Three quarters of the regular season is gone and as we enter the final month of what has already been a wild roller coaster ride, its time to take stock of this team and see where we are headed.

Offense:

The run game has suffered mightily since Felix Jones went down. One could make a solid argument that Felix wasn't used enough before his injury and that Barber took too many hits early in the season and his lack of production and explosiveness now are direct results. A fresh Barber is clearly a more potent weapon than the one we have seen recently. Dallas is in a tough situation in that more of the workload will need to go to Choice if Dallas wants to make any sort of run in the playoffs, but because of the race for a wild card berth, Dallas cannot afford rookie mistakes or a letdown in production. Deon Anderson continues to improve.

The offensive line has blocked well when Kosier has played, and not well when he has not. Cory Procter is clearly not viable at this point and going with Holland at his spot is clearly a desperation move. Rumors of Flozell's demise were a bit hasty in that he has played well when healthy, despite his poor-hearing-induced false starts. Marc Columbo has played reasonably well in a contract year. Gurode has been solid, if unspectacular and Bigg, while not being the dominant force he was last year, is still no slouch.

The receiving corps is back on track, thanks largely to Romo's return. T.O. is still one of the top 5 or 6 WR's in the game and Roy Williams is slowly coming along. Crayton is back at the slot position where he can regularly beat the press and make catches on drags and crossing routes. Martellus Bennett has been a surprise (given his Hard Knocks antics) and quietly become a new threat that has to be accounted for in certain sets. Finally, Jason Witten has become the best player at his position in the entire NFL, surpassing Antonio Gates.

At QB, it is now clear that this is Romo's team. As he goes, so go the Cowboys. He is truly an elite player who is still learning the nuances of his position. When given protection, he will generally make good decisions and can make things happen (note: not all of them will be good) when plays break down. If he ends up with 30 TD's and 13 INT's after missing three games, we should all be satisfied. This team has a holder for kicks masquerading as a backup QB.

Defense:

The line has been a letdown (again) save for Ratliff, who despite having 30 fewer pounds on him than the other top 3-4 NT's in the league, has played very well this year. Canty, Spears and the rest of the DE's have delivered little in terms of pass rush and have been inconsistent against the run. This is a position of need going into the off season.

The LB's have been a mixed bag. DeMarcus Ware is having a memorable season and will likely establish a single-season team record while challenging the NFL mark. Age and injuries have finally caught up with Greg Ellis and he is not much help against the better offensive tackles. Anthony Spencer is showing his quickness off of the snap, but needs to be more aggressive. Zach Thomas has been a great pickup for the Cowboys and is the heady player they needed on running downs. Bradie James is solid at the other inside spot. Kevin Burnett sightings have been few and far between. Bobby Carpenter has been a bust.

The defensive backfield continues to be the weakest part of the starting 22. No CB has played consistently well enough to make opposing offensive coordinators think twice about throwing in their direction. Newman has McNabb's disease (new injury waiting to happen), Henry's attempt to cover a WR with his horribly stiff hips is a first down waiting to happen and Ken Hamlin's play has been non-descript coming off of a pro bowl year. Keith Davis tries hard, but is just too limited athletically. Watkins = Bobby Carpenter. It's the DB's that will likely be the reason that Dallas finally sees it's season end before it should.

Specials:

Nick Folk is showing no signs of a sophomore slump and is having another great season. His accuracy from 40 - 49 yards is phenomenal, and...he is clutch. His lack of distance on kickoffs is a small price to pay for his FG prowess. Sam Paulescu is the guy you want punting if your drive stalls at the opposing 40 yard line, not at your own 40 yard line. The return game has suffered without Felix on kickoffs. Punt returns have been poor all year. The good news is that our kick coverage teams have played much better in the last several weeks, which has helped the defense out a lot.

Coaching:

Well, this is a tough one for me, because I vociferously called for Wade Phillips' firing earlier this year. While the team has been better since he "supposedly" took over defensive play calling duties, I still think he is a Chan Gailey/Dave Campo look alike. His country bumpkin demeanor doesn't foster confidence in me or most die hard fans. But, we'll let the cards fall as they may. Brian Stewart is an empty Cowboys T-Shirt. Jason Garrett, having received much criticism, has done a pretty good job handling this team. It's hard to argue with their offensive success when everyone has been healthy. Hudson Houck has also been under fire, but injuries across the line has made it tough for him to have the impact many expected, and this team lives or dies based on how well Romo is protected and running lanes are created.

Overall:

I believe Dallas can overcome a lot, but unless the defensive secondary (I hope Dave Campo reads this) raises their level of play in the next month, Dallas could be watching the playoffs from home. Seriously, I would take these nine days to put Henry in at FS, insert Jenkins at his CB spot and ask him, Newman and Scandrick to play press coverage 75% (see the irony?) of the time. I'd let Henry match up on athletic TE's and help out over the top, but that's it.  I'd also run Choice A LOT more in the next few weeks, because Barber looks beaten up and that doesn't bode well. I'm glad to see the return of the downfield passing game, but blitz pickup by TE's and backs, along with good decision making from Romo will be critical in the stretch drive. I think Dallas will have to win 75% of their last 4 games to get a berth.

Whatever happens, this should make for a December to remember.   

GO COWBOYS!!!

It is amazing to me that I am thinking these thoughts. Only 9 games into the 2008 NFL season, the one I called the Season of Wade (and it truly has been) has put the Dallas Cowboys on the verge of being either this season's 'feel good' comeback story or of becoming completely and utterly irrelevant.

Think about it. If Dallas wins this game, plays well on both sides of the ball with a renewed passion and sense of urgency, then there is no doubt that we can make a serious push toward the playoffs and beyond. Our team, playing at a high level, is the most dangerous team in the league and everyone knows it.

On the other hand, if Dallas loses, then they sit there at 5-5 with 6 to play against the likes of Philly, Pittsburgh, a hot Baltimore squad and the New York Giants along with a trap game against an improving 49er team and a Seahawk team getting Matt Hasselback back. Truly, they would fall out of the playoff picture and become an afterthought (and one without a first round pick next year).

Really now, did anyone on BTB think we'd be in this position? We could be talking about Free Agency and next year's NFL draft as early as Monday morning next week.

You could say that this game, while maybe not being the most important game of the season, is the game that will define this team in terms of what they CAN accomplish this season, before time runs out on them.   

Dallas has dominated the NFL headlines all year and yet, this team is 60 minutes of football away from being...gulp...a non-factor. No longer newsworthy. No Sunday morning discussions about what Dallas needs to do to fix things. No Terrell Owens interviews. Nope, dead air.

So, I say to you all, that I'm not ready to swallow that pill just yet. No, we must rage against the dying of this light. It is time to summon all of our reserves, put all that divides us aside and send our Dallas Cowboys every ounce of positive energy possible to help them play the way we all know they can play, the way we know they should play, the way that they will have to play to save our season. So take out that lucky t-shirt, rub that buddha belly, get to church and say your prayers, whatever it takes, but this is it. Whether we like it or not, we're all in this together.

God Bless America's Team and Go Cowboys!!!

I'm angry that we've blamed so much of what ails this team on Romo's injury when we weren't playing that well BEFORE he got hurt.

I'm angry that Wade Phillips is a country bumpkin who is even less of a head guy than his father was.

I'm angry that Jerry let Wade bring his own worthless puppet in to be defensive coordinator when Dom Capers was begging to coach in Dallas but, paradoxically, I'm also angry that Jerry continues to believe he can hire coordinators before hiring a head coach. there has to be more of a partnership between coach and...ahem...GM.

I'm angry that Jerry (aka GM) couldn't see in preseason what everyone else was saying...Brad Johnson is ineffective.

I'm angry that Hudson Houck has not had more of a POSITIVE impact on this offensive line's play (come on, the weakest link on the line goes down with a sprained foot and suddenly nobody can block?)...

I'm angry that this team has been allowed to become (as Ditka said Sunday) "soft". CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!? SOFT!!!! OH MY GOD!!! THE DALLAS COWBOYS ARE SOFT!!!!

But, most of all, I am angry that Wade Phillips is still the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.  

Yeah, I am angry.

Well, I guess we found out that Wade is a better Defensive Coordinator than Brian Stewart (who knew!?!). It would have been nice if they figured that out before the Arizona game, but I guess they needed Jerry to be the one to force that issue. Further evidence that Wade is not the Head Coach we thought he was.

So, let's assume the defense is now on the mend and can build on this momentum. What about the offense? Well, Here are some quick fixes for an anemic (172 total yards?) attack in need of serious help;

QB: Brad out, Brooks in. This team can't win with an immobile, noodle-armed QB, regardless of how much football intellignece and guts he brings to the table. Sorry, but our o-line just isn't that good right now. Bollinger's arm strength and younger legs give Dallas the ability to extend the play and get the ball to the playmakers.

RB: Save MBIII. He has looked tired (who wouldn't?) as games have worn on, and since we need to run plays that don't allow the pass rush to tee off on us, why not run screens to Choice? How about a couple of swings to Cricket? Barber will be a broken man if we don't get him some help, especially if all he is doing is blitz pickup, before Felix comes back.

Formations and Play Calls: why on earth do we not spread the field more? We can run a pretty daunting 4 wide formation (Austin, Crayton, Owens and Williams) and run delays and counters out of that alignment. We have to spread the field and get motion from the WR's and backs to create some mismatches. Double Tight End packages are the answer to teams blitzing off of the edge, which we are susceptible to. Why not run them more and throw some tight end screens? I'd love to see more three step drops and quick throws to these big WR's we have. One broken tackle can mean big gains. Lastly, we need to throw deep. Even if it's only to keep the defense from stacking the line, we have to throw deep.

Philosophy: running to the edge doesn't seem to be an option with Barber, but I think that is a mistake. He's not a burner, but good seal blocks can help Dallas soften up the outside and then open up more inside running lanes for Marion. Garrett's 'every play should be like emmitt ran it' mentality isn't paying off because our o-line isn't anywhere close to the level of dominance they had in the super bowl years. Find a way to get Marion to the edge more.

I'm sure there some creative personnel packages and play calls I didn't think of, so feel free to share..

It's the 4-5 solution.

Monty Kiffin's defense is predicated upon keeping his safeties in zones that provide the right fields of vision and angles to the flow of a play, whether it be running or passing.

The teams that have had success against Kiffin's version of the Cover 2 (yes, there are variations) are those who were able to get >4 yards per carry from their running game on 1st down. You see, the worst down for TB is second and 5-6 yards. This is a down and distance where Kiffin has to make a choice as to the depth of his linebackers. If June, Ruud and Brooks pinch up to the line of scrimmage to stuff Barber, they'lll be leaving big middle seam routes open for the Cowboys pass catchers. If they decide to sit back and shrink the space between them and the aforementioned safeties, Dallas SHOULD be able to run for good yardage, especially with delays and misdirection.

What is interesting about all of this is that Brad Johnson should know this well, be able to see the LB alignment and make the right audibles, if need be.  

Hope for the best...prepare for the worst. Go Cowboys!

Okay homers, it's time to wake up from that pro bowl roster-induced drunken sense of entitlement to a super bowl title and look around.

The reality of the Cowboys' situation is that this roster didn't suddenly become a bunch of underperformers. No, that isn't it the cause of this titanic collapse.  

The lack of a Michael Irvin or "dogs" or locker room leaders isn't the reason the team is falling apart before our very eyes. Nope, not that simple.

It's not injuries to key players and a high degree of parity in the league. Wouldn't it be nice if it were so easy to explain.

No...this team suffers from a bad ticker. The soul of this team, which is defined by it's head coach, is one of ineptitude. Dallas has become the laughingstock of the entire league. The only ones who think Wade Phillips should continue to be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys (besides maybe Wade himself, though I'm not sure even HE thinks he should be the guy) are the members of every other team in the NFL. After all, they benefit every week he coaches. With a roster more talented than the Patriots WITH Brady, Dallas' main man has no clue how to help his team rise to the moment, and it's time for Dallas fans to start pressuring the Dallas front office (aka Jerry) to make the tough, but righteous decision. It's not the nice guy thing to do, but this is not a time for the faint of heart. Assuming an NFC wild card berth can be had with a 10-6 record, Dallas will likely be 4-5 at the bye. Probably too late to make a run. Now is the time to make a change.

So, let me be the lightning rod for starting this conversation in the hopes that we get a new main man in there before the season is completely lost and we don't have the chance to see what this team is capable of.

FIRE WADE PHILLIPS. DO IT NOW. SAVE OUR SEASON!!!

I was waiting for that defining moment.

I've been waiting for this team to hit rock bottom and find itself.

If this isn't the time, then all is lost.

We need heroes. We need certain players and coaches to understand the magnitude of the situation they are in and take a huge step forward into the abyss with nothing but blind faith and a willingness to sacrifice all for the greater good. I know which of  those that we NEED to make the leap. What I don't know is whether or not they are ready;

Miles Austin: the one guy on the edge with elite speed to stretch the field and make teams pay for overload blitzes or stacking the line of scrimmage. Now is your time, Miles.

Hudson Houck: now is Hud's chance to make us forget Tony Sparano and recapture the golden era of Cowboys o-line dominance. The front wall needs to get nasty and lead this team to victory in the coming weeks.

Martellus Bennett: yep, you read that right. We will spend lot of time in double TE sets and MB needs to show up as the athletic playmaking freak that we think he can be. Prove the Hard Knocks-viewing critics wrong...

Bradie James: the defense needs a vocal leader on and off the field. If you don't seize the chance to hold people accountable and make sure everyone elevates their play to a fever pitch, no one else can or will.

Adam Jones: Short fields for an injury-depleted offense will make or break our next three games. Adam, you can help us greatly there. Plus, you could hang onto some INT's and shorten the field that way too.

Wade: ugh, I doubt you have it in you boss, but for once in your country-bumpkin life, you can rise up, grow a pair and deliver this team from purgatory. You can achieve what your father could not. But you must act aggressively and with purpose.

So that's it. I am flashing the bat signal against the clouds...calling Superman on my signal watch, sending an SOS to Aquaman (no not Vinnie Chase, you jamoke) and calling out for Underdog to save us all.

I hope they all answer the call.

Part of me is actually relieved that we lost this game. The fact that we were (again) outplayed by a lesser team in many phases of the game doesn't hurt so much because we lost. If we had won, I would have been really ticked off. I know that all sounds crazy, but bear with me a bit.

This is a team without a heartbeat, without an identity, without a...soul. It's a team which lacks leadership and one that consistently surprises its fans by how big a delta there is between the talent level on the roster and the level of play on the field.

I saw this movie before. I saw it last year with the New York Giants. They were minutes away from going 2-3, benching Eli and mailing in the rest of the season. Then, it happened. They had a defining moment...a flashpoint in their season which propelled them to a winning record and Super Bowl Championship.

I believe, and I know I am in the minority here, that this team has NEVER been as good as many people thought they were. If this version of the Dallas Cowboys is to make a deep playoff run, it will need to hit rock bottom. Based on Wade's post-game, monotone, 'I'm-not-too-upset-about-it', country bumpkin approach, it won't ever be coming from the likes of him. No, it will need to come from somewhere else. The bad news for all of us is that this team is nowhere near the bottom and, as a result, will probably continue to underperform while still winning some games. So losing this game may be a step in the right direction if what we really want to see is CHANGE.

As I posted on BTB last week about my unhappiness over the Bengals game, I got lots of comments.

"A Win is a Win"

"We're 4-1"

"The Bengals played the Giants tough too"

"Cowboy fans are spoiled"

"The NFL is a league of parity"

Uh huh...okay, so what now? What are you going to tell me now? A loss isn't a loss? No, I think even those die hard Cowboys apologists (you know who you are) are not really happy right about now. I won't say I told you so, but it was pretty easy to see this coming if you took off your rose colored glasses.

So, again I say to you, while this is bad, it may have to get much worse before it truly gets better. I don't know what this team is, but I do know what it isn't. It isn't a good football team. I say buckle your seatbelts, because we're about to see this team start to implode from within and travel through a tunnel of despair. What comes out the other side might just be a better, more worthy version of America's Team.

Random thoughts on America's Team and their 2008 campaign thus far;

Romo: not stepping into his throws, also seems to be throwing balls when he has his field of vision partially blocked...I wonder if this has something to do with his offseason commitment not to back up in the pocket when the guards and center get pushed back? His turnovers continue to be a huge concern to Cowboys Nation, but maybe you have to take the good with the bad? That all said, when Tony has had time and seen the field (and not felt compelled to force things to T.O.), he has been money.  

RB's: the Smash and Dash combo has been as advertised. Barber has continued to run violently through defenders and Felix Jones is an early candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Deon Anderson has recovered nicely from last year's injury. I have no complaints about the performance of the backs.

O-Line: A bit of a mixed bag here. the interior linemen have not gotten the same push when compared to last year at this time. The revolving door at LG has obviously disrupted some of the chemistry there, but Gurode and Davis seem to be giving more ground in pass pro which is making Romo look more like Jim Everett. Hudson Houck needs to focus more on the interior guys in the next several weeks because the tackles have both played as well as 2007 or better. Noticeably, Flozell is having fewer false starts!  

Receivers: Witten has really emerged as the new standard for NFL TE's. Well done, Jason! T.O. is still his unstoppable self and is faced with weekly double coverage and sometimes triple coverage. It's the #2 WR that continues to be a weak spot for Dallas. Having looked at the whole T.O. thing differently, I am not sure that he has EVER played opposite a player who can consistently break man press coverage for big plays over the top and make a defense pay for doubling him.  Heck, even Michael Irvin had some help in the form of Alvin Harper and others over the years. Crayton has not been able to create separation from teams' #2 CB's. If I were Jason Garrett, I'd spend a lot of time this week throwing deep balls to Miles Austin, who has breakaway speed and good height.

D-Line: Ratliff is playing well despite being out of position. He should play at DE, probably at Spears' spot. Note: in another post, I suggested Dallas trade Spears and a #1 to Detroit for Roy Williams. Would Dallas really lose that much with a starting line of Canty, Tank and Ratliff instead of Canty, Ratliff and Spears? Anyhow, Spears is underperforming and Canty has only shown flashes. Overall, this group is awful. Of all of the 3-4 defenses in the league, this may be the least productive 3.  Ugh.

LB's: Okay, this is going to get me in trouble with the stat freaks, but I'm going to say it anyway...DeMarcus Ware has not played up to expectations. His sacks have generally come in the 4th quarter and he has been swiping at and taking horrible angles instead of creating violent collisions with opposing QB's and displaying some aggression. He looks like a very quick, finesse-oriented pass rushing wussy. Okay, there! I said it and I feel much better. On the other side, Ellis is over the hill. Jerry, he's not a bad guy, let him go play DE in a 4-3 somewhere because he's been a good soldier through the years (albeit never played up to his draft position). Bradie James has been steady, but nothing more. On a high note, Zach Thomas has been the bright spot on this defense thus far, bar none. solid tackling, uncanny recognition skills and a real passion for the game. It's a beautiful thing to watch him play. He is the Bill Bates of this team.

DB's: I can't believe I am typing this, but surprisingly, Adam Jones has been the team's best CB so far. He's played man press coverage well and has been in position to make 3 (he dropped them all...ugh!) INT's so far. Henry looks stiff and worn out from various injuries. He was never known for his ability to flip his hips and turn to run with fast-twitch athletes anyway. Newman has been in and out and up and down, more down than up, obviously. I say he needs a new offseason workout regimen. Hamlin has been heady and prevented some deep balls while being his usual physical force. The revolving door at the other safety position has been hard on the backfield's chemistry and the communication on coverage duties has suffered. This is tough to comment on because the pass rush has been so poor, but even so, we've dropped too many INT's and played too soft in zones.

Specials: Folk has been awesome. What a great 6th round find! McBriar has been inconsistent except in clutch situations where he can be counted on to suck. Felix Jones has been a revelation, and just needs a bit more blocking in front of him to become one of the league's elite KR's. Adam Jones has been on the verge of breaking a couple but also has seen little space in front of him to create with. The coverage units have continued to underwhelm fans.

Coaching: what can I say here? I really, really, really want to find something good to say...but I can't. The team has played such uninspired football on both sides of the ball that it has most fans in an uproar. Great article in the S.T. about how Wade is NOT the guy to hold this team accountable and lead them to greatness. Jason Garrett looked like a rookie coordinator in the Redskins game, being outsmarted by Greg Blache at every turn. Brian Stewart is no Dom Capers, and that is our loss. I liken the fact that Bruce Read is still employed by Dallas to him robbing Jerry Jones at gunpoint every payday.  

And there you have it. Please excuse the long-windedness, but I had to get it out. I'm one of those fans that cares less about the outcome of a game and how a fumble bounced into our hands or how we recovered a miracle onsides kick to win a game and more about how we show up and play week in and week out with passion, fire and intensity, because in the end, that creates momentum that a team can build on. That is a force that can be harnessed into postseason success. Mediocrity can be very easily disguised by minor success, but I've seen greatness. I saw it in the 70's with Landry and in the 90's with Jimmy. Thus far in 2008, I haven't seen it and I'm not satisfied. What bothers me is that it seems many of the fans, players and coaches are...

Here it is, a chance to make a mid-season play for a "real" #2 WR that could completely change the complexion of ths team.

He's 6'3", weighs 211 pounds and must be doubled if you want to keep him from burning you. He wants to win and isn't clamoring to have the ball thrown his way...he just wants to win.

It's just like the trade we made for Charles Haley back in the 90's...

So make the damned trade already!!!   Here is the Link