bubba9497
December-29th-2008, 03:02 PM
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/columnists/randy_galloway/story/1114814.html
Click link for entire article
Owner Jones is first, but not last, to blame for Cowboys’ gutless loss
PHILADELPHIA — Jerry loves Wade. Wade loves his job, which is the highest paying puppet gig in the world. Jerry loves his team. His team loves Jerry, who grossly overpays for heartless, foolish and don’t- really-give-a-damn behavior.
And then came the reality of Sunday, the final weekend of an NFL season that was already slipping south on the Cowboys. But the way it all ended here, with the scoreboard showing a 44-6 humiliation delivered by the Philadelphia Eagles, and with the entire NFL laughing at Jones’ Jokers, laughing at the greatest collection of choke artists in the game, wouldn’t you think:
Love stinks? You can’t buy love? Blow up this leaking Love Boat?
Sorry, but common sense doesn’t apply.
"Are we going to change coaches? The answer is no," said Jerry, feeling the postgame pain, but surprisingly not necessarily showing the anger that might be expected from an owner who just flushed many millions in attempting this season to buy a winner.
Wade stays. The entire coaching staff stays. Outside of the usual end-of-season, bottom-of-the-roster shuffling, the core of players, even with their current tag of "losers," will stay the same.
One more time. Nothing changes, human-wise, as Jerry would continue to emphasize. And no, for those asking at home, there won’t be a dedicated football man coming in to relieve Jones of his GM title. Silly you for even asking.
By the way, don’t doubt Jerry’s sincerity here. Don’t think this was just immediate postgame rambling from Jones. As stupid as it sounded, he’s serious. Jerry is very stubborn that way. Admitting a mistake is not his way. Wade walks. They all walk, including Tony Romo, who was flat awful here Sunday, and regressed badly over the course of the season.
Then again, the Detroit Lions went winless for ’08, but the league did have a lower-form of football humanity. The Cowboys went gutless. Put Tampa Bay in the mix, but the most gutless team of ’08 was, by far, the ...
Mr. Jones’ false football prophets came face-to-face here Sunday with all the expectations and hype of a weird year. There was, however, one last chance for redemption. Win, and you’re in the playoffs.
Then one small detail surfaced right before the opening kickoff. Due to a strange day in the NFL, with Tampa upset at home by the Raiders, and with the Bears losing at Houston, suddenly the Eagles’ miniscule playoff chances were alive and well.
All Philly had to do Sunday was the same as the Cowboys had to do. Win, and be in.
Without a doubt, this game was over at that point, 10 minutes before the opening kickoff, and the crowd at the Linc quickly became a howling mob in a frenzy.
From then on, everything was exposed about the Cowboys, but certainly Jason Garrett’s offensive game plan, certainly Romo, certainly the offensive line, certainly the receivers, and certainly anything Mr. Fix-It had planned for his defense. Not to pick on one guy, but, gawd, Pacman Jones, you really have to be the most overrated player in football. Well, either the PacRat or Romo. Let’s call it even.
"We aren’t the team we thought we were. We have the best talent in the NFL," said Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman, "but we aren’t the team we thought we were."
First, we can now all question that "best talent" description. More importantly — and listen up here, Terence — talent doesn’t automatically translate into a T-E-A-M concept. This is not a T-E-A-M. This is a collection of over-paid talent with a weak, pat-everybody-on-the-butt head coach.
Jones, strangely, didn’t even dispute a question about his head coach being weak and soft. Instead, Jerry said his own off-season leadership role now becomes tough taskmaster.
"You take everybody to the woodshed," he said. "Pain like this can create a different approach from everyone, and all this was certainly painful."
Get ready for this: After a visit to Jerry’s woodshed, Wade suddenly does a Vince Lombardi impersonation. OK, maybe not.
Jerry, however, added, "I’m going to evaluate everything. There will, obviously, be changes, just not human changes."
Feeling better already, everybody? Jerry will do the large and in-charge evaluating and then get back to us.
But the bottom line of this Cowboys’ disgrace is the head coach sent a lifeless, heartless team on the field against a suddenly jacked-up opponent, when that opponent had actually had more problems over the course of the season than even Wade’s club.
At that point, however, to quote Newman again, "the game is in the hands of the players, not the coaches."
Romo’s hands, among many, were not good for the team. Tony now faces many months of off-season doubt, at least triple the doubt of past off-seasons. Romo’s only consolation is he’s one among many when it comes to rampant Valley Ranch doubt, except he’s the QB, and that’s the worst kind of football doubt.
"But we have a plan in place, and I’m sticking with the plan," said Jones.
Love all, overpay all. That’s the stupidity of this plan. And for the Cowboys, it’s also the legacy of a failed franchise that is now 12 years and counting without a playoff win.
Blame Jerry first. Then everyone else comes in alphabetical order.
Click link for entire article
Owner Jones is first, but not last, to blame for Cowboys’ gutless loss
PHILADELPHIA — Jerry loves Wade. Wade loves his job, which is the highest paying puppet gig in the world. Jerry loves his team. His team loves Jerry, who grossly overpays for heartless, foolish and don’t- really-give-a-damn behavior.
And then came the reality of Sunday, the final weekend of an NFL season that was already slipping south on the Cowboys. But the way it all ended here, with the scoreboard showing a 44-6 humiliation delivered by the Philadelphia Eagles, and with the entire NFL laughing at Jones’ Jokers, laughing at the greatest collection of choke artists in the game, wouldn’t you think:
Love stinks? You can’t buy love? Blow up this leaking Love Boat?
Sorry, but common sense doesn’t apply.
"Are we going to change coaches? The answer is no," said Jerry, feeling the postgame pain, but surprisingly not necessarily showing the anger that might be expected from an owner who just flushed many millions in attempting this season to buy a winner.
Wade stays. The entire coaching staff stays. Outside of the usual end-of-season, bottom-of-the-roster shuffling, the core of players, even with their current tag of "losers," will stay the same.
One more time. Nothing changes, human-wise, as Jerry would continue to emphasize. And no, for those asking at home, there won’t be a dedicated football man coming in to relieve Jones of his GM title. Silly you for even asking.
By the way, don’t doubt Jerry’s sincerity here. Don’t think this was just immediate postgame rambling from Jones. As stupid as it sounded, he’s serious. Jerry is very stubborn that way. Admitting a mistake is not his way. Wade walks. They all walk, including Tony Romo, who was flat awful here Sunday, and regressed badly over the course of the season.
Then again, the Detroit Lions went winless for ’08, but the league did have a lower-form of football humanity. The Cowboys went gutless. Put Tampa Bay in the mix, but the most gutless team of ’08 was, by far, the ...
Mr. Jones’ false football prophets came face-to-face here Sunday with all the expectations and hype of a weird year. There was, however, one last chance for redemption. Win, and you’re in the playoffs.
Then one small detail surfaced right before the opening kickoff. Due to a strange day in the NFL, with Tampa upset at home by the Raiders, and with the Bears losing at Houston, suddenly the Eagles’ miniscule playoff chances were alive and well.
All Philly had to do Sunday was the same as the Cowboys had to do. Win, and be in.
Without a doubt, this game was over at that point, 10 minutes before the opening kickoff, and the crowd at the Linc quickly became a howling mob in a frenzy.
From then on, everything was exposed about the Cowboys, but certainly Jason Garrett’s offensive game plan, certainly Romo, certainly the offensive line, certainly the receivers, and certainly anything Mr. Fix-It had planned for his defense. Not to pick on one guy, but, gawd, Pacman Jones, you really have to be the most overrated player in football. Well, either the PacRat or Romo. Let’s call it even.
"We aren’t the team we thought we were. We have the best talent in the NFL," said Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman, "but we aren’t the team we thought we were."
First, we can now all question that "best talent" description. More importantly — and listen up here, Terence — talent doesn’t automatically translate into a T-E-A-M concept. This is not a T-E-A-M. This is a collection of over-paid talent with a weak, pat-everybody-on-the-butt head coach.
Jones, strangely, didn’t even dispute a question about his head coach being weak and soft. Instead, Jerry said his own off-season leadership role now becomes tough taskmaster.
"You take everybody to the woodshed," he said. "Pain like this can create a different approach from everyone, and all this was certainly painful."
Get ready for this: After a visit to Jerry’s woodshed, Wade suddenly does a Vince Lombardi impersonation. OK, maybe not.
Jerry, however, added, "I’m going to evaluate everything. There will, obviously, be changes, just not human changes."
Feeling better already, everybody? Jerry will do the large and in-charge evaluating and then get back to us.
But the bottom line of this Cowboys’ disgrace is the head coach sent a lifeless, heartless team on the field against a suddenly jacked-up opponent, when that opponent had actually had more problems over the course of the season than even Wade’s club.
At that point, however, to quote Newman again, "the game is in the hands of the players, not the coaches."
Romo’s hands, among many, were not good for the team. Tony now faces many months of off-season doubt, at least triple the doubt of past off-seasons. Romo’s only consolation is he’s one among many when it comes to rampant Valley Ranch doubt, except he’s the QB, and that’s the worst kind of football doubt.
"But we have a plan in place, and I’m sticking with the plan," said Jones.
Love all, overpay all. That’s the stupidity of this plan. And for the Cowboys, it’s also the legacy of a failed franchise that is now 12 years and counting without a playoff win.
Blame Jerry first. Then everyone else comes in alphabetical order.