The Cowboys are dismissed by many fans of other teams in the NFL as blind and delusional for that Cowboys fans continuously hang on to hope that the glory days experienced during the 1990s when they were the undisputed most popular and successful franchise in the NFL during the decade with Troy Aikman under center, Emmitt Smith running up the middle, and Michael Irvin catching passes in the wing will eventually come back. This is the despite the fact that anything relatively promising has been stymied by Jerry Jones' ego, overpaid players, and a payroll that consistently hovers around the salary cap that prevents the Cowboys from effectively shopping for free agents. Not to mention, questionable draft decisions since the 1990s heyday only adds to it.
If I can digress for a moment -- I have to give that team credit for being able to find non-drafted free agents and team throwaways as if they were incredible moments of serendipity.
This is not the worst I have seen the Cowboys; remember, they were once upon a time coached by Dave Campo, and during his three seasons as a pushover head coach, he coached Cowboy teams to an even 15-33 record -- I say even for that the Cowboys finished each year with a 5-11 record. In truth, it was a direct result of the Cowboys having no real plan once the Aikman-era came to a concussion induced screeching halt and Irvin and Smith moved on. It's the ultimate moral hazard: when things are going well, you're never inclined to ask "Then what?" It has cost the Cowboys dearly.
The Cowboys have largely forgotten what allowed them to be so successful previously: a staunch, intimidating defense -- which Rob Ryan still has a long way to go before it is to the level expected out of a Ryan-family defensive system; a clicking offense that features a dynamic, healthy running game (which has not existed since Emmitt Smith, DeMarco Murray not withstanding), a fluid receiving core (noticed I said fluid, and not talented -- Dez Bryant and Kevin Ogeltree are talented, but they are glaringly inconsistent); a solid offensive line (Tony Romo is probably the only quarterback I see on his ass as much as Michael Vick); a play making, decisive quarterback (Romo has it in him, but he will display poor decision making at inopportune times), and a head coach that knows how to get his players to play disciplined football. But of course, Jones is still stuck in his unrealistic wet dream of coming across next generation of the Triplets and won't employ a coach that doesn't amount to being a "yes" man (see the divorces with Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells).
For the record -- the Tony Romo-Dez Bryant-DeMarco Murray trio has the talent that the original Triplets did, but not the decisiveness that they had. Romo does have the grit, and for all the criticism that he receives, that should at least be commended.
If I can digress for a moment -- I have to give that team credit for being able to find non-drafted free agents and team throwaways as if they were incredible moments of serendipity.
This is not the worst I have seen the Cowboys; remember, they were once upon a time coached by Dave Campo, and during his three seasons as a pushover head coach, he coached Cowboy teams to an even 15-33 record -- I say even for that the Cowboys finished each year with a 5-11 record. In truth, it was a direct result of the Cowboys having no real plan once the Aikman-era came to a concussion induced screeching halt and Irvin and Smith moved on. It's the ultimate moral hazard: when things are going well, you're never inclined to ask "Then what?" It has cost the Cowboys dearly.
The Cowboys have largely forgotten what allowed them to be so successful previously: a staunch, intimidating defense -- which Rob Ryan still has a long way to go before it is to the level expected out of a Ryan-family defensive system; a clicking offense that features a dynamic, healthy running game (which has not existed since Emmitt Smith, DeMarco Murray not withstanding), a fluid receiving core (noticed I said fluid, and not talented -- Dez Bryant and Kevin Ogeltree are talented, but they are glaringly inconsistent); a solid offensive line (Tony Romo is probably the only quarterback I see on his ass as much as Michael Vick); a play making, decisive quarterback (Romo has it in him, but he will display poor decision making at inopportune times), and a head coach that knows how to get his players to play disciplined football. But of course, Jones is still stuck in his unrealistic wet dream of coming across next generation of the Triplets and won't employ a coach that doesn't amount to being a "yes" man (see the divorces with Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells).
For the record -- the Tony Romo-Dez Bryant-DeMarco Murray trio has the talent that the original Triplets did, but not the decisiveness that they had. Romo does have the grit, and for all the criticism that he receives, that should at least be commended.
The Cowboys have largely played .500 football under Jason Garrett. However, after the 34-18 rout at the hands of the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, I'm seeing a response that really does illustrate how far the Dallas Cowboys have fallen as a franchise.
You already seen the numbers -- Romo's putrid TD/INT ratio; how the offense still cannot get into gear; how the defense can play so well, yet at times can fall flat on their face. It's hard to imagine the Dallas Cowboys, who will emerge from their bye week with a really tough match up against the Baltimore Ravens, whom are, along with the Houston Texas and New England Patriots, a favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
As a Cowboys fan, I'll be the first to say it: the Cowboys deserved to be ripped for their putrid showing so far. And the Cowboys of the past few years is a clear illustration of Jones' shortsightedness. He may have been "disappointed" at the performance on Monday night, but in the end, fortunes and failures of the franchise are completely his responsibility and you have to wonder if there will ever come the day that Jones will finally swallow his pride and find someone that he accepts as a better evaluator of talent than he ever will be to make the decisions in regards to who plays for the Cowboys.
As for Jason Garrett, the 2-2 record so far serves as a litmus test as to what direction he's going to lead this franchise. Personally, he isn't the guy and I hope he is fired at the end of the year. Even with the Cowboys being fairly green, the lack of discipline on the offensive side of the ball, Garrett's bread and butter, is glaring and inexcusable.
As for Romo, he is a talented quarterback that is by no means a franchise player that the Cowboys can build around. He needs key offensive players that are far better than he is -- and I'm talking to the degree that the Bears' Matt Forte, the Texans' Andre Johnson and Arian Foster, and the Ravens' Ray Rice are light years better than their team's respective signal callers. Murray and Miles Austin are better than Romo, but they're not players that can carry the offense and single-handedly win games like Forte, Johnson, Foster, Rice, or even Victor Cruz of the Giants. With a pathetic offensive line, Romo is relied upon to not only get out of trouble, but also be a playmaking quarterback under pressure, something that, as talented as he is, will always be undermined at some point because of his sometimes poor decision-making.
At the same time, I still understand a clear point -- the Cowboys are still rebuilding, albeit at a frustrating pace. Yet, rebuilding in football is a lot different than in baseball, considering that there is so much parity in the National Football League. A lot of us envision this hump that the Cowboys need to conquer...and while they are scaling up the incline (with a struggle), they haven't quite got over it. The lack of discipline and at times, the outright sloppiness of the Dallas Cowboys prevents them from getting to where a lot of us fans and the franchise themselves want to be.
In the end, as Cowboys fans we'll keep watching. We've always been enthralled with this franchise -- from the uniforms, to the players, to the coaches, to the owner, to the culture, to how they are a cultural symbol of Texas, and the hope that eventually, the Cowboys will emerge from this decade plus old stream of mediocrity.
You already seen the numbers -- Romo's putrid TD/INT ratio; how the offense still cannot get into gear; how the defense can play so well, yet at times can fall flat on their face. It's hard to imagine the Dallas Cowboys, who will emerge from their bye week with a really tough match up against the Baltimore Ravens, whom are, along with the Houston Texas and New England Patriots, a favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
As a Cowboys fan, I'll be the first to say it: the Cowboys deserved to be ripped for their putrid showing so far. And the Cowboys of the past few years is a clear illustration of Jones' shortsightedness. He may have been "disappointed" at the performance on Monday night, but in the end, fortunes and failures of the franchise are completely his responsibility and you have to wonder if there will ever come the day that Jones will finally swallow his pride and find someone that he accepts as a better evaluator of talent than he ever will be to make the decisions in regards to who plays for the Cowboys.
As for Jason Garrett, the 2-2 record so far serves as a litmus test as to what direction he's going to lead this franchise. Personally, he isn't the guy and I hope he is fired at the end of the year. Even with the Cowboys being fairly green, the lack of discipline on the offensive side of the ball, Garrett's bread and butter, is glaring and inexcusable.
As for Romo, he is a talented quarterback that is by no means a franchise player that the Cowboys can build around. He needs key offensive players that are far better than he is -- and I'm talking to the degree that the Bears' Matt Forte, the Texans' Andre Johnson and Arian Foster, and the Ravens' Ray Rice are light years better than their team's respective signal callers. Murray and Miles Austin are better than Romo, but they're not players that can carry the offense and single-handedly win games like Forte, Johnson, Foster, Rice, or even Victor Cruz of the Giants. With a pathetic offensive line, Romo is relied upon to not only get out of trouble, but also be a playmaking quarterback under pressure, something that, as talented as he is, will always be undermined at some point because of his sometimes poor decision-making.
At the same time, I still understand a clear point -- the Cowboys are still rebuilding, albeit at a frustrating pace. Yet, rebuilding in football is a lot different than in baseball, considering that there is so much parity in the National Football League. A lot of us envision this hump that the Cowboys need to conquer...and while they are scaling up the incline (with a struggle), they haven't quite got over it. The lack of discipline and at times, the outright sloppiness of the Dallas Cowboys prevents them from getting to where a lot of us fans and the franchise themselves want to be.
In the end, as Cowboys fans we'll keep watching. We've always been enthralled with this franchise -- from the uniforms, to the players, to the coaches, to the owner, to the culture, to how they are a cultural symbol of Texas, and the hope that eventually, the Cowboys will emerge from this decade plus old stream of mediocrity.
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