2013 Dallas Cowboys Thread

This is going to be a short week for the Cowboys and their fans so Dallas doesn't get much time to enjoy beating the Giants on the road. The "on the road" part hasn't happened since beating Philly in Week 4. Now, Dallas has to back up that win with a win at home vs the Oakland Raiders. The Raider game is certainly winnable and Dallas should take care of business especially if they play D like they did against the Giants. But, in this crazy see-saw season I'm not counting any chickens still in their shell.

Last week was the first week since the beginning of the year that no roster moves were made on the D-line. Jason Hatcher came back after missing two games with a neck stinger and he was a big reason why Dallas' pass rush tormented Eli Manning last Sunday. DeMarcus Ware made it through the game too with no issue with his quad so things are looking up. The real upside is if Dallas can beat Oakland they get eleven days off before they take the field again in Chicago on Monday night to face the Bears. That game see the return of both starting linebackers, Sean Lee and Justin Durant, who are tring to get back from their hamstring pulls. That would be perfect timing as Dallas goes into the December stretch run reletively healthy. Like Tom Landry always stressed that the 3 game stretch between the Sunday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after the Thanksgiving game are so important to win all three and so far, game one is in the books. If Dallas can beat the Raiders and Bears then they are 8-5 and in real nice position to claim the NFC East. Jason Garrett isn't looking any further than Thursday when they play the Raiders at 3:30 pm.

Dallas should feel very good about themselves after ripping the heart of the Giants with a game winning drive to win the game. Dallas was 80 yards away from paydirt with 4:45 left in the 4th quarter. Tony Romo led the Cowboys down the field converting 3 3rd downs along the way and with a 3rd and 10 pass to Cole Beasley for 11 yards getting the ball down to the Giants 15 that was all she wrote. Two kneel downs later to force the Giants to use the last of their time outs and to run the clock down to 4 seconds and Mr Reliable Dan Bailey kicked the game winner from 35 yards out as time expired. Priceless.

According to Jason Garrett there is no time to look back and no looking forward any farther than the next game. One game, one play at a time. Good. Stay focused. Let us fans look ahead or brag around the water cooler about last week's game. We have that luxury. I can tell you if Dallas can win out and finish 11-5 it will be the best Christmas present I've had in a while. Right now, I'll be rooting for a Happy Thanksgiving. So, with that I'll wish everyone out there a Happy Thanksgiving too. May your travels be safe and your families be healthy.

 

Notes:

> The Cowboys signed CB Sterling Moore on Monday to fill in for Morris Claiborne who reinjured his hamstring. Moore came to Dallas from New England's practice squad last season and he was among the final cuts in training camp this season. It's incredibly lucky he was available.

> Special teams ace Dwayne Harris injured his hamstring in the first half of the Giants game and so far he hasn't practiced so it's likely he will miss the Oakland game. The normal time frame for hammy's is 4-6 weeks. Hopefully, he won't be out that long.

> In his Monday press conference Jason Garrett was asked about DeMarco Murray running out of bounds on some plays and Garrett did express that Murray does need to finish off some of his runs. It was speculated Murray was avoiding contact because of his injury history. Garrett dismissed that notion and indicated he needs to finish some runs but he also added that stepping out of bounds may be the better part of valor. Two or three extra yards versus having Murray on the field isn't a bad trade. Despite his injury this season which caused him to miss two games Murray is on pace to gain 1,000 yards which would be the first time since Julius Jones did it in 2006 with 1,084 yards.

> Practice squad QB Alex Tanney has been signed by the Cleveland Browns. Tanney showed promise in the preseason and Cowboys fans were happy to see Dallas signed him to their practice squad. Tanney graduated from Monmouth College in 2011 as the NCAA career leader in total passing TDs across all divisions with 157. He is probably best known for his YouTube video of his passing trick shots which went viral a couple of years ago.

Back from a Thanksgiving holiday that was great despite awful traffic all across Louisiana it's time for the last four games of the season. Dallas has finally broken the lose one-win one cycle and stand at 7-5 after they beat a feisty Oakland Raider team on Thanksgiving day. Dallas looked good in the second half and they finally showed some signs of life on offense. They got a break out game from Lance Dunbar who was lost for the season in the 4th quarter to a knee injury. That's about right. Win some-lose some. Maybe the cycle isn't broken after all.

The good thing is Dallas will get until Monday night to figure things out and get some much needed R&R.

 

Notes:

> The Cowboys have signed a true fullback this week. Tyler Clutts is a 6'2" 254 lb back who was an undrafted free agent out of Fresno State in 2008. He began his pro career in the CFL and he spent time in the Arena Football League and the United Football League before signing with the Cleveland Browns in 2011. In Cleveland Clutts played for current Cowboys RB coach Gary Brown. Clutts played for the Bears in Chicago and then in Houston in 2012. He played 4 games with Miami this season before the Dolphins released him in October. He is the first true fullback on the roster for Dallas this season. To make room for Clutts the Cowboys placed Lance Dunbar on IR.

> Monday night will be very interesting in that it will be the first time disgruntled DT Jay Ratliff who was let go by Dallas earlier this season will play his former team. He is a member of the Bears and will get his first action in 2013 against the Cowboys despite his agent's claims that he wouldn't be able to play until 2014 when Dallas let him go. I'll bet Jerry Jones hopes Ratliff get his ass kicked but good AND his Cowboys wins the game.

> DT Jason Hatcher announced his intentions to test the free agent market after this season ends. It's the first time Hatcher has been a starter AND played in a 4-3 defensive scheme and he's performed at a pro bowl level. Now, he wants his big payday. Can't blame him but he may not get the huge contract he wants because he will be 32 years old before the 2014 season begins. He will likely post 10 or more sacks this year and he has been what Dallas expected Jay Ratliff to be. It's a shame to lose a guy like Hatcher but I'll enjoy watching him play out this season.

As the front that hit us Thursday reminding all that it is, in fact, winter time the same front hit Dallas earlier only unlike here where we got a little rain Dallas got frozen rain and sleet. Thursday it was just cold in the MetroPlex as the Cowboys had their first practice in preparation for some bitter Chicago cold this Monday night but Thursday night the cold was joined by frozen rain and sleet that left their practice field covered in ice. This forced Dallas to move inside and practice at the indoor facility at Highland Park High School. (There ain't no money in that district is there? An indoor practice facility--sheesh.) Jason Garrett said they couldn't clear the practice field off in time to practice so they were forced indoors yesterday. He did indicate that the field will be cleared off for tomorrow and they will practice in the elements to prepare for temps in the single digits in Chicago on Monday night. Garrett said they had a cold front push through Dallas the week before they faced the Giants a couple of weeks ago and it helped the Cowboys to prepare for temps in the teens in New Jersey. Hopefully, this is a good omen for the game against the Bears.

 

It looks like Sean Lee will definitely be back Monday. He has taken aggressive treatments and therapies to get his hamstring ready so he can get back on the field. From therapies like the zero gravity tread mill to sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber to anything that would get him back on the field faster---and healthy. Some have expressed fears that he's coming back too soon much like Morris Claiborne did a couple of games ago causing a big set back with his hamstring. Lee swears that he's tested the hammy and he is definitely ready to go against Chicago.

 

The other starting linebacker Justin Durant is back at practice as well but how Dallas will handle having him back is kind of up in the air. Why? Because Kyle Wilbur has seemingly found a home at linebacker after having been slotted as a defensive end to begin the season. Wilbur didn't exactly distinguish himself as a D-end but he has played pretty well at linebacker filling in for Durant. Wilbur was drafted as 3-4 outside linebacker in 2012 but with the arrival of Monte Kiffin and the change to the 4-3 scheme Dallas seemed to think he could become a pass rushing D-lineman but he wasn't getting the job done despite making a couple of nice plays here and there. At linebacker he's back in his wheelhouse. He can utilize his quickness and speed and not be overpowered by offensive linemen that were 50 pounds or more bigger than him. Whether or not Wilbur starts it will mark the first time in a month that Dallas is looking good at linebacker again.

 

As for the other injuries, according to the latest injury report released by the Cowboys the only players not practicing and not expected to play Monday night is CB Morris Claiborne and WR/KR Dwayne Harris. Harris has done some running this week but its unlikely he will be back to help out against the Bears. It's possible that if Harris talks to Sean Lee and uses his rehab regimen he could be back for the Green Bay game the following week. I'm kidding about Lee being the hamstring rehab guru but Lee is the poster child of dedication and using Lee as a role model ain't a bad thing at all. Claiborne, who admitted he tried to come back too soon from his hamstring injury, could be a couple more weeks away from getting back on the field.

 

DeMarcus Ware is back. With the extra rest of the bye week a couple of weeks ago and the 10 days off after the Thanksgiving game it has given Ware and the rest of the Cowboys a real opportunity to heal up. He said his leg that he suffered the quad injury earlier in the year is feeling strong again and it's allowing him to use moves in his pass rush he wasn't able to with his leg injured. That's some good news because Dallas needs to generate more pressure on opposing quarterbacks than they have since Ware got injured.

 

Left tackle Tyron Smith is getting some attention. Not the bad kind either. Smith has been playing extremely well over the last few weeks. Jason Garrett even pointed it out in the press conference after being Oakland on Thanksgiving. He is rounding out into a real force on the O-line which is what Dallas hoped when they made him a top ten draft pick in 2011. Is this really his third year in the NFL? How time flies. Smith will face off against a tough opponent in Chicago D-end Julius Peppers on Monday. It will be one of the matchups Dallas will need to win consistantly to beat the Bears and Smith has done a good job winning most of his battles in 2013.

The Cowboys continue to frustrate don't they? The offense didn't do a bad job but it was almost impossibly ridiculous to expect the Cowboys to keep up with an offense who scored on EVERY SINGLE POSSESSION THEY HAD! Because both teams ran the ball effectively the game was shortened considerably and both teams only had 8 possessions each. Dallas scored on 4 of those possessions, all TDs but Chicago was 8 for 8 scoring 5 TDs and 3 field goals and they were 1-1 on 2 point conversions as well. It's unrealistic to expect the Cowboys to do that because Chicago's defense isn't as bad as Dallas' D was on Monday night. Now, even Tony Romo said he wished he had one do-over on one of his passes and honestly I can remember at least two he misfired on but make no mistake, this loss is totally on the defense. The Cowboys pass rush was non-existant, the tackling on too many occasions was pathetic and Dallas could have given themselves 3 extras possessions if Orlando Scandrick and Bruce Carter could catch, both dropping sure interceptions and another INT was negated because of a defensive holding call against Brandon Carr. These were all in the second half when Dallas needed a play to stop the bleeding. Carr and Scandrick both were pretty bad against the Bears. Even the return of Sean Lee didn't help. Make no mistake though the game was lost in the last minute and a half of the 2nd quarter. Dallas held the Bears to a field goal giving them a 17-14 lead with 1:29 left in the half. Dallas got the ball with 3 time outs and every expectation they could at least tie the game before the half. Wrong. The Cowboys made one first down and then a three and out and Dallas had to punt. Chicago got the ball back with about one minute left and McCown drove his team right down the field and scored a TD on great catch by Alshon Jeffery. First half ends with the Bears now leading 24-14 and the Bears to receive the second half kickoff. For all intents and purposes the game was over at that point.

 

One bit of good news, Sean Lee had an MRI to check the neck injury he received during the game and it was negative. Apparently, it was just a 'stinger'. He should be available for Sunday's game against the Packers. As for the Packers it looks like Aaron Rodgers will not be available to play. A cynic would say it gives Dallas defense a chance to make Mike Flynn look like a Hall-of-Famer.

It was a surprise to see Dwayne Harris back in the lineup and he contributed a couple of nice returns before reinjuring his hamstring. It was cold as hell in Chicago but that wasn't the reason Dallas sucked. The true fact of the matter is Dallas defense is just plain bad. Make no mistake, Monte Kiffin isn't to blame, this is all on the players. It's ridiculous to allow a journeyman NFL QB like Josh McCown look like Johnny freaking Unitas. I don't have much hope that Dallas can win out which is exactly what they'll have to do to win the division. Winning the division is their only hope of making the playoffs because nobody in the NFC will catch the Panthers and 49ers unless one of them stumble giving Arizona the chance to sneak in. Even if Dallas does win the division this defense won't stop anyone in the playoffs so it will be one and done but at least they will have made the tournament. Big whoop.

This week doesn't really look like the week Aaron Rodgers comes back from his broken collar bone but it doesn't stop the jokes that Rodgers saw what Josh McCown did to the Cowboys defense on Monday night as well as the whooping the defense took at the hands of Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers and Drew Brees and he wants his chance to shred the hapless Cowboys defense. Lord, you know some humor is based on truth and my feeling is Dallas is fortunate they will face Mike Flynn instead.

The Cowboys need to win out to have any chance at all to make the playoffs and their chances are vastly improved with Rodgers out but the fact is if Dallas can't figure out how to mend some of the holes in the defense I could beat the Cowboys. Okay, I couldn't beat them but the defense needs to do something different. The first issue they have is a distinct lack of talent on defense. Not just on the starting lineup but their backup talent is poor. That issue won't change until the off season when free agency and the draft can offer some help. So, what can be done with the players they have? How about a rushing 5 guys instead of the front 4? How about getting on the line of scrimmage with the cornerbacks and hitting the receivers as they come off the line instead of giving them a free release? How about not playing zone defense at all because they have shown no ability to perform that defense with any success. How about if DeMarcus Ware actually plays like the DeMarcus Ware we've come to expect instead of the shell he has been since Week 5? That isn't asking too much is it?

There will be no Aaron Rodgers or Sean Lee in this week's game. It will be interesting to see which guy will be missed more. This a must win game for both teams so the effort level should not be an issue. Dallas has played well at home this year and that includes the 51-48 loss to Denver earlier in the year. Dallas main issue will be stopping the run without Sean Lee to anchor the middle and Green Bay's main issue will be to protect Matt Flynn. Jerry Jones said earlier in the week that Dallas needs to take more chances on defense so I'd look for more blitzes and hopefully tight man coverage on the Packer's receivers. I guess we'll find out between 3:15 and 6:30 tomorrow if Dallas is going to have a chance to make the playoffs or they slip into that old .500 rut they've been in the last three years. If Dallas goes 8-8 for the third consecutive season will this cost Jason Garrett his job?

The Cowboys made a couple of deals yesterday worth noting.

 

> First CB Orlando Scandrick was given a 2 year contract extension. He was already under contract through the 2016 season as he is in the middle of a six year $28 mm deal he signed in 2011. The extension will add $9 mm in guaranteed money but it allows the Cowboys to save $4.5 mm in salary cap funds over the next 3 years. Scandrick has had to step up this season with the extended loss of Morris Claiborne and he is arguably the best cover corner on the team although the way he played last Monday night wasn't much to look at.

 

> Defensive end Edgar Jones who has missed most of the season on Injured Reserved List is at last able to be activated from the special IR list. Jones was lost after suffering a groin/abdominal strain in the San Diego game. To make room for Jones Dallas released LB Orie Lemon. If you remember, and why would you with the turnover in the defensive line this season, Jones was acquired from Kansas City with a seventh round pick while giving up a sixth to the Chiefs. Jones played in the first four game of the season tallying 5 tackles.

 

> According to Cowboys.com writer Bryan Broaddus two matchups that Dallas will need to win are the ones between DeMarcus Ware and Packers rookie LT David Bakhtari and Dez Bryant against CB Tremon Williams. Here's a link to Broaddus' breakdown of these matchups.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-1/Matchups-Packers-Rookie-OT-Against-Ware-Will-Be-Key/4a80a8a5-6911-4aba-b679-944f27563a0d

This is the first time I have written about a Cowboys game before the final gun goes off but I am so mad I could spit nails. The Cowboys have successfully squandered a 26-3 halftime lead and have lost to the Green Bay Packers 37-36.

The Cowboys were already without Sean Lee and Justin Durant and Morris Claiborne but DeMarcus Ware might as well of been injured because he didn't do squat. The Cowboys allowed a Matt Flynn-led Packer offense to score 34 points, 5 freaking touchdowns, in the second half. While the Packers receivers, especially Andrew Quarless, seemed to have room to spare on their pass routes the Cowboys receivers had less than a whisper of separation on their routes. Tony Romo was off just enough to make catching his passes an adventure and the play calling was horrible. The Cowboys ran the ball at will against Green Bay in the 1st half and instead of riding DeMarco Murray in the second half either Bill Calahan or Jason Garrett decided to pass, pass, pass. You just don't know how much I want to curse, this just isn't the place for it.

Make no mistake, as mad as I am at the offense, this loss as most of the losses have been is all on the defense. 5 touchdowns in the second half while Dallas was only able to score 10. But you know something? 36 points should be enough to win a damn football game. This defense is THE worst in the NFL. They can't stop anything. Like Josh McCown 6 days ago a so-so quarterback looked like a Hall of Famer and they allowed Matt Flynn to look like he was much better than he really is. Dallas doesn't deserve to make the playoffs and it's amazing that they still have a chance to do just that. If they do, fine. But know this, they won't make it past the Wild Card round because their defense sucks beyond imagination.

This loss is going to start up the conversations about Jason Garrett being fired and maybe he should. Despite the fact that under his tenure the team's talent has improved. The only thing about that is, especially on defense, that talent can't seem to stay on the field. One other stat Dallas seems to lead the league in is players lost to hamstring injuries.

God I am so mad. I hope I don't blow a gasket over this. I may just have a drink or ten to calm down. Holy Crap On A Cracker!

There is a reason you should not hit "post" when you are mad. You've probably said something wrong. There were things that happened that shouldn't have and when you lose you could probably see tens of things you'd like to change. There's one pass Romo would like to have back for sure. It's not the last pass he threw that was intercepted that ended Dallas' chance to come back it was the first pick on a hot read to Miles Austin that Romo would give a big chunk of that $100 mm + contract back for a do-over. All in all it wasn't the fact he checked out of the run play that was problem. Many say that they should have run the ball to keep the clock moving or force the Packers to use up their time outs with 2:58 left and a five point lead. However, much like the way Dallas ran out over 4 minutes of clock at the end of the 2nd Giants game to ice that victory Romo was trying to move the chains to keep the ball out of Matt Flynn's hands because the defense had shown no ability to stop the Packers. For me, this is the proper attitude. ESPN's Tim Hasselbeck agreed with Romo's decision and he said the problem was Romo threw the ball slightly behind Austin allowing Tramon Williams to make the play on the ball. If Romo leads Austin who had a full step on Williams would have had the first down for sure and with his speed he may have taken that ball to the house. So, according to Hasselbeck it was not a poor decision it was poor execution.

Hindsight is 20-20 and Jason Garrett has said Dallas should have run the ball but if they did they likely would have had to punt giving the Packers the ball with a little over 2 minutes left in the game with no time outs at around their own 20 needing a TD to win the game. With Dallas defense on the field that would have been plenty of time for Green Bay to march down the field. Don't you think Tony Romo may have remembered the loss to the Lions when Detroit needed only 45 seconds to go the length of the field for the go-ahead TD? The urgency to keep the ball away from the other team's offense was real IMO because the Packers had 6 second half possessions and the first five resulted in touchdowns and the last one was the victory formation after the last Romo interception. You can understand the urgency Romo must have felt to keep the ball in his offense's hands. If he had just led Austin............

All this said, Dallas still has a chance to win their division but the outlook ain't great. Sean Lee could be lost for the season with his neck injury. Bruce Carter (hamstring) is out and to make matters worse they lost their last starting LB Justin Durant to a hamstring injury at the end of the first quarter and first back up Ernie Sims was lost in the 2nd quarter with an injured hip so the linebackers that finished the game were rookie Devonte Holloman who missed 6 weeks of the season with an injury, Cameron Lawrence another rookie who began the season on the practice squad and 2nd year man Kyle Wilbur. You want to point to why Green Bay's offense began moving the ball in the second half you don't need to look any further.

Orlando Scandrick misplayed another ball on a pass to a receiver in the end zone again Sunday on a ball he should have intercepted. Although Scandrick has played pretty well this year the last two games he has blown opportunities to help his team. Brandon Carr, the high priced free agent Dallas signed last year has also struggled lately. Honestly, I think the guy playing the position the best right now is Sterling Moore who was signed a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, with the injuries to the D-line and the LB corps Dallas is just what they are stastically, the worst defense in the NFL. Even if Dallas manages to win the NFC East their defense is just too much to overcome for Dallas to have any success in the playoffs. Kirk Cousins threw for 358 yards against Atlanta last weekend. I have serious concerns that Dallas will be able to stop the Redskins much less the Eagles in two weeks. Looks like a lump of coal for Christmas this year again.

Would like your opinion on something EE. Personally I like nothing more as to see Dallas get beat (my mom who was born and raised in Irving still says she can't see where she went wrong raising me). I have talked to a couple if my Cowboy fan friends since Sunday and asked about the Dez Bryant situation and how they feel...each of them have said they have no problem with him leaving the field to hide his "tears". But the guy claims to be a team player and even Jason Garrett has echoed that statement...but what in the world is more individual than walking to the locker room alone before the final whistle? This guy has all the talent in the world and has well documented issues off the field and things like this in my opinion make people like me hope they fail even more. Guys like Cole Beasley who aren't blessed with superior talent go out there and bust thier asses to do what they can for the team and this guy basically says I'll win with you but I'm gonna go get dibs on first shower while y'all shake hands if we lose. Another thing that always rubs me the wrong way is how Romo belittles his teammates on the field when there is a miscommunication. There was even an instance where Romo jumped Jason Garrett towards the end of the game..even my mother in law saw it and she has to stand 2 feet in front of the 50" TV to see it. I've never liked Romo either but for me he's a perfect fit in Dallas since I can watch them both implode. I would just like another Cowboy opinion how you feel about the attitudes of these 2 players. Yes I know coaching was the root cause in this loss but to me this "team" will never be successful even if Vince Lombardi was at the helm

First off KAbrother88, I forgive you for your anti-Cowboys affliction. (LOL) But you ask two questions that I think I have an answer to. It's no coincidence that you are wondering about the two best players on the Cowboys and the most polarizing.

 

First off with Dez. He apologized for leaving the field and he was counselled by Jason Garrett about how people perceive his actions. Can you imagine how much grief he would have gotten if he sat on the bench and cried? How much fodder for ESPN and the NFL Channel would that have been? A few weeks ago when it looked like he had a meltdown on the sideline there just happened to be audio and the meltdown turned out to be Dez telling Romo they were, "the best in the business" at making plays which he finished by saying, "C'mon, Baby!" Until the audio came out Dez was hammered by everyone from Brian Billick who was did the color commentary at the game to every ESPN and NFL Channel commentator who was so critical of Dez without knowing just what he said.

The off field issues with Dez were that he spent a buttload of money on jewelry for his friends and he got kicked out of a high end mall in the MetroPlex for wearing his pants like a million other 20 year olds. This mall wanted to maintain standards and they want to keep the ''gangsta style and mentality" out of their mall. Otherwise I am aware of no other off field issues to speak of unless you take into consideration that when the new Play Station game console came out Dez bought one for each of the other Walmart customers who waited in line for them. Pretty embarrassing stuff there. Dez had a horrific upbringing that make it totally amazing he's not a crack head loser like his mother. He showed enough maturity to not get baited into losing his temper when he was questioned about his mother and the embarrassingly cruel questioning of Dez by the Miami GM during the scouting combine. When Cowboys beat writers agree that Dez IS a great team guy and that his teammates love Dez I believe them. This guy has overcome almost insurmountable odds to get to this point in his life. He is still a man-child who still needs to mature but his passion and enthusiasm for football and being a Dallas Cowboy is undeniable. And KA, I walked out of the room after Romo's last interception too. The losses to Detroit and Green Bay were embarrassing and uncalled for. It's no coincidence that the game management issues were to blame for both losses. That's not on Dez or Tony Romo speaking of which.......

 

As for Romo belittling his teammates I can't imagine that he's doing that. Unless you can read lips or know of some audio I'd like to hear it. If you listen to his post game pressers, he hasn't thrown anyone under the bus, he's accepted blame for a lot of things even when it wasn't his fault. He's been the leader people have wanted but didn't recognize because of all the other baggage that he has to carry. I can't imagine the pressure he has to play under because of all the expectations people have for the Cowboys and because of the perceptions about him, real or imagined that get so much attention solely because it's the Cowboys. He looks like he's yelling because he is. It's freaking loud on the stadium floor. It doesn't mean he's being a tool bag. He wants his receivers on the same page with him and there's nobody short of Jason Garrett who knows the offense better. Look at Tom Brady who is apparently chewing his teammates out. Does anyone question Brady about it. One of the most famous clips of Peyton Manning is a heated exchange between him and center Jeff Saturday. Stuff happens during the course of the game. Competitive people demand the best of each other and in the heat of battle your emotions come out. The main problem with Dallas is the 32nd ranked defense out of 32 teams. For two years in a row now they have been slammed on the defensive side of the ball. They weren't great but without Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, Justin Durant, Morris Claiborne, and a host of others on the D-line they are simply out manned on defense. It's gotten to a place where if the offense can't score 45 points Dallas can't win. I like Jason Garrett because I think the team is better since he took over. He's made mistakes in game management but basically he can't coach not to suffer hamstrings, Achilles tendons or ACL injuries. Dallas will need to go heavy on defense to upgrade the talent to be better next year. Certainly in the draft they need to go as heavy on defense as they did on offense this year.

If Dallas is going to fall (i.e. miss the playoffs) don't expect them to go down without a fight. That is the one thing that seems to be said of the Cowboys since Jason Garrett became the head coach. They fight. I'm not talking fisticuffs here, I'm talking about heart and guts and effort. If you saw the temper tantrum DeMarco Murray threw at the end of the game last Sunday or saw Dez Bryant walk off the field, everything else aside, it says one thing- these players care about whether they win or lose. They and their teammates are not mailing it in despite recent setbacks. Their defense is severely undermanned because of the plethora of injuries to most of their best players but they don't give up. This makes it even harder on the offense due to the pressure that's now on them to score a lot of points and make no mistake, they will bust a hump to do just that. The coaches and Jason Garrett in particular need to manage the game better but one thing for sure, those coaches will leave no stone unturned. It's one thing Cowboys fans can hold on too despite the hard times they are going through injury-wise. They play hard every single week and that's why they are 7-7 instead of what could very well be much worse.

Can you believe this? Up by 23 points and they lose and down by 9 in the fourth quarter and 6 with 3 minutes to play and the Cowboys win. Go friggin figure! That's our Cowboys. The O-line held up okay but it didn't stop Tony Romo from having to scramble around for most of the game but those scrambles led to some big plays including the game winner to DeMarco Murray. If you didn't see the game you've seen the highlights. It was a nail-biting 225 yards passing for Romo who played most of the game with his back giving him trouble and in the 4th quarter it looked like he wouldn't make the end of the game. But, he not only persevered to finish the game, he won the damn thing with a lot of help from his friends especially Murray. So Dallas wins it's first game out the four games that have been decided by one point. Previously they had lost to Kansas City, Detriot and Green Bay before beating the Redskins yesterday. Heck, even the defense stepped up to nail down the victory. They held the 'Skins to a four-and-out so Romo could do the victory formation one time to seal the win. That's saying something considering this same defense gave up 5 second half TDs to the Packers to lose last week and with roughly the same amount of time in the Detroit game Matthew Stafford took only 45 seconds to drive 80 yards to beat the Cowboys. So, let's not minimize what the defense did yesterday. Give them some credit because they have been shoulding a lot of blame this past month or two.

It comes down to a play-in game against the Eagles on Sunday. For the 3rd year in a row Dallas will face a division foe for the division crown and a trip to the playoffs. The only difference is they get to play the game at home instead of on the road. Dallas beat Philly earlier in the year but it seems so long ago. Since that win Philly has found it's defense, cemented Nick Foles as their QB of the future and they have been on a roll this past month. Dallas, on the other hand has seen injuries decimate their D-line and linebacking corp. They have sunk to 32nd out of 32 in total defense and the only thing they defend worse than the run is the pass. All in all, Dallas should be the underdog against the Eagles and according to a first look at the odds Philly is a 2-1/2 point favorite going into AT&T Stadium. Dallas is 5-2 at home this year so take that for what it's worth. Will Big D break through and win the division going 9-7 for the season or will Philly prevail and send Dallas into another off season at 8-8. How much do you think the Cowboys wish they could have a do-over on the Detroit and Green Bay games. Both one point losses and both games that Dallas should have won. 10-5 would look a whole lot better than 8-7 does but, no use crying over spilled milk. Beat Philly and Dallas is in the tournament. That's all that matters now. Santa gave us a chance for Christmas. Let's see if Dallas can take advantage of the opportunity.

 

Notes:

 

> The Eagles-Cowboys game has been flexed to Sunday Night which means Dallas will end the season since Sunday night's game is the last game of the regular season. Weather won't be a factor but having the Cowboys trying to figure out how to stop Philly's offense is another matter altogether.

 

> One pickup Dallas made last week for the Redskins game was a guy named Michael Spurlock. He was signed in 2006 by Arizona as an undrafted free agent. He went to Tampa Bay in 2007 and he played under then special teams coach Rich Bisaccia who is now the Cowboys ST coach. Spurlock returned a kickoff for a touchdown in December of 2007 giving him the distinction of being the first player to do that in franchise history. The reason I mention him is because the first time he touched the ball for Dallas he ran a punt back 62 yards to the Redskins 3 to set up Dallas' first score. It's the kind of spark Dallas was needing since Dwayne Harris was injured a few weeks ago. With Harris nursing a hamstring Spurlock could play a big part in this week's game too.

 

> It's nice that Tony Romo has finally earned enough respect that the football media has stopped bashing him at every opportunity. They finally recognize his value as a player and actually give him credit for bringing Dallas as far as they have come. The Cowboys may only be a .500-ish team but they would be a lot worse if Romo wasn't under center for them. Respect has been a long time coming from the media and all I can say is, it's about damn time!

I refused to believe it yesterday afternoon when a coworker of mine came into my office and told me Tony Romo was done for the season. But, there it was in full color on ESPN.com. Adam Schefter reporting via a league source that Romo was done for the season with a back injury. Mother--------!

I did notice that the report wasn't being stated as fact it was more of a rumor so I remained in denial until an official word came from Cowboys headquarters at Valley Ranch. Late yesterday afternoon Jason Garrett had his usual Monday press conference and by then results of Romo's MRI was known so here's the skinny on that issue.

Yes, Tony Romo was found to have a herniated disc in his back but no, Jason Garrett refused to acknowledge the Romo was done for the year much less for this week's win-and-you're-in game against Philadelphia. He indicated Romo was receiving treatment and would continue to receive treatment during the week and his status is listed as day-to-day.

Some are speculating that back surgery in inevitable but Romo and Cowboys will explore every avenue before resorting to surgery. I'm sure Romo and the Cowboys will seriously consider the short term risk vs the long term health and they will make the best decision to satisfy both concerns. To me, if Tony does need surgery I think it would be best to get it done as soon as possible to give him the best chance to get back for next season because the defense Dallas puts on the field right now is not playoff caliber. To risk Tony's health for what's pretty much a lost cause is fool's gold and should be treated as such. Jerry Jones just paid Romo $100+ mm with $55 mm guaranteed earlier this year, why would you risk your franchise QB for pipe dream? I know, right? Hell, if he wants to play make it on the condition that Kyle Orton can lead the Cowboys over the Eagles and he can have two full weeks to rehab his back. If Dallas loses then nobody can blame Jerry or Jason or Romo. You don't find many win-win situations even when you lose.

 

As I alluded to before backup Kyle Orton will start against the Eagles if Romo can't go. I don't think Orton is as good as Romo but he is a better QB than he's given credit and he can certainly win a game for you. I believe that if Orton does have go Dallas' next-man-up mentality will make the Cowboys rally around Orton and people may be surprised. Orton has won in this league and after the total pantsing he got as a result of the Tebow mania in Denver he doesn't get the credit he's deserved. He did lead the Bears into the playoffs when Rex Grossman got hurt and he gave way to Grossman when he returned from his injury and the Bears went to the Super Bowl. The Bears would never have made it without Orton. Hell, I won a fantasy league championship with Orton when he was with Denver before Tebow madness swept the Mile High City. He can do this. If Romo can't go, he can do this. (Am I a homer or what?)

 

Other injury news. Sean Lee may be back this week. He injured a ligament in his neck and that's what has held him out the last couple of weeks but he could be back and I'd bet money if the Cowboys make the playoffs he will be in the game. Morris Claiborne should be on IR. Seriously. A second hamstring injury is always much worse than the first and he's been out so long he's forming major areas of rust on himself. Even if he plays how effective will he be?

 

Bright spots: With a full week of practice rookie LB Devonte Holloman played pretty well. The Cowboys were able to pretty much contain Alfred Morris last week and that's saying something considering the vast amount of yardage the Cowboys D has been giving up without Sean Lee in the lineup. Another bright spot is Orlando Scandrick. After a couple of bad games against Chicago and Green Bay he bounced back and did pretty well against Washington. In fact, he played so well Monte Kiffin put Scandrick on Pierre Garcon late in the game and shut him down. Garcon had been just wearing out Brandon Carr all game gaining over 100 yards on 10+ catches before Scandrick took over. Carr, by the way has just been awful in December. Even when Dallas decided to play man coverage he has stunk even though man coverage is supposed to his strong suit. Something has shaken that man's confidence because he was much better last year.

The stuff that happens when you're not looking. On Christmas Eve Dallas signed QB Jon Kitna as a backup to Kyle Orton. The Cowboys (i.e. Jerry Jones) still won't rule Tony Romo out of the equation but with a herniated disc in his back it would seem unlikely he'll play this week. Romo even took an epidural shot to relieve the pain in his back but so far it's only had limited success. Kitna was Romo's backup from 2009-2011 and he started 9 games in 2010 when Romo broke his collar bone in a game against the Giants. Kitna, 41, left his job as a teacher and football coach at Lincoln High School in his hometown Tacoma, Washington to come Dallas for his second stint with the Cowboys.

 

To make room for Kitna Dallas released WR/KR Michael Spurlock who provided a spark for the Cowboys in last week's game against the Redskins by setting up their first TD with a 62 yard punt return on his first touch in a game for the Cowboys.

 

Speaking of kick returners, Dwayne Harris was back at practice yesterday (yeah, the Cowboys practiced yesterday, bah humbug!). This is no guarantee that he'll play Sunday but since Michael Spurlock was cut Dallas could sure use him. For his part in an interview after practice yesterday Harris said he is for sure playing.

 

Dallas did get some good news yesterday. Christmas day practice saw the return of CB Morris Claiborne who has missed since pulling his hamstring November 24th against the Giants. He is listed as a full participant in practice and it's a good thing because Dallas needs some good news for a change. Only three players did not practice yesterday and that was Romo and LBs Sean Lee and Ernie Simms.

Tony Romo's status is still up in the air today as he continues to get treatment on his back. Kyle Orton has stepped in and is practicing with confidence which is a testament to the "next man up" mentality the Cowboys have shown all season as they have dealt with an 18-wheeler load of injuries this season.

 

Dez Bryant started having discomfort in his back yesterday so Jason Garrett limited his participation today. It's not a matter of concern as far as his availability on Sunday according to Garrett, it's only precautionary. Bryant has had some discomfort in his back from time to time all season but I'm sure the "sympathy pains" jokes are sure to start circulating.

 

One neat item: NFL.com is reporting that while new backup QB Jon Kitna may not play Sunday against the Eagles but whether he does or not Kitna has indicated that the $53 K he is slated to earn will be donated to Lincoln High School in Tacoma Washington where he was working as a math teacher and football coach until he was signed by Dallas on Tuesday. It's not known if Kitna will get his job back at Lincoln but it's a great publicity story and if they are smart they will keep him. In all likelihood Kitna won't be off for very long but that's the pessimist in me coming out.

Week 17. The third year in a row Dallas has gone into this game with an 8-7 record and with a win will claim the NFC East title and a trip to the playoffs. Some things are the same, some things are different.

 

What's the same? Well, there's the simple fact I already stated. The fact that the Cowboys defense is severely undermanned due to injury is the same as last year. DeMarcus Ware will be playing with an injured back and elbow which has caused him to be listed as questionable for the game. That's the same as last year except Ware isn't as crippled as he was last year. The media is still harping on the Cowboys so-called December woes. Last but not least they are going into the last game against a team on a hot streak. This will be the second season Sean Lee is not playing due to injury.

 

What's different? First and foremost is the loss of Tony Romo. Romo is a good quarterback, a talented player who gets more blame than he deserves and too little credit for what he does in the face of an unbelievably challenging situation in Dallas. Romo is the main reason Dallas is in this position once again and he will get no chance to redeem himself for the past two year's losses. If Dallas loses Romo will still get bashed for it by media types who will point out the failures the past two seasons. If Dallas wins Romo will get bashed because a backup not many feel is all that good did the one thing Romo couldn't. Until Romo wins a Super Bowl he will never get credit for being the player he is. It isn't his fault Jerry Jones can't put a team around him that's playoff ready. On the good side there is the fact that Dallas has its first 1000 yard rusher in DeMarco Murray (1,073 yards and counting) since Julius Jones did it in 2006. That's seven years if you're counting. The only trouble is will whoever the heck is calling plays call Murray's number enough for him to make an impact on the game? Kyle Orton will be leading the Cowboys into this game as Romo's replacement. I believe Orton is better than he's given credit for and he's had success in the league. Orton is the real wild card in this game. If he turns out to be an Ace Dallas has a real shot at winning but anything but an Ace and I don't like the Cowboys chances. The last thing that's different is the fact that Dallas is playing at home in what's becoming a real home field advantage. Roughly 92 thousand people will pack AT&T Stadium and if they bring the energy and noise it may be enough to push the Cowboys over the top and beat the one team in the NFL I hate worse than any other.

 

Even though I am realistic enough to know Dallas has an almost insurmountable task Sunday night I desperately don't want to see those sorry assed Eagles celebrate a win in Dallas. In a radio interview on WIP in Philadelphia yesterday LeSean McCoy told Eagles fans,

This thread is closed as far as I'm concerned when I post this reply. The season is over after Dallas lost 24-22 to the Eagles last night. Dallas did exactly what I expected--they played hard and they had an opportunity to win the game but on first down of what could've been the game winning drive Kyle Orton threw a pass behind Miles Austin, severely behind, and it was picked off and the game was over for all intents and purposes. Dallas is going to need extensive healing time because you can only shoot yourself in the foot so many times before you got to get off your poor aching dogs and let them heal and the Cowboys have been doing a lot of shooting this season. The whole truth is they didn't deserve a trip to the playoffs for just that reason. Dallas set an NFL record for losses (5) when losing by no more than 3 points with a final record of 8-8. Just think, Dallas is one play or one series away from finishing the year 13-3. That's enough to keep the die-hards cursing until the draft.

But besides gift wrapping a win for the other team Dallas also did something maddening---AGAIN. What was that? Dallas took DeMarco Murray out of the game. Not literally, but they did it figuratively by abandoning the run in the second half of the game. Out of 32 second half plays Murray had 8 touches and he was targeted one other time on the fateful 4 and 1 pass in the fourth quater. By contrast Orton threw the ball 24 times. The Cowboys were never far enough behind to warrant abandoning the run but it isn't anything new for Bill Calahan or whoever the heck is responsible for play calling. Murray only got 13 touches in the first half and he was effective for the most part despite a fumble on the Cowboys first possession of the game. By contrast Orton attempted 46 passes. In the weekly press conferences by Jaso Garrett he talks about striving for balance in the offensive attack but it is rare when anything coming close to balance has been achieved. BTW, for all the Garrett haters out there, Jerry Jones said he will not discuss Garrett's status as head coach but there are a lot of items subject to change. I personally don't think Garrett will be fired but you don't know just how pissed off Jones is after missing the playoffs in the last game of the season for the third year in a row. So long 2013, it's been a friggin' slice.