Are the Dallas Cowboys for real?
It is now five days after the Dallas Cowboys beat the New Orleans Saints. This game took place in New Orleans — in the Superdome. The New Orleans Saints were undefeated. They played some great football. Drew Brees had demonstrated that he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The New Orleans defense was collecting turnovers like kids collect baseball cards.
The Dallas Cowboys have been stuck in a mode that I will label “Groundhogs Day.” This is where early in the season they come out and have some magnificent performances. Then, in the middle of the season, there are some mediocre performances. They save they’re really horrendous showings for the end of the season. We’ve seen this each of the last three seasons. In September, the Cowboys look like they are bound for the Super Bowl. By December, people are wondering if they are the same team that everybody thought was going to win the Super Bowl back in September. The Cowboys looked mediocre in their last two losses against the San Diego Chargers and the New York Giants. The song and dance were the same. Parts of the Cowboys performance looked good, other parts looked okay and then there were parts that made you want to vomit. Missed field goals. Offenses and defenses penalties. Ridiculous special team lapses. This is what the Dallas Cowboys took into the Superdome.
I must admit, I’m a huge Dallas Cowboys fan. My father took me to my first Dallas Cowboys football game when they were still playing in the Cotton Bowl. I’ve been a fan ever since. I overanalyze the Cowboys like many fans. I talked to my sister the night before the game, she is also a huge Cowboys fan, and we discussed ways that the Cowboys can win. After each scenario, we just laughed. The reason we laughed was because the Dallas Cowboys have not shown up for a big game in 5-10 years. An excellent example would’ve been the Cowboys game versus the Green Bay Packers earlier this year.
The Dallas Cowboys came out and dominated the first quarter. They scored twice. The Dallas Cowboys have not scored on an opening drive at all this year. They scored two touchdowns on their first two possessions. The Cowboys did not turn the ball over. There were a few stupid penalties but only a few. There were two other major mistakes which almost cost the Cowboys game. There’s a third-down drop by Roy Williams (who should have been cut by now) and the missed field goal by Nick Folk which would have given the Dallas Cowboys a two score lead with less than two minutes to play. The good news is that Nick Folk has been cut. The bad news is I’m not sure that what we got to replace him is any good.
So, back to the original question — are the Dallas Cowboys for real? I don’t know. I do know this, when the Dallas Cowboys were beating everybody in the early to mid-1990s, you never knew who would step up and make a play. There were all of these second and third string players would come up with a big hit, a big interception, big sack or key block that would help springboard the Dallas Cowboys to victory. It was truly a team effort. This is exactly what has to happen and what did happen in New Orleans. Mike Jenkins, Anthony Spencer made huge plays. (Anthony Spencer was so badly during the Denver Bronco game, then I called for him to be fired on the spot.) Keith Brookings, Demarcus Ware, Brady James and Terence Newman had huge games but they are the superstars. They are supposed to play great and they did which is new for the Dallas Cowboys. On offense, the same thing happened. Marion Barber and Felix Jones and Miles Austin had monster games. But Patrick Crayton had a huge catch and so did John Phillips. Tony Romo did not throw an interception. For the most part, he made great decisions with the football. If everybody can continue to step up and play big, the Cowboys will go deep into the playoffs.
The Cowboys have a huge test this week against the Washington Redskins. The Redskins were humiliated on national TV by the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. The game was over at halftime. I suspect the Redskins will play better — much better, against the Cowboys. The Cowboys need this game if there’s any hope of catching the Philadelphia Eagles. Are the Cowboys for real? Their performance this Sunday will go a long way toward telling us if they’re serious.
