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2010-2011 Regular Season: Mission
Impossible?
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- October 14,
2010
At 11:45 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
The Rangers, Texans, and Cowboys all were playing pivotal games last
Sunday. Each team had a chance to make successful statements rather
than deliver stunted stinkers.
The Rangers could have finished off the Tampa Bay Rays in their
playoff series and moved on to the American League Championship
Series – which they eventually did earlier this week.
The Texans could have followed up a recovery win against the Oakland
Raiders with an attention-getting win against a struggling New York
Giants team.
The Cowboys could have followed a dominating – but still imperfect –
game against the Texans with another fine performance against the
Tennessee Titans.
All three Texas teams were too (mentally) tuckered to turn the
collective corner on the competition.
One team has reached a new level of post season play – previously
thought unachievable by such a historically playoff-challenged
organization.
One team underestimated the competition and got taken to the
woodshed but – due to its 3-2 record – it still has a good chance to
recover in the next game before losing any further ground to
divisional opponents.
One team allowed itself to get beaten – due exclusively to a myriad
of mental midget mistakes – and it still has a chance to further
damage end-of-season goals with another poor performance . . . or
get off life-support with a victory against the Vikings.
Fire Everyone
“Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett should be fired – with Paul
Pasqualoni (former successful Syracuse head coach) being promoted to
finish out the season.”
“Wade Phillips should be fired – with Jason Garrett being given a
chance at head coaching to finish out the season."
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- "Hudson Houck should be fired – with
anyone who knows how to put up sheet rock given a chance to coach
the offensive line."
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- "Joe DeCamillis should be fired –
with Joe Avezzano being lured out of retirement to prove that not
re-signing safety Keith Davis a couple years ago and cutting
oft-injured safety Pat Watkins prior to the 2010 season does not
completely destroy your special teams capabilities.”
“Jerry Jones should fire himself – with a ‘real’ general manager
being hired to right the Good Ship Cowboy.”
“Stephen Jones should get Jerry diagnosed as clinically insane, take
over the organization, and hire a proper general manager and new,
strong-willed head coach.”
These are all popular phrases among the Cowboys’ faithful and
prognosticators, but none of these ideas are realistic.
Has a head coach ever been fired in the middle of a season before –
with an interim coach turning his failed team into something of a
success? Yes – rarely – but yes.
Is such a change more risky than leaving the original head coach in
place? Yes and no. Circumstances are generally different for every
situation – from healthy and talented players to experienced staff
to experienced scouts to experienced and supportive front office
executives.
Last year was no different – when Wade, his staff, and his players
were up against a late season wall – and a poor result was going to
help seal the Cowboys’ fate.
Jerry has said a few times already this season – in various ways –
that Wade is not in danger of being terminated this season. Jerry is
not obligated to show his hand to anyone, not even the paying fans –
even though the fans certainly deserve some level of transparency when their
expensive entertainment begins to falter.
If the Cowboys continue to deliver poor performances through the
rest of the season, anyone who follows the game of professional
football will easily become a rocket scientist when they claim a
new Cowboy’s head coach will be on the horizon for 2011 – if a new
collective bargaining agreement is reached beforehand – or 2012.
If the Cowboys begin to deliver the quality performances originally
expected of them for this season, then, the Wade Watch will wither
away. Whether that is temporary or permanent is – sadly – up to
group interpretation.
The group interpreting Wade’s status – and any coach’s status in the
same situation – for better or worse, will be the very same Cowboys' coaches and
players upon whom he is depending to win at this very moment.
One has to be the most selfish person in the world – like Albert
Haynesworth or Randy Moss (I apologize, I apologize, I apologize) –
to become an obstacle to professional success for his own teammates
and the organization for which he plays.
Each team, sadly, has at least one or two of those players who are
out “to get mine,” and that is just one more unwanted element Wade
and his
coaches must keep at arm’s length every week.
In the meantime, the firing squad is ready and waiting to execute
their orders. Word has it Wade and the team actually visited the firing squad
– placing flowers in the barrels of their guns.
Pride And Prejudice
The name of Jane Austen’s second novel is also the perfect
description of how the Cowboys should approach the rest of the 2010
season.
The Cowboys had no excuses entering the season, and they will have
none finishing the season.
The coaches can only deliver inspirational concepts and call plays so many ways, the players can only
block, catch, pass, run, and tackle so many ways, and they
collectively can only review film, study the playbook, and practice so many ways.
While some sports organizations can occasionally succeed on raw
talent alone – no matter how well prepared they arrive to the
battlefield – other organizations must rely on their pride and
prejudice.
Pride – for the Cowboys – is the mental cap on pure raging
adrenalin. Pride drives a person to “destroy” themselves in an
all-out effort to succeed through fear of failure or a burning
desire to avoid outright humiliation.
Prejudice – for the Cowboys – is the burning desire to avoid any further
humiliation than has already been absorbed through a 1-3 beginning. The Cowboys must display extreme prejudice towards
failure . . . for as long as their 2010 season lasts. They must be
supremely prejudiced against anything less than 100% mental and
physical effort in team meetings, in practice, and on game day.
The Cowboys have been inexplicably rationing their pride and
prejudice over the first four games (yes – even making poor mistakes
against the Houston Texans). The Cowboys must open the throttle,
letting their pride and prejudice flow as hard and fast as possible
for the remainder of their season.
The Cowboys have nowhere to hide – from the fans, foes, and media
outlets. When physical talent, mental skill, and
planning fail to combine towards victory, teams are left with pride
and prejudice as the only remaining intergalactic elements that can
propel them to preserve their playoff hopes for as long as possible.
Discipline Does Not Do
Dallas
When Chan Gailey – former 2-year head coach of the Dallas Cowboys –
refused to add an offensive coordinator to his staff, Jerry fired
him.
It is safe to say that if Wade and Jerry ever had a similar
conversation – such as when the Cowboys fired former defensive
coordinator and Phillips friend Brian Stewart – Wade never argued,
raised a finger, or refused to do exactly as Jerry “requested.”
It is even fair to say that Jerry may have even asked Wade if there
was any way to salvage Stewart’s position with the Cowboys – if
there was, in fact, a better approach towards realizing Stewart’s full
coaching potential or if Stewart could be refocused towards his true
defensive strengths.
A broader scope has Jerry asking Wade to be more publicly demanding
of his players and to be more firm with them on game day sidelines.
One could only guess that Wade would acquiesce and attempt to
perform a task very alien and uncomfortable to him . . . or he would
simply offer to resign rather than go against his beliefs on
coach-and-player communication.
Wade has admitted several times over that he prefers to treat his
players like men and – outside of the playbook – he passively lets
them choose to be accountable for their results in practice and on
game day.
If Wade was – at his core – a disciplinarian, then, it would make
sense for Jerry and fans to demand more discipline.
Wade is not a disciplinarian, as he continues to wait for his
players to hit the bottom of the embarrassment bottle – praying that
his players actually want to achieve professional greatness and
actually care how they are perceived by society.
Wade has succeeded in the past in convincing his players to look
beyond themselves when playing on Sunday – but it should be
disturbing to anyone at any level in any walk of life that a head
coach of a professional sports team would still need to convince his
team of four years to look at the big picture.
It is maddening for any fan to literally be waiting for their
favorite players on their favorite sports team to grow up and get
smart – rather than repeatedly slinking away to the cone of silence
after every silly mistake – to the ideal point where the players are only turning to their
coaches for game planning, practice, some basic conceptual
inspiration, and game day play calls (like in the NBA with Phil
Jackson and the Bulls or Lakers).
The Cowboys have a mix of older veterans, mid-career veterans,
early-career veterans, and rookies – just like every other team in
the NFL – and professional sports teams are simply expected to have
a few in that player mix become leaders . . . by default, by desire,
and by necessity.
Those leaders are expected to be the players who get it. Those
leaders are expected to understand the goals of the organization and
the coaching staff. Those leaders – outside of an initial
explanation by the coaches – are expected to impart those goals to
any players on the team who are failing or repeatedly failing to
comprehend those goals.
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- Those leaders must make every effort
this week to get the complete attention of the Cowboys' offensive
line and defensive secondary – going over and over any and all
adjustments to focus and technique that will help stop the mindless
penalties from occurring. While the game plan and technique
adjustments start with the coaching staff, those details must
continue with the players . . . who need to communicate with each
other far more than is realized.
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- The Cowboy's offensive line must
avoid false start and holding penalties like they are the plague – doing anything and
everything to block Vikings' defenders as cleanly as possible and as
often as possible at the line – as if their lives and jobs depended
on it.
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- The Cowboys' secondary needs to jam
the Vikings' receivers as cleanly as possible and as often as
possible at the line – as if their lives and jobs depended on it.
Mike Jenkins – beyond five yards – simply needs to keep his hands to
himself or keep them focused on snatching the football out of thin air and
away from his opponent.
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- If the player leadership can apply
extra communication and focus to the requirements of the offensive
line and defensive secondary – beyond the foundation provided by
Wade and his staff – the other units will be able to fulfill their
assignments that much more efficiently.
Wade and the players truly are invested in a 50/50 partnership –
whether fans like it or not – but it is more than understandable
that fans are demanding which of these two entities is haphazardly divesting
themselves from the partnership . . . and making a complete
disciplinary mess of the season.
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- Wade apparently is a kindergarten
cop, err, coach who is convinced he cannot reach his students by reading them
the riot act every time they pee in their pants. He has determined –
for some time now – that his players need to decide for themselves
when they can no longer tolerate the feeling of cold wet clothing on
their skin.
Fans expect to see a lack of discipline from teams like the Detroit
Lions and St. Louis Rams, but each of those teams thus far have
turned in records at least as good as or better than the Cowboys.
Here is to hoping that Wade’s players are ready to get back into the
big boy pants they were wearing to end the season last year.
Writhing Favre Gathers Moss
The Minnesota Vikings made a well-documented attempt to
simultaneously upgrade their ailing receiver unit and save their
season by trading with the New England Patriots for Randy Moss.
The Vikings were never the same after ridding themselves of the
immensely talented but incredibly tormented receiver, and they now
have a second chance with Moss . . . as long as Brett Favre's right
elbow does not explode prematurely from severe tendinitis.
Has the favored son returned? Maybe. Will he be bearing his fangs for
the Cowboys this Sunday? Certainly. He has forgiven his childhood
favorite Cowboys, but he has not forgotten the lost opportunity to
play for them. Will he be the difference for the Vikings this Sunday
and beyond? Time will tell very shortly.
Is Moss’s arrival unfair timing for the Cowboys – who were
tentatively looking forward to a rematch with their playoff ouster
of last season? No. The Cowboys have earned no breaks, and they will
have proven nothing against diminished or injured opponents.
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- The Cowboys have no choice but to
face the biggest and boldest challenges of their remaining schedule
and “wipe them out – all of them,” or Jerry will make sure all of
his coaches and players are selling refreshments in Cowboys Stadium
on Super Bowl Sunday. Count on it.
Sound Proof Monks
The Cowboys have no choice but to block out the monstrous metronome
of the Metrodome minions.
The Cowboys must do what every other team attempts to do when they
enter the Vikings’ loud and proud sarcophagus of sound: they must
watch the snap of the football.
The Cowboys’ offense must only move when Andre Gurode snaps the ball
– accept, of course, for players who are assigned to be in motion.
The Cowboys’ offensive linemen must go the traditional route of
holding hands once they are set – and release into
pass-or-run-blocking positions upon the snap of the ball. This
should, ironically, be the way the linemen begin every play –
forcing defenses to wonder whether or not they are running or
passing . . . and enforcing a lower number of false start penalties.
Doug Free must continue playing well and holding his own in
general. The Vikings game seems like the perfect excuse for a
breakout performance by Free – to show his opponent how much better
he has become and how the Vikings do not have Flozell to force around
anymore.
A breakout performance by Free, however, cannot include any holding
or false start penalties . . . unless the Cowboys are winning by a
landslide with four minutes left in the game.
If the Cowboys’ offensive linemen feel like a jailbreak is imminent,
they need to come clean with Tony Romo between snaps and tell him to
run for his life (on roll outs, down the seams and into a slide, or
out of bounds).
Whether the Cowboys’ offense moves the ball downfield by run or pass
(and they need be successful at both), they must do so without
penalties on crucial plays and – if possible – without penalties at
all. They cannot trust themselves to play clean subconsciously, so
it must be at the forefront of their minds until further notice.
The Cowboys’ defense also must only move when the Vikings’ center
snaps the ball – or any set player twitches.
DeMarcus Ware knows he is wearing a bulls-eye on his jersey for
Brett Favre and his sinister snap count – and he must be at his very
best to fight the desire to jump offside.
DeMarcus knows his teammates are counting on his leadership as much
as his skill. He owes it to his teammates to show extreme patience
and simply do what he does best after the ball is snapped: beat his
man on the way to his final destination – Brett Favre’s or
Adrian Peterson’s jersey on the ground.
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- The Cowboys ultimately have no
choice but to deal with the sound as if it is pure white noise.
Vikings fans are not interested in throwing a pity party for
Cowboys' eardrums. The Cowboys must be sound proof monks. They have
no choice.
Injuries Ignite
Add Andre Gurode to the
list of walking wounded for this Sunday’s game against the Vikings –
with a knee injury suffered in practice.
While Alan Ball, Igor Olshansky, Martellus Bennett, Chris
Gronkowski, Bradie James, and Dez Bryant all appear to be ready to
limp onto the field with various nagging injuries, the loss of
Gurode would create a mammoth challenge.
Kyle Kosier is Gurode’s back-up for center duties even though –
unbelievably – Kosier has never played a snap at center in his
career. Promising and multi-faceted rookie Phil Costa – who would be
Gurode’s future back-up – got a little practice in this week, but he
has been inactive since the first week of the season.
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- Montrae "Entree" Holland would fill
in for Kosier – with one good eye . . . like Flozell Adams with one
good ear. Holland's other eye does appear to be on the mend though.
The Cowboys’ offensive linemen – again – must be in constant
communication with Romo – making sure he has the greatest
opportunity to succeed with good protection . . . or on the run
without it.
Gronkowski should certainly help with blocking, and fans should
expect Jason Witten to pitch in at halfback if Gronkowski’s groin
injury acts up. The Cowboys will have no choice, and Witten wants to
win as badly as any of his teammates.
While suddenly signing speedy 6-3 cornerback Teddy Williams to the
game day roster from the practice squad sounds like an intriguing
experiment at free safety – to help out against Favre fly balls to Moss
– it is simply too unsafe.
If Wade and his staff truly felt Williams had a chance to help the
team at this point, he would have already been on the roster weeks
ago, at least practicing with the second unit.
The team will just have to make do at safety with Gerald Sensabaugh, a dinged
up Alan Ball, Barry Church, and Danny McCray. Church and McCray - as
hard-working and promising rookies - may
continue to surprise as well.
Bradie James has little choice but to soldier through his injury –
with rookie linebacker Sean Lee still stuck in a season-long sore spot.
Dez Bryant will be asking Jerry for bionics if he endures any
further nagging injuries – like his stress-fractured ribs and the
dreaded high ankle sprain that still appears to be bothering him
from the beginning of training camp.
Dez really has to be thankful for the man he would replace, the man
with the team-sized dinner appetite – ruthless Roy Williams. Roy’s
receiving resurgence could not be happening at a better time, giving
Dez and the entire team a simultaneous glimmer of hope and relief should Dez’s injuries
get any worse.
The Devastation Bowl
The Cowboys and their fans were just beginning to steel themselves
for a return to the scene of last season's Minnesota Massacre – when the Vikings
hauled off and signed Randy Moss to save their own season.
While fans and everyone within the Cowboys organization must have
let out a huge sigh of relief at seeing the Vikings lose to the Jets
on Monday night – especially with a fully functional Randy Moss –
the Cowboys gained nothing but a chance to not fall further behind.
The Cowboys cannot even begin to hope they will be facing a depleted
Vikings team.
The Cowboys cannot even begin to hope they will be facing a
Favre-less Vikings team – tendinitis or not.
The Cowboys cannot even begin to hope they will be facing a Vikings
fan base which has caught a sudden case of laryngitis.
The Cowboys cannot even begin to hope they will be facing an older
and slower Randy Moss – who will still be ready to try and take their milk
money again at any age and any speed.
This game is – for all intents and purposes – the Devastation Bowl –
and no one wants to sponsor it through naming rights, either. Whoever goes home – or stays
home – will be home for the playoffs unless there is an outright
collapse of every other team in their respective divisions.
The NFC has seemed less than stellar since the start of the season,
but it would take a cataclysmic failure by the other teams in the NFC North and the NFC
East for the loser of this game to catch up – suddenly playing great
football – and make the playoffs.
The fifth game of the season is just a few days away, and the
Cowboys – once again – have most of the necessary physical tools to play with
the big boys. All they need are the mental tools – which must be activated
at game time and remain online until the final gun sounds . . . and
the Cowboys will
make it to 2-3 and a new life in the NFC East.
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- “Mission Impossible” is upon the
Cowboys. The fuse is lit – but what will explode from the
unbelievably ugly hole
in the Cowboys' shining star? Will there be pride and prejudice? Will there
be disciplined gridiron execution? Will there be a great and
emotional win to reinvigorate the team – on all levels – for the remainder of the
season?
We shall see. We always do.
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