Floating in offseason purgatory

[ActualCowboysFan]

Oh, I'm not worried about your opinion.

Relishing in stupidity is more your bag.

 

[Rockport]

No. The easy blame is injuries and bad luck.

The criticisms of Garrett are real. Whether those problems merit going in a different direction, or what that direction may be (given our unique organizational structure) are difficult, which, in my opinion, is why most would rather take the easy route and just blame injuries and bad luck and hope for a better tomorrow.

I'll give Garrett 1 more year. This year was not the year to dump him like most crappy organizations and fans would do. I'd hate to see the fervor from these fans when Landry first started out.

 

[Junglist]

Relishing in stupidity is more your bag.

How mature.

 

[visionary]

So I've laid low lately, trying to let this season marinate in my bones, and figure out just what the state of this merry popsicle stand we call the Cowboys truly is.

Today, we're screwing plates into clavicles, kicking the tires on stray Texas hero quarterbacks, and shedding the stench of sickos that clung to this roster too long like poo on a shoe. There's an FBI's worth of investigation needed to figure out if this was a felony crime scene or simply a minor blip on a proper path.

Those most exposed got some 'splainin' to do. Linehan and Marinelli. Garrett and McClay. Dez and Terrance. Tyrone and Demarcus. Et cetera.

There's only so much Romo duct tape left until this thing is flying without a rudder for good. Without Tony around, this team earned itself a No. 4 draft pick the hard way, curb-stomping our preseason hopes brought on by that 12-4 record a lifetime ago, the campaign that earned Jerry the Executive of the Year. My gawd, that really happened.

So where are we now? What are they doing over there right this minute? Is all this Wentz talk real, or are smokescreens already in full play? Did Jerry come unhinged, and have ultimatums been delivered? Is Tony really OK, or is sheer panic and full spin already in effect? Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways. All questions need to be asked.

My biggest wonder, just how many warts is Romo disguising?

Without him, Dez looks lost and average. Beasley looks like a tiny SMU receiver who should be selling shoes at Foot Locker. Williams is invisible. The offensive line looks supremely overrated. First downs seem 30 yards long. Players seem half of themselves without Romo on the field.

It's an incredible offense when Romo is there to conduct the orchestra. But when he's not, it's Emmett Otter's Jug Band. Disjointed and ill-timed, like they're playing in ankle weights and ice skates.

And the defense, without Romo, was left naked and alone in a time-of-possession deluge. Weary legs got jackhammered by good teams, as New England, Carolina, and Green Bay ran roughshod through Dallas like a 7-on-7 drill.

The easy blame is on Garrett, and that's been the chorus line. Always is in every disappointed fan base as the coaching carousel kicks in full speed to make folks feel better and avoid reality. That's too easy and unnuanced.

I don't share the panic of some, but if it is Romo that is the magic pixie dust for this roster, perhaps it is time to find his shadow. But...is that guy in this draft, or is he still in offseason workouts at some high school in Poughkeepsie.

The Cowboys already have a great quarterback, and yet they have no quarterback at all. That's the troubling dilemma of a Ferrari with a bad set of brake pads in a road race.

So I've waxed and waned about what to do with this pick. Goff, Wentz, Lynch. Will these guys even be in the league in five years? Is there a star in that mix, maybe two, or all three? Or is this just the latest list of Ponders, Lockers, Leinarts, et al. Should Dallas just grab that pass rusher or Dez' counterpart?

Whatever the answer is, they have to get this right. I'm just saying a prayer for Romo, and hoping for a quiet, quick, and constructive offseason. Or else, it's going to be facsimile of that same horror show.

Go Broncos, I guess.

Please

Garrett is to blame, that is why he is being blamed

And, this is not "an incredible offense" by any stretch of the imagination even with Romo

 

[perrykemp]

But I do not think that makes Garrett an overall bad coach. He does SOME things right. You can't just throw the baby out with the bathwater.

We are talking about the Dallas Cowboys right?

When did acceptance of mediocrity become acceptable?

 

[Rockport]

I agree. Marinelli is overrated, imo. Other than takeaways last season, our defense hasn't ever really been as good as it's supposed to be under "The Great Marinelli."

This is wrong in basically every way possible.

 

[Junglist]

This is wrong in basically every way possible.

Explain how. And we get it. Youre.smarter than everyone.

 

[LittleD]

The truth of the NFL today is that no team is going to be successful without an experienced franchise QB. Indy
did not turn out so well this year without Luck and the Cowboys suffered this year without Romo. Those are the
facts. If you look at the bottom 6 teams picking in the draft this year only San Diego had what you could call
a franchise QB who played a majority of the year. I have studied our game tapes and it's clear that without
Romo our offense is severely hampered and the defense has to stay on the field entirely too long which
leads to 4th quarter breakdowns. Garrett's system is based on Sid Luckman's & Norv Turner's timing system
which means that Tony needs an extra second or two to let the receiver's find space downfield and which
exposes him to more hits than he needs at his age. I wished and hoped that Linehan would modify the system
to allow Tony more west coast reps and get the ball out faster but, alas, failure. Garrett's system needs an
Emmitt Smith to function at top efficiency and right now we don't have him on the roster. If Dallas can
keep the offense on the field and the defense off it, they can win but, only if!

 

[waving monkey]

This is wrong in basically every way possible

Isn't some of the ideas especially about Marinelli jus t out there.
We're guys who sit behind computers and read stories written by sports writers
and we form these totally bazaar concept like Marinelli is over rated.
Any team looking for a DC would hire him.

 

[waving monkey]

Explain how. And we get it. Youre.smarter than everyone.

no he just doesn't think his smarter then the professionals that spend every waking moment
thinking and actually planning and putting into action the schemes that you a TV and computer fan
think you know better about. There are 32 teams with about 15 coaches/assitents on a team, lets say.
32x15 + 480 caoches and in American how many fans would want their jobs , about most of us. So they
might be pretty good at what they do! Ya think!

 

[waving monkey]

We are talking about the Dallas Cowboys right?

When did acceptance of mediocrity become acceptable?

this silly mantra guys repeat " accepting mediocrity" is more hog wash.

 

[CCBoy]

When both Tony Romo and Dez Bryant are on the field healthy, the offense is fine.

This is year 3 of 4 years a new defense is given before final analysis is proclaimed.

 

[skinsscalper]

The truth of the matter is that this season was the result of many failures form the front office to the water boy. There's plenty of blame to go around. Injuries were a factor, no doubt. So was the fact that the front office failed miserably at the back up QB and other positions (from the off-season forward); the coaching staff failed at adjusting the scheme to fit the personnel or game situations; the players failed at execution and personal accountability.

I agree with the two posters in the thread that said the easy targets were the injuries and the coaching staff, but it's more than that. Neither can be absolved but there was more at work in creating this perfect storm of ineptitude. It began in the off-season. Letting Murray walk had an effect (and I agree with not bowing to his contract demands, btw). Hardy had an affect. William's disappearing act had an affect. The list is a mile long. To try and pound the nail into one aspect and say "That's it. That's what the problem was!" is intellectually dishonest and wreaks of agenda (whether you're on the coaching staff or injury side of the argument).

The fact is, it happened. It's over. We move on, as does the team. The only difference (for us, here in the room) is the approach, mentally. Are you going to spend the entire off-season whining like a baby about something you have zero control over (yes, we know a good amount of you will)? Are you going to staunchly defend that all is well and we just had a down year (yes, we know many of you will)? Or are you going to sit back knowing that there's little you can do about it but root for your team to turn this thing around and discuss it? For the record, none is the right or wrong answer but the sniping at each other (which I fully admit, I'm as guilty as anyone of) over any of it is beyond the beating of a dead horse. But que sera sera.

Kumbaya, my friends.

And cheers to the last meaningful game of the season. Let's hope it's at least entertaining.