Tag: Cowboys

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The Cowboys Need to Start Over

At this point, I’d have to say the Cowboys are a sinking ship. They can’t keep anyone healthy. They have no running game. They make mistakes at inopportune times. They can’t come up with plays in the clutch. Think of just about any cliche related to winning NFL games consistently and the Dallas Cowboys have only been consistent at violating them.

I’m coming round to the opinion that they need a major overhaul. It’s not a matter of tweaking a player here or a coach there or tweaking their offensive scheme a bit. They need to be stripped bare and rebuilt from the ground up. The team probably had the horses to make a run several years ago, but they spent too much time talking about “swagger” and squandered their opportunities.

Now, the team has gotten old with the results to show for it.

I’m not sure where you start with a team like this either. They’ve clearly got some tremendous talent at a bunch of positions. The problem seems to be they lack the supporting cast that allows them to maximize their potential. I’m thinking the offensive line is, frankly, more offensive than anything. I’m aware that they’ve been hit hard by injuries, but that happens to other teams and they manage (the Ravens and the Texans are two examples). Also, the defense seems to consistently disappoint, giving up plays when they really need to come up with stops. I’m not sure why that is- it could be as simple as having well known weak spots that their opponents are able to consistently exploit.

Anyway, I think it’s fair to say I’ve given up on them for this season.

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Football

Confusing Times for Cowboys Fans

The Cowboys managed to beat the Cleveland Browns today in a come-from-behind, overtime effort 23-20. If this were any other team, I reckon we fans would be pleased with the effort and ready to move on. But this isn’t any other team, it’s the Cowboys who have been the most incomprehensible team in the league for several years running. Today’s game provides a number of great examples of the type of shenanigans we’re routinely put through by the current iteration of the Cowboys:

  • Should we be pleased with the win, or disgusted with the fact that they didn’t soundly throttle a (now) 2-8 team?

  • Should we be happy that Tony Romo lead a successful come-from behind effort, or upset with the fact that he had a lousy first-half that necessitated a great 2nd half?

  • Likewise, what to make of a last minute drive that needed a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty and a 30+ yard pass interference penalty?

  • For that matter, once they got into easy field goal territory, should we be pleased they got the tying field goal, or upset that they didn’t score a game-ending touchdown?

  • What about the defense? On the one had, they held Cleveland to a decisive 3-and-out in overtime. On the other, they allowed Cleveland to march down the field and score a go-ahead touchdown with less than 2-minutes to go in regulation, against a rookie quarterback.

  • Tony Romo had over 300 yards passing, including 140+ to Dez Bryant; but there was no credible running game to go with it.

The Cowboys continue to be a conundrum, wrapped in an enigma; a paradox, shrouded in mystery. It would be easier if they just out-an-out sucked. At least then, the fans would know what to expect.

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Football

The Right Attitude Anyway

Generally speaking, I like Tony Romo. Although my overall opinion of him as a pro QB is more mid-range. He’s racked up some impressive stats as a QB and he has won some big games along the way. Unfortunately, he just doesn’t seem to have the “magic” that elite QB’s seem to have when it’s crunch time. Perhaps the better way to say it is if the team is playing well then Romo tends to follow suit. But if the team isn’t playing well, he doesn’t seem to have the capability to right the ship and get the team a win. Contrast that with the Brady, Manning, Brees or even Roethlisberger and it’s understandable why Romo is a bit frustrating for fans.

That said, stuff like this make it hard for me to not root for him. He’s got the right attitude and consistently says the right things related to his performance in the NFL. He’s not delusional about what he has or hasn’t done and it sure seems like he wants to get there. Perhaps there’s a case to be made that he wants it too badly and that results in some of his poor performances.

I’ve arrived at a theory that great players don’t actually “force” things. It only appears that way in retrospect. I think great players remain calm at keys junctures of a game and execute the plays consistently. When combined with other players who don’t remain calm, the results are big plays that look like an extension of will power by the QB. A great example of this is the Troy Aikman’s pass to Alvin Harper at the end of the game that iced the win for the Cowboys in their first NFC Championship game against the 49ers. I’ve listened to Aikman describe the circumstances surrounding the play and it’s a clear example of the 49er’s pressing and the Cowboys just executing the play like it was the first play of the game. Romo seems like he hasn’t quite figured out how to remain calm and just execute plays regardless of the situation. Instead, he’s thinking “Crunch time- time to make something happen.” It just doesn’t work that way.

Next year’s another chance for him to figure it out.

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Football

NFL Week 2

There’s really not a lot to add to the current commentary about the NFL after Week 2. Being a Dallas fan, I will say that I’m becoming more hopeful about Tony Romo becoming truly an elite QB. I don’t know if I’m the only one, but I’ve never been totally sold on him. Sure he’s got gaudy stats and he’s won a lot of games. Truth be told, my criticism’s of him don’t even rest on his less-than-stellar playoff performances either.

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