Black Friday Thankfulness – Dallas Cowboys Edition
I know that it is Black Friday and Americans are pushing and shoving trying to buy the latest toy for their three-year-old toddler who won’t remember the toy in two years. I’m going to skip that mess. I would like to talk about why I am thankful that the Cowboys have proven I don’t need to hope for the playoffs, that this season is over.
Dejected Tony RomoI am extremely thankful that I only watched the first half of this football game. Actually, the first two series tell the story. The fact that the Cowboys once again made a furious comeback that came up short is immaterial. The Dallas Cowboys defense stopped the Washington Redskins and Robert Griffin, III on the first possession. As a matter fact, they went backwards. After a punt and an obligatory penalty (both teams are ridiculously penalized because they are bad), the Dallas Cowboys started at the Washington 35-yard line. The Cowboys moved the ball to the Washington seven-yard line. They had third and six at the Washington Redskins’ 12-yard line. Jason Witten, our all-Pro tight end, was called for a false start. The drive stalled. We kicked a field goal. The Dallas Cowboys started the drive on the 35-yard line. The Redskins give up almost 26 points each game. Their defense allows an average of 390 yards per game, yet the Cowboys could not find a way into the end zone. Kicking a field goal was simply awful.
The Washington Redskins had eight plays, but then had to kick the ball again as the drive stalled. The Dallas Cowboys got the football on their own 13-yard line. They put together three plays, which yielded a first down. They get six yards on, in and around to Dez Bryant. Then, because the Cowboys hate momentum early in the game, they decided to give the Washington Redskins the gift of momentum. As a matter of fact, the next sequence of penalties really exemplifies the Dallas Cowboys season. It started with a false start on Doug Free, who is our penalty-prone tackle and who has struggled mightily this year. Next came a penalty that I simply cannot understand or explain. After a penalty, the play clock restarted and somehow the Cowboys could not get… The whistle blew – delay of game. Completely inexcusable. So, instead of having a second down and four, the Cowboys had a second down and 14. Two plays later, they were punting the ball to the Washington Redskins. On the Redskins’ next possession they began to run the ball and after several plays Robert Griffin, III, displayed a beautiful play action pass and hit Aldrick Robinson for a 68-yard touchdown pass. For all practical purposes, the game was over.
I’m sure that the Dallas Cowboys have plenty of excuses for their mediocre performance. They can point to the fact that their former All-Pro receiver Miles Austin has been chronically injured, again. They can also point to the fact that the defense simply isn’t the same without Jay Ratliff in the middle. They could also mention that they simply cannot run the ball without DeMarco Murray. Without a running game, Tony Romo has to force the ball and that’s a recipe for multiple interceptions. Every team has injuries. The New England Patriots, the Green Bay Packers, the San Francisco 49ers – all of them had injuries to key players, yet somehow they managed to play competitive football. Even without the injuries, the Cowboys were looking mediocre at best. It is time for Jerry Jones to begin the plan for next season. It is my opinion, that the Dallas Cowboys will not, unfortunately, be competitive until Jerry Jones recognizes that he cannot win without Jimmy Johnson. It is that simple.
