eagle eye Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 Dallas, as is most of the other NFL teams around the league, begins practice in earnest for this weekend. Fans of the Cowboys are left speculating on what is going to happen when Dallas plays the Giants Sunday afternoon. The Cowboys will have a different QB, a different left guard and a guy at RB that has been with the team about 1 month. How much different will the offense be? It all depends on Cassel. Will he be a check down queen like Brandon Weeden? If he is there will be no difference at all. Same story, different writer. If Cassel has the wherewithal to push the ball up the field a little bit then Dallas will have a chance to move the ball more consistently and it should open up the run game as well. It's no secret that LG Ron Leary was struggling. If you saw highlights of the New England game of the sacks and knockdowns on Weeden and TFL it seemed Leary was in the frame and it was his man who made the play. I think Leary is injured and he tried to come back too soon from the injury he had in training camp that is affecting the quality of his play. I think he rushed back because he saw La'el Collins poised to take his job and now, because he's not able to play to the standard he usually plays at, Collins is taking his job anyway. Collins is a pre draft top 10 prospect and he was the coup of the undrafted free agent class in May. It was only a matter of time before Collins took over for somebody, either Leary or RT Doug Free, now is the time for Collins to take advantage of his chance. The Cowboys signed former Seahawk Christine Michael to add some juice to the running game. In the games since he has had exactly 1 carry in each of the 2 games he was active for. The word is on Michael is he has the potential to be a real stud but either his work ethic or his willingness to block or some missing piece in his psyche that just won't get him over the hump. The Cowboys appear to have seen a little something in Michael and they claim he will see more action going forward. We've heard this before from the Cowboys when they talk about TE Gavin Escobar and RB Lance Dunbar. It took 3 years before the Cowboys finally unleashed Dunbar and he ended up tearing his ACL in the 2nd week of the season. You would think Escobar would have made his mark by now but aside from a play or two here and there he has been a persona non grata in the Cowboys offense. With Dez Bryant out you would think Escobar would have been featured more but to date the phrase for his impact on offense would have to be, "not so much". It will be interesting to see how, and how much, Dallas uses Michael this week against the Giants. It looks like the defense has all it's parts and are back to full strength with the return of rookie DE Randy Gregory to practice this week. The defense is back to what the Cowboys envisioned it was going to be during training camp. Now, lets see what we have. The hope is Dallas has such an overwhelming pass rush Eli Manning will look around after the game and ask, "Who were those guys?". The defense will casting an eye on the offense who has been no help since Tony Romo left injured during the Eagles game. Everyone is hoping Matt Cassel is really the guy they were needing all along. Dez Bryant may or may not be back this week. He has been working on the side with trainers and it remains to be seen what he does in practice today and tomorrow according to Jason Garrett. In today's practice Dez wasn't even on the field, not even doing conditioning work. It is highly unlikely Dez will play this week but, barring any setbacks, he should not be far from his return. He was originally slated to return about the same time Tony Romo returns but he is said to be ahead of schedule. It would be nice to get Dez back early but, IMO, not at the expense of his long term health. Again, the monkey seems to be on Matt Cassel's back. Today Dallas had a whopping 62 players out of 63 on the roster and practice squad on the field at practice today which, at this time of the year, is pretty amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted October 24, 2015 Author Share Posted October 24, 2015 I have been avoiding posting on this thread this week simply because there isn't much to say. Romo and Dez won't be playing. The Cowboys listed him as "doubtful" for the Giants game tomorrow but he won't play. I believe that Dez won't be back until the Seattle game next week at the very earliest. So, not just for this week but for the next 4 or 5 games until Tony Romo gets back, the monkey is completely on Matt Cassel's back. If the Cowboys are going to be a contender for the NFC East Cassel has to be better than Brandon Weeden. The hope is Cassel, because of his experience in the league and his 75 or so starts, he will be able to see the field better than Weeden and push the ball up the field more than Weeden did. Maybe Weeden was just too unsure of himself to do more than be the dump off king. I doesn't matter now what the problem was it's Cassel's time now. It won't be just on Cassel but he is the catalyst for the offense's success. The O-line has to play better, the running game needs to be better and receivers have to do a better job of getting open but it all begins with Cassel. If all Dallas can muster against the Giants, or any team for that matter, is the measly 6 points they scored against the Patriots two weeks ago the Cowboys won't win any of the next few games. Dallas moved the ball in the second half of the Patriots game but they were done in by the 6 3-and-outs out of 7 possessions in the first half of that game. That was pitiful and Dallas made the change to Cassel because they recognized just how pitiful that was. Other changes have been made but the key change is Cassel. The Giants are a beat up team and judging by the way they played against Philly last Monday night you weren't impressed with either team. WR Victor Cruz is out as is starting CB Prince Amukamara. There are a host of other players listed as questionable and most are either LBs or CBs. Dallas will have everyone back including DE Randy Gregory who will play for the first time since suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 1 against the Giants. Greg Hardy missed some time this week due to an illness but he's back as is WR Brice Butler, DE David Irving and ST man Danny McCray. TE James Hanna will miss yet another week with what is probably a high ankle sprain although it is simply listed as an ankle injury. The bottom line is Dallas, with the exception of Romo and Bryant are a lot healthier than the Giants giving them a distinct advantage except for one thing, QB. The Giants have a proven commodity in Eli Manning while Dallas coaches, players and fans are hoping like the dickens Cassel is better than average. So how do you make this call? How do you pick a winner that isn't the Giants? One thing I noticed in pictures of Cassel is that when wearing his helmet he looks a lot like Danny White. Is that an omen? Because White was a helluva QB IMO that didn't get his due because the Cowboys lost all three times he took them to the NFC Championship Game but you have to be good just to get that far. White was no bus driver. Some of the team passing records Tony Romo has broken belonged to White and if Cassel is even in the same ballpark as White we'll be okay. http://thelandryhat.com/files/2013/04/dallas_u_white_600.jpg See what I mean? With that in mind I suppose I've got to go total homer here and pick the Cowboys to win. Mainly because Dallas doesn't need to win, they HAVE to. This is a division game and it pulled Dallas back to .500 on their season and if Philly loses to Carolina Sunday Dallas will be, believe it or not, first place in the division. How crazy is that? All of that said what's the final score? Dallas 24 Giants 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted October 26, 2015 Author Share Posted October 26, 2015 You know in my previous post I predicted that the Giant final score would be 13 points. If you take away the pick six in the first possession of the 2nd half and 100 yard kick off return in the 4th quarter after Dallas had just tied the game that is exactly how many points the Giants scored on offense. I didn't go into the game with real high expectations simply because Matt Cassel was such and unknown. He hadn't started an NFL game in 13 months and precious little before that. Naturally, he would have some rust. I thought Dallas ran the ball well except for a bad 1st down carry that seemed to necessitate 2 passes on the Cowboys final drive. Too bad, that was when Dallas really needed for the running game to dominate. I thought Cassel did a credible job all things considered. I thought the pick six was Terrence Williams fault, he didn't come back to the ball the way he should have and allowed Dominique Rogers-Cromartie jump the route. Cassel said in his post game press conference that the long pass that the Giants picked off at the Cowboys goal line was just a case of the ball coming out of his hand funny causing it to float allowing the safety time enough to come across and pick off the ball. Cassel's 2nd pick was all on Cassel. He wanted a deep in but didn't read the coverage right and Roger-Cromartie suckered him into throwing the ball and he jumped the route. 3 straight possessions to start the 2nd half and they all resulted in an INT. You just can't win games like that. The refs screwed Dallas out of a TD in the 2nd quarter when Devin Street was called for offensive pass interference on a screen pass to Darren McFadden when it was clear Street was doing everything he could NOT to make contact with the guy covering him. The Fox broadcast team said it was bad call, Mike Pereira the former NFL official, said it was a bad call and I'm sure the head of the NFL league office officiating committee will say it was a bad call. When Street, who made a marvelous catch for the TD that tied the game, scored it really should have been 24-20 because of the 4 point swing between the TD that should have been and the field goal that eventually was. Dallas beat the Giants in every statistical way except for the final score and the special teams because of the TD. What I saw was the Cowboys playing down the field the way they have been needing to but weren't under Brandon Weeden. If they can just keep from shooting themselves in the foot I think I like having Cassel as the QB. The only other stat that Dallas lost was the take away margin. Dallas was -4 with 3 INTs by Cassel and a fumbled punt by Cole Beasley that prevented Dallas from having one last shot at tying the game with 1:39 left in the game. The Giants didn't turn the ball over once. That is a disturbing theme of this 4 game losing streak Dallas is on--no turnovers at all. The Cowboys have had chances but they having been able to cash in and it has killed them. Last season the Cowboys were at the top of the league. The Cowboys were 12-4 last year too. They also had Tony Romo. We'll get Tony back around Thanksgiving. Dallas just needs to figure out a way to a game or two in the mean time. I believe they have a guy in Cassel that do that. Dallas, and Cassel, just needs to stop beating themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 So everyone knows about the Greg Hardy outburst after the Giants returned a kickoff 100 yards for the go ahead score in the Cowboys 27-20 loss on Sunday. It was an outburst borne of frustration after Dallas tied the score at 20 and immediately after the special teams broke down and allowed Dwayne Harris go the whole 100 yards untouched. I get it. I wanted to hit somebody too. As much as I've defended Hardy from what I saw as an over reaction to his domestic violence case, I have go agree with virtually everyone else in the world who saw what Hardy did as stepping way over a line in his sideline behavior. He slapped a clipboard out of special teams coach Rich Bisaccia hand and he engaged in a verbal confrontation with him as well. You do not lay your hands on a coach. It cannot be tolerated. I'm sorry, he crossed a line and he disrespected Coach Bisaccia by striking his hand and confronting him when was trying to prepare his kick return group for the ensuing kickoff. I am very disappointed that Dallas has not, and apparently will not, discipline Hardy for this event. According the Cowboys website Jason Garrett has had several talks, both during and after Sunday's game, about focusing his emotions and letting them play out on the field. I assume Garrett has laid the law down about his poor choices on the sideline that it won't be tolerated going forward. At very least Hardy should be required, next time he talks to the media, to apologize publically to Bisaccia and express some sort of regret about the incident. The post game interview with Hardy was childish and uncalled for with every response to any question, whether it was about his run in with Bisaccia or about the game, was met with a "No comment" which was actually rude as hell because he had no intension of answering any questions from the media. His behavior in the locker room and on the sidelines was absolutely uncalled for. How would Dallas punish the guy? Would they suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team? IMO it's warranted because you cannot under any circumstance allow any physical confrontation with a member of the coaching staff or anyone other than a player. Just can't happen. The organization has a responsibility to protect it's employees. The Cowboys don't want to suspend Hardy because he already served 4 games for his domestic violence issue. I think this is going to be looked at by the NFL league office because of his obvious history of violence against others. The Cowboys haven't suspended him but I could see the NFL league office step in and do it. Could Dallas fine Hardy? Sure they could and they probably should but they have done without Hardy for the first 4 games and they are talking about giving him a contract extension. Really? Reward a guy for behaving like a total tool bag? Belichick and Robert Kraft would not put up with this crap. I'm disappointed in Jason Garrett and Jerry Jones for putting up with it. The response by Garrett in his press conference yesterday that the incident has been addressed and made to look like the matter is over with is the Cowboys attempt to white wash a serious issue in that locker room. IF it is addressed any further it will have to be done by the NFL league office and that way the Cowboys won't be blamed for any punishment given Hardy because it is Roger Goodell and his group that will do the punishing. To me, the Cowboys are not being "the right kind of guys" letting Hardy slide the way they have. In this rare occasion I am ashamed of the Cowboys organization for facilitating Hardy's bad behavior and it would be one time I would be on the NFL league office's side if they do levy a suspension and/or a fine. Hardy deserves it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 As much I still feel Greg Hardy was out of line I think I may have jumped the gun saying Hardy deserved some punitive punishment. I got caught up in the appearance of the event and much like many people did when Dez Bryant had an outburst on the sidelines a couple of years ago it looked worse than it actually was. Now Dez didn't do anything physical and the words he spoke were ones of encouragement, people just interpreted his actions based on body language. It was hard to mistake Hardy's body language on Sunday but if you look at the video of the incident after Hardy knocked the clipboard out of Rich Bisaccia's hand Bisaccia pushed Hardy back with both of his hands. Emotional game, emotional people. Listening to the podcast "Cowboys Break" on DallasCowboys.com yesterday the member of the panel which included senior writer Nick Eatman and former scout Brian Broaddus there were stories told of similar confrontations on the Cowboys sidelines over the years including one recounted about a guy being inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor this Sunday, Darren Woodson. As they say, shit happens. The good part of the coverage of an NFL game is all the angles you can see of the plays made on the field and one of the bad things, IMO, is the crap that happens on the sidelines that can be easily misinterpreted simply going on body language. The guys on Cowboys Break saw had no issue with the way Jason Garrett handled the situation and throw in the panel the Cowboys other podcast "Talkin Cowboys" which included Mickey Spagnola and former Cowboys guard Nate Newton and they had no issues with how Garrett handled the situation. Everyone agrees Hardy needs to not do what he did but the need to fine or suspend Hardy was really sort of a non-issue. We'll see how things play out but for now Hardy and Bisaccia have no doubt talked it out and the matter is settled. As mentioned above, former Cowboys safety Darren Woodson will be inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor at halftime of this weekend's game against Seattle. It's ironic that Seattle is the Cowboys opponent this week because back in 2002 Woodson set the record for most tackles in team history against Seattle. The mark was overshadowed because in the same game Emmitt Smith broke Walter Peyton's all time rushing yards record. Dallas has been trying to replace Woodson since he retired in 2004 unsuccessfully. The Cowboys may have a guy who can finally fill Woodson's shoes in their 1st round draft pick in this year's draft, Byron Jones, but he's got a long way to go before we know if he's the next Woody. Woodson is a guy who deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and maybe this induction and Woodson's work on ESPN will be enough to have the folks at the HOF take proper notice of him. There are three Cowboys players I feel deserve to be in the HOF and they are Woodson, Drew Pearson and Harvey Martin. That's just me but all three guys have the credentials compared to their peers to warrant that honor. I also think, but it will never happen, that Bill Bates should be inducted. If the HOF is a chronicle of the story of the history of the NFL then Bates qualifies. He was an undrafted free agent in an era when the NFL draft was 12 rounds who earned his way on the Cowboys roster simply because of his special teams work. He excelled at special teams so much that a special designation was created to include a special teams player in the Pro Bowl. It can rightly be argued that Bates and the Bills Steve Tasker were the players who brought recognition to special teams specialists. Bates was the first and he deserves to be recognized for that. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/10/27/woody%E2%80%99s-week-often-overshadowed-woodson-finally-getting-%E2%80%9Chis-day%E2%80%9D Well, at long last there is a real, honest to goodness Dez Bryant sighting at practice today. I'm not just talking about Dez in practice pads working out with the training staff on the side, I mean Dez actually in practice with the team. This is a very good sign for his availability for this week's game vs Seattle. When Dez broke a bone in his foot in Week 1 the time frame for his return was 6-8 weeks. Last Sunday's game against the Giants was 6 six weeks to the day that he broke his foot. Sometime this week will mark six weeks since he had the surgery to repair the bone and Sunday will be 7 weeks removed from the injury. I'm sure Jason Garrett will say they are happy to have Dez back in practice and they will monitor him closely and the trainers and doctors will see how he feels after his first practice in 7 weeks. Coachspeak, you know the drill. I would not be at all surprised if Dez plays against Seattle this week and that is a good thing. One of the worries going into the season about Joe Randall becoming the starting RB for the Cowboys was his ability to pick up the blitz in pass protection. It was considered a strength of Darren McFadden's game. Randall hasn't been terrible at pass blocking but Brian Broaddus of DallasCowboys.com breaks down McFadden's blocking ability in the video linked below. He also breaks down the pass interference penalty called on WR Devin Street that negated a Cowboys TD in the first half of the game last Sunday. Everyone agrees that was a bad call on Street and the 4 points Dallas lost as a result was a definite handicap to Dallas during the game. http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2015/10/27/film-room-street-pi-call-mcfadden-shines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted October 29, 2015 Author Share Posted October 29, 2015 Joseph Randle can't seem to buy a break. He begins the Giants game and he has 2 runs for 24 yards and is done for the game with an oblique strain in his back. Darren McFadden becomes the beneficiary of the best game the O-line has played so far this season continuing what Randle had begun eventually ending up with 29 carries for 152 yds and a TD. He also added 2 catches for 10 yds but he was robbed of a 3rd catch for 30 or so yards and a TD by a horrendously bad call by a back judge 25 yards from the play. It has to be noted there was a side judge right there 5 yards from Devin Street's supposed PI on Antonio Rogers-Cromartie who never made a motion to call the PI. The point is Darren McFadden earned more playing time because of his performance in the game. Judging by the start Randle had he might have been the one to rush for a buck fifty two. Bad luck. Another situation haunting Randall now has nothing to do with luck, just poor judgment. Remember when Randle had been detained for a domestic violence issue that also involved him having a gun in his possession in his home town of Wichita, Kansas this past February involving the mother of his child? There seems to be some rumors, based on some information coming from reliable sources, that Randle could be facing a suspension by the NFL league office for violating the domestic violence policy. Yesterday Randle was upset to the point that reporters were asked to leave the locker room area to prevent a serious confrontation with members of the media. Randle soon left the facility at that time but he is back at Valley Ranch in meetings with coaches and front office staff presumably in reference to what may be coming down the pike for him. As a result the three RBs that will be active this Sunday against Seattle will be McFadden and two guys who weren't even on the team back in Week 1. The #2 man will be Christine Michael and another ex-Seattle Seahawk practice squadder Rod Smith who is a rookie this season out of Ohio State. I could be that Michael and Smith will have some motivation to play extra hard since they are facing their old team but that is another story altogether. At practice today was Dez Bryant who was listed as limited yesterday in his first practice with the team since his foot injury. Jason Garrett said the Bryant was feeling fine after his Wednesday practice and Bryant was even more involved in today's practice but I would be when they release the injury report I would bet Dez is listed as limited again. Judging by what I've heard I would also guess Dez is playing Sunday. Demarcus Lawrence missed yesterday's practice with a sore back but he was back on the field today. Randy Gregory will not be listed on the injury report at today. Since Week 1 he had a high ankle sprain and even in his first game back this past week he was on a pitch count so to speak limiting the plays was on the field for. His work load this week should be at or near normal. CB Morris Claiborne missed practice today with an illness. It was probably the same illness that caused Greg Hardy to miss earlier in the week. Seems to be a bug going around the whole NFL and it must be a doozy because teams are telling the players to stay home so they don't make everyone else sick. S Barry Church was limited as he rehabs an ankle injury suffered against the Giants but he is expected to be alright for Sunday. A name you may have forgotten in that of LB Mark Nzeocha who was a 7th round pick by Dallas in this year's draft. Nzeocha has been on PUP/Designated for return since the season began because of a torn ACL he suffered while still at Wyoming. Dallas will have 3 weeks to evaluate him before they need to decide to put him on the 53 man roster or put him on injured reserve for the rest of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 It really looks like Dallas will everyone back on the field this week. Dez is still practicing and so is practically everyone else except for S Barry Church who has been treated for an ankle injury from last week's game. The ankle has kept Church off the practice field all week and Jason Garrett said he hoped that Church would be able to do something today. If Church can't practice today he is highly unlikely to play Sunday. Backups to Church include JJ Wilcox, Jeff Heath and rookie Byron Jones. It's Jones' name that keeps coming up as the starter this week and based on his play so far this season he's sort of earned the opportunity. Jones has been good in coverage, especially against tight ends, so far this season. In fact he held the Patriots super tight end Rob Gronkowski to just 4 catches for 67 yards which is a low water mark for Gronk this season. The best thing about Jones is not that he's good in coverage it's that he doesn't shy away from tackling, even a beast like Gronk. It would be fitting if, on the weekend Dallas inducts Darren Woodson into the Cowboys Ring of Honor, Dallas finally gives the guy who can finally fill his shoes 11 years after Woodson retired his first chance at starting at safety. It will be interesting to see who goes back to field punts this weekend for the Cowboys. Will it be Cole Beasley again or will it be Lucky Whitehead? Beasley fumbled a Giants punt with 1:39 left in the 4th quarter at the end of the Giants game last Sunday and that cost the Cowboys their final chance to come back and tie the game if they could have managed a TD. That is a great big IF but Dallas never got the chance to try when Beasley failed to catch the punt. The thinking in Cowboy-nation is that Lucky will replace Beasley as the punt returner. Whitehead was involved in the offense a lot more this past game and he assumed a role filled by Lance Dunbar. He ran the ball 4 times for 35 yards and looked good following his blocking. It's kind of ironic that I say Whitehead assumed a Lucky Whitehead role given that Whitehead didn't catch a ball but his ability to run as that scat back Dallas has missed is what I'm talking about. First of all Whitehead probably should be given a chance to return punts but it won't matter who's back to receive the kicks as long as the Cowboys do as bad a job as they have done blocking. One guy who will be key to Dallas stopping the Seahawks this week is MLB Rolando McClain. McClain was suspended for the first 4 games of the season because he violated the NFL drug policy. He also missed virtually all of training camp because he was rehabbing a knee that he had surgery on at the beginning of the summer. So, over the last 3 weeks with 2 games sandwiched around the Cowboys bye week that has been his training camp. Despite his lack of work in the two games Dallas has played McClain has recorded 15 tackles, 2 QB pressures and a sack. Against the Giants last week despite being sick with the flu McClain had 6 tackles, one for a loss, and a quarterback pressure. He also had a hands to the face penalty that ultimately kept a Giants drive going. If McClain doesn't commit that penalty on a 3rd down play Dallas stopped the Giants and would have gotten the ball back but instead kept the Giants drive going and they eventually led to a Giants field goal just before halftime. In this article from DallasCowboys.com Brian Broaddus talks about what Dallas will need to do to beat Seattle this Sunday which includes having a great game from McClain. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/10/30/scouts-eye-cowboys-seahawks-will-be-decided-play-lines Here's an article talking about the plan the Cowboys are working when Tony Romo is able to begin practicing next week. Yes, I said next week. He won't be eligible to play a game until around Thanksgiving but he will be able to begin rehab work next week. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/10/29/coaching-staff-devising-plan-romos-return-practice-next-week Last but not least today I give you a link from DallasCowboys.com to a video of highlights of S Darren Woodson who is going into the Cowboys Ring of Honor this weekend. For those not old enough to remember Woody, he was a hybrid safety-linebacker from Arizona State who came to Dallas as a 2nd round draft pick. He came in and became one of the best strong safety's in the NFL. He was a 3 down player who was good in coverage, he often covered tight ends and receivers out of the slot and he also was a force in the box stopping the run. It's taken 11 years to replace him and they still really haven't done it yet. Although rookie 1st round draft pick Byron Jones out of UConn looks like he's a strong candidate. http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2015/10/29/throwback-thursday-darren-woodson-highlights Also, if you want to get to hear some of the stories from the Cowboys heydays in the 90's check out this Cowboys Legends Show that recaps Woody's career. http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2015/10/28/cowboys-legends-darren-woodson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share Posted October 31, 2015 (edited) I have been forgetting to post this but I got a reminder from an article from NFL.com. A couple of weeks a go former Cowboys Jay Ratliff was released by the Chicago Bears after a confrontation with Bears GM Ryan Pace at Halas Hall, the Bears practice facility. It is totally reminiscent of the shouting match between Ratliff and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones after a Cowboys loss on Thanksgiving 3 years ago. Ratliff had not been playing because of injury at the time and Jones told Ratliff that the team needed him. That sent Ratliff into a rage and thus the confrontation. When the season was over the Cowboys did not offer Ratliff a contract allowing him to become a free agent. Ratliff, who began going by his given name, Jeremiah, after leaving Dallas is reported to have gotten into several verbal confrontations that resulted in him being escorted off the property and Chicago police remained on site after Ratliff was forced to leave Halas Hall. Of course, the Bears white washed the incident in a statement about Ratliff's release. GM Ryan Pace said that it was felt it was in the best interests of the Chicago Bears organization to move forward without Jeremiah Ratliff. He went on to thank Ratliff for his contributions to the Bears in his time there and they wished him well going forward. Sort of a nice way to say, "See ya, wouldn't want to be ya!". On NFL.com yesterday an article, linked below, talked about how Ratliff said he fell like killing everyone in the place (Halas Hall). This guy has some serious problems that involve some sort of mental therapy. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000568884/article/police-ratliff-threatened-bears-staff-after-release The Cowboys look like they are going to be fairly healthy going into the game with Seattle at 3:25 PM tomorrow afternoon. WR Dez Bryant and S Barry Church are listed as questionable on the injury report but I suspect both will play. TE James Hanna is probable after missing the last few games because of an ankle injury and DeMarcus Lawrence will play after missing some practice time this week with a sore back as will Mo Claiborne who was sick most of the week. The only guy who is definitely out is RB Joseph Randle but we knew that already since Jason Garrett said Randle would miss this week's game as he dealt with a personal issue that the Cowboys did not elaborate any further about. Speculation has been that Randle is looking at a suspension under the NFL code of conduct policy related to an issue with his child's mother in Wichita, Kansas back in February. No confirmation of any of the rumors has been even addressed by the Cowboys and Randle hasn't been available for comment. It looks like Randle will miss this week and next at very least as the Cowboys have described Randle's personal issues as "serious". About the only guy not back is Tony Romo and he has at least another 3 weeks because he is on the PUP/designated for return list. It was reported that he will begin throwing next week which is a very good sign. With all that being said Dallas has a game tomorrow against the Seattle Seahawks and this could be a season defining game much in the same way beating Seattle last season in Seattle was. As with tomorrow's game Dallas will be a prohibitive underdog. As of the most recent betting line Dallas is a 6 point underdog. Even though Seattle has been less than world beaters this year they had a good game beating the San Francisco 49ers this past Monday. What could be lost is how the Niners pressured Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense all evening but they got little to no help from their offense. Does this mean the defense, which has struggled about half the time this season, is fixed? Or are the 49ers just that bad on offense. As with many things in this world the answer lies somewhere in the middle. On the other side of the ball Dallas has all their parts in place and with 2 games under the belts of Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain to knock off the rust that had to accumulate during their 4 game suspensions to start the season they should be good to go by now. No excuses on defense. Last season Dallas went into Seattle with everyone expecting a loss. Everyone but the Cowboys themselves and they went toe to toe with Seattle and every punch in the mouth Seattle dealt out Dallas countered with a punch of their own. Heck, they even spotted the Seahawks a 10 point lead to start the game with a punt blocked for a TD and a field goal. It didn't matter as Dallas battled all day and DeMarco Murray made the Seahawks see what it was like to be on the wrong side of a punishing ground game. This time around there will be no Tony Romo and no DeMarco Murray. The Cowboys will be sending Matt Cassel and Darren McFadden up against the Legion of Boom. Dallas will be in their own home stadium and the Seahawks generally struggle on the road. Cassel was better than Brandon Weeden despite the 3 INTs he threw. He showed the coaches, the team and Cowboys fans he could push the ball down the field and he threw some pretty darn good passes in that game. He's no Romo but if he can at least be Danny White that should be enough. Especially if the line and Run-DMaC (McFadden) can pound the rock like they did against the Giants last week. Toss in former RB Christine Michael and Dallas may have the key to beating the Seahawks tomorrow. Both teams need to win because losses have piled up on both teams. Dallas sits at 2-4 after losing 4 straight since Tony Romo broke his collar bone against the Eagles in Week 2. Seattle is 3-4 in 3rd place in the NFC West 2 games behind division leading Arizona. Seattle went to the Super Bowl last year and Dallas was 12-4 and lost in the divisional round of the playoffs last season so, my point is, nobody on the planet expected both these teams to be under .500 nearly halfway into the season. Despite expectations here we are. If there was a must win for both teams this game is it. It should be an old fashioned smash mouth football game. To win this game Dallas has to run the football effectively, they can't turn the ball over and the defense has to find a way to break their 4 game turnover drought and force Seattle to cough up the ball. We have seen Dallas win the battle of statistics in recent games except for the most important ones---the turnover ratio and the final score and if you think the 2 aren't related you haven't been paying attention. If Dallas does all these things then I believe the Cowboys win. So what's the final score??? Dallas 27 Seattle 25 Edited October 31, 2015 by eagle eye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 2, 2015 Author Share Posted November 2, 2015 My prediction was a 2 point win by Dallas and they came within about one minute of doing just that. Seattle kicked a field goal with 1:10 left in the game to take a 13-12 lead. Dallas had their chance but, pretty much like the rest of the game Matt Cassel couldn't get it done throwing the ball. It was if Brandon Weeden knocked out the real Matt Cassel and he put on his uniform and one of those Mission Impossible face disguises and he went out and did his best to lose the game. It was all a plot to get his starting job back by Weeden. Okay, I know that's ridiculous and not true but where was the guy who started last week? Did the coaching staff neuter Cassel this past week? Now, the times he did try to go downfield Cassel was totally off target. If Dez Bryant hadn't played some good defense Cassel may have thrown 2 picks in the game simply because his passes were off target. This is getting hard to bear. 5 losses in a row since Romo went down. It makes me hate Philadelphia even more than I did and I honestly didn't think that was possible. I got a problem with Lucky Whitehead too. He was coming in motion when Dallas was on the Seahawks 29 with a 2nd and 10. Whitehead came in motion from the left sideline toward the middle of the field and he broke a half count early to block for a sweep by Darren McFadden. The sweep worked to perfection with D-Mac gaining 25 yards to the Seattle 4 yard line. Whitehead's block was not the reason McFadden's run worked so well but he illegal motion cost the Cowboys field position and ended up forcing Dallas to kick a field goal from 52 yards out. That 4 point swing cost Dallas a win because instead of scoring 12 points Dallas would have had 16 forcing the Seahawks to score a TD. The way the defense was playing they would not have made it. If Dallas had scored 20 points the way they did against the Giants last week we would have won. If "ifs and buts were fruit and nuts we'd all had a Merry Christmas". There are a lot of tears over a lot of spilled milk right now in Dallas. It was said that if Dallas didn't turn the ball over and they won the turnover battle and even won on special teams Dallas would win and the Cowboys did all three of those things but they didn't happen to mention to the offense they needed to score more than 12 lousy points. Dallas didn't turn the ball over but they came close on several occasions. Dallas got their first turnover since Week 2 in Philly when Greg Hardy tipped a Russell Wilson pass in the air and he caught it. Russell Wilson was able to trip up Hardy just enough to keep him from running the ball in for a TD. The shame Dallas offense came on and went 3 and out kicking yet another field goal. The run game did their part gaining 129 yards on the ground but the passing game was no help at all with Cassel passing for a meager 91 yards. This despite getting pretty good pass protection and Cassel actually scrambling for 43 yards on 4 carries. Now, I know some of you will say that the great Aaron Rodgers passed for an even more meager 77 yards going 14/22 against the Broncos but the difference is the Broncos pass rush lived in the Packers backfield and Rodgers never had a chance as he was running for his life or having to throw off his back foot with a defender or two in his face. The Broncos only sacked Rodgers 3 times but he had 22 hurries and almost as many knockdowns. The Broncos defense kicked the tar out of the Packers offense and there is no two ways about it. As I mentioned before Cassel was not under any thing close to that pressure. As much as I had hope for Dallas this week it was based in large part on his performance last week. There have been 3 games in the last 5 that Dallas has lost that they should have won but they found some way to lose to the Saints when they were reeling, The Giants last week and Seattle yesterday. Dallas was the better team on the field yesterday but the score says otherwise. I am thoroughly depressed. I'm not suicidal--yet--but if this keeps up much longer you just never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 4, 2015 Author Share Posted November 4, 2015 Wow, Joseph Randle must be in a world of hurt or there are things going on with him that are team related that John Q Public doesn't know about because the Cowboys waived Joseph Randle, pretty much kicked his ass to the side of the road. He has been dealing with a back issue that he suffered in the Giants and there have been rumors some of his personal problems involve an incident with the mother of his child back in February in Wichita, Kansas. There is a story going around that when Randle hurt his back against the Giants he could have gone back in the game but he refused. That will cause the coaching staff and his team mates to write off the player because everyone plays hurt. When a guy refuses to give his all to the team he sort of burns bridges with the team. Regardless, for a franchise that forgives just about everthing, it's very telling that Dallas just cut Randle loose. Darren McFadden had earned the starting job anyway because of his You know, besides being screwed over by the refs way too much lately and all the self inflicted miscues the Cowboys have had to deal with we are facing, for the 3rd time in 4 weeks a team coming off a bye week or a Thursday night game which is like a bye week once the Thursday game is over with. 3 Weeks ago Dallas faced the Patriots after their bye. After their bye week the faced the Giants coming a Monday night game. Last week Dallas faced off against the Seahawks who played the Thursday night before and this week Dallas will play the Eagles coming off their bye week. When it rains it pours I guess but if we had won a game or two in the last 5 Weeks this may not be all that big a deal. You want to bitch about the plays left on the field by Matt Cassel after his 91 yard passing performance against Seattle? Let me steer you to DallasCowboys.com's Brian Broaddus break down of what coulda, shoulda been if only Cassel had seen what he should have seen last week. http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2015/11/03/film-room-missed-opportunities-against-seattle The Cowboys have signed a new RB to replace Joseph Randle. They picked up Trey Williams off the Washington Redskins practice squad. Williams is a rookie out of Texas A&M and he will be the 2nd Aggie RB in the Cowboys backfield. Williams will remind Cowboys fans of Lance Dunbar because he is a smaller RB like Dunbar. Williams is 5'8" and 195 lbs but as you will see in Brian Broaddus scouting report the guy runs with power as well. This guy could become very important to the Cowboys offense in the same way Lance Dunbar was before he was injured and lost for the season. The Eagles game in Week 2 was a very costly one for the Cowboys as they lost Romo and Dunbar in the same game. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/11/04/scouting-report-new-rb-williams-shows-surprising-physicality-size Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 The link below shows a video that has become a popular one on the internet of a little boy sitting on his mother's lap crying after another Cowboys loss, this time to the Seattle Seahawks, and when he's asked why he's crying the boy replied, "I want Romo back.". It's similar scene that took place at my house with me being consoled by my wife after the Cowboys lost their 5th game in a row since Romo was injured. Not really, but it was in a lousy mood for about a day beginning about 6:30 pm Sunday evening. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/11/05/cowbuzz-6-year-old-cowboys-fan-distraught-after-another-loss-without-room Brian Broaddus of DallasCowboys.com sees 2 matchups this week that Dallas could exploit against the Eagles. In the link below he points out both of these matchups. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/11/05/scouts-eye-cowboys-defense-has-two-favorable-matchups-vs-philly Just remembered that I didn't mention anything about whether Tony Romo is actually practicing after I posted that there was that possibility last week. Well, he is practicing--although on a limited basis and nothing with the team as yet. He is working with trainers as he begins to throw the football and do conditioning work but he is out there on the practice field. The first game he is eligible to play is Week 11 on November 22nd against the Miami Dolphins. That will be the eighth week which is the exact duration of the PUP/Designated for Return list. At least there is hope going forward. There is something else fans are hoping for is that Matt Cassel can strike a balance between pushing the ball up the field and avoiding turnovers. You don't want the 3 INTs he threw against the Giants and you don't want 91 yards passing checking down to the short receiver either. Here's an article from DallasCowboys.com's Rob Phillips about the need for Cassel to play somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/11/04/making-plays-avoiding-turnovers-key-cassel-vs-eagles%E2%80%99-opportunistic-defense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 8, 2015 Author Share Posted November 8, 2015 There is controversy and then there is WTF. l think the Greg Hardy thing has elevated to WTF with the release of 48 pictures of Hardy's ex-girlfriend's bruises following the domestic violence incident last May. Pretty bad stuff I have to admit. I still have to go back to the verdict a female judge handed down in the court case that followed. It wasn't even a slap on the wrist. The NFL saw the photos and handed down a harsh penalty of 10 games that got reduced to 4 which has been served. Hardy refused to appeal the suspension any more because he didn't want to be a "deflate-gate" type of distraction to the team. Sounded like Hardy wanted to be a good team mate at the time. Then came his outburst on the sideline with special teams coach Rich Bisaccia. Looked bad and admittedly was bad. Add to that the petulance he's shown to the press and it paints a picture of Hardy as a real sociopath. I want to see Hardy play well and help the Cowboys get out of this 5 game losing streak but even I, who have sort of defended Hardy up until now, kind of wish they could do it without him. Jerry Jones released the following statement after DeadSpin published the pictures and article about Hardy. “While we did not have access to the photos that became public today, we were and are aware of the serious nature of this incident. We as an organization take this very seriously. We do not condone domestic violence. We entered into the agreement with Greg fully understanding that there would be scrutiny and criticism. We have given Greg a second chance. He is a member of our team and someone who is grateful for the opportunity he has been given to move forward with his life and his career.” (taken from DallasCowboys.com article) This is a public relations nightmare for the Cowboys and a dilemma of epic proportions for them as well. How can the Cowboys even want this guy on the team going forward? Why, as many people are calling for, doesn't Jerry give Hardy his release? As bad as the photos are doubt has be cast on them when even North Carolina police and judicial system didn't levy a harsher punishment on him. I know Jerry is a man of his word and I know he believes in his player assistance program and as he said in the statement the Cowboys have given Hardy a second chance. I believe the Cowboys and Hardy will lay low media-wise for a while and the subject of a contract extension for Hardy will have to go on the back burner for a while. To his credit Hardy tweeted out a response to the photos. “Just had to say I express my regret 4 what happened in past and I’m Dedicated to being the best person & teammate that I can be,” Hardy said on Twitter, “but mostly I am Grateful 4 the opportunity to play in NFL.” Sounds like a guy doing damage control doesn't it? At any rate Hardy will be playing against the Eagles tonight which brings me to the real subject of this post. Dallas will have almost everyone on board for the game from an injury standpoint as will the Eagles. It will come down to the fact that this game will come down to offense vs defense. Can Dallas outscore the Eagles? Simple as that. Matt Cassel will have to be better than the first two starts. He will have to push the ball down the field and do it without throwing picks like he did against the Giants two weeks ago. Pretty simple. The Cowboys have to win tonight or they can kiss their season goodbye. They stand at 2-5 but it's just one game back of the division leaders in the loss column and two games back in the win column. This is the official halfway point for Dallas tonight and they need to reverse this disturbing pattern of doing things to beat themselves. They have been right there except for the Atlanta game when the Falcons flipped the 2nd half on Dallas and ended up beating them soundly. One point loss, 7 point loss, 6 point loss in overtime. This is a chronicle of the past 3 games with the Seahawks, Giants and Saints. All really should have been Cowboys wins but weren't because Dallas found ways to shoot themselves in the foot. Can we just win a freaking game is the mantra around Dallas' practice facility and it has come down to the Cowboys needing to beat the Eagles in prime time tonight. All the Greg Hardy stuff will be forgotten for the 60 minutes the game is being played. Strap it up, play your ass off and win. Dallas NEEDS to win tonight and I think they know this better than anyone. The question is, can they get it done against a bitter division rival. The same rival that caused them to play the past six games without their starting QB and cost Dallas their Darren Sproles in Lance Dunbar. Even though Dallas won the first meeting it has cost Dallas 5 straight losses. I hate the Eagles, always have, and it would be poetic justice if Dallas can beat those green clad booger eaters. So, what might the final score be? I don't know and I don't care as long as it's one point more than Philadelphia scores and ends up in a long overdue Cowboys win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 (edited) It's like Roseanne Rosannadanna used to say on the original Saturday Night Live, "It's always something.". Either you get a pick six or your defense can't stop the other team's offense. Also like Roseanna used to say when somebody did something gross, "Hey, Quit doing that, you're making me sick!" After 6 straight weeks of finding ways to lose close games I have to say, "Hey Dallas, quit doing that, you're making me sick!" Matt Cassel had a nice game throwing for 299 yards and 3 TDs but he threw one pick that Philly took to the house and Dallas was on the verge of establishing some momentum when Cassel threw the pick. Dallas was in Philadelphia territory driving for a score when a simple out pattern got jumped and there was nobody and nothing but grass between the Eagle defender and the end zone. It's a pass Cassel should never have thrown. It's the type of pass Tony Romo got crucified for early in his career. Cole Beasley was finally included in the game and he responded with a career high 112 yards and 2 TDs. Dez had a hundred yards receiving and an incredible catch of a hail Mary type throw by Cassel, that was probably supposed to end up in the stands, for a TD. The pick six and the loss of Sean Lee to another concussion cost Dallas the game. After Lee went out in the 3rd quarter the Eagles scored on every possession they had for the rest of regulation and overtime except for one series. The Eagles went TD, punt, FG, FG, TD. The pick six was in the series to start the 4th quarter. To the Cowboys credit they kept up with Philly the whole way until the rules of overtime when a TD by the receiving team on their 1st possession ends the game. This is the second time in four weeks Dallas has lost in overtime when the opposing team scored a TD on their first drive. Four weeks ago New Orleans did it when, again, Sean Lee and Anthony Hitchens were both out of the game and there was a missed assignment by someone. Last night's miscue came when Byron Jones fell down covering Jordan Mathews on a crossing route leaving Mathews a clear path to the end zone on a 41 yard catch and run. It didn't help that JJ Wilcox took a horrible angle and never even laid a hand on Mathews as he coasted in for the winning score. "It's always something!". DeMarco Murray flipped his horrible game in Week 2 around as he gained 161 yards rushing and receiving in the game with a TD. This was a win Dallas needed in the worst way and to have to lose to the most hateful team known to mankind is adding insult to injury. Did I ever mention I HATE the Eagles? I'm sure I did. Maybe once or twice. In case I didn't, I HATE THE EAGLES! Turns out the guy who made the pick 6 for Philly was the same hunk of steaming puss that broke Tony Romo's collar bone in Week 2. That guy is linebacker #58 Jordan Hicks, a rookie out of Texas. I hate that guy. For those of you who don't remember, or never heard of Roseanna Rosannadanna here's a video of one of her ranks on from the original cast of SNL. Check out a very young Jane Curtain and Bill Murray. https://screen.yahoo.com/roseanne-rosannadanna-smoking-000000279.html Edited November 9, 2015 by eagle eye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 From the "Poetic Justice" files the Eagles have placed rookie linebacker Jordan Hicks on season ending IR after he tore a pectoral muscle in his chest during the Cowboys-Eagles game Sunday night. I didn't come before Hicks made his impact on the Cowboys-Eagles series this season. In Week 2 he blitzed on a pass play and when he tackled Cowboys QB Tony Romo he broke his collar bone. Romo is still out and not expected to return until Week 11. In last week's game Hicks picked off QB Matt Cassel and took it to the house for a pick 6 that seemed to deflate the Cowboys at the time. I'm glad Hicks doesn't have a career ending type of injury but I'm glad he's out. Is that terrible of me? Probably, but I don't care at this point. The Cowboys have a day off today and will resume practice tomorrow. They will have to do it without MLB Sean Lee who is said to have to miss 2-6 weeks because of his second concussion suffered in the past 4 weeks. Hopefully, Anthony Hitchens' injury is not severe enough to keep him out of the lineup. The Cowboys really miss Lee without him in the lineup. When he was concussed the first time against the Saints the Cowboys couldn't stop the Saints offense and the same thing was true of the game against Philadelphia last Sunday evening. This is a huge blow to the Dallas defense. Despite the projections of Lee's absence from the lineup Jason Garrett has said Lee is actually "day-to-day" as he is evaluated for concussion symptoms. Lee's health is paramount but if he's well I'm sure we all agree it would be sweet to have him back this week. I would hold my breath on that though. Has anyone noticed that Dallas' newest defensive lineman, David Irving, is playing his ass off? In limited action he is making plays for Dallas and it's getting him more chances to do his thing every time out. Not only that but he actually was able to block a field goal in the Seahawks game a couple of weeks ago. Irving played for Iowa State but he lost his eligibility in his senior season because he claims he was mistakenly thought to part of a campus riot when he was photographed and videoed holding a stop sign that was ripped out of the ground. Irving claimed he was handed the stop sign but because of the picture evidence he was dismissed from the Iowa State football team. Kansas City gave him his first chance to rekindle his football career and that is where Dallas got him by signing him off the Chief practice squad several weeks ago. Irving is big (6'7" and 273 lbs), fast (4.84 40) and athletic (38" vertical jump and 128 inch broad jump) so it's no wonder Dallas didn't take the opportunity to snatch him away from KC. Irving is young and talented and he is a rookie which mean he's got a tremendous upside for the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 I know this sounds crazy but with all the whiz-bang over Greg Hardy since Deadspin released photos of his ex-girlfriend's bruises after the domestic violence incident last year the media seems to be on a rampage to get Hardy kicked out of the NFL. The Cowboys won't talk about it and any dealings with Hardy are not being commented upon and are being handled in house. Of course the first sentence is meant to be a stab of humor but the subject is not really a humorous one. The media circus is sort of a joke. There was misleading title to an interview with Roger Staubach which was only half the story. There has been every Tom, Dick and Harriet coming out of the woodwork demanding Hardy be banished from the NFL. Much like deflate-gate this is getting way too much media attention. Unlike deflate-gate the subject matter is quite serious and deserves a voice but the persecution of Hardy seems borderline prejudicial. The media has forgotten Ray Rice and the sharks are after Hardy with a vengeance. Does he deserve it. To an extent, yes. However, the lynch mob is out with the rope and torches demanding a public hanging. Sometimes the voice of reason comes from very unexpected places and this article written by former NBA HOF'er Charles Barcley is just that--a voice of reason. I was really surprised at Sir Charles and happy he wrote such a thoughtful piece. It's a long article but it is definitely worth a look. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2587885-charles-barkley-greg-hardy-was-wrong-but-he-needs-help-not-more-punishment Back to football. Injury report from today is long with the most devastating members of the list being Sean Lee (concussion) and Anthony Hitchens (ankle). Dez missed practice today with a sore knee that he twisted when he caught the TD hail Mary from Matt Cassel against the Eagles. If I had a guess, he will play this week. The Cowboys have activated LB Mark Nzeocha from the Non-Football Injury list and to make room for him on the roster the Cowboys have released 3rd string backup QB Kellen Moore. The feeling is that if Moore clears waivers Dallas will sign him to the practice squad. For a rundown of today's practice here's the article from DallasCowboys.com. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/11/11/practice-update-defensive-starters-missing-backup-rbs-sitting-out-more In case you don't remember the 2015 draft Mark Nzeocha was the first of the Cowboys 2 7th round draft picks. Nzeocha come out of Wyoming and it's possible he fell so far in the draft because in the 7th game of the 2014 season he tore his ACL and he has been rehabbing it ever since. With the availability of Sean Lee and Anthony Hitchens in question Dallas could use a little reinforcement. Here's a scouting report that Brian Broaddus did when he was drafted in May. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/11/11/scouting-report-re-visiting-mark-nzeochas-skillset-lb-special-teams The strange saga of former Cowboys RB Joseph Randle continued today when it was announced that he would be suspended for 4 weeks for violating the personal conduct policy. In the article linked below DallasCowboys.com writer David Helman wrote he would be suspended 4 games. On the Cowboys podcast Talkin Cowboys Mickey Spagnola read the official NFL release about Randle and it said 4 WEEKs. It was noted by Spagnola because most suspensions are in terms of games and not weeks. The Helman article does chronicle Randle's many trials and tribulations over the last year or so going all the way back to the shoplifting incident at a Dallas area mall in the summer of 2014. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/11/10/former-cowboys-rb-randle-suspended-4-games-conduct-violation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share Posted November 14, 2015 (edited) I know you have all heard by now about blow up in the locker room yesterday by Dez Bryant that was directed first at Dallas Morning News reporter Jean-Jacque Taylor and a second tirade directed at Monday Morning Quarterback Reporter Robert Klemko for tweeting about the first outburst. In the article from Bleacher Report that includes the video of the second rant by Bryant it describes what made Dez so mad. Apparently, Taylor had been very critical of Bryant in the Cowboys loss to Philadelphia last Sunday saying the Cowboys should get more from their "$70 MM man". What really set Dez off was when fellow WR Devin Street said Taylor called him the N word. Taylor, who is black, claims he did not say anything of the kind. Regardless, Bryant took Street's side and he went off on Taylor and Klemko. Jason Witten interceded and Jason Garrett came in and left the locker room with Bryant to defuse the situation. In today's press conference, which was dominated by questions about how Garrett handled the situation, Garrett said the Cowboys chose to use yesterday's incident as a teaching experience. Garrett said that Dez handled the situation wrong and he said he talked to Dez and the team about what happened. Without really saying so, Garrett probably instructed them how to deal with situations like this in the future. Garrett slipped up and said that the best thing when a reporter antagonizes you, you just walk away and say nothing. The inference being that Taylor baited Bryant to get a rise of him but when questioned about if Taylor did bait Bryant Garrett sidestepped the question and never answered it. Then he did what Garrett does, he repeated the statement about using what happened as a teaching tool. Linked below is the article from Bleacher Report and after that today's press conference with Garrett. Both videos are short but very telling if you pay attention. For my money, I have seen Jean-Jacque Taylor on various Cowboys related programs on FoxSportsSouthwest and he has always come off to me as a self important, pompous tool bag. I have no doubt that he baited Dez or egged him on just to infuriate him which obviously worked. It's also clear that Dez believed Devin Street when he said Taylor called him a "street n*gger". Whether Taylor said it or not Dez believed he did. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2588806-dez-bryant-blows-up-on-media-members-over-alleged-use-of-racial-slurs http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2015/11/13/garrett-isolated-incident-handling-distractions The final link I'm posting is an article by senior columnist for DallasCowboys.com, Mickey Spagnola, who talks about the fight that Dallas is still exhibiting despite their 6 game losing streak and the turmoil that seems to be following the team this season. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/11/13/spagnola-no-matter-what-cowboys-still-kickin%E2%80%99-and-uh-screamin%E2%80%99 Edited November 14, 2015 by eagle eye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 This is likely to be the last game before Tony Romo returns to the lineup. So far the Cowboys are 0-6 without him which is not what the team and the fans expected. First Brandon Weeden had his chance and he proved to be too conservative and he went 0-3 despite having a real chance to win 2 of the 3 games he started. Now it's Matt Cassel at the helm and he's gone 0-3 despite having a chance to win all 3. The Patriots game is the only blowout the Cowboys have suffered. I know Dallas lost to Atlanta by a score of 39-28 but Dallas actually led 28-17 at the half and had 3 different 14 point leads in the game. The 2nd half of the game Atlanta turned around the strong 1st half by the Cowboys and a weak 1st half by them and they shut out the Cowboys in the 2nd half and they scored 21 unanswered points to beat the Cowboys. When I sat down to think about this post it occurred to me that maybe Weeden and Cassel weren't the whole problem after all. In the offseason the Cowboys strove to upgrade their defense by drafting Randy Gregory and Damien Wilson and Byron Jones. They went a step further by signing controversial DE Greg Hardy after he was released by the Carolina Panthers because of a domestic violence incident in May of 2014. A signing Dallas continues to have to deal with fallout over. The upgrades have not returned the dividends expected. When the chips have been pushed into the middle with the games on the line the defense has failed to make a stop. Just one stinking stop. Dallas has been undone by first drive TD's by opponents in two overtime games and they allowed a 17 play drive for a winning TD against Seattle. One stop and Dallas could have been the ones to win those games. Philly was the final slap in the face as they won the toss in overtime in last week's game and drove the ball right down the field and scored on a 41 TD pass to Jordan Mathews. A play where the man covering Mathews fell down as Mathews made his break across the middle and a simply horrible angle on the tackle by S JJ Wilcox. Touchdown. Game over. We lost our 6th in a row and it was to a division rival. Not good. We are now looking at yet another game Dallas NEEDS to win. If the Cowboys have any hope of making a playoff run they have to win this game today. They need a win and they needs to stack wins together in the same way they have accumulated losses. No two ways about it, the future is now. I don't know, or care, how much the Cowboys win by as long as they win. I predict a Cowboys win and that's all I can say. Because they have to have it. They just need a win and lot of problems won't seem so bad because that pressure will be off---for one week anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 This losing streak has gotten to a viral point with everyone pointing fingers at the offense, the defense, the quarterback, the receivers and the coaches. I have never seen so many dropped passes by the Cowboys. Why didn't Dez make an attempt to catch the 50 yard pass in the end zone that was intercepted by a Tampa DB to end the game. Which brings me to my next point. When the game was on the line the Tampa defense made a play the offense did not. When the Cowboys had a 6-3 lead and they needed to make a stop which would have won the game for them they did not. In fact on a scramble by Jameis Winston in which Winston was tackled at the goal line and he fumbled on the hit that Dallas recovered Jeff Heath was flagged for defensive holding that took away the fumble recovery and gave Tampa a 1st and goal at the one yard line. Winston ran the ball in untouched on the next play to give the Bucs their first lead of the game with :59 seconds left in the game. The refs have their hand in it too with some calls and non-calls but the most damaging one was on that long pass to Dez. The Bucs DB pushed Dez in the back in much the same way Terrence Williams did last week against Philly. Williams was flagged for it and it cost the Cowboys a TD and the Bucs DB was not flagged and cost Dallas a TD. A TD that would have stolen the game back from Tampa. S Jeff Heath was both hero and goat in this game. The hero part was the two interceptions he got to stop Tampa drives, both of which were deep in Cowboys territory. The goat part was he was the Cowboy flagged for defensive holding on the Jameis Winston fumble that ultimately cost the Cowboys the game. Geez, this is a tired story. The thinking seems to be that Tony Romo will solve all the Cowboys problems when he comes back next Sunday against the Dolphins. I'm sorry but it isn't going to work that way. Do you remember that prior to last season the Cowboys held Tony Romo back in training camp and how rusty he was because of a lack of work. Romo threw 3 picks against a sub par 49ers team that really was the reason Dallas lost the game. It took Romo several games to get into "mid-season form". Romo has been out 8 weeks. Think he won't be rusty? Miami just came back and beat the Eagles by one point yesterday. The Cowboys will have to travel back to Florida, on the east coast this time, and they will have to beat a motivated team that just broke out of their own losing streak. We are not out of this mess yet. The Cowboys have to feel like they are in quicksand. The harder they try to escape the deeper they are sinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 The Cowboys didn't take their Tuesday off sitting on their hands. First, they activated Tony Romo and he is scheduled to play his first game in 9 weeks after getting his collar bone broken against the Eagles in Week 2. There were moves made on the roster that were surprising in some cases and expected in others. So, here is a rundown of the roster moves made by the Cowboys. > Brandon Weeden was released on Tuesday creating room for Tony Romo to be activated from the IR/Designated to Return list. > Last Thursday, with Sean Lee out because of concussion the Cowboys signed LB Keith Smith to the 53 man roster for linebacker depth. Smith was waived yesterday when Sean Lee passed all of the concussion protocols. Also, Rolando McClain who played last Sunday, and Anthony Hitchens were in doubt prior to the Tampa Bay game. If Smith clears waivers he will likely be resigned to the practice squad. > Last week Kellen Moore was waived to make room for Smith but after Moore cleared waivers he was resigned to the Cowboys practice squad. > Yesterday RB Christine Michael was released. (surprising move) He didn't get many carries in the games he played in since being signed and he under achieved in practice by all accounts. > S/CB Corey White was released yesterday. (another surprise) It was a surprise to see White released mainly because the Cowboys may be without starting CB Mo Claiborne to has a high hamstring injury suffered against the Bucs. > This one flew under the radar a little bit last week. The Cowboys signed RB Trey Williams off the Redskins practice squad. With the release of Christine Michael that means that former Seahawks RB Rod Smith and Williams are the primary backups this week headed to Miami. > It is being reported that Dallas is going to sign former Seahawks and Browns RB Robert Turbin for additional depth. The Seahawks released Turbin prior to the start of the season because of a nagging leg injury that caused Turbin to miss most of training camp. The Browns signed Turbin and waited until he was healthy. In the mean time Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson Jr established themselves as the lead backs on the team and Turbin didn't many chances to show his stuff. Turbin had been the primary backup to Marshawn Lynch since 2012 before he was cut by Seattle. Seattle was apparently impressed with rookie RB Thomas Rawls enough so it made Turbin expendable. Turbin makes the 3rd Seattle running back the Cowboys have signed this season so far. Christine Michael and Rod Smith were the other two. The signing of Turbin will happen if he passes his physical today. Are you as tired of Dallas getting screwed by the refs as I am? Don't answer that, it's a rhetorical question. Of course we're tired of being screwed by the refs. In this video link by DallasCowboys.com's Bryan Broaddus details the bad calls and bad non-calls that occurred in the Bucs game. http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2015/11/17/film-room-debatable-penalties-vs-bucs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 The Cowboys, to paraphrase the Depeche Mode's song the Cowboys have "their own personal Jesus", Tony Romo, back on the field this week. I would like to point out 2 things. 1) Don't expect Romo to be mid-season sharp. He's been out for 9 Weeks and 7 games. There is going to be some rust. 2) The same problems on defense and special teams are not fixed so expect this to be a hard fought game and it may be Romo who is the difference, good or bad. There is one other thing, the run game. That has been decent with Darren McFadden showing up much better than expected but he is on this week's injury list with a groin injury and is classified at questionable. We all know that it's about 50-50 whether the player plays on Sunday. This past week the Cowboys signed former Seahawks and Browns RB Robert Turbin. Turbin made his first appearance in Dallas at Valley Ranch on Wednesday and 15 minutes later he was at practice with the team. Word out of the Cowboys camp is they are extremely impressed with how fast Turbin has picked up the Cowboys offense. A stark contrast to Christine Michael who was such a disappointment Dallas released him. Turbin has done so well, in fact, the Cowboys have indicated that Turbin is the 1st backup to McFadden lapping rookies Rod Smith and Trey Williams who have been on the roster longer than Turbin. The advantage Turbin has over both rookie RBs is his experience. Turbin has started games in the NFL for Seattle when Marshawn Lynch was out with an injury. If McFadden can't go or needs a lot of help Turbin is the best alternative Dallas has right now. The Cowboys unveiled the uniforms they will be wearing on Thursday. Like the other teams who have been playing recently on Thursday Night Football the Cowboys will wear a new monochrome style uniform. It will be all white with navy blue piping on the pants and numbers. On the shoulders is a modified look of the old shoulder star alternative unis from the 90's. It's a clean look and for a one-off game like Thanksgiving it isn't a bad choice at all. Below are picks of the uniform. http://www.dallascowboys.com/galleries/2015/11/19/cowboys-nike-color-rush-uniform#335451 This week as Dallas tries to break out of this 7 game losing streak there are a couple of milestones worth mentioning and both involve Jason Witten. By starting in Miami this week Witten will break the great Bob Lilly's record of most consecutive starts as a Cowboy. Lilly is referred to as 'Mr Cowboy' because he was the first player ever drafted by the Cowboys back in 1960 and was a lynchpin of the famed Doomsday Defense for the Cowboys defensive line for his entire career. It is a consensus that if Lilly's record is should be Witten who is the epitome of the best of the Cowboys. Currently Witten is tied with Lilly with 196 consecutive starts and it is the longest consecutive game streak among active NFL players. Number 197 will be a momentous accomplishment. Another momentous accomplishment will be possible to achieve this week. Witten needs 8 catches to get to 1,000 career receptions. When he gets to 1,000 he will be only the 11th player in NFL history to reach the mark. There are 9 wide receivers on the current list with one lone tight end, Tony Gonzalez. Witten is a sure fire Hall of Famer and we should all feel privileged to see a player of Witten's caliber play. Here is a link to a Bryan Broaddus article from DallasCowboys.com in his Scout's Notebook column as he talks about what to look for in this game against the Dolphins. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/11/20/scouts-notebook-lineup-changes-rb-plan-among-final-thoughts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 Dallas has a very daunting task ahead of them. Forget that they need to win 5 straight just to get to .500. Forget that they probably need to win all 7 of their remaining games to have a snowball's chance in hell of making the playoffs. You see, that sounds like a mountain nobody could climb because the slope is too steep and has way too many pitfalls. What we need to do, and what the Cowboys will do, is take it one game at a time. It is kind of like having a lot of weight to lose and when you look at how much you have to lose you give up because it is just too daunting. Regardless of how much you lose it is still not enough and eventually despair over the size of the mountain eventually causes you to lose heart and give up. It's not so much a flaw in human nature as it is setting your goal too high to reach. So, as in weight loss, NFL teams facing a big task of winning a lot of games can't look at the whole schedule. It's just too hard to imagine you could ever reach your goal. Instead they look ahead to the next game. That is manageable. We can do this. Just one stupid game. We can do this. To quote Lou, the manager of the Cleveland Indians in the movie "Major League II", "Alright, you guys, let's listen up. We won a game yesterday and if we win today, that's two in a row. If we win tomorrow that's called a winning streak. It has happened before so let's go out and show some hustle. Let's jack it up a little bit. I have a feeling things are about to turn around for us." The Cowboys will be trying to just win this one game. It won't be easy because Miami is not a pushover and winning on the road isn't easy. Add to that, the weather in Miami is supposed to be lousy with thunderstorms likely (70%). Talk about a hill to climb Dallas has one this week. All I want is the same thing I've wanted the last two weeks--a victory. I don't care what the final score is and I don't care if it's by a single point. Dallas has the guy they've been waiting for is back. Is Romo the Cowboys savior? You just don't know but there aren't any more excuses. Win and hope lives. Lose and it's over. The season will be in the tank which is such a shame considering the high hopes everyone had going into the season. I don't want to throw any water on the comeback fire but right after his big speech Lou had a heart attack. Now, Lou didn't die and the Indians won the pennant so maybe we can have a happy ending to this story after all. I just don't wish Jason Garrett any ill health to get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 On the Cowboys first possession of the game yesterday I got this feeling of dread because when Dallas got the ball the sky opened up and rain was just pouring out on the Dolphins stadium. You could see the water pouring off the uniforms soaking everyone to the bone. Now, I know it was soaking the Dolphins too but this scene was eerily reminiscent of Week 5 on October 25th when the Dolphins took charge of the game against the Texans, eventually whipping them 44-26. BTW that score was not indicative of the game. The Dolphins beat the snot out of Houston exceeded only by the whoopin they took from Atlanta in Week 2. The sunny side of that story is the last TDs given up by Houston was in the first half of that game when Miami was up 41-0 by halftime. But this is about the Cowboys so I'll end this sidebar. It looked bad with Dallas taking possession after a Dolphins punt at their own 4 and on 3rd and 10 Romo went back to pass when a Miami defender broke through and had Romo by the jersey a tick away from being sacked for a safety. At the last moment Romo switched hands with the ball and he shot putted a pass left handed to Darren McFadden from the back of the end zone. McFadden caught the ball at the 5 and ran it out to the 13. It was a yard short of the first down but Romo had turned disaster into breathing room for Chris Jones to punt the ball back to Miami. That play, even though it did not result in a first down was vintage Romo. It was then I started breathing again because I truly felt that Dallas was going to win the game. Romo was good, better in some ways than I expected because of the 9 week layoff he had. Things were going to be okay today, I thought, and I was right. He showed rust and he tossed up 2 passes up for grabs that I'm sure wouldn't normally happen but he was back. Everyone seemed to play better on both sides of the ball. Romo hit 8 different receivers and he threw 2 TDs as well. One to Terrence Williams and one to Dez. Darren McFadden was back gaining 129 yards on 29 carries and Robert Turbin added another 7 carries for 35 yards. The defense did better too. Rolando McClain intercepted a pass deep in Miami territory and took it in for the Cowboys first score. Dallas recorded their first sack in the 4th quarter of a game this season and they added 2 more after that. It wasn't perfect by any means but the attitude on the field as I saw it on TV just different. Maybe it was just my attitude that was different. That is what Romo brought to the game with him. Now, before we get all full of ourselves and start talking playoffs (cue Jim Mora "playoffs" video) we need to understand this is but one small step in the right direction. Yes, Dallas is just two games behind division leading NY and one game back of Washington and Philly but there are only six games to be played and the next one is against the undefeated Carolina Panthers. The same Carolina Panters who just destroyed the Washington Redskins yesterday. Not long to revel in breaking a 7 game losing streak but that's the NFL for you. The Cowboys are back to work today getting ready for Thursday at 3:30. It's nice to get the haters off your back at long last isn't it? Dang right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 26, 2015 Author Share Posted November 26, 2015 Short week. Unbeaten opponent. Odds squarely stacked against them. The Cowboys are one point underdogs--at home where being the host team is usually considered anywhere from 3-7 points alone. The Panthers are 10-0, Dallas is 3-7. Even the most stalwart fans of the Cowboys have to raise and eyebrow when someone asks if the Cowboys will win tomorrow in the Cowboys annual Thanksgiving soiree at AT&T Stadium at 3:30 PM. I saw something at work today. You know the talk of turkey and dressing and ham and sweet potatoes eventually turns to football and being where we are the subject of the Cowboys-Panthers came up. The most typical question was, "What do you think the Cowboys are gonna do tomorrow?". But, unlike last week when the question was asked nothing definitive came out of people's mouths. It was all, "Romo's back and I hope he can put them over the top." or something to that effect. Uncertainty was the feeling that was most prevalent but this week it's different. Fans saw what Romo's presence did for the Cowboys. Now, despite not being even close to perfect, the Romo Effect has taken hold. There is hope and light in Cowboyland again. Here is a stat for you. With Romo at QB the Cowboys are 3-0 in 2015 and 8-1 in their last nine regular season games with Romo under center. The lone loss came on Thanksgiving one year ago. There were extenuating circumstances though. First, the Cowboys were forced to play the Giants on Sunday Night Football in New York. Dallas won the game but they didn't even leave New York until the wee hours of the morning arriving in Dallas around daybreak Monday morning. Day one of 3 they had to prepare for Philadelphia shot. Second, Romo took Wednesday's off to rest his surgically repaired back. It was a routine that the Cowboys followed throughout the 2014 season. With a very short week before their Week 11 game Romo didn't get his recovery day and he was showing the ill effects of the short week as he had a lousy game against Philly in the final loss of the season until the Green Bay game in the playoffs. This year is a different animal. Romo's back problems are a non-factor and the broken collar bone he suffered is healed. He even took some big shots against the Dolphins last Sunday with no apparent ill effects. Another thing is Romo didn't have time to prepare for Philly last year but as he recuperated from that collar bone he was able to get a head start on both Miami and Carolina preparations. Now, Romo was rusty in Miami as evidenced by the 2 INTs he threw but he still made plays that Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel would never have made. Romo is healthy and he's an elite level quarterback. People will roll their eyes at this but you ask anyone these days and the consensus is Romo is in the upper echelon of NFL QBs. Stats, video and the overall eye test proves this out. Another thing Romo gives the Cowboys is help on defense. How so? Did you happen to see the time of possession last week? The Cowboys controlled the ball for 38:50 to just 21:10 for Miami. Do you think it's a coincidence that the Cowboys D got their first sack of the season in the 4th quarter plus two others? Not hardly. The defense wasn't bone tired and they had an extra gear. Romo gave them that. How about this stat? The Cowboys defense has only allowed 4 TDs in 3 of their last 4 games. My point? The defense has been playing pretty darn good so it's not like the Panthers hold a big advantage over the Cowboys. If Dallas can stop the run and keep Cam Newton from working the read-option on them the Cowboys stand a good chance of winning. The offense has shown with Romo at QB they are the good offense they looked to be going into the season and their offensive line is good enough to stand up to the Panthers defensive line. What I'm seeing is a close game, at home, with our New Hope (Star Wars reference -- I couldn't help it) to lead the way. More than once I have heard Romo referred to as a Jedi because of the magical ways he avoids trouble in the pocket and delivers a good play on the other side. I think our Jedi can beat their Superman because of the Jedi mind tricks Romo can do. So, what is the final score? I don't care as long as Dallas wins and I'm predicting just that. Happy Thanksgiving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted November 28, 2015 Author Share Posted November 28, 2015 I have nothing to say about Thursday's beat down by Carolina. It wasn't as if Cam Newton was all that. the Panthers offense only scored 16 points they had to earn. The other 17 points came off turnovers. 2 of the turnovers were pick sixes and the defense held the Panthers to a field goal after Romo's 3 INT of the first half. With all the Cowboys playoff hopes on the line and having a history of beating previously unbeaten teams to lean on their would-be savior, Tony Romo, had a terrible game. Or should I say a terrible half because early in the 3rd qtr Romo was tackled again by a linebacker who landed right on top of him driving his shoulder into the turf and again it resulted a broken collar bone. With 5 games left in the season Romo is done for the duration. Son-Of-A-Bitch! After a 12-4 season and a bad call away from advancing to the NFC Championship game last season the expectations were so high for the Cowboys this season and it all came crashing down around the Cowboys heads in Week 2 when Romo broke his collar bone for the first time. The seven subsequent games that followed that day resulted in zero wins and dug a hole for the Cowboys that was really unrealistically possible for them to climb out of. Hope reigned when Romo came back and even though he was obviously rusty he led the Cowboys to a win. Cowboys fans, me included, figured Dallas still had a shot at the playoffs IF they won out. Enter the Panthers who were and are undefeated. It obviously is by luck, or smoke and mirrors, the 2015 version of the Carolina football team is pretty darn good. It was the defense and a couple of bad decisions by Romo that put Dallas in a 23-3 hole by halftime. Take away the 17 points scored off Romo's INTs and it's a 6-3 game at half. If Dallas scores a TD when they drove the ball inside the Panthers ten instead of kicking a field goal it would have been 7-6 Dallas. If, on that trip inside the 10 the refs had called pass interference like they should have on a 3rd down pass to Darren McFadden the Cowboys would have had first and goal around the 3 yard line but the refs missed it. How I don't know because the replay was clearly a PI. It's been that sort of year for the Cowboys. It's almost like after Dallas signed NFL persona non grata Greg Hardy the refs decided to punish Dallas as much as they could. It's just sour grapes on my part because the refs have shown a level of incompetence in almost every single game this season. As a fan of the Cowboys it just seems like Dallas has suffered more than most because of the refs. It's time to stick a fork in the Cowboys, they're done in terms of the playoffs. We can only hope Matt Cassel learned enough from seeing Romo play Miami that he can get us some wins down the stretch. Or, it he continues to fail leading the Cowboys to wins in the next 2-3 weeks, Maybe it's time to give Kellen Moore a look. It sure couldn't hurt. It's ironic that all the years Romo and the offense has carried this team the one season they play well is the season the offense takes a vacation. Geez, it's hard being a Cowboys fan sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 The 2015 season didn't end last Thursday afternoon with Tony Romo lying on the football field with another collar bone injury. It just seemed like it at the time. But as has been preached by Jason Garrett the time to dwell on the last game is over and it's time to move on to the next game on the schedule. It just so happens that the next game up is pretty important because it is against division rival Washington in Washington this coming Monday night. Now, amazingly enough Dallas isn't out of the running for the division which, for a 3-8 team is downright amazing. However, when the division leaders, Washington and NY Giants, are tied at 5-6 a mere 2 games up with 5 to play you just can't write off the season at the end of November. What Dallas is going to have to do is figure out a way to win with their backup QB which is something they couldn't do for the 7 games Romo missed between September and November. Oh-and-seven by Brandon Weeden (who is no longer with the Cowboys) and Matt Cassel. It's Matt Cassel's show now. No matter what it's all on him. That is why they made the trade for him way back at the end of September. The Cowboys knew Weeden wasn't going to get it done so they turned to the more experienced, more proven Cassel. That didn't work out so well but that was then and this is now and amazingly there is still something to play for. Here's the remaining schedule for NFC East teams listed according to current division standings. NY Giants - (5-6) Jets, Dolphins, Panthers, Vikings and Eagles Washington - ( 5-6) Cowboys, Bears, Bills, Eagles and Cowboys Philadelphia - (4-7) Patriots, Bills, Cardinals, Redskins and Giants Dallas - (3-8) Washington, Green Bay, NY Jets, Buffalo and Washington. As you can see, the Cowboys and Redskins are tied together pretty tightly in these last 5 games. Of the 4 division rivals on paper it looks like the 'Skins have the easiest row to hoe. Only the Bills are in the conversation of who is a playoff team or not. The Giants have no picnic with the Panthers and Vikings on their plate with the Jets and Dolphins bringing up the rear. The Eagles are done. Stick a fork in them because they seem to have given up. They might have a one game lead on Dallas but even Dallas shows some fight. The last two weeks the Eagles have looked like dog doo-doo. It seems that Chip Kelly isn't the genius everyone seemed to think he was. The Eagles have looked so bad the debate has been so far this week is if Kelly will still be the Eagles coach next year. Not only that but they have the Pats, Bills and Cardinals to deal with in the next 3 weeks. The most you can hope for is they can play spoiler by beating the Redskins and Giants. In a perfect world Dallas goes 5-0 and ends up 8-8 while the Redskins and Giants only manage 2 wins and the Eagles actually win their last two games to knock the Redskins and Giants out of the way of the Cowboys. It all starts this Monday night. Dallas will need to begin the journey by beating the 'Skins and we will need the Jets to do something they haven't done much of lately--win. They really need to beat the Giants in what amounts to a home game for both teams. The Jets are 2-4 in their last six games but they did beat the Dolphins rather handily last week. They need to step up and do it again this Sunday. The Jets at 6-5 have their own playoff hopes at stack so you know they will be motivated. Let's hope that motivation results in a win. Don't believe it can be done? You just never know what can happen and if you need some proof that a winning streak is possible look no further than cross state rival Houston who started 2-5 and after winning 4 straight they stand at 6-5 tied for the AFC South division lead. If the Texans can string together some wins why not Dallas? Slim hopes to pin you season on but when it's all you've got you just have to run with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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