Sunday, December 26, 2010

The End of This Miserable Season Is Within Sight

In yet another freakish game this season the Cowboys lost thanks to a missed extra point and another last minute defensive breakdown. It feels like the end can't come quickly enough. While the Cowboys are playing with a lot more heart and intensity under Jason Garrett there are just too many holes in the roster right now to overcome.

There are clearly going to have to be some big roster moves made in the offseason and Jerry Jones has a big decision to make about Jason Garrett. The offensive line is obviously a problem. The free safety position is a joke. The middle linebackers have become old and slow. And Terence Newman's age at cornerback has to be a concern as does the poor play of Mike Jenkins. Do I even need to mention kicker?

I still believe that Jason Garrett is the man for the job as head coach. I realize that the deficit they found themselves in against the Cardinals came with him coaching. But his team fought and clawed their way back into the game even playing with their third string quarterback playing for the first time in his NFL career after Kitna went down. And keep in mind that McGee essentially had no practice reps all season long. Garrett had to adjust the entire offense on the fly to allow McGee to be successful in the game. With a full offseason I believe Jason Garrett could complete the transformation of the Cowboys back into a contender.

Stephen McGee will probably get a shot to earn his spot on the roster next season. And it will be important for the Cowboys to know what they have in McGee because it makes a big impact on their draft plans in the offseason. If McGee can show more promise like he did against the Cardinals then the Cowboys may have their long term solution at backup quarterback. They will still need to find a future starter but they can afford to wait a few more years on that with Romo only 30 right now.

The worst part about this season is how numb I have become to the devastating, last minute losses. The more the Cowboys lose the easier it is to take because my expectations have been lowered so far from where they were at the start of the season. But that doesn't mean I won't expect more from the Cowboys next season. I know Jerry Jones is committed to putting a winner on the field but he obviously needs to re-evaluate many of the roster decisions he has made over the last few years. A lot of guys won't be back next season. There have to be big changes if there will be any hope of being competitive next year. The Cardinal game was just a reminder of how much work the Cowboys will have to do in the offseason.

5 comments:

  1. My biggest concern is, can it all be done in one offseason? There are ALOT of glaring holes that need addressing. I don't know what the cap situation will be like next season. (I doubt Jerry even knows) With the troubles with the CBA I highly doubt anybody but Garrett with be HC next season. However, I think Garrett needs to be allowed to hire his own assistants/coaching staff. We need almost an entire offensive line, a couple inside linebackers, defensive line depth, secondary starters and backups....... I'm almost thankful that I didn't get to watch the cardinals game. I also hope that McGee gets the start against Philly and that I get to see that game. I also have faith in Garrett as the new head coach and am excited to see what changes he makes to their offseason/preseason schedule and how much better they perform with a whole camp etc under Garrett.

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  2. I don't think we need an entirely new OL (Free is playing well overall this season, I think the right side of the line for the most part is what is killing us), I think Bradie James/Lee will be a killer duo in the inside and you can address that hole with free agents, definitely a new FS. We need one solid DE and if we can get greedy a mammoth nose (I still think Ratliff is incredible, but not much depth behind him), FS, CB, and G/T/C.

    Remember that not every team has the exact player they prefer on their team and they have to try to make it all gel together. Unfortunately, this Cowboy team hasn't done much this season, but it could be good from a team perspective for next season (positive spin?).

    And Justin, the game was absolutely brutal to watch. McGee was as solid as you could expect him to be.

    A.S.K.

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  3. WBF back and ready for action:

    Missed the game. Agonized over missing an easy victory where the talents can shi........... Wait a minute we lost?! To the cardinals?! What the.....

    Yea i'm done cash in my check see ya next year. Hopefully we will get back a good .5 record next year like the above I don't think it is possible to hop for an .8 or a 1.0. I don't think we can fix all thats broken in one or two seasons. Seasons 3 and 4 under garrett should be awesome.

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  4. There were some blaring errors in the Arizona game Garrett made a mistake by not going for the 2pt convert (when it was 21-19), but he figured there was plenty of time left (17 min.). Also Barber should have enough sense not to rip off his helmet while on the field. Further, how could Buehler miss his second convert of the year? Lui Passaglia, one of the best kickers ever, only missed 3 converts in 25 years of professional football (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lui_Passaglia).

    As a result, Buehler should be fired as a field goal kicker and he might return to his Pro Bowl form as a kickoff kicker. Barber should be regulated to a third string running back (he already is in a sense). Give Garrett more time to learn how to be a head coach in the NFL. Finally, Jerry Jones should fire himself from the GM position and let someone better takeover.

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  5. The Cardinal game was just a reminder of how much work the Cowboys will have to be big changes If McGee can show more promise like he obviously needs to re-evaluate many of the roster decisions he has to be a concern as does the poor play of Mike Jenkins. And slow. The offensive line is obviously a problem. The free safety positioned is a joke. The middle linebackers have become old And keep in against the Cardinals came With a full offseason I believe Jason Garrett could complete the field but he did against the Cardinals then the Cowboys may have their way back into the game even playing with their third string quarterback playing for the first time in his NFL career after Kitna went down. The more from where they have been lowered so far from the Cowboys next season.

    I still believe that Jason Garrett is to take because my expectations have in McGee because it is the man for the Cowboys to know what they were at the start of the season. And Terence Newman's age at backup quarterback. They will still need to find a future starter But that with Romo only 30 right now. I realize that the deficit they found themselves in mind that McGee essentially had no practice reps all season long. Garrett had to adjust the entire offense on their draft plans in the offseason. A lot of guys won't be back next season. There have to do in the offseason. Do I even need to mention kicker? If there will be some big roster moves made in the offseason and Jerry Jones has a big decision to make about this season is how numb I have become to the devastating, last minute losses.free english essay

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