SB Nation User Blog: Nelson...

In defense of optimism

Nelson... — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:25:14 -0000

We are still allowed to root for the team, right?

OK, I get it. The Cowboys aren't playing well. The Cowboys are mediocre. They'll likely be one-and-done, IF they make the playoffs at all. And Wade (and possibly Garrett too) will be shown the door. I recognize all of those things, and say...

I don't care. I still root for them every game, I still hope they win every game. Whether it's the lowly Raiders or the mighty Saints (first time you could say "mighty" and "Saints" with a straight face) I still look forward to victory.

I understand the realism/pessimism out there. I recognize what kind of a team we have. And I am understanding and OK with that fact that some/many have given up on the team.

But what I am NOT OK with is the belittling of those who haven't.

We're fans. Not Vegas bookies (at least I don't think any of us are). Our lives aren't significantly impacted whether the Cowboys win or lose. If they win, hey great! If they lose, oh well. Wearing rose-colored glasses isn't a crime. We don't have to get it right. The worst that could happen is your buddies at work ribbing you Monday morning (like my Dolphins fan coworker did after we got embarrased by the Rams last season,as soon as I walked in the door....UGH) It happens. Plenty of NFL teams have won next to nothing during the Super Bowl era.

It really seems like it's not enough for some to simply be down on the team, they get bent out of shape if everyone else isn't in the same boat with them.

I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to hope for another Cowboy face-palm. I'm not hoping for Wade's firing (I like Wade). I'm not hoping for Jerry to hop aboard the Retread Express AGAIN (this time featuring Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden) and who knows who else. I'm not hoping for some college coach who'd probably flake out and take off at the first sign of trouble ala Saban and Petrino.

If I were to do any of those things, then there would be absolutely nothing to enjoy. I couldn't be happy when the Boys won, I couldn't do a sober examination when they lose. What would be the point? Why bother?

With that said, I believe Cowboys will beat the Saints tonight. Even though that flies against all manner of logic and game-film, that's still the way I see it.

And if they don't, then I like my crow well-done with lemon pepper seasoning.

NFC East Overrated?

Nelson... — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:22:24 -0000

I've seen this relatively new meme grow legs somewhere around the time Dallas defeated Philadelphia and took sole possession of first place in the division.

2006: Took three teams to the playoffs: PHI division winner, DAL and NYG wild cards.

2007: Took three teams to the playoffs: DAL division winner (and #1 seed), NYG and WAS wild cards. NYG wins Super Bowl.

2008: Took two teams to the playoffs: defending Super Bowl champ NYG division winner (and #1 seed), PHI wild card (and appeared in NFC title game)

2009: Could potentially take two or three teams to the playoffs again (depending on how Green Bay and Atlanta play the rest of the way)

It's possible that people are simply down on the entire NFC as a whole. Because if not, I don't know how you say the NFC North, South, or West are any better overall.

I try really hard to stay away from conspiracy theories, but it seems that outsiders contort and twist themselves in every way possible and look at every possible angle in an effort to pooh-pooh anything the Cowboys accomplish. The NFC East was the strongest division and either the Eagles and Giants were everyone's SB pick until we took the lead. Now the whole division is overrated

Which brings me to a related question. If everyone says you're overrated, then are you still overrated? Who is overrating you?

Bengals sign RW1

Nelson... — Thu, 07 May 2009 23:05:08 -0000

Bengals sign RW1

CINCINNATI (AP) - Safety Roy Williams hopes that a reunion with his defensive coordinator from Dallas will get his career turned around.

The Cincinnati Bengals signed Williams to a one-year contract on Thursday. Williams missed most of last season with Dallas because he broke his right forearm twice, and the Cowboys released him on March 5.

Part of the attraction of coming to Cincinnati was the chance to play for defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who held the job in Dallas from 2000-06. Williams was the Cowboys' first-round pick in 2002.

Adam Schein likes our draft

Nelson... — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:00:20 -0000

Video: Schein: Cowboys' Draft

Adam Schein likes our draft

Zach Thomas signs with Chiefs

Nelson... — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:16:17 -0000

Zach Thomas signs with Chiefs

The Wilderness

Nelson... — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:46:05 -0000

In less than two hours, the Forty-third edition of the National Football League's Super Bowl will be underway.

Forty-three games, forty-three years. The Arizona Cardinals are making their very first appearance today. The Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans (also the old Houston Oilers), and Jacksonville Jaguars have never made it to a Super Bowl. The New York Jets last appearance was forty years ago. Of course, the Texans and Jaguars are relatively new franchises. But for those who've been around since the 40s, that's a long time in The Wilderness. And for teams such as the Lions and Browns, who knows when/if they'll ever win anything.

When I think about the future of the Dallas Cowboys, it's about as cloudy as Anakin Skywalker's was when Yoda tried to look ahead in time. As fans, we always hope that the upcoming season is "our year". But what if it isn't? So far, thirteen seasons have passed since our last trip to the mountaintop, and twelve seasons since we last won a playoff game. That's half a lifetime for me.

So am I saying it will probably be another twenty-seven years before we win anything? Not likely. We've got most of the necessary pieces to make a run, it's just a matter of pruning the rest of the dead weight and everyone else checking their egos at the door.

So yeah, it could be worse.

The Warner's are alright with me

Nelson... — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 06:26:45 -0000

The Warner's are alright with me

"We started doing that when we were in St. Louis and the manager would always give us our meal for free whenever we ate out," Brenda Warner said earlier Friday. "I had been a single mother living on food stamps at one time who couldn’t ever afford to eat out, and I never understood why people give free meals to people who can afford them."

At peace with the loss...

Nelson... — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 04:25:31 -0000

Strangely enough, I'm not as upset as I thought I'd be that we've just missed the playoffs in spectacular fashion. In fact, I'm not even sure if I'm upset at all...

That was a bad performance by a team that had no business being in the playoffs. If we play like that in a December regular season game, then I wouldn't want to see what we do in the playoffs.

Having said that....

....I still believe Phillips and Garrett should stay. Coaching turnover and new systems aren't the answer. Some think Phillips is too soft and doesn't motivate the players. Even if that's true...so what? If I were an NFL player making several million dollars a year to play a damn game, I wouldn't need a middle-aged man yelling in my face to motivate me. The chance to get to hoist the Lombardi Trophy and be immortalized in history would be enough for me. And it should be enough for the players.

And maybe it is enough. Everytime they lose, we immediately assume they "didn't want it enough", that "they didn't care". It's easy to forget that there's another team on the football field that has something to play for.....and sometimes that team is just flat-out better than ours. It's easy to simply say the players are completely worthless (were they worthless when they thumped the Super Bowl Champion Giants a couple of weeks ago?), and forget that McNabb + Reid had a damn good run earlier this decade, so chances are they know how to win games like this.

I don't know, I just can't summon the strength to get angry/curse/cry/throw things. I love this team, but they lost. No matter what I do or say, that's the reality and there's no changing it. I still have to get up at 6am tomorrow to go to work. It's just a game.

It's not good for the team...

Nelson... — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 21:09:58 -0000

Two days ago, I went on DallasCowboys.com and watched the interviews with Roy Williams2 and Keith Davis.

What Roy and Keith wanted to talk about: The Giants

What the reporters wanted to talk about: Everything else.

This is probably the most crucial game of our season. After blowing 4 NFC games, we had no realistic chance at defending our divisional title. The importance of a victory today CAN NOT be overstated. There's no guarantee whatsoever we win against Baltimore or Philadelphia (as both teams are playing well as of now). And let's say we lost today but somehow back into the playoffs anyway. If we can't win now, what's the point of going to the playoffs only to get One-and-Doned the third season in a row?

But back on topic. When Roy and Keith wanted to focus on the Giants, the interviews ended.

Of course, it's not just us. The Giants themselves continue to get hounded with questions about Plaxico "I need a permit" Burress. What do you think is a bigger distraction? Plax being gone, or question after question after question about Player Who Is Not There? The Giants have been blowing teams out without him (and Shockey and Tiki, go figure), they neither need nor miss him. But the Media doesn't see it that way. They see a team that loses and immediately concludes that they are distracted. The Giants weren't distracted. They were simply unprepared for a healthy Brian Westbrook and Andy Reid's newfound focus on the running game.

Back on topic again. I'm just flat-out fed up with all the focus on our season being on things that shouldn't matter. And if I, a fan, feel that way, then how on Earth do the players themselves feel?

Before I go any further, I will admit that I like Owens. He's a great player, and in spite of his total jerkness in San Fran and Philly, I don't think he's the Devil Incarnate as some make him out to be. When he arrived here, I hoped it would work out for him and us. I hoped he would be Michael Irvin without the cocaine and the White House. As far as on-field production is concerned, he has. He led the NFL in TD catches in 2006. He was 2nd in the NFL in TD catches in 2007 (behind only Randy Moss's 23), and is one of the leaders this season (in spite of a significant drop in catches).

Off-field, it's been hit-and-miss. I will give him credit for trying. But it's not fair to the rest of the team, to be asked these inane questions week after week.

Are you distracted?
How do you feel about his comments about __________?

They don't ask those questions except when you lose. The only way to avoid questions like that are to go 16-0. Winning = No Distractions. Losing = Lost of Distractions.

I'm sure that would get very tiresome. And the reality of it is....it won't end. If you ever watch a Cowboys game on TV, then you know how often they aim the cameras at Owens to gauge his reactions to bad plays and losses. He's the only player I know of that gets criticized for FROWNING on the sidelines. Week in and out, he gets questions designed to bait him into criticizing a particular player or coach. Unfortunately, he sometimes does take the bait.

And even when he doesn't, it's not good enough. Remember when we lost the playoff game last season, and a reporter tried to get Owens to throw Romo under the bus? He didn't. He defended Romo, and left himself wide open for national ridicule by tearing up. Hell, the only other time you see players cry are during their retirement press conferences. Instead of the story being "Owens Defends Romo", the story was "T.O. Cries Like a Baby!". Can't win for losing, I guess.

Some of it has been his fault, though. He really shouldn't have complained about wanting the ball after having it thrown to him more than any other player in the first WAS game. But honestly, I didn't think that was as big a deal as others did. A Wideout wants the ball. Meanwhile, in less obvious news...

The irony of all of this is that Owens is being hammered harder now than he has since he got to Dallas, when it's mostly not his fault this time. Whatever the issue was, he (and Roy2 and Crayton) went to Garrett behind closed doors. Lost in all of this is the fact that we wouldn't know about this at all had it not been for the "Unnamed Source". Owens did exactly what he should have done when he was grumbling in San Fran in Philly, went directly to the other individuals and aired out the issues.

I have no idea who the source is, nor do I care. It really doesn't matter. But it is obviously someone who cares so little about their team that they would light a gasoline fire on the eve of the MOST IMPORTANT GAME OF THE SEASON! If the Unnamed Source doesn't go running their mouth(s), then the other players don't get peppered with questions about the locker room, and Owens and Witten don't nearly come to blows. We're trying to MAKE the playoffs, and some fool is trying to stir stuff? Are you kidding me?!

But the point of my post is....this is too much. The other 51 guys on this roster shouldn't have to answer endless questions about Owens as well as Adam "Pacman" Jones. I deliberately left out Tank Johnson's name because we have not heard a single solitary peep out of him since he got here. He has done nothing but exactly what the coaches ask of him. So unlike some people (some of whom get paid to do what I'm doing right now absolutely free), I'm not going to spend the rest of my life regarding Tank as some sort of irredeemable criminal. It's bad enough dealing with all the injuries we have (can you believe we're still thin at Cornerback even though we drafted two AND traded for Adam?). It's not good for the team to have so much focus on things that shouldn't matter. DeMarcus Ware is having a career season. Tashard Choice has shown us that he is the 3rd piece to our Three-headed Monster Running game. And the Defense is finally living up to the expectations placed when Wade Phillips got here.

But all of that may be for naught.

So here is me saying this: It may not be right, it may not be fair, but it may be necessary to let Owens go. I am a fan of the Dallas Cowboys first and foremost. And what's good for me is what's good for the team. And what is good for the team is a drama-free locker room.

This isn't fun anymore...

Nelson... — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:01:37 -0000

It's hard enough just dealing with the team stinking it up as they are....

.....but I'm at the point where I don't even want to view the comments section here anymore. You guys need to chill. Spending all day telling each other how blind and clueless they are is really getting ridiculous.

And besides, YOU'RE ALL WRONG! The magic number of 10-6 probably won't be enough to make the playoffs. Considering how strong both the East and South are, anything less than 11-5 and we go nowhere in January.

But back to what I was saying before. Chill out. BREATHE.