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November-13th-2010, 01:48 PM
http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/11/12/2627710/analysis-cowboys-arent-as-good.html
By Clarence E. Hill Jr.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones admitted being in denial about coach Wade Phillips and the team over the past couple of weeks.
The 45-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers served as a wake-up call for him. He finally realized that Phillips was no longer the answer as head coach.
During the news conference announcing Phillips' firing and the selection of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett as interim coach, Jones was asked if he was still in denial about the team's talent.
"I think it's fair to ask the question," Jones said. "I have spent a little time here talking about what we want to see in these next eight games ... So eight games is a lifetime in football to some degree.
"I want to see players here that play in a winning way. It's pretty obvious we haven't been playing in a winning way. That encompasses a lot of things. It goes a lot of ways other than being physical."
The reason the Cowboys are 1-7 is not because of a lack of talent.:ols:
It's because they have played dumb football. They have not always been prepared. And they have been let down by the coaches who have made strategic mistakes in design and play calling.
It started in the season opener against the Washington Redskins when Garrett called a pass play with 4 seconds left in the first half instead of calling for a kneeldown.
Regarding the initial question about talent, Jones refused to give a straight answer because he is still in denial about the talent on this team.
The Cowboys have a few star players -- including quarterback Tony Romo, tight end Jason Witten, receivers Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, nose tackle Jay Ratliff and linebacker DeMarcus Ware -- and some nice pieces in tackle Doug Free, linebacker Anthony Spencer, punter Mat McBriar and cornerback Terence Newman.
But that's it.
This notion that the Cowboys have an abundance of talent, as Jones continued to peddle on Friday, is not true.
The Cowboys have made huge draft mistakes and bad personnel decisions that are coming back to haunt them.
The offensive line is old and downtrodden.
The running backs have always been a little overrated and now are simply unproductive.
The defensive line, now injury depleted, was always average at best, save for Ratliff. And the same can be said for the linebackers not named Ware. Keith Brooking and Bradie James are solid, inspirational warriors but aren't Pro Bowlers.
Certainly, there are players who are underperforming.
Bottom line: This is not the talent-laden bunch it's been made out to be.
Garrett will undoubtedly get this team to play with more effort and passion over the next eight weeks.
Hard work without talent is a pipe dream.
Talent without hard work is a nightmare.
Contrary to popular thinking, the Cowboys are more of the former than the latter at this point.
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/11/12/2627710/analysis-cowboys-arent-as-good.html#ixzz15C3L9OaL
By Clarence E. Hill Jr.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones admitted being in denial about coach Wade Phillips and the team over the past couple of weeks.
The 45-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers served as a wake-up call for him. He finally realized that Phillips was no longer the answer as head coach.
During the news conference announcing Phillips' firing and the selection of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett as interim coach, Jones was asked if he was still in denial about the team's talent.
"I think it's fair to ask the question," Jones said. "I have spent a little time here talking about what we want to see in these next eight games ... So eight games is a lifetime in football to some degree.
"I want to see players here that play in a winning way. It's pretty obvious we haven't been playing in a winning way. That encompasses a lot of things. It goes a lot of ways other than being physical."
The reason the Cowboys are 1-7 is not because of a lack of talent.:ols:
It's because they have played dumb football. They have not always been prepared. And they have been let down by the coaches who have made strategic mistakes in design and play calling.
It started in the season opener against the Washington Redskins when Garrett called a pass play with 4 seconds left in the first half instead of calling for a kneeldown.
Regarding the initial question about talent, Jones refused to give a straight answer because he is still in denial about the talent on this team.
The Cowboys have a few star players -- including quarterback Tony Romo, tight end Jason Witten, receivers Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, nose tackle Jay Ratliff and linebacker DeMarcus Ware -- and some nice pieces in tackle Doug Free, linebacker Anthony Spencer, punter Mat McBriar and cornerback Terence Newman.
But that's it.
This notion that the Cowboys have an abundance of talent, as Jones continued to peddle on Friday, is not true.
The Cowboys have made huge draft mistakes and bad personnel decisions that are coming back to haunt them.
The offensive line is old and downtrodden.
The running backs have always been a little overrated and now are simply unproductive.
The defensive line, now injury depleted, was always average at best, save for Ratliff. And the same can be said for the linebackers not named Ware. Keith Brooking and Bradie James are solid, inspirational warriors but aren't Pro Bowlers.
Certainly, there are players who are underperforming.
Bottom line: This is not the talent-laden bunch it's been made out to be.
Garrett will undoubtedly get this team to play with more effort and passion over the next eight weeks.
Hard work without talent is a pipe dream.
Talent without hard work is a nightmare.
Contrary to popular thinking, the Cowboys are more of the former than the latter at this point.
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/11/12/2627710/analysis-cowboys-arent-as-good.html#ixzz15C3L9OaL