wick
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 939
- Reaction score
- 278
Systemic Failure. It cuts to the very core of why these Cowboys again flopped when the games mattered the most. There's no one problem that can be fixed to cure this franchise. Unfortunately, there are a laundry list of problems that have to be addressed, but the man in control probably doesn't recognize most of them as shortcomings. The main culprits:
1. The head coach is soft. This is obvious to anyone not named Jerry Jones. Wade Phillips coddles his players and demands no accountability for failure. His approach is a demonstrated failure, but that's who he is and what you sign up for when you make him the head coach. There's a reason he's never won a playoff game in his career.
2. Jerry Jones is style over substance. This is evident in the series of personnel moves that netted Terrell Owens, Tank Johnson, Pacman Jones, and Roy Williams. He is not a football man and doesn't understand the importance of 53 men pulling the same way.
3. Tony Romo doesn't take his job seriously. One gets the sense that Romo's big accomplishment was securing a long-term contract that ensures he will never have to work another day in his life. His cavalier approach to the game undercuts the team's ability to win. He is a turnover machine who doesn't seem to grasp that turnovers are a problem.
4. Our receivers are sub par. Terrell Owens is declining by the hour. His fall from the beginning of last season is dramatic and palpable. He makes almost no yards after the catch now, which makes him a possession receiver with terrible hands and questionable route-running skills. Roy Williams is awful. Troy Aikman is right when he says Williams runs the worst routes in the NFL. We don't have a single wide receiver with short-area speed who can get open quickly, so we have to run vertical routes to give our long striders the necessary runway to get open. This means slow-developing plays that can be easily destroyed by defensive pressure.
5. Our special teams are garbage. Aside from Folk's placekicking, we are a travesty in the key third phase of the game. Our kickoffs are among the worst in the NFL. Coverage has been a disaster. Punt returns have been dismal.
6. We have a front-running defense. Sure we can rise up and play great at times (usually against poor or depleted opponents), but when the stakes are largest, we fold like a cheap suit. Whether it's the two runs against Baltimore or an inability to slow down an Eagles offense that was dreadful against the Commanders last week, we save our absolute worst for when it matters most.
1. The head coach is soft. This is obvious to anyone not named Jerry Jones. Wade Phillips coddles his players and demands no accountability for failure. His approach is a demonstrated failure, but that's who he is and what you sign up for when you make him the head coach. There's a reason he's never won a playoff game in his career.
2. Jerry Jones is style over substance. This is evident in the series of personnel moves that netted Terrell Owens, Tank Johnson, Pacman Jones, and Roy Williams. He is not a football man and doesn't understand the importance of 53 men pulling the same way.
3. Tony Romo doesn't take his job seriously. One gets the sense that Romo's big accomplishment was securing a long-term contract that ensures he will never have to work another day in his life. His cavalier approach to the game undercuts the team's ability to win. He is a turnover machine who doesn't seem to grasp that turnovers are a problem.
4. Our receivers are sub par. Terrell Owens is declining by the hour. His fall from the beginning of last season is dramatic and palpable. He makes almost no yards after the catch now, which makes him a possession receiver with terrible hands and questionable route-running skills. Roy Williams is awful. Troy Aikman is right when he says Williams runs the worst routes in the NFL. We don't have a single wide receiver with short-area speed who can get open quickly, so we have to run vertical routes to give our long striders the necessary runway to get open. This means slow-developing plays that can be easily destroyed by defensive pressure.
5. Our special teams are garbage. Aside from Folk's placekicking, we are a travesty in the key third phase of the game. Our kickoffs are among the worst in the NFL. Coverage has been a disaster. Punt returns have been dismal.
6. We have a front-running defense. Sure we can rise up and play great at times (usually against poor or depleted opponents), but when the stakes are largest, we fold like a cheap suit. Whether it's the two runs against Baltimore or an inability to slow down an Eagles offense that was dreadful against the Commanders last week, we save our absolute worst for when it matters most.