Losing John Phillips last night was a devastating blow. He is a very unique player and he appeared to be really coming on. The injury report today was pretty deep. It really got me thinking about Jerry calling out the coaching staff when Dez Bryant got hurt. Jerry questioned the workload of the players. So I have to ask...Jerry, did we really need to play in the Hall of Fame game? Did we need to start training camp a week early when it is already interminable for the players? Jerry won't miss any opportunity to make a dollar, or get exposure for his team, even at the expense of the health of this team. He had balls to question the coaches demands of the players when he is the reason we have this ridiculously long training camp, and an unnecessary extra pre-season game where we lost John Phillips for the season.

I am getting a little tired of writers regurgitating the hocus-pocus idea of the Celtics being able to get better players because Paul taking a lower salary this year lowers our luxury tax payout. The reality of the situation is that by not FRONT-loading the deal, we are HURTING our ability to rebuild this team eventually. Saving luxury tax dollars does absolutely nothing for this team, other than line the owners pockets. Paying Pierce an All-Star's salary in 2012, when we could have been well under the cap is going to prevent us from putting together a contending squad in 2012 after KGs contract expires. Pierce is getting four years, $61 million? So I assume he is getting about $15 million/yr. How does Pauls's salary for 2010 going from $21 million to $15 million help us get players? We are still over the cap. This makes no sense at all. This is money related, and nothing more. If the Celtics primary purpose was winning, they would give Paul $30 million in years one and two, and the veteran's minimum for years three and four. Same $61 million, except we can sign all-star caliber players to put around Rondo in two years! Saving money now does NOTHING for this team. When is someone going to tell the truth about this? I'm tired of reading the same old lies about Pierce lowering his salary to allow us to sign players.

Danny Ainge once famously recommended to Red Auerbach that it was time to trade Larry Bird and Kevin Mchale before the team grew old, while they could still get something for them. It is pretty apparent right now that Danny needs to take some of his own advice. This team, as presently constituted, is not good enough to contend for a title. Not only are they just not competing with top teams in the league, but there are long stretches in every game where they just look old and slow and unable to even keep up with any kind of athletic team. I counted about eight plays in the Orlando game where an average, functional NBA player would have dunked the ball and finished a play, and our guys just don't even seem to be able to dunk the ball anymore. Layups getting blocked, fast-breaking players being caught from behind and looking like they are running through jello.

I would never trade our 17th title back for Al Jefferson and Jeff Green. The formation of the Big Three was well worth it, and Danny is a hero forever for putting together a championship team and hoisting Banner 17. But the window is closed. It's time for Danny to make one (or more) of his patented bold moves to change the direction of this franchise. We have well over $20 million in expiring contracts to trade, and with the biggest free agent haul in league history on the horizon, it should not be too difficult to change the face of this team and inject some youth with many teams scrambling to open up cap space.

I was ridiculed early in the season for making a post that was something to the effect of "The Big Three. Below the Rim"........unfortunately, I feel this way more than ever now. I am not enjoying watching this team right now and frankly, the idea of competing in the playoffs with a team the caliber of CLE or LAL is laughable to me. We cannot even compete with Atlanta. The frustration on Doc's face is obvious. He knows that there is nothing he can do right now. This team, as presently constructed, is just not good enough. Danny has never been one to stand pat and watch the sinking ship go down. I truly hope he lives up to his reputation and makes some tough decisions. Heck, we can have Ray back next year in a reduced role even if we trade him! He wants to play here.

It's time, Danny. Get to work. The Big Three had it's day in the sun. Right now, we are staring at a 2nd round playoff exit and the only way to stop it is to change the makeup of this team.

I hate to make a negative post after such a great win to open the season, but did anyone else notice these veteran players complete inability to finish at the rim?  There were times during the game that the offense looked really old and slow.

I can excuse Garnett's missed dunk, and chalk it up to him getting his sea legs back. But how much of a disgrace was it for Sheed to come into the season in such awful physical shape? Did he even go near the paint last night? There was Pierce, driving to the cup.....all he had to do was dunk the ball, but he did a finger roll and nearly got his shot blocked. Ray Allen couldn't get to the rim and finish either. I thought these two were supposed to be in amazing physical shape? Are they even capable of dunking anymore? It just drives me crazy when a hall of fame NBA player allows a defender a chance to block his shot by shooting a layup instead of dunking. I have to wonder if these guys are even capable anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I still think this team can and will win a title. I would just like to see more aggression when driving the lane. The vet guys all looked slow and tentative, and refused to throw one down on the defenders head. They have way too much talent to devolve into a grind it out team like Riley's Knicks or The Bad Boy Piston teams. Great on defense, but why are these guys all afraid to throw a dunk down? Pierce used to rain down dunks every night. Go watch some of his mixes on youtube. Even Jordan, once he got into his 30s, and changed his game, would throw down at the right moments. I have to wonder whether these guys are capable of it anymore.

This is not about what an amazing WR Austin is. The guy is still obviously a work in progress. The bottom line is that Patrick Crayton continues to be a mediocre WR with limited speed, and it is just not working when we start two possession receivers. The defense is not respecting the wideouts, and this is putting pressure on the entire offense.

My initial observation watching the TO-less Cowboys offense the first few weeks was that we seemed to still have a good offense capable of moving the ball and putting up points. But it seemed like in the past, there was no 3rd and long that was too difficult for the Cowboys to pick up. With TO stretching the field and Witten roaming over the middle, Dallas routinely converted 3rd and 11s, 3rd and 15s sometimes. Now, the defense crowds the box, and nobody threatens to burn the defense.

Enter Miles Austin. They HAVE to make him the starter. He is the only WR on the roster that can stretch the field. Most great receiving duos have a possession guy and a deep threat. Williams and Crayton just do not put fear in defenses when they are out there in tandem. This just seems like a no-brainer at this point to me. Unfortunately, I'm wondering if the coaching staff is going to continue to operate with no brains.

I'm surprised no one is talking about this here yet. On the video, I think it is pretty clear that Romo thought it was 3rd down. This is inexcusable. My father is an Eagles fan that always makes fun of Romo, saying things like "he must have been thinking about Jessica on that play!" I am a Tony Romo fan, but I honestly have to wonder what he was thinking about here.

http://startelegramsports.typepad.com/cowboys/2009/10/romo-didnt-know-it-was-fourth-down-maybe-thats-why-threw-it-to-hurd-again.html

the video:

http://startelegramsports.typepad.com/cowboys/2009/10/heres-the-romo-video.html

So I was at Sports Authority today, and I walked by an Adidas display that had a familar looking, high flying player ready to throw down a dunk. The top of the ad said: Tony Allen, NBA Player.

I just found this so amusing on many levels.

1. It was nice of them to clarify exactly who Tony Allen is. Something tells me there are no ads that say: Lebron James, NBA Player.

2. Tony Allen? really? you couldn't do better than that, Adidas?

3. I live in the Philly area.

If we connect the dots, it looks like one way or another, Marquis Daniels is going to be here. Scal is going nowhere, as he is currently our 4th big off the bench. He is perfect for the role, because there will be few minutes available with KG, Perk and Sheed all playing big minutes. Starbury is unwanted elsewhere, so he will begrudgingly come back to be our veteran point guard off the bench. I think his jump shot will be much better this season, with a full training camp.

In a perfect game, with all 10 healthy:

Perk 30 minutes

KG 30

Sheed 30

Scal 6

Paul 30

Marquis 20

Ray 30

Eddie 18

Rondo 33

Starbury 13

total: 240 minutes

Sometime over this season, I remember reading a very complimentary article about Rajon Rondo's development. Unfortunately, I can't remember the source, but it jumped into my mind last night with 1:20 left in the game.

In the article, it discussed how Rondo's toughest thing to deal with last season was being a 22 year old point guard that had to say "No" to Hall of Fame scorers when they demand the ball. In tough times, all three of those guys want the ball, and there is only one to go around.

Doc even recalled playing with Nique and Reggie Theus and another scorer who escapes me at the moment.....and talked about how on one crucial play, all three guys came up to him during a timeout demanding the ball. Doc decided to come down the floor, jack up a three, and glare at all three of them to make a point.

Which brings me to 1:20 left in game 5, 85-83 Magic, Rondo has Paul Pierce running out to the top of the key demanding the ball. Here was our go-to-guy...the player that everyone wants to see with the ball in his hands with the game on the line.....the NBA Finals MVP....running up with arms waving, wanting the rock.

Rondo emphatically, waves him off. "NO". I was kind of shocked. I even said out loud to myself, "Did Rondo just refuse to give Paul the ball?" No sooner were the words out of my mouth when Ray Allen came running through some traffic, Rondo hits him perfectly for the three that gave us the lead.

It was eerie how Rondo knew what needed to be done there. How many point guards would have refused to just dump the ball to Pierce and let him work his magic? I thought that decision by Rondo was the play of the game on a night when he didn't have his best game. And it was a real sign of the player that he has grown into, and is still growing into.

The shame of KG's injury this season is that this team would have been better than the Championship team. Rondo is a different player now. Ray Allen was clearly not healthy last season. The chemistry has improved tenfold.

They say good coaches find a way to get their best players on the field. How feasible is it for Garrett to run a lot of two TE sets and stick to their new self-proclaimed running philosophy?

The idea could clearly work in the passing game, isolating TEs on LBs. I have discussed in the past how much I liked the two TE sets that Green Bay ran in 95 with Chmura and Keith Jackson. Witten and Bennett could potentially terrorize defenses in a similar manner.

But again, how could it work with the running game? Can we incorporate a lot of H-back formations and still hammer the ball? Could Felix Jones possibly be more dangerous without a fullback, seeing and stretching the field from east/west?

Later in games, if the plan is to hammer Marion, a FB could get more plays with a lead. Which RBs do you think could thrive in two TE sets? Do you think it could work well enough to get Bennett a lot of snaps and add a different dimension to the offense?

This is my first post here since the old Boys Blog days. I used to be "Playmaker". Recent events have inspired me to vent.

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. I am here to tell everyone that Jerry Jones is clearly insane.

I have rooted for this team since about 1980. I also live in the Philadelphia area, and this has been a particularly painful thing to do for the last 12 years or so. That being said, I am known as a very optimistic fan. Every offseason, I am able to look at the bright side and have some hope for the future. Even during our run of 5-11 seasons, each year I would tell myself that a high draft pick and a few free agents and we are right there! There's always something to point to as what needs to be done to become a serious contender. Some years you might point at the secondary and say "that's what we need!", or "if we just sign that RB we need, we'll be a totally diffferent team.

Sitting here today, I have never been so demoralized and without hope regarding my favorite NFL team. I look through all the units and question what we need to do to take the next step. Let's see......quarterback? We have a keeper. Running backs? we have three good ones! tight end? best in football. o-line? five guys under contract for years. Receiving core? lots of talent and payroll taboot. d-line? Pretty deep. Jay Ratliff is a pro-bowler. LBs? Bradie James, DWare might be the best player in football. Secondary? lots of talent there.

So I ask......what is wrong with this team? Well, that's easy. Coaching, heart, chemistry, accountability.......As a sports coach, I can honestly say that this is my least favorite Cowboys team that I have ever seen. I teach my players the importance of teamwork, chemistry, sacrifice, discipline, hard work........and this football team is the antithesis of everything that I love about sports. I hate this team. There, I said it. My family knows that I go nuts when I watch the Cowboys. I yell at the TV and rant and rave and cheer and go crazy. On Sunday, when it was 17-3, my family was shocked that I was just sitting there quietly, not that into it. I said "I just don't even want to watch this team anymore. I have had it." 10 penalties a game, turnovers, lack of focus, finger-pointing, and worst of all......a complete waste of a roster loaded with talent.

So here we are, and I go back to the original premise of this thread. Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Look, we all know what needs to be done here. Let's not kid ourselves. We need an actual pro head coach. Tell me you wouldn't be thinking Superbowl if Bill Cowher signed on tomorrow. But no. We are going to bring back the same team, AND the same clueless, underachieving head coach!?! Jerry Jones is insane! If we bring back basically the same team, with the same coaching staff.......what is going to change? How are we going to get any different results? This is mind-boggling to me. Wade says he is going to change. Are you serious? After 33 years in the league, he's going to start using fire and brimstone at 61 years old? This would be hysterical if it wasn't so infuriating. To me, this is an absolute disgrace. I really can't get up to watch this team next year. I'm sick of the sloppy football. I'm sick of the lack of coaching adjustments. I'm sick of Camp Cupcake. But that's what Jerry is giving us. The same exact team, with a few different role players and position coaches.

Insanity.