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2010-2011 Regular Season: From Shredded To
Swiss?
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- November 6,
2010
At 11:15 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
The Dallas Cowboys continued their consistent course of making their
opponents look better than necessary last Sunday.
The Cowboys showed up against the Jaguars with a thimble-full of
inspiration and another mountain of mistakes.
The Cowboys made sure to let Jacksonville know that tips were not
going out of style anytime soon in Dallas. While a nice line would
have been one-eth by bar, two-eth by restaurant, three-eth by
stadium vendor, and four-eth by skybox server, the Cowboys simply
had no luck on their side . . . with three more tipped interceptions
and one full-blown red-blooded interception to the wrong guy.
The Cowboys secondary was a sieve making the otherwise pedestrian
David Garrard look like a rock star with a near-perfect quarterback
rating to end the game.
The Cowboys evidently expected playtime with puddy tat, and they
gagged on a hairball instead getting shredded for seeking a soft
opponent.
Sunday has become sinister for the Cowboys, and the next one has
just stepped up to home plate with Green Bay looking to know
Dallas right out of Lambeau Field.
Inevitable But Impossibly
Illogical
The Dallas Cowboys began the season with such high hopes to at
least reach the same depth of playoff success as last year and
possibly more. No one could have foreseen such an incredible
drop-off in positive production and righteous results.
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- No one could have expected such a
season-long fright fest. No one could have expected something this
scary . . . and not immediately figured the failing team was the
Oakland Raiders. While the boys in blue are truly blue, look who's
laughing now in silver and black and not looking back?
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- The Dallas Cowboys will have a new
coaching staff next season barring a mammoth miracle. Nine
straight wins and major choke jobs by division rivals, indeed.
The conditions contributing to this dead horse determination are
clear, but the mental state of the participants remains a complete
mystery.
The Cowboys in general have played poorly for all but one and a
half games of the 2010 season. Poor player performance fair or not
is tied to the coaches coordinating the calls.
The coaches are physically confined to the sidelines unless they
want to incur a delay of game penalty . . . or they need to tackle
an oblivious line judge and shove their red challenge flag down his
throat before a play is run.
The coaches spend a week at a time and sometimes less drawing up
game plans focused on a carefully measured mix of their players
greatest strengths and their opponents weaknesses.
The coaches in general call plays designed to give their players
the best opportunities to systemically succeed.
Systemic success is merely the foundation of what a coaching staff
hopes to achieve with the rest being accomplished through the raw
and refined physical talents allegedly existing within each of their
players.
Systemic success stops where YAC (yards after catch) begins, and YAC
is where those physical skills are on full demonstration
outrunning opponents or making them miss.
The coaches during the week leading up to each game are counting
on their players to have paid attention in practice, team meetings,
and studied the playbook on the own recognizance.
The coaches are obligated to make as reasonably certain as possible
that their players are indeed ready and willing to successfully
execute each game day plan . . . rather than terminally execute
themselves through poor preparation.
The players are responsible for executing the coaching staffs
system.
The coaching staffs system is the meat of game day preparation
fundamentals notwithstanding (except in the case of the 2010
Cowboys).
The players are responsible for producing the gravy to that meat
anything above and beyond systemic production. YAC, blah, and all
that. Otherwise, a play designed to be a 10 yard "button-hook" will
be exactly that as long as the receiver is able to beat his defender
to the pre-determined spot on the field.
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- Are the players responsible for poor
play calls? No and yet the players are still responsible for
making "something from nothing" on broken plays . . . or making some
level of pre-snap adjustments to make up for wrong personnel
packages.
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- Are the players responsible for
wrong personnel packages? No and yet the players are still
responsible for making "something from nothing" with whomever is on
the field. Assuming that an offensive tackle does not suddenly find
himself flanked at wide receiver, the players are still responsible
for making "something from nothing."
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- Have the Cowboys coaches made a
variety of poor decisions? Yes.
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- Have the Cowboys coaches
overestimated what their players can actually execute? Outside of
Gerald Sensabaugh being inexcusably left out at cornerback in the
red zone against the Giants - No. And . . . if Sensabaugh was not
meant to be out there, why did he or Bradie James or Keith Brooking
not call an immediate timeout? Bradie and Brooking are normally far
more on the ball with catching such horrific formation problems.
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- Wade never attempted to call a
timeout and his son still is a quality control coach for the
Cowboys, if memory serves so he must have either been sadistically
serious in leaving Sensabaugh on a lonely island against a player
who was certain to beat him . . . or Wade had no alternative with an
injured Terence Newman. I hear Orlando Scandrick is now officially
listed on the Cowboys' depth chart as "No Alternative" . . . but I
digress.
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- The blame game can ping pong back
and forth between coaches and players deeper and longer than most
casual fans are aware but the coaches are the ultimate target when
the dust settles at the conclusion of every game and every season.
They control preparation for game day, they control the play
selection on game day unless they have Peyton "Detail King"
Manning at quarterback and they control the personnel packages.
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- Wade Phillips, Jason Garrett, and
Joe DeCamillis as well as their support staff wear invisible
targets on their Cowboys gear every day . . . and they rely upon
their players to make their best calls even better and the poor
calls good. The coaches play a game of chance with their available
resources for every game.
While it is inevitable the Cowboys will have a new coaching staff in
place next year, it is impossibly illogical to determine how much of
this years mess is on the coaches prep and play-calling . . . and
how much is on the players professionalism.
Keith Brooking as expected continues to stand up for his
long-time coach and, as a result, most fans consider him a homer.
What if Brooking really is telling the truth? He has been a standup
guy for his entire career.
What if the players really are suffering from an incredible mental
meltdown while in general playing for the same coaches and
within the same four year old system?
When the players revolt against the system, it results in really
revolting play on the field, which is really revolting for rabid
red-eyed fans to watch. When faced with players who are stuck in
neutral, if the coaches do not have the mental makeup to repurpose
their plays and players for which those plays were designed, it
simply leads down a road to nowhere . . . and change.
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- It is impossibly illogical that so
many returning and talented starters from last seasons successful
playoff team could have become so mentally incapable in the very
same system on offense, defense, and special teams.
It is impossibly illogical to figure out how Jerry Jones will go
about fixing a problem that may very well require rebuilding both
the coaching staff and huge pieces of the roster.
It seems inevitable but impossibly illogical.
A Bit Drafty In The War
Room
While the 2010 Cowboys began the season with grandiose goals, they
were attempting to achieve those accolades with delinquent depth.
The Cowboys clearly are not one of those teams who can afford to
sacrifice or waste draft picks even if they are convinced such
players (Tim Tebow, anyone?) would struggle to crack a talented
starting roster.
The Cowboys draft benefitted in general during the years of
Landry, Johnson, and Parcells. A spotty drafting record is present
for the forgettable remainder.
Any armchair quarterback understands that draft picks can no longer
be wasted. Value can and should be found at each selection spot. If
at first value does not exist at your spot with "the best available
player," trade down and try, try
again.
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- The best available player has to be
an absolute useless dog or you are seeking less expensive talent
for you to want to trade out of that spot. If you cannot find a blockbuster starter, you can always find
a role player as teams are comprised of both.
The deeper the Cowboys 1-6 record sinks, the deeper the Cowboys will
have to make their roster in the off-season . . . whether or not
they have a draft deity on the payroll.
McCann Do And Must Do
Bryan McCann needs to be the man that can being signed to the
53-man roster in support of an ailing Terence Newman and an
unavailable Owusu-Ansah at kick returner / safety.
Cowboys fans can only hope McCann is one of those rookies who
genuinely appreciates the opportunities he may be given.
The Cowboys struggling secondary will continue to be challenged for
the rest of the season by Green Bay tomorrow and any remaining
2010 foes armed with better than average receivers.
McCann and any of other raw fill-ins must do to show they can do.
The Peoples Choice
Jerry Jones, Wade, and Jason should be thrilled they were not
susceptible to any of the recent congressional elections . . . for
any of their collective decisions.
The Cowboys transparent running game continues to be in desperate
need of a spark and the passing game desperately needs and
deserves a bit of rushing bedrock, as well.
While the Cowboys offensive line continues to be highly offensive
when it comes to run-blocking, a good and reliable running back has
the ability to make defenders miss.
Marion the Barbarian has continued to struggle even in short
yardage and Felix the Cat has continued to have minimal luck
bursting out of the blocks.
Marion has been less of a bruiser and Felix has been less of a
speedster with neither back breaking many tackles nor
manufacturing much yardage on their own.
Tashard Choice is the solution or the next solution.
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- Memories of his 2008 tour of duty
are not so old that fans do not remember how well he performed as
the starter in place of the Booboo Barbarian and the declawed Cat.
Tashard Choice is the solution and he should be given the chance
to start . . . yes, all of a sudden.
While Tashard is not Marcus Allen and Jerry Jones is not Al Davis
(or is he?), Tashard is being made to ride the pine unnecessarily.
Al Davis made Allen languish on the Raiders bench for at least two
years while still in the prime of his brilliant career and the
Raiders only suffered for it.
Tashard has done nothing wrong outside of one fumble to deserve
the lack of playing time through which he has endured with his head
held high for much of this season.
If Tashard was the next coming of Curvin Richards, his extensive
bench time would be understandable, but Tashard is no former rushing
flunky.
Tashard Choice is the solution and he requires less of the Cowboys
suffering offensive linemen than do his backfield mates.
Tashard Choice is the solution and he can make people miss with
good speed, rushing or catching out of the backfield, and when
operating from the really rare Razorback.
Tashard Choice is the solution and he is the Peoples Choice.
Jerry, Wade, and Jason appear to be aware this could be the case,
but they will never know for sure unless they give Tashard another
chance to start.
If Tashard proves to be the right choice, the Cowboys brass will
look brilliant. If Tashard proves to be a poor choice, they will not
have to hear another word about him from anyone.
It is their choice and with a 1-6 record Tashard Choice is ready
to be chosen.
Inspiration Challenged
Players in any major professional sport attempt to deliver the
goods at five different levels of inspiration:
1 Love of the game: they could almost play for free.
2 Love of the coach: they cannot envision playing for any other
coach or in any other system.
3 Love of the paycheck: they show up to play reasonably well to
ensure the green never gets lean.
4 Love of the career: they have already had their big paydays, and
they are more interested in stretching the twilight of their career
gravy training with as many winners for as many winning
opportunities as possible (former Oakland Raiders linebacker Matt
Millen comes to mind).
5 Love of the Twilight Zone where they are still in the prime of
their career but seem lost mentally and challenged to unearth even
the smallest amount of inspiration.
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- While the Cowboys certainly qualify
for the lowest rung of inspiration, it remains a major mystery as to
why their brains function so abnormally on game day.
Who Moved My Cheese?
The Cowboys arrive at Lambeau Field tomorrow with about as much
positive consistency as Easy Cheese.
They were shredded by Jacksonville last week and after a week of
healing up the Cowboys could be shot to Swiss cheese or pounded to
parmesan by
games end in the land of Lombardi.
The Cowboys face a Green Bay Packers team that aside from a tough
win against the New York Jets has looked beatable for most of the
season. Green Bay has a good passing game (when their offensive line
is healthy), they have an average rushing game, and their defensive
secondary is once again dinged up.
The Cowboys once again have enough physical talent on their side
of the ball to win this game. Did they develop enough mental
maturity during their week of practice to put that physical talent
to good use? Will they begin executing their plays or continue
mercilessly executing their coaches?
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- "If I only had a brain," said the
scarecrow. Do the Cowboys wish they had brains or do they believe
ignorance is bliss when you are playing poorly?
Has Roy Williams finally gone over the edge catching most of the
passes thrown his way AND insisting on a nine game winning streak?
Fans would love it, but they are not that fickle and they have no
interest in being teased again . . . and again.
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- Are the Cowboys just going to continue playing out the string with a
Love of the Twilight Zone?
Do Cowboys fans want to continue seeing something really scary every
week?
Can the Cowboys move Green Bays cheese clear out of Lambeau Field?
We shall see. We always do.
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