OK, I'll make a long story short. Long-time acquaintance calls Saturday, has 4 free tickets to the Cowboys-Broncos game from a cousin, nobody can make it, can I use them? I grab my 2 teenage boys plus their friend, and we go. They're supposedly lower deck seats. Oh, yeah. We keep going down, down, down until the usher lets us onto a special platform that's 3 feet above the field and about 15 yards away. We get great views of T.O. vs. Champ, and our view is blocked (surprisingly, frequently, no matter where the ball is) by the Cowboys cheerleaders dancing directly in front of us. Turns out we're in the cheerleaders' family section. You think the teenagers liked this? You think Dad did? Yeah, all of that.

It was truly a memorable night, and the boys are old enough to know how special it was. (When kids are younger, they don't know the difference. I remember when they were Cub Scouts and got to walk on the field at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The dads were overwhelmed, the kids were oblivious).

But now that I've raised your envy level, let me get to the real reason for this blog: To share some observations about the individual defensive players I saw at Texas Stadium.

Champ Bailey, CB, Denver - Terrell Owens got the better of him a couple of times, but Champ was interesting to watch. He definitely plays the QB all the way and just barely keeps an eye on the WR unless they go deep. Champ relies on his tremendous athleticism to recover. T.O. beat him bad on an out, Tony Romo timed the throw beautifully, but Champ still almost got there in time. You can see why Bailey is a valuable IDP who contributes tackles. Because of his technique and speed, Champ can support the run, and not just on his side of the field. Best example: Ball's at the 10-yard-line, they run up the middle, Champ's flying in to be part of the tackle. He'll score points whether he gets many INTs or not.

DeMarcus Ware, WLB, Dallas - In build and in jersey number (#94), Ware reminds me of Charles Haley. That's a pretty darn good compliment. Ware seems to blitz on nearly every play, including running downs, in HC Wade Phillips' new defensive scheme. Ware never sacked Jay Cutler on this night, but he came awfully close, and he's showing more strength than I expected. All the talk has been about his speed, but Ware has developed a bull rush that's effective because the OT is off-balance, looking for Ware to go around him. Ware's going to light it up this season.

D.J. Williams, MLB, Denver - Williams looks like a MLB, but he didn't do a whole lot on this night. I think he'll be fine in the middle. As you know from reading IDPBlitz, Williams is a prime sleeper choice. My only worry about him has been pass coverage, and I'm still worried after watching this aspect in particular. Williams does a good job of matching up with TEs in man coverage, but in zone, he's a novice at guarding crossing patterns. Williams only has 1 career INT in 3 seasons (during his rookie campaign), and we may downgrade him a bit to extend that streak to 3 INT-less seasons.

Anthony Spencer, SLB, Dallas - This guy is learning by the minute. You can see he has the raw skills to convert from college DE to pro LB. Spencer holds the point very well against the run, although he may not make the tackle. Oops. In the passing game, he does better. Spencer was beaten on a play-action pass to Daniel Graham, but he recovered enough (and is tall enough) to reach up and tip the ball as it was coming to Graham. The TE still twisted to make the catch, but Spencer showed good recovery. He could be more of a factor against the pass than expected. Three plays later, Spencer came on a blitz when Cutler rolled away from him, and applied enough pressure that Cutler made a poor throw into the end zone after he danced away from Spencer. His fantasy stats were unimpressive (1 assist), but you can see that Spencer will have it going on - and soon.

Dre Bly, CB, Denver - Bly picked off a Tony Romo pass where the WR made a mistake. Still, that's what Bly does best, is take advantage. He also had a pass INT penalty. Seems like the Cowboys threw his direction more than Bailey's, so just as we thought, Bly should have opportunities to pick off a few.

Roy Williams, S, Dallas - Williams had 3 tackles in a half, not bad. What was most impressive was the way he flew up to support the run and make a tough tackle on the sweep. Didn't see him blitz, though, although I might have missed it. He will, he will.

Ian Gold, WLB, Denver - Down close to the field, I expected to marvel at the speed of the game. Gold made me marvel first with his swift pursuit across the field to knock a reception loose from FB Lousaka Polite. He is fast and fit and miles away from his ACL tear of a few years ago.

Ken Hamlin, S, Dallas - They say he's tentative since fracturing his skull in 2005, but I didn't see that. Hamlin drifted over to help break up a pass on a corner route, and he stuck his helmet in the pile to record a key 3rd down stop on a running play. However, from a fantasy perspective, I expect him to play back more and not see enough action to score high on tackles. But he should pick up a few INTs.

Ebenzer Ekuban, DE, Denver - Ekuban went down headed to the sidelines after a 3rd down, and I knew, and he knew, that it was bad from the beginning. The way he slammed his hand down on the turf and clutched his lower leg, I figured it was either Achilles or ACL. It was Achilles. Gone for the season, and doomed to be ineffective in 2008.

Kevin Burnett, ILB, Dallas - OK, he's a backup and is not fantasy-worthy. But Burnett had the hit of the night (according to me and the stadium scoreboard), blowing up a WR and dislodging the ball as he came in on a 3rd down quick slant. The next snap the Broncos had a few minutes later, Burnett buried the RB on an inside run. If the Cowboys get tired of Akin Ayodele or Bradie James, Burnett could become a sleeper choice.