Jean-Jacques Taylor: Mistakes are only Cowboys constant
IRVING – Drew Bledsoe spends his game days on the sideline adjusting his visor and occasionally offering advice. Fans and critics can no longer blame him for every loss, thus masking all the other issues these underachieving Cowboys have. The Cowboys rank fifth in the NFL in offense and are tied for fourth in defense. You'd never know it by their 4-4 record.
It was easy to blame Bledsoe because he held the ball too long and threw too many interceptions, but he wasn't the Cowboys' only problem. Now that he's on the bench, it's easy to see he had help in a season that's going to be more disappointing than any in recent memory if Dallas misses the playoffs for a third consecutive season.
All you have to do is look at the Cowboys' bizarre 22-19 loss to Washington to understand why this team is so inconsistent.
Eleven players – almost a quarter of the team – committed penalties. And that doesn't even count mistakes such as Marc Colombo's failure to make the proper block on the blocked field goal attempt that ultimately led to the Cowboys' demise.
"I feel bad for the kid," Bill Parcells said, "because he doesn't make many mistakes. It was just a mental mistake."
Colombo was not alone.
Marcus Coleman screwed up on Chris Cooley's touchdown grab. Terrell Owens dropped a certain 74-yard touchdown pass, and Roy Williams committed a costly 48-yard pass interference penalty and dropped a potential fourth-quarter interception.
Let's not even talk too much about Parcells' silly decision to go for two points early in the second quarter. You never go for two – no matter what the chart says – until the score and the situation dictate that you attempt a two-point conversion because it's a low-percentage play. If it was easy money, coaches would go for two points all of the time.
Those are the most recognizable mistakes from this game. It doesn't take into account all of the mistakes the coaches found after reviewing the game. It's not that any team plays a perfect game, but the Cowboys consistently make mistakes that cost them victories.
Only the Giants have manhandled Dallas.
You can easily make the case that the Cowboys should have won every other game had they simply eliminated the mind-numbing mistakes. Maybe every team can make that argument, but it has more validity in Dallas because the Cowboys are one of only four teams ranked among the NFL's top 10 in offense and defense. Of the others – San Diego, New Orleans and Pittsburgh – only the Steelers have a losing record.
The penalties bother Parcells the most.
The Cowboys have committed 60 penalties for 610 yards. Only Detroit has committed more penalties. No team has more penalty yardage.
The penalties exasperate the coach, who said he spent a couple of days last week preaching about the woes that penalties create. Clearly, he needs another sermon.
Parcells says all penalties can be eliminated with better concentration and judgment. He's been saying that since Jerry hired him, but his message is not getting through to this group.
"You can't think for the players. They have to make better decisions," he said. "At the end of the day, I am responsible."
He's right.
Jerry has stepped back and ceded more control to Parcells than any coach since Jimmy. That's how badly he wants to win.
Still, Dallas is only 19-21 in the last 2 ½ seasons.
The Cowboys have more talent, and Jones has invested a fortune in free agents and premium draft choices to give Parcells everything he needs to win. Don't forget, this was a team with Super Bowl aspirations when the season began.
Jerry and Parcells assumed the Cowboys would make the playoffs, barring significant injuries to key players. But if Dallas doesn't win six of its final eight games, the Cowboys probably will miss the playoffs.
Then Jerry must ponder if he made a mistake hiring Parcells.
"Results are very important in this business," Parcells said. "We have to put some things in sequence or we will be average or below average. It's pretty discouraging for me. I'm sure the players are discouraged.
"You have to try to look at the positives. There are a few things that indicate we're capable of doing better than we're doing."
That's true, but they keep making mistakes.
It was easy to blame Bledsoe because he held the ball too long and threw too many interceptions, but he wasn't the Cowboys' only problem. Now that he's on the bench, it's easy to see he had help in a season that's going to be more disappointing than any in recent memory if Dallas misses the playoffs for a third consecutive season.
All you have to do is look at the Cowboys' bizarre 22-19 loss to Washington to understand why this team is so inconsistent.
Eleven players – almost a quarter of the team – committed penalties. And that doesn't even count mistakes such as Marc Colombo's failure to make the proper block on the blocked field goal attempt that ultimately led to the Cowboys' demise.
"I feel bad for the kid," Bill Parcells said, "because he doesn't make many mistakes. It was just a mental mistake."
Colombo was not alone.
Marcus Coleman screwed up on Chris Cooley's touchdown grab. Terrell Owens dropped a certain 74-yard touchdown pass, and Roy Williams committed a costly 48-yard pass interference penalty and dropped a potential fourth-quarter interception.
Let's not even talk too much about Parcells' silly decision to go for two points early in the second quarter. You never go for two – no matter what the chart says – until the score and the situation dictate that you attempt a two-point conversion because it's a low-percentage play. If it was easy money, coaches would go for two points all of the time.
Those are the most recognizable mistakes from this game. It doesn't take into account all of the mistakes the coaches found after reviewing the game. It's not that any team plays a perfect game, but the Cowboys consistently make mistakes that cost them victories.
Only the Giants have manhandled Dallas.
You can easily make the case that the Cowboys should have won every other game had they simply eliminated the mind-numbing mistakes. Maybe every team can make that argument, but it has more validity in Dallas because the Cowboys are one of only four teams ranked among the NFL's top 10 in offense and defense. Of the others – San Diego, New Orleans and Pittsburgh – only the Steelers have a losing record.
The penalties bother Parcells the most.
The Cowboys have committed 60 penalties for 610 yards. Only Detroit has committed more penalties. No team has more penalty yardage.
The penalties exasperate the coach, who said he spent a couple of days last week preaching about the woes that penalties create. Clearly, he needs another sermon.
Parcells says all penalties can be eliminated with better concentration and judgment. He's been saying that since Jerry hired him, but his message is not getting through to this group.
"You can't think for the players. They have to make better decisions," he said. "At the end of the day, I am responsible."
He's right.
Jerry has stepped back and ceded more control to Parcells than any coach since Jimmy. That's how badly he wants to win.
Still, Dallas is only 19-21 in the last 2 ½ seasons.
The Cowboys have more talent, and Jones has invested a fortune in free agents and premium draft choices to give Parcells everything he needs to win. Don't forget, this was a team with Super Bowl aspirations when the season began.
Jerry and Parcells assumed the Cowboys would make the playoffs, barring significant injuries to key players. But if Dallas doesn't win six of its final eight games, the Cowboys probably will miss the playoffs.
Then Jerry must ponder if he made a mistake hiring Parcells.
"Results are very important in this business," Parcells said. "We have to put some things in sequence or we will be average or below average. It's pretty discouraging for me. I'm sure the players are discouraged.
"You have to try to look at the positives. There are a few things that indicate we're capable of doing better than we're doing."
That's true, but they keep making mistakes.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:54 PM
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