Official Dallas Cowboys In Season Thread (1 Viewer)

[Phlash]

Even a Super Bowl win couldn't save him.

I was following you up until that point.

 

[fissure man]

The offense is beyond predictable. It's like watching some guy playing madden with his 7 money plays and never even tries to mix it up. I can't wait till Wade and Garrett are gone. Sooner the better.

I'm now with you Culdeus. Sorry I ever gave you #### for being negative. (This is Mobbin)Our offense consists of about 5 passing plays all out of the gun. We bring Felix in like defense won't notice, then take him out immediately. I swear to god he [Garrett) couldn't mix things up if life depended on it. There is ZERO strategic gameplan adjustments going on.We have a gameplan going into a game. It will usually work, but if the opposing team makes their adjustments we just keep :X I hate this team right now. ZERO heart and we aren't winning anything with this coaching staff. No freaking way we can beat the Eagles if it matters, and no way can we beat them in the playoffs if we play them twice in a row.

 

[TxBuckeye]

My Cowboy brethren rest assured that the 'Boys are on a mission and this Giants team will be dismantled by the 3rd quarter. The ONLY way I see the Giants even keeping the game close is if Orlando Scandrick decides to have the worst game of his life. Everyone brings up the Skins game (7-6) but I believe that game taught us to be patient, commit to the run and pass when we have to in order to avoid TO's. Let the D pin their ears back and that is the recipe for mopping the floor with this overrated team from NY.'Boys 35 Giants 17....and it isn't even that close.

Good call.

 

[Statcruncher]

Even a Super Bowl win couldn't save him.

I was following you up until that point.

See Johnson, Jimmy. Jerry is the same owner that "mutually agreed" to release (or drove off according to some) the defending 2x Superbowl Champion coach. I don't see an endgame scenario that brings Wade back. There are thousands of people who could be a Jerry puppet without bumbling around like Wade.

 

[dhockster]

Even a Super Bowl win couldn't save him.

I was following you up until that point.

See Johnson, Jimmy. Jerry is the same owner that "mutually agreed" to release (or drove off according to some) the defending 2x Superbowl Champion coach. I don't see an endgame scenario that brings Wade back. There are thousands of people who could be a Jerry puppet without bumbling around like Wade.

The difference is Johnson was taking all the credit (justified) for building the super bowl team and was publicly being disrespectful to the owner. Wade poses no such threat. I have a hard time seeing Jones fire Phillips if Dallas went to the Super Bowl this year.

 

[BigDave]

No purpose intended here to defend Wade Phillips, but here are a couple of interesting notes regarding him.

1. Since 2007, only Bill Belichick has more wins as head coach than Wade Phillips.

2. Currently, Wade Phillips is the only current head coach without a contract extending into 2010.

That's a strange picture.

Seriously? I know you're an out of state Dallas Cowboy homer, but you really think it's strange that Wade doesn't have an extension? Jerry tends to make rash decisions on a whim, but not extending Wade is the absolute best decision he's made in a long time. Wade is great if you like comedic value but otherwise I fail to see what he brings to the table. "Mr. Fix-it" was put into a cherry position taking over an up and coming young talented team from Parcells. He's done nothing but help it erode. There is no toughness, no chip on the shoulder, and no heart. Next year when he's sitting at home in his recliner watching the Cowboys he will close his eyes and fondly remember the year he led them to the "final eight". I'm not a big Cowboy fan so I would love to see Wade stay, but everyone with half a brain knows Wade is a goner. Even a Super Bowl win couldn't save him.

Holgrem, Cowher, Shannahan.......

 

[culdeus]

The offense is beyond predictable. It's like watching some guy playing madden with his 7 money plays and never even tries to mix it up. I can't wait till Wade and Garrett are gone. Sooner the better.

I'm now with you Culdeus. Sorry I ever gave you #### for being negative. (This is Mobbin)Our offense consists of about 5 passing plays all out of the gun. We bring Felix in like defense won't notice, then take him out immediately. I swear to god he [Garrett) couldn't mix things up if life depended on it. There is ZERO strategic gameplan adjustments going on.We have a gameplan going into a game. It will usually work, but if the opposing team makes their adjustments we just keep I hate this team right now. ZERO heart and we aren't winning anything with this coaching staff. No freaking way we can beat the Eagles if it matters, and no way can we beat them in the playoffs if we play them twice in a row.

Anyone else joining me? Mustang Man? I know you want to join the dark side.

 

[simmonjm]

The offense is beyond predictable. It's like watching some guy playing madden with his 7 money plays and never even tries to mix it up. I can't wait till Wade and Garrett are gone. Sooner the better.

I'm now with you Culdeus. Sorry I ever gave you #### for being negative. (This is Mobbin)Our offense consists of about 5 passing plays all out of the gun. We bring Felix in like defense won't notice, then take him out immediately. I swear to god he [Garrett) couldn't mix things up if life depended on it. There is ZERO strategic gameplan adjustments going on.We have a gameplan going into a game. It will usually work, but if the opposing team makes their adjustments we just keep I hate this team right now. ZERO heart and we aren't winning anything with this coaching staff. No freaking way we can beat the Eagles if it matters, and no way can we beat them in the playoffs if we play them twice in a row.

Anyone else joining me? Mustang Man? I know you want to join the dark side.

Nope not till 7 losses. One bad game will not turn me. Win next week and Mobbin defects back to the "good guys". With that being said this team had better pull their head out of thier asses (coaches too) or it will be a repeat of last season. I will be rooting for the Giants to win next week.

 

[culdeus]

I've made this post roughly every other year since the internet started in one place or another. The December thing is a recent phenomenon once Jimmy left. I strongly think there is something to it besides the obvious W-L record. What I really think is the downfall is the Thanksgiving game and the subsequent handling of the extra days off.

They get the home game on T-Giving versus (usually) a crappy team. It didn't use to be that way. IIRC there were years where the NFL would make Dallas host reasonably decent teams relatively. But once the new TV contract with Fox started instead of NBC now you get the "bad" teams in on T-Giving.

The reason for this is some way of balancing the ratings discrepancy between the draw of Cowboys games versus the rest of the NFL. A good example of this is how the recent Dallas/Philly game damn near set an all time NFL ratings record while NE/IND struggled to make a blip on the radar relative to the merits of the matchup.

So why the December swoon as it were? I think the crappy T-Giving team gives the team a virtual double bye week. They know the crappy team goes on the road on the short week and so the team returns Sunday night from a road game, rests, watches film. Rubs shoulders on Tuesday, no pads Wednesday, and kills some crappy team Thursday. Then they take the rest of the week off, travels to vegas, cabo, whatever thinking they are gods gift to the NFL and return Monday pretty rusty.

The coaching staffs have been incompetent to embarrassing in the post Jimmy years in rallying this club to concentrate and it makes sense. You rolled a NFL team on a short week so why put forth any effort the following weeks? Then it just starts to snowball and you get a 5-15 record or whatever in December the last 20 games. It shows in the first half timeouts, the route running, the special teams, everything. The need to quit treating the weekend after TGiving like a victory parade and get to work on the little things.

This is Exhibit A#1 why a coach like Wade can't, and won't work here. The best thing that can happen is to miss the playoffs in brutal fashion again in the hands of the Eagles. Get on board with this concept. This thing doesn't need to go down it needs to go down HARD. Jerry isn't going to die anytime soon so the more his cage gets rattled the more likely he is to accept a change in philosophy.

 

[Hastur]

The offense is beyond predictable. It's like watching some guy playing madden with his 7 money plays and never even tries to mix it up. I can't wait till Wade and Garrett are gone. Sooner the better.

I'm now with you Culdeus. Sorry I ever gave you #### for being negative. (This is Mobbin)Our offense consists of about 5 passing plays all out of the gun. We bring Felix in like defense won't notice, then take him out immediately. I swear to god he [Garrett) couldn't mix things up if life depended on it. There is ZERO strategic gameplan adjustments going on.

We have a gameplan going into a game. It will usually work, but if the opposing team makes their adjustments we just keep

I hate this team right now. ZERO heart and we aren't winning anything with this coaching staff. No freaking way we can beat the Eagles if it matters, and no way can we beat them in the playoffs if we play them twice in a row.

Anyone else joining me? Mustang Man? I know you want to join the dark side.

Count me in.There are several free agent coaches, if hired by cowboys, that would cause me to make inappropriate messes in my pants, followed closely by a gurgling scream that could only be described as a drunken inbred screaming YES

 

[Hastur]

Nope not till 7 losses. One bad game will not turn me.

Thats just it though. It's not just one bad game we're talking about. It's a pattern of games over a few years. How many times are you willing to be kicked in the groin before you say enough is enough?

 

[dhockster]

I've made this post roughly every other year since the internet started in one place or another. The December thing is a recent phenomenon once Jimmy left. I strongly think there is something to it besides the obvious W-L record. What I really think is the downfall is the Thanksgiving game and the subsequent handling of the extra days off.

They get the home game on T-Giving versus (usually) a crappy team. It didn't use to be that way. IIRC there were years where the NFL would make Dallas host reasonably decent teams relatively. But once the new TV contract with Fox started instead of NBC now you get the "bad" teams in on T-Giving.

The reason for this is some way of balancing the ratings discrepancy between the draw of Cowboys games versus the rest of the NFL. A good example of this is how the recent Dallas/Philly game damn near set an all time NFL ratings record while NE/IND struggled to make a blip on the radar relative to the merits of the matchup.

So why the December swoon as it were? I think the crappy T-Giving team gives the team a virtual double bye week. They know the crappy team goes on the road on the short week and so the team returns Sunday night from a road game, rests, watches film. Rubs shoulders on Tuesday, no pads Wednesday, and kills some crappy team Thursday. Then they take the rest of the week off, travels to vegas, cabo, whatever thinking they are gods gift to the NFL and return Monday pretty rusty.

The coaching staffs have been incompetent to embarrassing in the post Jimmy years in rallying this club to concentrate and it makes sense. You rolled a NFL team on a short week so why put forth any effort the following weeks? Then it just starts to snowball and you get a 5-15 record or whatever in December the last 20 games. It shows in the first half timeouts, the route running, the special teams, everything. The need to quit treating the weekend after TGiving like a victory parade and get to work on the little things.

This is Exhibit A#1 why a coach like Wade can't, and won't work here. The best thing that can happen is to miss the playoffs in brutal fashion again in the hands of the Eagles. Get on board with this concept. This thing doesn't need to go down it needs to go down HARD. Jerry isn't going to die anytime soon so the more his cage gets rattled the more likely he is to accept a change in philosophy.

Add in that the NFL is always going to be looking for good games with playoff game implications involving the Cowboys, and the Cowboys are all but assured that their December schedule will be tougher than their pre December schedule. Using the long week to prepare for that tough stretch of games seems like a reasonable thing to do.

 

[Bob Magaw]

somebody at the blogging the boys site compiled romo's stats relative to other QBs this season... this loss seemed to be more on the defense (which had been doing great lately) & ST than the offense, though the run game wasn't there... DAL needs to win one of the next two games (SD & NO)... either PHI or NYG will administer a loss to the other next week (giants do have the tie-breaker now, with the sweep)...

Yards/Season

1.Peyton Manning - 3,685

2.Tom Brady - 3,638

3.Drew Brees - 3,536

4.Matt Schaub - 3,449

5.Tony Romo - 3,325

6.Phillip Rivers - 3,311

7.Brett Favre - 3,149

8.Ben Roethlisberger - 3,145

9.Aaron Rodgers - 3,136

10.Kurt Warner - 3,003

Touchdowns

1.Drew Brees - 29

2.Brett Favre - 26

3.Peyton Manning - 25

4.Kurt Warner - 23

5.Tom Brady - 22

6.Aaron Rodgers - 22

7.Matt Schaub - 22

8.Philip Rivers - 21

9.Tony Romo - 20

10.Eli Manning - 20

Interceptions- *note--I've left out players who haven't played the full season (i.e. - Vince Young)

1.Brett Favre - 3

2.Aaron Rodgers - 5

3.Marc Bulger - 6

4.David Garrard - 5

5.Donovan McNabb - 6

6.Philip Rivers - 6

7.Tony Romo - 7

8.Matt Hasselbeck - 7

9.Kyle Orton - 7

10.Joe Flacco - 8

11.Matt Cassel - 8

12.Tom Brady - 10

13.Drew Brees - 10

14.Carson Palmer - 10

15.Eli Manning - 11

16.Peyton Manning - 11

17.Ben Roethlisberger - 11

18.Kurt Warner - 11

19.Jason Campbell - 12

20.Matt Ryan - 12

21.Matt Schaub - 12

22.Mark Sanchez - 17

23.Jake Delhomme - 18

24.Jay Cutler - 20

25.Matthew Stafford - 20

20+ Yard Plays

1.Drew Brees - 51

2.Philip Rivers - 46

3.Tony Romo - 45

4.Peyton Manning - 45

5.Eli Manning - 44

6.Matt Schaub - 42

7.Jay Cutler - 41

8.Ben Roethlisberger - 41

9.Brett Favre - 39

10.Aaron Rodgers - 39

40+ Yard Plays

1.Tony Romo - 14

2.Aaron Rodgers - 13

3.Philip Rivers - 12

4.Donovan McNabb - 12

5.Matt Schaub - 11

6.Tom Brady - 11

7.Brett Favre - 10

8.Drew Brees - 10

9.Ben Roethlisberger - 10

10.Eli Manning - 9

Yds/Game

1.Peyton Manning - 307.1

2.Tom Brady - 303.2

3.Drew Brees - 294.7

4.Matt Schaub - 287.4

5.Ben Roethlisberger - 285.9

6.Aaron Rodgers - 285.1

7.Tony Romo - 277.1

8.Philip Rivers - 275.9

9.Kurt Warner - 273

10.Brett Favre - 262.4

 

[simmonjm]

Nope not till 7 losses. One bad game will not turn me.

Thats just it though. It's not just one bad game we're talking about. It's a pattern of games over a few years. How many times are you willing to be kicked in the groin before you say enough is enough?

Dallas outplayed the Giants, in (December)years past they were dominanted and struggled in all facets of the games. This year gives hope because of the weak NFC conference and all that is needed is 2 wins in the next 4 games. I have no problem with people jumping ship about half of the fans on this board jumped after the Denver loss and near loss in KC. Dallas should make the playoffs and anything can happen then. Hats off to NY though they made big plays and Dallas didnt, its that simple all of thier scoring happened on big plays or short drives.

 

[Ridgelake]

Yesterday reminded me so much of the Pittsburgh game last year. Dallas destroyed their opponent statistically. But some timely turnovers, bad tackling, penalties, and special teams miscues turned the game over to the opponent.

Do you blame the coaches on the inability to fence in the punt returner when he sure looked like he was going for nothing? Do you blame the coaches when Jacobs runs down the sideline and the safety gets held while trying to make the saving tackle? Do you blame the coaches when your time of posession advantage is 39 mintes to 21 minutes, yards 424-337, and also win the turnover battle?

Do you blame the coaches when the December problems havea carried over several adminstrations, including the infamous hard-### Parcells? Actually, I kind of do blame Parcells on some of those December slides, because it became clear that he was unwilling to alter his approach and adapt to what the opponents were doing.

I don't know what the answer is. I do know that the schedule has been less-than-favorable the last 2 years. Last year, Romo gets all the blame for a bad December, but look who he faced: NYG, Phi, Pitt, and Balt. All with defenses in the top 5 of the NFL last year. Think any QB will look good against that schedule? Think any QB will do as well there as he did the rest of the year?

I will say this. Dallas is playing a series of playoff caliber teams this December. If they can't win some, then they don't belong in the playoffs. Its as simple as that. It was Tuna who said that the games leading up to Thanksgiving were just to see who's in the dance. To get yourself in position. Its now that the real teams emerge. Dallas has a chance. They are in position. If they are good enough to win these games, they go to the playoffs where they belong. If they lose them, they aren't playoff worthy. Its really very simple.

 

[CowboyFan]

Does missing Colombo affect the running game this much or is something else going on? Romo played fine, but the offense is too inconsistent without a running game (how many 3rd and 10+ in this game, even though they converted a good number).

I hate to say it, as an Arizona grad I really like Folk, but he is killing us right now. Buehler was pretty average as a placekicker at USC (78% FGP, with longest that I can find is 47 yds), but maybe he has been working on accuracy in practice, surely the coaches would have a good idea of how he looks.

 

[dhockster]

Yesterday reminded me so much of the Pittsburgh game last year. Dallas destroyed their opponent statistically. But some timely turnovers, bad tackling, penalties, and special teams miscues turned the game over to the opponent.

If that is not an indictment of the coaching, I don't know what is.

 

[switz]

The offense is beyond predictable.

I'm now with you Culdeus.

I have to agree as well... I could pretty much tell what the play was going to be on every offensive snap for the Boys. And I'm betting the Giants study way more film of Dallas than I do.

 

[switz]

Does missing Colombo affect the running game this much or is something else going on?

You can pretty much tell what running play is called by the RB in the game. The formations seem to telegraph run versus pass as well.

 

[culdeus]

Does missing Colombo affect the running game this much or is something else going on?

You can pretty much tell what running play is called by the RB in the game. The formations seem to telegraph run versus pass as well.

The whole point of Tellus I thought was to be able to take him on 22 sets out in the flat to draw attention for screens and mis-directions. I'm not recalling one single time they executed that type of play from that formation. That seems to be a toss sweep now. I need to check Sturm's blog for the run-pass breakdown of this set.

 

[Urinal Mint]

Anyone else joining me? Mustang Man? I know you want to join the dark side.

I'm off and on. I thought yesterday's gameplan was adjusted according to their inability to run, and successfully so. The defense and STs allowed quick-strike drives to kill any momentum the offense built.I thought the 2nd Roy TD was a seriously creative playcall that could not have worked any better.I just don't know. I see flashes of brilliance and flashes of boneheadedness. I think he just needs some seasoning.

 

[Chaos Commish]

Yesterday reminded me so much of the Pittsburgh game last year. Dallas destroyed their opponent statistically. But some timely turnovers, bad tackling, penalties, and special teams miscues turned the game over to the opponent.

Do you blame the coaches on the inability to fence in the punt returner when he sure looked like he was going for nothing? Do you blame the coaches when Jacobs runs down the sideline and the safety gets held while trying to make the saving tackle? Do you blame the coaches when your time of posession advantage is 39 mintes to 21 minutes, yards 424-337, and also win the turnover battle?

Do you blame the coaches when the December problems havea carried over several adminstrations, including the infamous hard-### Parcells? Actually, I kind of do blame Parcells on some of those December slides, because it became clear that he was unwilling to alter his approach and adapt to what the opponents were doing.

I don't know what the answer is. I do know that the schedule has been less-than-favorable the last 2 years. Last year, Romo gets all the blame for a bad December, but look who he faced: NYG, Phi, Pitt, and Balt. All with defenses in the top 5 of the NFL last year. Think any QB will look good against that schedule? Think any QB will do as well there as he did the rest of the year?

I will say this. Dallas is playing a series of playoff caliber teams this December. If they can't win some, then they don't belong in the playoffs. Its as simple as that. It was Tuna who said that the games leading up to Thanksgiving were just to see who's in the dance. To get yourself in position. Its now that the real teams emerge. Dallas has a chance. They are in position. If they are good enough to win these games, they go to the playoffs where they belong. If they lose them, they aren't playoff worthy. Its really very simple.

Great post Ridge. I sure don't see how those turnovers, that bad tackling, these stupid penalties, the unfortunate blown opportunities and that special teams breakdown are indictments of coaching. Trying to sell that is being mentally lazy and not understanding the failures by players are actually what they are, failures by players. To think the coaches haven't addressed this stuff ad nauseum, to think these players haven't been coached up on this stuff for a decade or more since high school is little more than scapegoating, lazily attacking your favorite easy target right or wrong. Those things indict players. Some errors are easily blamed on NFL coahing, but not the things these guys are taught in high school. Might as well blame Parcells and their college coaches because they made mistakes they've been taught not to make at least that long. Those mistakes are poor plays by players playing poorly. Expecting a coach to fix that is a little like blaming parents for a four year old pooping his drawers. He should know better by then and lord knows the parents have done what all parents do. Some kids just poop themselves, and some players choke. All the whiners lighting torches for the off season witch hunt are a perfect example of why I'm often critical of Dallas fans. Fair weather, faithless blowhards with the loyalty of stray cats. I love this team but find the fan base mostly embarrassing. I've felt that way since the bandwagon got overloaded in the early 90s. Did a fan above actually type that he hates the team? That's a pathetic fan. I wonder if he came on board during that successful era?

I don't care. This is a tough league and anybody who thought it woudl be easy is a fool. It's going to be very difficult not just for weeks to come, but for years to come. That's just the way it always is. I think this weekend may go down as the proverbial good loss. Lots of boneheaded mistakes to learn from. It was nothing like the Packer loss where they were whipped. They got the better of NY twice and twice lost for the effort. Hopefully good lessons have been learned. If they don't learn from this, then they're just not worthy, which is what we need to learn. But the failures were on personnel, as you pointed out, not coaching. And Romo again had chances to come through and fell short, in this case with bad throws early (the misses to Choice and Roy hurt particularly) and bad decisions late. Great numbers, but a losing performance. It's just a shame he doesn't close better. He has tons of talent. The 3rd and 17 to Witten was an awful decision. Even before the punt return he started gagging a little. The check down to Barber on 4th down can be debated but it looked foolish to me. The results suggest as much. I guess he could have missed downfield and we would then be wondering why he didn't check down and let Marion beat that guy for a first. He had a better chance if he ran for it though, and a smarter QB sees that safety and looks elsewhere especially with so much on the line.

Good news is in the air though. They still lead the division. We now know what I suspected weeks ago -- New Orleans (dominated by Washington yesterday) and Minnesota (taken apart by the Cards) are not superior teams to be feared. The top of this conference is crowded with 7 teams who each have a legit shot at the big dance. Dallas is one of them. What else can a fan ask for? How many fans would love to be able to say that? Ingrates are brats.

It isn't going to be easy, but I'm not losing faith. The coaches are putting the players in positions to succeed. That is their job and it is getting done. I believe these players can come through.



This team will win a playoff game.

Maybe more.

And it could use less fair weather fans.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

Yesterday reminded me so much of the Pittsburgh game last year. Dallas destroyed their opponent statistically. But some timely turnovers, bad tackling, penalties, and special teams miscues turned the game over to the opponent. Do you blame the coaches on the inability to fence in the punt returner when he sure looked like he was going for nothing? Do you blame the coaches when Jacobs runs down the sideline and the safety gets held while trying to make the saving tackle? Do you blame the coaches when your time of posession advantage is 39 mintes to 21 minutes, yards 424-337, and also win the turnover battle? Do you blame the coaches when the December problems havea carried over several adminstrations, including the infamous hard-### Parcells? Actually, I kind of do blame Parcells on some of those December slides, because it became clear that he was unwilling to alter his approach and adapt to what the opponents were doing.I don't know what the answer is. I do know that the schedule has been less-than-favorable the last 2 years. Last year, Romo gets all the blame for a bad December, but look who he faced: NYG, Phi, Pitt, and Balt. All with defenses in the top 5 of the NFL last year. Think any QB will look good against that schedule? Think any QB will do as well there as he did the rest of the year?I will say this. Dallas is playing a series of playoff caliber teams this December. If they can't win some, then they don't belong in the playoffs. Its as simple as that. It was Tuna who said that the games leading up to Thanksgiving were just to see who's in the dance. To get yourself in position. Its now that the real teams emerge. Dallas has a chance. They are in position. If they are good enough to win these games, they go to the playoffs where they belong. If they lose them, they aren't playoff worthy. Its really very simple.

I agree with all of this Ridgelake. I'm not in love with Wade or Garett but to blame these guys for what we saw yesterday just doesn't make sense. There were guys just not making tackles, they tried running the ball but the line wasn't blocking. Romo played very well. The Giants knew he was going to pass, put what pressure on them they could and I thought he kept in his rythm and played solid. Nick Folk is a bum and I'm tired of him giving away momentum every week in close games.The only other thing I'll add is you mention they may not be playoff worthy if they don't win. I guess in the end that's true, but I will say there are plenty of teams that actually do make the playoffs that I'd also put into that category and they get in. It may as well be Dallas as far as I'm concerned, because once you're in, you have a shot.They will play San Diego tough. San Diego will not run the football on Dallas. I think we'll play a stronger special teams game. We need to keep Sproles in check. I could see Dallas outplaying SD and Sproles making some big plays or two making a big impact of they don't watch it. I also think Romo will play well again. The big question will be can the Cowboys run the ball? If they can run the ball, they will win. IF they can't, it'll be a scrappy, ugly win by one of the teams because I know SD won't run it.Culdeus, you sure you're a Cowboy fan? How can you root for things to fall apart when the Cowboys are in first place in the division and we're heading into the 2nd week of December? No, I'm not down with any falling apart in this situation, I'm rooting for the Dallas Cowboys and all good things for everyone associated with the team, and that includes Wade Phillips.

 

[cobalt_27]

Culdeus, you sure you're a Cowboy fan? How can you root for things to fall apart when the Cowboys are in first place in the division and we're heading into the 2nd week of December? No, I'm not down with any falling apart in this situation, I'm rooting for the Dallas Cowboys and all good things for everyone associated with the team, and that includes Wade Phillips.

I agree with Culdeus. This team is a mess. I'm a fan. Have been since the late-70s. Current season ticket holder. Go ahead, try and impeach my status as a fan.

 

[Loopdog]

I was at the game yesterday and I thought that Dallas outplayed the Giants by a wide margin. Upon watching the game though, it looks to me like Marion Barber is toast. I know he's probably still injured but they need to get him out of there and play Choice more until he's completely healthy. He has no burst right now and he had a huge fumble yesterday and failed to convert that huge 4th down play, although from the stands I thought that Romo should have just scrambled for the first down instead of dumping it off. He had the angle on the defensive player and could have made it. There were several fluke plays that cost them the game yesterday, but there's no excuse for the entire defense watching Brandon Jacobs lumber down the sideline and nobody even trying to knock him out of bounds. Or the ten guys who whiffed on the punt return. Embarrassing. I have a bad feeling about the San Diego game this week. If they win on Sunday, I'll feel very confident about their playoff prospects. If they get their doors blown off, it's probably going to be another long December and January in Big D.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

Culdeus, you sure you're a Cowboy fan? How can you root for things to fall apart when the Cowboys are in first place in the division and we're heading into the 2nd week of December? No, I'm not down with any falling apart in this situation, I'm rooting for the Dallas Cowboys and all good things for everyone associated with the team, and that includes Wade Phillips.

I agree with Culdeus. This team is a mess. I'm a fan. Have been since the late-70s. Current season ticket holder. Go ahead, try and impeach my status as a fan.

I've been a fan since the mid 70's myself. You can root for whomever you want. If you want to root for the Chargers, Saints, Redskins and Eagles to beat the Cowboys when they're in first place, do what you please. If you want to call yourself a die hard fan while doing that, you can do that too. From where I come from, you root for your team till the bitter end, not just when things are going well.Nobody in here has any illusions of grandeur, more than likely the Cowboys aren't winning the SB, I knew that before yesterday's game and I hope you guys did too. But I'll be damned if I root for the Redkins and Eagles to beat up on the Cowboys...EVER. You guys go for it and root for them.

 

[culdeus]

Culdeus, you sure you're a Cowboy fan? How can you root for things to fall apart when the Cowboys are in first place in the division and we're heading into the 2nd week of December? No, I'm not down with any falling apart in this situation, I'm rooting for the Dallas Cowboys and all good things for everyone associated with the team, and that includes Wade Phillips.

I agree with Culdeus. This team is a mess. I'm a fan. Have been since the late-70s. Current season ticket holder. Go ahead, try and impeach my status as a fan.

I've been a fan since the mid 70's myself. You can root for whomever you want. If you want to root for the Chargers, Saints, Redskins and Eagles to beat the Cowboys when they're in first place, do what you please. If you want to call yourself a die hard fan while doing that, you can do that too. From where I come from, you root for your team till the bitter end, not just when things are going well.Nobody in here has any illusions of grandeur, more than likely the Cowboys aren't winning the SB, I knew that before yesterday's game and I hope you guys did too. But I'll be damned if I root for the Redkins and Eagles to beat up on the Cowboys...EVER. You guys go for it and root for them.

Some peoples definition of fair weather is broken. I am nearly certain I've been present at more games than anyone in this thread. I was fortunate to start attending regularly in about 1986 and did so till the move to the new stadium didn't make financial sense to continue getting season tickets. I will continue to probably to go to 1-2 games a year or so. My concerns and wishes here are not for total failure, but something that doesn't just hit some level of mediocrity that allows the status quo to continue. There's enough talent here in key spots that can allow for a new administration to jump in and make the changes needed to avoid the mistakes and lack of focus that this current staff seems indifferent to correcting. The other thing is alarming is the coaching contract situation in the NFL calls for multi-multi year contracts of many million dollars. Dollars I'm not sure Jerry is ready to write off. So the absolute worst case for me is winning a single playoff game and then being stuck with Wade for 2, maybe 3 more years. The same Wade that just goes on spin control rather than addressing the real issues. Every time I look at him it makes me nearly physically ill hearing him on the radio and I nearly snap off the dial changing the station. The focus of this team, and I have been saying this for awhile now is to win something of consequence in the uncapped year. Now that it appears that this "uncapped" year will be as uneventful as the "offseason of misery" in the NBA I'm not sure where this leaves this team. The last thing I want for this team is just enough of a taste of success to hide the fact that this thing is truly rotten at the core. The core is Jerry and with another colossal failure maybe the kids will finally begin to force their hand to some extent in a Steinbrinneian manner. That's my hope. Success in the form of a NFC title game appearance would at least shut me up for awhile, but I just can't see that happening in any reasonable situation. At this point with the Green Bay resurgence it's not out of the question this thing could miss as a 10 win team.

 

[dhockster]

Great post Ridge. I sure don't see how those turnovers, that bad tackling, these stupid penalties, the unfortunate blown opportunities and that special teams breakdown are indictments of coaching. Trying to sell that is being mentally lazy and not understanding the failures by players are actually what they are, failures by players. To think the coaches haven't addressed this stuff ad nauseum, to think these players haven't been coached up on this stuff for a decade or more since high school is little more than scapegoating, lazily attacking your favorite easy target right or wrong. Those things indict players. Some errors are easily blamed on NFL coahing, but not the things these guys are taught in high school. Might as well blame Parcells and their college coaches because they made mistakes they've been taught not to make at least that long. Those mistakes are poor plays by players playing poorly. Expecting a coach to fix that is a little like blaming parents for a four year old pooping his drawers. He should know better by then and lord knows the parents have done what all parents do. Some kids just poop themselves, and some players choke.

A coach does more than just draw up plays. He teaches players. He motivates players. He watches them everyday in practice and he evaluates their strengths and weaknesses. He then tries to play to their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.I would agree with you that it is the players fault, if it is the same players making the same mistakes everytime. But with the Cowboys there seem to be different players making different mistakes at key moments in big games. So who does that fall on? The Coach. Why are Belichick, Cowher, Tomlin, Reid, Dungy, able to get the players to not make mistakes in key moments? Somehow they are teaching them not to, or they are motivating them not to, or they are doing something so that their players get the job done when they have to.And if you still insist it is on the players, why is Wade keeping these guys who make mistakes in the clutch? Go get players who won't make those mistakes.My impression of Wade from watching his emotions ebb and flow with the progress of a game, is that he is much more of a cheerleader then someone who is in control of what actually happens in a game.I admire your loyalty as a fan and I agree that you support your team no matter what. But as an Eagles fan, that does not keep me from questioning whether Reid and McNabb are ever going to be able to win a championship since they haven't for 10 years now.

 

[culdeus]

Great post Ridge. I sure don't see how those turnovers, that bad tackling, these stupid penalties, the unfortunate blown opportunities and that special teams breakdown are indictments of coaching. Trying to sell that is being mentally lazy and not understanding the failures by players are actually what they are, failures by players. To think the coaches haven't addressed this stuff ad nauseum, to think these players haven't been coached up on this stuff for a decade or more since high school is little more than scapegoating, lazily attacking your favorite easy target right or wrong. Those things indict players. Some errors are easily blamed on NFL coahing, but not the things these guys are taught in high school. Might as well blame Parcells and their college coaches because they made mistakes they've been taught not to make at least that long. Those mistakes are poor plays by players playing poorly. Expecting a coach to fix that is a little like blaming parents for a four year old pooping his drawers. He should know better by then and lord knows the parents have done what all parents do. Some kids just poop themselves, and some players choke.

A coach does more than just draw up plays. He teaches players. He motivates players. He watches them everyday in practice and he evaluates their strengths and weaknesses. He then tries to play to their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.I would agree with you that it is the players fault, if it is the same players making the same mistakes everytime. But with the Cowboys there seem to be different players making different mistakes at key moments in big games. So who does that fall on? The Coach. Why are Belichick, Cowher, Tomlin, Reid, Dungy, able to get the players to not make mistakes in key moments? Somehow they are teaching them not to, or they are motivating them not to, or they are doing something so that their players get the job done when they have to.And if you still insist it is on the players, why is Wade keeping these guys who make mistakes in the clutch? Go get players who won't make those mistakes.My impression of Wade from watching his emotions ebb and flow with the progress of a game, is that he is much more of a cheerleader then someone who is in control of what actually happens in a game.I admire your loyalty as a fan and I agree that you support your team no matter what. But as an Eagles fan, that does not keep me from questioning whether Reid and McNabb are ever going to be able to win a championship since they haven't for 10 years now.

Some people would admire the Eagles franchise. Me, what the Eagles franchise has devolved into makes me want to puke. It's exactly what I want to avoid. I don't know how the educated fans in that fanbase can stand to sit and watch that product.

 

[dhockster]

Some people would admire the Eagles franchise. Me, what the Eagles franchise has devolved into makes me want to puke. It's exactly what I want to avoid. I don't know how the educated fans in that fanbase can stand to sit and watch that product.

Can you be more specific about what makes you want to puke? Like I said, I question whether Reid and McNabb are going to win a championship, but I don't disagree with the way they have built and managed the franchise. If you can be more specific, I can respond as an educated fan.

 

[road warrior]

Culdeus, you sure you're a Cowboy fan? How can you root for things to fall apart when the Cowboys are in first place in the division and we're heading into the 2nd week of December? No, I'm not down with any falling apart in this situation, I'm rooting for the Dallas Cowboys and all good things for everyone associated with the team, and that includes Wade Phillips.

I agree with Culdeus. This team is a mess. I'm a fan. Have been since the late-70s. Current season ticket holder. Go ahead, try and impeach my status as a fan.

I've been a fan since the mid 70's myself. You can root for whomever you want. If you want to root for the Chargers, Saints, Redskins and Eagles to beat the Cowboys when they're in first place, do what you please. If you want to call yourself a die hard fan while doing that, you can do that too. From where I come from, you root for your team till the bitter end, not just when things are going well.Nobody in here has any illusions of grandeur, more than likely the Cowboys aren't winning the SB, I knew that before yesterday's game and I hope you guys did too. But I'll be damned if I root for the Redkins and Eagles to beat up on the Cowboys...EVER. You guys go for it and root for them.

Been a fan since the mid 70's too. Grew up in D.C. Took my licks and gave some out too. Living in NY the past 20 years. Was at the game on Sunday.... took my licks again. Still walked out of that stadium with my head held high and my Ware jersey on.It's MY definition of being a fan. Stick thru thick and thin. But as the above posted said, you don't have to worry about me quesioning anyones fandom. I glad I have more in common with the above poster, though.

 

[culdeus]

Some people would admire the Eagles franchise. Me, what the Eagles franchise has devolved into makes me want to puke. It's exactly what I want to avoid. I don't know how the educated fans in that fanbase can stand to sit and watch that product.

Can you be more specific about what makes you want to puke? Like I said, I question whether Reid and McNabb are going to win a championship, but I don't disagree with the way they have built and managed the franchise. If you can be more specific, I can respond as an educated fan.

To me it's obvious Reid doesn't have the game management skills. That much is clear. McNabb doesn't help or hurt, but he's certainly not taking things off the table like Reid in big situations at least IMO.That being said the front office there would just kill me. It's as if they are afraid to spend money in the off chance they are wrong about a signing. They've had what? the lowest salary in the NFCE every single year in the cap era right? If this isn't right it's not far off. They are so close, but just won't even attempt to do something to put them that last little bit over that hump. And while it's a fun talking point the TO thing was probably neutral, and yet it seems to have paralyzed this team going forward while Dallas at least has had a good internal chemistry shift with his departure at least. So the great combination of a penny-pinching front office plus a crunch time coach with no brain would be too much for me. Wade at least for what he is rarely screws up the crunch time stuff. Campo, well that was another era...

 

[DaWidowMaker]

Culdeus, you sure you're a Cowboy fan? How can you root for things to fall apart when the Cowboys are in first place in the division and we're heading into the 2nd week of December? No, I'm not down with any falling apart in this situation, I'm rooting for the Dallas Cowboys and all good things for everyone associated with the team, and that includes Wade Phillips.

I agree with Culdeus. This team is a mess. I'm a fan. Have been since the late-70s. Current season ticket holder. Go ahead, try and impeach my status as a fan.

I've been a fan since the mid 70's myself. You can root for whomever you want. If you want to root for the Chargers, Saints, Redskins and Eagles to beat the Cowboys when they're in first place, do what you please. If you want to call yourself a die hard fan while doing that, you can do that too. From where I come from, you root for your team till the bitter end, not just when things are going well.Nobody in here has any illusions of grandeur, more than likely the Cowboys aren't winning the SB, I knew that before yesterday's game and I hope you guys did too. But I'll be damned if I root for the Redkins and Eagles to beat up on the Cowboys...EVER. You guys go for it and root for them.

Preach!!....I swear it seems like anything less than perfection and the masses are ready to jump ship...well jump ship and continue to hide in the shadows is what I say.

 

[Ariakis]

Some people would admire the Eagles franchise. Me, what the Eagles franchise has devolved into makes me want to puke. It's exactly what I want to avoid. I don't know how the educated fans in that fanbase can stand to sit and watch that product.

His post is one of the better ones I've seen here. The Eagles franchise, while I hate the team with a passion, is like the Cardinals to my Cubs in that they are ALWAYS competative which makes it so much worse. Whether they actually win it all or not remains to be seen but it's hard to question continued success.As to the Cowboys of course I'm rooting but I've seen enough over the past few years to say that Wade is not going to get it done unless he bumbles his way into it. He is a cheerleader and not someone that is going to coach a team up. He has created a solid defense I'll give him that. My solace in knowing this season won't end well will be in that we'll (hopefully) have Cowher, Shanahan, or someone else with a better track record for what this team needs at the helm next season.As to this year ... if you go to the Yahoo playoff scenario calculator ... even if the Cowboys beat the Eagles and Redskins in 16/17, they almost have to beat one of the Chargers or Saints to get in. None of these games are going to be easy and all have the potential to be close enough where anything more than 2-2 will be tough.

 

[switz]

Some people would admire the Eagles franchise. Me, what the Eagles franchise has devolved into makes me want to puke. It's exactly what I want to avoid. I don't know how the educated fans in that fanbase can stand to sit and watch that product.

His post is one of the better ones I've seen here. The Eagles franchise, while I hate the team with a passion, is like the Cardinals to my Cubs in that they are ALWAYS competative which makes it so much worse. Whether they actually win it all or not remains to be seen but it's hard to question continued success.As to the Cowboys of course I'm rooting but I've seen enough over the past few years to say that Wade is not going to get it done unless he bumbles his way into it. He is a cheerleader and not someone that is going to coach a team up. He has created a solid defense I'll give him that. My solace in knowing this season won't end well will be in that we'll (hopefully) have Cowher, Shanahan, or someone else with a better track record for what this team needs at the helm next season.

Imagine Felix Jones in a one-cut system...

 

[dhockster]

Some people would admire the Eagles franchise. Me, what the Eagles franchise has devolved into makes me want to puke. It's exactly what I want to avoid. I don't know how the educated fans in that fanbase can stand to sit and watch that product.

Can you be more specific about what makes you want to puke? Like I said, I question whether Reid and McNabb are going to win a championship, but I don't disagree with the way they have built and managed the franchise. If you can be more specific, I can respond as an educated fan.

To me it's obvious Reid doesn't have the game management skills. That much is clear. McNabb doesn't help or hurt, but he's certainly not taking things off the table like Reid in big situations at least IMO.That being said the front office there would just kill me. It's as if they are afraid to spend money in the off chance they are wrong about a signing. They've had what? the lowest salary in the NFCE every single year in the cap era right? If this isn't right it's not far off. They are so close, but just won't even attempt to do something to put them that last little bit over that hump. And while it's a fun talking point the TO thing was probably neutral, and yet it seems to have paralyzed this team going forward while Dallas at least has had a good internal chemistry shift with his departure at least. So the great combination of a penny-pinching front office plus a crunch time coach with no brain would be too much for me. Wade at least for what he is rarely screws up the crunch time stuff. Campo, well that was another era...

Thanks for the clarification.I would agree that Reid's game management skills are lacking and that definitely cost the Eagles a chance to comeback and win the Raider's and Cowboy's game earlier this year. The are obviously other examples. However, because that issue has not cost the Eagles a lot of big games over the years, it doesn't bother me as much as it bothers some other fans.As to the front office, I actually love how they operate in the salary cap era. Yes, I can point to several instances where they were a player short of going all the way. Not replacing Trotter in 2002 left them with slow Levan Kirkland who couldn't cover Joe Jurivicious against Tampa Bay in the NFC Championship. Having James Thrash and Todd Pinkston starting cost them against Carolina in 2003 when they couldn't get open. But for the most part they get it right. They don't overpay for older free agents. After trying to franchise Trotter and he wouldn't sign, they let him go to Washington where he was a bust. He then came back to the Eagles for less money and made the pro bowl. They manage their cap space well so that they can do two things: Sign young players to long term deals before they become all pros, and sign select big name free agents when they see one that will fit into their system. Examples of signing young players to long term deals: Sheldon Brown, Lito Shepherd, LJ Smith, Winston Justice, Brent Celek. Of those only LJ Smith was a real bust. Examples of big name free agents: John Runyon, TO, Jevon Kearse, Asante Samuel, Stacy Andrews. If you discount TO because he is a head case, they really only had one big name free agent bust and that was Jevon Kearse.One other thing. Sometimes it looks like a team doesn't address a problem when in reality they addressed it, they just missed on draft picks. For Example, before TO they used a 2nd round pick to take Pinkston, and they used a 1st round pick on Freddie Mitchell. Despite 4th and 26, Mitchell was a bust. Pinkston was only an average number 2 receiver. So they addressed their needs through the draft, the draft picks just didn't pan out. If you contrast that with Last year and this year, they drafted DeSean Jackson in the 2nd round last year, and Jeremy Maclin in the 1st round this year. It looks like they are going to hit on both and be set at WR for years to come.With Reid and the current Eagles front office, I think the Eagles are going to continue to make the playoffs most years, and play well when they get there. Whether they have enough to go all the way remains to be seen.I apologize for deviating from Cowboy discussion in this thread. Carry on.

 

[Ridgelake]

Imagine Felix Jones in a one-cut system...

He would be scary good.

 

[cobalt_27]

It's MY definition of being a fan. Stick thru thick and thin. But as the above posted said, you don't have to worry about me quesioning anyones fandom. I glad I have more in common with the above poster, though.

This isn't about people like culdeus or myself abandoning ship. I imagine he, like myself, will be true-blooded Cowboy fans through thick and thin.This current regime, however, is a broken mess. We want to improve that mess. And, it's an empirical question whether or not a full blown catastrophe is what is needed for this team to improve. We can hope against logic. That's what I'm hearing from other Cowboy fans. My feeling is that this is a disaster waiting to implode. I say let the implosion happen immediately so that we have some semblance of hope to return to the mid-90s greatness--not be content with the mediocrity (or at least inconsistency) that defines the current regime.

 

[horadadude]

Some people would admire the Eagles franchise. Me, what the Eagles franchise has devolved into makes me want to puke. It's exactly what I want to avoid. I don't know how the educated fans in that fanbase can stand to sit and watch that product.

His post is one of the better ones I've seen here. The Eagles franchise, while I hate the team with a passion, is like the Cardinals to my Cubs in that they are ALWAYS competative which makes it so much worse. Whether they actually win it all or not remains to be seen but it's hard to question continued success.As to the Cowboys of course I'm rooting but I've seen enough over the past few years to say that Wade is not going to get it done unless he bumbles his way into it. He is a cheerleader and not someone that is going to coach a team up. He has created a solid defense I'll give him that. My solace in knowing this season won't end well will be in that we'll (hopefully) have Cowher, Shanahan, or someone else with a better track record for what this team needs at the helm next season.

Imagine Felix Jones in a one-cut system...

Like I told you before Felix Jones is a bust.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

It's MY definition of being a fan. Stick thru thick and thin. But as the above posted said, you don't have to worry about me quesioning anyones fandom. I glad I have more in common with the above poster, though.

This isn't about people like culdeus or myself abandoning ship. I imagine he, like myself, will be true-blooded Cowboy fans through thick and thin.This current regime, however, is a broken mess. We want to improve that mess. And, it's an empirical question whether or not a full blown catastrophe is what is needed for this team to improve. We can hope against logic. That's what I'm hearing from other Cowboy fans. My feeling is that this is a disaster waiting to implode. I say let the implosion happen immediately so that we have some semblance of hope to return to the mid-90s greatness--not be content with the mediocrity (or at least inconsistency) that defines the current regime.

I understand where you guys are coming from and it's a place of frustration along with the rest of us. We just want our team to win when it counts and we're tired of not seeing it. If Wade's time has come at the end of this season, then we'll probably all know it before the axe comes down. If he doesn't make the playoffs, he's gone. They weren't just thinking about the playoffs prior to this week, they were thinking of possibily getting a bye week if things went their way. So if it goes from that, to not getting in the playoffs it is over. I don't care what his overall record is. I feel confident in that so I'm just going to sit back and hope things break our way here down the stretch.As frustrating as it has been to watch the Cowboys, I think we'll play the Bolts tough and take them down. I'm not thinking of any of the other games, just win this game and things will look a little brighter.

 

[Reacher]

Yesterday reminded me so much of the Pittsburgh game last year. Dallas destroyed their opponent statistically. But some timely turnovers, bad tackling, penalties, and special teams miscues turned the game over to the opponent. Do you blame the coaches on the inability to fence in the punt returner when he sure looked like he was going for nothing? Do you blame the coaches when Jacobs runs down the sideline and the safety gets held while trying to make the saving tackle? Do you blame the coaches when your time of posession advantage is 39 mintes to 21 minutes, yards 424-337, and also win the turnover battle? Do you blame the coaches when the December problems havea carried over several adminstrations, including the infamous hard-### Parcells? Actually, I kind of do blame Parcells on some of those December slides, because it became clear that he was unwilling to alter his approach and adapt to what the opponents were doing.I don't know what the answer is. I do know that the schedule has been less-than-favorable the last 2 years. Last year, Romo gets all the blame for a bad December, but look who he faced: NYG, Phi, Pitt, and Balt. All with defenses in the top 5 of the NFL last year. Think any QB will look good against that schedule? Think any QB will do as well there as he did the rest of the year?I will say this. Dallas is playing a series of playoff caliber teams this December. If they can't win some, then they don't belong in the playoffs. Its as simple as that. It was Tuna who said that the games leading up to Thanksgiving were just to see who's in the dance. To get yourself in position. Its now that the real teams emerge. Dallas has a chance. They are in position. If they are good enough to win these games, they go to the playoffs where they belong. If they lose them, they aren't playoff worthy. Its really very simple.

I agree with you Ridgelake. Great post.But I will qualify it on the Coaching.They are poor on 3 things. 1. Garrett relies too much on the shotgun. Maybe this is something that Romo is more comfortable in, I don't know, but I don't think that you can be a power team in the Gun. 2, Garrett refuses to experiment with alternative personel at the WR and RB position. What is his problem with Choice and Ogletree? Those guys need to be more involved in the game. Choice especially. Give the guy a couple of series for crying out loud. He has earned them.3. Garrett is still not mixing it up in his play calling. I haven't watched the game again to verify this but it sure felt like in the 2nd half, and maybe the whole game, that the only time we threw down field was on 3rd and long. We are playing one of the worst secondaries and most athletic front 7's in the league and we are throing short and screens? That seemed like a mistake to me.

 

[Ridgelake]

To date, Dallas has played 5 games against teams that have winning records and will play 3 more in their final 4. As of now, they are 1-4 in these games, losing to Denver, GB, and NYG twice, winning at Philly. Lets say Dallas does lose to SD and NO, then beats Philly and Washington to somehow get into the playoffs. Does a team that is 2-6 against winning teams really belong in the playoffs? Especially if both wins come against the same team? That will effectively mean that they will have lost to 5 different winning teams and defeated only 1.

This is not the resume of a championship calibre team. To me, unless they can win some of these tough matchups going forward, they really don't belong in the playoffs.

 

[switz]

Some people would admire the Eagles franchise. Me, what the Eagles franchise has devolved into makes me want to puke. It's exactly what I want to avoid. I don't know how the educated fans in that fanbase can stand to sit and watch that product.

His post is one of the better ones I've seen here. The Eagles franchise, while I hate the team with a passion, is like the Cardinals to my Cubs in that they are ALWAYS competative which makes it so much worse. Whether they actually win it all or not remains to be seen but it's hard to question continued success.As to the Cowboys of course I'm rooting but I've seen enough over the past few years to say that Wade is not going to get it done unless he bumbles his way into it. He is a cheerleader and not someone that is going to coach a team up. He has created a solid defense I'll give him that. My solace in knowing this season won't end well will be in that we'll (hopefully) have Cowher, Shanahan, or someone else with a better track record for what this team needs at the helm next season.

Imagine Felix Jones in a one-cut system...

Like I told you before Felix Jones is a bust.

You have an odd definition of bust then. But Felix has been far from a bust for the Cowboys.

 

[Ariakis]

Flo fined $50k but not suspended.

 

[culdeus]

Flo fined $50k but not suspended.

That's one of the highest fines for a non-suspension I recall.

 

[culdeus]

To date, Dallas has played 5 games against teams that have winning records and will play 3 more in their final 4. As of now, they are 1-4 in these games, losing to Denver, GB, and NYG twice, winning at Philly. Lets say Dallas does lose to SD and NO, then beats Philly and Washington to somehow get into the playoffs. Does a team that is 2-6 against winning teams really belong in the playoffs? Especially if both wins come against the same team? That will effectively mean that they will have lost to 5 different winning teams and defeated only 1.

This is not the resume of a championship calibre team. To me, unless they can win some of these tough matchups going forward, they really don't belong in the playoffs.

While I'm with you on the sum of this be careful quoting this stat. The playoffs the last few years have been poorly correlated to regular season success versus winning teams. Of course the last 10 years have never had so many just horrific teams that constitute the bottom feeders like this one.

 

[cowboyz]

romo was holding for kicks in practice

all the stars are aligning to breakthrough or crash and burn

 

[TxBuckeye]

IRVING, Texas -- The NFL has docked Dallas Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams $50,000 for shoving New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck in the back during last Sunday's game.

League spokesman Randall Liu said the fine was for unnecessary roughness, Adams' fifth such infraction this season.

In a letter to Adams, NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson wrote: "Future infractions of the types you have committed may lead to increased disciplinary action up to and including suspension."

Adams already has been fined $25,000 for incidents in three other games this season, including $12,500 stemming from the Cowboys' first meeting with the Giants in Week 2, when the veteran lineman tripped Tuck. As a repeat offender, and with a history of tangling with Tuck, there was a belief that Adams could be forced to sit out a game.

Adams wasn't in the Cowboys' locker room when it was open to the media Wednesday.

Video clearly shows Adams shoving Tuck in the back at the end of the first half of the Giants' 31-24 victory Sunday. There was then a small melee between players from both teams on the New York sideline, and Adams was given a personal-foul penalty, though no yardage was marked off against Dallas at the start of the second half.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin spoke with NFL director of officiating Mike Pereira about the play.

Adams was fined $7,500 by the NFL after kicking at Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers in Week 3. Adams was docked $5,000 for an unnecessary-roughness penalty in the opener at Tampa Bay before the first incidents with the Giants.

Adams avoiding a suspension was crucial for the Cowboys, who already are playing without starting right tackle Marc Colombo. He has been out the last three games after breaking his left leg.

--------------------------------------------------------------

I think someone is on a short leash the rest of the season. When is this doosh going to learn? I guess it's his nature to just play dirty.

 

[Phurfur]

To date, Dallas has played 5 games against teams that have winning records and will play 3 more in their final 4. As of now, they are 1-4 in these games, losing to Denver, GB, and NYG twice, winning at Philly. Lets say Dallas does lose to SD and NO, then beats Philly and Washington to somehow get into the playoffs. Does a team that is 2-6 against winning teams really belong in the playoffs? Especially if both wins come against the same team? That will effectively mean that they will have lost to 5 different winning teams and defeated only 1.

This is not the resume of a championship calibre team. To me, unless they can win some of these tough matchups going forward, they really don't belong in the playoffs.

Look at AZ last year. Everyone said they didn't belong in the playoffs.

 

[Bankerguy]

To date, Dallas has played 5 games against teams that have winning records and will play 3 more in their final 4. As of now, they are 1-4 in these games, losing to Denver, GB, and NYG twice, winning at Philly. Lets say Dallas does lose to SD and NO, then beats Philly and Washington to somehow get into the playoffs. Does a team that is 2-6 against winning teams really belong in the playoffs? Especially if both wins come against the same team? That will effectively mean that they will have lost to 5 different winning teams and defeated only 1. This is not the resume of a championship calibre team. To me, unless they can win some of these tough matchups going forward, they really don't belong in the playoffs.

I'm rooting like hell but I think we are pretenders.