I don't have just a whole lot to say about the Dallas - Foreskin game tomorrow. Washington can make the playoffs tomorrow with a win so you know they will be going full speed from start to finish. Dallas, on the other hand, has already secured a #1 seed in the NFC, 1st rd. bye and home field advantage through out the playoffs. Even if they lose tomorrow that will not change. So, I expect Dallas to treat the game tomorrow like a preseason game where the starters, that do play, will only play about half the game...at most. Which means Dallas will probably lose by 10-14 points.
I do hold out a glimmer of hope that Dallas' JV team will play balls out and maybe even have a small chance of winning. Terry Glenn is playing some tomorrow (if it doesn't rain) and getting him back, even if he isn't 100%, is a great thing. However, I think Dallas' game plan, on both sides of the ball, will be very vanilla and they won't show much of what they are planning for the playoffs.
Sweeping Washington, especially if it mean knocking them out of playoff contention, would be sweet however a Super Bowl victory would be 10 times better. So, I'm willing to take a loss tomorrow if it means going deep in the playoffs and possibly going to the Super Bowl.
My prediction: Washington 24, Dallas 13
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Damn Patriots
Damn Patriots. There really isn't a damn thing I like about that team, not the least is their cheat for a coach. I really wish Goodell had taken away more draft picks, fined the team more and suspended Belicheat several games, but oh well. I was a serious G-Men fan tonight man. In fact, I kinda feel a little the same way as if Dallas would have lost. Some people want to see New England go undefeated but I'm certainly not one of them. Unfortunately, that may happen but I will not regard this as one of the best teams ever...even if just for spite.
And yes, that is really the way I feel about it.
And yes, that is really the way I feel about it.
Friday, December 21, 2007
December Swoon or No?
Well, Dallas plays Carolina tomorrow night on the NFL Network and to be honest I’m not sure where this thing sits. I have gone back and forth in my head about how I think this could go. And make no mistake…even though Carolina is 6-8, they will bring it tomorrow night. For those that think this will be a walk in the park, I would say to remember what happened to Seattle last week. Seattle, which was in the midst of a 5 game win streak and playing some good football, got beat 13-10 by Carolina. Carolina may have some issues at QB but they still have a pretty stout defense and considering Dallas will be playing without their starting center this week, Carolina’s defensive line could wreak some havoc.
As far as Carolina’s offense goes, they are rolling with Matt Moore at QB this week, which is their 4th starting QB this season. Matt Moore was actually in training camp with Dallas and when he got into a couple of preseason games, he did quite well. Dallas didn’t have room for Moore on the team but wanted to sign him to the practice squad. However, Carolina picked him up and signed him to their team before Dallas could sign him back to their practice squad. Even though Moore is a rookie, it should be noted that he has some skills (as evidenced by the win last week vs. Seattle) and shouldn’t be dismissed as simply a “rookie replacement” QB. In fact, in the few preseason games he got in, Moore looked a little like Romo. If Dallas’ defense treats Moore the way they treated Aaron Rogers a few weeks ago when Dallas played Green Bay, Moore will do some damage. Carolina has a few potent offensive weapons and since Dallas is missing Roy Williams this week, Carolina’s offense could get rolling if the Cowboys defense falls asleep.
The Cowboys really need to rebound from the loss to the Eagles last week for several reasons. First and foremost, Dallas has to get home field advantage. To do that, they must win their last two games. Romo has been raked over the coals this week being portrayed as someone easily distracted by blond bombshells (bogus!) so it would behoove him to bounce back and have a solid game. And it would do the team good to bounce back and have a solid game to prove to themselves that December is NOT their enemy (Dallas has not had a winning record in December since 1997). Last season, Dallas was rolling and was seen as a probable Super Bowl team until December hit. They lost 3 of their final 4 games and limped into the playoffs as a Wild Card team. So, not only do the Cowboys need to prove to their fan base there will be no December swoon but they also need to prove it to themselves.
However, I think Dallas is going to do what it takes to win this game. The game may not be easy and it could even be close throughout. But, in the end, Dallas is still 12-2 for a reason, is the better team and I think will have too much for Carolina to hang. I believe Dallas will probably win by 7-10 points although I won’t be surprised if it’s less than a 7 point difference. Prediction: Dallas 24, Carolina 14.
As far as Carolina’s offense goes, they are rolling with Matt Moore at QB this week, which is their 4th starting QB this season. Matt Moore was actually in training camp with Dallas and when he got into a couple of preseason games, he did quite well. Dallas didn’t have room for Moore on the team but wanted to sign him to the practice squad. However, Carolina picked him up and signed him to their team before Dallas could sign him back to their practice squad. Even though Moore is a rookie, it should be noted that he has some skills (as evidenced by the win last week vs. Seattle) and shouldn’t be dismissed as simply a “rookie replacement” QB. In fact, in the few preseason games he got in, Moore looked a little like Romo. If Dallas’ defense treats Moore the way they treated Aaron Rogers a few weeks ago when Dallas played Green Bay, Moore will do some damage. Carolina has a few potent offensive weapons and since Dallas is missing Roy Williams this week, Carolina’s offense could get rolling if the Cowboys defense falls asleep.
The Cowboys really need to rebound from the loss to the Eagles last week for several reasons. First and foremost, Dallas has to get home field advantage. To do that, they must win their last two games. Romo has been raked over the coals this week being portrayed as someone easily distracted by blond bombshells (bogus!) so it would behoove him to bounce back and have a solid game. And it would do the team good to bounce back and have a solid game to prove to themselves that December is NOT their enemy (Dallas has not had a winning record in December since 1997). Last season, Dallas was rolling and was seen as a probable Super Bowl team until December hit. They lost 3 of their final 4 games and limped into the playoffs as a Wild Card team. So, not only do the Cowboys need to prove to their fan base there will be no December swoon but they also need to prove it to themselves.
However, I think Dallas is going to do what it takes to win this game. The game may not be easy and it could even be close throughout. But, in the end, Dallas is still 12-2 for a reason, is the better team and I think will have too much for Carolina to hang. I believe Dallas will probably win by 7-10 points although I won’t be surprised if it’s less than a 7 point difference. Prediction: Dallas 24, Carolina 14.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Roy Williams and Jessica Simpson
I can honestly say that I never expected to post a blog with Jessica Simpson’s name anywhere in it. I can also say that I don’t care about Jessica Simpson, in the least (which I’m sure she’s loosing sleep over) and don’t know what she has done recently worth noting besides being linked to Tony Romo. However, I did want to chime in on all the banter regarding the two and the effect I think she had on Sunday’s game vs. the Filthadelphia Foul.
This isn’t high school or college for that matter. We are talking about professional football and the players do this for a living. Do I think Simpson had an adverse effect on Romo which is why he played like crap? No, I don’t. Romo had a bad game for whatever reason. How many bad games has Farve or Manning had in their careers? Quite a few for both of them. It has been reported that Simpson was in attendance for the last 3 games…2 of which Romo played great. You know, IF Romo had driven the team down for a winning TD (like the week before in Detroit) then I don't think there would be one tenth of the people talking about it than there are now. The problem was Fox showing her up in a suite about every ten minutes during the game. If Fox had not even shown her, this would be a non issue.
People are saying that the only two times he has had a blond bombshell girlfriend at the game is when he played poorly. Well, as far as I know, he didn’t invite Carrie Underwood or Jessica Simpson up to Seattle to watch the playoff game last year which ended when he failed to control a snap for a game winning field goal. And, as sited above, Jessica Simpson has been to more games than this past Sunday’s game vs. the Foul. Speaking of Filthadelpia, I don't think you can glaze over the fact that Dallas was playing the Eagles both times when Romo had his bad games. Filthadelpia almost always plays their best when playing Dallas. I mean, it’s not like Dallas lost 35-7 to Atlanta, Oakland, or Miami. So, I don’t think anyone sitting in the stands had an effect, good or bad, on Romo. He is a professional and he is better than that.
Now, on to Roy Williams. I was asked by a friend yesterday if I agreed with Roy being suspended on Saturday for the “horse collar tackle” he made on McNabb on Sunday. I can whole heartedly say I do agree with him being suspended. The “horse collar tackle” was made illegal by the Competition Committee (of which Jerry Jones is a member) a couple of years ago BECAUSE of Roy Williams. The committee outlawed this because Roy seriously hurt 3 different players (one of which was T.O. Owens) tackling them this way. McNabb was pretty damn lucky he didn’t blow out his knee, or worse, Sunday when Roy tackled him like that. And what’s worse is that Roy didn’t have to tackle McNabb that way. He could have brought him down by taking out McNabb’s legs…McNabb wasn’t that far in front of Roy. It is laziness on Roy’s part and generally he has to employ the “horse collar” because he is out of position anyway. The reason I am totally on board with his suspension is that even though the “horse collar tackle” has been outlawed for a couple of years now, Roy keeps doing it. He has been flagged multiple times THIS YEAR for this and it is apparent that fines do not deter him from it. So, if fines don’t work the next step is suspension.
Dallas’ defense will miss Roy, there’s no doubt about it. Roy is at, or near, the top of the team in tackles and he is a presence which offenses need to account for. But, if a suspension is the only way to get his attention, then I am all for it.
This isn’t high school or college for that matter. We are talking about professional football and the players do this for a living. Do I think Simpson had an adverse effect on Romo which is why he played like crap? No, I don’t. Romo had a bad game for whatever reason. How many bad games has Farve or Manning had in their careers? Quite a few for both of them. It has been reported that Simpson was in attendance for the last 3 games…2 of which Romo played great. You know, IF Romo had driven the team down for a winning TD (like the week before in Detroit) then I don't think there would be one tenth of the people talking about it than there are now. The problem was Fox showing her up in a suite about every ten minutes during the game. If Fox had not even shown her, this would be a non issue.
People are saying that the only two times he has had a blond bombshell girlfriend at the game is when he played poorly. Well, as far as I know, he didn’t invite Carrie Underwood or Jessica Simpson up to Seattle to watch the playoff game last year which ended when he failed to control a snap for a game winning field goal. And, as sited above, Jessica Simpson has been to more games than this past Sunday’s game vs. the Foul. Speaking of Filthadelpia, I don't think you can glaze over the fact that Dallas was playing the Eagles both times when Romo had his bad games. Filthadelpia almost always plays their best when playing Dallas. I mean, it’s not like Dallas lost 35-7 to Atlanta, Oakland, or Miami. So, I don’t think anyone sitting in the stands had an effect, good or bad, on Romo. He is a professional and he is better than that.
Now, on to Roy Williams. I was asked by a friend yesterday if I agreed with Roy being suspended on Saturday for the “horse collar tackle” he made on McNabb on Sunday. I can whole heartedly say I do agree with him being suspended. The “horse collar tackle” was made illegal by the Competition Committee (of which Jerry Jones is a member) a couple of years ago BECAUSE of Roy Williams. The committee outlawed this because Roy seriously hurt 3 different players (one of which was T.O. Owens) tackling them this way. McNabb was pretty damn lucky he didn’t blow out his knee, or worse, Sunday when Roy tackled him like that. And what’s worse is that Roy didn’t have to tackle McNabb that way. He could have brought him down by taking out McNabb’s legs…McNabb wasn’t that far in front of Roy. It is laziness on Roy’s part and generally he has to employ the “horse collar” because he is out of position anyway. The reason I am totally on board with his suspension is that even though the “horse collar tackle” has been outlawed for a couple of years now, Roy keeps doing it. He has been flagged multiple times THIS YEAR for this and it is apparent that fines do not deter him from it. So, if fines don’t work the next step is suspension.
Dallas’ defense will miss Roy, there’s no doubt about it. Roy is at, or near, the top of the team in tackles and he is a presence which offenses need to account for. But, if a suspension is the only way to get his attention, then I am all for it.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Where Did You Go Tony Romo?
Well, the bad game the Cowboys' defense had last week was just that...a bad game. Because today, they did a pretty decent job defending the Filthadelphia. If you would have told me before the game that the Eagles would only score 10 points the whole game, I would have told you that Dallas blew them out by 25+ points. But not this game. Not today.
No, today's game was eerily reminiscent, in one way, of the game these two teams played last Christmas. And that way, was the play of Romo. There have been games this year when Romo started off slow but finished hot (i.e. the Monday night Buffalo game). There have been other games where it took Romo well into the second quarter to get going. But today, he just never got it there. Even when I thought, "ok, that was the throw/play that is going to get him back on track"...it just never materialized for him today.
Romo, did have his worst game as a Cowboy today. He was horrific almost all day. His QB rating for the game was around 22 (he averages over 100). He completed 13 of 36 passes (36%), was sacked 4 times and threw 3 INTs. I don't know where his head was but it certainly wasn't on the football field. Everyone else did their part. Witten was reliable (as usual), when Barber got the ball he ran it pretty well, Patrick Crayton had a couple of nice catches and the defense, for the most part, did a good job. Romo just didn't close the deal.
On Dallas' final drive, I thought the same thing that I thought last week when Romo orchestrated the winning TD against Detroit. And the Eagles were there for the taking. But Romo handed the game to them on a silver platter with that last INT. If it were ANY team by Filthadelplia...and I mean ANY team. Just knowing that Foul fans were out at Texas Stadium crowing about their Eagles victory made me burn. But then I remembered that they aren't going to the playoffs...so that made me feel a bit better.
Since the game has ended and I have calmed down some, I am willing to chalk this up to being a bad game from Romo. He has had so many great games this year so I think he has earned that. However, since I don't think Green Bay is going to lose either of their two remaining games, Romo has now put the team in a position where they have to win their two remaining games to get home field...which means no rest for starters in the Washington game.
Two things during the game (besides Romo's crappy play) that made my bald spot get bigger in diameter:
-If I see another shot of Jessica Simpson watching the game from a suite, I am personally going to go down to Texas Stadium and break every camera Fox has. I DON'T CARE ABOUT JESSICA SIMPSON!!! In fact, I would rather NOT know who Romo is cavorting with. That way, I won't be tempted to think SHE is the reason he played so poorly today. I am watching a football game...not her so keep the damn cameras off her! That made me CRAZY!
-The next time Roy Williams horse collars somebody, sit his butt on the bench for the remainder of the game. Hey Roy, don't you know that rule was created FOR YOU smart guy?!?! Here's a hot tip: learn to tackle without using the horse collar! You will get called on it EVERY time. Why? Because it's your rule. Be in position and take good angles on opposing players running in your direction and you won't need the horse collar. I almost broke our TV when he did that. Stupid, stupid, stupid! As you can tell, that made me crazy too.
No, the sky is not falling...it's just Dallas' 2nd loss of the season. However, they better get their act together or they will be going up to Lambeau field in mid January which I KNOW the don't want to do. Romo needs to put this game behind him and start working on Carolina tomorrow. Carolina, BTW, beat Seattle today so they can't be taken lightly.
Here ends the rant.
No, today's game was eerily reminiscent, in one way, of the game these two teams played last Christmas. And that way, was the play of Romo. There have been games this year when Romo started off slow but finished hot (i.e. the Monday night Buffalo game). There have been other games where it took Romo well into the second quarter to get going. But today, he just never got it there. Even when I thought, "ok, that was the throw/play that is going to get him back on track"...it just never materialized for him today.
Romo, did have his worst game as a Cowboy today. He was horrific almost all day. His QB rating for the game was around 22 (he averages over 100). He completed 13 of 36 passes (36%), was sacked 4 times and threw 3 INTs. I don't know where his head was but it certainly wasn't on the football field. Everyone else did their part. Witten was reliable (as usual), when Barber got the ball he ran it pretty well, Patrick Crayton had a couple of nice catches and the defense, for the most part, did a good job. Romo just didn't close the deal.
On Dallas' final drive, I thought the same thing that I thought last week when Romo orchestrated the winning TD against Detroit. And the Eagles were there for the taking. But Romo handed the game to them on a silver platter with that last INT. If it were ANY team by Filthadelplia...and I mean ANY team. Just knowing that Foul fans were out at Texas Stadium crowing about their Eagles victory made me burn. But then I remembered that they aren't going to the playoffs...so that made me feel a bit better.
Since the game has ended and I have calmed down some, I am willing to chalk this up to being a bad game from Romo. He has had so many great games this year so I think he has earned that. However, since I don't think Green Bay is going to lose either of their two remaining games, Romo has now put the team in a position where they have to win their two remaining games to get home field...which means no rest for starters in the Washington game.
Two things during the game (besides Romo's crappy play) that made my bald spot get bigger in diameter:
-If I see another shot of Jessica Simpson watching the game from a suite, I am personally going to go down to Texas Stadium and break every camera Fox has. I DON'T CARE ABOUT JESSICA SIMPSON!!! In fact, I would rather NOT know who Romo is cavorting with. That way, I won't be tempted to think SHE is the reason he played so poorly today. I am watching a football game...not her so keep the damn cameras off her! That made me CRAZY!
-The next time Roy Williams horse collars somebody, sit his butt on the bench for the remainder of the game. Hey Roy, don't you know that rule was created FOR YOU smart guy?!?! Here's a hot tip: learn to tackle without using the horse collar! You will get called on it EVERY time. Why? Because it's your rule. Be in position and take good angles on opposing players running in your direction and you won't need the horse collar. I almost broke our TV when he did that. Stupid, stupid, stupid! As you can tell, that made me crazy too.
No, the sky is not falling...it's just Dallas' 2nd loss of the season. However, they better get their act together or they will be going up to Lambeau field in mid January which I KNOW the don't want to do. Romo needs to put this game behind him and start working on Carolina tomorrow. Carolina, BTW, beat Seattle today so they can't be taken lightly.
Here ends the rant.
Los Vaqueros vs. Filthadelpia Foul - Rd. 2
Last year taught me a valuable lesson about Filthadelpia...never count them out. Just about everyone that I knew of, counting me, did just that last year when McNabb was lost for the season and the Eagles were on shaky ground to start with. But the Eagles, behind Jeff Garcia, went 4-0 in December including 3 road games vs. NFC East opponents and ended up winning the NFC East in the process.
I actually went to the Christmas day game that between Dallas and Filthadelpia and came away pretty dejected because I just knew Dallas was going to dismantle the Eagles. It turned out the other way around. The result - Filthadelpia Foul 23, Dallas Cowboys 7. Romo had, arguably, his worst game as a Cowboy only throwing for 142 yards and he had 2 INTs to boot. The defense didn't exactly put up a great fight either as they surrendered 204 rushing yards and pretty much seemed disinterested in playing most of the day.
Really, only one player on the whole Filthadelpia team scares me and that is Brian Westbrook. He can beat any team in a myriad of ways...he is a strong runner, he catches well out of the backfield, he can return punts and he is a good team leader. If Dallas can stop Westbrook, they can beat the Eagles. It's really that simple.
However, Dallas didn't show a great fire on defense last week when they played Detroit so I'm curious to see what kind of game they have today. Terrance Newman is a little banged up so if he has problems, it could be a long afternoon. Also, the rush defense last week spit the bit, so to speak, and if that happens again the Eagles will have a good chance of beating Dallas. Westbrook is strong, elusive and fast and all he needs is just a seam and he will take it the distance. With the way the defense has gotten better this year, sans last week, I'm willing to give the defense the benefit of the doubt that they just had a bad game last week. If they repeat their horrid performance from last week today, then we got problems.
I think Dallas will do enough to win today although I don't think it will be a blowout like it was on Nov. 4th in Philly. I think the game stays relatively close most of the game and Dallas pulls out a win by 5-8 pts. My prediction: Dallas - 28, Filthadelphia 20.
I actually went to the Christmas day game that between Dallas and Filthadelpia and came away pretty dejected because I just knew Dallas was going to dismantle the Eagles. It turned out the other way around. The result - Filthadelpia Foul 23, Dallas Cowboys 7. Romo had, arguably, his worst game as a Cowboy only throwing for 142 yards and he had 2 INTs to boot. The defense didn't exactly put up a great fight either as they surrendered 204 rushing yards and pretty much seemed disinterested in playing most of the day.
Really, only one player on the whole Filthadelpia team scares me and that is Brian Westbrook. He can beat any team in a myriad of ways...he is a strong runner, he catches well out of the backfield, he can return punts and he is a good team leader. If Dallas can stop Westbrook, they can beat the Eagles. It's really that simple.
However, Dallas didn't show a great fire on defense last week when they played Detroit so I'm curious to see what kind of game they have today. Terrance Newman is a little banged up so if he has problems, it could be a long afternoon. Also, the rush defense last week spit the bit, so to speak, and if that happens again the Eagles will have a good chance of beating Dallas. Westbrook is strong, elusive and fast and all he needs is just a seam and he will take it the distance. With the way the defense has gotten better this year, sans last week, I'm willing to give the defense the benefit of the doubt that they just had a bad game last week. If they repeat their horrid performance from last week today, then we got problems.
I think Dallas will do enough to win today although I don't think it will be a blowout like it was on Nov. 4th in Philly. I think the game stays relatively close most of the game and Dallas pulls out a win by 5-8 pts. My prediction: Dallas - 28, Filthadelphia 20.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Thoughts on the Mo-Town Game
Ok, I know it's been several days since Dallas and Detroit played but I have been pretty busy and haven't had time until just now to relay a few of my thoughts on the game. It's strange that the only games I didn't really think Dallas would have a problem with winning are the two games that have been the most challenging for them...Buffalo and Detroit. So, after watching the Detroit game, there are some positives and some negatives to take from it. First the negatives (in my opinion):
-The defense play like dog pooh almost he entire game! I thoroughly thought, with the way the defense (Bradie James, Terrance Newman and others) were shooting off their mouths last week that they would come out and take Kitna's head off. Detroit is almost last in the league in sacks given up and Dallas didn't really even bother Kitna (except for that LATE pile driver Ware put on him) until the final play of the game. Way to go defense...way to get fired up! What the crap was all that, huh? If you are going to talk all that smack, Bradie James, you better go out and knock the snot out of somebody and not do your best matador impression, miss tackles or generally "look lost," again. Terrance Newman got torched most of the day too. Seems like every time I looked up, Kitna was completing a long pass or 3rd down conversion on Newman. So I guess Newman will get to keep that $20,000 he would have had to pay the NFL for hitting Kitna. Utterly freaking ridiculous how the defense played. In fact, that is how I thought Dallas' defense would play against Brett Farve a few weeks ago. I am only hoping that the defense just had a bad game and that this is not the beginning of yet another bad December. I would say that was a wake up call but I already said that when Dallas played Washington several weeks ago so I'm not going there again. They just need to nut up and play. Here ends the rant...
Now for the positives. For as bad as the defense played most of the game, the offense played very well most of the game. Detroit simply had no answer for Witten or Barber. It's almost like Detroit said, "We are going to take T.O. Owens out of the game, so let's see if you can beat us some other way." That was by far the best game a tight end has had for Dallas in about a decade. Witten is a tree trunk of a man with good hands and who, seemingly, has no fear...exactly what a tight end should be. Marion Barber ceases to amaze me each week. Even if he gets 3 yards, he is running extremely hard. And what's more is his high football IQ. He just seems to know the little things to do (like staying in bounds when Dallas is trying to run out the clock toward the end of a game) to help the team win. And Romo...well, his legend is growing by the week. I can only hope his head does not grow as well. That last, and game winning, drive was a thing of beauty. You could almost hear the Detroit fan's/player's stomachs turning every time Romo would complete a 3rd or even 4th down conversion. He is simply greatness.
There are many things that have to happen during a season for a team to go to the Super Bowl. Obviously winning games is paramount. However, if a team is going to have a good season and do well in the playoffs, they also need the football gods to throw some good luck their way. And make no mistake about it, Dallas has had more than their share of favorable bounces by the ball (in the Buffalo, St. Louis and Detroit games) as well as calls/non-calls by the officials. Another thing Dallas hasn't been hit with is the injury bug. Terry Glenn hasn't played a snap all season and Dallas has lost 1 game. When Terrance Newman was out and then Anthony Henry, the defense stepped up and performed rather well all things considered. So dare I say that Dallas might be a team of destiny this year? I'm almost cheesed to the core typing that but really, you can't deny it.
I will post my thoughts on the Filthadelphia game a little later on but suffice it to say that the defense better get their act back together and play with a little more fire than they did in Detroit. If Dallas wants home field advantage, and not a trip up to Lambeau field in late January, the defense has got to play better than they have the last couple of weeks.
But then again, even if the defense sucks it up, with the juggernaut offense Dallas has I'm not sure who can stop the Cowboys. Hopefully, I won't have to find out either.
-The defense play like dog pooh almost he entire game! I thoroughly thought, with the way the defense (Bradie James, Terrance Newman and others) were shooting off their mouths last week that they would come out and take Kitna's head off. Detroit is almost last in the league in sacks given up and Dallas didn't really even bother Kitna (except for that LATE pile driver Ware put on him) until the final play of the game. Way to go defense...way to get fired up! What the crap was all that, huh? If you are going to talk all that smack, Bradie James, you better go out and knock the snot out of somebody and not do your best matador impression, miss tackles or generally "look lost," again. Terrance Newman got torched most of the day too. Seems like every time I looked up, Kitna was completing a long pass or 3rd down conversion on Newman. So I guess Newman will get to keep that $20,000 he would have had to pay the NFL for hitting Kitna. Utterly freaking ridiculous how the defense played. In fact, that is how I thought Dallas' defense would play against Brett Farve a few weeks ago. I am only hoping that the defense just had a bad game and that this is not the beginning of yet another bad December. I would say that was a wake up call but I already said that when Dallas played Washington several weeks ago so I'm not going there again. They just need to nut up and play. Here ends the rant...
Now for the positives. For as bad as the defense played most of the game, the offense played very well most of the game. Detroit simply had no answer for Witten or Barber. It's almost like Detroit said, "We are going to take T.O. Owens out of the game, so let's see if you can beat us some other way." That was by far the best game a tight end has had for Dallas in about a decade. Witten is a tree trunk of a man with good hands and who, seemingly, has no fear...exactly what a tight end should be. Marion Barber ceases to amaze me each week. Even if he gets 3 yards, he is running extremely hard. And what's more is his high football IQ. He just seems to know the little things to do (like staying in bounds when Dallas is trying to run out the clock toward the end of a game) to help the team win. And Romo...well, his legend is growing by the week. I can only hope his head does not grow as well. That last, and game winning, drive was a thing of beauty. You could almost hear the Detroit fan's/player's stomachs turning every time Romo would complete a 3rd or even 4th down conversion. He is simply greatness.
There are many things that have to happen during a season for a team to go to the Super Bowl. Obviously winning games is paramount. However, if a team is going to have a good season and do well in the playoffs, they also need the football gods to throw some good luck their way. And make no mistake about it, Dallas has had more than their share of favorable bounces by the ball (in the Buffalo, St. Louis and Detroit games) as well as calls/non-calls by the officials. Another thing Dallas hasn't been hit with is the injury bug. Terry Glenn hasn't played a snap all season and Dallas has lost 1 game. When Terrance Newman was out and then Anthony Henry, the defense stepped up and performed rather well all things considered. So dare I say that Dallas might be a team of destiny this year? I'm almost cheesed to the core typing that but really, you can't deny it.
I will post my thoughts on the Filthadelphia game a little later on but suffice it to say that the defense better get their act back together and play with a little more fire than they did in Detroit. If Dallas wants home field advantage, and not a trip up to Lambeau field in late January, the defense has got to play better than they have the last couple of weeks.
But then again, even if the defense sucks it up, with the juggernaut offense Dallas has I'm not sure who can stop the Cowboys. Hopefully, I won't have to find out either.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
The Cowboys Invade Mo-Town
This the 13th week of the NFL season finds Dallas playing for it's 12th win in Detroit. Detroit started off the year 6-2 and looked like they would prove me right when I told a few friends before the season started that Detroit would surprise a lot of people this year and make the playoffs. Well, since then, Detroit are losers of 4 straight, to drop to 6-6, including losing to Arizona by 10 points and Minnesota by a whopping 32 points. Detroit is not playing very well right now and probably have lost their best offensive threat, WR Roy Williams, for the year too. So QB Jon Kitna's guaranty, before the season started, of 10 wins is in serious jeopardy. To reach 10 wins, Detroit would have to win out and with playing Dallas, @ San Diego, KC and ending the year @ Green Bay, I really don't see 10 wins in their future. In fact I might only see 1 more win, period (when they play KC at home).
Guaranteeing 10 wins is not the only thing Jon Kitna has shot his mouth off about though. Last season, Dallas and Detroit ended their seasons by playing each other in their respective 16th game on New Year's Eve. Before playing that game, Dallas was 9-6 and had already secured a playoff spot. Detroit on the other hand was 2-13 and, overall, not a very good team. So it was thought Dallas would get an easy victory and cruise into the playoffs with a little momentum despite losing 2 of it's last three games to that point. However, Dallas gave up 362 yards to the Lions, committed 4 turnovers and lost a very ugly game 39-31. The week following that game, Kitna went on a Seattle radio station and said some disparaging things about Dallas' defense singling out LB Bradie James and CB Terrance Newman. Kitna said that #56 (Bradie James) looked lost and while they weren't afraid to throw on Terrance Newman's side of the field. Kitna said a lot more but those were the two things that got the Cowboys fired up this week. And while Kitna may have been right in what he said (Dallas gave up 306 passing yards and 4 TDs to Kitna and the Lions last year), that doesn't mean he was right in saying what he said...especially if your team finishes off the year 3-13.
So, fast forward to today. The Cowboys have the #2 offense in the NFL (#3 in passing, #7 in rushing) and the Lions have #31 defense in the league. The Cowboys clinched a playoff spot, and could be due for a letdown after winning six consecutive games. The Lions have actually played pretty well at home, where they are 4-2, but a loss today could seriously hurt their wild card chances. Even with Roy Williams out, Kitna still has a few weapons to throw to and, if Dallas doesn't get pressure on him (like last year) he will move the ball down the field. However, Kitna's offensive line doesn't give him great protection and with the extra motivation the Dallas' defense has today (because of the Kitna's comments above) I think Dallas will be able to get to Kitna early and often. And since Detroit doesn't really run the ball effectively, I expect Kitna to throw in the neighborhood of 50 passes today and I think Dallas should have 4-6 sacks by the end of the game.
I expect Detroit to score some points...just not as many as Dallas though. In the end, unless Dallas gets silly and makes all kinds of mistakes, Dallas will roll on to it's 12th win and the NFC East crown. Between Dallas and Detroit, the only team really capable of beating Dallas, is Dallas. My prediction: Dallas 34, Detroit 17.
Guaranteeing 10 wins is not the only thing Jon Kitna has shot his mouth off about though. Last season, Dallas and Detroit ended their seasons by playing each other in their respective 16th game on New Year's Eve. Before playing that game, Dallas was 9-6 and had already secured a playoff spot. Detroit on the other hand was 2-13 and, overall, not a very good team. So it was thought Dallas would get an easy victory and cruise into the playoffs with a little momentum despite losing 2 of it's last three games to that point. However, Dallas gave up 362 yards to the Lions, committed 4 turnovers and lost a very ugly game 39-31. The week following that game, Kitna went on a Seattle radio station and said some disparaging things about Dallas' defense singling out LB Bradie James and CB Terrance Newman. Kitna said that #56 (Bradie James) looked lost and while they weren't afraid to throw on Terrance Newman's side of the field. Kitna said a lot more but those were the two things that got the Cowboys fired up this week. And while Kitna may have been right in what he said (Dallas gave up 306 passing yards and 4 TDs to Kitna and the Lions last year), that doesn't mean he was right in saying what he said...especially if your team finishes off the year 3-13.
So, fast forward to today. The Cowboys have the #2 offense in the NFL (#3 in passing, #7 in rushing) and the Lions have #31 defense in the league. The Cowboys clinched a playoff spot, and could be due for a letdown after winning six consecutive games. The Lions have actually played pretty well at home, where they are 4-2, but a loss today could seriously hurt their wild card chances. Even with Roy Williams out, Kitna still has a few weapons to throw to and, if Dallas doesn't get pressure on him (like last year) he will move the ball down the field. However, Kitna's offensive line doesn't give him great protection and with the extra motivation the Dallas' defense has today (because of the Kitna's comments above) I think Dallas will be able to get to Kitna early and often. And since Detroit doesn't really run the ball effectively, I expect Kitna to throw in the neighborhood of 50 passes today and I think Dallas should have 4-6 sacks by the end of the game.
I expect Detroit to score some points...just not as many as Dallas though. In the end, unless Dallas gets silly and makes all kinds of mistakes, Dallas will roll on to it's 12th win and the NFC East crown. Between Dallas and Detroit, the only team really capable of beating Dallas, is Dallas. My prediction: Dallas 34, Detroit 17.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Did the BCS Get It Right This Year?
Well sports fans, this has been one crazy year for college football. In fact, I don’t know if I remember a year that had more twists, turns and surprises. The #2 ranking was a place full of surprises this year as 7, yes 7, teams lost when being ranked #2. The teams unlucky to have been ranked #2 and subsequently loosing were USC, Cal, South Florida, Boston College, Oregon, Kansas and West Virginia. The worst loss out of all these was by West Virginia which was a 28 pt favorite over a sorry Pitt team, (4-7 at that time). Oh and did I mention West Virginia was playing Pitt AT HOME and all WV needed to do was win that game and they would have been playing for the national championship…and they still couldn’t close the deal. Terrible…
The bowl match ups were set on Sunday and after all the dust was settled, the following BCS bowl pairings were announced:
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia
Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Hawaii
Rose Bowl: Southern Cal vs. Illinois
Championship: Ohio State vs. LSU
I’ve got to be honest here. I’m not real sure the BCS selection committees got this right. I know the BCS is meant for one thing…to pair up #1 vs. #2 in a national championship game. However, while I think Ohio State is a solid team probably worth a BCS bowl bid, I do not think they should be in the national championship game.
Every team has its share of lay up games, especially out of conference games. Ohio State had more than it’s share this year when it’s out of conference schedule included the powerhouses of Youngstown St., Akron, Washington and Kent State. Add in the fact that the Big 10 wasn’t particularly good this year and you have an Ohio State team that could be a bit overrated. They could surprise me and beat LSU but I won’t be shocked if LSU does to them what Florida did to them a year ago, especially since it’s basically a home game for LSU as the national championship is in New Orleans.
LSU, in my opinion, is the best team in the country. They played 7 ranked teams and beat 6 of them. The loss was in 3 overtimes, on the road to Kentucky. LSU also lost in 3 overtimes to Arkansas and while Arkansas was not ranked, the Hogs do have a legit Heisman candidate in Darren McFadden.
The travesty here is that Missouri got left out of the BCS bowl mix. I’m not a Missouri fan, per se, but looking at this objectively I think Mizzou got screwed. On Saturday, they were unanimously #1 in the country…by Sunday evening they were relegated to the Cotton Bowl, which isn’t a bottom feeder bowl but isn’t a BCS bowl either. Let’s look at Mizzou’s case for a BCS bowl:
-The 2 losses Mizzou had were both to a good OU team which was a top 10 team both times Mizzou played them.
-Illinois (with 3 losses) and Kansas both got BCS bowl bids…and Mizzou beat both of them this year.
-The only real test Kansas had this year was Mizzou…Kansas failed that test. Kansas didn’t have to play Texas, OU, or Texas Tech. If they did, I think at least 2 of those 3 would have been losses for the Jayhawks. Kansas also struggled to beat fairly mediocre teams such as Kansas State, Colorado and TX A&M.
I know it’s been argued over and over, to no avail, but I really would be interested to see how a playoff could sort all this out. Put the top 8-10 teams in a playoff and let them solve any question about who is #1 on the field. I know a playoff scenario will never happen because the bowl system is much too lucrative, financially, to the NCAA but it would be fun to see. However, it seems to me that the NCAA could put all their heads together and figure out a way for a playoff that would incorporate the bowls. Div 1 football is the only sport that doesn’t have a playoff system…Div. 1-AA, Div II, and Div III all have playoffs systems and they manage just fine.
The current BCS system is adequate but, as we have seen this year, has flaws. And while I can’t bring myself to root for LSU, I will root for another SEC national championship. Which I predict will happen.
The bowl match ups were set on Sunday and after all the dust was settled, the following BCS bowl pairings were announced:
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia
Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Hawaii
Rose Bowl: Southern Cal vs. Illinois
Championship: Ohio State vs. LSU
I’ve got to be honest here. I’m not real sure the BCS selection committees got this right. I know the BCS is meant for one thing…to pair up #1 vs. #2 in a national championship game. However, while I think Ohio State is a solid team probably worth a BCS bowl bid, I do not think they should be in the national championship game.
Every team has its share of lay up games, especially out of conference games. Ohio State had more than it’s share this year when it’s out of conference schedule included the powerhouses of Youngstown St., Akron, Washington and Kent State. Add in the fact that the Big 10 wasn’t particularly good this year and you have an Ohio State team that could be a bit overrated. They could surprise me and beat LSU but I won’t be shocked if LSU does to them what Florida did to them a year ago, especially since it’s basically a home game for LSU as the national championship is in New Orleans.
LSU, in my opinion, is the best team in the country. They played 7 ranked teams and beat 6 of them. The loss was in 3 overtimes, on the road to Kentucky. LSU also lost in 3 overtimes to Arkansas and while Arkansas was not ranked, the Hogs do have a legit Heisman candidate in Darren McFadden.
The travesty here is that Missouri got left out of the BCS bowl mix. I’m not a Missouri fan, per se, but looking at this objectively I think Mizzou got screwed. On Saturday, they were unanimously #1 in the country…by Sunday evening they were relegated to the Cotton Bowl, which isn’t a bottom feeder bowl but isn’t a BCS bowl either. Let’s look at Mizzou’s case for a BCS bowl:
-The 2 losses Mizzou had were both to a good OU team which was a top 10 team both times Mizzou played them.
-Illinois (with 3 losses) and Kansas both got BCS bowl bids…and Mizzou beat both of them this year.
-The only real test Kansas had this year was Mizzou…Kansas failed that test. Kansas didn’t have to play Texas, OU, or Texas Tech. If they did, I think at least 2 of those 3 would have been losses for the Jayhawks. Kansas also struggled to beat fairly mediocre teams such as Kansas State, Colorado and TX A&M.
I know it’s been argued over and over, to no avail, but I really would be interested to see how a playoff could sort all this out. Put the top 8-10 teams in a playoff and let them solve any question about who is #1 on the field. I know a playoff scenario will never happen because the bowl system is much too lucrative, financially, to the NCAA but it would be fun to see. However, it seems to me that the NCAA could put all their heads together and figure out a way for a playoff that would incorporate the bowls. Div 1 football is the only sport that doesn’t have a playoff system…Div. 1-AA, Div II, and Div III all have playoffs systems and they manage just fine.
The current BCS system is adequate but, as we have seen this year, has flaws. And while I can’t bring myself to root for LSU, I will root for another SEC national championship. Which I predict will happen.
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