I'm in the minority, but I still think we can do something here...

[SultanOfSix]

It really does. When they put Romo in, even though I was happy, the game was just fun to watch since I no longer expected anything. After he threw that third exciting interception, to kill the team off completely, I just shook my head and moved on. No big deal.

I'd love to care more, but this bunch of underachievers hasn't really given me any reason to - aside from rolling the mighty Titans.

I'm telling you it really doesn't. Instead of being at a higher level and dropping further down, you just drop less, but you're still at the same low level. You just don't feel the difference because the drop is less.

 

[superpunk]

I'm telling you it really doesn't. Instead of being at a higher level and dropping further down, you just drop less, but you're still at the same low level. You just don't feel the difference because the drop is less.

lol....makes sense. Either way, that's where I'm at. The only way I'm coming out is if we start beating some decent teams. Carolina would be a nice start.

 

[Doomsday101]

If Dallas is going to turn things around which is very possible it will be more than just the QB that needs to get things turned around. Everyone loves to focus on QB and as important as that position is it is not going to take us where we want to be. Until everyone else is getting their job done we will continue to struggle.

 

[THEHEREAFTER]

Cowboys fans are funny.. We seem to be the only fans that are anti-homeristic.. Maybe it is because we are spoiled by the likes of Emmitt, Staubach, Lily, and Landry.. We won't accept anything except for excellence, anything less than a Lombardi trophy is a failure.. Even when we win, I see as many negative comments on here as I do positive ones.. And when we lose.. Oh my gosh, when we lose.. It's like World War III meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest meets a teenage girl who just had her heart broken meets a slug that just got a tablespoon of salt poured on it..

Guys, we are 3-3.. .500.. we have won as many as we lost.. and we have been in every single game that we lost and we have blown out the three teams that we beat.. and I don't care the quality of the teams we blew out.. it's hard enough getting a victory against any team in today's NFL, much less a blowout.. you could make a good case that we actually outplayed Jacksonville and Philly and that we should have beat them if not for stupid mistakes.. and who made those stupid mistakes? Drew Bledsoe.. think about it: Drew cost us the Jacksonville game.. Drew cost us the Philly game.. we have eliminated that part of the equation.. say what you want about the defense, but it has played well enough to win all of these games if the offense would help them out.. even last night.. just think what will happen if the offense gives them some rest and doesnt give away points and doesnt give the ball to the other offense at their own 20 yard line..

I think Tony Romo is gonna be the real deal folks.. it wouldnt be the first time that a no name QB has come on in the middle of the season and led his team to greatness..

So call me a homer.. Call me stupid.. Say I'm looking through silver and blue shaded glasses.. I don't care.. I still believe this is a great team.. Sunday night at Carolina is the first step.. It will be a winning step.. We will come out of these road trip 6-3.. This is a new team.. There will be more swagger, there will be more confidence, and there will be more wins..

:starspin :starspin :starspin :starspin :starspin :starspin :starspin :starspin :starspin :starspin :starspin

I've been waiting a long time for a post like this. I can agree with you 100%. Cowboys fans are certainly spoiled. Often it's actually easier for me to deal with the hornets nest at extremeskins than my own fellow fans here. It's not that I cannot except reality. It's that so many zoners are spoiled and negative at all costs. On one hand I think it's great that we're extremely introspective and critical about our team but some of us go overboard all the time. It's great that we're not complete blind homers like skins fans but if we're not blowing someone out it can be hell on this board. BP has made some mistakes. He's human. We're all human. Our much maligned defense set us up with a golden opportunity to go up before the half. Our defense simply isn't dominant enough to take over games and clean up 4 back breaking turnovers. The Giants are no slouch as well. It's easy to forget that the other team is getting paid to win games as well. So we take one on the chin, get up and move on. I'm excited to see what Romo can bring to the table.

 

[THEHEREAFTER]

Here's the thing. Win one game at a time. Play for THIS week. Manage the game against itself and not against expectations. FORGET who we are playing. The Cowboys WILL be competitve with whatever QB they have in there. We are not a team that can get really, really blown out.

Coach #9 up. Dissect the game plan to his strengths. Punt the ball at the opponents 40 in a close game. Use the running backs. Use the TE's. Make TO the a-1 option. Throw it deep to Terry and Patrick here and again. Play smart, opportunistic, conservative football. Capitalize on turnovers. Use Vanderjagt for field goals between 40-50yds vs going for it on 4th and 1.

This IS doable. I think Romo has more ability and will make less mistakes then we all think he will. He needs to be coached. He will falter. But we CAN win.

I think he has the team's unified support. Anyone notice Owens standing by Romo after the interception. That's one hell of a good sign. We're not dead. We're down but NOT out. Either way, it's going to be one awesome ride. Watch and see.

Brilliant post. Many are analyzing crazy playoff scenarious but the fact is the landscape of the NFL changes week to week. Key players get hurt, unsung heroes come out of nowhere, upsets happen etc. All I can think about is beating Carolina and taking it from there. Also yeah, Romo has been identified as one of the people on the team closest to T.O. long before Drew getting benched. Definitely a good thing. Romo's feet will undoubtedly create more opportunities for our playmakers. Football is a game of momentum, confidence and swagger. Hopefully we can pick up some steam and make a run. The giants are 4-2, Philly is only 4-3. C-mon people! We're by no means out of it.

 

[THEHEREAFTER]

I am definitely not ready to give up on this team, unless of course Parcells goes back to Bledsoe. I believe we will have a much better chance of winning games with Romo at QB. He will make some costly mistakes but so did Bledsoe but the difference is that Romo will get better while Bledsoe seems to be getting worse and is extremely limited while Romo gives us some additional options.

I am convinced that if Parcells would have listened to me (LOL) and replaced Bledsoe with Romo before the end of the 3rd quarter of the Jags game we would be sitting at 5-1 instead of 3-3.

Bledsoe was very limited in what he could/would do. He pretty much looked for Glenn or Owens on every pass play while Romo spread it around much more and was able to get Witten and the RBs involved in the passing game. The difference I see is that Romo can buy time for the receivers to get into their routes. He also has the time, and is quicker, to go through his reads and progressions. I saw him go to his 3rd and 4th options more than once Monday night, while Drew rarely gets to his 2nd.

IMO Romo is quicker in every aspect of the QB position than Bledsoe. Also, and this surprised me, his passes were crisper and had more zip on them than Drew's did. Bledsoe's passes have not looked as good this year as they have in the past. He is not stepping through and looks to be afraid to step into his throws because he is expecting the passrush even when there isn't one.

I feel bad for Bledsoe because he is a nice guy and has played hard for us. He is a tough guy and gave it all he had. We didn't do him right by putting a haphazard O-Line in front of him. Given good protection he has been very effective over the course of his career but we didn't make the O-Line a priority this offseason and it shows.

I would much rather have seen the money we spent on Owens used on Steve Hutchinson and the draft pick used on Carpenter on an OT but that is just me. Owens hasn't helped us nearly as much as people were hoping he would and certainly nowhere near as much as a top-quality OG would have.

Parcells has shown that he has no clue how to select OLs either in FA or through the draft (maybe it's a good thing we didn't draft one in the 1st round then). Kosier is the only guy I can think of that has been brought in under him that is worth squat. None of his OL draft picks have panned out, although McQuistan might be a surprise for us but that remains to be seen in actual games.

I am excited to see how Romo does against Carolina this week and how the team responds to his leadership. They certaily responded on Monday night when he came in and I am hopeful that it will carry over this week.

Another post I agree 100% with. Where would we be if Parcells did what I believe he wanted to do all along and started Romo from day 1. He just wasn't ready to do it but finally had no choice. Bledsoe is just a battered QB at this point playing as if shellshocked about getting hit.

 

[Bleu Star]

If Dallas is going to turn things around which is very possible it will be more than just the QB that needs to get things turned around. Everyone loves to focus on QB and as important as that position is it is not going to take us where we want to be. Until everyone else is getting their job done we will continue to struggle.

Golden thought! Lots has to improve. A combination of getting Romo 1st team reps and getting some other butts in gear will go a long way in salvaging this season. We're not done by any long shot... That is unless BP announces he's going back to Bledsoe at his PC today. I think I will throw up in my mouth if that happens today.

 

[DipChit]

I am an eternal optimist, but I expected this defense to be dominant this year. Instead, they've played small against big-time competition. I thought this team was legitimately the best, most talented team in the NFC, and they just let me down every time I expect them to show up.

So from here on out I have zero expectations. I've got no reason to. Whatever happens happens.

Seeee now you're thinking clearly!

I'm prolly twice your age but I did that 9 or 10 years ago. Oh I've still watched every game and whatnot but the thing is when we werent nothin better than a .500 team from 96-99 even *with* guys like the Triplets, Deion, Woodson etc..who werent exactly greybeards yet, I knew it was an absolute certainty that once they moved on we'd have no shot. Had no depth whatsoever to even come close to taking their places.

Finally enter BP.. turn over the roster.. some good moves some poor ones, musical chairs at QB..whatever. Doesnt matter to me.. until any particular unit or the team as a whole actually proves that they're dominant, I just assume they're not.

Makes it to where I can sleep like a baby.. even after the other nights debacle.

 

[HTownCowboysFan]

Here's my concern: We basically have to go 7-3 the rest of the way to make the playoffs. Now, that's not impossible.

But with a three-game road trip and an ensuing home game against Indianapolis on the horizon, it's hard to imagine that happening -- especially after what we saw Monday.

Impossible? Nope. Nothing is in this league.

If we were 4-2 in need of going 6-4 the rest of the way, yeah, I'd pretty much think this is a playoff team. One might say it's just one loss difference, but it amounts to one more win we have to make up later this season -- a win I'm not sure we can get?

I agree with this. I said yesterday to my friend on the flight back from Dallas that this road trip will tell us all we need to know. We HAVE to go 2-1 minimum and be sitting at 6-4 at the end. That means it'll take 4-2 the rest of the way to get in the playoffs. And if we are a playoff team, then we should be able to do that.