Who exactly are these Cowboys? Team's erratic personality leaves its fate to guesswork
by KEVIN SHERRINGTON, ksherrington@dallasnews.com , THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
IRVING - When the quarterback can throw with either hand, and will, you'd think it was an advantage over his non-ambidextrous opponent.
When the head coach gets maddest about a cornerback giving up a catch that didn't lead to a touchdown, you'd have to consider it a good sign about the defense.
And when a rookie comes off the bench for more yards than anyone has hung on the Steelers this season, well, who counted on that?
But these are the Cowboys we're talking about. No NFL team is more creative about losing.
They've been drilled by the near-best (New York Giants) and the near-worst (St. Louis).
They lost in overtime to Arizona on a play that cost them their punter.
They lost to Washington because they had 12 men on the field.
On a positive note, they didn't lose to Pittsburgh when they broke out the Dirty Dozen defense again, but a veteran defender lining up offside sure didn't help.
Give the Cowboys this much: Win or lose, they're rarely boring.
Still, they leave you wondering: Can it be a good sign that Tony Romo played his absolute worst game, and the Cowboys still almost beat Pittsburgh on the road?
Or is it an indication that this team can't handle success or the pressure that comes with it?
Better question: What does their erratic personality mean for the Cowboys the rest of the season?
They have to win at least two of their last three games to make the playoffs. Can they do it? Absolutely. Any team that can run the ball in Pittsburgh under brutal conditions and stuff the Steelers' offense for much of the game is capable of anything.
New York in Texas Stadium? The Giants just lost at home to Philadelphia in a game where Eli Manning looked like the Eli Manning we once knew.
Baltimore in Texas Stadium? The Ravens' defense couldn't be tougher than playing the Steelers in Pittsburgh, and Romo couldn't look that bad twice in a row, could he?
Philadelphia on the road? The Eagles are picking up the pace at the right time, but the Cowboys won there last year by three touchdowns.
Before you get your popcorn ready, though, you should know that the Cowboys could just as easily lose all three games.
On any given Sunday, it's impossible to know how the Cowboys will play. They have the talent to beat anyone. And they can also stoop to any level.
When a team is as uneven as the Cowboys are, you have to ask why?
Certainly, injuries play a part, particularly to Romo. But injuries don't explain the dumb plays the Cowboys routinely make.
Example: On the 12-men-on-the-field embarrassment against Pittsburgh, the Cowboys couldn't call timeout because they didn't have any. Why? They'd already used up two of their three timeouts because of pre-snap confusion.
The Cowboys made those kinds of mistakes when Bill Parcells was dictator, too. But it hardly seems a coincidence that the Dolphins, winners of all but 15 games last year, have the same record now as the Cowboys.
One team going up; the other going . . . ?
You could also argue that instability breeds instability. No team poses as many distractions, on the field or off - T.O., Pacman, Tony and Jessica, etc. - as the Cowboys.
The last couple of days, they were at it again. Wade Phillips used Monday's news conference to deny they questioned Marion Barber's toughness, even though that's exactly what Jerry Jones did Sunday when he said he expected Barber to play.
Calling out one of your grittiest players probably isn't a good idea, even after an exasperating loss.
But take heart. Even as difficult as it's been determining who these Cowboys really are, Phillips promised we'll know soon enough. He usually doesn't say much at his news conferences no matter how much he talks, but going into this crucial stretch, he laid out the definition quite nicely.
"Good teams," he said, "come through in big games."
From here on out, Wade, they're all big. There will be no guessing now.
IRVING - When the quarterback can throw with either hand, and will, you'd think it was an advantage over his non-ambidextrous opponent.
When the head coach gets maddest about a cornerback giving up a catch that didn't lead to a touchdown, you'd have to consider it a good sign about the defense.
And when a rookie comes off the bench for more yards than anyone has hung on the Steelers this season, well, who counted on that?
But these are the Cowboys we're talking about. No NFL team is more creative about losing.
They've been drilled by the near-best (New York Giants) and the near-worst (St. Louis).
They lost in overtime to Arizona on a play that cost them their punter.
They lost to Washington because they had 12 men on the field.
On a positive note, they didn't lose to Pittsburgh when they broke out the Dirty Dozen defense again, but a veteran defender lining up offside sure didn't help.
Give the Cowboys this much: Win or lose, they're rarely boring.
Still, they leave you wondering: Can it be a good sign that Tony Romo played his absolute worst game, and the Cowboys still almost beat Pittsburgh on the road?
Or is it an indication that this team can't handle success or the pressure that comes with it?
Better question: What does their erratic personality mean for the Cowboys the rest of the season?
They have to win at least two of their last three games to make the playoffs. Can they do it? Absolutely. Any team that can run the ball in Pittsburgh under brutal conditions and stuff the Steelers' offense for much of the game is capable of anything.
New York in Texas Stadium? The Giants just lost at home to Philadelphia in a game where Eli Manning looked like the Eli Manning we once knew.
Baltimore in Texas Stadium? The Ravens' defense couldn't be tougher than playing the Steelers in Pittsburgh, and Romo couldn't look that bad twice in a row, could he?
Philadelphia on the road? The Eagles are picking up the pace at the right time, but the Cowboys won there last year by three touchdowns.
Before you get your popcorn ready, though, you should know that the Cowboys could just as easily lose all three games.
On any given Sunday, it's impossible to know how the Cowboys will play. They have the talent to beat anyone. And they can also stoop to any level.
When a team is as uneven as the Cowboys are, you have to ask why?
Certainly, injuries play a part, particularly to Romo. But injuries don't explain the dumb plays the Cowboys routinely make.
Example: On the 12-men-on-the-field embarrassment against Pittsburgh, the Cowboys couldn't call timeout because they didn't have any. Why? They'd already used up two of their three timeouts because of pre-snap confusion.
The Cowboys made those kinds of mistakes when Bill Parcells was dictator, too. But it hardly seems a coincidence that the Dolphins, winners of all but 15 games last year, have the same record now as the Cowboys.
One team going up; the other going . . . ?
You could also argue that instability breeds instability. No team poses as many distractions, on the field or off - T.O., Pacman, Tony and Jessica, etc. - as the Cowboys.
The last couple of days, they were at it again. Wade Phillips used Monday's news conference to deny they questioned Marion Barber's toughness, even though that's exactly what Jerry Jones did Sunday when he said he expected Barber to play.
Calling out one of your grittiest players probably isn't a good idea, even after an exasperating loss.
But take heart. Even as difficult as it's been determining who these Cowboys really are, Phillips promised we'll know soon enough. He usually doesn't say much at his news conferences no matter how much he talks, but going into this crucial stretch, he laid out the definition quite nicely.
"Good teams," he said, "come through in big games."
From here on out, Wade, they're all big. There will be no guessing now.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:59 PM
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