Ethan Brooks Watch

My buddy Ethan was signed by the Cowboys last weekend, which is pretty cool, as whether I like it or not, I get all of their games. After the Jets inexplicably let him go this summer, he was unsure as to how things would go. It was a weird situation for him, because his stock was most likely to rise only after someone suffered an injury. When Flozell Adams tore up his knee a couple of weeks ago, that opened a door for Ethan. Even though he was only signed last Monday, he was active and in uniform yesterday, as Bill Parcells twice raved about Ethan's retention of the Cowboys' scheme (there's that Williams education at work!). He is listed as the swing tackle, the backup for both the starting right and left tackles. I saw him on the sidelines yesterday, but do not believe that he got into the game in that punch to the gut loss to the Seahawks.

For those of you who would like to read a bit more about Ethan, I would strongly suggest John Feinstein's newest book, Next Man Up: A Year Behind the Lines in Today's NFL, which provides a fascinating look at a season of the Baltimore Ravens (yes, Billick is the most shameless self-promoter in the history of professional sports -- roll over Bill Veeck, tell Charlie Finley the news). Ethan gets seven pages of his own plus many references throughout the book, and he emerges as a truly good guy. This also is the most honest he has ever been about his wife's tragedy. My guess is that getting the treatment from Feinstein is the rough equivalent of having Halberstam, Turkel, or McCullough feature you prominently -- they are not the best at what they do, but they are damned good and might be the most popular.

Congrats to Ethan, who is now only five hours from me, a blink of an eye in Texas terms! I'm eyeing that November 20th game at Texas Stadium against the Lions. Maybe I'll even get a #70 jersey if they sell them. (My rule is that I wear no pro gear other than for the Boston teams except for the teams on which Ethan plays -- so I have the Falcons hat he wore on the sideline of his first NFL game, I have a Rams hat, etc.)