NFL Replay: Cowboys show soft underbelly in latest flop
By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY
Five things we learned from Week 14:
TIDBIT: 1. Dallas is so soft. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones essentially questioned Marion Barber's toughness for missing Sunday's game at Pittsburgh due to a dislocated toe. That's dicey stuff, trying to gauge the level of pain and discomfort in another man's body — even after you've guaranteed the player $16 million as part of a 7-year, $45 million contract extension. Less murky is how the manner of Dallas' fourth-quarter meltdown against the Steelers further exemplifies the team's weak belly in the latter stages of the season. The Cowboys were bounced in their playoff opener last season after a 13-3 regular-season earned them a No. 1 seed. Before that, a bumbling finish to a playoff-opening loss at Seattle. The pattern has been there for a while. Since Y2K, the Cowboys are 13-29 in games played after Dec. 1, a mark that includes four playoff losses. Dallas hasn't had a "post-Dec. 1" winning record since 1996. Funny, no team plays to the spotlight like the glamorous Cowboys, projected to finally get over the hump this season and advance to the Super Bowl. The current group undoubtedly has gained some stature from hype linked to the franchise's tradition. But it has continually wilted when needed to back up the hype when it matters most. When Dallas extended its lead to 13-3 in the fourth quarter at Pittsburgh, Terrell Owens flexed his muscles and taunted the crowd at Heinz Field. Yet the dominant part of the Cowboys' identity would soon overshadow such bravado.
Five things we learned from Week 14:
TIDBIT: 1. Dallas is so soft. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones essentially questioned Marion Barber's toughness for missing Sunday's game at Pittsburgh due to a dislocated toe. That's dicey stuff, trying to gauge the level of pain and discomfort in another man's body — even after you've guaranteed the player $16 million as part of a 7-year, $45 million contract extension. Less murky is how the manner of Dallas' fourth-quarter meltdown against the Steelers further exemplifies the team's weak belly in the latter stages of the season. The Cowboys were bounced in their playoff opener last season after a 13-3 regular-season earned them a No. 1 seed. Before that, a bumbling finish to a playoff-opening loss at Seattle. The pattern has been there for a while. Since Y2K, the Cowboys are 13-29 in games played after Dec. 1, a mark that includes four playoff losses. Dallas hasn't had a "post-Dec. 1" winning record since 1996. Funny, no team plays to the spotlight like the glamorous Cowboys, projected to finally get over the hump this season and advance to the Super Bowl. The current group undoubtedly has gained some stature from hype linked to the franchise's tradition. But it has continually wilted when needed to back up the hype when it matters most. When Dallas extended its lead to 13-3 in the fourth quarter at Pittsburgh, Terrell Owens flexed his muscles and taunted the crowd at Heinz Field. Yet the dominant part of the Cowboys' identity would soon overshadow such bravado.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:56 PM
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