-
-
-
2011-2012 Regular Season: The Men Of Leisure
- December
2, 2011
At 10:20 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
-
- The Cowboys began the season with
stormy weather, tossing (their cookies) and turning (their fans’
stomachs) every other week.
Then, the storm seemed to break as they silenced the Rams.
Then, the storm returned with a vengeance as they were (rotten)
egged by the Eagles.
Then, the storm settled once more as they survived the Seahawks.
Then, it looked like the Boys were in Bermuda as they blew out the
Bills.
Then, faced with a more serious scenario, they scraped by the Skins.
-
- And after getting themselves in a tight spot on Turkey Day, “The Men
Of Leisure” livened up and dove deeper than the Dolphins.
Sorry, Charlie
Fans – some of them – wanted a Thanksgiving Day blowout of epic
proportions equaled in size only by the fabulous feasts being
enjoyed by Americans everywhere.
Other fans wanted a tip of the football helmet to the hard fought
NBA Finals battle between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.
Still others wanted the Cowboys to simply grind out another win
regardless of the beautiful or brutal quality.
The contest was, indeed, epic . . . in the number of blown
assignments, penalties o' plenty, and turnovers made by the Cowboys and
Dolphins – in all three phases of the game.
The game was, indeed, a tip of the football helmet . . . towards an
unnecessarily hard fought battle that kept fans on the edge of their
seats until the final gun.
The game was, indeed, another grind-it-out win . . . that scored no
beauty points.
Fans – once again – were treated to a teaser trailer for “The Men Of
Leisure” – starring the Dallas Cowboys.
Team “Charlie Tuna” – otherwise known as The Cowboys – tried hard
early in the game to offer themselves up to Miami as a fantastic
fish fillet with two tantalizing Tony turnovers.
Matt Moore continued his rise from hardly making it with the Cowboys
to delivering another holy mackerel performance for the Dolphins.
Charlie Tuna – in this case – had neither good taste nor tasted any
good . . . but the Dolphins simply would not bite (enough to win the
game).
The Cowboys had been tiptoeing around the Dolphins as if they were
“sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads.”
-
-
-
- They were relying on DeMarco “Complete Back Without A Fullback”
Murray to continue moving the chains – on the ground, through the
air, and between the 20’s – in the absence of scoring efforts that
required brains. The Cowboys – to a man – clearly ate too much turkey before
the game, forcing Jerry to consider a future ban on tryptophan.
Moore combined with Brandon Marshall and Reggie Bush to give Dallas
an early competitive push that – as the Cowboys began to regain
their composure – turned into late game mush.
-
- Shayne “Crumble Like A” Graham (Cracker) unbelievably missed a very
makeable field goal - just wide left by a hair – that might have
made all the difference between a Dolphin delight and a Miami
misery.
Romo regained his rhythm, Robinson reigned in his second touchdown
reception, and Bailey brought home the bacon with another game-ending
field goal.
While NFL Network analysts Michael Irvin, Steve Mariucci, Deion
Sanders and Marshall Faulk unanimously picked the Cowboys to win the
NFC East, Faulk accurately stated "The Cowboys play to the level of
the competition. When they play Mickey Mouse, they play like Mickey
Mouse."
The NFL Network may not offer the cream of the analyst crop but –
with respect to the reaming of the Rams and the Bills beat down –
the Cowboys certainly have been playing to the level of their
competition lately.
“Sorry, Charlie,” indeed. It was a good day for Dallas to be a
tasteless Tuna . . . instead of a Dolphin delicacy.
Keep It On Ice
Cowboys Nation is beginning to get that familiar and excited chill
up its spine.
This time of year – for decades past – used to bring matter-of-fact
anticipation of post season participation.
Nowadays, this time of year brings hopeful (almost begging)
anticipation of playoff potential – followed by concern that
tournament entry will only bring fan embarrassment.
While the Cowboys have been more two-faced than Tommy Lee Jones, they
have also steadily developed the ability to absorb the best an
opponent has to offer . . . and grind out victories at the final
gun.
-
- If it looks like mental toughness and smells like mental toughness,
then, by Jerry, the Cowboys must finally be rounding into a hearty,
mentally tough squad . . . the kind Dallas fans always see from
their NFC East opponents but have rarely witnessed from their own
team over the past 15+ years.
Does this mean the Cowboys will continue improving their mental
toughness?
Does this mean mental toughness is enough to overcome any team that
stands in their way – like the angry and humiliated Eagles and
Giants . . . who the Cowboys are facing in three of their remaining
regular season games?
Does this mean mental toughness can help them score more
aggressively to start their games . . . and cruise to the finish –
like they did against the Rams and Bills?
Mental toughness is only one piece of the potential playoff puzzle,
because there are 31 other NFL teams that can also play that way on
any given Sunday, Monday, or Thursday.
Professional sports teams have a two-part problem that follows them
everywhere they go, no matter how good their skills, no matter how
great their records, no matter the regular season nor the playoffs.
Part
1 – The Cowboys need to solve their own problems: what are the best
ways to use their available talent, what are the best techniques for
that talent . . . and how do they keep that talent healthy enough to
perform those best ways and techniques, week in and week out?
Part
2 – The Cowboys need to expose their opponents’ problems: what are
the best ways to handle their available talent, what are the best
techniques to counter their best techniques for their talent . . .
and how do they get their opponents’ talent off the gridiron
(without being completely unsportsmanlike)?
While the defending NFL Champion Green Bay Packers may be 11-0, they
are spending every practice session attempting to answer their own
two-part problem.
The solutions can be different from game to game and extremely fluid
over the course of an entire punishing season . . . but the team
that does not make a season-long attempt to solve its two-part
problem has even fewer excuses when it fails to win.
The Cowboys have the potential to win all of their remaining regular
season games – against the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants (1st
of 2), Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles (2nd of 2), and
finishing out against the Giants (2nd of 2), again.
None of these games will be guaranteed . . . no matter how many
egregious gridiron gaffes each of those teams has committed in some
pretty crummy contests.
None of those teams fear a Cowboys team that – at the drop of a
helmet – could see its journey become just as jostled.
All of those teams – including the Cowboys – know that it takes but
one dumb decision to deny victory, deliver defeat, and downgrade
destiny.
The Cowboys control their own regular season destiny, have the
potential to win the NFC East, and might make some positive post
season noise.
-
- It would all be extremely nice, but fans know better – and until the
Cowboys end the regular season at least atop the NFC East – they
need to keep those thoughts on ice.
Stay Hungry
“The Men Of Leisure” simply have to end their regular season “just
one little game” ahead of the Giants, and the division crown will
belong to the Cowboys once again . . . and if that is how Dallas
envisions their regular season ending, then, they will be finished
before they even sniff the post season.
Fans and prognosticators alike always talk about how the “hungry
team” will go the farthest – unless stopped by divine intervention
or really bad luck.
If that is the case, the Cowboys should be absolutely starving for
the chance to win each and every remaining game on their schedule –
no matter how determined each opponent on that schedule may be to ruin
the righteous return of “America’s Team – The Most Interesting NFL
Organization In The World” to the playoff party.
Dallas simply has to end their regular season as many games ahead of
the Giants as they can muster – using every healthy and talented
bullet in their play-calling six shooters – and the division Stetson
hat will belong to the Cowboys once again . . . and if that is how
Dallas envisions their regular season ending, then, they may,
indeed, be ready for a deep and determined post season push.
-
-
-
- The Cowboys – like any team with
their potential playoff position – will realize greater results if
they stay hungry . . . and bring with them an outstanding appetite
to their final five regular season opponents.
True Losses
While the Cowboys must continue to make do – for at least another
week – without Miles Austin,
Josh Brent, Tony Fiammetta, Phillip Tanner, and Jon Kitna (in
semi-relevant order of immediate importance) . . . the absence of
those injured players pales in comparison to the loss of a loved
one.
Those players will eventually make it back onto the gridiron – or
at least onto the sideline of future games . . . but – for starting
strong safety Abram Elam – the loss of his father the other day is
permanent.
Fans – all of them, everywhere, for every team in every sport at
every level – are used to seeing professional athletes simply “shake
it off” – quickly moving past the loss of a loved one for the
greater good of their teammates and the entertainment of the fans.
Fans are used to seeing most professional athletes – particularly
from the NFL – spend their careers either mechanically playing their
chosen sport or mindlessly running afoul of the law. The Tortured
Cowboys Fan is certainly among the category of fans who wish some of
their favorite sports stars would think better before they do worse.
While this self-destructive pattern may be true on a growing scale,
professional athletes are still human beings – with some form of
close family and good friends . . . just like you and me.
Society has its own collection of problems that keep fans and
professional athletes a lot closer on the difficulty scale than some
fans would ever like to admit . . . but I digress.
Elam was back on the practice field Friday . . . after taking Jerry
Jones’ private jet to spend just one day with his family in Florida
to console them after learning of his father’s death. One day.
Assuming Elam was close with his father, he has said – and will
continue to say – what most professional athletes have stated since
the dawn of professional sports: “My father (in this case) would
have wanted me to buck up, stand strong with my teammates when they
really need me, and play ball. I am dedicating the next game, the
rest of the season, and the rest of my career to his memory.”
Elam should not be doubted if this "generic" response does, indeed,
jive with his true feelings on the subject. Those fans who understand the difference between a performing
piece of meat and a human being who happens to play professional
football for a living . . . can only hope Elam and his teammates decide
to repurpose their collective sorrow and
USE IT.
Fans – those who only see professional athletes as indestructible,
super-powered beings – should use this event as a reminder that
merely playing a game you love with sometimes-tremendous natural
talent . . . is not nearly as hard as doing so with a fragile focus
and a heavy heart.
Will They Or Won’t They?
“The Men Of Leisure” may be planning to keep fans guessing as to the
outcome of their games for the rest of the season.
The Cowboys must be in cahoots with the TV networks – trying to
create a ratings bonanza in return for cash kickbacks.
The Cowboys defeated the Dolphins, had their fun, and had an
extended period in which to prepare for the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals – originating from their time in the NFC East – have
always played the Cowboys tough . . . even in games where Dallas
handily outscored them. The 1989 version of the Dallas Cowboys knew
all about playing their brains out and still losing out – to the
tune of a 1-15 record . . . but I digress.
The Cardinals – regardless of their record – are about as hot as the
Cowboys right now, and Dallas is going to have to burn even brighter
to get those “Angry Birds” to back down . . . and “know their place”
in the pit of the NFC West.
Will (Ray) Horton’s “Steel Curtain West” hear who is coming after
them with all guns o’ blazin’ before it is too late?
-
- Will the Cowboys’ offensive line be able to protect Romo from
unnecessary bird droppings, err, Cardinal sacks? Will Garrett be
ready to redirect that traffic with a steady stream of Romo rollouts? Tony has more fun throwing on the run . . . but I digress.
-
- Will Jerry and Jason hold firm on
Kitna's back condition and try not to squirm at Stephen McGee's
somewhat-proven ability to please? Persistent stories from last
season strongly suggest the recently-released Donovan McNabb does
not have enough sense of urgency to get up off the career-ending
slab.
-
- McNabb – with Philadelphia – was pretty fab, but the Cowboys should avoid taking a stab
. . . on a post-prime player looking to make yet another career-saving
grab.
-
- Will Dan Bailey remain undistracted
and keep making 'em daily – or will he want to just die, knowing
he will have to spend the off-season facing the competitive wrath of
rookie kicker Kai Forbath . . . who remains stuck on the NFI
(Non-Football Injury List)?
Will Ryan’s Roughnecks be able to contain Larry Fitzgerald with the
timely addition of Mike Jenkins . . . or will Fitzy simply continue
to give his opponents fits?
-
- Will Ryan's "Big Bullies" be able to
battle Beanie Wells to a draw . . . after the draining distance he
dashed against the Rams?
Will Romo and his receivers be able to ride out of the gate earlier
than the Red Birds . . . and strike up some serious scores that will
prevent another gridiron grind?
-
- Will the settlement of Dez Bryant's
recent "blings and things" litigation allow him to finally perform
clear-headed and focused for Cowboys Nation . . . or will his
irregular routes continue to his full potential on the
outs?
-
- Will Laurent Robinson be able to
continue playing like nothing bothers him . . . or will the
Cardinals finally be the one defense that decides to roll the dice
(away from Dez) and their defensive secondary his way? If so, will Bryant be ready
to deliver some beneficial play?
Will DeMarco continue to be d’man without a fully-fledged fullback
to lay down his rubber road to daylight . . . or will Murray be able
wear (rookie Shaun) Chapas like a gaucho galloping through the gaps
during a gunfight?
Will the Cowboys get their special teams straightened out before
star Red Bird rookie Patrick Peterson gets another chance to pop off for punt return
points?
-
- Will Kevin Kolb return and earn what
he got paid through his Big Bird trade . . . or will his turf toe
prevent him from giving it a go?
Will the Cowboys allow the Cardinals to continue to rise – or will
Dallas be “Raising Arizona” like an old building about to crumble
and ensuring their demise?
Will “The Men Of Leisure” grind out another win, go big like they
did against the Bills . . . or commit a similar sin of the past two
weeks by underestimating the winged wonders of the southwest?
Will the Cowboys commit a bigger blunder by looking ahead to the
suddenly herky-jerky Giants? Garrett should be able to keep the
Cowboys on their steady climb with one game at a time but – with
this team – fans never can tell until the ref rings the final bell.
The Cowboys – if they are on their game (even with their missing
personnel) – should be able to down the Cardinals like so many birds
heading south for the winter . . . but will they?
We shall see. We always do.
|
