Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "dallas cowboys"

Sacramento Mountain Lion trades his Cougar in for Star

2010-12-03T01:29:23Z

When the Dallas Cowboys travel to play the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, a familiar face to the Sacramento Mountain Lions faithful will be seen. The 6-foot-1 225 lb Safety, Andrew Sendejo, will be suiting up for the Cowboys after signing a contract on November 29.

In Sacramento, Sendejo, led his team with 48 tackles and ended up tying for second in the UFL. He made it known that he was thankful for his opportunity in Sacramento and appreciative of his time here.

“I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to come play in the UFL, because if it wasn’t for the UFL I probably wouldn’t be where I’m at. I’ll always remember my time in Sacramento.”

Going from the California weather to that of Dallas Texas won’t be a tough transition for him, being that he was raised in Texas.

Along with football, Sendejo played soccer, twice being named All-District. A dream as a kid playing High School football in Spring Branch, Texas, he’ll be able to turn that dream into a reality this Sunday, putting on his no. 36 Cowboys jersey for the first time.

“Family and friends are already Cowboys fans but now that they know somebody; they’re even bigger Cowboys fans,” Sendejo said. “I’m just trying to stay focused on football learning the playbook and learning the defense, [so I can] get on the field as fast as I can.”

Sendejo played college football for the Rice Owls, where he totaled 318 tackles, finishing his college career second on the all-time tackles list for Rice. He intercepted 9 passes, forced 7 fumbles and earned an honorable mention in 2009 but his senior season was cut short because of an injury. Sendejo participated in a rookie mini-camp with the Tampa Bay buccaneers and worked out for the New Orleans Saints but it didn’t work out. He would soon find himself flying out to Sacramento to play here for the Sacramento Mountain Lions.

He participated in his first practice for the Cowboys on Monday and will continue to play scout defense and scout special teams for the time being.

“I’m going out there to try and fly around, bust my tail and prove to the coaches and staff that they made a good decision.”

Saturday Night Lights

2010-09-27T04:59:06Z

Are you ready for some football?

Saturday night, professional football made its triumphant return to Sacramento. The 20,000 fans who packed into Hornet Stadium were treated to a barnburner, as the hometown Mountain Lions battled back from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit for a dramatic victory over the visiting Florida Tuskers.

For many fans, the evening was a win long before Daunte Culpepper found Rod Windsor deep down the sideline for the game-winning 33-yard touchdown pass with 37 seconds remaining.

Two hours before kickoff, the parking lots surrounding Hornet Stadium at Sacramento State were packed with joyous revelers, basking in the opportunity to cheer for professional football right here in the City of Trees.

"Sacramento is hungry for sports" Bob Rowe of Sacramento said. "This is just what we needed."

Rowe, who looked like a one-time offensive lineman and cut an imposing figure in his 1970s-era Jack Youngblood L.A. Rams jersey, had been there with his wife Annie since 4:15 p.m. They were at the head of a group of perhaps 200 revelers who had turned a swatch of grass between Lot 7 and the frontage road into a tailgating Shangri-La. It was akin to a big-time college atmosphere, and for a split second I was reminded of a pilgrimage I made to "The Grove" at Ole Miss for the Alabama game last year. The moment was fleeting, but that the thought passed through my mind at all is a testament to the festive mood.

"We've been chomping at the bit ever since we found out that Sacramento was getting a team," Rowe said. "This is what we've been waiting for."

Annie Rowe looked out over her fellow party-goers. "We don't even know any of these people," she said, a huge smile on her face. "Look at all the jerseys! It doesn't matter what NFL team you root for, everyone’s rooting for Sacramento!"

As I walked to the stadium, I was struck by the diversity of the crowd. It is hard to imagine a more heterogeneous group than the 20,000 who showed up to cheer on their Mountain Lions. Football, The Real Great Uniter.

The game was televised nationally on Versus, and it was certainly the place to be on Saturday night. Local celebrities abound. The national anthem was sung by Tesla lead singer and Sacramentan Jeff Keith. The mayor, KJ, was in attendance. Local MMA star Urijah Faber took part in an on field football skills competition with Kings star Tyreke Evans. The hoop star took it to the scrapper, kicking two field goals, each of which cleared the hospitality tent in the south endzone. They probably would have been good from 45 yards out. So he's got that going for him if the basketball thing doesn't work out.

The biggest star in attendance wasn't there in any official capacity. Roaming the Mountain Lions sidelines, a proud father cheering on his son, was Denzel Washington. John-David Washington is a back-up running back for Sacramento.

For a long while it seemed that the game itself would be overshadowed by the hullabaloo surrounding it. The first quarter ended with the Mountain Lions trailing 3-0, marred by four Mountain Lion penalties for 35 yards and a Culpepper interception.

The second quarter featured a bit of history. With 8:56 remaining, Culpepper hit Rod Windsor for a touchdown in the flat, giving the Mountain Lions their first-ever lead. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Tuskers answered with a TD of their own, a 14-yard strike from Brooks Bollinger to Cortez Hankton with 1:22 remaining.

Culpepper gave the crowd a thrill when he completed a 54-yard bomb up the sideline to Taye Biddle with 18 seconds left in the half, but they were unable to turn it into points when Culpepper was called for an illegal forward pass on the next play.

The second half started much as the first had ended, with a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Aaron Woods took the kickoff 98 yards for what appeared to be a touchdown, but much to the dismay of the raucous crowd, the play was called back due to a clipping penalty.

The two teams exchanged punts until the Tuskers broke through with seven-play, 77-yard drive that culminated in a one-yard Dominic Rhodes touchdown run. The score gave Florida a 10-point lead with eight minutes and 21 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

The 10-point deficit, in combination with the cessation of alcohol sales at the start of the third quarter, triggered a fairly sizable fan exodus that continued through the end of the third. The heartier souls who stayed until the end were handsomely rewarded for their steadfastness.

Still trailing by 10, the Molos opened the fourth quarter with a 54-yard field goal attempt that split the uprights, cutting the lead to seven.

The Mountain Lions forced the Tuskers to punt on their next possession and got the ball back on their own 20. They proceeded to mount a 10-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard TD to Derek Strong. On the drive, Culpepper completed passes to five different receivers and willed his team to pay dirt. It was the kind of performance the Mountain Lions hoped would be commonplace when they signed the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback.

The Tuskers weren't going away that easily, however. Brooks Bollinger showed the skill and grit that won him last season’s UFL MVP award while leading his team on a 10-play, 64-yard scoring drive of their own.

With just over four minutes remaining, the Tuskers had a first and goal at the Sacramento two-yard line, but the Molo defense, led by LB Zeke Moreno, would not yield any further. They held the Tuskers to a field goal, and the Mountain Lions had one more chance, trailing by three with four minutes left in the game.

One chance was all they needed.

Aaron Woods returned the Tusker kickoff 19 yards to the Sacramento 30, then Daunte took over. The QB picked up where he left off on the last scoring drive, spreading the ball around and methodically leading his team up the field.

With 37 seconds left, he had gotten them all the way down to the Florida 33-yard line, well within their kicker’s range. As the media relations director passed out the overtime rules in the press box, Daunte rendered them moot by throwing that perfect strike down the left sideline to Rod Windsor. TD, Mountain Lions.

Another bit of history in the books, the first victory for your Sacramento Mountain Lions.

If they can continue to play as they did in the fourth quarter Saturday night, it'll be the first of many.

Photos courtesy of the inimitable Steven Chea. That's Steven, with a "v".

Former NFL Wide Receiver Paris Warren Joins River City Gators

2010-05-07T04:50:05Z

West Sacramento, CA - The River City Gators announced the signing of Sacramento native, and former NFL wide receiver, Paris Warren today. The actual signing took place on the Gators' practice field Wednesday night at 8:30pm. Warren was drafted in the seventh round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2005, and remained with the team until 2008. Thereafter he spent time with the Dallas Cowboys (2008), again with Tampa Bay (2009), and the New Orleans Saints (2009). He also played for the UFL's Orlando-based Florida Tuskers in 2009.

Prior to his professional career, Paris Warren attended for the University of Oregon, where, as a freshman, he played football for the Ducks. In accordance with NCAA rules, he sat out the 2002 season after transferring to the University of Utah. As a member of the Utes, Warren was named first team All-MWC in 2003, second team All-MWC in 2004, and he was named Offensive Co-MVP of the 2005 BCS Fiesta Bowl. Warren finished that night with a Fiesta Bowl-record 15 receptions and 198 yards. He also holds the University of Utah single-season reception record, logging 80 receptions during the 2004-05 season.

River City Gators Head Coach, Charlie Ruiz says the addition of Paris Warren "is really going to raise the level of motivation since he's coming from the pro leagues. That someone of his caliber and talent is motivated to play at this level is really excites for me as well. I mean if you're an offensive lineman, how do you not weant to block for this guy?" On the topic of the team, Ruiz says, "we're going to have to make some moves and make some room, but I think the team is going to embrace it and move forward. Hopefully they appreciate that we're constantly trying to better the team."

River City Gators Co-Owner, and NCFL Co-Founder, Jason Kang, says "[the addition of Paris Warren] is going to raise the level of play from all of our players. They'll be working with a guy who's been there and done that. They'll have a chance to pick his brain. They'll have a chance to develop beyond camps and tryouts. This is good for us all the way around." In terms of the NCFL, "to get a player with recent NFL experience and high caliber status adds to the legitimacy of what we're here to do: to cultivate and develop players, and to provide a professional environment for them to play in. We believe that if you have a player like Paris Warren come to this league, than perhaps others like him will follow. So hopefully this will begin to open some of those doors."

Paris Warren was unavailable for comment today. An interview is planned for Friday, and both Charlie Ruiz and Jason Kang have indicated that he will be available to the media after the game versus the Stockton Trojans on Saturday night.

The NCFL is the nation's premier minor league football conference. With players having moved on to the AFL and AIFA, and others attending NFL and UFL camps in the past, the league is highly competitive. In fact, the league's top two teams, the Northbay Rattlers and the Pacifica Islanders, placed first and second at the 2009 minor league national championships in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Gators next game is Saturday, May 8th, at River City Stadium in West Sacramento. Kickoff is scheduled for 6pm. The Gators have announced a special offer exclusively available through Sacramento Press. A "50% Off" coupon is included below. Just print it out and bring it to the game for half off the price of admission. To learn more about the River City Gators, please visit their website.