Unless Jerry Jones springs a surprise, change should be in the air for the Cowboys. Not since 1976 have the Cowboys experienced such a disappointing season. Ironically, the two seasons are similar. In 1976, the Cowboys began 5-0 and looked unbeatable. Then Roger Staubach broke his little finger and the once potent offense experienced a slow death. The Cowboys only managed to limp into the playoffs thanks to a fairly weak division. Their struggles continued at home against the Rams in the first round. But behind and all but dead 14-10, Charlie Waters blocked a Rams punt and the Cowboys recovered on the Rams 18 yard line to bring up our hopes of yet another miracle. On 4th and 10, Staubach completed a pass to DuPree but he was tackled about an inch short of the first down. Goodbye game and season.
Now this season is over for the Cowboys, it is time to put all the frustration and anger aside and evaluate the team and coaches objectively. This is what I hope Jerry Jones does. Although my evaluation will probably have no influence whatsoever, I will do my best. I will cover the different facets of the team. I will use the term “gets a pass.” This term means the person should be allowed to stay with the Cowboys next year, not necessarily that they did well this year. I am also not factoring cap considerations and contracts. I am simply evaluating the team in football terms.
Defensive Line
I think the defensive line was pretty good this year. Jay Ratliff made substantial progress and the other lineman played well for the most part. I do not think Dallas has any real concerns here. Tank Johnson is a serviceable backup all things considered and the line was able to put a good amount of pressure on quarterbacks this season. They were sometimes inconsistent in stopping the run, but I think other factors contributed to that.
Linebackers
I also believe our linebackers did pretty well except for their lack of interceptions. Zach Thomas has probably seen his last year in the NFL but if he wants to come back, I see no reason why he shouldn’t. I do feel a little sorry for him because the team he loves, the Dolphins, rose from the dead this year and he was not a part of it. Our line backing core has speed and they usually make tackles unless they are dispirited. This trait is common to most defences.
Secondary
The Cowboys secondary has real issues. As a side note, if safety Roy Williams had been healthy, Baltimore would not have made those two heartbreaking long runs at the end of the game in week 16. The main problem with the secondary is they are not that good. Consider how much pressure the front seven applied on quarterbacks this year, particularly in the second half of the season. You would think with all that pressure, the secondary would have had more interceptions. But I believe we only had four for the entire year. You’ve got to be kidding me! This is a real problem for the Cowboys. They simply have no hope of covering speedy receivers, and forget about receivers such as Fitzgerald and Moss. The lack of interceptions was a real killer for us this year because interceptions can really be momentum changers. Our offense, as bad as it was in the second half, had very few breaks to give it some help. The only good player back there is Newman. Orlando Scandrick showed signs while Jenkins was a disappointment overall. Rookie corners seldom make a huge impact in the NFL though, so Jenkins should get a pass.
As for Adam Jones, I believe he should also get a pass if only to see whether a completed season plus next year’s training camp minus the distractions, can help him improve. Adam Jones did make some good plays at corner and we should not let the Philadelphia meltdown influence us too much. The way the Cowboys played against the Eagles in Philadelphia, they would not have defeated a team comprised of boys under 10 years of age. Pacman was not the only pathetic player for the Cowboys. He did not deliver the spectacular returns on punts and kick-offs we hoped for, but we should expect a loss in speed and in moves after his layoff. Maybe next year, and we always have Felix Jones for kick-off returns.
Something needs to be done about the secondary. We simply need more interceptions and I think Henry will probably have to go although he is not really a bad player. He’s just not a really good player either.
Offensive Line
I think the right side of the Cowboys line is in good shape. Davis and Colombo are pretty good. Colombo can fire up the team. Both pull pretty well and I would say the right side of the line was definitely our strong side this year. Davis did not have the year he had last year, but it was OK and he should get a pass.
Andre Gurode seems to be a good center as well. A lot of people said he did not deserve to make the Pro Bowl. Perhaps not, but he was voted there, which shows he must be doing something right. He did seem to have a few high snaps to Romo in the shotgun this season, though, and I do not know whether it was just me noticing this more, or whether this was the case. Gurode gets a pass.
Our left offensive line is a train wreck. Despite Flozel Adams’ seemingly endless false start penalties, he has been a good servant for the team. I think his injury in 2006 was a major factor in the Cowboys slide into December oblivion. But he simply cannot deal with fast pass rushers any longer and he does not pull well anymore. The team needs to determine whether this is due to injury or age. Cory Procter clearly struggled at left guard this year but stayed in despite the team’s best efforts to leave him on the bench. The Dallas offensive line was clearly better with Kyle Kosier playing and hopefully, he will be ready to go next season.
In summary, Colombo and Davis get passes as does Kosier. It may be time to replace Adams. Procter is a good backup lineman but is definitely not a starter at guard so I would give Procter a pass as a backup. To me, the real question on the offensive line is Pat McQuistan. He does not seem to have improved enough to be a starter, but I cannot say I’ve seen enough of him to judge. It might be time to look for another backup.
Tight End
Witten and Bennett are keepers. They can block, and they can catch. Witten is, in my opinion, the best tight end in football. This is a no brainer. One could only wish every position was as easy to analyze.
Quarterback
Romo should get a pass. He is a good quarterback. I really believe his broken little finger is responsible for much of his second half woe. I mentioned this above. If you look at Romo’s passing, I think it is pretty clear that in the second half, he struggled throwing to the left side of the field. Throws to the left side hung up in the air and lacked the zip of yore. This clearly reflects a finger that is not entirely healed despite the medical reports we get. If I am right, some of Romo’s poor decisions can be explained. Don’t get me wrong. Romo did make poor decisions, but I think at least some of these have to do with not being able to do what he is usually able to do. This is hard to get used to.
The Cowboys running game suffered a second half meltdown, basically, after the Washington game and this put increasing pressure on Romo. The rushing numbers do not tell the full story. In the last few games, our main rushing gains were on draws, and a lot of those were on second and long. Romo had a lot more pressure on him than he should have. I think these are two important mitigating factors in favour of Romo so I will give Romo a pass and I will also add that Romo is one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.
As for backup QB, a slug can tell we need change there. Brad Johnson is obviously out. But is Bollinger? We haven’t seen enough of him to know. This will depend on who is available.
Running Backs
Barber was obviously much more debilitated than we wanted to believe. Give Barber a pass. He wasn’t himself after the Seattle game and this hurt the team. Choice was excellent. You need someone like Barber to pound the defense toward the end of games. As for Felix Jones, he is lights out! I can’t wait to see him back and healthy next year. We lost a lot when he went down to a toe injury. Barber, Jones and Choice will give the Cowboys their own version of Earth, Wind, and Fire although hopefully, we’ll come up with another nickname.
I would also like to see Deon Anderson used more in the offense. He is a good fullback. It might also be interesting in some formations to put Barber in as fullback with Felix Jones as a tailback. If that doesn’t give opposing defences nightmares, I don’t know what will.
Receivers
No other position requires emotionless objectivity as much as receiver. Is Owens a “cancer” or not? As fans, we do not know. I found it interesting that the media sided with ESPN whereas some of the Cowboys players sided with Owens. What do we expect the media to say, that ESPN is garbage? On the other hand, the media could have been right on the mark. So I’ll make some football observations.
Why were Romo and Williams continually out of sync? This is one question the team needs to answer. The team also needs to decide whether Owens can defeat press coverage or not. The jury is still out on that one in my opinion.
Owens does make plays and I think he should get a pass. He seems to handle a scrambling quarterback and he is deadly after the catch. Owens has to be doubled nearly every time and this should open things up for others. This is theory, of course, but there is no doubt Owens gets attention and you need players like this.
As for Crayton and Austin, I have always felt Crayton is a number three receiver but I actually like Austin better in the slot. I believe it was obvious Williams and Romo had communication problems and I would have started Crayton, although this would have been a big ego hit to Williams – whom I believe is a good receiver. Crayton was familiar with the offense.
Receivers do not grow on trees so I would give passes to both Crayton and Austin. Hopefully, Williams and Romo will do better together next season.
Here is one thought. I believe T. J. Houshmandzadeh is a free agent next year. He is definitely a good receiver. If the team decides to let Owens go, which I feel would be a mistake, Houshmandzadeh might be a nice pickup.
Special Teams
Special teams managed to mess up at least once per game. By and large, our returns of kickoffs were not that good although Austin probably did the best. Our punt returns were terrible and our coverages were bad. Folk was told to kick directionally, but this did not seem to help overall. We seemed to suffer our share of having our kicks blocked.
McBriar is a good punter and will help when he returns next year. Nick Folk is a very good field goal kicker and also gets a pass. As for coaching, the special teams coaching staff needs to go.
Coordinators and Head Coach
There will be a great deal of analysis revolving around coaching in the off season, but I think Ray Lewis provides Garrett with the best analysis possible. Lewis said, in effect, the Cowboys offense was one of the simplest offenses in football. Perhaps there is no greater indictment against Garrett than Ray Lewis calling out Cowboys offensive plays during the Ravens game. Having said this, when the Cowboys woke up and started passing for all they were worth in the 4th quarter, the Ravens #2 defense turned into a sieve allowing the cowboys 17 points in that 4th quarter.
Before throwing Garrett under the bus, however, there are some things to consider. There are two basic offensive philosophies in the NFL. The first is to run a simple offense executed well. The general idea here is even if the defense knows what you intend to do, you do it better than they can stop you. Keep in mind even in simple offensive mode, there are times when you try to fool the defense. I am speaking in general terms here. One of the best examples of this philosophy was the Cowboys offense under Turner during the glory years, and also in 1994 and 1995. Note that Garrett was the third quarterback under that system. This philosophy works well if the team is disciplined, commits few penalties, and executes at a high level. This philosophy has the advantage of generating few mistakes while at the same time generating consistency of play.
The second philosophy is to rely on deception and confusing the defense. Again, I am speaking in generalities because execution is always desirable. This form of offense usually has a lot of movement and misdirection. One of the best examples of this system was “The Greatest Show on Turf.” This works well if you have playmakers and if you have speed. Because it is high risk, the losses can be great but so can the gains.
I think the prevailing philosophy today is the simpler is better philosophy. As I said, this does not mean misdirection is not used. I am speaking in terms of general philosophy. The Giants are the best exponent today of the simpler is better approach and the Panthers certainly employ it.
As I said, Garrett grew up, as it were, with this approach. It should come as no surprise, then, that Garrett employs this philosophy. Unfortunately for Garrett, the Cowboys are not a disciplined team and they execute poorly. Penalties killed us this year putting us in numerous second and third and long situations. This is not Garrett’s fault. The meltdown of the running game and the left side of the offensive line also hurt Garrett. In short, this philosophy should not be used against Garrett. He might need to move a little toward the other philosophy, but not too much so. Better executing will solve a lot of problems.
Dallas also tended to perform much better offensively in the second half of games than in the first half, showing Garrett is capable of making adjustments. I believe Garrett failed to understand the offense works better when it is up tempo. Obviously, up tempo is no good when trying to close out games, but it should definitely be the modus operandi of the Cowboys for much of the game. Garrett should take a leaf from the Patriots and use up tempo pass first run second approaches at times. The Cowboys also need more short quick hitting plays and, when needed, use the short passing game as a substitute for the running game. You will not always be able to run but these are things which can help mitigate the problem when it occurs.
If Garrett makes these adjustments, I believe he will be a good offensive coordinator. I believe Garrett gets a pass for next year. Just reducing penalties will help.
Stewart is another matter. The Cowboys defense was terrible in the first half and the passive approach certainly did not help. Phillips rescued the defense somewhat, but the secondary remains a problem. As far as I can see, Stewart is there because he is Wade’s friend. He has not helped the defense, but of course, I can only look at game day situations. And since the secondary is lousy, Campo must also depart. With a weak secondary, Dallas had no business employing a passive defense, hoping the opposing team would make a mistake. For this philosophy alone, Stewart should go. Phillips more aggressive approach has its problems too, but at least the defense started to have a pulse in the second half.
Now to Phillips. Of course, with the anger of this lost season I would sack Phillips before letting him board the plane back to Valley Ranch. But since I attempt to analyze the Cowboys objectively, let’s Examine Phillips more carefully. A coach is difficult to analyze because he is so many things: tactician, teacher, motivator, spokesman, spinner, and mediator and perhaps most importantly, a talent evaluator. We also have to factor Jerry Jones into the equation. How much control does Phillips actually have?
When coaches have full control, the Cowboys generally do better so if Wade allows himself to be pushed around, he is not a good fit for Dallas. Parcells’ Cowboys failed to make the playoffs for two out of his four years, but Parcels inherited a train wreck while Phillips inherited a solid team which had made the playoffs.
As fans, we cannot see team chemistry issues during practice. We only have game day to examine. But there is no question team chemistry was a problem this year. The team was undisciplined and suffered from a general lack of motivation. But even more than this, the team suffered from a lack of backbone during crunch time. You might argue that under Parcells the Cowboys also suffered December fade-outs and failed to win a playoff game. However, Dallas should have beaten Seattle were it not for a freakish special teams play by Romo, or, rather, a freakish lapse. Under Parcells the Cowboys also suffered a freak special teams disaster against the Redskins which cost them a game that might have helped them win the NFC East. Basically, the Cowboys showed much more backbone under Parcells in crunch time, though the results might not indicate this on the surface.
You almost get the feeling watching Dallas, that Phillips is thinking: “Oh no, here we go again, just like Denver and buffalo” and this pervades the team. The team needs steel at the helm and Phillips is not that steel. I don’t know if Garrett is either. The coach needs to bring in players who want discipline and who demand high standards for themselves and the team. Tom Coughlin was probably too much steel until he mellowed a bit in 2007. Phillips is too much like Fred Flintstone and I don’t see him developing steel any time soon. The fact is nice guys do not always make good head coaches. I think Parcells was a bit too much steel also for this particular team so the team needs someone ¾ Parcells and ¼ Phillips. I don’t quite know who that is but I’m pretty sure it is not Phillips.
GM
I don’t care if Jerry Jones wants to remain as GM so long as he has good advisors. In terms of the draft this is crucial, particularly since we lack a first round pick next year. As for taking risks, I think Jones has actually done OK. Tank Johnson has not been spectacular, but he is serviceable. Owens has performed well overall and all any fan has to do is recall life without Owens, you know, when the Cowboys could not stretch defences and lacked an explosive threat. As for Adam Jones, again, why not take the risk? He played OK at corner and should get better with extended playing time. We can only hope. Besides, this is his team so we are stuck with Jones as GM. Ireland was a huge loss to us and I can only hope the brains trust Jones puts in place in the off season will draft well and get the right kind of free agents.
I think the biggest areas of concern are the secondary and the left side of the offensive line. Kosier might help alleviate the need for drastic action if he recovers, but the secondary needs help and this is where the Cowboys free agency dollars need to go. Both the safety and corner positions need an upgrade. In fairness to Jerry Jones, he did try to upgrade corner this year, which is why Adam Jones was acquired and Michael Jenkins was drafted. If these two players improve, then again, perhaps the need is not great. But the team needs to think long and hard before trusting Jenkins and Jones to carry the load.
This was a very disappointing year. But I’ll be back to watch the Cowboys next year, just like I have since 1971 when I was eight years old. They may have disappointed this year, but they will always be the team I support no matter what. At least now I can enjoy the playoffs as a neutral supporter instead of getting frustrated and angry nearly every week, or nearly collapsing with relief when the Cowboys managed to win a game they needed. Let the games continue!
