With the regular season over, and the Cowboys in the playoffs, the questions really begin in earnest. Dallas has gone from struggling team who needed to change its QB, to surprise team that could put together a run, to the darlings of the NFC and chic Super Bowl pick, to struggling team that looks to be "one and done" in the playoffs. So now the question is - can they change their stripes once again? Can they prove the perceptions about them are wrong, again?
Nobody knows the answer, including Terence Newman.
"That's a stumper," Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman answered.
Give him an A for honesty.
Maybe that's the wrong question. Forget the Super Bowl right now; winning the first game is the only thing that this team should be thinking about. If they can do that, then we'll see what happens.
Everybody's got their "Why they can win and why they can't win in Seattle" articles up. Here's a link to Todd Archer's.
There are lots of theories on how we can win: we are a better road than home team, or the Seahawks are injured on defense, or Romo will rebound with a big game, etc.
But for me it comes down to two things. On offense, we need to run the ball and use the short passing game to control the clock and keep our defense off the field. When you do that, everything else seems to work out. It will also take some pressure off Romo and provide fewer opportunities to make mistakes, like turnovers. We need - more than ever - to keep control of the football.
On defense, we need to create havoc on 3rd down. Whether it's getting guys to the QB or changing up the coverage schemes to confuse Hasselback into mistakes, the Cowboys can't let another team convert 3rd downs at will.
Run the ball, control the clock, and get the opposition's offense off the field. It sounds so easy! Of course, it's what most teams try to do every week, but the Cowboys would be well-served to stick to the plan this week. JJ and MB3 mixed with a controlled short-passing game, plus a revised 3rd down defense is the ticket.
We can only hope.
Want to lose hope? Go read this article by Rick Gosselin, where he puts the Cowboys pass coverage under the microscope. It ain't pretty.