The Cowboys are now a very bad football team and it’s not really injuries. It has a lot more to do w/ coaching. This is the most penalized team in the NFL; that’s coaching. This team never seems to have a strategy that ever catches the opponent off guard; that’s coaching. The secondary always looks confused w/ guys constantly out of position; that’s coaching, (why in the world was Campo, a proven looser brought back?). This team continually lacks any sort of intensity or motivation; that’s coaching. The Patriots, for example, have had just as many serious injuries as the Cowboys have and are playing much better football than Dallas to this point in the season; that’s coaching.
It turns out that the best replacement for Parcels was already on the staff when he left; Tony Sporano. Look at how well the Dolphins are playing this year and how inventive some of their game plans have been; that’s coaching. The offensive line problems this year have a lot more to do w/ Sporano’s absence then anything else.
Wade Phillips, (next to Campo) is the worst coach this franchise has ever had. His teams never seem to play w/ any intensity and the game plans are rarely inventive. I used to believe the Garrett might be the answer but now feel he should leave town when Wade goes.
They have, for example, barely tried to use Roy Williams at all in the last 3 games, (not even as a decoy, running some type of fly pattern to clear out the secondary and opening up things underneath.) Garrett never really devised any sort of game plan that plays to Johnson’s strengths, (his ability to read a defense and check down to someone open on an underneath route). Instead Garret has every pattern develop further down the field, outside of Johnson’s comfort zone for accurate passing. Did Garrett ever call on pass play on first down over the last 3 games while the score was still within reach, when the defense might be caught a little off guard? Nope. What’s wrong w/ some type of 4 to 5 yard completion on first down, (instead of an obvious run that will get will get stuffed 9 times out of 10)? On 2nd & 5 the defense is much more likely to be caught of guard and it opens up the entire playbook.
The defense (except for Ware) has never impressed me. I’m not even sure they really are built for a 3/4 scheme. The Patriots for example have 3 down linemen in their 3/4 scheme that dominate the line of scrimmage, (in particular Wilfork and Seymour) and free up their linebackers to make plays. I am not really all that impressed w/ the likes of Ratliff and Canty etc…
This team needs a new staff from top to bottom and perhaps a little less of Jerry in the management roll. The future of the team this could still be very bright if they get a good staff in there. And of course if there is no cap in 2010. If there is then the Cowboys will never win this group because they will be way over and have to cut half the team.
