MySa Blog: Aikman: Players to blame for December slumps...questions toughness

[not_a_homer]

Who can honestly say Steve Dennis is wrong at this point? Really don't call these guys winners until the season is over. What does that even mean? Are you really only a winner if you win the Super Bowl? Or are you a winner if you constantly beat the man in front of you? In that case , guys like Witten, Ware, and Ratliff are winners. Someone like Barbie Carpenter and/or Terrance Newman wouldn't be. All I know is, history is not written, you can't do it until you've done it. Just because you've done it in the past doesn't mean you'll do it going forward. Case in point: the Steelers, Ravens, and Patriots of 2009 vs. previous years. Ultimately, I'm just waiting until Jerry retires or dies, otherwise the attitude from the top down will always permeate this franchise.

 

[tunahelper]

Brookings said it.

The players run the team.

The failure lies with the players. Which is scary since the salary cap means you cannot just ditch the guys not achieving and go get ones that do.

So does this go back to the man who has the last word on all decisions?

Some might argue that point, But Jerry sure ponys up to tell all that he is the gold standard when it comes to decision making on this team.

Hard to argue with your statement even for the group of cheerleaders here that bash opinions that arent ALL positive about the Boy's. I think the team has the ability, it is time for them match their talent with heart.

 

[CATCH17]

This is what I have been saying all along but the easy thing for everyone to do is blame Wade. Even when he has put the guys in a position for success.

 

[Rampage]

their's plenty of problems from top to bottom. bottom line these guys need to just go out and give your best effort and play with some freaking heart and passion for once

 

[Manster54]

I have to agree with Aikman.
Nothing has been proven yet except when the pressure is on, the players make mistakes or do not make plays.

There is also passion missing, even with Brooking coming on board.
Dallas needs another Ken Norton Jr. in a bad way.

For this team to take a step forward, the offensive line needs a major overhaul. They are old and worn down by years end.

 

[links18]

Could it possibly be that it is both the players and the coaches?

Just because we have a mentally weak group of core players is no absolution of Wade and Garrett at all. Too much black and white thinking.

 

[Seven]

.

I've said for a while that sometimes you have to put the onus on the players for executing. Coaches can emphasize things all week in practice, but these guys have to execute.

They have to tackle the guy in front of them. They have to break up passes or guess right when going for the INT. They have to catch the balls when they hit them in their hands. They have to break a tackle when defenders go for their shoe strings.

Sometimes it really is as simple as that.

Post of the year.................It really is simple.


IMO - Someone on this team seems to always be relying on someone else to do something.

 

[DaBoys4Life]

How so? When it goes against the more popular thought that it's all the coache's thought.

I've said for a while that sometimes you have to put the onus on the players for executing. Coaches can emphasize things all week in practice, but these guys have to execute.

They have to tackle the guy in front of them. They have to break up passes or guess right when going for the INT. They have to catch the balls when they hit them in their hands. They have to break a tackle when defenders go for their shoe strings.

Sometimes it really is as simple as that.

That's a good point but if the coach isn't allowed to replace players that don't produce whos fault is that?

 

[craig71]

Coaches coach and players play.

One can make the argument that the players have been put in a situation to succeed.For whatever reason the players have not executed on a consistent basis.

One could also argue that the coaching has been suspect all too many times during the season.Those shortcomings are readily brought up by some on a regular basis.

I think that the truth lies somewhere in the middle.I think the staff has dropped the ball a few times.But I also think that the players have done more to sabotage this season than any coach on the staff.

Now what it's going to boil down to is replacing Wade unless something drastic happens in these last games.Is it all on Wade? No. Unfortunately though,it's easier to change coaches than it is to purge a roster due to salary cap ramifications.Will the next coach have better luck? Who knows.I just hope the next man is shorter in the tooth,maybe that will translate to success.


Craig

 

[not_a_homer]

I do think having a better offensive line would help. Hopefully someone good falls to us in the 1st round. Honestly I wouldn't mind getting Leonard Davis out of there. He's had to many breakdowns this year for my taste. I don't mind Gurode, I don't mind Kosier or Colombo. I'm hoping we can get a LT in the first round and another guard in the 2nd or 3rd. I think that's our biggest weakness: the offensive line. Why couldn't we get someone like Vollmer from U of H? He's in our backyard!

 

[UVAwahoos]

I do think having a better offensive line would help. Hopefully someone good falls to us in the 1st round. Honestly I wouldn't mind getting Leonard Davis out of there. He's had to many breakdowns this year for my taste. I don't mind Gurode, I don't mind Kosier or Colombo. I'm hoping we can get a LT in the first round and another guard in the 2nd or 3rd. I think that's our biggest weakness: the offensive line. Why couldn't we get someone like Vollmer from U of H? He's in our backyard!

We've needed a solid LT for a couple years now. Should've been grooming one. It's certainly worth a 1st this year.

 

[MapleLeaf]

...too early for this, but if the season were over now this would be my picks to replace.

Offence.

Deon Anderson, Flozell Adams, Andre Gurode, Pat McQuistan, Montrae Holland, Cory Proctor, Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd, Roy Williams and Martellus Bennett.

Defence.

Bobby Carpenter, Bradie James, Marcus Spears, Terence Newman, Patrick Watkins and Ken Hamlin.

It's obvious that this can't happen right away, but there's something about this team and something about these players.

What is troubling to me about the season is the unforced errors. Pre-snap penalties and the like.

What was Parcells' favourite saying??? "Stupid players make stupid mistakes.

Sometimes all it takes for both parties to improve is a change of scenery. If we miss the playoffs something has to change. At least gradually if not severely.

Start shooting at me gentlemen.

 

[DaBoys4Life]

...too early for this, but if the season were over now this would be my picks to replace.

Offence.

Deon Anderson, Flozell Adams, Andre Gurode, Pat McQuistan, Montrae Holland, Cory Proctor, Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd, Roy Williams and Martellus Bennett.

Defence.

Bobby Carpenter, Bradie James, Marcus Spears, Terence Newman, Patrick Watkins and Ken Hamlin.

It's obvious that this can't happen right away, but there's something about this team and something about these players.

What is troubling to me about the season is the unforced errors. Pre-snap penalties and the like.

What was Parcells' favourite saying??? "Stupid players make stupid mistakes.

Sometimes all it takes for both parties to improve is a change of scenery. If we miss the playoffs something has to change. At least gradually if not severely.

Start shooting at me gentlemen.

Didn't you know Marty B is our franchise HoF TE. Jerry was offered a 1st rounder for him and pissed on the offer.

 

[Beast_from_East]

So Steve Dennis calls the players losers and Aikman calls them soft.

Romo was the only guy that looked like he cared last week, lets see if all of this criticism will inspire some of his teammates this week.



And I agree about the offensive line, it needs to be overhauled. This o-line would look like total crap if not for Romo avoiding about 20 sacks this season. Seriously, Romo has to do his Houdini impression several times a game because a defender comes blitizing through the line untouched. This line only looks half decent because Romo is so mobile. If we had a pure pocket passer for a QB, add about 20 more sacks for the season.

 

[TNCowboy]

If there is anyone that has the drop on Dallas its Troy. He covers like 10 of their games every year, he's got more access than any other media member at valley ranch, Jerry confides in him, Tony confides in him - he's most definitely in the know.

I'm just starting to think that BP's, "can't win with them" attitude revolves around the core group of guys. Flo, Gurode, Crayton, Bradie, Newman, Spears, etc.

Romo, Witten, Ware, Ratliff, and Barber being the exceptions because they simply get it done - but as a whole the core group just may not be mentally tough enough to make a serious playoff run. They eat the cheese too quickly, and lose faith in themselves just as fast. All indicative traits of a mentally weak team.

A win this Sunday can change that all around, and don't think for one second the Saints aren't beatable. They've stolen 3 or 4 of those wins this year - against really bad teams.

Barber no longer "gets it done".

 

[Dave_in-NC]

Or maybe we're not that good. We don't have impact players on offense or special teams. Our only impact player is Ware and he's struggled so far this year. Teams that win it all have impact players, i.e. game changers. We don't. On offense our best player is Romo and even though I believe he’s a very good QB he needs better players around him. He has a very good TE, good running backs and average receivers. Not even McNabb could advance to the superbowl with a team like that. We need impact-game changers type players. For every Santonio Holmes on the board on draft day there’s always a Bobby Carpenter there to fill a never ending need. For every Desean Jackson on the board there’s a Felix Jones selection to fill another never ending need.

The Patriots won with with out huge impact players, NO is doing it this year.
Coaches have to get the best out of the few impact players they have.
Phillips has never been able to do that. Not in his whole career.

 

[Dave_in-NC]

So Steve Dennis calls the players losers and Aikman calls them soft.

Romo was the only guy that looked like he cared last week, lets see if all of this criticism will inspire some of his teammates this week.



And I agree about the offensive line, it needs to be overhauled. This o-line would look like total crap if not for Romo avoiding about 20 sacks this season. Seriously, Romo has to do his Houdini impression several times a game because a defender comes blitizing through the line untouched. This line only looks half decent because Romo is so mobile. If we had a pure pocket passer for a QB, add about 20 more sacks for the season.

The loss of Columbo has had a huge impact on our O line. IMOP

 

[MapleLeaf]

The loss of Columbo has had a huge impact on our O line. IMOP

...can pick a key guy or guys who's injury could affect the play of their team. It's the nature of the beast in regards to the salary cap era.

What's more important for GMs, coaches and players to figure out is every spot on the 53 man roster is precious and if you want to have a chance at the post season tournament players who aren't starters have to work on being able to contribute to the team.

Columbo has been a pleasant surprise and a fiery personality on the team. I am more disappointed in McQuistan and Proctor. After (4) and (5) years respectively you should be able to make a serious contribution to the team. I'm not seeing that.

Many of the players I have listed in my previous post are multiple year players. Some of them have performed admirably for this team, but this year is as good as any year to see what we have in the coaching staff and the player mix.

If they are unable to bear down and actually make something out of this year this team's owner has to seriously assess what some of these veteran players can do for us in the future and actively look for their new replacements if they prove to be less than what we expect as a team.

This is the Dallas Cowboys after all and funny as it sounds there is standards to be met with this team. As a business model there is no faster way to tear down the cornerstones of your business unit than through repeated letdowns season after season.

Just look at the Washington Commanders!

 

[jterrell]

Aikman would get a lot more credit if he wasn't on in NY when he said this.

He does weekly shows in Dallas and hasn't stated this here.

Not sure battle-tested and mentally tough are the same thing. Battle-tested presumes you have fought tough, close games and won them so are confident in that situation. Dallas has generally walked through opponents early then faltered late in very close, often bad weather games. Games in December are different. The Cowboys have to adapt to that style of play but it has been their decade long weakness. This team has always had penalties and execution issues but made up for it with big gainers, match-up edges and other things. Late in the year those things disappear and you really have to tighten the belt.

But the biggest issue the past two years with December records is the schedule maker. The opponents are ridiculous. Philly, NYG as constants, then SD, NO and Balt, Pitt as others... Wow. Anyone shocked a team would have a bad stretch against those teams is delusional. That is a tough playoff run.

If Aikman wants to talk battle-tested per5haps he should so so AFTER we play this stretch of games. Dallas win 2 or more December games and keeps the others close they will have faced the toughest December of anyone in the league.

 

[ElGatoGrande]

Year in and year out the offensive line gets schooled by good teams and the running game gets stoned,,,, Romo gets harrassed into mistakes,,,, and penalties kill drives.

Gurode = not intelligent, can be fooled into missing assignments regularly

Adams and Davis = take plays off, they are slow and often allow defenders to shoot gaps (Colombo too)

On top of that,,, I don't think Romo can impose his will on teams as a pocket passer because the accuracy and confidence in his receivers just isn't there. He needs more time in the pocket or to be allowed to scramble and extend plays so his receivers can get WIDE OPEN.