Admittedly I am a glass half empty type of guy so it comes as no surprise that I’m still worried about this Saturday night.  I fear that we’ll see an overconfident Cowboys team squaring off against a pissed off and hungry Eagles bunch.

 

Last Sunday I became more and more troubled by the fact that the Eagles were not blitzing, (as if they were holding something back).  Even after it had become evident that their “rush 4/zone coverage schemes” were getting torched they still failed to bring the pressure (and at this point the score was still just 7-0).  In the 2nd half they brought more pressure but nothing too exotic.  I couldn’t help but wonder if the Eagles could really be so brazen?  Could they really be holding back, not giving their all, and sacrifice in the process a first round bye, believing that three road wins in route to Miami would be just as easy?  Perhaps the more logical explanation is that they miss the likes of Jim Johnson and Brian Dawkins.   

Did perhaps the Cowboys save anything?  They knew heading into last Sunday that a win meant they faced the same team two weeks in a row.  Is it possible that both Phillips and Garrett kept a few things hidden in the playbook, knowing they could unleash them the following week?  I do believe that Cowboys will have to unveil something the Eagles haven’t seen at some point on Saturday night in order to win. 

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On November 20, I posted this prior to the first Redskins meeting:

 

Are the Redskins the Key to the Division

One key thought from this post was this here:

 

Conventional wisdom would seem to favor the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants all splitting their season series with each other; this would make all three of them 2-2 in the division when removing the Redskin games.  I personally believe that these match ups are going to work a little differently this year in that the Eagles are going to sweep the Giants; the Giants will sweep Dallas, and the Cowboys will sweep the Eagles, but end result is the same; 2-2 for each of those 3 in the division minus the Redskins games.

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(Insert deep breath and count backwards from 10 to 0)

 

 

I have to remind myself as I cool off from this past Sunday’s calamity that I predicted a few weeks ago that the Giants would win. My thought at the time was that the Giants, would sweep Dallas, the Eagles would sweep NY and the Cowboys would sweep Philly. I further speculated that whichever one of those three teams dropped one to the Redskins would be the odd man out. It's already too late for that team to be the Eagles as they have swept Washington but the Redskins still have two, very interesting, back to back home games against the Giants and Cowboys. Let us hope that it's the Giants that lose at FedEx field and not the boys (though I can tell you that the Cowboys will be the team they are more up for). 

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In week 2 the Cowboys blew an extraordinary opportunity to beat a divisional foe despite multiple turnovers.  Had they won that game the Cowboys would be sitting on a 9-2 record (3-0 in the division) and not facing as desperate a situation as they are this Sunday.  A loss to the Giants this time around drops them to 8-4 overall (most likely a tie with Philly for first) and (2-2) in the division; worst of all they will have been swept by the Giants.   I HATE BEING SWEPT BY ANYONE.  (Insert deep breath here)  It also makes the rest of their games that much more critical; if a loss to the Giants is followed up by loses to either the Chargers or Saints or both, the Cowboys may no longer be in charge of their own destiny.   

 

The Giants come into this game much like Green Bay did a few weeks back; they exhibit a similarly discouraging list of injuries, have more or less been dismissed from most playoff discussions and  find their season on the line…. this weekend….  against the Cowboys!   And like the Packers a few weeks back, the Giants’ talent level is better than their record and it doesn’t hurt that they get to be home for this one

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Conventional wisdom would seem to favor the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants all splitting their season series with each other; this would make all three of them 2-2 in the division when removing the Redskin games. I personally believe that these match-ups are going to work a little differently this year in that the Eagles are going to sweep the Giants; the Giants will sweep Dallas, and the Cowboys will sweep the Eagles, but the end result is the same; 2-2 for each of those 3 in the division minus the Redskins games.

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I just hope the Cowboys’ team isn't feeling as satisfied with the Philly win as the Cowboys’ fans are.  They’re starting to get some accolades in the media now and they may lose that chip they’ve had on their shoulder.   This is the time when paying extra attention in the film room and at practice becomes harder to do.   You have to stay focused throughout the week in this league; almost pissed.   Are the Cowboys about to take their next opponent too lightly?  The Cowboys have really owned the Packers for the past couple of decades (just look at Favre’s lifetime record of 0-10 at Texas Stadium), and last year the Cowboys won at Lambeau for the first time ever; are the Packers overdue? 

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Is this the week the Eagles unleash (no pun intended) Michael Vick? I certainly hope not because I think it will catch the Cowboys’ D “off-guard.”  I fear that Andy just might have 4 or 5 choice plays he’s been developing (for Vick) and has been waiting for both the chemistry to come to together in practice and the right game to unpackaged them in.  Could that be this Sunday?

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We are reaching that point in the week where last weekend’s game fades into the background as next weekend’s game takes center stage and as happy as am with the Falcons win, I’m beginning to worry that the Cowboys are heading into a classic, “trap” game. 

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Was I the only one wondering why he continued to give the bulk of the carries to Barber yesterday when it was clear, early on, that Choice was having the better day?  Garrett just seems to lock into an idea of what this team is supposed to do and it takes him a long time to break out of it and change things up; even after that evidence is there that a different direction would be more effective. 

 

Going forward I’d love to see him go with the hot hand; meaning that if Choice is clearly having the better game than let him get the bulk of carries for that game and then let the other guys spell relief.  The next week it might be Felix, and the week after that Barber.   If someone is on a roll let them stay on a roll, much in the same way that a basketball coach will often give more minutes to a bench player in a particular game if he gets hot. 

 

Same thing goes for the wide outs.  Against Atlanta I expect to see Austin in the starting lineup, (not Crayton).  I think he’s earned that after yesterday’s performance.  But why do I have this foreboding feeling that Mr. “no-separation” Crayton will start.

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 Answer is, they’re not but you sure would think so if your opinion were based solely on the expert analysis of sports shows like the ones that air on ESPN (BSPN).  This morning for example, on Mike and Mike, they each predicted an 8-8 and 7-9 season respectively for the Cowboys (and in all fairness Golic did have them in Super Bowl last year).  Both of them harped on the poor December showings and lack of playoff victories over the past 12 seasons (which is truly unacceptable for the Cowboys franchise).   We should all expect this to be the new albatross for the Cowboys, in the media, until they silence them on the field with December AND January victories.  Golic reasoned that the Cowboys play in way too tough a division to have late season breakdowns and survive (a fair point but it assumes that the Cowboys will once again fail in December).  Gone is T.O. as the big “story” and “in” is the late season collapse as a way to further blaspheme the Cowboys, (especially for BSPN).  

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The 2009 campaign, as it approaches, has got to be one of, if not the hardest season I’ve ever seen in terms of what to expect.  At this point results ranging from a 6-10 disaster to 16-3 Super Bowl Champion would not be surprise me.  We’ve seen flashes of brilliance at almost of every position while additionally seeing stretches of horrific play from the same players.   We’ve seen game plans that seem to catch the opponent completely off guard and other strategies that were so predicable you would have thought the opposing coordinators had been allowed to read over the Cowboy’s playbook the night before the game.   We’ve seen brilliant Novembers and disastrous Decembers.  The up and down nature of this team has resulted in 9-7 finishes in three of the past four seasons.  

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Mr. Fisher or fish, I’d like to officially apologize to you.  Why? Well let’s just say that if you were to go back in time to about 4 weeks ago, to the Houston series, you’d find that I like many other Laker fans, were calling for your head (figuratively speaking of course). 

 

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There has been so much hype surrounding a possible Kobe vs. Lebron finals that at this point the NBA and ABC will be losing millions of dollars if it doesn’t work out that way.  The viewing audience for a Lakers/Cavs finals would at least be double what they’d get from any other combo (probably triple what a contest between the two 2-seeds would produce) and a result the advertising dollars would be at least double.  We’re looking at millions of dollars difference between a Lakers/Cavs series as opposed to a Magic/Nuggets one.

I hate to say but this Lakers/Nuggets series, so far, has gone exactly like the Houston series with the Lakers showing up for every other game.  I hope this means we’ll see another 40 point blow-out again in game 5 tonight but I seriously doubt it.  The Nuggets have played hard in every game this post season while making great in-game adjustments.  It truly would not surprise me to see Denver sneak one in LA again tonight, taking a 3-2 lead back home to Denver for game 6.  Then ABC execs will truly be crapping their pants; with the Lakers down 3-2 and the Cavs down 3-1.

 

I suspect that the Cavs will win game 5 at home but I’m not so sure about game 6 in Orlando on Saturday night.  Unlike Kobe, Lebron just does not have any help.   

 

What will be interesting to observe is whether or not that Lakers and Cavs start getting a lot of questionable and favorable calls the rest of the way…

 

It seems like every time the Lakers have lost a game in this series the common opinion has been that the Lakers have lost because they didn’t play with any heart or energy; as if the Rockets are not also a talented team of professional basketball players also trying to win.  

Think about this; while the Cavaliers sailed through the 2nd round pounding on a team that won 47 games during the regular season,(that’s less than the western conference 8-seed) the Lakers have been locked in a seven game struggle with Houston, a 53 game winner this season.  Houston, who finished just one win shy of being the number 2 seed in the western conference.   Now while it’s also true that they’ve been without T-Mac for most of the season and then they lost Yao halfway through this series; I don’t necessarily believe that makes them any less dangerous (at least in terms in how they match up with the Lakers).    In fact I actually think that the Lakers would have won this series already if Yao had not been hurt.   

When Yao is in the game it slows everything down and while their interior defense may be better; their offense is not nearly as quick or efficient.   You don’t see the same type of swift ball movement when Yao is in as they force feed him the ball and run their offense from the inside out.  This type offense and pace is perfect for the Lakers.  The type of team that has traditionally given a Phil Jackson coached team troubles is one that plays quick and imposes a fast paced game; a team that moves the ball around well and pushes the tempo at both ends of the floor; a team like what the Rockets have become since Yao went down.   

Don’t get me wrong, the Rockets are better against most teams with Yao then they are without him but in terms of how they matchup with the Lakers, this current group presents more of a challenge. 

I actually thought the Lakers did play with some energy last night (unlike game 4) in particular when they cut the lead to 54-52 in the 3rd.  There were certainly moments when Rocket players were left wide open but they also hit some pretty well defended jumpers too (the type of shots that seem the fall at home but clank out on the road).   What the Lakers didn’t do was play smart.   

I’m not sure what it will take for PJ to give Farmar more minutes (does he have a personal grudge against him)?  I also fail to understand why it is that in game 5 they went inside to the bigs repeatedly; taking advantage of the obvious mismatches but in game 6 the same strategy was never really employed.   It’s just one of those bizarre things that seem to happen in the NBA playoffs; teams play smarter at home than on the road.  I’m sure there are plenty of Rocket fans that could tell us of some things they see the Rockets do differently at home as opposed to on the road.  Let’s hope this pattern can stay consistent and that the home team holds serve this Sunday.  I know my heart will be racing and stomach will be all butterflies this Sunday.   

Looking ahead to 2010 I shudder to think about how good a fully healthy Rockets team playing as team can be.  Unfortunately for them I’m not sure that’s ever going to happen.  I’m not really convinced that either Yao or T-Mac will ever go a full season healthy.    

 

 

It’s hard to think of, rooting for the Celtics that is, but it has crossed my mind that in looking at the bigger picture, I should go against my natural instinct to hate and root for them against the Magic.  Reason being, I honestly believe that the Celtics will give the Cavs a harder time in the next round and I’d rather not see Cleveland get a total cake walk to the finals. 

If I remember correctly the home team has won the last 14 meetings (including last year’s playoffs) between these two; in fact the Celts beat Cleveland at home late this season without Garnett.  I know that the Magic have beaten the Cavs this season as well but their style of play doesn’t impress me.  They are a little too erratic and rely way too heavily on the 3-ball.  I think at this point in the season Cleveland would make quick work of them. 

 

When it’s all said and done I’d still love to see a Lakers/Cavs finals featuring Kobe vs. Lebron (even though it would mean the Lakers would be without home court).  I just think it has all the makings of a real classic but the Cavs need to take a few lumps along the way (like the Lakers have) before the big showdown.

 

 It also goes without saying that I’d love to see Dallas force a game 6 against Denver tonight (put another little chink in their armor).  And I realize that the Lakers have some unfinished business with the Rockets but it’s hard not to look ahead just the same (especially when watching the other playoff series and trying to figure out who to cheer for). 

 

If and when the Lakers take care of Houston we should see two of the most intense back to back series in Laker history against Denver and then if they get past them, Cleveland. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the NFL draft looming this weekend I thought it would be a good time to construct a Top 5 list of Cowboys’ rookies.  There are players not on this list that went on to have better overall careers but IMHO these guys listed below had the most impressive rookie seasons in Cowboys’ history. 

5. Emmitt Smith (1990): Had 1,165 total yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns in his rookie season and was named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year.

4. Calvin Hill (1969): Had 1,174 total yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns in his rookie season and was named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year.  He also threw the ball 3 times for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns.

3. Robert Lee Hayes (1965): Had 1,003 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns in his rookie year while revolutionizing the receiver position in the process.   

2. Tony Dorsett (1977):  Rushed for 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns and won the Rookie of the Year honors in his first season playing for the silver and blue.  The Cowboys also won the Super Bowl that year (not a bad way to start off one’s career). 

1. Everson Walls (1981):  Led the NFL with 11 interceptions in his rookie year. It’s virtually unheard of to see a rookie lead the league in INTs like that.  He was unfortunately posterized by Joe Montana and Dwight Clark at the end of his rookie season by, “the catch,” but I hardly blame “Cubby” for that play.   

 

 I realize that three of the players listed here are all running backs but that’s not surprising.  RB is the one position in the NFL that typically produces right away. 

As a side note Walls actually went on to lead the league again in his second season (the 1982 strike shortened year) with 7 INTs.  I’ve always considered him one of the most underappreciated players in Cowboy’s lore.  The one bright spot in seeing the Giants win Super Bowl 25, for me, was that it brought Walls his first and only Vince Lombardy trophy. 

 

 

 

 

 

I know that the common misconception is that defenses win championships but the truth is that balance is what truly wins in the NFL. With all the talk on BTB focusing so predominantly on defense and how it seems to be the one and only ingredient a team needs to win, I thought I’d shed some light on, what is, IMHO, a misapprehension.

For example; did you know that through the first 43 Super Bowls the eventual Super Bowl champion has led that league in total defense only 8 times? Conversely teams that have led the league in total offense have won the Super Bowl 7 times. This means that Pittsburgh just broke what had been a 7-7 tie seven weeks ago (just think; if Asante Samuel hadn’t dropped a very easy interception in Super Bowl 42 then it would be tied at 8-8 right now). In fact, only 5 of the 43 Super Bowl champs have ever led the league in turnover differential while only 3 teams have led the league in sacks.

There has also been a lot of talk about how the Cowboys need to run the ball a ridiculous amount more; I’ve actually seen it suggested that the run to pass ratio should be as high as 80 to 20. Well, did you know that over the past 43 years the team to lead the league in rushing yards has only won the Super Bowl twice? On the other hand the team to lead the NFL in Passing Yards per attempt has won the Super Bowl 7 times.

Football also has so many variables that don’t show up in the stats. One team, like the ’99 Rams, had a statistically good defense (ranked 6th overall that year) because of their offense. That Rams team did so much scoring that their opponents were forced into one-dimensional game plans to keep up, thus making them much easier to defend. Just one year later the Rams D was exposed and they were ranked near the bottom of the league.

The fact of the matter is that there isn’t just one true way to build a champion. You could follow what has traditionally been the Steelers model which is to create a team that has an overpowering defense that is complimented by a decent to sometimes pretty good offense that comes through in the clutch. Or you could follow the Broncos of the late 90’s model and create a team that has an unstoppable offense that is accompanied by a decent defense that excels when the opponent is forced to abandon the run. Or you could follow what has traditionally been the Cowboys model and create a team of excellent balance.

When the Cowboys won Super Bowl 27 they had the number 1 overall defense and the number 4 overall offense that included the league’s leading rusher complimented nicely by the NFL’s number 4 passing offense. Add to that the Cowboys special teams which ranked in the top 10 in nearly every special teams category and you have a very impressive football team. A team that could win an offensive shootout one week and a defensive struggle the next. The following year the Cowboys defense slipped from number 1 down to number 10 but the offense held steady and remained the 4th best in the league helping them to win their 2nd straight Lombardy trophy. The truth is that you will find some teams that had better offenses and others that had better defenses but you’ll find very few that were as good at all of the phases of the game as the Cowboys champion teams have been.

The 2009 Cowboys have a chance to be a very well balanced team. The QB, receivers, and tide ends seem to be in place for an excellent passing attack that could finish in the top 5. The Running Backs are certainly there to finish in the top 5 in rushing. And with a defense that led the league in sacks last year the parts certainly there to at least finish in the top 10.

I would hate to see the Cowboys over draft or overspend on one side of the ball at the expense of the other. By my account they have made moves to address the defense this off-season by bringing in a new DE, ILB, and SS. By my estimation this leaves a glaring weakness from the other side of the ball, the offensive line, unaccounted for. I’m hoping that is addressed in some capacity over the next few weeks, (perhaps the draft) and that Dallas can maintain its slowly developing balancing act.

Let me go on record and say that I really was a big fan of TO.  I always was going back to his San Francisco days.  I felt like he was a freakish combination of bulk and speed the likes of which the NFL had never seen before.  I was glad when he came to the Cowboys and had hoped that they could win a Super Bowl featuring him in their offense.  That time has clearly passed now and the Cowboys are moving on to another brand of offense; one that (on paper) more closely resembles the 90’s offense and that’s what concerns me.  Can Tony Romo run that type of offense?

The comparison between the units is becoming freakishly similar.  The 90’s team had its dominant running game with Emmitt and their huge offensive line.  This team has a similarly large line and keeping up with modern times presents three very different backs that could collectively help Dallas see a return to an overbearing rushing attack.  That 90’s team also had a lethal passing game however to help balance the attack.  Many a defense would stack the line early in games only to be burned by Aikman, Irvin and Novacek.  Tired of getting burned they’d back their safeties up only to be counter punched by Emmitt and the ground game.    The question I have is will this Cowboys team have the passing game necessary to truly create a balanced attack? 

Many of the pieces seem to be in place.  Witten is every bit the TE that Novacek was and then some.  The 90’s team had Alvin Harper who was a big wide out with excellent down field speed; Miles Austin immediately comes to mind for the present day offense in this role.  The 90’s team also featured perhaps the best possession receiver the game has ever seen in Michael Irvin.  He was an expert at getting his body in-between the ball and the defender and you’d be hard pressed to find another receiver in the league, at the time that ran more precise routes.  Aikman would often throw the ball to Irvin on plays were he did not appear to be open; knowing that he could put the ball in an area where only Irvin could make a play on it, (which he often did).  The present day team may have a comparable type of player in Roy Williams.  He's also good at shielding the ball from the defender with his body and has excellent hands.  But herein lays my concerns; and I don’t mean this in a derogatory way but Romo is no Aikman.

I love Romo and think he is an excellent QB who has yet to see his better days but his game is nothing like Aikman’s.  The 90’s passing attack was based on rhythm and timing and most importantly accuracy.  Aikman may very well have been the most accurate passer the NFL has ever seen and very few QBs have ever lived that could have run that offense they way he did.  Romo, by comparison, may actually become an ever better all around QB someday.  His improvisation skills are outstanding and his quick release is actually comparable to Marino’s.  The issue I have is accuracy does not appear to be one of his strengths and when working with a receiver like RW, in a rhythm and timing offense, it needs to be. 

Romo has grown accustomed to throwing the ball to receivers that create more separation from their defenders than RW does.  RW’s role in this offense will be to get his massive frame into a position on the field where he can shield off the defender or else go up for a jump ball, (i.e. his touchdown reception from Brad Johnson in the Tampa game.)  Aikman used to throw the ball to a spot on the field where he knew Irvin would eventually be. The question I have is can Romo and RW get the same type of timing rhythm that our heroes of yesteryear had?  I suppose time will tell. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haynesworth's choice: Redskins

John Clayton - ESPN

Albert Haynesworth hit the free agent jackpot Friday morning by reaching a seven-year, $100 million deal with the Washington Redskins that could end up maxing out at at $115 million based on his performance, according to sources.

 

Haynesworth

 

The deal, which was reached early Friday morning, includes $41 million in guarantees. During the first 13 months of the contract, Haynesworth will earn approximately $32 million.

 

espn link

 

 

ESPN is currently running a front page story about how the NFL will just not ever be the same again without the miraculous Brett Favre.   I just don’t get it; at all.  I have never believed that this guy was the unprecedented QB the media has always portrayed him as.

 Yes Farve holds the NFL record for career passing yards and touchdowns but he also holds the all time record for interceptions.  All this tells me is that the guy simply played for a really long time; which he did.  As a general rule a QB is expected to have a 2 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio.   Favre has 464 TDs to 310 INTs; that’s not even close to reaching a 2 to 1 margin.  Maybe it’s his 0-9 record at Texas Stadium or perhaps it was his awful interception against the Giants in 2007’s NFC championship game but I’ve just never thought of him as a big game QB. 

Here is a quick list of Quarterbacks whose careers I respect more than I do Favre’s

Joe Montana

Tom Brady

Dan Marino

Peyton Manning

John Elway

Roger Staubach

Dan Fouts

Steve Young

Troy Aikman

Johnny Unitas

To be fair I will admit that in the mid 90’s Favre did have some outstanding seasons one of which culminating with a Super Bowl win.  But if you listen to the media you’d think this guy redefined the position, is retiring with 7 Super Bowl trophies and dissevers a spot on “The Sports Mt. Rushmore” next to Michael Jordan.  I do believe that he is worthy of the Hall of Fame but I draw the line when the media says things like, “the NFL will never be the same” or that “football just won’t be fun anymore.”  Is watching an over hill has been throw multiple interceptions in a game really that much fun? 

Tony Romo is apparently the heir apparent to continue Favre’s style of play.  I sincerely hope not.  It is my hope that Tony continues to grow and develops his own style.  A style that tomorrow’s QB’s try to emulate; a style that produces more touchdowns, less interceptions and more super bowls. 

 

 

 

As Super Bowl XLIII approaches networks like ESPN and the NFL Network are loading the airwaves with Super Bowl highlights from the past.  Way too often these highlights include Super Bowls X and XIII.   I understand why as they were both great games and they both included the Steelers, one of this year’s participants; but hey, while they’re at it, why leave off Super Bowl XXX which also included the Steelers and Cowboys? 

The Cowboys’ championships don’t have much excitement, just look at the scores from their Super Bowl wins; 24-3, 27-10, 52-17, 30-13, 27-17, (this last win being the closest margin of victory).   Now don’t get me wrong as I’m not complaining; I like that the fact that when the Cowboys do win a Super Bowl they decide to dominate.  Unfortunately, however, for the Cowboys, the NFL’s most memorable games in which they were involved were contests that they were on the losing end of.   This got me to thinking; the Cowboys really do have a lot of great football teams that were close but not quite.  Here is my Top Five List of the greatest Cowboys teams to unfortunately not win a championship.  

5. The 1970 Cowboys, final record, (including the post season): 12-5.  This team finished the regular season 10-4 and they were the masters of winning tight contests including playoff wins over the Lions 5-0 and the 49ers 17-10.  Ironically this team finally lost a close one in the biggest game of them all, when Jim O’Brien split the uprights giving the Colts a last second victory of 16-13 in the Super Bowl.  

4. The 1975 Cowboys, final record, (including the post season): 12-5.    This team also finished the regular season 10-4 and actually won an NFL classic for a change when Roger Staubach hit Drew Pearson on a 50-yard Hail Mary to beat the Vikings, 17-14, in the divisional round of the playoffs.   Then they rolled the Rams 37-7 to take the NFC crown before losing a heart breaking Super Bowl to the Steelers, 21-17.  Those images of Lyn Swann making the impossible catch with Mark Washington draped all over him will haunt Cowboys fans forever.  

3. The 1981 Cowboys, final record, (including the post season): 13-5.  This was Danny White’s best shot at winning a Super Bowl and this was by far the best all around team he played on.  They finished the regular season 12-4 and were playing their best defense of the year down the stretch.  Over the last 6 games of the season, heading into the NFC championship, they held their opponents to an average of 9.17 points game; including a 38-0 stomping of the Bucs in the divisional round of the playoffs.  Unfortunately, the Cowboys lost the most heart breaking loss in the history of sports, (for me anyway); 28-27 in the classic, “The Catch” game to the 49ers.  That game was more than just a loss; it signified the passing of the torch of NFC supremacy from the Cowboys to the Niners; that is until they traded it back 11 years later.  :) 

2.  The 1978 Cowboys, final record, (including the post season): 14-5.  The defending champions that year, once again saw their season end in disappointment at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers, 35-31 in Super Bowl XIII.  They did a more than admirable job of defending their title by getting back to the big game and they boasted the league’s number 1 offense and number 2 defense that year.   The season climaxed with 28-0 walloping of the Rams in the NFC championship game and were it not for a dropped pass in the end zone, in the Super Bowl … who knows… sigh. 

1.  The 1994 Cowboys, final record, (including the post season): 13-5.  The Cowboys headed into this season as the two-time defending champions and dreams of becoming the first team to ever win 3 consecutive Super Bowls.  There was only one team they had to worry about heading into that season; the San Francisco 49ers.   These two teams would dominate their way to a 3rd straight meeting in NFC title game and it was understood, at the time, that this game and not the Super Bowl was the real championship game that year.  The Cowboys headed into the contest having won 9 games by double digits, including a 35-9 thumping of Brett Farves’ Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs.  Unfortunately the Cowboys got off to a disastrous start as 3 turnovers led to 3 quick touchdowns for the Niners and in the blink of an eye the score was 21-0.   The Cowboys would dominate the game the rest of the way, losing by a much more respectable score of 38-28.   There was a blatant pass-interference by Deon Sanders on Michael Irvin that would have been called by any other ref on any other Sunday but in this game, was not.  Had it been called, the Cowboys would have had the ball 1st and goal at the one.  Undoubtedly, Emmitt would have punched it into the endzone and the score would have been trimmed to 35-38 with plenty of time to play.  I still believe, to this day, that if Jimmy Johnson had not left, this team would have three-peated.       

 

 

 

Sports Illustrated has this cool collection of Super Bowl covers:

Link

They’ve put up the cover image from every super bowl.  Can you guess which five I saved?  :-)

 

If I had to pick a favorite of the 5 it would be Super Bowl XVIII.   I was an infant the year they won XI so I was obviously too young to notice.  I wasn’t interested in football yet when they won XII.  So, for me, their winning Super Bowl XXVII was like seeing them win their first.  I’ll never forget the feeling I had the next day, walking around my college campus proudly wearing my Cowboys cap; (I lived in Redskins territory at the time so it was extra nice to wear that cap).   I was in a daze with a permanent grin on my face.

 

Despite all of that seeing the Cowboys win XXVIII was even more satisfying.  Lots of teams have won the Super Bowl but very few have gone back to back.  Seeing the 93/94 Cowboys win their second in a row put them in a more elite class historically.   That season began without Emmitt who was holding out and they opened up 0-2.  Things looked bleak until the team won 7 straight.  After dropping 2 more in a row midway through the season, the team sat at 7-4.  From there they won 8 more in row to cap off a gusty hard fought 2nd straight title.  

 

Ah the memories…  Let’s hope this generation of Cowboys can produce a couple more. 

 

 

Living in the New England area I am surrounded by Patriots fans and nearly all of them hate the Dallas Cowboys.  When I ask most of them why, the number one answer is, “because of their fans.”   I pry a little deeper and find out that most of them are of the opinion that we, as Cowboys fans, are over reactive and obnoxious about it.   As I read through many of the recent posts I have to wonder, are they right?

 

Collectively it looks like Cowboys nation, (at least as it represented on here) would like to get rid of, T.O., Tony Romo, Roy Williams, (the receiver) Roy Williams, (the safety), Flozell Adams, Leonard Davis, Marion Barber & the entire coaching staff.   Every one of these players has been a pro bowler recently and most of the coaches were well thought of at one time or another.  I certainly do not exclude myself from this as I have been highly critical of the coaching staff and have been calling for their heads all season. 

Maybe all of us are…. Wrong.  

 

I know I had Philadelphia and Arizona written off from Super Bowl contention about a month ago and I’m sure I’m not alone on this.  I definitely knew for certain that San Diego would never be alive in the second round of the playoffs back when they were 4-8.  

 

Truth is many teams have won championships over the years in a huge variety of ways.  Some ran, some passed, some played defense and some excelled at all three.   Some players won champions early in their careers like Aikman and Brady; some won titles late in their careers like Elway and others won Super Bowls though out like Montana.     

 

As I think about it I’m of the opinion that ALL fans of professional sports are over reactive and obnoxious when it comes to their favorite teams.  And while it may be annoying it also is a sign of great passion which in my book is a positive. 

 

So what do you think Cowboys nation?    Could we all take a deep breath and except that we might have to give this team, as it looks right now, including the coaching staff, (sigh) another chance.  Perhaps a relatively injury free season will produce much better results.   

Is the proof in the pudding?  Last year the in head to head match-ups the two conferences were dead even against each other, 32 to 32.  The Super Bowl which the Giants won was the tie breaker giving the NFC a 33-32 advantage in the head to head series for 2007.   This was great news for the NFC considering how baldy the AFC dominated the series in 2006, 41-24, (including Super Bowl 41). 

 

This year, the AFC is back in charge leading the series 34-29-1 heading into the post season.  After week 13 the NFC was actually in the lead 24-21 but down the stretch, in December, the AFC dominated 13-5 to take the lead.  Now the best the NFC can hope for is to win the Super Bowl and cut that final deficit down to 4 for 2008.  Of course winning the Super Bowl goes a long way towards evening that up IMHO.

 

The AFC has clearly been the better conference for the past decade and half, (ever since ending the NFC’s streak of 13 straight Super Bowls), winning nearly every series match-up during that time and winning 8 of the past 11 Super Bowls.     

Well another Cowboys’ season has ended in disappointment, (maybe a Lion’s fan can be happy with a 9-7 finish but we Cowboy fans are used to the post season).

 

So the question for the remainder of the post season is who are pulling for?  For me, it’s the Chargers.  Going all the way back to the days of Dan Fouts this team has always been my “B” team or second favorite.  Now ad to that my desires to see Norv Turner do well and the Chargers become the natural choice. 

 

Now while there is no way that seeing the Chargers win out could ever compare to seeing Dallas win it’s sixth, it would still be nicer than say, seeing the Giants go back to back. 

As I knew was the case when Jerry first hired him; Wade Phillips always has and ALWAYS will lose in the biggest games when they really count.  Already 0-4 as a head coach in the playoffs, in my mind he is on his way to 0-5. 

If he is truly going to be back next year then you can forget about ANY dreams of going to the Super Bowl 44 either.

There are better minds and fresh perspectives out there like Spagnola.  And please spare the 3/4 argument because this 3/4 D they have now does not impress me at all. 

Mark my words, "THE DALLAS COWBOYS WILL NEVER WIN THE SUPER BOWL WITH WADE PHILLIPS.  EVER."

Since Wade took over. 

 

The only thing he did was prepare the defense for some bad offenses. Then in come the Ravens and now the Eagles and the D is back to getting smoked.  Reid and Johnson are calling plays that are just running circles around Phillips and Garrett. 

For as long as Phillips and Garrett run things this team will continue to be mediocre.  So get used to it my friends. 

 

This team has not heart or fire and are just truly disgusting.

Quite simply, I find this team disgusting.  Every damn game is loaded with at least 7 penalties.  To elaborate, every game has at least two, untimely false starts on offense and at least one off-sides on the defense.  Every game Romo throws at least one pick, (and oftentimes two).   Every game the team is out coached severely by it’s opponent and only manages to get wins because they’re usually more talented than the team across from them.

Last year I believed that Jason Garrett was on his way to being the next great head coach in this league.  Not anymore.  Watching the Cowboys play I get a strong sense that Garrett does not believe his receivers should ever be in motion, or run a 5 yard out when the coverage is off, (or a 5-yard curl for the matter).  I get the feeling that in Garrett’s book it is a sin to ever consider running a bubble screen, or line his receivers up in a bunch formation.  He just seems unwilling or more correctly incapable of designing something that is remotely complex.  When it comes to the Cowboys the opposing coordinators never have to worry about seeing anything that they haven’t already seen on film. 

Worst of all I feel like a sucker for having believed in this team, (and more importantly the coaching staff).

In the last few weeks I actually allowed myself to believe that Wade Phillips had finally discovered a solid method for coaching this team.  The defense had looked outstanding but finally broke on the Ravens first 70+-yard TD.  Once the Cowboys had cut the score to 26-24; I had confidence that they would hold the Ravens to 3 and out (leaving the offense about 50 seconds to a minute to get into field goal range) since they had all 3 timeouts to work with.  That was until I saw that Wade had put the exact same package and the exact same formation on the field that had just been burned.  I screamed at the television, “Wade what the f__k are you doing,” just before the ball was snapped.  Sure enough, a moment later, the Ravens were off to the races. 

Now lots of people will say that it’s the players who play the game they should just simply make the plays.  But people who say this vastly underestimate the coach’s impact on a game.  It is the coach’s job to put each player into a situation where they can make plays. Consider this, the players do not design the plays. The players do not call the plays.  The players do not look at all of the film to develop the game plan.  The players do not decide when to practice in pads and when not to, or when to rest someone and when not to, or when to make substitutions or when not to, or when to play zone or when not to. 

You get the idea.

Yesterday I happened to watch the “Super Bowl Champions” series on the NFL network that covered the 3 Super Bowl title teams of the 90’s.  Jimmy Johnson did such an incredible job of having his teams prepared for the biggest games.  He was involved with every level of the team, from game planning to drills and he surrounded himself with an outstanding group of assistants.  These Cowboys may have all the talent of those 90’s teams but they have nowhere near the teachers or schemers.

Jerry, if you ever want your team to win another Super Bowl you have got to bring in an excellent coaching staff, (much like the one you let get away to Miami).  Not just an adequate one.  A franchise only lucks out once in a lifetime by winning a Super Bowl despite its coaching staff; and that already happened for your franchise in 95/96 when your team won despite Barry Switzer.  Lightning does not strike twice Jerry.  Sorry.   

Just like the teams of yesteryear... La La La...

 

With the defense playing so dominant it would be incredible to see the offense find a way to get Roy Williams involved.  If they can do that I am certain that it would open up everything else for everyone else.  Week in and week out he is consistently facing single coverage and should be able to beat that every time.

 

Part of the issue may be with Romo.  Williams’ strength is not in creating a ton of separation like TO does but rather in getting position on a defender by placing himself in-between the DB and the ball and using his size to his advantage, (much like Irvin used to do).  Unfortunately it takes time for a QB to develop a rhythm with that sort of wide out and alas it may be next season before we really see this combination work.    

 

Just imagine for a moment though what would happen if Roy caught 8 passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns this Saturday against the Ravens.  The following week, the Eagles would have to account for that as part of their game plan.  What would they do?  Double Williams and single cover TO?  Double both wide outs and leave the middle of the field wide open?  Blitz like crazy and leave the whole field open? 

In 1992 the Cowboys lost to the Redskins at RFK to fall to 11-3 and fell out of the home field race against the 49ers who finished 14-2.  At the time I thought to myself, “This team cannot lose again if they’re going to win a Super Bowl this year; they have to win 5 straight games now, all the way through.”  Sure enough they did.  The run started with a Monday Night drumming of the Falcons to improve to 12-3 and ended with an overall record of 16-3 and hoisting up the Vince Lombardy trophy, as they dismantled the Bills in Super Bowl XVII.

 

The following year was even more precarious as the defending champion Cowboys fell to 7-4 in the infamous, “No Leon” game in the snow.  Somewhere in between accepting defeat at the hands of Dolphins and trying to understand the incredibly stupid way in which it had just happened; I came to another realization, “This team cannot lose again if they’re going to repeat as Super Bowl champs; they have to win 8 straight games now, all the way through.”  Sure enough they did.      This run started with an ugly win over the Eagles to improve to 8-4 and ended at 15-4 with a second straight Lombardy trophy and a second straight dominating performance over the Bills in Super Bowl XVIII. 

 

Fast forward to 2008 and last Sunday, as I slowly cooled down from a most disappointing loss to the Steelers when I thought to myself, “This team cannot lose again if they’re going to win a Super Bowl this year; they have to win 6 straight games now, all the way through,”

 

Last night was certainly a great start.  Next up, the Ravens.  Let’s hope we can all say two down, five to go on Saturday night.