Title Games Open Thread

I think that the best game this afternoon will be played at Seattle, at least the funniest in an Offense standpoint, as I don’t see Pittsburgh getting much points against Denver and viceversa.

BTW, a new tidbit of info of the Draft came to my hands, Manny Lawson the DE/OLB tweener from NCSt has experience playing OLB in High School and earlier in College. The guy is getting higher on my Board as I already knew that he can make sacks in a consistent basis and tackle for losses.

That fumble by Plummer was a big advertisement for drafting a second quality OLB. Pittsburgh had three linemen bunched inside and then blitzed both their OLBs. Denver blocked one, but coundn’t handle the other guy and he stippled the ball.

If we had two Wares, this could be the Dallas defense in ’06

I see it the other way,Pittsburg will score often against the Denver defense and Denver will have trouble scoring against Pittsburg…..

Pittsburgh is on a serious roll. Everything is bouncing their way in this one. They also appear to be the hungrier team, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they do in fact move on and end up winning a Super Bowl in Bettis’ hometown! It would be a fitting send-off to a Hall of Fame career.

It’s a good thing he plays for Pittsburgh and not Dallas, otherwise, “The Bus” would have to wait 15 years to make his stop at the Canton, Ohio bus stop. :)

Well, I wasn’t considering the Snake shooting itself in the foot. I considered that both Defenses tend to bend but not break, selfdestruction doesn’t count.

Well i predicted denver b/c i thought pitt couldnt execute as well after such an emotional roller coaster in indy. they arent playing as jacked up, but they dont need to. they are executing perfectly. they come out in the second half, eat up 6 minutes and pin the broncos deep. wow.

too bad we’re about 5 years from a quarterback like big ben.

look at the protection ben is getting. half the QBs in the league can make plays like ben’s with good protection

let’s make excuses for bledsoe.the pats we’re glad when he got hurt .they went on a tear after he got hurt.they would of never won that first super bowl with him.it’s one thing to be a die hard fan but look at reality.the guy is not composed when the pressure is on.he’s got 2 left feet.

ok. anyway,
how about the pitt D. 2nd week in a row they’ve buried the other team’s QB when the game is on the line. lets see if bettis coughs it up this time.

Ah, biz the one note symphony.

How do you reason we’re “five years away from a QB like him?” You can predict what every selection will be for the next five years and how they will perform? Why aren’t you kicking back on your private island living off your Cayman Island accouts with prediction skills like yours?

And if you don’t like Bledsoe, offer a better — ATTAINABLE — alternative.

pitt just sealed it up. a 6th seed going to the SB.

After watching Denver’s D Line, I can really see them giving us a good pick for Ellis. They have the rest of our old DE’s anyway, I think they will be in discussion with JJ about aquiring Ellis.

I was wondering earlier in the game why i forgot about the “jake the snake” factor when i made my prediction, i didnt even consider it.
it finally showed up this year.
maybe biz can work a trade for plummer next year. we’ll give up two first rounds and bledsoe for him.

Seeing this pitt win reminds me of a championship game where the pats went into pitt and won. some guy named bledsoe was at the helm that day, for the pats, if i remember correctly.

lou c:
Denver could also be in the market for Glover also, imagine this scenario, Denver trades one of their 1st rounders for the Ellis-Glover combo. Then they would be a team to be feared as they already have the LB’s and backfield.

rafy.i’m sorry i’ve been a cowboy since early 80’s.i’ve never seen this mess we we’ve had at qb for the last 5or 6 years.and how do i figure we’re 5 years away.first of all bledsoe will be here as long as parcells is around.or he’ll get another vinny.if we pick someone in the draft that takes another three years to see what you got.when parcells leaves this team will have no qb.will have to start from scratch at this position.if he had maybe given one of these young guys a shot when he came in we might have something.we got nothing when he leaves at qb.at least jimmy left a good team when he left.

biz,
BP has completely turned around our scouting and drafts. if he leaves in the next two years, he will leave a good football team in his wake.
bledsoe was putting up pro bowl numbers before flozell went down. lets see what henson and romo develop into.

jarhead.big ben moved out of the pocket when he threw the td to ward.which bledsoe can’t do.

Raf got to hand it to you on you picking Steelers. Man, they did it on defense and offense. Kudos to you bro

so who should we get, plummer?

jarhead.no qb when he leaves.

The Bledsoe conversation is getting old. HE CAN GET OUT OF THE POCKET. He had no line this year, and was on pace for a amazing season before Flo went down. BEN R. WOULD DO NOTHING WITH OUR LINE. He would put up worse numbers than Bledsoe, I promise you. Im tired of Cowboys fans watching games and drooling over mobile QB’s. Vicks dont win championships. Defense and O-Line win championships.

thats right. someone will have to start.

“Defense and O-line win Championships”

Lou,

That says it all, my brother..

thats what won it for pitt.

Quick look at Parcells history with QBs:

- Giants: In 1983 he inherited Phil Simms so he didn’t needed one and he became the example that comes in dictionaries of an efficient Bus Driver. When Bill Parcells left, Simms kept playing for another 3 years with Hostetler as his backup, so team didn’t needed another QB. Parcells left NY with the QB position solved.

- Patriots: In 1992 they had Hugh Millen and Scott Zolak (Millen who? Zolak who?). Parcells in his 1st year drafted Drew Bledsoe and he already has a Hall of Fame type of career. Parcells left NE with the QB position solved.

- Jets: In 1996 Frank Reich and Neil O’Donnell looked bad as the starters. Parcells went there and O’Donnell looked better, but the next year he hired Testaverde for the better. He left the HC job in NY after 1999 but he remained as a manager and drafted Pennington. Parcells left NY, again, with the QB position solved.

History says that Parcells doesn’t leave the most important position in Football unsolved, facts are facts, fans saying otherwise need to check those.

the refs did a much better job this week in denver.

in the seattle game they’ve looked good so far, but that looked like it could of been a face mask on hassleback to me.

delhomme is falling apart.

Delhomme has the happy feet today and is throwing off his back foot

if he keeps this up, lets see if randy galloway stays on his bandwagon.

at least I hit half my picks lol

This game is going to be a complete blowout for Seattle at this rate, Carolina needs a long drive here or its over.

steve smith is acting like a little punk. i think seattle watched the dallas game.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

1. committed a block in the back. The refs knock another one out of the park.

Biz,

You’ve been a Cowboys fans in the early ‘80s, but don’t remember those breathtaking Steve Pelleur/Kevin Sweeney years?

There are only two guys who have taken snaps for this team who can claim to be better than Bledsoe. One is in the Hall and the other will go in this year. Whatever you say about him, he’s better than Meredith and Danny White and miles better than anybody else.

And you continually fail to aknowledge that Bledsoe has led a team to a Super Bowl.

Plus, your reasoning is, well, off. You can’t predict who they’ll draft this year, much less next year. You have no idea if some midround pick will turn into the next Tom Brady. You just don’t. You’ve got a blood lust to slam Bledsoe and you won’t let it go. So be it. I’m not playing with this one anymore.

I think holmgren is getting some bloodlust to slam some officials.

these officials are stinking up the place, taking way too long to make calls.

Seattle scores again. is anyone out there watching the game?

im going to start calling holmgren “litmus.” the guy is turning red and blue right there on national tv, and he’s up by three scores.

lou.c if you put put mike vick and bledsoe together you might get close.except for brains.

rafy even if we draft a qb midround you won’t know until parcells leaves.the pats had no idea who brady was until mr 8 men on the line what do i do now got hurt.you might your brady sitting on the bench right now.while mr i wanna win now after 3 years leaves this team without a clue at qb.

pick number 3 for delhomme. i might go deaf tommorrow from the sound of breaking ankles as people are jumping off his band wagon.

biz,

You’re still ducking my question. Offer one attainable alternative to Bledsoe that the team has passed over. Please. Just one.

How about Jake Delomme.

henson started ahead of brady at michigan.meanwhile we’ve had this kid sitting on the bench for 3 years.instead let’s bring good ol vinny and maybe we can make it to the super bowl and give his grandchildren front row 50 yard line tickets.or bring on bledsoe who can’t move 2 feet to his right or left.but because they played for parcells that’s acceptable.it’s good to be loyal to a certain degree.

i hope i’m wrong because i would like the boy’s to be on top but there’s more than our o’line.stop this loyalty foolishnes and bring or develop a qb for the next 10 years.

Just got back from plowing snow all day, how ‘bout them Seahawks!! i didn’t think they would man handle Carolina, but this should make the Super Bowl “hype” interesting. God, I hate the Steelers, gotta root for the Hawks.

Bledsoe is the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL. As has been stated, while the O-line was still reasonably worthy, Bledsoe was the top rated QB in the NFC. When Flo went down, everything changed. Let’s see what he can do next season after we sign a FA Tackle and draft some more young talent.

Poke

Here’s a reason to route for the Seahawks – A Steelers win would tie them with the Boys for most Super Bowl wins.

Hey biz, do you actually think Henson would have gotten us anywhere this year? What about next year? Bledsoe is our best chance to make the Super Bowl in the next 2 years. BP is gone after that. I think Henson has an upside, but Bledsoe is the man to go with now. Roger Staubach would have had trouble making plays behind this line after Flozell got injured.

well two firsts.
The seahawks go to the SB, and a 6th seed WC goes to the SB.
Should be a good game.
Senior Bowl this week.

bushpilot. you’ve got to pull the trigger and throw the guy in there.it ain’t gonna be overnight.and i am not comparing palmer and eli to henson.but you give up a couple of seasons like everybody else and see what you got.not a first half thanksgiving day and go back to 82 year old vinny.yes vinny won the game but you leave the guy in there to get real game experience and i’m not just saying henson is the only option maybe romo.we just need somebody that’s going to be around when bp is gone.maybe trade for philip rivers since they seem they wanna keep brees.and bush pilot they said the same thing about carter he gives us the best chance to win that means you know what.

poke . stats are overrated steve young put up serious numbers and the cowboys handed him a super bowl he didn’t win it.

So now not only do you thing Bledsoe is a crappy QB, but Young as well? Man, you must be living in a different dimension than the rest of us.

Poke

bledsoe is not even close to steve young.what im saying is stats are overrated.numbers don’t mean you perform well under pressure situations.and i mean in all sports.there are players in basketball that have 30 points scored and don’t want to touch the ball with 30 seconds to go in a tie game.that’s what i mean.soory to bring up bb

Strange days, indeed. I think this is the first time in 10 years I have successfully predicted both championship games in the same season. Watch out for meteors falling from the sky for the next two weeks.

A few thoughts:

1) Jake the Mistake is a mobile veteran QB…and he lost in the biggest game of his career. Moral of the story: successful quarterbacking gets down to composure, grace under pressure, and winning instincts as much as physical talent and a set of wheels.

2) Dominant running offense wins championships.

3) Great secondary play and talented DB’s create sacks. Two good pass rushing LB’s in a 3-4 defense are worth 3 great DL’s in a 4-3.

4) Jerome Bettis deserves this, especially after missing out on a Super Bowl with the Rams, and even more so after last week.

5) This is a transition year in the NFL. No Dynasties yet.

Here is how I feel about Bledsoe…he is like a double cheeseburger when you’re hungry. We were hungry for a Quarterback this last year. Plain and simple. He satisfied our hunger. Don’t get me wrong, he is a good qb. But not great. He got us through the year. But who wants a cheeseburger when the guy sitting next to you (Philadelphia, New England, Indy, the list goes on and on) is eating a top cut sirloin steak? With the A-1 mind you… Do you guys get what I’m saying? Sorry for the analogy, it was all I had..

biz is winning:

Get off it. We’ve all heard it before. We heard it ever since Bledsoe signed.

This is only Big Ben’s second year, and you don’t know what can happen with the draft and injuries to the Cowboys, so your negative predictions and timetable are just your specualation. Bledsoe has taken a team to the Super Bowl, and if it weren’t for Brett Favre’s greatness and Desmond Howard making a great kick return he might have a ring.

You obviously have some sort of visceral dislike for Bledsoe and I suspect that even if he does win a Super Bowl with us nothing will change that. I hope you get proved wrong, but it won’t matter to someone like you. You’ll just say Parcells and the defense won that Super Bowl and call Bledsoe the “busdriver”. There’s always a rationale when you don’t like someone based on emotion more than fact. It’s a team sport, very seldom can a team’s success being blamed or credited on one individual. You’ll magnify every error Bledsoe makes and blame not only losses, but lack of big wins on him.

It’s nothing new for some football fans, they have to root against someone instead of FOR THE TEAM THEY SAY THEY LOVE. That’s a Bills/Vikings type way of approaching it, not the positive way a winning team’s fans look at things. Jackie Smith often is the goat for many people because we lost that Super Bowl to the Steelers, even though we had half a game to make up for his drop. Danny White took the team to the NFC Championship game consistently, but because the rest of the team and him couldn’t get to the Super Bowl many call him a failure. For many, Switzer was considered the worst Cowboys coach from the first day he was hired because of what happened with Jimmy and his baggage from college coaching, and nothing he accomplished changed that view. They just hated him and the media fed them what they wanted and reinforced that to the point they couldn’t even contemplate another point of view. Not one story in 4 years that gave him credit for even being as much as a good father to his children. Others did it with Leon Lett. To them, a few bad plays, one that cost us what turned out to be a meaningless game and the other that cost us a chance at the biggest blowout in SB history, that was a reason to deride him not only as a player, but as a person. He was a great lineman and should be up there amongst the best Cowboys D-Linemen, but he won’t because of the feelings about him. Everson Walls is one of the all time best Cowboys CB’s, but because of “the catch” he doesn’t get nearly enough recognition for his great career. I know former fans who still won’t pull for the Cowboys because of the way Tom Landry was fired and their hatred for JJ and his personality, etc. It goes on and on. If you don’t like someone you can always find a reason to support your negative view of them instead of finding even one positive reason to like them. If you let your personal dislike for a QB, player, coach, or owner stand in the way of liking this team…why bother being so negative? Especially when the Cowboys weren’t even playing this weekend. It’s a waste of energy.

Think positive. Believe this coach and this QB will win a title while they are here.

i’m convinced by sterling no more bashing of i’ve got two left feet what’s wrong with me.

is this a familiar phrase.pats/bills/cowboys. and bledsoe down again!!!

biz is winning:

You must have been one happy guy during the Quincy Carter era.

Lighten up dude. Maybe you’ll get your wish and Bledsoe will trip over a shoelace in the offseason and Romo will get to start. Then everyone else on the blog can get on your case when Romo can’t do the things Bledsoe does.

Sterling, Nice rant. It brings back many memories. Some people are just not ‘team fans’. They may be owner or HC fans and maybe a QB or RB fan but when those guys move on so do their fans. I’m a Dallas Cowboy fan and it doesn’t matter who owns, coaches, or plays for them I am still a Dallas Cowboy fan.

mlf:

Exactly!! Take any team we face next season…switch coaches, put the players in the other uniforms, heck even switch owners…and I will still want the team with the Star on their helmets to win.

With free agency and coaching turnover it’s practically this way anyway.

Jarhead,

Is Delhomme better than Bledsoe, or about the same? They’ve both got flaws. Now, Delhomme was better than Quincy Carter, no doubt.

Shoot- VINNY was better then Q!!!

What is this crap about Bledsoe falling apart in pressure situations? I guess you dont count all of the game winning drives he led this season. Lets see, the chargers, 49ers, chiefs,and panthers. Now sure you can throw in the raiders and seahawks games as ones that he screwed up in the end. But to say he sucks under pressure is just a silly argument. And if i must go way back, that was Drew Bledsoe that was the QB during the afc championship game against the steelers that led to the pats 1st super bowl win. Brady got hurt and drew came in a led the team. Not saying they would have 3 rings without brady, just proving your point is way off base.

Dallas2076
This crap about Bledsoe falling apart under pressure is the truth. Bledsoe is not going to take us anywhere. Bledsoe sucking with pressure is nothing new. Bledsoe taking sacks is nothing new. These things didn’t just happen this year. For us to be good the ball needs to be taking out of Bledsoe’s hands.

Ill tell you what,if bledsoe goes down,we are screwed.I have always thought bledsoe was a damn good QB and his play this year,for what he had to deal with,was very good.Id like to see how Johnny U would have done with the line bledsoe had.

Bottom line is that the QB position is in the best hands since #8 was here and we don’t have anyone waiting in the wings that can do better.

There are so many other positions on this team that are lacking a lot more that to single out the QB at this particular time is ridiculous. Single out the kickers if anything, that’s a position where as long as the snap and hold are good is based entirely on individual performance.

Wait until the team gets to an NFC Championship and Bledsoe turns in a performance like either of the Two Jakes did yesterday before saying Bledsoe is the team’s biggest problem. Before and until that happens this topic is a solution in search of a problem.

Sterling

Well said. The discussion should end with right there.

My thing is Bledsoe is not the answer at qb, people seem to think Bledsoe was a top of the line qb last year. He played better than I thought he was going to play this year. The problems on offense are not just the line its Bledsoe too. Some games he played well and some games he didn’t. Bledsoe is not the biggest problem but he is one of them. For Bledsoe to be good we need a great line, a good running game and a playmaker. One more thing Bledsoe turned the ball over a lot. In the six games we lost we didn’t score no more than 13 points, that is a problem.

To all you Bledsoe bashers out there, Raf is correct. Name an “Attainable” alternative that is better than Bledsoe. You guys sure forget the Babe Laufenberg years. Gary Hogeboom anyone? Steve Pelleur? Great QBs only come along once in a great while.

As for drafting one, that’s not always gonna work out either. Elway was drafted by the Colts, then Irsay trades him to Denver. Favre was a Falcon before he was a Packer. Plunkett suffered in New England for years.

How good would Archie Manning have been, if he played for Pittsburgh, instead of the Saints? How great would Peyton Manning be if he had Aikman’s team, with the likes of Tuinei, Newton, Stepnoski, Williams, Allen, Donaldson, Gesek and Gogan blocking for him?

Come to think of it, how great would Aikman have been, without Tuinei as his left tackle? Think Tuinei will ever be considered for the hall? Or for that matter, will any of our great ’90s offensive line, other than Larry Allen, ever be considered for the Hall? Rayfield Wright says “NO.” Thanks mediots! But I digress.

Steve Walsh was also brought in as “insurance” at the same time as Aikman, because JJ didn’t know what he had in Aikman. Montana was a late pick. Young was used as a running back at times in the USFL’s L.A. Express. Tom Brady was Henson’s backup. You just don’t know who will be great.

The great QB class of ‘83 was an anomaly, because how many “Great” college QBs never made it? Gino Torretta anyone? Ryan Leaf? Rick Mirer? Danny Wuerffel? Eric Crouch? Ty Detmer? You just never know, so get off the “Draft a Franchise QB” bandwagon. You just don’t know.

A lot of pedestrian QBs won Super Bowls, and Bledsoe is better than all of them, so you can’t argue that he’s not capable of doing it. Don’t tell me that Dilfer, Rypien, Hostetler, McMahon, Brad Johnson, Doug Williams, Theismann, and even Phil Simms are better than Bledsoe, just because they won Super Bowls. Look at the teams they had. The ’85 Bears would have won a Super Bowl if Quincy Carter was their QB!

Would Warren Moon have a Super Bowl Ring if he played for the ’89 49ers or the ’92 Cowboys? Would Marino? Definitely! I think Steve DeBerg would have won with those teams.

An aside: Steve DeBerg has got to be one of the most hard luck QBs to ever play the game. Replaced by Montana in SF, Elway in Denver, and Young and Testaverde in Tampa. Great numbers, 17 years, but too many picks. He was the “Master of Play-Action!”

It’s still a team game guys, even if the goats such as “wide right” Scott Norwood get a lot of blame. Kelly and “Where’s my helmet” Thurman Thomas are just as much to blame for some of those losses, along with an offensive line that let them down at the worst possible moment. However, the QB almost always gets most of the blame for a loss and the credit for a win. It’s just the way it is.

Ok, How many “Franchise QBs” have never won a Super Bowl, because they never had the supporting cast, or just simply had to play against a better team, or they choked?

Elway lost two before he won two. Kelly lost 4 straight. Plunkett endured years of abuse in New England before finally winning two in Oakland, with Marcus and Howie. Marino played in one early in his career, then never returned (enjoy this one, Big Ben, ’cause you way never make it back.)

So, be a fan of the Cowboys, not a hater of those who play for them. Regardless of how disappointing last season may have been, enjoy it for what a better season it was than going 5-11 or 6-10. Too many of you forget how bad it was in the ‘80s when we were either horrible or just missed the big one. Enjoy the nucleus that BP and JJ are putting together, because it will surely be sweet when we’re the first team to win 6 Super Bowls!

I like Jerome Bettis, but I hate the Steelers.

Go Seahawks!

let’ just be a fan and settle for anything.because that’s all that’s out there.and the reason he is the only thing out there is bp want’s to win know.he don’t want to develop anybody so when he leaves maybe jj can figure it.i can see it now see you later it didn’t work out im retiring.well maybe now that bp is gone let’s see what we have in henson or romo.yeah that sounds about right.

The term “spoiled fan” describes this guy the best… “Short term memory” and “Desperate for some spelling lessons” also fit the bill…

biz is winning:

If Parcells retires leaving a dominating defense among the very best in the league, a big tough offensive line who can push other teams around at will, and a stable of solid running backs, then locating a free agent or drafting a QB and one more WR and plugging them into the rest of the team will be a task that a lot of other coaches can successfully accomplish. Building the rest of the team is where a lot of coaches fail, not finding a QB and receivers when everything else is already in place.

How do you know things won’t have worked out when BP retires? Man, you have a totally negative mindset about this team. Save that negativity for the Eagles, Redskins, and Giants. You can bash them, their QB’s, and their coaches all day on this blog and no one will be bothered at all.

chandus good sportsman you are. thanks for the low blow.

biz is winning,

What I want to know, is how Bill Parcells somehow got mixed up in your rant about Brady not getting a chance in New England until Bledsoe got hurt?

biz:
Sorry, saying things as they come, you keep writing about a subject that carries no water and you’re doing that without the proper time that needs a good writing.