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Why the Dallas Cowboys are really, really awful

I love the Dallas Cowboys. My father took me to see my first Cowboys game back in 1966. So, it is my father’s fault that I love the Cowboys. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the Cowboys played football. They were awful toward the end of the 1980s. They dominated the early 1990s with what might be the greatest football team of all time. What Jerry Jones has done with the Dallas Cowboys since the ’90s is somewhat of a headscratcher. I’m pointing my finger at Jerry Jones because he is the owner. He has the last say on everything having to do with the Dallas Cowboys. No one seems to be accountable.

After today’s disaster, someone needs to stand up and say who stays and who should go because someone should be fired after this performance. Let’s start with Joe DeCamillis, the special teams coach. Missed field goals. Fumbled kick offs and a blocked punt. Let’s don’t forget Dez Bryant fumbling another punt today. Joe should be fired. The special teams have lost at least two games this year.

It is time for someone in the Dallas Cowboy camp to get serious and understand that you need to be precise in order to win in the NFL.

Felix Jones was a first round draft choice five years ago. One would figure if you draft a back in the first round, that back would be a sensation. He has had 12 touchdowns in five years. Emmitt Smith, another first round back, had more than 12 touchdowns in less than a half a season. He has also had 12 fumbles, not counting the huge fumble today. Finally, Felix Jones has been hurt a lot. With stone hands, fumble fingers and all the chillin’ on the bench, I don’t know why the Cowboys still have Jones. He has failed as a first round draft choice. I’m sorry. He hasn’t gotten the job down.

Dez Bryant has to be accountable for being a BEAST and a MORON. 17 touchdowns and seven fumbles in only his third year. Look, I don’t have time to watch his brooding and temper tantrums. It isn’t worth it. Laurent Robinson was here. He was catching balls. He ran the right routes. I don’t know how many interceptions Romo has thrown because Bryant hasn’t done what he was supposed to do. I need a wide receiver to catch the ball and get where he is supposed to be on time. That’s all. Bryant isn’t getting it done. Trade him, fire him or get him to do his job…without fumbling.

The Cowboys have many more problems than I have outlined here. They don’t play together. The defense is finally beginning to play well. The offense is awful. The special teams are worse. I hate to say it, but this season looks like it is already over. I just wonder where the Cowboys would be if they cut Tony Romo and got Peyton Manning in the off season.

By ecthompsonmd|2013-11-03T18:16:43-04:00October 28th, 2012|NFL|Comments Off

NFL: Saturday Wild-Card Weekend

New Orleans Saints versus Seattle Seahawks

A lot of people have written off the Seattle Seahawks. Matt Hasselbeck is in his 12th year and has been hampered by injuries all year long. At his best, Hasselbeck has proved to be as good as any quarterback in the league. As worse, he can be very average. This year he’s ranked as the 28th quarterback in the league with a quarterback rating of 73.2. Mark Sanchez, Chad Henne, Alex Smith, and the much-maligned Donovan McNabb all have better quarterback ratings. Seattle is 23rd in points scored and rush for an average of 89 yards per game (31st of the league). On the defensive side of the ball, Seattle is ranked 27th against the pass. Seattle is ranked 25th in interception takeaways with 12. They’ve recovered 10 fumbles. There really isn’t anything outstanding about the Seattle Seahawks.

On the other hand, the Super Bowl defending New Orleans Saints aren’t anywhere near as dominant as they were a year ago. They’ve been struggling on offense all year long. Their defensive players simply aren’t creating the turnovers that they created last year. With Darren Sharper healthier, the whole defense seemed to be playing better over the last several weeks. If the New Orleans Saints are able take care of the ball (no Drew Brees interceptions or fumbles), the New Orleans Saints should be able to cruise to victory.

New York Jets versus Indianapolis Colts

This should be an excellent game. Unfortunately for the New York Jets it is not being played outdoors in the snow. Instead, it’s being played in the comfort of Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts are clearly beatable. Austin Collie and Dallas Clark are out for the season. On the other hand, the Jets are clearly beatable also. The Jets have not been pounding the football (still 4th in the league) as effectively as they did last year. On defense, you simply couldn’t run against the Jets last year. They are good this year but not great.

Mark Sanchez simply hasn’t matured as well or as fast as most of us expected. At times he has been very good. At times he’s been extremely average. I think the Indianapolis Colts will try and take the run away from the Jets. I think the Colts will squeeze their zones close to the line of scrimmage and that they will try to make Mark Sanchez throw the ball longer than 15 yards. If the Colts are successful in stopping the run, I just don’t think that Mark Sanchez is quite ready to carry a team on his back, yet.

Peyton Manning and the rest of his Indianapolis Colts will have a couple of opportunities throughout the game to make big plays. The question is whether the new people can step up. The answer is we don’t know. Hopefully Peyton Manning and the Colts can figure out a way to get Reggie Wayne free. If so, the Colts will win. If the Colts are able to run Joseph Addai effectively, the Colts will win.

I do think that the Jets could win this game, but it is unlikely. If the Jets can score early and then run the ball effectively to milk the clock, they have an outstanding opportunity to win this game. They cannot turn the ball over.

On the NFC side of the playoffs, I think there are two or three teams, if they get hot, who can go all the way to the Super Bowl. On the AFC side of the playoffs, who can beat the New England Patriots? They are clearly the team to beat. Right now, I don’t see any team (New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens or the Pittsburgh Steelers) capable of going to Foxboro and beating Tom Brady.

By ecthompsonmd|2011-01-08T13:43:03-04:00January 8th, 2011|Sports|Comments Off

Bryant actually catches this ball for a TD

I couldn’t put my fingers together to type NFL predictions today. The games look uninspiring. Most importantly, my Dallas Cowboys were taking the field with a new coach, Jason Garrett. My hope was that the Dallas Cowboys would not embarrass the franchise. They have lost five straight games, which hasn’t happened since 1988, when Tom Landry was the coach. It’s been a long time. Last week, on Sunday Night Football, the Dallas Cowboys got spanked by the Green Bay Packers 45-7, though the score did not really reflect how badly the Dallas Cowboys got beaten. A week earlier, the Dallas Cowboys made David Garrard look like Steve Young (the most accurate passer of all time). The Jaguars handed the Dallas Cowboys a 35-17 loss. The Dallas Cowboys defense has been shredded. The offense has been ineffective.

Somehow, someway, the Dallas Cowboys traveled to the Meadowlands and came away with a victory. I watched the whole game and I still have no idea how that happened. The Dallas Cowboys defense still remains porous but they made some plays and intercepted some balls. There were some fumbles, but they never looked like they were giving up. I’m still waiting for Keith Brooking to make a tackle for loss.

The Cowboys offense was not spectacular. Dez Bryant was spectacular. He had only three catches but had 104 yards and one touchdown. He should have had a fourth catch, but it was ruled incomplete upon further review. Felix Jones looked like he was running hard for the first time this season. Jon Kitna, who threw for three touchdowns, had a quarterback rating of 124. Yes, he threw an obligatory interception but, for Jon Kitna, this was a perfect game.

The Dallas Cowboys have a lot to work on but, today, they showed effort and heart. We haven’t seen that in several weeks. We may not see it again this year but, tonight, we saw it.

In other NFL news – the Minnesota Vikings lost to the Chicago Bears. It looks like their season is over. The Denver Broncos, who looked absolutely pitiful through the month of October, just like the Cowboys, absolutely destroyed the high-flying Kansas City Chiefs. The Buffalo Bills finally won. Congratulations to the Bills, as they have actually been playing pretty good football. Are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the best team in the NFC? Maybe it’s the Atlanta Falcons. They really looked impressive beating the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night. I think that the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots are currently playing see who’s the best team in the AFC.

So what are your thoughts?

By ecthompsonmd|2010-11-14T22:31:36-04:00November 14th, 2010|Sports|Comments Off

fumbles

Why the Dallas Cowboys are really, really awful

NFL: Saturday Wild-Card Weekend

Abracadabra – The Cowboys Win