Cowboys Get Back To Work Preparing For Divisional Playoff
I just read most of the comments/questions posted on the Cowboys home page by their many “fans” and let me just say, take it easy guys, they haven’t lost yet! According to Coach Phillips, the practice yesterday was great, “-one of our best practices,” was how he put it. Terrell Owens, while not yet practicing is recovering quickly, as is his custom, and all of the other players held out of the Washington game were back to practice.
Lots of you feel the distraction of the Garrett and Sparano interviews are bad for the team and that Jerry Jones should do something to protect these coaches right now. The question is, what can he do? It’s only interviews, no one has offered them a new job yet, and as far as can be seen, there is alot of interviewing being conducted in the NFL, as is normal after the completion of the regular season. Yes, Ireland left, but that was expected after Parcells took the job in Miami.
“I’m just proud that we’re having that kind of success,” said owner Jerry Jones. When we’re competing for Super Bowls, it’s always there. I don’t worry about it at all. I think Jason is doing a good job. And I’m fully aware that if we do good jobs around here, we’re going to have people come after our personnel, on and off the field.”
That’s the way it goes in the NFL, if you have some success, you’re going to have changes, and if you don’t, you’re going to have changes, so fans should be use to this sort of thing. Wait and see what happens should the Cowboys make it to the Super Bowl, as they are favored to do, and then it’ll be crazy personnel-wise from then until next season starts.
The good news in all of this is the fact the team is about to play a divisional playoff game at home, and they seem to be very enthused by this as evidenced in yesterday’s practice. Since they won’t know who their opponent will be until this weekend, they know whoever it is will be coming to see them on Jan. 13th and they’ll be ready.
I kind of hope it will be the Redskins, as that last game will be some extra motivation for the Cowboys after their embarrassing performance in Washington. But it could be either the Giants or Buccaneers, which might prove to be a tougher game, but still very winnable. Tampa Bay cruised into the playoffs also, losing three of their last four, but the Giants put up a formidable fight against the Patriots at home, which may have taken everything they had in that one. Seattle sat their starters as well in their finale and lost to Carolina, so everyone who seems worried about how the Cowboys played heading into the playoffs should relax a little, it’s quite common for playoff-bound teams to act this way at the end of the season.
As long as Dallas focuses on fundamentals this week, they can prepare for the team they’ll face on the 13th next week and will stand a great chance of winning their first playoff game since ‘96 and playing for the NFC Championship.
This post has 2 comments
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:54 am
Call it a vibe or a feeling but I just don’t have the same level of confidence in this team that I have had for teams from the past. This isn’t like the last team to finish 13-3 in big D that went on to win the super bowl. I remember very well how I felt about that team in 92 / 93 and I knew heading into the playoffs that year that only San Francisco stood in the way of Dallas winning a championship.
This time around I see several teams that stand in their way; at least four in the AFC and perhaps 2 or 3 in the NFC.
More importantly, T.O. has to be healthy. They will see a completely different type of defense depending on whether or not he’s in there. He’s the difference between 8 in the box or 7 and he’s also the difference between loose zone coverage and aggressive man to man w/ insistent blitzing.
None of this would bother me as much if I felt good about their future. But w/ the best mind on the coaching staff likely leaving for another team, and no one proven in place to replace Ireland, I must admit my pessimistic side kicks in.
In my dreams this team would trade away Roy Williams (the worst player in deep pass coverage in the NFL) in the off season and pick up another quality DB from somewhere else. I’d also love to see them let Terry Glenn go and make some type of deal for Steve Smith from the Panthers. He makes so much sense to me in a Cowboys uniform. Can you imagine if this team had TO and Smith lined up at WR, w/ Barber in the back field? Perhaps they could trade Williams, Glenn and one of those two 1st round picks for Smith; he’d be worth it and he has more years left in him than either TO or Glenn. I know this won’t happen but it’s fun to think about.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:42 pm
gEErOj, I am reading a lot of what you are saying and while much of it makes some sense a good deal of it is senseless worrying.
First, Jason Garrett isn’t leaving Dallas, not yet anyways. If he does leave it wouldn’t be until after the season is over. Secondly, Terrell Owens, as mentioned in this article is progressing along just fine-and quickly I might add.
The Cowboys are 13-3, but they can’t be overly concerned about getting to the Super Bowl, neither should you for that matter. They have to win next week first. You can say what you will about the 1992 Dallas team being a team you could be more comfortable with but let me remind you that 13-3 is 13-3. The Cowboys had a to play some very good competition this season to get to that record.
Yes, the Cowboys could possibly play the Redskins, the Packers and maybe the Giants again. They have beaten all of those teams this season. Their final two losses came with the Season being more or less wrapped up. So it’s hard to say that it’s going to condemn them in the final few games of the season.
As for the AFC teams you are concerned with, please, the Cowboys have to get to the Super Bowl before they or we can even worry about how to play them. Each team would require a different strategy, but the Cowboys, I assure you have shown enough this season to prove they can win their big games.
Ireland was a big loss for the Cowboys, anyone that does what he has for the Cowboys over the past 7 years would be hard to replace, but he is not irreplaceable. In fact he himself was a replacement. When you lose one you replace them with another, and I trust Jerry Jones isn’t a brainless bafoon to incapable of finding a good replacement.
For your draft day trades, I don’t know why you would want to make deals with other teams for their WR, when there are going to be so many on the market this season. Randy Moss and Bernard Berrian will both be unrestricted free agents. Also, why not see what Terry Glenn can do, before casting him to they wayside? The game against the Redskins isn’t going to be a good barometer considering he only played a hand full of snaps, and was still quite a bit rusty.
All and all, what I am saying here is don’t jump off the wagon just yet. If the Cowboys win next week against the Bucs, the Giants, or the Redskins there will still be more football to be played.