Moose: Cowboys won't make playoffs
by Justin Terranova, New York Post
Updated: November 6, 2008, 4:47 PM EST
NFL on FOX analyst Daryl "Moose" Johnston won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys, but the former fullback doesn't see this Dallas team making the playoffs, let alone winning a Super Bowl.
Johnston, who lives in Dallas, says the city has turned on its beloved Cowboys.
"It's unbelievable. The reversal in the atmosphere of the town from the end of September to the end of October is unbelievable," Johnston told the New York Post. "You had people packing their bags for Tampa (site of Super Bowl XLIII) at the end of September and now they're canceling their reservations at the end of October. It's typical rats off the ship."
The most obvious problem with "America's Team" is the broken pinky of starting quarterback Tony Romo, who has missed the team's past three games. Dallas went 1-2 in that stretch, including an embarrassing 35-14 loss to the Giants in the Meadowlands. Backups Brad Johnson and Brooks Bollinger have struggled mightily, but Romo returned to practice yesterday during the team's bye week and is looking to start when the Cowboys play in Washington on Nov. 16
But Johnston said he believes the problems stretch far beyond Romo's absence.
"They weren't playing that well when Tony was healthy. They didn't play well against Cincinnati, didn't play well at Arizona. There's nothing to say when Tony gets back in there that everything is going to be fine again," said Johnston, who will be calling the Jets-Rams game for FOX on Sunday.
"When reporters talk to coaches and they're like, 'What's going on, why can't you get this fixed?' it's like 'If I knew what was wrong, I would have corrected it. I am not in the business of losing football games with correctable problems.'
"When it's something you just can't put your finger on, that's scary. One week it's special teams. One week it's the quarterback. One week you can run the football and then your quarterback goes down and you are really exposed. Unfortunately for Dallas, I don't think anyone really knows what the problem is."
The Giants are more than happy to watch their longtime rivals suffer as they flourish. Even with the loss of DEs Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, the Giants continue their tremendous roll that started with last season's playoffs.
"With the Giants vs. the Cowboys it was a talk of team vs. talent, and the team won out easily," Johnston said.
The Cowboys' trip to Washington starts a brutal stretch that ends their season. The Giants can do their part to keep the Cowboys out of the playoffs when the teams meet again on Dec. 14.
"It's going to be hard for them to qualify for the playoffs," Johnston said of the Cowboys. "The margin of error for them is so slim and they've got Washington, Philly, the Giants, Pittsburgh and Baltimore in their last seven games. They've got to win five of those final seven, so there is no margin of error for them. It will be interesting to see."
According to Johnston, no one involved with the team can escape the wrath of the media and fans.
"You don't have enough fingers down here," Johnston said. "It's Jerry Jones, it's Wade Phillips, it's the offensive line, it's the backup quarterback, it's the special teams, it's everywhere. And no one can really put a finger on where it is and that's the scary part."
