- After the game, I took my kids to the park. We caught the tail end of what was likely to be the last beautiful Sunday afternoon, and had a great time. While I was watching them play, I took a break on park bench and got to thinking about the game/team. I'm so glad these games don't piss me off like they used to. I mean, in the moment, they do. I still get as frustrated as I ever have, but it doesn't linger. Not to be all sentimental and shit, but when I see my kids, I realize that football just isn't as important to me as it used to be.
That said, I was thinking about this team and I realized we're a doomed franchise. I know that it's a parity driven league. And I know that week in and week out, there are ridiculous games. There are ridiculous gaffes. And teams find embarrassing ways to lose games.
But you know what? There is not a team in this league that finds a way to do it more consistantly than the Dallas Cowboys.
Think back how many embarrassing losses we've had the past 3 years. Now, think of how many impressive wins we've had. Compare the numbers. I don't know about you, but @New Orleans 2009 and @NYG 2012 were the only two landmark impressive wins I can think of.
The very heart of the problem is Jerry Jones. And probably some of his kids - although I can't help but hope beyond all hope that Stephen doesn't have his dads ego. I know his wife and daughter do. But the main priority with that family is marketing.
They care more about the Cowboys brand than they do the Cowboys football team. That is so evident when this team does a traveling training camp. When practices are interrupted so high level sponsors and celebrities can gladhand with the players.
What they either fail to recognize is that if they made football the priority, instead of opening a god damned Victoria Secret store IN THE FOOTBALL STADIUM (really, let that marinate for a minute), and if they hired the right people to turn this team around... then in building a strong yearly legitimate contender would do more for the team's brand than any of these pre-game pony shows for fans or in game hooter girl dancers.
Make it about football, FFS.
Until that happens, and it likely never will so long as Jerry has a pulse, then if you want to be a fan of the Cowboys you need to lower your expectations. Going into the season predicting a 12 win year, as I've done oh...every year since 2005... is fools gold. We are a perenial .500 team. That won't change until the circus leaves town.
- I turned the TV off after Dez failed to catch that 2 point conversion. I then remembered there was still time on the clock and we had a chance for an onside, so I tuned back in just in time to see that.
The ironic thing is, Saturday I was watching a video on Youtube that showed the last 8 minutes or so of our game at Buffalo from 2007.
So here we were, with this game coming to the virtual exact same conclusion. Get the late TD. Have the 2 point conversion fail even though it hits our #1 receiver right in the hands (TO in 2007, Dez yesterday). Line up for an onside with 30 seconds left. Miraculously recover. Get the ball down the field to allow us to try a 51-52 yarder. Only this time the magic wasn't there, obviously. - Dan Baily is good. He's damn good. Basically automatic on anything within 49 yards. And he's 50/50 on kicks over 50. Which makes it all the more mind boggling that last sequence. Hell... instead of that Dez pass, I would've preferred another run up the middle - set up a field goal in the middle of the field, and likely gain more yards than Dez did.
- A lot of snarky commnets from Dallas Media guys about how knee jerk fans wanted to cut Felix, or how the offensive line was so impressive. Like fans were stupid for thinking that. Uh... Ive seen 4 weeks of horrid play, and 1 week of very good. You wanna crown their ass, then crown them. But as far as I'm concerned, Felix and this Oline is who I thought they were. ~slaps keyboard~ Let me see them do it a few more weeks before I break out the annointing oil.
- I feel bad for buckup. Makes what I thought was a very good pick up in DeMarco Murray in the fantasy draft. Earlier than most projected him to go, but it seemed obvious the Cowboys were going to make him a work horse from what we saw in the pre-season. Well, Murray finally gets on track for the year, and then ends up spraining his foot and leaving the game.
- I made a thread about this, but I'll say it again because it blows my mind. How can there be so much pre-snap confusion when we've had the same QB and same offensive system in place since 2007?
We barely get snaps off. Every play is a Romo "KILL KILL KILL". Instead of being able to sit and take in the defense for a second, he spends 10 seconds telling people where to line up, pointing out who the Oline needs to block, and then herkyjerky hiking his leg up trying to get Costa to snap him the ball
How is that acceptable? We've heard time and time and time again about Romo friendly. Yet we're still hearing he's having to do too much. WTF?
We have an offensive minded coach, amirite? How can the guy run the team when he can't even get his side of the ball looking like it has a clue? - How many times does Kevin Ogletree need to get a penalty for presnap motion before you realize, hey, maybe I shouldn't put Kevin Ogletree in motion?????
- I'm so glad Maurice Claiborn is alright.
- I'm SO FUCKING GLAD RAY LEWIS TORE HIS TRICEPS. Retire, fuckface.
- I don't know what it'll take to fix our defense. I know people are saying we need another pass rusher, but really, you shouldn't need two dominant pass rushers to have a decent defense. I actually am starting to think that because of how the rules are in the NFL... there's really nothing a defense can do to stop a well coached, well executing passing attack.
We'd probably be better off dedicating an entire draft to our offense just so we can get in shootouts with teams. We've dedicated the lions share of draft picks and free agent money to our defense for a number of years, and we've never had a dominant unit (in recent memory). - Jason Garrett is an idiot. I love his message. I think he's great at identifying the quote unquote right kind of guys. I think he's a very smart guy, and he probably will one day be a very good coach in this league. But he is a bad coach right now. Horrible on game days. Reminds me of Parcells in that way - great coach in message and philosophy, but terrible on game days (and I'm talking about Parcells tenure in Dallas, not previous stops).
How do still not have clock management down? Especially after Arizona last year. How do you not have two plays called there? How does your team not get the urgency of the situation? Why are there so many pre-snap penalties.
Jesus Christ... cut the playbook to 20 running plays, 20 passing plays. The plays the team runs the best. Open up the route trees for Witten and Miles. Noone else.
No... actually, forget that. Just delegate. Give Bill Callahan playcalling responsibilities. Keep your hand in game planning. Give direction at times, but focus your attention on game management. Once you master that for a few years, then maybe... MAYBE, try and get playcalling duties back.
But you a seriously fumblefucking this team every football Sunday. Watching our offense is like watching BobSacamano trying to unclasp a bra. It's embarrassing, uncomfortable, and awkward. - I said yesterday in the gameday thread I wasn't going to watch the Carolina game. Bkeavs called me a liar, and I denied it. But he's half right. I'll watch the game, but I won't be focused entirely on it. I'll have it on more for background noise or something. I'll still cheer for the team and I think that I want us to win. But I'm not going to get pissed at a loss.
- I'll also be rooting for mass casualties in the Giants vs Redskins game.
Last edited:
