2019 Dallas Cowboys Season

The Cowboys lost to the Patriots basically on 2 plays, a blocked punt and an interception. New England got 10 points off those two turnovers and the Cowboys gave up just 3 points the rest of the game. Take away those two turnovers and nothing else changes in the game Dallas wins 9-3.

Special Teams were bad in the game. They suffered the blocked punt, missed a field goal try and had a total of 6 yards on 3 kickoff returns. We all know that there are 3 phases in a football game and Dallas lost 2 of them. The defense was the only unit that performed well, I would say above and beyond what was expected. Even though the Cowboys beat the Patriots in every offensive stat it was the offenses failures that ultimately led to this loss. For much of the game Dak was off. As much as I have bragging about him lately, he picked a lousy time to have a poor game. Weather was definitely a factor. Cold, wet, wind blowing the rain sideways, it was weather that definitely favored the Patriots. It took almost two full quarters before Dak put on gloves to help him with gripping the ball and by then Dallas was down 10 zip.

This was a very winnable game for Dallas and they blew it. In post-game interviews Dak and Jerry Jones were asked if coaching contributed to the loss. To his credit, Dak didn’t comment on the question. Jerry, on the other hand, said that given the talent on this team he was very disappointed in where the Cowboys stand at this point of the season. Jerry also said the special teams failures in the game should not be happening at this point in the season. More than anything else, a loss like this hurts Jason Garrett going forward. If Dallas fails to make the playoffs I think Jason Garrett is fired. If Dallas loses to Buffalo on Thanksgiving, he may not be fired right then but I think the final nail will be driven into his job coffin. The Cowboys have now lost 2 games they really should have won, yesterday’s game at New England and back in late September to the New Orleans. I think both losses can be traced back to questionable play calling from Kellen Moore. This game was tailor made to be an Ezekiel Elliott game. Zeke should have had 30-35 carries and the game should have been on his back but, Moore loves the pass and he gives up way too early on the run game, in my opinion. It’s in these big road games that I think Kellen Moore is in way over his head.

One last thing. There were two tripping calls in the game against Dallas. Neither was even close to tripping. The second one cost the Cowboys big time. Instead of a first down it ended up being 3rd and 11 which the Cowboys failed to convert and the game was over. How weird is it that of the 6 wins not one is against a team with a winning record.

Jerry Jones said after the so-called game yesterday that no coaching changes will be made. Jason Garrett is Jerry's boy and as loyal as Jerry is he doesn't want to give up on him but yesterday's loss was pathetic. An interesting fact about yesterday's game is this, Buffalo has not beaten a team with a winning record this season since Dallas has fallen to 6-6 with the loss yesterday. Neither has Dallas.

 

One thing we need to acknowledge as Cowboys fans is we have got to let go of the notion that this is a playoff caliber team because they are not. Not at this point they aren't. I'm tired of hearing about how talented this team is, and I'm guilty of praising the level of talent on this team too, because if they were so damn talented they wouldn't be a .500 team. Yesterday if you look at the box score the Cowboys beat the Bills in almost every statistical category except turnovers and the final score. There were some things to note, 1) Dak stunk yesterday. This week he didn't have the weather to blame but he was even worse than he was in New England. It wasn't just the INT which came when he was trying to throw the ball into the ground to protect against a sack, it was the misses, the passes behind receivers, the passes too high and the most egregious was a 4th and goal when Dak had Zeke in the left flat wide open and he didn't even come close as the ball fell helplessly to the ground. A pass so bad you would have wondered who the heck he was throwing it too if Zeke hadn't been the only player of either team anywhere near the ball.

 

If you want to get jiggy with the coaches, let's go! Kellen Moore has fallen in love with the passing game to the exclusion of the running game. I don't remember when the last time was Zeke ran for 100 yards in a game. Yesterday Zeke had only 12 carries for 71 yards. That's ridiculous for a team built as a power running team. Jason Garrett built the O-line in the image of the 90's Cowboys teams he saw so much success with and Moore is doing nothing to take advantage of the way the team was constructed. We all were quick to anoint Moore as the next offensive genius/guru when Dallas raced out to a 3-0 record to start the season but, as we have seen, those 3 teams, the Giants, Redskins and Dolphins, were just bad. Jason Garrett should be reigning in Moore and getting the team back on track to return to a run-first team that uses the pass to open up the run. The last 2 minutes of the first half was a total joke and it was all on the coaches. Dallas got the ball on their own 25 after a kickoff by Buffalo after they scored on a flea flicker to make the score 13-7. It seems Dallas wasn't the only team with a kicker who struggled in yesterday's game. Dallas had 1:52 left in the half and all three time outs. The Cowboys did drive down the field but they wasted so much time that it seems clear in hindsight that they were playing for a field goal instead of a touchdown. The Cowboys never used a timeout until there was only 25 seconds left to play. Brett Maher's 35 yard field goal attempt was partially blocked and rendered the kick no good. I was was so mad I quit watching for a long time. Total fail on clock management and that's on Moore and Garrett for not managing the game better. They had a enough time and time outs to go for a game tying TD but they fooled around and didn't get squat. Special teams were not so special yet again as Brett Maher was 0-2 in field goal attempts. The Cowboys never give up and they play hard for Jason Garrett but they are about as far from being a clutch team as you can get at this point. I can't explain why Dallas can't win the close games this season when they won nearly all the close games in 2018. Maybe it's time for the Garrett era in Dallas to be over.

 

We'll see how the next month goes. December is nut cuttin' time in the NFL. If Cowboys fans want a glimmer of hope how about this, in both 2007 and 2011 the Giants snuck into the playoffs with 9-7 and 10-6 records as a wild card team. They won 3 playoff games on the road before beating New England in the Super Bowl on both occasions. Dallas could still go 10-6 or even 9-7 and still win the NFC East. Frankly, given how Dallas has looked losing 3 out of the last 4 games I think we would be clutching at straws to think this team could catch fire the way the Giants did but, when it's all you have left you take what you can get.

The Cowboys haters are coming out of the woodwork. Maybe Cowboys haters is the wrong phrase. Jason Garrett haters and Jerry Jones haters is more apt.

The Jerry haters don’t need much prodding. Forget that Jerry fired the legendary Tom Landry whose 29 year tenure as the only head coach of the Dallas Cowboys ever had until he was fired after the 1988 season. People seem to have made peace with that since Jerry put the big statue of Tom Landry at the main entrance to AT&T Stadium. But, I feel that nobody will ever forgive Jerry for the split between him and Jimmy Johnson back in early 1994. Both men were to blame but it’s always Jerry who fired Jimmy. Truth be told, Jimmy was ready to move on and it was a mutually agreed upon split. People still blame Jerry so when the Cowboys go on hard times it’s all Jerry’s fault. And for years it was his fault until he broke down and realized he needed a coach to run the show and he hired Bill Parcells. In recent years Jerry has stepped back and let his son Stephen and, to an even greater extent, player personnel guru Will McClay to run the talent acquisition show. Still, when things go bad, Jerry gets the blame. It’s Jerry the GM that struggles but I will argue with anyone that Jerry is a great owner. Regardless, Jerry gets the blame.

You don’t want to bag on Jerry? Then you want Jason Garrett’s hide nailed to the wall. In the games against New England and Buffalo I might agree with you. I really blame OC Kellen Moore for a lot of the Cowboys offensive troubles. He inherited a team that was built to be a power running team and Moore is trying to make them over into a pass-first offense that runs a bit. Against New England two weeks ago Zeke ran the ball 21 times. He was not involved in the passing game. Against Buffalo Zeke ran the ball just 12 times!!! TWELVE!!! Especially when Zeke averaged 5.9 YPC! People will say that Zeke gained over 100 yards between his 71 yards rushing and his 66 yards receiving but I say 19 touches to one of the premiere running backs in the NFL when he should be getting no less the 25 touches a game and he probably should be getting 30-35 touches borders on a criminal act. Moore doesn’t seem to know how to use Tony Pollard either. You see RB tandems around the league like Chubb-Hunt, White-Michel, Hyde-Johnson and if Moore had a little imagination the Elliott-Pollard pair could be in that group. I wouldn’t bitch about Zeke’s lack of touches if Tony Pollard had more than 7 touches total the last two games. But, in the end, Jason Garrett could go up to Moore and tell that little prick to start running the darn ball more. Against the Bills Dallas ran the ball just 15 times not counting 4 scrambles by Dak against 49 pass attempts by Dak. In New England Dak threw the ball 33 times in the most God forsaken weather you can play in while only running the ball 25 times despite the fact that Zeke averaged 4.1 YPC on 21 totes and Pollard averaged 4.9 YPC in just 4 runs. Garrett’s mishandling of he final 2 minutes of the first half in the Buffalo game was a joke. The Cowboys had 1:52 left in the half with all three time outs starting from their own 25 and they wasted over a full minute moving the ball to near midfield. The Cowboys didn’t even use a time out until the :25 mark. It became clear that the Cowboys were playing for a field goal from the opening play of the drive which made me sick. That was on Jason Garrett. At this point I am not an objective observer so I really can’t comment on Garrett’s potential employment status but, I’ll bet you can guess! It was just a few short years ago when Garrett was named NFL Coach of the Year. I don’t think Garrett got stupid since then but I do think he has had far too little to say about this OC’s. First, Scott Linehan and now Moore. People say that the Cowboys don’t have an identity. They should, they are a power running team, they just need to focus on that. Dallas isn’t Kansas City and Dak isn’t Hall of Famer Patrick Mahomes. If the Cowboys run sixty offensive plays a game 30 of them should be runs. That is definitely on Jason Garrett.

There is plenty of blame to go around. The players deserve plenty as they have played like crap, especially the defense. Bad execution of plays, bad tackling, lack of pressure on opposing QB’s and an overall crappiness that belies what many people call, “A very talented ball club”. The Cowboys got a major reprieve on Sunday when the Eagles lost to the pathetic Miami Dolphins, of all teams. Even the Eagle’s coach doesn’t think his club can make the playoffs now. Obviously, he isn’t counting on how badly the Cowboys have been playing lately. We won’t have to wait long before we see how this team responds now that December has rolled around. Thursday night. Chicago. Clear and cold. Dak will likely throw the ball 55 times. 42 of those passes will suck. Clearly, the ultimate pessimist in me has fully emerged where the Cowboys are concerned. I’m still suffering over the Astros failure to win the World Series and this misery of mistake-filled football is almost too much for me to bear. (Say the last sentence as Doc Holiday would have in the movie Tombstone and it accents the tragedy! …and sounds really cool! Clearly, here lately, the Cowboys have been nobody’s huckleberry.)

For those who have an undying Jimmy Johnson man-crush or are just Jerry Jones haters, chew on this for a minute.

 

Since the Cowboys last won a Super Bowl which was following the 1995 season here are the last 23 SB winners.

 

New England Patriots - 6 time winners

Denver Broncos - 3 time winners

Pittsburgh Steelers - 2 time winners

Baltimore Ravens - 2 time winners

New York Giants - 2 time winners

Green Bay Packers - 2 time winners

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

New Orleans Saints

Indianapolis Colts

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

St Louis Rams

 

Only twelve teams out of 32 have won Super Bowls. 6 of those teams account for 17 wins. 32 teams are trying to go to the Super Bowl every single year and less than half (38%) have been successful with the Cowboys being one of those teams. Twelve NFL franchises have never, ever won a Super Bowl; the Bengals, Bills, Browns, Cardinals, Chargers, Falcons, Jaguars, Lions, Panthers, Texans, Titans and Vikings. The Browns, Jaguars, Lions and Texans have not even made the Super Bowl. You can’t make excuses for the Texans because they have only been in existence for 19 years. That’s plenty of time to build a winner. You have to go back to 1957 to find an NFL championship for the Detroit Lions and Cleveland has been waiting since 1955 for a championship.

 

My point is this, it’s hard to win a championship. It’s hard to even play for a championship. Cowboys fans seem to feel that Championships are a birth right for the Cowboys because of the success of the team in the 60’s, 70’s, and 90’s. The greatest coach in franchise history, Tom Landry was 2-3 in Super Bowls. For all you Jimmy Johnson boy-toy wannabes out there think about this, who gave the induction speeches that inducted Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman into the Pro Football Hall of Fame? One thing is for sure it wasn’t Jimmy. I get the feeling the players from that era are still pissed at Jimmy because he quit on them. Even Michael Irvin who had been with Johnson from the Miami University days chose Jerry Jones to give his induction speech. Almost to a man, everyone who ever played with the Cowboys loves Jerry Jones because he was a great owner, loyal to a fault and fair in his treatment of players. Nobody ever talks about Jimmy unless asked. The Cowboys remain relevant because of their history since 1960 and that relevance continues today because, in a very large part, of Jerry Jones. As a team, they are often overrated but that's because they are "the Cowboys" but they do continue to set a certain standard of excellence and the team in still in the playoffs a lot. Don't we, as fans, want more. Darn tootin' we do but that all part of being a fan.

Colin Cowherd made a comment this past week that without question the two teams in the NFL who have been the biggest underachievers in the entire league given the talent levels on the teams are Cleveland and Dallas. I would have to agree with him. Cowherd asserts that the thing both have in common is they are a train wreck in the front office. I disagree with Cowherd there. I don't think Cleveland's front office is the issue but rather their first year head coach has been the problem. The Browns have a very talented team but really only at the skill positions on offense because the O-line leaves a lot ot be desired. The defense is very solid and it shows just how good they are when they lose a stud like Myles Garrett and they continue to play very well. I could very well say Garrett has been a big loss but, it would be devastating if Cleveland lost LB Joe Schoebert. That guy is a beast and he's been playing at a very high level since last year. He was lost to a knee injury around mid-season last year and the Browns felt that loss more than they have felt the loss of Garrett the past few games since he was suspended for trying bash Steelers QB in the head with his own helmet. That's another thing I pin on Kitchens and the Browns coaching staff. Who the hell melts down like that with 20 seconds left in a game you're going to win? During that whole Steelers game the Browns had one cheap shot after another and that's coaching. Maybe Kitchens will be better with a year of head coaching experience under his belt next season. This year he's definitely had some growing pains. On the Dallas side I'll guarantee you people will blame Jerry Jones for the Cowboys troubles but, where were those troubles last year when Dallas went 10-6 and won it's second straight NFC East title? It's not just that people hate Jones as a GM, it's that he and Jimmy Johnson agreed to disagree and Jimmy walked away from the job. I am sick to death of hearing about something that happened 25 years ago. I'm not saying Jones couldn't be, and probably is, part of the problem. It would be much better if he wasn't the GM and it would be much better if he hired a coach and let him coach without interference. That's the popular spin on the Cowboys troubles anyway. I think Dallas is in for a coaching change this January. The only way Jason Garrett is still coaching the Cowboys next year is if he leads the team to a Super Bowl. I don't think Dallas has to win it but they will need to get there. The problem is, the way Dallas has played the past month that ain't gonna happen. As a Cowboys fan I am a very unhappy camper.

One thing that comes to mind on a beautiful day like this it makes my mind drift back to when I was a young man. You know, a time when you could do anything you wanted and the only price you paid was a little soreness the next day. My friends and I made plans to play football on Sunday and the only thing we needed to know was whether Dallas played the early game or the late game. If they were playing the late game we played at noon and if they played the late game we played about 3:30. Our field of choice was either the other band field at Central Middle School or the Nederland High School Stadium field. We'd have 8 to 10 guys playing and sometimes more every week during the NFL season unless is was close to Christmas or in bad weather. We had some great games and then my buddies and I would go watch the Cowboys and it wasn't the sad affair it is this year. These days my knees hurt most of the time and I have arthritis in my hands which would make playing football nearly impossible. I am out of shape to the point that a 10 yard curl would necessitate oxygen. There is no doubt I miss being young and resilient. I think my New Year's resolution will be to get serious about losing about a ton and getting into some semblance of shape. But, on a lazy Sunday morning it's fun to do a little time traveling. Those Sunday afternoons were special and a group of some the best memories I have. I have lost touch with most of the guys over the years but I still remember Roy, Chris, Hotchie, Eugene, David and all the rest. About 10 years ago David passed away. His family had a history of heart disease and he died of a heart attack way too young. David, his brothers and his dad all died way too young and my own family history on my dad's side isn't much better. I may have had a heart attack back in 2008 if not for the fact that I spent months prior to a unit shutdown getting in shape for 6-8 weeks of long days and hard work. Just 6 weeks after that turnaround I had a stress test which I failed and after a heart cath my cardiologist removed the catheter and told me I was going to have 3 or 4 way heart bypass surgery the next morning. It turned out to be a 4-way bypass and I have had 11 great years thanks to that stress test. That's why I advocate yearly physicals that includes a stress test every three years. It saved my life and I honestly believe it can save yours too. Just like preventative maintenance in refineries, preventative medicine is way better than emergency medicine any time. Huh, It's funny how a trip down memory lane can lead you in different directions. For a while after we played football Roy and I would do a mile run at the Nederland track. I hated running for running's sake but those Sunday afternoon runs after 2-2 and 1/2 hours of football were pretty special days. They are inspiring me to get into shape again. I hope i don't lose that motivation. It's the first time in a long time I have been serious about exercise. The hard part is following through. What's that have to do with Cowboys football? Nothing but I'd rather reminisce about the good old days than dwell on how much of a waste of time watching the 2019 Cowboys has been this year.

Our Sunday get together tackle football game was at the old French High, which is now Smith Middle School, practice field. We would pick teams and sometimes have 20 to a side. At half time, some would go to the local store and buy gatorade but it was in glass bottles, that's how long ago it was. For the second half, we'd repick teams and go again until whenever. good times.

 

In my opinion, the best way to keep track, of the Cowboy's score, is to open the NFL schedule page, which keeps a somewhat real time running score and stats. Check in, from time to time, and then go back to whatever.

Edited December 15, 2019 by Dracula

When I first started really watching football the coin flip before the opening kickoff was not really complicated. The winner of the coin toss got to choose if they kicked off to start the game or receive the opening kick. The team that lost the coin flip got to decide which end of the field they would defend. You didn’t have a special word like “defer” to let everyone know who kicked off to start the game and the kicking team would then receive the 2nd half kickoff. It was not rocket science. The decisions for both teams were made before the captains took the field for the coin toss win or lose the flip. Somewhere along the line people complicated the whole thing. If you won and you wanted to kickoff so you could take the 2nd half kickoff you had to actually say that you deferred receiving the ball to the 2nd half. WTF! So, the controversy over the coin flip in the Rams-Cowboys game last Sunday had to have an audio-visual review of the coin toss to make sure Dak Prescott actually said the word defer. He did, of course, but the ref didn’t hear it or it didn’t register so Rams coach Sean McVay was pissed off because he thought his team was getting screwed over because he was led to believe the Rams would receive the 2nd half kickoff. It’s the first time in my memory that the ref messed up the coin toss in this fashion. For a team coming into a game on a 3-game losing streak it was just a case where fans are like, “here we go” in that sarcastic way people do these days because to them it was just another typical start to another lousy day of football. A day where most people, including me, figured a hot Rams team would mop up the Death Star with Cowboy flesh.

 

Was I, and a lot of people, wrong. Dallas went back to what has made them consistently successful in the Dak Prescott era, run the ball, throw a few passes, move the chains and finish drives with touchdowns, not field goals. The Cowboys did all this against a pretty good Rams defense. During the game you only heard Aaron Donald’s name when Joe Buck or Troy Aikman mentioned that nobody was mentioning Aaron Donald’s name. The Cowboys O-line, knowing they would be running the ball a lot in the game turned in their best performance in a long time. The unit was consistently opening holes for Zeke and Tony Pollard to run through, they pass protected pretty well and their effort was rewarded by both RB’s with 100+ yard performances. The Cowboys actually gained more yards on the ground (263) than they had passing (212). Dallas scored TD’s on 4 of 5 first half possessions to take a 28-7 lead into halftime and they scored on their first possession of the 2nd half to make it 31-7. The defense was more than solid led by an inspired performance by Sean Lee.

 

New kicker Kai Forbath was perfect on the day going 3 for 3 in his field goal attempts and 5 for 5 in his extra points. Forbath made more field goals from 40-50 yards in one game (3) than former kicker Brett Maher made all season.

 

The Cowboys had one good game and that's good if you’re a Cowboys fan but to make believers out of people they need to have another good game, and a win, in Philadelphia this week and they need yet another good win against the Redskins to close out the regular season to even hint at that old word ‘momentum’ may be present as Dallas heads into the playoffs. If Dallas loses to Philly then the likelihood of the Cowboys winning the NFC East become almost nil. So, this week’s game is the biggest game of the season for the Cowboys and the Eagles. Because of their sub-par records neither team has a shot at a wild card berth in the playoffs so this is it. Win the division and you’re in the tournament, lose you are a spectator. Even if the Cowboys lose on Sunday they still have a chance to make the playoffs but nobody wants them to back into the postseason. If Dallas plays like they did last Sunday afternoon they could make some hay in the postseason. Not my words, Troy Aikman said it as time was winding down in the game he said if the Cowboys play the way they did against the Rams, down the road, this team could beat any team in the postseason. I am personally not that optimistic as Aikman, I need to see Dallas beat Philly before I really start to believe. Last Sunday’s game was a good step in the right direction, let’s hope they don’t trip on their own feet going forward.

The Cowboys are only playing the biggest game of the season this Sunday, that's all ... no big deal ... nothing to worry about. The 7-7 Cowboys play the 7-7 Eagles in Philly. The weather will be good football weather, sunny and around 46^o at kickoff with the low likely around mid 30's by game's end. No crap weather like the Cowboys had in New England a few weeks ago so, there's that going for them both. There are some concerns around the team heading into this all important game.

 

Injuries are a big concern starting with QB Dak Prescott. Apparently, he is dealing with a shoulder issue that he suffered in the win last week over the Rams. On a running play in the red zone Dak was tackled and he hurt his shoulder. It didn't affect him in the Rams game but it tightened up and became an issue this week. Prescott has been limited all week in practice and backup Cooper Rush took almost all first team reps in practice but the latest update of the Cowboys injury report is that Dak is good to go but that shoulder is still a concern. S Jeff Heath has been dealing with not one, but both, his shoulders for several weeks now. It looks like he a torn labrum in both shoulders and has to wear a harness on each shoulder to be able to play. He has been dealing with all the pain related to his injuries which I'm sure is considerable. LB Sean Lee is dealing with a host of injuries and has been limited in practice all week. It's not to dissimilar to what he went thru during last week's practices when he was questionable to even play and, as we all know, he did play and he was really great. If Dallas gets THAT Sean Lee all Cowboys fans will be happy. T Tyron Smith hasn't practiced at all this week because he's had a sty in one of his eyes that caused his eye to be swollen shut. Smith had no status update for Friday's practice and neither did G Zack Martin but I suspect both will play. Leighton Vander Esch is out as he has been for the past several weeks because of a pinched nerve in his neck. I would be very surprised if he plays again this season. It isn't great news but it certainly could be worse.

 

Philadelphia beat Washington last week in a back and forth affair that the Eagles could certainly have lost. Washington failed to play defense against and Eagles team that depended on both their tight ends, Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, and RB Miles Sanders as the primary threats -- only real threats -- the Eagles had and Washington failed to cover them. The Eagles are so thin at WR they almost used backup QB Nate Sudfield as a receiver. The Eagles are likely looking for some payback for a Week 7 thrashing the Cowboys gave them in Dallas. That 37-10 win was the best win the Cowboys had this season until they beat the Rams last week 44-21.

 

The Cowboys have several reasons to be happy about the former players and coaches that are now semi-finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The one player not in the senior classification Dallas has is former S Darren Woodson. Woodson was a 2nd round draft pick in 1992 out of Arizona State where he actually played linebacker. Woodson's size (6'1'', 219 lbs) and his speed (4.53 - 40) made him have an instant impact for the Cowboys. He could play either an in-the-box safety or free safety. He was great against the run but he could cover the slot or a tight end and he could hit like a linebacker. Woodson played his whole career in Dallas winning 3 Super Bowls, 5x Pro Bowler, 4x All Pro and he became the Cowboys all time leading tackler in 2002. Woodson did not play in 2004 because he had offseason back surgery and he couldn't play. When he retired after the 2004 season it was a huge loss. Dallas first round pick in 2002 was S Roy Williams out of Oklahoma who became a Pro Bowler largely because of Woodson's mentoring. After Woody retired in 2004 it was clear Williams was never the same player he had been with Woody. Dallas has tried, without success, to replace Woodson ever since his retirement. Woodson deserves to be in the HOF and I hope this is his year.

 

Dallas has other former players and coaches nominated and in the semi-finals. Former player and coach Dan Reeves, former head coach Jimmy Johnson, former WR and member of the Cowboys Ring of Honor Drew Pearson, former S and Ring of Honor member Cliff Harris and Clint Murchison who owned the Cowboys from their inception into the NFL in 1960 until 1983. You could definitely make a case for all 5 of these men but I think it's crying shame that Pearson and Harris are not already in the HOF. Let's hope this year is finally their year to make it.

What an absolute gutless display by the cowgirls. At full strength, everything to win, and playing against a gutted Eagles team, with a roster full of secondary players. Anybody volunteering to interview JJ this morning? I wouldn't.

If I had to describe what I saw yesterday afternoon in just one word I couldn't do it. It would take two words minimum..Cowboys sucked. Offense sucked, defense sucked and special teams sucked. Dallas laid a Texas sized cow paddy in Philadelphia and it was just so frustrating to see a team that just destroyed the Rams just one week ago get mauled by those green clad so and so's. It wasn't like the Eagles were so much better it was just that the Cowboys didn't seem to want the win as bad as the Eagles.

 

The offense was the real culprit, they were just not good and it started with the offensive coordinator. Kellen Moore was just awful in his play calling. There were some plays on third down and in the red zone that I was thinking, "WTF was he thinking?" It wasn't all Moore's fault. I don't believe I have seen so many Cowboys receivers drop passes, even Jason Witten had a big drop. I think every receiver the Cowboys have had drops. Everyone except Zeke and Tony Pollard but Pollard made up for his lack of drops with a fumble lost in Eagles territory that squandered a scoring opportunity. Zeke did as good as he could given the fact the Eagles stacked the box stuffing the run game but Zeke was open all afternoon coming out of the backfield but Kellen Moore and Dak just didn't use him like they should have. That's the same old tune, different verse as far as this season has gone. Then there was Dak. A person who is an apologist for Dak Prescott would point out that he was playing with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder. That's why Dak was off on so many passes. I might buy that if this was the only game Dak's accuracy was in question but he's been throwing behind and high and short of his receivers for the entire month of December and part of November. I'm not giving Dak an out because of his shoulder because his accuracy has BEEN bad. Even on a lot of balls that have been caught it was because the receivers made good adjustments to balls that were poorly thrown. It was just a sad exhibition of football from a team with control of their own destiny in a game that would have clinched the division.

 

If any Jason Garrett fans had any hopes that the team would do something to save his job you can pretty much say aloha to Garrett because, even as loyal a person as Jerry Jones is he can't tolerate a sub .500 record for a team he considers to be Super Bowl caliber. Part of that blame should go to Jerry. What was he thinking hiring a guy in Kellen Moore who had never been a coordinator of any kind, heck he hadn't even been a coach for one season prior to this year, to be the Cowboys offensive coordinator? I can't say for sure but, I don't think Jason Garrett put his foot down and demand Moore call Zeke Elliott's number more often. Moore tried to make Dak into Aaron Rodgers and Dak is not now, nor will he ever be, in Aaron Rodgers neighborhood as a passer. Dak was better as a passer this year, in fact during the game they said Dak had the 2nd most passing yards in a season in franchise history. So freaking what? When you are 7-8 on the season passing yardage isn't a thing that matters.

 

I don't want the Cowboys to make the playoffs this season, they don't deserve it. They really don't. They could back in if the Eagles lose to the Giants on the road and Dallas beats Washington at home in Dallas the Cowboys could actually win the NFC East with a .500 record. I don't want that to happen because all that will happen is the Cowboys will get a mudhole stomped in them by either Seattle, San Francisco or Minnesota. The Cowboys don't deserve to be in the playoffs. Neither do the Eagles but they can have it. Let them get their arses handed to them. The NFC East used to be the best division in football but this season they are unquestionably the worst. Merry freaking Christmas Cowboys. Ebeneezer Scrooge would be proud of you. Sheesh, bah humbug.

You know what is going to happen. You can see it comin'. Week 17, Philly at New York and Wash at Dallas. Dallas couldn't run, couldn't throw, catch, or punt, when it really counted. Philly wasn't much better. In the New York at Wash game, Daniel Jones was back and, on the road, goes 28/42, with 5 TD's, Barkley goes nuts rushing 22/189, with 1 TD, and, on top of that, catches 4/90, with 1 TD. Everything the cowgirls should have been able to do, to Philly, the Giants did, to Wash. The Giants are at home, at full strength, with no love lost between these two, and having the golden opportunity to put a shiv, into the depleted Eagles, their fans, and the City of Philadelphia must be foaming at the mouth. The cowgirls are at home vs a team that can be run on. Dallas "should" be mad as hell, after having to listen to how soft and gutless they were at Philly.

 

My prediction, New York rips the Eagles with Daniel Jones and Barkley having big days. Dallas runs over Wash much like they ran over the Rams. Dallas backs into the playoffs at 8-8. I don't know whether to be happy or sad.

"Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last." MLK was talking about something else but the sentiment fits here, as well. Week after gutless week, the 2019 Cowboys have twanged Jones's and the fans last nerve. He is being lit up and mocked, from coast to coast and rightfully so. He must be having a really really bad night. As for the fans, we get to sit back and watch Jones twist , in the wind, and then watch the Texans. Life is good.

"Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last." MLK was talking about something else but the sentiment fits here, as well. Week after gutless week, the 2019 Cowboys have twanged Jones's and the fans last nerve. He is being lit up and mocked, from coast to coast and rightfully so. He must be having a really really bad night. As for the fans, we get to sit back and watch Jones twist , in the wind, and then watch the Texans. Life is good.

 

The "He" I assume is Jason Garrett. I am not feeling this is the day of liberation Dracula is extolling. I like Garrett. He rebuilt a franchise Wade Phillips ran into the ground because he didn't have a vision of how to build a roster. Jason Garrett did have a plan. His plan was to build both the offense and the defensive lines, mainly the O-line and the Cowboys soldiered thru 3 8-8 seasons while he did it. In consecutive seasons the Cowboys got Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Morris Claiborne and Zack Martin. Claiborne was the Cowboys doing their due diligence to upgrade the defense. It wasn't Garrett's fault Claiborne couldn't stay healthy. Garrett built the O-line and after going 12-4 with DeMarco Murray and getting royally screwed by the refs in Green Bay the Cowboys struggled because Tony Romo got hurt the following year. People forget that Zeke Elliott was drafted to replace DeMarco Murray's production in 2014 in 2016 and it was going to be for the benefit of Romo. Romo got hurt in preseason and Dak, whether you agree or disagree, the Cowboys went on a run after losing the first game of the year that ultimately cost Romo his job. Dak and the Cowboys lost to the Packers yet again in the playoffs at home this time. In 2017 Zeke had all his legal issues with the NFL over his alleged domestic violence that eventually led to a 6 game suspension. Again, not Jason Garrett's fault. In 2018 the Cowboys struggled until they got Amari Cooper and they went on a run that got them back into the playoffs but a disappointing loss to the Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs. It wasn't Jason Garrett's fault the defense couldn't stop Todd Gurley and CJ Anderson. This year the Cowboys had a new Offensive Coordinator because people hated Scott Linehan's play calling. In Kellen Moore they got a guy who was in love with the pass. The trouble was and continues to be the Cowboys QB isn't very accurate most of the time and the offense was built around the run. I have heard people say that Zeke got that big contract this past summer and he's under performing based on expectations around that contract. I say look again. In 2019 Zeke gained 1357 yards rushing and added another 420 receiving. The trouble was, there were too many games when the Cowboys (read, Kellen Moore) gave up too early on the run game. There were games when Zeke had fewer than 20 total touches in the game which is ridiculous. You can blame Moore for lousy play calling, and believe me I did quite often, but ultimately that was Garrett's fault. Garrett could have laid down the law on Moore to stay true to what the Cowboys offense was built around. But, he didn't and that was his fault. What hasn't been his fault is the continual failurez of the Cowboys defense. Whether it was led by Paul Pascualoni, Rob Ryan, Monte Kiffin or Rod Marinelli they all had one thing in common, they all led defenses that let the Cowboys down on a consistent basis. Rod Marinelli was a coach that the players loved but I honestly believe the 'Tampa 2' defense that Marinelli had success with in Tampa and Chicago may be a defense that is past its prime. It was a novel idea back in the day but NFL teams have had over two decades to figure out how to beat it and when Dallas has needed a stop by that defense they hardly ever get it. That fact dates way back before Garrett became coach.

 

I think maybe it's time for a change in Dallas but that doesn't mean a coach that won Coach of the Year in 2016 and a coach who led his teams to the playoffs every single year his QB or RB were healthy or not suspended deserves some respect. Even this year, his players always played hard for him it's just this year, for whatever reason, the team didn't win when it counted. This particular team was not clutch at all. Jaylon Smith said it best in the locker room after Sunday's season finale, (....it wasn't about scheme it was about execution and we didn't execute like we should have. That's on the players."

"He" is Jerry Jones. JJ could have stopped this .500 ball, at anytime, but he didn't, that's on him, and I'm hoping he is still having a really, really bad day. Garrett was HC. The OC and DC bucks stopped with him. If there were problems, and both sides had them, Garrett was the guy to fix them or walk but he never took either path. The team was up and it was down like a roller coaster, that's on Garrett and JJ.

 

Personal wise Garrett is a nice guy but, after 10 years of basically .500 ball, with only three trips to the playoffs, a sub .500 playoff record, it doesn't look like he is NFL HC material. I wish JG and his family the best but it's time, it's past time. As for JJ, I'm still hoping, that he is having a really, really bad day.

"He" is Jerry Jones. JJ could have stopped this .500 ball, at anytime, but he didn't, that's on him, and I'm hoping he is still having a really, really bad day. Garrett was HC. The OC and DC bucks stopped with him. If there were problems, and both sides had them, Garrett was the guy to fix them or walk but he never took either path. The team was up and it was down like a roller coaster, that's on Garrett and JJ.

 

Personal wise Garrett is a nice guy but, after 10 years of basically .500 ball, with only three trips to the playoffs, a sub .500 playoff record, it doesn't look like he is NFL HC material. I wish JG and his family the best but it's time, it's past time. As for JJ, I'm still hoping, that he is having a really, really bad day.

 

I guess I can't really argue with anything you had to say. If Jason Garrett is really gone I predict he will end up in Cleveland where they could really use Garrett's stability and consistency. I think if Garrett has a little more power over his staff and with the talent that is already there Cleveland would get much better in a hurry. Garrett has ties to Cleveland and the job makes the most sense for him. The only thing to derail him is if JJ dicks around before letting him go and the jobs are all taken.

Jones's greatest fear is to have a public acceptance, that his legacy, as a GM, was a total failure. To that end, he is pulling something. For personal reasons, he wants JG to stay and JG probably wants to stay but, at the same time, JG is not working out, as an HC, and JJ's legacy can't afford to have JG be successful somewhere else. JJ must be reshuffling the front office, in order, to find a spot for JG. That's what I think and , by the way, screw Jerry Jones and his B*llsh*t.

Exactly one week after the final game of the 2019 season the Cowboys announced that Jason Garrett is not going to the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, that the team is moving on without him. The Cowboys website and ESPN have reported the parting of ways correctly while NFL.com has reported that Garrett has been fired. This isn’t the case, Garrett has not been ‘fired’ in the traditional sense of the word. I believe the situation will become official when Garrett’s current contract runs out on January 14th. The Cowboys are not signing him to a new deal, they are just moving on. The story broke yesterday when a source for ESPN reporter Ed Werter, who is ESPN’s beat writer for the Cowboys reported it and later in the day Jerry Jones confirmed the story with a press release. In the release, Jones praised Garrett for his 20 years with the Cowboys as a player and a coach and pointed out his dedication and consistent quest for excellence on a daily basis.

 

What’s next? The Cowboys have indicated they are looking for a coach with NFL experience and was a winner. Over the weekend the Cowboys interviewed former Cincinnati Bengal coach Marvin Lewis and former Packers head man Mike McCarthy. This was done even before the news of Jason Garrett’s status broke. There just aren’t that many head coaching candidates that fill the criteria out there. I can tell you, I really don’t want Marvin Lewis. He did win a lot of games in Cincy and they made the playoffs a lot but the Bengals did not win a single playoff game under him. McCarthy had pretty much complete autonomy in Green Bay and he had success there but his relationship with QB Aaron Rodgers became dysfunctional after McCarthy let Jordy Nelson go. After just 12 games of the 2018 season the Packers fired McCarthy. McCarthy might be a good choice as long as he gets to choose his staff. Obviously, the search has begun.

 

UPDATE: A co-worker of mine came in my office saying that Mike McCarthy has been hired as the Cowboys new head coach. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports has broken the news but no confirmation available on either the Cowboys website, NFL.com or ESPN.

 

What about Jason Garrett? His name has been linked to the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns. Both could be good jobs because both teams have talented players to build around. The Giants have struggled since firing Tom Coughlin with some pretty shaky coaching moves. Garrett also has ties with the Cleveland community and Garrett’s consistent message would be great for a roster that seems to have self-control issues. Garrett would be the adult in the room the Browns are sorely lacking. Under Freddie Kitchens the Browns seemed very undisciplined and lacked a lot of class and poise. The firing of GM John Dorsey is crazy since it was Dorsey who acquired what has been called the most talented roster in football in his two years as GM. The Browns seem to be going the way of analytics with their analytics guru Paul Depodesta who is the Browns Chief Strategy Officer - whatever that means. Brown owner Jimmy Haslam wanted Depodesta more than he wanted Dorsey - just that simple. It will be very interesting to see where Garrett ends up. I would rather Jason go to Cleveland but the organization under Haslam has been unstable to say the very least. 10 head coaches since 2008 and 6 GM’s in the last 7 years. People think Jerry Jones is meddlesome, he ain’t got nuthin on Haslam.