I was watching the New York Giants play the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday and found myself thinking about half-way through the game, “Oh my God, I don’t think Big Blue is going to win this one.”
It was a startling realization for me. I knew that the Eagles had a chance to win that game, but I didn’t really think that they’d travel up to the Meadowlands and win against a well rested Giants squad. I expected the Giants to out-run the birds with a ready and raring to go Brandon Jacobs. I expected The Giants’ D to at least put up a good fight. And maybe worst of all, I thought Eli Manning (one of the most average QB’s in the league) to at least be proficient.
Instead, what happened was that the Birds showed up and took care of business, just like the last two weeks with their destruction of Dallas and their handy defeat of the Minnesota Vikings.
For the first time in a few years, the Philadelphia Eagles stand on the cusp of a Super Bowl berth. With a favorable match-up against the Arizona Cardinals, a team that they’ve played once already this year, they are poised to become a major threat to the AFC contender for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. And if they were to win, it would be the second NFC East team in as many years to hoist the trophy in their city.
As a life-long Dallas Cowboys fan, the idea of any divisional rival winning the Super Bowl is a stomach churning experience. The only thing worse than the concept of the Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl is the notion that next year it could be the Washington Redskins. After all, they had a good run there in the middle of the season as well, right?
I look at the Dallas Cowboys squads that have come and gone and there is a starling similarity. It is this common linkage that bridges the Cowboys from the past ten to twelve years that could also explain the disparity of between their failures in both the regular and post seasons and our rivals’ successes.
The NFC East has long been a blue collar division in football, filled with teams that hit harder, play rougher, and finish games with a toughness that could be matched only by a few similar divisions throughout the NFL (the AFC North comes readily to mind, especially with a prominent Round 3 looming between division champs Pittsburgh and up and coming Baltimore).
The New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Washington Redskins have all embraced their blue collar roots. The Dallas Cowboys have not.
In the past two seasons, the Cowboys organization in general and Jerry Jones in particular have made decisions and choices for the future of Dallas that have shied away from their blue collar beginnings. Relying on highly paid talent like Terrell Owens and Tony Romo and players with histories as clouded as creek beds like Adam “Pacman” Jones and Tank Johnson, the Cowboys have attempted to become a larger than life presence in the NFL again, only this time team chemistry and character were left in the stable while Jerry Jones saddled up a pony named Notoriety in the hopes of riding off into the sunset.
All throughout the season, the players squabbled, complained, griped, and struggled to even stay in the same locker room. Receivers complained of not enough passes and claimed secretive meetings between Tony Romo and Jason Witten were taking place. Players disrespected head coach Wade Phillips. And Adam Jones, who had the opportunity of a lifetime and a second chance that probably shouldn’t have been awarded to him disrespected not only his general manager and owner Jerry Jones, but the entire league and the commisioner by violating his probation (yet again) and getting into a physical altercation with a man that was hired to keep him out of trouble.
All season long, we watched grown men behaving as children while kidding themselves that the Super Bowl was theirs to receive in Tampa. It was tough to watch this year, and I suppose the reason they achieved so much was the lingering aftereffects of Bill Parcells and his hard-nosed, no excuses allowed methods. Now that mentality has been squandered and lost, leaving behind only highly paid divas and a precious few that have the toughness, but not the leadership.
As a Cowboys fan living on the East Coast, I could write you a novel about what its like to hear the way our divisional rivals’ fans talk about the team I grew up loving. “The Cowgirls are pansies,” I heard from a Giant’s fan. “What a joke. Why don’t you get some green and start watching real football,” from an Eagles fan. And my personal favorite: “Cowgirls? Man, have you even been to Texas,” from a ‘Skins fan. Yea, it’s been tough to root for the ‘Boys this year, and even though I reflect on the season with a fair amount of negativity, there are still aspects of this team that I love even more than last year.
For one, the defense. Those guys played hard from about the time Romo was injured until the end of the season. They faltered, especially during the Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Eagles games. But like some many defensive squads in the past showed, you can only play well for so long. And after your offense has failed the majority of the game, your defense will as well. Guys like DeMarcus Ware and Bradie James defined this season in Dallas with their consistent big-play ability. Ware led the league in sacks and was a major candidate for Defensive MVP. Terrance Newman stepped up his play and rookies did as well as you could ask them to after an aging Roy Williams went out for the season. In the second part of the season, the defense was the catalyst for the offense most of the time, and to ask of them anymore is unfair.
The running game is also intriguing. Marian Barber was a stud (like we knew he would be) and Felix Jones perfectly complimented his running style, exploding several times for big gains and scores until he went out for the season with an injury. Even rookie Tashard Choice fit the bill after Barber broke his toe. Choice did an amazing job against some of the best defenses in the league. I look forwards to maybe seeing a trio of strong, dynamic runners with differing styles similar to the Giants’ Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Derek Ward next year.
And Jason Witten.
Words and accolades don’t even begin to describe how I feel about the best tight end to wear the star since Jay Novacek. He played with busted ribs, he played with a bruised chest and an injured ankle. But even with the injuries, he still managed to block well, run well, and come up with some absolutely clutch catches. He’s got toughness and character, two things that are currently in short supply in the Dallas Cowboys offense. Witten is in my opinion one of the top three offensive players Dallas has. Jerry Jones would do well remembering his toughness and his skill when contract time rolls around next.
Save for a couple of sparks during the 44-6 loss against the Eagles, Tony Romo once again failed to step up as a leader. But there was a bright spot in my heart when on fourth and inches he defied Wade Phillips, sent back the punt team, and then executed a text-book quarterback sneak to get the first down. Save for his issues with ball security, Romo’s biggest detriment is his lack of leadership. He needs to step up and control his wild offensive players and force them to respect what it is they do and how they play.
Of the four remaining teams, three of them (the Eagles, the Ravens, and the Steelers) play the kind of smash mouth, blue collar football that wins championships. Last year, the Champion New York Giants also played the same kind of football. There’s a noticeable similarity, isn’t there?
Should the Cowboys want to win in the post-season again, they need only look inside their division at three teams that seem to have a different value system than they do. Those are teams that don’t mind hitting hard and getting hit hard in return. Those are the teams that are tough, those are the teams that have character and leaders in good supply. But more than anything, those are the teams that play like nothing is given to them just because they are America’s Team, teams that don’t believe that they are the Super Bowl heir apparent. Until the whole team plays hard and realizes that they reside in a blue collar division, I doubt anyone will see the Cowboys as a serious playoff threat.
Including me.
It was a startling realization for me. I knew that the Eagles had a chance to win that game, but I didn’t really think that they’d travel up to the Meadowlands and win against a well rested Giants squad. I expected the Giants to out-run the birds with a ready and raring to go Brandon Jacobs. I expected The Giants’ D to at least put up a good fight. And maybe worst of all, I thought Eli Manning (one of the most average QB’s in the league) to at least be proficient.
Instead, what happened was that the Birds showed up and took care of business, just like the last two weeks with their destruction of Dallas and their handy defeat of the Minnesota Vikings.
For the first time in a few years, the Philadelphia Eagles stand on the cusp of a Super Bowl berth. With a favorable match-up against the Arizona Cardinals, a team that they’ve played once already this year, they are poised to become a major threat to the AFC contender for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. And if they were to win, it would be the second NFC East team in as many years to hoist the trophy in their city.
As a life-long Dallas Cowboys fan, the idea of any divisional rival winning the Super Bowl is a stomach churning experience. The only thing worse than the concept of the Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl is the notion that next year it could be the Washington Redskins. After all, they had a good run there in the middle of the season as well, right?
I look at the Dallas Cowboys squads that have come and gone and there is a starling similarity. It is this common linkage that bridges the Cowboys from the past ten to twelve years that could also explain the disparity of between their failures in both the regular and post seasons and our rivals’ successes.
The NFC East has long been a blue collar division in football, filled with teams that hit harder, play rougher, and finish games with a toughness that could be matched only by a few similar divisions throughout the NFL (the AFC North comes readily to mind, especially with a prominent Round 3 looming between division champs Pittsburgh and up and coming Baltimore).
The New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Washington Redskins have all embraced their blue collar roots. The Dallas Cowboys have not.
In the past two seasons, the Cowboys organization in general and Jerry Jones in particular have made decisions and choices for the future of Dallas that have shied away from their blue collar beginnings. Relying on highly paid talent like Terrell Owens and Tony Romo and players with histories as clouded as creek beds like Adam “Pacman” Jones and Tank Johnson, the Cowboys have attempted to become a larger than life presence in the NFL again, only this time team chemistry and character were left in the stable while Jerry Jones saddled up a pony named Notoriety in the hopes of riding off into the sunset.
All throughout the season, the players squabbled, complained, griped, and struggled to even stay in the same locker room. Receivers complained of not enough passes and claimed secretive meetings between Tony Romo and Jason Witten were taking place. Players disrespected head coach Wade Phillips. And Adam Jones, who had the opportunity of a lifetime and a second chance that probably shouldn’t have been awarded to him disrespected not only his general manager and owner Jerry Jones, but the entire league and the commisioner by violating his probation (yet again) and getting into a physical altercation with a man that was hired to keep him out of trouble.
All season long, we watched grown men behaving as children while kidding themselves that the Super Bowl was theirs to receive in Tampa. It was tough to watch this year, and I suppose the reason they achieved so much was the lingering aftereffects of Bill Parcells and his hard-nosed, no excuses allowed methods. Now that mentality has been squandered and lost, leaving behind only highly paid divas and a precious few that have the toughness, but not the leadership.
As a Cowboys fan living on the East Coast, I could write you a novel about what its like to hear the way our divisional rivals’ fans talk about the team I grew up loving. “The Cowgirls are pansies,” I heard from a Giant’s fan. “What a joke. Why don’t you get some green and start watching real football,” from an Eagles fan. And my personal favorite: “Cowgirls? Man, have you even been to Texas,” from a ‘Skins fan. Yea, it’s been tough to root for the ‘Boys this year, and even though I reflect on the season with a fair amount of negativity, there are still aspects of this team that I love even more than last year.
For one, the defense. Those guys played hard from about the time Romo was injured until the end of the season. They faltered, especially during the Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Eagles games. But like some many defensive squads in the past showed, you can only play well for so long. And after your offense has failed the majority of the game, your defense will as well. Guys like DeMarcus Ware and Bradie James defined this season in Dallas with their consistent big-play ability. Ware led the league in sacks and was a major candidate for Defensive MVP. Terrance Newman stepped up his play and rookies did as well as you could ask them to after an aging Roy Williams went out for the season. In the second part of the season, the defense was the catalyst for the offense most of the time, and to ask of them anymore is unfair.
The running game is also intriguing. Marian Barber was a stud (like we knew he would be) and Felix Jones perfectly complimented his running style, exploding several times for big gains and scores until he went out for the season with an injury. Even rookie Tashard Choice fit the bill after Barber broke his toe. Choice did an amazing job against some of the best defenses in the league. I look forwards to maybe seeing a trio of strong, dynamic runners with differing styles similar to the Giants’ Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Derek Ward next year.
And Jason Witten.
Words and accolades don’t even begin to describe how I feel about the best tight end to wear the star since Jay Novacek. He played with busted ribs, he played with a bruised chest and an injured ankle. But even with the injuries, he still managed to block well, run well, and come up with some absolutely clutch catches. He’s got toughness and character, two things that are currently in short supply in the Dallas Cowboys offense. Witten is in my opinion one of the top three offensive players Dallas has. Jerry Jones would do well remembering his toughness and his skill when contract time rolls around next.
Save for a couple of sparks during the 44-6 loss against the Eagles, Tony Romo once again failed to step up as a leader. But there was a bright spot in my heart when on fourth and inches he defied Wade Phillips, sent back the punt team, and then executed a text-book quarterback sneak to get the first down. Save for his issues with ball security, Romo’s biggest detriment is his lack of leadership. He needs to step up and control his wild offensive players and force them to respect what it is they do and how they play.
Of the four remaining teams, three of them (the Eagles, the Ravens, and the Steelers) play the kind of smash mouth, blue collar football that wins championships. Last year, the Champion New York Giants also played the same kind of football. There’s a noticeable similarity, isn’t there?
Should the Cowboys want to win in the post-season again, they need only look inside their division at three teams that seem to have a different value system than they do. Those are teams that don’t mind hitting hard and getting hit hard in return. Those are the teams that are tough, those are the teams that have character and leaders in good supply. But more than anything, those are the teams that play like nothing is given to them just because they are America’s Team, teams that don’t believe that they are the Super Bowl heir apparent. Until the whole team plays hard and realizes that they reside in a blue collar division, I doubt anyone will see the Cowboys as a serious playoff threat.
Including me.
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