T06:25:27Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-20:/theleague/panelists2009/11/dallas_cowboys_redskins_fans_hate_shapiro.html

Why do Redskins fans hate the Cowboys? Let us count the ways. It began in earnest in the George Allen era (1971-77), when Allen knew the Pokes were the team to beat to gain supremacy in the NFC East. A master at whipping his teams into a frenzy, Allen had some Redskins believing that head coach Tom Landry had been a serial killer in a previous life and general manager Tex Schramm was evil incarnate....Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Leonard Shapiro 2009-11-20T06:23:50Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-20:/theleague/panelists2009/11/dallas_cowboys_redskins_fans_hate_readerpoll.html

Why are the Dallas Cowboys the most hated franchise in sports? Weigh in here......Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Reader Poll 2009-11-18T19:13:05Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-18:/theleague/panelists2009/11/cincinnati_bengals_larry_johnson_pr_schaffer.html

The universe must be titled on its axis. The Cincinnati Bengals have the second record in the AFC. Star players are moving to Cincinnati as a way of resurrecting their careers and the Bengals are playing primetime games. What's next, the Washington Generals defeating the Harlem Globetrotters, ABC TV televising the Men's collegiate Lacrosse championships in primetime? Yes, it is true, and that the Bengals are successful, have not only righted the ship but have...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Peter Schaffer 2009-11-18T00:35:05Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-17:/theleague/panelists2009/11/cincinnati_bengals_larry_johnson_pr_maloni.html

Larry Johnson: count your blessings and please, fall quietly in line. The 7-2 Bengals took a calculated risk this week by adding Johnson to their roster. For the Bengals, sitting pretty atop the AFC North, the Johnson signing is a nice bit of insurance should Cedric Benson not bounce back soon from his hip flexor injury. The Bengals/Johnson deal could work out just fine, so long as they are on the same page with regard...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Jason Maloni 2009-11-17T23:05:37Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-17:/theleague/panelists2009/11/cincinnati_bengals_larry_johnson_pr_levy.html

When we were discussing something to write for The Sporting Blog on Larry Johnson potentially signing with the Bengals to replace and eventually spell the injured Cedric Benson, I thought we could do a graphic as a play on the Land of Misfit Toys. Turns out, SB Nation beat us to the joke. Bloggers. For the last few years, discipline has been an issue for the Bengals, and seemingly -- I'm sure injury had as...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Dan Levy 2009-11-18T04:22:13Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-17:/theleague/panelists2009/11/cincinnati_bengals_larry_johnson_pr_farrar.html

It's difficult to say, but Larry Johnson might just experience a professional rebirth with the Cincinnati Bengals. When LJ was relevant and overworked, putting up 1700-yard seasons in 2005 and 2006, the Chiefs had offensive lines that ranked second and 15th in Adjusted Line Yards, respectively. In 2009, that line is just one more broken part of the Chiefs' desperate rebuild, currently ranking dead last in the NFL. Though Johnson lost most of his top-end...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Doug Farrar 2009-11-17T22:26:28Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-17:/theleague/panelists2009/11/cincinnati_bengals_larry_johnson_pr_zerkle.html

Running back Larry Johnson seemed to exude every characteristic of football poison when he was released by the Kansas City Chiefs last week. Underperforming. Petulant. And he did himself no favors with the media. The Bengals got rid of such a player when they traded Corey Dillon in 2003. Signing Johnson reinforces an aging notion that Cincinnati has become some sort of Island of Misfit Skill Players, and maybe that's fair. But the logic is...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Josh Zerkle 2009-11-17T22:36:17Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-17:/theleague/panelists2009/11/cincinnati_bengals_larry_johnson_pr_mccann.html

When I first puzzled out this question, I was completely ready to give the Bengals the benefit of the doubt. "The good news is that (Chris) Henry is probably the only bona fide bad dude on the team," I wrote, less than 24 hours ago. "The rest are just garden-variety, fast-living miscreants, with the clean-living egomaniac Chad Ochocinco thrown in for good measure." Make that two bad dudes. By courting and signing ex-Chief Larry Johnson,...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Sean McCann 2009-11-17T20:30:39Z tag:washingtonpost.com,2009-11-17:/theleague/panelists2009/11/cincinnati_bengals_larry_johnson_pr_knight.html

Obviously tired of his antics, thousands of Chiefs fans signed a petition asking for the release of running back Larry Johnson. He had just returned from his most recent suspension earned for unintelligent comments that included mocking his coach and a gay slur. The fans got what they wanted when he was released last week. Now the question is whether Bengals fans will want him. With Cedric Benson injured, Cincinnati needs a backup plan to...Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.

Dawn Knight