Cowboys looking to recapture dominant form
By Matt Mosley
ESPN.com
IRVING, Texas -- Before Bill Parcells moved to South Florida to launch another Cowboys franchise, he was criticized in Dallas for wearing down his players in December. Some of those players realized most of their counterparts were no longer practicing in pads during the holiday season.
So when Parcells decided to give retirement a quick spin, owner Jerry Jones set out to find a kinder, gentler soul who would smile at youngsters and the folks in HR. He narrowed the list to two, then hired the guy with the least amount of baggage and facial expressions.
Say what you want, but Wade Phillips turned out to be the perfect fit. Top draft picks such as Roy Williams, Julius Jones and Marcus Spears quickly threw Parcells under the bus and pledged their loyalty to Phillips. They loved this man for who he wasn't. Quarterback Tony Romo was careful to pay homage to Parcells, who played an important role in his development. But even Romo admitted change could be a good thing. The Cowboys sprinted to an 11-1 record, and, at the end of November, were the hottest team in the NFC. On Nov. 29, a reserve defensive back named Nate Jones delivered the knockout blow to the mighty Brett Favre, and a trip to Glendale seemed like a foregone conclusion. But then the unthinkable happened.
The team that Phillips and his Ivy League-trained offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett, had so carefully nurtured began to show cracks. First, there was the great escape in Week 14 against a Lions team that had been in full retreat. A huge game by Romo and his travel companion, Jason Witten, masked a weak effort by the Cowboys' defense. A week later, Romo went 13-of-36 for 214 yards and three interceptions in a 10-6 loss to the Eagles. He injured his right thumb in the game, then endured a week of speculation that the presence of his girlfriend, Jessica Simpson, at Texas Stadium might have served as a distraction. A year earlier, Parcells called Romo into his office and scolded him for having Carrie Underwood on the field a couple of hours before a 23-7 loss to the Eagles. (Parcells prefers Tammy Wynette.) The following week, Romo had what Jerry Jones described as one of the best performances of his young career in a 20-13 victory at Carolina that gave the Cowboys a club record-tying 13-win season. The win, though, was overshadowed by the high left ankle sprain that Terrell Owens suffered in the first half. With home-field advantage secure, the Cowboys rolled over for the Redskins in the final regular-season game to finish 13-3. Phillips bristled when asked whether he was disappointed with his team's inconsistent play down the stretch and referenced its 13 wins an estimated seven times during a 24-minute briefing. "Throw in Chicken Little and the sky is falling and all that, if you want to," he said. "But I think we have a strong football team and a great chance to be where we want to be."
On Monday, Phillips said T.O. will be a game-time decision for Sunday's divisional playoff game against a Giants team that appears to be peaking at the right time. Phillips has been all over the map on injuries this season, so it's difficult to put much stock in his forecasts. But there's no way T.O. will miss this game -- in fact, he'll be closer to full strength than you think.
Owens had nine receptions for 212 yards and four touchdowns in the Cowboys' two wins over the Giants this season. Even if he's not completely healthy, his presence will open things up for other players. In the six quarters he has missed since the injury, the Cowboys have managed 12 points.
The availability of Owens is the big issue right now, but another subplot that emerged over the weekend was a Simpson family getaway in Mexico. Photos of Romo, Simpson and Witten showed up on the Internet.
I've known Romo and Witten for years, and I can tell you with certainty that a trip to the beach isn't going to affect their preparation for Sunday's game. Flying to Mexico -- especially from Texas -- isn't a time-consuming trip.
As Witten told the media in Dallas on Monday: "We used it as a vacation, got our minds off football. That's what Wade told us to do. It's no different than jumping on a flight and going home like a lot of guys did here."
That said, it's going to get ugly for Romo if the Cowboys lose. The reality of the situation is that Romo's girlfriend is under constant surveillance, and that means Romo is, too.
Phillips, who forgot to tell his players not to leave the country during the bye, said he didn't have a problem with the trip -- other than maybe not getting invited. Despite his recent time in San Diego, he said he isn't a "beach guy."
Of course, Romo wasn't the only one who had travel plans last weekend. Garrett and assistant head coach Tony Sparano combined for five job interviews with three organizations Friday and Saturday, but they both were back in their Valley Ranch offices Sunday preparing for the Giants.
Predictably, Phillips said he isn't worried about his coaches' focus. When I talked to Sparano on Sunday, he'd already been in his office for hours.
"My sole focus is the New York Giants," he said.
Whether the Cowboys think so or not, focus seems to be the question mark right now. Can they flip the switch and return to their November form?
We're about to find out.
Matt Mosley covers the NFL for ESPN.com.
ESPN.com
IRVING, Texas -- Before Bill Parcells moved to South Florida to launch another Cowboys franchise, he was criticized in Dallas for wearing down his players in December. Some of those players realized most of their counterparts were no longer practicing in pads during the holiday season.
So when Parcells decided to give retirement a quick spin, owner Jerry Jones set out to find a kinder, gentler soul who would smile at youngsters and the folks in HR. He narrowed the list to two, then hired the guy with the least amount of baggage and facial expressions.
Say what you want, but Wade Phillips turned out to be the perfect fit. Top draft picks such as Roy Williams, Julius Jones and Marcus Spears quickly threw Parcells under the bus and pledged their loyalty to Phillips. They loved this man for who he wasn't. Quarterback Tony Romo was careful to pay homage to Parcells, who played an important role in his development. But even Romo admitted change could be a good thing. The Cowboys sprinted to an 11-1 record, and, at the end of November, were the hottest team in the NFC. On Nov. 29, a reserve defensive back named Nate Jones delivered the knockout blow to the mighty Brett Favre, and a trip to Glendale seemed like a foregone conclusion. But then the unthinkable happened.
The team that Phillips and his Ivy League-trained offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett, had so carefully nurtured began to show cracks. First, there was the great escape in Week 14 against a Lions team that had been in full retreat. A huge game by Romo and his travel companion, Jason Witten, masked a weak effort by the Cowboys' defense. A week later, Romo went 13-of-36 for 214 yards and three interceptions in a 10-6 loss to the Eagles. He injured his right thumb in the game, then endured a week of speculation that the presence of his girlfriend, Jessica Simpson, at Texas Stadium might have served as a distraction. A year earlier, Parcells called Romo into his office and scolded him for having Carrie Underwood on the field a couple of hours before a 23-7 loss to the Eagles. (Parcells prefers Tammy Wynette.) The following week, Romo had what Jerry Jones described as one of the best performances of his young career in a 20-13 victory at Carolina that gave the Cowboys a club record-tying 13-win season. The win, though, was overshadowed by the high left ankle sprain that Terrell Owens suffered in the first half. With home-field advantage secure, the Cowboys rolled over for the Redskins in the final regular-season game to finish 13-3. Phillips bristled when asked whether he was disappointed with his team's inconsistent play down the stretch and referenced its 13 wins an estimated seven times during a 24-minute briefing. "Throw in Chicken Little and the sky is falling and all that, if you want to," he said. "But I think we have a strong football team and a great chance to be where we want to be."
On Monday, Phillips said T.O. will be a game-time decision for Sunday's divisional playoff game against a Giants team that appears to be peaking at the right time. Phillips has been all over the map on injuries this season, so it's difficult to put much stock in his forecasts. But there's no way T.O. will miss this game -- in fact, he'll be closer to full strength than you think.
Owens had nine receptions for 212 yards and four touchdowns in the Cowboys' two wins over the Giants this season. Even if he's not completely healthy, his presence will open things up for other players. In the six quarters he has missed since the injury, the Cowboys have managed 12 points.
The availability of Owens is the big issue right now, but another subplot that emerged over the weekend was a Simpson family getaway in Mexico. Photos of Romo, Simpson and Witten showed up on the Internet.
I've known Romo and Witten for years, and I can tell you with certainty that a trip to the beach isn't going to affect their preparation for Sunday's game. Flying to Mexico -- especially from Texas -- isn't a time-consuming trip.
As Witten told the media in Dallas on Monday: "We used it as a vacation, got our minds off football. That's what Wade told us to do. It's no different than jumping on a flight and going home like a lot of guys did here."
That said, it's going to get ugly for Romo if the Cowboys lose. The reality of the situation is that Romo's girlfriend is under constant surveillance, and that means Romo is, too.
Phillips, who forgot to tell his players not to leave the country during the bye, said he didn't have a problem with the trip -- other than maybe not getting invited. Despite his recent time in San Diego, he said he isn't a "beach guy."
Of course, Romo wasn't the only one who had travel plans last weekend. Garrett and assistant head coach Tony Sparano combined for five job interviews with three organizations Friday and Saturday, but they both were back in their Valley Ranch offices Sunday preparing for the Giants.
Predictably, Phillips said he isn't worried about his coaches' focus. When I talked to Sparano on Sunday, he'd already been in his office for hours.
"My sole focus is the New York Giants," he said.
Whether the Cowboys think so or not, focus seems to be the question mark right now. Can they flip the switch and return to their November form?
We're about to find out.
Matt Mosley covers the NFL for ESPN.com.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:52 PM
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