KJJ
You Have an Axe to Grind
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Well the money games have finally arrived and this is when you find out what kind of character a team has and whether they're a contender or a pretender. It's going to be interesting to see what Cowboys team and Romo shows up on Sunday. It's usually never the same team and Romo we saw on Thanksgiving 10 days earlier. It's been a mystery to everyone as to why the Cowboys never return from the Thanksgiving break focused and ready to play when it's down to crunch time. It's hard to get a feel for where this team really is. The Cowboys started off the season looking like they may have a tough time just breaking even this year then out of nowhere Miles Austin emerged into one of the top playmakers in the league and the Cowboys took off on a 4 game winning straight. Then when things couldn't be going any better the team laid an egg in GB playing their worst game of the season against a struggling Packers team. 
Can't say I saw that stinker coming. The following week the Cowboys struggled to a 7-6 win over the deadskins at home. Austin disappeared for the second straight week and it looked as if the Cowboys were going back the other way again. Beating the hapless Raiders on Thanksgiving didn't tell us much because the Cowboys have a history of feasting on bad teams Thanksgiving day. Romo has had some of the best games of his career on Thanksgiving before his game mysteriously goes into a tailspin the final month of the season. His late season meltdowns have been a disturbing trend that has affected the play of the entire team. No player determines the Cowboys fate as much as Romo. Last year at this time the team was 8-4 and in very good shape for a playoff spot in control of their own destiny. Going into Pittsburgh the defense was playing solid after struggling earlier in the season. The Cowboys were entering December playing probably their best football of the season riding a 3 game winning streak. Romo was coming off his two most productive games of the season and it looked like the team was entering the meat of their schedule ready to contend...NOT! Right now things look pretty similar to last season entering this difficult stretch.
With the importance of Sundays game I believe a loss will send the team into another Dec nose dive with the remaining schedule appearing even more brutal than last years. If the Cowboys are ever going to turn the corner it has to start Sunday. It's a MUST the Cowboys beat the Giants on Sunday to build some confidence and to start getting this December monkey off their back. It's going to be "here we go again" if the Cowboys lose on Sunday. A loss could really shake the psyche of the team and Romo and with a hot Chargers and Saints team coming up it's not going to be easy to rebound. A loss on Sunday would make the Chargers game CRUCIAL because a loss there will have the team staggering into NO and good luck trying to bounce back from a two game slide on the road against an explosive Saints team that's been unbeatable this season. The potential for a major collapse is there if the Cowboys come out of NY with a loss. Last year after the loss to Pittsburgh the Cowboys were able to rebound the following week against a struggling Giants team that were minus two of their best players Jacobs and Plax. If the Chargers win on Sunday they'll be riding a 7 game winning streak into Cowboys stadium on the 12th. My feeling is if the Cowboys can't beat a Giants team that's virtually on life support in a game that carries so much importance then this Cowboys team isn't any different than the choking Cowboys teams we've been seeing every December. It's a MUST the Cowboys win this game and that Romo plays well.
His psyche is very fragile with all the scrutiny his poor December play has received the past 3 seasons and another poor December performance in another big game could send him into yet another December meltdown. He has to play well for the Cowboys to win and for him and the team to build some confidence down the stretch. Like every December Romo will be the key because the Cowboys have only won 3 games in his 50 starts where his passer rating was below 70.0. If we see the same Romo we saw the first time we faced NY in week 2 the Cowboys will get beat! This is a DESPERATE Giants team that has some talent and if they get the Cowboys down early and Romo gets flustered and his boneheaded turnovers start rearing their ugly head again it's going to be a very long game. This game could very well make or break the Cowboys season. Historically Wade has had problems preparing his teams for playoff runs. Sundays game will say alot for where this team is and if this December is going to be any different than past Decembers.
Can't say I saw that stinker coming. The following week the Cowboys struggled to a 7-6 win over the deadskins at home. Austin disappeared for the second straight week and it looked as if the Cowboys were going back the other way again. Beating the hapless Raiders on Thanksgiving didn't tell us much because the Cowboys have a history of feasting on bad teams Thanksgiving day. Romo has had some of the best games of his career on Thanksgiving before his game mysteriously goes into a tailspin the final month of the season. His late season meltdowns have been a disturbing trend that has affected the play of the entire team. No player determines the Cowboys fate as much as Romo. Last year at this time the team was 8-4 and in very good shape for a playoff spot in control of their own destiny. Going into Pittsburgh the defense was playing solid after struggling earlier in the season. The Cowboys were entering December playing probably their best football of the season riding a 3 game winning streak. Romo was coming off his two most productive games of the season and it looked like the team was entering the meat of their schedule ready to contend...NOT! Right now things look pretty similar to last season entering this difficult stretch. With the importance of Sundays game I believe a loss will send the team into another Dec nose dive with the remaining schedule appearing even more brutal than last years. If the Cowboys are ever going to turn the corner it has to start Sunday. It's a MUST the Cowboys beat the Giants on Sunday to build some confidence and to start getting this December monkey off their back. It's going to be "here we go again" if the Cowboys lose on Sunday. A loss could really shake the psyche of the team and Romo and with a hot Chargers and Saints team coming up it's not going to be easy to rebound. A loss on Sunday would make the Chargers game CRUCIAL because a loss there will have the team staggering into NO and good luck trying to bounce back from a two game slide on the road against an explosive Saints team that's been unbeatable this season. The potential for a major collapse is there if the Cowboys come out of NY with a loss. Last year after the loss to Pittsburgh the Cowboys were able to rebound the following week against a struggling Giants team that were minus two of their best players Jacobs and Plax. If the Chargers win on Sunday they'll be riding a 7 game winning streak into Cowboys stadium on the 12th. My feeling is if the Cowboys can't beat a Giants team that's virtually on life support in a game that carries so much importance then this Cowboys team isn't any different than the choking Cowboys teams we've been seeing every December. It's a MUST the Cowboys win this game and that Romo plays well.
His psyche is very fragile with all the scrutiny his poor December play has received the past 3 seasons and another poor December performance in another big game could send him into yet another December meltdown. He has to play well for the Cowboys to win and for him and the team to build some confidence down the stretch. Like every December Romo will be the key because the Cowboys have only won 3 games in his 50 starts where his passer rating was below 70.0. If we see the same Romo we saw the first time we faced NY in week 2 the Cowboys will get beat! This is a DESPERATE Giants team that has some talent and if they get the Cowboys down early and Romo gets flustered and his boneheaded turnovers start rearing their ugly head again it's going to be a very long game. This game could very well make or break the Cowboys season. Historically Wade has had problems preparing his teams for playoff runs. Sundays game will say alot for where this team is and if this December is going to be any different than past Decembers.